Nba

[omicron]

Ok, allstar break just ended. We are on the downside of the season.

Big questions for the rest of the season. Can the Dallas Mavericks stay at the top? They've gone 30-2 in their last 32 games. Can they go 26-3 to crack the 70 win mark for the season? All after starting 0-4.

Who will win the (L)East and does it matter? Only one team in the East is on a 50-win pace.

This is the first season in league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that the top five records at the All-Star break belong to teams from the same conference. In order, it's Dallas (44-9), Phoenix (39-13), Utah (35-17), San Antonio (35-18) and Houston (33-19).

Will Scottie Pippen come back? Who will the 41yr old play for?

How much did Charles Barkley lose this weekend in Vegas? He said he made 700K on the Superbowl, I'm guessing he's lost most of that by now :D

Stay tuned! :popcorn:

[colmatrix]

Was there a rumor of Scottie Pippen coming back? I hope not. I wish players would stay retired, and not ruin their legacy. He is one of the all-time greats, but I don't think he would be a contributing factor.

My freakin Knicks, man. I don't know what to say about them. They have the biggest payroll in the league, which if fitting because they also are the biggest disapointments. I wish we could just get rid of Isiah, he has the complete opposite of the midas touch. Eddie Curry was a move that did work out, but everyone eelse just can't seem to play together.

If they don't make the playoffs, I'll hope for a Miami-Detroit ECF, and a Dallas-Phoenix WCF, and we'll probably see both. You can throw San Antonio into that mix, but those are the top 5, right?

[neglet]

Oh, I think a Detroit-Chicago ECF would be much more interesting, with Ben Wallace now playing for the Bulls instead of the Pistons. I'm just glad Detroit clinched home court, that could make a big difference.

[Natalie]

I didn't realize people still watched the NBA....okay, jk.


It is a shame though. I remember in the late 80's and early 90's everyone was watching. The character of the players has really downgraded the entire organization.

[colmatrix]

I guess it comes and goes, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson really made it popular again after a lull in the 70's. Then MJ came and we all know how good he was for the league. Then Allen Iverson came and turned everyone into ballhogs that want to 'cross someone up' and make them look bad, rather than learn the fundementals of the game. Teams like Phoenix are so exciting to watch nowadays because they actually play like a team. Who knows if the league will ever be like it was in the 80's-90's.

The playoffs have arrived, and it's sad for me to say that I don't really care. I'll watch the conference/finals, but 'til then it's Sports Center for me. :)

[Natalie]

I have flipped right past the games on TNT. There's just no appeal to me anymore. There are players I'm really into and excited to watch in NCAA and when they graduate or jump ship to the NBA, they basically just disappear from my world.

[colmatrix]

Well I have watched a few games...Kobe Bryant is no MJ. Maybe if he had Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman it would be a different story, but he is stuck with some scrubs.

I really love TNT's post-game coverage with Ernie, Kenny, and Charles. They are funnier
than most comedy shows, if not always analytically correct. They are the most entertaining basketball show on TV though.

And man, the Suns are going to be tough to beat. So are the Bulls. That would make an exciting finals match-up.

[chemikillgod]

Go SUNS!

Maybe this is going to be the year for Phoenix to finally have that blasted championship. The Eastern Conference have really sucked this year IMHO. For me, it's really between the Suns, the Spurs, and the Mavs.

[colmatrix]

How about those Warriors? Don Nelson knows his old team too well I suppose, kind of like when John Gruden beat the Raiders after he left.

[neglet]

Okay, so Chicago sweeps Miami, and now Detroit is one game from what looks like a certain sweep of Chicago. Games 1 & 2 they took double-digit leads in the first quarter and dominated to win; yesterday they spotted the Bulls 16 points at halftime and still came back to win by 7. This team is fired up, and I doubt they'll be challenged by Cleveland or New Jersey if they keep playing this way. Hope they make the NBA Finals, cuz we'll get a great series out of it.

[colmatrix]

I lied....I've actually watched about 90% of the games so far. The Phoenix/San An series has been amazing, as has the Utah/GS series. The whole Derek Fisher story has been cool. Overall a good playoffs so far with new teams in the mix. At least it's somewhat fresh. And then of course there's Inside the NBA, which is the best show on TV.

[colmatrix]

Did anyone watch as Lebron made the transition from boy to man this week? He actually looked like a man among boys in game 5. What...a...performance! Holy shnikies this guy is talented, and athletic, and poised under pressure. Good luck to him in the finals! He'll need it.

[omicron]

yeah that was an amazing performance. I was watching at the bar and I couldn't believe it.

[neglet]

Grrrrr. Don't talk to me about game 5 and how the NBA wanted LeBron in the finals.

Game 6 they earned. Now they can go get spanked by San Antonio.

[colmatrix]

If anything, they were trying to keep Detroit in game 5...remember Lebron getting mauled by Rasheed with no call? He didn't just earn game 5, he took it. The shots he made were unbelievable. The funny thing is that at the beginning of the game and all through the series I wanted Detroit to win! Lebron pulled a 'Rocky 4' and switched my allegiance in the middle of the game. :D I got mad respect now...

[neglet]

I remember at the end of the first OT, Lebron ran straight to the hoop and got a ticky-tacky foul, yet when Sheed's hand was hit when he attempted a shot that would've given the Pistons the lead, there was no call. Plus Varejao is a total flopper, so I have my doubts that McDyess should have been ejected at the end of the first period--call a deliberate tech, sure, but it didn't look like he was trying to deliberately clothesline the guy, his arm got caught. In any case, I know Sideshow Bob got at least one other bad call from flopping.

In the end it doesn't matter. The Pistons need to change their laissez-faire attitude of "we can slack off, because we'll win when it really matters." They eased up in game 3, and let Lebron and the Cavs take over the rest of the series. If they had won game 5, maybe they could've pulled it out, but you let the young hungry guys start thinking they can win and you're toast. I give props to Lebron and the rookie Gibson especially, they kept fighting through 5 close games and then stomped on the Pistons to close out game 6. Now they can go lose in five to San Antonio.

[colmatrix]

So far, so good... :D

[colmatrix]

Why couldn't a team from the East end up with Oden or Durant? Seriously, does the West need more dominant big men? They already have a monopoly on the league...