"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." --- Bart Giamatti, on baseball
"Northern Illinois posted its best defensive effort in seven seasons allowing just 42 points on Saturday afternoon, but it came in a losing effort as the Huskies fell to Eastern Michigan, 42-25, at the EMU Convocation Center. "
Go Pack Go! Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! Owner of one (1) share.
I'd say Heat in 4 but no chance the league doesn't want this to go 6-7 games for the extra revenue. I'm sure someone is "joking" with the refs right now about that.
For the first time this entire season, I think there's a chance the Heat won't win the NBA title. I'm not putting too much stock in the margin of the Spurs' victory in game three, I think it was a flukey result that they won so big, but the Heat just don't look like the same team they've been all season. I don't know if it's the injury or something else, but honestly I'm not sure Dwyane Wade should even be on the floor, his performances have been so bad. I don't know who the Heat replace him with that would make them more competitive, but man has he looked like a liability for the past two series.
If the Spurs win tonight, I like them to close out the series at home in game five. If the Heat win, I think the series is a toss-up, with the Heat perhaps being slight favorites.
Also, the NBA's decision to put two days off between games twice in this series so they could be playing on Sunday nights is really annoying.
Just like I said, Dwyane Wade is a beast and the Heat have to keep playing him if they are going to win this series. Miami will win the series now, unfortunately.
Originally posted by TheBucsFanJust like I said, Dwyane Wade is a beast and the Heat have to keep playing him if they are going to win this series. Miami will win the series now, unfortunately.
Pretty glad I didn't pull the trigger on posting "if you're putting Mike Miller in, do it for Wade not Haslem".
I am why James is crying.
Go Pack Go! Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! Owner of one (1) share.
I don't have a rooting interest in either team, but I felt legitimately bad for Spurs fans after game 6. Just a heartbreaker (and an amazing comeback for Miami). Duncan dominates the first half, Miami keeps throwing the ball away, they're up thirteen late in the game, they're up five with, like, a minute left...and down they go. They had the championship in their hands and it went up in smoke. And now they've got to win a game 7 in Miami, which I just don't see happening. Miami had a terrible game five and survived game six on Lebron James' will and Ray Allen nailing the clutch three. If Miami manages to choke away game seven, after that comeback...sheesh.
This has been a crazy ass series, that's for sure.
"Never piss off a hawk with a blowgun" - Conan O'Brien
Originally posted by GodEatGodI don't have a rooting interest in either team, but I felt legitimately bad for Spurs fans after game 6. Just a heartbreaker (and an amazing comeback for Miami). Duncan dominates the first half, Miami keeps throwing the ball away, they're up thirteen late in the game, they're up five with, like, a minute left...and down they go. They had the championship in their hands and it went up in smoke. And now they've got to win a game 7 in Miami, which I just don't see happening. Miami had a terrible game five and survived game six on Lebron James' will and Ray Allen nailing the clutch three. If Miami manages to choke away game seven, after that comeback...sheesh.
This has been a crazy ass series, that's for sure.
They were up five with less than THIRTY SECONDS left. Everything had to go perfectly for Miami for them to have a shot of coming back at that point, and everything DID go perfectly. Coach Pop pulls a Vogel and takes Duncan out for the two most important defensive rebounding possessions of the entire game. Balls had to bounce off the rim on two or three separate occasions in just the right way for a Heat player to get his hands on it for an offensive rebound. Kawhi Leonard (a regular season 82% free throw shooter) had to miss at least one of this free throws. And all of it happened. ALL OF IT.
I could have sworn I saw, in the last minute, Manu Ginobli cradle the ball like Walter Payton in both hands and take six steps on a layup. I believe in letting them play in the Finals but come on.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Matt TrackerI could have sworn I saw, in the last minute, Manu Ginobli cradle the ball like Walter Payton in both hands and take six steps on a layup. I believe in letting them play in the Finals but come on.
And as he cradled the ball, the Heat player on the left grabbed one arm, the Heat player on the right grabbed the other, while a third punched him in the head and took the ball. (I would call that a mugging, totally...)
I, too, understand letting them play, but some of the missed foul calls last night were awful.
All I heard this morning was that Pop was being Pop taking Duncan out, but I can't for any reason understand why he is on the bench when he is the best rebounder on the team and the best player in this particular game. I might have understood if Bosh was also on the bench, but he wasn't.
I can't say poor Spurs, 'cause they brought it on themselves for the most part...
The Dark Canuck
I didn't think I'd like it here at all
But, I swear, I swear I'm on the verge
I was thinking Game 7 might be a disappointment, because it would be tough to follow Game 6 and everyone was going to be tired. It was close but sloppy for the first half, but everyone looked better in the second. Well, maybe not Manu. Manu was credited for only 4 turnovers - I don't understand basketball tabulations if that's correct.
That shot near the end that Duncan makes 9/10 times but missed was unfortunate, but I don't think he should be taking the blame on himself. No one really should be. There's always things that could be improved, but this seemed like a game where both teams just played great and one team came out just a bit luckier in the end. The Spurs did everything they could to force LeBron and (especially) Wade to take tough shots, and they both made an impressive number of them. The Spurs kept fighting their way back from small defects. It was a good game, both teams played hard.
If any one person deserves more blame than anyone else for the Spurs' defeat, I still think it is Popovich for his bizarre personnel decisions at the end of Game 6. They had the title in their hands and he took the team's best players out at crucial moments, in particular Duncan. Just baffling.
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MIAMI HEAT
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