NBA Playoffs

[stevew]

Lebron grabs a triple double in his first career playoff game.

San Antonio Destroys the Kings in game one.

Discuss.

[Neuqua]

Bulls gonna take down Miami tonight! W00T!

[Franklinnoble]

I think the Kings will be more problematic for the Spurs than you give them credit for.

I'm not saying they're gonna win the series... but San Antonio is gonna wish they'd drawn the Lakers instead.

[miami_fan]

Tough win for the Heat. WTF was Haslem thinking? Of all the refs in the NBA, he pulls that shit with Joey Crawford? What a dumb ass reaction. The Heat did not play well in the second half but a win is a win. Now to move on to Game 2.

[miami_fan]

Oh yeah thank you Andreas Nocioni for taking that three pointer with about 15 seconds left instead of holding the ball on the catch and setting up something for Hinrich or Gordon.

[Coffee Warlord]

I can see Miami-Chicago going down to the wire.

Were it not for a few mistakes that were total inexperience down the stretch, Bulls had that game.

edit: And you know, the Bulls are just fun to watch. They play with so much damn energy and passion. A rarity in the Thug Basketball Association.

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I can see Miami-Chicago going down to the wire.

Were it not for a few mistakes that were total inexperience down the stretch, Bulls had that game.

edit: And you know, the Bulls are just fun to watch. They play with so much damn energy and passion. A rarity in the Thug Basketball Association.

I think the Bulls are the only team in the East that could have given one of the top three teams trouble in the first round. I don't think they can win that series, but Miami is not the team they were last year, and could have some trouble.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Oh yeah thank you Andreas Nocioni for taking that three pointer with about 15 seconds left instead of holding the ball on the catch
and setting up something for Hinrich or Gordon.

Yeah, that was a really stupid play.

[stevew]

48-Minute Man? LeBron Might Not See Bench
In the PLAIN DEALER, Jodie Valade writes that "it's quite possible, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said, that LeBron James could play all 48 minutes of every playoff game that Cleveland appears in during the team's postseason run. That means, of course, Washington will have another full game to try to stop James. In Game 1, the Wizards alternated between double-teams and single coverage, jumping out on James after screens and easing back to give him space for an outside shot. Nothing worked effectively and he's not afraid of whatever the Wizards come up with next."

[Eaglesfan27]

I know the MVP Award shouldn't take into account playoff performances, but after watching Lebron's masterpiece vs Kobe's weak performance in their first playoff games this year, I'm even more convinced Lebron should win it (I think he should based on his regular season stats as well.) I can't wait to watch Lebron's next game, and it has been several years since I've felt that way about any NBA Player not playing for the Sixers.

[miami_fan]

MIAMI -- Miami forward Udonis Haslem will miss Monday's playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, serving a one-game suspension for throwing his mouthpiece toward referee Joey Crawford in the series opener.

Haslem will sit out Game 2 of the Heat's first-round series with the Bulls on Monday night. The NBA announced the sanction after the Heat's morning shootaround practice.

Haslem was unavailable for comment. Heat coach Pat Riley also declined comment after the morning practice, saying he was waiting for the NBA to publicly announce its decision.

"He's really down," said Jason Levien, Haslem's agent. "I think he really feels like he let the team down. He's disappointed in the league's call, but he's accepting of it. ... He'll be on pins and needles tonight, because if the Heat don't win he'll take that very personally."

Levien said Haslem learned of the decision around the time that Miami's morning practice ended.

Haslem was ejected with 4:11 left in the opening half of the Heat's 111-106 win in Game 1 on Saturday night. He wound up on the floor after jostling with three Bulls for an offensive rebound, and -- apparently incensed over no foul being called -- reached for his mouthpiece and threw it in Crawford's direction.

Crawford immediately signaled Haslem's ejection. Haslem apologized after the game, yet insisted that he was throwing the piece of plastic at the ground -- not with the intent of hitting Crawford.

While there now is clarity over Haslem's status, that of another Miami big man -- Alonzo Mourning -- remains unknown.

Mourning has missed Miami's last 15 games since tearing a calf muscle in an 82-73 loss at Detroit on March 22. He has been rehabilitating and said last week that the muscle was healed, but his strength and conditioning level weren't were they needed to be for him to return.

Mourning's status will be decided at game time, Riley said.


SAN ANTONIO -- Ron Artest's reputation might have caught up to him at a terrible time for the Sacramento Kings.

The NBA suspended Artest on Monday for Game 2 of the Kings' first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.

Stu Jackson, the league's top disciplinarian, said Artest's elbow to Manu Ginobili's head in the series opener was egregious enough to warrant another suspension for the man who missed 73 games and the playoffs last season after one of the most infamous brawls in sports history.

But after their difficult playoff task got exponentially harder, the Kings suggested Artest was punished simply for being Ron Artest, possibly the most notorious player of his generation.

"You know with Ron's questionable past, they're going to look for a way to get him," said Bonzi Wells, who will get many of Artest's defensive assignments. "Whether it's minor or major, they're going to look at it in a different way."

The one-game suspension caught both Artest's teammates and the Spurs completely by surprise, because neither club thought the personal foul was even worthy of postgame comment, much less a suspension nearly 48 hours after the fact.

Artest was at the AT&T Center for practice Monday, but the focal point of Sacramento's midseason turnaround won't be in uniform Tuesday night when the Kings play Game 2 against the defending league champions.

"I talked to Stu Jackson, which was encouraging," Artest said in a brief, apologetic statement after his usual post-practice shooting workout. "There have been a lot of things that have happened in my career which [were] unfair. I support my teammates, and hopefully they'll win the game, and I'll be back Friday [for Game 3]."

The league cited Artest for his foul on Ginobili in the third quarter of the Spurs' 122-88 victory. Ginobili caught Artest's elbow in his jaw while attempting to run through the lane, and the Argentine star fell to the ground as Artest got a personal foul.

Though Spurs coach Gregg Popovich jumped off the bench to argue for a flagrant foul, Ginobili got right back up, and the game continued. Afterward, Ginobili said he wasn't injured on the play and didn't consider it particularly serious, while Popovich said he had no problem with Artest's aggressive style of play.

"I didn't even see the play, but it couldn't have been that bad," said Mike Bibby, who declared himself "amazed" by the league's decision.

"There was no flagrant foul or technical foul on the play. They look at things differently for certain people, you could say."

Popovich said the Spurs didn't even contact the NBA about the play, something many teams -- including the Kings -- will do for any questionable play, particularly in the playoffs.

Ginobili was shocked when he heard about the suspension after practice at the Spurs' suburban training complex.

"For us it's good, because he's a great player, but we don't have much to do with it," Ginobili said. "It didn't hurt me. I said it after the game. But the league [watches] everything we do."

Artest was injured on the game's opening possession when Ginobili inadvertently elbowed him hard in the face while driving to the hoop. Artest's feet flew out from under him, and he stayed down for several moments before jogging around the court in pain from a cut that required three stitches to close.

Ginobili alluded to the Kings' theory that Artest was being punished partly for his history of misbehavior and hard-nosed play, which also included aggressive shots to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in Game 1.

Popovich wouldn't speculate on such ideas, instead finding a way to worry about how the absence of the Kings' emotional leader and defensive star actually could hurt the Spurs.

"Sometimes it can be your worst nightmare when a good player is out on another team, because everybody else can pick up their games," Popovich said. "We're not going to change a whole lot. I'm more concerned about the mental part of the deal for us."

Artest mostly guarded Ginobili in Game 1 and scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. The Spurs routed Sacramento with a 41-point second quarter, taking a quick 30-point lead and turning the entire second half into garbage time.

Kevin Martin will move into the Kings' starting lineup at guard, with Wells moving to small forward. Martin probably will get the unpleasant task of guarding Parker, who burned the Kings for 25 points in three quarters.

Artest's defense made little difference while the Spurs scored 73 points in the first half of Game 1, making 68 percent of their shots and cruising to a 34-point lead. And perhaps his absence will inspire the passion that was missing in his teammates while San Antonio won Game 1 -- or perhaps the Kings are headed for an 0-2 deficit heading home.

"I think the Spurs are going to play the same no matter who's out there," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "When I looked at the tape, I thought it's possible they'll send a message and [upgrade] it to a flagrant foul, but I had no idea they would suspend him."

[Franklinnoble]

Wow. Lame. Artest got elbowed a LOT harder than that. I think the NBA got a little heavy-handed with this one.

[Coffee Warlord]

Artest actually does not deserve a suspension for once.

Haslem absolutely does.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I know the MVP Award shouldn't take into account playoff performances, but after watching Lebron's masterpiece vs Kobe's weak performance in their first playoff games this year, I'm even more convinced Lebron should win it (I think he should based on his regular season stats as well.) I can't wait to watch Lebron's next game, and it has been several years since I've felt that way about any NBA Player not playing for the Sixers.

Huh? Kobe did whatever said he could never do, and it just happened to fall on a day where his shot didnt fall and he's not a very good player? He's terrible when he passes the ball and he's terrible when he shoots the ball.

[TargetPractice6]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Huh? Kobe did whatever said he could never do, and it just happened to fall on a day where his shot didnt fall and he's not a very good player? He's terrible when he passes the ball and he's terrible when he shoots the ball.

Yeah, EF was calling Kobe a terrible player while debating whether he deserved the MVP award.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Huh? Kobe did whatever said he could never do, and it just happened to fall on a day where his shot didnt fall and he's not a very good player? He's terrible when he passes the ball and he's terrible when he shoots the ball.

Huh? He shot the ball 21 times. He shot 33%. He played poorly. He played very poorly in comparision to Lebron.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Kobe is a very talented player, but Lebron has done more for his team this year.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Huh? He shot the ball 21 times. He shot 33%. He played poorly. He played very poorly in comparision to Lebron.

WHat;s that compared to his average? Kobe did whatever said he couldnt do, which was make his teammates better, and he did. It just happened on a night where he himself was cold.

But then again, I guess one game is enough to give it to a player?

And Eaglesfan27, looks like there is a lot of smoke coming from South Central. We all know what happens when there is smoke...

[vex]

Originally Posted by TargetPractice6

Yeah, EF was calling Kobe a terrible player while debating whether he deserved the MVP award.

winner!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

WHat;s that compared to his average? Kobe did whatever said he couldnt do, which was make his teammates better, and he did. It just happened on a night where he himself was cold.

But then again, I guess one game is enough to give it to a player?

And Eaglesfan27, looks like there is a lot of smoke coming from South Central. We all know what happens when there is smoke...

I'm not worried about USC

He didn't make his teammates better enough. Scoreboard.

[JeeberD]

Mavs looked good last night, I can't wait to see them beat the Spurs...

[primelord]

What are the refs looking at that they would wave off Wade's dunk at the end there? I slowed it down on my Tivo and you can clearly see the ball moving the net back out of his hand with .1 left on the clock. They can do a more detailed frame by frame slow motion there. I can't see any reason for them waving it off unless they called him on a travel or something.

[primelord]

Never mind. They ended up counting it.

[miami_fan]

My goodness! Chicago is shooting lights out and still is losing by 11. Heat is playing better than they did on Saturday.

On a sidenote, I am really curious to see the moves the Bulls make this offseason. Two first round picks and at least $20 million in cap space without any major resignings to be done.

[watravaler]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Dola -

Kobe is a very talented player, but Lebron has done more for his team this year.

It doesn't matter, Dirk or Nash will take the award.

[Neon_Chaos]

Kobe had an off night.

God, what I would pay to see Bryant drop 81 on these Phoenix chumps.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Kobe had an off night.

God, what I would pay to see Bryant drop 81 on these Phoenix chumps.

Neon, i think next time we talk on AIM you might hear some things on my mind. Check my location, and know whats coming

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Neon, i think next time we talk on AIM you might hear some things on my mind. Check my location, and know whats coming

Lol. Most of my relatives are LA-based so, you know. Haha. Rooting for the two LA Teams in the playoffs.

And Kobe is bound to lay the smack down on the Suns for at least one game.

edit: I'm online on AIM right now, you Sun-fan you.

[miami_fan]

Looks like the Wizards are determined to make LeBron pay for going to the hoop tonight. Let's see how far the refs allow the physical play to go.

[Groundhog]

Big game from James today, just 1 rebound shy of another triple-double! Oh, wait... turnovers don't count...

As much as I dislike Gooden and his basketball IQ (or lack of), big game from him today, but James looks like he played awful. Wish I could have watched the game.

[Neon_Chaos]

Caron Butler has been amazing all season for the Wizards.

The Lakers certainly shouldn't have given him up.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Big game from James today, just 1 rebound shy of another triple-double! Oh, wait... turnovers don't count...

As much as I dislike Gooden and his basketball IQ (or lack of), big game from him today, but James looks like he played awful. Wish I could have watched the game.

You wouldn't have wanted to see the game. All of the shots that Lebron usually makes rimmed out. He just got some bad glass angles, missed a dunk, not his night. Tried to force too many passes. Butler drew a couple questionable charges on Lebron, but he did play pretty decent defense. Lebron played like shit, the Wizards should have won by about 15. The Cavs were in it to the end with the majority of their players shooting less than 33%.

Gooden played well, but of course still managed to do pretty much the ultimate in dumbass plays.....giving up a 4 point play. You NEVER want to foul someone shooting a 3. Drew was a lot more active on the boards and on the defensive(!) end than normal.

[Neuqua]

Horry time?

[stevew]

dola

Abdur-Rahim misses a wide open look from 17 that would have given the Kings an upset.

[stevew]

SAR is like the anti-Horry.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by stevew

You wouldn't have wanted to see the game. All of the shots that Lebron usually makes rimmed out. He just got some bad glass angles, missed a dunk, not his night. Tried to force too many passes. Butler drew a couple questionable charges on Lebron, but he did play pretty decent defense. Lebron played like shit, the Wizards should have won by about 15. The Cavs were in it to the end with the majority of their players shooting less than 33%.

Gooden played well, but of course still managed to do pretty much the ultimate in dumbass plays.....giving up a 4 point play. You NEVER want to foul someone shooting a 3. Drew was a lot more active on the boards and on the defensive(!) end than normal.

He was terrible tonight. Forget the missed shots. That happens to everyone. 10 turnovers is unacceptable. And he had the chance to take the game tying 3 and put it in the hands of Varejo. I understand the thought process, but he needs to learn that he MUST take that shot. Kid's a terrific, terrific player, but those are the times he needs to step up. It's disturbing that he still won't take that shot a majority of the time.

It really reminded me of the game in Denver this year. Game down to th efinal seconds and Melo not only wanted the ball, he demanded to be put on Bron. (forget for a minute he can't gaurd Bron if he had three people helping him). Melo drove and dunked (Bron was busy D'ing up on Greg Buckner in the opposite corner). Bron gets the ball, gets free off of a screen and is standing in the corner of a three point game with 7 seconds left and the basket wide open. He passed.

He's not a choke artist like some are portraying him. And he's the biggest star of that draft class. (an OUTSTANDING draft class). But he has to step up and take that shot. He just has to.

In other news, the Nuggets have suspended Kenyon Martin, I believe for the rest of the playoffs.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by TroyF

He was terrible tonight. Forget the missed shots. That happens to everyone. 10 turnovers is unacceptable. And he had the chance to take the game tying 3 and put it in the hands of Varejo. I understand the thought process, but he needs to learn that he MUST take that shot. Kid's a terrific, terrific player, but those are the times he needs to step up. It's disturbing that he still won't take that shot a majority of the time.

It really reminded me of the game in Denver this year. Game down to th efinal seconds and Melo not only wanted the ball, he demanded to be put on Bron. (forget for a minute he can't gaurd Bron if he had three people helping him). Melo drove and dunked (Bron was busy D'ing up on Greg Buckner in the opposite corner). Bron gets the ball, gets free off of a screen and is standing in the corner of a three point game with 7 seconds left and the basket wide open. He passed.

He's not a choke artist like some are portraying him. And he's the biggest star of that draft class. (an OUTSTANDING draft class). But he has to step up and take that shot. He just has to.

In other news, the Nuggets have suspended Kenyon Martin, I believe for the rest of the playoffs.

The dumbass-ness of that play with 20 seconds was that they had a timeout left, and could have tried to set up something better. But if Arenas doesn't close out on that pass like he did(came from out of nowhere), or Varejao finishes better, its a quick 2. You still can foul, and still have a time out.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by stevew

The dumbass-ness of that play with 20 seconds was that they had a timeout left, and could have tried to set up something better. But if Arenas doesn't close out on that pass like he did(came from out of nowhere), or Varejao finishes better, its a quick 2. You still can foul, and still have a time out.

Again, I understand the thought process there steve. . . but the game is on the line and Bron has an open look. You want to win/lose games with your stars, not with Anderson Varejo. (who I like FWIW). He has to take that shot. It wouldn't bother me nearly as much if he hadn't exhibited this same type of play before.

There is a point to being a team player here. Lebron IS the king. He has to take that shot and let the chips fall where they fall. Lebron would not have had a better look in that ball game. He'll realize that eventually. And he'll drill the shot. And when that happens and he figures out the other end of the floor? Watch out.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by TroyF

In other news, the Nuggets have suspended Kenyon Martin, I believe for the rest of the playoffs.

If Martin didn't have such a miserable contract, he'd be someone that I would like for the Cavs. They don't really have an "enforcer" type and it shows in their general soft play.

I like Anderson Verejao a lot, although he has a ways to go before he can become a solid starter. Missing all of the offseason due to injury hurt quite a bit. He does the small things you love on defense, but he's basically a nobody on offense right now, an "energy guy."

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Caron Butler has been amazing all season for the Wizards.

The Lakers certainly shouldn't have given him up.

Lakers didnt give up on him, they just didnt have anyplace to put him as the Lamar Odom as a 4 didnt work in the West

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by stevew

If Martin didn't have such a miserable contract, he'd be someone that I would like for the Cavs. They don't really have an "enforcer" type and it shows in their general soft play.

I like Anderson Verejao a lot, although he has a ways to go before he can become a solid starter. Missing all of the offseason due to injury hurt quite a bit. He does the small things you love on defense, but he's basically a nobody on offense right now, an "energy guy."

I was a pretty big Kenyon Martin fan and was one of the few Nuggets fans who supported him throughout most of the past two seasons.

But the reality is, he's a turd. The guys in the locker room hate his guts. He doesn't show up every night. He plays when he wants to and when things aren't going well, he will always choose not to.

The Nuggets are going to move him this offseason, probably for some garbage contract (ok, not probably, certainly). The only hope is that the guy they deal him for can actually shoot the basketball more than ten feet from the hoop.

[Neuqua]

To think, didn't NJ receive three first rounders for him?

Not bad...

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Lakers didnt give up on him, they just didnt have anyplace to put him as the Lamar Odom as a 4 didnt work in the West

True. Everything is clearer in hindsight.

case in point: Borris Diaw. I bet the Hawks never imagined he could be a skillful PF/C.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

True. Everything is clearer in hindsight.

case in point: Borris Diaw. I bet the Hawks never imagined he could be a skillful PF/C.

Im just disagreeing becuase your neon and i can...so whatever your point was, i vehemently disagree. Kobe-lover

[miami_fan]

LeBron absolutely has to take that shot. There is a certain amount of "selfishness" that a great player has to have at that point in the game. If he misses that shot he will get criticized for not passing to a wide open guy etc., but he definitely has to take the shot.

How about the Spurs-Kings game? Forget Abdur Rahim's open look. The Kings were up 3 points. How the hell do you collapse on Manu in the lane going for a layup (2 points) so that you leave Brent Barry open behind the arc(3 points)?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

To think, didn't NJ receive three first rounders for him?

Not bad...

The funny thing is the Nets all admitted they made a MISTAKE two months after the trade. The owner said he regretted it. Thorne just flat out admitted they blew it.

Kenyon has had a very tough time in Denver overall. His baby was deathly ill most of last season. He's been hurt. He has to be frustrated with a lot of things. But that's no excuse for acting like an ass so much of the time.

I look for the Nuggets to ship him to the Knicks this off season and get back one or two of the Knicks ridiculous G contracts.

[JeeberD]

What the hell is this three days between games bullshit? Give me some more Mavs already, dammit!

[stevew]

I hate the first round because of this delay. The Finals are in mid june IIRC.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

What the hell is this three days between games bullshit? Give me some more Mavs already, dammit!

You sound like Jesus Quintana.

[Subby]

Huge road win for the Bullets last night.

Getting Caron for Kwame (rhymes with lame) Brown might actually undo the bad mojo of all the bad Washington trades of the past.

I love when they get Michael Ruffin on the floor. That guy is as tough as they come.