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Official April NBA thread of.... title has been dealt for NY's 2015 first rounder

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R

Raging Spaniard

If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
Ninja Scooter said:
Hey you can't blame Fish. He's getting old and the game moves so fast. Sometimes you have less than a second to react and make a move...sometimes far less than one second...sometimes .4 seconds.
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Damn, cant come back from that, sorry Spurs fans.
 
R

reilo

learning some important life lessons from magical Negroes
Ninja Scooter said:
Lebron is pretty clumsy with the basketball when it comes to his handles. A lot of times when he does that step back ISO move (also known as Mike Brown's bread and butter) you notice he has to look at the ball while he's dribbling it? Sign of poor hand/eye coordination. He's lucky he's so strong and fast that defenders are too scared to play him tight.
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Good luck playing Lebron tight and not get whistled.
 
J

Jeff-DSA

Member
reilo said:
Good luck playing Lebron tight and not get whistled.
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Easier than playing Durant at all. You get within shouting distance of Durant and he's going to the line. Heck, he's typically shooting two foul shouts before the opening tip because someone high fives him and it looks like a shooting foul.
 
K

KingGondo

Banned
Jeff-DSA said:
Easier than playing Durant at all. You get within shouting distance of Durant and he's going to the line. Heck, he's typically shooting two foul shouts before the opening tip because someone high fives him and it looks like a shooting foul.
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Bitter+Tears.jpg
 
K

KingGondo

Banned
dIEHARD said:
I wish i had a cool name like Matt Mattson.
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Maybe he's a Viking, as in "Matt, son of Matt." Pretty badass.

My parents almost gave me a first name that's very similar to my last, thank god they didn't.
 
J

Jamesfrom818

Banned
KingGondo said:
Maybe he's a Viking, as in "Matt, son of Matt." Pretty badass.

My parents almost gave me a first name that's very similar to my last, thank god they didn't.
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I don't know about you but Gonzo Gondo sounds awesome.
 
Kibbles

Kibbles

Member
I know I'm lttp on this one, but damn...

I missed boguts injury by a minute or two and they wouldn't replay it. I just today saw it featured on YouTube and omfg. That was painful just to watch, I can't imagine the pain he was going through. Sickening seeing that.
 
G

giri

Member
chaoticprout said:
Do you idiots seriously think Kobe isn't worth a max. What the FUCK is wrong with you
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This year, he is.

But if you all can't see the obvious wear and tear on him that playing so many minutes has had, and the decline in his game due to that and the injuries that he can't just shake off anymore (maybe he will this off season, who knows), and think that in 3 years he'll be worth 30mil than you're just living in denial.

He'll be the 2013 version of Fisher, he'll be on the court as a motivational speaker.
 
N

numble

Member
giri said:
This year, he is.

But if you all can't see the obvious wear and tear on him that playing so many minutes has had, and the decline in his game due to that and the injuries that he can't just shake off anymore (maybe he will this off season, who knows), and think that in 3 years he'll be worth 30mil than you're just living in denial.

He'll be the 2013 version of Fisher, he'll be on the court as a motivational speaker.
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There's a business aspect to the game as well. The Lakers make over double the money that the Clippers make, and a large part of that is due to Kobe. Philly wouldn't have resigned AI if they didn't think they could sell tickets. The Lakers have been pulling over $200 million a year, while the Clippers make $100 million. The 2 years Kobe brought the Smush-era Lakers to the playoffs netted Buss an extra $20 million alone ($4 million ticket revenue per playoff home game)--this was when Kobe was being paid less than 20 million and less than TMac. The Lakers would be over the cap regardless of whether he's being paid 30, 20, or 15. Kobe has helped make Buss a lot of money, so why not pay him?
 
G

Gigglepoo

Member
giri said:
This year, he is.

But if you all can't see the obvious wear and tear on him that playing so many minutes has had, and the decline in his game due to that and the injuries that he can't just shake off anymore (maybe he will this off season, who knows), and think that in 3 years he'll be worth 30mil than you're just living in denial.

He'll be the 2013 version of Fisher, he'll be on the court as a motivational speaker.
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He's one of the greatest players ever and a four-time champion. He deserves the maximum even when he's past his prime.
 
G

giri

Member
numble said:
There's a business aspect to the game as well. The Lakers make over double the money that the Clippers make, and a large part of that is due to Kobe. Philly wouldn't have resigned AI if they didn't think they could sell tickets. The Lakers have been pulling over $200 million a year, while the Clippers make $100 million. The 2 years Kobe brought the Smush-era Lakers to the playoffs netted Buss an extra $20 million alone ($4 million ticket revenue per playoff home game)--this was when Kobe was being paid less than 20 million and less than TMac. The Lakers would be over the cap regardless of whether he's being paid 30, 20, or 15. Kobe has helped make Buss a lot of money, so why not pay him?
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I don't really care either way, but i don't think it's the hands down decision some laker fans are declaring to have been. One way, buss will probably have a team similar to this years celtics in 3 years. The other, he'll be making roughly just as much money by keeping kobe on. It does postpone any rebuilding by 1 or 2 years though. And that team doesn't have any young talent (nor should they with their record recently, too good for too long).
 
S

Spooks

Member
Though the Cavs are not publicly talking about it, the belief within the locker room is that team doctors could clear O'Neal to play within a week. He's five weeks off his thumb surgery now, which is ahead of the 6-8 week window the team placed on the injury. But recent tests have indicated O'Neal's thumb has healed quickly and well.
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Great news. I say let him come back for the Cavs last two games and work off some rust.

Damn I'm ready for the playoffs.
 
O

obijkenobi

Member
Random question. Does anyone have a gif/video of Dirk kicking the exercise bike after choking against the Heat in the finals?
 
G

giga

Member
Dexvex said:
you got smith,zoubeck,scheyer,and hayward.
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Smith could possibly develop into a backup PG but that's about it from that group. None of those guys are NBA level.
 
S

shibby

Member
This should go in the NCAA thread, but fuck it, another quote to add to the Bill Simmons pantheon of greatness

In all seriousness, Duke -360 is the lock of the year tonight. There is absolutely no way they can lose. I've never felt better about a bet.
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G

Gigglepoo

Member
shibby said:
This should go in the NCAA thread, but fuck it, another quote to add to the Bill Simmons pantheon of greatness
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You missed one:

Simmons said:
I'm betting on Duke, I have a Duke avatar... How else can I jinx them? Any suggestions? I should have written a pro-Duke column today.
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S

shibby

Member
Dammit, didn't see that. This stuff is win-win for him. Now he can just write off a terrible prediction as a reverse jinx.
 
K

Karakand

Member
dIEHARD said:
Kobe making $30.45 million in 13-14 :lol :lol
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It rules the Lakers are at the cap already for that season and they've only got 3 players on the roster. Mitch Kupchak, NBA genius.

Not that I don't mind sucking for a season so that Kobe can be a one club man.
 
N

numble

Member
giri said:
I don't really care either way, but i don't think it's the hands down decision some laker fans are declaring to have been. One way, buss will probably have a team similar to this years celtics in 3 years. The other, he'll be making roughly just as much money by keeping kobe on. It does postpone any rebuilding by 1 or 2 years though. And that team doesn't have any young talent (nor should they with their record recently, too good for too long).
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And the Lakers would make even more money if they just paid him the vet's minimum, but that's not how it works. We probably could've had MJ and the Bulls for a couple of more years if the Bulls ownership wasn't constantly fighting MJ and Phil Jackson about money issues. Manu is being offered 13 million Euros (worth more than USD and they play much fewer games) to play for Real Madrid and Shaq has been making 20+ million by playing only 50-60 games the past decade or so.
 
J

Justin Timberlake

Member
Bishman said:
Can someone post the entire article for this: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100405
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Has a No. 1 seed ever been an underdog in the first round?

Not yet, but maybe soon. If the Lakers draw San Antonio in the first round, which could happen, one would be hard pressed to come up with a good reason to endorse them after the shellacking the Spurs handed them Sunday. Mind you, San Antonio's dominating effort -- the second time it has thumped the Lakers this season -- came despite playing the second half without either of its point guards.

We've written off the Spurs on multiple occasions during the course of this season, and apparently we've been wrong every time. San Antonio is 16-6 since embarrassing back-to-back losses against Philadelphia and Detroit, and has done it against a brutal stretch of schedule that featured 11 games against likely 50-win teams.

The past six games have been particularly impressive. Or rather, five of them -- the other was a loss to New Jersey. Ugh. But make a list of the league's top contenders. Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers and Boston definitely would be on the short list. In fact, those were by far the league's most powerful teams a year ago and thought by most to be the top four entering this season.

So the fact that the Spurs beat all four of them in the past week and beat three of them convincingly warrants our attention.

In fact, the Spurs now are the No. 1 team in the West in Monday's Power Rankings, moving past Utah after the Jazz slipped Friday night in L.A. Thanks to the 19-point win over L.A., the Spurs joined Utah in passing the Lakers in the scoring margin category; over the past quarter of their schedule, the Spurs are a scintillating plus-8.6 despite playing the league's third-hardest schedule in that span. (Incidentally, the Spurs aren't the only potential first-round opponent to outrank L.A. -- Portland also moved ahead of it in the Power Rankings this weekend.)

Of course, I should have listened more to the Power Rankings the whole time. They had the Spurs consistently rated in the league's top eight even as the rest of us dismissed their title hopes and made snide remarks about their record against winning teams.

That perception has changed almost overnight, and as our J.A. Adande points out, Manu Ginobili has been a huge reason why. Want to know how good Ginobili has been of late? Consider this nugget: He's moved up to ninth in the league in the Player Efficiency Ratings, ahead of Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. He's 32 and brittle, but the past two months have been the best stretch of his entire career.

In fact, only two players on Western Conference playoff teams outrank Ginobili -- and only one of them, Kevin Durant, isn't a Spur. The other is Tim Duncan, who is still fifth despite battling sore knees. That said, it appears the season is wearing out Duncan -- if you look at his splits, his numbers have steadily declined each month. Yet he felt spry enough to register 24 points and 11 rebounds against L.A., and if he's a second banana to Ginobili, that's a pretty darned good Plan B.

San Antonio's secondary players also have picked it up, particularly Richard Jefferson and George Hill. Jefferson shot 54.5 percent in March and seems to be picking his spots much better, while Hill erupted for 16.5 points per game on 50.5 percent shooting in the month after replacing Tony Parker at the point. Matt Bonner has been lighting it up, too, making up for a disappointing stretch from Antonio McDyess.

Ginobili is about to take on an even bigger role during the crucial push for seeding this week. He's likely to split the point guard duties with Roger Mason (D-League call-ups Garrett Temple and Curtis Jerrells also could see time) until Parker returns, which isn't expected to happen until at least April 12 and might not occur until the first game of the playoffs. Similarly, Hill's return date is an open question after what looked like a bad ankle sprain Sunday.

San Antonio currently has the No. 6 position in the West but conceivably could move into the top four and earn home-court advantage in the first round. The tough remaining schedule could help the Spurs, as they still have games against three teams they're trying to pass: Phoenix, Denver and Dallas.

If they split the first two and beat Dallas, a division championship is still a possibility -- they would own the tiebreaker based on division record. The Playoff Odds gave them only an 8 percent shot at doing so heading into the weekend, but after they beat Orlando and L.A. in succession, that's up to 27.5 percent. It's still unlikely, in other words, but it's on the table.

On the other hand, it's pretty easy to see them losing those three tough road games without a point guard. If so, they'll be heading back to Staples Center for Round 1.

But that's the thing about these Spurs: Almost any outcome seems possible. As spectacularly as they're playing, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the team is built on a shaky foundation. Ginobili's reckless style often leaves him battered and bruised, so there's no telling how long he's going to keep up his recent run of dominance. Duncan has bad knees, Parker has been bothered by a foot problem all season and will have to be reincorporated on the fly during the playoffs, and Hill's ankle adds yet another question mark. Does this sound like a formula for winning four straight series on the road?

All of which means the Spurs are the league's most intriguing team as we head into the final week. On paper, they're playing unbelievably well, and it's high time we took notice. One can make a convincing argument that at full strength, they're the best team in the West, and every bit the equal of Cleveland and Orlando.

The rub is the "at full strength" part. San Antonio hasn't been that way for much of the regular season, and one should retain a healthy skepticism about its ability to be that way through a grueling two-month playoff run.

Sum it all up, and the Spurs are this postseason's ultimate wild card. We've ignored them all season, but as we head into the Western Conference playoffs, the Spurs are the one team to which we should be paying extra attention.
 
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