the official 08 NBA playoffs thread

[Two_in_the_pink]

I think that a Hornets-----Celtics finals would have been interesting.

 

[cravNbeets]

however, if they can't win on the road it is hard for me to forsee them as the Champs.

nah, its easy- just dont lose @ home

 

[Average Whiteboy]

I just hope when the Lakers win the title that people don't lose their fuckin' minds and start saying he's better than Jordan.

 

[huntmich]

I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you, whiteboy. The Lakers have a tough path to travel if they intend on winning this thing.

 

[Average Whiteboy]

I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you, whiteboy. The Lakers have a tough path to travel if they intend on winning this thing.

Cocky? I really gives a fuck if the Lakers win. I actually hate the Lakers. I don't watch NBA basketball much anymore, so I don't care who wins. But when I look at this shit, it seems like LA has the best chance of winning it.

I suppose I should've said "if the Lakers win the title" but like I just mentioned, I'm not really into the NBA right now.

 

[huntmich]

Well, tonight is really a MUST win for my Detroit Pistons. If they can't win tonight, I really give them very slim chances of upsetting the Celtics. Chauncey is either going to have to put up or get the fuck off the court and let Rodney Stuckey do his best.

 

[axl blaze]

nah, its easy- just dont lose @ home

yeah, my only point was being that it has never happened before in NBA playoff history, and that it is such a rare occurance that while they could beat a team like Detroit, I doubt they could beat the West's best.

however, leave it to Boston to win the Finals on such a fluke occurance.

 

[axl blaze]

this was the second actual time I sat through a Detroit game all year - and I may have forgotten how solid of a basketball team they are. Rasheed Wallace may be my favorite big out there. he showed up rather late, but he would silence the Boston crowd with a big shot or rebound whenever needed.

and Ray Allen finally decided to show up. this has to be the first time he scored 20+ points since 10 or so games.

I thought going into this game that whoever won would win the series, which could be true. the only way I see Boston stealing a road win is if Allen keeps the heat - which knowing him, it is entirely unlikely.

 

[huntmich]

That was a great game; hard fought, high intensity, everything you want to see in a Conference Finals game. Glad my Pistons came out victorious, it was quite the nail-biter.

But did anyone else think that that was about the most poorly officiated game ever? It really seemed like the officiating crew didn't know what the fuck they were doing out there.

 

[axl blaze]

poor officiating has plagued the NBA playoffs this year. I have yet to mention it because I am a strong believer in the 7 game format they use - meaning I think that the best team wins each round no matter what.

but those refs need to take some pride in what they do for a living. even a loud-mouthed, beer guzzling sports bar fly like myself can point out some errors.

also, I just realized one of Boston's (unlikely) weak points all year. something that Detroit and even Cleveland really took advantage of = defensive rebounding. what's up with this? they have some big bodies. does it just come down to hustle, then?

 

[TopRocka]

Ray Allen is back, the Big 3 are full again.

Kudos Detroit, especially `Sheed, on a game well played. Rondo couldn't have looked worse in the 2nd half if he tried, and Ray would have been much more of a factor in the 4th if he wasn't in foul trouble.

Here's hoping the Celts win Game 3 on the road, so I don't stress my entire weekend away!

 

[axl blaze]

I can't figure out if I love Rondo or if hate Rondo. besides looking like Chris Tucker he has to be the most inconsistent player left in the playoffs.

I do find myself rooting for him personally, however.

 

[johboxer78]

iight, watching the game last night i made an atempt to pay more attention to Flip and his decisions as a coach... He coached a horrible game last night, i guess i see your points being valid in regards to his poor coaching ablity...

He made a bunch of mistakes, i think detroit could have destroyed celtics by a larger point spread if he had his head out of his ass... he left theo ratlif in waaaay to long... and it showed that the vets paved the way for the win with little help from saunders... you guys were right i was wrong... peace

 

[johboxer78]

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...

hey buddy read this article...

Forgive me, citizens of Easily Entertained, Need-Flash-To-Appreciate Nation for this blasphemous proposal:



Let's root for another edition of Pistons versus Spurs in the NBA Finals!

(Trying to block out the sound of 260 million people collectively groaning.)

I'm hoping that suggestion doesn't make NBA commissioner David Stern lose his lunch. But if Stern could overcome his nausea at the thought of another clash of these underappreciated titans, even he would have to admit that Pistons-Spurs would be the best thing for the NBA.



Full disclosure: As a Detroiter, I would love to see the Pistons in the Finals for the sixth time in my lifetime. But this isn't about me. This is about the league's credibility.



As an NBA fan, there is nothing more irritating than when the league's credibility is challenged by cockamamy conspiracy theories. (See: New York Knicks and Patrick Ewing, and Michael Jordan's impromptu first retirement.)



The biggest NBA conspiracy theory going right now is that the league is trying to make a Boston-L.A. Finals happen, because it would mean insane television ratings and a return to the time when the dominance of those two franchises overshadowed everything else in sports.



This has undoubtedly been the NBA's best season since MJ's heyday. The Western Conference was the most competitive conference in NBA history, the Slam Dunk Contest returned to relevancy, trades rejuvenated the Lakers and Celtics, Chris Paul emerged as the league's next transcendent player, and the drastically improved TV ratings in the playoffs showed that sports fans were gobbling it all up.



If this were any other NBA season, the insinuation that the league was somehow working to orchestrate the return of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry would be considered a real reach -- but not when the Tim Donaghy betting scandal is still looming.



Many fans have long believed that the relationship NBA officials have with players and coaches influences how the games are called. But now those conspiracy theories have teeth, because Donaghy's lawyer, John Lauro, filed presentencing documents in federal court that supported what those conspiracy theorists have been screaming for years.



Also in the Lauro papers were charges that other referees besides Donaghy participated in gambling activity. Couple that with what was reported about Jordan's extensive gambling and Charles Barkley's initially "overlooking" that he owed the Wynn casino $400K, and Donaghy's issues all of a sudden look like they're a part of a problematic NBA subculture.



Certainly, you can look at the Donaghy situation and think of Matt Walsh, another guy who seems difficult to trust. The commissioner has said Donaghy's camp is making these wild accusations only so he can gain a more lenient sentence.



That could be true, but that still doesn't do anything to change the perception that the outcomes of NBA games are somehow tampered with. If there are any controversial calls that favor Boston or Los Angeles, or if there are games in which either of those teams makes a ton of trips to the foul line, the CTs (conspiracy theorists) will ask: What would prevent the NBA from urging the officials to call games a certain way to ensure a Finals involving teams from two of the biggest media markets in the country?



But if it's Pistons-Spurs, the NBA Finals will be conspiracy-free.



I anticipate the crybabies will complain that the Spurs and Pistons are boring to watch. But most real basketball and sports fans won't think that way -- just those casual NBA viewers who want it both ways. You know, the ones who deride the NBA for promoting individuals, but whine when Kobe, LeBron or some other one-named superstar isn't in the Finals. The ones who claim they love underdogs, but won't give the Pistons or Spurs a chance.

If you're someone who grumbles that NBA players don't play defense, you should root for Pistons-Spurs (although Boston may play the best defense of the remaining playoff teams). If you complain you're sick of seeing NBA teams that don't play hard, root for Pistons-Spurs. If you love teams that win because of their commitment to team basketball, root for Pistons-Spurs. If you're sick of seeing basketball dominated by And-1 wannabes, root for Pistons-Spurs.


These are two teams loaded with unselfishness -- and they feature players who are among the NBA's best citizens.



When people call Tim Duncan milquetoast, it makes me want to break kneecaps. First, Duncan is a thoughtful quote -- as are most of the Spurs. Second, Duncan shouldn't be penalized because he'd rather frustrate his opponents with precise passing out of double-teams and unstoppable bank shots, rather than trying to make the Top 10 Plays on "SportsCenter."



Duncan is perhaps the best player of his generation. The Pistons, who are in their sixth straight Eastern Conference finals, are maybe the closest thing the Eastern Conference has had to a dynasty since Jordan's Bulls.



If it's Pistons-Spurs, it's our core sports values at work.



Besides, unlike the Lakers and Celtics, the Pistons and Spurs didn't get to the conference finals with the help of questionable blockbuster deals. Talk about your NBA conspiracy theories. The Lakers got Pau Gasol for 10 rubles and a John Tesh DVD. And Kevin McHale forked Kevin Garnett over to the franchise he just so happened to win three NBA titles with. Nothing suspicious about that, right?



The Pistons and the Spurs built their teams the old-school way -- through coaching, drafting and crafty pickups. The Pistons drafted Tayshaun Prince as well as key reserves Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey. They signed Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billups -- nobody wanted "Bad Knees" McDyess, and Billups had played for five NBA teams before the Pistons. And they traded for Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton -- Wallace had a bad rep as a hothead but propelled them to the NBA championship in 2004 , and when they traded for Hamilton, people thought they were crazy because it meant giving up Jerry Stackhouse.



The Spurs drafted Duncan, as well as sleeper-picks Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili -- pretty good choices, no? And who would have guessed Michael Finley would win a championship before former teammates Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash? But that's what happens when you roll with the smartest organization in the NBA.



Pistons-Spurs -- that's what we all should be dying to see.



Jemele Hill can be reached at [email protected].


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/080523&sportCat=nba&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos2

peace

 

[LapDawg]

The moment I start following the words of Jemele Hill (who I can't stand with her weak ass contributions to ESPN) is the day I am a sad, sad basketball fan.

That article is trash. Conspiracy theories and the NBA have been hand-in-hand for years now...I don't think seeing a super shitty Finals will dispel any rumors. All it will do is destroy the great momentum created by this season. You can come up with all the reasons in the world why San Antonio/Detroit could be a positive thing...but ultimately it doesn't mean anything because everyone and their mother knows that series will seriously destroy the ratings.

As someone who wants to see the NBA grow...I must say no to seeing boring defensive-minded teams duking it out in 85-79 yawnfests. Fuck the Spurs. Fuck the Pistons. Let's see a new era that will get people talking about basketball again instead of not caring about it.

 

[Benefit]

Yeah. Jemele Hill writes the worst articles I've ever seen. Women should just stay out of sports.

 

[axl blaze]

Besides, unlike the Lakers and Celtics, the Pistons and Spurs didn't get to the conference finals with the help of questionable blockbuster deals. Talk about your NBA conspiracy theories. The Lakers got Pau Gasol for 10 rubles and a John Tesh DVD. And Kevin McHale forked Kevin Garnett over to the franchise he just so happened to win three NBA titles with. Nothing suspicious about that, right?

Hill may be sports journalism at its worst - but this paragraph is something that I have thought about all year. most specifically the KG trade.

as a man who absolutely LOVES conspiracy theories (it might have something to do with my far-left leaning) I think that we should perhaps ponder the above statement.

I do not have much against Detroit. like San Antonio, they can be boring at times, but unlike San Antonio - at least they are thugs about it.

bring on the gilded age of pro basketball!

 

[LapDawg]

^What did the Pistons give up to get Rasheed Wallace? Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins, and a 1st round pick...

Yeah...Jemele is REALLY unbiased towards her Pistons...

 

[huntmich]

Well, if it's been said once, it's been said a million times: you never know which Pistons team is going to show up on any given night. Last night, they didn't start playing until 2 minutes to go in the game. It really was a terrible showing.

 

[axl blaze]

yeah... that's why I called them your "stripper girlfriend." is she going to put on her classy shoes tonight or is she going to spit on mom's face?

anyways, the Celtics did the unthinkable and won on the road without Ray Allen.

Boston fans - is it time to take the veteran out of your starting lineup? maybe toss Sam Cassell in there?