I saw some article on Yahoo! saying that the Lakers were the team to beat (this was prior to game 3). The author is probably changing his tune at this point (although the article was probably written mostly to inflame passions).
I really can’t see this Lakers squad getting past the Thunder AND the Spurs. Both of those teams are playing at another level this year.
Sixth NBA fan checking in. As a Pacers fan, the series has been wonderful so far. I think they’ll dispel the Magic in Game 5 and then comes the Heat. I think the winner of that series will take the East, as Chicago appears to be heading for an untimely exit. If the Pacers take out Miami – and that’s a mighty big if – they’ll make the championship. Regardless of that series’ outcome, this is the best season we Pacers fans have had since Reggie left.
BTW, it’s a shame about Rose. He’s one of the best players out there, and I wish he was in the playoffs. Ah, well, there’s always next year.
That was a fun weekend of basketball. In the end, it was the Knicks of all teams gutting out a win against the Heat, though if Spoelstra gave the ball to Lebron instead of Wade, they would probably have completed the sweep. Why the Heat keeps doing these things at the end of games is baffling. Its clear to everyone not on the court that when the game is on the line, you give it to Lebron and tell him to drive to the basket. Wade is great, but he just doesn’t have the physical gifts that Lebron has, though his killer instinct is way better.
And I love the quote by Lebron afterwards, saying that he knew Carmelo was going to deny him the ball. Its Carmelo! The guy is allergic to defense! He’s not going to suddenly turn into Dennis Rodman! Baffling play. Also, too bad about Baron Davis. The guy can be pretty good when he’s motivated, and the Knicks were in the middle of a 9-0 run I think when he went down. Human knees aren’t made to bend like that, that was pretty sick
Who knows? Maybe if the Clippers beat the Spurs…Don’t laugh at me, I can dream!!!
I think the Pacers will definitely have a chance to shock the Heat in the first game. Half their series with the Magic isn’t even on regular TV! Everyone will be underrating them and they have to use that to their advantage. I keep hearing that the Pacers are athletic. Since I don’t know anyone on that team with the exception of Danny Granger, I’m going to agree with that. While I don’t think they can run the Heat out of the building, the Heat’s got Lebron and Wade so the Pacers will do well to speed up the tempo and not settle for half-court basketball
Terrible luck for the Bulls though. Rose and Noah go down and they’re 1-3 vs. an inspired Sixers team. That totally shocked me. If Noah can’t go then I think the Bulls lose the next game. You can’t lose your best player and your best defender and have Carlos Boozer as the best player on your team and still win, even against the #8 seed. The good thing for the Bulls is that Boozer finally got a 20-10, but he also took 24 shots to score 23 points, had 5 turnovers, and only go to the free throw line a ridiculous 1 time. I missed most of the game, but that probably means he only settled for outside jumpers instead of going to the basket. He’s like Chris Webber at the end of his career: he should be driving but seems to be afraid of contact
Boston looks like they drank from the Fountain of Youth and absolutely demolishes Atlanta. That was vintage Boston and, sadly for them, vintage Atlanta. I’ve said it before but I have absolutely no faith in the Hawks. They’ve gotten middling seeds for the past 3 or 4 years and they’ve never been able to really gut out a team or surprise anybody. Sure, they usually can demolish a lower seed if they’re supposed to win, but they’re like a boxer with a glass jaw: put them up against anyone with even a bit of spunk and they fall on their face.
I was reading another message board and people were making the point that Atlanta has been completely stagnant in the past few years. Going back 5 years, they’ve been the 4th, 5th, 3rd, 4th, and 8th seeds in the East and lost in the 2nd round the last 3 years and the 1st round 5 years ago and it looks like the 1st round again this year. This collection of guys just can’t cut it. And they haven’t really made much changes to their core group at all. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague, Marvin Williams, Zaza Pachulia, and Al Horford have all been on this team for 4-5 years. McGrady, Pargo, Radmonovic and Dampier is doing their 2nd stint with the team. WTF are they doing? They need to blow up this team and start over if they ever want to get anywhere
The sad thing is, they’re stuck with the $120 million dollar man Joe Johnson and can’t do anything about it. They’ve got decent trade assets that other contenders would love, but for some reason these particular guys just don’t work and they keep going back to the same guys! There’s no reason Erick Dampier should go back to a team after leaving it. Everyone’s allowed 1 stint with Dampier and they learn their lesson. At this point its like an alcoholic going back into the bar after promising they won’t drink, its just not going to work
Chris Paul, damn that guy’s good. Another comeback win, and this time in LA too. I didn’t know there were that many Clippers fans here but its interesting to see a non-Laker playoff game. I think the Clips have the Grizz on the ropes, they can definitely beat them again in Game 4 and probably close it out in 6. Zach Randolph seems to have gotten on track but he’s still not much of a factor in rebounds. I heard he was coming back from a knee injury? Good fortune for the Clips I guess, cause we’ve got no one to deal with a healthy Zach Randolph
I think the Lakers are rounding into playoff shape after these last few close games. For the first time in like 3 years, they won’t be favored in a series. I hope they will use that to their advantage and steal a game in OKC. If they close out the Nuggets in 5, which they should, that means we get MWP in Game 2 in OKC. That will be intersting. James Harden looked unstoppable in the last game against Dallas but maybe he’ll be a little afraid to take on MWP. If anyone can shut him or Durant down, its the old Ron Artest
I like the guy but I agree he’s still not refined. Keeps trying to power through defenders down low but as big as he is, he’s not Shaq. The offense goes through him and it should, but he needs to learn to pass out more from the block after he’s drawn in multiple defenders.
If the Bulls want to win this next game, Luol Deng is going to have to step it up and demand the ball, I want him to go Kobe Bryant for us, taking 30 shots and either making them all or missing them all. Deng, Boozer, Taj, and a cutting Brewer is all I want to see tomorrow, inside game… Can’t stand how our whole offense depends on point guards who are score first minded… Wasting possessions all the time, the other half of our possessions get wasted by Rip & Korver running through screens, can we not utilize our big men at all? Someone mentioned Boozer not driving, that’s annoying as hell because he finishes so well around the rim, the refs hate that guy though for some reason (probably his yelling all game), every time he drives, he gets called for an offensive foul…
Did anyone see the final minute of that last Bulls 76ers game, boozer-non call.mpg - YouTube - Boozer got hacked by 2 players and there is NO way anyone could have argued he didn’t, people in the top level could probably see that without using the screens, lol… But the refs didn’t call it and 2 free throws would have tied the game… The really bad part is how the 76ers get the rebound and get the foul call on a fast break when no one even touched them…
I think a couple of you guys are counting the Celtics out a bit too easily… The Celtics are a damn good team right now with Rondo having most of the control and being the team leader now… Doc is a hell of a coach and they are playing championship style once again and since the Bulls most likely aren’t going to the ECF, they will be…
Also, Atlanta is a straight mess, I had no expectations of them even winning one game in the playoffs… That teams needs a new everything from the FO to the players…
I am not a Blake Griffin fan at all. As mentioned above, his game has major holes. No jump shot, no post moves other than explosion straight to the hoop, no vision for passing, can’t make free throws. He’s just a dunker. CP has helped that team immensely, but they won’t get past round 2.
I’ll certainly be a Pacers fan when they play Miami. They’ve got some great young talent.
I think Griffin’s played about as much of a complete game as he can last night. Well, except for the 5 rebounds. But he shot a high percentage and got 7 assists, and even made most of his free throws. Of course, the shots were mostly due to Chris Paul, but that guy’s just amazing.
Maybe the refs didn’t like Boozer reneging on his deal with the Cavs either 
You’re right that they need to shake things up. Right now I still think they’ll win Game 5 at home, but they’re definitely not winning the series. Philly’s looking pretty good right now.
If Ray Allen can continue to play and space the floor, I think they’ve got a decent chance to make it to the ECF and do some damage. I wouldn’t put them past the Heat still, because looking good against Atlanta in the playoffs is something of a tradition that teams do.
They need to blow it up and start over
Atlanta’s best player has been out most of the year, is just now playing again, and their second-best player missed game 3 (which they lost). I don’t see a reason to blow that team up, they’re not that far away.
The Joe Johnson contract was a debacle, though.
Who’s Atlanta’s best player? Even when healthy, they haven’t advanced past the 2nd round for the past 5 years with close to the same core group. In fact, I don’t think they’ve actually been close. There was a bunch of 4-2 losses, but on the road they are horrible, just like that Game 4 where they got blown out by 30 points. Something’s up with that team because they just cannot win a road game in the playoffs
Total agreement on the Joe Johnson thing. In a year with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh going into free agency, Joe Johnson emerges as the highest signing? He’s a 2nd option at best, not a leader.
That was a terrible last possession for the Celtics but I guess they didn’t have any time outs, I was expecting a Ray Allen game winner or tie…
The Bulls game was damn good though in my opinion… They played very well and all the guys I wanted to show up, Brewer, Taj, Deng, & Boozer all showed up and won us the game… They held the 76ers to 32%, incredible…
In my mind I was screaming at Rondo to DO SOMETHING!!! But alas, he did not hear and so he did nothing.
Woohoo Nuggets! The thing is, I feel like the Nuggs brought their A game last night while the Lakers didn’t turn it on until halfway through the 4th quarter. Kobe went out of his mind for about 3 or 4 straight possessions towards the end.
And I’m just gonna go ahead and say it, NBA refs are horrible. They, along with certain players constantly whining to them, are the biggest turn off in the game.
NBA refereeing is probably the most difficult job in sports.
Oh, Josh Smith…What a complete F.U. to his teammates and the Hawks’ fans his last shot was. 9 seconds left, down by 1, facing elimination, and he does what he always does - hoists a bad jumper from 20 feet with a hand in his face. Which he NEVER MAKES!!!
Seriously, what an asshole. There was no justifying that shot.
Nuggets up by nine at the half. Kobe is sick, but he’s playing better than any other Laker, and better than he usually plays in Denver. 7-13, 19 points.
And the Nuggs run away with game 6. I have a feeling Kobe will be out of his mind for game 7. His problem is the rest of the Lakers are taking it easy. It’s hard to believe the Nuggets can maintain the energy (and efficiency) they displayed last night. Game 7 is a toss up. I do think Denver has a better chance against OKC as the Lakers lack the depth and youth to play a 7 game series followed by the likes of Durant and Westbrook.
Good for Kevin Garnett calling out the Hawks owner that called him old and dirty. I’ve always liked KG.
Excuse me, I’m still in mourning…I’ll return after game 7…maybe…
Great game 7 action right now with the Lakers and Nuggets. 76-75 LA in the 4th quarter. Intense basketball on both ends of the court.
Lotta respect for the Nuggets. Thankful the Lakers won/didn’t choke, but Denver can hold its heads high. Good core nucleus and one hopes George Karl can continue to get more and more from Javale McGee.
Without looking, I will assume Ty Lawson was the NBA MVP this year – clearly the best player the Lakers faced all season. 
Exhales
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…damn, what a couple of nerve wracking game 7’s…I’m spent. Post later, need rest @_@
Alright, I finally have time to think things through a little bit, that was an exhausting weekend. First, kudos to the Nuggets for 7 very well played games. Other than game 1, there was large swaths of the other games where they lead, even dominated, and it showed in the score. Kudos also to the Grizzlies, who probably hoped to capitalize on last year’s success but apparently, and I didn’t know this before the series, Zach Randolph hurt his knee on New Year’s Day and is still not fully recovered. At full strength, I think they’d easily take the Clippers in 5 games, 6 at the most given the brilliance of Paul.
Its quite a time here in LA with 3 of our teams in the playoffs and the other doing so well. Though I don’t think anyone except the Kings are really thought of as possible championship contenders; its still too early for baseball season I think.
This last week has been a trying one. Both the Lakers and Clippers up 3-1 a week ago and forced into game 7’s. It could have been a terrible weekend and an embarrassment to the city, but luckily our guys pulled through.
First the Lakers. Pau Gasol needs to bring his A game every night, or at least average a B+ game most nights. That game 6 where he had 3 rebounds and 3 points was the old soft Pau coming back and haunting us. Let’s not forget that he’s the one who took the Grizz to the playoffs 3 years and got swept 3 times. Before the Knicks this year, Pau had the record for most consecutive losses in the playoffs. We all know Bynum is kind of a headcase, and nobody needs to say anything about MWP, but Pau’s got this skill but like no drive. He needs that fire lit under his ass like no one else because when he’s good, he’s great, but when he’s not, he can stink. I hope he’s gotten over whatever issues he has because OKC is not a team to be trifled with
Clippers gutted out some huge wins and showed a lot of heart in their win. Its weird saying that still, Clippers have heart?!, but Chris Paul is rapidly changing the culture of losing this team’s been mired in for decades. I read a stat this morning that this was only the 2nd playoff win they’ve had since 1978, and the 3rd or 4th season in which they actually had a winning record. They’ve won no game 7’s before, especially on the road, and their past winning percentage in close out games on the road was something like 25%.
You wouldn’t know all that from watching this series though. This was the most entertaining one in the first round, we all thought these teams were pretty evenly matched from the beginning. It was quite physical too, with Blake flopping around like he was testing a new rag doll physics engine, but I think they told him to man up in game 7 and hold his ground, and though he got legitimately hit a few times, he did the defensive things that didn’t show up in the box score to help win this game. This series just cements my belief that Chris Paul is the best PG in the league. He may not always get triple doubles like Rondo, but when the game is on the line, you can count on him to make shots and defend.
As much as I hate to say it, I think this is where the Lakers and Clippers end. I don’t think the Clippers have enough to beat a very disciplined Spurs team even if Chris Paul goes for 30-5-10 each game. Duncan’s looking like 2005 Duncan and Ginobili’s healthy, which usually precedes championships. Popovich is going to coach circles around VDN. Maybe the Clippers will put up a good fight, I definitely think they’re way better than Utah, but I don’t really see them taking more than 1 game from SA.
The remarkable thing about the Lakers is that I think this is the first series since the 2008 season where they’re really not the favorites. Even when they lost to Boston that year, I think most people picked them to win the whole thing. Then of course, the 2 championship seasons where they were the favorites, and even last year they were favored by a lot against Dallas. OKC is the up-and-comers in the West and they are deeply talented. If the Lakers don’t find a way to slow them down, and they probably won’t, they’re going to get beat in 5. But hometeam favortism demands that I give them at least one hitting-on-all-cylinders game, so I’m going to call it for OKC in 6. Its hard to do, but that’s probably the reality. It should be a fun series while it lasts though, if only to see all the techs that will be called when MWP and the head of James Harden meets again.
Yeah, Atlanta seems to always be full of those guys. Whether its Josh Smith, Joe Smith, or Joe Johnson, they never struck me as a team that was all there mentally. Or maybe they just have bad luck with guys whose names start with “J”. I still think they should blow up the team and rebuild though, they have very tradeable assets.
Is it me or does George Karl look the worst out of all the coaches after a loss? The man was almost gonna break into tears. Even I felt sorry for him. He’s had some decent teams in the past, and probably should have won with the Sonics all those years past, but he’s been pretty unlucky to have been coaching at a time when Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich were excelling. Without those 2 coaches, how many championships do you guys think Karl, Rick Adelman, and Jerry Sloan might have? At least 1 each, right?
We always get burned by fast guards. Even with Sessions here, but especially when Fisher was our PG for all those years. I expect Westbrook is gonna have a field day in this next series
Over in the East, it looks like everybody’s injured. Sucks to be a Bulls fan, I really thought this was their year. Even when Rose went down I thought they’d at least beat Philly, but they can’t do it without Noah out too. For the record, for those 2 injuries, I don’t think it was the tight schedule that caused it, they were just horribly unlucky accidents. They’ll bounce back
KG looks really good but as a fan of his game (but not necessarily his person), you know its not going to last. I think he was just pissed at the Hawks and some of that lingering anger is being shown in this next series. He’s playing like the year he won the MVP. Too bad he can’t do that all the time. Full disclosure: For a few years, KG was my favorite player. I thought his body was perfect as one of the new fusion type players where they were big but can also play little. Him, Dirk, and Lamar Odom had enough ball handling skills skills and speed where they could guard little and play big, but unfortunately, they never developed their game to be the best at what they were doing. Imagine if KG played his own career as driven as Kobe or MJ. It could have been scary, but he seems content to let other people take the last shot all the time. I think Boston will take Philly but it won’t be easy. 6 games maybe, because Jrue Holiday isn’t the one-game wonder I thought he was
Lastly, I don’t usually wish injuries on a player except Lebron, but I can take solace in the fact that Bosh’s injury, if its serious, could cost them the title. Bosh is of course the 3rd wheel, the little guy in the Big 3, the tradeable asset. But when Bosh plays well, Miami is scary. When he doesn’t, they tend to have their weaknesses in the post exposed. That abdominal strain thing could be just a sore muscle or a tear, so until we know for sure the Pacer series is too hard to call. At full strength, I think the Pacers give them some trouble but its still Miami’s in 6. Without Bosh, the Pacers have a very good chance of winning the series.