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Around the League => Around the NBA => Topic started by: wdleehi on April 20, 2008, 08:50:11 AM

Title: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: wdleehi on April 20, 2008, 08:50:11 AM
It will be hard to match the quality of yesterdays games. 
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: celticmaestro on April 20, 2008, 08:55:27 AM
yesterdays games were outstanding in so many ways. the spurs-suns game was in instant classic.

aside from our game, i'm looking forward to seeing if the sixers can make their series interesting and the match-up between bosh and howard will be intriguing to say the least.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 09:31:36 AM
Toronto and Orlando is going to be great. Bosh versus Dwight. Each has a huge matchup advantage, the difference is Bosh makes use of it.

Bosh dropped 40 and 26 (15 in the fourth) this season, he dropped 35ppg on them last year.

Dwight has shot above 70% against the Magic for two straight seasons but is only scoring 20ppg. Why? Rasho Nesterovic plays him tough. He keeps him far enough from the paint that Dwight has to put it on the floor and try to back him down, leaving time for Toronto's guards to double him and force it out of his hands. Can Dwight be their match winner? Or will Orlando have to look to Hedo and Rashard to bring it home?

Toronto have been in dismal form lately, can they shake it and perform to their best in the playoffs? They'll have to beat Orlando. This could swing the series. If Toronto can't back to their game they'll lose and likely lose badly. If they can .... this series gets very close and Bosh is the smartest player on the court, Toronto would have to feel good about their chances.

I'm really looking forward to this game.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: EarthBall on April 20, 2008, 01:16:06 PM
The Orl-Tor game isn't much of a game. I can't tell whether Orlando is really that good or Toronto is really that bad.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: celticmaestro on April 20, 2008, 01:24:22 PM
The Orl-Tor game isn't much of a game. I can't tell whether Orlando is really that good or Toronto is really that bad.

seems to me toronto is really bad. calderon air-balling an easy shot epitomises their performance in this game.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 01:49:54 PM
Toronto did well to pull the lead back within shooting distance. They made about 10 points there in the last 6 minutes of the half. Only down 13 now.

I'd be very worried about their playoff chances though. TJ Ford is the perfect example, he just doesn't look confident or comfortable out there, he's shaky and it's affecting everyone. This isn't the TJ we saw at the start of the season or TJ we saw last year.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 02:46:37 PM
Toronto have stuck in this very well. Resilient.

Orlando looking a little twitchy now. Toronto don't look much better though, they seem very unsure of where their next basket is going to come from.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: phantom on April 20, 2008, 03:02:04 PM
The Orl-Tor game isn't much of a game. I can't tell whether Orlando is really that good or Toronto is really that bad.

seems to me toronto is really bad. calderon air-balling an easy shot epitomises their performance in this game.

Calderon is one of the only guys on that team I trust.  Some of those lineups that Toronto puts out there..  ack.  They really are as soft as they're hyped up to be.

Chris Bosh is never going to help this.  No way.  Not until he learns to grab a rebound and take it aggressively to the basket.  Toronto will win nothing, not even a game in this series, if he can't do that.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 03:36:54 PM
Is Mark Jackson auditioning for the Knicks head coaching job? He's making a point of slagging off George Karl's coaching of the Nuggets defense.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: wdleehi on April 20, 2008, 03:58:13 PM
It does warm my heart to see the Lakers down.   



Now, only if it lasts for the next 4 games.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: jay_jay54 on April 20, 2008, 04:01:33 PM
It does warm my heart to see the Lakers down.   



Now, only if it lasts for the next 4 games.
Definitely agree with you on this one!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: RebusRankin on April 20, 2008, 04:05:48 PM
Does it annoy anybody else that on SI.com, its says "Kobe and the Lakers start their title quest versus the Nuggets" when it merely says Magic-Raptors, Jazz-Rockets for everybody else?

Oh and I'm not greedy LA doesn't have to lose 4 straight, 4 of 7 is fine with me.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 04:43:52 PM
Does it annoy anybody else that on SI.com, its says "Kobe and the Lakers start their title quest versus the Nuggets" when it merely says Magic-Raptors, Jazz-Rockets for everybody else?

Oh and I'm not greedy LA doesn't have to lose 4 straight, 4 of 7 is fine with me.

Yes, it annoys me a bit, but being a Celtic fan has made a lot of us take the agandas of both the NBA and the press with a grain of salt. Kobe is one of the biggest revenue machines for the above-mentioned, and, being a Paul Pierce fan as well, you get used to them snubbing whatever topic isn't "popular" or seen as highly profitable.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 04:53:31 PM
It's been a pleasure to watch Pau Gasol. He has 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and it's they've only played the first four minutes of the third.

Two other things:
(1) Kenyon Martin has played terrific defense on Kobe Bryant. Kobe only has 6 on 2-13 shooting. Kenyon has done a great job of stopping Kobe's penetration. His size keeps Kobe of the post. Jump shooter right now.
(2) Marcus Camby should be one of the most ideal defensive players to guard Pau Gasol correct? His winning the Defensive Player of the Year last season made a mockery out of the award. I'm still ticked off about that. He's the fourth best post defender (Nene, Kenyon, Najera, Camby in that order) on his own team for goodness sake.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 05:00:17 PM
Love the trash-talking between Kobe and K-Mart ... and the "chippiness" and intensity level of the playoffs! Joey Crawford warning the players that they're "talking" too much ... that's a good one! LOL!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Steve Weinman on April 20, 2008, 05:02:27 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 05:03:38 PM
Gasol's just loving it in L.A. ... I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he names a child (or two) after Kobe!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 05:18:43 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw

They certainly are beginning to fold their clothes, SW ... and they better make a move soon ... on both ends!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Steve Weinman on April 20, 2008, 05:21:31 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw

They certainly are beginning to fold their clothes, SW ... and they better make a move soon ... on both ends!

Fold their clothes...I like it  ;)

As you mentioned earlier, I'm enjoying the chippy start to this series...always ups the entertainment value a bit.

-sw
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Steve Weinman on April 20, 2008, 05:46:11 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw

They certainly are beginning to fold their clothes, SW ... and they better make a move soon ... on both ends!

All the talk in our "Around the NBA" section all year about how this Denver team doesn't have it together mentally?  It's starting to show once more (AI gone)...

-sw
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Scott on April 20, 2008, 06:03:33 PM
Pistons - 76ers up next, should be a good one...
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 06:04:06 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw

They certainly are beginning to fold their clothes, SW ... and they better make a move soon ... on both ends!

All the talk in our "Around the NBA" section all year about how this Denver team doesn't have it together mentally?  It's starting to show once more (AI gone)...

-sw

Yup ... they certainly seemed "out-of-sync" in this one. Kobe was baiting K-Mart big-time, and AI let the whole thing get the best of him ... a bit out of character for him, at least in this type of game. He's shown a lot more maturity of late, at least I've thought so. I'm sure the 'Melo stuff has had it's effect, as well ... a shame a player of his ability can't reserve his bad habits for the off-season, at least.

I think he let a lot of good people down ... not the least of which was this team. I know there are many here who disagree, but I love to watch AI, and he's been one of my favorite "non-Celtics" since very early in his career. I personally have always hoped good things for him, and he seems to always come up short. It's a shame he's got to carry this yoke for 'Melo ... he deserves better.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Scott on April 20, 2008, 06:22:45 PM
Thaddeus Young is off to a good start
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Steve Weinman on April 20, 2008, 06:30:41 PM
Big dunk, Pau.  It may just be time for Denver to pack it in for the day....

-sw

They certainly are beginning to fold their clothes, SW ... and they better make a move soon ... on both ends!

All the talk in our "Around the NBA" section all year about how this Denver team doesn't have it together mentally?  It's starting to show once more (AI gone)...

-sw

Yup ... they certainly seemed "out-of-sync" in this one. Kobe was baiting K-Mart big-time, and AI let the whole thing get the best of him ... a bit out of character for him, at least in this type of game. He's shown a lot more maturity of late, at least I've thought so. I'm sure the 'Melo stuff has had it's effect, as well ... a shame a player of his ability can't reserve his bad habits for the off-season, at least.

I think he let a lot of good people down ... not the least of which was this team. I know there are many here who disagree, but I love to watch AI, and he's been one of my favorite "non-Celtics" since very early in his career. I personally have always hoped good things for him, and he seems to always come up short. It's a shame he's got to carry this yoke for 'Melo ... he deserves better.

Bahku, you touch on an interesting point here.  I've gone through an interesting odyssey with AI myself -- I was definitely on the "detractor" end of the spectrum with him early in his career, but I've gained a lot more respect for him over the years.  For all his flaws and past mistakes -- and there have been many -- I'm a believer that this guy has done a better job than most of growing up in a lot of ways, and for all his on-court selfishness over the years, it's nearly impossible not to appreciate the beating this guy has taken on a night-in, night-out basis over his career.  His durability, his toughness, his ability as a scorer...there's a lot to be admired there.  That said, I'm not claiming he has turned into some sort of a saint, and I'm not excusing some of the past issues (the "practice" spiel, the gunplay, the rapping fiasco), but I've come to see him in a much better light than I once did.

Ultimately, I think he's one of the best examples for us observers that it's important to remember the grey area in life -- not everything is absolutes.  Not everyone is a hero or a villain -- in fact, almost everyone isn't definitively one of those things.  That's because they -- and we -- are all human.  AI has done some pretty reprehensible stuff, and he has also done much that is quite respectable as well.  Sometimes -- most of the time, in fact -- many of us (self certainly included) could do a better job of accepting that we can't simply cast these guys into one of the two 'extreme' molds but that we'd be far better off accepting that there are ups and downs to every one of us to ever walk the planet.  That isn't to say that you won't hear me unilaterally slam or praise many other athletes in the future (it's something I'm still working on), but the grey area is something that AI in particular has helped me appreciate.

Sorry for the mini-discourse, but thanks for giving me the forum for it, Bahku.

-sw
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: BudweiserCeltic on April 20, 2008, 06:54:05 PM
Is Philadelphia dumb or something? They've been on the bonus since the 9 minute mark or so and they stopped being aggressive.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 07:05:14 PM
Is Philadelphia dumb or something? They've been on the bonus since the 9 minute mark or so and they stopped being aggressive.

Well, I certainly think it's safe to say that they don't have an over-abundance of basketball I.Q.. If they could get the ball in the basket, and stop giving Detroit 3 or 4 chances to shoot the ball every trip down the floor, they might actually be ahead in this game! Classic example of being "their own worst enemy".

Off-subject: I can't STAND Reggie Miller! (There ... I finally got it out!)
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 07:27:59 PM
Phily need to get something going offensively. Detroit has stopped them too easily.

I'd like to see them run some iso plays for Thaddeus Young. There's absolutely no way under the sun that Antonio McDyess can keep up with this young man. Just get out of the way.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 07:32:41 PM
Phily need to get something going offensively. Detroit has stopped them too easily.

I'd like to see them run some iso plays for Thaddeus Young. There's absolutely no way under the sun that Antonio McDyess can keep up with this young man. Just get out of the way.

Yup ... Philly can def. out-athlticize Detroit, if thay take them out of the half-court and run the floor.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 07:44:00 PM
Where's Jason Smith?

He's been playing very well lately. He's the only big with a jump shot. They need scoring. Put him in. Stretch the floor and give Iggy some space to work with.

Evans isn't contributing enough out there. He grabbed seven boards but how many did he give up? Maxiell has 9. He was on Max for a lot of that time. Thaddeus Young has to get on the glass too. Detroit are out-rebounding Phily which just cannot happen if they are to stand a chance of winning this game.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 07:55:32 PM
Where's Jason Smith?

He's been playing very well lately. He's the only big with a jump shot. They need scoring. Put him in. Stretch the floor and give Iggy some space to work with.

Evans isn't contributing enough out there. He grabbed seven boards but how many did he give up? Maxiell has 9. He was on Max for a lot of that time. Thaddeus Young has to get on the glass too. Detroit are out-rebounding Phily which just cannot happen if they are to stand a chance of winning this game.

Totally agree, Who ... TP for saving me typing time!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 08:02:18 PM
It's 70-63 Detroit lead entering the third. They've done just about everything right, they've played a great game ... and they're only up seven?

Detroit has completely and utterly outplayed them.

Phily isn't playing well at all. They're normally much better on the interior. Dalembert has let them down tonight, and he's played well against Detroit this season and down the years so that's not likely to continue. If you're Phily you gotta take some confidence from that.

Phily are still within shouting distance despite this Piston performance
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:04:22 PM
Man ... I can't believe that, despite how poorly Philly has played, with turnovers and lack of defensive rebounding, they're still very much "IN" this one. I would LOVE to see Detroit lose tonight!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Chief on April 20, 2008, 08:16:20 PM
Put Thaddeus back in!!!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:17:25 PM
Wish they'd put some beef on 'Sheed ... they're letting him do just about everything he wants. If the Sixers can dig in here and play some D, (and run the break some more), they can win this.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Chief on April 20, 2008, 08:22:23 PM
Wish they'd put some beef on 'Sheed ... they're letting him do just about everything he wants. If the Sixers can dig in here and play some D, (and run the break some more), they can win this.

Only if they still had Todd MacCulloch.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:23:16 PM
Chauncy misses two free-throws, then the Sixers turn it over ... man! Keep it together, guys ... you can win this one!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:23:59 PM
Wish they'd put some beef on 'Sheed ... they're letting him do just about everything he wants. If the Sixers can dig in here and play some D, (and run the break some more), they can win this.

Only if they still had Todd MacCulloch.

Yeah ... really!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: BudweiserCeltic on April 20, 2008, 08:24:16 PM
Where's Jason Smith?

He's been playing very well lately. He's the only big with a jump shot. They need scoring. Put him in. Stretch the floor and give Iggy some space to work with.

Evans isn't contributing enough out there. He grabbed seven boards but how many did he give up? Maxiell has 9. He was on Max for a lot of that time. Thaddeus Young has to get on the glass too. Detroit are out-rebounding Phily which just cannot happen if they are to stand a chance of winning this game.

Want to take this post back? Lol.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: tanner on April 20, 2008, 08:26:18 PM
philly up by four!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:26:52 PM
Man, Sixers had a two-on-one break, there, and blew it! C'mon, Philly, dig in!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Who on April 20, 2008, 08:29:00 PM
Where's Jason Smith?

He's been playing very well lately. He's the only big with a jump shot. They need scoring. Put him in. Stretch the floor and give Iggy some space to work with.

Evans isn't contributing enough out there. He grabbed seven boards but how many did he give up? Maxiell has 9. He was on Max for a lot of that time. Thaddeus Young has to get on the glass too. Detroit are out-rebounding Phily which just cannot happen if they are to stand a chance of winning this game.

Want to take this post back? Lol.

Reggie's playing well now. I think it's safe to say they should leave him out there the rest of the way. That rainmaker 20 foot fadeaway jumper was just special
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Chief on April 20, 2008, 08:29:37 PM
Put the ball in Miller's hands. >:(
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:35:22 PM
Man ... a lot of blown opportunities, but they can still do it!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Chief on April 20, 2008, 08:35:42 PM
Tony Allen knows his pain.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Scott on April 20, 2008, 08:36:53 PM
Man ... a lot of blown opportunities, but they can still do it!

I really hope Philly pull this off.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Bahku on April 20, 2008, 08:39:39 PM
Dalembert blew it, man ... not a smart play.
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Scott on April 20, 2008, 08:42:29 PM
Big rebound by Iguodala, just hit the free throws!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: Scott on April 20, 2008, 08:45:50 PM
It is in the bag, big win for the 76ers!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: BostonGoldenBear on April 20, 2008, 08:51:36 PM
It is in the bag, big win for the 76ers!


WOW !!!
Title: Re: Playoff games. 4/20
Post by: ACF on April 21, 2008, 01:24:22 AM
The Lakers are 22-5 (season) with Pau Gasol and lead
the Nuggets 1-0 now in their matchup.
Please check the boxscore:

http://www.nba.com/games/20080420/DENLAL/boxscore.html (http://www.nba.com/games/20080420/DENLAL/boxscore.html)

Anyone thinking that Gasol is overrated can
be quiet as of right now...