NBA Conference Finals

[Ripper 0]

Good game. I have a bad feeling about Raja though. The way he went down I thought it might be his achilles, but it was a calf. Thats still bad but not as bad as I thought it would be.

 

Clutch performances by the Suns players. They didn't play close to their best and stole homecourt. That is pretty good. I expect Nash to wear down around game 4 offensively, so hopefully someone will pick up the slack. Plus with Raja probably gone, they are going to have to change the rotations, meaning more minutes for the starter.

 

 

Phoenix won tonight but with Marion's ankle and Raja's injury, they are not in great shape. Still think they will win this thing though.

[Just John 0]

Phoenix won that game because they did a better job playing their pace. Boris Diaw should be getting more recognition for his great performance. Completely cancelled out Devin Harris' good showing. Nash again showed why he's the MVP, although I'm sure people will continue to say he isn't for some reason. Where was Dirk down the stretch in this one?

 

If Dallas wants to win, they'll have to get back on defense quicker. They got burned to the basket way too many times on made buckets.

[Ripper 0]

Dirk was getting doubled off the ball forcing the Mavs guards to make those crosscourt passes.

[iggymcfly 0]

I really don't think this game was that representative of the Suns being better than the Mavs. The fact is that Dallas just played a brutal seven game series and beat their long-time rivals on the road who just so happened to be the defending champs. I mean, there has to be a little bit of a letdown taking on Phoenix.

 

I know that Phoenix just played a seven game series too, but they at least know they're taking a step up going from the Clippers to the Mavericks. They're going to be more motivated, and they're going to play better than Dallas in that spot. I really wasn't that surprised to see the Suns take Game 1, but I still think Dallas wins the series in five or six games.

[Adam 0]

Iggy, you're making me want to see the Mavs get torn apart. Seriously, a little bit of bias is fine, but thats just brutal.

 

A letdown? Are you serious? The Suns beat the Mavs last year in the Playoffs, so I very much doubt Dallas went into the series thinking 'wow, we're only playing Phoenix, what a letdown'. Dallas has done a really good job so far, and they beat a great team in San Antonio. You seem to be completely underestimating how hard the two LA teams fought against the Suns, and how hard those two series' must have been on Phoenix.

 

Seriously, change your name to 'MavsFan06' or something. Heyzeus.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Yeah really, Dallas was beaten in Game 1. No excuses. I know one game isn't necessarily representative of the series, but I'm worried for the Mavericks after that performance.

[iggymcfly 0]

It's not pro-Mavs bias. It's just honestly evaluating the series. Part of it's looking at things from a sports betting perspective. I was scared to bet on Dallas in Game 1 because I thought Phoenix could take it, so I just threw a token bet out there. It was for the same motivational reasons that I picked Miami to beat Detroit in Game 1.

 

It's not that Dallas really thinks Phoenix can't beat them. It's just that the toughest thing you can do is to beat the 1 seed on the road in a Game 7, so there's going to be a little letdown when you play Game 1 of a new series. I don't think the Suns really thought the Clippers could beat them in a Game 7 in their building, so they just didn't feel it to quite the same degree.

 

Game 2 in Dallas, the Mavericks will probably come back strong and win the game just like the Pistons will against the Heat tonight. Overall, I think Miami and Dallas both have talent edges with Dallas's being a little larger, so I think the Heat will win in 6 or 7 and the Mavs will win in 5 or 6.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

off topic, but everytime I look at this picture, I laugh my ass off.

 

[lomasmoney 0]

So does anyone else find it funny that after the Heat won game 1 by five points, that ESPN has gone from wow this is going to be a great ECF to the Heat are gonna sweep the Pistons. I hate this kind of journalism. A team loses game 1 and now they are in danger of being swept. WTF ?

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

So does anyone else find it funny that after the Heat won game 1 by five points, that ESPN has gone from wow this is going to be a great ECF to the Heat are gonna sweep the Pistons. I hate this kind of journalism. A team loses game 1 and now they are in danger of being swept. WTF ?

 

Yeah I know, and they fail to mention how the Heat were much more rested then the Pistons and had more time to prepare.

 

I think this series is going 7.

[naiwf 0]

If Miami wins tonight the Pistons won't win the series. Their fatigued legs and minds won't get any more rested, and since the horrible Flip Squanders only plays with a 6 man rotation it's not like he can go to the bench for a spark.

[Damaramu 0]

It's not pro-Mavs bias. It's just honestly evaluating the series. Part of it's looking at things from a sports betting perspective. I was scared to bet on Dallas in Game 1 because I thought Phoenix could take it, so I just threw a token bet out there. It was for the same motivational reasons that I picked Miami to beat Detroit in Game 1.

 

It's not that Dallas really thinks Phoenix can't beat them. It's just that the toughest thing you can do is to beat the 1 seed on the road in a Game 7, so there's going to be a little letdown when you play Game 1 of a new series. I don't think the Suns really thought the Clippers could beat them in a Game 7 in their building, so they just didn't feel it to quite the same degree.

 

Game 2 in Dallas, the Mavericks will probably come back strong and win the game just like the Pistons will against the Heat tonight. Overall, I think Miami and Dallas both have talent edges with Dallas's being a little larger, so I think the Heat will win in 6 or 7 and the Mavs will win in 5 or 6.

 

Yeah and Georgia Tech is going to win it all easily!

[Damaramu 0]

off topic, but everytime I look at this picture, I laugh my ass off.

 

 

What is with you f'n Mavs fans? You won the series. Why is everyone still piling on the Spurs? It's absurd. They're a good team but you beat them. Pat yourself on the back and move on. Next thing you knwo you're going to hear than an angry Mavs fan shot Tim Duncan.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

off topic, but everytime I look at this picture, I laugh my ass off.

 

 

What is with you f'n Mavs fans? You won the series. Why is everyone still piling on the Spurs? It's absurd. They're a good team but you beat them. Pat yourself on the back and move on. Next thing you knwo you're going to hear than an angry Mavs fan shot Tim Duncan.

 

I'm not a Mavs fan.

[Dangerous A 0]

Raja Bell is out for Game 2 with a calf injury. Could be anything from a serious pull or strain to something where he may be able to come back sometime in this series.

 

Josh Howard is listed day to day with an ankle bruise. I think he'll be back for Game 2, but will play limited minutes.

[chaosrage 0]

Raja Bell is out for Game 2 with a calf injury. Could be anything from a serious pull or strain to something where he may be able to come back sometime in this series.

 

Josh Howard is listed day to day with an ankle bruise. I think he'll be back for Game 2, but will play limited minutes.

 

That would be devastating for the Suns if Raja had to sit out the entire series. Could they really stand a chance of beating a deep team like the Mavs with a bench that only consists of Jones and House?

[naiwf 0]

Raja Bell is out for Game 2 with a calf injury. Could be anything from a serious pull or strain to something where he may be able to come back sometime in this series.

 

Josh Howard is listed day to day with an ankle bruise. I think he'll be back for Game 2, but will play limited minutes.

 

That would be devastating for the Suns if Raja couldn't play the entire series. Could they really have a chance of beating a deep team like the Mavs with a bench that only consists of Jones and House?

 

Kurt Thomas would probably have to play, though as a Knicks fan I don't think that would be a good thing. But then again Tim Thomas has been one of the best players in the whole league this postseason so you never know.

[Ripper 0]

Dallas just got alot more shallow with Van Horn, Dampier and Diop all being pretty much useless in this series and Josh Howard being a little gimpy. the Mavs bench will consist of Marquis Daniels, Jerry Stackhouse, and Darrell Armstrong now. They are going to have a 8 man rotation just like the suns.

 

James Jones's Jump shot is all but gone for this year, but he is proving to be valuable defensively and on hustle plays both defensively. Eddie House played valuable minutes last night, and Kurt Thomas will be a wild card.

 

 

I personlly just don't get everyone pretending that all of a sudden the Mavs are just so much better than the suns. They were deadlocked in the regular season, the SUns beat them last year, and all of a sudden they are supposed to beat down the suns. Dallas is looking quite focused, yes, but the suns toughness has been carrying through these playoffs, and I don't think that is going to change any time soon.

[naiwf 0]

The first quarter of tonight's game is why I can't watch a Pistons series unless there's a player on the other team I really like. Yes, they play great defense but I am just not into basketball where the offense is optional by the 3rd quarter. Miami won't break 70 tonight, so this game is already over and it's only 8:45 PM.

[Dangerous A 0]

I picked the Mavs in 5, but I don't want to be right in this case. The Suns are just too fun to watch and they show a ton of heart. I give D'Antoni a ton of credit for the under appreciated job he has done. In the face of elimination in the Laker series, he kept on saying they just needed to be the Suns and get out and run and everyone, myself included, kept wondering what the fuck was wrong with him. Good for the Suns though. I always feel you should take Game 1 if you don't have homecourt in a series.

 

That, and Mark Cuban can be annoying.

[Dangerous A 0]

The first quarter of tonight's game is why I can't watch a Pistons series unless there's a player on the other team I really like. Yes, they play great defense but I am just not into basketball where the offense is optional by the 3rd quarter. Miami won't break 70 tonight, so this game is already over and it's only 8:45 PM.

 

 

Sounds like Miami's problem, not Detroit's. Detroit put up 25, which is respectable. If Miami can only muster 12, again, their problem.

[naiwf 0]

The first quarter of tonight's game is why I can't watch a Pistons series unless there's a player on the other team I really like. Yes, they play great defense but I am just not into basketball where the offense is optional by the 3rd quarter. Miami won't break 70 tonight, so this game is already over and it's only 8:45 PM.

 

 

Sounds like Miami's problem, not Detroit's. Detroit put up 25, which is respectable. If Miami can only muster 12, again, their problem.

 

It is Miami's problem, but Detroit's the only team that can end a game in the first quarter by being up double digits. It means they came to play that night, and no one beats them when they come to play. This game was over at the 8 minute mark of the first quarter. The 2+ hours afterwards is just determining the final margin of victory which should be between 13 and 17.

[Just John 0]

I don't know. Detroit has a tendency to go on heinous scoring droughts over the course of a game, some lasting over 5 minutes. Of course, Miami has looked awful so far, so they may not take advantage if Detroit does in fact go into a slump.

 

The good news is I just discovered the NHL playoffs are on INHD, so I can check into this boring game during commercials.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

wow, flip actually playing the bench. and he gave the pistons yesterday off for rest. two smart things, i'm actually shocked. the bench didnt do taht much but i'm shocked the underrated delfino played. pistons arent great at holding leads though.

[Damaramu 0]

Ouch. It looked like Shaq took a knee to the head while he was on the ground.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Sports announcers really piss me off sometimes with their idiocy.

 

Announcer: So, what you want to do right now, more than anything, is guard the 3, don't worry about them taking it inside or anything, just stay out there and make sure they don't shoot.

*Wade flies inside the wide open key for a dunk*

Announcer: See, now not guarding the paint is totally inexcusable, you have to watch the ball going inside, you can't just sit outside guarding the 3!

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Wow, I hope they don't blow this. I told someone who isn't watching the game they won a couple minutes ago, figuring with a minute and change left and a 10-point difference, they couldn't piss it away.

[Ripper 0]

The Pistons are getting quite fucked in this last minute. Of course the facet thta they bitch about everycall in the game kills their credibility.

[alfdogg 0]

Possibly the worst single minute of officiating I've seen this season. Good job of holding on by the Pistons against the eight Miami Heat members on the floor.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

Nice try DICK.