The NBA Thread

[Koke]

Trevor Ariza has been brilliant this season whenever i've watched him. Nails some big shots.

Ariza is a very good player, top defender and takes some big shots as well.

[Koke]

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[BlueSi13]

Love the game of basketball? LOVE the Los Angeles Clippers!!! Zach Randolph

Enough of this Lakers nonsense.....gloryhunters!!!

[lildave3]

Love the game of basketball? LOVE the Los Angeles Clippers!!! Zach Randolph

Enough of this Lakers nonsense.....gloryhunters!!!

[Koke]

LD3 - Lakers

Lovejoy - Boston

Me - Spurs

[Lovejoy]

Brandon Roy is a player.

[Jordan]

Well, those delusions we had over here about the Knicks possibly maybe perhaps sneaking into the East's 8th seed seem to have disappeared this week.

Big win for the Rockets today, taking them to #2 in the West for now... T-Mac's injury looks like the best thing that could have happened to that team. I'm sure Kareem's a little upset that the Spurs couldn't grab a hold of that game in the 4th quarter and wound up blowing it with sloppy play in the last few seconds. The Spurs, though, are a team that's been built to do well in the playoffs for years. If any playoff game comes down to crunch time, Roger Mason could be the new version of Robert Horry.

Love the game of basketball? LOVE the Los Angeles Clippers!!! Zach Randolph

Enough of this Lakers nonsense.....gloryhunters!!!

hehehe

I actually used to follow the Clippers for a bit as a team to root for in the West precisely because it'd be the most anti-frontrunning thing imaginable. Historically, they are easily the worst franchise in the league. And I don't know what the hell is going on with them this year. Sure, the West is a tough, deep conference, and the Clips lost a few big names this sumer, but they've still got talent and experience... Randolph is a 20/10 player, Baron Davis is still 29 years old and has run some good offenses in his career (although terribly overpaid), Marcus Camby is such a good defensive player, Al Thornton has loads of potential... I guess Dunleavy just doesn't know what he's doing anymore. That team is a disaster. Here's something that'll leave you scratching your head...

Brandon Roy is a player.

Yes, and he's only going to get better. Last night I met up with a friend who grew up in Oregon and is a Blazers fan, and he was going on about how much he loves Roy and the rest of that team. They're loaded with good young players--he thinks enough to bring a title to the City of Roses after they get a few more years of experience. I'm not that certain, but if they can keep hold of Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge (who can join what will be a crazy free agent class of 2010), and develop Greg Oden into a solid center after his slow, injury-plagued start in the NBA, they will certainly have the core of what can become a great team.

BTW there's already a little bit of fear going around the NBA about a serious league-vs.-players union showdown when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2011. Part of this has to do with the current poor economic climate, and the owners are intent on lowering the salary cap, reducing the players' share of league revenues, reducing maximum and minimum salaries and cutting down on contract lengths. There's no way they'll renew the current CBA in '11, and if the league and the players can't agree on a new CBA by that time, then the owners would surely have to lockout the players. (like they did in 1998). The union is, obviously, pissed off about this and one of their arguments is that it's hypocritical for owners to complain about the high costs they're paying yet they seem willing to hoard money and even be willing to shut down the league if that's what it takes to impose their demands on the players.

The good news is that the league and the union are already going to start serious negotiations this spring, but the bad news is that both sides are so far apart that any agreement will likely take a couple of years to negotiate. I'll side with the millionaires over the billionaires, but I wouldn't mind changes that would make it harder for, say, the Knicks to have a Stephon Marbury-like situation in the near future

Edited 23 March 2009 by Jordan

[welck12]

Welck, what team are you actually rooting for? Are you a LeBron fan?

And also, do you actually watch the NCAA?

I'm a sixers fan, always have been cant really say why though (and nope it wasent coz of iverson before someone asks ) So by the second round i'll just be rooting for entertaining games as philly will be out (unless we can sneak into fifth and play the hawks)

I'm a LeBron fan in the fact that watching some of the stuff he does is amazing. But in the kobe/lebron debate i would take kobe purely for his killer instinct/mentallity. But i'm not a kobe lover/hater either.

Yeah i watch whatever basketball i can, be it the L, NCAA, or any of the euroleague games. I try to catch a lot of euroleauge stuff as i have a few friends playing out there. You can always find the college games on the forigen online tv channels, and seen as i sit on the net all day answering the odd phone call i can get away with them for most of the day

EDIT - Forgot to say, once sixers are out if i had to pick who i want to win its either boston or the spurs as they both play basketball the right way, you dont get many teams around like that in pro sports nowadays

Edited 23 March 2009 by welck12

[welck12]

One of the reasons Lakers are actually doing better now is because Kobe has started to trust his team mate. Don't know whether it's the instructions of Jackson or not, but folks like Lamar Odem, Trevor Ariza (very good defender) Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are actually taking some responsibility and some of the burden of Kobe's shoulders.

Kobe has realised (finally) that he cant do it all himself and is adjusting to it. All the greats of the past figured that out at some point and won rings, the ones that didnt are usally the ones who never won them!

[welck12]

BTW there's already a little bit of fear going around the NBA about a serious league-vs.-players union showdown when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2011. Part of this has to do with the current poor economic climate, and the owners are intent on lowering the salary cap, reducing the players' share of league revenues, reducing maximum and minimum salaries and cutting down on contract lengths. There's no way they'll renew the current CBA in '11, and if the league and the players can't agree on a new CBA by that time, then the owners would surely have to lockout the players. (like they did in 1998). The union is, obviously, pissed off about this and one of their arguments is that it's hypocritical for owners to complain about the high costs they're paying yet they seem willing to hoard money and even be willing to shut down the league if that's what it takes to impose their demands on the players.

The good news is that the league and the union are already going to start serious negotiations this spring, but the bad news is that both sides are so far apart that any agreement will likely take a couple of years to negotiate. I'll side with the millionaires over the billionaires, but I wouldn't mind changes that would make it harder for, say, the Knicks to have a Stephon Marbury-like situation in the near future

As much as he can be a complete arse, i dont think stern would let it happen. He knows that having a lockout (again) would do to much damage to the L at the moment, esp financial point of view. What with a lot of teams struggling to fill stadiums and some teams (like the pacers) coming out and saying they've lost so much over the last few years.

The starbury situation was a complete farce, both parties were in the wrong. Starbury was an employee and cant just decide he doesnt want to work for so-and-so, etc. So if he wanted out he shouldnt have got any money like normal people if they quit a job. But the knicks gave him a contract, which they agreed to so they should have paid him the money he was owed if they wanted rid. But with the amount of rumours that went around regarding it, its hard to figure out what was true and what wasent

[BlueSi13]

hehehe

I actually used to follow the Clippers for a bit as a team to root for in the West precisely because it'd be the most anti-frontrunning thing imaginable. Historically, they are easily the worst franchise in the league. And I don't know what the hell is going on with them this year. Sure, the West is a tough, deep conference, and the Clips lost a few big names this sumer, but they've still got talent and experience... Randolph is a 20/10 player, Baron Davis is still 29 years old and has run some good offenses in his career (although terribly overpaid), Marcus Camby is such a good defensive player, Al Thornton has loads of potential... I guess Dunleavy just doesn't know what he's doing anymore. That team is a disaster. Here's something that'll leave you scratching your head...

Totally agree! This season has been a complete farce, a team with that potential and the ability to beat the Celtics, dominate the Cavaliers and then cave in during the last quarter, and then suffer humiliations by conceding 140 odd points to the struggling Suns twice in a row and THEN be crushed by the desperate Raptors by 20 odd points is clearly in a sorry state! a record of 17-53 says it all really! major changes need to be made in order to change this horrible record over the 38 years of literally winning sod all or the team will surely disappear eventually! i actually heard a rumour of the team potentially becoming the Orange County Clippers? i sincerely hope this is a joke?

Still i love them for what they are

Though i do hate it how Channel 5 seems to totally ignore them in the live games they show and they are never featured on NBA 360!

Anybody else got a liking for the underdogs or is it all the elite 4 or 5 that everybody follows?

[welck12]

Totally agree! This season has been a complete farce, a team with that potential and the ability to beat the Celtics, dominate the Cavaliers and then cave in during the last quarter, and then suffer humiliations by conceding 140 odd points to the struggling Suns twice in a row and THEN be crushed by the desperate Raptors by 20 odd points is clearly in a sorry state! a record of 17-53 says it all really! major changes need to be made in order to change this horrible record over the 38 years of literally winning sod all or the team will surely disappear eventually! i actually heard a rumour of the team potentially becoming the Orange County Clippers? i sincerely hope this is a joke?

Still i love them for what they are

Though i do hate it how Channel 5 seems to totally ignore them in the live games they show and they are never featured on NBA 360!

Anybody else got a liking for the underdogs or is it all the elite 4 or 5 that everybody follows?

To be fair they were missing camby, kaman, randolph and b-diddy for those 2 games, and with the suns back off and running i'm surprised it was 170 in each game. At least they can beat the kings

But they still suck

[BlueSi13]

To be fair they were missing camby, kaman, randolph and b-diddy for those 2 games, and with the suns back off and running i'm surprised it was 170 in each game. At least they can beat the kings

But they still suck

Well if you by any chance support the Washington Wizards or the Sacramento Kings, your team sucks even harder!!! take that!!

[Lovejoy]

The Suns used to be brilliant to watch a couple of years back. Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Stoudemire, Barbosa etc, just manic offence all game.

Though I'm a Celtics fan, I'd love to know just how they afford their team?

[Koke]

The Suns used to be brilliant to watch a couple of years back. Nash, Bell, Marion, Diaw, Stoudemire, Barbosa etc, just manic offence all game.

I liked that team as well, though I always thought Steve Nash is/was vastly over-rated, I'll come to that in a bit. Suns had an exceptionally entertaining team and a good coach in Mike D'Antoni. I know the West is a strong Conference but with such a talented team it really is atrocious that they failed to reach the finals. I mean, look at their players - Amare Stoudemire [beast], Shawn Marion [versatile], Raja Bell [All-Defensive First Team], Leandro Barbosa [best 6th man] and Steve Nash. That's a team right there.

I just cannot believe Steve Nash has 2 MVP's, and back-to-back ones at that. It really is an appalling crime considering all the greats who have won back-to-back MVP's [Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan etc]. Good player, Nash, no doubt, but he was the leader of that exceptional Suns team and he could not get them to a single final. Even when he was at Dallas, he had a pretty good team there as well. I just feel sick about him having 2 back-to-back MVP's - He was a pretty horrible defender as well. The basketball version of Alan Sheehan.

[Koke]

Well, those delusions we had over here about the Knicks possibly maybe perhaps sneaking into the East's 8th seed seem to have disappeared this week.

Big win for the Rockets today, taking them to #2 in the West for now... T-Mac's injury looks like the best thing that could have happened to that team. I'm sure Kareem's a little upset that the Spurs couldn't grab a hold of that game in the 4th quarter and wound up blowing it with sloppy play in the last few seconds. The Spurs, though, are a team that's been built to do well in the playoffs for years. If any playoff game comes down to crunch time, Roger Mason could be the new version of Robert Horry.

Spurs are made for the play-offs. Although it does annoy me that Houston are above Spurs and Denver is level, albeit with a game more. Duncan was probably at fault for Scola's winning shot, the quick rotation went tits up and Yao just flicked the ball to Scola who then did the bizz.

[welck12]

I liked that team as well, though I always thought Steve Nash is/was vastly over-rated, I'll come to that in a bit. Suns had an exceptionally entertaining team and a good coach in Mike D'Antoni. I know the West is a strong Conference but with such a talented team it really is atrocious that they failed to reach the finals. I mean, look at their players - Amare Stoudemire [beast], Shawn Marion [versatile], Raja Bell [All-Defensive First Team], Leandro Barbosa [best 6th man] and Steve Nash. That's a team right there.

If it wasen't for Horry's hip check then the suns would have a title, and d'antoni would still be in the desert. But the main reasons the suns never won the title was that their best/most important players couldnt guard there own shadows! Nash always over rotates/helps on D, leavin his man open all day. Amare just wants to block shots and dunk, anything else and he cant be bothered. Although barbosa is probarbly the fastest player on the court he cant play any D either. So with 3 outta your main 6 guys gettin abused on a nightly basis, your always gonna struggle to win, esp grinding out games in the playoffs.

[welck12]

I just cannot believe Steve Nash has 2 MVP's, and back-to-back ones at that. It really is an appalling crime considering all the greats who have won back-to-back MVP's [Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan etc]. Good player, Nash, no doubt, but he was the leader of that exceptional Suns team and he could not get them to a single final. Even when he was at Dallas, he had a pretty good team there as well. I just feel sick about him having 2 back-to-back MVP's - He was a pretty horrible defender as well. The basketball version of Alan Sheehan.

Nothing against nash or any of the guys who have won it but the MVP award is a bit of a farce. How the hell are you supposed to judge the most valuable player? Its not the best player in the league. It seems they give it to which ever player they want. With nash it was the fact he was a white canadian leading the team with one of the best records in the league. In the oldern days it went to the best player on the best team, but not anymore. How do you judge the most valuable? If you swap kobe and lebron over both teams records would probarly be the same. But what if you swap wade and lebron? Would the cavs be as good, would miami improve? The same with any allstars, its hard to judge. I just think its a sham award, at least the finals mvp goes to the player who had the most influence on the best team in the league, specifically in the finals

[welck12]

Spurs are made for the play-offs. Although it does annoy me that Houston are above Spurs and Denver is level, albeit with a game more. Duncan was probably at fault for Scola's winning shot, the quick rotation went tits up and Yao just flicked the ball to Scola who then did the bizz.

Yeah Timmy came out and said it was his bad for the lose, he bit on the fake and over-rotated. But if manu had been playing it would have been a different game, roll on the playoffs

[Lovejoy]

Am I right in thinking it's only a few weeks til the end of the regular season?

[lildave3]

Am I right in thinking it's only a few weeks til the end of the regular season?

April 14th/15th.

[Lovejoy]

April 14th/15th.

And how long til the finals? When the Celtics will retain their title !

[Koke]

Nothing against nash or any of the guys who have won it but the MVP award is a bit of a farce. How the hell are you supposed to judge the most valuable player? Its not the best player in the league. It seems they give it to which ever player they want. With nash it was the fact he was a white canadian leading the team with one of the best records in the league. In the oldern days it went to the best player on the best team, but not anymore. How do you judge the most valuable? If you swap kobe and lebron over both teams records would probarly be the same. But what if you swap wade and lebron? Would the cavs be as good, would miami improve? The same with any allstars, its hard to judge. I just think its a sham award, at least the finals mvp goes to the player who had the most influence on the best team in the league, specifically in the finals

I think you have to judge it the same way we would pick PFA Player of the Year here or World Player of the Year. Ronaldo got it in 2008 for taking his team to the CL final and winning it, as well as the domestic title. Kaka got it the other year for similar work for AC Milan. I agree that sometimes these awards are a complete farce just like when Henry should have won it in 2004 but was completely overlooked, and Jason Kidd should also have won the MVP in in 2001 and 2002 but instead it went to Tim Duncan. I'm actually still gutted for Kidd for not winning it back then cos he was damn awesome turning a dire New Jersey team into a credible force.

[Koke]

And how long til the finals? When the Celtics will retain their title !

I'll hold you down for that comment.

[lildave3]

After tonight's match on Five, and i'm guessing every week from now on, they're showing an 'MVP Contenders thing' featuring one of the contenders best games. Tonight it is Dwyane Wade's turn.