2008 NBA Playoffs Thread (1 Viewer)

[DavidJ]

Yeah, but wasn't Barry fouled?

 

[Jan H]

If Barry leans into Fisher while attempting to shoot, he goes to the line. He didn't, so it was a good non-call. Even Popovich said as much. I'm biased, of course, but it looked like the Spurs got the vast majority of favorable calls all game long, so maybe it was karma. But honestly, yes, the referees certainly could have called that a foul.

 

[george kaplan]

That would have been a 2 point foul, so at best, Barry could have tied the game. But if the refs had called the previous play correctly (resetting the 24 second clock when Fisher hit the rim) it would have been a moot point. And with Kobe only going to the line once in 2 games (and never in game 4), the officiating has clearly been allowing a lot of contact to go as non-fouls.

 

[DavidJ]

First let me get this out of the way: I am not a Spurs fan. I do respect what they have accomplished and I think the way they have handled this "controversy" bears out their class. That said, a foul is a foul. Barry should've been at the line shooting two. Without the contact he would've gotten a pretty good look at a three point shot. The contact prevented that. From what I've heard, both Fischer and Phil Jackson said it was a foul. To George's point: it just shows you how badly the officials screwed up the end of that game and that is a shame.

 

[Jan H]

That game was poorly officiated from the get-go. Duncan was allowed to take 5 steps to the rim, they didn't reset the shot-clock when Fisher's shot hit the rim, Kobe got to the free-throw line NEVER, and the infamous non-call at the end of the game. It's a shame the game ended like that, it's a shame the Lakers allowed it to be that close after seemingly putting the Spurs away, and it's a shame the refs blew the game like that. I agree, David, the Spurs handled the situation with class. I hate the Spurs, but the way the franchise dealt with the situation was beyond reproach. They are a class bunch of guys. Phil and Kobe would've been howling at the moon if the situation were reversed.

 

[Steve_Tk]

I can't stand the spurs anymore. I can't stand how Duncan looks so surprised when a foul gets called on him. I can't stand their coach. And I really hate the "flop". I swear Tony Parker practices that at home.

 

[Robert_Z]

What a poor end for the Spurs. Ginobili was clearly injured. It was painful watching him try to explode to the basket. He just physically could not do it.

When healthy, he can embarrass most NBA players with his agressive drives through the lane. In his current state of health, he was embarrassing himself and should have been on the bench. What ever happened to sitting injured players who cause more harm than good by being on the court?

I don't care if they had to play Matt Bonner or Damon Stoudamire. Watching Manu like that was like watching MJ's last season with Washington. That wasn't MJ, and this wasn't "Manu."

As big a Spurs fan as I am, this settles the "Are they a dynasty?" debate. The answer is no. Not because they didn't repeat, but because they played against LA in the playoffs 6 times during the past 10 years, and the Lakers won 4-2. You can't be a dynasty if a team has a winning record against you in the playoffs during your "reign."

Some people said the Spurs are "Team of the decade." But if LA wins the title, they'll have 4 titles this decade, and SA will have 3. Not that I'm complaining. The four titles have been great, with each title run and each Finals series unique (won in a sweep, 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3).

But the opportunity for immortality (the 5-peat) was lost on the .4 shot in '04 and on the Manu foul on Dirk in '06. Those were probably the only two times that I disagreed with the notion that "the best team always wins 7 game series." The Spurs were talented and experienced enough to win 5 in a row, but they just didn't get it done. Great run, though. Thanks, Spurs.

 

[Jan H]

The torch appears to have been passed in the West. The Lakers seem to be poised for a 3-5 year run of supremacy, but even if Bynum comes back strong, nothing is guaranteed. The Spurs need to retool, but I wouldn't write 'em off just yet. As long as they have Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli (when healthy), they'll still scare everyone. The Spurs are like Hillary Clinton, or like cockroaches in nuclear winter. Until their essence is gone, you can't pronounce them dead. They clearly need to get younger and more athletic.

For now, the King is dead, long live the King!

 

[Brian Perry]

God, why did Vujacic have to take that meaningless 3-pointer with .2 seconds left? San Antonio was getting 7.5 points and ended up losing by 8. That's about as bad as it gets if you're on the wrong side.

 

[Robert_Z]

Maybe it was more than just poor sportsmanship? Maybe he stood to gain personally because he bet on the game? Could have made himself a load of $$$.

 

[Brian Perry]

Okay, we're all set with Lakers-Celtics. Lakers are currently favored 60-40 on the tradesports.com futures exchange. Should be a great series, and the NBA got what it wanted as far as the matchup goes.

 

[Brian Perry]

I doubt that he had anything riding on it...it was just too spur-of-the-moment (pardon the pun).

However, it sounds as though as much as $100 million may have been made/lost due to that shot. Some casinos estimate that the worldwide "handle" (all bets placed) was $300 million or so and that 65% of the action was on the Spurs +7.5 (or +8 in some places). Those people either lost their bet (horrible for them) or pushed (bad for them and also terrible for the casinos, since all money is then returned and they don't collect their 10% juice).

 

[Jan H]

The Celtics and the Lakers. Ahh, my mind wanders back to the days of yore: the McHale clothesline and Worthy passing the ball to Gerald Henderson in '84 (a series in which I shed tears over a sporting event for the only time in my life), Kareem's dominance in '85 and the Magic baby-hook in '87. The good old days.

Those times were great for basketball, and it's great for nostalgia and ratings this year, but I don't hate the Celtics anymore. That's a sad commentary on their lengthy absence from the basketball limelight. I would actually be happy for Kevin Garnett if he won a ring.

But the Lakers have a better player than KG, a better coach than Doc Rivers, a better bench and younger legs than the Celtics, and have beaten better teams in the playoffs. If they don't win, I will be pissed, because they are the better team.

On the other hand, the only thing that is as good in sports as being a Laker fan, is being a Celtics hater. It would be nice to relive those moments of unmitigated Boston hatred.

Lakers in 6.

 

[Carlo_M]

I had an old college roommate back in the mid 90s who was the biggest Conspiracy Theory advocate with regards to sports. He believed all professional US sports of any betting magnitude fixed. Of course, as we all know, if you believe something hard enough, you will find enough instances of "proof" to support your theory. He kept equating football/baseball/basketball to WWE wrestling: orchestrated to go whichever way the betting lines went to favor the "powers that be".

Of course this pissed me off something fierce because I am a big sports fan and although I'm not naive to believe point shaving doesn't happen (it's been proven to happen), I don't think it's as widespread as he believed.

He now lives 350 miles away, and I think I could hear him screaming at the TV during Vujacic's shot!

 

[Kirk Tsai]

Vujacic's improvement this year has been pretty amazing. For the last couple of years, he was the guy who would get off the bench and promptly attempt a long jumper every time he got the ball. The Laker announcers would be surprised if he ever drove into the lanes and attempted a layup. He was one of the better perimeter defenders on the team, but then again, those teams had Smush Parker playing big minutes. This season, he's become automatic from the 3, isn't afraid to get to the basket, and a really in-your-face tough defender. That 3 at the end of game 5 was pointless, but not totally surprising--in his heart of hearts, Vujacic is a big time gunner.

I'll take the Lakers in 7, but that would give me a heart attack. I hope Jan is closer to correct.

 

[eljr]

Boston in 7.

 

[Carlo_M]

I didn't realize this, as my girlfriend's work conference has been scheduled since last year, and I'm going along with her. I just realized I'm going to be in enemy territory (Boston) for games 1 and 2. There will be a few Los Angelenos on this trip, so we'll have to find some place to watch it and band together so we don't get killed by Bostonians!

 

[Jan H]

I'm going to be in Barcelona during Game 6 and 7, should it go that far. It would be amazing to party with the locals celebrating Pau Gasol's NBA championship. Of course, if the Lakers win it in 5, I'll be able to celebrate in L.A. Either way works for me! GO LAKERS!!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

There is lots of speculation in the local media about what is going to happen with the Pistons this offseason. After three straight years of failing to win in the conference finals, Dumars may choose to shake up the core. The most likely change is at head coach, where rumors of assistant coach Michael Curry taking over for Flip are running rampant. Saunders has only one year left on his contract, and he probably will not be offered an extension. The remaining choices are to either get rid of Flip or retain him as a lame duck coach (which never works out).

Rasheed also only has one year left on his contract, so he could be attractive trade bait for a team looking for an expiring contract. Considering Wallace's penchant for disappearing in critical playoff games the past couple of years (including Game 6 Friday night), I think it's time for Detroit to get rid of him.

Good luck to the Lakers and Celtics fans here.

 

[Jan H]

I just read something from Freep about the Pistons possibly moving Rip Hamilton to the Bulls for Deng and/or Gordon. Not sure that makes much sense, but unloading Wallace certainly does.