[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
No matter how much you dislike them, I think the Spurs deserve a tip of the cap for winning 3 out of the last 5, and 4 out of the last 9 championships.
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Oh, I agree with this, dosn’t mean I can’t “cheer” for the Cav’s when I am watching the game though.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
I hear ya. I feel the same way about the Lakers. The most beautiful moment in basketball history, besides seeing the Spurs win their 3 championships, was watching the Pistons dismantle the Kobe-Shaq Lakers in the 2004 Finals and then the subsequent implosion of that team. Priceless.[/quote]
I feel bad that Mailman never got his ring that year.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
I almost think LJ can beat the Spurs even by himself, if not this year then next. He gets down the floor too fast for Bowen to get back, where as the likes of Kobe and Nash come down then wait for the D-Fence. [/quote]
Easy there, young bro. Let’s wait at least a few games before we decide he can beat the Spurs on his own. And let’s wait for a few rings before we start comparing him to any of the greats.
being from cleveland my entire life… and going to osu in columbus.
GO CAVS!!!
I wasn’t into that ‘witness’ bullshit before… but after that performance in game 5… count me in.
HDTV and tons of friends, going crazy, and school is OUT!
Allright, game 1 tonight!!! I’m pumped!! Seems like it’s been a month since any basketball was played.
Yeah, I’m looking fwd to tonight’s tip as well. I am wondering how the Cavs will react the first time King James raises up for a jump shot and Bruce Bowen sticks out his foot underneath him.
I hope Mike Brown goes after Bowen the way Zeke (NYK coach) did earlier this year.
[quote]chillain wrote:
Yeah, I’m looking fwd to tonight’s tip as well. I am wondering how the Cavs will react the first time King James raises up for a jump shot and Bruce Bowen sticks out his foot underneath him.
I hope Mike Brown goes after Bowen the way Zeke (NYK coach) did earlier this year.
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Now THAT would be good basketball (and drama).
NBA FINALS GAME 1 RECAP:
Spurs defeat Cavs 85-76 - The Spurs Big 3 had a combined 67 points, and the Cavs had 76 points combined as a team, and the Spurs take a 1-0 series lead. LeBron James only had 14 points, and came out flat, along with his team, in his first Finals game. The Cavs tried to make a run at the end of the game, but it was too little, too late. The Spurs were just too much from beginning to end.
TMONEY1’S NEAT-O STUD OF THE NIGHT, SPONSORED BY T-Nation: Tim Duncan. 24 points and 13 boards, and it was business as usual for the Big Fundamental.
LeBron had a rough night. The Spurs played awesome defense on LBJ. He had some open looks, but couldn’t knock them down. He made two 3’s at the end, but it was too little too late. It seemed like he didn’t want to take control of the team and wanted to get his teammates involved. The Spurs deserved credit for doing a good job on shutting down the Cavs in game 1. If game 1 is an indicator of what the Finals are going to be, the Cavs are in for a long Finals experience.
I just thought of it: If the Spurs win the Finals, this will be Robert Horry’s 7th championship! (3 - Lakers, 2- Rockets, 2- Spurs). That deserves respect.
How the Spurs play unless you pay attention and watch them alot its hard to realize just how dominate they are.
Damn they are good.
The Spurs won? I guess I fell asleep during the game. Tony Parker’s thread the needle passes and his drives to the basket are just so BORING!!! Really, and that Manu Ginoblli with his steals and alley oops and threes, talk about snooze inducing basketball. Shaq taking two steps, flattening two pesky defenders, and then dunking the ball, now that’s exciting basketball.
Prediction: LeBron is a quick study. Game two will be much closer, Game two may be a big surprise.
It will be interesting to see what the Cavs do to adjust. One thing that looks exploitable to me is the way Tim Duncan, Elson, and Oberto were showing on Defense. They were often coming out past the top of the key. It seems to me this creates lanes underneath for quick passes and layups for a player coming across. Do the Cavs have passers that can exploit that?
Just a thought.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
Prediction: LeBron is a quick study. Game two will be much closer, Game two may be a big surprise.[/quote]
I agree but i’m not predicting it, just feel it might happen that way. Everybody is saying lj came out flat but they are forgetting this is his first finals, and he likes to get a feel for things. I would like to see if the spurs get that same run in the 3rd quarter next game that they always get. If they do, then the cavs will lose the series. If not I think the cavs have a chance.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
TMONEY1’S NEAT-O STUD OF THE NIGHT, SPONSORED BY T-Nation: Tim Duncan. 24 points and 13 boards, and it was business as usual for the Big Fundamental.[/quote]
I thought Tony Parker stepped it up a little more than Duncan did. They both had good nights(but, as you say, business as usual), but of the game that I saw(I missed the 4th quarter) Parker had some really impressive plays.
[quote]Malevolence wrote:
tmoney1 wrote:
TMONEY1’S NEAT-O STUD OF THE NIGHT, SPONSORED BY T-Nation: Tim Duncan. 24 points and 13 boards, and it was business as usual for the Big Fundamental.
I thought Tony Parker stepped it up a little more than Duncan did. They both had good nights(but, as you say, business as usual), but of the game that I saw(I missed the 4th quarter) Parker had some really impressive plays.[/quote]
Yeah, it was a toss up between TD and TP, but I went with Duncan because of his 5 blocks as well, including one on LeBron, which made up (kinda sorta not really) for LBJ dunkin on Duncan earlier in the season.
Not taking anything any from Parker, though, solid game.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
The Spurs won? I guess I fell asleep during the game. Tony Parker’s thread the needle passes and his drives to the basket are just so BORING!!! Really, and that Manu Ginoblli with his steals and alley oops and threes, talk about snooze inducing basketball. Shaq taking two steps, flattening two pesky defenders, and then dunking the ball, now that’s exciting basketball.
Prediction: LeBron is a quick study. Game two will be much closer, Game two may be a big surprise.[/quote]
I actually did find it boring. Not because of their style, but just because I’ve seen this team and those same players win over and over. Not only that, but they win a lot of games by double figures, so the game is often in hand at the end with them, thereby limiting the great finishes.
I respect that they’re a great team, but I’m just sick of seeing them. I don’t usually like dynasties as a fan (as a coach I would love one). I much prefer to see a team win that’s on the rise and has never been there before.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
The Spurs won? I guess I fell asleep during the game. Tony Parker’s thread the needle passes and his drives to the basket are just so BORING!!! Really, and that Manu Ginoblli with his steals and alley oops and threes, talk about snooze inducing basketball. Shaq taking two steps, flattening two pesky defenders, and then dunking the ball, now that’s exciting basketball.
Prediction: LeBron is a quick study. Game two will be much closer, Game two may be a big surprise.[/quote]
Last night really was a snoozefest. Only Spurs fans enjoy watching Manu’s out-of-control “hustle” out there. And almost no one pays attention to Duncan’s sweet footwork or Horry’s basketball IQ, so it’s only Parker’s penetrating ability that is obvious to the casual fan.
Good point about open passing lanes underneath. But your bigs have to be able to catch the pass and finish, and in that respect, Z is like Kwame Brown.
[quote]escot4 wrote:
deputydawg wrote:
The Spurs won? I guess I fell asleep during the game. Tony Parker’s thread the needle passes and his drives to the basket are just so BORING!!! Really, and that Manu Ginoblli with his steals and alley oops and threes, talk about snooze inducing basketball. Shaq taking two steps, flattening two pesky defenders, and then dunking the ball, now that’s exciting basketball.
Prediction: LeBron is a quick study. Game two will be much closer, Game two may be a big surprise.
I actually did find it boring. Not because of their style, but just because I’ve seen this team and those same players win over and over. Not only that, but they win a lot of games by double figures, so the game is often in hand at the end with them, thereby limiting the great finishes.
I respect that they’re a great team, but I’m just sick of seeing them. I don’t usually like dynasties as a fan (as a coach I would love one). I much prefer to see a team win that’s on the rise and has never been there before.
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I think that is pretty natural. Everyone loves an underdog, and everyone loves the cinderella story. It’s also why a lot of people have distaste for the most dominant teams.
It’s what people can relate to the most I think, when your an underdog team, you might have the talent to win or even the experience to win, but it will take a lot of work and solid commitment to actually prevail. People like to see ascension, growth and development, because it reminds them how they can achieve great things when they work really hard for it.
On the converse, the successful dominant teams and players often get glossed over and taken for granted in a sense because there is this feeling like “oh they don’t even have to work for it, they are just that good, what’s the point?”.
Personally, I love rooting for an unlikely match up and an upset, but at the same time, I respect athleticism and the amount of work it takes any champion contender to get there, whether or not they are actually struggling in the end.
NBA FINALS GAME 2:
Spurs defeat Cavs 103-92 - Tony Parker poured in 30, Manu Ginobili had 25 off the bench, Tim Duncan scored 23, and the Spurs go up 2-0 in the Finals heading to Cleveland. LeBron James had 25 and Daniel Gibson added 15 off the bench, and the Cavs made a tremendous run in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
TMONEY1’S NEAT-O STUD OF THE NIGHT, SPONSORED BY T-Nation: Tony Parker. His 30 points helped the Spurs get within 2 wins of their 4th NBA Title in 9 years. He is making a serious run for NBA Finals MVP, and in essence, solidifying himself as a top-5 Point Guard in the L, if not top 3.
Tony Parker really has shown himself big this series and this post-season. What has been especially impressive is the fact that he is so small but he scores in the paint. He got to the rim like Steve Nash, but instead of passing out for a 3 like Nash, he stayed in and finished.
Also, Robert Horry was playing a hot game as well, with some clutch blocks and steal/loose ball hustles.
The Spurs had their way with the Cavs last night, hardly a thing went wrong, outside that limited streak the Cavs managed near the end.