Lakers vs Magic and the 2008-2009 NBA Playoffs/Finals Thread

[miami_fan]

Not when there is big money to be made in a 7 game series.

As opposed to the the league giving star treatment by not suspending him, right?

[RainMaker]

As opposed to the the league giving star treatment by not suspending him, right?

Do you think the NBA would have suspended him for a Game 7 if this happened in Game 6?

[miami_fan]

Do you think the NBA would have suspended him for a Game 7 if this happened in Game 6?

Maybe, maybe not. It would not have been the first time the league suspended an star player for a deciding game. The NBA suspended Alonzo Mourning for the deciding game five of a first round series against the Knicks in 1998 for actions that happened in game four.

However, that is not what happened. The league DID suspend Howard for his actions which was the proper call. If they had not suspended him, they would have been criticized for giving the star preferential treatment.

[miami_fan]

The Heat is a young, inconsistent team. Seven players on the playoff roster have three years of experience or less. Beasley has been average at best this season. Cook is a streaky shooter as is Chalmers. This series is a microcosm of the entire season. Those three are supposed to be Wade's help on the offensive end. When they are on, the Heat play well like they did in games two and three. If not....well you get games one and four.


And game five. 22 points combined for Beasley, Cook and Chalmers so far.

[Neuqua]

Still can't believe there were some people who wanted the Bulls to pick Beasley over Rose. Not many, but there were a few.

[Groundhog]

Still can't believe there were some people who wanted the Bulls to pick Beasley over Rose. Not many, but there were a few.

Well, at the time, I think most people expected Beasley to be putting up Rookie of the Year numbers in his first season, where as Rose was expected to take a season or two.

It was a question of taking a future star at a key position over taking a big talent at a spot that isn't, generally, as important (SF/PF).

Of course, Beasley has been worse than expected (though I maintain he'd be putting up better numbers on a worse team), and Rose has been FAR better off the bat than I ever expected, at least.

[Big Fo]

Great third quarter by the Nuggets, they're all but in the second round.

[RainMaker]

Maybe, maybe not. It would not have been the first time the league suspended an star player for a deciding game. The NBA suspended Alonzo Mourning for the deciding game five of a first round series against the Knicks in 1998 for actions that happened in game four.

However, that is not what happened. The league DID suspend Howard for his actions which was the proper call. If they had not suspended him, they would have been criticized for giving the star preferential treatment.

There is not a chance in hell they suspend one of their premier players for a crucial Game 7. Especially for an elbow that is a judgement call. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in the NBA when it comes to their rules.

The Mourning example is a tad different. It wasn't an elbow, it was him and Larry Johnson throwing haymakers at one another.

[miami_fan]

There is not a chance in hell they suspend one of their premier players for a crucial Game 7. Especially for an elbow that is a judgement call. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy in the NBA when it comes to their rules.

The Mourning example is a tad different. It wasn't an elbow, it was him and Larry Johnson throwing haymakers at one another.

Are you saying that they should not have suspended him to prove that they don't want a game seven?

[whomario]

Must win for the Rockets tonight.

3 quotes that sum up my thoughts, fears and hopes :


Q: When the Rockets need a basket, why don't they pound the ball down low to Yao Ming, a great free-throw shooter who has a mismatch with whomever might be guarding him, instead of having Yao set picks 27 feet from the basket to set up unspeakably bad jumpers by Ron Artest?



A: I ... I don't know.


from a nice column by Simmons overall Bill Simmons: The Sports Guy answers key questions about the 2009 NBA playoffs - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090429&sportCat=nba)


Give him the ball.
Don't weigh the options. Don't worry about the double- or triple-team, don't get too clever for your own good.
Give it to the 7-foot-6 guy with enough brawn to cast a shadow over Shaq.



Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Blazers was almost laughable. Twenty-six shots were taken by the Rockets before Yao got his first shot in the 88-77 loss, a missed turnaround hook with 6:19 to play in the second quarter. His first basket did not come until 2:37 remained in the first half.
Just to reiterate: Twenty-six times the Rockets determined it was better to have someone else take a shot before Yao got a turn. Yes, Przybilla was relentlessly fronting. But, uh, by late April, shouldn't you have figured out how to throw it over the top?
When Yao finally got the ball, when Brooks decided perhaps another 3-pointer wasn't in the team's best interest, he made seven of his next 10 shots, closing a respectable 7 of 12.


from NBC : Expert: Simple game plan — give Yao the dang ball - NBA- nbcsports.msnbc.com (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30464972//)


and the big guy himself had this to say :


The Blazers have mostly defended Yao by putting either Joel Przybilla or Greg Oden in front of him and then double-teaming whenever he touches the ball. Yao found a way to score 24 points in Game 1 and 21 in Game 4, leaving the game plan for Game 6 fairly obvious -- at least to him.

"Get the ball inside. Get the ball inside. Get the ball inside," he said. "That's it."

Yao had grown tired of being reduced to a witness.

“I don’t know,” he said sarcastically when asked what went wrong in the 88-77 loss in Game 5. “I just went up and down on the court. I don’t know anything. I just ran baseline to baseline for seven or eight times. That’s it.

“I mean, I ran up and down. We didn’t organize well. We did not execute. We did not know what is the play. We don’t know what is called.”


And by "we" he means "they" . That´s the closest to calling out his teammates i´ve seen him. I honestly want them to just try it. Don´t care about 5 or 6 TOs by him, just throw him the ball whenever even remotely possible and then work from there and not start the game assuming you can´t get it to him like in Game 5...

Can´t wait ...

[DaddyTorgo]

If the Rockets don't want to utilize Yao I'm sure there's no shortage of suitors who'd break up their teams for him.

[RainMaker]

Are you saying that they should not have suspended him to prove that they don't want a game seven?

No, I'm saying that elbows like that take place a lot in the NBA and don't end up in suspsensions. There seems to be zero consistency in this area.

[SirFozzie]

Well, tonight will be about the Bulls mental toughness. If they come out flat, and figure they already have an excuse for why they won't win the series, it could be a game 3-like rout. If they use it as motivation, then they could rout the celtics, or we could have another classic.

[sterlingice]

That's odd- you don't usually hear Yao lashing out like that. Not exactly a guy known for being a prima donna.

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

That's odd- you don't usually hear Yao lashing out like that. Not exactly a guy known for being a prima donna.

SI

I'd argue that that's hardly being a prima donna - it's more like "hey c'mon guys...basic basketball strategy - nobody on their team can guard me - how about you pass to me?"

[RainMaker]

Well, tonight will be about the Bulls mental toughness. If they come out flat, and figure they already have an excuse for why they won't win the series, it could be a game 3-like rout. If they use it as motivation, then they could rout the celtics, or we could have another classic.

I'll be there tonight and I don't see a rout. The crowd will be raucuous and should give them a nice boost early on. I still don't think they'll win tonight and foresee a tight game that the Celtics pull away with at the end.

I like the Bulls future but it's just tough to put a 20 year old into these spots and expect him to take out a team of established veterans.

[Neuqua]

I'll be there tonight and I don't see a rout. The crowd will be raucuous and should give them a nice boost early on. I still don't think they'll win tonight and foresee a tight game that the Celtics pull away with at the end.

I like the Bulls future but it's just tough to put a 20 year old into these spots and expect him to take out a team of established veterans.

Pretty much agree.

I think the next year or two is just to let Rose develop and go cheap on spending money on VDN but when 2010 rolls around, our players should be ready to make a big step forward and hopefully Reinsdorf will spend the money on a real coach.

I'll be at the game too, just hoping for a game half as exciting as last Sunday's was.

[DaddyTorgo]

you better get some action from that chick this time neq!!!

[whomario]

Rondo just might have decided the series in Chicago´s favour ... What was he thinking, seriously ? He just lost it ...
If you didn´t see it : He got tangled up with Hinrich at the sidelines (Rondo initiated it, too) and he just griped his arm and swung Hinrich into the scorers table, not even a flop or exageration on Hinrich´s part.

Flagrant 2 (= ejection) and i´d say a suspension for a now likely game 7 pretty likely ...
Stupid, stupid move that puts a huge shadow over his performance ...

EDIT : Wait a minute : I was tuned into Orl/Phi at the time and they switched to the incident and yahoosaid "flagrant 2". Apparently he wasn´t ejected ? I don´t get those rules apparently ...

[DaddyTorgo]

Rondo just might have decided the series in Chicago´s favour ... What was he thinking, seriously ? He just lost it ...
If you didn´t see it : He got tangled up with Hinrich at the sidelines (Rondo initiated it, too) and he just griped his arm and swung Hinrich into the scorers table, not even a flop or exageration on Hinrich´s part.

Flagrant 2 (= ejection) and i´d say a suspension for a now likely game 7 pretty likely ...
Stupid, stupid move that puts a huge shadow over his performance ...

EDIT : Wait a minute : I was tuned into Orl/Phi at the time and they switched to the incident and yahoosaid "flagrant 2". Apparently he wasn´t ejected ? I don´t get those rules apparently ...

they reviewed it and said it wasn't a flagrant 2, it went as a flagrant 1

C's in trouble - down 37-26 after 1

[Jas_lov]

Rondo was not ejected, he got a slap on the wrist. It's the playoffs though so I doubt any Boston player will be suspended.

[whomario]

@ daddytorgo : thanks for clarification !
that´s bound to get heavily flamed in the media and i´d say they have a point. Maybe you can argue it wasn´t a flagrant 2, but taking it back after what last game´s incident doesn´t look good really.
Yeah, i´m all for physichal play and stuff, but that´s just not a basketball play (todays incident) and for me those type of things are a sure fire ejection.

As much as i like Rondo as a player ...

What´s the vegas line for Aaron Gray getting into the game for the sole purpose of taking a shot at Rondo ? ;)

EDIT : And Gortat/Redick/Alston are beasting it for Orlando , wow what a start.

[SirFozzie]

Yup. Rondo was stupid today.

[Groundhog]

Gortat is, IIRC, a free agent and is going to get paid this offseason IMO.

[stevew]

I'm bored. The Cavs don't play again till next week right?

[larrymcg421]

C's have tied it up. Ray Allen's got it tonight.

[whomario]

@ Groundhog : Yeah, i agree on that. Still a miracle for anyone who saw him play around the time he got drafted, made great strides. I don´t think it will be outrageous, what with the economic struggles and teams in save mode. Maybe 10 for 3 ?

Ray Allen is having a hoge half, 24 points on 9-13 shooting with 4 3s. Boston ties it after being down 14.

I was shocked when i realized that Hunter still plays when i stumbled upon his name in a boxscore earlier this year. He´s like the Mutombo of guards.

Allen ! 29 in the half !

[SirFozzie]

Noah gives Pierce a receipt, but the Celtics take the lead with Pierce in the locker room due to bleeding.

[hoopsguy]

This is the first game of the Bulls/Celtics series I've been able to sit down and watch. Ray Allen has been amazing this series.

No comments yet on the Rondo flagrant in the first half?

Edit - oops, thought I was on last page of thread.

[whomario]

Noah has got to be the worst finisher among big men in the league ... Can´t believe my eyes looking at his great shooting percentage, he´s just erratic there. Both teams play atrocious defense all series long, especially in transition.

lol at Rondo screaming at Perkins like crazy there before finally getting the pass for that easy layup :D

Hinrich plays good d on allen though, gotta give him that.

I love how Rivers keeps giving actual coaching to Rondo at every possibility in a game as huge as this, that´s an underrated quality in a NBA head coach.

[Big Fo]

Who needs Howard when Gortat is slamming it down like that.

[whomario]

House is ice cold this series, that´s an underrated aspect here. I mean, the game is at the high pace he likes so much and he misses and misses on shots he likes to take.

Orlando up 15 midway through the 3rd. But that wouldn´t be the first time Philly comes back and Orlando eventually might cool off.
JJ Redick with 4 3s so far, too. I´d be happy for him if they win and he gets another one or two of those.

[SirFozzie]

That should just about do it, they do not have anyone hot this time

[Big Fo]

Redick with his fifth 3 and the boo-birds are out in Philly. Alston, Redick, Lewis, and Gortat all with good games.

[hoopsguy]

That should just about do it, they do not have anyone hot this time

This is a hideously blatant attempt at a reverse jinx ;)

[SirFozzie]

No, it was honest.. but.. HOLY shit. The Bulls just cannot finish the Celtics off can they?

[whomario]

Boston with a clinic this quarter, that is pretty damn impressive thus far. And Gordon is a cancer, imo. His reaction there was just terrible. Not even him getting the technical (which is bad though) but how he´s sitting there on the bench not giving a damn and then basically blowing Hunter off when he talked to him...
Miller took a shot at Rondo there, no way that was just going for the block with that big swing. Then again it´s Miller who´s like clumsyX2, so who knows ;)

NO OT please, wanna see Hou-Por ... ;)

[SirFozzie]

And now the Celtics cannot finish the Bulls off.

[Groundhog]

Bradley Miller!

[whomario]

Why was Tony Allen in the game again when the Celtics had held the Bulls to like 10 points in the first 10 1/2 minutes in the 4th ?
And Miller is ... clutch ? :eek:

[Karlifornia]

This is the best opening round series of all time.

[hoopsguy]

Well, I guess Vinny has a timeout for the end of the game. Of course, you could certainly make the case that he could have used one while giving up a 17-0 fourth quarter run ...

[Groundhog]

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

[LloydLungs]

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

Ding ding ding ding ding.

I'm starting to get the impression Vinny isn't very good.

[Big Fo]

That was probably not the Bulls best option.

[whomario]

damn, i hate this ...

In Houston, MacMillan finally sits the totally overwhelmed Batum. Yao with a score and an assist on the first 2 possessions according to yahoo.

[hoopsguy]

'ere goes. I'm predicting it's the ole' "Ben Gordon for the contested jumper" to send the game to OT...

You win.

[DaddyTorgo]

tony allen SUCKS - 3 straight trips down the floor (last 2 regulation, 1st overtime) he is in the paint with the ball - first 2 times he shoots lame floaters instead of drawing contact, 3rd time he dishes OUTSIDE the paint to perkins with like 4 on the shot clock

[whomario]

stop with the timeouts for christs sake ... NBA games go on way too long for nowadays, like snails pace with all those timeouts ...

[Groundhog]

If I were Vinny, I'd be drawing up a new play for everyone right now called the "give it to anyone except Ben Gordon and let them try and score" play.

[Groundhog]

And it worked!

[whomario]

argh ... sorry to be such a bummer, but this is killing me ... I´d propably enjoy it any other time, but not delaying the Houston game ...

And i really don´t understand why teams don´t run an actual play in those situations. Seriously, why go to some isolation when it works liuke 30% of the time if at all ? Why not let Allen come arround a screen ? Or at least make a couple passes before getting Pierce the ball ? Or let Pierce move a bit at least before ? As a coach this makes me sick ..

[Groundhog]

argh ... sorry to be such a bummer, but this is killing me ... I´d propably enjoy it any other time, but not delaying the Houston game ...

And i really don´t understand why teams don´t run an actual play in those situations. Seriously, why go to some isolation when it works liuke 30% of the time if at all ? Why not let Allen come arround a screen ? Or at least make a couple passes before getting Pierce the ball ? Or let Pierce move a bit at least before ? As a coach this makes me sick ..

Welcome to Holywood.

[Groundhog]

At this point in time, John Salmons is the best player on that Bulls roster.

[Groundhog]

Scalabrine is in the game. The Celtics are all but in the 2nd round now.

[whomario]

Houston by 8 btw ... Yao again just 2 shots (1 shotclock bailout) and 2 FTs ... Artest chucking. Still hitting them, so it´s all good...

[Groundhog]

Seriously, fuck these timeouts. How are we ever going to have a classic game again in the NBA when there's a 2 minute stoppage after every possession.

[whomario]

this could be a drinking game. Take a shot for every TO in the last 2 minutes and 2 for every OT and you end the night veeeery drunk ... And now a review ...

What´s the line for this game going longer than the Houston-Portland game ?

[whomario]

Miller got cojones. Wow.

Why wouldn´t you pressure a PG inbounding with a bigger defender ?

Ray Allen for another OT, wanna bet ?

Maybe they are done when the 2nd half starts in Houston ?

Wait, no Timeouts left ? Wooot :)

[Jas_lov]

Right between the eyes! Allen is sick tonight.

[Arles]

Man, this series has been incredible. Just a joy to watch as a hoops fan.

[Big Fo]

Gordon is out, maybe the Bulls will run an actual play and create a decent look.

[whomario]

OK, now i have accepted that i won´t see anything from that other thing and want it to go to at least 8 OTs.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ray Allen for another OT, wanna bet ?


Got any thoughts about possible lottery numbers for the weekend?

[Radii]

Gordon is out, maybe the Bulls will run an actual play and create a decent look.

lol? :)

[Big Fo]

OK, now i have accepted that i won´t see anything from that other thing and want it to go to at least 8 OTs.

Damn I didn't know it was practically halftime.

[DaddyTorgo]

triple OT...holy shit

[whomario]

sboxscore update from Houston : Rockets up 12. Artest with 16 rather efficient points, Portland players outside Roy/Aldridge are 3-18 from the field.

[sterlingice]

OK, now i have accepted that i won´t see anything from that other thing and want it to go to at least 8 OTs.

Exactly. I really want to watch the Rockets but I also really want to watch the end of this game.

SI

[MikeVic]

Watching this game since end of regulation. Great.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I will never understand why teams don't foul when they're up by 3. What is that, the third time in this series alone where the team up hasn't fouled and then had a 3 buried in their stupid no fouling face to tie it?

[Big Fo]

lol? :)

That was quite poor. You could see Doc Rivers walking away smirking, not because of yet another OT in this series, but because that play was so bad.

[Easy Mac]

I will never understand why teams don't foul when they're up by 3. What is that, the third time in this series alone where the team up hasn't fouled and then had a 3 buried in their stupid no fouling face to tie it?

but they did foul. Then they tried again. Salmons had Allen in a bear hug, but the refs didn't call it.

[sterlingice]

I will never understand why teams don't foul when they're up by 3. What is that, the third time in this series alone where the team up hasn't fouled and then had a 3 buried in their stupid no fouling face to tie it?

I am happy they failed to do this to Mario Chalmers last year in the finals :D

SI

[hoopsguy]

This one is starting to feel like UConn/Syracuse.

[whomario]

Allen made some ridiculous shots tonight with guys all over him, nasty stuff .

I want him to hit the game winner that also sets a new playoff record for 3s made.

[Easy Mac]

First, Allen is insane tonight. Second, does Chciago know how to take a good shot?

[DaddyTorgo]

51 for ray allen!!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Seriously, fuck these timeouts. How are we ever going to have a classic game again in the NBA when there's a 2 minute stoppage after every possession.

I keep hearing about how great this series has been, so I decided to check in. 3 OTs. It's certainly living up to the billing, but the constant timeouts and stoppages and commercial breaks makes what should be a thrilling game completely stilted and boring.

[hoopsguy]

Noah with "and 1"???? With Pierce foul out? WOW!

[DaddyTorgo]

*sigh* Pierce - why are you fouling out on that...just give him the layup

[sterlingice]

Seriously, fuck these timeouts. How are we ever going to have a classic game again in the NBA when there's a 2 minute stoppage after every possession.

Gotta third this one. Heck, I think I said as much a page or two back

SI

[Easy Mac]

I think you get an extra To for each OT or something.

[Arles]

dayum! nothing buy hair was streaking past the TV

[sterlingice]

If they don't have 3 guys on Ray Allen this time down, there's something wrong

SI

[Groundhog]

Can Ray Ray do it again?

[whomario]

Wow @ Noah.

Propably another OT on an Allen 3 here. Or Scalabrine hits one, that´d be a nice touch as well ... I´m prepared for anything now. Maybe Marbury banking a runner from 35 foot with 1 on the clock, that´d be nice ...
side story : As bad as rondo has been finishing this game, he´s got 19 assists and 0 Turnovers...

[sterlingice]

Ok, I've counted to 20. Shouldn't the timeout be over?

SI

[Arles]

it's the no holds barred third OT. Holy elbow on that Big Baby screen

[Easy Mac]

It should be a graduated TO schedule in the NBA.
1st Q = 1 TO
2nd = 2
3rd = 3
4th = 4

Then it starts over in OT.

And get rid of the stupid TO gets you the ball 2/3rds of the way down the court. With the size and speed of the modern player, the court should be lengthened, not artificially shortened.

[sterlingice]

What's he whining about? That was pretty blatant

SI

[Jas_lov]

LOL! Baby Davis fouled out and they're running out of big bodies. But they still have Scalabrini to shoot the 3 here.

[hoopsguy]

All of these timeouts are a huge disadvantage for Del Negro, who makes Mike Dunleavy look like Hubie Brown when it comes to running an out-of-bounds play.

On another note, Brad Miller is on a mission tonight from the foul line.

[sterlingice]

It should be a graduated TO schedule in the NBA.
1st Q = 1 TO
2nd = 2
3rd = 3
4th = 4

Then it starts over in OT.

And get rid of the stupid TO gets you the ball 2/3rds of the way down the court. With the size and speed of the modern player, the court should be lengthened, not artificially shortened.

4 TOs in the 4th quarter would be a nightmare. I think they only have 3 so 6 get taken in the last 2 minutes. I don't need 8 of them. I need them to get 2 max- 1 20s and 1 full. And then maybe a pair of 20s in the OT.

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

another timeout? jeezus!!!! *dies*

[sterlingice]

For the love of--!

SI

[sterlingice]

And they had another one?!?

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

LOL

heinrich MISSED A LAYUP ALL ALONE UNDER THE BASKET!!!!!

celtics down by 1 with 16.7 left and the ball

[sabotai]

So I'm flipping through the channels and find this basketball on TNT, Celtics-Bulls Game 6, 3rd OT with about 1 minute left. I think "Cool, I'll get to see how the game turns out."

15 minutes later....

[hoopsguy]

Vinny says "FU, hoopsguy and you too, Heinrich". Probably should use the left hand for that layup.

[DaddyTorgo]

no, this last one was the celtics final one

[Jas_lov]

Watch Scalabrini here for a wide open jumper.

[DaddyTorgo]

*sighs*

and the celts fail to get a shot up there and now rose is on the FT line with 3 seconds left

[Easy Mac]

rondo definitely goal tended.

But then he gets blocked. That's karma

[whomario]

Rose makes 2, then scalabrine from midcourt, book it ...

Edit : Finally ...

[DaddyTorgo]

AHHAHA

HE MISSED THE FIRST ONE

[hoopsguy]

A defensive play - let alone by Rose, who has been getting killed on that end all year long - is a much more stunning result than anything predicted in this thread.

[DaddyTorgo]

nope

chicago wins by 1

[hoopsguy]

Hope Neuqua is getting his action tonight :)

[Easy Mac]

Nice to see Rose remembering his FT days at Memphis

[sterlingice]

That was fun :)

(still mad about the timeout thing, but it was a fun game)

SI

[DaddyTorgo]

C's had it to win there with 16 seconds left but couldn't get a shot

[SirFozzie]

Game 7. Best series ever.

(and if Rondo had hit that, the Celtics wouldn't have gotten out of the building alive.)

[whomario]

Hou-Por 2nd half allready running btw ...

No interviews, goddamn !!!

[Big Fo]

Awesome, another 40 minutes or so from Allen and Pierce before the likely series v. Orlando. The Bulls winning would be even better.

[sterlingice]

Nice to see Rose remembering his FT days at Memphis

Again, greatly appreciated those FTs in the NCAA Championship :)

SI

[whomario]

Go Rockets !!! That spin should be illegal for a 7´6 guy, niiiice move and finally an assist by brooks to Yao :)

Roy/Aldridge = 38 points on 16-29

Rest of blazers = 11 on 4-20

now Aldridge with 4 fouls. Just take the game Rockets !

And Artest going to the basket, wow !

[sterlingice]

I love this balanced scoring. If we do that, we can beat anyone. I just don't know if it can be consistent.

SI

[whomario]

Roy is limping, too. Hasn´t touched the ball on 3 straight possessions.

[whomario]

I still hate Brooks play at the point right now. He´s got no business there right now really ... 1 more quarter ...
Yao is still terribly overlooked on offense but boy does he anchor that defense.
Oden looks terribly overwhelmed too by Yao, panics everytime he has him on his back in the post and seems shocked that he can´t move Yao (suprise, meet the strongest guy on the block mr oden ;) ) . And that missed dunk sums up his PO debut. Does a good üplay by running the court and then blows it.

Still think he´ll be great though.

[sterlingice]

Yeah, a PG should be on the offseason shopping list. Skip wasn't really the answer either.

SI

[whomario]

That has to be it now... Yao ! Cleans up the mess (literally, Artest´s shot/drive selection is atrocious, i´m cringing everytime he touches it) and then the great extra pass for brooks.
And his defense is phenomenal, he works so hard and moves his feet better than i´ve ever seen him late in the game.

I´d love to see Hinrich in a Rockets uniform somehow ...
I´m almost sad that McGrady will come back and it will be hard to shop him under any circumstances as well ...
Anyway, 5 more minutes and then i´m just enjoing the moment :)

[bulletsponge]

only a choke of Oilers perportions can cost the Rockets the victory. McGrady finaly gets out of the 2nd round. it will be nice not to hear that stupid stat get thrown around

[sterlingice]

A 1st round win is just sweet after many years of futility :D

I still don't think we're quite good enough to beat the Lakers since I don't see how we steal a game in LA. But I'm definitely feeling better about the team- it seems to be gel'ing nicely here in the playoffs.

SI

[sterlingice]

only a choke of Oilers perportions can cost the Rockets the victory. McGrady finaly gets out of the 2nd round. it will be nice not to hear that stupid stat get thrown around

That game still hurts. We could have won the AFC that year :(

SI

[whomario]

only a choke of Oilers perportions can cost the Rockets the victory. McGrady finaly gets out of the 2nd round. it will be nice not to hear that stupid stat get thrown around

it won´t. All articles will say that Yao finally did. And Battier.

Win or loose against LA : This team is just straight out likeable. Despite Artest. That says a lot ... ;) Artest has now taken 25 bad shots to my counting misses :D

Yao with stout defense here and all series, underrated defender. And not just "presence", there´s more to it. Plus he played the whole 2nd half and again 40+ minutes. That´s just a lot and that he still moves as well with that much effort is admireable.
Yeah, i´m a homer. Today i´m glad i am :D

[sterlingice]

Artest really is an ass. (paraphrase) "Wow, I was tired of playing defense and it was hard to play defense and offense."

SI

[whomario]

Artest is delusional, that interview should be an instant youtube classic. He´ll be there speaking as long as the Bos-Chi game if you don´t stop him :D

Roy/Aldridge just didn´t get any help tonight, Houston played them straight up and dared the role players to beat them which didn´t happen.

[RainMaker]

Just got back from the Bulls game. My thoughts:

- I didn't see what happened with Rondo and Hinrich. I saw Hinrich get up and go after him but didn't see what happened before. They would not show the replay on the jumbotron either. I have yet to even see a highlight of it.

- I thought the officiating was brutal. On the last play it looked like Hinrich fouled Rondo on the ground during the loose ball scuffle. The refs refused to call a 6th foul on Pierce for awhile. He was literally allowed to do whatever he wanted to. There was zero consistency in the game. For awhile they'd let the teams just hammer each other and then they'd start calling ticky-tack fouls.

- I don't know how it came across on TV but that place was jumping. The loudest I've ever heard the United Center in person (had season tix for about 5 years). Probably the best game I've ever been to and the most fun I've ever had at a game.

- Ray Allen was a God. I actually thought the defense on him was pretty good at the end and he still drained everything.

- Rose had some bad turnovers and really needs to work on that moving forward.

- Vinny Del Negro is a horrible coach. Coming out of timeouts they don't run anything. I didn't understand keeping Miller in on defense late when you have a shot blocker like Thomas available (who is a better rebounder and quicker).

[stevew]

only a choke of Oilers perportions can cost the Rockets the victory. McGrady finaly gets out of the 2nd round. it will be nice not to hear that stupid stat get thrown around

McGrady hasn't played in 2-3 months. I hardly think this counts for him.

[stevew]

Lakers-Rockets is monday/wednesday
If the Hawks close out tomorrow, they'll play the Cavs on sunday.

[RainMaker]

Just saw the Rondo/Hinrich incident. How did Rondo not get thrown out of the game? Flagrant 2 is for intentional flagrant fouls which this clearly was.

And I know the NBA won't suspend Rondo for a Game 7, but isn't what he did the same as what Howard did?

[DaddyTorgo]

Just saw the Rondo/Hinrich incident. How did Rondo not get thrown out of the game? Flagrant 2 is for intentional flagrant fouls which this clearly was.

And I know the NBA won't suspend Rondo for a Game 7, but isn't what he did the same as what Howard did?

ummm nope

[Neon_Chaos]

Rondo is turning out to be a punk.

[RainMaker]

ummm nope

What was the difference? Besides he plays for Boston.

[Neuqua]

Just got home.

I don't know how Rondo is still continued to allowed to do what he does. You have to be a hardcore Celtics fan to not see that he shouldn't even be playing in game 7.

Agreed on the atmosphere at the United Center. Just WOW.

What a series, I can't wait for the finale. Should be a good time.

I'm drunk.

[Lathum]

Just got home.

I don't know how Rondo is still continued to allowed to do what he does. You have to be a hardcore Celtics fan to not see that he shouldn't even be playing in game 7.

Agreed on the atmosphere at the United Center. Just WOW.

What a series, I can't wait for the finale. Should be a good time.

I'm drunk.

who went to the game with you?

[Neuqua]

YouTube - Game 6 CELTICS VS BULLS HEINRICH AND RONDO FIGHT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTT0RstvIA)

I dare one of the Boston folk to tell me this wasn't a flagarant 2. Just a complete punk move. Can't stand Rondo.

[Neuqua]

who went to the game with you?

Ha, I forget abt FOFC, no worries gentlemen, I ended up inviting someone other than that lady friend to really enjoy the game.

No regrets.

[Groundhog]

Rondo is turning out to be a punk.

Rondo has surprised me these past two games. I think he's been channelling a little too much of Garnett's "energy" off the sidelines.

[Chief Rum]

YouTube - Game 6 CELTICS VS BULLS HEINRICH AND RONDO FIGHT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTT0RstvIA)

I dare one of the Boston folk to tell me this wasn't a flagarant 2. Just a complete punk move. Can't stand Rondo.

Didn't really see nothing on that video except Hinrich and Rondo trying to jump around the ref at each other. Not saying I saw what transpired, and believe it was nothing, but that the video didn't really show what I think you're trying to show.

I was unfortunately away from the TV. I still don't know exactly what happened, but would love for a video that more clearly focuses on this one, to see what triggered the back and forth.

[RainMaker]

YouTube - Game 6 CELTICS VS BULLS HEINRICH AND RONDO FIGHT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTT0RstvIA)

I dare one of the Boston folk to tell me this wasn't a flagarant 2. Just a complete punk move. Can't stand Rondo.
For the record, I want to see Rondo in Game 7 because I think it's best when the best players are out there fighting.

But the NBA looks horrible if they don't suspend him. They warned him after Game 5 about his antics (not just the Miller foul but also tripping Hinrich). Then he goes and throws Hinrich into the scorer's table and also takes a swipe at his head with his elbow. Since Howard got suspended for that exact same act minus the throwing a guy into a scorer's table, and Howard wasn't warned about his behaivor, the NBA essentially says the rules don't apply to certain guys.

I think if the Celtics had won tonight, Rondo would have been suspended for Game 1 in the 2nd round.

[RainMaker]

Didn't really see nothing on that video except Hinrich and Rondo trying to jump around the ref at each other. Not saying I saw what transpired, and believe it was nothing, but that the video didn't really show what I think you're trying to show.

I was unfortunately away from the TV. I still don't know exactly what happened, but would love for a video that more clearly focuses on this one, to see what triggered the back and forth.

You can see the full video at ESPN.com. Hinrich boxes out Rondo and pushes him back pretty far. Rondo grabs his arm and throws him into the scorer's table. I'm assuming there was probably some jawing and maybe rough play leading up to it since Rondo tripped Hinrich in Game 5 which required some stitches.

[JeeberD]

Yeah, a PG should be on the offseason shopping list. Skip wasn't really the answer either.


Haven't you heard? Morey is somehow going to trade for CP3 because the Hornets are extremely cash strapped and are looking to dump salary!!!

only a choke of Oilers perportions can cost the Rockets the victory. McGrady finaly gets out of the 2nd round. it will be nice not to hear that stupid stat get thrown around

It's still going to be said about him, and rightfully so.

Lakers-Rockets is monday/wednesday


Sweet...I have both of those nights free. :)

[Chief Rum]

You can see the full video at ESPN.com. Hinrich boxes out Rondo and pushes him back pretty far. Rondo grabs his arm and throws him into the scorer's table. I'm assuming there was probably some jawing and maybe rough play leading up to it since Rondo tripped Hinrich in Game 5 which required some stitches.

Don't suppose you could provide a link, could you? I went over there, but all I found was the game highlights (which focused on the game itself and the overtimes and all). There was an article up about the elbow, but that's it.

[DaddyTorgo]

You can see the full video at ESPN.com. Hinrich boxes out Rondo and pushes him back pretty far. Rondo grabs his arm and throws him into the scorer's table. I'm assuming there was probably some jawing and maybe rough play leading up to it since Rondo tripped Hinrich in Game 5 which required some stitches.

looked to me like the two were tangled up and in the process of getting untangled and trying to run back and gain an advantage on each other rondo (obviously) was trying to throw him off. i'd probably do the same thing. it's a "get the heck off me and let me get back down the floor" move

[RainMaker]

Don't suppose you could provide a link, could you? I went over there, but all I found was the game highlights (which focused on the game itself and the overtimes and all). There was an article up about the elbow, but that's it.

The ones on ESPN aren't great, but do show what happened. Here's a YouTube clip of it:

YouTube - Rajon Rondo Tosses Kirk Hinrich Into Scorers Table (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORtiJ_s_i_A)

I recorded the game so I ran the replays in slow-mo. I'm sure it'll be discussed a lot on sports sites (except ESPN) tomorrow. I guess what's tough to see in the far away clips is Rondo throwing an elbow at Hinrich's head when they bump chests.

In an unrelated story, Turkoglu got thrown out of the game tonight for getting in the face of Dalembert. No punches, no fight, just getting in his face and touching chests. Go figure.

[Chief Rum]

The ones on ESPN aren't great, but do show what happened. Here's a YouTube clip of it:

YouTube - Rajon Rondo Tosses Kirk Hinrich Into Scorers Table (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORtiJ_s_i_A)

I recorded the game so I ran the replays in slow-mo. I'm sure it'll be discussed a lot on sports sites (except ESPN) tomorrow. I guess what's tough to see in the far away clips is Rondo throwing an elbow at Hinrich's head when they bump chests.

In an unrelated story, Turkoglu got thrown out of the game tonight for getting in the face of Dalembert. No punches, no fight, just getting in his face and touching chests. Go figure.

Thanks, Rain. Wow, that was a pretty cruddy move. Completely agree. That's indefensible. A flagrant 2 is the least of what Rondo should have gotten. Thrown out possibly (unsure, if Hinrich fell it would have been a certainty).

[RainMaker]

looked to me like the two were tangled up and in the process of getting untangled and trying to run back and gain an advantage on each other rondo (obviously) was trying to throw him off. i'd probably do the same thing. it's a "get the heck off me and let me get back down the floor" move

:lol:

[Chief Rum]

looked to me like the two were tangled up and in the process of getting untangled and trying to run back and gain an advantage on each other rondo (obviously) was trying to throw him off. i'd probably do the same thing. it's a "get the heck off me and let me get back down the floor" move

lol

[Chief Rum]

In other news, Howard was just trying to scratch an itch on the tip of his elbow with that move. Come on, anyone woulda done that.

[Radii]

I recorded the game so I ran the replays in slow-mo. I'm sure it'll be discussed a lot on sports sites (except ESPN) tomorrow.

You must not have turned on the TV or opened your web browser after Game 5 if you think ESPN isn't going to be discussing this. "Was Rondo's foul on Miller a flagrant" was non-freaking stop coverage during the live sportscenters' that they do during the day, and front page story on espn.com for much of the day with the various NBA analysts opinions prominently featured. And holy crap once Bill Simmons weighed in on it it went right back up to the top of the page, with Simmons column MORE prominently displayed than the opinions of the analysts (I don't hate Simmons, I hate ESPN giving a homer of a specific team/city who belongs on Page 2 with the other offbeat content front page billing).

I'm quite sure that if I have a lot of work to do during the day tomorrow and have ESPN on in the background I will get to hear no fewer than 10 different people discuss whether he should be suspended.

[Chief Rum]

You must not have turned on the TV or opened your web browser after Game 5 if you think ESPN isn't going to be discussing this. "Was Rondo's foul on Miller a flagrant" was non-freaking stop coverage during the live sportscenters' that they do during the day, and front page story on espn.com for much of the day with the various NBA analysts opinions prominently featured. And holy crap once Bill Simmons weighed in on it it went right back up to the top of the page, with Simmons column MORE prominently displayed than the opinions of the analysts (I don't hate Simmons, I hate ESPN giving a homer of a specific team/city who belongs on Page 2 with the other offbeat content front page billing).

I'm quite sure that if I have a lot of work to do during the day tomorrow and have ESPN on in the background I will get to hear no fewer than 10 different people discuss whether he should be suspended.

Oh, did Rondo do something with Miller Tuesday? Funny, I didn't see anything on ESPN.

[RainMaker]

You must not have turned on the TV or opened your web browser after Game 5 if you think ESPN isn't going to be discussing this. "Was Rondo's foul on Miller a flagrant" was non-freaking stop coverage during the live sportscenters' that they do during the day, and front page story on espn.com for much of the day with the various NBA analysts opinions prominently featured. And holy crap once Bill Simmons weighed in on it it went right back up to the top of the page, with Simmons column MORE prominently displayed than the opinions of the analysts (I don't hate Simmons, I hate ESPN giving a homer of a specific team/city who belongs on Page 2 with the other offbeat content front page billing).

I'm quite sure that if I have a lot of work to do during the day tomorrow and have ESPN on in the background I will get to hear no fewer than 10 different people discuss whether he should be suspended.

Different situations. Doesn't ABC have the rights to Game 7? Don't you think they want Rando playing?

[Radii]

Different situations. Doesn't ABC have the rights to Game 7? Don't you think they want Rando playing?

Does anything ever happen in sports or sports reporting that isn't some massive manipulation or conspiracy to you?

I dunno I'd assume they want people consuming their content on ESPN so they'd discuss the big stories of the day. After all this would allow them to hype game 7 incessantly if it is on one of their networks.

[RainMaker]

Does anything ever happen in sports or sports reporting that isn't some massive manipulation or conspiracy to you?

I dunno I'd assume they want people consuming their content on ESPN so they'd discuss the big stories of the day. After all this would allow them to hype game 7 incessantly if it is on one of their networks.

Take a guess as to why ESPN hardly covers hockey these days. :)

[Neon_Chaos]

looked to me like the two were tangled up and in the process of getting untangled and trying to run back and gain an advantage on each other rondo (obviously) was trying to throw him off. i'd probably do the same thing. it's a "get the heck off me and let me get back down the floor" move

HAHAHAHAHAH.

Funny shit DT.

[Karlifornia]

Yeah..Rondo chucked him. If I was the ref, I would have tossed him after seeing the replay.

But....let's just take the day and brace ourselves for Game 7, shall we?

[larnott]

Different situations. Doesn't ABC have the rights to Game 7? Don't you think they want Rando playing?

TNT has Game 7, but I'm sure they wanted "Rando" to play too.

[miami_fan]

In an unrelated story, Turkoglu got thrown out of the game tonight for getting in the face of Dalembert. No punches, no fight, just getting in his face and touching chests. Go figure.

You should have stopped at an unrelated story. Turkoglu was not tossed for getting in Dalembert's face. He received a technical. Seeing that he was his second T, THAT is why he was ejected the game.

[whomario]

Artest and Yao at the postgame press conference :

<object width="560" height="340">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aZtxQkay0ac&hl=de&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></object>

that was actually pretty damn funny by Ron Ron :D On saving a ball late in the 4th and going into the stands

"Well, i´ve been in the stands before ..."

Yao : "but this time at home court"

Artest : "one guy offered me a beer, no one threw one at me. I was to take a sip, but there´s too many cameras"


Crazy Pills FTW :popcorn:



Rondo really had a strange game. Looked pretty riled up and out of whack, flustered on his drives and everything. But still 19 Assists on ZERO Turnovers, that´s pretty good for a PG that looks out of sync ... Should have been ejcted and should be suspended. That wasn´t a basketball play and could have resulted in serious injury for Hinrich. Plus pushing/moving/swinging guys towards the sidelines/stands is pretty much a no-no .
I mean, Robert Horry did get 2 games for hipchecking Nash into the scorers table on Nash´s dribble.

Yeah, would be kind of less fun if he wouldn´t play, but that´s his fault.

Brad Miller was a bad man yesterday, too. That was cold blooded what he did at the FT line and on that 3 and that drive. Especially after he couldn´t get done much offensively, was terrible late in games and then the bloody mouth incident. Impressed the hell out of me.

[molson]

Different situations. Doesn't ABC have the rights to Game 7? Don't you think they want Rando playing?

How do you think this is done, league memos to referees, or just a wink-wink-nod-nod, sack of money with a dollar sign in a tree stump arrangement?

I used to be very suspicious of the NBA, until all of those referees got in trouble for tax fraud. I thought that if they had that ace in their pocket, that the NBA was rigging games, they certainly would have used it with the feds then.

I know that Tim Donaghy made allegations about that Kings/Lakers game 6 (just as I thought those tax frauds referees would do, if there was really funny business). Obviously that didn't go anywhere, and Donaghy isn't exactly credible (though I realize that it's the sleazy, non-credible types that usually know the dirt - see Jose Conseco).

I mean, the NBA/networks rigging games is a serious, serious allegation. That's life-in-prison type stuff, end of North American professional sports forever type stuff. Do you really think the risk of that is worth the .05 rating jump or whatever a game 7 gets over regular programming? How do you keep the referees/network employees quiet?

It just doesn't add up to be as a practical plan for the NBA and the networks to get involved in something that ridiculous. I do though, think the NBA has done an amazing job somehow sweeping under the rug that a referee rigged games and got caught!! How did that not harm the league more? It's always in the back of my mind when I watch the NBA.

[Logan]

I keep hearing about how great this series has been, so I decided to check in. 3 OTs. It's certainly living up to the billing, but the constant timeouts and stoppages and commercial breaks makes what should be a thrilling game completely stilted and boring.

All the timeouts actually made me miserable by the time the 3rd OT rolled around. I just wanted the fuckin thing to end and didn't care about seeing anything exciting anymore.

[molson]

I don't watch sports live anymore. It's like I have extra hours in a day.

[RainMaker]

How do you think this is done, league memos to referees, or just a wink-wink-nod-nod, sack of money with a dollar sign in a tree stump arrangement?

I used to be very suspicious of the NBA, until all of those referees got in trouble for tax fraud. I thought that if they had that ace in their pocket, that the NBA was rigging games, they certainly would have used it with the feds then.

I know that Tim Donaghy made allegations about that Kings/Lakers game 6 (just as I thought those tax frauds referees would do, if there was really funny business). Obviously that didn't go anywhere, and Donaghy isn't exactly credible (though I realize that it's the sleazy, non-credible types that usually know the dirt - see Jose Conseco).

I mean, the NBA/networks rigging games is a serious, serious allegation. That's life-in-prison type stuff, end of North American professional sports forever type stuff. Do you really think the risk of that is worth the .05 rating jump or whatever a game 7 gets over regular programming? How do you keep the referees/network employees quiet?

It just doesn't add up to be as a practical plan for the NBA and the networks to get involved in something that ridiculous. I do though, think the NBA has done an amazing job somehow sweeping under the rug that a referee rigged games and got caught!! How did that not harm the league more? It's always in the back of my mind when I watch the NBA.

First off, games were rigged. A 13-year NBA official was convicted of gambling. He bet on games that he officiated. He passed along information on refs and players to his handlers. Statistical analysis of his games showed a very high probability that those games were fixed. So lets not act like the NBA has not had fixed games before.

As for throwing games, I don't think it's a simple "hey make sure the Lakers win on Sunday". They assign officials they know call games certain ways to get the outcome they want. There are certain officials like Joey Crawford who they know doesn't handle home crowds well and calls in favor of the home team (you can look at his statistics on a number of betting sites). He will get assigned to a lot of Game 6's where it benefits the NBA to have the home team win and force a Game 7. Is Joey Crawford cheating? No. Does the league factor in what's in their best interest when assigning refs to games? I believe so.

Now there have been a lot of controversial games. The Kings-Lakers game is probably the most used. I've seen that game multiple times and I'm still convinced it was thrown. Whether that came from the NBA or just a crooked official (Donaghy did officiate it) I don't know. I do know that Donaghy did say games were fixed by a few refs who were "company men". I also know that the games that have the most controversial officials all seem to involve the same refs (Salvatore, Bevetta, Crawford, Donaghy, etc). Now most of these refs are rated very poorly throughout the league yet seem to get the most important games every year. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't want your highest rated officials on the court for the biggest games.

Whatever you believe though, I still find the Donaghy story the most underated sports story in decades. Yes it got air play, but it should have been enormous. A 13-year NBA official who was involved in some of the biggest games was caught betting on those games. How is that not Pete Rose times 100? The entire integrity of the NBA just got shot in the face. I felt ESPN didn't go too deep into it because of their relationship with the NBA. The company that has to inform me of ever bowel movement TO makes couldn't research the games he officiated and come up with some statistics?

[RainMaker]

TNT has Game 7, but I'm sure they wanted "Rando" to play too.
I was wrong and pretty drunk last night. Still haven't seen them talk about it on ESPN all day.

[molson]

First off, games were rigged. A 13-year NBA official was convicted of gambling. He bet on games that he officiated. He passed along information on refs and players to his handlers. Statistical analysis of his games showed a very high probability that those games were fixed. So lets not act like the NBA has not had fixed games before.

As for throwing games, I don't think it's a simple "hey make sure the Lakers win on Sunday". They assign officials they know call games certain ways to get the outcome they want. There are certain officials like Joey Crawford who they know doesn't handle home crowds well and calls in favor of the home team (you can look at his statistics on a number of betting sites). He will get assigned to a lot of Game 6's where it benefits the NBA to have the home team win and force a Game 7. Is Joey Crawford cheating? No. Does the league factor in what's in their best interest when assigning refs to games? I believe so.

Now there have been a lot of controversial games. The Kings-Lakers game is probably the most used. I've seen that game multiple times and I'm still convinced it was thrown. Whether that came from the NBA or just a crooked official (Donaghy did officiate it) I don't know. I do know that Donaghy did say games were fixed by a few refs who were "company men". I also know that the games that have the most controversial officials all seem to involve the same refs (Salvatore, Bevetta, Crawford, Donaghy, etc). Now most of these refs are rated very poorly throughout the league yet seem to get the most important games every year. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't want your highest rated officials on the court for the biggest games.

Whatever you believe though, I still find the Donaghy story the most underated sports story in decades. Yes it got air play, but it should have been enormous. A 13-year NBA official who was involved in some of the biggest games was caught betting on those games. How is that not Pete Rose times 100? The entire integrity of the NBA just got shot in the face. I felt ESPN didn't go too deep into it because of their relationship with the NBA. The company that has to inform me of ever bowel movement TO makes couldn't research the games he officiated and come up with some statistics?

Interesting points. Especially combined with the fact that the NBA has refused, even in light of the Donaghy thing, to make referee evaluation/assignments the responsibility of some independent entity, when that was suggested.

But I don't think Donaghy rigging games necessarily equates to "the NBA rigging games". Dongahy had nothing substantial on the NBA to save his own ass. I always assumed with him it was a money thing, but who knows.

Certainly, the NBA hasn't done much to quiet the suspicions (though I totally agree with you that it's AMAZING the Donaghy thing didn't get more play). For me, it was a huge deal, even somewhat tainting the Celts' championship last year. Who knows if they didn't get help from crooked refs?

Is there any evidence that the NBA goes 7 games more often than the NHL, or MLB?

[RainMaker]

Robert Horry received 2 games for this:
<OBJECT height=344 width=425>
&nbsp
&nbsp
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hYC95MziMJk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></OBJECT>

[RainMaker]

Rondo misses with his shot to the face thanks to an official holding him back.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46640765.jpg

[Big Fo]

Chicago and Boston are showing how to put on a good seven game series. Miami and Atlanta could learn a few things from them.

[bulletsponge]

The company that has to inform me of ever bowel movement TO makes couldn't research the games he officiated and come up with some statistics?

according to the ESPN crawl, to solid, he should eat more veggies. and it was obvious ESPN tanked the story.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Pretty freakish summary of the Heat-Hawks series from the Atlanta beat writer's blog

Had the Hawks won Friday, they would’ve flown to Cleveland after the game. Instead, it’s quite possibly the strangest 3-3 series in NBA playoff history. The final point spreads have been 26, 15, 29, 10, 15 and 26.

“This series has been a little bit schizophrenic,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

[RainMaker]

It's a really odd series. It's too bad the games haven't been closer. I think it would be cool to see a Lebron/Wade second round matchup though I don't think the Heat have a chance. The Hawks on the other hand are an odd team. They seem to step up in the playoffs and are real physical. They also create some tough matchups. If they can beat up on Lebron a little, it could be a real interesting series.

[Big Fo]

Boston - Chicago game six was the most watched first round game on cable TV in league history with 5.35 million viewers.

si.com link (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/01/game.6.ratings.ap/index.html)

[stevew]

I was hoping the Hawks would close out tonight. I want no part of D Whistle and the insane amount of cheap fouls he draws.

You can't play the Heat close, cause if you breathe on the guy, he's going to the line.

[Neuqua]

I was hoping the Hawks would close out tonight. I want no part of D Whistle and the insane amount of cheap fouls he draws.

You can't play the Heat close, cause if you breathe on the guy, he's going to the line.

I found this to be quite ironic.

=)

[whomario]

Why is everyone concentrating on/being obsessed with that "ellbow" Rondo threw ? Seriously, no way that was an attempt to hit Hinrich with an ellbow.

The action before was the problem and imo just not a basketball play which imo should automatically lead to an ejection + X .

[Logan]

Boston - Chicago game six was the most watched first round game on cable TV in league history with 5.35 million viewers.

si.com link (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/05/01/game.6.ratings.ap/index.html)

Well, when you're broadcasting for 7 hours there's a good chance a lot of people will tune in at some point.

[stevew]

I found this to be quite ironic.

=)

Shhhh. I like double standards.

See 2006 nba finals for Wade

[larrymcg421]

Celtics not looking good so far. Bulls up 9-2.

[Karlifornia]

How about that block by Rose?

[larrymcg421]

Great play, although it looks like he got part of Scal's hand.

[larrymcg421]

The Bulls aren't even bothering to defend Scalabrine when he sits on the outside. No one is close to him. He can hit those shots, so they need to pass it to him every single time until they respect him. Otherwise, we're playing 4 on 5 on the offensive end.

[SirFozzie]

They're playing the fucking Crazy Frog Axel F? Argh

Maybe I'm biased (yes, of course I'm biased), but if I was a Bulls fan, I do not like their body language right now. They're not up for game 7 at the moment.

The Celtics are playing inside and just wanting it more

[SirFozzie]

dola: Anyone who thinks the refs are biased to boston.. look at points in the paint (Boston +20 some odd), and Free Throws (something like Chicago 3 to 1 ratio more)

[SirFozzie]

Pop Quiz Hotshot Bulls Fans. Was THAT a flagrant? (at least be consistent here, the way they've been calling it, the answers no to me, it's a hard playoff foul, but if you call Rondo's swipe flagrant in Game 5, this one is more obvious.)

[SirFozzie]

That was Stupid of Rajan

[Radii]

dola: Anyone who thinks the refs are biased to boston...

Pop Quiz Hotshot Bulls Fans...


For someone rooting for the team that's supposed to win and is fighting off a rather poor underdog, you sure seem to have a pretty big chip on your shoulder about things :)

[larrymcg421]

Big Baby has really come a long way since his little crying fit earlier this season.

[SirFozzie]

Mostly Bulls fans elsewhere (the ones who are saying Stern and the Celtics are in cahoots, yadda yadda yadda :))

[DaddyTorgo]

For someone rooting for the team that's supposed to win and is fighting off a rather poor underdog, you sure seem to have a pretty big chip on your shoulder about things :)

without garnett (and to a lesser extent powe) the teams are a lot more even then their seedings would indicate

[SirFozzie]

here we go. 4th quarter. we really need to start hitting FT's

[SirFozzie]

agree with the T on House, but that should be a double T, look at the Bulls Bench screaming invectives at him as he prepares to take the shot

[Karlifornia]

Ben Gordon is going to shoot the Bulls out of this one.

[hoopsguy]

Celts have done a nice job of exploiting double teams most of the game. Bulls really have not been able to stop C's much at all.

[Karlifornia]

Hinrich has balls.

I like balls.

[SirFozzie]

wow, they give the Bulls a bonus point from the first quarter. Heh.

[sterlingice]

And now it's down to a 3 point game

SI

[sterlingice]

Boston trying to give the game away but Bulls look like they just don't have any legs left.

SI

[larrymcg421]

wow, they give the Bulls a bonus point from the first quarter. Heh.

It's good to get the correct call, but there has to be a time limit on review.

[larrymcg421]

What did Perkins do to get a technical?

[SirFozzie]

Technical Foul for swearing about a Bull hurting his shoulder? Are you fucking KIDDING me?

[DaddyTorgo]

that's a bullshit call by the fucking refs

[DaddyTorgo]

how is that

a) a technical?

b) a technical on the guy who GOT fouled?

that's exhibit A for "Why I hate the nba" - makes ZERO fucking sense

[hoopsguy]

Doc, please put in Tony Allen. K, thx.

[SirFozzie]

Doc, please put in Tony Allen. K, thx.

Um please do not listen to him Doc. Keep Tony right where he is.

[SirFozzie]

Gordon should be VERRRRRRRRY careful he just grabbed the ref by both hands.

[hoopsguy]

I'm calling game. Not enough time, and Vinny is drawing up a play in huddle. I think the latter is a bigger issue than the former.

[larrymcg421]

Gordon should be VERRRRRRRRY careful he just grabbed the ref by both hands.

Well at least he didn't swear.

[Radii]

my summary of the series:

the success of the bulls is inversely proportional to how often Ben Gordon has the ball in his hands during the final two minutes of a game/OT Period.

[Lathum]

Gordon should be VERRRRRRRRY careful he just grabbed the ref by both hands.

at least he didn't grab the refs crotch.


Gorden has to make that 5 foot floater.

[SirFozzie]

Come on C's.. don't DO this to me. :)

[hoopsguy]

my summary of the series:

the success of the bulls is inversely proportional to how often Ben Gordon has the ball in his hands during the final two minutes of a game/OT Period.

I probably like Gordon less than just about anyone in Chicago, but I don't think this is fair based on his production earlier in the series. He was out of control hot in Games 2 and 3 and probably has been limited by the hamstring over the past couple of games.

However, when he has to create his own shot against a set defense then bad things usually happen. When he is in on defense in crunch teams bad things invariably happen. When the other guys sit around and wait for Ben to throw one in, bad things happen about 100% of the time.

[SirFozzie]

Hoops: Is it me, or do the Bulls do a lot more 1 on 1, make your own space type things, compared to the Celtics, who run a lot more plays/screens to give people space?

[Radii]

Yeah to be fair I am not an NBA fan but got into this series based on the rose/rondo fun early on. It is the 1 on 1, Gordon forcing things in tight situations when Rose was having much better games and seemed a better option that is what I'm primarily reacting to.

[hoopsguy]

SirFozzie, I think that is a fair point. Rondo is a much more pure PG than Rose at this point in their careers and Pierce really does a nice job at playing the point forward role. Both of those guys help establish easier shots for their teammates better than anyone on the Bulls right now.

The Bulls definitely do try to create shots for Gordon off of screens, and Rose/Miller run a fair amount of pick-and-roll, but the team does have a bunch of guys who put the ball on the floor and go to the rim. They then look to pound the offensive boards with Noah (who gets a bunch of them), Thomas (who really disappeared as this series went on, and is frustrating because people project him to his potential rather than what he is) and Rose.

Well, those are my impressions based on watching less Bulls games this year than I have in quite some time. From what I've read on here guys like RainMaker, Neuqua, and Coffee Warlord have probably seen a few more games start to finish than I have this year.

[hoopsguy]

Yeah to be fair I am not an NBA fan but got into this series based on the rose/rondo fun early on. It is the 1 on 1, Gordon forcing things in tight situations when Rose was having much better games and seemed a better option that is what I'm primarily reacting to.

Honestly, you take Gordon shooting the ball rather than passing it because he is pretty frightening when he tries to create for his teammates. Very high turnovers, which is disappointing because he is vertically challenged for a SG. You would like him to have a bit better handles.

Rose is going to get better, and more assertive, over the next couple of years. But he is not there yet, at least not every night. He seemed to be hiding from the ball at the end of Game 6, to pick one example. And this was after having a great first half.

[RainMaker]

I know a lot of people like Gordon but I still believe he is actually bad for this team. Yes he gets hot and can single handidly win you a game from time to time. But he's also a guy who can get real cold and won't stop shooting (tonight for example). His defense is horrible and the Celtics exploited him regularly on that end. He's also a me-first player who doesn't involve his teammates in the game. There are just some trips down the floor that he's got it engraved in his head that he has to shoot.

He has a ton of talent and is one of a handful of guys in the league that can put 40 up on you any night. But I feel he needs to play within the flow of the game better. If teams are rushing to trap him off the screens, he needs to pass out of it. He needs to get more shots off of kickouts from his PG. He goes into every game thinking he must take 20 shots when he should determine those shots based on what's best for the team.

But most importantly, he hurts Rose. There are times where Rose won't be involved in the offense for 5-6 consecutive trips. He's the most athletic player in the league and the future of your organization. The offense should for the most part revolve around him.

[RainMaker]

Thomas (who really disappeared as this series went on, and is frustrating because people project him to his potential rather than what he is) and Rose.

Thomas has problems on offense. He think he's an outside shooter despite what the coaches have told him. I think the team just gave up on him and his lack of playing time in the playoffs has been a sign of that.

It's sad because he's got a ton of potential. I would have loved to have seen him out there more in this game when we were getting killed inside. But Vinny is clueless and refused to put Tyrus in when we needed a shotblocker so badly.

[RainMaker]

Mostly Bulls fans elsewhere (the ones who are saying Stern and the Celtics are in cahoots, yadda yadda yadda :))
I never said they were in cahoots. I said there was a huge double standard with Stern and how he disciplines players.

[Passacaglia]

Ben Gordon is going to shoot the Bulls out of this one.

Ugh, seriously. I really hope they don't bring him back next season, or at least if they do, it's only as a backup -- no wait, the guy is just poison.

[Big Fo]

On the bright side for Bulls fans, the goodwill generated by a long playoff run might have given del Negro an extra year in the future before his eventual firing/resignation. Maybe he'll improve in the future but right now I wouldn't be happy with him in charge of my team.

[RainMaker]

On the bright side for Bulls fans, the goodwill generated by a long playoff run might have given del Negro an extra year in the future before his eventual firing/resignation. Maybe he'll improve in the future but right now I wouldn't be happy with him in charge of my team.
It's bad enough we took the Celtics to 7. People actually think Del Negro is competent and "learning". The whole hiring was a slap in the face to Bulls fans. He is one of the worst coaches in the league.

[Passacaglia]

I know a lot of people like Gordon but I still believe he is actually bad for this team. Yes he gets hot and can single handidly win you a game from time to time. But he's also a guy who can get real cold and won't stop shooting (tonight for example). His defense is horrible and the Celtics exploited him regularly on that end. He's also a me-first player who doesn't involve his teammates in the game. There are just some trips down the floor that he's got it engraved in his head that he has to shoot.

He has a ton of talent and is one of a handful of guys in the league that can put 40 up on you any night. But I feel he needs to play within the flow of the game better. If teams are rushing to trap him off the screens, he needs to pass out of it. He needs to get more shots off of kickouts from his PG. He goes into every game thinking he must take 20 shots when he should determine those shots based on what's best for the team.

But most importantly, he hurts Rose. There are times where Rose won't be involved in the offense for 5-6 consecutive trips. He's the most athletic player in the league and the future of your organization. The offense should for the most part revolve around him.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I don't watch much basketball, but it seems like Gordon is not good enough to carry this team to dominance alone, and not willing to play as a team. Plus from the looks of it, I'm pretty sure Salmons hates him.

[Groundhog]

Ben Gordon is the Zach Randolph of perimeter players.

[bhlloy]

Yeah, really seems like there are two ways to look at this series. One is that the Bulls did an awesome job taking the defending champions to seven games. The other is that the Celtics are hugely weakened without Garnett (and his backup), didn't play to their best and any team that was semi-decently coached would have wrapped it up in 5.

The best thing for this Bulls team IMO is that Gordon leaves, and they get an experienced coach to mentor Rose, Thomas and Noah. Seems like they have a great young core of players, but some of Vinny's decisions in this series were just bizarre. How many minutes did Lindsay Hunter play again?

[RainMaker]

I think the Celtics are still the 2nd best team in the conference even without Garnett. I just think the Bulls were a really bad matchup for them based on their style of play.

[bulletsponge]

my bold prediction for next season: Vinny DelNegro will be fired before the end of next season

[Coffee Warlord]

my bold prediction for next season: Vinny DelNegro will be fired before the end of next season

Can we make that 'Vinny will be fired now?', please?

[miami_fan]

Yeah, really seems like there are two ways to look at this series. One is that the Bulls did an awesome job taking the defending champions to seven games. The other is that the Celtics are hugely weakened without Garnett (and his backup), didn't play to their best and any team that was semi-decently coached would have wrapped it up in 5.

The best thing for this Bulls team IMO is that Gordon leaves, and they get an experienced coach to mentor Rose, Thomas and Noah. Seems like they have a great young core of players, but some of Vinny's decisions in this series were just bizarre. How many minutes did Lindsay Hunter play again?

The best thing for the Bulls will be if they learn from the mistakes of a couple of years ago. Good young team coming off a playoff sweep against the defending champs (Heat) and a 4-2 series lost against the Pistons. All of a sudden, they are trying to trade half the team for Kobe, guys were turning down contracts etc. Hopefully they build on this performance.

[Passacaglia]

So a lot of weekdays had 3 games going on, but on the weekend we get one game on Saturday and two on Sunday? What genius let this happen?

[whomario]

Chris Andersen is sporting like the most ridiculous haircut ever, that Gel-Hawk is hideous ... Totally changed the game with his energy though, could be that the Mavs were busy laughing ... :p

In related news, Nuggets and Mavs is close right now at the half. Got Anthony in foul trouble held to 4 points in 11 minutes. And Billups hasn´t got going yet as well with only 3. Nene though has been a beast with 18.
Nuggets go from 16-24 to 51-47 in the 2nd quarter.

And Atlanta advances behing an efficient 27/5/4 with 5 steals and just 1 TO on 11/19 FG by Joe Johnson. Made 6 of 8 thress. Smith was pretty good as well today.
The Heat were a typical one-man-operation tonight and Wade couldn´t come through enough to make it work, they basically ran the same play over and over and over ... Made the Trail Blazers look creative.

[whomario]

some of the shots Nowitzki sinks are just sick, other players that height would like twist an ankle or snap their back taking those off-balance fadeshots off of one leg.

And a 7 footer taking 20 shots a game while handling the ball all the time and being doubled constantly shouldn´t be able to average below 2 TOpg ...

Nice run by the Mavs with Kidd hitting his shots, came back from down 10 now to go up 2.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Quirky stat from the Hawks-Heat series
There were only 15 lead changes in seven games -- not one of them after the opening period.

[DeToxRox]

Quirky stat from the Hawks-Heat series

Admittedly I didn't watch any of this series but based off the stats this seems to be the worst seven game series in any sport ever. Just fascinating how it went.

[Big Fo]

Awesome first half from Orlando. Keeping big leads was a problem against the 76ers though so this one isn't over. Marbury was Boston's best guy in the first half.

[DaddyTorgo]

C's looking VERY lifeless tonight. Not surprising - I will give them the first half of game 2 to see if they've got energy and some type of plan to contain orlando

[Big Fo]

JJ Redick makes it a 28 point lead. This is beautiful.

[DaddyTorgo]

JJ Redick makes it a 28 point lead. This is beautiful.

C's are exhausted AND they just don't have the horses to keep up with orlando i think, even if they weren't all tired (emotionally and physically)

[Big Fo]

What did I say about Orlando and holding leads. Down to 16.

[Big Fo]

Reddick had all ball there. Might as well let Usain Bolt be an NBA point guard if all you have to do is run fast and barge into people to get calls.

[Galaxy]

The Celtics are certainly making this interesting.

[Easy Mac]

I don't think I've seen a made Fg in the 4th quarter

[DaddyTorgo]

wow - the C's aren't making it easy (if they'd hit shots they'd be ahead by now) but it's now 89-83 magic with 2:40 to go!!!

could be another tight finish!

[DaddyTorgo]

2 mins to go, 4pt lead with orlando...6 now with 1:47 to go

[DaddyTorgo]

lol

4pt game and orlando commits an 8 second violation with 35 seconds left

ray allen just had a 3 rattle and fall off the rim that woulda cut it to 1 right before

[Big Fo]

Boston fans with the audacity to criticize the reffing after this second half :lol:

[larrymcg421]

How the fuck is that not a foul on Howard? Seriously, I'd like to hear an explanation as to why that's not a foul.

[Easy Mac]

Because it wasnt?

[whomario]

How the fuck is that not a foul on Howard? Seriously, I'd like to hear an explanation as to why that's not a foul.

If a defender goes straight up and stays in "his area" there can be as much contact as you want as long as it´s not by the hand. It gets whistled a lot, but it shouldn´t by the rules and it didn´t this time. Fair Call.