I’m going out on a limb here.
Minnesota/Milwaukee in the finals. Highest ratings in history.
oh wait, I meant Lakers/some crap east team
Lakers are pissed now.
Well, as a Lakers fan sans rose-colored glasses I can tell you I have a queasy feeling about them getting the Sac/SA/Dallas barrier.
But hey, maybe they got the money into the refs before the deadline.
And in re the player discussions above: My buddy called Kobe the best player in the league, but far and away Shaq is the MVP. I tend to agree. The Laker’s early season was one of the weirdest, unsettling experiences I’ve had as a fan. Ecch.
Anyone notice how NO Portland fans are talking about their Blazers?
They are finally realizing the Blazers will never win another title.
Pippen questionable at best for Game 2 - but some of that report may be gamesmanship by Scottie.
Let me get my quasi-prediction in before tipoff.
Naturally, I’m picking the Mavs to win tonight, but it all depends on Finley. He displayed a brief glimpse of the real Finley in the 3rd quarter of Game 1, but he will need to bring that effort for the entire game in order for the Mavs to win. The Blazers will try to take the ball out of Dirk’s hands, and that should present ample opportunities for Finley, Nash and Van Exel, all of whom have to produce tonight. Mavs by 8.
I just hope the refs don’t allow the JailBlazers to foul Dirk too hard tonight, since he is obviously the future of the franchise, and on the same level as the other superstars in the league. Dirk is a tough cookie who plays better when he’s mad, so as long as they don’t injure him, I’m ok.
At least I was half right. Mavs by 4. Great game by Bonzi, but Nash hit the clutch shots, just like I originally said I wanted in the OP. Now if the Mavs can cut down on the free throw disparity, perhaps this can be a short series.
Yeah, Bonzi was on fire for the blazers, but sadly no one else . I think this was the key game, the blazers postseason choke will continue. I’m taking Mavs in 4 - they perform well on the road.
Wow. The Western Semis could have the Spurs, Lakers, Kings, and Mavericks.
Talk about a juggernaut conference! :eek:
Alright, no real surprises last night.
Who wants to call tonight?
I’ll go with Nets, Pacers, and (hisssssss) the Lakers.
Well looks like the Pacers got their asses kicked, so I’m 0/1 so far.
Tell me about it. If these 4 make it to the semis, which by no means is a given, it will be the 3rd straight year they have done so, and the 2nd consecutive year for the exact same pairings. All the more reason why the NBA should abandon the current playoff format and mix the East with the West, thereby allowing the two top seeds to meet in the Finals.
It’ll be quite a drastic change, I think the Sternster is as likely to reduce the number of teams in the league as he is to combine the East and the West in the playoffs. But its a welcome idea for the time being. But the power shift is cyclical, give it a couple more seasons and it should even itself out.
Oh, and Lakers take game 3. Big Daddy’s pissed off 
hehe … lovin’ the Laker loss in LA, even with the refs trying to hand it to them. HA! Shaq daddy’s gonna have to step it up just to get out of the first round. Good. Maybe he’ll be too tired to handle the Spurs in round 2, if he can even make it there.
Stern might consider the East/West playoff combo if the next powerhouse after the Laker’s comes from the West, and the TV ratings for the Finals start to decline. It’s all about the money, honey.
WHOA, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. Fantasmic stuff. I mean, Wolves ** without ** KG and Slava in OT, who would’ve thought?
Shaq’s long overdue for a 40-point game, but the ways things are going it may have to wait till regular season 
And the Lakers fans suddenly get a chill.
Good stuff.
Can’t wait for my Kings to start crushing their opposition.
Did you see those refs steal the game from my Lakers? That was horrible!!!
(i was actually rooting for the Timberdogs because the refs were so bad)
Don’t panic. Kobe was way off last night. Lakers in 6.
As a Lakers fan, I enjoy it when their series run a few extra games. It adds drama and I know they will ultimately win anyway.
As for predictions, I predict that Bill Walton will force me to change channels at least three times this weekend. According to him, every single event on the court is deserving of some hyperbolic praise. i.e. “Do you see the way Kobe ties his shoes? That is just OUTSTANDING. Most players never master that technique no matter how many years they have this league.”
LOL
Sheesh, Portland hasn’t sucked this much for a long time. I mean, I know Pippen is key, but c’mon!
And gutsy strategy by the Suns today. Didn’t work though, Parker finally found his stroke
I’m breathing a little easier now, with a 3-0 series lead. It’s never over till it’s over, but the Blazers are definitely behind the 8-ball. They would have to do something that’s never been done before, and I like the Mavs chances. At only 24, Dirk has a bright future and really only needs to work on his defense.
Spurs looked tough tonight, too. Congrats to Parker, who finally showed up – hard to believe he is only 20.
Is he that annoying fellow last year, who kept fawning on and on about Kobe and how great he was?
“Such style, such grace… Bibby is a good player, but he’s light years away from Kobe.”
“Would you look at that! If you don’t like those moves, you don’t like NBA Basketball!”
“I would love to suck Kobe off right now, but I’m afraid it would distract him from the game. I want to have his children!!”
That guy needs to choke on a microphone. There’s a limit, even in Basketball.
Just so y’all know, Tim Duncan was the fifth leading scorer for the Spurs last night. His 11 was right behind Tony Parker’s 29, Stephen Jackson’s 20, Malik Rose’s 15, and Manu Ginobili’s 12.
Strange game…
…but I’m happy anyway!