2012 NBA Playoffs

[NKZero]

well Thunder held home court advantage by pulling a victory out of their asses in the final two minutes. The final shot by Blake was actually the right decision: he was open, he is very capable of making that shot, and Kobe was uncharacteristically off. Good shit by OKC.

Do NOT sleep on the Celtics. They have a great point guard and their three hall of famers are still very good, and as role players, they are great. I may be starting to lean towards Boston if Bosh misses more time than expected.

People really need to stfu about Lebron not being clutch. He's NOT Jordan. Michael's legacy benefits from the fact that so many of those shots did go in, when they could have very easily missed. Had a few of those not gone in, maybe he would only have 3 or 4 rings (where am i going with this?). My point is, like Jordan, Lebron can do things on the court no other player could even dream of doing. If he never gets a ring then he never gets a ring; just appreciate greatness win or lose

LeBron in my opinion is the most gifted player of all time. He has the potential to be the greatest. What separates him from Kobe and Jordan is that killer mentality and desire to win. That's all. He's arguably more talented, but he doesn't get it done on a consistent basis. The fact that he twice deferred to D Wade against Indiana in crunch time is indicative of his 4th quarter label. Wade was also really struggling that game. I hope he wins a few rings though it would be sad for a player of that magnitude to leave ring-less.

Boston will despatch of Philly no problem and yes I agree if Bosh misses some of those games it could be a major problem. Finally people will see the importance of their most consistent player and the glue guy on the team.

OKC have sealed the series now. 2-0 is too much for a team this good and this in sync. Let's see what happens in SAS-LAC series.

 

[Mattman]

LeBron in my opinion is the most gifted player of all time. He has the potential to be the greatest. What separates him from Kobe and Jordan is that killer mentality and desire to win. That's all. He's arguably more talented, but he doesn't get it done on a consistent basis. The fact that he twice deferred to D Wade against Indiana in crunch time is indicative of his 4th quarter label. Wade was also really struggling that game. I hope he wins a few rings though it would be sad for a player of that magnitude to leave ring-less.

Boston will despatch of Philly no problem and yes I agree if Bosh misses some of those games it could be a major problem. Finally people will see the importance of their most consistent player and the glue guy on the team.

OKC have sealed the series now. 2-0 is too much for a team this good and this in sync. Let's see what happens in SAS-LAC series.

i think Kobe is more on the Lebron side than the Jordan side. sure he has championships and he is known for being clutch but he has failed quite a lot too. he has also lost in the finals twice, and of course, three of his titles came with Shaq. on the other hand, once Jordan reached the point where he knew what it took to win a title, he never lost again. had his father not been murdered the Bulls would have won 8 straight titles. when you sit and think about certain moments throughout his career (63 points in Boston, game 1 of the '92 Finals, the Flu Game, the steal from Malone and the last shot with the Bulls), its almost like he was a fictional character.

 

[NKZero]

i think Kobe is more on the Lebron side than the Jordan side. sure he has championships and he is known for being clutch but he has failed quite a lot too. he has also lost in the finals twice, and of course, three of his titles came with Shaq. on the other hand, once Jordan reached the point where he knew what it took to win a title, he never lost again. had his father not been murdered the Bulls would have won 8 straight titles. when you sit and think about certain moments throughout his career (63 points in Boston, game 1 of the '92 Finals, the Flu Game, the steal from Malone and the last shot with the Bulls), its almost like he was a fictional character.

I disagree man. Kobe has a HUGE will to win. I'm not comparing his 4th quarter ability to Jordan but he is clutch man. Percentages mean shit. He makes game winning shots and he is not afraid to have the ball in his hands. Jordan is on another level though. LeBron meanwhile has ways to go. That's all he needs and he'll be good to go.

 

[Mattman]

oh im not disputing kobes will, or that he can be extremely clutch. Kobe is the best closer of his generation. i just dont think all that much separates him and Lebron. i think what im trying to say is Lebron is closer to reaching Kobes level than Kobe is to reaching Jordans

 

[NKZero]

Alright guys so as we stand, both LA teams are 2-0 down. Do they have what it takes to stage upsets and make a battle of LA conference finals? Also big respect for TD and KG for showing us a blast of the past these last few days. Dominating in the post like nobody's business. Game 3 for BOS-PHI tonight as well as LAL-OKC.

Also LOL at Miami if they cannot beat Indiana. I retract my statement regarding the Heat being the best in the league, that now belongs to the Spurs.

 

[Mattman]

Yeah even with Boshs injury I'm shocked the Pacers are up 2-1, even more so about Wades play so far. Dwayne Wade is not joke but it seems like he's what's been holding the big three back. All season long Miami had a great record in games he didn't play in, and now he's coming across as problematic. But, no need to panic yet, its still early in the series.

It would suck if the Celtics played the Spurs in the finals. I don't think David Stern would find that matchup too sexy. theyre both very good teams, but not too fun to watch imo

 

[Big Frog]

BOY do I love seeing the Heat go down like tonight. MOAR PLZ

 

[NKZero]

Yeah even with Boshs injury I'm shocked the Pacers are up 2-1, even more so about Wades play so far. Dwayne Wade is not joke but it seems like he's what's been holding the big three back. All season long Miami had a great record in games he didn't play in, and now he's coming across as problematic. But, no need to panic yet, its still early in the series.

It would suck if the Celtics played the Spurs in the finals. I don't think David Stern would find that matchup too sexy. theyre both very good teams, but not too fun to watch imo

I would love a Celtics-Spurs finals. Two very good basketball teams, one known for gritty defence and one for flawless offense. Battle of the historic PF's. Lovin' it!

Also I agree about D Wade. Heat were dominating when LeBron and Bosh were getting it done. CB was playing his best basketball near All-Star time, posting up easy 20-10's and hitting the 30 point plateau on many an occasion. Wade needs to get it sorted out or else if they somehow squeeze past this round, there is no chance in hell they'll do anything against Boston.

 

[Mattman]

Also I agree about D Wade. Heat were dominating when LeBron and Bosh were getting it done. CB was playing his best basketball near All-Star time, posting up easy 20-10's and hitting the 30 point plateau on many an occasion. Wade needs to get it sorted out or else if they somehow squeeze past this round, there is no chance in hell they'll do anything against Boston.

im not sure exactly how old Wade is, but i do know he is a few years older than Lebron. You think its possible he may be past his prime?

 

[NKZero]

im not sure exactly how old Wade is, but i do know he is a few years older than Lebron. You think its possible he may be past his prime?

I think he's approaching 30 now. I'd say at least 2 years older than Bron. I dunno man he had a good year last year and a decent regular season. I wouldn't say 100% yet but he's looked sluggish in the playoffs. This is now clearly LeBron's team, whereas last year many argued it was still D Wade's team, and his performances merited a shared label with LeBron. He looks a step behind now.

In any case I hope people realise Bosh's value. Without him the Heat look lost.

 

[MKF30]

Key injuries I've noticed in Basketball seem to be very relevant to series outcomes. Should be interesting to see what happens now.

 

[M2Dave]

Lakers win game 3. The fools could have easily been up 2:1 if they had not choked in game 2.

 

[Wemfs]

Man are the Pacers going to beat the Heat?! What an upset if they do. Imagine how much criticism Lebron will get if that happens. haha

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

ahhh shit how come i didn't see this thread?

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

I told my friends after LAL v OKC game 1 that the lakers despite the 20 pt blowout were going to win game 2 and the series. OKC stole game 2 thus spoiling my prediction lol.

I didn't say it out of being a fan but how they matchup. LAL should win this series, the only thing keeping them from winning is dumbass pau gasol not posting up and Kobe disrupting the rythm of the offense by going solo. I invite you all to watch a laker game and just focus on gasol, he doesn't go in the post anymore and he is imo the most versatile big man down in the post. He can hit you with some spins and hookshots or he can nail a fadeaway with relative ease. And wtf is he doing in these past games? Sets a pick and instead of rolling towards the basket or just simply approach it, he just fucking spots up and pops for jumpers.

How you gon tell me that a guy with so much skill and finesse in the post will settle for being a pick a pop player...gtfo
He posts up, he's getting 20 pts easy plain and simple and the lakers get a win.

And Kobe...he willed a win today but the game was OKC's if it weren't for the refs. Despite of the points he's putting up, he's playing horribly in terms of creating and establishing a rythm. You can't set an offense with 2 of the best big men in the league and go and shoot an ill-advised jumper that's ridiculous. He has been my fave player since he came into the league but goddamn he needs to play smarter. He got pissed at Metta because he passed it to Blake at the end of game 2, that's bullshit, that was a great pass and a great find, he just missed that shit happens. OKC on the other hand has the better team, 2nd best SF, top 5 PG in westbrook and imo the 3rd best SG, Harden. If harden were in another team in which he doesn't come of the bench, i'd have him being in the kobe, lebron, wade, durant type of superstar. He's that good!

All and all i said after game 1 that the winner of game 2 wins the series. I expected LAL to win, they gave it away. I just hope that if OKC moves on, that they beat SAS like a drum. I have too many friends who are spurs fans lol.

Oh and to the boston fans... in the words of the immortal tom brady, don't be a prisoner of the moment. They're winning cause they're getting superhuman efforts out of KG and that's about to stop he's gonna run out of gas and independently if the pacers or heat move one they will not get to the finals. Boston matches up horribly against both them.

 

[NKZero]

Blah Blah Blah Blah .

Yeah you make a lot of good points. Gasol is not playing up to par and that's really hurting the Lakers. Throw in Bynum's offensive struggles and Kobe's solo hero mode and you got yourself a big problem. Anyways they're struggling to keep pace with OKC and I don't see them winning tonight's game. Obviously if they lose tonight it is over. I've always maintained that the Lakers are most effective when Bryant is setting up the big men. The Lakers have to use their size advantage down low over other teams. It's simple strategy yet they never do it, and as you pointed out, it doesn't help that Gasol neglects to operate closer to the rim. Anyways should be interesting.

On the subject of Miami I dunno what to expect. Bosh is clearly more valuable than a lot of people realise. Bron needs to step it up big time because D Fraud looks like he's on his period at the moment. I'm losing a lot of respect for this guy. Anyways they have no excuses. Bosh or no Bosh, Miami are clearly the better team and they have to act like it. Would be amazing though to see the Pacers in the Conference Finals. Pacers-76'ers anyone? Who would have thought that was possible?

At the moment the Spurs look like the best team. It's do or die for another LA team (the Clippers) but unlike the Lakers there is no chance in hell of them salvaging something from this series anymore. With the way it is looking now the Spurs are my favourites to win the whole thing (unless Miami somehow step their shit up).

 

[NobilityV3]

KG got shut down tonight which led to the Celtics losing...only 9 points in comparison to his games where got in the high 20's. If Celtics wanna win KG has to go off like he did in the first games. Everyone else is is playing fine.

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

Hellurrr

Yes someone with a brain...

Wanted to talk about the spurs but i already had a testament written. They're playing good, i'll give them that buttt let's be honest, they've been playing scrubs in these playoffs. First round against Utah who to me were the crappiest team in the playoffs. And the clippers who are deep as hell but CP3 is hurt from the Memphis series and Blake imo is overrated (no post game whatsoever and he's jumper is horrible).

On the Pacer v Heat series i have to differ with you a bit. Miami doesn't have the better team. They may have bron, wade, bosh, great defense and a good record and all but they're not an overall better team than Indiana. Indiana is probably the deepest team in the playoffs, they got good players at the wings, good PGs, the ever reliable underrated David West and Frankenstein Hibbert is playing like he's the best Center in the league. And they're not too shabby on the defensive end. Indiana is a complete team as opposed to the Heat who are just 3 great players and 10 other scrubs. I still see Miami pulling it together and coming back but imo Indiana not only matches up perfect against them but they're a more complete team so i wouldn't be surprised if they usurp Miami.

And as far as the OKC v LAL series goes, right now it's OKC's to lose. Sessions has been a bust so far, said it the moment they traded for him, he's not as good as he was advertised.

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

KG got shut down tonight which led to the Celtics losing...only 9 points in comparison to his games where got in the high 20's. If Celtics wanna win KG has to go off like he did in the first games. Everyone else is is playing fine.

About KG...i saw you pic and im sorry to break this to you but you wanna know why he was playing good up to last game?

Who was defending him? Scrubs i tell you! Hawes? no defense lanky big guy, Elton Brand? Old, slow and short, Thad Young? too short basically a SF, Lavoy Allen? Short as well 6'8 or 6'9 if i recall. With those guys defending Shaq might as well come out of retirement and drop 40...

And it doesn't get easier, if the pacers advance he'll have hansbrough, west and hibbert defending him. He might catch a break if Miami advances but their team defense is so damn good that i don't see him doing anything. He will have his games but Boston can't rely on him to be a powerhouse anymore. PP has to step up!

 

[NKZero]

Jonah 35:62

Yes you're right about Indiana. I should correct myself and say that Miami are a better collection of talent but not a better team. Indiana are deeper and are taking advantage of Miami's weaknesses at the moment. I mean the Heat are being eaten alive in the paint (take notes Lakers), and they need big time offensive production to offset the deep wound on the defensive end because it looks like without Bosh (who can play both PF and a little C) they cannot do much about David West and Roy Hibbert. Shane Battier also looks way past it now defensively, he's struggling to match up with Granger (which normally should be a piece of cake for him if he was historically known for being a pain in the ass for Kobe).

As for the Clippers yeah Griffin is not living up to the hype. I'll put it down to second season syndrome and first playoffs to be honest. He's still a great player but he needs to polish up much of his game first. Also Paul looks very tired and trying to guard Parker is an extra pain especially when TP is on the top of his game. Yeah the Spurs are just unbelievable. Also factor in Spurs only needed 4 games to get to the 2nd round. LAC on the other hand, barely survived against a gritty Memphis team which took them to 7 games. Clippers will eventually get better; but I maintained from the beginning that no Billups=huge loss imo. Anyways we have to remember the Spurs did what they had to do and defend home court. LAC just have to do the same, it's no complicated formula or anything, just win your two home games and tie up the series. Realistically though I do not see it happening.

Yes Sessions has been pretty disappointing but thankfully Blake is stepping it up. We'll see what happens. Big day tonight. Cannot wait. Add that to the Champions League Final (football or 'soccer' as you people call it haha) and it's a great day for a sports fanatic.

 

[M2Dave]

And Kobe...he willed a win today but the game was OKC's if it weren't for the refs.

LOL. Right.

The OKC Thunder are mostly a jump shooting team. The Lakers go inside and their big guys force the issue. That is why they get fouled more.

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

LOL. Right.

The OKC Thunder are mostly a jump shooting team. The Lakers go inside and their big guys force the issue. That is why they get fouled more.

Hey man im a laker fan don't get me wrong. But i saw a lot of bs calls on both sides (more in LA's favor). Cmon man kobe had 18 ft attempts, and he rarely drives to the basket! There was a sequence in which harden had 2 straight fouls on kobe while he was shooting a jumper. When the replay was shown in none of them Kobe was fouled. Kobe will always get those calls, same goes for Bron, Wade, Durant and all of the other superstars.

And no the lakers are not using their big men. As i stated in the other post, pau isn't going down in the post and bynum is the only one who's going down in the post but he's not getting enough touches.

 

[M2Dave]

Hey man im a laker fan don't get me wrong. But i saw a lot of bs calls on both sides (more in LA's favor). Cmon man kobe had 18 ft attempts, and he rarely drives to the basket! There was a sequence in which harden had 2 straight fouls on kobe while he was shooting a jumper. When the replay was shown in none of them Kobe was fouled. Kobe will always get those calls, same goes for Bron, Wade, Durant and all of the other superstars.

And no the lakers are not using their big men. As i stated in the other post, pau isn't going down in the post and bynum is the only one who's going down in the post but he's not getting enough touches.

You are a Lakers fan who is complaining about the Lakers getting favorable calls when Durant is getting the same amount of favorable calls as Kobe? Right. What about Harden whacking Meta and the referees calling a double technical?

I honestly do not care about calls. I care about the subtleties of the series, and I have watched every game of this series thus far. I think the Thunder are very fortunate to be up two games to one considering the Lakers's (albeit mostly Kobe's) major choke job in game two. The fact is that the Thunder are mostly a jump shooting team, and even the very best guards can only shoot about 45%. However, the Lakers can take advantage of their big guys by taking the ball into the paint and getting a higher percentage shot. I am not saying the Lakers will win, but if their big guys play physical and rebound, they are in a very good position to win.

 

[Mt. Mutombo]

You are a Lakers fan who is complaining about the Lakers getting favorable calls when Durant is getting the same amount of favorable calls as Kobe? Right. What about Harden whacking Meta and the referees calling a double technical?

I honestly do not care about calls. I care about the subtleties of the series, and I have watched every game of this series thus far. I think the Thunder are very fortunate to be up two games to one considering the Lakers's (albeit mostly Kobe's) major choke job in game two. The fact is that the Thunder are mostly a jump shooting team, and even the very best guards can only shoot about 45%. However, the Lakers can take advantage of their big guys by taking the ball into the paint and getting a higher percentage shot. I am not saying the Lakers will win, but if their big guys play physical and rebound, they are in a very good position to win.

I'm not complaining im a realist. As a laker fan im stoked that they won, but for me to judge the game intelligently i have to be completely neutral, and from what i saw, Lakers had a lot of calls in their favor and i mean a lot. Take for instance when the lakers were up by one in the final seconds and durant missed a jumper, grabbed the offensive rebound and then got absolutely hammered and no whistle was blown. I'm glad they didn't call it cause it resulted to be key for them to win but yeah it happened.

And yes, you are right, OKC is fortunate that they're up and i put the blame solely on Kobe. He's the leader and he made some awful decisions in those final 2:30 minutes, he turned over the ball, shot ill advised shots and neglected to chuck the ball down in the post to Bynum who was the one who gave them the 7 point lead to begin with. He needs to realize that he's not their best weapon and just feed bynum and tell pau to stop that BS of pick and popping and just roll to the basket or post up. This is why Fisher is missed, the stability and the leadership, they made the perfect good cop bad cop combination.

You can go with the Charles Barkley saying that they're only shooting jumpers, but right now the only ones that are consistently going for jumpers are Ibaka and Westbrook. All Harden has done is attack the basket, same with Durant. History tells us they are indeed a jump shooting team, but in this series they have been driving to the basket on a more consistent basis. I had the Lakers winning this series but only if they won game 2 which i was 100% sure they'd win after game 1, but yeah...

 

[NobilityV3]

About KG...i saw you pic and im sorry to break this to you but you wanna know why he was playing good up to last game?

Who was defending him? Scrubs i tell you! Hawes? no defense lanky big guy, Elton Brand? Old, slow and short, Thad Young? too short basically a SF, Lavoy Allen? Short as well 6'8 or 6'9 if i recall. With those guys defending Shaq might as well come out of retirement and drop 40...

And it doesn't get easier, if the pacers advance he'll have hansbrough, west and hibbert defending him. He might catch a break if Miami advances but their team defense is so damn good that i don't see him doing anything. He will have his games but Boston can't rely on him to be a powerhouse anymore. PP has to step up!

I don't recall him having those kind of numbers throughout the entire season. Which by the way, they also played against the Sixers and Hawks.