Official NBA 2005-2006 thread

[RaGe]

Next round is still one W away folks.

GO LAKERS!!!

[Magpel]

I have made the very healthy decision not to stay up for the west coast games, so I didn't see the Clips put the bow on this one. But they are dangerous now, with a series under their belt and a swagger in their step. You can't overestimate the value of Ol' Man Cassell.

 

And they are a deep and balanced team. Watching Maggette thrive in the "instant offense off the bench" role makes me think they might be able to make a serious run...but, of course, the whole point of this post is that I haven't been watching.

 

You also have to give steady some credit for forseeing the trouble Sac would give SA. When I look at the Sac roster now--Bonzi, Artest, Bibby, Miller, Rahim--I see it. That's a tough physical squad.

 

And can you feel it? Can you feel Dallas' bruises and inflammations healing while they wait for the winner of that series? I can. I'm not saying it is "their year," but I am saying they've never had had a better look and feel in the playoffs.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by Rabid:

Imagine if Kobe had been playing team ball all year.

As many know, I'm not a huge Kobe fan (more personally than otherwise). But I think it's a more complex issue than him simply not playing team ball. At the beginning of the year, the Lakers were a disheveled mess. They sucked. Kwame had bricks for hands, Lamar was out to lunch, and they were not cohesive at all. It took a while under Phil Jackson to get going. Kobe is able to trust his teammates more, and kick the ball out to them now, something he was not able to do before. I think that the guy will do whatever it takes to win.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Originally posted by steadyb:

Dave Bryce is the Nostradamus of the NBA.

 

Discuss...

I didn't say they wouldn't make the playoffs...I said they'd be lucky to make the playoffs. And they were.

 

I love it when you get personal...

 

dB

Laker Hater

I think Phil Jackson's coaching had a LOT to do with them not only making the playoffs but playing well in the first round. Without his coaching, they'd basically be doing what they were doing last season - sucking. Love 'em, hate 'em, but I think just about everyone has to admit that Jackson is a brilliant coach. A lot of pundits were saying that it'd be his best moment if he could even get such a crappy team into the playoffs. He's not only done that, but has them playing cohesively and shutting down opponents defensively.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

I had the Suns for the same thing, and yes, with Amare, I doubt the Lakers would have been able to beat them.

That's all I'm saying...but try to get the average Laker fan to admit that anyone could actually beat them fair and square without ref intervention or some other excuse is like pulling teeth.

 

dB

I wonder...the average Laker fan didn't think they would make it past the first round, I think!!! In all seriousness, with the guys that they have, I consider it an incredible achievement to do what they have been doing.

 

Second round, we'll see...while they are playing very good team ball, they won't be able to get their inside game going as easily with the Clippers. Amare left a huge gaping hole in the middle for the Suns. The Clippers do have some inside presence, so will likely require a change of strategy for the Lakers. I think it's going to be a really good series, not just because it's two L.A. teams, but simply that it's going to be a fairly even-matched series.

 

But first, the Lakers have to eliminate the Suns, and the Suns are not going to go down easily - they're gonna put up a good fight this evening, I think.

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

I had the Suns for the same thing, and yes, with Amare, I doubt the Lakers would have been able to beat them.

That's all I'm saying...but try to get the average Laker fan to admit that anyone could actually beat them fair and square without ref intervention or some other excuse is like pulling teeth.

 

dB

I wonder...the average Laker fan didn't think they would make it past the first round, I think!!! In all seriousness, with the guys that they have, I consider it an incredible achievement to do what they have been doing.

 

Second round, we'll see...while they are playing very good team ball, they won't be able to get their inside game going as easily with the Clippers. Amare left a huge gaping hole in the middle for the Suns. The Clippers do have some inside presence, so will likely require a change of strategy for the Lakers. I think it's going to be a really good series, not just because it's two L.A. teams, but simply that it's going to be a fairly even-matched series.

 

But first, the Lakers have to eliminate the Suns, and the Suns are not going to go down easily - they're gonna put up a good fight this evening, I think. While the Lakers played good ball during their incredible, improbable win, I actually thought that the Suns outplayed them for much of the game.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

they won't be able to get their inside game going as easily with the Clippers...The Clippers do have some inside presence

Indeed, I believe the Clippers lead the league in rebounding.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

I agree with Ken.

 

The Lakers are really going to have to modify things against the Clips. I see some matchups (Kaman v. Kwame, Cassell v. Smush, Brand v. Odom) being really tough to predict.

 

I also don't know how Dunleavy plans to handle Kobe. That's a game unto itself. the Clips D has been great all year, but do you really want to go one-on-one with Ross or Mobley against #8? I think not. The good news for the Clips is that they have good bench depth, so at least they can keep some fresh legs who can watch Kobe score at will.

 

- Jeff

[dave-G]

I just wanted to pop in for a second and reflect on the recent activity between Reggie Evans and Chris Kaman..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcinlrgojk

 

Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble.

 

Evans grabbed his balls.

 

How does that thought even enter ANYONE's mind? I'm sure even Kaman's doctor takes a deep breath and concentrates on going to his "happy place" before asking him to turn his head and cough.

 

WOW.

 

"nuggets"

 

-dave

 

ps-to dB: Post-mons, minor trouble. Tried blaming you. Didn't work. Had to "talk"

[Geoff Grace]

Yikes!!!

 

 

On other matters

 

Welcome back, Dave. We missed you on last year's football thread. Hope you stick around.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by dave-G:

Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble.

I saw it right when it happened. Crazy.

 

As you probably know, the NBA fined Evans $10,000 and gave him a flagrant, but didn't suspend him (for the start of next year) as they probably should have. From the news in that regard...

 

Told that Evans denied grabbing Kaman's testicles, the Clippers center said "He's lying. I know what he did. I felt it ..."

 

Yeah, I'd imagine he did.

 

- Jeff

[Geoff Grace]

Okay, even though I think the Lakers will take the series, I like the Suns in Game 5 at home tonight.

 

Fingers crossed

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Suns have a good shot of winning tonight. Best of luck Geoff, even though I hope you lose with extreme prejudice!

 

GO LAKERS!

 

- Jeff

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Have you guys seen ESPN.com's all-time greatest playoff rosters? Really cool. Who do you think would win among these top contenders?

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS:

G MAGIC JOHNSON (1987)

G JERRY WEST (1965)

G KOBE BRYANT (2006)

G GAIL GOODRICH (1974)

F JAMES WORTHY (1989)

F ELGIN BAYLOR (1963)

F HAPPY HAIRSTON (1972)

F JAMAAL WILKES (1981)

C SHAQUILLE O'NEAL (2000)

C KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR (1977)

 

BOSTON CELTICS:

G BOB COUSY (1960)

G PAUL PIERCE (2006)

G JO JO WHITE (1972)

F/G JOHN HAVLICEK (1971)

F LARRY BIRD (1986)

F KEVIN MCHALE (1987)

F TOM HEINSOHN (1962)

F/C DAVE COWENS (1973)

C BILL RUSSELL (1965)

C ROBERT PARISH (1981)

 

SAN ANTONIO SPURS:

G ALVIN ROBERTSON (1986)

G GEORGE GERVIN (1980)

G TONY PARKER ( 2006)

G MANU GINOBILI (2005)

F LARRY KENON (1979)

F TIM DUNCAN (2003)

F MIKE MITCHELL (1984)

F BRUCE BOWEN ( 2005)

C DAVID ROBINSON (1995)

C BILLY PAULTZ (1978)

 

CHICAGO BULLS:

G MICHAEL JORDAN (1991)

G REGGIE THEUS ( 1983)

G BEN GORDON (2006)

G/F JERRY SLOAN (1969)

F/G CHET WALKER (1971)

F SCOTTIE PIPPEN (1994)

F BOB LOVE (1971)

F DENNIS RODMAN (1996)

F/C HORACE GRANT (1992)

C ARTIS GILMORE (1981)

 

Jeff sez: Gimme a freakin' break... it's so obviously the Lakers, it's not even close.

 

- Jeff

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Best of luck Geoff, even though I hope you lose with extreme prejudice!

Thanks, Jeff. You too.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Oh man, I just heard about this on the radio:

 

Lakers center Kwame Brown faces sexual assault investigation

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[MidLifeCrisis]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Who do you think would win among these top contenders?

the Celtics for one reason.

Mr. Bill Russell.

11 Championship rings. nuff said

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by dave-G:

ps-to dB: Post-mons, minor trouble.

Y'see? That's what I was talking about...

 

Tried blaming you.

Of course...

 

Didn't work.

Did you expect it to?

 

Had to "talk"

Always a good time...

 

Speaking of which - great to see you, my brother. Thanks again for dropping what you were doing to bring me the key...

 

dB

[RABid]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Have you guys seen ESPN.com's all-time greatest playoff rosters? Really cool. Who do you think would win among these top contenders?

...

Boston with LA in second. The others are not close.

 

Nice list.

 

Robert

[KenElevenShadows]

Originally posted by dave-G:

I just wanted to pop in for a second and reflect on the recent activity between Reggie Evans and Chris Kaman..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFcinlrgojk

 

Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble.

 

Evans grabbed his balls.

I played basketball. Never once did it occur to me - "Hey, here's a great defensive strategy...I'll give this guy a big ol' tug on his goodies..." Unbelievable.

 

I was at a restaurant. Saw the game, but didn't hear the announcement. I kept seeing replays of Kaman pushing Evans over and over, and wondered what was going on. Sheeesh!!!!

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

I played basketball.

Me too.

 

Never once did it occur to me - "Hey, here's a great defensive strategy...I'll give this guy a big ol' tug on his goodies..."

Me neither.

 

Sheeesh!!!!

Yup.

 

- Jeff

[KenElevenShadows]

Awright. I knew that the Suns would come back strong in Game 5. That, however, was a serious ass-kicking. They played great Suns-style basketball, good defense, few turnovers, the whole bit. The Lakers looked a little sluggish, had lousy defense, and lots of turnovers (some of which can be attributed to some good defense by the Suns, and some of which is just stupid playing by the Lakers).

 

Raja Bell clotheslined Kobe in what was a totally bizarre, inappropriate foul, and was ejected from the game. I wonder if there will be a one-game suspension as well? And could this make a difference? He's been doing a good job defending Kobe so far.

 

During the Miracle Game on Sunday - Game 4 - I felt that the Suns actually outplayed the Lakers for much of the game. And this time, I think they really had something to prove.

 

Game 6 should be quite interesting and hard-fought.

[Geoff Grace]

What was Raja Bell thinking?

 

I hate to see a glaring blemish on an otherwise great victory, but I'm thankful nonetheless.

 

With that one exception, the Suns made me proud tonight.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[KenElevenShadows]

I don't know what he was thinking, Geoff, but that was very strange. It almost looked like Raja was choking Kobe.

 

But yeah, the Suns played brilliantly tonight. And I don't know what the deal with the Lakers was, but they had an awful game - tons of turnovers, not all of which you can attribute to the Suns' hardnosed defense. But given the way the Suns played tonight, they probably would have won even if the Lakers had played a good game.

 

The Lakers are gonna have to take care of this next game at Staples Center. They do not want to be facing someone as dangerous as the Suns in Phoenix!

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

The Lakers are gonna have to take care of this next game at Staples Center. They do not want to be facing someone as dangerous as the Suns in Phoenix!

My thoughts exactly, Ken. I think the Lakers will win the series in Game 6; but if not, then I like Phoenix at home in Game 7.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[steadyb]

Originally posted by Geoff Grace:

What was Raja Bell thinking?

Looking for a 2 game suspension.

[RABid]

I know what Kobe was thinking...

 

"I got under his skin and played him like a chump. "

[Magpel]

Ah, the mind of Phil Jackson at work. Phil has never been above baiting and intimidation, and he always knows exactly who to target. Remember how he used to have Rick Fox fluster Scottie Pippen with dirty play?

 

Raja took the bait. Raja's not the brightest bulb on that squad. Oh well. But Nash does have a point. The Lakers have been playing dirty ball from the outset, and the "toneage" of the series might enter into the judgment. Interesting call, and important.

 

BTW, Kobe's postgame comments are some of the most bizarre I've ever read. Perhaps you had to be listening, e.g.,

 

"He didn't like my toneage, if that's a word." Bryant said. "He's the decider. Is that a word, decider?"

 

"Tone" would have sufficed in the first instance, but yes, "Decider" is indeed a word. A Presidential word.

[Magpel]

And in other news:

 

The Heat firmly controlled game 5--very ugly game, though. As much as I really, really like this Bulls team, they don't have a single go-to guy except the inconsistent Ben Gordon. Really, I think they are precisely one player away from being a serious contender. And I think that player is Kevin Garnett.

 

Nets-Pacers: another pretty ugly game; nice play from Vince Carter down the stretch, though. Kidd is struggling mightily with his shot. He's still such a great point guard that the Nets will probably get by in this series, but any hopes of advancing beyond that hinge on Kidd making some shots. They're already a bad half court offense; if Kidd can't knock down a couple of shots, they're a futile half court offense.

 

I predict the Pistons will wrap upo their series tonight, andI have no idea what to make of Cavs/Wizards series. It's really the first good look I've had at LeBron, and I'm really impressed, especially with his end-to-end speed.

[Magpel]

Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

Have you guys seen ESPN.com's all-time greatest playoff rosters? Really cool. Who do you think would win among these top contenders?

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS:

G MAGIC JOHNSON (1987)

G JERRY WEST (1965)

G KOBE BRYANT (2006)

G GAIL GOODRICH (1974)

F JAMES WORTHY (1989)

F ELGIN BAYLOR (1963)

F HAPPY HAIRSTON (1972)

F JAMAAL WILKES (1981)

C SHAQUILLE O'NEAL (2000)

C KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR (1977)

 

BOSTON CELTICS:

G BOB COUSY (1960)

G PAUL PIERCE (2006)

G JO JO WHITE (1972)

F/G JOHN HAVLICEK (1971)

F LARRY BIRD (1986)

F KEVIN MCHALE (1987)

F TOM HEINSOHN (1962)

F/C DAVE COWENS (1973)

C BILL RUSSELL (1965)

C ROBERT PARISH (1981)

 

SAN ANTONIO SPURS:

G ALVIN ROBERTSON (1986)

G GEORGE GERVIN (1980)

G TONY PARKER ( 2006)

G MANU GINOBILI (2005)

F LARRY KENON (1979)

F TIM DUNCAN (2003)

F MIKE MITCHELL (1984)

F BRUCE BOWEN ( 2005)

C DAVID ROBINSON (1995)

C BILLY PAULTZ (1978)

 

CHICAGO BULLS:

G MICHAEL JORDAN (1991)

G REGGIE THEUS ( 1983)

G BEN GORDON (2006)

G/F JERRY SLOAN (1969)

F/G CHET WALKER (1971)

F SCOTTIE PIPPEN (1994)

F BOB LOVE (1971)

F DENNIS RODMAN (1996)

F/C HORACE GRANT (1992)

C ARTIS GILMORE (1981)

 

Jeff sez: Gimme a freakin' break... it's so obviously the Lakers, it's not even close.

 

- Jeff

Boy that would be some pretty dismal ball, with all those gunners gunning!

 

There's a reason why the Celtics won all those championships without a Wilt Chamberlain or an Elgin Baylor on the team, and there's also a reason why the Lakers on the 80s won all those rings, and if you're putting togteher a "Best" Laker's playoff team and you don't include Michael Cooper, then, sorry, ESPN, you just don't understand what wins championships...