Topic: The NBA thread

[Halbred]

God, that was a bad game. The Heat just gave it up at the end. I hate to say it, but the Mavs want it more at this point.

[broodwars]

Mavs are up 3 games to 2 now. I think the Mavs will win the series next game.

I actually think this series goes the full 7 games, but I do think (and hope) the Mavs will win.  So far, this series has been going exactly as I thought it would.

[KnowsNothing]

This rest of this series is going to be stressful.  I (along with 99% of the country) want the Mavs the win but I have a terrible feeling tragedy will strike them yet again.  Either way though, this series has given me a new appreciation for the Dallas Mavericks and especially Dirk.  Like my Celtics (at least before the Perk trade...), this team has great chemistry and knows how to play good team ball.  The Heat have their big three but little else (Chalmers has hit some big shots, but he can't really create his own offense) and I hate to see that style of basketball succeed. 

Furthermore, these playoffs have made me lose a lot of respect for Wade.  It seems like Lebron's sense of entitlement has rubbed off a little on him.  He's made a number of flops and dirty plays, and like Lebron he expects every call to go his way.  Again, like Lebron, he's allowed to throw temper tantrums at the refs without getting a technical.  I just don't like what that kind of attitude is doing to the league.  The again, maybe he's always been like that and I'm only noticing it now that the Heat have gotten a lot more exposure.

Anyway, go Mavs! Dirk and Jason deserve their rings.  Lebron will have more chances.

[Halbred]

The Heat is giving up in the 4th quarter, which they need to stop doing. At least today's game will be in Miami, but since it is, they have no excuse to screw up. Labron needs to start playing ball--he only scored 7 points in Tuesday's game and he was pretty score-free on Thursday, too (just two points in the 4th quarter). The rest of the team, including Bosh and Wade, were trying to make up for it, but the Mavs just went nuts toward the end.

The problem is that nobody's adequately covering Norwitzky. The dude's a beast.

[broodwars]

The problem is that nobody's adequately covering Norwitzky. The dude's a beast.

To be fair, there's no such thing as "adequately covering Norwitsky".  I've seen that guy make completely contested 3 point shots that dedicated 3-point shooters can't make wide open.

I'm also in the camp that's losing respect for Wade due to how he has acted in this series.  I read the other day that he and Lebron were mocking Dirk when he was very sick in Game 4 and played anyway (like a true champion would).  That's something I would expect from classless Lebron, but I'd always seen Wade as a pretty stand-up guy until then.

And yeah, I don't want the league to get the impression it can just buy a championship through backroom deals, so I hope the Heat lose.  The veterans on the Mavs have shown that they want and deserve it more.

[Shaymin]

This is your reason why El Heat need to lose, and quick.

[BeautifulShy]

I guess the Mavs wanted it more. They are the NBA Champions!
 

[broodwars]

Congratulations to the Mavs!  Really, well done beating the media and head office-loved Miami Heat.  It's always nice to see the team that wanted Championship the most and IMO deserved it the most get it.  Taking Lebron James down a peg is just a delightful bonus.  Plus, I just have this image in my head of David Stern scowling in his office like the Grinch on Christmas Morning with his feet in the snow.   

[Halbred]

Not super-happy, but seriously, the Heat were playing like amateurs tonight. The Mavs played great, especially toward the end--they just locked out the Heat, and Labron didn't do crap the whole game. Superstar player my ass. Good job, Mavericks.

[KnowsNothing]

Lebron showed perhaps his greatest weakness in this series.  When he's not getting the superstar calls he's used to, he shuts down.  I honestly don't think Lebron has the skills to be a great champion (yet), nevermind to be called "the best ever."  What he has is strength, speed, and athleticism.  He is a very inconsistent shooter (from anywhere, including free throws) and has NO post game at all.  His success comes from his "bull in a china shop" strategy which relies on pure strength and speed to penetrate and finish at the rim, but when the calls don't go his way he seems to lose confidence in that technique.  Compound that with a poor shooting night and all of a sudden he's scoring next to nothing in the 4th quarter.

What he does have going for him, aside from pure athletic prowess (which I admit is extremely important), is fantastic defense, great passing, the best fast break in the league (although that comes from his athleticism), and the occasional hot shooting night.  These skills alone are enough to make him one of the best in the league, but he needs to shore a lot of things before he becomes legendary.  As it stands, despite being bigger and stronger than Wade, he is MUCH more easily shut down.

[BeautifulShy]

Well the NBA Draft is happening tomorrow. I really don't pay attention to the NCAA basketball game so I'm not really aware on all the players.  I will say this. The Lakers need to pick up a point guard and a solid 3 point shooter as well as a good defender in one. Someone like Ariza when he was on the Lakers a few years back.

Lakers have the 41st,46th,56th, and 58th picks. All in the second round of the draft.
Here is a link for the NBA 2011 Draft.
http://www.nba.com/draft/2011/

[NWR_insanolord]

I don't follow basketball, but as a Cleveland sports fan I'm glad the Cavs have a couple of high picks, even though everyone says this is a pretty weak draft.

[Adrock]

If the Lakers want a solid multi-position guy off the bench, they could probably sign Tracy McGrady for the veteran's minimum which I believe he got last year from the Pistons. He literally plays 3 positions, including point guard. McGrady is no where near the same player he used to be and there's always the risk of injuries because of his knee but he had a decent season last year (I don't think he got injured) and for the minimum, the Lakers could do a lot worse. I'm sure he would sign the minimum for a chance to play for a legitimate contender and NOT for a rebuilding Piston team. In terms of sheer talent, he's still an upgrade from both Blake and Fisher, probably even combined.

Apparently, the Lakers are interested in Nuggets point guard Raymond Felton and have been for a few years now which makes you wonder why they didn't try to sign him last year instead of Steve Blake. Felton has 1 year left and is owed like $7 million and doesn't want to play for behind Ty Lawson.

Speaking of Nuggets players, they're trying to resign Wilson Chandler who is a restricted free agent but he also apparently doesn't really want to play for Denver (it's a small market and he seemed lost in George Karl's offense). If the Lakers could pull off a sign and trade, they should offer Lamar Odom (who's value will never be higher) for Felton and Chandler. The Lakers lose an extremely talented and versatile SF/PF for a good point guard and a work-in-progress small forward. It actually works for both teams because each team fills specific needs. Odom is a starter on most NBA teams and Denver needs a power forward with Kenyon Martin an unrestricted free agent and not the player he used to be while the Lakers get younger with a talented point guard and an up and coming small forward though both Felton and Chandler are currently lesser individual players than Lamar Odom. If the Lakers pull that trade off AND the oft rumored Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard trade, the NBA should just cancel the next 3 seasons and award the Lakers those Larry O'Brien trophies.... I like the Lakers and all but I don't even know if I could stand to watch the NBA at that point. It's no fun.