Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1520996 times)

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5640 on:** May 28, 2012, 08:55:28 PM »

Where are all my Heat-haters when I need you?? FFS!

etiolate · « **Reply #5641 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:03:14 PM »

I pretty much assume the Heat would lose to either SA or OKC, so their fight with Boston isn't as interesting.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5642 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:14:09 PM »

It does seem like a foregone conclusion, but hey, a few more of the right ACLs snapping and the Celtics can totally take this!

Mandark · « **Reply #5643 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:27:47 PM »

A Pat Riley Heat team being involved in a bunch of ugly, defensive-minded series and the Western Conference representative being a forgone conclusion to win the Finals?

I'm getting all nostalgic in here.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #5644 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:38:54 PM »

technical on mandark for snark

just following the trend of this current game

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5645 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:49:03 PM »

that's Joey, not Danny

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5646 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:49:44 PM »

i have no fucking clue how the Cs got back in this. Just bizarre. I think i need to rewatch the whole 2nd quarter during the halftime break

pilonv1 · « **Reply #5647 on:** May 28, 2012, 09:54:10 PM »

sorry I'm going to have to review your post Brand New

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #5648 on:** May 28, 2012, 10:27:53 PM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on May 28, 2012, 09:49:03 PM

that's Joey, not Danny

it was the first thing I found in google

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5649 on:** May 28, 2012, 10:52:09 PM »

I don't think it's automatic that the heat lose in the finals. In fact against the Thunder I'm not sure who I would pick. I think the Spurs will beat them especially if they don't get Bosh back but I'm interested in the finals either way even if the Spurs are the prohibitive favorites.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5650 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:10:41 PM »

For what it's worth I'll be impressed if the Heat sweep the Celtics because based of that first game and the current health of the celtics, it's certainly possible.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5651 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:22:35 PM »

Well, i think the Celtics will avoid a sweep 'cause we've now had 4 straight incendiary games by LeBron and Wade at once. That has to revert to the mean. But I think it's gonna be 4-1 with 4-2 very unlikely.

We have to be careful about overreacting to the first game I guess, but it's hard to see the Celtics squeezing anything more out of KG, and Pierce and Allen are basically done for the season already. They need one of those crazy Rondo triple-double games to get a win.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #5652 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:23:29 PM »

Heat ripped apart Dallas in the first game too. Will wait til I've seen the heat make an adjustment before anointing them champs.

Mandark · « **Reply #5653 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:37:44 PM »

Yeah, but this year's Celtics don't seem like last year's Mavs, and the Heat did roll the Celts (and Bulls) last year too. It'd be nice if it turned into a series, but I think Cormac's right, and we'd need Rondomania/another injury/a mysterious LeBron swoon to make that happen.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5654 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:41:09 PM »

As always I'm one of the bigger Heat critics despite me rooting for them so I'm definitely not anointing anybody especially since I would pick the Spurs to win the title at this stage.

What I'm saying is the Celtics are worse than I thought. They are clearly hobbled and Bradley is gone. The way they struggled mightily against the 76ers is just a sign of how broken down they are at this stage. A true title contender would wax this team. If the heat want to prove they are, that's what they should do. Does anybody doubt the Spurs wouldn't have a crazy high probability of sweeping these Celtics. If the Heat want to try to prove they are at that level, here is at least a minor way to show it.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5655 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:46:22 PM »

The Celtics have some interesting choices for the offseason now. KG looks fully healthy, bizarrely. He seems fully recovered from the knee injury, and back to his 2008 form. It sure looks like he has 2-3 good years left, but is only under contract for 1 more. If they can wrap him up cheap with an extension, they keep this window somewhat open (i.e. they allow any miracles like Rose's ACL to happen...) but they pretty much guarantee they won't be getting any lottery picks.

Alternatively, they can sell high on him right now. But he'd have to agree to a reasonable extension anywhere he went. Pierce is likely going to be a Celtic for life, unless Ainge is even more bloodthirsty than I think. If they'd failed to turn it around this season, maybe Ainge would have totally blown it up but that seems unlikely now. So, incredible as it may seem considering how I was thinking at the start of the season, we may even see another 2 years of this core, minus Ray (unless they resign him way below market value somehow...).

I think they're set in the back-court with Rondo and Bradley - neither are going to break the bank. Jeff Green may be back but I'm not a fan anyway. He'll be super-tough to trade now due to his heart problem.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5656 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:48:43 PM »

The one glimmer of hope I got was when LeBron posed grinning under the basket before handing the ball back, right in KG's grill. It had more than a little hint of Wade's frontrunning shittalking against the Mavs. But as has been noted, the Celtics just don't have the firepower anymore, and their D isn't what it should be either. (It's not just that Bradley is gone; it's that they have to play Ray more minutes as a result).

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #5657 on:** May 28, 2012, 11:54:08 PM »

2013's #2 seed Philadelphia would've played the Heat better tonight than the Celtics

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5658 on:** May 29, 2012, 12:03:39 AM »

if they hadn't been beaten by the Celtics, yes

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5659 on:** May 29, 2012, 12:06:47 AM »

hey, you're up, may as well gloat

spoiler (click to show/hide)

KG will still have more rings than you at the end of the season

[close]

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5660 on:** May 29, 2012, 12:07:47 AM »

Bron was a beast tonight. Boston is gonna have to double him every single time if he starts hot again.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #5661 on:** May 29, 2012, 01:15:52 AM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on May 28, 2012, 11:46:22 PM

Jeff Green may be back but I'm not a fan anyway. He'll be super-tough to trade now due to his heart problem.

Green's an unrestricted free agent so he probably wont be back.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5662 on:** May 29, 2012, 01:38:55 AM »

Quote from: Smooth Groove on May 29, 2012, 12:07:47 AM

Bron was a beast tonight. Boston is gonna have to double him every single time if he starts hot again.

They basically were - KG was roaming free all night (what, he was supposed to guard Anthony or Turiaf?). Pierce just isn't mobile enough to slow him like he usually does.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5663 on:** May 29, 2012, 01:39:19 AM »

Quote from: pilonv1 on May 29, 2012, 01:15:52 AM

Quote from: Cormacaroni on May 28, 2012, 11:46:22 PM
Jeff Green may be back but I'm not a fan anyway. He'll be super-tough to trade now due to his heart problem.

Green's an unrestricted free agent so he probably wont be back.

Great news!

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5664 on:** May 29, 2012, 07:41:16 PM »

Will we get anymore Popovich gems tonight?

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5665 on:** May 29, 2012, 10:44:30 PM »

Did I mention that I've loved the Spurs since the Iceman days?

etiolate · « **Reply #5666 on:** May 30, 2012, 12:33:39 AM »

they should thank the kings for passing on kawhi leonard to take the mormon jordan

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5667 on:** May 30, 2012, 12:41:25 AM »

Well now the thunder's backs are against the wall and they have to win the next one or its over.

People just keep underestimating the spurs. Not the crazy basketball heads but the casual or mainstream basketball fans. I was talking to my brother on memorial day and he's a big basketball fan and older than me but he never watches the spurs. He like most basketball guys are still too caught up in the idea of superstars. Of a transcendent player like Jordan, Kobe, or Lebron being the only paradigm for winning a title. He still hasn't quite bought into the spurs yet. I was trying to tell him, dude just watch them. They are exceptional and should easily be the favorites no matter who eventually does win the title.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #5668 on:** May 30, 2012, 02:19:51 AM »

Quote from: etiolate on May 30, 2012, 12:33:39 AM

they should thank the kings for passing on kawhi leonard to take the mormon jordan

I wanted Leonard over Klay.

I've never been so happy to be wrong about a Warriors draft pick.

Mandark · « **Reply #5669 on:** May 30, 2012, 03:31:35 AM »

Stoney: I've probably said this before, but I think the age of the stars and the early exits the last couple years are why they're getting underrated. I've heard people say "I don't think they can keep up with the Thunder" or a variant of that over and over, even (especially?) from older fans. There's not a huge precedent for a flagging former championship group to be rejuvenated by different role players and a new offensive system, so people aren't really going to wrap their heads around it until the Spurs presumably win the whole thing.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5670 on:** May 30, 2012, 04:39:33 AM »

Not a huge precedent but it happened just last year with the Mavs. How many of the same fools refused to believe in the Mavs until they won....

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5671 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:19:32 AM »

To be honest I was one of those fools until like game 5 or something when it became crystal clear for me one team was clearly superior.

Like most of America I kept waiting for the heat to "wake up" instead of actually analyzing what was going on. Especially since I was actively rooting for the Heat which were a form of blinders. The Mavs were just a tougher call because they weren't necessarily rolling people like the Spurs are and they didn't have a championship history to fall back on.

Mr. Gundam · « **Reply #5672 on:** May 30, 2012, 12:42:03 PM »

I've never loved the Spurs as much as I do right now.

Beezy · « **Reply #5673 on:** May 30, 2012, 02:44:57 PM »

Duncan's dunk on Ibaka last night was lovely. I yelled so loud.

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5674 on:** May 30, 2012, 02:47:40 PM »

That dunk reminded me of how long Duncan is. He smashed that without jumping over 10 inches.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5675 on:** May 30, 2012, 07:43:46 PM »

Killer line from Grantland on the Spurs yesterday. I nodded furiously.

Quote

Are we having fun yet? Has there ever been a more rhetorical question asked? Seriously, how low on Pop's list of priorities is Gary Neal's level of enjoyment? These guys wear black, flop, shut you down, and cut your heart out. They are not here for our enjoyment, much less their own. They are here to kick ass and win basketball games. And they are almost out of basketball games.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/27984/nba-playoffs-shootaround-heat-and-spurs-pop-the-trunk-celtics-feel-the-reign-of-the-tech

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5676 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:21:46 PM »

oh hey, tonight we find out where the Brow lands. Got to be more fun than Celtics - Heat

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5677 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:25:02 PM »

oh god, it went to the Hornets.

We are NEVER gonna hear the end of this. Bobcats get #2. Suicide incoming ITT

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5678 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:26:41 PM »

It's not over yet. The owners can still get Stern to veto his GM's pick of Anthony Davis.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5679 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:27:44 PM »

I bet he retroactively vetos the Chris Paul trade to send him back to the Hornets

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5680 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:38:11 PM »

It's probably a good thing for the Bobcats and Anthony Davis that Hornets have the #1. You know the media would speculately endlessly over whether Davis is the 2nd Kwame the moment he fails to be spectaculr.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5681 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:42:08 PM »

No-one will see or hear of him again for 4-5 years now, so he's pretty much safe.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #5682 on:** May 30, 2012, 08:50:42 PM »

good jon Stern

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5683 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:34:00 PM »

We got RONdo tonight, hoo boy, just crushing them like he was Tony Parker

etiolate · « **Reply #5684 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:43:39 PM »

the radio airwaves were a-flutter with conspiracy talk once the lotto went down

Though conspiracy is an ill fitting word. There's not that big a leap to take.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5685 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:45:38 PM »

Conspiracy is a daft word to be employing right now - statistically the Hornets had almost the same chance as the Bobcats. And you don't get much more small-market than Nawlins. Stern isn't going to risk the integrity of the league over a hairsplitting decision like Bobcats vs New Orleans.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5686 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:46:04 PM »

That said, I'm sure DJ Tet is apoplectic right now, too furious to type

Smooth Groove · « **Reply #5687 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:50:57 PM »

It's amazing how good Rondo is when he can hit a few FT range jumpers.

etiolate · « **Reply #5688 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:57:12 PM »

Well the Bobcats still can take a MKG who looks like he could be just as good as Davis, but I'm not sure he fits the Cats as well and I think it'll take MKG years to develop. He's almost pure raw right now.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5689 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:57:32 PM »

they might want to think about guarding him, yeesh. Still playing 10 feet off of him, 22pts in the half. This could be like when Nash dropped 50

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5690 on:** May 30, 2012, 09:58:06 PM »

Quote from: etiolate on May 30, 2012, 09:57:12 PM

Well the Bobcats still can take a MKG who looks like he could be just as good as Davis, but I'm not sure he fits the Cats as well and I think it'll take MKG years to develop. He's almost pure raw right now.

no-one fits the 'Cats. Actual young Michael Jordan couldn't win with that team

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5691 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:41:34 PM »

....and they're playing up on Rondo and suddenly the Heat are crushing. Why am I always so fucking right.

etiolate · « **Reply #5692 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:43:11 PM »

There's just no reliable offense on the Celts anymore.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5693 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:44:30 PM »

well, KG is reliable, but there is a limit to how many times they can go to him. If that is what you meant.

etiolate · « **Reply #5694 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:46:51 PM »

KG still has off games. I guess I mean they don't have a guy who can carry their offense, but I also wonder if KG can get them 25 every night in the playoffs.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5695 on:** May 30, 2012, 10:57:49 PM »

Only 5 players averaged 25 in the post-season so far so that's a bit unrealistic at this point, yes.

Pierce could absolutely still carry them were he not hurt (see game 2 vs the Hawks for example). Allen is past carrying them. So it has to be KG & Rondo every night now, and man, have they struggled.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #5696 on:** May 30, 2012, 11:05:24 PM »

rondo is so fucking good

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #5697 on:** May 30, 2012, 11:05:31 PM »

whoa this is getting real intense, Boston clinging to a lead somehow

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #5698 on:** May 30, 2012, 11:08:42 PM »

I wish Lebron would've posted up more in this game. He's either going to get a foul or get the basket, with a low percentage of him actually missing without a foul.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #5699 on:** May 30, 2012, 11:08:45 PM »

Boston will most likely win this. They still have no hope for the series but yet again they expose the weaknesses of the heat.

News:

Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1520996 times)