2007-2008 NBA Season

[Bodhi]

The point is that he faced the best team in the east each year...

stop crying about it...

im not crying about anything...i have no regrets about Malone or Stocktons career....they brought it every night.....night in and night out...they didnt get the title...oh well...losing to Jordan...cant exactly get pissed about that...

The point is he is using rings as justification for making Duncan a better player...Karl Malone is also 2-0 all time against Duncan in the playoffs...am I using that? no..because alot of that had to do with the team around them...teams win championships not players...

durability is a huge factor for me..If im starting a team I want a guy that I know is going to put the jersey on every night... while in Utah, Malone missed something like 8 games in 18 years(with a few of those coming from suspensions)...

[Axl4Prez2004]

I give Duncan the nod over Malone.  It's so subjective though.  I give mchale the nod over barkley too.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

To the conference finals we go!

[Bodhi]

To the conference finals we go!

congrats..I was happy to see the Jazz rally to justify me actually staying at the bar to watch the fourth quarter...the Lakers really came out with alot of energy and Utah was unable to match it until it was too late...

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

To the conference finals we go!

congrats..I was happy to see the Jazz rally to justify me actually staying at the bar to watch the fourth quarter...the Lakers really came out with alot of energy and Utah was unable to match it until it was too late...

Thank you, and yes it was a great series.  And finally a road team won! 

TNT and ABC have the games the rest of the way, right?

[BigCombo]

To the conference finals we go!

congrats..I was happy to see the Jazz rally to justify me actually staying at the bar to watch the fourth quarter...the Lakers really came out with alot of energy and Utah was unable to match it until it was too late...

Thank you, and yes it was a great series.  And finally a road team won! 

TNT and ABC have the games the rest of the way, right?

Yeah, ESPN & unfortunately KCAL are done for the year.

[Thorned Rose]

Well here we are.

Detroit @ Boston

L.A. vs. N.O./S.A.


James is once again overrated.

He had a killer game, 45 points... he actually shot well for the 2nd time this series too.

He still fell short as I predicted, and he had the best Cavs team this year than he's ever had before. He had a chance to pull a 3 with 25 seconds to go that would of tied it, instead he passed it up, and took a really really stupid shot on the left side of the goal that missed badly.

After that, later on, he was at the line, down 5, and clanked the first FT.

"Great" players don't pass up open 3s that tie games, they don't take stupid shots, and if they take that stupid shot, they don't miss it. They also don't miss ANY FTs in crucial situations.

LeBron James is overrated as hell and we'll see him again next year and I'm glad.

Boston over Detriot in 5 (yeah I know it took them 7 to beat Cleveland, but I'm calling it in 5)

I also hope to God the Spurs pull it out!!!

Well there ya go you pro James fans... he is "your" King James. lmao 

[faldor]

I agree with you on James to a point.  All time greats don't miss clutch free throws with 5 seconds left in the game.  However, I still don't think this Cavs team was all that good.  He really had very little support.  It was basically all LeBron.  Wally Szerbiak, Delonte West, Ilgauskus, Joe Smith, all decent players but hardly enough to make the Cavs a legit contender.  That trade they made barely made their team any better if at all.  LeBron should be given all the credit that Cleveland made it as far as they did.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Lebron is easily the most physically gifted player in the NBA...to deny that is ludicrous.  Trade Pierce for Lebron and the Celtics win this series in 4 games.  Lebron has a garbage supporting cast.  It's eerily similar to Jordan's early Bulls days.  To think they came as close as they did to the Celtics is just a testament to what kind of phenom Lebron truly is.

btw, how ridiculous was that when the Celtics PJ Brown wasn't called for an intentional foul on Ilgauskas towards the end?  I find it hard to stomach NBA officiating.  As hard as it is to make the call...make the call.  When you wrap both hands around the guy's shoulders, it's pretty clear you aren't just going for the ball.   

[russkwtx]

btw, how ridiculous was that when the Celtics PJ Brown wasn't called for an intentional foul on Ilgauskas towards the end?  I find it hard to stomach NBA officiating.  As hard as it is to make the call...make the call.  When you wrap both hands around the guy's shoulders, it's pretty clear you aren't just going for the ball.   

I agree 100%. Put the game in a different arena and the call is made. I have seen much less called a fragrant foul.
BTW, I was really turned off by the crowd yelling "bullshit" every time a foul was called on the Celtics. I mean, as a father, what if I wanted to take my son to the game, or watch it on TV with him? It just struck me as immature and unsportsmanlike behavior and I did not appreciate it at all. 

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

btw, how ridiculous was that when the Celtics PJ Brown wasn't called for an intentional foul on Ilgauskas towards the end?  I find it hard to stomach NBA officiating.  As hard as it is to make the call...make the call.  When you wrap both hands around the guy's shoulders, it's pretty clear you aren't just going for the ball.   

I agree 100%. Put the game in a different arena and the call is made. I have seen much less called a fragrant foul.
BTW, I was really turned off by the crowd yelling "bullshit" every time a foul was called on the Celtics. I mean, as a father, what if I wanted to take my son to the game, or watch it on TV with him? It just struck me as immature and unsportsmanlike behavior and I did not appreciate it at all. 

Most dads teach their boys bad language at or during sporting events! 

Apparently, Donaghy bet on more than 100 games.  Guys, don't be fooled.  That shit still goes on today.

[D]

Lebron made some critical mistakes down the stretch. They were down by 1 pt 89-88 and he took a horrendous three pointer. Had he drove to the goal, He wouldve made the shot or got fouled and they couldve taken the lead and anything couldve happened

had Cleveland not traded Hughes and GOoden, they wouldve beat Boston.

Hughes couldve guarded Pierce better than Lebron and Gooden would've scored way more than Walllace/Smith.

[pilferk]

Lebron is easily the most physically gifted player in the NBA...to deny that is ludicrous.  Trade Pierce for Lebron and the Celtics win this series in 4 games.  Lebron has a garbage supporting cast.  It's eerily similar to Jordan's early Bulls days.  To think they came as close as they did to the Celtics is just a testament to what kind of phenom Lebron truly is.

btw, how ridiculous was that when the Celtics PJ Brown wasn't called for an intentional foul on Ilgauskas towards the end?  I find it hard to stomach NBA officiating.  As hard as it is to make the call...make the call.  When you wrap both hands around the guy's shoulders, it's pretty clear you aren't just going for the ball.   

I'd rate them as just as ridiculous as the calls that occured late in game 6 (the AWFUL charging/blocking call, the "no calls" when the Celts were down low getting MUGGED as opposed to the "touch fouls" getting called on Clevelands end).  The "home court" officiating has been pretty blantant, IMHO, throughout the ENTIRE NBA playoffs (and not just the Celts/Cavs series).

I actually thought the "horse collar" by Brown SHOULD have been an intentional.....but the replay DOES show that it was at least a close call. He did git the ball BEFORE he horse collared him.  Still...I think the arm around the neck should have been enough, too.

[pilferk]

Lebron made some critical mistakes down the stretch. They were down by 1 pt 89-88 and he took a horrendous three pointer. Had he drove to the goal, He wouldve made the shot or got fouled and they couldve taken the lead and anything couldve happened

had Cleveland not traded Hughes and GOoden, they wouldve beat Boston.

Hughes couldve guarded Pierce better than Lebron and Gooden would've scored way more than Walllace/Smith.

James also made a HORRENDOUS "block out" during that jump ball toward the end....enabling the Celts to get the ball.

He did make mistakes down the stretch, but the Cavs are going to live and die by Lebron and I doubt you'll find many in that organization who are going to have a problem with it.   Is he Jordan?  No.....at least not yet (who knows what the future will bring).  He was certainly great yesterday....just not perfect.  And those mistakes at the end cost the Cavs....

[faldor]

Lebron made some critical mistakes down the stretch. They were down by 1 pt 89-88 and he took a horrendous three pointer. Had he drove to the goal, He wouldve made the shot or got fouled and they couldve taken the lead and anything couldve happened

had Cleveland not traded Hughes and GOoden, they wouldve beat Boston.

Hughes couldve guarded Pierce better than Lebron and Gooden would've scored way more than Walllace/Smith.

I don't know if the Cavs would've beaten the C's if they never made that trade, I'd like to say that's false, but we'll never know.  I will say though, Gooden used to give the Celtics fits when he was with the Cavs.  He played like a legit #2 scoring option against them for some reason, then disappeared against other teams.

On a sidenote, they may have to nix the "big 3" label until the basketball player formerly knows as Ray Allen gets back to form.  That was as awful a series any star has ever had in my memory.

[Thorned Rose]

btw, how ridiculous was that when the Celtics PJ Brown wasn't called for an intentional foul on Ilgauskas towards the end?  I find it hard to stomach NBA officiating.  As hard as it is to make the call...make the call.  When you wrap both hands around the guy's shoulders, it's pretty clear you aren't just going for the ball.   

ha... how about the time when LeBron grabbed Pierce's jersey and made the ball go out of bounds and the Cavs got it back? That wasn't a foul was it? And Doc Rivers was making that up right? lol

[Thorned Rose]

Well... face it people, he's a good player, but they lost...

His cast of West, J. Smith and Wally is a good cast...

Smith is a underacheiver from hell and Wally is still a solid scorer.

LeBron still doesn't have what it takes to get far. Yeah he's what 23? And for his age is is remarable... but with the hype comes the critics... I am a critic... pass up a 3 look, blow 1 free throw... "do not block out Paul"... come on man...

the guy is good but he's overrated.

You can say what you want... but LeBron James is overrated. He put up 45? Ok.... that's great... his team lost. and he made bad choices.

Love it, breathe it, live it

[w.axl.rose]

lol patience is being played in the NO and SA game while they wait for the people to clean the court from the ice that i think was thrown to the court

[D]

how could anyone call Lebron James overrated?

He only has one guy who could start for other nba teams and that is Big Z and he is barely a top 10 center in the NBA.


Delonte West was a backup PG in SEATTLE of all places, Wally is way past his prime, Ben Wallace is way past his prime. JoeSmith never had a prime.


KG,Pierce and Allen were never the Big 3.

[Axl4Prez2004]

how could anyone call Lebron James overrated?

He only has one guy who could start for other nba teams and that is Big Z and he is barely a top 10 center in the NBA.


Delonte West was a backup PG in SEATTLE of all places, Wally is way past his prime, Ben Wallace is way past his prime. JoeSmith never had a prime.


KG,Pierce and Allen were never the Big 3.

Thorned_Rose, obviously Lebron grabbed Pierce's jersey and it didn't get called...I didn't look at the replay to see where the officials were positioned...there are blindspots, and hands as quick as Lebron's can get away with stuff.  I think the point I was making was the horse-collar by PJ Brown was a very poor call by the official.  I officiated high school ball for 7 years.  Yes, I know there are some differences in rules, but that was obviously a poor call. 

I copied D's post, because I think he hits the nail on the head with Lebron.  The man is a stud.  (Lebron, not D.  )
Did you see that loose ball he grabbed around mid-court?  He accelerated so god damned fast it blew my mind.  A couple dribbles and he slammed it home...unreal.
I would say KG, Pierce, and Allen are a formidable trio though.  I'd call 'em a Big 3.