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Official NBA 2008 PLAYOFFS Thread Of Second Round Virgins

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I didn't post it to single him out as a hypocrite, I didn't see him complaining about calls after this game. Just posting it for the hordes of Bandwagon haters that came out of the woodwork after the last game when Lakers fans were complaining about the refs. Strange enough they haven't shown up after this game. :lol
 
Ninja Scooter said:
he has "CHOSEN1" in bigass letters tattooed across his back, and the word "Witness" down his leg, and you're just now realizing he's full of himself?

He enjoyed calling himself "King James" in fucking high school, for crying out loud. Kid has been full of himself for year.
 
rc213 said:
I didn't post it to single him out as a hypocrite, I didn't see him complaining about calls after this game. Just posting it for the hordes of Bandwagon haters that came out of the woodwork after the last game when Lakers fans were complaining about the refs. Strange enough they haven't shown up after this game. :lol

Really? He proliferated the whole thread with inane complains throughout the game, to the point that I was seriously thinking about adding him to the ignore list.
 
I just read a bunch of articles speculating on how the NBA could possibly be rigged. A lot of them point to Game 6 of the 2002 WCF.

Did you guys know that in Game 2 of that series, the Kings shot 38 free throws to the Lakers' 25, which is almost the same disparity that the Lakers had in Game 6 (40 to 25)?

It's interesting. Nobody points to Game 2 or Game 5 (where Shaq fouled out and the Kings had a 35-25 FT disparity) as being rigged. It's always Game 6. I think a lot of people just really wanted to see the Lakers lose that year, and when it didn't happen, they seized on this free throw disparity as evidence that the league was rigged, ignoring that Game 2 had almost the exact same disparity going the other way. Yes, I've read the Nader bit, and the Wilbon article. Other than the foul that Bibby committed with his nose, which I admit was a blown call (but it came with 12 seconds left and wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game if it was reversed), the only evidence they present is that Divac and Pollard fouled out against Shaq, as though Shaq didn't routinely foul out opposing centers when he was in his prime.

Ever since that series, it's just refs, refs, refs every time the Lakers win a game and also happen to shoot a lot of free throws. It gets really old and annoying.

Fuck it, the refs don't rig shit. Do they get hypnotized by star players? Yes. Do they see certain players get fouled so often that they call similar looking borderline plays against the guys defending these players? Yes. Do they expect star players to finish layups and dunks after they make a great move to the basket, to the point where they blow the whistle when the star players don't finish? Yes. See the 2006 Finals for a prime example. But this shit isn't rigged.
 
Fuck the dumb shit... calls here and there are not going to make or break a game, but you can see that momentum shift with the quickness when horrible calls are made in succession,

such as boozer getting hacked,
then the sasha bs (a trailing ref making the dumbest call from a distance),
compounded with the Lamar odom and1 when he wasnt touched by boozer who was just laid out a play or two before,
to the pau gasol Offensive foul that wasnt called a little bit after Milsap was called for charging on some bs sliding defender..

People miss calls and give some home cooking, but if you think us as fans are the only ones that get frustrated, imagine how frustrated the player is that is obviously getting no calls from the refs, getting pounded at the same time, all while trying to keep composure to close out a tough game.. the shit makes a difference. you have to be numb to the world to be able to keep your composure.
 
Green Shinobi said:
Bullshit. AK-47 was playing way too close to him, and his arm had a lot to do with Sasha falling. Sasha only shot free throws because the jazz were in the penalty.

You have to be kidding me, Kirilenko didn't even have a pinky on him. It was a straight flop and a terrible call.

A few more?

-Brewer's traveling call as soon as we get it tied (dude didn't even pivot)
-Boozer's traveling call as soon as we get it tied (just a typical drop step move)
-Deron's stepping on the line for an OB call as soon as we get it tied (replay shows he unloaded that ball in time)
-Millsap's charging call for his 4th foul...Gasol was sliding sideways with him and then flopped

I could go on, but I'm just getting pissed again.

Yes, the refs were a major factor in the game. Delaney might as well have put on a Laker's jersey for all it mattered last night.
 
Why even bother pointing out the obvious? If they didnt see it watching the game then that means they dont want to see it. Every single other person that isnt a laker fan, saw how bad that shit was yesterday.
 
And guess what everyone who wasn't a Utah fan saw how the Jazz got away with bs things in the Rockets series.

You Utah fans rock and I thought Jeff would never ever blame the refs.
 
Badly reffed game. Jazz will be compensated for another badly reffed game in game 6. Trick is will the refs let the players play on both sides of the ball in Game 7?

Game 7's should be played in a neutral site. :P
 
J.A. Adande on ESPN said:
Chalk it up to home-court advantage? The Staples Center crowd was vocal at the end, but there were long stretches when the building went quiet as the Jazz stayed uncomfortably close throughout the game -- even if Utah never did manage to take the lead.

The benefits of home were more apparent on the stat sheet: The Lakers enjoyed a 42-28 advantage in free-throw attempts (and that includes the four free throws Bryant shot in the final 10.7 seconds, when the Jazz fouled to stop the clock).

When the Jazz got close to the basket, there was more contact than in a rush-hour crowd shoving into the subway, but rarely a blown whistle. Meanwhile, at the other end, Lamar Odom breezed past Carlos Boozer for a layup and got a gift and-one. And Utah players and coaches are still wondering how Mehmet Okur could wind up sprawling toward the baseline, leaving Pau Gasol alone under the basket for an easy offensive rebound and dunk to put the Lakers ahead by five points with 20.5 seconds remaining.

Yep.

Ok, I'm done whining now. For real. Bring on game 6!
 
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B Leaf
 
Love this Matt Harpring quote, from the Salt Lake Tribune: "Sometimes when you come down the stretch like that, it's who wants the ball more. We've got to get the ball. Those are just hustle plays. They're not going to call fouls like that. You've just got to find a way to come up with the ball."

I agree with this.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
Jazz players won't call out refs. Ever. Sloan would castrate a guy for passing off any accountability.

What are the odds the Jazz get home cooking in game 6, and then Laker fans start calling for a conspiracy/screw job?
 
What the fuck man?

The Jazz had 45 free throw attempts at home in Game 4.

Lakers had 25.

In a game that went to overtime.

So please, stop the whining. Hopefully the Lakers go into the Jazz arena, and execute their fundamentals. Because they've still barely lost in that arena both times and something as simple as making a few free throws or going up hard for a dunk instead of soft can easily make the difference between an Lakers and Jazz victory.
 
In game 4, LA settled for jumpers the whole time and rarely attacked the rim. Last night, Utah made every attempt to get to the rim and they just couldn't get a whistle. That's the difference.
 
Jeff-DSA said:
Jazz players won't call out refs. Ever. Sloan would castrate a guy for passing off any accountability.
It's hilarious though because Phil Jackson complained about the officiating in Utah after Game 2, BEFORE any games had been played in Utah.

He wasn't punished, for some reason.
 
GaimeGuy said:
It's hilarious though because Phil Jackson complained about the officiating in Utah after Game 2, BEFORE any games had been played in Utah.

He wasn't punished, for some reason.

Probably because he has played the Jazz in the playoffs, back in the Delta Center days, and knew that it would be an uphill battle there. Complaining about refs, it's how you win 9 rings! :lol
 
Jeff-DSA said:
You have to be kidding me, Kirilenko didn't even have a pinky on him. It was a straight flop and a terrible call.

A few more?

-Brewer's traveling call as soon as we get it tied (dude didn't even pivot)
-Boozer's traveling call as soon as we get it tied (just a typical drop step move)
-Deron's stepping on the line for an OB call as soon as we get it tied (replay shows he unloaded that ball in time)
-Millsap's charging call for his 4th foul...Gasol was sliding sideways with him and then flopped

I could go on, but I'm just getting pissed again.

Yes, the refs were a major factor in the game. Delaney might as well have put on a Laker's jersey for all it mattered last night.
Dude, you're not being objective at all.

We watched the Sasha fall on Tivo two more times after it happened. AK practically had his hand in Sasha's hip pocket. He's done that his whole career trying to go for steals.

I don't remember the Brewer travel, but Boozer's was a pretty clear travel. Not sure what you wanted the refs to do there. He clearly lifted his pivot foot.

And the out of bounds call? :lol You don't think they were going to call that after they called out of bounds twice against the Lakers?

I don't remember Millsap's foul, so I won't comment on that one. I will comment on the Gasol "uncalled charge" on his dunk that Malleymal mentioned here.

Malleymal said:
to the pau gasol Offensive foul that wasnt called a little bit after Milsap was called for charging on some bs sliding defender..

When is the last time you've seen anyone get called for a charge when they take off for a dunk from near the free throw line? It doesn't happen. 1) the NBA wants to prevent injuries, and 2) the NBA likes poster-type dunks. It's the same as Kobe dunking over Steve Nash in the playoffs two years ago.

The only thing you can maybe complain about is that away from the ball foul when the Jazz were in the penalty, but the refs gave one of those points back with a technical against Sasha five seconds later.

And as for:
Malleymal said:
compounded with the Lamar odom and1 when he wasnt touched by boozer who was just laid out a play or two before,

Made up for the and-1 that should have been called on one of Odom's earlier dunks, but wasn't.

The team that played better last night won, pure and simple.
 
Ninja Scooter said:
he has "CHOSEN1" in bigass letters tattooed across his back, and the word "Witness" down his leg, and you're just now realizing he's full of himself?

What do you expect him to say? His team just lost a crucial game. Do you expect him to say, "Yeah, my team is pretty desperate right now. I don't think we have a chance, really."

The fact of the matter is the Cavs IS his team. The Lakers are Kobe's team. The Mavs are Dirk's team. The Heat are Wade's team. Etc. It goes on and on. You don't want your superstar player laying down and not trying to stay optimistic.

Like Kobe Bryant isn't full of himself. He has a crown tattooed on his arm. He throws his teammates under the bus. He makes demands to management. He bitches on the court everytime he is looked at the wrong way. Yes, but continue overlooking that.

Having some tattoos on your arms with those sayings is egotistical, but I have never once heard Lebron James blast his teammates (former or current) or demand to be traded. But Lakers fans are fine with Kobe doing it.
 
J.A. Adande said:
And Utah players and coaches are still wondering how Mehmet Okur could wind up sprawling toward the baseline, leaving Pau Gasol alone under the basket for an easy offensive rebound and dunk to put the Lakers ahead by five points with 20.5 seconds remaining.
God. Adande needs to watch the replay. At this point, is there anyone who is denying that this was a flop? I doubt the amount of pressure Pau was applying could knock my little sister over.

Absinthe said:
He's a Lakers fan and he's bashing Lebron even though Kobe is worse than Lebron is by a country mile.
If by worse, you mean "better in every aspect of the game except powering through the lane," then yes.

And here's a question: when is the last time you ever heard Kobe talk about himself in a post-game interview? It's always about the team with him, and "execution." An even better question is: when is the last time you heard Kobe give an interview where he didn't talk about "executing our offense?"
 
Absinthe said:
What do you expect him to say? His team just lost a crucial game. Do you expect him to say, "Yeah, my team is pretty desperate right now. I don't think we have a chance, really."

The fact of the matter is the Cavs IS his team. The Lakers are Kobe's team. The Mavs are Dirk's team. The Heat are Wade's team. Etc. It goes on and on. You don't want your superstar player laying down and not trying to stay optimistic.

Like Kobe Bryant isn't full of himself. He has a crown tattooed on his arm. He throws his teammates under the bus. He makes demands to management. He bitches on the court everytime he is looked at the wrong way. Yes, but continue overlooking that.

Having some tattoos on your arms with those sayings is egotistical, but I have never once heard Lebron James blast his teammates (former or current) or demand to be traded. But Lakers fans are fine with Kobe doing it.

That's because it's actually Kobe saying these things.

With Lebron, you already know everything that comes out of his mouth is rehearsed and PR friendly.
 
Absinthe said:
Having some tattoos on your arms with those sayings is egotistical, but I have never once heard Lebron James blast his teammates (former or current) or demand to be traded.
Give the young man some time to develop. He's still got plenty of years in him.
 
Green Shinobi said:
And here's a question: when is the last time you ever heard Kobe talk about himself in a post-game interview? It's always about the team with him, and "execution." An even better question is: when is the last time you heard Kobe give an interview where he didn't talk about "executing our offense?"

You Lakers fans crack me up because Kobe can do no wrong. EVERY game the Cavs have won in the playoffs this year Lebron James gave credit to his teammates. He constantly upholds his teammates. Sure, Kobe will talk up his teammates when the team is doing well but we all saw what happens when things start to go a little sour. Waah! I demand a trade. Then he'll throw them under the bus.
 
And btw, James hasn't blasted management because he knows he still has plenty of time left.

You can bet that if James was 29, turning 30 next offseason, hadn't made the 2nd round in three years despite playing magnificently in his own right, and hadn't seen any evidence that management was trying to win now, he would be calling them out as well.

Kobe knows he only has 3-4 prime years left after this one. All the evidence pointed towards management going for a five year rebuilding plan around Bynum, which would essentially waste his prime years. If you don't think that was a huge factor, well, you're wrong.

Absinthe said:
You Lakers fans crack me up because Kobe can do no wrong. EVERY game the Cavs have won in the playoffs this year Lebron James gave credit to his teammates. He constantly upholds his teammates. Sure, Kobe will talk up his teammates when the team is doing well but we all saw what happens when things start to go a little sour. Waah! I demand a trade. Then he'll throw them under the bus.
I always call Kobe out when he has a bad game. When he goes 8-27 and keeps chucking up threes, I'm one of the first to say that he blew the game.

I just also believe that he was totally justified in calling out management, and in providing his honest opinion about how far the team could go with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown as starters.
 
Green Shinobi said:
And btw, James hasn't blasted management because he knows he still has plenty of time left.

You can bet that if James was 29, turning 30 next offseason, hadn't made the 2nd round in three years despite playing magnificently in his own right, and hadn't seen any evidence that management was trying to win now, he would be calling them out as well.

Kobe knows he only has 3-4 prime years left after this one. All the evidence pointed towards management going for a five year rebuilding plan around Bynum, which would essentially waste his prime years. If you don't think that was a huge factor, well, you're wrong.

This is nothing but rampant speculation and you're trying to deflect attention away from the fact that Kobe Bryant acted like a goddamn spoiled bitch in the off season. Nice try, but no.
 
Dirk is 30 and he has never complained about his team or thrown his teammates under the bus, even though he plays with heartless contract hos like Dampier, and had one of the worst coaches of all time in Avery.
 
The best player in the league in his prime can only stand Kwame Brown and Smush Parker as his starting C and PG for so long.

Plus, its not as if no one criticized him when he demanded a trade. He even got boo'd in the beginning of the season at Staples.


Well it looks like Ab succeeded in turning a topic on LeBron into Kobe hatefest yet again.
 
Branduil said:
Dirk is 30 and he has never complained about his team or thrown his teammates under the bus, even though he plays with heartless contract hos like Dampier, and had one of the worst coaches of all time in Avery.

That's exactly right. The Kobe Defense Force has started up the excuse mongering yet again.
 
Absinthe said:
This is nothing but rampant speculation and you're trying to deflect attention away from the fact that Kobe Bryant acted like a goddamn spoiled bitch in the off season. Nice try, but no.
It's speculation that Kobe turns 30 this offseason? It's speculation that he has said in an interview "my greatest fear is never winning another championship?" It's speculation that until the Ariza and Gasol trades, every move Laker management had made was characteristic of a team preparing for a long-term rebuilding period?

You're too much.


Branduil said:
Dirk is 30 and he has never complained about his team or thrown his teammates under the bus, even though he plays with heartless contract hos like Dampier, and had one of the worst coaches of all time in Avery.
Are you seriously comparing Dirk's surrounding talent prior to this season to Kobe's? Seriously?
 
Green Shinobi said:
It's speculation that Kobe turns 30 this offseason? It's speculation that he has said in an interview "my greatest fear is never winning another championship?" It's speculation that until the Ariza and Gasol trades, every move Laker management had made was characteristic of a team preparing for a long-term rebuilding period?

You're too much.



Are you seriously comparing Dirk's surrounding talent prior to this season to Kobe's? Seriously?

Don't try to be slick, because it isn't working. You speculated that Lebron James would have acted the same way if he were older and surrounded by similar talent. That is nothing but rampant speculation that you used to try to deflect attention away from Kobe's childish antics.

"Lebron hasn't blasted management because he knows he has plenty of time left."

I want you to prove this because otherwise you're just assuming and deflecting.
 
Green Shinobi said:
Are you seriously comparing Dirk's surrounding talent prior to this season to Kobe's? Seriously?
Any talent disparity is dwarfed by the coaching disparity between Jackson and Avery. Anyway, you're missing the point.
 
Absinthe said:
Don't try to be slick, because it isn't working. You speculated that Lebron James would have acted the same way if he were older and surrounded by similar talent. That is nothing but rampant speculation that you used to try to deflect attention away from Kobe's childish antics.

"Lebron hasn't blasted management because he knows he has plenty of time left."

I want you to prove this because otherwise you're just assuming and deflecting.
How on earth can I prove this? It's a hypothetical situation.

Still, I think it's a pretty safe bet that if Lebron was 29, and the Cavs' management passed up on making moves that could immediately improve the team in favor of developing draft picks who might not be ready to contribute for 3-4 years and trying to get under the cap for the summer two years later when he would be 31, Lebron would ask to be traded to a contending team.

These guys are playing for championships. Why are they obligated to stay on a team that isn't going to provide them with an opportunity to win?

Branduil said:
Any talent disparity is dwarfed by the coaching disparity between Jackson and Avery. Anyway, you're missing the point.
I'm not missing the point. Dirk's team had made the WCF, the Finals and at least the second round for the past few years. How is he going to call out management about that?

On the other hand, Kobe had the worst starting C and PG in the league, and management wasn't making any moves to improve the team.
 
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