NBA Basketball 2008-09: The Thread

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mikal said:
and i really hope they do. of course, i still want Lebron to get his ring, but i'd also be ok with George Karl getting a ring. he seems like a good guy, and i liked him when he coached my miserable Bucks.
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The Bucks seem to have no plan at all. They're in a bad spot. They're slated to get the #10 pick unless they luck out in the lottery, and that's not likely to get any game-changers. Moreover, Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson both have ETOs after next season, and I can't see why they wouldn't exercise them and get as far away from Milwaukee as possible while getting a new payday - I mean, Redd is going to be 30 in a few months and Jefferson is about to be 29 in a few weeks, and I don't see why either of them would want to spend the last years of their primes on a team that looks like it's going nowhere any time soon - they can both be big contributors on winning teams. Redd should find a team that is perhaps his 21ppg away from contention. He's not a first option, and is very borderline even as a 2nd option, but damn if he couldn't play the Ray Allen-third-man role for a contender. Same for Jefferson. And I don't see any FA of worth signing with Milwaukee in 2010. Maybe that's an overly pessimistic outlook for the Bucks, but it's my gut impression.
 
The Bucks are screwed in that they're basically where the Celtics were after Reggie Lewis died. Not good enough to do anything, and not crappy enough to get an impact player in the draft. And there they sat, for 15 years, until they caught lightning in a bottle twice (and that ofter losing out every time they were shitty enough to get a good pick).
 
The Rockets just showed what heart is.

This Lakers team is not a championship-calibre team. The Cavs are a better team. The Nuggets are a better team. The KG-less Celtics are a better team.

The Lakers will probably win game 7, but at least they will have been forced into less rest than the Nuggets. I so want to see the Nuggets beat the Lakers.
 
Strange, they were pretty close to championship-calibre last year, and probably would have won the title with a health Andrew Bynum. They only got blown out in the last game, if you remember.

They haven't been playing with a lot of energy in these playoffs, but that's not exactly the same thing as whether or not they're title-worthy. The question is, can they rise to the occasion when they have to? They sure as hell looked championship-calibre on Tuesday.
 
lazarus said:
Strange, they were pretty close to championship-calibre last year, and probably would have won the title with a health Andrew Bynum. They only got blown out in the last game, if you remember.

They haven't been playing with a lot of energy in these playoffs, but that's not exactly the same thing as whether or not they're title-worthy. The question is, can they rise to the occasion when they have to? They sure as hell looked championship-calibre on Tuesday.
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I do think the energy thing does tie into a title-worthy team. Look at how the Celtics are scrapping around every night and competing with a depleted roster. No KG is a hell of a lot worse than an injured Bynum... I haven't seen a game yet where the Lakers have played with that amount of grit, if that makes any sense. Or hell, look at how the Rockets are playing without their two "superstars" and Dikembe.
 
LMP said:
I do think the energy thing does tie into a title-worthy team. Look at how the Celtics are scrapping around every night and competing with a depleted roster. No KG is a hell of a lot worse than an injured Bynum... I haven't seen a game yet where the Lakers have played with that amount of grit, if that makes any sense. Or hell, look at how the Rockets are playing without their two "superstars" and Dikembe.
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I get that. There's no urgency. And they're not playing as tenaciously as the Celtics, Magic, or Rockets. But they haven't really HAD to up to this point, you know? Their only must-win was a Game 5 in Houston, and look what happened.

As far as dominance, they disposed of the Jazz almost as easily as the Cavs dealt with their first two opponents, the only close game being the one they lost.

In the next game either the real Laker team is either going to show up for good (I doubt they will be able to return to chill mode in a series with the Nuggets), or they will lose and prove that you need to maintain focus at all times to go all the way.

Bottom line is that they have the talent to win a series against any team in the league, so the notion that they aren't championship-calibre is a bit ridiculous to me.
 
That's fair, but they should be decimating the Rockets every night, especially with the huge size advantage they have down low at any given time.

If anything, the team that's dismantled better teams like the Cavs have done on the East bracket has been the Nuggets.

True, we'll see what happens.

There's that degree of mental toughness that I don't think the Lakers, or my beloved Magic have, at this point, but do to completely different reasons: huge expectations for the former and the inexperience of not "being there" yet for the latter.

I do think the Lakers will win the series, but that in the process, they've been exposed as a beatable team, especially against the 2nd-hottest team in the whole playoffs.
 
Well done, Lakers. My obnoxious Houston friends will now be less insufferable.
 
Well, that was certainly anticlimactic. Major choke by Pierce.

That late three by Turkoglu to put the lead back to 15 was a HUGE DAGGER. Money shot.

I didn't know Eliza Dushku was a Celtics fan. Luckily for her, I'll let it slide.
 
GirlsAloudFan said:
Beautiful things are happening in Los Angeles.
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:yes:
lakers.gif
 
lazarus said:
Well, that was certainly anticlimactic. Major choke by Pierce.

That late three by Turkoglu to put the lead back to 15 was a HUGE DAGGER. Money shot.

I didn't know Eliza Dushku was a Celtics fan. Luckily for her, I'll let it slide.
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You could never be too sure with a Magic lead though. Turkoglu played out of his mind tonight... that was a welcome surprise.

Man, she can be my Big Baby.

The chances of there being a non-LeBron/Kobe Finals has definitely increased.
 
lazarus said:
I didn't know Eliza Dushku was a Celtics fan. Luckily for her, I'll let it slide.
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She grew up in Watertown, MA.


Kudos to the Magic. Hopefully they can give Cleveland a series.

Go Nuggets. They have a huge advantage at the point, exploiting that will be their key to winning. If Carmelo can come close to matching Kobe's production, and the frontcourt can keep Pau Vedder in check, the Billups/Fisher matchup could tilt the scales in Denver's favor.
 
Definitely rooting for Denver and Orlando. Keeping my eye on the refs, I'm guessing all those "clean" Howard blocks will suddenly become fouls when Cleveland's the opponent.
 
lazarus said:
Looking pretty championesque right now, huh?

And what happened to the little pipsqueak? Apparently he's only clutch in "Clutch City".
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taking 7 games to beat a team that was missing about 40 points worth of offense is not something to be pounding one's chest about... no, the lakers do not look very championesque at all. doesn't mean they won't win it, but even a fan would be lying to themselves if they said they looked like a team determined to win a championship.

they almost lost a series to a team who's best offensive options were a bi-polar lunatic and the former quarterback of the new orleans saints.

now they do have the talent to "flip the switch" when it matters... but it gets harder and harder to "flip the switch" as the playoffs advance, as they found out last season.

come out soft and chauncy billups will tear out your heart.
 
When you've worked with every star from Shaq to Sasha Grey, I'm sure you're bound to lose a few marbles.
 
The lotto is about to start!

My Bulls only had a 1.7% chance last year and they won the lotto(and Derrick Rose) - everybody's got a chance :)
 
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