TR Forums

Spurs to repeat. Nothing better than having the Spurs knock out the Suns too.

Flame on.

slots 4-8 of the East are giant piles of poo, but Boston should be able to beat just about anyone the West throws out there.

I'm rooting for Boston, time for a non-Detroit East team to win one, plus Garnett deserves it.

Poor Raptors, they really need to get rid of TJ. He's not as fast (Chris Paul is even faster!) and useless.

I don't know. Those teams from Boston seem to dominate up until the final game and then they choke.

I'll root for cleveland because I actually enjoy watching Lebron James play.

My roommate is a huge Suns fan, he has not been in a good mood recently.

Personally, I'd like to see the Jazz do well, I'm a big Deron Williams fan from his Illini days. I dislike the top two teams in the east, so I'm just rooting for upsets, and Dwight Howard is a beast.

BobbinThreadbare wrote:

My roommate is a huge Suns fan, he has not been in a good mood recently.

The Shaq trade was most certainly "creative", I'll give them that. I don't like it though.

BobbinThreadbare wrote:

Personally, I'd like to see the Jazz do well, I'm a big Deron Williams fan from his Illini days. I dislike the top two teams in the east, so I'm just rooting for upsets, and Dwight Howard is a beast.

If I need to put one team in the East to upset the top 2, I will definitely pick Cleveland. Dwight Howard may be superman but Lebron can do a lot more different things with a full highlight reel.

You know what a highlight reel gets you? Usually a nice spot on SportsCenter, but if you don't have an actual team and can't play like one, you're never going to win.

BobbinThreadbare wrote:

My roommate is a huge Suns fan, he has not been in a good mood recently.

Personally, I'd like to see the Jazz do well, I'm a big Deron Williams fan from his Illini days. I dislike the top two teams in the east, so I'm just rooting for upsets, and Dwight Howard is a beast.

They threw away last night's game. Even though they are one of the best home teams and have had a few days of rest, they still came out and played like they would be handed a win. The Rockets did not play that well either but the Jazz lost it because of terrible free throw shooting. They had once last chance to win with .02 seconds left on the clock in the 4th. They tried to throw it out of bounds to get a quick jump and shoot type play. They threw it to someone standing behind Mutombo which was easily knocked out of the way.

I'd love to see a Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals. So much history, such a fun series...

5150 wrote:

I don't know. Those teams from Boston seem to dominate up until the final game and then they choke.

Yeah, the Red Sox went up 3-0 in the WS and then ended up losing in 7. Oh, wait...

Personally, I'm with Alex - Lakers/Celtics won't exactly be Magic vs. Bird, but it'd be totally sweet.

I can't believe the Suns are sinking that fast. Parker blowing by Shaq... yeah that's news. Shaq looked slow and lost.

Ouch.

I was hoping for a NO sweep to wipe that smug off Kidd's face too. Hope Paul and company will bounce back and put them away as quickly as possible.

Alex wrote:

I'd love to see a Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals. So much history, such a fun series...

I would personally love it myself..im a long time Boston Celtics fan..and havent had much to crow about lately. Last nights game was so poorly played by them, that they may not get outta the first round

I think a LA/Celts final would be a great injection for the NBA....as long as Vitale isnt an analyst (You can add Walton in that mix too..but i bet he would be if LA is in because of his son)

So Suns and Mavs gone. Kind of proof that you don't trade for has-been old guys to win championships.

Who do you like in the West finals better, NO vs LA or Spurs vs LA? Or Utah?

Lakers all the way.

With Kobe finally having the supporting cast to get it done, they made Denver look like a bunch of squabbling children. I figure they'll roll right over Utah as well. As for the Spurs/Hornets matchup: It'll be classic. Age and experience vs. youth and energy. It'll be really interesting to see CP3 try to take down seasoned vets like the Spurs. I've got my money on experience being the X-factor and Spurs taking it in 7.

Look for LA to come out of the west...altho a NO/LA series would be a good one. Paul is REALLY good and i think Kobe is a perv(altho a great player) and wouldnt mind seeing him lose

In spite of how much better the West is (it because of it, maybe) I think Boston is going to cruise to the Finals and be fresh and rested for whoever emerges from the West slugfest.

idchafee wrote:

In spite of how much better the West is (it because of it, maybe) I think Boston is going to cruise to the Finals and be fresh and rested for whoever emerges from the West slugfest.

It doesn't look like they're cruising as easily as they should be.

5150 wrote:

idchafee wrote:

In spite of how much better the West is (it because of it, maybe) I think Boston is going to cruise to the Finals and be fresh and rested for whoever emerges from the West slugfest.

It doesn't look like they're cruising as easily as they should be.

They seem to have caught the Pistons bug.

Great game last night...Rondo has really come on in the playoffs...the experience has helped him tremendously IMOHO. Billups wasnt his usual self(thank you lord). I hope the Celts can make it to the finals...looks like LA outta the west. I dont think Duncan and Co can get it done.

Well, it all depends on Kobe's back.

BobbinThreadbare wrote:

Well, it all depends on Kobe's back.

He has been just fine carrying the team since part of the cast has been down. He is having a banner year. I dont care for him..but he is a hell of a ball player. Jackson has gotten the most out of him. Now if Walton could come around If they play Boston for the title..its gonna be KG and Co in 7.

How about that nifty track-cam. I think that's a really cool idea. Can't believe no one thought of it earlier.

You mean the queazy cam? They've had that for a while the first time i remember seeing the queazy cam was something like 1996 on NBC when they still had the sunday games.

ucisilentbob wrote:

You mean the queazy cam? They've had that for a while the first time i remember seeing the queazy cam was something like 1996 on NBC when they still had the sunday games.

Every time they switch to the queasy-let's-see-how-fast-we-can-make-our-audience-throw-up-cam I get so angry. The stations are ruining the game not only because the crappy cameras they have weave and bob around like fighter jets trying to imitate a house fly, but the cameras themselves are of such low quality that every thing on screen is just a blur. The stationary and baseline cameras are all high definition ones while the floating one is this wide angle, ridiculously high aperture mess that breaks the fact that people have HD TVs. It's hard to get any depth perception and detail out of the picture it gives. I want to take the guy who decided this cam was a good idea and hang him upside down outside my house and then cover him or her in bird food and watch as the vicious robins and blue jays in my neighbor hood peck away this worthless life.

[calm]sigh[/calm] Back to the playoffs, I've been a Laker fan for all of my life through the good times and bad including those woeful seasons with no chance of playoff play. I remember cheering for guys named Peeler, Cebalos, and Campbell. I've been pretty surprised with the playoff performance of this team so far. The passing game is one of most enjoyable things to watch because that's how basketball ought to be played. Right after the Gasol trade, I thought the Lakers were a pretty good team but no where near championship contention without the return of a healthy and productive Bynum. As it turns out, Denver was a pushover because aside from Iverson they didn't try to win and the one guy whose name started with B that beat Utah was Carlos Boozer.

Of the teams left, I think San Antonio and the Lakers are playing the best basketball around. Detroit and Boston, while playing pretty good basketball, seem to be lacking in some way. Detroit doesn't have that energetic spark that can pound down another team in to submission. Boston's defense is a sight to behold while Allen's play is a sight to avoid. Paul Peirce has been playing the best basketball of his life and has played beautifully with Garnett but just these two don't seem to be enough against the West teams. I think the winner of the West series will win the championship and that series will depend on how well the big name interior players play. If Duncan can play as well or better than how he did in the latter half of the Hornets series, the Spurs are in good shape. For Gasol to play well, he needs to fall down less and rebound the ball better. The Finals start tonight, I believe.

Your sure the Celts cant hang with LA? Pffffffffffffffft....its a dream matchup and one id love to see...and see Boston win Ray Allen is a great shooter...current slump aside..and its not going to be gone forever.

LicketySplit wrote:

Your sure the Celts cant hang with LA? Pffffffffffffffft....its a dream matchup and one id love to see...and see Boston win Ray Allen is a great shooter...current slump aside..and its not going to be gone forever.

Maybe watching Malone and Payton fall from grace has scarred me forever.

Wow, that game was good. I was glad i didnt turn the TV off when they went down 15+ halfway through the 3rd. It was very satisfying to see Bowen put in his place. Been a laker fan all my life (hard not to when you live in LA). Been through the rough times with Ceballos, Peeler, Rice, Hunter, and Campbell. And the huge letdown of the loss of the Lakers to Detroit while sporting Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Kobe, and Shaq as the Starting lineup... Yay for them. At the beginning of the season it was looking bleak. What a turnaround.

My thoughts on Game 1:

1st Half
The Spurs dominate offensively and defensively. Tim Duncan is playing dominating basketball and once again showing he's one of the best post players to ever play the game. When he faces up Gasol for that short 45 degree bank shot, there's no guarding him. Duncan's aggression offensively set the tone for the Spurs offense. Parker did a great job penetrating the Laker "defense" and did well distributing to perimeter players. Ginobili didn't shoot well but his driving did break down the defense enough to facilitate others. The biggest thing that went well for the Spurs aside from Duncan was their defense of passing lanes. Rarely did the Lakers have clear passes to execute their offense. The Lakers didn't exactly turn the ball over a lot, but it took them out of their game forcing the Lakers to take bad shots. The only reason the Lakers are within 8 at the half is because Radmanovic showed up in that first quarter and did something.

The Lakers show that they are unable to guard Duncan one-on-one with Gasol. Duncan's combination of a strong deep post game along with that sleek and simple bank shot leaves Gasol with no answers. The only time they are able to make Duncan miss is when Duncan forces himself across the lane only to take wild hook shots. The Lakers offense is also lacking. The team is far too passive and assume they can just pass once and get an open shot. Because that first pass is denied by the Spurs' great defense, the resulting offense is left standing around with no great options.

2nd Half
The Spurs defense locks in during that first half of the third quarter. The stifling defense takes a toll on the Laker team as you could almost see the slouch in every Lakers player on the court. Rebounding for the Spurs has been key as their strength on the boards means the Lakers cannot get out on the fast break and play the game they like. However, two coaching moves change the game I think. First, Phil Jackson brings in the young Lakers bench unit. This fast and hard nosed unit is sorely needed when the starters are clearly lacking confidence. Second, Popovich decides to play quasi-small ball against the faster paced Laker unit. This breaks the Spurs defense as playing small ball (with only Duncan being the only big man on the court) leads to the Lakers being able to both rebound and play up-tempo. Parker also disappears for the half while Ginobili finds trouble with the faster Laker team. Duncan is still playing well, but the game has strayed away from the slow half court grind-fest more advantageous to the Spurs.

The Lakers, after looking like they were about to fold and call the series quits, get a sorely needed kick in the butt by the bench. Afterwards, Black Mamba checks in to the game and rips the Spurs with aggressive play. Popovich was late to bring in Bowen in that third quarter and this lets the Lakers get within shooting distance by the time the third quarter ends. The fourth quarter sees Bowen making silly mistakes and getting himself 5 fouls, essentially resulting in Mamba getting free rein.

Post game thoughts
The come around from 20 down was definitely shocking. That's more of something you expected from the Denver Nuggets and not the San An-freaking-tonio Spurs. Their defense got lazy and they'll get an earful or five from Pops. I don't expect the Spurs to disappear in the series. The Lakers, having stolen back Game 1 after giving it away, find themselves with great confidence against the defending champs. I think that confidence will carry over to Game 2 with the Lakers winning. Then as the series swings to San Antonio, the two games there will be split with Game 3 going to San Antonio and Game 4 to Kobe Bryant's dominating game. Game 5 in LA could very well be going to the Spurs as that team will not be defeated in just 5 games. After that, I think the Lakers will win Game 6. Of course, I'm a biased Laker fan here so take things with a grain of salt.

PS. Lickety, maybe you give us a write up of Game 2 for the Boston-Detroit series along with your thoughts on the progression of things over in the East.