[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif On goes Utah in what was a very entertaining game. Boozer is playing like a man possessed! I think they'll be a much tougher matchup for the Wars. Sloan is a superb coach, as is Nelly. Utah is fearless and won't wilt like the Mavs did. I'm not sure Baron's leg is going to hold up either. It's going to be fun to watch. Utah in 6. (could be less if Baron goes down)

x2.. Utah/Jerry Sloan has always been a difficult matchup for the warriors. Jerry just seems to get the most out of his players in crunch time. Utah has good depth and versatility, they can mix lineups and adapt very well to a lot of different scenarios. They work the clock and play well as a unit/team, and hence seem to seldomly take poor shots. This will help slow the warriors offense.

I think the warriors will be very fortunate to push it to 6. Then again, the way they've been playing at home, its going to be tough for Utah to win on the road in this series.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif One guy can't win a series unless his name is Jordan or O'Neal.

Those guys can't win it by themselves either. Jordan played with Scottie Pippen; the best do-it-all role player of all-time, the best perimeter defender of all-time, and a Top 50 player. Pip also ranks among the top playoff scorers. He is a bonafide superstar player. Jordan never won until Pippen came along.

Same with O'Neal. Kobe Bryant, when they revise the top 50, will be comfortably in there. It could be argued that Kobe did more of the heavy lifting against the teams the Lakers played in the Western Conference playoff series during 2001-2002. Shaq would dominate in the finals against the Eastern Conference opponent because they were always undersized vs. the big men in the west. And then Shaq had Wade for his 4th. He cannot win a title unless he has a premier game closer out on the floor. He needed them as much as they needed him.

If anything, Tim Duncan deserves more praise for his titles with the Spurs. He never had superstar sidekicks like Jordan and Shaq did. 1999 version of David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Ginobili were not superstars. Duncan played with awesome role players that did their jobs well. I'm not saying he did it all by himself either, nobody does.

 

[mdjenders]

Tim Duncan is a tool. See "foul" called on Stoudemire at 1:25 of the first half today. Away from the ball after a rebound, Duncan feels the need to reach under Amare's armpit and drag him to the ground whilst flopping. Of course, the officials eat that up all the time. Why one of the best players in NBA history needs to resort to that crap is beyond me.

 

[mdjenders]

Crap. Duncan and Parker were absolutely incredible down the stretch, Stoudemire pretty much got owned by Duncan (who was probably sick of hearing how many ppg Amare had two years ago), and it all came down maybe to a big old gash on the MVP's nose! You could tell how lost the Suns were in the closing possessions without him running the show.

 

[Cousin Patty]

Go Spurs! 111-106!

 

[purk]

Yep go Spurs!!! I felt bad for Nash but he did initiate the contact with Parker. I didn't watch the whole thing but just as glad with the win.

 

[floydenheimer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat /img/forum/go_quote.gif If anything, Tim Duncan deserves more praise for his titles with the Spurs. He never had superstar sidekicks like Jordan and Shaq did. 1999 version of David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Ginobili were not superstars. Duncan played with awesome role players that did their jobs well. I'm not saying he did it all by himself either, nobody does.

Don't forget Sean Elliott! Ginobili and Parker weren't on the '99 squad. Avery was the PG and Robinson was still a very effective player averaging 15 & 10 and 2.4 bpg. This was before the rule change on the perimeter so the league was much more defensive oriented and scoring was down. (boring)


Anyway, the Suns get nailed by a freak injury for the 3rd year in a row, it's getting depressing. Thems the breaks I guess.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't forget Sean Elliott! Ginobili and Parker weren't on the '99 squad. Avery was the PG and Robinson was still a very effective player averaging 15 & 10 and 2.4 bpg. This was before the rule change on the perimeter so the league was much more defensive oriented and scoring was down. (boring)

I know Parker and Ginobili weren't on that squad. Parker would've been like 16 years old. My point was that Duncan has won championships in '99, '03, and '05 without a superstar in his supporting casts, whereas Jordan and Shaq have not.

 

[Ingo]

I was heartbroken this evening watching my Suns flailing about like a drowning animal after Nash split his beak open and had to sit the final minutes of the game out. Who knows what would have happened. Maybe Nash will come back twice as focused and be a whole 'notha level of uber-gaurd.

 

[fhuang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? How did Kobe do? How did the 2 headed attack of the Nuggets fair? How about the Raptors? Bosh couldn't carry them to a victory because the Nets have more depth of talent. One guy can't win a series unless his name is Jordan or O'Neal. The Rockets have very little offensive talent beyond Tmac and Yao and it showed. In most cases you need 3 all-star level players to have an impact in the playoffs.

this year, yes but i was thinking "old school". for "one man band". i wouldn't call the Dream Rockets team "one man band". that team was pretty good. i can think of Dominique Wilkins. his team never won a championship but he did win some playoff series. when Barkley was playing in Phily in the late 80s or early 90s, that team was pretty weak or never healthy. Dawkins was on one knee. the David Robinson, pre Duncan Spurs team wasn't exactly all star neither but they can into playoffs every year and advanced at least a round. what about 2000 Sixers team with Iverson? he led the team to even finals. for two men team. there were a lot more. i wouldn't use the Magic Kareen team because they had a very good balance team but what about the Malone Stockton Jazz? the O'neal Kobe Lakers team? i can go on and on. maybe the stars aren't stars anymore. i miss the old good talent NBA


Quote:

He's not a scorer, just a spot up shooter and can occasionally post up a smaller man. Battier is there as a defensive stopper, he doesn't pose a threat offensively.

yea you're right. i expected too much from him. he scored almost 20 points a game as a senior at Duke so i thought maybe he can do more than just play defense.

 

[virometal]

Watching the Suns game yesterday, I had a good basketball grin on my face. The Spurs are so efficient as if one wasted step is too many. The game felt professional; no school yard one upmanship, just men playing a game that they're paid very well to.

The good news for the Suns is that hopefully Tony Parker cannot stay that hot the whole series. Whenever I watch him, he seems streaky. Should be a good series! I'm still thinking about that game yesterday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydenheimer Probably the second best young PG behind Chris Paul..

I haven't seen Williams as that good but have only watched Utah a couple times, so I'll take your word for it. I have seen a-lot of Chris Paul live and on tv. He is special. I'm a little worried his longevity. Even when not on the DL in OKC, he had a-lot of nagging injuries. Hopefully, he'll harden up.

 

[mdjenders]

Yesterday showed why Nash is the MVP, period. The Suns are full of players like Amare, Marion, Bell, Jones, Thomas who do not excel at creating their own shots by breaking down defenders one-on-one, esp. in the clutch. These guys rely on Nash's vision and passing off pick and rolls, pick and fades, and other wild circly drive and dishing. The only other player on the Suns who can break down his man and consistently create his own shots is Barbosa, but I don't think he is comfortable yet at the end of big games. This really showed yesterday where the Suns offense w/o Nash was dump it to Amare who throws up a wild shot against Duncan's solid D.

I desperately wanted Nash to get back into the game and hit a critical 3 with blood running all over his face. That would have been a defining image of his career and these playoffs, but he never got the chance

.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdjenders /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yesterday showed why Nash is the MVP, period. The Suns are full of players like Amare, Marion, Bell, Jones, Thomas who do not excel at creating their own shots by breaking down defenders one-on-one, esp. in the clutch. These guys rely on Nash's vision and passing off pick and rolls, pick and fades, and other wild circly drive and dishing. The only other player on the Suns who can break down his man and consistently create his own shots is Barbosa, but I don't think he is comfortable yet at the end of big games. This really showed yesterday where the Suns offense w/o Nash was dump it to Amare who throws up a wild shot against Duncan's solid D.

Maybe. But it's not like the Suns were dominating the Spurs until Nash took a seat. The Spurs are just a really good team. And Duncan can make the best power forwards look bad at times.

The MVP is a regular season award so I don't see why people are getting all crazy against Dirk possibly getting it by factoring in his playoff performances. The Mavs won 67 games (6th best all-time) and he was their best player. The post season award is the Larry O'Brien trophy, and to a lesser extent, the Finals MVP.

I wouldn't necessarily be against Nash getting his third, but I think Dirk deserves it just as much.

 

[purk]

Quote:

The Spurs are just a really good team. And Duncan can make the best power forwards look bad at times.

Yes he can. And beside the Spurs, the Suns is my second favorite. I like the Spurs b/c they are unselfish. Duncan doesn't mind scoring 10 points as long as his team win. He is such a great leader who can play well with just about anyone.

 

[elrod-tom]

Well, I don't know how it's going to end up, but the Pistons are kicking the stuffing out of the Bulls to kick off game two.