[quote]Xeneize wrote:
Good analysis, and road stats. Who would have thought that the best NBA talk on the interweb is taking place on T-Nation? :-D[/quote]
Serious. I don’t know how you guys do it. Great stuff!
I have to admit, I am a little worried about the Lakers right now. I take some solace knowing that Utah should have blown-out the Lakers twice in a row based off how poorly LA was playing, but, it’s so easy to say things like that, and Utah did play some really good ball… at times.
Despite the two wins, Utah still looked like the lesser team most of the time(although they did have some astounding quarters).
The most disappointing thing so far has been Jordan Farmar’s complete inability to function at playoff caliber. In his defense, he is only a 2nd year player and this is his first ‘real’ playoff run(last year hardly counts). But, when you have players like Chris Paul and Al Horford tearing it up in their respective first years, it doesn’t shine a good light on the former Bruin.
There were times during the regular season when he and Fish were sharing roughly equal minutes, and he was really solidly producing off the bench. But against Deron Williams(another 2nd year player!) he simply doesn’t match-up.
[quote]Malevolence wrote:
I have to admit, I am a little worried about the Lakers right now. I take some solace knowing that Utah should have blown-out the Lakers twice in a row based off how poorly LA was playing, but, it’s so easy to say things like that, and Utah did play some really good ball… at times.
Despite the two wins, Utah still looked like the lesser team most of the time(although they did have some astounding quarters).
The most disappointing thing so far has been Jordan Farmar’s complete inability to function at playoff caliber. In his defense, he is only a 2nd year player and this is his first ‘real’ playoff run(last year hardly counts). But, when you have players like Chris Paul and Al Horford tearing it up in their respective first years, it doesn’t shine a good light on the former Bruin.
There were times during the regular season when he and Fish were sharing roughly equal minutes, and he was really solidly producing off the bench. But against Deron Williams(another 2nd year player!) he simply doesn’t match-up.
[/quote]
I think you’re right to be a little worried. But only a little.
I think the Lakers know the (purple and) golden opportunity they have to bring home the title after some years of frustration, and they have the right combination of the game’s best player, best coach and a solid supporting cast.
The only thing that can bring them down are injuries. Hopefully, Kobe’s back will heal quickly. It’s also amazing he’d had this MVP year with a fucked-up pinkie finger, too.
The Jazz are simply not in the Lakers’ class, and they know it and the Lakers know it. I got a little spoiled watching them sweep Denver and after two games against Utah, I got seduced into thinking they were never going to lose again. Maybe they did, too. But I think they’re going to refocus and be fine.
You’re dead on about Farmar. I hope he steps it up.
In my opinion (for whatever it’s worth):
Detroit is in the best position of the remaining eight teams. They should make it to the Eastern Conference Finals tonight with a win over Orlando, and even without Mr. Big Shot, they are still looking solid. A classic hard-nosed, veteran team that plays smart ball night in and night out with nothing fancy. Yeah, I’ll admit, they might not be fun to watch sometimes, but winning NEVER gets boring.
Cleveland is definitely gaining momentum winning games 3 and 4 at home. Also with the fact that Boston is winless on the road this playoff season, it makes this series more interesting. How LeBron goes, so do the Cavs, but Delonte West is stepping up nicely so far.
Spurs-Hornets is just too close to tell. I’m really enjoying watching Parker-Paul basically go one-on-one every night and put on an awesome show. Tim Duncan finally waking up and playing is great news for the Spurs, and they need him firing on all cylinders. This series goes seven games.
The Lakers are not in panic mode yet, but need to step it up for sure. Not taking anything away from Utah, but the Lakers could have swept the series, and could be waiitng for the winner of the Spurs-Hornets series. Kobe’s back is the tell-all for the Lakers. He’s playing Game 5 (no surprise), but his effectiveness on the court will be watched closely.
Just some thoughts.
I wouldn’t be too worried for the Lakers. They did lose both games in Utah, but those two games looked for all the world like the lesser team holding off the superior team (unlike NO-SAS and BOS-CLE, where SAS and CLE really beat the hell out of NO and BOS at home). The “better” team almost always ends up winning those types of series in the end.
While I think LAL will hold on, that series could go seven just because of how good Utah is at home. Kobe’s back injury is also a concern, and LAL could be in trouble if the injury is worse than Kobe is letting on.
But for now, I don’t think LAL should be too concerned.
Man, yet another blowout in the Spurs-Hornets series. Game was close for a while, but the Hornets just showed too much energy at the end. Can’t wait for Game 6.
Tuesday, May 13th Recap:
- Pistons defeat 3) Magic 91-86: Richard Hamilton had 31 points and 4 steals, and Rodney Stuckey filled in nicely for Chauncey Billups, finishing with 15 points and 6 assists, and the Pistons advance to their sixth straight Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Hedo Turkoglu had 18 points and 9 boards, and Dwight Howard finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds, as the Magic have nowhere to go but up, and should come back even stronger next year.
- Hornets defeat 3) Spurs 101-79: David West with a monster game, dropped 38 and 14 boards, Chris Paul added his usual beastly game of 22 and 14 assists, and the Hornets use a HUGE third quarter to take advantage of the Spurs and go up 3-2 in the series. Manu Ginobili scored 20 points, and Tim Duncan had 23 boards, but only 10 points on a rough 5-18 shooting night.
Stud of the Night: David West. 38 points, 14 boards, 5 dimes, 5 blocks, and the Hornets are one win away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Xeneize, nice jobs on the pics as of late. I just realized you can click the pic, and it opens up a separate window with a bigger pic.
Random thoughts from tonight:
- I don’t think people realize exactly how good the Pistons really are. SIX STRAIGHT Eastern Conference Finals is ridick!!! Heck, getting to ANY conference finals in ANY sport THREE straight times is an accomplishment.
I know what the critics will say: yeah, but they’ve only one won one title, and made it to the Finals only twice, and they play in the East, which is weak. But from a broader scope, their success is nothing short of impressive. Keeping the team together for the most part, and playing consistently night in and night out is phenomenal.
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I don’t think people realize exactly how good the Hornets are either. They were pretty much written off by a lot of people for being ‘inexperienced, soft, lucky,’ etc etc, they have proven themselves mightily this playoff season. They have the defending champs on the ropes, and the emergence of Chris Paul and Co. continues to keep getting better every game.
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The Magic have nowhere to go but sky high. They have a great young nucleus of talent, and Dwight Howard is still young and raw. This team has good things for the future, and Stan Van Gundy is a good fit for this team.
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Tim Duncan is so extremely critical to the Spurs, when he has a bad game, the whole team tumbles like dominoes. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili will step up, but without TD being at least somewhat consistent, the Spurs are in trouble.
Deputydawg, let’s see what your boys can do.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Xeneize, nice jobs on the pics as of late. I just realized you can click the pic, and it opens up a separate window with a bigger pic.[/quote]
Thanks. Should have thought of it sooner. Just seems to add a nice touch to the thread. One good thing about working in the media is you have access to the pics quickly, so I can usually get some fresh stuff up in a timely manner.
Stud of the night, above.
[quote]Xeneize wrote:
tmoney1 wrote:
Xeneize, nice jobs on the pics as of late. I just realized you can click the pic, and it opens up a separate window with a bigger pic.
Thanks. Should have thought of it sooner. Just seems to add a nice touch to the thread. One good thing about working in the media is you have access to the pics quickly, so I can usually get some fresh stuff up in a timely manner.
Stud of the night, above. [/quote]
Nice touch. Do you work in internet/sports info media, or print? Just curious.
I was wondering about the pics. I saw the LeBron dunk, and a few minutes later, you had the pic up. I was like ‘how did he get it up so quickly? Did he take the pic himself?’
Nice work, keep it up.
Although I am still picking the Lakers to bring the championship home this year, the role players are really beginning to become a point of concern.
Lamar has been surprisingly dependable and Gasol hasn’t been bad, but certainly not great. The other constant is D-Fish. But aside from that, the rest of the team’s collective assholes seem to be tightening up infront of the bright glare of the playoff lights.
As mentioned earlier, Farmar has disappeared. He walked around all season long with a chip on his shoulder like he was some UCLA-badass, and now he’s become a ghost. Extremely disappointing, as he is an important piece backing up D-Fish and bringing momentum into the game.
The 5th non-starter on the Lakers is Vlad Radmanovich. This guy might be moving into Kwame Brown territory. He won a big contract with the Lakers by hitting 3 point shots for lesser teams with literally nothing on the line. Now that the playoffs have started he has been an utter non-factor, a disappointment. Seems like the physical pieces are there but mentally he is extremely weak, and therefore a liability. This guy does not have the balls to be in the game this late in the season.
Luke Walton seems to be hit or miss. He doesn’t make too many mistakes but when he does you can just tell by his body language that he’s getting down on himself. That is not the trait of a champion.
Sasha Vujacic has played valiantly with his timely shooting, but I’m not sure how much faith Laker Nation can have in him. We’re used to the likes of Robert Horry, Ron Harper, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw - all pro’s pros.
Kobe Bryant has been magnificent as per usual, but one has to wonder the extent of his injuries.
Hopefully, Trevor Ariza can infuse some energy into this Laker team. He’s due to be back in a week. He played fantastically in the beginning of the season prior to his injury. His defense and athletic ability will serve this Laker squad well.
I’m not worried about the Utah series, but I am worried about having to win TWO more grueling series against teams whose role players do not have the character flaws of some of the Lakers supporting cast.
I’m crossing my fingers and hoping Kobe and D-Fish can right the ship.
(Purposefully didn’t include any thoughts on Andrew Bynum - its just too damn depressing.)
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Xeneize wrote:
tmoney1 wrote:
Xeneize, nice jobs on the pics as of late. I just realized you can click the pic, and it opens up a separate window with a bigger pic.
Thanks. Should have thought of it sooner. Just seems to add a nice touch to the thread. One good thing about working in the media is you have access to the pics quickly, so I can usually get some fresh stuff up in a timely manner.
Stud of the night, above.
Nice touch. Do you work in internet/sports info media, or print? Just curious.
I was wondering about the pics. I saw the LeBron dunk, and a few minutes later, you had the pic up. I was like ‘how did he get it up so quickly? Did he take the pic himself?’
Nice work, keep it up.[/quote]
LOL.
TMoney, I work for one of the 7 or 8 largest newspapers in the country. I work almost exclusively on the Web site version of this fine publication. I dare not name it because people have been canned for less around here.
I don’t work directly in sports (I work in news) but I am a former sports journalist as well as a big fan so I stay pretty close to the action.
I don’t work weekends anymore, so you might not see pics on those days, but during the week I’ll post the best ones I see.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Random thoughts from tonight:
- I don’t think people realize exactly how good the Pistons really are. SIX STRAIGHT Eastern Conference Finals is ridick!!! Heck, getting to ANY conference finals in ANY sport THREE straight times is an accomplishment.
I know what the critics will say: yeah, but they’ve only one won one title, and made it to the Finals only twice, and they play in the East, which is weak. But from a broader scope, their success is nothing short of impressive. Keeping the team together for the most part, and playing consistently night in and night out is phenomenal.
[/quote]
Good take on the Pistons. I have never liked Detroit, but ya gotta give them some props. The only team to take a road game in this round. They’re consistent, persistent, and they’re going to be a tough out for any team regardless of whose court it is.
On another note, I don’t think I ever remember a year where home court was so imperative.
Tmoney1,
I would just like to say thanks for your props to Detroit.
It is refreshing to see someone not from Michigan, giving Detroit sports teams their due. Feel free to hate on the Lions though.
My thoughts on last night:
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Props to the Pistons. Two critical victories with Chauncy Billups on the bench. Very impressive. I’ve always been a fan of Detroit except when they played the Spurs for the Championship in '05. Particularly enjoyed the season when the Pistons beat the last Kobe-Shaq Lakers squad in the Finals.
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Unfortunately I haven’t seen any indication that my Spurs can beat NO in NO. They must win on Thursday but that game 7 in NO looks like a mighty big hurdle. Everyone focuses on NO’s offense but really you have got to say they play great defense especially in the third. Nobody was penetrating and when you see Parker throwing up threes and Bowen going to the basket you know NO played great D and shut down all of the real threats. Timmy has got to find a way period. Tmoney is so right. Everything comes back to Duncan. Right now it looks like a Hornets - Lakers Western Finals.
One last thought: How many times over the years have we seen Tayshaun Prince’s long gangly arms block critical shots? The guy just always seems to make the big block when it is absolutely critical.
Cleveland has a golden opportunity tonight in Boston, but the Celtics aren’t going away quietly after a slow start.
