The OAO NBA Playoffs/Finals Thread

[The Czech Republic 0]

I hope the Mavericks win it all next year. I don't mind the Spurs. Maybe next year there should be a REAL upset, like Golden State or Chicago.

[Guest El Satanico]

You guys DO realize there is such a thing as being a sore winner, right? Next time the Lakers win the championship... Which granted may not be for many years to come now.... I'm going to gloat just that much more for all of you. They will be back.

Honestly other than damaramallama, we anti Laker fans haven't been too bad.

 

So don't group us all in with damaramallama.

 

 

Celtics weren't the only team to give up on Billups and not give Ben Wallance a chance.

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Here's what the Lakers should do in the offseason:

 

1) Bring back the famed PAT FUCKING RILEY to coach the Lakers to greatness once again. Screw the tired Triangle Offense; it's time to bring back SHOWTIME~!

 

2) Trade Shaq. As we all saw in the playoffs, he's a fat, lazy player who could be THAT much better if he bothered to work hard to condition himself in the offseason. As we all know, however, Shaq will do no such thing. His skills have deteriorated, and he's only capable of a few "nostalgic trips" per year, as evidenced by his rare 36 points and 20 rebounds in Game 4. The Lakers can feasibly obtain someone like Jermaine O'Neal in exchange for him. And don't tell me the Pacers wouldn't make that trade, because you know they would for the simple reason that they'd be in serious championship contention for the next few years.

 

3) Either let Kobe go, or orchestrate a sign and trade. Let's face it -- the Pistons series showed us two things: 1) Kobe is not even close to the splendor that is Michael Jordan and 2) He's really, really stubborn and selfish, even if it means undermining his own team. For evidence of this, look no further than his refusal to give Shaq the ball in Game 4. His one on one, "let me do this all by myself while my teammates stand around like mannequins" helps absolutely nobody. As much as Kobe helps the Lakers, he often times hurts them by shooting the Lakers out of games. The Lakers can feasibly procure an Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, or Stephon Marbury, or Stoudemire and Marion for him. Personally, I'd go for the courageous, fervent Iverson. However, since Kobe is so intent on playing in New York, the LA should trade him for Marbury, and use the extra cap space to also obtain someone like Ginobli, who is a free agent in the offseason.

 

4) Get rid of the tired and frazzled Payton and Malone.

 

5) Get rid of Fisher and George.

 

4) Get some pure shooters. How about free agent Troy Hudson? On the lower end, how about someone like Eric Piatkowski?

 

The Lakers need to revamp their team from top to bottom and get more athletic, for christ sakes.

[The Electrifyer 0]

I hope the Mavericks win it all next year. I don't mind the Spurs. Maybe next year there should be a REAL upset, like Golden State or Chicago.

I'm up for that!

 

Orale, as for your post...

 

1. Riley is president of Miami or something, he's not going to leave.

 

2. If the Lakers don't want to suck next year, they must keep Shaq. He's LA's offense now.

 

3. Kobe would be stupid to leave. He can't carry a team, he needs to play with Shaq to win. There is no way will a team win with him being the #1 guy.

 

4. Agreed

 

5. Fisher is good and fights to win, he should stay. George's actions seems to me like he expects a title handed to him just because he's on LA.

 

6. I could see Rush take that role next year, actually.

[razazteca 0]

4) Get some pure shooters. How about free agent Troy Hudson? On the lower end, how about someone like Eric Piatkowski?

The Lakers should get Ronald "Flip" Murray in some kind of trade deal. But the team will get Moochie Norris and like it.

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Flip Murray was a breakout star that the NBA blatantly held down a la HHH this season. The guy has serious potential.

[Damaramu 0]

I do remember them at halftime of one of the games saying Wallace was at a Celtics training camp.  They didn't say why he didn't get on though.

I first read it in an interview a couple of years ago, after Wallace got his first DPOY. He also confessed in that interview that he's closer to 6'6" than his "program" height of 6'9".

Well I'm 6'4" and Wallace looks a lot taller than me. I can only lay it up. I can't dunk. I can't even get up as high as that fool. Then again his vertical leap is probably over 40(or 50?) while mine sits at a nice and easy 28 or so.

I wish I had a leap like some of these guys. Is that something that comes naturally or is there a way to work out and get a high leap?

Who is the shortest member of the Piston's starting line up? Hamilton? They're all tall motherfuckers anyways.

Especially Prince. That dude's arms are smaller than mine but his hand could probably engulf my head.

[Damaramu 0]

You guys DO realize there is such a thing as being a sore winner, right? Next time the Lakers win the championship... Which granted may not be for many years to come now.... I'm going to gloat just that much more for all of you. They will be back.

Honestly other than damaramallama, we anti Laker fans haven't been too bad.

 

So don't group us all in with damaramallama.

 

 

Celtics weren't the only team to give up on Billups and not give Ben Wallance a chance.

Hey! I think next to LA Oklahoma has the highest number of annoying Lakers fans in the country. Seriously I've listened to these people all season go on about how divinely great The Lakers are.

And they aren't cool fans like VitaminX. It's like an onslaught of Orale's!

So I finally get to throw it back in there face now that there team got dominated and goes back to LA with bootmarks on there ass!

That's the excuse for my sore winning.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

 

HAHA!

[Guest Brian]

Someone's gotta put that in a sig.

[Dangerous A 0]

Nice thread I started here, eh?

 

 

Thanks to all the regular NBA TSM posters who participated actively in this thread and made it enjoyable. I've grown despondent of wrestling as of late, but this folder has given me a reason to keep occasionally coming to TSM.

 

 

Congrats to the Pistons. I originally picked the Lakers over the Pistons in 6 at the beginning of the playoffs and this thread. I was wrong. And I'm glad I was wrong. The Pistons brought back team work in a game where it seemed like the name on the back of your jersey was more important the the name on the front.

 

 

As for the Lakers, well, it's going to be an interesting summer. Like a forensic pathologist, I've been examining the corpse left of the Laker dynasty and wish to share with you all my findings and try to figure out a cause of death.

 

-There were deep bruise markings around the throat area. Speculation is to whether or not these markings were caused by the assailant (the Pistons) or self inflicted.

 

-The front of the genitals and the legs were covered in dry urine. Some samples of the urine is as old as 9 days.

 

-The anal cavity had been penetrated violently for several days leading up to death.

 

-Amazingly, when the chest was opened, we were startled as to how this Laker dynasty could have even lived since we found no heart. Speculation is to whether or not it was ripped out by the assailant or if it was even there to begin with.

 

 

BURN!!

 

 

 

 

Thank you all, and I'll see you in the OAO NBA Draft thread!!!

[Just John 0]

Frigid Soul: That's brilliant.

 

I'm glad I was wrong about the Finals. The Pistons just ran over and outplayed LA in every aspect of the game. Now, everyone on TSM can take comfort in the fact that Malone will not win a championship.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Not like Frigid made it himself. I've seen it on just about any messageboard that even has an NBA Finals thread.

[Steviekick 0]

Even though I like both teams, 80% of my fandom was for the Lakers winning. I really have nothing that I can add to the accolades that the Pistons.

 

So I'm going to pick someon to blame my frustrations on from the Lakers camp for the Finals.

 

Here is who it isn't....

Bryon Russell: You'd think someone would have put him in when they realized that all the rookies on the team had no clue what they were doing. He played in two previous Finals and some All-Star weekend event, you know. And you don't do that by sitting the bench the whole time.

Shaq: Did everything. The big fella did his best.

Rick Fox: It's easy to point the finger when your really not doing anything.

Rush, Cook, and Walton Jr.: Excused due to inexperience.

Devean George: Should have been lucky that he was starting. Anywhere else he'd be benched forever.

Slava: If you want to take all those shots you better be able to make them.

Malone: Not your fault you got hurt.

Horace Grant: Your lucky you got out when you did.

Fisher: You did have the occasional moment of enthusiasm.

Payton: Everyone and there mother is blaming him, but I won't. It was quite ignorant for them to expect that he'd go from wheeling and dealing and doing what you please offensively to just passing.

Kobe: For being a ball hog and taking too many shots. But then again, no one else on the team was making those shots.

 

So who do I blame?

Phil Jackson

• Wasn't able to get Kobe and Shaq on the same page.

• Ruining Gary Payton's self esteem. In the first month of the season, Payton had offensive freedom. Payton was motivated and getting other people involved. By Christmas time, that wasn't allowed. Payton just gets more and more frustrated, gets dejected as he gets benched for the fourth quarter in regular season games. Basically Payton was drive nuts.

• Not getting Laker management to look for some replacement at the power forward. Malone and Horace both went down around roughly the same time with season ending injuries (anyone else would have called it a season, but a ring motivated Malone cannot be stopped by conventional weapons). You would have thunk he'd be pulling for someone in the front office to work on something.

• Forgetting the importance of his bench. He one six championships in Chicago because he had unbeliveable support. This year he thinks that having two of the most dominant players in the league and two legendary vets at the end of their careers would be enough.

• Not motivating his team. Not once during the finals was he ever fired up during or before a game. Compare that to Larry Brown who was in his players faces on every posession.

• Being stubborn about veering from his Triangle Offense. That kind of goes along with the Payton argument, but the first two games of the finals proved it wasn't working and he stuck with it. And went down with its ship.

• Not playing mind games. He's always talking bizarre trash and starting stuff with the other teams very subtley. He's known for it. He didn't even try to irritate the other team.

 

 

I can think of a lot more, but I'm too tired and dissappointed to continue. Here's what I think the Lakers should do...

 

• Say farewell to Jackson. The way things look, Don Nelson and Rick Adleman may be available...

• If you can, trade Kobe. They can propably pick up some good supporting cast. It's just like the guy said in the docudrama of the 1980s US Olympic Hockey Film..."it's not that i have the best players, i have the right players".

• I don't think we've seen the last of Karl and Gary. They've both been humilated and I'm sure will stay around to at least end their careers on a high note.

[Damaramu 0]

ESPN was asking "Will this be remembered as The Finals that The Pistons won or The Lakers lost?"

and I was like "Well most will remember it as the one the Pistons won if you assholes would shut the hell up about The Lakers and what they didn't do! Let's talk about what Detroit did!" I mean they do but not nearly as much as they discuss The Lakers.

I still think they need to get a movie star reaction from this.....I want to see how many of those biatches at games actually know what's going on.

[lomasmoney 0]

1. Let the city of Detroit celebrate their championship. Not only did they earn it, but they've got nothing else in their pathetic city to celebrate for. I'll look forward to Green Bay sweeping the Lions this year, especially now.

Like Green Bay is any better of a city than Detroit. I love my city as messed up as it can get at times. The Packers will be lucky to beat the Lions once.

[alfdogg 0]

http://www.insidehoops.com/nba_rumors.shtml

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Not like Frigid made it himself. I've seen it on just about any messageboard that even has an NBA Finals thread.

Way to steal my thunder

[The Electrifyer 0]

Good quotes from today's victory celebration in Detroit:

 

Rasheed Wallace: "You my boy, Blue!"

 

Chauncey Billups: "I think Rasheed forgot to say one thing... Both teams played hard."

 

Bill Davidson, Pistons Owner: "Over the last couple of weeks, there's been a lot of bullshit going on in this country. Let me be a little more refined and say misconceptions. Lets start with the 8-to-1 odds on the Lakers to beat the Pistons... bullshit!. Actually, they were lucky to win one game. Next we go to our fans in the arena, absolutely no contest with the LA Lakers. Go into the LA Lakers stadium, you had very sophisticated people who more or less sat on there hands who didn't know, I don't know if they knew what was going on or not going on. Obviously, they expected there team to win easy and didn't know what to do when they didn't. Our fans were the greatest in the country and national TV showed it to be the case. (says something I couldn't comprehend) fans in the arena number 1 without a question. Now lets get to the city of Detroit and you fans here today. Once again, a lot of bullshit as to how you were going to respond in the victory."

 

Edit: There was also a good Tayshaun Prince quote where he was thanking everyone: "Oh yeah, thanks to the 22 teams who had a chance but didn't draft me."

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I didn't stay for the rally (mostly because it was impossible to get close) but I was there for the parade. It was really insane but in a good way.

I got some good video footage actually, i was thinking of getting some more raw footage of like the players and press conferences and making it into a little victory celebration documentary.

[Guest Flyboy]

1. Let the city of Detroit celebrate their championship. Not only did they earn it, but they've got nothing else in their pathetic city to celebrate for. I'll look forward to Green Bay sweeping the Lions this year, especially now.

Do you remember that Thanksgiving game? Because I do -- the Lions are going to make a push this year and in the wake beat GB twice. There. I said it.

[Guest Anglesault]

I have the victory celebration on as background noise, and I could have sworn the man counted the WNBA title as a legitimate sports title.

 

Little early to be blasted already.

[Guest Anglesault]

I haven't been paying attention to the news lately, and I kept forgetting to ask.

 

Is Detroit in ashes yet?

[The Electrifyer 0]

No, and Kimmel didn't flip over his car either.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Actually the LA crowd was good for the T-Wolves and the Spurs. I think a lot of the crowd realized that things weren't good though, and well Detroit did what any visiting team should do in any sport be it football, basketball, whatever, and that's make sure you take the crowd out of the game as soon as possible and they did that pretty well both games they played in LA.

 

Like Green Bay is any better of a city than Detroit. I love my city as messed up as it can get at times. The Packers will be lucky to beat the Lions once.

 

[Damaramu 0]

So who will remember this Finals in 10 years? If Detroit becomes a dynasty and LA slumps I know I will.

Hell with my intense Laker hatred I'll probably always remember it. Plus I've never had a team MAKE me a fan of theirs. With Detroit I didn't really care for them one way or another going into The Finals but they MADE me like them. It was hard not to.

[Steviekick 0]

For Payton, Malone, and Pistons fans, it will be remembered forever. For vengeful Lakers fans, maybe a season or two. Aside from the Lakers getting completely shut down and falling apart, it really wasn't that memorable a series.

[Damaramu 0]

For Payton, Malone, and Pistons fans, it will be remembered forever. For vengeful Lakers fans, maybe a season or two. Aside from the Lakers getting completely shut down and falling apart, it really wasn't that memorable a series.

I still want a movie stars reaction to the series! Oh what's wrong Leo? Did the series not come back through LA so you could get on camera for being just an "average joe sports fan!"??? I'm sorry. Do you even know what basketball is?

 

*pictures Sharon Stone at game*

"Whoo! Way to go Shaq! Touchdown!"

[KingPK 0]

Alright Dama. You don't like the Lakers, we get it already.

 

Bill Simmons broke down the finals very nicely in his latest article.

 

His assessment of the Pistons win:

 

Q: Where does this Pistons team rank against the champs from the past 30 years?

 

A: Pretty low. They couldn't win their division. They barely escaped two playoff series. They lucked out by facing the Lakers instead of the Spurs. They didn't have a dominant player, someone who could create his own shot after everything else broke down. In the Finals, they were never favored by more than three points in any game. Along with the '99 Spurs, '94 Rockets, '78 Bullets and '75 Warriors, on paper, they were one of the weakest champions of the past 30 years.

 

There's a remote chance -- not impossible, but remote -- that they were a budding juggernaut that came together in these last few weeks, only we were too blinded by the L.A. soap opera to see it. If that's true, the Pistons need to keep it going. They need to roll through the league next season, win 60-plus games and take the East. Anything less and they will always be remembered as another Buster Douglas -- a journeyman performer hitting his potential at the perfect time, against the best possible opponent, then never reaching those same heights again.

 

I guess we'll see.

[Brett Favre 0]

All championship teams barely escape playoff series', and i'm pretty sure there are more than a handfull who didn't win their division (too lazy to search right now). I don't believe this is one of the weakest teams basically because they are probably the best defensive team in the history of the game. And i'm not exaggerating. To break as many defensive records as they did, how can you not rank up there? They have the record for holding the most teams under 70 points, and the record of the numer of games in a row that was achieved. They also had some record of holding teams under 100 points, and held playoff teams this year to around 80. I'll check other records they broke some other day, but i'm pretty sure of those. To say that a top 3, if not best defensive team in basketball history is a weak champion, is like saying defense isn't important. Please.