2009 NBA Playoffs

Off Topic
101

[quote]tmoney1 wrote:

Yeah, Ariza is bigtime, he def needs to be resigned. Vujacic and Farmar are keepers, Walton needs to go.[/quote]

I would usually agree with this. However, Farmar’s performance for the latter half of the season has been begging for a serious kick in the ass. He has been a shadow of his last season self. Barely hitting the three, making terrible passes(he had 3 consecutive turnovers in a recent regular season game), getting in foul trouble, and having selfish attitude to boot( though his off court support is excellent, when he gets on the floor I get the distinct feeling he is trying to do WAY too much for his limited minutes).

Granted he is young and he has clearly shown he can be a great player, if he doesn’t shape up, I honestly would not be sorry to see him go. Shannon Brown meanwhile has made a considerably stronger case for why he should be our back-up(and eventual starting) point guard.

Walton meanwhile has actually been playing ALRIGHT. He’s still unathletic as a sack of potatoes, but he’s been doing his thing pretty decently, he is overpaid, imo. But I wouldn’t mind if he hung around.

Sasha has been sucking it up like Farmar, until very recently and I think he is starting to find his mojo again. I don’t want to see him go.

Ariza is a must keep. 100% Easily my favorite Laker beyond Pau and Kobe.

102

[quote]Dabba wrote:
SergeantQ wrote:
Kaizen08 wrote:
That kobe dunk in Game 1 was one of the sickest I’ve seen in a while. Heres my predictions:

Lakers over Jazz in 5
Nuggets over Hornets in 6
Spurs over Mavs in 6
Blazers over Rockets in 7

Cavs over Pistons in 5
Celtics over Bulls in 7 (maybe bulls over Celts now that they are without KG and Powe)
Magic over 76’s in 6
Hawks over Heat in 7

Lakers over Blazers in 6
Denver over Spurs in 6

Cavs over Hawks in 6
Magic over Celtics in 6

Lakers over Denver in 5
Cavs over Magic in 6

Finals: Lakers over Cav’s in 6, im calling it right now

WooooooW! An early prediction of Lakers in 6 over Cavs with Cavs having homecourt advantage; very Ballsy! Especially with Cavs having a 39-1 record at home. In order for Lakers to pull this off, I think Odom and Kobe need at least 20 a piece every time they play in order to overpower the Cavs and force Lebron out of his game. If Kobe and Odom put up solid numbers, lebron will leave his teammates out and try to win it himself causing the Cavs downfall.

Overall, Ballsy prediction, but very possible with the Zen master at the helm.

The Cavs are actually 39-2 with that loss to Philadelphia at the end (although you might not have been counting that because LeBron and others rested). I don’t think this is too far out of the realm of possibility though, considering the Lakers were basically the only team to beat the Cavs at home. I think you’re right about LeBron taking it over by himself in that it would doom the Cavaliers. Then again, they aren’t an incredibly strong team without him. The increasingly obvious Cavs-Lakers matchup should be great to watch though.[/quote]

Forgot about that lost at end! OOOOPS!

Oh well, It’s just going to be a great battle in the end and although my Bulls are expected to not come out alive, I’m still cheering for the hometown team.

I’ve gotta agree with some of the other posts. Kobe can play D when he has to or wants to or in that matter needs to. This is going to be a highly anticipated matchup and I wouldn’t want to be a person with a gambling problem trying to figure out who is going to win the finals.

Da Bulls!

103

Dwayne Wade has to be tired and is going to end up looking like he’s 80 when he’s 50! Don’t see how this dude keeps up the intensity all season and in the playoffs; Get that man some help! Jermaine is playing like a scared wasted piece of skin in my opinion; Sorry heat fans. Jermaine needs to hit the weight room.

104

In my opinion, Farmar sucks about 5 hairy fat ones. Straight out. Ok seriously, this guy has never played up to expectations this year, except a few games here and there in the first half of the season. Vujajic is more like Vujaja-brick, missing alot of easy threes that used to be just ice for him. So far, he’s turned into a contract year player. I believe the Lakers need to keep Brown, Ariza, and Odom. Unfortunately, it seems like it is highly unlikely to keep all three players signed for the next year, total salary + ta will be too high. We were hoping Kobe opts out and resigns with a slight pay cut, but he’s voiced that he isn’t planning on it. Odom says he’s willing to take a pay cut to stay on the team. Morrison is a 5M expiring contract, which gives some breathing room. There’s gonna be some very important transactions this summer.

 If you guys are interested in the payroll and numbers, look at this: http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=84552

 Another thing that I thought was interesting: my friend was watching the Cav's game, and noticed that Lebron is starting to play more like Kobe, where Lebron drives in, attracts double and triple teams, then passes to an open player for the assist.  This will definitely be a Kobe vs Lebron matchup, and David Stern couldn't hope for anything more, as he will be shelling in the cash cuz of this matchup.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was rigged by the refs to go a full 7 games, and in Lebron's favor, since Stern likes to hug Lebron's nuts.
105

It should be noted that although Sasha was never sidelined from injury, he has been dealing with ankle, knee and back problems for most of the season. This combined with his expanded role off the bench where he is being expected to make plays as well as drive the ball more(before he was primarily a role-playing shooter, this season he has been asked to do a lot more). I think those factors have combined to hurt his game.

Aside from his offense being completely anemic for a few months, his defense has never particularly slumped, and although he does draw some poor fouls, his effort and intensity on D is appreciated for our style of play, he is a harasser, and he’s pretty good at it.

Fortunately, he seems to be finding his stroke again, which is opportune.

I have to admit, I am a little nervous about the officiating as well. Lebron James is easily the most protected player in the league, arguably the most protected we’ve ever seen. His foul average is conspicuously low, especially for a player who relies on strength, size, power and speed to do most of his work. That said, We saw in the regular season that Kobe > Lebron in 1v1 matchup. So hopefully it will even out.

106

[quote]Malevolence wrote:
I have to admit, I am a little nervous about the officiating as well. Lebron James is easily the most protected player in the league, arguably the most protected we’ve ever seen. His foul average is conspicuously low, especially for a player who relies on strength, size, power and speed to do most of his work. That said, We saw in the regular season that Kobe > Lebron in 1v1 matchup. So hopefully it will even out.[/quote]

I agree with you 100% on this. Kobe does not have as many fouls caused on him as Lebron and Wade. Granted Lebron and Wade tend to drive the ball in more, it still is a bit off. I think more than just the teams, it will be a game that will be in the hands of the officials.

107

Male, preciate ya man, thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess I should watch more games to know that, my apologies. I’ve only seen about 10 Lakers games this year (including the three where the Lakers put the smackdown on my Thunder), and everytime I watched them, Farmar did look like he was trying hard (as you said) and Sasha was doing good. Nothing against Walton, it’s like like you said he’s unathletic and is decent at best.

But if he’s consistent night in and night out, then I guess he can’t be that bad (similar to Nick Collison for the Thunder, he’s not great, but he’s consistent and gives the Thunder 10 points and 7+ boards every night, so keeping him is a good option).

I didn’t know about Farmar’s attitude problem, sucks to hear. Yeah Brown has stepped up big, and learning from Fisher is huge for his development.

I think we can agree that moving Ariza to the starting lineup was bigtime, and Odom is going good coming off the bench, but he’s pretty much a starter in terms of minutes played.

[quote]Malevolence wrote:
tmoney1 wrote:

Yeah, Ariza is bigtime, he def needs to be resigned. Vujacic and Farmar are keepers, Walton needs to go.

I would usually agree with this. However, Farmar’s performance for the latter half of the season has been begging for a serious kick in the ass. He has been a shadow of his last season self. Barely hitting the three, making terrible passes(he had 3 consecutive turnovers in a recent regular season game), getting in foul trouble, and having selfish attitude to boot (though his off court support is excellent, when he gets on the floor I get the distinct feeling he is trying to do WAY too much for his limited minutes).

Granted he is young and he has clearly shown he can be a great player, if he doesn’t shape up, I honestly would not be sorry to see him go. Shannon Brown meanwhile has made a considerably stronger case for why he should be our back-up(and eventual starting) point guard.

Walton meanwhile has actually been playing ALRIGHT. He’s still unathletic as a sack of potatoes, but he’s been doing his thing pretty decently, he is overpaid, imo. But I wouldn’t mind if he hung around.

Sasha has been sucking it up like Farmar, until very recently and I think he is starting to find his mojo again. I don’t want to see him go.

Ariza is a must keep. 100% Easily my favorite Laker beyond Pau and Kobe.[/quote]

108

[quote]Malevolence wrote:

I have to admit, I am a little nervous about the officiating as well. Lebron James is easily the most protected player in the league, arguably the most protected we’ve ever seen. His foul average is conspicuously low, especially for a player who relies on strength, size, power and speed to do most of his work. That said, We saw in the regular season that Kobe > Lebron in 1v1 matchup. So hopefully it will even out.[/quote]

Gospel

109

[quote]Malevolence wrote:

I have to admit, I am a little nervous about the officiating as well. Lebron James is easily the most protected player in the league, arguably the most protected we’ve ever seen. His foul average is conspicuously low, especially for a player who relies on strength, size, power and speed to do most of his work. That said, We saw in the regular season that Kobe > Lebron in 1v1 matchup. So hopefully it will even out.[/quote]

Gospel

110

Male is right. Shit, look what happened to Dallas a few years ago. David Stern is the ultimate 6th man. With that, the game is still played on the floor and no matter how lopsided the officiating is in Clevelands - or LBJ’s - favor I just don’t see the Lakers losing this year. They’re capable of MURDERING people with Bryant on cruise control, and if they get in trouble he’ll shift gears and they’ll kill it.

111

The most exciting series thus far for me has been Celtics Vs. Bulls. Unfortunately I missed most of game 2 and will be missing all of game 3 today, and probably missing game 4 on Sunday as well. Too bad. Denver vs. NO has been fun to watch as well, even if it has been a litlte lopsided. Chauncy Billups is really playing some inspired ball for Denver.

112

[quote]Malevolence wrote:
The most exciting series thus far for me has been Celtics Vs. Bulls. Unfortunately I missed most of game 2 and will be missing all of game 3 today, and probably missing game 4 on Sunday as well. Too bad. Denver vs. NO has been fun to watch as well, even if it has been a little lopsided. Chauncey Billups is really playing some inspired ball for Denver. [/quote]

Denver just looked like they were having fun yesterday, especially C-Bills. He was on fire in the third quarter, and the Nuggets put the game out of hand at that point. Looks like the Billups/Iverson trade worked out better for Denver. Kinda surprised to see the Hornets not doing so hot.

113

Lebron and the Cavs will get a ring this year.

114

WhiteFlash - funny timing, just yesterday a friend sent me a link to that same dunk contest. Here’s the link if anyone’s interested: 2003 High School Dunk Contest - Final Round - YouTube

SergeantQ - good to have you here. I grew up in LA so an enemy of my enemy is my friend. I do hope your squad can avoid a Game 7.

Too bad Farmar never realized that the Zenmaster expects his guards to play defense. And it’s prob too late to get out of the doghouse now. I also didn’t realize Odom wanted to resign. I figured he was as good as gone.

115

[quote]SergeantQ wrote:
Oh well, It’s just going to be a great battle in the end and although my Bulls are expected to not come out alive, I’m still cheering for the hometown team.

I’ve gotta agree with some of the other posts. Kobe can play D when he has to or wants to or in that matter needs to. This is going to be a highly anticipated matchup and I wouldn’t want to be a person with a gambling problem trying to figure out who is going to win the finals.

Da Bulls!
[/quote]

I’m ashamed to be a Bulls fan tonight. One of the biggest beatdowns I’ve ever seen and its not even over yet as I type this…

Can we safely say that Rondo is one of the best point guards in the league yet? That man is just unbelievable…

116

C’s way too much for the Bulls. The way they closed the first half on a 9-0 run was textbook. And I had a feeling the Jazz would win game 3, Utah is a tough place to play, and it was a crazy finish (sorry Lakers fans).

What do you guys think about SAS basically throwing in the towel during 3q last night? They were getting dominated from the get-go, and I guess Pop decided to rest his guys, because there was a slim chance of winning. But then again, Philly could have thrown in the towel in game 1, but they came back from 18 down to win game 1 on the road.

117

[quote]Dabba wrote:
SergeantQ wrote:
Oh well, It’s just going to be a great battle in the end and although my Bulls are expected to not come out alive, I’m still cheering for the hometown team.

I’ve gotta agree with some of the other posts. Kobe can play D when he has to or wants to or in that matter needs to. This is going to be a highly anticipated matchup and I wouldn’t want to be a person with a gambling problem trying to figure out who is going to win the finals.

Da Bulls!

I’m ashamed to be a Bulls fan tonight. One of the biggest beatdowns I’ve ever seen and its not even over yet as I type this…

Can we safely say that Rondo is one of the best point guards in the league yet? That man is just unbelievable…[/quote]

I must say with a big huge sigh, yes I am officially ashamed! What a beat down!

118

[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
C’s way too much for the Bulls. The way they closed the first half on a 9-0 run was textbook. And I had a feeling the Jazz would win game 3, Utah is a tough place to play, and it was a crazy finish (sorry Lakers fans).

What do you guys think about SAS basically throwing in the towel during 3q last night? They were getting dominated from the get-go, and I guess Pop decided to rest his guys, because there was a slim chance of winning. But then again, Philly could have thrown in the towel in game 1, but they came back from 18 down to win game 1 on the road.[/quote]

I had a feeling the Celts would win Game 3. Everyone was dissing them and they do have a lot of pride. They just came out smoking.

I knew the Lakers would lose one in Utah, probably Game 3, but it was so aggravating to be in position to win it and not get it done. I am loving the way the Lakers came out for Game 4 though. Hell yes!! That’s what I’m talking about. Go out on their floor and slap them silly from the start, leave no doubt. This series is OVER.

Props to Dallas, but I am still surprised at how the Spurs have basically rolled over and died. I’m not counting them out yet, but it doesn’t look good for the, Dallas just seems to have more energy.

119

The NBA’s nuthugging of Lebron James is getting way out of hand. This stat is fucking disgusting: so far in the Cav’s/Pistons series Lebron James has shot 42 free throws. The entire Pistons team have shot 40. Think about that.

120

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
The NBA’s nuthugging of Lebron James is getting way out of hand. This stat is fucking disgusting: so far in the Cav’s/Pistons series Lebron James has shot 42 free throws. The entire Pistons team have shot 40. Think about that.[/quote]

and the Cavs will eliminate them today.