NBA 2005-2006 Season Thread

[BCWWF]

I was a fan of Jalen Rose and wanted the Wolves to go after him last off season, but he really had a bad start of this season. The Raptors may be starting to get things right.

A question though: I know when the Wolves gave up first rounds for Jaric and Ricky Davis, they were protected so that if the Wolves don't make the playoffs they get the pick back. Does Toronto have the same deal? It might be a little much if not.

[loopydate]

Didn't notice if anybody posted these. Don't think so.

2006 NBA All-Star Game Starters

East
F - LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
F - Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers
C - Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat
G - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers
G - Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat

West
F - Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
F - Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
C - Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
G - Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
G - Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Reserves to be named Thursday. Who do you guys think should make it?

For me:

East
Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons

West
Ray Allen, Seattle SuperSonics
Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers
Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
Rashard Lewis, Seattle SuperSonics
Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Yeah, I know I put three Pistons on the East team, but look at their numbers, and tell me they don't deserve it. Not to mention the fact that their team is, far and away, the best in the league right now.

[BCWWF]

You could make a case for Rip in the East as well. The starters suck though. Marion should start instead of T-Mac and anybody should start over Yao. In terms of the east, it's hard to determine who should have made it over Jermaine, but Gilbert has a case for himself.

[loopydate]

I'd actually forgotten that O'Neal was out. So, yeah, start Rasheed at the power forward spot against Duncan, and add Rip.

No team has sent four players to an All-Star team since the '83 Sixers, btw.

[The Icon of Elisim]

My reserves:

West:
Tony Parker and Sam Cassel at the guard spots
KG and Marion at the forwards
Dirk at center
Gasol and Brand as the wildcards

East:
Arenas and Billups at the guard spots
Bosh and Howard at the forward spots
Wallace at center
Carter and Pierce as the wildcards

I dunno who to replace O'Neal, if it can be anyone then I give it to Hamilton narrowly over Redd and Kidd. If it has to be a forward then Rasheed

[RoXer]

Wow the Warriors suck. I swear if they just went with a lineup of,

PG Baron Davis
SG Mickael Pietrus
SF Jason Richardson
PF Troy Murphy
C Andris Biedrins

...they'd make the playoffs

*Diogu

[BCWWF]

They should trade Baron Davis for Troy Hudson :y:

[RP]

What s great win by the Pacers. What a tuff performance.

I dont like what Saunders said after the game though. Something about playing 4 games in 5 nights. Give me a break. Indiana is the last team you should be complaining about your schedule to.

[BCWWF]

You're talking about Jonathan Bender retiring right?

[RP]

No i'm not. I could care less about Bender retiring. He hasnt done nothing and never will.

[CNM]

Damn, what a joke fan voting is. Melo better make the All-Star team as a reserve.

[The Miz]

Steve Francis will be traded to Denver in the next 2 days for Nene and Earl Watson. Nene and Watson will then be shipped to the Knicks or Sonics

[CNM]

Apparently it's dead. Kiki refuses to address our hole at the 2 guard once again. ;(

[The Icon of Elisim]

New York times says that this is already dead but the talks were that New York got in on the trade talks

To New York:
Earl Watson
Byron Russell

To Denver:
Steve Francis
Trevor Ariza

To Orlando:
Jamal Crawford
Nene
Voshon Lenard

Magic still say that they are in talks with Sacramento, Indiana, Denver and Detroit for Francis

[Crimson]

I hear the Sonics want Watson back..i don't understand why they let him go to begin with.

[BCWWF]

I am finally giving in. The Wolves need Marbury back.

[loopydate]

Just found out I'm going to the Pistons/Bulls game March 8. Been a Pistons fan since I was seven years old, but I've never been to the Palace for a game.

CAN! NOT! WAIT!

[loopydate]

Pistons just lost their second straight game. First time that's happened all year. They've lost 3 out of their last 4, too.

Ah, well. They're still head and shoulders over the rest of the league (except for Dallas and San Antonio).

[RP]

Yeah i think they'll be ok.


Oh btw. I cant imagine who the Pacers would trade for Francis. Certainly not O'Neal. Sarunas and Granger are pretty much untouchable. Fred Jones lately has become a untouchable. That leaves what? Stephen Jackson? I definetly know they wont trade Peja. I think Indiana will make a serious run at signing Peja.

I doubt Indiana is in the running for Francis.

[BCWWF]

There was a rumor going around that Jermaine might be moved in the offseason, but I don't know how legit it would be. I would be shocked if they moved him for the likes of Steve Francis though.

[RP]

There was a rumor going around that Jermaine might be moved in the offseason, but I don't know how legit it would be. I would be shocked if they moved him for the likes of Steve Francis though.

I've been hearing the same thing , but kind of hard to believe it. And if it happend it sure as hell wouldnt be for just Steve Francis.

This team Indiana is putting on the floor is pretty fucking nice right now. They're still battered and beaten, but they can play some amazing defense and they shoot the hell out of the ball from 3.

If David Harrison can get his emotions straight this kid along with Granger, Sarunus, and Fred Jones. THis team has a shot. We've won 3 in a row. 2/3 were blowouts and the 3rd was a win against the best team in 8 years, by 9. Theirs still hope.

[loopydate]

Sarunas' pass last night was one of the sickest things I've seen all year. That was like a Globetrotters move.

[RP]

I didnt see it.. I was listening to it on the radio at work. What'd he do?

[RP]

I saw it. 2sicc

[loopydate]

I was trying to find a video highlight for you, but looks like you found it yourself.

Seriously, how do you even think of trying that?

[RP]

I got the link from nba.com. Wasnt a great angle.. it was a close up from the side. I need to see a better angle to enjoy it.

[RP]

Sarunas is like a Steve Nash in the making.
Granger is a Marion in the making
O'neal is out Staudamire.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Reserves came out today

Eastern reserves
Chauncey Billups, Pistons
Richard Hamilton, Pistons
Ben Wallace, Pistons
Rasheed Wallace, Pistons
Chris Bosh, Raptors
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Vince Carter, Nets

Western Reserves
Ray Allen, Sonics
Tony Parker, Spurs
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs
Elton Brand, Clippers
Pau Gasol, Grizzlies
Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves
Shawn Marion, Suns

Only one that really jumps out at me is Allen, I expected Carmelo or maybe Paul or Cassel. I guess they will also be adding Arenas to the East team but I would love the message it would send if they gave it to Redd instead

[RP]

Rasheed is on a heck of a team right now, but he's not an alstar IMO.

Chris Paul should be an allstar reguardless of whether he's a rookie or not. He's an allstar.

Melo..Should be an allstar, but i cant realy make a case unless he's a EAST allstar. Michael Redd deserves it, but for who? Rasheed imo, but people would have a problem with that.

[RP]

Chris Paul not getting the nod is unbelievable.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Yeah, its all politics when it comes to the all star game.

[RP]

16 points 5 rebounds 7 assist and the Hornets are contending in the West. Comon. That guy is an all star.

[BCWWF]

I don't know, what Paul has done has been good, but I wouldn't say he is one of the top three or so point guards in the West.

[CNM]

Melo gets shafted. Again. Apparently to make the all-star team he'll have to average 30/10/10 on a 50-0 team

[The Outlaw]

Arenas.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

I don't know, what Paul has done has been good, but I wouldn't say he is one of the top three or so point guards in the West.I dunno about that, dude is sick.

Fucking Celtics though, have lost like 6 in a row. Atleast Pierce made the all star team game I guess haha

[The Miz]

Sonics get:
F Chris Wilcox

Clippers get:
F Vladimir Radmanovic

I'll miss Vlade but I like this trade. We need to trade Evans or another one of our 100 power forewards now though.

[Crimson]

Vlad is the f'n man, shit..but he had been wanting to be a starter for a while no? We need to trade Evans for a 3rd rounder. ( note- there is no 3rd round)

[CNM]

Vlad is soft as hell. They guy is a 2 in a 4's body. It's not like the Sonics are lacking 3-pt shooting. They won't miss him much.

[BCWWF]

Vlad doesn't do much for the Clippers, it doesn't seem

[Crimson]

Yea he's soft, but it helps when a big man can shoot the 3. Except when he's on defense.

[mrslackalack]

Darko was traded to the Magic today.

[RoXer]

Darko :(

[loopydate]

Ohhh... Now how will we know when the Pistons have given up on running up the score any further?

Well, I guess we still have Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson...

[CNM]

For putting together such a good team, Joe Dumars sure sucks when it comes to high draft picks. First Rodney White, now Darko.

[loopydate]

Yeah, if Joe could draft half as well as he plays free agency and trades, the Pistons would be practically unbeatable.

[mrslackalack]

Yeah the best pick Dumars ever chose was Prince in the 1st rd back in 02.

[Kid Robb]

DARKO IS FREE.

Let the Revolution begin...

--

Steve Francis and Steph Marbury in the same backcourt? I can't work out if Larry Brown is trying to get rid of Isiah Thomas or the other way round. There's no way those two could coexist in one backcourt!

[CNM]

Apparently the Knicks are trying to restart the Francis to the Nuggets talks back up. It was on TNT tonight.

[mrslackalack]

If Francis and Marbury were on the same team, they'd steal the ball from each other in an effort to be the ballhog and take the shots lol

[RP]

larry browns head would pop off.

[loopydate]

Pretty interesting pre-show stuff on TNT. They're debating the best dunk contest dunk of all-time now.

But what I want to talk about is what they did before this. In 1996, the NBA announced the 50 greatest players of all-time for the 50th anniversary of the league. For those who don't remember, the list was:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, George Gervin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Magic Johnson, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Pete Maravich, Kevin McHale, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell, Dolph Schayes, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens, and James Worthy.

Anyway, since it's 10 years later, TNT decided to add ten more players to that list. It wasn't an official NBA thing, just a ballot among TNT's 14 NBA announcers and analysts.

Here's who they added (in order of most points):

1) Tim Duncan
2) Kobe Bryant
3) Dominique Wilkins
4) Allen Iverson
5) Bob McAdoo
6) Kevin Garnett
7) Reggie Miller
8) Connie Hawkins
9) Jason Kidd
10) Gary Payton

I agree with quite a few of the guys they put on here, but I'm not entirely sure what business Iverson and Payton have on this list. Both were excellent players, to be sure, but how can they get on while they left off Joe Dumars? Maybe in five years, if Iverson can ever win anything, we can consider him for the top 65, but no way do I think he belongs on that list at this point in his career. (I thought the same thing about Shaq in 1996. NOW, I'd put him on the list, but at that point in his career, he'd only been in the league three years. How on EARTH did he make it, while they left off Dominique Wilkins?)

Anyway, discuss.

[loopydate]

GREAT dunk contest tonight. I really hope that the excitement that Nate Robinson and Andre Iguodala brought tonight will remind the LeBrons and the Kobes that guys like MJ and 'Nique used to tear this contest up, and that nobody is "too big" for the contest.

Iguodala's dunk in the first round is maybe the best I've ever seen. Especially after he whacked his head the first time around.

[CNM]

I'm pretty sure they have a rule that only guys who have been in the league like 3 years or less can compete. That'd rule out guys like Kobe and Vince but LeBron still could have done it.

[Skippord]

Melo gets shafted. Again. Apparently to make the all-star team he'll have to average 30/10/10 on a 50-0 team
I wouldnt mind seeing that

[Corkscrewed]

I'm pretty sure they have a rule that only guys who have been in the league like 3 years or less can compete. That'd rule out guys like Kobe and Vince but LeBron still could have done it. Yeah, it's called the Rising Stars Slam Dunk Challenge for a reason. :p Though I'd love to see an all star dunk contest sometime featuring Kobe, T-Mac, Carter, J-Rich, Iguadala, Nate Robinson, Josh Smith, Amare, and a few others.

I was rooting for AI but wasn't disappointed Nate won. Dunking over Spudd was awesome and that freestyle fifth dunk was crazy. AI had best dunk of the night (maybe ever) though.

[Corkscrewed]

Anyone else unable to get the NBA Media Player to work? I can't watch video from NBA.com on Firefox or IE. ESPN and MLB.com's stuff have always worked for me, but not NBA.com. :(

[RP]

I was worried Reggie would get overlooked. IMO he's the 3rd greatest 2guard ever. Behind Jordan and West. I challenge anyone to argue that Reggie Miller isnt the clutchest player ever.

[The Icon of Elisim]

It wasn't always the rising stars game, they only changed it to hide the fact that all the biggest stars didn't want to do it

[Corkscrewed]

Oh yeah. Forgot about that. :$

[loopydate]

I was worried Reggie would get overlooked. IMO he's the 3rd greatest 2guard ever. Behind Jordan and West. I challenge anyone to argue that Reggie Miller isnt the clutchest player ever.

I think I'd put Jordan just a notch above him, but just barely. Difference is, Jordan hit the shots to win championships.

But Reggie is easily second. At least of the players I've seen.

[BCWWF]

Horry?

[loopydate]

I'm usually not one to critique sports fashion, but good GOD these All-Star uniforms are ugly!

And this whole "keep giving T-Mac the ball so he can win the MVP in front of his home crowd" thing is frustrating.

[CNM]

Rocket fans have to be wondering where this T-Mac has been the last few wekks

[The Outlaw]

I thought Nate winning the dunk contest was pretty...odd. I didn't know you got as many tries as you wanted to dunk?

Pretty disappointing/anticlimatic when they announced the winner, but it was entertaining overall.

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

I'm glad they got rid of the missed dunk rule, otherwise we wouldn't have gotten to witness a ton of these classic dunks. I was watching an old dunk contest on ESPN classic and all the guys were scared to do something crazy becuase you were allowed one miss. The one from the otherside of the backboard was fucking insane. Nate Robinson is straight up insane too though, his hoops are unbelievable. Jumping over Spud Webb was awesome.

[CNM]

I agree that getting rid of the missed dunk rule was the right thing to do, but you should be penalized somewhat when it takes you like 15 times to do a dunk. Maybe like a point or two.

[The Outlaw]

Exactly, the crowd even seemed like they thought it was pretty ridiculous. I dunno, it seemed like they were just giving Nate free points because he's 5'9". :-\

[loopydate]

That was seriously a great dunk, and if he'd hit it on one of his first five tries, I'd have been all for giving him the title.

But once he hit double-digits, they should have let him finish the dunk, but given the title to Iguodala who was the most consistently amazing dunker of the contest.

[The Icon of Elisim]

ESPN says that the Raptors are close to landing Bryan Colangelo as their new GM.

FUCK YES! This is the best news in a long time for the Raptors, they have offered him 3 times what he is making in Phoenix. I really hope this goes through but I have a bad feeling its just going to result in him getting a huge raise to stay in Phoenix.

[BCWWF]

What's up with the Bulls tonight? It looks like they are in practice uniforms.

[CNM]

Colangelo would be a huge coup for Toronto. He's one of the best GMs in the league.

[BCWWF]

You guys can take Kevin McHale...after all you got Babcock from us too :p

[RoXer]

Not happening

[RP]

LOL @ Pacers playing good

WOOOT

[The Icon of Elisim]

ESPN is reporting this trade

To Denver:
Ruben Paterson
Reggie Evans

To Seattle:
Earl Watson

To Portland:
Voshon Lenard
Vitaly Potepenko

[BCWWF]

You forgot the Kings, they are involved somehow I believe. I forget details though.,

[DaveWadding]

Over the All-Star Weekend, Bill Simmons moderated the All-Time Atrocious GM Summit.


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060224

[BCWWF]

Lol I read that too, good read

[mrslackalack]

What a comeback by the Mavs today.

[BCWWF]

Gilbert had 46 points tonight on 13-16 shooting. His three misses were all 3-point attempts.

[DaveWadding]

:wavesad: Bryan Colangelo :wavesad:

[CNM]

:wavesad: Sam Mitchell :wavesad:

(There goes a guarenteed 2 wins a year for the Nuggs :( )

[The Icon of Elisim]

I like Mitchell, hope he is given a chance. Its a still young team and they've made the mistakes that a young team will make, I don't think that he's to blame. Mitchell should get alittle more time before Colangelo brings in his own guy.

Oh an by the way WOOO F'N HOOOO

[RoXer]

Not happening
:o

[DaveWadding]

:o

You need to stop predicting shit, because when you predict shit, you jinx it :mad: :mad: :mad:

[BCWWF]

Not gonna lie, it really is a fresh breathe of air to see who the top three draft prospects are. Adam Morrison, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay. Morrison and Gay are stars in college and Aldridge is very solid, but more importantly all three teams are in the top 10.

Am I the only one who is happy to see the big names in college hoops this year rather than the unknown high schoolers?

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Rudy Gay is the next Lamar Odom

Anyways, you see the Knicks green jerseys tonight? haha I kinda liked them

[OssMan]

Why is JJ Redick not a top three prospect

[BCWWF]

He is not athletic enough, ie he is white

[The Miz]

Because top 3 prospects need to be good at more than 2 things

[The Outlaw]

http://www.cnnsi.com/basketball/nba/2003/draft/news/2003/06/26/pistons_milicic_ap/t1_milicic_ap.jpg

[BCWWF]

I would take Morrison before Aldridge, unless I really needed a big man or something

[SammyG]

Wtf, why is no one posting here anymore? It's almost playoff time! Lake show is doin' pretty good, they can win at least 2 in their series with the Suns.

[mrslackalack]

What team will win the ''Get beat by Pistons first round sweepstakes''

[BCWWF]

I dunno, I was really into the NBA earlier, with the climax being when the T-Wolves made the Western Finals in my senior year, but since then the NBA has gone sour for me. It is so money driven on the players and owners part. The players don't work hard and the league has sold its soul for money. You can't get a decent ticket for less than 50 dollars, which means all of the fans are rich businessmen who don't care. There isn't an atmosphere like there used to be. What really started to piss me off though was when they didn't start a home T-Wolves playoff game until after 9 p.m. on a week night.

I think the NBA as a whole has been on a decline since Kobe and Shaq split. There was so much energy around the league with them being there and I just feel like it is lost now. I mean who gives a shit about the Spurs, honestly? Can you can any less charismatic players? The Pistons and Suns are doing it right, but Miami fucked up its roster too much as well. It just seems like the NBA is really down lately. The only play I would turn on the TV to watch right now is Kobe, I'm not a huge fan of LeBron personally.

I just think college basketball has so much more emotion and storylines that is has a huge advantage over the NBA right now.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Raptors are like the only team I can watch and enjoy right now. I used to be so into the game back in high school but now it bores me.

BTW the Raptors will be a playoff team next year might even win their division. Good draft pick, good GM and a couple good big bodies in the draft is gonna put this team over the top.

They are playing great right now without Bosh they are playing alot of tight games and you take away that terrible start and they are in the playoffs right now.

Next year will be hottt

[BCWWF]

I heard Peja was being linked to the Raptors because of some large population of whatever country he is from. They would be pretty sick, I've also heard Kareem Rush's name being mentioned.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Peja would be cool but I like what we have going with Mo Pete this year, the guys is playing the best basketball of his career and doing alot of the same stuff that Peja does. Plus he has become a pretty good perimeter defender.

If Mo Pete and Mike James are back next year (not sure if Peterson is a free agent, but I think he either is or he has one more year) then I think that all we need are a center and pack up point guard. They may already have the point guard in Calderon.

[RP]

Yah Peja said he's opting for free agencies next year. We probably wont resign him. But i'm not sure who the big free agents will be, but we might have a little money to throw at one.

[packt up]

GO LAKERS POSTSEASON BABY

[RP]

Who are some big free agents next season?

[RP]

Lakers looked good last night despite the loss. That team plays alot better with eachother now. Kwame Brown ( When he can catch the ball in the post ) has become a decent low post player. Luke Walton, Odem, Kobe, and Parker on the floor together create fits. Especially since Luke Walton is playing like he might be worth something. Lakers might shock someone. Kobe is the best player in the league btw.

[CNM]

The Lakers aren't getting past the Suns. Also, Melo is the most clutch player in the NBA. :cool:

[RP]

Pacers are playing for a Lottery Pick.

[OssMan]

Julius Hodge got shot

[RoXer]

EDDIE HOUSE

[The Icon of Elisim]

Who are some big free agents next season?

ESPN's top 25 free agents

1. Ben Wallace
2. Al Harrington
3. Jason Terry
4. Nazr Mohammed
5. Joel Przybilla
6. Nene
7. Mike James
8. Peja
9. Radmanovic
10. Drew Gooden
11. Chris Wilcox
12. Bonzi Wells
13. Reggie Evans
14. Marcus Banks
15. Alonzo Mourning
16. Bobby Jackson
17. Sam Cassell
18. Flip Murray
19. Rasual Butler
20. Tim Thomas
21. Speedy Claxton
22. Lorenzon Wright
23. DJ Mbenga
24. Keith Van Horn
25. David Wesley/Nick Van Exel/Chucky Atkins/Gary Payton/Tony Delk/Milt Palacio

[BCWWF]

Shows how much Pejas value has fallen over hte last two years. He is behind Nene.

[packt up]

Hey guys what's going on with Amare Stoudamire these days? :$ Yeah we don't get much info over here in the UK. Thought he was coiming back before the postseason?

[RoXer]

No, they fucking let him play for a couple of games and he refucked his fucking knee. So he had to have fucking surgery to clear some fucking stuff and he's out for the whole season. Stupid fucks.

[RP]

That's some shitty free agents.

[BCWWF]

He was back for like two or three games but his knee wasn't good enough so now he is out all season

[packt up]

Ouch sounds pretty fucking stupid let him fuck himself up again :$. Not that I'm a Suns fan but just sounds stupid.

And yeah wow Free Agency doesn't look too big this season.

[loopydate]

It was actually his other knee that he injured. He was out all season with a left knee injury, then he returned and hurt his right knee.

And Ben Wallace pulled down 20+ rebounds again today. Two more wins and the Pistons clinch home court advantage throughout.

[SammyG]

Lake show beat the Clips tonight. Pretty huge win. I just hope we can get that 7 spot. 6th woulda been sweet, but it was a longshot I guess.

[SammyG]

Pretty big win for the Sixers tonight. Memphis should start losing on purpose so they can get that 6 spot. Lakers will win at least 2 games in their playoff series.

[CNM]

Yeah I'm sure the Grizzlies would love the 6 spot, considering they'd play the Nuggets and have NEVER won at the Pepsi Center.

[SammyG]

Hmm, Nuggets or Dallas? Yeah, I'd pick the Nuggets

[BCWWF]

At least the Wolves lost, although I really don't see any way that they can compete even next year. The deal with Boston was so horrible, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount are signed until 2009 and 2010 respectively. If the Wolves didn't sign any new players next season, the payroll would only decrease by 2 million dollars. The worst part, if they didn't make any changes after next year, the payroll would be higher than it is this year! Kevin McHale is just as bad as Isiah Thomas.

The Wolves are going to make a run for Joel Pryzbilla, but Portland will likely get him back. Then my best guess is that the Wolves take Sheldon or Foye in the draft. The only way they can even consider competing is if they find a way to deal Troy Hudson and Blount. AHHHHH

[SammyG]

Lake show is heaaating up at the right time. Kobe went for 50 last night. They can beat the Suns in the first round. Lamar had his 2nd triple double in 2 games.

[RoXer]

The Lakers can not beat the Suns in the first round.

[BCWWF]

I like Kobe and the Lakers, but they won't beat the Suns, especially because the NBA is retarded and has a seven game series in the first round now.

[SammyG]

Well they can make a series out of it. If they keep playing like this they can.

[RoXer]

No, they won't even make a series out of it.

[loopydate]

The Lakers may get one game from Phoenix.

My upset special that I'm thinking about now is that Washington could win out and take the #5 seed and I think that, over the course of a series, they would beat Cleveland.

[SammyG]

Lake shoowwww

[BCWWF]

Alright you guys ready? I haven't cared about the NBA in a while now, but here's mine.

Round 1

Detroit over Chicago in 4
Miami over Milwaukee in 5
New Jersey over Indiana in 6
Washington over Cleveland in 6

San Antonio over Sacramento in 5
Phoenix over Lakers in 5
Clippers over Denver in 6
Dallas over Memphis in 4

Round 2

Detroit over Washington in 4
New Jersey over Miami in 6

San Antonio over Dallas in 6
Phoenix over Clippers in 5

Round 3

Detroit over New Jersey in 5

San Antonio over Phoenix in 6

Finals
Detroit over San Antonio in 6

[SammyG]

Well, I'd have Memphis win 1 game at least, and i dont think Wash will go over Cleveland.. other than that, its pretty accurate.

[BCWWF]

God, the NBA is so stupid. I can't believe they do seven game series in the first round. It should be one and done like college basketball, which is 10x more exciting.

[The Icon of Elisim]

1 and done would be lame in the NBA, they should go back to the 5 game series in the first round.

They also need to get ride of the 40 games in 40 nights shit, its a joke how long the playoffs take

[SammyG]

Mamba(Kobe) 4 MVP

[loopydate]

I think to be Most Valuable Player, don't you need to...like, add value to your team? Kobe is a basketball black hole. The ball goes to him, it never leaves. It's a miracle that team is playoff-bound.

Really, the three viable MVP contenders at the moment are:

Steve Nash - Can't argue with six teammates having career years
LeBron James - Finally became a playmaker and not just a scorer
Chauncey Billups - The driving force behind the best team in the league

Personal bias would give it to Chauncey, but I'd understand either of the other two.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Theres a lot of ways to define MVP.

I think a strong case can be made for Kobe that I read from Bill Simmons. Just imagine you replace him with an above average shooting guard, like Jamal Crawford, they are probably the worst team in the league.

Whereas you give Phoenix someone like Mike James instead of Nash and they would still be dangerous.

BTW I don't think you can give it to Chauncey, they whole team is about chemistry and no one stands out above others that much.

I also think that people are ignoring defense when talking about Kobe, the other big candidates don't play defense as well as him and a guy like Nash is a liability on defense

[loopydate]

Chauncey's pretty damn good on D, though. Probably not as good as Kobe (few are, I'll admit), but he's one of the better defensive point guards in the league.

I've never been a big proponent of the "Take one player out and replace them and see how the team does" theory of MVP decision. For this reason:

Say you take Kobe Bryant out of Los Angeles, and you replace him with... let's say Michael Redd. It would be an entirely different team. For one thing, Chris Mihm wouldn't be the starting center. They'd have that Shaq guy in the middle.

And, even if you put aside the deals the team made to appease Kobe, guys like Lamar Odom without Kobe would be averaging more than 14.9 PPG (he was averaging 16.2 for his career before he came to LA, and that's including his two injury-plagued years with the Clippers). They'd have better ball movement, and guys like Odom and Smush Parker would be allowed to contribute.

And, sure, Phoenix would still be a very good team with Jason Terry or Kirk Hinrich or Delonte West, but I always consider the MVP as someone who makes his teammates better.

Raja Bell - Career highs in PPG, FG%, rebounding, he's second in 3-point shooting,
Shawn Marion - Career highs in PPG, blocks, rebounding, and he's .042 higher than his highest career shooting percentage
Boris Diaw - He's third in the NBA in triple-doubles, and he'd never averaged more than 4.8 PPG before he came to Phoenix. Career highs in FG%, 3P%, rebounding, assists, blocks, and he's averaging more PPG this year than in his first two years combined.

Yeah, they'd all be having good years because they're playing on a very good team, but to be having years that are that good, it all comes from the point guard.

Kobe is probably the best player in the league (much as it pains me to type that), but he's far from the most valuable to his team. In fact, I think he's probably toward the bottom of that spectrum considering the nosedive the team took after management made it "his" team two years ago. If roles were reversed and it had been Kobe traded to Miami in '04, I really think LA would still be a title contender, and Miami would be the #5 or 6 seed in the East.

[loopydate]

Also, on a totally unrelated note, after tomorrow night's games, I'll post my picks for the All-NBA team.

[loopydate]

Okay, triple post, but...

ESPN just did a pretty cool montage of the "Best 3Ds of the year." It was cool, but it reminded me how badly Iguodala got screwed at the dunk contest.

[BCWWF]

Loopydate your post #385 is rediculous. The Lakers decided to take Kobe over Shaq two years ago because he was younger and not injury prone. Both teams are in the playoffs now, and there is nothing else to it.

People need to forget about all the stupid drama that happened two years ago. Kobe is scoring more points than anybody has in a long time this year, and he is leading his awful team into the playoffs. The argument that Kobe shoots too much is immediately void when you look at the people around him. The Lakers should be a rebuilding team right now, but they made the playoffs because Kobe put them on his back.

I don't know who I think should be MVP yet, but to rule Kobe out because Shaq wanted out two years ago is just stupid.

[loopydate]

There's a difference between "both teams are in the playoffs" and "one team's going to challenge for the title, and the other might get a game from Phoenix."

And I'm not necessarily saying Kobe shouldn't win MVP because of what happened two years ago. I was refuting IoE's point about "if you take Kobe out, they're mediocre" by saying what would happen if things were different and Kobe actually were taken out.

I'm saying he shouldn't win MVP because, despite being the best player in the league, he doesn't make the players around him better, which is usually one of the main criteria for getting an MVP. Nash, LeBron, and Chauncey all make the players around them better. Kobe does not.

I would go back and re-read the post before you start attributing false opinions to me again.

[The Icon of Elisim]

I dunno if I get what your saying about my point. I'm saying you take this current Lakers team and then replace Kobe with an above average shooting guard. Ignore the fact that the Lakers would have had cap room to construct a different team, just put a guy like Jamal Crawford or Cutino Mobley in the starting rotation instead of Kobe. They aren't just mediocre they would have trouble scoring 60 points a night.

[RP]

I think Chicago shocks the world and beats Detroit.

[SammyG]

Yeah that Bill Simmons article on ESPN is absolutely great. Kobe has been unbelievable this year. If he doesn't win it this year, he probably never will.

[SammyG]

Kwame has been solid lately, Lamar had back to back triple-doubles, Luke is contributing as well. Kobe's starting to get some help. And it couldn't have come at a better time. The PHX-LAL series WILL BE A GOOD ONE.

[BCWWF]

The Heat aren't contending for the NBA Title. The Pistons are the only team in the East with a legit chance at beating San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas in the finals.

[loopydate]

I dunno if I get what your saying about my point. I'm saying you take this current Lakers team and then replace Kobe with an above average shooting guard. Ignore the fact that the Lakers would have had cap room to construct a different team, just put a guy like Jamal Crawford or Cutino Mobley in the starting rotation instead of Kobe. They aren't just mediocre they would have trouble scoring 60 points a night.

That's a hard case to make, though, because if Kobe wasn't scoring his 30+ per night, then Lamar Odom would be getting more shots, like he did with the Clippers and Heat. The ball would move around more, and the "bit" players that LA has would be having much better years. Now, they probably would be an awful team, but honestly the Lakers aren't that good now. Take Kobe out, and they'd go from barely making the playoffs to barely missing the playoffs. Maybe you get a swing of ten games. The West (below the top 3) is weak enough where they'd still finish ahead of Portland, Minnesota, Houston, and Golden State.

Kwame has been solid lately, Lamar had back to back triple-doubles, Luke is contributing as well. Kobe's starting to get some help. And it couldn't have come at a better time. The PHX-LAL series WILL BE A GOOD ONE.

Yeah, all five games should be fantastic.

[packt up]

I like the Lakers so I'll say that they might have a chance of winning. However probably more likely that they'll go down in 6.

[SammyG]

I can't believe the NHL thread has more pages than the NBA thread. Sad.

[The Icon of Elisim]

loopy, I guess we'll just have to disagree on this one.

I think Odom would be better but not good enough to get them to playoffs. Kobe has been getting triple teamed in games, take that away and Odom and would be getting the double. Also Kobe is a top defender in the league, take him away and the teams defense goes way down.

BTW you are forgetting that the Jazz finished a game or 2 out of the playoffs

[BCWWF]

A lineup of Smush Parker, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Brian Cook, with Deavon George, Ronny Turiaf and Andrew Bynum off the bench would not be better than Portland, Minnesota, Golden State and Houston. Well, maybe Portland.

[The Icon of Elisim]

Thats not my point. You take out the best player from any good team and they are gonna suck.

I'm saying that you need to imagine what the team would be like if you replaced the star player with an above average guy at that position (ie. replace Kobe with Cutino Mobley, Nash with Mike James or Lebron with Caron Butler). You add Cutino Mobley to that list of Lakers and they are still going to be a terrible team

[BCWWF]

I know, but Loopy was implying that the Lakers without Kobe or anybody else could still come close to making the playoffs.

[SammyG]

Any chance that Mem will win their series? Should be a good one

[The Outlaw]

Well, if that's the case, replace Shaq with, oh I dunno...Chris Kaman. What do you have? I don't really see how you can use that method of defining an MVP. :-\

[loopydate]

Exactly.

[BCWWF]

You replace Shaq with Chris Kaman and the Heat are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and they have a center who plays all season

[The Icon of Elisim]

Its not a scientific means of choosing an MVP but its not a scientific process. There are alot of different ways to choose an MVP. You got "best guy on the best team", "best stats all season", "most dominant down the stretch" and "team played terrible with him out therefore he was the most important to the team" among others. This is just a way that makes sense to me

btw BCWWF is right, Kaman on the Heat wouldn't move them in the standings by more than a couple games. D-Wade on the other hand, if you replace him with Ben Gordon you would see a bigger drop off but the team would still be in the playoffs

[The Outlaw]

LOL

Are you serious?

[BCWWF]

Kaman is good, he is one of the most underrated players in the league.

Do you really think that: Jason Williams, Dwayne Wade, James Posey, Udonis Haslem and Chris Kaman with Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker off the bench is not going to make the playoffs?

I mean even if you put a really bad center in there like Michael Olowokandi, the Heat would still win their division.

[RP]

Spoke too soon. I still think Chicago can get out of the first round. Miami seems so beatable to me. I think anyone in the playoffs can beat Miami with the exception of maybe the Bucks and Cavs.

Speaking of the Bucks. They're already eliminated IMO.

I love the Indy draw. They matchup great with the Nets and they've dominated the Heat. I dont know about the Bulls tho.

I really like the Bulls in the East.

My pick is the Bulls.

[BCWWF]

The Bulls are going to be so good next year. Think of them adding Tyrus Thomas/LaMarcus Aldridge and JJ Reddick for bench scoring...SICK

[The Outlaw]

I didn't say they wouldn't make the playoffs. Of course they would make the playoffs, because after the top 4 spots or so, the Eastern conference is pretty weak. They would not be a contender at all with Kaman instead of Shaq. The Heat are 42-16 with Shaq. 10-14 without him. Do you really think that Kaman would get double and triple teamed like Shaq, which would then open up open shots for Udonis, JWill, Walker, Wade, Posey, etc.? That's Shaq's most valuable part of his game, he gets other people stats.

[loopydate]

My All-NBA Team:

Team #1
F - LeBron James
F - Elton Brand
C - Marcus Camby
G - Chauncey Billups
G - Kobe Bryant

Team #2
F - Dirk Nowitzki
F - Shawn Marion
C - Ben Wallace
G - Steve Nash
G - Gilbert Arenas

Team #3
F - Kevin Garnett
F - Andrei Kirilenko
C - Mehmet Okur
G - Ray Allen
G - Dwayne Wade

[The Icon of Elisim]

Bosh verbally commits to a 6 year deal :cool:

[loopydate]

That's cool. Bosh is gonna be a pretty big star, and having that kind of a player as your anchor can only be good for that franchise.

[DaveWadding]

Nash4MVP

:shifty:

[Kid Robb]

1. Detroit vs 8. Milwaukee
2. Miami vs 7. Chicago
3. New Jersey vs 6. Indiana
4. Cleveland vs 5. Washington

1. San Antonio vs 8. Sacramento
2. Phoenix vs 7. LA Lakers
3. Denver vs 6. LA Clippers
4. Dallas vs 5. Memphis

First Round Predictions

Detroit 4-0
Miami 4-2
New Jersey 4-3
Cleveland 4-2

San Antonio 4-1
Phoenix 4-0
LA Clippers 4-2
Dallas 4-1

Clippers the only seeding upset. Lakers not to take a game from Phoenix. Kobe can score what he wants but PHX to shut down everyone else. Jersey and Indi to be close. Bulls to take a few off Miami but not enough :(

[RP]

1. Detroit vs 8. Milwaukee
2. Miami vs 7. Chicago
3. New Jersey vs 6. Indiana
4. Cleveland vs 5. Washington

1. San Antonio vs 8. Sacramento
2. Phoenix vs 7. LA Lakers
3. Denver vs 6. LA Clippers
4. Dallas vs 5. Memphis

First Round Predictions

Detroit 4-1 ( The Bucks arent that bad and they'll probably get hyped to atleast take one in Milwuakee (Sp).)

Chicago 4-3 ( Fuck it! I'll go for it. I love this Chicago team. Not as much as i love my Pacers, but a different kind of love. I think Miami has played all year like a team that might stumble and when you're a team that might stumble, the last team you want to play in the first round is Chicago. )

Indiana 4-3 ( Indiana has gotten some chemistry back and O'Neil has been a monster the last 5 games he's played. Who on Jersey will stop O'Neil? Indiana is playing a high tempo game now and can matchup with Jersey. Plus Indiana is better on defense and a better shooting team from beyong the arch. Indiana's bench is deeper. Throw out the seeds, I think Indy pulls this one out. )

Washington 4-2 ( Most people think of Lebron vs Arenas, but forget that Arenas has Jamison and Butler on his team. Lebron has inconsistant Damon Jones, banged up Hughes and Illgalskus and a decent player in Gooden. I think Arenas can score with James. I think Washington is the better team here. )


San Antonio 4-0 ( Sorry Sactown )

Lakers 4-3 ( 7-2 upsets on both sides. Kobes and Odom seem to be playing real good together as of late. Luke Walton is starting now and producing. I think with Kobe you've always got a shot. Its not like the Suns play any defense so Kobe might average 40 a game in this series. The Suns just seem like the softest team in the playoffs right now. I can feel the upset coming. )

Denver Nuggets 4-3 ( Nuggets got to much fire for the Clippers in a 7 game series. Thats if they stay healthy. )

Dallas 4-3 ( I could totally see Dallas sleeping 3 games and losing. Everytime Dallas got some momentum going and strung a few games together, they just totally fell asleep and lost a stupid one. That and i think Memphis will be pretty pumped and they have a very solid team. Who's guarding Gasol? Dampier? Nowitski who cabt play defense? Gasol will have his way, but Dallas still manages to win. )

[BCWWF]

I like all of your Eastern Conference picks, but you might have fallen astray on the Western Conference. Clippers over Nuggers is my only upset on the Western side. I didn't like Phoenix's moves when they made them, but the guys on their team now are a lot more complete than Joe Johnson and Q were last year.

[RP]

I'm soo pumped for this years playoffs. Specifically Sac/San Ind/NJ Chi/Mia and LAL/PHO

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

wow LeBron James is gross. He just made a ridiculous touch pass, the dude fucked up the lay up but the pass was crazy. LeBron had the ball for like .000001 seconds.

[SammyG]

Whoooo, sac-town getting killed. Hate them fuckers.

[SammyG]

Lake Show toniiiggghtttt

[RP]

What the hell is wrong with the left side of Ernie Johnson face? The TNT analyst.

[SammyG]

Lakers down by 10 :(

[RP]

Indiana 1-0:cool:

[RP]

My All-NBA Team:

Team #1
F - LeBron James
F - Dirk Nowitski
C - Ben Wallace
G - Steve Nash
G - Kobe Bryant

Team #2
F - Tim Duncan
F - Shawn Marion
C - Marcus Camby
G - Chauncey Billups
G - Gilbert Arenas

Team #3
F - Rasheed Wallace
F - Elton Brand
C - Yao Ming
G - Allen Iverson
G - Dwayne Wade


MVP- Kobe Bryant

Sixth Man- Ben Gordon

Come Back player- Mike James who? Mike James ( honorable mentions to Anthony Johnson. )

Rookie of the Year - Danny Granger...

Coach of the Year-Scott Skiles

[Nervous Ferret]

Could have went to the Nets game today, but I chose to sleep in. Pretty glad I didn't, weak foul call at the end but whatev, Nets in 5. :cool:

[Loose Cannon]

Tim Thomas lighting shit up.

[Loose Cannon]

Barbosa :cool:

[The Icon of Elisim]

I like your picks Rectal aside from a couple.

Give me Bosh over Rasheed on 3rd team. Wade and Arenas switch spots and Duncan and Brand switch spots.

Theres no more comeback player, its most improved which has to go to Boris Diaw. Mike Miller I have for 6th man and Granger is obviously a joke, Villaneuva is a lock for ROTY :shifty:

And I love the Skiles for Coach of the Year but I think Avery Johnson is a lock for it

[RP]

Could have went to the Nets game today, but I chose to sleep in. Pretty glad I didn't, weak foul call at the end but whatev, Nets in 5. :cool:


uhh he grabbed his jersey and disrupted his shot. Obvious foul

[Nervous Ferret]

tomatoes, tomatoes

[SammyG]

Nooo. SUCH a heartbreaking loss. I thought we had a chance. Tim Thomas fucked us up. Kobe got teammates involved today though. Pretty impressed with Luke. Look for Kobe to shoot over 30 times next game

[RP]

Yah i'm just gunna predict this now. Kobe goes for 50 on the Suns in game 2.

[SammyG]

Hopefully. But it better come with a Lake Show win too. GOD, this loss hurt.

[RoXer]

KOBE

[CNM]

What the hell is wrong with the left side of Ernie Johnson face? The TNT analyst.

He's got some sort of cancer

[Skippord]

My All-NBA Team:

Team #1
F - LeBron James
F - Elton Brand
C - Marcus Camby
G - Chauncey Billups
G - Kobe Bryant

Team #2
F - Dirk Nowitzki
F - Shawn Marion
C - Ben Wallace
G - Steve Nash
G - Gilbert Arenas

Team #3
F - Kevin Garnett
F - Andrei Kirilenko
C - Mehmet Okur
G - Ray Allen
G - Dwayne Wade

Damn poor Melo

[SammyG]

Now that a day has passed.. I feel very confident for LAL. They can totally win this series. Their D after the 1st quarter was great. If Kobe had a slightly better game they woulda won. Lake show will win game 2.

[The Outlaw]

Danny Granger for ROTY? Are you kidding?

[RoXer]

SammyG will be nominated for the worst poster ever.

[SammyG]

And why is that?

[The Outlaw]

uhh he grabbed his jersey and disrupted his shot. Obvious foul

Besides the whole calling it on the wrong guy.

I don't really know, I didn't care enough to watch it. :o

[RP]

that Artest suspension is bs.

[BCWWF]

Granger has been pretty solid, but if you aren't joking then your Indiana bias is pretty bad. Chris Paul was almost an all-star and the Hornets almost contended. Even after that, Villaneuva and maybe Channing Frye would probably get more votes than Granger.

[BCWWF]

I think I just responded to something on the last page, my bad.

Anyway, I think the Artest suspension is BS too. I guess the league is going to keep him on a tight leash.

[DaveWadding]

http://members.cox.net/davewadding/Pics/DSC01153smn4m.jpg

:shifty:

[McDoogle]

Those are some awsome sideburns my man.

[SammyG]

Lakers over Suns tonight. Kobe will have 37

[SammyG]

Also, god damn, Wadding uz a phat muh fucka.

[RoXer]

Oh fo sho?

[SammyG]

Lake Show!!!! Whoooooo!!!!!!!!!

[Nervous Ferret]

SammyG will be nominated for the worst poster ever.FINALLY, somebody else sees this

[SammyG]

Kobe's dunk over Nash was amazing. Lakers Clippers in the 2nd round.

[The Outlaw]

Kobe's dunk over Nash was amazing. Lakers Clippers in the 2nd round.

The Rams will win the SuperBowl!!!!!!11

Also, LOL @ Kwame Brown running over Bell (I think?) at the end of the game and a no-call. That's what pisses me off, guys will flop and get calls but sometimes guys will get run over or obviously get fouled and no call. :-\

[SammyG]

The Rams will win the SuperBowl!!!!!!11

Also, LOL @ Kwame Brown running over Bell (I think?) at the end of the game and a no-call. That's what pisses me off, guys will flop and get calls but sometimes guys will get run over or obviously get fouled and no call. :-\

Fuck the Rams for now, it ain't football season. Talkin' bout obviously getting fouled? Thomas on Kobe in game 1. That's all i got to say. The Lakers WILL win this series. I guarentee it.

[The Outlaw]

You obviously missed my point of you looking through *insert favorite team's color here* tinted glasses.

I don't think that was as bad as a guy running over another guy, but ok.

[SammyG]

Lakers goin up 2-1 tonight.

[BCWWF]

So are the Wiz

[SammyG]

Lake show did. Can't say the same bout the Wiz. I am sooo happy for LAL, it is amazing how balanced this team is right now. It will be LAC vs LAL next round. Can't wait.

[packt up]

LAKERSSSSSS yes come on.

[SammyG]

I kinda want Mem to win at least a game. Will Gasol ever fucking step it up?

[BCWWF]

Watched the end of the Wizards game, seems like the Wiz got screwed on a call with about a minute left. It ended up fair IMO, they just couldn't guard LeBron essentially. And Gilbert shouldn't have taken the three.

[CNM]

LeBron traveled big time on that last shot. It's all good though, it's King LeBron!

[BCWWF]

Yeah, the one where he did a BIG jump stop, pivoted and then took another two or so steps into the basket?

[CNM]

Yup

[SammyG]

Lakers Mavericks western conference finals.

[BCWWF]

Just no.

[The Outlaw]

Seems like there's a lot more hard fouls/fouls called which aren't/ticky tacky calling this playoffs. Maybe it's just me though...

[The Outlaw]

Also, is Luke Walton suspended?

[SammyG]

Hell no he isn't!! Woooo go lake show. Down by 4 at the moment. 6:07 left in the 3rd

[SammyG]

Shiiiit, down by 3 in OT.

[SammyG]

OMG KOBE LAKERS WIN!!!!!!!!!

[DaveWadding]

OMG SHITTY OFFICIATING LAKERS WIN!!!!

[SammyG]

OMG GO EAT A BURGER, LAKERS WIN

[RoXer]

Um, Nash clearly said timeout and it looked as if the ref was looking right at him. And if not that, then that should have been a foul rather than a jump ball. The steal and the shot to go into OT was clean and sick though.

I dunno, maybe I'm a little biased? Someone who isn't a Lakers/Suns fan answer that for me.

[RoXer]

I dunno who I hate more, SammyG or the Lakers.

[SammyG]

Go ahead wadding and neg-rep your heart out. You need to go get a total makeover douchebag, lose 200 pounds, then come back and talk to me again.

[BCWWF]

Going back to Outlaw, it does seem like the hard fouls are really big this year, and there's been a lot of suspensions as well.

[Pete]

How the fuck was that not a foul on Nash? He was practically gang raped at half court.

[RP]

Fuck the non calls. This is the fucking playoffs. Let them play. Nash should have protected the ball better reguardless.

Kobe FUCKING Bryant. Fuck King James. King Kobe. MVP hands down. It wasnt even close and it still isnt close. And the Lakers are about to win this shit. I'm rooting for them.

[RP]

Me and Sammy G are like the only ones who picked the Lakers.

[RP]

No doubt he called timeout, but still. King Kobe. Bring that man more white women to rape.

[The Outlaw]

Nash called a timeout. Diaw called a timeout. Luke Walton harassed and made more contact with Nash than Kobe did in Colorado. Jump call was ridiculous. The fact that the Lakers have gotten every single break, call, etc. is ridiculous as well. Lamar Odom shot one less free throw than the whole Suns team, who are known for getting to the line. Marion had like three fouls in 5 minutes. So many things were wrong with that game.

I still don't see how Walton didn't get suspended. Udonis Haslem throws his mouthpiece in the direction of a ref (still dont think he was throwing it AT him), it hits the ground, he gets thrown out of the game and suspended one game. James Posey bumps Hinrich, gets a flagrant called, ejected, and gets suspended. Hard foul I will admit, but that's kind of ridiculous. Luke Walton CLOTHESLINES a guy and gets a flagrant called on him, no ejection, no suspension. He clotheslines a guy. Intending to hurt a guy. I just don't see the justification in that.

[RP]

If this is about the foul on Tim Thomas. It wasnt that bad and i thought it was just a flagrant.

[BCWWF]

Seriously, who still thinks the Lakers are stupid for keeping Kobe instead of Shaq?

[SammyG]

LA definately got away with a lot of shit in game 4, I'll admit that. Luke's foul was not that bad, stop crying about it. It shoulda been a flagrant, but no suspension, exactly like RP said. Instead of complaining about how the Lakers do this, do that, why don't you start giving the Lakers some credit?

[D Mac]

Nash tried to call the TO but could'nt get his hands around the ball. Therefore no Time Out.

Hell of a fucking game tho.

[The Outlaw]

Couldn't get his hands around the ball? What are you talking about? He had the ball, Luke had a hold of his arms lol

I'm not crying about it, I have no desire for the NBA, I'm just calling it the way it is. I watch Nash and I watch Shaq, that's about as far as being an NBA fan as I go. I like to watch certain guys play such as LeBron, Camby, Gerald Wallace, Dirk, and some others but I am not a Phoenix fan and I am not a Lakers fan.

Well, if you think it was a flagrant foul then he should have been ejected or suspended because obviously that's the way the NBA works now. James Posey, Ron Artest. Artest getting suspended was one of the biggest jokes I have ever seen. It looked to me like he didn't even do a whole lot, especially considering what he had done to him (which was not seen by the refs, surprisingly). I just see a lot of inconsistencies right now.

[loopydate]

It's not really a new thing, though. NBA officials have always favored the big-market star-laden teams. The Knicks and the Lakers will get calls that - for example - the Hornets and Blazers wouldn't get away with. On identical plays, Gerald Wallace will be called for traveling but Kobe will make SportsCenter's Top Ten. LeBron James can pick up his dribble at the top of the circle on a fast break dunk and not get whistled, but if Josh Smith shuffles his pivot foot, it's a turnover.

That said, that was an awful call. Nash clearly called timeout, and he was clearly fouled. Yet, neither was called. I can tolerate a little bending of the rules because - sad as it is - it's the way the game goes. But for the referees to hand that game to the Lakers under those circumstances was just terrible.

On an entirely unrelated note, I hope the Pistons actually show up for game four. When they limped their way into the playoffs, I was nervous that they might leave themselves open to an early-round upset because they're looking ahead to June. Game three certainly looked like that was the case.

[The Outlaw]

Yeah I mean I have come to accept the fact that Kobe/LeBron/*insert star here* can take 10 steps and not be called for a travel. Stars will get calls, I accept that. MJ got a lot of calls (Game winner against Utah anyone?) This doesn't take anything away from him because he was one of the most unbelievable basketball players I have ever seen play the game. Like you said, I can take the rules being..."altered without officially being altered" but some of this stuff has just been mind boggling really.

Yeah, the Pistons played pretty bad in Game 3. I don't really see them losing another game though. Then again, not many people thought they would lose one. :-\

[SammyG]

Anyone else pretty suprised that Sac beat Sas in game 4?

[The Outlaw]

http://lang.dailynews.com/socal/gallery2/sports/042906_LAKERS/5.jpg

Luke: Gimme some of that!

[Juan]

Nash called a timeout. Diaw called a timeout. Luke Walton harassed and made more contact with Nash than Kobe did in Colorado. Jump call was ridiculous. The fact that the Lakers have gotten every single break, call, etc. is ridiculous as well. Lamar Odom shot one less free throw than the whole Suns team, who are known for getting to the line. Marion had like three fouls in 5 minutes. So many things were wrong with that game.

I still don't see how Walton didn't get suspended. Udonis Haslem throws his mouthpiece in the direction of a ref (still dont think he was throwing it AT him), it hits the ground, he gets thrown out of the game and suspended one game. James Posey bumps Hinrich, gets a flagrant called, ejected, and gets suspended. Hard foul I will admit, but that's kind of ridiculous. Luke Walton CLOTHESLINES a guy and gets a flagrant called on him, no ejection, no suspension. He clotheslines a guy. Intending to hurt a guy. I just don't see the justification in that.

Walton already had his hands all over the ball when the "time out" was called so the right decision was made by the refs.

Plus, about Walton's flagrant foul. Yes it was hard, but "Intending to hurt a guy"??? C'mon now. I'll admit ot wasn't very smart on Walton's part but i seriously doubt he had intentions on hurting the poor bastard.

[The Outlaw]

Luke's hands were also all over Stevie's arms. Therefore, the correct call was not made.


If James Posey was meaning to hurt Hinrich, Luke was definately meaning to hurt him. You know, it's funny, out of everyone I heard with an opinion about Posey getting suspended, all the announcers/commentators thought he should have been suspended, while the players thought otherwise.

[Crimson]

I hope it's the Lakers and Clippers, that would be tight. The Suns can still come back I think..but the Nuggets are done.

Anyone else see Reggie Evans grab Kaman's crotch last game? haha I woulda done the same thing Kaman did...Evans will probably get suspended for that one...

[SammyG]

Lakers Clippers will be good. Naw, the Suns are done. I do expect them to win game 5, but LAL will finish em off in Staples. I'm kinda intrigued by the Kings. I really think they can take this series to 7!

[RoXer]

So then its agreed? BS Call?

[SammyG]

I'll call it questionable. VERY questionable. Not bullshit.

[SammyG]

Lake Show in PHX tonight. Meh, prolly 3-2. We'll get em in Staples.