NBA Playoffs 2006: Conference Semifinals

[naiwf]

Chris Paul was officially named Rookie of the Year, getting all but one first place vote. Villanueva was second, Bogut was third. The other first went to Deron Williams.

 

I'm interested to see where Raymond Felton placed. I had him second, but he didn't even make first team All-Rookie.

 

2005-06 T-MOBILE NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD VOTING RESULTS

 

Rookie, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Total

Chris Paul, NOK 124 1 - 623

Charlie Villanueva, Toronto - 73 29 248

Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee - 23 29 98

Raymond Felton, Charlotte - 19 22 79

Channing Frye, New York - 4 29 41

Deron Williams, Utah 1 5 11 31

Luther Head, Houston - - 2 2

Danny Granger, Indiana - - 2 2

Ryan Gomes, Boston - - 1 1

 

It's nice to know that Deron Williams had a family member amongst the 125 voters, and that Felton was the 4th best rookie, but didn't make the first team. The whole voting process is a fucking joke.

[Damaramu]

Yeah well Chris Paul deserved Rookie of the Year so no complaints here.

[Rendclaw]

Much credit to Avery Johnson for making a key adjustment with inserting Devin Harris into the starting lineup and the Mavs played damn near perfect. (only 7 turnovers) Of course the beauty of a series is the Spurs need just one game in Dallas to get homecourt back and since they are a veteran team, I don't think they are too troubled.

 

Mark my words, this ass whooping LeBron is taking (although last night they made it respectable) is going to end up being a good thing for him in the long run. He'll start to see what a real championship team plays like in a playoff environment. LeBron is only 21 and needs to suffer some before experiencing some real post season success.

 

Combine that with getting a player willing to play Scottie Pippen to LeBron's MJ, and one or two other good role-players, and look the hell out. I think he might be ahead of the curve MJ was on en route to a title or two.

 

Larry Hughes isn;t the answer, methinks. He's a good enough player, but he doesn;t truly fit what the Cavs need to make it to the next level.

[Dangerous A]

Hughes was a head scratcher signing for the Cavs last offseason. Remember he was the third option the Cavs wanted because they were courting Redd and Ray Allen first. When those deals fell through, they went out and got Hughes out of the blue. You are right, he just doesn't seem to fit, but he has only been healthy for a quarter of the year and hasn't had the chance to gel with LeBron and Co.

[naiwf]

I like how everyone thinks that Scottie Pippens grow on trees. The guy was only one of the 5 or 10 best players in the league during the championship run. Barring someone like Kobe or Wade deciding to play second fiddle to LeBron, good luck finding a player of that skill level who doesn't want to be "the man" and will gladly deflect all of the praise to LeBron. I thought Marion was that kind of guy, but even he's getting vaginitis thanks to Nash getting all of the attention. I just don't see someone being THAT good/versatile willing to be the # 2 option on any team.

[bobobrazil1984]

They don't need to go hunting at every player who can score points in search of a "Scottie Pippen", they need someone who can play GREAT DEFENSE alongside Lebron (and Kobe, and AI, and all the other "we need to get him some help" wing or guard players). You could drop Larry Hughes and put in a Bowen, Artest, Ben Wallace, and then that team could be very very good (putting aside the fact that Artest plays the same pos as Lebron, but you get my point). Really its up to Cleveland's management now, if they realize the team needs guys who can dominate the other side of the game rather than someone who just puts up 20 points per game.

Naiwf makes a great point about Scottie Pippen. People don't remember because he played with MJ but Pippen was an awesome player on his own. And, of course, he was a very good defender. Not to mention horace grant or dennis rodman (pick era), and that MJ himself was a tenacious defender. The Bulls were a great defensive team.

[bobobrazil1984]

double post.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Scottie Pippen wasn't content playing second-fiddle, Jordan just kep him in check. Remember when Scottie refused to go back into a game because the final play wasn't drawn up for him? Scottie Pippen was also averaging 20 points per game when the Bulls were winning championships. The only way Lebron is going to get a Scottie Pippen is if they get a player younger than him who has a shitload of talent. Lebron's only 21 and is hardly a veteran. I don't see any player with REAL talent deferring to him quite just yet.

[Guest]

They need a big that can score. I don't see LeBron staying in Cleveland, so that's when he'll find his wingman.

[Damaramu]

It took Jordan a while to win his first title didn't it? How old was he when the Bulls got there first title?

It seems like everyone is expecting Lebron to win immediately when Jordan didn't even get the title immediately.

[Guest]

Jordan didn't win a title until he was 28.

 

Every single time I look at his bio and see Washington as the team he played for during his last 2 years, I just feel dirty.

[Rendclaw]

I'm not saying that there is a Scottie Pippen tree out there somewhere. LeBron needs a player that can do the things Scottie did once he came into his own (more later). Defend, score, distribute, and rebound, more of less in that order. Be enough of a threat that LeBron could lean on him in stretches where either his shot isn't going or he is drawing a lot of defensive attention. Varejao shows some signs of being that guy, but not for another two years at least. Not only that, LeBron HAS to develop a consistent jumper in the next year or two, if only to make the other facets of his game that much more effective.

 

And to my second point, Scottie wasn;t awesome from the moment he put on a Bulls uniform. It took him about three years to develop his game to where he could alleviate some of the pressure teams were putting on Jordan. In his rookie year he pretty much relied on his athleticism and little else.

 

The future is pretty bright for the Cavs if they continue to build around LeBron, but they aren;t there yet. I said it when LeBron started getting all of his run in high school, and Kobe before him, and T-Mac before him: People are so fucking desperate for the next Jordan, that anyone that even approaches his level of talent gets hyped as such.

[Brett Favre]

I think theres a chance that LeBron will become the Scottie Pippen player, in the sense that he'll be the one that rebounds, defends, and distributes more than the other guy who'll be more like the scorer that Jordan was (not saying as good a scorer, but like more of a scoring role). LeBron is like a Pippen type of offensive player, and has the ability to be somewhat close to what Pippen was on the defensive end.

[Dangerous A]

LeBron is a better scorer now than Pippen ever was.

[Brett Favre]

That's not what makes LeBron so special though. His rebounding, and passing is what makes him similar to Scottie. I'm not saying he's going to play 2nd fiddle, but he does so much more. I know Jordan was an all-around player himself, but not the way Scottie was, and the way LeBron is and can be.

[Dangerous A]

I know. I just think LeBron is so special he won't be categorized as the next anything. He'll just be LeBron.

 

If anything, I think he'll be the next Oscar Robertson. While I think it's still impossible to average a triple double in this day and age, LeBron will be the one guy who gets a good look at doing that.

[Dangerous A]

Man, Wade has come out of the gate with a vengeance.

[chaosrage]

The Nets are getting raped.

 

Second round has kinda sucked so far, except for Clippers/Suns.

[Guest NYankees]

Cann someone please explain to me how it goes from one blowout to the next. The nets are horrible so far tonight.

[Spicy McHaggis]

DA got it when he compared Lebron to Oscar Robertson. The other player that comes to mind is Magic Johnson.

 

Comparing Lebron James to Scottie Pippen is, in my view, an insult to Lebron.

[Brett Favre]

Woa I dunno if it's an insult. I agree with the Oscar Robertson comparison, but Pippen was one of the best defenders ever.

[Hawk 34]

Woa I dunno if it's an insult. I agree with the Oscar Robertson comparison, but Pippen was one of the best defenders ever.

 

There are worse people to be compared to.

[Open the Muggy Gate]

Did I just see Triple H in the same commercial as Jerome Bettis, Burt Reynolds and Eddie Griffin?

 

[Hawk 34]

Did I just see Triple H in the same commercial as Jerome Bettis, Burt Reynolds and Eddie Griffin?

 

 

The question is, who should be most ashamed?

[Kurt Angle Mark]

Nice first half by the Clippers

 

 

But damn are the Suns annoying to play, your team is up 14 and it only feels like a 4 point lead against any other team.

[Adam]

I love this series, and hate that I can't see any of it. Thank you NBATV Podcasts.

[Guest Felonies!]

Jordan didn't win a title until he was 28.

 

Every single time I look at his bio and see Washington as the team he played for during his last 2 years, I just feel dirty.

Man, how do you think I feel.

[Kurt Angle Mark]

What an awesome performance by the Clippers

 

Loved the attack on the boards and the using of Mobley, Cassell and others in the post

[Just John]

Finally! A team went inside on the Suns for the entire game.

 

D'Antoni got away with not making adjustments against the Lakers. They bailed him out by giving into playing Suns ball. I don't think he'll be so lucky this time around. The Clippers could win in 5 if they played every game like they did tonight. The Suns still have no answer for Elton Brand, and that doesn't look like it's going to change.

[alfdogg]

Turns out the person who voted for Deron Williams was a TV analyst for the Jazz.