Man Yao stomped on the Blazers. That was crazy, I'm pretty sure its the second time this season he was perfect from the field and foul line and scored 20something points. Ridiculously impressive. I don't really think that the Blazers have an answer for Yao, and even Scola was dominating their big men.
I disagree I still think Portland can pull it out and most experts predicted a Blazer win in 6-7. Yao is stoppable it just will take some adjustments.
The Blazers were playing nervous if they would have shot a similar percentage it would have been a Blazer win. Due to the fact they had more shots then the Rockets. It was the opposite of the Denver game where Blazers couldn't miss and that's why Denver lost by about 30.
Now it's time to watch Kobe stomp on Utah and laugh.
I think you mean the Lakers, not just Kobe. He is so much better now that he doesn't try to do everything on his own and we should give him credit for that.
Information correction:
It was actually 36 points and 11 assists.
WOO BULLS!!!!111!!!!! TO THE FINALS!!!!11111!!!!
...
OK, maybe not, but that game was seriously awesome. I'm ready for Game 2 now.
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my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Howabout D.Wade losing to the Hawks? Depressing. Nuggets and N.O. is going on right now and it looks pretty close, Billups is on fire tonight!
Lakers did work on the Jazz. I found it funny that Kobe had 5 assists before he even took a shot. Really shows why he's my favorite and he should've won MVP. Kobe controls the game. He does what he wants, his face never changes while he plays, it almost looks boring to him its so easy. He showed that yesterday, ramping Trevor Ariza to 21 points (a career high) with his 8 assists. He scored 24 on his own, with Gasol rounding out the top 3 with 20 buckets. Kobe has shown us that he's not only a team player, but when they need them, he can make 2nd half the Kobe Bryant show.
I predict...... Rematch Lakers VS Celtics
Just because I think the Celtics can stop LeBron if they play their hearts out, but they need to stop the Bulls tonight or my prediction is right out the window. But either way, Lakers are gunna go gold.
EDIT: tehpincushonmahn : Dont sleep on the Blazers. They're a young team with insane energy. Yao may have spanked them game 1, but Brandon Roy isn't happy. When he's not happy, he goes beast mode.
Oh I'm not saying the Blazers are a lock as a loss for that series, I'm just saying that if Yao plays hard its going to be a rough series for them. I still see Houston in 6 but I wouldn't be surprised with the Blazers winning it.
So it looks like two upsets are going to be avenged today, with the Celtics getting brilliant games from Rondo and Allen and Tony Parker lighting up the Mavs.
Yeah the Celtics game was friggin epic. Neck and neck the whole way, with Ray Allen stealing the win. I knew he wouldn't let game 2 be a repeat of 1, he was playing angry last night. Paul Pierce was still hanging back, I have no clue why though, which is disappointing. It was scary though, Ben Gordan sank like 4 buckets in a row. I was definitely nervous.
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If the Celtics are having this much trouble against the Bulls, who really aren't that good at all, especially Joakim Noah, then I really don't know what they would possibly do against the Magic next round, assuming the Magic pull their heads out of their ass. To have to hit a game winner at home against the Bulls is just ridiculous. Boston is in serious trouble and I question their ability to win this series. If they do win this series I feel like they will be exausted for round 2 and will go down with ease.
VDN is the master of timeout management. ... Also, Petear, Joakim is a good NBA player. Don't let your blind hate stop you from seeing that. They're a good team. Not to the point where they would beat the Celtics in a 7 game series with KG, but I'm not surprised that they're close to this incarnation of the Celtics. [I am surprised, though, that they were so close to beating the Celtics in both home games. That's kind of unbelievable.]
That said, the Celtics are definitely ... much, much worse without KG. The Bulls have a pretty good chance to take this series. Both teams had their shooters red-hot, but the Celtics got the last possession ... ><
I'm gonna try to get tickets for Game 4. Man, if all the games in the series are like this ... this has definitely been a fun series to watch. Although, given that the Bulls have played a lot better with homecourt, I'd be satisfied with some blowouts.
[edit: NOT THAT I AM EXPECTING BLOWOUTS]
my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
If the Celtics are having this much trouble against the Bulls, who really aren't that good at all, especially Joakim Noah, then I really don't know what they would possibly do against the Magic next round, assuming the Magic pull their heads out of their ass. To have to hit a game winner at home against the Bulls is just ridiculous. Boston is in serious trouble and I question their ability to win this series. If they do win this series I feel like they will be exausted for round 2 and will go down with ease.
I beg to differ. Ben Gordan, Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas are all really good players. Plus, they are hungry for a ring. I think they have a better chance then the Magic, and thats just from what I've seen.
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my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Kobe Bryant sometimes shoots his team right out of a game. He laid a real stinker tonight against the Jazz. That's why it should be clear to everyone that Lebron is just the better player. You can't imagine Lebron taking all those terrible shots from the perimeter like Kobe.
EDIT: By the way, go Mavs! The series is turning out to be blowouts each game where one team comes to play and the other doesn't.
Joakim Noah's 6 points and 7 rebounds during the regular season coupled with no post moves, reliable jump shot, side winding free throw shot, but a lot of hustle does not translate to a 'good' NBA player, at least to me.
Also, Ben Gordan is really streaky, and not necessarily a good NBA player. All he does is score. When he went off against Boston in game 2, he had 40+ points sure, but he also only had one rebound and zero assists. He doesn't do anything except chuck the basketball to the hoop. If he is so great, why didn't he have teams chomping at the bit to sign him over the past summer when he was a restricted free agent? He is an undersized two that isn't consistent, doesn't defend, and doesn't think its necessary to pass or rebound. No thanks. I'm also not sold on Tyrus Thomas. Lamarcus Aldrige is definitely leaps and bounds better, and Thomas had a good game during the playoffs but I still feel he is an inconsistent undersized 4 who is athletic. And whoever said they have a better chance against the Magic, you better see if they can get there first before you start talking about their chances next round.
There is no way Boston will handle Cleveland without Kevin Garnett. End of story. Period. Garnett is their best player, defending Defensive Player of the Year, one of the best help defenders in the league, the team leader who brings intensity, and a great rebounder/inside presence. When you lose something like that, you can't just bounce back and beat a team like Cleveland. Thats like saying Boston could have won the title last year without Garnett. It just wouldn't happen. I love Rondo, and I think Ray and Pierce are phenomenal, but they just can't beat Cleveland when Big Baby is filling the shoes of Garnett.
There is no way Boston will handle Cleveland without Kevin Garnett. End of story. Period. Garnett is their best player, defending Defensive Player of the Year, one of the best help defenders in the league, the team leader who brings intensity, and a great rebounder/inside presence. When you lose something like that, you can't just bounce back and beat a team like Cleveland. Thats like saying Boston could have won the title last year without Garnett. It just wouldn't happen. I love Rondo, and I think Ray and Pierce are phenomenal, but they just can't beat Cleveland when Big Baby is filling the shoes of Garnett.
Funny you should mention last years Finals, because the way I see it, Boston won because LA didn't have Bynum, not because K.G. was there. I'm not saying that Boston WILL beat the Cavs, but no other team in the Eastern Conference has a chance to. Not even close. I think the Cavs are going to mutilate the Heat or the Hawks round 2, then get ready for an EPIC conference finals between Cavs & Boston. Just because Bostons out K.G (which actually he may come back, more about that later) doesn't mean that they have no chance. LeBron may be the beast he's hyped to be, but he's only one man. Shut down Mo Williams, and half their team is out of the picture. Everone knows Varajao and West are garbage, and Ilgauskas.... well he's actually good. I can't predict the future, but don't be so sure its going to be Cavs/Lakers in the finals.
There's been confirmation that K.G. is delaying surgery and trying to Rehab it through the next series. If the Celtics play the second round to the full 7 games, he MAY.... i repeat, MAY be at like 70-80% recovery, and good enough to sub in should Big Baby screw it up, but we can only pray right?
And about the Lakers game, UPSETTING. Kobe's my dude, I can't stand LeBron, but even I was hating Kobe last night. I stayed up til 1 AM to watch them get robbed with 2 seconds left. Kobe was what? 1-10 at halftime? Damn. He ended up doing 5-24, with GASOL scoring the most at 20... upsetting
Im going to have to side with Petear here, Noah is awful. He's far too emotional to be playing basketball, and it definitely shows. I mean, they would've had game 1 in the bag if he didn't try to be D-Wade with the block on Paul Pierce. Your not nice at blocks, don't try it. He gets fouled 99% of the time for that, if he just put a little pressure on Pierce's shot, he would've missed (we all saw Pierce's shooting that night) and it would've been over there, no questions. Then, this is a more personal thing that makes me think he's an ass, last night he flew into the crowd, knocked over an elderly couple, then all he does is point his finger showing it was chicago's possession and gets up. Doesn't say sorry or help them up even though the clock is stopped. If you watched Glen Davis game 2, he barrel-assed like 5 rows and sprawled out. He took a second and laughed at a fan's joke and shook his hand as the guy helped him out, said thanks and hustled back out. Just shows bad sportsmanship when you don't acknowledge the fans. Plus he's got this swagger that someone with teeth and nappy ass hair shouldn't have. Invest some of that paycheck to braces you ugly seed. The only thing I see him doing out there is catching Alleys and making rebounds, and since he's taller than Perkins AND has a longer reach, I'd hope so. I could run in there and do his job, since all he does is stand under the rim. Get used to seeing this picture for a while:
Mmmm hows that 3 taste Noah?
Kobe Bryant sometimes shoots his team right out of a game. He laid a real stinker tonight against the Jazz. That's why it should be clear to everyone that Lebron is just the better player. You can't imagine Lebron taking all those terrible shots from the perimeter like Kobe.
EDIT: By the way, go Mavs! The series is turning out to be blowouts each game where one team comes to play and the other doesn't.
Kobe made bad decisions last night, that's for sure. But i can't imagine LeBron taking those perimiter shots more because they're not a great strength of his and less because he's "just the better player". In having a terrible game overall, Kobe still had 6 assists and 7 rebounds, so he's using his presence on the court beyond just throwing up the ball.
What a heartbreaker at the end though...Darren Williams is a beast. Though, the way the Lakers played through that whole game, there is no reason they should have been that close in the last seconds anyway.
lol @ everyone who said Chicago was going to knock off the C's. You're looking way to far ahead. The Celtics had 2 mediocre at best games and Chicago's 2 best players went off for their best games of the season and they still only won one of those games. If the Celtics can play at 70% the rest of the series the Bull's don't stand a chance.
Also, just because Ben Gordon does nothing but score doesn't make him not a good player. He can just flat out win games for the Bulls. Having someone on your team that can win games for your team is an important thing if the goal is to win a championship and not just during the regular season. If the Bulls are trying to build a title contending team, which they are showing some serious promise of, keeping Gordon would be a good step.
I'm not saying Ben Gordan is terrible, I'm saying he is inconsistent, undersized, doesn't play defense, and doesn't think its necessary to rebound or pass. To me, this means I don't want him as a franchise player on my team, nor do I want to commit a large sum of dollars to a guy who is occasionally going to shoot lights out and do jack **** the rest of the time. And that feeling was felt around the NBA as he didn't get a contract this summer. He's a fine role player, but I don't feel the need to throw 10's of millions his way just because he will shoot the lights out from time to time.
As for the Lakers-Jazz game, Kobe didn't have a great shooting night at all. But, neither did the rest of the team. I checked the box score last night so my memory is slightly rusty but I think the only person to shoot over 50% last night who shot more than 3 shots was Pau who went 8-15, and one other guy I think went 2-3. Everyone else was under 50% for the game, which includes Ariza, Odom (who I think went 3-9), Fisher, etc. Kobe shot a dreadful 5-24 but he wasn't the only one having a bad shooting night, and you know he will come out and show he is the best player in the league just slightly ahead of Lebron and go off during game 4. He won't have a repeat showing, guaranteed.
As for Boston winning last year, believe what you want, Bynum is busted and terrible, but thats a different debate and I think the Celtics would have won anyway. And here's the thing, with no KG, NO ONE IN THE EAST has a chance to beat the Cavs, not even Boston. You seem to be missing the point where Boston is missing its best player, defender, rebounder, low post scorer, and intensity leader. When you are missing someone of that magnitude it shows. Just look at how much Boston has struggled at times during this series and they are playing a young Bulls team who they should sweep while they are asleep. The lack of KG in the lineup is glaring and is a significant weakeness. KG would be crucial in the help defense of Lebron, as well as a huge advantage against Cleveland's bigs who aren't in the same league as him. I don't know if he will come back, I haven't heard anything about that so I will reserve judgment, but no KG=no chance period.
As for Boston winning last year, believe what you want, Bynum is busted and terrible, but thats a different debate and I think the Celtics would have won anyway. And here's the thing, with no KG, NO ONE IN THE EAST has a chance to beat the Cavs, not even Boston. You seem to be missing the point where Boston is missing its best player, defender, rebounder, low post scorer, and intensity leader. When you are missing someone of that magnitude it shows. Just look at how much Boston has struggled at times during this series and they are playing a young Bulls team who they should sweep while they are asleep. The lack of KG in the lineup is glaring and is a significant weakeness. KG would be crucial in the help defense of Lebron, as well as a huge advantage against Cleveland's bigs who aren't in the same league as him. I don't know if he will come back, I haven't heard anything about that so I will reserve judgment, but no KG=no chance period.
All your arguements are the same. I get it, you don't think Boston can do it. We will see come round 3, but for now Im done talking about this issue. KG may be the best player, but really, hes only a little ahead of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Plus Paul Pierce was MVP of last years finals, if KG is the best player on that team, why didn't he get it? Because Paul Pierce is a beast when he goes hard.
As for the Portland game, its so upsetting to see Portland losing to Houston, especially wiht Yao and Artest not doing anything offensively, Portland should've smashed on them. But Artest did a really good job of D-ing Roy all night, and that sucks. Roy needs to get his head out of his ass and really start to go hard.
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The Lakers-Jazz series shouldn't go to 7. I think its going to be 5. Lakers lost by two points shooting as terribly as they did two nights ago. They will probably win the next two.
As for the Portland game, its so upsetting to see Portland losing to Houston, especially wiht Yao and Artest not doing anything offensively, Portland should've smashed on them. But Artest did a really good job of D-ing Roy all night, and that sucks. Roy needs to get his head out of his ass and really start to go hard.
Roy can play as hard as he wants, as long as Houston played D like they did that game he's not going to get going. Houston has 2 of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the league in Battier and Artest to put on Roy all game and great big men like Yao and Scola (whose playing far above his head this series) to close the lane and stop layups.
Also, even if KG isn't Boston's best player (I still think he is, Finals MVP just mean you played best in the Finals. It doesn't say anything about getting to the Finals) he's definitely their second best and their best defensive player. Not having him takes the team down a notch. It's like LA without Pau, just not the same team as before and definitely worse.
On Joakim Noah, I'm just going to quote a post on BlogABull that makes the case far better than I could, though it's just in comparison to the Bulls' other players:
Quote from YaoPau »
- His 123 ORtg led the team
- His 105 DRtg is second to Tyrus’ 104
- His 6.5 WS were 2nd to Gordon’s 7.0, but had Joakim played Gordon’s 2999 minutes he’d be at 10.1
- His 2.1 actual APM last year was 2nd on the team last year to Luol Deng
- His 2.17 statistical APM this year led the team among players who’ve been here all year
- Hell, even PER which almost only counts offensive contributions rated him 2nd on the team behind Ben Gordon.
- You can expect him to be even better next year because of how much he’s improved offensively since January 25th.
Normal stats don't capture what Joakim does as a player. You have a right to be angry at him, he's kind of like Varejao in the sense that he irritates the **** out of the other team. But to say that he's not good is just plain wrong.
And Gordon's not too great on defence, but he does try - I remember in Game 2 in particular watching him and Ray fill up the box scores. He was with Ray making him shoot tough shots, they were just going in. He is below-average with respect to defense because of the rebounding/steals/height issue [people can shoot over him]. He's still good - not the best SG in the league, but he's not bad by any means. Basically a shorter Michael Redd.
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my mouth is full of winsome lies -
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Roy can play as hard as he wants, as long as Houston played D like they did that game he's not going to get going. Houston has 2 of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the league in Battier and Artest to put on Roy all game and great big men like Yao and Scola (whose playing far above his head this series) to close the lane and stop layups.
I disagree Roy nearly won the game 2 nights ago on his own at the end there. It was a close game and Roy and Aldridge both shot a very low percentage overall.
I think they can steal a game in Houston and Roy did explode for 42 points in Portland without taking 30+ shots to do it. They can't defend against Aldridge and Roy without leaving other people wide open who can make them pay. I think they need to get some more offensive plays to get other guys open when they send doubles at Roy and Aldridge. They have guys that can hit that long shot like Rudy, Blake, or guys that are dangerous in the middle like Przy, Oden.
Yeah none of those 4 are as good as Aldridge Roy right now but Rudy is by far one of the best 3 point shooters in the league and is very deadly out there. I think that's the problem with Houston is Roy hits another gear at the end of a game and I don't see many Houston players who do the same thing. I will admit I would have rather matched up with any other team then Houston except maybe Dallas because this is by far one of the toughest first round opponents for Portland.
All my arguments were the same because you didn't bother to address them and instead just decided to say that Pierce, Allen, and Rondo were good and thats all they need, rather than say how Boston is/could fill the shoes of Garnett or give me any reason to believe that Big Baby and Mikki Moore could do the job (which they can't). I also think it's a little early to be talking about a Boston-Cavs Eastern Conference Final. They need to take care of this series in as few games as possible, and then beat the Magic/76ers next round, which could prove challenging, especially if they get matched up with Orlando. I feel like Dwight Howard would go nuts and dominate Perkins and Big Baby. Allen and Pierce are getting up there in age, and have played quite a few games in the past year, since they made their championship run last season. Pierce in particular I'm worried about since he has to be Boston's best option on offense and get his numbers in for the team to win, and then guard the other team's best perimeter player. He might get tired somewhere in there.
The Portland game was just frustrating. I'm still waiting for Outlaw and Aldrige to show up and play in this series. Outlaw has scored an extremely disappointing 21 points for the entire series when he is our 3rd leading scorer, and although Aldrige had a solid game 2, he hasn't shown up at all for games 1 or 3. This needs to change for Portland to win this series. Also, it was excruciatingly painful to watch Houston's 4's shoot wide open 18 footers all night long and not switch up the defense. I liked the idea, cover the shooters, cover Yao, and lets see if Scola and Landry will beat us from the outside. Well, the problem was that they were whooping our asses from outside and the whole game we decided to just let them shoot wide open jumpers and they capitalized nearly every time. After Scola gets 13 in the first quarter don't you think its time to switch up the defense and make a guy switch or go over to put a hand in his face? Or some sort of half time adjustment for that? Oh well, hopefully we can pull it together for game 4, because if we lose it, its over.
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I disagree I still think Portland can pull it out and most experts predicted a Blazer win in 6-7. Yao is stoppable it just will take some adjustments.
The Blazers were playing nervous if they would have shot a similar percentage it would have been a Blazer win. Due to the fact they had more shots then the Rockets. It was the opposite of the Denver game where Blazers couldn't miss and that's why Denver lost by about 30.
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
I think you mean the Lakers, not just Kobe. He is so much better now that he doesn't try to do everything on his own and we should give him credit for that.
It was actually 36 points and 11 assists.
WOO BULLS!!!!111!!!!! TO THE FINALS!!!!11111!!!!
...
OK, maybe not, but that game was seriously awesome. I'm ready for Game 2 now.
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Dallas is on a roll and I see them prevailing just like in '06. History is on their side.
The upsets so far are quite entertaining.
Lakers did work on the Jazz. I found it funny that Kobe had 5 assists before he even took a shot. Really shows why he's my favorite and he should've won MVP. Kobe controls the game. He does what he wants, his face never changes while he plays, it almost looks boring to him its so easy. He showed that yesterday, ramping Trevor Ariza to 21 points (a career high) with his 8 assists. He scored 24 on his own, with Gasol rounding out the top 3 with 20 buckets. Kobe has shown us that he's not only a team player, but when they need them, he can make 2nd half the Kobe Bryant show.
I predict...... Rematch Lakers VS Celtics
Just because I think the Celtics can stop LeBron if they play their hearts out, but they need to stop the Bulls tonight or my prediction is right out the window. But either way, Lakers are gunna go gold.
EDIT: tehpincushonmahn : Dont sleep on the Blazers. They're a young team with insane energy. Yao may have spanked them game 1, but Brandon Roy isn't happy. When he's not happy, he goes beast mode.
So it looks like two upsets are going to be avenged today, with the Celtics getting brilliant games from Rondo and Allen and Tony Parker lighting up the Mavs.
That said, the Celtics are definitely ... much, much worse without KG. The Bulls have a pretty good chance to take this series. Both teams had their shooters red-hot, but the Celtics got the last possession ... ><
I'm gonna try to get tickets for Game 4. Man, if all the games in the series are like this ... this has definitely been a fun series to watch. Although, given that the Bulls have played a lot better with homecourt, I'd be satisfied with some blowouts.
[edit: NOT THAT I AM EXPECTING BLOWOUTS]
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
I beg to differ. Ben Gordan, Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas are all really good players. Plus, they are hungry for a ring. I think they have a better chance then the Magic, and thats just from what I've seen.
...
Ouch.
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
Precisely. And I thought it was going to be a close game, too.
Guess PP is saving up his energy for other games.
-K
EDIT: By the way, go Mavs! The series is turning out to be blowouts each game where one team comes to play and the other doesn't.
Also, Ben Gordan is really streaky, and not necessarily a good NBA player. All he does is score. When he went off against Boston in game 2, he had 40+ points sure, but he also only had one rebound and zero assists. He doesn't do anything except chuck the basketball to the hoop. If he is so great, why didn't he have teams chomping at the bit to sign him over the past summer when he was a restricted free agent? He is an undersized two that isn't consistent, doesn't defend, and doesn't think its necessary to pass or rebound. No thanks. I'm also not sold on Tyrus Thomas. Lamarcus Aldrige is definitely leaps and bounds better, and Thomas had a good game during the playoffs but I still feel he is an inconsistent undersized 4 who is athletic. And whoever said they have a better chance against the Magic, you better see if they can get there first before you start talking about their chances next round.
There is no way Boston will handle Cleveland without Kevin Garnett. End of story. Period. Garnett is their best player, defending Defensive Player of the Year, one of the best help defenders in the league, the team leader who brings intensity, and a great rebounder/inside presence. When you lose something like that, you can't just bounce back and beat a team like Cleveland. Thats like saying Boston could have won the title last year without Garnett. It just wouldn't happen. I love Rondo, and I think Ray and Pierce are phenomenal, but they just can't beat Cleveland when Big Baby is filling the shoes of Garnett.
Funny you should mention last years Finals, because the way I see it, Boston won because LA didn't have Bynum, not because K.G. was there. I'm not saying that Boston WILL beat the Cavs, but no other team in the Eastern Conference has a chance to. Not even close. I think the Cavs are going to mutilate the Heat or the Hawks round 2, then get ready for an EPIC conference finals between Cavs & Boston. Just because Bostons out K.G (which actually he may come back, more about that later) doesn't mean that they have no chance. LeBron may be the beast he's hyped to be, but he's only one man. Shut down Mo Williams, and half their team is out of the picture. Everone knows Varajao and West are garbage, and Ilgauskas.... well he's actually good. I can't predict the future, but don't be so sure its going to be Cavs/Lakers in the finals.
There's been confirmation that K.G. is delaying surgery and trying to Rehab it through the next series. If the Celtics play the second round to the full 7 games, he MAY.... i repeat, MAY be at like 70-80% recovery, and good enough to sub in should Big Baby screw it up, but we can only pray right?
And about the Lakers game, UPSETTING. Kobe's my dude, I can't stand LeBron, but even I was hating Kobe last night. I stayed up til 1 AM to watch them get robbed with 2 seconds left. Kobe was what? 1-10 at halftime? Damn. He ended up doing 5-24, with GASOL scoring the most at 20... upsetting
Im going to have to side with Petear here, Noah is awful. He's far too emotional to be playing basketball, and it definitely shows. I mean, they would've had game 1 in the bag if he didn't try to be D-Wade with the block on Paul Pierce. Your not nice at blocks, don't try it. He gets fouled 99% of the time for that, if he just put a little pressure on Pierce's shot, he would've missed (we all saw Pierce's shooting that night) and it would've been over there, no questions. Then, this is a more personal thing that makes me think he's an ass, last night he flew into the crowd, knocked over an elderly couple, then all he does is point his finger showing it was chicago's possession and gets up. Doesn't say sorry or help them up even though the clock is stopped. If you watched Glen Davis game 2, he barrel-assed like 5 rows and sprawled out. He took a second and laughed at a fan's joke and shook his hand as the guy helped him out, said thanks and hustled back out. Just shows bad sportsmanship when you don't acknowledge the fans. Plus he's got this swagger that someone with teeth and nappy ass hair shouldn't have. Invest some of that paycheck to braces you ugly seed. The only thing I see him doing out there is catching Alleys and making rebounds, and since he's taller than Perkins AND has a longer reach, I'd hope so. I could run in there and do his job, since all he does is stand under the rim. Get used to seeing this picture for a while:
Mmmm hows that 3 taste Noah?
Kobe made bad decisions last night, that's for sure. But i can't imagine LeBron taking those perimiter shots more because they're not a great strength of his and less because he's "just the better player". In having a terrible game overall, Kobe still had 6 assists and 7 rebounds, so he's using his presence on the court beyond just throwing up the ball.
What a heartbreaker at the end though...Darren Williams is a beast. Though, the way the Lakers played through that whole game, there is no reason they should have been that close in the last seconds anyway.
Also, just because Ben Gordon does nothing but score doesn't make him not a good player. He can just flat out win games for the Bulls. Having someone on your team that can win games for your team is an important thing if the goal is to win a championship and not just during the regular season. If the Bulls are trying to build a title contending team, which they are showing some serious promise of, keeping Gordon would be a good step.
As for the Lakers-Jazz game, Kobe didn't have a great shooting night at all. But, neither did the rest of the team. I checked the box score last night so my memory is slightly rusty but I think the only person to shoot over 50% last night who shot more than 3 shots was Pau who went 8-15, and one other guy I think went 2-3. Everyone else was under 50% for the game, which includes Ariza, Odom (who I think went 3-9), Fisher, etc. Kobe shot a dreadful 5-24 but he wasn't the only one having a bad shooting night, and you know he will come out and show he is the best player in the league just slightly ahead of Lebron and go off during game 4. He won't have a repeat showing, guaranteed.
As for Boston winning last year, believe what you want, Bynum is busted and terrible, but thats a different debate and I think the Celtics would have won anyway. And here's the thing, with no KG, NO ONE IN THE EAST has a chance to beat the Cavs, not even Boston. You seem to be missing the point where Boston is missing its best player, defender, rebounder, low post scorer, and intensity leader. When you are missing someone of that magnitude it shows. Just look at how much Boston has struggled at times during this series and they are playing a young Bulls team who they should sweep while they are asleep. The lack of KG in the lineup is glaring and is a significant weakeness. KG would be crucial in the help defense of Lebron, as well as a huge advantage against Cleveland's bigs who aren't in the same league as him. I don't know if he will come back, I haven't heard anything about that so I will reserve judgment, but no KG=no chance period.
All your arguements are the same. I get it, you don't think Boston can do it. We will see come round 3, but for now Im done talking about this issue. KG may be the best player, but really, hes only a little ahead of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Plus Paul Pierce was MVP of last years finals, if KG is the best player on that team, why didn't he get it? Because Paul Pierce is a beast when he goes hard.
As for the Portland game, its so upsetting to see Portland losing to Houston, especially wiht Yao and Artest not doing anything offensively, Portland should've smashed on them. But Artest did a really good job of D-ing Roy all night, and that sucks. Roy needs to get his head out of his ass and really start to go hard.
Roy can play as hard as he wants, as long as Houston played D like they did that game he's not going to get going. Houston has 2 of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the league in Battier and Artest to put on Roy all game and great big men like Yao and Scola (whose playing far above his head this series) to close the lane and stop layups.
Also, even if KG isn't Boston's best player (I still think he is, Finals MVP just mean you played best in the Finals. It doesn't say anything about getting to the Finals) he's definitely their second best and their best defensive player. Not having him takes the team down a notch. It's like LA without Pau, just not the same team as before and definitely worse.
Normal stats don't capture what Joakim does as a player. You have a right to be angry at him, he's kind of like Varejao in the sense that he irritates the **** out of the other team. But to say that he's not good is just plain wrong.
And Gordon's not too great on defence, but he does try - I remember in Game 2 in particular watching him and Ray fill up the box scores. He was with Ray making him shoot tough shots, they were just going in. He is below-average with respect to defense because of the rebounding/steals/height issue [people can shoot over him]. He's still good - not the best SG in the league, but he's not bad by any means. Basically a shorter Michael Redd.
and eyes are full of death besides
but luckily the soul is wise -
it sees beyond my blindness and
forced failure makes a better guise,
so as i come again alive,
it feels like life's a decent plan
I disagree Roy nearly won the game 2 nights ago on his own at the end there. It was a close game and Roy and Aldridge both shot a very low percentage overall.
I think they can steal a game in Houston and Roy did explode for 42 points in Portland without taking 30+ shots to do it. They can't defend against Aldridge and Roy without leaving other people wide open who can make them pay. I think they need to get some more offensive plays to get other guys open when they send doubles at Roy and Aldridge. They have guys that can hit that long shot like Rudy, Blake, or guys that are dangerous in the middle like Przy, Oden.
Yeah none of those 4 are as good as Aldridge Roy right now but Rudy is by far one of the best 3 point shooters in the league and is very deadly out there. I think that's the problem with Houston is Roy hits another gear at the end of a game and I don't see many Houston players who do the same thing. I will admit I would have rather matched up with any other team then Houston except maybe Dallas because this is by far one of the toughest first round opponents for Portland.
Feel free to bid on my cards here!
The Portland game was just frustrating. I'm still waiting for Outlaw and Aldrige to show up and play in this series. Outlaw has scored an extremely disappointing 21 points for the entire series when he is our 3rd leading scorer, and although Aldrige had a solid game 2, he hasn't shown up at all for games 1 or 3. This needs to change for Portland to win this series. Also, it was excruciatingly painful to watch Houston's 4's shoot wide open 18 footers all night long and not switch up the defense. I liked the idea, cover the shooters, cover Yao, and lets see if Scola and Landry will beat us from the outside. Well, the problem was that they were whooping our asses from outside and the whole game we decided to just let them shoot wide open jumpers and they capitalized nearly every time. After Scola gets 13 in the first quarter don't you think its time to switch up the defense and make a guy switch or go over to put a hand in his face? Or some sort of half time adjustment for that? Oh well, hopefully we can pull it together for game 4, because if we lose it, its over.