Basketball: 2005-06 NBA Playoffs

So are you projecting Cleveland to hold home court, or however one says it, and close out the Pistons? And what of the Mavs without their starting point guard? Will they beat the Spurs?

Also, what do you think of that suspension? IMO, it's a righteous one. The dude got caught, cold, on videotape at the worst possible time. What DUMB thing to do.

BHN

I'm going with my gut on this one, but I think the Cavs will win tonight to advance. They have a lot to play for tonight, but besides that, they'll be playing at home. They are 4-1 in the playoffs at home, so the odds are on their side. Also, Rasheed Wallace did not practice yesterday, but will play in tonights game. Due to the ankle injury, I don't expect him to have a big game. He'll contribute as usual, but nothing too huge. Larry Hughes will also be rejoining the team tonight after taking a short absence to be with his family after his bvrothers death. I expect a intense, close game... with the Cavs moving on to play the heat. AS I said, the winner of the last game between the Pistons and Cavs would be the victor in this series, so if the Pistons win tonight, I expect a win from the Cavs in game 7.

Originally posted by BaseballHistoryNut
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.

I agree. And he can flat pass the ball. He's lacking in defensive skills, but hey, he should've just finished his sophomore year in college, so there's plenty of time for improvement. (Scary). i think he's head and shoulders above where Kobe was at the same stage, in that LeBron understands the game and really wants to get his teammates involved. (But I can't be objective. I hate Kobe).

Meanwhile, what about Steve Nash's two consecutive MVP's? But has he really deserved both of these MVP Awards?

I think so. But it goes back to "best player" vs "MVP". There's a debate, right there. I think you can build a great case for Nash as MVP, but I wouldn't call him the "best player".

Ben Wallace? 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?

Worth more? Goes back to what a team needs. I think Wallace is extremely valuable to Detroit for the style they play and their other personnel. I don't think you can take players and plug them in to other teams and have them necessarily maintain equivalent value. It's a chemistry thing.

Look out next year for Greg Oden at Ohio State. I've watched him at the high school level for the last 4 years, and he's for real. And, at least to this point, he is very grounded and an all-around good kid. I'd be shocked if that changes. I think Thad Matta will be a great coach for him and expect some big things out of him next year.

AS for the Mavs losing Terry for game 6, I don't see it affecting it very much. The Mavs have already shown they can handle the Spurs with no problem, and Terry isn't that big a role player on the Mavs. Stackhouse and Nowitzki are the two that need to play every night. I don't see it affecting them much, so I think it will be the same type of game tonight. And it will be in Dallas, so I'm picking the home team and going with the Mavs.

I should have guessed. Larry Hughes is out the Cavs last 3 games, the Cavs win. When he played, the Cavs lost both. So what happens tonight? The Cavs lose 82-84. The game was a close one all the way through. The ending play resulted in LeBron getting fouled as he was passing for a wide open three. He was sent to the line down by three with 1.4 seconds left. He sunk the first, and missed the second on purpose to try to get a tip in. I think it was Hamilton that came within inchs of tipping the ball in to tie the game for the Cavs, but the buzzer sounded, and the Pistons came out victorious. The next game will be played at the Palace. A game 7 that will decide which team advances, and which team goes home. The game will decide who the favorite is to win the NBA title. I still think the cavs will win game 7, but it's going to take ALOT.

Even though the mavs Nowitzki had 26 points and 21 rebounds, the Mavs couldn't fend off the Spurs. The Spurs tied the series at 3 a piece with a 91-85 win over the Mavs. The difference was the 4th quarter, where the Spurs outscored them by 5. Ginobili led the Spurs with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Game 7 will be played in San Antonio.

This win by the Spurs finished off the making off an amzing second round. All three remaining series is going to 7 game. The home teams being Detroit, Phoenix, and San Antonio. The Road teams being Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Dallas. The odds of two road teams advancing at this stage is not likely. There are no games scheduled for today. It will be hard to trey and determine the winners of these games.

I caught jsut the last coupel of seconds of the Spurs/Mavs game last night. Do you think that the teams from last season's finals are gonna pull off the comebacks? Detroit has been doing that for a couple years now, and I think San Antonio has as well...

I must admit that I am impressed with how great LeBron James is at this stage of his career. I thought he was better prepared fundamentally than Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant was. However, he still has room for improvement, and all the greats have improved over their careers.

With LeBron being compared to Jordan, I guess it's only fitting that he be put out of the playoffs by the Pistons. But I have a feeling that the Cavs will come out with a victory. The same one that I had during the Kings-Surs series, and sure enough, the Kings gave the Spurs a run.

On a chat on AOL, a guy tried arguing with me. I said that emotion is going to play a big part of this game, and the Cavs will have nothing to do. And from this, a guy got out that I'm saying the Pistons will have no emotion and that the Cavs will stomp all over them. Long story short, me and the guy got booted from the chat because we had a nice little argument that I'm pretty sure I won.

Was that guy claiming that the Pistons would be playing with no emotion? I have heard reports again and again that the desire to win just gets stronger once that first title is won. The Pistons won it all two years ago and were close again last year. They had the best record in the NBA this year (after a ridiculous 31-5 start) and want to prove to everyone that they are the best.

I'm going with Detroit tonight and San Antonio tomorrow. As for the Clippers-Suns series, look for LA to pull it out as Elton Brand has another huge game.

In the first hald, the cavs have managed to stay with the Pistons. After being down as much as 13, the Cavs are down by 2 in a 40-38 game. LeBron has 21 points and 5 rebounds, showing he will not just back down to the defending EC Champions. Hamilton and Prince lead the Pistons with 9 points a piece. Only people in fould trouble at this point is Drew Gooden (Cavs) and Lindsey Hunter (Pistons) each with 3 a piece. It's going to be a tight game all the way through, and I'm hoping the Cavs have enough heart to pull it out.

Looks like the game is going well, it's 51-58 according to Yahoo! sports. Wish I could see it, but I'm in the office right now...

With 6 minutes remaining, it's 67-52 Detroit. The cavs were staying in it, but they've gone just absolutely cold. They've scored only 14 points in 18 minutes. Looks like Detroit will be the ones facing Miami next week.

Yahoo shows 69-56 with 4:13 left. Enough time for a comeback?

hey're down 73-59 right now. Down 14 with 2:45 left. That's enough time... but I highly doubt the Cavs can pull that kind of a comeback against a team like the Pistons.

I need to get outta here, but I'm gonna hang out to see what happens.

What tiem is tomorrow night's game?

Down 6 with 50 seconds. It's over now, with James on the bench. Tomorrow's game is at 8 and 10:30 ET.

Too bad, but you get the feeling that Cleveland will be back in a big way next year.

Who do you favor in the Heat/Pistons?

And just as I post that, the game is official. The Pistons win 61-79 in Game 7. The cavs scored only 23 second half points. 10 in the 3rd, 13 in the 4th. LeBron led the Cavs with 27 points and 8 rebounds. Prince led the Pistons with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Pistons advance to face the Heat in a rematch of last years Eastern Conference Finals.

I think I'd have to go with the Pistons to win the next round, they have the experience. But, the Heart are a real good team. Ought to be a great series.