2008 NBA Playoffs Thread (1 Viewer)

[Jan H]

The Jazz are a collection of knife-wielding butchers. Now I know how Suns fans must have felt after their series with Spurs last year. The Jazz and Spurs somehow are allowed to decapitate people with impunity, whereas when a Laker (Ronny Turiaf), commits a 'hard foul,' he's ejected. Utter BS.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

After criticizing the Pistons when they fail to show up for a game, I have to give them their due after stealing a game yesterday in Orlando. That was a game they should have lost -- on the road, without Chauncey Billups, and trailing by 15 points. Yet, they found a way to win and take a 3-1 lead in the series. Hopefully Chauncey will be back soon. Detroit may have won Game 4 without him, but they'll need Billups if they want to beat the Celtics.

 

[Brandon_T]

Well, the Celtics have to worry about beating the Cavs, Boston looks very beatable for many teams. The Pistons did step up for sure, and especially Lindsey Hunter. They just might be deep enough to give the title a good shot, though Flip has to do a better job on rotations.

Its not just you Jan, and please take no offense, but I find it comical Laker's fans complaining about getting hacked up, and officiating against them after all the years of Shaq getting away with downright murder down low. It used to drive me crazy how he was allowed to just maul people and the refs seemed to look the other way. The better teams fight through that though, and I think that the Lakers will win and make it to the Finals against the Pistons.

Think about this. Over the last 20 years only six teams have won an NBA Championship, with only one of those teams having only one title: The Heat. The six teams being Detroit-3, Chicago-6, Houston-2, L.A.-4, San Antonio-4 and The Heat-1. Of those, I feel that Houston is the luckiest, if Jordan doesn't retire, they probably win 8 straight, although if you want to talk about officiating, Miami got some of the best calls ever against Dallas.

 

[Jan H]

Shaq was a tough guy to officiate, both on offense and defense. There were plenty of times he'd have three guys draped all over him and nothing was called, and he'd get a touch foul on the other end. Did he ultimately get the benefit of the doubt the majority of the time? Probably so, but most superstars do. No offense taken.

The Jazz do not play defense. They play WWF. I'm not averse to being physical, but what this team does crosses the line. If a Jazz had committed the 'flagrant 2' that Turiaf did, it would probably have been called an offensive foul.

 

[Walter C]

I used to joke that the refs would act as the 6th man to a team. Who knows, we may have another Tim Donaghy in the playoffs, contrary to what Stern says being an isolated thing.

Somebody in another thread thought it made no sense when I said "taking a cheap shot and no penalty or foul being called". Clearly he has not been watching the NBA playoffs.

Looks like the Pistons will wrap up their series quickly, and the other 3 series will go 7 games with the home team winning everytime.

 

[taco]

Can't believe my Lakers lost 2 after winning 2.
Home teams are 14-1 this round so maybe that is good news.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

Home court advantage has been the big story this postseason. TrueHoop at ESPN had a posting on Wednesday that pointed out so far the home teams have averaged 4.6 more free throws a game than the road team. That figure actually didn't sound very extreme to me, though it is a significant advantage. Then again, so many of these games are dominated by the home team--it seems that only the Lakers-Jazz are consistently playing close games--that I wonder if any of these teams would truly be great teams. I mean, how can you be a pantheon great team when you not only can't win on the road, but often lose by 18 points?

 

[Brian Perry]

With the Lakers finishing off the Jazz, Phil Jackson is now 46-7 in playoff series in his career. That is an incredible record when you think about it.

 

[Jan H]

The Lakers managed to escape Utah without gurneys, which is very good news for us Laker fans. On to the Spurs or Hornets. A part of me wants the Hornets to win, just so I can keep watching the astonishing brilliance of Chris Paul. But another part of me is rooting for the Spurs, so we can kick their ass in the next round.

The Eastern Conference is utterly unwatchable. The Celtics peaked in January. The Pistons should be heavily favored now, no matter who they play. Of course, they have been before...

 

[Brandon_T]

I will tell you why I like the Pistons chances. Antonio McDyess. The guy wants it so bad and is tearing into his team when they are not playing up to there potential. I love the fact that the Boston series has gone seven games and as the playoffs go, the Pistons are actually using their bench more. They seem to have that hunger back, and this year and playoffs have a eerily similar feel to 2004.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Well, it's the Celtics vs. the Pistons, as has been anticipated for most of the season. I'm not as confident as Brandon, though. This should be a close matchup, and Boston's struggles on the road in the playoffs could benefit Detroit if they can steal one of the first two games in Boston. However, after the disappointment of the last two conference finals, I'm not getting my hopes up this time. I'll just be pleasantly surprised if the Pistons beat Boston.

It's too bad that Game 1 starts at 8:30pm due to the draft lottery (does anyone really care about this?). I'll probably be sleeping when the game ends. Come on, David Stern. Start the eastern games at a time that fans in the East can deal with!

 

[Jan H]

There I go again, underestimating the Spurs. In Game 1, they controlled the tempo, dominated the first 30 minutes of the game, contained Odom, the final score was exactly the kind of number they like, and Tim Duncan was heroic. They should have won.

But Kobe is an assassin, Manu was a non-factor, and the Spurs scored 20 points in the last 18 minutes of the game. That's why they lost.

Make no mistake, this series is going to be a war. But damn, it's hard to see how the Lakers can play a worse overall game than this one, and they still won.

 

[Brandon_T]

And poof goes the home court advantage for the Celtics. I think the fans of the NBA are going to be very lucky with the two conference finals as well as whoever ends up in the finals. Should be fun the whole way. Oh, by the way, IMHO, Doc Rivers=Not a good coach.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The pressure is definitely on the Celtics these next two games since they have yet to win on the road in the playoffs. However, the Pistons have already proven this playoff season that they are capable of losing at home, just like they can win on the road. I'm expecting a split of the next two games at The Palace. This series is going at least 6 games.

 

[Brian Perry]

Another crazy stat for you: when Phil Jackson wins the first game of a playoff series, he is 40-0 in those series.

Having said that, I think tonight is a must-win for LA.

 

[Jan H]

The Spurs played beautifully tonight, and the Lakers were atrocious in all phases of the game. If the Lakers don't come out with more aggression in Game 4, this series may go 7.

Wow, the Celtics won a road game. I'm actually kind of shocked. You Pistons fans know your team better than I do, but the Celtics have looked very mortal in the playoffs so far. Can/will the Pistons pull it off?

 

[Brandon_T]

It's tough to tell. The game last night for the Pistons was due to the fact that they just couldn't hit the shot. I think it goes seven as well.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Billups appears to still be injured, and he matched up well against Rondo when healthy. So, the Pistons have lost one of their favorable match-ups. Since Boston probably will no longer be pressing as much on the road now that they've actually won a game, I think the Celtics will end up winning the series. I hope the Pistons prove me wrong, though.

 

[Brandon_T]

The Pistons MUST attack the rim, especially with Stucky and Rasheed. For me that is the key to this series, attack attack attack, draw fouls, hit your free throws and expose Rondo. Kevin Garnetts ability to hit long fade away jumpers still amazes me to this day. What a talent. I hope he gets his ring, but not this year.

 

[Jan H]

The Lakers survived the Spurs in Game 4, and should close out the defending champs in 5 games. When Brent Barry is your go-to guy in a crucial playoff game moment, you're pretty much done. Manu ain't Manu, and Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are amazing players, but the Spurs are running on fumes. If the Spurs come back and win this series, we're talking '04 Red Sox. I'd bet the farm it ain't gonna happen.