NBA Conference Finals

[naiwf 0]

It's nice to see that Bell is still an elite flopper despite the bad calf muscle.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

The Showtime Lakers were the greatest teams ever (talentwise and if it wasn't for Red's Celtics results wise) and I don't know how easy it would be to compare anyone to them or prove that statement 100% wrong.

 

With all due respect, I'd rate the Bulls higher than Showtime Lakers. In the 8 years Riley was with the Lakers, they went 533-194 with 4 NBA titles. In Jackson's final 8 years with the Bulls they went 490-166 with 6 titles.

[naiwf 0]

 

The Showtime Lakers were the greatest teams ever (talentwise and if it wasn't for Red's Celtics results wise) and I don't know how easy it would be to compare anyone to them or prove that statement 100% wrong.

 

With all due respect, I'd rate the Bulls higher than Showtime Lakers. In the 8 years Riley was with the Lakers, they went 533-194 with 4 NBA titles. In Jackson's final 8 years with the Bulls they went 490-166 with 6 titles.

 

The Lakers had to face much stiffer competition though. I'd give the nod to the Lakers but only by a 51 to 49 margin or so.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

True.

 

On to the game tonight, I hope the Mavericks pulls it out, because I have a feeling the Mavericks would need to have an equal amount of rest as the ECF winner (probably Miami) in order to win. They can't afford another 7 game series as a prelude to the Finals.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Remember last summer, when the Atlanta GM/owner/whoever thought including Diaw in the trade for Joe Johnson was too much? Dude looks like a genius now. That dunk over Dirk was awesome.

[iggymcfly 0]

Wow, the Mavericks really played like shit tonight. That was far and away their worst performance of the postseason. They were missing everything, and they didn't hit the glass at all tonight.

 

I'd expect them to come out really strong for Game 5 though. If Howard plays, I give them a 98% chance of winning, likely by a large margin.

[Ripper 0]

Remember last summer, when the Atlanta GM/owner/whoever thought including Diaw in the trade for Joe Johnson was too much? Dude looks like a genius now. That dunk over Dirk was awesome.

 

He argued over their two first round picks being gone, not Diaw.

 

Good game by the suns. This one looked like a bust it open one for them from the start and they delievered.

 

Series tied at 2-2.

[Narcoleptic Jumper 0]

god I love Raja Bell and the Suns. it's exhilarating to watch this team play well. if they play half as well as they played tonight in the next two or three games, they're going to the finals.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I just hope the Mavs don't miss that many shots in the next few games, or obviously they're cooked.

[Just John 0]

Eventually this had to happen. No way Phoenix was gonna keep missing good looks like in Games 2-3. I expect Game 5 to be a war, with Steve Nash leading the Suns to victory.

[Fökai 0]

I however will root for whoever comes out of the Western Conference just because I don't want Gary Payton to ever have his ring. D-Wade is the only redeeming thing about the Heat. I can't stand Shaq, Payton, Williams, Haslem, Walker, or any of the rest of em'. Well they do have Wayne Simien....I like him.

 

How can anyone use words like "hate" or "dislike" with Shaquille O'Neal? I really want to know. Everytime he does or says something ridiculous, I can't seem to love the guy enough.

[Adam 0]

Shaq seems to always rub me up the wrong way. I hate to be a Dama about things, but the time he got traded to Miami was brutal to watch on ESPN. Shaq and Kobe, start to finish. I'm a fan of Dwyane's work though, and Shaq's been quiet this year, so I wouldn't mind seeing them in the Finals. On the flip side, Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker have always struck me as assholes.

 

Good win by the Suns tonight. I'm pulling for them to win the whole thing, just because I love to watch them play, and I don't get to see them often, so I hope they at least make it to the Finals.

[CanadianChris 0]

Nah, Walker's not an asshole, he just takes too many bad shots. I can't hate on Employee Number 8.

[naiwf 0]

I don't know how people could want to see the Suns win an NBA championship. I just can't support a team who thinks that pulling jerseys and flopping every time someone makes contact is a good way to play defense. Bell dives at LEAST 6 times per game, Nash has tried to trip people and strip Dirk's jersey from him a few times and they get away with it because they're so undersized that the refs buy that shit. It would be a complete and utter joke if they won the title playing 'D' like a soccer team.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I don't know how people could want to see the Suns win an NBA championship. I just can't support a team who thinks that pulling jerseys and flopping every time someone makes contact is a good way to play defense. Bell dives at LEAST 6 times per game, Nash has tried to trip people and strip Dirk's jersey from him a few times and they get away with it because they're so undersized that the refs buy that shit. It would be a complete and utter joke if they won the title playing 'D' like a soccer team.

 

That's exactly how I feel too. The Suns deserve a ring based on their offensive ability, but their defensive transgressions just piss me off to the point I'm firmly entrenched in the Mavs camp. And for all the shit people on here give Mark Cuban, he is a fan first, and I respect that in an owner.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Suns are way fun, and ultimately who I'm pulling for out of everybody left. I don't really buy the "they get away with all sorts of jersey tugging and fouls" stuff; if the refs don't call it, they don't call it. Don't blame it on the team. Flopping's just ridiculous everywhere, so it doesn't bother me that much when any team does it.

[naiwf 0]

Suns are way fun, and ultimately who I'm pulling for out of everybody left. I don't really buy the "they get away with all sorts of jersey tugging and fouls" stuff; if the refs don't call it, they don't call it. Don't blame it on the team. Flopping's just ridiculous everywhere, so it doesn't bother me that much when any team does it.

 

When the commentators started calling Raja Bell the "King of the Flops" last night and laughed that he got away with it at least three times what does that say? Nash continues to try and leg whip dudes, but because he doesn't make contact he gets away with it.

 

On one possession last night someone on the Suns tackled Dirk by yanking down on his jersey, leading to a 3 on 2 for Dallas, and then the other TWO Suns on defense (Nash & Bell) both flopped, and got a charging call on Griffin when the replay showed he didn't even make contact with either guy. It's ridiculous with the Suns. No one else spends that much time diving to the ground to "play defense". It's one thing to say you like them or think they're a fun team to watch. It's something else to say that everyone else does it, which is entirely not true.

 

Just watch Nash, Marion, Bell, Barbosa or Diaw guard someone in the post for one quarter and watch how many times they pull on jerseys, have two hands in the back, and/or dive to the floor in hopes of drawing a charge. I guarantee you it'll be at least 6 to 8 per quarter, and the refs will only call them once or twice because they're so small and the refs just love to think that because a guy went flailing to the ground he must have been fouled. It's a complete joke especially when they play in Phoenix.

[Just John 0]

Maybe I'm just not paying close enough attention, but I haven't seen Marion flop. He seems like the only guy that plays traditional defense. And while I don't condone the jersey pulling, the flopping really doesn't bother me that much. Sure, it's not really an ethical defensive strategy, but if the rules allow it, what can you do? I don't like the hack-a-whoever strategy either, but the rules let you do it, so whatever.

[Ripper 0]

naiwf, seriously, you are whining way too much now. YOU DON"T LIKE THE SUNS. We know.

 

Seriously, point to the flop that got called a offensive foul that wasn't a offensive foul. When he tried to do so twice, he got called for the blocking foul twice(going down when he was in the wrong). The refs making the right call is being ignored so you can say "OH MY GOD RAJA FELL WHEN HE GOT FOULED!!!!"

 

And the jersey pulling...while it was a foul, come the fuck on. Are you going to sit here and try and pretend that jerseys aren't pulled every game?

 

To stop the screen and roll with Diaw, Jason Terry was grabbing his jersey nearly every time to stop him from rolling. I don't see you posting about that. I don't see you posting about the elbow to Nashs head or the numerous bad calls the suns got at the end of game 3. NO, Nash pulled a jersey and raja overacted when it WAS a offensive foul and people should hate the suns for it.

 

They got away with a play. Big freakin whoop. Dallas has gotten away with its share of plays. So has every other team in the playoffs.

 

But if you are going to pretend that the suns won by 20 last night because Nash pulled Dirks Jersey on one rebound, then I don't know what to tell ya.

[naiwf 0]

But if you are going to pretend that the suns won by 20 last night because Nash pulled Dirks Jersey on one rebound, then I don't know what to tell ya.

 

When did I say those plays cost Dallas the game yesterday? Your team is a bunch of floppy, whiny bitches. That's not debatable. Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili are the only player in the league that do as much diving as your starting 5 save Marion. Bell and Nash both dove to the ground like someone threw a grenade on that Griffin play, and that was called a charge when the replay showed no one got touched by him. Bell tried to pull Dirk on top of him on another play and that was called a charge when Dirk had his arms above his head and his feet were stationary. That was just the plays that stood out last night.

 

Nash cries EVERY TIME he drives the lane and motions that someone shoved him with two hands, when just about every replay shows him pushing off with his left elbow to create space to get his shots off. He's tried to kick guys in two separate games this postseason. He almost tackled Dirk at the end of Game 1 with another jersey pull when that last inbounds pass went sailing out of bounds. I'm not talking about holding a jersey which happens regularly, I'm talking about pulling down on someone's jersey with all of your leverage with the intent of taking the guy down. There's a difference.

 

The Suns don't play defense, and if they win a title it'll only show other teams that soccer moves actually work if you're small enough to get away with it. Shaq won't be able to take a deep breath without the Suns starting 5, D'Antoni, Eddie House, Kurt Thomas, Amare, the assistant coaches, water boy and trainer hitting the floor every time he makes an offensive move, and that's NOT how you play basketball, especially in the postseason. It's a flat out joke and anyone who doesn't have a vested interest in them winning can see that.

[Ripper 0]

No, seriously, its down right laughable.

 

The fact that you would turn a blind eye to it happening in the same game on the other side just shows your blind hatred of the suns has reached Dama like proportions. I see a team playing incredible team basketball on both sides of the court, and they are in position to win a title.

 

And for all the "SUNS PLAY NO D people", there is a reason teams don't get fast break points on them. Its called trasition D. Bottomline, they are overmatched physically at nearly every position on the court, so its not like they are supposed to be locking people down. People look at crap like opponets points per game and say the suns suck at D when the fact is they take most of their shots within 10 seconds of the shot clock, meaning more offensive chances for the other team. But look at how many turnovers they force. Most of all, look at the point differential in their wins.

 

Shooting that ball with one second on the shotclock all night will make the most of you believe that its good D.

[Guest Coffey]

I really want the finals to be Dallas against Miami. I was a lot happier when San Antonio got eliminated. Now if Detroit would go away, I could sit back, relax, and look forward to a new champion.

[naiwf 0]

No, seriously, its down right laughable.

 

The fact that you would turn a blind eye to it happening in the same game on the other side just shows your blind hatred of the suns has reached Dama like proportions. I see a team playing incredible team basketball on both sides of the court, and they are in position to win a title.

 

And for all the "SUNS PLAY NO D people", there is a reason teams don't get fast break points on them. Its called trasition D. Bottomline, they are overmatched physically at nearly every position on the court, so its not like they are supposed to be locking people down. People look at crap like opponets points per game and say the suns suck at D when the fact is they take most of their shots within 10 seconds of the shot clock, meaning more offensive chances for the other team. But look at how many turnovers they force. Most of all, look at the point differential in their wins.

 

Shooting that ball with one second on the shotclock all night will make the most of you believe that its good D.

 

The reason teams don't get fast break points on Phoenix is because they don't want to run with them. Don't be stupid. It has nothing to do with transition defense. You don't run against a team that thrives on running. Every single time someone falls for that stupid shit they get lit up for 120+ points because the Suns don't play defense anyway, the two LA teams proved as much. The Suns just keep shooting 3's, and when they fall it's hard to beat them. It's the same way the Kentucky Wildcats used to play under Pitino, and if the NCAA was set up with best of X series instead of 1 and done tourney play, no one would ever have beaten those Kentucky squads because all they needed was to get hot for 10 minutes and it was lights out.

 

The Suns are great in blowouts because when they're up 10 you have to speed up the tempo to try and make up the difference, which *gasp* plays right into their hands. Imagine that, a team that runs and guns 3s can extend a lead by having the game turn into all out running and gunning. Shit, next thing you know I'll learn that the Earth is indeed round by watching the Suns play.

[Brett Favre 0]

Come on now. You're basically saying, a few posts back, that the reason they're this far is because of flopping and jersey grabbing? Do you know how much jersey grabbing there is in an NBA game? And for a team as small as the Suns, i'm pretty sure there are a lot of over the backs on them that aren't called, but no, only the Suns, Ginobili, and Bruce Bowen cheat.

[naiwf 0]

Come on now. You're basically saying, a few posts back, that the reason they're this far is because of flopping and jersey grabbing? Do you know how much jersey grabbing there is in an NBA game? And for a team as small as the Suns, i'm pretty sure there are a lot of over the backs on them that aren't called, but no, only the Suns, Ginobili, and Bruce Bowen cheat.

 

I didn't say that's why they are this far. I said I don't know how people can root for a team that routinely cheats on defense to win. I don't think the league would benefit from the clutch and flop defensive team winning a title, just like the Knicks and Heat perfecting Basketbrawl under Riley killed interest in the league for years. You can't have a team flop on every defensive possession that goes to the post be rewarded for what is a violation of a rule.

[Brett Favre 0]

You're exaggerating.

 

And the Knicks and Heat? Are you kidding me? They scored like 75 points a game. There's no way its anything like that. You seem to be the only one that talks about this as if its anywhere near that.

[naiwf 0]

You're exaggerating.

 

And the Knicks and Heat? Are you kidding me? They scored like 75 points a game. There's no way its anything like that. You seem to be the only one that talks about this as if its anywhere near that.

 

The Spurs and Suns are two of the five or six best teams in the league and both play the clutch and flop. The Pistons way of playing ball won't work anymore and Dallas and Miami are where they are because they excel on both ends of the floor. If the Suns win the title this year, trust me when I tell you a lot of undersized teams will model themselves after the Suns. Pro sports are all about copying what worked. There's a reason the NBA nearly died from 75 points being enough to win any game. Why bother wasting energy playing defense when you can just run up and down on offense and fall down whenever someone moves towards the basket on defense? That brand of basketball will kill the need for any kind of big men who can't run up and down the court, and there's no reason to have guys like Shaq or Yao on your payroll if they can't guard a 6'8 "center" who can shoot well on one end of the court and fall over whenever they get posted up.

[Brett Favre 0]

The 75 points thing, and the running up and down the court thing are like opposite things. I don't understand your point.

[A Happy Medium 0]

The officials in the NBA suck. That's all I really have to say about the Suns/Mavs game last night. There are many bad calls in every game....it just so happened that the Mavs got it down the throat last night.

 

Also, Raja Bell is not a hero. Players play hurt all of the time. Doug Collins was giving Bell the best verbal fellatio since Howard Cosell introduced Frank Sinatra at MSG.

 

I have the Mavs in seven.

[Guest]

Kobe made Raja Bell.

 

He had a good season and all, but nobody really started talking about him until they played the Lakers.