alfdogg

Who the hell gave Shaq a second-place vote as Most Improved Player.

Yes.

Hedo Turkoglu will be named Most Improved Player.

as far as i know

Maybe tonight, but Dirk is pretty much the sole reason they're even in the playoffs right now. I seem to remember there being some "Josh Howard is the REAL All-Star on the Mavericks" talk popping up at some points in the season, which is why I mentioned that. I don't dislike Josh Howard or anything, but come on.

These last few weeks should be enough to erase any doubt as to who the best player on the Mavs is.

I have an idea. Let's put all the shitty posters onto one team and call it "Team NYU."

Mike Woodson sounded like he was reading from cue cards during that interview.

Sam Vincent has been fired by the Bobcats.

I just said that!

I can't imagine D'Antoni getting fired. You'd have to think they'd at least give it a full year with Shaq.

The coaching market may be as good as the player market. Rick Carlisle is getting looks, Larry Brown (yeah...I know) just resigned from Philly, probably looking for a coaching job, and what happens if the Pistons and Mavs both end up losing their series?

Mostly due to the fact that he acts like a total bitch when faced with the slightest criticism. This can be evidenced by his whiny rant before the series started, which basically amounted to "Look at how much higher my stats are in the playoffs, it's not my fault my scrub teammates aren't raising their game the same way!" Which is true, to an extent, but if he's the great superstar or leader that he claims to be, you have to accept some responsibility for your failures, as well as your successes. He's cut from the same mold as his cousin, right down to quitting on his previous team.

I really wanted to see McGrady get swept. Oh well. Also, I hope Cleveland wins the next two games. The sooner I don't have to see DeShawn Stevenson anymore, the better.

Okay.

Artest and Marion have both said they're probably not going to opt out. I think Atlanta needs to try to keep Josh Smith at all costs, even if that means giving up Childress. That will be a most interesting offseason in Atlanta. Monta Ellis will probably cash in big-time, and I think Golden State as well could lose either him or Biedrins. I know Ellis was a specific name that was brought up as a FA acquisition for Memphis when the Gasol trade was made. Maggette might be a good fit for the Spurs, I suppose, but I wouldn't touch Ricky Davis with a 10-foot pole. Kwame may end up back with the Lakers. I seem to remember rumors to that effect when the trade was made.

Good.

Exactly.

Here is a list of the upcoming free agents from each team, according to HoopsHype.com. This only includes players who are on a team's roster right now. P - Player option R - Restricted T - Team option Atlanta: Josh Childress ®, Josh Smith ®, Salim Stoudamire, Mario West Boston: Tony Allen ®, P.J. Brown, Sam Cassell, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, James Posey (P) Charlotte: Derek Anderson, Earl Boykins, Othella Harrington, Ryan Hollins, Adam Morrison (T), Emeka Okafor ® Chicago: Shannon Brown, Luol Deng ®, Chris Duhon, Ben Gordon ®, Demetrius Nichols Cleveland: Lance Allred, Devin Brown, Daniel Gibson, Dwayne Jones, Billy Thomas, Delonte West ® Dallas: Malik Allen, J.J. Barea, Devean George, Juwan Howard, Eddie Jones (P), Tyronn Lue, Jamaal Magloire, Antoine Wright Denver: Anthony Carter, Yakhouba Diawara, Bobby Jones, Eduardo Najera Detroit: Juan Dixon, Jarvis Hayes, Walter Herrmann, Lindsey Hunter, Theo Ratliff Golden State: Matt Barnes, Andris Biedrins ®, Austin Croshere, Baron Davis (P), Monta Ellis, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, C.J. Watson Houston: Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo Indiana: Jeff Foster (P), Stephen Graham, David Harrison ®, Ronald Murray, Andre Owens, Kareem Rush LA Cippers: Elton Brand (P), Paul Davis, Nick Fazekas, Shaun Livingston ®, Corey Maggette (P), Smush Parker, Quinton Ross, Marcus Williams LA Lakers: Coby Karl, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm (P), Ira Newble, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic ® Memphis: Andre Brown, Kwame Brown, Casey Jacobsen, Juan Carlos Navarro Miami: Blake Ahearn, Joel Anthony, Earl Barron, Ricky Davis, Alexander Johnson (T), Stephane Lasme, Shawn Marion (P), Alonzo Mourning, Kasib Powell, Chris Quinn, Jason Williams, Dorell Wright ® Milwaukee: Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, Awvee Storey, Jake Voskuhl Minnesota: Michael Doleac, Ryan Gomes, Chris Richard, Craig Smith, Kirk Snyder ®, Sebastian Telfair ® New Jersey: Darrell Armstrong, DeSagana Diop, Nenad Krstic ®, Bostjan Nachbar, Stromile Swift (P), Keith Van Horn New Orleans: Chris Andersen, Ryan Bowen, Jannero Pargo (P), Bonzi Wells New York: Fred Jones, Randolph Morris Orlando: Carlos Arroyo, James Augustine, Keyon Dooling, Maurice Evans, Pat Garrity Philadelphia: Louis Amundson, Calvin Booth (P), Herbert Hill, Andre Igoudala ®, Kevin Ollie, Shavlik Randolph, Louis Williams Phoenix: Gordan Giricek, Grant Hill (P), Linton Johnson, Sean Marks, Eric Piatkowski, Brian Skinner Portland: James Jones (P), Von Wafer Sacramento: Ron Artest (P), Anthony Johnson, Beno Udrih, Lorenzen Wright San Antonio: Michael Finley, Robert Horry, DerMarr Johnson, Damon Stoudamire, Kurt Thomas TAFKA Seattle SuperSonics: Ronald Dupree, Francisco Elson, Mickael Gelabale, Robert Swift ®, Damien Wilkins (P) Toronto: Primoz Brezec, Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino ®, Rasho Nesterovic (P) Utah: C.J. Miles, Paul Millsap (T) Washington: Gilbert Arenas (P), Antawn Jamison, Roger Mason Dallas and Philadelphia both have sizeable contracts coming off their books, with Dallas losing Michael Finley and Shawn Bradley, and Philly losing Chris Webber and Aaron McKie.

Even though it's hopeless for the Rockets now, both of their games against the Jazz were fairly tight until the last few minutes or so. EDIT: And to answer your question, that last time was 2004, and oddly enough, the only higher seeded team that split that year was also the Pistons, this time against the Bucks. That was also the year they won the title, for what that's worth.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_game_p.html This is all the 40+ point games in the playoffs since 1993.

Dirk had 50 against the Suns in '06.

Good thing the Celtics still have their starters in with three minutes left, otherwise I don't know if they could hold that 21-point lead.

Who was the last notable college coach to be successful in the NBA, anyway? Was it Pitino with the Knicks?