NBA 2008-09 Regular Season Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Walter C]

I don't remember the Lakers winning 3 games in 3 days, but I do remember when teams had to play that type of stretch multiple times, as the NBA tried to squeeze as many games as possible in a lockout shortened season.

Back-to-backs are the worst when on cross-country road trips.

 

[Walter C]

The 76ers have fired Maurice Cheeks. I don't know what this will mean for the team, but really disappointing that a team that is trying to win now, is behind the Knicks, a team that isn't trying to win.

 

[Ockeghem]

Walter,

I don't know about this decision. I always liked Mo Cheeks, even when he was playing against the Celtics in the 1980s. I saw him as a very unselfish individual, and as total team player. Then again, this probably has nothing to do with his having been fired....

I read the other day where Mobley has to retire due to a heart ailment. I would think that there would be some type of treatment that could help his condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), but apparently not. This appears to be the same condition that led to the passing of Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers. :frowning:

ESPN - New York Knicks guard Cuttino Mobley retires

 

[Ray Chuang]

The Cavaliers are currently a team that seems to be overlooked given the records of the Lakers and Celtics. Mind you, I think the Lakers are going to get killed again in the NBA Finals if they have to face either the Celtics or the Cavaliers this time (assuming all players are healthy).

 

[Ockeghem]

Ray,

I agree with almost everything you wrote, except I don't think Cleveland is being overlooked by those who are following closely the year they are having. For about six weeks, they have been at the top of Hollinger's Power Rankings. Stein has had the Celtics at number one by virtue of having defeated more teams above .500 -- or perhaps it was because the C's were 8-0 against those teams, whereas (I think) the Cavs were 2-2. Additionally, the Celtics defeated the Cavs on opening day. Ockeghem's Power Rankings: 1) Boston; 2) Cleveland; 3) Los Angeles; 4) Orlando.

I agree with the announcer of the Lakers/Kings game the other night. He said that the Lakers, as good as their record is, will not be able to defeat Boston, Cleveland, or San Antonio with their current defensive lapses. I'd also like to throw the Magic -- and maybe even the Hornets -- into that pot as being a team that L.A. would have a good deal of trouble with, especially if (as you say) everyone remains healthy.

Speaking of remaining healthy, the Cavs lost tonight to the Hawks. Cleveland was again without their center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is injured. The Celtics have the Hawks in Atlanta next Wednesday night. They (the Celtics) will IMO have to play nearly flawless to defeat Atlanta down there. I have been analyzing that matchup this weekend, and have been trying to make a prediction based on some of the intangibles. Neither team will have played the day before, so the 'back-to-back' games theory is out the window.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Goodness gracious the Wizards are horrible.

 

[Andy Sheets]

The Kings just fired Reggie Theus. I'm not sure why...seems like a lot of teams this season are being very impatient.

 

[Ockeghem]

Andy,

And from what I read, it came as quite a shock to Theus. The Kings just defeated the Lakers (fairly convincingly), and they were in the rematch game the other night in Los Angeles, outscoring L.A. by three in the final quarter before losing by nine.

The Kings were projecting between 16-20 wins this season before the season began. I too believe that teams are being impatient.

 

[Ockeghem]

I don't know what to expect for tonight's Celtics / Hawks matchup. Atlanta lost a close one in Boston early in the season, so motivation won't be a problem for them. Tim Legler says he believes the Celtics will have a 'statement' game in Atlanta. Maybe. The Green will have to be firing on all cylinders to grab a victory down there.

The Lakers managed to hold off the Knicks by two points last night. I was quite surprised to see New York leading by fifteen (65-50) at the half. The Knicks were shooting three-pointers like they were layups.

 

[Ockeghem]

What a game tonight in Atlanta. The Celtics-Hawks game was very much a playoff-calibre game, what with great shot-making, gritty determination on the part of both teams, and stifling defenses that were worth the price of admission. The Big Ticket was ridiculous in the fourth quarter. He was only five-for-five, but a couple of the shots he made were amazing. I particularly liked the Russell-like semi-hook shot that he made with the Green down by one with a little over a minute to go. That shot was gorgeous.

I'm pleased that ESPN chose to show this game, one of two excellent ESPN matchups tonight. (I have to get back to the Spurs-Hornets game. It also looks like it could go down to the wire.)

I was sorry to hear what happened to Elton Brand. I saw the clip, and it isn't pretty. I hope he can make a quick recovery. Watching him fall on that shoulder (and over a body on his way down) made me a bit squeamish. In an odd way I was thinking of Joe Theismann's injury of several years ago when I saw that clip tonight.

Chris Paul gets his record--that was nice to see. And hearing Rajon Rondo be compared to Tony Parker was quite a compliment, although it may be a bit premature.

What an interesting (and sad) day in sports aside from the NBA, too. Sammy Baugh passes away, the Sharks are making history in the NHL, and M. Teixeira is one step closer to coming to Beantown.

 

[Andy Sheets]

I just clicked on Yahoo and underneath the link to the story on Paul's record, there's a link to "Watch dunk on Yao". I just love how Yao spent that whole game kicking the asses of the entire Nuggets team to help the Rockets win, but all anyone in the media can say about the game is to jock Nene for being fed for an easy dunk over an out-of-position defender.

 

[Ockeghem]

Andy,

I like Yao Ming. I've been fortunate to have seen a few televised Rockets games lately. His presence on the floor is very intimidating. BTW, have you seen the commercial with Yao in a red holiday hat? He looks quite festive. And speaking of the Rockets, they play the Cavaliers in a few days (Dec 23). I really hope Houston defeats them this time around, although playing in Cleveland isn't the easiest task this year.

The Lakers are going to have their hands full before Christmas day, at which time they will host the Celtics. They play their next four games on the road, including two sets of back-to-back games (four games in five days). They have the Heat tomorrow night, then on Saturday they get the Magic. After a day off on Sunday, they play Memphis on Monday, and New Orleans on Tuesday. This is going to be quite a stretch for them. I see them going 2-2 at best. I don't see them defeating the Magic in Orlando, and I've got to think that they will lose at least one more game, either to Miami or New Orleans (probably the latter team, which has a few things to prove to the Lakers).

This being said, I agree with Tim Legler, and believe that the Lakers will defeat the Celtics on Christmas day. It should be a fun game.

 

[Andy Sheets]

I haven't seen that commercial yet

The Cleveland game is going to be really tough. The Rockets owned the Cavs last year (beat them twice during their 22 game winning streak, IIRC) but Cleveland is a different team this year. Plus the Rockets are still rounding into shape as they started the season with everyone still recovering from last season's injuries. Yao started the year very tentative, McGrady's been nursing his knee constantly, Artest sprained his ankle, Battier only just came back from his surgery, Brent Barry's been out with a calf muscle problem, and Alston just got injured and is day-to-day. They'd be pretty good if they could ever get healthy

 

[Ockeghem]

Andy,

Health is so important. Can you imagine the Cavs without LeBron James? They would be good, but not great.

I just read over on ESPN that Elton Brand is going to be out for about a month. The Sixers can ill afford to be without him. :frowning:

On a more positive note, Boozer is going to test the free agency market. As the article suggests, this can only be a good thing for Millsap. I watched Millsap the other night against Boston. He was virtually unstoppable. And he really helped the Jazz overcome a huge deficit (22 points) against the Nets en route to a victory over them the other night.

ESPN - Utah Jazz's Carlos Boozer plans to opt out at end of season

 

[Ockeghem]

Another thrilling night in the NBA last evening. There were two (2!) double overtime games, the Cavs and Celtics both won and the Lakers lost, and Yao goes for thirty points, helping the Rockets past the Kings.

ESPN - Sacramento vs. Houston - Recap - December 19, 2008

The two double overtime games were won by the road team. I wonder when two double overtime games were last won by the road team on the same night.

The Celtics game was an odd one. It was an uncharacteristically high scoring game for them, both in points scored and in points allowed (126-108). That's far too many points to be giving up as well as (IMO) to be scoring. And the Lakers are held to 87 points. It's almost as if the Celtics and Lakers scores were somehow swapped.

The Sixers won a gritty game on the road (at Washington); I almost thought that that game was going to go to overtime as well.

The Bucks defeat the Knicks in New York by twenty-four points -- the same Knick team that almost defeated the Lakers recently in Los Angeles. Odd how the NBA works sometimes.

And the Thunder won their third game of the season, snapping an eleven-game home losing string in the process. Maybe they will move back to Seattle to straighten things out.

 

[Ockeghem]

Well, the Lakers are 1-2 on their current road trip, having lost to the Heat and the Magic thus far. I figured that they would defeat the Grizzlies. I'm hoping for a Hornets win tonight (they are hosting the Lakers), and I'd love to see the Rockets defeat the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

Orlando is looking very, very good, especially at the defensive end. I had them at number four the other day, but they are quickly moving up in the ranks, and in my estimation are in a dead heat with the Lakers at this point, tied for the third best team in the NBA. I could see them being the number two seed in the East come playoff time. And you read it here first: if the Cavaliers and Magic meet, Orlando will defeat Cleveland in a seven game series.

 

[Mark Leiter]

The Lakers have looked very shaky this whole road trip. Not only did they lose to Orlando and Miami, but they also had to come from 20 back to beat New York and were also down in the second half against Memphis.

Kobe is playing like Kobe, but Bynum, Gasol and Odom are all missing in action. I too am antisipating the hornet-Lakers match-up tonight. It should be a good one.

 

[Andy Sheets]

Frustrating game for the Rockets in Cleveland. It's hard enough to play a fourth game in five nights against one of the best teams in the league but then the refs yank their best player for three quarters on top of it. Also, McGrady really needs to sit down until his knee is completely recovered because half the time I see him play he looks like he needs a walker out there.

 

[Ockeghem]

Well, that was a playoff-calibre game between Boston and Los Angeles. The Lakers played a great game, and got the well-deserved win.

Last year, my buddy asked me who I thought would win the NBA Finals. I told him that it depended on Pau Gasol. Gasol wasn't much of a factor in last year's finals, but today he really showed how good he can play when he steps up his intensity.

This game was IMO really important for the Lakers. It gives Boston a little something to think about between now and the second regular-season game between the two teams. Had Boston won today in Los Angeles, I don't think there would have been much question in my mind who would win if they were to play a seven-game series right now. But with this result, there is a little more doubt in my mind--not a lot, but a little more.

Andy,

This should interest you somewhat. I heard something curious during the game today. I think it was van Gundy -- and he's been an NBA coach -- who said he didn't think the Celtics and Lakers would be in the finals this year. Unless I'm mistaken, he said that the Rockets would defeat the Lakers en route to the Western Conference championship. Hmmm.

I didn't get a chance to watch the Hornets / Magic game, but I'm not surprised that Orlando won that one. But I am a bit surprised that Paul's streak ended. Gosh, we've got Boston (3), Cleveland (4), Los Angeles (5), and Orlando (6) very close in the loss column. And what really is intriguing to me is that during Boston's nineteen-game winning streak, the Celtics gained only one game on Cleveland. Amazing.

 

[Ockeghem]

Yeah, they're not having their greatest year. But they almost pulled off a stunning upset in Cleveland tonight. How I was hoping for that! When they pulled ahead by six or seven points in the fourth quarter, I thought it might go the Wizards' way.