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2008 NBA Playoffs Thread - Page 3

post #61 of 99
6/2/08 at 9:42am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Hamilton is probably Detroit's most attractive trade bait, considering he's still in his 20's and has a favorable contract. However, I agree that moving him for Deng or Gordon doesn't make much sense, although the Pistons will be looking to give Rodney Stuckey more playing time in the backcourt next season. Trading Billups would be a better idea, but he'll be harder to move. Chauncey is older and has a less attractive contract with 3 years remaining.
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post #62 of 99
6/2/08 at 11:10am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.

That doesn't seem to make any sense to me. I'm all for keeping Rip as he was the Pistons' best player in this years playoffs.
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post #63 of 99
6/3/08 at 8:42am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Flip Saunders fired. Dumars has made the first necessary change quickly. Hopefully this means some additional changes in the roster will follow this summer.

Now the question is who will be the next coach. Michael Curry is rumored, but I'd rather see a coach with more experience to lead an experienced roster. What is Pat Riley's status with Miami? Other options would be Jeff Van Gundy, Avery Johnson or current Detroit assistant Terry Porter.
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post #64 of 99
6/3/08 at 10:37am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Like it or not, Flip had to be let go.

He was 171-70 in the regular season, but only 30-21 in the postseason, plus 3 straight conference finals losses.

Hopefully, Joe can find a coach who can get them over the hump and back into the NBA Finals and win a championship.

I love how the Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers all make the nescessary personnell moves to try to win, but the Lions just do nothing.
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post #65 of 99
6/3/08 at 1:25pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The team definitely underachieved with Flip the past three postseasons. After two consecutive Finals appearances (and one title) under Larry Brown, the team should have made at least one more Finals appearance over the past three seasons. Last year against Cleveland probably hurt more than any of the failures. You have to wonder how this team would have done had Larry Brown not been such a flake and stuck around. Of course, if Brown wasn't so flaky, he never would have been available to come to Detroit in the first place.
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post #66 of 99
6/3/08 at 1:50pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Merryfield
The team definitely underachieved with Flip the past three postseasons. After two consecutive Finals appearances (and one title) under Larry Brown, the team should have made at least one more Finals appearance over the past three seasons. Last year against Cleveland probably hurt more than any of the failures. You have to wonder how this team would have done had Larry Brown not been such a flake and stuck around. Of course, if Brown wasn't so flaky, he never would have been available to come to Detroit in the first place.

It is a weird world where a team can make it to six straight conference finals and that accomplishment seems to mean nothing and fans are left with a bit of an empty feeling. The three straight loses in the conference finals definitely hurt and I agree the Cleveland loss is the by far the most painful.

The expectations were high for Flip and he didn't meet them so I guess it was time for him to go. The strange thing is that I was not a big fan of the hire, but I actually thought he got better each year. I would go further than saying they should have made another Finals by saying they should've won another title and it might have happened if Brown stuck around.

I think we will eventually look back and appreciate all that this team has accomplished, but at the moment it is hard to be satisfied. If this team is going to try and make some moves to compete for a championship over the next couple of years, hiring Curry makes no sense to me. I'm all for teams giving younger coaches opportunities, but I don't think you do it with a veteran oriented team who is close to winning it all. I just really want McDyess to get a ring.
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post #67 of 99
6/4/08 at 7:57pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Yesterday I saw that ESPN was previewing the Finals then began showing Lakers-Celtics footage from the 80s. Not just a clip, but the entire game.

They can fantasize all they want, but when the series starts on Thursday, there'll be no Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Bird, Parrish, McHale, etc., no Great Western Forum, no Boston Garden ... absolutely none of that.

The funny thing is that I would prefer to watch the 80s games because I sure won't be watching a minute of the Finals. The Lakers are bad for TV ratings in my house.

C'mon national media; go ahead and dog the Lakers for the poor TV ratings in my house. You dogged the Spurs because some people didn't watch them in the Finals. I guarantee the same applies for LA and Boston. This series will tie the '06, '04 and '02-'00 Finals for the least-watched Finals in the past decade at Robert_Z's.
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post #68 of 99
6/5/08 at 2:05am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

That's quite a bitter post, Robert. Honest question, why not watch a minute of it? Strictly against watching Laker games, or against watching any game without the Spurs? Either way, that's some good basketball you'd be missing.

I think most people could have seen both the onslaught of "rivalry" pieces in the media, and the blacklash to it before the Lakers-Celtics Finals came to be. That's just how it is.

OTOH, I think it's also pretty silly to say team rivalries don't matter just because the cast of characters has changed. No current Dodger player has played against the Giants for something as important as the division or penant, but that doesn't mean they're not the hated Giants. This isn't directed towards Robert; many others have pointed out the obvious fact that Bird and Magic won't be playing. Well, here comes Kobe, Gasol, LO, KG, Rayray and Paul Pierce. That's some star power right there, too, and with the two number one seeds.

No, these guys haven't played each other in the Finals before, but you've gotta start somewhere. The Lakers are probably the favorite to win it all next year, and it seems like the Celtics would be right there with them (uncertainty in Detroit and no foreseeable great offseason for the Cavs makes them a favorite in the East), so there is a chance that they would build on this in the future.
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post #69 of 99
6/5/08 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

I do not begrudge the man his bitterness. I'd feel the same way if the Lakers weren't in it. I didn't watch a lick of last year's Finals. Then again, neither did anyone else outside of SA and Cleveland.

This is not the '80's. That was an era that will never be repeated or duplicated in terms of the quality of play, intensity of rivalry, the joy of victory or the agony of defeat. Still, these are two excellent teams that play great basketball. I can't believe I don't hate the Celtics, but, man, I really don't. KG is class, Paul Pierce is an LA guy, and Ray Allen is a quality person.

I hope I develop some hatred soon, or this series will be in a weird way kind of a letdown for me.
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post #70 of 99
6/5/08 at 8:27am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Predictions? Lakers in 6.
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post #71 of 99
6/5/08 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Game 1 is history, and it's a game the Celtics absolutely had to win. They played with fire and desire, and the Lakers couldn't make a shot. Paul Pierce masqueraded as Willis Reed, and was freaking amazing. Boston deserved the win.

Still, I'm fairly confident about Game 2, and I strongly believe the Lakers will sweep the games in LA. The Lakers are better than the Celtics, but they have to play each possession with the fire the Celtics showed tonight. The Celtics are an impressive, resilient team. It should be a war.
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post #72 of 99
6/8/08 at 7:25pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The first half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals makes me wonder if Tim Donaghy is still an NBA referee. In terms of officiating, this is the most egregiously one-sided game in the history of the NBA Finals. It feels like it's preordained that the series will go 7. David Stern likes drama, money, and ratings. Game over.

If the Lakers don't get similar home-cooking in Games 3-5, my head will explode.
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post #73 of 99
6/8/08 at 9:12pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Holy cow, the Celtics nearly gave that away.
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post #74 of 99
6/8/08 at 9:34pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The Celtics will win this series in 7. This series is rigged. The Lakers have 5 years to get Kobe his 3 championships to equal Jordan's, but this ain't the year. There is too much KG, Pierce, etc. for the Celtics to be denied. This will be the only ring KG ever gets, so it might as well be now.

Too bad the stripes played such a large role.
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post #75 of 99
6/8/08 at 9:56pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Free Throws attempted in Game 2:

Celtics 38
Lakers 10

'Nuff said.

This series is rigged.


This game was a gift to Celtic fans. Congrats.
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post #76 of 99
6/9/08 at 12:05am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

I only started watching game 2 when it was half way through the 3rd quarter, and from there on, I didn't notice anything especially worth noting about the officiating. Those numbers are pretty startling though.

Also from that point on, I noticed that the Lakers just didn't sustain their focus. Yeah, it's great that they didn't give up on the ball game with less than 6 minutes to go down 20 points, but against this Celtics team, they've got to be at it for the full game. Against the Spurs, the Lakers had amazing comebacks, but the Celtics have even better defense and a lot more offensive firepower. The Lakers simply can't have a brainfart for 4 minutes, let the Celtics practice layups, and shoot 20 footers themselves.

Winning two games back to back in Boston will be hard. They have to win all three at Staples, and that is difficult as well. I'm going to need a drink and a pill to sleep tonight.
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post #77 of 99
6/9/08 at 5:40am
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Kirk, hope you slept alright, but if you'd seen the first half, when the Celtics went to the line 19 times and the Lakers went twice (!), you'd need a fifth of vodka and some Demerol in order to sleep.

That game was a grievous wound to the NBA's credibility. It made Miami-Dallas '06 seem like the paragon of fairness.
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post #78 of 99
6/12/08 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

I missed Game 4 tonight (had to go to a graduation), and am glad I did, because I would have witnessed a Laker choke for the ages. Missing the game spared my house of a lot of broken furniture.

The Celtics simply want this championship more. They play defense like their lives depend on it, they play with poise and grit, and they've proved they are the better team, painful as it is to admit.

Tom Thibodoux is a genius. He is out-thinking Phil Jackson, and Doc Rivers is out-motivating his players. Phil Jackson is flat-out being outcoached in every phase of the game.
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post #79 of 99
6/13/08 at 4:11am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Last night's game reminded people that the Celtics during the regular season this year had an incredible winning record against Western Conference teams. Not only did they shut down the vaunted triangle offense, but they also reduced the effectiveness of Kobe Bryant by the end of the game.
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post #80 of 99
6/13/08 at 6:02am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan H
Tom Thibodoux is a genius.

This is really the X-factor of the series. I would be very, very surprised if Thibodeux isn't promoted to a head coaching job very soon. Wherever he goes, great defense follows.

I'm not really rooting for either team, but I would probably prefer a Lakers win versus the Celtics. I can't stand Kevin Garnett and his fake intensity and Celtics fans are the most insufferable in all of sports. I wasn't feeling sorry for them all those years their team was down
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post #81 of 99
6/13/08 at 7:42am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The NBA is really puzzling...24-point comebacks are pretty rare and we've seen two in three games here (okay, in Game 2 the Lakers came within 2 after being down 24 with 7 minutes to go).

A team with a huge lead will often be criticized for nursing that lead when they "should" be continuing to do what built the lead in the first place. Last night, it seems as though the Lakers didn't try to nurse the lead and they got burned when the shots stopped falling.

Game 5 prediction: Kobe will take things into his own hands, score 60, and the Lakers will lose.
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post #82 of 99
6/13/08 at 8:40am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Lakers certainly deserve to lose the series after last night. I can't understand how they just sit back after the half and assume it's a win. I'm thinking they are going to lose sunday in LA.
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post #83 of 99
6/13/08 at 9:39pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Sheets
and Celtics fans are the most insufferable in all of sports. I wasn't feeling sorry for them all those years their team was down

Celtics fans insufferable? Ever tried talking to a Yankees Fan?
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post #84 of 99
6/14/08 at 3:07pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Graham
Celtics fans insufferable? Ever tried talking to a Yankees Fan?

Yankess fans are uniformly cheerful, polite, brave and thrifty. When not rooting (decorously) for their team they are working in soup kitchens or helping little old ladies across the street. You must have us confused with Mets fans.

If you want truly obnoxious sports fans, I offer you the Red Sox nation - who were insufferable even when they were deservedly losing year, after year, after year...

Personally, I was delighted when the Red Sox finally won a World Series (so I wouldn't have to listen to the incessant whining for another year) and magnanimously welcomed all of my Red Sox fan friends to the winners club. I also pointed out that if they won a bunch more, we'd let them sit at the grown-ups table at meetings. Right before the last Super Bowl, I even offered to do some research for a co-worker who roots for the Patriots. He sent me an e-mail asking, "How many consecutive championships do you have to win before you're a dynasty?" I told him I'd check with the Yankees and get back to him.



Regards,

Joe
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post #85 of 99
6/15/08 at 6:57am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino
Yankess fans are uniformly cheerful, polite, brave and thrifty. When not rooting (decorously) for their team they are working in soup kitchens or helping little old ladies across the street. You must have us confused with Mets fans.

Personally, I was delighted when the Red Sox finally won a World Series (so I wouldn't have to listen to the incessant whining for another year) and magnanimously welcomed all of my Red Sox fan friends to the winners club. I also pointed out that if they won a bunch more, we'd let them sit at the grown-ups table at meetings. Right before the last Super Bowl, I even offered to do some research for a co-worker who roots for the Patriots. He sent me an e-mail asking, "How many consecutive championships do you have to win before you're a dynasty?" I told him I'd check with the Yankees and get back to him.



Regards,

Joe

My dear Joe,

Yankee fans decorous? For Exhibit A I offer this YouTube video of an average, upstanding fan of the World Champion Red Sox taking a stroll through the Yankee Stadium bleachers (warning: not safe for work)

YouTube - Red Sox fan ventures though Yankee Stadium bleachers

When you checked with the Yankees about how many consecutive wins make a dynasty did you conduct a seance? Of course, if you wanted to talk about what constitutes the Biggest Choke in the History of Sports, you could certainly contact Messrs A-Rod, Jeter, Rivera & Co.

In your honor, I will call the Oldies Station in St Louis and ask them to play "Living in the Past" by Jethro Tull.

Anyway, back to basketball. Go Celtics! (and draft Gary Forbes!)

Best regards,

Bob
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post #86 of 99
6/15/08 at 12:53pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Debating who are the bigger jerks, Red Sox fans or Yankee fans, is akin to debating which dictator did the most damage, Hitler or Stalin. All of the above are egotistical, arrogant a-holes, so it really is 6 of 1, half-dozen of the other.

It'll be interesting to see if the Lakers have enough pride tonight to not let the Celtics win the title on their home court. Not counting on it, though.
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post #87 of 99
6/15/08 at 10:41pm
Thread Starter 

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The Lakers survive Game 5, and will probably lose Game 6. It's only a matter of time before Red Sox fans who didn't have the balls to post in this thread come playoff time declare themselves Celtics fans and claim that they predicted a Celtics win all along. I have a lot of respect tonight for fans of the Pistons, Spurs, Rockets, and Lakers. We've all chimed in, we've responded as objectively as possible given our fandom, and we've all had our share of disappointments. We are true fans. We know the game. We are not bullshitters like the Celtics fans on this board. And why anyone from the greater New York Metro area is even posting in a basketball thread is beyond me. Shouldn't you be a little more concerned with the Tampa Bay Rays (!) ?
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post #88 of 99
6/16/08 at 5:11am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

The Lakers saving themselves the embarrassment of losing on their home floor. A part of me wanted me to see that happen, but another part is hoping the Lakers will rally and win the whole thing, because I can't stand the Celtics.
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post #89 of 99
6/16/08 at 2:55pm

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jan H
The Lakers survive Game 5, and will probably lose Game 6. It's only a matter of time before Red Sox fans who didn't have the balls to post in this thread come playoff time declare themselves Celtics fans and claim that they predicted a Celtics win all along. I have a lot of respect tonight for fans of the Pistons, Spurs, Rockets, and Lakers. We've all chimed in, we've responded as objectively as possible given our fandom, and we've all had our share of disappointments. We are true fans. We know the game. We are not bullshitters like the Celtics fans on this board. And why anyone from the greater New York Metro area is even posting in a basketball thread is beyond me. Shouldn't you be a little more concerned with the Tampa Bay Rays (!) ?

Well, jan, since you know the game I'm sure you can tell us which team has won more Basketball World Championships than any other franchise (no BS!). It was not a lack of cahones, as you sagest, that kept me from posting, it's just that as a fan of the Boston teams, I've come to learn not to take anything for granted (a lesson some fans had to re-learn last February). C'mon, admit it. You yourself said up above that the Celtics were the better team this year. Just because I didn't get on and say it myself doesn't mean I don't have the stones.

As for the Red Sox fans being "egotistical, arrogant assholes", you do realize that I'm not the only member of Red Sox Nation on the HTF, right? I'm sure they will also take exception to your remark.

Anyway, Go Celtics! Win or lose, it's good to have them in the national spotlight!
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post #90 of 99
6/18/08 at 7:02am

Re: 2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

Lakers lost.....huge. This ended my argument with a co-worker who said Kobe Bryant was just as good as Michael Jordan (not as far as skill, as far as impact player that was effective in winning).
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