The NBA is on the up and up that's for sure. This season has been clearly been the most exciting in a long, long time. From the major trades to the Western Conference having a historic regular season run, the notion of the NBA as a ghetto league and the image of Jermaine O'Neal clocking a fat Detroit Pistons fan are thankfully fading away. There is a wealth of young talent just ready to explode onto the mainstream scene and with the strong possibility the ratings for the Finals not sucking this year...the NBA is looking very good right now.
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Sports & Gaming Moderators: ghostfreak
the official 08 NBA playoffs thread
- Thread starter IcebergSlim
- Start date
any thoughts before the San Antonio and New Orleans game tonight? it's really hard for me to count out the defending champs but I think I am leaning towards the Hornets on this one. again, all Hornets home games they have destroyed the Spurs by over 10 points. unless someone else steps up from the Spurs' Big 3, I don't think they are going to make it past Chris Paul and West - they are obviously so energized by the home crowd. I keep on waiting for New Orleans to realize that they are the Hornets and to lose, but it doesn't look like they are going to do so.
and preliminary thoughts on Detroit VS Boston... this is an interesting match up. I really relate to Detroit as that one stripper girlfriend I'm sure many of you have had - you don't know who is going to show up when you have a date together. it looks like Billups is finally healthy now and no doubt they will be energized by that perpetual all-star. it is hard for me to favor Boston now, as they seem to not be able to win on the road (while Detroit, besides the Lakers, has to be the best road team this year in the playoffs). if Ray Allen fails to show up again against the Pistons I don't think that they can make it against D - and if they somehow do, then obviously they can't make it against L. A.
and preliminary thoughts on Detroit VS Boston... this is an interesting match up. I really relate to Detroit as that one stripper girlfriend I'm sure many of you have had - you don't know who is going to show up when you have a date together. it looks like Billups is finally healthy now and no doubt they will be energized by that perpetual all-star. it is hard for me to favor Boston now, as they seem to not be able to win on the road (while Detroit, besides the Lakers, has to be the best road team this year in the playoffs). if Ray Allen fails to show up again against the Pistons I don't think that they can make it against D - and if they somehow do, then obviously they can't make it against L. A.
IcebergSlim
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2007
- Messages
- 455
lol, i hate tony parker, he cost me money with that jumper, fucker IS MR. CLUTCH
argh, i gotta puff/drink now.
airforlife
Bluelighter
all my teams are gettin fucked up =\
magic, hornets, cavs all gone haha
lets go lakers!!
magic, hornets, cavs all gone haha
lets go lakers!!
IcebergSlim said:lol, i hate tony parker, he cost me money with that jumper, fucker IS MR. CLUTCH
argh, i gotta puff/drink now.
yeah, I hate the San Antonio Spurs and all they stand for with a passion.
I am now the biggest Lakers fan you have ever met.
johboxer78
Bluelighter
LapDawg said:
why?? because, they are from major market cities... Thats not the right direction the league needs to go... They should highlight the game and how the game is played, a conference leage champion should be the better basketball team not the most marketable...
Detroit is the best team in the playoffs... San Antonio a close second.... that would be the most enjoyable finals for anyone that knows the game of basketball hands down...
Celtics, come on now... went to game seven each round so far... have not won on the road yet!!! They are old and they are going to play flat... detroit has a deep bench and is well rested... Detroit in 6.... peace
forgotmypen
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2007
- Messages
- 130
Detroit is the best team in the playoffs? Pepsi just
squirted out of my nose. Whoa.
Indulge me.
Or am I not recognizing the stealth trollership?
squirted out of my nose. Whoa.
Indulge me.
Or am I not recognizing the stealth trollership?
johboxer78
Bluelighter
forgotmypen said:
sooo many angles here i dont know where to start.... you do realize that they play 7 games in each match up??? You cant look at a team game by game but the strategy you have to implement throughout that series... They have so many options to defend against offensively... Not to shabby on the defense end aswell... i dont see anyone beating them in a 7 game series...
Their regular season record, they probably could have taken the first seed in the east but chose to strenghten the youth and rest the vets down the stretch, and possibly take # 2 to let boston battle it out with clevland... Putting them in the best position going into the playoffs...
Pistons are no stranger to the playoffs... How many games has Rip, Chauncey and Prince played together in the playoffs??? This is their 6th straight trip to the conference finals... They have proved during the season and in the playoffs they can win on the road, thats huge... Not to mention they are coached by one of the best coaches in the league...
so when i said that they are the best team in the playoffs, i mean best TEAM! They are sitting in a better situation than any other team left in the playoffs... They might not be the best team every game but thrown into a seven game series i see them as the best... peace
L O V E L I F E
Bluelighter
johboxer78 said:
You mean the one who hasn't been able to win a title in over a decade with Garnett *or* this excellent Pistons team?
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised with ANY of the four remaining teams winning it all.
But if the Pistons are the team who wins The Finals, it will be DESPITE their below-average coach, not BECAUSE of him.
huntmich
Bluelighter
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- Dec 19, 2003
- Messages
- 3,077
L O V E L I F E said:
+1.
I am probably the biggest Pistons fan here, and I have hated Flip Saunders since we got him. He is low-intensity, he is not respected by his team (they are often seen walking out of the huddle while he is still talking), he has been completely unable to control pouting streaks by some of the players (Rasheed I'm looking in your direction), and he is completely unoriginal in his sets.
Sorry, Flip Saunders is definitely below average.
johboxer78
Bluelighter
L O V E L I F E said:
huntmich said:
you guys are crazy....
seasons coached:12 playoffs made:10
Regular season record: 528-373 (.586)
Playoff record: 37-44 (.457)
in my eyes hes in the same catagory as: George Karl, Don Nelson, Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan.... peace
johboxer78
Bluelighter
huntmich said:
with that theory... Pat Riley, Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach are all equilivant to monkey's...
johboxer78
Bluelighter
but pat riley and phil jackson had teams with superior talent, and that is evident when looking at their winning percentage...
Are you sure that it was those coaches that asembled the teams and not the GM"s...
Are you sure that it was those coaches that asembled the teams and not the GM"s...
L O V E L I F E
Bluelighter
Pat Riley and Phil Jackson have coached their teams to FOURTEEN championships between them.
Flip Saunders has won . . . ZERO.
I can't believe this has to be pointed out.
Flip Saunders has won . . . ZERO.
I can't believe this has to be pointed out.
johboxer78 said:
johboxer78 said:
the Celtics are a little bit aged (Pierce, Allen, and maybe Garnett) but you can't count their bench out with Sam Cassel. they are a formidible team because right now they are playing good basketball covering all fundamentals of the game. however, if they can't win on the road it is hard for me to forsee them as the Champs.
how about that Lakers game?
it was quite hilarious to see Kobe only score something like three points for the first half, but he manned up and scored over 20 for the second half and won the game for his team. it was a great show, and I hope to see San Antonio out in Game 4.
I am predictiing a Lakers/Celtics Final. while this would be good for the NBA as a whole, as a sports fan I am divided. I like both teams - because as a basketball fan my age these were two clutch teams growing up. however, the Celtics edged out my Cavs and for this I would like to see them get dropped in the Finals (I won't even mention how Boston sports fans have gotten everything on a silver platter this year). I would root for the Lakers full-force, but as a fan who has pledged his allegiance early to the one-man show LeBron James (and not the two-man show Kobe Bryant), it would be rather nerve shattering to see the Lake win another title.
I am split, but this is still the BEST year for the NBA playoffs since the early 90s.
Benefit
Bluelighter
Phil Jackson once accused Kobe Bryant of tanking games in high school to set the stage for his own heroics later in the game. I believe he did the same thing tonight. I once did something similar when playing my friend in Tekken 4. He never realized it.
johboxer78 said:
Do you not want people to be interested in the NBA Finals? Because if the Pistons and Spurs face off again, we're looking at arguably the worst-rated NBA finals of all-time...something the Spurs and Pistons know plenty about after the debacle that was the '05 Finals...
For anyone that knows the game of basketball hands down knows full well that would be the most boring, uninteresting piece of shit Finals ever...one that bears no repeating after seeing the hideousness already three short years ago...
I remember watching Game 7 of Pistons/Spurs and feeling sorry for the state of basketball. It was sickening...
At least the Pistons had Larry Brown back then...
The mere fact you actually grouped Saunders with the likes of coaches who have won NBA championships is remarkably silly...let alone that you actually think he's a good coach.