2007 NBA Playoffs Thread

[Brian Swartz]

I'm really looking forward to the next round, specifically Bulls-Pistons and Spurs-Suns. I think the winner of those two series will end up making it to the finals relatively easily.

[Young Drachma]

The Mavs probably need to go ahead and Kidd from Jersey. Because even when the Nets win their series, that team isn't going anywhere. And Bruce RATner won't spend anymore money, since he knows that his arena is never going to get built, but he has to hold onto the team for a few more years while he keeps the farce going along.

[JeeberD]

Well, that wasn't the first half the Rockets needed. Of course, ten points down at the half is better than the 16 we were down earlier, but not as good as the six we were down with 30 seconds to go.

TMac and Yao need to show that they're stars and take this bitch over.

[Eaglesfan27]

It looks to me like the Rockets are playing tight. I feel bad for you Jeeber (since I don't hate the Rockets like I do your football team.)

[Eaglesfan27]

I can't believe the Rockets didn't foul immediately on the inbound pass there. They cost themselves 7.5 seconds and any shot at the game.

[Karlifornia]

I kinda wanted Houston to win, but I'll take Warriors/Jazz.

[MrBug708]

Thank you Tmac!
Signed
Dirk

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I can't believe the Rockets didn't foul immediately on the inbound pass there. They cost themselves 7.5 seconds and any shot at the game.

Yeah, that was...odd. No idea what those players were thinking.

[sterlingice]

SI

[Neon_Chaos]

Dallas and Houston are gone. San Antonio left from the Texas Three. Hope the Suns get rid of them soon.

[JeeberD]

Damn...there went any interest I had in these playoffs. Especially since I hate the Jazz, Spurs, and Suns. Go Warriors, I suppose?

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Go Warriors, I suppose?

Not a bad choice at all....

[JeeberD]

I was a Warriors fan back in the Tim Hardaway days. I still have my Timmy jersey in my closet...

[Young Drachma]

I'd love to see a topsy turvey NBA final with like Cleveland or New Jersey, taking on the winner of the Warriors and Spurs or something.

That'd be entertaining, because at least those teams have personality and guys you don't like...I know it's pretty unlikely to happen. But given how this has gone so far, anything seems possible to me now.

[Ajaxab]

After watching the Spurs-Suns yesterday, I have to wonder about coaching and psychology. Whether the calls were going his way or not, to see Mike D'Antoni going as crazy as he seemed to be going on the sideline tells me he doesn't think his team can beat San Antonio. If he feels he has to fight for calls before going into the locker room and then still be fighting over the same call coming out of it, that tells me he thinks he needs all the help his team can get. I can't help but wonder if all this posturing doesn't inspire too much confidence in his players. Objecting to calls is one thing and it's needed to let your players know you're fighting for them, but objecting to calls for an extended period of time seems to push things into the realm of a lack of confidence in the team.

[stevew]

Tmac looking good in first round. Looks like the new KG.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Tmac looking good in first round. Looks like the new KG.

While I do place the lion's share of the blame on McGraddy's shoulders, I think it is time to start taking Yao Ming to task as well. For whatever it is worth, he is a five time All-Star. He is supposed to be one of the better players. He needs to step up his game and his leadership role on that team.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

After watching the Spurs-Suns yesterday, I have to wonder about coaching and psychology. Whether the calls were going his way or not, to see Mike D'Antoni going as crazy as he seemed to be going on the sideline tells me he doesn't think his team can beat San Antonio. If he feels he has to fight for calls before going into the locker room and then still be fighting over the same call coming out of it, that tells me he thinks he needs all the help his team can get. I can't help but wonder if all this posturing doesn't inspire too much confidence in his players. Objecting to calls is one thing and it's needed to let your players know you're fighting for them, but objecting to calls for an extended period of time seems to push things into the realm of a lack of confidence in the team.

I agree 100%. I thought D'Antoni had a pretty poor overall game. James Jones and Boris Diaw gave Phoenix next to nothing yesterday (and you could see this early on), yet they got 34 minutes combined. Kurt Thomas did a solid job on Duncan and had solid production in 13 minutes - yet he rarely played down the stretch. The whole reason to sit Kurt is to keep the pace high. Well, in the final 5 minutes the pace was at a crawl anyway - why not have Kurt in there helping you with key stops?

Also, the Suns got toasted by Parker yet again. Wouldn't it be nice if they had a strong, quick guard on the bench that is a very good defender? Oh, wait, they do with Marcus Banks. Maybe they ought to play him a few minutes?

[Brian Swartz]

I totally agree that it is a mental issue -- the Suns have not been mentally tough for years and showed this again down the stretch of the season as they repeatedly faded late in games. This is the only reason why I think they will not break through and win the title this year -- they have the talent to do it, but not the mental fortitude, and it's not just an issue with D'Antoni. I love Steve Nash, but the spectacle of him talking about how they need to learn to play hard for the whole game -- that's not something you learn how to do in the middle of the conference semifinals. Unfortunately for Phoenix, they had a lot of things go right for them that won't go that well the rest of the series, and barring some dramatic change they are going down again.

[RGunner]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

After watching the Spurs-Suns yesterday, I have to wonder about coaching and psychology. Whether the calls were going his way or not, to see Mike D'Antoni going as crazy as he seemed to be going on the sideline tells me he doesn't think his team can beat San Antonio. If he feels he has to fight for calls before going into the locker room and then still be fighting over the same call coming out of it, that tells me he thinks he needs all the help his team can get. I can't help but wonder if all this posturing doesn't inspire too much confidence in his players. Objecting to calls is one thing and it's needed to let your players know you're fighting for them, but objecting to calls for an extended period of time seems to push things into the realm of a lack of confidence in the team.

If you've ever watched any Suns games thats all he does...if a foul call goes the wrong way he throws a temper tantrum and stomps his feet around like a little kid. He seems to think the Suns never foul.

[Ajaxab]

I knew I'd seen him do his 'throwing the toys out of the pram' routine many times before, but it seemed especially prolonged yesterday.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

I was a Warriors fan back in the Tim Hardaway days. I still have my Timmy jersey in my closet...

I'm resisting the temptation, but wow that's just wide open, easier to hit than a Jeff Weaver pitch.

[JeeberD]

Heh...

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I'm resisting the temptation, but wow that's just wide open, easier to hit than a Jeff Weaver pitch.

LOL

[Groundhog]

Man, why are the GSW games always so late...

I'm torn as to who I'm rooting for. On the one hand, I'd love to see Golden State keep it up, but on the other hand, Utah are my favourite team outside of Cleveland.

If the Warriors keep their shooting touch they should pull it out, but should be interesting to see what Boozer and Okur can do. Deron is going to have his hands full, too.

[Groundhog]

Interestingly, NBA.com has a mock draft up. I don't recall them ever doing that in the past? Maybe I'm just forgetful.

They incorrectly list pick #4 as Atlanta instead of Phoenix, but here's what they have:

1. Memphis - Oden
2. Boston - Durant
3. Bucks - Al Hortford
4. Phoenix - Brandan Wright
5. Seattle - Joakim Noah
6. Portland - Yi Jianlian
7. Minnesota - Corey Brewer
8. Charlotte - Julian Wright
9. Knicks - Roy Hibbert
10. Kings - Mike Conley
11. Pacers - Jeff Green
12. 76ers - Spencer Hawes
13. Hornets - Acie Law
14. LAC - Al Thornton

Looks relatively reasonable to me, except I doubt Conley will be there at #10. Brewer to Minnesota would be a great fit IMO. I also like a frontcourt of Bogut-Hortford-Villi, but it's a shame that by the time they'll all be in their prime they'll probably be on different teams.

[Butter]

Joakim Noah as #5? Is the draft that weak after the first 2?

[DeToxRox]

Acie Law needs to fall to Detroit at 15.

[Warhammer]

Yes it is. I actually hope the Grizzlies get the #2 pick. Get Durant and Adelman and the Grizzlies will compete for a playoff spot next year.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Joakim Noah as #5? Is the draft that weak after the first 2?

I don't think he'll go that high. Noah would work well in a fast offense like Phoenix or Golden State, but I don't think he's a half-court bigman in this league.

[Brian Swartz]

I think Noah will be better than most people give him credit for. He's smart, a good passer, and more versatile than the other guys you could pick instead of him. I'll be very surprised if he goes lower than 5 or 6.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I think Noah will be better than most people give him credit for. He's smart, a good passer, and more versatile than the other guys you could pick instead of him. I'll be very surprised if he goes lower than 5 or 6.

I think he's a smart and a high-energy player, but right now the only way he'll score in the NBA is in transistion and off hustle plays. I think he'll be a nice spark plug off the bench, but I don't see him ever being a starting quality player on a good team which is why I'd hesitate to take him top 10. He'd benefit by going to a good team where not much will be asked of him straight away, like in Phoenix.

Seattle might not be a bad option for him either, but I doubt they take another bigman.

[sterlingice]

NBA Draft.net updated theirs about a week ago: http://www.nbadraft.net/

SI

[Groundhog]

What a difference clinching that #2 seed made for the Cavs. The Bulls had to play the Heat and Pistons (though so far you can hardly say they are 'playing' them), while the Cavs get the Arenas-less Wizards and Nets.

[DeToxRox]

Yawn. Pistons/Bulls has been more boring then the Pistons/Magic. At least the Magic made a few games interesting.

[stevew]

Jeez....we're at 61-59 with 2 mins left in the first half in this Jazz game. I thought I could be mature and watch Carlos Boozer play and not hate the fuck, but fuck him. I want to see him get slapped around by stephen Jackson or something. And Matt Barnes is wearing Pantyhose....i thought they were banned last year.

[Groundhog]

I'm sure the Warriors can keep this pace up, but can the Jazz?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by stevew

Jeez....we're at 61-59 with 2 mins left in the first half in this Jazz game. I thought I could be mature and watch Carlos Boozer play and not hate the fuck, but fuck him. I want to see him get slapped around by stephen Jackson or something. And Matt Barnes is wearing Pantyhose....i thought they were banned last year.

I hate Boozer as much as the next Cavs fan, but I have to admit that signing Gooden to the contract that we did did wonders to help me get over that whole incident.

I'm still very much 'Out' on Gooden and would love to see us hang on to Varejao and have him work his was in to a starting role, but for that '1-game-out-of-4' magic that Gooden is good for it makes his contract a pretty good move by the Cavs.

[watravaler]

That was the most fun I've ever had watching an NBA game. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozers played like superstars. It's games like this that showcase the aesthetic beauty of the professional game. Just, well, wow...

[Karlifornia]

DAMN. Tough loss on the road, but it was nice to see that the game was played the Warriors pace. Most of the games in this series are going to be asbolute dogfights, I think. Good game, Utah.

[Karlifornia]

Deron Williams of Utah, btw, is an amazing player. He has a very bright future...hell, he has a bright 'right now'.

[Vince]

Yeah...simply an amazing game. I think that Deron Williams could have been nailed for a charge late in the 4th, but it'd be a tough way to get fouled out, so it's hard to fault the refs. Simply an amazing game.

[kingfc22]

Man, what a tough one to lose and can Nelly stop Jackson from trying to go one-on-one in the lane. He just ends up dribbling the ball of his foot or the defenders for a turnover half the time.

Kudos to Al Harrington for finally showing up this postseason as well.

[Fouts]

Great game. Utah needs game 2, because it will be real tough to keep up with the Warriors at home. I'm not a big Warriors fan, but they are fun to watch and I get to see a lot of their games. This is the first time I've seen the Jazz this year.

[Young Drachma]

Despite their lack of articulation at times, I must say that I really appreciate the TNT halftime show commentators (Barkley, Smith and sometimes Magic.)

They do a good job of explaining the game in a way where it's actually interesting and yet, they don't have to spend a lot of time trying to make stuff more complicated than it is.

And they don't scream at you, like the ESPN guys all seem to.

[Vince]

Charles Barkley is an ass, but he entertains me.

[stevew]

This Nets squad really could use Krstic. The Cavs just abused them on the boards tonight.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I think he's a smart and a high-energy player, but right now the only way he'll score in the NBA is in transistion and off hustle plays. I think he'll be a nice spark plug off the bench, but I don't see him ever being a starting quality player on a good team which is why I'd hesitate to take him top 10. He'd benefit by going to a good team where not much will be asked of him straight away, like in Phoenix.

I'm not sure why you would draft a 3-year college starter in the top 7 and not expect him to play right away. If that's the case, he shouldn't be a top 10 pick. Phoenix is much more likely to take Brewer or Horford than Noah, IMO. Plus, Mike D doesn't like big guys that can't hit the 15 footer, so taking Noah wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if a guy like Horford is there.

[Arles]

Looks like we may have a series now between San Antonio and Phoenix. Playing Kurt Thomas one-on-one with Duncan could make a difference. While Duncan will still get his 25-30, you keep guys like Finley, Horry, Manu, Barry and others in check by not leaving them open to double.

[SnDvls]

Originally Posted by Arles

I'm not sure why you would draft a 3-year college starter in the top 7 and not expect him to play right away. If that's the case, he shouldn't be a top 10 pick. Phoenix is much more likely to take Brewer or Horford than Noah, IMO. Plus, Mike D doesn't like big guys that can't hit the 15 footer, so taking Noah wouldn't make a whole lot of sense if a guy like Horford is there.

The Suns were really high on Noah last year and would have taken him then if they could have. This year it looks like they will probally pass on him in search of someone to replace Diaw whom will likely be traded in the offseason.