Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1519487 times)

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3540 on:** January 08, 2012, 08:43:42 PM »

Quote from: pilonv1 on January 08, 2012, 08:20:07 PM

Quote
Also the NBA has two apps. One for the iphone and the other for the ipad. The iphone version you can buy a mobile version of the league pass for $40 bucks.

That isn't the case for me

Which part I mean

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3541 on:** January 09, 2012, 05:14:47 AM »

'League Pass' and 'International League Pass' are two different things. I guess they have to be 'cause International has no local blackouts like folks in the US get (well, unless the game in question is broadcast in our countries....which in my case is basically the Finals)

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3542 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:10:08 PM »

It's a great time to be in LA because every Clippers game is on TV without having to buy the league pass. The Clips have been by far the most entertaining team this season. Even diehard Lakers fans have been agreeing with me that the Clips are far more fun to watch. At first, I thought the Clips have way too many PGs but the nice thing about that is fast breaks are much smoother and there're plenty more lobs and passes that lead to highlight dunks.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3543 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:16:17 PM »

What's wrong with John Wall? Even if his shoes don't suck (which they do, horrible traction), I would be embarrassed to wear them. I expected a monster improvement from Wall but so far he's been taking a Tyreke Evans-like step back.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #3544 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:17:01 PM »

Is it Wall regressing, or just him being surrounded by a horrible roster?

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3545 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:18:59 PM »

Wizard roster is horrible but with Wall's athleticism and ball handling skills, he should still be able to take it to the rim at will. I've never seen a right hander dunk so easily with his left. He gets as high off his right foot as he does with his left, which is pretty insane.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3546 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:19:18 PM »

Wizards have a lower basketball IQ than any team in history. Just full of dumb players. And Wall needs some serious coaching.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3547 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:31:28 PM »

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3548 on:** January 09, 2012, 10:45:14 PM »

Song should be changed to "everybody bricks like John Wall" and ran in every Wiz commercial.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3549 on:** January 11, 2012, 01:08:29 AM »

Miami with a shit 4th quarter letting Golden state back in the game.

I'll never understand how a team with that much talent can go cold so often in the 4th quarter.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3550 on:** January 11, 2012, 01:31:32 AM »

Warriors win and Lebron utterly disappears in the 4th quarter and most of overtime. sigh...

I just don't get Lebron sometimes. You look at the stat line and it says he had a great game. All except when it actually mattered. Say what you will about Kobe. (And there is a lot I could as in he shoots too much and is currently shooting too much now even with the Lakers and hurting Bynum) But you just don't get that feeling that Kobe disappears when it matters. Win or Lose Kobe is taking the shots. Lebron just seems to defer or worse disappear too much. I've always defended the dude but Jesus Christ. He just does not display a killer instinct. He's like the Greg Norman of the NBA.

And fucking Spoelstra. How many times does it take to get beat by a hot shooting 3 point team to realize you need to adjust your fucking defense. This team can run up all the wins they want during the regular season. I will never trust them or have confidence in them until they actually show it in the finals.

benjipwns · « **Reply #3551 on:** January 11, 2012, 01:39:00 AM »

The thing that really baffles me is that LeBron didn't used to be this way. 2007-09 LeBron was taking over games late, taking every important shot (or collecting the D to make that pass ala Jordan to Kerr/Paxson), etc.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #3552 on:** January 11, 2012, 01:40:43 AM »

Yea I still remember watching him utterly destroy the Pistons in big playoff games/series. Dunno what happened to that guy

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3553 on:** January 11, 2012, 06:09:44 AM »

fuck off LeBum

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3554 on:** January 11, 2012, 07:24:00 AM »

Fear of Wade is about all I can come up with. Mystifying.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #3555 on:** January 11, 2012, 10:41:51 AM »

Mavs finally get to 5-5

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3556 on:** January 11, 2012, 10:45:20 AM »

Yeah, they still have issues but I never thought they would bomb out or anything. They have way too much offensive talent to not be among the best teams. I just think that defense will be a problem come playoffs.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3557 on:** January 11, 2012, 11:33:25 AM »

I think Wade is part of the problem. He should stop trying to take over late, especially in a meaningless regular season game and let Lebron figure things out. Lebron probably has forgotten what it feels like to make a clutch play since it's been so long that he's been the first option in the last seconds of a tight game.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3558 on:** January 11, 2012, 07:19:29 PM »

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId=7451463

Also clippers versus heat tonight.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3559 on:** January 11, 2012, 07:23:23 PM »

It would be interesting to see how the Clippers fare against big wings with their undersized line-up and if Blake's pathetic D will continue to be that bad.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3560 on:** January 11, 2012, 08:52:07 PM »

Thing is, Bron is by any measure GOOD in 4th quarters. It's only a couple of high profile playoff games that have led to this perception. Plus, there have been playoff and reg season games where he has had reasonable 4Q stats but not made any dramatic clutch plays, which annoys viewers who want to see him be the hero like he was in Cleveland.

In theory, it shouldn't be a big problem to concede those big shots to Wade, since Wade can usually get a good shot against anybody. That's an option 29 other teams would kill to have, really. It's just hard to reconcile it with the LeBron who went storming through the teeth of the GSW 'defense' (

) in the first half....

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3561 on:** January 11, 2012, 09:09:51 PM »

I thought that Bron was mad at Wade for trying to win Finals MVP. Maybe Bron was pulling a Kobe like "Go ahead, see what u can do without me." It might even be subconscious but something about Wade trying to take over must irk Bron enough for him to disappear like that.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3562 on:** January 11, 2012, 11:13:02 PM »

Good game so far. Just ended the first quarter. 24-21 miami. Couple of nice Lebron and Blake dunks.

Great Rumbler · « **Reply #3563 on:** January 11, 2012, 11:27:20 PM »

Mavs finally got above .500, nice. And it was actually against a good team [Boston].

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3564 on:** January 12, 2012, 12:37:55 AM »

Chris Paul is a beast.

Tight game. Let's see who shows up for the 4th quarter.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3565 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:25:42 AM »

Jesus Lebron how many free throws are you gonna miss here tonight.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3566 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:28:57 AM »

You gotta be fucking me.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #3567 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:29:28 AM »

Lebron missing FTs? shocker.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3568 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:30:11 AM »

Quote from: BrandNew on January 12, 2012, 01:29:28 AM

Lebron missing FTs? shocker.

He's missed an absurd amount tonight. It's like Shaq out there tonight or something.

Game going in OT. Lebron didn't disappear in the 4th but missed a lot of free throws and made a few bonehead plays.

Very good game. Not a pretty game at all but a very intense one.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #3569 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:31:46 AM »

*checks which quarter of the game it is*

Ah, it all makes sense now!

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3570 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:33:32 AM »

Quote from: Creepy Old Guy on January 12, 2012, 01:31:46 AM

*checks which quarter of the game it is*

Ah, it all makes sense now!

To be fair Chris Paul was having an amazing game going into the 4th quarter but he had an awful last quarter. Blake also has had a bad second half.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3571 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:37:11 AM »

What a shock. Miami can't score again. 10 minutes without a FG. Lebron's new post game=Shit.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3572 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:43:07 AM »

I think that was goaltending and the refs blew it but whatever. The Heat shouldn't even be in this position.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3573 on:** January 12, 2012, 01:48:21 AM »

And Clippers win.

Lebron 1-6 in the 4th and OT.
Wade 1-4 in the 4th and OT.

Miami

1 FG in the last 12 and half minutes.

FUCK THIS TEAM! No heart. And fire Spoelstra.

etiolate · « **Reply #3574 on:** January 12, 2012, 02:34:04 AM »

Quote from: Stoney Mason on January 12, 2012, 01:43:07 AM

I think that was goaltending and the refs blew it but whatever. The Heat shouldn't even be in this position.

yeah it was goaltending

I've never been a fan of the late game isos for victory. Even Kobe gets set up in specific spots where he has a go to move to score or gets a pass off of movement for an immediate look. I'm not a fan of giving it to your star and thinking they will just superstar their way to a shot. It's too much work. Even Paul's great move at the end of the 4th used so much energy that he came up short.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3575 on:** January 12, 2012, 02:46:35 AM »

The problem with the heat is the same problem they had all year last year. I think I got fooled by their early fast start and my wishful thinking. And having a lock-out probably hurt them even more than some other teams in that they didn't even have a real pre-season and training camp to work on those issues.

They are a great athletic swarming team. If they create turnovers and get fastbreaks then they look great. If the game slows down and the other team executes their offense down the stretch and cuts down on the turnovers and plays physical defense especially with Lebron it makes the Heat appear very average. The offense in half-court and outside of fast breaks still looks like its plodding and barely resembles an offense compared to other team. The supporting cast is better this year. But the same fundamental problems still exist. Just like last year I'm guessing they will look exceptional against the lesser teams and very average against the good teams. And it will all come down to whether over the course of a season they actually can implement a real half court offense.

My cynical view with Sploestra in charge is that they won't and their talent will hide the weakness but come playoff time some team will expose them whether its in the eastern conference or the finals again. This is not a team that inspires confidence. My view is now that Lebron while an amazing talent is fundamentally flawed in some ways. Kind of reminds me of Chris Webber in a way where you look at him and say he should be dominating and crushing people but he doesn't. And Wade while great doesn't really fit into a team oriented half court offense. He's more comfortable just taking over and being the man rather than being a Pippen to a Jordan. He fundamentally needs to be the Jordan. I hope I'm wrong of course.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3576 on:** January 12, 2012, 03:29:19 AM »

They just cant score in the half court in a close game. Their only play is an iso for Wade or LeBron. That's part coaching and part talent, since neither of them are good shooters.

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #3577 on:** January 12, 2012, 03:34:05 AM »

The Heat will continue to have problems implementing a half-court offense because their two best players aren't great off-the-ball scorers. Neither is going to score much off screens, spot ups, post-ups, or pick and rolls (as the roll man), all of which are plays necessary for a decent half-court offense.

edit: basically beaten.

Mandark · « **Reply #3578 on:** January 12, 2012, 03:35:05 AM »

Man, if a Wizards defeat prompted the sort of over-analysis that follow Heat losses, this thread would be fuckin' huge.

etiolate · « **Reply #3579 on:** January 12, 2012, 03:45:41 AM »

Wade is actually more than decent off the ball. Lebron is so/so, but Wade can cut off the ball for buckets.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3580 on:** January 12, 2012, 04:27:12 AM »

Quote from: etiolate on January 12, 2012, 03:45:41 AM

Wade is actually more than decent off the ball. Lebron is so/so, but Wade can cut off the ball for buckets.

But they dont when the game is on the line, because either their coach is a moron who should have them moving off ball to create confusion, or only one of them can be the man at the end of games.

I would think that a LeBron/Wade pick and roll/pop/fade would be nigh unguardable against some teams. It's much better than a stupid forced jumper.

Also someone invite Duki here, he's on a one month sentence.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3581 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:34:01 AM »

Quote from: Great Rumbler on January 11, 2012, 11:27:20 PM

Mavs finally got above .500, nice. And it was actually against a good team [Boston].

Boston are TERRIBLE this year. I can't stand to watch anymore. Hollinger has them at #21 in his Power Rankings I think, and that's about right. They haven't beaten anybody good yet.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3582 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:41:08 AM »

The Heat have flaws, to be sure, but I'm really not sure who is going to expose them in the playoffs. The Bulls are likely to be the best-coached contender, and they do look pretty damn good. The big problem there is we've all seen what happens when LeBron guards Rose, and without Rose being amazing, the Bulls are a .500 team at best. After that, it's who? OKC? I love 'em but not sure they can get out of the West never mind beat the Heat...

Stoney makes sensible points, and his concerns have certainly proven to be justified in the past, but let's not get too crazy about this loss. They played OT against a young run-and-gun team last night! In a normal season, this one would have been pencilled in the books by the coaches as a loss before they got on the plane. Both GSW and the Clippers can score fast enough to make any team look bad on the wrong night.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3583 on:** January 12, 2012, 05:48:42 AM »

btw - CP3 is still not in great shape, which is weird given his supposed work ethic. I wonder if he had more surgery in the offseason. Dude is doughy and obviously got tired tonight. Of course Del Negro can't figure out how to manage his minutes even with Mo Williams collecting dust on the bench....

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3584 on:** January 12, 2012, 07:44:04 AM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on January 12, 2012, 05:41:08 AM

Both GSW and the Clippers can score fast enough to make any team look bad on the wrong night.

Have you watched many Warriors games this year? They're not that team anymore. Only broke 100 once - OT v the Heat.

Warriors slowed them down with some zone in the second half - the same thing the Mavericks did. It's not offense that beats them, you pressure them and they beat themselves.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #3585 on:** January 12, 2012, 08:32:07 PM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on January 12, 2012, 05:48:42 AM

btw - CP3 is still not in great shape, which is weird given his supposed work ethic. I wonder if he had more surgery in the offseason. Dude is doughy and obviously got tired tonight. Of course Del Negro can't figure out how to manage his minutes even with Mo Williams collecting dust on the bench....

I dunno. CP3 has been in that kinda shape since the bad knee. I think that's just his body type now because he doesn't go as fast all game.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3586 on:** January 13, 2012, 01:56:14 AM »

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45982490/ns/sports-nba/

lol at the warriors and their strategy.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #3587 on:** January 13, 2012, 02:04:52 AM »

momma there goes that man - back to the announcer booth

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3588 on:** January 13, 2012, 04:33:00 AM »

If I was the owner I'd fire his ass.

Fans got a raw deal and it shows no confidence in the players. I don't care how close they were to winning.

etiolate · « **Reply #3589 on:** January 13, 2012, 04:39:47 AM »

Keith Smart just had Cousins shut Howard down.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #3590 on:** January 13, 2012, 04:47:43 AM »

I understand Kwame was out. I understand that Tyler sucks and barely knows where he is on court. But to go 45 minutes before doubling Howard and making the other guys beat you was terrible coaching. Udoh is useless.

Meanwhile Monroe had 32 and 16 today.

fml

etiolate · « **Reply #3591 on:** January 13, 2012, 04:58:05 AM »

Well you guys aren't allowed to fire him. The Warriors are doing the honorable thing by keeping him out of the broadcast booth.

benjipwns · « **Reply #3592 on:** January 14, 2012, 01:23:21 AM »

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #3593 on:** January 14, 2012, 08:59:56 AM »

Meanwhile, Kobe continues to be the Anti-LeBron

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #3594 on:** January 14, 2012, 09:15:59 AM »

That's what Delonte West did to his mom.

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #3595 on:** January 14, 2012, 09:50:32 AM »

Kobe > LeBron

$:-\$

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #3596 on:** January 14, 2012, 09:58:26 AM »

In nine games (at over 20 minutes per game), Kwame Brown has ZERO blocks. But that's not as surprising as the fact that he's still in the NBA.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #3597 on:** January 14, 2012, 03:41:49 PM »

People overreact to everything that happens with the Heat.

Quote from: Flannel Boy on January 14, 2012, 09:58:26 AM

In nine games (at over 20 minutes per game), Kwame Brown has ZERO blocks. But that's not as surprising as the fact that he's still in the NBA.

obligatory

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #3598 on:** January 14, 2012, 05:02:06 PM »

Kobe's scoring is impressive but they aren't going anywhere in the playoffs with that style imo. And like I said before I think all that shooting stunts Bynum's development.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #3599 on:** January 14, 2012, 09:49:25 PM »

Great argument in favor of abolishing free throws:

http://hoopspeak.com/2012/01/ban-the-free-throw/

On league pass, I immediately start clicking the forward button when I hear the whistle for FTs unless it's in like the last 2 mins of a close game.
(the article also reminded me of how Webber basically elevated his scoring from 23-25/game to MVP-candidate level solely by increasing the number of FTs he hit per game....but that's cited as a rare example of FTs providing something unexpected....)

News:

Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1519487 times)