Just John

What's really stupid about it is that they don't even pick up with the DET/CLE and SA/DAL games tomorrow. They go right back to the matchups that occurred yesterday, giving the other four teams some extremely long rest.

Finally! A team went inside on the Suns for the entire game. D'Antoni got away with not making adjustments against the Lakers. They bailed him out by giving into playing Suns ball. I don't think he'll be so lucky this time around. The Clippers could win in 5 if they played every game like they did tonight. The Suns still have no answer for Elton Brand, and that doesn't look like it's going to change.

"Nash and Steiner are going to have to improvise a new finish!"

I disagree with Havoc... Yeah, it was bad overall, but DDP/Goldberg and Jericho/Raven put it above all the other shows mentioned so far. I do completely agree with the Fall Brawl mention. Raven/Saturn was pretty overrated, and the only other passable match involved Silver King. Jericho mocking Goldberg's entrance was funny, but not the fact that there was no actual match between the two. Then there was Buff faking a neck injury leading to yet another Steiners no contest. The opener was 10 minutes of boredom. Miller/Smiley was on the card for some reason. And the WG match was atrocious. The rules made no sense and it was poorly executed on all fronts. Another show I have to mention is Uncensored 1999. That might be my favorite bad ppv ever, just because it's so over-the-top ridiculous, yet has enough action to kinda be entertaining. Stevie/Vincent is awful and has the worst "unintentional heads colliding" spot ever. Flynn vs. Oono/Cat is bad with a dumb finish. And Hogan/Flair tops their Uncensored 95 effort for most nonsensical finish ever... Try to grasp this: Leading up to the show, the match was billed as a cage match with barbed wire on the top. As soon as the show starts, they add a first blood stipulation out of nowhere. During the match, Flair gets busted open about halfway through, but the match continues. Eventually Flair locks in the figure four and wins by pinfall in a first blood match where he is the only one bleeding. What sick minds have to be in charge to come up with something like that?

The Nets already did themselves a huge favor taking home court away from the Heat. You could argue the Heat get some momentum back if they win Game 2, but if RJ's back for Game 3, the Nets will be confident anyway. It's still not even a lock for the Heat to win the next game. All the Nets need is for some of the outside shooters to nail some big shots.

Because the Suns give you open looks from outside. It's hard not to take those shots, but it does play right into the Suns hands.

Got sucked into playing Suns basketball, just as I predicted. The Clips fell into the trap midway through the 3rd quarter and the only reason it was close until now was because Elton was hitting the mid-range jumpers. Someone's going to catch on to Phoenix and ass-rape them, but the Clippers look content to let the Suns control the tempo and try to out-score them. That won't get it done.

Starrcade 97 was that bad. Not one match broke the *** barrier. At least JD 02 had a decent HIAC (even if HHH won) and RVD/Eddie.

Starrcade 97 deserves some mention. Obviously, there's the huge letdown with the ME that everyone knows about, but that overshadows the rest of the crap on this horrible show. Here's the card. Malenko vs. Eddie (Looks good on paper, but a very subpar performance) Giant vs. Nash (Nash no shows, you know the drill) Steiners and Ray Traylor vs. Norton, Vincent, and Savage (No explanation necessary) Steve McMichael vs. Goldberg (No explanation necessary) Benoit vs. Saturn (Extended beatdown on Benoit by the Flock) Luger vs. Bagwell (15+ minutes... Think about that) DDP vs. Hennig (Boring) Zybsko vs. Bischoff (No explanation necessary) Hogan vs. Sting (Hogan dominates, "fast" count, politics, ruining 18 months of build, and so on)

I think one of the announcers during a playoff game mentioned in passing that Garnett would love to play with Sam Cassell again and that the Clippers were a legit possibility to get him. Brand, Cassell, and KG... Now that team could win a title.

The Suns have no answer for Elton Brand, but the Clippers seem to be confused on how to defend the Suns. This series will be very interesting, and coaching adjustments will be critical.

The Show/Kane match tonight might have been the weirdest wrestling match I have ever seen.

A couple questions on the AI and KG contracts... How much longer do they have on them, and how much are they worth?

"What wrestling's all about" might be stretching it to describe that match. It was pretty good, but nothing extraordinary. I'd say maybe *** 1/2 if you like star ratings. My main complaint is the spotty long-term arm selling. One minute, Albert's struggling with a powerbomb, the next minute he's hitting a clothesline with the injured arm. Nagata looked good here, though. On another note, I'm glad Albert finally got that unsightly body hair taken care of. And while this was a good Albert showing, you're crazy if you think his WWE work warrants him a reputation as a good worker.

I could go for that. Actually, I think UT's real victim this year should be Tim White.

They could turn that into an angle. Daivari tries to sell his services but no one wants him. Eventually he hits rock bottom and becomes homeless or something. Then he has to resort to wrestling just to make ends meet. In kayfabe, we'll ignore the fact that he's pretty good and pretend that he sucks because he's just a manager. He struggles early and loses all the time until he wins some CW #1 contender's battle royal by an extreme fluke. No one gives him a chance, but he winds up upsetting the champ, and successfully defending the title. Perhaps his hard work and dedication could even turn him face, and allow him to move up the ranks.

I still maintain Sam Cassell deserved some votes.

Yeah, you gotta go for the annual UT murder. Watch out Khali.

My picks: Detroit d. Cleveland (5): I can see two scenarios here. (A) Cavs go the way of the Bucks and pick up the first home game before losing two in a row. Or (B) Cavs pull out Game 1, then get the old backdoor sweep. The Pistons are way too balanced to lose to the Lebrons. New Jersey d. Miami (6): I was very underwhelmed by Miami in Round 1. I know the Heat swept the Nets last year, but I'm pretty confident things will be different this time around. Nenad Kristic is having a breakout postseason, and the Nets are playing some good D. The Heat have serious attitude problems too. I wasn't born when the Showtime Lakers were at their peak, but Pat Riley does not impress me as a coach. San Antonio d. Dallas (7): I'd love to see the Mavs win, but I just don't see it happening. The Spurs are playing on a very high level right now. I can see the Mavs pushing it to 7, but I'm not picking them in Game 7 in the SBC Center. Phoenix d. LA Clippers (6): I'd love to see the Clips in the WCF, but the Suns are a tough draw. I don't think the Clippers will build on the exposure of the Suns provided by the Lakers in Games 1-4. Instead, they'll wind up playing Suns basketball. They have the talent to win some high-scoring games, but not a high-scoring series. Rest could be a big factor, though.

Suns in a squash. Called it. No surprise really. The Lakers really needed to put it away in Game 5, but once they lost Game 6, there was no shot at winning the series. Los Angeles loses all around in this series, because the Clippers are not a good matchup for the Suns. They'll be sucked into playing Suns basketball, and they will lose in 6. Quick Picks for Rd. 2: Detroit d. Cleveland (5) New Jersey d. Miami (6) Phoenix d. LA Clippers (6) San Antonio d. Dallas (7)

After watching the Lakers not have the resolve to put away the Suns on the road when they had the series well in hand, AND after watching the Lakers not be able to put the Suns away at home when the going got a little tough, I don't see how the Lakers will win when the going is really tough and they're on the road. People say Kobe's not gonna let that happen, I say Steve Nash is going to have the exact same mentality. And Nash still has the better supporting cast. I'd kinda like to see the LA series, but I'm predicting... Phoenix in a squash. 112-84.

I missed SD, but it sounds like I didn't miss too much. I really wanted to see Benoit/Finlay, but I'll live with missing it in order to miss Rey job to Mark Henry again. I'm not surprised to see Rey's championship run get pissed on, but it's still disheartening.

Ouch. Didn't you put a lot of money on LSU once they got to the Final 4 too?

I've said all along that Kobe can't win by himself. Tonight proved that. If Phil doesn't get the Lakers back to the strategy they were using in games 1-4, this series ends with a blowout.

I'm pretty sure you can find some numbers somewhere to prove this wrong... That's like saying I could pass off 2+2=65 as acceptable, because it's an "opinion." The only thing I could remotely understand questioning in this thread so far is Umaga. I mean, I'm not really all amped up for ECW and DX, but I can see why some people would be. It's not a big deal, really.