The NBA Thread

I hope the Heat do get Bosh back for game 5 because he'll totally F their flow up and I think Celts take game 5 if he plays. But the East doesnt even matter, whoever wins out West are the NBA champs.

I don't like the Celtics at all, mainly because of my hatred for KG but they have been very impressive in the playoffs. Many people, including myself have counted them out many times due to their age but they continue to fight. I do love watching Rondo play, if he can continue to knock down jumpers on a more consistent basis he will be one of the top 3 players in the league.

[QUOTE=Lionsfan780;307189]I don't like the Celtics at all, mainly because of my hatred for KG but they have been very impressive in the playoffs. Many people, including myself have counted them out many times due to their age but they continue to fight. I do love watching Rondo play, if he can continue to knock down jumpers on a more consistent basis he will be one of the top 3 players in the league.[/QUOTE] I don't think he can be a top 3 player in the league. A top 5 player, yes, but not a top 3 player. I don't see him passing LeBron, KD, or Dwight in the near future.

[QUOTE=TheFeedMachi;307193]I don't think he can be a top 3 player in the league. A top 5 player, yes, but not a top 3 player. I don't see him passing LeBron, KD, or Dwight in the near future.[/QUOTE] I may be in the minority on this but I don't think Dwight Howard is a top 5 player

[QUOTE=Lionsfan780;307197]I may be in the minority on this but I don't think Dwight Howard is a top 5 player[/QUOTE] Comparing players is difficult because of strength of position. Dwight Howard is without a doubt the best center, and it isn't even close. He is also the best defensive player in the NBA. I would probably take him 3rd to build a team around. [QUOTE=Bacchus;307196]The guy is scared to close. That makes him someone who can score a whole bunch when there is no pressure, but doesn't want the ball in the critical moments. That is why he always dumps it off to Wade in those final seconds... Rondo is clutch. He doesn't need to pass anyone (although when he does pass, the ball finds the hoop.) He already has a title on his mantle. He asks for the ball with the clock winding down. He is playing for another Championship and he keeps getting better. Until LeBron can prove he can win it all, he is nothing but another Allen Iverson.[/QUOTE] Winning a title as the 4th best player (which he was in 2008 and he wasn't anywhere close to where he is now) isn't that big of an accomplishment. Edit: Rondo's Stats in the 2008 Playoffs: 10.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, FG% of 40.7%. 2012 Playoffs: 17.4 PPG, 11.9 APG, 6.7 RPG, FG% of 48.0% Winning a title is extremely difficult to do. I only hold LeBron accountable for not winning the title in 2011. I hold him accountable for not making the Finals in 2009 or 2010, but those teams wouldn't have won the title because the roster wasn't that good. I don't think you can be any farther off by comparing him to Allen Iverson. They are completely different players. Their only similarity is no championship. AI was a terrible teammate, a volume scorer, and great in the clutch. LeBron is a great teammate, an efficient scorer, and bad in the clutch.

If OKC beats San Antonio and goes to the NBA Finals (up 3-2 currently), they will have defeated the Mavs, Lakers, and Spurs, the only 3 teams to represent the West in the Finals since 1999. If OKC wins the title, they will have defeated 11 of the past 13 champions (the only past champions that they wouldn't beat would be the Pistons who won in 04 and the loser of the ECF). This feels like it could be the ultimate passing of the torch playoffs.

[QUOTE=Bacchus;307196]The guy is scared to close. That makes him someone who can score a whole bunch when there is no pressure, but doesn't want the ball in the critical moments. That is why he always dumps it off to Wade in those final seconds... Rondo is clutch. He doesn't need to pass anyone (although when he does pass, the ball finds the hoop.) He already has a title on his mantle. He asks for the ball with the clock winding down. He is playing for another Championship and he keeps getting better. Until LeBron can prove he can win it all, he is nothing but another Allen Iverson.[/QUOTE] I hate to agree with you about this but I do. I have always been a big Lebron fan and always try to defend him but he makes it so hard to do. I do think he is afraid of the big moment in the clutch for some reason or another. I don't understand why he doesn't just drive to the basket late in games, but it's probably because he is afraid to have to make free throws. I do think he and Iverson are very different. As for Rondo, he has proven to be clutch. He has been able to manage keeping 3 guys with pretty sizeable egos happy and that is impressive. Although he wasn't the main piece of the championship they won he helped set everything up. He is the main piece of this team they won't win it all if he doesn't play well. Alot of other point guards get more credit but I would take him over any of them.

If the Celtics win this series it will be because of Rajon Rondo. The man has elevated his game to a level I'd never thought he'd reach. It's been a long time since I've seen someone play with such a chip on his shoulder and yet control the game so easily. Very similar to some of CP3's work, but less on the scoring and with way more of a Bird-like edge. Earlier this year I argued with a friend that I would trade Rondo straight up for Paul. Now I'm correcting myself on that front. Just to get this back to 2-2 was a huge accomplishment, in my opinion. Also, whoever was arguing that Rondo was "clutch" didn't have a lot of evidence to back that up before this series. The '08 title and the '10 Finals appearance was more thanks to the Big 3. Now, the man is correcting that last flaw. As far as LeBron goes, I won't disagree the man has shrunk from the clutch the last few years, but I also feel like the pairing of him and D-Wade was mismatched from the start. LeBron isn't wired with Wade's killer instinct, he's more like Magic and really, should be getting everyone else involved. That, combined with the crap nature of the rest of the team around them, just tells me they need to be broken up. LeBron needs his own team to lord over, and so does Wade.

[QUOTE=TheFeedMachi;307212]Comparing players is difficult because of strength of position. Dwight Howard is without a doubt the best center, and it isn't even close. He is also the best defensive player in the NBA. I would probably take him 3rd to build a team around. Winning a title as the 4th best player (which he was in 2008 and he wasn't anywhere close to where he is now) isn't that big of an accomplishment. Edit: Rondo's Stats in the 2008 Playoffs: 10.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, FG% of 40.7%. 2012 Playoffs: 17.4 PPG, 11.9 APG, 6.7 RPG, FG% of 48.0% Winning a title is extremely difficult to do. I only hold LeBron accountable for not winning the title in 2011. I hold him accountable for not making the Finals in 2009 or 2010, but those teams wouldn't have won the title because the roster wasn't that good. I don't think you can be any farther off by comparing him to Allen Iverson. They are completely different players. Their only similarity is no championship. AI was a terrible teammate, a volume scorer, and great in the clutch. LeBron is a great teammate, an efficient scorer, and bad in the clutch.[/QUOTE] Agreed. I'm not a LeBron fan, but no one is even close in terms of ability. Has he even been bounced in the first round yet? LeBron makes everyone else better, and AI made AI better.

Durant keeps proving he's the best in the league enough Lebron talk. Thunder are a scary team moving forward, and these guys aren't anywhere near their prime yet.

[QUOTE=Treetrunk;307282]AI made AI better.[/QUOTE] See, I totally disagree on Iverson. [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000%E2%80%9301_Philadelphia_76ers_season#Depth_Chart"]Look at the roster from the '01 Finals team.[/URL] How in God's name does this lineup even win 30 games without AI? He made everyone around him better, in his prime, because of sheer will.

[QUOTE=erodwhtboy;307299]Durant keeps proving he's the best in the league enough Lebron talk. Thunder are a scary team moving forward, and these guys aren't anywhere near their prime yet.[/QUOTE] Scary but they are missing one piece -- a guard who can consistently knock down shots. And I don't trust Westbrook at the point. He should be deferring to Durant no matter what.

[QUOTE=Bacchus;307325][B][CENTER][SIZE=5]Game 5: Celtics 94, Heat 90[/SIZE][/CENTER] [/B] [/QUOTE] Amazing...with the likes of Michael Pietrus and Marquis Daniels playing big minutes.

[QUOTE=Bacchus;307356]There is all sorts of Monday morning quarterbacking about not playing Bosh in the 4th quarter. The pundits are jumping all over this statement by Spoelstra: "I didn't think it would necessarily be fair to him to throw him in with three minutes to go" It really had nothing to do with fairness. It came down to Bosh being -12 on the floor in 14 minutes and being totally out of sync with the defense. As erodwhtboy predicted, Bosh playing probably cost them the game. Let's hope he starts in game 6.[/QUOTE] I don't think Bosh was the reason why they lost. Bosh being on the floor isn't the reason why they were -12 in his 14 minutes. He played very well in his limited minutes. He had 6 offensive rebounds, and scored 9 points. He had the 3rd most points on the team despite only playing 14 minutes. If I had to blame anyone for the loss, it would be Spoelstra and his refusal to play Joel Anthony. Joel Anthony is the best defensive big that Miami has, and the only player who can slow down KG, but Spoelstra refuses to play him. I know he doesn't have an offensive game, but no other player that they are playing in his place has one either. I also still think that the Heat can go 12-0 through the first 3 rounds of the playoffs. Some people will say that they can't because they already have 6 losses, but I refuse to acknowledge that it is no longer possible.

I Can't wait for tomorrow night when the Miami Heat get eliminated I mean after they lose tomorrow night Lebron James is going to have to be on 24 hr suicide watch. Maybe after they lose Pat Reilly will finally realize 3 superstars aren't enough to win a championship and a team like Boston who have 4 really good players in Rhondo, Pierce, Garnett, and Allen as well as very good role players like Pietrus and Daniels who are not afraid to shine are what it takes to win championships. I think after they lose they got to trade one of the big 3 so they can add on some talent to help the team win because the rest of the guys on the team they're all afraid to outshine the big 3 and are all content on riding the big 3's coat tails. I too blame Spolstra for the loss simply because he he has zero control over the team and doesn't have the brains to put Bosh in the 4th quarter but I think the majority of the blame should go on the rest of the Miami Heat because other than Lebron and Wade nobody else wants to shine and try to be the hero they much rather have those 2 be the hero. The biggest problem the Heat have is they have no heart and they don't know how to grind out a win, but when things go their way they look like the best team in the NBA but when things get tough the crumble. Right now the Celtics have mentally broken the Heat and Thursday night the Heat are going to lose because Lebron sucks in elimination games and the rest of the bunch will panic.

I didn't like how much the Thunder celebrated being WCF Champions. I would have preferred it if they did what the Mavs did last year and accept the trophy and then pretty much walk off the floor saying that they weren't done yet.

OKC!!!!!!

[QUOTE=Bacchus;307356]There is all sorts of Monday morning quarterbacking about not playing Bosh in the 4th quarter. The pundits are jumping all over this statement by Spoelstra: "I didn't think it would necessarily be fair to him to throw him in with three minutes to go" It really had nothing to do with fairness. It came down to Bosh being -12 on the floor in 14 minutes and being totally out of sync with the defense. As erodwhtboy predicted, Bosh playing probably cost them the game. Let's hope he starts in game 6.[/QUOTE] They have to make it a story since Bosh is technically part of the Miami Big 3. But as we all know that team is essentially a trade-off control-wise between Wade/LeBron, Battier is the defensive stopper, and they don't have much else. I caught a brief part of one of those ESPN/daytime shows and Stephen A. Smith actually made a rational point for once -- the Heat should trade Wade and Bosh to LA for Kobe and Pau Gasol.

[QUOTE=TheFeedMachi;307476]I didn't like how much the Thunder celebrated being WCF Champions. I would have preferred it if they did what the Mavs did last year and accept the trophy and then pretty much walk off the floor saying that they weren't done yet.[/QUOTE] But it's a small-market team, and they are really young, so of course they are going to celebrate.

Back to the Heat -- I'm sure everyone has heard about the "Good Job, Good Effort" kid by now. [URL="http://deadspin.com/good-job-good-effort/"]If not just check out this tag from Deadspin[/URL]

[QUOTE=Help Desk;307516]They have to make it a story since Bosh is technically part of the Miami Big 3. But as we all know that team is essentially a trade-off control-wise between Wade/LeBron, Battier is the defensive stopper, and they don't have much else. I caught a brief part of one of those ESPN/daytime shows and Stephen A. Smith actually made a rational point for once -- the Heat should trade Wade and Bosh to LA for Kobe and Pau Gasol.[/QUOTE] That trade can't happen financially. The Heat would be taking in nearly $47 million in salaries while only giving up $34.5 million. I don't think either team would do that trade either, if salaries weren't an issue. The Heat would be trading D-Wade for someone who dominates the ball even more and the Lakers would be getting rid of the face of their franchise and downgrading in talent. If you are going to blow up the Big 3 I would consider Wade to Houston (who has been trying to get a star for a while now) for Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee, and Samuel Dalembert. The only thing that would prevent either team from doing this would be Houston not being able to find a team to trade for Kevin Martin. I think that there will be plenty of teams willing to trade for Kevin Martin though because his contract is expiring and some teams may need to shed salary before the new luxury tax kicks in.

Today is the day that "Hollywood as Hell" Miami Heat get eliminated. Who's willing to place bets that Lebron will be the 1st to storm off to the locker room after the game, and in his press conference he'll say something along the lines of "All you guys can hate on me I'm going to go live my life as a international superstar and you guys can go back to your boring average lives", and then tomorrow, say " I didnt mean that" just like last year?

[QUOTE=Help Desk;307518]Back to the Heat -- I'm sure everyone has heard about the "Good Job, Good Effort" kid by now. [URL="http://deadspin.com/good-job-good-effort/"]If not just check out this tag from Deadspin[/URL][/QUOTE] I loved that kid! I had to rewind a bunch of times to rewatch it because I thought it was the best thing.

I don't blame Spoelstra, Lebron, Bosh, or anybody else for the loss. One very good team beat another very good team. Obviously the Heat are doing something right, if they are one of the last 4 teams left in the playoffs. ESPN, just needs made up storylines and manufactured controversy to appeal to casual fans. In sports they play the games for a reason. The Heat got outplayed by a very good Boston team in game five. It's shortsighted to place the blame for the loss on any one person. Lebron was guarding Pierce well on that key three pointer. Pierce put up a great shot with a hand right in his face. When someone can make a play like that, you have to give them credit, and say they were just too good tonight. Casual fans don't seem to understand the high skill levels possessed by performers at the top of sports. If a team loses sometimes there is no easy scapegoat to blame. I saw a game between two very talented teams, where only one team could win.

[QUOTE=danw34;307582]I don't blame Spoelstra, Lebron, Bosh, or anybody else for the loss. One very good team beat another very good team. Obviously the Heat are doing something right, if they are one of the last 4 teams left in the playoffs. ESPN, just needs made up storylines and manufactured controversy to appeal to casual fans. In sports they play the games for a reason. The Heat got outplayed by a very good Boston team in game five. It's shortsighted to place the blame for the loss on any one person. Lebron was guarding Pierce well on that key three pointer. Pierce put up a great shot with a hand right in his face. When someone can make a play like that, you have to give them credit, and say they were just too good tonight. Casual fans don't seem to understand the high skill levels possessed by performers at the top of sports. If a team loses sometimes there is no easy scapegoat to blame. I saw a game between two very talented teams, where only one team could win.[/QUOTE] The Heat arent a great team, their a team with 3 great players that for some reason don't play well together when it matters most.