Basketball: 2005-06 NBA Playoffs

It's not that the Nets have given up, it's that the rest of the Heat realized Shaq and Wade can't do it all by themselves, and they've all been playing well. Gary Payton has been playing more like "The Glove" that he used to be, along with Mourning and Walker. All have been playing well. The main thing: The Nets are a team of stars who play well together, but the Heat are a team with Super stars that play well together. That's why they beat the Heat in that first game, everyone on the team was expecting Shaq and wade to take care of it all for them.

As for the cavs, I loved how they stuffed Rasheed Wallace's "Garaunteed Victory" right down his throat. I picked the Pistons in 6, and I still believe that will remain true, but don't be surprised to see a game 7. The Cavs seem to be invincible at home. I would really like to see the Cavs advance. Not just to show people how legit LeBron is, and that he can have a huge playoff impact in his first post-season, but to get rid of the Pistons. The reason I hate the Pistons is the same reason I hate Kobe. I hate players and teams that are good, and are cocky about it. LeBron knows he is the best in the game right now, but he doesn't go running his mouth, but players like Kobe apparently don't realize people already like them and know they're good.

People say I'm just another Kobe and Lakers hater since I'm a Kings fan, but if Kobe were nonchalant about his skill, I'd like him as a player. But oh well...

Tonights matchup of the Clippers and the Suns will be a great one. Series tied at 2, meaning this is the poit I had expected the Suns to get rid of the Clippers. I think after watching the destruction of the Nuggets, I figured it was just a Nuggets collapse, and that the CLippers weren't as good as they look. Maybe that wasn't a collapse after all by the Nuggets, but a spankning by a legit team. I would like to see the Clippers advance. I love seeing new faces in the final rounds of the playoffs.

If everything goes the way I want it, it'll be the Cavs at the Heat, and the Mavs at the Clippers. I'd like to see those matchups. The Wade and LeBRon matchups this year we're amazing, and the Clippers would have a good matchup with the Mavs. I don't really think the Mavs match-up well with the Clippers, so I think the Clippers may have a chance at the finals if facing them. All they would have to do is shut down Dirk and keep Stackhouse at an average game, and they could be on their way to the finals.

I wouldn't say that the Mavericks are the better team, but they are definitely playing better right now. When this year began, I was expecting San Antonio to be really dominant. The team had gotten deeper by adding Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel, so I thought they would be even better than last year. It looks like they just haven't been able to develop the chemistry needed. Don't count them out of this series yet, though.

The Clippers-Suns game just went to overtime. I must say that Los Angeles has really impressed me in this series. As for Phoenix, they could really have used the inside force of Amare Stoudemire in this series. If he can return by next year, the Suns may be the NBA'a best team--if the chemistry is there.

Well, the Heat took care of business last night, they await the winner of the Cavs/Pistons series. Go Cavs!

...and kudos to the suns for the double OT win last night. Teh Suns vs. the Mavs in the Western Conference final? Who'd have thunk it?

The cavs look like they are playing with a lot of confidence right now. They lead 38-35 with 4:41 left in the 2nd quarter. The Cavs know that LeBron is a 4th quarter player so far in the playoffs, so if they can keep it close, they know they have a great chance of takng a 3-2 lead in the series. The winner of tonights game, will win the series. I'm hoping it's the Cavs, as they are the only team left I can root for.

With 32 points and 5 rebounds and assists, LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 86-84 win over the Detroit Pistons, in Detroit. With 6 ticks remaining on the clock Eric Snow grabbed the rebound, and rolled the ball to the other end of the court. This could have been a good, or bad decision. The good would be the ball is not picked up in time for a timeout, or that by the time the ball is picked up a foul or a timeout could not be given. The bad of that, is that he gave the Pistons 1.9 seconds to run something on the inbounds play on their side of the court. Luckily, Hamilton lost the ball after the inbounds. The other way, Snow shoots free throws. The good, is sinking both free throws to secure a 4 point lea and the game. The bad, he misses one or both, give the Piston 5 seconds to run a play to win or tie the game.

The loss in Detroits was the Pistons first home loss of the post-season, and the first home loss of either team in this series. It was also the first 3 game skid the Pistons have had all year, post-season and regular season. Rasheed Wallace toyed with a possible game 6 suspension when picking up a technical foul on his 5th personal foul. The once Invincible Detroit Pistons will now have to travel to Cleveland to prevent elimination from the playoffs. This will be no easy task, as the Cavs will be playing their hearts out, and the Fans will give them HUGE support. I picked Detroit in 6, but now it looks to me that the Cavs will be taking it in 6. I said the winner of tonights game would take the series. The Cavs have won 3 of 5, and now they need just 1 of 2. I think it's more than possible.

So now that LeBron not only proved his ability in the first round, by passing all expectations just by reaching the second round, and may be possibly leading his team past the NBA's top team, does this make him a legit player? Does this make people finally realize the ability he has? Does this make people realize we may be witnessing a player to be compared with Jordan, that perhaps one day will be greater than Jordan? He's done what a Kobe Bryant couldn't do. People want to throw Rings about. "Kobe's better because he has the hardware". Does that make Dark Milicic better than Karl Malone because he has a championship ring? A guy who averaged .4 points over the season? Rings mean nothing, and if we were going off that, then you'd have to ask how many he would have without Shaq. And unless you are a Lakers fan, you'd agree that Kobe would be lucky to have 1 ring. But LeBron is taking mediocre players and making them all-stars. Making them the best team in the East right now. Leron has won games by scoring 40, with double digits in rebounds and assists. But he's also won games by having his team involved. One game he had 6 points entering the 4th quarter, yet his team was down only 4. He had 7 assists, I believe, in the first half of that game. He wasn't shooting well, but was able to get his teammates the ball and keep them in the game. Then he exploded for 15 points in the final quarter. I can honostly say I've never seen anyone play quite like LeBron since Jordan. Noone at all. The more I watch the playoffs, the more I want the Cavs and LeBron to succeed. Mostly because everyone I know wants them to fall, and for LeBRon to slip. But congratulations to the King, and good luck in game 6.

The Spurs, who were 0-5 in elimination games, avoided elimination with a 98-97 win to make the series 3-2. Duncan tied a NBA record by going 12-12 to start the night. The score was tied at 97, when Ginobili hit one of two free throws with 1:59 remaining. Buth neither team was able to score, as the Spurs had to fend off two lost jump baalls with 6.3 seconds remaining. The Mavs should be favored to advance as they will be playing at home.

LeBron is legit, but he can NEVER live up to the hype surrounding him. Well, maybe he can, but it would require winning more rings than Russell and more MVP's than Abdul-Jabbar. He should not be compared with Jordan yet--or Magic or Bird either, for that matter. First of all, LeBron is not the defender Jordan was, nor will he ever be. Second, LeBron is not the shooter Jordan was. In Jordan's prime, he was hitting well over 50% of his shots. LeBron has not done that yet, although he has improved his FG% each season. Third, LeBron does not have the low post game of Jordan. MJ was able to post up guys and then hit that lethal fallaway jumper.

However, LeBron James is only 21 (?) years old. He plays better than anyone who was in college while he was in high school. I don't think his fundamentals have been affected too much by skipping college, but I also don't think he will ever be the shooter Jordan was in his prime.

As good as James is, we must not call him the best just yet. Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant all have great stats comparable to LeBron's. He needs to win--NBA titles and MVP's. Jordan was in his fourth season when he won his first MVP and in his seventh season when he won his first title.

As for Kobe Bryant, he has only been on the Shaq-less Lakers for two years. LeBron is in his third season on the Cavs. Let's wait and see who wins a title first. Oh, and remember that while Kobe hasn't won one without Shaq, Shaq hasn't won one without Kobe yet either.

I cannot BELIEVE how good the playoffs have been. And that's from a non-NBA fan who watched exactly zero games from start to finish during the regular season.

The Lakers-Suns series was one of the best I've ever seen. THREE of the four series in this round are awesome, and would someone please tell me how the hell LeBron James is personally beating Detroit? (Reminds me of a comment made, by a vanquished hockey coach, I believe, after Bobby Orr had more-or-less single-handedly eliminated his team: "I can't believe what I just saw. I mean, one man can't defeat an entire team, can he?")

Is James really THAT great? I mean, that's not the upstart Clippers or the Heat or the run-n-gun Suns he's beating out there. My lord.

We've had fun in past threads ragging on all the NBA punks who come straight from high school with their me-me-me solipsism and "nobody disrespects me" gangster b.s. But I don't see ANY of that in LeBron James. He seems like an incredibly talented young guy and exactly the kind of person the N.B.A. needs to market its "new" self.

What do y'all think?

Meanwhile, what about Steve Nash's two consecutive MVP's? He's a TREMENDOUS player, for sure. And he's the most exciting white player I've ever seen--including Bird--because he's so fast and able to do any conceivable thing you'd associate with a player of his size. It's like you wind him up, set him free, and then just watch him go.

But has he really deserved both of these MVP Awards? It's hard for me to believe he's been better in both of these years than James or Duncan or, as much as I despise him, Kobe.

And, for those of you who can do basketball comparisons the way I do baseball comparisons, what about this 4-time Defensive Player of the Year on Detroit? Ben Wallace, right? His defensive stats are incredible, but he can't put a free throw in the ocean. Is a guy like that worth more than a guy like Nash? Or should he be considered a faster version of Mark Eaton?

BHN

sorry but I can't see the point in basketball. I find it boring but that might just because i don't know the rules

You cannot possibly find it any more boring than I find soccer, to which I would prefer watching films of fruitflies reproducing.

How about this? You don't rag on something I'm obviously real excited about, and I won't rag on whatever you're excited about? Deal?

Go rain on someone else's parade. The other veterans can tell you I am the W-R-O-N-G person to screw with.

B.H.N.

I agree. If you don't watch a thread, then don't post anything.

BHN, I agree that this year's NBA playoffs have been incredibly exciting. I have NEVER seen this much action in the first two rounds. So many games have gone down to the wire. In this round I have seen game after game come down to the final possession. If some shots had gone in, results would be different. Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio had some great observations about the NBA today. First, the stars are likable, for the most part. We don't see the Stephon Marburys or the Allen Iversons so much anymore. Second, the game is fast-paced. Gone are the days of hand-checking slowing down the games to a crawl. Finally, the point guards are distributing first, passing second.

While I don't think the NBA will ever experience the glory days of Magic and Bird again--or even that of the Jordan--the league is at its highest point since Jordan retired the second time in 1998. I have watched more of the Western Confernce games this year because of my work schedule, and I must say that the level of excitement is heart-racing. The Spurs-Kings, Lakers-Suns, and now the Mavs-Spurs and Clippers-Suns series have produced ten fantastic games! I actually look forward to watching the NBA now.

Well put. This year's playoffs are the best thing to happen to the NBA in a long, long time--aren't they?

Originally posted by BaseballHistoryNut
Well put. This year's playoffs are the best thing to happen to the NBA in a long, long time--aren't they?

And me, stuck without cable. D@mn!

I agree with how exciting the playoffs have been. I don't remember another playoff series ever being like this. And as for Shaq not having a championship without Kobe. That's partially because ever since Shaq left LA, he hasn't quite been himself. But he did manage to make the Heat an automatic contender every year. I think it's obvious that Shaq was the foundation of their championships. I hate making myself look like a Kobe hater, but it annoys me when peole say that Kobe is better than Jordan and would have gotten the championships without Shaq anyway.

But tonight the Suns take on the Clippers. The Suns lead the series 3-2, and the Clippers are looking to tie at home.

Hey, dude, you're my hoops expert. WILL the Clippers tie the series?

(na, na, na, na na na na, na na na na, Hey Dude.)

[Repeat 18 times.]

I do see the Clippers taking tonights game. They've played extremely well, and they are playing at home tonight. I expect the Clippers to win a close one, prob in the upper 80's to lower 90's.

No, Kobe would not have gotten the championships without Shaq because no player can do it on his own. Bird had McHale, Parish, and later DJ. Magic had Kareem, Norm Nixon, and James Worthy (Nixon for the first two, Worthy for the last three). Jordan had Pippen, Horace Grant, and Rodman (Grant for the first three, Rodman for the last three). While Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Shaq were clearly the foundations of their teams, none of them would have won a title without the help.

Trust me, I know that no single player can get his own championship, which is why I even brought this up. Every Laker fan you know thinks that Kobe can win all by himself, and I'm saying that without Shaq, he's nothing. I'm not meaning to sound like I'm saying that Shaq was the sole reason for a championship. It's just I hate ignorant Lakers fans that think Kobe is god. But yes, I know what you're saying, and I believe the same thing.

Just as expected, the Clippers won at home with a score of 118-106. I didn't expect a high score, but there was a lot of scoring with the Clippers scoring 62 in the first half. Elton Brand had his usual big night, but I didn't see much coming out of Nash tonight. Marion did most of the Scoring and rebounding, also throwing in 6 steals. Game 7 will be played in Phoenix, where I think it will be a toss-up. I won't be sure who my pick is in that game until tomorrow probably.

And speaking of tomorrow, we have game 6 of ther Cavs-pistons series. The Cavs will be looking to advance in the series at home while up in the series 3-2. Don't expect the Pistons to just roll over and die, but don't expect the Cavs to do the same. I think the Cavs have a legit shot at taking on the Heat. That would be an amzing match-up between Wade and LeBron.