NBA Playoffs 2006: Conference Semifinals

[Guest]

Nah, it's over.

 

These three series are all going to be wars.

[alfdogg 0]

The draft lottery is tommorrow, btw.

[naiwf 0]

The draft lottery is tommorrow, btw.

 

NY will win the #1 for Chicago. I can feel it.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Crap

 

Once I saw that there was three days between 6 and 7, I knew the Clippers had to win in 6 or less.

 

Can't give Nash and the rest of the Suns time to regain their legs.

 

Clippers gave two games away and you can't expect to get away with that.

[Ripper 0]

Well this is the West Finals that I called, I had the Nets in the East with the Pistons, so I missed it there.

 

I said Phoenix had the easy route to the West Finals....didn't end up being that easy, but they got there.

 

So here it is people, I am picking the Suns over the Mavs in 6.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Phoenix/Dallas could be one of those classic series, the likes of which hasn't been seen since LA/Sacramento in 02.

 

I just pray Miami beats Detroit or the finals will yet again be unbearable.

[naiwf 0]

Dallas in 6

 

Detroit in 6

 

I'd love to see Miami win the East, but I think they'd need to win twice in Detroit which means Game 1 is imperative, and with a week off I think they'll be rusty. Phoenix can win the series, but I think they've expended far too much energy to beat a 6 seed and a 7 seed already. If Nash got gassed running after Cassell and Livingston what's he going to do against Terry and Harris who are faster and better players?

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Suns in 6

 

Detroit in 5

[Ripper 0]

Dallas in 6

 

Detroit in 6

 

I'd love to see Miami win the East, but I think they'd need to win twice in Detroit which means Game 1 is imperative, and with a week off I think they'll be rusty. Phoenix can win the series, but I think they've expended far too much energy to beat a 6 seed and a 7 seed already. If Nash got gassed running after Cassell and Livingston what's he going to do against Terry and Harris who are faster and better players?

 

 

The Mavs afford the SUns the opportunity to play Eddie House, who simply was too much of a mismatch for any Clipper player. And there is the fact that Jason Terry and Devin Harris can't stop Nash. Ross and Livingston gave him problems.

 

ALTHOUGH!!! The key to this series is going to be....Darrel Armstrong. He is Lindsey Hunter West right now and can give Nash fits. Suns are just done with dominating on the post big man right now as they don't have to worry about Dampier or Diop going off on the block and Diaw/Thomas can abuse both of them offensively. The Mavs are playing five on three unless they go small.

[naiwf 0]

Dallas in 6

 

Detroit in 6

 

I'd love to see Miami win the East, but I think they'd need to win twice in Detroit which means Game 1 is imperative, and with a week off I think they'll be rusty. Phoenix can win the series, but I think they've expended far too much energy to beat a 6 seed and a 7 seed already. If Nash got gassed running after Cassell and Livingston what's he going to do against Terry and Harris who are faster and better players?

 

 

The Mavs afford the SUns the opportunity to play Eddie House, who simply was too much of a mismatch for any Clipper player. And there is the fact that Jason Terry and Devin Harris can't stop Nash. Ross and Livingston gave him problems.

 

ALTHOUGH!!! The key to this series is going to be....Darrel Armstrong. He is Lindsey Hunter West right now and can give Nash fits. Suns are just done with dominating on the post big man right now as they don't have to worry about Dampier or Diop going off on the block and Diaw/Thomas can abuse both of them offensively. The Mavs are playing five on three unless they go small.

 

Oh shit, I forgot about Eddie House. Phoenix should be able to sweep with him on the court!

 

Seriously though both teams present match up issues, but Nash's dead legs won't get 4 days rest between games again and that's the only reason Phoenix is still alive right now. As long as the Mavs guards make Nash play defense it doesn't matter if he scores 30+. You just can't have him take half of the game off like the Lakers allowed him to by playing Smush. I also don't see them winning two games in Dallas which is what they'll need to do since it's almost inevitable Dallas steals one in Phoenix.

[Ripper 0]

In what world does nash waste energy playing D?

 

When in the course of human events has he ever wasted energy playing D? Dallas doesn't run any of their guards off screens like Rip Hamilton or anything. Standing in front of a guy that is taking you off the dribble doesn't take any energy from you. Banging on the block will. And Jason Terry and Devin Harris aren't low post threats.

 

And the reason the suns didn't do so well in game decided in 3 points or less this year is because they were never in them. They were never in them mostly because of eddie house and his 10 point second quarters. It was a formula, House comes in, scores 10 points in like 3 minutes and along with Barbosa would bring that high energy quick striking offense. Dallas is the first playoff team the Suns have met that will allow him to do anything of note.

 

Plus that give Nash more rest, which is pretty important.

[naiwf 0]

In what world does nash waste energy playing D?

 

When in the course of human events has he ever wasted energy playing D? Dallas doesn't run any of their guards off screens like Rip Hamilton or anything. Standing in front of a guy that is taking you off the dribble doesn't take any energy from you. Banging on the block will. And Jason Terry and Devin Harris aren't low post threats.

 

And the reason the suns didn't do so well in game decided in 3 points or less this year is because they were never in them. They were never in them mostly because of eddie house and his 10 point second quarters. It was a formula, House comes in, scores 10 points in like 3 minutes and along with Barbosa would bring that high energy quick striking offense. Dallas is the first playoff team the Suns have met that will allow him to do anything of note.

 

Plus that give Nash more rest, which is pretty important.

 

By play defense I mean that Nash can't completely sag off of a useless sack of shit like Smush thus rendering it 4 on 5 on the offensive end for his opponents. If Nash just stands there against Terry or Daniels he'll get lit up. You're awfully confident about Phoenix' ability for a team that went 8-6 against two of the worst teams in the whole postseason.

[iggymcfly 0]

Miami in 7.

 

Dallas in 5.

 

The Mavericks already beat the second best team in the West, I don't think Phoenix will be able to touch them.

[iggymcfly 0]

Oh, and I didn't mention this earlier, because it was secondary to seeing my favorite team beat the defending champs, but I finally got a nice sports betting win when I bet more than I should have on a basketball game. The Mavericks payed off for $1050 tonight.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Pistons in 6

 

Mavs in 6

 

I'm a believer in the Mavs, and had creeped towards that direction for a while. This team is so much better than playoff choking Nelson Mavs. I had my fill of the Lakers the first time, so I have no desire to see "Lakers the sequel" in any Finals, not to mention i'm a Pistons fan... Detroit/Dallas would be a great series, two very complete teams.

[cabbageboy 0]

The only thing I wonder about with the Mavs if they play the Pistons is this: Are they tough enough? It's always been a big issue with the Mavs in the past, that they aren't physical and don't play enough defense.

 

I'm amazed that anyone would pick the Suns over the Mavs though. The Suns are like the walking dead right now, having to go 7 to beat the Clippers and Lakers. I honestly think the Mavs might sweep Phoenix, though I'm hoping for a good series since I like both teams.

 

The Finals and my enjoyment of them rests with the Heat. Both Detroit/Dallas and Detroit/Phoenix are car wreck series with no appeal. Miami/Dallas or Miami/Phoenix? Either of those would be a lot of fun.

[godthedog 0]

The only thing I wonder about with the Mavs if they play the Pistons is this: Are they tough enough? It's always been a big issue with the Mavs in the past, that they aren't physical and don't play enough defense.

 

I'm amazed that anyone would pick the Suns over the Mavs though. The Suns are like the walking dead right now, having to go 7 to beat the Clippers and Lakers. I honestly think the Mavs might sweep Phoenix, though I'm hoping for a good series since I like both teams.

 

The Finals and my enjoyment of them rests with the Heat. Both Detroit/Dallas and Detroit/Phoenix are car wreck series with no appeal. Miami/Dallas or Miami/Phoenix? Either of those would be a lot of fun.

phoenix will have the edge on energy for the first couple games. they got 3 days of rest before a game 7 they barely broke a sweat on. dallas had the tougher, more physical series; while they can certainly keep up with phoenix, they may not be able to make the necessary defensive stops to slow them down, and if it turns into a shooting contest, phoenix will win. i don't think they'll have a defensive answer to stop nash from running the floor, and they'll just have to let him wear himself out. phoenix will steal one of the first 2 games.

 

after that though, fatigue will catch up and it's anybody's guess. i don't think phoenix will have the firepower or the energy to finish dallas off, but they've shown to be pretty damn tough and might just push it to 6 or 7 games on willpower.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

The Finals and my enjoyment of them rests with the Heat. Both Detroit/Dallas and Detroit/Phoenix are car wreck series with no appeal. Miami/Dallas or Miami/Phoenix? Either of those would be a lot of fun.

I'm of the exact opposite opinion: my Finals enjoyment rests with Detroit. I would find Miami versus anybody for the Championship to be completely unwatchable.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Dallas destroyed Memphis in the first round, and despite going 7 games, had a good handle on San Antonio. Phoenix got pushed to the limit against the Lakers (!) and the Clippers. The talent gap here is a lot larger than most people think. Dallas should sweep this thing. They won't because they lack that killer instinct, but they should.

[Just John 0]

The thing about both LA teams taking Phoenix to 7 games was that they had big men went inside and took advantage of the size mismatches. Dallas doesn't really have that, as they like to take longer shots. Dallas finally offers Phoenix a chance to play their pace.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

But the Phoenix Suns play lousy defense and they are going against a team with a lot of scoring threats. Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, Jason Terry, etc. are going to have a field day out there.

[Guest Vitamin X]

EDIT: Oops, wrong thread.

[Guest]

I'm not picking a winner for the West.

 

Miami in 7

[godthedog 0]

But the Phoenix Suns play lousy defense and they are going against a team with a lot of scoring threats. Dirk Nowitzki, Devin Harris, Jason Terry, etc. are going to have a field day out there.

dude, phoenix is one big 5-headed scoring threat. if dallas doesn't play hard defense to throw phoenix out of rhythm, they're not going to outscore them. it just isn't going to happen. they move the ball too well & they don't hesitate to make any quick open shot they can, especially from the 3 point line. nash, diaw, marion, barbosa, bell, thomas...dallas doesn't have the firepower to counter all that point-for-point. it won't matter if dallas's strategy is to have an offensive field day and get 120 points, cause in that kind of game phoenix can get 127 points.

 

i think dallas will win because they're better at doing things they're not good at than phoenix is, but it'll be interesting to see how they take themselves out of their own comfort zone and play ugly basketball just to keep phoenix off. great test to see if dallas really IS a championship-caliber team.

[iggymcfly 0]

I really don't get the idea that Dallas can't run with Phoenix. They shot 70% for the half against the best team in the West, and have been unstoppable in games where the score's in the 100s or higher. If Phoenix scores 130, they could score 140. If anything, a blistering pace might hurt Phoenix more, since Nash is having trouble with his back and won't be wanting to go end to end for 40+ minutes. Nowitzki, Terry, Harris, Daniels, Stackhouse, and Van Horn are all players that can get up and down the floor all game long, and can shoot the ball tremendously well. Basically, anything Phoenix can do, Dallas can do better.

[CanadianChris 0]

EDIT: Wrong thread.

[Guest]

There's two things that we can count on.

 

1. Seattle will draft a project.

 

2. Utah will draft a white guy.

[CanadianChris 0]

3. Portland will draft someone with character issues.