naiwf

That was a beautiful pass and an even better shot. The defense has been terrible on both goals, and of course the Americans score once that douchebag Reyna isn't on the pitch. He's a bad luck charm. That's yet another bullshit call against the Americans.

USA! USA! Soccer is dead in the USA!

So, how much longer do we have before we find out the Knicks traded for a crippled K-Mart? Ugh.

I think we're probably arguing two separate issues. For instance, I'd be upset if the Mets gave up Milledge, Wright, Pelfrey or Reyes because they have enough to compete for a title this year as well as next season as is. However, if giving up Pelfrey or Milledge got us someone like Barry Zito for instance and that put us over the top, I'd take the title now instead of the possibility of having an ace in a few seasons. However, if you're gonna start giving away Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano that's just stupid. Knowing how fickle sports can be, I think sometimes you have to take a shot at the brass ring when it's available because you may never get another one no matter how many A+ prospects you have or how much dynasty potential there could be with a bit of patience. Just look at how many great players have come up through the Oakland A's organization, and they're no closer to winning one now than any other team outside of New York, Chicago, St. Louis or Boston. All I have to do is reflect back to the highly touted Generation K and see how Pulsipher, Wilson and Izzy did a whole lot of nothing for us, but we could have had some major league ready talent if we'd parted with them when we had a chance. I do agree with the notion that title hunters should be shot though. There was no reason for someone like Karl Malone to go try and scavenge a title in LA, or GP to follow Shaq around for the last couple of seasons in hopes of getting a ring.

I would have never guessed anyone could get THREE players for RA-SHO Nesterovic.

Wagner's a worthless pitcher. That fucking fag is going to kill us in the postseason. [/Ozzie Guillen]

Reyes just hit for the cycle. Only the 9th Met to do it in franchise history.

You'll never believe this, but Jaret Wright only went 5 innings tonight. Nady just K'ed with the bases loaded to end another Mets threat. We're down 4-2, in a game we have no business trailing.

Oh, come on, you make it sound like all these teams just fall ass-backwards into multiple and consecutive championships. I'm this board's most prominent Patriots-hater, but even I have to acknowledge that the Patriots organization worked hard to assemble a team that could win back-to-back Super Bowls under a pesky salary cap system. No, what I'm saying is that almost every dynasty has some element of blind luck involved. I like the Pats, but they wouldn't have won 3 titles with Bledsoe behind the helm. He has a rocket for an arm, and a brain the size of a pea in pressure situations. They deserve all the credit in the world for making it work, but had Drew slid, or stepped out of bounds instead of having his insides mashed into bits by the Jets I don't think the Pats would be the Pats. The Cowboys fleeced the Vikings, and if Portland drafts Jordan who knows what happens, but the Bowie Bulls likely wouldn't have won anything except another shot at getting the # 1 pick in the draft lottery annually. The Yankees just got fortunate that the one time they kept the farm system intact it just so happened to be the one time they had all kinds of future HOF'ers and borderline HOF'ers around instead of overhyped prospects who never amount(ed) to anything. Go for the title when you have a chance is the basic message unless you've already had some semblance of divine intervention which will allow you to have a dynastic run.

How can a guy who drew up two "game/season on the line" plays for anyone BUT Dirk be a great coach? And that doesn't even touch on his role in Time Out Gate or the fact that he didn't call plays for Dirk in the second half of Game 6. Avery did a horrible job with making adjustments on the OFFENSIVE side of the ball throughout the series, as Miami routinely stretched the lead while going small which should have left Dirk to drop layup after layup on Miami's 'D'. He also didn't have Dallas play zone down the stretch of Game 5 when Wade wasn't scoring on the zone. Everyone who watched the series thought Avery was not only outcoached but did a horrible job after winning COTY. I honestly don't see how you could praise him in anyway.

Because one year is quickly forgotten, but when you have a good young team (for example, like the Suns or Mavericks) then you have something to look forward to in the following years, and possibly build a dynasty. Since 1986, how many dynasties have there been in all 4 major sports? The Jordan Bulls thanks to Portland picking Sam Bowie, the Triplets Cowboys because of idiocy in Minnesota, the recent Pats thanks to a flukish injury to Bledsoe and the Yankees of '96-'00 are the only ones I can think of. You're much more likely to get titles won by making bold moves and then rebuilding, than hoping a dynasty falls into your lap and holding onto pieces that MAY develop into championship parts. If the Mavs or Suns don't win any titles in the next 5 years, do you think their fans will give a shit that they had a great nucleus at one time? Phoenix has 2 years left with Nash, Dallas has longer but I wouldn't be shocked if neither team won a title in the near future. Miami may never get back to the Finals with Wade, but it's better to have a ring in your pocket than the potential to win 4 or 5 and never get there.

http://www.gaygameschicago.org/home.php LOL at the mascot/logo

I just don't get the idea that you shouldn't mortgage the "future" for a title now. Miami won a championship. Who cares that their window may only have another year left in it? They WON a championship. The Marlins have TWO, which is as many as any team I root for have won in the time I've been alive. I have never seen the Knicks win one, it took the Rangers 54 years to get one, the Mets are going on year # 20, and even though the Giants have won a couple in my lifetime, they too are looking at 15+ seasons without one. I'd gladly mortgage prospects to see ANY of my teams win a championship as an adult. I'd give up the entire Ewing era of playoff runs for ONE title, and I'm sure most fans would say the same. No one will remember that Miami gave up some nice guys when they can think back to being the 2005-2006 NBA Champions.

What you're willing to take, and what you want are two different things. They're going to want RJ & Kristic, which is exactly what I said. If they can't get better than Carter and fillers for KG, they deserve to suck for the next decade.

I think this is one of the proverbial "if you played this series/game 10 times, the other team would win 8 or 9 of 'em" scenarios. This was a definite punch to the gut series for the Mavs, but this might just be the thing they need to not take things for granted in the future.

Minnesota's going to want both RJ and Kristic, not VC. That's the point. Carter/KG/Kidd is good enough to win the division, but I don't think Kidd will have enough to make a deep push in the East especially if Miami's well rested and ready to defend that title.

As alfdogg mentioned, getting KG means losing at least 2/3 of the Carter, RJ & Kristic trio. Kidd is starting to look old, and while the Nets would easily win the division with Garnett, Kidd and the rest of the team, I don't think they could win the 12 games needed to get to the Finals, and I wouldn't pick them to beat any of the teams in the West. If Shaq gets his rest and Wade stays healthy, Miami will easily win the division and probably get the 2 or 3 seed again. Wade has proven he can win two straight series all by himself, and I think that would be enough to get out of the East again now that the Pistons have lost their aura of invincibility.

I think Torre's afraid that there won't be a playoff push if Mo doesn't overextend himself now. Basically, he's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it's gonna bite him in the ass that he's doing it before the AS break. I can't say I blame him, but knowing that any season without a WS title is considered a failure, he's really hedging his bets a bit too much. Seriously, what good will it do if the Yanks make the playoffs if Mo's arm is hanging by a thread, or worse yet he's injured because of overuse?

Miami will probably need to replace Payton and Mourning next year. That might not sound like much, but they definitely helped get them over the top. Dallas will be angry/hungry and if they can just keep improving, I don't see anyone being able to stop them next season. Wade should keep getting better, but I don't know how much Shaq's got left in the tank. They've got a great shot next year especially if Dumars breaks up the Pistons, but I don't know about anything else after that.

Who signalled the TO in the first place? Yep, it was AVERY JOHNSON. If he doesn't get Howard's attention, Dallas doesn't call that timeout. Avery shitted the bed when it mattered. Everything he did (or I should say, did NOT do) from 6:34 left in Game 3 until tonight negated everything he did until 6:34 left in Game 3.

Dallas should be the faves to win it next year. But Dirk needs to be able to take over EVERY game like he did against the Spurs and Suns. As much as I like him, he didn't step it up at all in the Finals. Jerry Stackhouse's stupid play probably was the difference maker because Miami would have lost Game 5 with him in the lineup. Controversy aside that was the best Finals since the Jordan era and Wade's individual performance will go down as one of the legendary runs in NBA history.

That would be me. I had the feeling Avery was going to lose this series for his team when he called that lob pass to Josh Howard at the end of Game 3, when Dirk would have probably been able to get a wide open look at a 2 for a tie or a game winning three. You can't have one of the 3 best players in the league on your team and never entrust him to take the biggest shot(s) of the year. Shaq may not have won this series, but everyone was blaming him for the losses so it's only fair. Miami probably would have won it last year had he and Wade not been injured. I'm happy for both of them and GP though. LeBron may not have equal talent on his team, but Wade was able to beat the 2 best teams in the league almost entirely by himself. LeBron wasn't able to accomplish that.

Avery Johnson was the drizzling shits in this series. Dirk lost his all World status in 4 games and Jason Terry remembered that he was Jason Terry. I feel bad for the Mavs and their fans because I don't know how they lost this series given how it seemed to all of the world that this would be a sweep when there was about 6:34 to go in Game 3. Cuban will probably get another fine tomorrow because I'm sure he's going to say something tonight to get him in trouble with his great pal David Stern.

Dwayne Wade 1 LeBron James 0 And what's Shaq's record in the Finals now without Kobe?

Shaqstradamus fulfills prophecy!