I was personally bored by Detroit/Orlando, but it's nice to see Detroit step it up for at least one game. It's a little sad when you have to applaud the Pistons for being kind enough to bring their A-game, but that's the way things go.
The shocker for me came out west. We already knew the Hornets were for real, but they held Tim Duncan to FIVE POINTS! Good God, that's a shocker. It won't be like that the whole series, but that's still an amazing feat.
Speaking of stars who had bad games, witness Deron Williams. I think if he's on his game, it's a much closer result, but as it is, I'm happy with a Game 1 win for the Lakers.
I wasn't around for Game 7 but from the looks of things, it wasn't much fun to watch (unless you were a Celtics fan... maybe!)
FINALLY we have all four series set:
(ALL TIMES ARE) EASTERN
1 BOSTON CELTICS vs. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 4
Game 1: Tue. @BOS 8PM Game 2: Thu. @BOS 7PM Game 3: Sat. @CLE 8PM Game 4: 5/12 @CLE 8PM * Game 5: 5/14 @BOS TBD * Game 6: 5/16 @CLE TBD * Game 7: 5/18 @BOS TBD
2 DETROIT PISTONS vs. ORLANDO MAGIC 3
Game 1: Last Sat. DET 91-72 Game 2: Mon. @DET 7PM Game 3: Wed. @ORL 8PM Game 4: Sat. @ORL TBD * Game 5: 5/13 @DET TBD * Game 6: 5/15 @ORL TBD * Game 7: 5/18 @DET TBD
WESTERN
1 LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. UTAH JAZZ 4
Game 1: Today LA 109-98 Game 2: Wed. @LA 10:30PM Game 3: Fri. @UT 9PM Game 4: Sun. @UT 3:30PM * Game 5: 5/14 @LA TBD * Game 6: 5/16 @UT TBD * Game 7: 5/19 @LA TBD
2 NEW ORLEANS HORNETS vs. SAN ANTONIO SPURS 3
Game 1: Last Sat. NO 101-82 Game 2: Mon. @NO 9:30PM Game 3: Thu. @SA 9:30PM Game 4: Sun. @SA 8PM * Game 5: 5/13 @NO TBD * Game 6: 5/15 @SA TBD * Game 7: 5/19 @NO TBD
I'm not paying a lot of attention to playoff basketball this year, so it didn't occur to me until I now that there were no upsets in the first rounds. Not even a 5 beating a 4.
And with all the lower seeds taking game 1, the NBA might out chalk the NCAAs. Weird.
Out of the 16 non-TBD games scheduled for the 2nd round, only 3 will be shown on over-the-air (free) TV. Times sure have changed, havent they? Is there a way for me to check how many games NBC used to carry per season in the 90's?
Originally posted by It's FalseI was personally bored by Detroit/Orlando, but it's nice to see Detroit step it up for at least one game. It's a little sad when you have to applaud the Pistons for being kind enough to bring their A-game, but that's the way things go.
Yeah, look, I know it's fashionable for everyone to blame the Pistons for taking games off, and hell knows the Detroit radio shows are buzzing with fans accusing them of the same, but they won their final 3 games against Philly by a combined 49 points, so they've actually SHOWN UP for more than one game.
Where's all the damning for the Celtics who, after being taken to seven games by the WORST TEAM TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, spent the last 3 minutes of the game 7 talking trash and celebrating like they won the Finals already? That goes for their fans, too. "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey goodbye"? For the Hawks? Are you kidding me?
Hello? The second round called. They've been waiting for you slackers for days now, thanks.
Originally posted by DJ FrostyFreezeOut of the 16 non-TBD games scheduled for the 2nd round, only 3 will be shown on over-the-air (free) TV. Times sure have changed, havent they? Is there a way for me to check how many games NBC used to carry per season in the 90's?
2002 was the last season the NBA was on NBC, and they televised 34 out of 71 games in the playoffs, with the remaining games on TNT/TBS. I couldn't verify whether some games were regional or not.
Originally posted by CRZI wasn't around for Game 7 but from the looks of things, it wasn't much fun to watch (unless you were a Celtics fan... maybe!)
Indeed it was entertaining! My favorite part was after Marvin Williams tackled Rajon Rondo watching Rivers try and keep his players from pummeling Marvin. Watch out, LeBron, here come the Celtics!
Originally posted by It's FalseI was personally bored by Detroit/Orlando, but it's nice to see Detroit step it up for at least one game. It's a little sad when you have to applaud the Pistons for being kind enough to bring their A-game, but that's the way things go.
Yeah, look, I know it's fashionable for everyone to blame the Pistons for taking games off, and hell knows the Detroit radio shows are buzzing with fans accusing them of the same, but they won their final 3 games against Philly by a combined 49 points, so they've actually SHOWN UP for more than one game.
Where's all the damning for the Celtics who, after being taken to seven games by the WORST TEAM TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, spent the last 3 minutes of the game 7 talking trash and celebrating like they won the Finals already? That goes for their fans, too. "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey goodbye"? For the Hawks? Are you kidding me?
Hello? The second round called. They've been waiting for you slackers for days now, thanks.
(edited by Reverend J Shaft on 5.5.08 1243)
The singing didn't bother me, they used to do it to signify the end of a playoff series going back to the 80's. I was actually hoping for a Beat L.A. chant to start from muscle memory. The punk act by the Celtics players has been getting more and more annoying, and is going to cost them a player getting suspended for hitting the technical/flagrant point total at some point in the playoffs.
After witnessing tonight's performance, I'm ready to agree with the good Reverend J Shaft and say that the Pistons aren't dogging it anymore. Yeah, it was a much closer game, but it was a game where the Pistons could have easily gotten blown out if they had attempted to coast through it. And as for that "controversial" Billups 3-pointer to end the 3rd...would using a STOPWATCH kill them? I can't believe the ref squad delayed the game for that long, looking like deer caught in the headlights, when they could just as easily have grabbed a stopwatch and watched it over the replay. It's not rocket science. It's also a moot point, because that Billups 3 easily beat the clock.
I can't believe the Spurs have gotten blown out twice so far. And yet my Spidey-Sense won't be tingling until the Hornets take one in San Antonio. The Spurs could just as easily get back into this series. But I won't be crying into my beer if it comes down the Lakers and Hornets for the West.
Originally posted by redsoxnation Where's all the damning for the Celtics who, after being taken to seven games by the WORST TEAM TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS, spent the last 3 minutes of the game 7 talking trash and celebrating like they won the Finals already? That goes for their fans, too. "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey goodbye"? For the Hawks? Are you kidding me?
Hello? The second round called. They've been waiting for you slackers for days now, thanks.
(edited by Reverend J Shaft on 5.5.08 1243)
The singing didn't bother me, they used to do it to signify the end of a playoff series going back to the 80's. I was actually hoping for a Beat L.A. chant to start from muscle memory. The punk act by the Celtics players has been getting more and more annoying, and is going to cost them a player getting suspended for hitting the technical/flagrant point total at some point in the playoffs.
(edited by redsoxnation on 5.5.08 2252)
I thought the 'nah nah nah' thing began in Montreal, where Habs fans sang it at the end of series. Boston fans then got the idea after seeing the Bruins dispatched by the Canadiens year after year.
The Canadiens-Celtics connection is alive in another way: both teams had similar stories this season. Both returned to the top of the conference, both had big expectations and both were taken to seventh games by first-round opponents that everyone expected to be easy marks. The Canadiens were beat in the second round -- will the same happen to the Celtics? The Flyers sure as hell didn't have anyone as good as LBJ.
Cleveland-New Orleans NBA Finals, let's see it!
How is it that I am a good actor? What I do is I... pretend to be the person Im portraying. Youre confused. Case in point: in Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson comes to me and says I would like you to be Gandalf the Wizard, and I said You are aware that I am not really a wizard? and Peter Jackson said I would like you to use your acting skills to portray a wizard for the duration of the show. So I said Okay and then I said to myself Mmm.. How do I do that? And this is what I did: I imagined that I was a wizard, and then I pretended, and acted, in that way on the stage. How did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script. How did I know where to stand? People told me where to stand." -- Sir Ian McKellen, Extras
The problem with your comparison is the Flyers have several players playing well (Biron, Briere, Umberger, etc.) the Cavs just have Lebron.
I'd hate to see the Cavs in the Finals. The positives: A) Lebron
The negatives: A) It's not every entertaining basketball to see four guys do jack squat while one guy plays. B) The Finals won't be competitive. C) The East will be embarrassed again. D) The farther Lebron goes in the playoffs the more he might think about staying in Cleveland and it's better off Lebron leaves. The best thing for all parties (except the Cavs) is for Lebron to go to a team that is actually going to give him a good team to play with so he can actually win a championship instead of suffer embarrassing sweeps in the Finals.
I'd much rather seem good TEAMS not good players. And there are plenty of teams that have both, Cleveland isn't one of them.
(edited by Quezzy on 6.5.08 0719) Lance's Response:
So the Spurs got beat up on 2 games in a row by the whipper-snapper Hornets. Whats going on here? I only caught both games at the end, so help me out. Are the Hornets THAT good or are the Spurs falling off? I know they're getting old, but not THAT old, right??
Originally posted by DJ FrostyFreezeSo the Spurs got beat up on 2 games in a row by the whipper-snapper Hornets. Whats going on here? I only caught both games at the end, so help me out. Are the Hornets THAT good or are the Spurs falling off? I know they're getting old, but not THAT old, right??
The Hornets are just that much quicker on defense. Duncan is getting clogged in the middle. Parker and Ginobili can't get their NERF-basketball* layups like they did in the Suns series because they can't get around the Hornet defenders and they just aren't that effective when they only take jumpshots all game. Seriously, go on ESPN and look at their shot charts for the first two games this series vs. the Suns.
Anyways, that's what I'm seeing.
*NERF-basketball layups are when you would get frustrated trying to shoot over your friend and instead would just barrel to the basket and either score or claim you got hacked. I think I trademarked this sometime ago. I dunno.
Originally posted by It's FalseAnd as for that "controversial" Billups 3-pointer to end the 3rd...would using a STOPWATCH kill them? I can't believe the ref squad delayed the game for that long, looking like deer caught in the headlights, when they could just as easily have grabbed a stopwatch and watched it over the replay. It's not rocket science. It's also a moot point, because that Billups 3 easily beat the clock.
According to the NBA, the refs couldn't have used a stopwatch, and they say the 3 shouldn't have counted.
Originally posted by ESPN article"After reviewing the video of last night's Pistons-Magic game, we determined that the play that concluded with Chauncey Billups' 3-point field goal at the end of the third quarter took approximately 5.7 seconds," [league president Joel] Litvin said in a statement. "Because there were only 5.1 seconds remaining in the quarter when the play began, the shot would not have counted had the clock continued to run." ... "The referees followed proper procedure in addressing the clock malfunction by estimating the elapsed time and using their judgment as to whether the shot was taken in time," Litvin said. "Under NBA rules, the referees did not have the option of using instant replay and a timing device to determine exactly how much time had elapsed, nor do the rules allow for a re-play after a clock malfunction is discovered."
I have to see the Spurs lose at home before I think of writing them off again. Not often do you get both teams stinking up the joint like the Celts and Cavs did tonight. That should have been a 30 point blowout if one team had actually had a decent game.
Originally posted by redsoxnationI have to see the Spurs lose at home before I think of writing them off again. Not often do you get both teams stinking up the joint like the Celts and Cavs did tonight. That should have been a 30 point blowout if one team had actually had a decent game.
Yeah, or if LeBron could hit the broad side of a barn. Every time he hoisted a three, it was making me cry. That said, I would attribute most of the low scoring to the most outstanding defensive effort I have seen in some time from both teams. Really, I didn't think the Cavs D would have gelled that much this quickly.
It still looks like Boston will win the series, but the first round and this game gives me hope the Cavs at least have a chance.
"As you may have read in Robert Parker's Wine Newsletter, 'Donaghy Estates tastes like the urine of Satan, after a hefty portion of asparagus.'" Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
Originally posted by DJ FrostyFreezeSo the Spurs got beat up on 2 games in a row by the whipper-snapper Hornets. Whats going on here? I only caught both games at the end, so help me out. Are the Hornets THAT good or are the Spurs falling off? I know they're getting old, but not THAT old, right??
I can't explain it either, but the Hornets have pretty much had the Spurs' number this season. Two of SA's three worst losses in the regular season were at the hands of New Orleans.
Originally posted by whatever I would attribute most of the low scoring to the most outstanding defensive effort I have seen in some time from both teams.
While watching the game, this is what I was thinking. I was not thinking it was a sloppily played game. I think both teams brought energy and intensity to the defensive end that isn't usually present in an NBA game. Garnett's double move and lay-in near the end of the game was truly impressive.
Originally posted by piemanWhile watching the game, this is what I was thinking. I was not thinking it was a sloppily played game. I think both teams brought energy and intensity to the defensive end that isn't usually present in an NBA game. Garnett's double move and lay-in near the end of the game was truly impressive.
Hahaha. I was soooo waiting for this. Pieman, come hearken back to 2005 and the Pistons/Spurs series with me....
Originally posted by piemanThe games really are boring. They're so boring I watched Irene Cara try to dance on "Hit Me" last night before I switched to the game. Once I had switched to the game, I made it four minutes before I dozed off.
Allow me to share MY thoughts on last night's game:
It really WAS boring. It was so boring I watched Jason Taylor try to dance on Dancing with the Stars before I switched to the game. Once I switched to the game, I saw enough bricks being laid up in 5 minutes to build a homeless shelter and decided to go BACK to watching Jason Taylor try and dance again.
Those 70-something to 70-something games are always boring... unless they involve YOUR team.