2014 NBA Playoffs

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Nope...good d from Nets and there she goes. Good fight from the Raps, they did not give up.

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Playoffs

I wanted this win a lot for obvious reasons but also because the Nets tanked the last 2 games to meet Raps, avoid Bulls. Did not happen. Experience counts in play offs.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Deserved win for the Nets. Solid defense on that last play. Good on the Raptors for making it close in the 4th. They've had a very good season.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Raps did a good job scrapping throughout a game where they were struggling to hit their shots and rebound. It's one of those rare games where it wasn't a good game at all until the final 2 minutes.

Good win for Brooklyn and it is always interesting when the old C's (Pierce and Garnett) go up against Lebron. I think playing against him takes about 5 years off those old bones.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Raps did a good job scrapping throughout a game where they were struggling to hit their shots and rebound. It's one of those rare games where it wasn't a good game at all until the final 2 minutes.

Good win for Brooklyn and it is always interesting when the old C's (Pierce and Garnett) go up against Lebron. I think playing against him takes about 5 years off those old bones.

Yeah, I mainly wanted Heat vs. Nets for the rivalry and the regular season record, but realistically, there should only be one winner. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Playoffs

I hope you aren't wrong. Only hope for an entertaining finals is if the Heat are there.

At the start of the year I figured the Nets would be a lot of trouble for the Heat in the playoffs (regular season record means absolutely nothing) but that was assuming Brook Lopez wouldn't get hurt. I know Pierce and Garnett will bring it but it won't be enough, particularly if Wade is in decent shape.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: NBA Playoffs

I hope you aren't wrong. Only hope for an entertaining finals is if the Heat are there.

At the start of the year I figured the Nets would be a lot of trouble for the Heat in the playoffs (regular season record means absolutely nothing) but that was assuming Brook Lopez wouldn't get hurt. I know Pierce and Garnett will bring it but it won't be enough, particularly if Wade is in decent shape.

Yeah, the problem with Pierce and Garnett is they're just too old to completely carry the Nets through a full series with the Heat. They'll bring grit, defense, veteranship and clutch play to make the Heat really work, but I don't see it being enough to seriously trouble them.

I do hope the Pacers recapture their form since it's also our only hope for an entertaining Eastern Conference finals, especially with how compelling things are on the other side.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Playoffs

^ If the Pacers do then I still think the Heat fall. It would really fall on Hibbert though. If he plays like last year they'll win with HCA, if he plays like he has the past couple months the Heat win in 6 at most. The good sign for the Pacers is they played well with their backs against the wall.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Dallas is going to have to stop the bleeding soon or they will be too far down to stage a comeback on the road.

 

[DarthFed]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Practice style shots. Dallas might try playing some D

 

[Murat B.]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Carter-Williams is the ROY. Numbers don't lie, 16, 6 ,6 is huge, Magic-like numbers. Even though he is from a team that almost broke the losing record, who else are you going to pick? You don't get a lot of rookie of the year candidates from winning teams, no?

Congrats.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Bulls are about to go golfing. Washington up by 3 with 16 secs to go. They will foul and try to extend the game . 2 shots coming up for Washington, first one missed....second one ....missed too but rebound Washington. The amount of offensive rebounds Bulls gave away are beyond belief in the 4th quarter. They foul again and the second one is missed again and AGAIN Washington gets the offensive rebound. Unbelivable.!!!!

I warned you about the Bulls about a month ago.. Murat, I watch about 2 mins of this series and when I saw that Boozer was the 1st option on offense for the Bulls, I propmptly grab my remote and changed the channel. I think the kindness thing I could say is that was even unfair to Carlos Boozer regardless of all the money he has stolen from the dumb Bulls organization. Yeah.. I said dumb. When you draft Lamarcus Aldridge and then subsequently trade him during a draft for Tyrus Thomas, evryone should be fired. How Pax keeps his job is beyond me. Very overated VP and was just another beneficiary of Michael Jordan. Who couldnt sink a wide open shot in the 96 finals vs Phoenix.. he had No one on him

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

I hope you aren't wrong. Only hope for an entertaining finals is if the Heat are there.

At the start of the year I figured the Nets would be a lot of trouble for the Heat in the playoffs (regular season record means absolutely nothing) but that was assuming Brook Lopez wouldn't get hurt. I know Pierce and Garnett will bring it but it won't be enough, particularly if Wade is in decent shape.

Yeah, the problem with Pierce and Garnett is they're just too old to completely carry the Nets through a full series with the Heat. They'll bring grit, defense, veteranship and clutch play to make the Heat really work, but I don't see it being enough to seriously trouble them.

I do hope the Pacers recapture their form since it's also our only hope for an entertaining Eastern Conference finals, especially with how compelling things are on the other side.

Stick to tennis buddy.....the Wizards are a far more talented team than the Pacers, and the Heat are just a 2.5 to 3 man show depending on the night.

The Wizards have more talent than the Heat and the Pacers both. They are the best team top to bottom in the East. Offensively they are completely superior to the Pacers, and unlike the Heat, they have a roster full of talent, not just 1.5 superstars who they rely on to do everything.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

^ If the Pacers do then I still think the Heat fall. It would really fall on Hibbert though. If he plays like last year they'll win with HCA, if he plays like he has the past couple months the Heat win in 6 at most. The good sign for the Pacers is they played well with their backs against the wall.

Hibbert is in large part just an awkward oaf. He has been severely overrated by everyone. Nene and Gortat are both more talented than he is. They are both more fluid athletes and more adept scorers.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Wizards over the Pacers in 5, possibly 4 (only coaching stupidity would make it more challenging than 5 games). This BS Pacers hype will be finally coming to an end in the next week and a half!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to see it.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Durant has been shaky (by his standards) from the free throw line this year. That was boneheaded and bushleague stuff by Joey Crawford though, to the surprise of no one. If/when OKC lose this series, they better fire Scott Brooks. I understand that having players like Durant and Westbrook dictates a lot of one on one Basketball, but that's literally all OKC does. They have no system, no ball rotation, no ability to score from the post, and they're really not that good defensively. Scott Brooks only has one play, and that is set a high pick for Durant. If that fails, just let Russell Westbrook dribble up the court and see what happens. It's a shame, because having two great talents like that deserves more.

No, Brooks actually is one of the better coaches in the NBA. He lets his players play. The problem is that he just really doesn't have much to work with outside of the top two on his team. You can run all the plays you want, but if you don't have the necessary individual talent, then it really doesn't matter what you call.

Durant is very talented, but he is far from being an ideal player. Being as thin as he is, it is quite straightforward to body him up and throw him off his path with physical defenders. Westbrook is also talented, but he is not a pure point guard. He is also quite awkward in how he moves and shoots; he is not a natural flowing offensive talent like other elite players. Plus, to make matters worse, his teammates outside of Durant - who is often draped - are very limited offensively.

And blaming Brooks for their inability to score in the post makes very little sense.....

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Durant is and always has been the best option on that team. I like Westbrook but they've never reigned the guy in and let him in on a secret; there is a much better player on his team.

Yeah, this. Westbrook is awesome, but him taking more shots than Durant in a game like that is just wrong. It doesn't help that Westbrook is actually not that great of a shooter, yet he'll continuously jack up threes all day.

The thing about Westbrook is, as a point guard, he doesn't dictate the rhythm of the game. He plays at his own rhythm, and pretty much does whatever he feels compelled to do during that particular possession. I'm not saying OKC are better off without him (they most certainly aren't), but there's a reason they looked like a better team when he got injured and Durant took over. It's not that Westbrook not being around was a good thing, it's simply that Kevin freaking Durant got to do his thing.

Durant had far more in the way of chances in this Memphis series than people like to admit. Maybe he just isn't as good as everyone likes to say. He struggles against very physical, half-court defense. And that is what Memphis can put forth.

Furthermore, this "if only Durant got more touches" idea that the likes of Darth can't get enough of saying should have been put to rest last year in the playoffs. Westbrook wasn't there and Durant got to do everything on offense. And what was the result? A series loss to the Grizzlies in 5 games.

That's right. Without the great demon Russell Westbrook, amazing Kevin Durant did not score 50 points per game like Darth would predict, and OKC lost to Memphis.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Cali's favorite fruity point guard is a beast. It's hard to believe after all these years how quick Parker still is

The fact that so many teams struggle to stop him in meaningful games truly is pathetic on the NBA's part.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

Cali's favorite fruity point guard is a beast. It's hard to believe after all these years how quick Parker still is

Best point guard in the league, and perhaps the smartest finisher in Basketball.

Can't say I agree with the first part. It's been CP3 to me for a long time but I'm starting to worry that the right knee will keep deteriorating and he could become a D-Wade. Paul is about to turn 29, and Wade's athleticism/play dropped enormously at age 30.

Parker has benefitted from Popovich's bullshit system. He is analogous to Wes Welker in the Patriots system. In terms of raw talent, he is nowhere even close to being a Top 5 point guard in the NBA. That is utterly ridiculous.

Wall, Teague, Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Westbrook, Lillard, Rondo, and Conley are all better than Parker by a long shot. I would also add Derrick Rose when healthy. It's amazing you didn't mention him. When Rose was playing full seasons a couple years ago, he was worlds ahead of Parker.

To place Parker ahead of any of the aforementioned simply displays basketball ignorance.

 

[calitennis127]

RE: NBA Playoffs

More order restored in the West as well...OKC runs away with it in the second half, KD and Westbrook taking care of business. Grizz played a good half though.

Yeah, Memphis had a lot going against them to win a game 7 on the road against a team like OKC. Unfortunate but ultimately, OKC are just a better team with far more talent.

Only with Randolph out of the line-up.