the NBA playoffs

[axl blaze]

can't believe a thread hasn't already been started, I know BL's basketball heads run deeper than that.

an interesting story has emerged in the East. will Boston even be able to beat a Chicago Bulls team that finally has the size below to go along with Derrick Rose? it seems that without Keving Garnett, the Celtics look sluggish and old. if you win the first game in a NBA playoff game, the chances of you winning that series are greatly increased. can the Celtics-without-KG beat empirical evidence?

staying with the East, the top dogs look to be the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavs. both are doing as expected, so early in the playoffs. LeBron James and Dwight Howard are the most entertaining athletes to watch in this conference.

what is missed is the kill or be killed, fierce basketball styles shown off by Kevin Garnett. any word when he will be back?

in the West, the Rockets look very solid, and they are without star Tracy McGrady. look how good they are when Yao Ming isn't injured.

above all, the Lakers look like the team to beat in both conferences. they are relatively healthy and playing good basketball all around the board.

but this is the NBA playoffs. and the beauty of this sport on such an elevated professional level, is that momentum and "getting hot" are the ultimate playoff monkeys.

catch these monkeys and you've got the whole season...

who does everybody have? the Lakers, the Cavs, the Magic, and maybe even the Rockets all have viable shots.

in my opinion.

 

[nowdubnvr6]

im pullin for the jazz only cause i went to junior high and high school with ronnie brewer. But if they dont got it the Cavs are just maming people this year

 

[axl blaze]

yeah, I kinda forgot about the Jazz. they are a presence to be reckoned with in the West, and an impressive home court winning percentage.

I don't think the Cavs are such a sure lock - despite as much of a Cavs fan that I am.

they have a good chance, though. is getting Mo Williams all Cleveland needed to do to be championship caliber team?

 

[nowdubnvr6]

I dunno if it was just Mo williams or Lebron developing other parts of his game. Ive never seen him play as much strong D as this year. Illgauskas is playing great ball too snagging a lot of boards and being a strong low post player on offense. I think its maturity as a team.

 

[jeef]

the jazz are impressive at home, but 1-19 on the road is horrible and wont get them very far in the playoffs. im a huge lakers fan so ive obviously picked them to win, but even tho they look fierce and determined at times, they tend to lose focus a lot and allow their opponents to come back into the game. for that reason, im a little bit doubtful theyll take it all. hopefully last years ass-whooping by the celtics will remind them to play hard at all times.

as much as i want to see the lakers get revenge on the celtics, i dont see them making it back to the finals w/o KG...and holy shit derrick rose was amazing in game1 ! especially for a rookie...in his first playoff game...against a team that prides itself on defense (although im sure the results wouldve been different if KG had been there). right now tho, its looking like a lakers-cavs finals matchup. it doesnt really seem like anyone can challenge the lakers or the cavs until then, but im ok with that. kobe vs bron is a matchup i would love to watch.

...as for KG, ive heard multiple things about the injury. it seems like theres a very small chance hell be back in time for the playoffs, and he might even get surgery and for sure miss them altogether. either way, the celtics are definitely missing that craziness and fierce competitiveness that he brought. kinda makes u wonder if someone other than pierce deserved that finals mvp...

 

[papa]

the spurs and the mavericks played game one saturday. the spurs lost

they play game 2 tonight at 8:30 central time. What if the mavericks beat them again tonight? I really think that is possible. I live in san antonio and I like the spurs, but they are weak without manu ginobli.

 

[deeCee]

As people would know, I freeking love the Jazz, but I just can't see them pulling a game in LA. Especially playing a team with a star SG, we just can't defend that position very well.

 

[L O V E L I F E]

is getting Mo Williams all Cleveland needed to do to be championship caliber team?

No.

Spending the summer playing with Kobe each and every day taught LeBron that he owes it to HIMSELF to try his absolute hardest ALL THE FUCKING TIME.

THAT is BY FAR the biggest reason LeBron has improved so much, AND why the Cavs have a legitimate shot to win it all, despite LeBron having a pedestrian (VERY cohesive, but NOT particularly talented) supporting cast.

I *STILL* say that Kobe is slightly better than LeBron, and I *STILL* say that the Lakers are better than the Cavs.

But with that said, compiling a 66-16 record, with Mo Williams as your second best player, is an absolutely INCREDIBLE accomplishment for LeBron - more impressive to me than the Oscar Robertson-like stats - even more impressive than the NBA MVP he's sure to win.

Will the Cavs win it all this year?

Perhaps.

But one thing which I *CAN* confidently say NOW, which I could NOT honestly say a year ago is this:

Over the course of his career, LeBron is going to lead whatever team(s) he ends up playing for to SEVERAL titles . . . now that he has FINALLY learned to try his hardest at all times.

 

[L O V E L I F E]

WOW!

What a fucking game in Boston in Game Two!

Seriously, including context (the defending champions facing going down 0-2, HEADING TO CHICAGO, WITHOUT KEVIN GARNETT), this was one of the best fourth quarters I've seen in a long time.

I love this game!

 

[Johnny blue]

WOW!

What a fucking game in Boston in Game Two!

Seriously, including context (the defending champions facing going down 0-2, HEADING TO CHICAGO, WITHOUT KEVIN GARNETT), this was one of the best fourth quarters I've seen in a long time.

I love this game!

Word! Great game. Ben Gordon is a beast. What he have 44? Dude was lights out in the forth but, so was my boy Ray Ray.

I'm worried about Rondo in the next game. I think he might have burnt himself out but, we'll see.

If the Celtics lose I'd like to see the bulls in the finals. Realistically I'd love to see king James beat kobe though.

 

[papa]

I missed a great game between the Mavericks and the Spurs. It was on too late for my old ass to watch the whole thing. I'm glad to see they won and they won big. But, from what I see on the sports report. the Mavericks were cold shooting all night. A win is a win. game three in Dallas.

 

[oldhead]

The Sixers coming back from 18 down will be their swan song in these playoffs. No way they win this series.

GO LAKERS!!

 

[axl blaze]

But one thing which I *CAN* confidently say NOW, which I could NOT honestly say a year ago is this:

Over the course of his career, LeBron is going to lead whatever team(s) he ends up playing for to SEVERAL titles . . . now that he has FINALLY learned to try his hardest at all times.

interesting to hear this coming from you, of all people.

I did not know that he trained with Kobe in the offseason, though it does make sense because LBJ has developed an intangible, killer instinct this year. for the city of Cleveland's championship draught and because LBJ is an all around awesome human being, I really do want the Cavs to win.

hot damn this Boston VS Chicago series is going to be one of those great first round match-ups. Jesus Shuttleworth straight stuck Chicago with a dagger last night, making that last second three point shot and all.

Derrick Rose is going to be a future All-Star, with him shining in his first playoff appearance. does he have a shot to be the best point guard in the NBA in a couple years? I still think Chris Paul is such a magical type PG, but Derrick Rose is faster and looks to have a little more muscle.

 

[L O V E L I F E]

chris Paul is the greatest point guard I've seen (and I'm old enough that I've seen magic and isiah, the two best BEFORE Paul, for their entire respective careers).

Paul led the Hornets to 10 more wins than Rose "led" the Bulls to, in a MUCH better conference, and he DIDN'T have Ben Gordon on his team.

Players like Paul come around once-a-decade AT most.

Comparing Rose (even if he gets exponentially better over the course of the next few seasons) to Paul is truly insulting, and almost comical.

 

[L O V E L I F E]

And, Axl - LeBron played with Kobe on the Olympic team in 2008, remember?

He's been quoted as saying that "playing with the world's greatest and most intense player day in and day out" helped finally show him about how HE (LeBron) needs to step it up if he wants to take it to the next level.

And, in fairness, throughout this REGULAR SEASON, he certainly has.

Can't wait till June.

I love this game!

 

[EnYAY]

lakers willwin itall


I think it will come down to the LAKERS and the CAVS

and if this does happen, i think it might be one of the BEST playoffs we have seen in MANY years.

 

[Johnny blue]

Well I agree it'll be a great series but, there was nothing better than watching kobe cry last year and it was my Celtics that did it. I'm a witness though and I don't see the celts making it this year so go cavs

 

[Tomer]

chris Paul is the greatest point guard I've seen (and I'm old enough that I've seen magic and isiah, the two best BEFORE Paul, for their entire respective careers).

Paul led the Hornets to 10 more wins than Rose "led" the Bulls to, in a MUCH better conference, and he DIDN'T have Ben Gordon on his team.

Players like Paul come around once-a-decade AT most.

Comparing Rose (even if he gets exponentially better over the course of the next few seasons) to Paul is truly insulting, and almost comical.

Dude, you should seriously just stop talking.

I am as big a fan of the NBA as there is as anyone in this country, and your comments are absurd. Isiah and Magic are two of the greatest point guards to ever play, and they won countless championships.

Chris Paul has won jackshit. He is a great player, but he has a long way to go before being compared to Zeke or Magic. Stop pretending to know the sport.

 

[Tomer]

And, yes, Derrick Rose is an unreal talent, and it's not that outlandish to already compare him to, dare I say, Chris Paul? Paul is arguably the best guard in the league today, but the buck stops there. Rose, Deron Williams, Paul, Devin Harris, Nash ( he's declining, though), these are the top guns. But, by no means is Paul head and shoulders above them.

 

[L O V E L I F E]

Dude, you should seriously just stop talking.

I am as big a fan of the NBA as there is as anyone in this country, and your comments are absurd. Isiah and Magic are two of the greatest point guards to ever play, and they won countless championships.

Chris Paul has won jackshit. He is a great player, but he has a long way to go before being compared to Zeke or Magic. Stop pretending to know the sport.

Sorry - I thought that watching every single play-off series that Magic and Isiah EVER played in the NBA (in addition to watching each of their respective NCAA title runs), AND watching Chris Fucking Paul **LIVE** as a Wake Forest grad almost every single game he played at Wake make me somewhat educated to the point where my opinion has some merit.

Deron Williams and Derrick Rose are both VERY VERY VERY good, Devin Harris is very good, but a shade behind the other two, and Nash, if you remove the D'Antoni seven-seconds-or-less-style and account for his utter lack of defense, shouldn't even be in the discussion.

Look at CP3's stats - he's done things that NO ONE - NOT MAGIC - NOT ISIAH - NO POINT GUARD ***EVER*** has ever accomplished in his first four seasons.

He single-handedly took a dead franchise in a dead city and revived them both, with almost no help.

Take Paul off of the Hornets, and they're literally the WORST team in the league.

Do you even know about what he did in his last ever high school game?

Why don't YOU do some research, and come back to me with a real analysis.

If, hypothetically, the Nets called up the Hornets, and offered them Harris, Carter, and two unprotected first round picks in exchange for Paul, the Hornets brass would be laughing harder at that offer than I am currently laughing at your ignorance.