TSM 2006 NBA Playoffs thread

[chaosrage 0]

I know Bell should have been suspended, but I really wanted to see how high the tension would be between Kobe and Bell for game 6. I hope it goes to game 7 for that reason alone.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Dangerous A, if your the Stringer Bell of TSM, does that mean you got killed by a homosexual thug?

 

And does anyone have the video of the clothesline? I haven't seen it yet.

[Dangerous A 0]

Dangerous A, if your the Stringer Bell of TSM, does that mean you got killed by a homosexual thug?

 

 

And a crazy ass Nation of Islam hitman!

[Dangerous A 0]

Now the verbal fireworks come, courtesy of the AP and ESPN.com...

 

 

Updated: May 3, 2006, 6:25 PM ET

Bell suspended one game for takedown of Bryant

Associated Press

 

 

 

PHOENIX -- The NBA suspended Phoenix guard Raja Bell for one game on Wednesday for throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

 

That means the Suns will be without Bell, the principal defender against Bryant, for Game 6 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

 

 

Phoenix beat the Lakers 114-97 in Game 5 but Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can eliminate the Suns with a victory. In a brief news release, the NBA said Bell was suspended for "excessive and unnecessary contact."

 

 

 

The suspension had yet to be announced when the Suns practiced earlier Wednesday before leaving for Los Angeles. After the workout, Bell repeated that throwing Bryant down was wrong but explained what led to the foul and made clear his dislike for the Lakers' star.

 

 

"I have no respect for him," Bell said. "I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."

 

 

Bell said he had been repeatedly hit in the face by Bryant during the game.

 

 

"I got a bruised cheek here and I can barely open my jaw on this side," he said, indicating the left side of his face, "and that didn't come from nowhere, and I felt like I'd had enough of that."

 

 

Bell said it went from a game to a personal insult.

 

 

"When I get hit in the face multiple times, you've stepped across the line with me," he said. "It's not basketball anymore. It was basketball for four games, then when he hit me in the face, that was the last straw last night. It still doesn't excuse me, but that's just the way I felt about it."

 

 

At the other end of the court just before Bell threw Bryant down, the Suns guard said he complained to referee Greg Willard about getting hit in the face, and Lakers coach Phil Jackson hollered out that Bell "deserved it," adding a profanity to emphasize the point.

 

 

That's why Bell pointed to the Lakers' bench yelling "That's your foul!" after he threw Bryant down.

 

 

Bell and Bryant received a double-technicals in the second quarter. A few minutes after Bell was tossed, Bryant was thrown out of the game for his second technical for complaining about James Jones' hard foul on Kwame Brown.

 

 

The latest incident is part of a season-long series of expressions of mutual contempt between Bell and Bryant.

 

 

After Tuesday night's game, Bryant said he hoped Bell wouldn't be suspended but added that players can't afford to lose their temper in games.

 

 

"I'm not trying to go out there and elbow somebody, that's not the way I play," Bryant said. "If you get elbowed, you still have to keep your cool. I get elbowed all the time."

 

 

Bell called Bryant's comments "hypocritical."

 

 

Bell's teammate Steve Nash said the Lakers have gotten the best of the officiating in the series.

 

 

"We're playing a very heated battle and people on the outside are constantly telling guys that we've got to be more physical," Nash said. "It's tough, and he's faced a lot this series. He's done a great job on Kobe, and Kobe gets away with whatever he wants. That's kind of frustrating."

 

 

These sound like the comments of frustrated and defeated men.

[Brett Favre 0]

Well, they ain't lying.

[Guest]

Raja Bell can shut the fuck up and take his suspension like a man.

 

I don't have respect for whiny bitches and I didn't see him get hit in the face once. If he did, it's still not an excuse to put your team in danger.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Frustrated and defeated? They just won the most decisive game of this series. How/why could they feel that way?

 

A Suns victory to set up a heated Game 7 is entirely possible, though I sure as hell hope not. Either team that wins this series is going to be knocked the fuck out either way going up against a well-rested Clipper squad that cruised to a 5 game victory. L.A.-Phoenix is a hell of a series, and part of me wishes Raja did play the next game as King said:

People in this area that hate the Lakers come up with the most retarded shit, and are more annoying than fanboys of any team.

And that's not just limited to where you live either. It's everywhere, this board included.

[Brett Favre 0]

If he felt that strongly about hitting Kobe back, i'm pretty sure he had to have gotten hit in the face atleast once.

[Guest]

I didn't see it. If anything at all (let's say Kobe did for the sake of not arguing), it's a sign that Kobe got in his head, something that Raja had been trying to do to Bryant all series.

[Rendclaw 0]

X, look, I know you and I went at it about Kobe last year, but sheesh, be a fan and not some paranoid guy who thinks that everyone who says anything even remotely critical or negative about your team is a hater.

 

That being said, Bell did not have to go Stan Hansen on Kobe, no matter how many times he got elbowed. He lost control of himself, and did something out and out stupid. Finis.

 

I agree with Cena's Writer. It looks like Kobe got in his head.

[Dangerous A 0]

Frustrated and defeated? They just won the most decisive game of this series. How/why could they feel that way?

 

 

Gee, I don't know, because they lost one of their guys who guards Kobe regularly and they have to go to LA and win just to get to a game 7. Figure it out.

[Ripper 0]

They did a great job rotating during the last game after bell was gone.

 

AND people....Kobe being able to score alot plays into the Suns hands. The only way the Lakers win is if they stick to the game plan. But its going to be tough when Kobe sees Barbosa or Jones covering him. I am sure Phil will know this though.

 

I am still picking the suns.

 

And just for the record, I remember in game 2 Kobe got pissed at the end of the quarter and threw his hands back hitting bell in the face. Then in the next quarter threw his hands back complaining about a play and hit bell in the eye, dropping him. Then there were at least 2 elbows in last nights game. Add on the fact that the guys already don't like each other. Bad recipie.

 

That said, what Raja did was incredibly stupid. He should have been suspended. But the league isn't being consistant which is fucked up. But to whoever said Walton avoided the head...he grabbed him by his head. How is that avoiding the head. And what really trips me out is that people keep saying Kwames wasn't that bad because Boris Diaw pretty much blocked a elbow to his face. Lets not pretend Kwame was trying to get his arm free. you PULL a arm free. He threw the elbow, Diaw blocked then flopped to bring more attention to it.

 

I am still picking the suns to win this series. Eddie House is going to have to step it up for them, as he takes Barbosas bench minutes for this game.

 

As I said after game 4, the Suns figured it out in the second half of that game. Now its the lakers turn to adjust, which I think they will do. I expect a hell of a game and look forward to Bell/Bryant in game 7.

[Guest]

Phil Jackson has never lost a first round series. The Lakers have never lost a series in which they were ahead 3-1 (I think, they said so on the local coverage).

 

Now, let's focus on the other series, or make a thread specifically for the Lakers.

[Rendclaw 0]

What he said.

[Dangerous A 0]

The Pistons are smoking the Bucks like ham. Rip's ankle must be feeling tons better cause he's got 40.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

wow, talk about a massacre. It's gotten a bit closer now during bench time (17-20 last I checked), but at one point the Pistons were up by 34. i think they're ready for round 2.

[Guest Felonies!]

...the hell was with that dancing kid?

[Guest Vitamin X]

X, look, I know you and I went at it about Kobe last year, but sheesh, be a fan and not some paranoid guy who thinks that everyone who says anything even remotely critical or negative about your team is a hater.

 

When did I ever mention such a thing? I was only agreeing with King. And why do you keep bringing up that we argued last year? Have you not gotten over it, because I don't even remember who you are or why we argued. Relax and stop making assumptions about me due to whatever prejudgment you may have based on what happened in the past.

 

Gee, I don't know, because they lost one of their guys who guards Kobe regularly and they have to go to LA and win just to get to a game 7. Figure it out.

 

And they still won despite not having Raja for most if not all of the 4th quarter. I know Phoenix has a comfortable lead, but as someone earlier in this thread mentioned, if you have to depend your playoff lives on Raja Bell, that's not a good sign to start with. Even if they're playing without Bryant's main defender, the problem the Suns are having have more to do, I think, with Lamar Odom and the Lakers bench. Ripper's hit the nail right on the head when he mentioned that Kobe seeing a weaker defender across from him might make him want to put up more points for himself, thus deviating from the game plan.

[The Robfather 0]

"I have no respect for him," Bell said. "I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."

 

heh. I think this opinion is shared by a great many players in the league.

[Dangerous A 0]

And they still won despite not having Raja for most if not all of the 4th quarter. I know Phoenix has a comfortable lead, but as someone earlier in this thread mentioned, if you have to depend your playoff lives on Raja Bell, that's not a good sign to start with. Even if they're playing without Bryant's main defender, the problem the Suns are having have more to do, I think, with Lamar Odom and the Lakers bench. Ripper's hit the nail right on the head when he mentioned that Kobe seeing a weaker defender across from him might make him want to put up more points for himself, thus deviating from the game plan.

 

 

That was me who said this.

[Guest]

heh. I think this opinion is shared by a great many players in the league.

Proof.

 

By many, it needs to be more than half.

 

Get to work. When I come back in 4 hours, I want over 180 different quotes. Go.

 

The lesson, don't make such generalizations about someone you clearly hate. You have continued to troll against Kobe for no apparent reason.

[Ripper 0]

I think that most would say more than half. Many would say alot of guys. I am sure there are alot of guys that hate anyone in the NBA though. I would like to know who the exception to that rule would be.

[Guest Smues]

heh. I think this opinion is shared by a great many players in the league.

Proof.

 

By many, it needs to be more than half.

 

 

 

I think you're confusing 'many' with 'most'

[NoCalMike 0]

You'd think it would be hard not to lose your cool if you have been getting beat up the entire game and the officials basically look the other way because it is "Mr. NBA Superstar" comitting the fouls. Yeah I know, it's the playoffs, you are a professional....yadda yadda yadda, but I think sometimes the "rules" lose all meaning when they are only applied to certain individuals/teams.

[naiwf 0]

Considering replays show Bell flopped both times yesterday, and the second "elbow" didn't even make contact, I have no sympathy for his "bruised cheek". He should be more concerned with his bruised vagina which allowed him to possibly kill his team solely to feed his own ego.

 

I just got home, so how are Arenas and LeBron playing thus far tonight?

[Rendclaw 0]

That's the way it always has been, even before the infamous "Jordan Rules". The star players in the league get the benefit of the doubt by the refs, at times even preferential treatment. Why do you think LeBron is seen talking calmly to the refs most of the time? Because if you give them respect, they may give you the benefit of the doubt down the road.

 

I remember seeing earlier in the thread some talking about the egos of the refs, particularly the senior refs. That couldn;t be any more true.

 

And X, just nevermind, bro. I could say a hell of a lot, but I can see it is going to fall on deaf ears, so I am not going to bother.

[Guest Vitamin X]

EDIT: n/m, I'll take it outside the thread.

[Hawk 34 0]

Kobe draws pages of content and LeBron gets no-sold by TSM.

[Guest Smues]

Sheesh that momentum shifted back in a hurry.

[alfdogg 0]

The Wizards refuse to go away. It's down to a 2-point game now with 44 (?) seconds