I feel pretty confident in saying that Atlanta is done. If they can’t beat the Celtics at home without Rondo and Ray Allen, they have little chance to do so 3 more times. I think Boston probably takes both games at home and closes this out in 6, I was not expecting them to win Game 2 at all and you know Rondo’s going to come out with a chip on his shoulder next game. Does anyone know if Ray Allen is going to be able to come back during the playoffs? I don’t know what injury he has
What happened last night in Chicago?? They were 18-9 without Rose this year. That did not look like an 18-9 team. Could they be in trouble? I’m not willing to pronounce them dead yet, I think last night was a fluke more than anything. But that was an epic spanking at home. Boozer needs to step up. 9 points is not cutting it, a guy like him should be averaging close to 20. If Noah and his crazy spin shot can hit 10-11, then Boozer needs to at least match that. However, one thing I’m confident in saying is that Jrue Holiday not going to go 11-15 again for 26 points
The Lakers and Nuggets game looked more like the regular season. Ty Lawson got on track, but so did Kobe, so the final score really doesn’t tell you how far apart the teams are during the game. I’m echoing some radio analysis I heard earlier but the Lakers’ defense is pretty good this year. Denver is the league leader in points and they also shoot a high percentage and the Lakers pretty much smacked them around the first couple of games. We need to cut down on the quick bad shots that lead to fastbreak points for Denver though. I think we should be able to do that without too much problems in Games 3 and 4
Tonight San Antonio will probably blow out Utah again. Usually a team rebounds well after a big loss, but I just think SA’s too disciplined to fall into any kind of lull. Popovich deserves that Coach of the Year award
However, for the next two games, I have no idea who will win Game 3 of Ind/Orl and Mem/LA. These two series are the hardest to call in my opinion and so far the play has shown that. I hope the Clippers come out with a sense of accomplishment and not fall behind by 30 this time. If the game is even, I have ever confidence that Chris Paul will win the game for the Clips.
I hate Pierce so I’m going with the more general Boston. Him and his malformed beard pisses me off. That and the fucking wheelchair game
One thing I noticed of Kobe these past 2 games, and the announcers mentioned too, is that Kobe seems to have added Dirk’s off-balance one-footed fadeaway to his arsenal. He used it a couple times in the last few games and I think they went in. That’s one thing that’s absolutely amazing about him. He’s 33 and been in the league for like 16 years, yet he’s still trying to improve. A few years ago, during the summer, there was talk that he spent a month with Hakeem Olajuwan working on the Dream Shake, low-post moves, and footwork. Kobe came back that year with a better improved post-play. Now after being beaten by Dirk last year, he’s taking his moves and adding them to his own! He’s like a basketball Mega Man, taking the special abilities of his enemies!
I heard that Jordan did this too, but not to the same extent. As he got older, Jordan had to adjust his play because he was no longer as athletic as when he was younger, which is a smart and prudent move. But simply shooting more fadeaways and less dunks seems a lot different than actually incorporating new moves into his arsenal. I wish more players at Kobe’s work ethic and drive to improve. I’d like to see Pau with a more consistent hook shot and Andrew continue to work on his passing
Bone spurs in his right ankle; he’s going to need surgery after the season. As far as I can tell he’s going to be permanently “questionable” until then.
Sixers set a trap for the Bulls by playing up tempo in the 1st half, then sucker-punching them with a huge defensive effort in the 3rd quarter. Bulls were caught off-guard, and couldn’t match their intensity.
Tonight San Antonio will probably blow out Utah again. Usually a team rebounds well after a big loss, but I just think SA’s too disciplined to fall into any kind of lull. Popovich deserves that Coach of the Year award
Spurs win again tonight, but I’d be inclined to take Jazz plus the points. Tough call.
BTW Popovich is an excellent coach, and deserves COY. But, how is it that Jerry Sloan never won COY with the Jazz? That’s just wrong.
However, for the next two games, I have no idea who will win Game 3 of Ind/Orl and Mem/LA. These two series are the hardest to call in my opinion and so far the play has shown that. I hope the Clippers come out with a sense of accomplishment and not fall behind by 30 this time. If the game is even, I have ever confidence that Chris Paul will win the game for the Clips.
Pacers should win & cover Game 3, and eventually win the series. SvG has about one more week of employment left.
Clipps/Grizz are playing Game 2 tonight. I like Memphis to win and cover, but I think LA will win the series.
Miami is only the heavy favorite because everyone thinks that they have a clear path to the Finals, especially with the injuries to Rose and Allen. But they certainly won’t be heavy favorites in the Finals if SA, LA or OKC make it through.
As for the Lakers, their Kobe/Bynum/Gasol trio seems to be unstoppable when Bynum and Gasol want to play hard. Bynum is playing like an MVP and Kobe already is one. That’s what scares me about them. Plus, they will get MWP back next round, to make their front court even more superior to anyone else’s by far.
Ah, that’s right, now I remember. This brings up a new question though. Bone spurs aren’t going to heal by themselves are they? Why not get the surgery now? I can’t see what he may be waiting for
I have a theory on the COY that I think makes a lot of sense. There’s only 2 types of coaches and teams that get the award, and those two are: coaches that overachieve with a young team or a team with some major new players, or coaches that overachieve with an old/experienced team with little changes. Jerry Sloan’s problem was that he was too steady. If there was a lifetime coaching achievement award, it would definitely go to guys like him. But most years, they were either good to great, but not the cinderella team of the year nor the best team of the year. The few times they were the best in the West, the Bulls were a little bit better, so even though his overall achievement may be COY worthy, the fact that he wasn’t coaching the top team dropped him down from consideration. Those years, the COY probably went to either the best team regardless of coach or the best storyline
Which brings us to the teams themselves. I looked at the last 12 years (cause I don’t remember too much of the league before then) and every COY falls into one of those categories. That last 12 are:
11-12 Spurs - Gregg Popovich
10-11 Bulls - Tom Thibodeau
09-10 Thunder - Scott Brooks
08-09 Cavs - Mike Brown
07-08 Hornets - Byron Scott
06-07 Raptors - Sam Mitchell
05-06 Mavs - Avery Johnson
04-05 Suns - Mike D’Antoni
03-04 Grizzlies - Hubie Brown
02-03 Spurs - Gregg Popovich
01-02 Pistons - Rick Carisle
00-01 Sixers - Larry Brown
This tells me that its dangerous to win COY if you’re simply a mediocre team that has overachieved. People expect you to sustain that overachievement and if you don’t, you get fired or quit without 2-3 years like Larry Brown, Rick Carisle, Hubie Brown, Avery Johnson, Sam Mitchell, Byron Scott, and Mike Brown. If I were John Hollinger of ESPN.com, I’d probably devise some kind of metric to see how far a win total difference has to be before a COY is fired.
That would be delicious irony, because Duncan and the Spurs swept Lebron out of his first Finals appearance in 2007 and now they’d be able to beat them again!
Yup, Sloan never won Coach of the Year and Phil Jackson won it once, tied with Sam Mitchell. It’s an award you get for doing better than people expected you to do.
I really don’t see the Lakers coming out of the West. They are obviously very good when it’s all working, but they’re an older team and sometimes it just doesn’t work for them. I don’t think they can keep firing on all cylinders for a full series against San Antonio or OKC.
I think, in part, it’s a popularity contest, too. Sports writers vote for who they like, or who gives them good quotes that help them write their stories. In my mind, that helps to explain why Sloan never won COY, and why Big Chief Triangle aka Phil Jackson won only once despite winning 11 rings. Yet, Don Nelson won COY 3 times although he never coached a team to a championship.
I’m not sure how many of those guys were really quotable, and Phil Jackson certainly could be when he felt like it. Anyway coach of the year is a regular-season award. That’s why we’re discussing it now.
It sucks that Rose torn his ACL but I don’t think he will be any less of a star when he returns. I think he will work on his jump shot for sure though… He has relied on his explosiveness for so long and if he doesn’t get it back, I think this could be a blessing in disguise as he will have to work on and improve other aspects of his game.
The Bulls without him are still a top team in the NBA and will easily get to the eastern conference finals… Last night against the 76ers was a fluke, that was their worst defensive effort all year and that just doesn’t happen often with this team with Thibs as the coach, I noticed last night during the game interviews with Thibs that he kept on blaming the offense for the poor play and in his 2 years as head coach, he has never blamed anything other than defense… “The offense looked terrible and that’s what cost us the game” is what most people would say but in reality, we scored 90 points and gave up over 100 when we average giving up less than 90…
Bulls will most likely face the Celtics because the Hawks suck terribly, game one was a fluke from the Celtics, Rondo was getting his guys open shots but they just couldn’t hit them that night, not to mention the refs making sure the Celtics didn’t come back and win at the end… I see the Bulls beating the Celtics as well at the most 7 games…
Against the Heat though, it is a toss up… I believe they can beat them but they will have perform very good. We played the Heat 4 times this season, lost twice with Rose, won twice without Rose, the playoffs may be another ball park but at least our guys will have the confidence… All 4 games did “seem” to be determined by what court they were on as we lost both at Miami and won our two at home, but at least we will have home court advantage…
If the Thunder get pasted the Mavericks as it is looking then they will most likely face the Spurs in the WCF, I don’t see the Thunder beating the Spurs at all, So I am expecting a Spurs vs. Heat finals which the Spurs will win easily or Spurs vs. Bulls which should go to game 7… Thunder & Heat will probably go to the Heat and Thunder vs. Bulls should go to the Bulls…
Hey, I guess I’m the fifth NBA fan here on the Dope. Save for Memphis-Clips, this has been a pretty disappointing first round so far.
As a big-time Lakers fan, my dream of a 2nd round matchup against Dallas will instead be a nightmare against OKC – which I guess I pretty much knew all along. Not that I’m looking past Denver… oh, wait a minute, yes I am. Easy to do when Kosta Koufos, Timofey Mozgov & Javale McGee can make our center look like Wilt Chamberlain. But Lakers bigs against Ibaka & Perkins, that’s another story altogether and with Harden and Sefalosha slowing down Kobe – which they will – I just don’t see any way the Lakers can beat OKC (this is not to mention Scotty Brooks > Mike Brown). Maybe a puncher’s chance if MWP is allowed to put the grapple on Durant all series (elbower’s chance???).
I have little doubt Miami will roll through the East, but I’m not sure that helps them come the Finals – Miami needs to be a little more battle-tested. Still, I’ve been saying all season that this is Miami’s year. But when you say the Spurs should beat Miami, Yogosoth, that sure has, umm, a ring to it (pun not originally intended).
Timofey? Seriously? With a name like that, you should get your ass kicked in the paint every night. “Oh, Timofey, I’m rejecting your shot again…”
It has been really lackluster. We’ll see if Denver can make things interesting, but thus far the underdogs aren’t showing up for the game 3s. And the fact that Indiana should be up 3-0 but has instead inflicted an extra game in that series on us is even worse.
I’m not sure I agree with that. Brown is at least a good defensive coach. OKC is more about the front office than Scotty Brooks. When they can run, he looks like a genius, but they keep having those stagnant periods on offense when Westbrook is shooting bad jumpers and they don’t seem to have any idea what to do.
I love this series, my favorite next to the Lakers. I can’t wait until the Clips host them next game. I don’t even remember what a non-Laker playoff game is like so if anything, the next two games should be interesting to watch
I kind of want the Lakers to extend the series with the Nuggets a by a game if they are close to sweeping. Yeah, I know its dangerous to play like that during the playoffs, but when I give them almost no chance to beat the Thunder without MWP, then I think one extra game with the Nuggets is safer than 2 games without MWP against the Thunder. I definitely like MWP on Durant, I think with his strength and weight, he will be able to slow him down by a lot. Let’s face it, Durant is skin and bones and much more of a finesse player. If he gets roughed up, he’ll probably sit on the outside taking long jumpers. Westbrook is who the Lakers have to be wary of. 2 years ago in the first round, the Lakers were able to kind of slow him down with Kobe on him, but now we have a faster PG in Sessions who I think will be able to free up Kobe to do damage elsewhere on the court. But I’ll admit that I’m scared of the Thunder. They and the Spurs look unstoppable right now.
It just really bugs me that Miami doesn’t seem to have any competition now in the East with the Bulls gone. There’s such a dropoff in talent between #2 and #3-8 in the East that they might as well give Miami a bye. However, my friend said that he thinks Indiana matches up really well with the Heat, so I’m hoping he’s right. I still don’t know anybody on that team outside of Granger
NY looks terrible. 13 losses in a row in the playoffs, and they’ll probably make it 14 next game. Carmelo’s just not a good leader. He’s a great scorer, but that’s all he wants to do. Spike Lee must be rolling in his grave
SA’s an older team though and I think I would take our 2 bigs vs their one big any day. However, in the past, I would have taken Kobe over the combined efforts of Parker and Ginobili but sadly this year that’s not the case. But if we can slow down their little guys, I think we match up with SA pretty well, certainly better than the OKC nightmare matchup
I use “ironic” ironically now. I just don’t have the patience to use it correctly
Thanks. I agree with you too. Imagine if sportswriters voted for plain Jane boring Jerry Sloan every year, or imagine if Phil won it 6 times or so. That’s why I don’t think people who have a stake in the outcome should be voting in this.
If he’s going to be one of the greats, and I think he is, he’ll take this as an opportunity to work on other aspects of his game. When he first came into the league, I think people were sagging off him like they do with Rondo. If he comes back with a killer jump shot and almost the same explosiveness (which he will, cause he’s really young and not at all like Greg Oden), the Bulls are going to be favored for a while
Nice call on the Spurs crushing the Jazz in Game 2. I was leaning Jazz + points, but laid off the game, it was too tough to call. I was right about the Pacers and Grizz, though.
I like the Clipps and the Lakers to win their next game. Actually, Lakers should win their next two games, and then move on to play the Thunders. I don’t give them much chance in that series, though. It won’t matter if they have MWP, or Magic Johnson, or Kareem playing for them. IMO both LA teams will get knocked out in the next round. I agree, Spurs and OKC look unstoppable right now.
Pacers might take a game from the Heat, but that’s about all.
I still like the Spurs over the Heat in the Finals.
Blake G is really struggling today … he’s has so many aspects of his game he needs to work on… unbelievable talent… just needs more moves…
Rudy G is putting the grizz on his back today… earlier game… Big Baby gave you everything he had… played like a Grown man… Indiana just has too much… Love how Vogel coaches and Larry B put together a helluva team… Danny G needs to step up and STAR to get them to the next level…
Knicks should make their reservations about now… Woody didn’t have much to work with… I don’t see Phil coming back to coach a team he knows can’t beat a healthy Bulls or Heat team… Just not plausible…
The Nuggets did what they are best at last night, which is to come out flat in the 2nd half. They’re just not a great team, which is too bad because the Lakers are down this year. I can’t see LA beating OKC in a best of 7 series. They’ll have World Peace back, which will help quit a bit, though.
And how 'bout those Knicks hanging by a thread? Miami obviously put it on cruise control, but that won’t happen again.
