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NBA Playoffs


Gopher
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If we're going to have a hockey thread, might as well have one for the NBA as well. :tup: As much as I am somewhat of an NBA-basher that prefers watching college hoops, the playoffs are when the NBA actually becomes interesting... As a whole, I found the eight games this weekend to be pretty damn entertaining. Granted, I didn't watch every single minute of it, but thanks to my DVR, I caught a pretty good chunk of each game. It seemed like every single contest was an upset in the making, early... A couple of them panned out, while the favorites pulled it out in the rest. My thoughts:

 

EAST

 

- BOS/NY - The Celtics were very fortunate to pull that off, considering they were outplayed for a good portion of that game. Now, they're even more fortunate that Billups may miss Game 2. Carmelo is a joke... All of the ability in the world, but you're going to settle for a 30-foot jumper (with time on the clock, and two sets of hands in your face), instead of taking the ball to the hole? I think NY will still give Boston a tough fight, but I don't see them winning without Chauncy. If they can hold serve back in NY, though, it could get very interesting. Should be a fun series, but I think Boston pulls it out in 6... maybe 7.

 

- MIA/PHI - Seemed like it took the Heat about two quarters to wake up, and realize it's the playoffs. Similar to how it took them about two months to play well, during the regular season. Philly had no business leading by double-digits in the second quarter... Unfortunately, I think that's about as close as they'll get to winning anything in this series. Actually, I'll give them one game, where the Heat once again lose focus... Heat in 5.

 

- ORL/ATL - I admittedly saw very little of either of these teams, during the regular season, so I'm mostly relying on past history in this series. Obviously, Atlanta has a dangerous team that has threatened to make noise before (in the post-season). Orlando has been there (the Finals) before, but they seem to be "off" this year. Not sure if it's the trades they made (got rid of Carter, Gortat, etc., and added JRich, Turko), but it's like they're less than the sum of their parts, or something like that. In other words, they should be better, one would think. What's really scary is that they lost Game 1, with Howard going for nearly 50. I think Atlanta pulls this off, in 6 or 7 games.

 

- CHI/IND - Indiana almost had Game 1... I think that game was a pretty good indicator of how the whole weekend was about to go. Nobody cares who is seeded where, and anybody can beat anybody, particularly if you're not paying attention. Indiana played great, and they're fun to watch. Losing a game like that, though, has to be a major blow to the momentum that they had... I could be wrong, but it's going to be difficult for them to get that momentum back. The Bulls, on the other hand, need to find another option or two... Rose can only carry them so far. Still, I think they win this series, relatively easily... Bulls in 5.

 

WEST

 

- LAL/NO - I think each of these four series are going to be absolute dog-fights (Vick may or may not be in attendance), and this one is no exception. I really like some of the pieces that New Orleans has added. A couple of big questions, going forward... Will they get adequate contributions from those pieces, throughout the series, and will Aaron Gray be able to play (after severely turning his ankle)? One thing is for sure... CP3 looks as good as he ever has, and he alone may keep New Orleans in this series. I still like LA, but I think it could easily go seven games.

 

- Memphis/SA - Yikes... The Spurs looked rough, without Ginobili. Still, they came within a basket of winning, yesterday. But, I don't think it's ever a good thing, to be the #1 seed in your conference, yet NOBODY expects you to make the Finals. In other words, teams want to fly under the radar, but you shouldn't be under the radar when you had the best record. I think Barkley is right, and Memphis wins this series in six. If it goes seven, however, the Spurs find a way to advance at home.

 

- OKC/Denver - This is going to be a war. Not sure what else to say. I think Denver misses Chauncy's playoff experience more than they miss Carmelo. OKC in six.

 

- DAL/POR - Another game where a point guard came up big, as Rose and Paul did. Jason Kidd was on fire from long-range, and helped Dallas on a night when Dirk was getting pushed around. I think this should be a great series as well... Aldridge is a beast, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Portland even things up in Game 2. I'm just not sure Portland is balanced enough to win without Brandon Roy at full strength. He struggled in Game 1, and if he continues to do so, I think Dallas advances in seven games.

 

I'm not even going to attempt to pick who makes the Finals... Instead, I'll just enjoy the first round for the next couple of weeks, and go from there. :wacko:

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NBA Playoff basketball is a completely different beast than regular season action, and I love it. It's also a bit more fun because with every game I turn on, my 6 and nearly 4 year old come up and ask me who is winning and what color they are and then who we are cheering for in each game. Being a Warrior fan I have no dog in any of these fights, and I do enjoy seeing all the local Laker fans cringe, so we know we are pulling for New Orleans, although, part of me wants to see the Lakers make i to the Finals and lose there, I'm just not sure what will be more painful to the Laker fans... losing in the Finals or in the opening round.

 

Agree that just about every game this weekend (that I got a chance to watch) was entertaining. I have to admit that I am really enjoying watching Rose play. I saw very limited amounts of the Bulls in the regular season, but he is really stepping it up in the playoffs.

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NBA Playoff basketball is a completely different beast than regular season action, and I love it. It's also a bit more fun because with every game I turn on, my 6 and nearly 4 year old come up and ask me who is winning and what color they are and then who we are cheering for in each game. Being a Warrior fan I have no dog in any of these fights, and I do enjoy seeing all the local Laker fans cringe, so we know we are pulling for New Orleans, although, part of me wants to see the Lakers make i to the Finals and lose there, I'm just not sure what will be more painful to the Laker fans... losing in the Finals or in the opening round.

 

Agree that just about every game this weekend (that I got a chance to watch) was entertaining. I have to admit that I am really enjoying watching Rose play. I saw very limited amounts of the Bulls in the regular season, but he is really stepping it up in the playoffs.

Yeah, Rose is one of those unique players who seems to be able to do things in the air that most players can't. Twisting and turning is one thing... he actually seems to be able to change direction, as well as accelerate, in mid-air. :wacko: I still think they need another player (or likely two) to really step up, in terms of scoring, just to take some of the pressure off of him. Granted, Collison is lightning-quick himself, so what he (Rose) has done so far is very impressive (although Collison is dinged up now). I just don't think Rose can carry the Bulls to a championship, without some decent scoring support. Noah is a solid contributor, as far as defense/rebounding, but one of the other guys (Boozer, Deng, etc.) is going to have to consistently hit some shots.

 

That's awesome that your kids are into it... My daughter is nearly seven months (too young to actually ask questions, obviously), but she definitely seems to be interested, whenever she's on my lap, watching a game. Probably just the crowd noise, and all of the bright colors on the screen, but I like to tell myself that she's going to be a big sports fan like myself. :lol:

 

As a Wolves fan, I'm right there with you, in terms of no rooting interest. I pulled for KG, when he first left MN, but now that he's got his ring, I'm less passionate about wanting him to do well. I'll probably just pull for the underdogs/upsets in most of the series (NO, IND, MEM, POR), although I'll still likely root for Boston. I'm still a KG fan (he defines Timberwolves basketball, basically, even though he's now gone), and I'd rather cheer for some of the old guys that Boston has (Pierce/Allen), than Carmelo (although I do like Stoudamire and Billups).

 

Too bad Indiana couldn't have pulled off a W in one of those two games in Chicago. That would have made for an interesting series. They looked pretty defeated, towards the end of last night's game. So close, yet so far away. Should be some more good games tonight:

 

ORL vs. ATL - Magic need to win this one, after already losing Game 1 at home.

 

BOS vs. NY - It will be tough without Billups. if he indeed does not play. I do like Carter's experience, though, paired with Douglass' energy.

 

DAL vs. POR - Will be interesting to see if Dirk continues to get pushed around. One thing is for sure... Jason Kidd isn't going to make 6 of 10 three's on a regular basis, so Dirk and/or Terry need to step up.

 

Side note... There were 80 free throws attempted in the San Antonio-Memphis game on Sunday. :tup:

 

One bit of trivia, regarding Rose... There have only been two NBA teams to win the championship (at least, in the last 30 year), with their PG leading the team in scoring. Who are they?

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Well, to be fair, the kids ask those questions, then 5 minutes later ask if I can switch to Scooby Doo or a cartoon instead. But at least they have some interest. Hack, yesterday morning the nearly 4 year old asked me how to throw a football (they got mini nerf footballs on Sunday at an earth day thing we were at) and last night the three of us (me, 4 year old and 6 year old) threw the ball around for about 20 minutes before bed time. The 4 year old actually slept with the ball, came down with it this morning and took it in the car when I took him to school. He's the one that I think is more likely to end up in the X Games than on the gridiron though.

 

As for your trivia question, I haven't googled anything yet (though I will as my curiosity is peaked), I would guess the Pistons with Isaiah Thomas and I was gonna guess a Celtic team with Maravich, but think that is too long ago (and I don't think he led the team in scoring). not sure that Magic ever led the Lakers in scoring, but he;s the only other one that pops into my head as a possibility right now. Off to Google

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Yeah... The answer was Magic and Isaiah. Can't remember if I heard it on ESPN, or on TNT, but they were talking about how difficult/uncommon it is for a PG to lead his team to a title, as the team's #1 scoring option. I don't remember if they said that those two were the only two EVER, or just in the last 25-30 years. I'm also not sure if they meant leading their team in scoring for those playoff runs, regular season, or both. I'm guessing it was regular season, but it could have been playoffs as well.

 

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting bit of trivia, although I'm not sure it proves much of anything, in terms of whether Rose is capable or not. I think he is definitely the league's MVP this year, and definitely capable of winning a championship (especially with how wide open these playoffs seem to be), but it always helps to have a reliable 2nd (and 3rd) scoring option.

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Found this site, pretty cool.. can you identify the leading scorer for all NBA Champs?

 

 

Using this to find it... warning that they have misspelled some player names, so while I got 33 of 69, should have been 34 of 69 and all but two since 1980.

 

 

Dwayne Wade if he is considered a PG in 2006, other than that, Magic and Thomas appear to be correct answers

 

 

Just note that the site has Dwayne Wade misspelled (Dwyane Wade) and Isaiah Thomas misspelled (Isiah Thomas)

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Really good stuff. I agree on Rose. How can you not? That guy has a championship in him.

 

Was Wade a PG when the Heat won? I think Isiah Thomas has to be one of them. Not sure if he outscored Kareem, but I know Magic was around 20 PPG in the late 80's, so I'll go with Magic as the other.

 

I wish I could watch the Thunder. They'd be a fun team to get behind. To think I should be along for this ride just pisses me off to no end.

 

The Magic looked lost. I've been intrigued by the Hawks for years. For some reason they just never seem to put it together. They've got a lot of pieces.

 

San Antonio will be fine. The Lakers should be a bit scared. Paul went anywhere he wanted to on the court anytime he wanted. If some of the Hornets other players get hot, the Lakers could legitimately be in a little trouble. I can't see how they are going to get many stops when they need to. Just a nightmare of a matchup for them.

 

I'm pulling for Orlando and Denver, but I've had chalk since the preseason, and I'd still wager on Miami/LA in the finals.

 

ETA: Wow, you guys are quick on this trivia stuff! There were three posts in this thread when I started my answer.

Edited by Seahawks21
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If I recall correctly, they said since 1980 (roughly 30 years)... Pretty sure there was at least one more who did it well before that.

 

 

Checking on one player to confirm if he was a PG, otherwise they may have been it.

 

 

And I guess I never realized that Dwyane is the correct spelling and that Isiah is spelled oddly. ignore what I said about misspelled names, just my own lameness.

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Found this site, pretty cool.. can you identify the leading scorer for all NBA Champs?

 

 

Using this to find it... warning that they have misspelled some player names, so while I got 33 of 69, should have been 34 of 69 and all but two since 1980.

 

 

Dwayne Wade if he is considered a PG in 2006, other than that, Magic and Thomas appear to be correct answers

 

 

Just note that the site has Dwayne Wade misspelled (Dwyane Wade) and Isaiah Thomas misspelled (Isiah Thomas)

I must have found that link right after you did. I got 71/90... missing 19. Some seem obvious (just slipped my mind), others I just forgot about, basically. I'll share the list (of who I missed) in a little bit.

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looking at the link what I find interesting is that in the last 7 years (03-09) no team has repeated as champion but from 1987-2002 only one team didn't win at least back to back titles (Spurs 1999). Also, since 1980 only 8 different teams have won the NBA championship(Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Spurs & Heat) and only the Heat and Sixers haven't won multiple championships during that time.

 

Go Sixers :wacko:

Edited by keggerz
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The ones I got wrong:

 

1980-81 Celtics

Cedric Maxwell (3rd) - Forgot about him... I guessed Johnson and Ainge

 

1981-82 Lakers

Jamaal Wilkes (2nd) - Forgot that he was still playing, at that point. I guessed Scott, MacAdoo, Thompson, Cooper, Green, etc. Knew none of them were probably right, in terms of timing (or the fact that they didn't score all that much), but couldn't think of anybody else.

 

1982-83 Sixers

Andrew Toney (2nd) - Guessed Cheeks, and was picturing his backcourt mate, but couldn't think of his name.

 

1989-90 Pistons

James Edwards (3rd) - This one may be the biggest surprise on the entire list. I don't remember him scoring enough to be top three... I guessed Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Dantley (I know he was with the Pistons at some point), Aguirre (same with him).

 

1993-94 Rockets

Otis Thorpe (2nd) - Forgot all about him... I guessed Sampson and Drexler.

 

1998-99 Spurs

Sean Elliott (3rd) - Forgot him as well.

 

1999-2000 Lakers

Glen Rice (3rd) - Played for so many teams (or at least it seems that way) that I never would have thought of him. I actually thought he might be on the list, but for the Heat, instead (was probably thinking of Antoine Walker, another long-range sharpshooter).

 

2000-01 Lakers

Rick Fox (3rd) - Never would have guessed he was 3rd in scoring... Remember him as more of a role player, with a hot wife/girlfriend. Enjoyed watching him at UNC, though.

 

2001-02 Lakers

Derek Fisher (3rd)- Like Fox, I would have thought someone else was in the top three, before him.

 

2005-06 Heat

Antoine Walker (3rd) - Like Rice, he played for a bunch of teams, over his career. Might have guessed he was on this list, but not sure for what team. :wacko:

 

2009-10

Andrew Bynum (3rd) - Didn't think he was third in scoring, last year. Would have guessed it, eventually, but ran out of time. :lol:

 

Guys that I missed, who were on the list multiple times:

 

Robert Parish (Celtics) - 2nd in '80-81, 2nd in '83-84, and 3rd in '85-86. I actually guessed him, before I guessed Johnson or Ainge, but spelled his name with two r's. :tup:

 

Vernon Maxwell (Rockets) - 3rd in '93-94, 2nd in '94-95. Like Toney/Cheeks, I guessed Kenny Smith, but could only picture his backcourt partner.

 

Toni Kukoc - 3rd in '95-96, 3rd in '96-97, 2nd in '97-98. No idea how I didn't think of him, but I would have, with more time.

 

So, technically, I missed on 14 guys, one of which I guessed and spelled wrong. Of the fourteen, some of them I actually thought of, but didn't think they were top-three in scoring (Bynum, Edwards, Fox, Fisher). Others, I simply forgot (Thorpe, C. Maxwell, Wilkes, Elliott, Walker, Rice), and others I pictured, but could not remember their names (Toney, V. Maxwell).

 

If I had 20 minutes to think about it, instead of just seven, I think I would have gotten over half of the ones I missed. Definitely a cool site, though... I love that kind of thing (sports trivia), particularly if it focuses on the 80's and 90's. :rofl:

Edited by Gopher
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By the way, BC, there goes the rest of my day....

 

As for the rest of you, beware... What you are about to click on could prove to be a major time-waster. :wacko:

 

I got 17/24 here

 

7 out of 9 here :tup:

 

Missed 4 here (Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, Liechtenstein)

 

This one looks pretty tough, and it might drive me nuts

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By the way, BC, there goes the rest of my day....

 

As for the rest of you, beware... What you are about to click on could prove to be a major time-waster. :wacko:

 

I got 17/24 here

 

7 out of 9 here :tup:

 

Missed 4 here (Vatican, Iceland, Andorra, Liechtenstein)

 

This one looks pretty tough, and it might drive me nuts

 

 

We may have to set up a daily Tailgate thread with a quiz a day for everyone. Should be a good timekiller/conversation starter for the offseason

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I know I already posted this, but this one is tough.

 

The First Ten

 

I'm actually too embarassed to post my results, but I'll say this... I got all ten (of one category) in about 30 seconds. Another category, I stared at for about 30 seconds, and got zero. Most of the rest, I got anywhere between 2 and 9 right. :wacko:

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My Mavericks completely chit the bed tonight. 23 pt lead with about 15 minutes left in the game, almost end of the 3rd qtr, and they choked the game away in Portland. Dont get me wrong the refs were horrible when the game was tied with about 40 seconds left, but there is no reason in hell to let Portland get back in this game with that kind of lead. The chance to go up 3 games to 1, and come back home to put them away, my bet is Dallas now doesnt get out of the 1st round of the playoffs again this yr. And to make matters worse, this year they looked different, and not as soft as people have been saying, but they proved that thought completely wrong tonight.

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Overall, I thought the first round was fairly entertaining... A lot of the individual games were far more competitive than the end result (of the first round) would indicate. As good as the first round was, though, the second should be even better. Looking forward to each and every series.

 

CHI vs. ATL - This is probably the series that I have the least amount of "feel" for... Probably because I'm just not sure which Atlanta team is going to show up. Will it be the team that has underachieved, from time to time, or the one that just finished handling Orlando with a fair amount of ease? If Atlanta shows up, which I'm hoping they will, they should be able to push Chicago to at least six games. I still like Chicago (in five games).

 

MIA vs. BOS - I'll be pulling for the Celtics in this one, and I think they have just enough youth/health left to make one more playoff run. It will be interesting to see how Boston's rotation differs in this series, compared to Round 1... Will Shaq play, etc. I think Boston wins in six.

 

OKC vs. Memphis - This should actually be a very fun series to watch. What makes it even more intriguing is that not only did Memphis beat the #1 seed in six games, they also took three out of four against the Thunder this year (if I heard correctly). I actually think Memphis has a pretty good shot to advance one more round. Memphis in six.

 

LA vs. Dallas - Lakers are going to be tough to beat, as long as Bynum is healthy. I think they also advance in six games.

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My Mavericks completely chit the bed tonight. 23 pt lead with about 15 minutes left in the game, almost end of the 3rd qtr, and they choked the game away in Portland. Dont get me wrong the refs were horrible when the game was tied with about 40 seconds left, but there is no reason in hell to let Portland get back in this game with that kind of lead. The chance to go up 3 games to 1, and come back home to put them away, my bet is Dallas now doesnt get out of the 1st round of the playoffs again this yr. And to make matters worse, this year they looked different, and not as soft as people have been saying, but they proved that thought completely wrong tonight.

 

You would lose your bet.

 

Mavs up 2-0 against L.A.

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looking like an OKC- MIA finals to me..... and as A diehard SuperSonics fan that is going to be tough to swallow. Although I really don't see anyone beating Bron and the Heat

 

- So much parity, which is great IMO... with SA/CHi as the #1, seeds - has to be the 2 weakest #1 seeds in a long long time.

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gotta bump this, the NHL thread gets more activity, this place is seriously losing it.....

 

NBA playoffs have been flat out off the charts, absolutely awesome.

 

Throw in no LAL and likely Boston, and even better.

 

That Zombie Sonics memphis 3 OT game was great!

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I don't have a horse in the race, which makes it pretty fun to watch. Besides not wanting LA to win, I really could care less. So, I've just sort of been waiting for one team to make me want them to win and, it turns out that team is Miami.

 

I do know this, playoff NBA is about 100x more interesting than the regular season.

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Chicago looks damn impressive. Their D is lights out, and Taj Gibson is just a beast. first half he dunked all over Wade, and the 2nd half he had one of the most spectacular put back dunks I think Ive ever seen. I hope this series goes 7.

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looking like an OKC- MIA finals to me..... and as A diehard SuperSonics fan that is going to be tough to swallow. Although I really don't see anyone beating Bron and the Heat

 

- So much parity, which is great IMO... with SA/CHi as the #1, seeds - has to be the 2 weakest #1 seeds in a long long time.

 

 

:wacko:

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