TSM 2006 NBA Playoffs thread

[Gert T 0]

Death, taxes, Memphis losing in the playoffs.

[Guest Smues]

You sure it isn't death, taxes, Memphis getting swept in the playoffs?

[alfdogg 0]

OK, I've tried to tone it down over the past couple years, but this Kobe stuff is getting ridiculous. You'd think no one had ever hit a buzzer-beater before yesterday.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

The Clippers are playing huge. I know it's just the Nuggets, but they've been fantastic. Between Brand, Maggette, Livingston, Kaman, Mobley, and Cassell, I think they're playing the most balanced basketball of anyone in the playoffs right now. I don't buy Lakers in 4 or 5 for a second.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

Guys... we need to realize this...

 

The motherfuckering Los Angeles Clippers are going to advance to the next round of a playoff.

 

 

 

TAKE A FUCKING DRINK!

[Guest Smues]

The Clippers win a playoff series for the first time in my lifetime. Awesome.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

I would now like to give you a preview of the next round...

 

*Clippers make a three pointer*

 

 

JUMP BALL!

[naiwf 0]

A day and a couple of hundred replays later it's still cute to see everyone say that the refs won that game for the Lakers. Nash wasn't fouled on either key play, nor did he call time out, but don't let pesky facts get in the way of spreading the hate for a team who should be praised for overcoming the whole "never being able to beat Steve Nash" shit.

 

The Lakers would be up 3-1 on almost any team in the league right now, and would have certainly swept a handful of teams that were in the postseason mix. The only team that has imposed its will on their series more consistently than the Lakers has been the Mavs. Everyone else had a lapse of at least one game.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

CLIPPERS !!!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

I think it's time to stop talking about Game 4 entirely. Everyone on TV, and everyone on the internet, and everyone at the watercooler.

 

Everyone was talking about that LeBron travel bullshit yesterday, so apparently playoff changing events will never go away.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I think it's time to stop talking about Game 4 entirely. Everyone on TV, and everyone on the internet, and everyone at the watercooler.

 

Everyone was talking about that LeBron travel bullshit yesterday, so apparently playoff changing events will never go away.

 

Yeah, at least this isn't the NFL playoffs where if you lose one game, you're done.

 

The Clippers are playing huge. I know it's just the Nuggets, but they've been fantastic. Between Brand, Maggette, Livingston, Kaman, Mobley, and Cassell, I think they're playing the most balanced basketball of anyone in the playoffs right now. I don't buy Lakers in 4 or 5 for a second.

I agree. The Clips, I hate and feel weird saying this, scare me. They've replaced Phoenix as my "only team this side of San Antonio who pose a bad matchup for the Lakers."

 

For some reason I'm also envisioning Detroit having some difficulty against a more talented and better coached team. The Bucks were a scrappy young bunch, but they were in way over their heads. Who would they be getting next round if/when they finish with the Bucks?

[Just John 0]

Provided the Lakers take care of business, I do not see them blowing by the Clippers in any way. The Clippers defense is a million times better than the Suns, so I don't see the role players getting so many points. They also still have a balanced offense with a solid bench, so it's not the Lakers can let up on D. If the Clips can turn the Lakers back into the Kobe Show, the CLIPPERS will be ones winning in 5.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

They've got Washington or Cleveland.

 

I'd prefer Cleveland.

[naiwf 0]

For some reason I'm also envisioning Detroit having some difficulty against a more talented and better coached team. The Bucks were a scrappy young bunch, but they were in way over their heads. Who would they be getting next round if/when they finish with the Bucks?

 

They get the winner of Cavs/Wiz, neither of which should push Detroit to a 6th game.

[Guest]

Provided the Lakers take care of business, I do not see them blowing by the Clippers in any way. The Clippers defense is a million times better than the Suns, so I don't see the role players getting so many points. They also still have a balanced offense with a solid bench, so it's not the Lakers can let up on D. If the Clips can turn the Lakers back into the Kobe Show, the CLIPPERS will be ones winning in 5.

I say Lakers in 6, even if Kobe turns back into the Kobe Show. Quentin Ross will get torn apart all game long if that's the route that Phil Jackson wants to go.

[The Robfather 0]

Hmmm hmmm hmm... Look at that. Walton's foot was on the line.

 

[Guest NYankees]

Hmmm hmmm hmm... Look at that. Walton's foot was on the line.

 

 

 

The two blind refs dont care. LA was going to be willed to win by the NBA Front Office, David Stern and the Refs. Nice to see that a fucking rapist get such treatment to win a series.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Look at where the far ref's head is, how is he not seeing that? I don't even think that's possible. though its worth noting that the "jump ball" moment might have been a few secs later. You cant see the ball in that pic.

 

Anyways, enough about that game.

 

I like the Clips, their balance and team play. I'm going to go ahead and predict it, in the "hallway series" between the LA teams...

 

Clippers in 6.

 

Should be a great series, assuming the Lakers hold on.

[Just John 0]

I don't know how the ref couldn't see that. Walton's not even on the line, his whole foot's in the yellow.

 

Not that it cost Phoenix the series or anything, but damn, that's some shitty officiating.

[Dangerous A 0]

I hate defending the Lakers in any situation, but we don't know when the photo was snapped. Nothing is going to change anyways, so people should talk about game 5 now.

 

I felt really good about watching the Clippers advance to the next round. They have some of the good guys in the league like Elton Brand and Corey Maggette on their squad. (although this will be Maggette's last season with the Clippers) The "hallway series" should be interesting to see how these two teams respond to being home. Like Kenny Smith said last night in postgame, after each game, the visiting and home teams don't have to board a plane and go on the road. You get to go to your home. You get to practice at your practice facility.

 

They should rename this the "pampered series" since both teams are esentially getting 1 1/2-2 weeks of home games.

[Black Lushus 0]

bad calls are a way of life in any sport...look at the Superbowl, look at that Michigan/Nebraska bowl game (for recent examples)...it sucks, but all you can do is move on and regroup...rather than questioning a no-call, they should question why they allowed the Lakers to hang with them long enough to get a last minute shot off.

[Dangerous A 0]

As they say on sports talk radio: scoreboard.

[Rendclaw 0]

You aren't that far off, Rendclaw. The Pistons can do themselves a huge favor and go up 3-1 to end it in 5. I could very easily see the other 3 eastern conference series going 7 games.

 

Exactly. I'm more concerned about Rip Hamilton because while he did a bang-up job on Redd defensively, he has been in an offensive slump since before the playoffs started, and having a not-so-good left ankle does not help matters. He is missing a lot of free throws, and shots that he could make in his sleep are much harder. Credit some of that to the Bucks making life more difficult, but its still an area of concern for me.

 

That win by Chicago Sunday is looming larger than ever now, because the Heat have to put together winning back-to-back games, and I don;t think they can right now. They're way inconsistent, and the fact that Chicago took everything they had in the first for four games and are still in Miami's face speaks as much for the negatives that they have as the positives that Chicago possesses. The Heat will prolly win in seven, simply because Chicago is still too young and are prone to making the same young team mistakes that the Heat only sometimes capitalize upon.

[Rendclaw 0]

They've got Washington or Cleveland.

 

I'd prefer Cleveland.

 

I agree. Washington is a much bigger headache for the Pistons that the Cavs are with LeBron learning on the job, as it were.

 

D'Antoni should have a long discussion with Avery Johnson about instilling a defensive mindset into a team. That being said, if the Lakers win this series, it is not going to end in Game 5. Game 6, mayyybe.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

The two blind refs dont care. LA was going to be willed to win by the NBA Front Office, David Stern and the Refs. Nice to see that a fucking rapist get such treatment to win a series.

 

You must have some grudge with Kobe, or be a major dumbass to think he is a rapist.

[Dangerous A 0]

That's gotta be a hardcore grudge because I hate Kobe as much as the next Laker hater and even I wouldn't endorse calling him a rapist or going along with the league conspiracy to help the Lakers win ball games.

[Hawk 34 0]

That's gotta be a hardcore grudge because I hate Kobe as much as the next Laker hater and even I wouldn't endorse calling him a rapist or going along with the league conspiracy to help the Lakers win ball games.

 

Both are completely idiotic beliefs to have as Kobe was completely dismissed from the charges and if the NBA wanted to fix games, they wouldn't have Miami jobbing to Chicago or Cleveland dropping games to Washington.

[alfdogg 0]

I agree that it would be in better interest for the Pistons for the Cavs to win. I think the Cavs are too soft for the Pistons, and I can't see a series between them going more than five games. The Wizards, while they wouldn't win, would have people scratching their heads, much like the Heat/Bulls series.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I would agree that it is preposterous to think that the NBA would endorse the fixing of games. They would just have to much to lose if a story ever broke linking them to that kind of behavior.

 

That being said, I always flash back to Kings-Lakers, Game 6 of the 2002 conference championship. It was one of those times that it seemed that every call was going LA's way, almost as if the refs were trying their hardest to give LA a shot at winning the game. It was very suspicously officiated.

[Dangerous A 0]

As far as NBA ref bias goes, there is some, but it's not exclusive to the Lakers. I've attended to a ton of NBA games live and been watching the league now for 19 years. Biased officiating goes in this order for the NBA...

 

1) Home team

 

2) Star players (notice how guys like Kobe, Shaq, AI, or LeBron can get up in an officials face and scream whereas if you are a mere mortal NBA player, you get T'd up and don't get me started on foul calls and jump steps)

 

3) Against Problem child players (Rasheed pre-2004, Artest)

 

 

Home teams get the most calls. It's not to say they get every call, but they get a decent share of "WTF?" calls where the fans cheer even though they know the call might be bogus. Although I'm calling the Lakers to finish the Suns off tonight, I'll bet we see the Suns getting some calls down the stretch if it's close.