NBA Playoffs 2007: Conference Finals

[Coffin Surfer 0]

I don't know about 7 footers, but TD IS the best PF to ever play the game and is the best player of the post-Jordan era (or 1B behind Shaq). He has never gotten the respect he deserves because he's quiet and not marketable. Duncan deserves every superlative the announcers give him. I know they are boring, but the Spurs hate is getting a little out of hand.

 

I've always liked Duncan(until this season) and you could make an argument for him being the best of the post Jordan era so far, but best PF ever? Not sure on that one, but it's certainly more believable than best 7 footer ever! Jabbar, Wilt, Hakeem, , and even pre-injury Walton to name a few would more than dispute that type of undue bullshit.

[Brett Favre 0]

Tim Duncan is definitely the best power forward of all time. This is coming from a guy who hates the Spurs.

[Guest]

Yeah, he is. He and Karl Malone are similar enough that the ring puts Tim at the top.

 

These announcers are moronic though. The NBA didn't form until 1998, apparently.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I agree about the Best PF ever claim, and find the best 7 footer one to be laughable. Well not really laughable, because he's up there, but there's no way he's the absolute best.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I only saw the 4th quarter, but that was one ugly ass 4th quarter.

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I was hoping if the Cavs were going to lose, they'd lose by 40 so the Pistons can lose what little respect they had for the Cavs to begin with. That'd give Cleveland a helluva chance to steal the series. This was the worst thing that could happen to the Cavs.

[Rendclaw 0]

Tim is top five, perhaps even top three, but he is not the best of all time.

 

Not quite yet. A few more ytears of putting up great numbers and perhaps another ring, and I might agree.

 

And I love him as a player.

 

As I predicted, the Pistons ground out a three point win, though I was worried when Marshall had that wide-open look.

 

Nice interview with Sheed, too... He has a future in broadcasting, I think.

[MFer 0]

'Sheed leaving Donyell for that wide open 3 almost turned into shades of him leaving Horry in Game 5 of the '05 Finals.

[Brett Favre 0]

Tim is top five, perhaps even top three, but he is not the best of all time.

 

Not quite yet. A few more ytears of putting up great numbers and perhaps another ring, and I might agree.

 

And I love him as a player.

 

Who would you put ahead? He's averaged 20, 10 and like 3 in forever, with All-NBA defense and has 3 rings.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I only watched parts of the game until the 4th quarter (which i watched), thanks to Heroes, but man that was an ugly game - and I'm a guy who usually likes watching the Pistons grind down other teams.

[MFer 0]

You know, defense might be what ends up giving Duncan the edge over Shaq for best player in the past decade. Did you know that Shaq has never led the league in rebounds? Or that he's never been on the 1st team for defense (he's been on the 2nd team 3 times). I don't have any idea how Duncan/Shaq's blocks and steals compare to each other. Duncan hasn't led the league in rebounds either but he has all those defensive awards. The thing that Shaq has going for him is his scoring. Another thing in his favor is that he's always been at or near the top in FG%.

[ANKLELOCK 0]

Charles Barkley is convinced the Jazz are going to win this series. Wish I could say I was quite as confident.

 

Funny interview yesterday with Jerry Sloan by ABC.

 

"Do you watch TV?"

 

"I don't own one."

 

"Do you have a computer?"

 

"No."

 

"Cell phone?"

 

"Got one of those."

 

"Ever heard of an IPod?"

 

"Yeah, one of those things you sit a camera on."

[Coffin Surfer 0]

The best PF thing is kind of a mute point since that wasn't the original comment but remember, Larry Bird had Championship seasons at that position before moving to small forward, and I would have a hard time even arguing Duncan over McHale(who was a better post scorer and nearly as solid as a rebounder/defender) with the exception that McHale was never the go to franchise player though I don't doubt he could have been one if he wasn't on the crowded Celtic roster. But yeah, Duncan probably has the best resume of a franchise player at that position and you could easily make a case for him being the best(better than Malone for sure). Didn't prime Barkley play PF as well, never got a ring in the Bull dominated era, but people forget what a beast he used to be. Just food for thought. But again, my original point was how absurd it is to hype Duncan as the all time king of 7 footers. Please! That's as bad as the "(blank) better than Jordan at this stage of his career" bullshit the league has been shoving down our throats since MJ retired.

[ANKLELOCK 0]

How can somebody definitely be better than Malone but not Barkley. Apparently lack of titles doesn't hinder Barkley to you because it was during the Bulls Era, but so was Malone, and the Jazz got to the Finals two years in a row and almost made it a couple of years before that.

 

Neither Barkley or Malone had a title, but the difference is that Barkley isn't the #2 scorer in NBA history.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

How can somebody definitely be better than Malone but not Barkley. Apparently lack of titles doesn't hinder Barkley to you because it was during the Bulls Era, but so was Malone, and the Jazz got to the Finals two years in a row and almost made it a couple of years before that.

 

Neither Barkley or Malone had a title, but the difference is that Barkley isn't the #2 scorer in NBA history.

 

He can score all the points he wants, Malone was never the overall powerhouse that prime Barkley was. He was an excellent finisher and he benefited from the right system, John Stockton's impossibly pin point passing, and his ability to stay healthy for so long. He developed a decent jump shot but it was never something he could rely on as evident during his back to back Finals blunders. Sorry, he wasn't the offensive powerhouse his numbers reflect. Duncan may not have the points but he is obviously has more options when he touches the ball, not to mention he's a better defender/rebounder; he's also more reliable in big games. Barkley on the otherhand was a complete monster, strong finisher, could create his own shot, create for others, great in the post, strong rebounder..etc.

[Steviekick 0]

I'd put Duncan ahead of Malone/Barkley due to his stronger defense. As for Malone/Barkley, I'd say that the two had enough differences in their abillities that they would be rated equally.

[MFer 0]

You know, maybe the Jazz should try guarding the 3pt line sometime.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Spurs are looking really good right now

 

I don't care what anyone thinks but if the Spurs play The "Good" Pistons then that will be a fucking series

[cabbageboy 0]

Here is one argument that will always go against Tim Duncan, namely that he played in the post Jordan Era. Let's face it, if he had he'd be in that same boat along with Malone, Barkley and Co. who never got the ring, unless he was like Hakeem and Drexler and got it while Jordan was striking out for the Birmingham Barons. And truth be told, the Finals that the Spurs have played in have been so unspectacular that it's hard to rate Duncan or the Spurs highly all time since the league has been down for the past 8 years or so.

 

No offense, but the fact that these relatively journeyman Pistons teams keep making the Eastern Conf. finals year after year just shows how lousy that half of the league is. They've just stayed competent and win 53-54 games, which is good enough to be a top seed now, but 10-15 years ago they would have been lucky to make it to the 2nd round. A decade ago the Pistons being 54-28 meant they lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks (or best case scenario got squashed by the Bulls in 5 the next round, which was the Hawks' fate).

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Oh come on. Talking about the Rockets as if they wouldn't win if Jordan was around is one thing, but to discredit any player that came after Jordan retired is ridiculous. Should NBA shut itself down with his retirement?

[Guest]

Yeah, Shaq still doesn't have a ring, and Phil Jackson only has 6.

 

And that Spurs team that won their first title would have given the last Bulls dynasty squad a run for their fucking money. Probably would have beaten them. Lockout or not, that was a great team and that's coming from someone that had every reason to hate them. I mean, they closed our fucking building!

[Guest George's Box]

The Pistons aren't journeymen. These guys were all top draft picks, and have all been great players in college and the pros.

 

Chauncey Billups: 3rd overall in '97

Chris Webber: 1st overall in '93

Rasheed Wallace: 4th overall in '95

Rip Hamilton: 7th overall in '99

Antonio McDyess: 2nd overall in '95

 

Journeymen? srsly? Cabbageboy once again demonstrates that he talks out his ass at all times. He should restrict himself to "the Miami Dolphins are on a jobber roll! That's what I call it, hehe."

[Slayer 0]

Let's just discredit Jordan's championships because they only came after the Lakers, Celtics and Pistons began to wane... and then let's discredit the forgettable championships of the 70's because they only came after Bill Russell retired, and then...

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"And truth be told, the Finals that the Spurs have played in have been so unspectacular that it's hard to rate Duncan or the Spurs highly all time since the league has been down for the past 8 years or so."

 

I actually thought those last two Bulls Championship seasons were pretty painful too watch. You were lucky to see a 90 point game and it wasn't because every team in the league was playing god like defense those years. Just look at that Bulls team those last two years, Rodman showed up maybe one game out of ten, Jordan's offense had detoriated into push off jumpers...excuse me fadeway, Harper was a cripple, and Pippen was getting really sloppy and just plain lazy. Thanks to nagging injuries and a bad bench, the league's other powerhouse(Utah) had Byron Russell as their second offensive option for most of the season...ouch. I would favor the Spurs, Lakers, and Pistons over either of those teams. I would go so far as to say the league overall has improved to a noticable degree since the late 90s, though were still very far from reaching the level of the glory years of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Though I will say the Heat are easily the worst Championship team I can recall but that's another story.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Those last couple Bulls teams were having a tough time with Utah and Indiana. I think the '01 Lakers, '03 Spurs or '04 Pistons probably could have taken them. The Spurs especially would have had mismatches all over the floor against the Bulls. It's not their fault that they looked unspectacular on their way to the championship... they were that much better than everyone else.

[Just John 0]

It's odd to still see people who don't give the Spurs their proper due as one of the best basketball franchises or "dynasties." I can see where the no back-to-back championships hurt their image somewhat, though I think there's some merit to the claim of them being .4 seconds and a silly Manu foul from a 5-peat.

 

I think they'll have a good opportunity to get full recoginition in the next couple of years. Duncan's still in his prime, Parker and Manu are getting into theirs, and the role players are perfect... A couple dead-eye money-time shooters like Horry and Finley, serviceable bigs like Oberto and Elson, an annoying shit-starter to throw other teams off their game like Bowen... I think they're pretty close to a lock to win this year which would make 3 in 5, but if they repeat in 08, that should secure their legacy. 4 in 6 for the post-Robinson Spurs would be impossible to ignore.

[CanadianChris 0]

Anyone else think Lebron was expecting a "superstar call" at the end?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

games only get decided on those sort of ticky tack nonsense when Dick Bavetta refs.

 

edit: that's probalby not entirely true but whatever, Dick Bavetta sucks.

 

Varajeou is the biggest flopper i've ever seen.

[Just John 0]

The officials made the right decision to not call anything on Lebron at the end, but I'm surprised Sheed got away with that push-off on Varejao on the go-ahead basket. I think Anderson might've gotten the call had he not ridiculously oversold it. If he takes a couple steps back and swings his arms, that's probably believable enough to get the call. Acting like he got run into by a small car, however, made it too obvious he was looking to get bailed out by the refs.

 

I don't think Cleveland's done in this series. They just lost two tough ones on the road, and going back home usually gives teams in that situation enough to win at least Game 3. Also, do the Pistons feel threatened enough by the close games to play hard, or do they coast with a 2-0 lead?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

If Sideshow Bob hadn't been flopping the whole damn game, I do think he'da gotten the call there. That's the thing with wild floppers, eventually you get into the ref's head and they dont know whether its legit or a flop, and if they have the feeling they've been fooled a few times, they'll go the other way.