Yay, It's the 2010 NBA Playoffs thread!

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Kodos

What station is the game on?

ESPN.

[Kodos]

Is it possible it's blacked out here in CT? ESPN isn't even showing up in my channel guide (DirecTV).

[SirFozzie]

doubt it. There's no local broadcast

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Is it possible it's blacked out here in CT? ESPN isn't even showing up in my channel guide (DirecTV).

Don't worry about it - for all intents and purposes it seems to be over.

[Kodos]

I've noticed this other nights. ESPN is just gone. Luckily I only marginally care. More interested in the Suns - Lakers series. Just kinda strange that ESPN has disappeared.

[SirFozzie]

Second time the refs have become the story in this series. It's games like this that give Tim Donaghy any undeserved audience. If they're not bribed, they're doing a damn good job of acting like it.

[jeff061]

If they blow a 3-0 series the refs don't factor in the discussion. If they don't it doesn't matter.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I've noticed this other nights. ESPN is just gone. Luckily I only marginally care. More interested in the Suns - Lakers series. Just kinda strange that ESPN has disappeared.

In case you're interested enough & can get it, the game appears to be on ESPN 3 tonight
Watch Live Streaming Sports Online - ESPN3

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Second time the refs have become the story in this series. It's games like this that give Tim Donaghy any undeserved audience. If they're not bribed, they're doing a damn good job of acting like it.

He called Dan Patrick earlier this week or late last week when both series were 2-0 and said that they would both be tied at 2 because the NBA will instruct the refs on what they want called.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

He called Dan Patrick earlier this week or late last week when both series were 2-0 and said that they would both be tied at 2 because the NBA will instruct the refs on what they want called.

Well, he didn't count on the Magic quitting in Game 3.

[jeff061]

Well... the NBA also wants a Lakers/Celts finals. So we're fucking set!

[Kodos]

Just so people don't think I'm crazy. ESPN is channel 206. But its' gone, baby, gone.

[SirFozzie]

And now RONDO gets a T by Joey Crawford?

[SirFozzie]

Please tell me that wasn't a Howard Elbow that put Big Baby out.

[RainMaker]

Howard is a dirty player. Tough to tell if he came down on purpose. Though Celtics fans shouldn't be complaining since you guy have Rondo.

[Big Fo]

Howard takes many more cheap shots than he dishes out.

[Neon_Chaos]

What the fuck Pierce. I hope someone breaks his leg.

[BishopMVP]

I don't think the Howard elbow on Davis was dirty at all... I do think grabbing Pierce's elbow on the way down earlier was. (Of course Pierce just got away with a flagrant too.)

I'm pretty sure the NBA will rescind that technical on Perkins and he'll be available for game 6.

[BishopMVP]

I don't even know if the refs are biased tonight, but now they're just making horrible calls on both ends.

[DaddyTorgo]

this isn't even watchable at this point - it's ridiculous

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I disagree completely and would argue it is the least important in basketball.

I've always heard anecdotally the exact opposite, that it matters more in basketball. Some googling turned up:

Which sport has the biggest home field advantage?

Not the most scientific thing in the world but for the 2005-2008 regular seasons in all four sports the home team won in the NBA way way more than in any other sport.

[DaddyTorgo]

Davis and Marquis Daniels BOTH have concussions??

WTF

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Radii

I've always heard anecdotally the exact opposite, that it matters more in basketball. Some googling turned up:

Which sport has the biggest home field advantage?

Not the most scientific thing in the world but for the 2005-2008 regular seasons in all four sports the home team won in the NBA way way more than in any other sport.

I'm surprised the numbers were so low for the NBA.

Back in college I was part of a group doing a presentation in a sports psychology class and for part of it we talked about home-field/court advantage and how it varies between various pro sports. The NBA percentage was in the mid-60s (this was years ago, so no data from 2005-2008 though I forget the exact years).

[Big Fo]

Well Orlando might lose game six but at least they didn't get completely embarrassed like I thought they would after game three. It's still going to be hard for them to win the series, I have a feeling Boston will come out strong on Friday night (and they'll have Perkins, one of those technical fouls will be rescinded).

[MikeVic]

We need a more physical NBA back.

[Neon_Chaos]

An Orlando-Phoenix finals would be... wierd.

[Neon_Chaos]

If Orlando does come back to win Games 6 and 7, improbable and unlikely as it may seem, Boston will have had experienced the "down 3-0 comeback" phenomenon in the three major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL) it could happen.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

If Orlando does come back to win Games 6 and 7, improbable and unlikely as it may seem, Boston will have had experienced the "down 3-0 comeback" phenomenon in the three major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL) it could happen.

And if that happens, the city of Boston will, somehow, have succeeded in once again making it all about Boston.

Should we talk about Orlando's historic achievement? About Vince Carter (!) making the NBA finals and how he might handle the pressure? About the Orlando/L.A. rematch (or, Dwight Howard/Steve Nash too-bad-one-of-them-has-to-lose series)?

No. Let's not talk about any of that. Let's get the usual talking heads to put what happened in its proper context vis-a-vis the Red Sox.

FWIW, I have a feeling that Ray Allen will end up with one of those "you can't stop me games" in game 6 and Boston will win by 15, so it will be a moot point.

[jeff061]

Boston is more important than Orlando.

[TroyF]

Been traveling and haven't had any time to post. My thoughts on the Conference Finals thus far:

1) I'm stunned that Orlando tanked game 3 the way they did. It was a truly disgusting effort. I've thought all along they were the better team and they may be the better team. But to tank a game the way they did is disgusting.

2) I don't see them getting by game 6 without them being unbelievably hot from the three point line. The Celtics are going to bring in Friday night. Perkins will play. Rondo is going to give his best defensive effort of the series. Garnett is going to be more aggressive. And I think the Celtics are going to get a crapload of calls. But if Orlando is hot from the three point line, they'll be in it to the finish. I do still think they are the better team. I also think they deserve to lose the series.

3) The Celtics are fascinating to watch. They win ugly better than anyone I've seen since the Pistons. The prettier the game is, the more trouble they have. FWIW, Rondo has become one of my top 10 players to watch in this league over these playoffs. Paul Pierce has become one of my least favorite players in the league. That says nothing about him as a player, he's sensational with his all around game. he's just a drama queen. I'm also STUNNED and I do mean STUNNED he got away the flagrant last night. The officiating sucks, we all know that. But how do you miss a call where the guy is intentionally TRYING to get one? And then they call Perkins for two ridiculous T's. (I think the first will still stand, the second is getting rescinded.

4) As with the Magic, the Suns didn't play at all like themselves the first two games of the series. The difference was they lost both in LA, so they didn't decide to tank the series. Kobe has been nothing short of sensational all series. He's controlling the game better than I've ever seen him do it. That's both scary for LA and for the Suns. I think this string of every other day is going to get to Kobe and he won't hit every shot in the universe in one of the next two games. The question then becomes: Can the Suns win that game he does? I still believe the Suns need to finish the series out in 6.

5) Maybe it's just me, but when the Lakers have Gasol and Bryant in the game, running the offense through anyone else is criminal and should be punished by taser. The commentators talked up the Suns defense in the fourth quarter the other night, but they got a lot of help from the Lakers. Seriously, the Suns have their five subs in and Fisher throws the ball to Odom who shoots? Or Fisher shoots without passing?

6) Has any Laker ever seen a zone defense before? Gasol and Artest have had their moments of getting to the free throw line extended and making passes or shots. Kobe is getting assists, but I'm still not thrilled with his shot selection a lot of the time either. (of course, when Kobe is as hot as he's been, it doesn't matter where he shoots from) They took 33 threes the first two games of the series. They took 60 in the last two games. The bench has been the main culprit, going 4 for 20 from the three point line the last two games.

Beyond the shot selection, it's also like they have no clue how to rebound against a zone either. The first two games they combined for 24 offensive rebounds. The last two they've had 22 total offensive rebounds. So essentially the Lakers aren't penalizing the Suns at all for the use of the zone. They are taking the shots the Suns want them to take and aren't punishing them with extra chances either. And this is with Kobe hitting a ridiculous 28-46 shots during the time frame.

The Lakers have talked about how poor their defense has been the last two games and how the zone took away their defensive game plan. OK, I can buy that a little. But the offense has been horrible and it will need to get fixed before the start of play tonight.

[jeff061]

The Celtics are fascinating to watch. They win ugly better than anyone I've seen since the Pistons. The prettier the game is, the more trouble they have.

They win by causing frustration, which in turn causes the ugliness. If they can't get in their heads or can't smother them early on they'll have a tougher time with the pretty game.

As for Pierce, yeah I don't think you'd see many people disagree with you there. I wouldn't like the flopper's games either if I wasn't a Celt fan. But he helps my team win .

[molson]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

And if that happens, the city of Boston will, somehow, have succeeded in once again making it all about Boston.

A cities' two winter teams blowing 3-0 leads in the same season would be pretty noteworthy. I'm sure that fans of the Celtics and Bruins will find that more noteworthy than Vince Carter. If everybody else wants to talk about Vince Carter - nothing's stopping you. But nobody gives a shit about Vince Carter, so I don't think that'll happen.

It's just one city. I understand it's obsession with it's teams, but I don't understand yours.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

If everybody else wants to talk about Vince Carter - nothing's stopping you. But nobody gives a shit about Vince Carter, so I don't think that'll happen.

+1

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Radii

I've always heard anecdotally the exact opposite, that it matters more in basketball. Some googling turned up:

Which sport has the biggest home field advantage?

Not the most scientific thing in the world but for the 2005-2008 regular seasons in all four sports the home team won in the NBA way way more than in any other sport.

yeah, I remember seeing that, I just wonder if there are other factors such as dominant teams like the Lakers, Cavs, etc... that go 37-4 at home and mess up the curve.

I'm not saying home court doesn't matter, just seems like the other 3 sports have more concrete reasons why home court would matter more.

[TroyF]

I don't have time to do a full study of the playoffs, but I did do one team where I knew the splits were ridiculous.

7 home games - 29 FTA - 27 FTA 7-0 record
7 road games - 20 FTA - 35 FTA 3-4 record

That's the Lakers splits this post season. The Lakers play a physical brand of basketball. They go over the back often and have some guys who love to thug it up. I mentioned in this thread about Derek Fisher grabbing guys on every screen and roll. In games 1 and 2 he is called for 5 total fouls. In games 3 and 4 he is called for 10. (5 each game)

Do I think the crowd and home floor has something to do with that? Of course I do. I'd be surprised if Fisher were called for more than 3 fouls tonight and yet if you TIVO'd the games and watched them side by side, I don't think you'd see a vastly different player.

The Lakers can also complain. I don't know if it's a combination of their lousy road play or the refs managing the game to keep other teams in it, but if you take out one game in Utah, the total is a mind boggling 38-18 against on FTA away from Staples in the other six games.

[Logan]

Yeah if I'm a fan of a team that blows a 3-0 series lead, and I try to make the argument that my team didn't suck and that the other team played so well and deserved to win...just shoot me in my fucking homer face.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Just so people don't think I'm crazy. ESPN is channel 206. But its' gone, baby, gone.

We still think you're crazy. But it does also appear gremlins have made off with your ESPN.

SI

[SirFozzie]

Well, one of the bullshit technicals was rescinded. So the NBA refereeing is not complete crap, just mostly crap.

[Neon_Chaos]

A good point from an old Bill Simmon's podcast though: if these Nba refs are bad, where are the good ones? Sadly, the guys officiating the Nba are probably the best in basketball.

Of course that makes me sad.

[jeff061]

We can only hope they strike and the NBA fires them.

It's an attitude problem more than an ability one.

[TroyF]

These ARE good ones. They are CHOOSING to make calls that are personality based, team based and superstar based. Good leadership fixes most of the problems that are in the league. I'm not saying they'll be perfect, but they'll be a hell of a lot better than what is being put out there now when Stern goes bye-bye.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by jeff061

We can only hope they strike and the NBA fires them.

It's an attitude problem more than an ability one.

I don't want any personality out of my refs. The only reason I should know their name is because of their jacked arms from doing 500 pushups at halftime. Joey Crawford, Dick Bavetta, Bill Kennedy, etc, should all be gone. The numbers Bill Simmons dropped about the Mavericks disparity with certain officials are a travesty for the sport.

[Logan]

That was a good podcast/article...I remember being amazed upon hearing that aspiring refs have to pay for the opportunity to try out.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Logan

That was a good podcast/article...I remember being amazed upon hearing that aspiring refs have to pay for the opportunity to try out.

Ain't nothing but gold diggers.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Well, one of the bullshit technicals was rescinded. So the NBA refereeing is not complete crap, just mostly crap.

Oh, the refereeing is still complete crap.

It's just that the highers-up have more than two brain cells to rub together on occasion.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that their sanity in any way reflects upon the whistle wielders.

[Lathum]

mmm, Gentry yaking on the bench, nice.

[Radii]

This is great, come on Phoenix!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Radii

This is great, come on Phoenix!

+1. Rooting for Phoenix to end Kobe's season.

[Eaglesfan27]

Have to love Artest.

[Radii]

hahaha the crowd reaction as Artest took that 3 was priceless.