Lakers vs Magic and the 2008-2009 NBA Playoffs/Finals Thread

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Not when there is big money to be made in a 7 game series.

As opposed to the the league giving star treatment by not suspending him, right?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

As opposed to the the league giving star treatment by not suspending him, right?

Do you think the NBA would have suspended him for a Game 7 if this happened in Game 6?

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Do you think the NBA would have suspended him for a Game 7 if this happened in Game 6?

Maybe, maybe not. It would not have been the first time the league suspended an star player for a deciding game. The NBA suspended Alonzo Mourning for the deciding game five of a first round series against the Knicks in 1998 for actions that happened in game four.

However, that is not what happened. The league DID suspend Howard for his actions which was the proper call. If they had not suspended him, they would have been criticized for giving the star preferential treatment.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

The Heat is a young, inconsistent team. Seven players on the playoff roster have three years of experience or less. Beasley has been average at best this season. Cook is a streaky shooter as is Chalmers. This series is a microcosm of the entire season. Those three are supposed to be Wade's help on the offensive end. When they are on, the Heat play well like they did in games two and three. If not....well you get games one and four.

And game five. 22 points combined for Beasley, Cook and Chalmers so far.

[Neuqua]

Still can't believe there were some people who wanted the Bulls to pick Beasley over Rose. Not many, but there were a few.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Still can't believe there were some people who wanted the Bulls to pick Beasley over Rose. Not many, but there were a few.

Well, at the time, I think most people expected Beasley to be putting up Rookie of the Year numbers in his first season, where as Rose was expected to take a season or two.

It was a question of taking a future star at a key position over taking a big talent at a spot that isn't, generally, as important (SF/PF).

Of course, Beasley has been worse than expected (though I maintain he'd be putting up better numbers on a worse team), and Rose has been FAR better off the bat than I ever expected, at least.

[Big Fo]

Great third quarter by the Nuggets, they're all but in the second round.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Maybe, maybe not. It would not have been the first time the league suspended an star player for a deciding game. The NBA suspended Alonzo Mourning for the deciding game five of a first round series against the Knicks in 1998 for actions that happened in game four.

However, that is not what happened. The league DID suspend Howard for his actions which was the proper call. If they had not suspended him, they would have been criticized for giving the star preferential treatment.

There is not a chance in hell they suspend one of their premier players for a crucial Game 7. Especially for an elbow that is a judgement call. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in the NBA when it comes to their rules.

The Mourning example is a tad different. It wasn't an elbow, it was him and Larry Johnson throwing haymakers at one another.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

There is not a chance in hell they suspend one of their premier players for a crucial Game 7. Especially for an elbow that is a judgement call. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in the NBA when it comes to their rules.

The Mourning example is a tad different. It wasn't an elbow, it was him and Larry Johnson throwing haymakers at one another.

Are you saying that they should not have suspended him to prove that they don't want a game seven?

[whomario]

Must win for the Rockets tonight.

3 quotes that sum up my thoughts, fears and hopes :

Q: When the Rockets need a basket, why don't they pound the ball down low to Yao Ming, a great free-throw shooter who has a mismatch with whomever might be guarding him, instead of having Yao set picks 27 feet from the basket to set up unspeakably bad jumpers by Ron Artest?



A: I ... I don't know.

from a nice column by Simmons overall Bill Simmons: The Sports Guy answers key questions about the 2009 NBA playoffs - ESPN

Give him the ball.
Don't weigh the options. Don't worry about the double- or triple-team, don't get too clever for your own good.
Give it to the 7-foot-6 guy with enough brawn to cast a shadow over Shaq.

Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Blazers was almost laughable. Twenty-six shots were taken by the Rockets before Yao got his first shot in the 88-77 loss, a missed turnaround hook with 6:19 to play in the second quarter. His first basket did not come until 2:37 remained in the first half.
Just to reiterate: Twenty-six times the Rockets determined it was better to have someone else take a shot before Yao got a turn. Yes, Przybilla was relentlessly fronting. But, uh, by late April, shouldn't you have figured out how to throw it over the top?
When Yao finally got the ball, when Brooks decided perhaps another 3-pointer wasn't in the team's best interest, he made seven of his next 10 shots, closing a respectable 7 of 12.

from NBC : Expert: Simple game plan — give Yao the dang ball - NBA- nbcsports.msnbc.com


and the big guy himself had this to say :

The Blazers have mostly defended Yao by putting either Joel Przybilla or Greg Oden in front of him and then double-teaming whenever he touches the ball. Yao found a way to score 24 points in Game 1 and 21 in Game 4, leaving the game plan for Game 6 fairly obvious -- at least to him.

"Get the ball inside. Get the ball inside. Get the ball inside," he said. "That's it."

Yao had grown tired of being reduced to a witness.

“I don’t know,” he said sarcastically when asked what went wrong in the 88-77 loss in Game 5. “I just went up and down on the court. I don’t know anything. I just ran baseline to baseline for seven or eight times. That’s it.

“I mean, I ran up and down. We didn’t organize well. We did not execute. We did not know what is the play. We don’t know what is called.”

And by "we" he means "they" . That´s the closest to calling out his teammates i´ve seen him. I honestly want them to just try it. Don´t care about 5 or 6 TOs by him, just throw him the ball whenever even remotely possible and then work from there and not start the game assuming you can´t get it to him like in Game 5...

Can´t wait ...

[DaddyTorgo]

If the Rockets don't want to utilize Yao I'm sure there's no shortage of suitors who'd break up their teams for him.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Are you saying that they should not have suspended him to prove that they don't want a game seven?

No, I'm saying that elbows like that take place a lot in the NBA and don't end up in suspsensions. There seems to be zero consistency in this area.

[SirFozzie]

Well, tonight will be about the Bulls mental toughness. If they come out flat, and figure they already have an excuse for why they won't win the series, it could be a game 3-like rout. If they use it as motivation, then they could rout the celtics, or we could have another classic.

[sterlingice]

That's odd- you don't usually hear Yao lashing out like that. Not exactly a guy known for being a prima donna.

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

That's odd- you don't usually hear Yao lashing out like that. Not exactly a guy known for being a prima donna.

SI

I'd argue that that's hardly being a prima donna - it's more like "hey c'mon guys...basic basketball strategy - nobody on their team can guard me - how about you pass to me?"

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Well, tonight will be about the Bulls mental toughness. If they come out flat, and figure they already have an excuse for why they won't win the series, it could be a game 3-like rout. If they use it as motivation, then they could rout the celtics, or we could have another classic.

I'll be there tonight and I don't see a rout. The crowd will be raucuous and should give them a nice boost early on. I still don't think they'll win tonight and foresee a tight game that the Celtics pull away with at the end.

I like the Bulls future but it's just tough to put a 20 year old into these spots and expect him to take out a team of established veterans.

[Neuqua]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I'll be there tonight and I don't see a rout. The crowd will be raucuous and should give them a nice boost early on. I still don't think they'll win tonight and foresee a tight game that the Celtics pull away with at the end.

I like the Bulls future but it's just tough to put a 20 year old into these spots and expect him to take out a team of established veterans.

Pretty much agree.

I think the next year or two is just to let Rose develop and go cheap on spending money on VDN but when 2010 rolls around, our players should be ready to make a big step forward and hopefully Reinsdorf will spend the money on a real coach.

I'll be at the game too, just hoping for a game half as exciting as last Sunday's was.

[DaddyTorgo]

you better get some action from that chick this time neq!!!

[whomario]

Rondo just might have decided the series in Chicago´s favour ... What was he thinking, seriously ? He just lost it ...
If you didn´t see it : He got tangled up with Hinrich at the sidelines (Rondo initiated it, too) and he just griped his arm and swung Hinrich into the scorers table, not even a flop or exageration on Hinrich´s part.

Flagrant 2 (= ejection) and i´d say a suspension for a now likely game 7 pretty likely ...
Stupid, stupid move that puts a huge shadow over his performance ...

EDIT : Wait a minute : I was tuned into Orl/Phi at the time and they switched to the incident and yahoosaid "flagrant 2". Apparently he wasn´t ejected ? I don´t get those rules apparently ...

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by whomario

Rondo just might have decided the series in Chicago´s favour ... What was he thinking, seriously ? He just lost it ...
If you didn´t see it : He got tangled up with Hinrich at the sidelines (Rondo initiated it, too) and he just griped his arm and swung Hinrich into the scorers table, not even a flop or exageration on Hinrich´s part.

Flagrant 2 (= ejection) and i´d say a suspension for a now likely game 7 pretty likely ...
Stupid, stupid move that puts a huge shadow over his performance ...

EDIT : Wait a minute : I was tuned into Orl/Phi at the time and they switched to the incident and yahoosaid "flagrant 2". Apparently he wasn´t ejected ? I don´t get those rules apparently ...

they reviewed it and said it wasn't a flagrant 2, it went as a flagrant 1

C's in trouble - down 37-26 after 1

[Jas_lov]

Rondo was not ejected, he got a slap on the wrist. It's the playoffs though so I doubt any Boston player will be suspended.

[whomario]

@ daddytorgo : thanks for clarification !
that´s bound to get heavily flamed in the media and i´d say they have a point. Maybe you can argue it wasn´t a flagrant 2, but taking it back after what last game´s incident doesn´t look good really.
Yeah, i´m all for physichal play and stuff, but that´s just not a basketball play (todays incident) and for me those type of things are a sure fire ejection.

As much as i like Rondo as a player ...

What´s the vegas line for Aaron Gray getting into the game for the sole purpose of taking a shot at Rondo ?

EDIT : And Gortat/Redick/Alston are beasting it for Orlando , wow what a start.

[SirFozzie]

Yup. Rondo was stupid today.

[Groundhog]

Gortat is, IIRC, a free agent and is going to get paid this offseason IMO.

[stevew]

I'm bored. The Cavs don't play again till next week right?

[larrymcg421]

C's have tied it up. Ray Allen's got it tonight.

[whomario]

@ Groundhog : Yeah, i agree on that. Still a miracle for anyone who saw him play around the time he got drafted, made great strides. I don´t think it will be outrageous, what with the economic struggles and teams in save mode. Maybe 10 for 3 ?

Ray Allen is having a hoge half, 24 points on 9-13 shooting with 4 3s. Boston ties it after being down 14.

I was shocked when i realized that Hunter still plays when i stumbled upon his name in a boxscore earlier this year. He´s like the Mutombo of guards.

Allen ! 29 in the half !

[SirFozzie]

Noah gives Pierce a receipt, but the Celtics take the lead with Pierce in the locker room due to bleeding.

[hoopsguy]

This is the first game of the Bulls/Celtics series I've been able to sit down and watch. Ray Allen has been amazing this series.

No comments yet on the Rondo flagrant in the first half?

Edit - oops, thought I was on last page of thread.

[whomario]

Noah has got to be the worst finisher among big men in the league ... Can´t believe my eyes looking at his great shooting percentage, he´s just erratic there. Both teams play atrocious defense all series long, especially in transition.

lol at Rondo screaming at Perkins like crazy there before finally getting the pass for that easy layup

Hinrich plays good d on allen though, gotta give him that.

I love how Rivers keeps giving actual coaching to Rondo at every possibility in a game as huge as this, that´s an underrated quality in a NBA head coach.

[Big Fo]

Who needs Howard when Gortat is slamming it down like that.

[whomario]

House is ice cold this series, that´s an underrated aspect here. I mean, the game is at the high pace he likes so much and he misses and misses on shots he likes to take.

Orlando up 15 midway through the 3rd. But that wouldn´t be the first time Philly comes back and Orlando eventually might cool off.
JJ Redick with 4 3s so far, too. I´d be happy for him if they win and he gets another one or two of those.

[SirFozzie]

That should just about do it, they do not have anyone hot this time

[Big Fo]

Redick with his fifth 3 and the boo-birds are out in Philly. Alston, Redick, Lewis, and Gortat all with good games.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

That should just about do it, they do not have anyone hot this time

This is a hideously blatant attempt at a reverse jinx

[SirFozzie]

No, it was honest.. but.. HOLY shit. The Bulls just cannot finish the Celtics off can they?

[whomario]

Boston with a clinic this quarter, that is pretty damn impressive thus far. And Gordon is a cancer, imo. His reaction there was just terrible. Not even him getting the technical (which is bad though) but how he´s sitting there on the bench not giving a damn and then basically blowing Hunter off when he talked to him...
Miller took a shot at Rondo there, no way that was just going for the block with that big swing. Then again it´s Miller who´s like clumsyX2, so who knows

NO OT please, wanna see Hou-Por ...

[SirFozzie]

And now the Celtics cannot finish the Bulls off.

[Groundhog]

Bradley Miller!

[whomario]

Why was Tony Allen in the game again when the Celtics had held the Bulls to like 10 points in the first 10 1/2 minutes in the 4th ?
And Miller is ... clutch ?

[Karlifornia]

This is the best opening round series of all time.

[hoopsguy]

Well, I guess Vinny has a timeout for the end of the game. Of course, you could certainly make the case that he could have used one while giving up a 17-0 fourth quarter run ...

[Groundhog]

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

Ding ding ding ding ding.

I'm starting to get the impression Vinny isn't very good.

[Big Fo]

That was probably not the Bulls best option.

[whomario]

damn, i hate this ...

In Houston, MacMillan finally sits the totally overwhelmed Batum. Yao with a score and an assist on the first 2 possessions according to yahoo.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

You win.

[DaddyTorgo]

tony allen SUCKS - 3 straight trips down the floor (last 2 regulation, 1st overtime) he is in the paint with the ball - first 2 times he shoots lame floaters instead of drawing contact, 3rd time he dishes OUTSIDE the paint to perkins with like 4 on the shot clock

[whomario]

stop with the timeouts for christs sake ... NBA games go on way too long for nowadays, like snails pace with all those timeouts ...

[Groundhog]

If I were Vinny, I'd be drawing up a new play for everyone right now called the "give it to anyone except Ben Gordon and let them try and score" play.