Somebody explain this Joe Smith business, please? :(

close down ***ON***

ON ON ON ON ON ON ON

Obviously you can't shut down Kobe, in the same way you couldn't shut down Pippen. Game 4 the Wolves got hurt in the first half because when they had a lead, Fisher came off the bench and game the Lakers a massive lift. Shaq was almost on or did have a double-double in the first half, but there wasn't a lot else happening other than Fisher coming off the bench big.

The only way the Wolves will win is if they knock down outside shots, don't get beaten so badly on the boards, and don't let the Kobe, Fisher, George, Malone, Payton and co get huge numbers.

Pretty fucking basic.

Doesn't mean it will happen, because it's far easier said than done.

Doesn't help when you can't go within a foot of Shaq without being called for a foul just quietly.

Haha Minnesota is going to lose.

First off, Kidd Robb, Scottie Pippen got shut down a lot during the Bulls run. Thats what made all those Knicks/Bulls series so competitive was the fact he never managed to show up.

Secondly, you keep talking about Kobe Bryant like he's the second option. Shaq is getting the ball early because the Lakers have such an advantage down low. But Kobe has basically mailed in the first half in all the Lakers wins, passed the ball around, and then just killed anybody standing in front of him in the second half. Kobe Bryant is the best offensive player in the NBA. He may have his off nights, but any theory that includes " close down on Bryant" is pretty much nonsense.

The Wolves have no one who can guard Kobe. The Wolves have no one who can slow down Shaq, fouls or no fouls. And KG is getting no calls; I don't know if that's because Maone's such a vet or because the Lakers are being more agressive or what. But it's a fact. KG is getting no love from the refs. Minnesota is getting thoroughly dominated in every aspect of the game. And if Szerbiak wasn't shoting the rock so well, these last two games would've been ugly.

Basically, I'd be surprised if this comes back to L.A.

It will take a lot to force a game six, considering the circumstances. Sam can hardly play, Spree has been cold shooting, and the Lakers role-players are spectacular. As one of the Minnesota columnists said today, a win Saturday is just delaying the inevitable.

small forward now with the milwaukee bucks. he played on minnesota the last few years. after the 99-00 season minnesota got caught trying to negotiate a contract in secret with him so they would avoid going over the cap. they got fined 3.5 million dollars and lost all of their 1st round draft picks for the next 5 years.

Yeah, those sneaky scoundrels :D

Hey, at least we got Marcus Taylor, Loren Woods, and some other kick-ass guys from the second round :|

That really did suck. Overkill for something the NBA knows goes on every sinngle year.

It's not cheating unless you get caught. It's not the NBa's fault that the T'Wolves are too DAMN STUPID to not get caught.

I don't think it'll get back to Minnesota now, Game 5 will be the last one.

Defensively the Wolves problems all surround Shaq, not Kobe. As good as Kobe is (and he's a freak no doubt, although McGrady would have something to say about him being the "best offensive player in the NBA"), with Hassell and Spreewell the Wolves have at least got reasonable match-ups for him. When it comes to Shaq, they have nothing. Olowokandi is nothing special, Miller is a big body backup, and Ervin Johnson is a servicable player but not a star. If they had a Ben Wallace, they'd be in a far better position.

Given that they can't stop Shaq, why both trying any harder? Let him get his and close down on the rest. Seems to be the pretty obvious way to look at it. You've got someone you can't stop because you don't have a match-up for them, so you focus on the other players, as good as they are.

In this series, Shaq is option 1, Kobe is option 2. Watch the Lakers repeatedly dump the ball into the low post and not run the triangle as per normal and you'll see that.

Pippen was still always servicable. He didn't have to score 25 to have an impact. It's one of the reasons he's one of the most complete players of all time, he could dominate a game without scoring. If the Wolves hold Kobe to 15, as well as keep Malone, Payton, Fisher and George in check, they have a chance. Given how hard that is, their chances are extremely slim.
On top of all that anyway, they need Cassell to be fit enough to play a full game, and for him, Spree, Wally and co to hit outside shots.

That's true. What the hell was Kevin McHale doing keeping records of all his talks with Smith.

Not that its important, but game 5 is in Minnesota.

I hate to say it, but I think that next year the Wolves would be better off if Spree used his release. First of all it would free up 15 million dollars, and second of all I think that Wally Szczerbiak is capable of scoring just as much if not more than Spree did this year, and then we could have the money to add a backup PG and someone else. I love Spree and wish he could stay, but with that contract and his bad games becoming more common, I think the Wolves need to go out and get Shawn Marion and Darrell Armstrong. What a dream world.

LOL Matrix's contract is far heftier than Spree's...keep dreaming.

also, we'd probably want your dearest MVP in return.

Salaries for the 2004/2005 Season
Sprewell: $14,625,000
Marion: $11,326,219

The Timberwolves are adding payroll, regardless. I would highly doubt that the Wolves would get Marion, much less go for him, but I read somewhere that some team (I think it was Orlando looking to trade T-Mac) wanted like Amare and Eisley or something, but the Suns said they would rather trade Marion. I doubt they will trade him, but how key would he be on the wolves?

trading Amare is a big nono as far as I'm concerned.

Ironically though, the pick the Suns used to get Amare was one of the picks Orlando sent to us in the Penny Hardaway sign and trade :naughty:

I agree 100%, the Suns have the start of what could be really really good. Right now they are about in the middle with approx 50 million payroll, throw in a point guard and a pure shooter (for some reason I would like to see Finley on the Suns), and they could step into the elite.


Dave, you would know better than me, is there even talk of trading one of the big guns from Phoenix right now? Or was some stupid national news source just making up rumors.

Yeah I dunno about getting rid of Amare

Kareem Rush with a foul from the ground :lol:

I do believe it's about to be over :-\

"Minnesota in the penalty with 7 and a half minutes while having only one team foul" :(

After I saw this I went and downloaded the video.

Time ran off from Kobe's shot: .4 seconds
Time ran off from Timmy's shot: .3 seconds

That's if you want to be technical, which it looks like you are. Even not taking that into consideration, it looks like the clock is started right when Fisher got the ball? :-\

Yeah you bastards are lucky you had so many points from free throws in that fourth quarter. :rant: :p

We needed a game 6 for memorial day . A lakers celebration right after a bbq and some beers sounds nice.:beer:

Finley used to be on the Suns...They traded him and Cassell to Dallas for J Kidd.

We need a Center...we've never had a better than average center...EVER.

There isn't really. But there is talk of getting Rapist. Actually, maybe I heard something about giving up Matrix for T-Mac...i dunno.

All I have to say is that if the Wolves play the same game they played tonight, they will get killed at the Staples Center. I will acknowledge that we got some calls tonight, most of which would have gone the other way (whether just or not) had it been in L.A. We've got to be ready.

My prediction still stands, either Lakers in 6 of Wolves in 7.

Thats a pretty far out prediction Nostradomus

It was my prediction before the series, and it still stands strong. If the Lakers take it, it will be in six, if it goes to seven the Wolves have it. Suck it.

Right, there's no way in hell KG will go to the line unless the best refs in the league are working the game and Stern isn't in attendance. :nono:

Seriously... as many calls as KG got, Malone still fouled him on every play, holding him or using his extended arm to defend him when KG is facing the basket. Illegal? Yes. Called? Never. KG is so undefendable that if refs gave him ANY respect he'd shoot like 30 FTs per game. Because as it stands... the only way to keep KG from dominating is to beat him up. And they do it. And the refs always allow it. :(

lol

If the Lakers win this game, I am really looking forward to the excuses you Wolves fans will have for the loss.

The Wolves had everything, and I mean ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING go their way, and they didn't do it. Its as simple as that. We let up in the third quarter, and then Rush, he filled in for D-Fish and is probably the reason the Lakers won. The Lakers are clearly the better team, but the Wolves were handed the opportunity but just couldn't hit shots.

If there was ever a game where a healthy Sam would have been fun, this was it. The score would have been right there all game. Meh, what can you do?

Let me just say though, Kobe, Shaq, Fisher, Rush, etc, I respect them and the way they have played and handled themselves in this series. Malone and Payton I have absolutely no respect for, I never realized how much of a hack/actor Malone is, and I hope he doesn't win a championship. I don't have any sympathy in Malone for never winning a championship, because if he had signed with Utah for what he did with LA, they could have picked up another top free agent and been damn good this year.

Regardless, I think the Lakers will win it. The Pistons have the huge advantage in the East by having two/three good big men, but Shaq > B. Wallace and Malone > R. Wallace. The Pistons don't have enough offense, unless Rip could just absolutely tear it up. The Pacers, I just don't have faith in Jermaine, especially matching up against Malone and Shaq.

Another boring NBA Finals

It's always boring when the West dominates it. This year will be different, I think.

This year shouldn't be as bad as last year, but I would say its done in six.

You really are a piece of shit. I don't make excuses for every loss, only the ones the Wolves played better in and lost.

The Wolves showed their lack of depth and lack of experience here. Hoiberg choked. Wally (always) choked. KG didn't choke, he was tired as fuck from carrying that godforsaken team. Surrounding KG with help? Spree tried this game, yeah. Sometimes he tries, sometimes he doesn't. Sam was dominant over the reg season and playoffs and would have given the Lakers fits. Hudson would have destroyed them. But we defeated them without either twice, and we could have done it again. They just fell apart, and Kareem Rush... :nono:

I'm gonna have nightmares about him.

haha excuses.

I'm saying that Rush killed us, and the team choked. An excuse is something used to make you feel better that your team lost.

I don't feel better knowing that we couldn't pull it out.

But I'll say one thing: I said a while ago that I would like to see a well-reffed game to see the Lakers beat us on their own, without referree help.

That happened tonight(last night). Their depth, talent, experience and most of all, confidence finally showed through. So I will not be like "what if Sam and Troy..." I know what would have happened if. Doesn't mean I am taking anything away from the Lakers because of it.

But DaveWadding, you've angered me. I'm going to say something mean to you in casual. :rant:

Good going, Nostradamus. :y:

OH SNAP.

Didn't you already use that joke on this page? Or was that someone else?

Scroll up... nah don't want you to wear yourself out, I'll paste it for you...

"Thats a pretty far out prediction Nostradomus" --TIoE.

So right, it doesn't take a psychic to know that the Wolves would have had a stronger, deeper team, and wouldn't have had a glaring hole at PG if they had their starting and backup PGs? :?:

Check me out, I'm a piece of shit. :cool: