# NBA Playoffs! (for the 3 or 4 NBA fans on this board) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 1, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533 "2012-05-01T17:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/161 "2012-06-07T03:22:01Z")
Thunder opening up a lead with 3 minutes to go. Could be all over for San Antonio… ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/162 "2012-06-07T03:26:59Z")
What was that, a blown 20 point lead? How depressing. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/163 "2012-06-07T03:35:14Z")
What’s the line on Thunder vs Celtics? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/164 "2012-06-07T03:38:20Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > As much as I hate to say it, there’s absolutely no way the Thunder can win the next 4 out of 5. None. In fact, a sweep isn’t out of the question. I suffer from premature prognostication. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/165 "2012-06-07T03:45:05Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I suffer from premature prognostication. I did the same thing. > [@DCnDC](#): > > After watching the first two games I’m not sure OKC can win a game. But in the end, I’m glad to see someone besides the Lakers and Spurs come out of the west. I just couldn’t get behind that Dallas team last year. The Thunder have definitely made a fan out of me. I don’t like the Heat and I have no love for the Celtics either, so I guess I know who I’m pulling for in the Finals. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/166 "2012-06-07T12:04:19Z")
How can you not like Durant? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/167 "2012-06-07T12:52:28Z")
Damn, if Durant wins the championship by going through Kobe, Duncan, and KG, it will definitely seem as if a torch had been passed. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/168 "2012-06-07T13:11:29Z")
Just an FYI, in local news coverage of the lines to get in to Chesapeake Arena, I saw plenty of black people. The state may be white, but the O-K-C is mixed. Just like any number of larger cities throughout the US. I didn’t see a whole lot of Kiowa, tho … Durant is a package player. Big, fast, shoots outside and in, decent D. The biggest item here, after tees and hats, is fake Harden beards. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/169 "2012-06-07T13:16:54Z")
Durant I like. Westbrook on the other hand is a cocky prick. I think it’s a bit premature to count out the Heat, too. They are far more talented than Boston whether Bosh is on the floor or not. The problem is that LeBron is living up to his reputation as a choke artist in late minutes of close games. I’ll be rooting for Boston, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see DWade turn it up to 11 and carry the Heat to the finals. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/170 "2012-06-07T13:43:08Z")
[Boston’s own Mayor Menino loves KJ and Hondo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sakiGDVr7Ng) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/171 "2012-06-07T14:26:59Z")
He’s just keeping it old school: teamed up with Russell, KC Jones and Havlicek _were_ pretty damned unstoppable, so if you’re a Celtics fan (as I’m assuming the mayor of Boston needs to proclaim himself to be) you should love KJ and Hondo too. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/172 "2012-06-07T15:28:11Z")
Unfortunately, with the way this year has gone, I can’t avoid paying attention to the referees in games. And I don’t know whether it was common everyday NBA front-running, superstar-coddling, home-crowd-pandering plus random arbitrary officiating, or whether Stern called down to the referees locker room at halftime and made some comments about the market for Duncan jerseys being saturated and several warehouses full of Westbrook and Durant jerseys that needed to be sold, but there seemed to be a lot of bad calls against the Spurs in the second half. Duncan’s offensive foul was a joke, even if you didn’t notice how often the Thunder’s screens were moving, Ginobli’s pass-before-contacting-the-defender foul is universally not called in the NBA, Jackson’s technical was, um, let’s just say even the NBA-paid announcers were in disbelief, charges/blocks were interpreted rather differently at each end, as was the answer to ‘do we call a foul if the ball comes flying out and we can’t see if it was a clean block or not?’. I mean, kudos to the Thunder for working hard to come back, but it would have been nice to see if they could do it without help. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/173 "2012-06-07T15:46:15Z")
I didn’t watch the end of the game, so I couldn’t comment on the officiating at that time, but the general perception of NBA fans to this point seemed to be that the Western Conf. officials were calling pretty good games, not calling ticky-tack fouls and stuff. The Eastern Conf. officials on the other hand…yuk. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/174 "2012-06-07T16:06:34Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Unfortunately, with the way this year has gone, I can’t avoid paying attention to the referees in games. And I don’t know whether it was common everyday NBA front-running, superstar-coddling, home-crowd-pandering plus random arbitrary officiating, or whether Stern called down to the referees locker room at halftime and made some comments about the market for Duncan jerseys being saturated and several warehouses full of Westbrook and Durant jerseys that needed to be sold, but there seemed to be a lot of bad calls against the Spurs in the second half. Duncan’s offensive foul was a joke, even if you didn’t notice how often the Thunder’s screens were moving, Ginobli’s pass-before-contacting-the-defender foul is universally not called in the NBA, Jackson’s technical was, um, let’s just say even the NBA-paid announcers were in disbelief, charges/blocks were interpreted rather differently at each end, as was the answer to ‘do we call a foul if the ball comes flying out and we can’t see if it was a clean block or not?’. > I mean, kudos to the Thunder for working hard to come back, but it would have been nice to see if they could do it without help. I thought that the Spurs got the calls in the first half with their all too prolific flopping abilities and the Thunder got the calls in the second half. In my mind, it evens out. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/175 "2012-06-07T17:01:42Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I thought that the Spurs got the calls in the first half with their all too prolific flopping abilities and the Thunder got the calls in the second half. In my mind, it evens out. This. Also, I think the Spurs got the edge with foul calling in the first game. I don’t think there’s any ref conspiracy, just some mistakes or even merely differences of opinions. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/176 "2012-06-07T18:42:42Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > He’s just keeping it old school: teamed up with Russell, KC Jones and Havlicek _were_ pretty damned unstoppable, so if you’re a Celtics fan (as I’m assuming the mayor of Boston needs to proclaim himself to be) you should love KJ and Hondo too. He’s actually referring to KG and Rondo. Shoulda added more context. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/177 "2012-06-07T19:03:27Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I didn’t watch the end of the game, so I couldn’t comment on the officiating at that time, but the general perception of NBA fans to this point seemed to be that the Western Conf. officials were calling pretty good games, not calling ticky-tack fouls and stuff. The Eastern Conf. officials on the other hand…yuk. The crew last night was the same one that completely blew in Game 2 of the ECF, and the Internet Consensus, as it were, is that they were pretty terrible last night too. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/178 "2012-06-07T19:20:14Z")
It sure did appear to me that every single call went against the Spurs in the 4th quarter. That’s where I think Popovich does a disservice to his team. It’s important to stay classy, but he should have been screaming at the refs after some of the early calls, just to generate favorable calls later. He already has three choirboy superstars (if we exclude Parker’s personal life), who never seem to complain about anything. It’s Pop’s job to stick up for them and he failed. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/179 "2012-06-07T19:56:04Z")
> [@Kiros](#): > > The crew last night was the same one that completely blew in Game 2 of the ECF, and the Internet Consensus, as it were, is that they were pretty terrible last night too. YMMV. I did not know that. I thought the ECF and WCF had their own respective crews, which would kind of make sense. Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533/180 "2012-06-08T04:39:57Z")
I think Boston screwed up their best chance to win the series. I don’t see them winning in Miami. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nba-playoffs-for-the-3-or-4-nba-fans-on-this-board/620533.md?page=10)