NBA Playoffs

[stray]

So... I live in San Antonio. I'm a Spurs fan. Wouldn't mind seeing them kick everyone's ass yet again.

But... This might be the best chance to see another Lakers vs Celts series. Wouldn't mind seeing that as well.

Anyone else watching?

[UD_Delt]

I'm cheering on the Cavs. So, far the Cavs v. Wizards series has been great (at least from my side). Listening to the Wizards talking trash and then getting owned when it comes to game time. And yet they still have the nerve to show-boat when they are down by 16 points. It's hilarious.

The Cavs also really pulled together that last game and "the trade" finally looked like it was going to work. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if they finally figured something out. If it was a fluke and they go back to the LeBron-dribble-for-15-seconds-and-then-create offense they will get owned by the Celtics. If they play like they did on Monday though the Celtics/Cavs series could actually be interesting.

[Triforcer]

I can't care about the playoffs this early.  Talk to me in August when we get to the conference championships. 

[Nebu]

The NBA and NHL playoffs need an overhaul.  How can they really be called playoffs when they invite nearly all of the teams?

[stray]

16 teams, with a league total of 30 (I think?). Not nearly all the teams.


I think the leagues (both NHL and NBA AND MLB) could use a rehaul as far as total season games go though. It's too freaking much. I liked the 99 nba season when a strike occured and the season was cut in half. Only problem with that is that every team basically only got to play each other once. The way it is now, every team plays each other about 3 times (some are limited to only two matchups). Cut it down to where it's two matchups overall, and that'd be great.

[Paelos]

The NBA and NHL playoffs need an overhaul.  How can they really be called playoffs when they invite nearly all of the teams?

Agreed, they need to go to a baseball system. 3 Division winners in each conference, and 1 wild card.

In the NBA it would be Boston, Detroit, Orlando, and Cleveland in the East. It would be the Lakers, Utah, New Orleans, and San Antonio in the West.

One of the problems in that system is that this year is so funky with the West just killing the East in wins.

[Nebu]

Agreed, they need to go to a baseball system. 3 Division winners in each conference, and 1 wild card.

Exactly what I had in mind.  Thank you for that.  Having over half of your teams in the playoffs smacks WAY too much of a money grab. 

[UD_Delt]

Even if they don't change that they need to do a better job on the scheduling. It takes almost 2 weeks for each series to finish anymore. That stretches the playoffs out over almost 2 months. Way too long. Playoffs started April 19th and might not finish until June 19th. Freaking ridiculous.

[WayAbvPar]

Between the Sonics blowing unholy ass, the fact that they are likely leaving for OKC (good luck with the NBA financial model in that city, btw), and the utter decline in the quality of the watchability of the NBA in general, I haven't seen a single second of a playoff game, and likely won't unless I am not in charge of the remote.

How's THAT for a sentence? 

[stray]

I'd be bitter too. That's bullshit about the Sonics.


The league itself has some of the best games going on ever, but as I said, it's too damn long. If it's unwatchable, it's for that.

[Bunk]

Please to not be fucking with our NHL Playoffs.


That being said, I generally can't stand basketball, but will follow Nash and the Suns

[Rasix]

Once the Suns are done (which should be soon), the playoffs are pretty much done for me.  Although, this is the one time of the year I actually watch.  It's really hard to care about a 82 game season.

Ditto for baseball but insert Diamondbacks for Suns. 

As an aside, the home town support is a more recent development for me.  Growing up none of my favorite teams were local.

[stray]

That being said, I generally can't stand basketball, but will follow Nash and the Suns

Is this like a Canadian thing or what?


Just please don't tell me you like the "exciting" way the Suns play.

[Bunk]

Nash is from Victoria on Vancouver Island. He's the only NBA player Canadians are allowed to like. (Torontonians don't count as Canadian)

[stray]

I'm sorry, but PHX has had it.

I really didn't expect the Spurs to be as good this year, but they still have that "thing"... Y'know, that thing, that zone that they get into often that makes them capable of completely obliterating any team in the league. Sometimes those games resemble a mock Globetrotters show. Last night was one of them.

[Fordel]

Nash is from Victoria on Vancouver Island. He's the only NBA player Canadians are allowed to like. (Torontonians don't count as Canadian)

The Raptors are awesome, you shut up! (Well, not THAT awesome, down 3-1 in the series I believe    )


As to the playoffs for the NBA/NHL. I Can't speak much for the NBA, but for the NHL, they're more or less the only games actually worth watching, even if you don't have a horse in the race.


A Detroit/Colorado game in the regular season? No thanks.

In the Playoffs? 


All the players just play better. Harder, faster, stronger. I wish you could replicate it for the regular season, but I'll be damned if I know how.

[UD_Delt]

In case anyone is interested in "the drama" between the Cavs & Wizards here's Jay-Z's rap:

http://realtalkny.rawkus.com/2008/04/topic/artists/jay-z/jay-z-blow-the-whistle-deshawn-stevenson-diss/


Then yesterday some DC rapper named Pantene, err sorry that's ProV responded:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/1119889428557c2c/

[stray]

The Raptors are stupid. Not awesome. Yeah, yeah, they managed to recover and make it to the playoffs, but a team shouldn't be forgiven for that kind of mismanagement. T-Mac and VC on the same team? Come the fuck on!


Chris Paul is no joke. I highly doubt Tony Parker is going to look the same as he did in the PHX series.

[Paelos]

Celtics are gonna beat the Hawks ONLY because they have home field. I expect it to go to 7.

That doesn't bode well for Boston against the Cavs, really.

[stray]

This will be the best semi-finals lineup in years.

[UD_Delt]

This will be the best semi-finals lineup in years.

For basketball... Yes.

For me as a Cavs fan... No.

Pistons - Cleveland's rivals. Probably the most hated team in the playoffs for all Cleveland fans.
Celtics - Just eliminated Cleveland and are seeming to be VERY over-rated. Not only can they not win on the road they are getting beaten easily and playing tight games at home.

Lakers - I hate Kobe, sure he's a great basketball player but as a person he's complete slime.
Spurs - Beat Cleveland in the finals last year... Enough said.


Add in the latest Donaghy news on even more fixed games and I think I might be done with the NBA for this year since there is no good outcome that can possibly happen in the playoffs or otherwise.

I will watch again next year though since the NBA loves LeBron and will eventually rig the playoffs so Cleveland can pull a championship. The Lakers vs. Celtics was too good of a story for the NBA to pass it up this year.

[stray]

The typical setup (since sal cap was enforced years back) is that any given team is basically limited to two star players at best. The Celts stand out because they've managed to afford 3 stars (hell, sometimes just two is hard enough). They could easily win games with just Garnett and Pierce, but Allen put them over the top. So that's why they get attention...And why they win. There's no conspiracy. It's a freakin' unbelievable lineup.

And you see what they're able to do when Allen fucks up too... They can still beat the Cavs. Take him away, and Garnett and Pierce still outnumber Lebron's scoring (sometimes Pierce can even match it by himself). While Lebron is surrounded by roleplayers (granted Big Ben is the shit... but he's still a roleplayer).

Second rule of thumb is that you don't win championships without a dominant big man. Only Jordan broke this rule -- but so far, Lebron hasn't. No matter how good he is on his own, if his team has no answer for Tim Duncan especially, then they aren't going to win any rings.

[UD_Delt]

And you see what they're able to do when Allen fucks up too... They can still beat the Cavs.

Only problem with that is they were supposed to destroy the Hawks and beat the Cavs easily. Not go to 7 games against both.

[stray]

The playoffs are weird! That Hawks series was an anomaly. 

The Cavs aren't going to go down easily either way. Lebron might be the only major offensive force on that team, but what a force it is. If he had his Pippen, they'd be pretty unstoppable.

[Nebu]

Pippen was pretty awesome once he stopped playing with Michael and had to stand on his own... er... nevermind.

Lebron is a great player, but he lacks the physical gifts of Michael, Magic, or even Koby.  Sadly, you still see him making terrible decisions on the court as well.  He still has a few years to show what he's capable of.  He just hasn't peaked yet. 

[stray]

He's only 23! That would be 99% of NBA players' rookie age (after getting out of college). He's already taken his team to the finals once... Even if they did get sweeped, it's pretty amazing what he's already done. Kobe only managed it that early with Shaq. Garnett, another out of h.s. player, is only having a chance at it now.

He's great on a purely athletic/physical level. That isn't the problem, nor is what wins games. A lot of players have that, and don't amount to anything. Jordan had those things right out of the gate too, but it took him awhile to win championships (in his words, he said he was never complete until he learned what true teamwork was from Magic, and what fierce competitiveness was from Bird). Kobe's just learning those two now... and Lebron already has them (he was already an excellent point guard right from the start..so the teamwork thing is there. And I think he's about as competitive as he's ever going to be at this point too). What he needs now is a true wingman (a 20-25 a night scorer like he is.. Not a Ben Wallace).

[Nebu]

He still has a few years to show what he's capable of.  He just hasn't peaked yet. 

Like I said.

See, we agree.

[stray]

Yeah, pretty much.  I just disagree on the physical gifts bit.

Take a look at Amare Stoudemire -- gifted with more physical gifts than probably anyone.

But he's stupid. Hasn't changed or learned a damn thing since his first year.

[Nebu]

I'm pretty damn impressed with Lebron as a person to be honest.  He came into the league young, had great success early, and still manages to keep his head on straight.  Be interesting to see where he is in another 5 years. 

[HaemishM]

I pretty much hate the NBA, but I will watch LeBron. Not just because he's an amazing talent, but yes, he's got his head on right. He's never selfish, he's never a punk and he's never made it all about him. And he so carries that team. I think if he just had a CONSISTENT guy who could notch 15 points a night, the team would own. He has decent guys around him, they just aren't consistent. When Pippen and Jordan were together, you could count on Pippen most nights. LeBron doesn't have a guy you can count on that consistently.

[Montague]

I pretty much hate the NBA, but I will watch LeBron. Not just because he's an amazing talent, but yes, he's got his head on right. He's never selfish, he's never a punk and he's never made it all about him. And he so carries that team. I think if he just had a CONSISTENT guy who could notch 15 points a night, the team would own. He has decent guys around him, they just aren't consistent. When Pippen and Jordan were together, you could count on Pippen most nights. LeBron doesn't have a guy you can count on that consistently.

True. Danny Ferry went hard after Michael Redd but he resigned with the Bucks. Rumor has it that he's not happy there now so Ferry might still try to swing a deal to get him in Cleveland. Doubt they could massage the salary cap that much though.

[stray]

I hate that people hate the NBA for that...


Considering that the team that keeps winning championships in recent years is probably the most square team ever built (Spurs). Duncan is about as vibrant as Mr. Spock. Theoretically, he shouldn't offend anyone.

Many top tier players and teams worth watching are in the same boat. Nash is a freakin' ex-Canadian soccer player, for crissakes. Chris Paul is just a pure baller -- he has no other personality besides what you see on the court. Anyone who plays for Utah is, by association, Mormon. Kobe has tried to his damnedest to be nothing than what he is in that Lakers uniform as well. So he fucked a white woman. So the fuck what.

Not everyone is a Ron Artest. Hardly anyone is.

[HaemishM]

The Spurs are SO BORING to watch. Yet they keep winning because of how boring they play. And the guys who are exciting are either in the thug category, or on teams where they are really the only good thing happening (LeBron).

Kobe is a fucktard. How many times has he asked to be traded this year? Then when they are winning, he's "I LOVE LA!"

The fucktard quotient in the NBA is high.

[stray]

The Spurs are playing half court basketball. It's the same gamestyle that just about all winning teams have won with. Jackson's triangle Bulls and Lakers, 80's Celtics, Rockets, Pistons.. The only championship team that didn't play that way was Magic's Lakers -- and even they weren't on the fastbreak as much as what ignorant fuck modern ritalin fans with loser teams clamor for. They had a 40 yr old Kareem to slow things down. The other championship team like that goes all the way back to the 60's, with the Celts -- but again, it was a lot slower than what a modern fan would want, since that team was centered on a big Bill Russell -- with a fast break created purely through slow, rough play on the defensive side - and a lot of fighting for offensive rebounds.

If you find the halfcourt boring, then you don't like basketball. The Spurs keep winning because they are "boring"?? They win because they simply take advantage of the game's fundamentals more than anyone else right now -- instead of trying some utterly pointless flashy shit that doesn't work and doesn't win. Barring two unique examples, no one wins any other way than strategizing on the halfcourt, with good players in the post.

Playing fast and small only works in college these days because there are no big men, and there's a short ass 3 pt line. You can load the court with nothing but fast moving shooters, and one lumbering "body", with no smarts, in the center position. But that shit doesn't apply in the NBA. And many of those top players from college amount to fuck in the league. They end up learning nothing in the longrun by being encouraged about what's "boring" or not, and the league's pool of good draftees gets poorer and poorer because of it.

[Mosesandstick]

Watching the spurs execute is a treat if you ask me; its just pure good, smart basketball. The lakers nowadays are capable of some amazing plays though...