[lawlohwhat]

Where the fuck was this tenacity in the 2nd/3rd quarter?

[Darkman M]

I left to get an ice cream sandwich and returned to a close game. What happened?

Dallas being Dallas.

[Sho_Nuff82]

Why isn't Marion in this game?

Peja hit a 3 that one time.

[StickSoldier]

Really makes no sense how Marion wasn't brought in with Kidd. Peja has been terrible tonight. WTF. Marion has been very good lately against Portland. They need him. Game slipping away.

It's how RC rolls. He likes to kill momentum.

[Mutagenic]

Come on, Portland. Force game 7.

[dIEHARD]

this is seriously just hilarious

[The Chosen One]

Unbelievable... another epic Dallas meltdown in progress...

[numble]

lulz

[Resilient]

wow.

[snack]

Wow.

[Pkaz01]

Mavs shoot some fucking bail out threes but it wont stop the choke

[Sho_Nuff82]

SOMEONE GRAB A REBOUND

[threenote]

game suddenly became fun.

yep. i love close games.

[reilo]

Wtf no foul?!?'

[Gigglepoo]

Carlisle is horrible.

Only at coaching

[dream]

Stop fucking around and go to Batum.

[Darkman M]

Terry being Terry.

[zero margin]

Mavs can't miss

[Pkaz01]

3 chances and they cant score, mavs hitting some big shots

[thekad]

3 chances and they cant score

Terry being Terry.

Portland being Portland.

[Blackface]

A lot of the problems you list will be the result of limiting salaries, possibly even reducing current contracts. The NBA has an easy time fractioning the player base. All they got to do is reduce the slice of the total pie by taking most of it from the top end salaries, but guaranteeing higher salaries for the low end. Max goes from $18 million to $13 million but the $6 mil MLE becomes $6.5 million. Cutting out a year from contracts will help too. There might be protections thrown in like franchise tag of some variety for smaller market teams. Then some revenue sharing. Regarding Bynum for Dwight, we are all mostly joking. but, Bynum is only 23, he is young. orlando, IMO, would definitely take him if they HAVE TO lose Dwight. And his contract is very short term by then. And the salaries will match under any system, the current CBA or the next one. Of course it would have to be a S&T and not a FA signing outright. But very few guys do move as FA. Bron and Bosh were traded, too. But whatever happens, teams like the Lakers will be protected with an ability to stay powerhouses (assuming they don't do anything stupid). Stern won't kill his league's strength.

The debate with your method is, is it the players, the market.

If you took the Lakers team of the past 12 years, and put it in Cleavland, would it make close to as money for the league?

Almost all signs point to-outside of three teams on the top end, and four teams on the low-end-they all have potential to make BANK.

New York, LA and Chicago are the only big market teams that can make substantially more then any other city in basketball. Where as Minny, Memphis, NO and Milwuake, even if they made it to the NBA finals, would stay close to the bottom.

Every other team in the middle fluctuates.

What this means is the NBA does not need to protect large markets. Even if those large markets don't win, they still make money.

in 2009 NY, LA and Chicago were still the top 3 money makers. Even though two of the three were not good teams. 2007, 2008 the same thing. In 2006, Chicago only dropped to fourth.

So in reality, there is more potential for money to be made by protecting the middle of the pack teams, and turning them into good teams, then there is protecting LA, NY or Chicago. They will always make money, so they don't need help from the league.

This can be seen with the Cav's. Who were one draft away from filing for bankruptcy, then they got Lebron. Lebron took them for bankrupt to one of the top 5 most valuable franchises in the NBA. All the while, NY, LA and Chicago still brought in lots of money.

So no, the league won't protect the large markets. They don't need them to be good, they just need them to make money. Two of the three largest markets have proven to make money even when they are bad. The only way the Lakers wouldn't be in the same boat, is if they have awful, embarrassing, bandwagon fans (like Cleavland). I don't think this is the case.

The league knowds this. So the league is going to put in rules that protect all the middle teams. If they can get teams like Toronto and Philli winning, it will bring more money to the league then making a place like Chicago a winner. Simply because the profit increase from going number 3/4 to number 1 (in Chicago's case) is much smaller then going frrom 10/12 to top 5 (in Toronto's case).

[Branduil]

Where the fuck was this tenacity in the 2nd/3rd quarter?

They weren't being guarded by the Barea/Terry/Peja/Dirk/Haywood lineup during those quarters.

[Resilient]

Mavs don't look like they're gonna leave Rose Garden without a win. Believe.

[Pkaz01]

Can you take the essays to the off season thread?

[Black Mamba]

trax - the ratings say otherwise. QED


wtf is this music for the montage, here. awful.

[dream]

that was of text is like nba-age's version of refs taking 5 minutes to review a call

[TheKaeptain]

Why does blackface hate the lakers? I've never seen anyone just go on about a team.

[SamuraiX-]

Jeez, Mathews has been absolute shit.

[Bishman]

Dallas needs to close this game out!

[charsace]

Fernandez is a joke. He's not even looking to shoot he's so demoralized. Ship em out.

Remember when you guys said he wasn't worth a first from the knicks? I wouldn't give up a second for him right now.

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Wow refs.

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Is Dallas going to find a way to lose this?

[Branduil]

That was a pretty terrible call.

[thekad]

refs lol

[NomarTyme]

Wtf is dirk doing. His best impression of pau.

[Black Mamba]

don't think i agree with either of the last 2 calls...

[Style Fox]

Feels like the refs are giving the Blazers some home calls but they can't capitalize and just take the lead.

[linsivvi]

trax - the ratings say otherwise. QED

He has no clue. Stern wants the NBA to overtake football, in particular the English Premier League as the #1 sport in the world. The international market for the premier leagues are mostly the traditional powerhouses like MU and Liverpool, and the NBA would need that if they want to replace them.

[Sho_Nuff82]

I love that Kidd and Dirk can't run a real pick and roll because Kidd can't drive.

LOL Terry

[Bumblebeetuna]

Offensive foul on Dirk LOL. Charge with the shoulder too. Portland 4th quarter refs showing up again.

[SamuraiX-]

Lineup right now should be

Roy
Wallace
Batum
LMA
Camby

No idea why Nate played Matthews 34 minutes tonight.

[ianswoody]

Just the past two have been home calls. Refs have been missing on both sides. The last Dallas collapse made me sick, literally. I might die if it happens again.

[Gigglepoo]

The hell is Terry doing?

[Style Fox]

How is that a turnover and not Durant last night?

[Pkaz01]

My god dallas loooooool terry

[numble]

lulz

[dream]

Wow, that's terrible.

[aznpxdd]

Terry.jpg

[Resilient]

Jesus, what was that seriously.

[Black Mamba]

5th foul on Dirk for what? They say he pushed?

like to see a replay of that one.