I feel for Suns fans. They have the talent and then some, but apparently not the will. I certainly wouldn't say that a SA-LA conference finals is anything approaching certain yet. Utah and NO will have something to say about that, and it's entirely possible that one of DAL/PHO/HOU/DEN will make things interesting before the first round is over. Not likely, but possible.

Well, to be fair, they are playing the Spurs. That's a tough first round matchup for anyone. I had the Suns pencilled in as winners of the series, but every year I seem to forget just how good the Spurs are come playoffs.

That's true, but it isn't as if they are losing because they aren't talented enough to hang with SA. It's kind of like being a Pistons fan, with the exception that we once had a team that played as mentally tough as you can be. Past tense.

The point with Phoenix is that losing big leads in both games and the faulty execution down the stretch in Game 1 -- these are not isolated things but are the continuation of a pattern(with the notable exception of Game 4 vs. SA last year).

With Amare and Barbosa, the Suns will never be good in the clutch. Both are extremely sloppy and have the mental IQ of a midget. Spurs are better and the Suns are a mess. Any Suns fan that comes back with hope next season is kidding themselves. They are the Kings of the 2000s.

Thank the sports gods for the DBacks ;). Atleast Phoenix has something to fall back on once their team is eliminated (which will be shortly). As to the west, New Orleans, SA, Utah and LAL should be a fun set of series'. All four are capable and I don't see any of those teams having the mental lapses/vacancies of teams like Denver, Phoenix and Dallas. Should be interesting to watch how this west unfolds.

I'd figure with a 2-time MVP the Suns would win this in a cakewalk. Oh well.

The Suns need to stop going to Diaw to exploit a "mismatch".

For two games, they've fallen for that trap. Amare and Nash get hot, but then they suddenly find a "mismatch" with Diaw and his guy, and he has failed to deliver.

25 points for Amare in the 1st half means squat if you don't actively look for him in the 2nd half as well. Jeez.

Amare got his shots in the second half: he just didn't make them. 11-14 fg 1st half, 2-11 2nd half.

People just need to learn to forget about how uninteresting, boring, or any other adjective expressing displeasure they could think of to describe the Spurs, and just remember that they are the most complete team in the league. There are tons of Spurs haters but I can't be one of them because they do the only thing that matters in the playoffs, they win.

I don't really know your NBA allegiances or follow your posts regarding the NBA, but I hope this was sarcastic on like 3 different levels!

They actively went for Diaw in the third and fourth. Amare got his shots in the first half because of good ball movement. The Suns didn't have that when they kept wasting 8-10 seconds by having Diaw post up. Nash had 9 assists in the first half, and only 1 in the entire second half. Nash got fed up and just started shooting late in the fourth, which actually triggered their 9-point mini-comeback.

Maybe I just have an irrational hatred of Steve Nash.

I'm right there with you. Everyone loves him and I'm always the Nash hater of the group

This is pretty much 100% true. I don't like the Spurs (only the Dodgers earn hatred from me...well, and the Angels), but you're right on the nose here Shorty.

Just under 9 minutes left. Lakers up by 7. Neither team is playing good defense. :)

Kobe is taken out. About time. The Nuggets are done.

Superhuman effort from Kobe, and he made it looks so easy. 49 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 66% from the field, 8/9 FT.

I will be in attendance for games 3 and 4 of the Hawks-Celtics series. Not only have I never attended a Celtics (My favorite team) game before, but I've never even attended an NBA game before. Should be pretty exciting. Here's hoping the C's can win both games to finish off the series.

Cavs forgot there was a game tonight. Good coaching, again.

Rockets pulled one out in Utah. Still alive...

Alston coming back was huge. He alleviated McGrady's burden to score for most of the game.

The thing is, he shot better than usual. If he keeps playing at a high level, we have a chance to win this series. But I don't have that much faith in Rafe...

Sixers go up 2-1 on the Pistons.

The Mavs finally pull out with a win.

First, Pop's being real smart with the Hack-a-Shaq strategy. It make it very tough for Phoenix to go on a run. But, man, is this game almost unwatchable. There's just no flow at all.

Still, if I were the Suns, I'd start hacking Bruce Bowen or Oberto in the final few minutes.

My goodness.

Memo to the Spurs

Shaq hesitates on his free throws

Stop jumping in the lane!

Barring a massive collapse by the Spurs, the Suns will be down 3-0 and will lose the series. Does anyone besides Mike D'Antoni take the fall for this one?

I think the main goats are Amare, Shaq, LB, Diaw and Mike D. Amare because he's maybe the most talented guy on the floor but as tough as a wet kleenex. LB and Diaw haven't come close to balancing out Manu. And Shaq's PNR defense and foul shooting have hurt.

In the end, though, you have too look at the coach, GM and owner. They moved Kurt and Marion to land Shaq - and this team has done worse in the playoffs. Now, Sarver's doing great from a bottom line standpoint (the Shaq move has saved him millions - as did selling Kurt for picks). Still, the on-the court product didn't work out. Mike D should be gone, but I'm not sure how much of the moves was Kerr and how much was Sarver keeping his budget in tact.

Either way, I can't see D'Antoni coming back. But, who knows, anything can happen and Sarver has shown us that winning isn't the most important thing.

As to the Spurs, it's a crime Pop hasn't won Coach of the Year yet (or has he?). Any rare, he's a great coach and this Spurs team is a like a machine. My hope is that we see LAL, NO, SA and Utah next round. Those games should be great and it's going to be a tough road in the West.

The NBA has to change the rules on fouls to prevent the hack-a-shaq (or whomever) strategy. It's a smart strategy but it makes the games incredibly poor to watch. I'm not sure what the solution is but there has to be something done.

I disagree. First of all nobody can do it the whole game -- when it happens a few possessions out of a game I don't see how it makes the game unwatchable as it's not happening the vast majority of the time. I also don't see why guys who can't shoot FT should not be able to have that weakness exploited(same goes for Bowen on SA and any other player). If they were half-decent shooters at the line it would be a bad strategy and wouldn't be used.

Oh I dunno, maybe a person playing at the highest level of basketball in the world should be capable of making more than 52% of free throws. This is what Dwight Howard needs to realize now before his career turns into getting hacked every time he touches the ball.

Regardless they can't change the rules to prevent it unless they want to change the rules so you can't be a 7'1 350lb monster that is just (or at least was) an impossible force to stop from going to the basket. If teams don't want the hack-a-shaq to be used on them then they need to have players who make that a poor percentage play. If you know the choice is that there's a 60%+ chance of him scoring 2 points or a 50% chance of him making even one free throw it's going to keep happening.

While they are re-writing the rules so refs can make a judgement on whether a player is flopping or not, then also re-write the intentional foul rule to include the type of play.

I think this is a fine line that the NBA does not want to come close to crossing. If Hack a Shaq is okay because he is an unstoppable force, then Hack a Tony Parker or Hack a Chris Paul can't be too far behind.

That's never going to happen. Who is going to hack Parker (71%) or Paul (85%)? The problem with Shaq is that there is a higher chance of him making the 2 pointer than there is him making 2 free throws. Parker and Paul both shoot about 49% from the field - why would you intentionally foul one of them when there's a 50% chance they're going to miss their shot but only a 15 or 30% chance that they're going to miss a free throw? How would you even do that? Hack them as soon as they cross half court?

Besides, Paul and Parker are not physical forces like Shaq is. The Suns could have a much better chance at stopping Parker if Steve Nash was capable of playing any defense and Amare had any idea on how to play help defense.

I am not looking at it from a free throw percentage point of view. I am talking about the idea that a team can't defend a player so they choose to foul him instead. I am thinking the Knicks under Pat Riley. The NBA has made it a point to try to take much of the physical play out of its game. I just see that strategy as having the potential to bring that play back into the league.

It sounds like you are talking about fouling to hurt, which will lead to flagrants, ejections, and suspensions. That will never work. The only reason the Hack-a-Shaq works is that he can't shoot FT's, so the play saves the defense points. It won't save points with Paul or Parker.

You can't really have one without the other. Nobody gets "hacked" in this sense if it's a guaranteed 2 from the line.

There's nothing new here - this has gone on for the history of the NBA, and certainly Shaq's whole career. And even in the case of Shaq, it hasn't stopped him from making over 10,000 Field Goals over his career.

Hack-a-Shaq wouldn't work if Shaq had any work-ethic and would have learned how to shoot FT's at some point over his whole damn career (particularly once it became a widely-used strategy). It's Shaq's fault that teams continue to employ this strategy...if he'd learn to shoot FT's then people wouldn't hack him. But he's a lazy fuck.

What if they made it so that the person in possession of the ball at the time a foul occurs is the one that gets the shots? That would at least stop the stupid garbage where someone hugs Shaq while Nash brings the ball up court.

how bout if shaq took his job seriously and had some work ethic and learned to shoot FT's??

Buy all accounts, he's spent a TON of time trying to improve at the line. Some guys, especially 7-Footers, just can't do it. Shaq's better than Wilt Chamberlain was at the line.

Ya I get it. In fact, I got it two posts ago.

Wait, what's your opinion again?

well then he's SOL I guess.

He's still actually had a pretty good career.

Yep. Some might even say he is the 2nd best center to ever play the game.

Yeah, he is SOL and destined to finish his career with only 4 titles. Poor bastard.

They need a rule like the NHL's diving rule. Also, any intentional foul on a player without the ball should be two free throws AND possession.

If I was starting a basketball team today for 1 season I would take Duncan in a second.

I dont think anyone will ever do more then Kareem

Fixed

:D

They should NOT change the rules to cater to one person. Shaq can't make free throws and that's his problem, not Greg Popovich's. Hack a Shaq is a brilliant strategy. If they don't want the Spurs to do it, Shaq should make his free throws or the Suns should take him out of the game. I think the Suns fans suggesting the rule change are just sore losers. The Suns should have kept Shawn Marion. At least with him they could get out of the 1st round!

Handchecking was a brilliant strategy as well. Why did they change the rule for that?

Look, no one is arguing that it is not a winning strategy. Hack a Shaq is a good strategy for winning basketball games and that is all Popovich is and should be concerned with. But it is BRUTAL to watch and goes against the type of free flowing up and down game that most people seem to enjoy the most. I don't see the joy in watching Jacque Vaughan wrap his arms around Shaq just as the ball is crossing half court. If I had to choose, I'll take the up and down action of the second half of last night's game where the Hack a Shaq was not employed over the play in the first half any day of the week.

And to be fair, I don't think any of the Suns fans on the board on asking for rule changes. To me, Hack A Shaq is an intentional and/or flagrant foul and should be called accordingly.

Umm first of all if you read closely, I said it was a smart strategy. Secondly, I am not a Suns fan, and thirdly even though it is a very smart strategy that doesn't mean it is much fun to watch.

What's stupid about that as compared to two guys positioning on the blocks and one of them getting called for a foul, with the same result?

In any case, it doesn't make any sense to me to have a special rule taking away the normal situation of the person being fouled doing the shooting.


Ok, a couple points here. One, there were around 105 or so possessions in the first half. The Hack-a-Shaq was employed six times. So you're telling me that something that happened about 1 in 16-20 trips down the floor ruined any enjoyment of the other 94% or so? That just doesn't make any sense.

Furthermore, this whole idea that entertainment value is the pre-eminent reason to have rules is ridiculous to me. It's a consideration, but only that. It'd be one thing if they could do this every time down the floor, but that's impossible. I mean if one is going to say aesthetic value rules all, then lets knock the shot-clock down to say 14 seconds or something so everybody has to play like Phoenix/GS/Denver do, let's discourage fouling by making it an automatic 2 shots and the ball no matter what the foul is -- after all, we all just want to see dunks and great shooting -- let's outlaw shot-blocking ... there's something to be said in my opinion for not allowing a player to hide his weaknesses. A player's total package of skills should matter, not just the ones most people happen to enjoy watching the most.

Hawks beat the Celtics 102-93.

First playoff win for Atlanta since May 16, 1999.
First ever post-season win for any tenant of Phillips Arena.

Tomorrow's forecast calls for human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, and mass hysteria.

So you are saying that Petrino is coming back to coach the Falcons and they are going to trade for McFadden as well?

:D

Watching ESPN, and I'm pretty sure Jalen Rose wants to knock Stephen A. Smith the f*ck out.

Oh, look, Lakers are up 3-0.

Melo is feeling it

It seems then that Rose has the pulse of the American people.

Since it was asked before -- Gregg Popovich was Coach of the Year in 2003.

As far as Phoenix goes, I view what's happened to them as a tragedy, as I really appreciate the style they played before the Shaq trade and I think that style is great for the league and given how really close they were, is a style that can result in a title under the right conditions. It's much better for the league certainly than the one-on-one style of Denver and GS, which might be exciting but is also just plain bad basketball.

I think the Suns should get rid of D'Antoni, but only because his strengths is running the European-style offense and they don't have the horses to do that anymore. I don't think they'll easily find a better coach though, and whatever minor additions/changes in strategy they make are not going to sufficiently mask their weaknesses. With Shaq they have to play a more traditional game, and the defensive liabilities that Shaq, Amare, and Nash have are too much to overcome when combined with their general lack of mental toughness(including D'Antoni's). Kerr won't do it, but optimally they really need to say the experiment failed, let's break this thing up and rebuild around Amare.

Stevenson is such a punk for that move. Instead of fouling him he should play defense.

That being said LeBron is a beast.

The Hawks played a great game, and the fans that showed up had alot of energy. However, unless they can hit 10 of 18 three pointers in the rest of the series, they won't be picking up any more wins.

I <3 Delonte West. Best PG in cleveland since forever(dre Miller).

What's with the Spurs/Suns. I'm not watching, but I just saw the score in the third quarter.

From what I could tell, it looks like the Suns came out desperate and the Spurs were sleepwalking from the tip. I can't see Phoenix coming with this kind of energy for another three games though, especially with 2 of them on the road, and especially because SA will have been embarrassed by their performance today.

Man, that was a huge dunk by Iguodala. If the Sixers keep up this intensity all game, they are going to go up 3-1 in the series.

Go Sixers!

Sixers are making the Pistons look very old. :)

San Antonio did come out flat today, feeling a little too good about themselves after Game Three -- but the way Phoenix played in the first half, focused every possession, was championship basketball. Had they played that way one game earlier, they'd have a real shot at this series. It shocked me because before the game, Amare looked like he just wanted it to be over -- really depressed and pretty much just hoping something good would happen. I expect the Spurs to adjust for Game 5 and match Phoenix's intensity, which will probably be enough unless the Suns play another fabulous game. I was really impressed with their intensity in the first half.

I guess I spoke too soon :(

Disappointing 2nd half.

Yeah, to the Pistons credit, they came out with an extreme sense of urgency in the second half. I haven't watched many Pistons games this year, but I hear that's their calling card - turning it on and off.

I think the second half of the game sealed this series. Unfortunately, I don't see the Sixers recovering from this one. Hell of a season though - I think every espn.com expert picked the Sixers to finish dead last in the conference.

Dallas is just... out-matched against the Hornets.

I wonder if Kidd will be suspended for that Flagrant 2 against Pargo?

I don't think he will be. No need to give the Mavs any excuses.

:)

But, on a serious note, he did grab on to the back of Pargo's neck and attempted to spike him down to the floor. If Pargo hadn't put his hands up, he could've been seriously injured.

I think reputation will play a big part of it. If that was Jerry Stackhouse, he would get two games

It's one of those things where if Pargo had been hurt, Kidd would have been facing suspension. When I first saw it in real-time I thought Kidd was going for the ball and didn't realise he had Pargo's head, but in slow-mo it's obvious.

the fine on paul pierce is fucking ridiculous. horford ought to get one too for taunting. That's ridiculous!!

Okay I like trash talk as much as the next guy but the Wizards REALLY need to shut up.

But Pierce was throwing up a "gang sign":rolleyes:

They need to get Jay-Z to make a diss tracks for them.

The Magic are through to the second round.

Joe Johnson is scoring at will out there.

If Joe Johnson can get in the paint like this against Boston I can't even begin to imagine what Lebron will do to them.

Wow, we may have a series in this Boston-Atlanta matchup.

gah - how bad are the C's looking these past two games!!

Detroit being tied 2-2 with Philly is not that surprising to me, with how well they played them in the regular season, and how horrible the Pistons are as professionals. They just sleepwalk way too much so that doesn't shock me.

Boston playing like this is unreal though.

28 points (so far) in the 4th quarter for Atlanta, 18 for Johnson & 10 for Smith.

yeah. They are playing like shit I gotta say

I always liked Joe Johnson when he was on the Suns, nice to see him doing well.

It isn't that shocking to me. I always thought and said that Boston would face some serious growing up in the playoffs, because of their youth at a lot of role-playing positions, because they've never been through this before as a group, and because every team that wins a title has to go through a period where they learn how to do it. I expected them to lose one to Atlanta -- two is a little surprising, and I thought the next round vs. Cleveland would be their real wake-up call so to speak, but the Hawks are playing hungry and Boston isn't a championship team yet(which isn't to say they can't get there by the end of the playoffs, but they've got learning to do).

I'm not sure the Celtics have played that badly, at least in Game 4. They were up 10 going into the 4th and then Joe Johnson and Josh Smith just started hitting everything. Meanwhile, the Cetics had a couple bunnies missed - Pierce's layup most obvious, Garnett had a couple rim out in the 4th, and the two times ATL missed they got offensive rebounds over Celtics players. I will say I'm not a fan of the offense running through Garnett in crunch-time - if he's the one shooting or taking it to the rim, there's rarely anyone else to get an offensive rebound as at least 3 guys are waiting for kick-out 3's.

C's also shot HORRIBLY from the FT-line.

Last two minutes... come on Lakers, you can pull this one off.

Woohoo! Sweep, baby! Yeah!

Woot! The only sweep of the first round?

Could be some suspensions from this altercation:



Here's the highlight at 15 seconds in from a different angle:



Supposedly Marvin Williams and Kendrick Perkins left the bench during it as well. Let's see if Stern sticks to his "I have no choice" BS and suspends all these guys (supposedly shoving a ref is an auto suspension as well).

I didn't think the C's played all that poorly either - I'm just trying to figure out how the Hawks only won 37 games this year. Even on paper they look better than that in the Eastern Conference.

Williams and Perkins took one step away from the bench. It's not even close to what Amare did last year, not even close. Suns fans really need to let that go from last year. Amare deserved the suspension

As for the picture, the ref was trying to restrain him, I doubt that will get the suspension.

In Garnett's defense, it doesn't look like he ever sees who is grabbing his arm before he pushes him away.

As for Perkins, you can see him in the background during the clip. He's already up off the bench (going to the scorers table maybe?) and takes a step towards the ref before the altercation. During the altercation, he makes no move towards it, but he is technically on the court, so who knows. Can't see Williams at all.

Dola - is it just me or did these NBA refs do a really bad job getting involved in the altercation? What is that one ref thinking trying to pull Garnett back from the side and behind?

If you're playing peacemaker - and especially where no one is even allowed to touch you - you simply get your body in between both sides and make sure they see you there, maybe start pushing the two sides apart with your hands. Grabbing guys from the side or behind is going to further confuse the situation. and is about the only chance you have of getting clocked (Kermit Washington aside.)