Dan talks to himself about the NBA playoff's

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 01 May 2009 18:57

Basketball should allow for more physical play, but you are right that they shouldn't nit pick in particuliar instances.

bdams19 · Post by **bdams19** » 02 May 2009 21:19

bdams19 wrote:Here is my take...

Boston over Chicago (6)

Lakers over Jazz (sweep)

Cleveland over Detroit (sweep)

Houston over Portland (6 games)

Denver over New Orleans (6 games)

Orlando vs. Philly (7 games)

Atlanta vs. Miami (6 games)

Dallas vs. San Antonio (7 games)

Off 1 game on boston and orlando but i'll take it... I have a feeling ATL is gonna let me down at home. Dwade has been unstoppable.

bdams19 · Post by **bdams19** » 03 May 2009 11:41

Woo got em all! Let's see if we can do this again:

Next round:

Denver over Dallas (6)
Cleveland over Atlanta (5)
Lakers over Houston (6)
Magic over Celtics (7)

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 03 May 2009 11:43

Dallas wins if Dampier plays well

bdams19 · Post by **bdams19** » 03 May 2009 11:49

erick just went to the locker room...

dirk is making it rain though... he's on fire today

bdams19 · Post by **bdams19** » 03 May 2009 12:11

oh god josh howard down now too!

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 05 May 2009 07:05

Really enjoying this year's playoffs. I wasn't surprised Orlando beat the Celtics last night, given how tired the Celts must have been after their series with the Bulls. That said, I was surprised the Rockets beat the Lakers in Los Angeles. I think they are going to put up a bigger fight than people expected.

Eat the head, Yao! Eat the head!

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 06 May 2009 20:01

Best half of basketball I've seen this postseason. Phil made all the changes that I wanted to see after game 1, namely starting Odom, and giving Farmar and Brown more minutes.

The 1st quarter was the Lakers pace but in the 2nd things slowed down to game one slowness. I've liked the Lakers defense in both games so far they've been very active, but the Rockets have been shooting lights out and rebounding well on the offensive end. On the flip side, the Lakers 3 point shooters are cold. Very cold.

Yao going out with fouls was kind of a blessing in disguise. Houston's bench big men have been cleaning up and playing better defense than Yao was.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 07 May 2009 09:41

Yeah that was a kickass game. I'll but upset is they actually suspend Fisher after all the other shit they've let slide this postseason.

Is it possible that we live in a world where the Houston Rockets are better off without T-Mac AND Yao?! Last night Houston cut into big Laker leads using Hayes and Landry while Yao warmed the bench. Obviously Houston is the better team with Yao (On the floor or otherwise) but he always seemed a step slower to me. Something about intangibles blah blah blah.

Ron Artest is a top 10 NBA player for sure. His post game interview was pure class. Seriously a truely standup guy and a great basketball player.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 07 May 2009 09:47

BainbridgeShred wrote: I'll but upset is they actually suspend Fisher after all the other shit they've let slide this postseason. .

I hate the Lakers, but I agree with this. The rules need to be applied consistently, or not at all. Rondo has gotten away with so much this post-season...

Oh, and I think it's amazingly awesome that Artest has the Rockets logo shaved into his head. That's so hardcore.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 07 May 2009 09:47

Ron Artest postgame 1: http://ballhype.com/video/ron_artest_po ... ed_part_1/

2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_xmYLBnnA

Second part is a must listen. And at the end I've never seen Charles Barkley fawn over a current player as much as he does Artest.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 09 May 2009 16:17

Mavericks just lost pretty tragically. w/e they deserved it. Sucks for their guys though they played hard. Bass should start over Dampier.

There was talk earlier in the season about Shaq wanting to play for Dallas. It would be exactly what they could use, assuming Shaq keeps his play up from this season.

I wasn't able to see all of the Lakers-Rockets games, but it's clear that when Ron Artest isn't hitting every other 3, the Rockets struggle. About halfway through Game 2 a few nights ago I noticed that the Rockets as a team started missing their 3 pointers, and allowing LA to get settled into their uptempo offense. Yao Ming is a great center, but he's just not the kind of player you can count on for 30 or more points in the playoffs. He's pretty much the tallest player in the NBA so he's going to get his rebounds, but he settles to much for outside jumpers and hooks shots from the free throw line. Being that big isn't neccesarily always beneficial. Dwight Howard is another guy whose post-up game seems just a little suspect. Atleast he's still young though.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 09 May 2009 16:52

The other thing I really like about how the Lakers are playing this series is their defense. In the first game and the first half of the second, Houston shot the lights out but LA still kept good pressure and got their turnovers. Recently they've stepped it up even more and are getting a ton of blocks/turnovers and playing with good physicality.

The second thing I forgot to mention is how they are closing quarters, which is very important in holding and building momentum. If they keep these two things up then this game will be over in five.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 09 May 2009 21:36

Yao is out for the playoffs. This means no Lakers upset, so the best hope of somebody else coming out the West are the Nuggets. As somebody who hates Kobe, I hope the depleted rockets at least tire out the nuggets, and the nuggs sweep the Mavs, so the WCF will be a fight.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 10 May 2009 11:33

Houston's played their best basketball this series w/o Yao, but ya it's over anyways.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 10 May 2009 11:54

It's 27-12 right now in Houston's favor, and I could hardly care less. Battier and Brooks have knocked down every shot they've taken, and their defense on LA has been alright too. At some point their shooting will go cold and LA will settle and start dominating.

If I was Houston, I'd bring in Dikembe just to start fouling when the Lakers start picking it up. It's the only way to slow down their tempo.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 10 May 2009 11:59

And I think I was right a couple days ago. The Rockets play much better without Yao in the lineup. That isn't to say they're better off with him out, they could use his rebounding, but all series long they've played a much better game of basketball when he's on the bench. He slows them down too much.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 10 May 2009 14:07

Wow. I did NOT expect the Rockets to dominate the Lakers like that w/o Yao or T-Mac. Even if they lose the series (and I think they will), they've shown a ton of heart.

And I think the Lakers should be concerned. The Cavs look poised to sweep the Hawks, and I wouldn't be surprised if they make it to the Finals with only one or two losses in the playoffs. If the Lakers make the finals, I think they'll be more tired. They have 3 losses so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if they get 3 more before making the finals, if they do. They'll be tired and starting on the road if they face the Cavs in the Finals.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 10 May 2009 16:58

It's like I said originally, the East is still the kiddy table of the NBA. The Hawks are no Houston Rockets.

But yes, LA should be concerned. This team plays on a totally nother level from the rest of the NBA when things are going right, but when things are wrong, it's like watching the 2006-2007 Lakers all over again. Shannon Brown should be starting against Brooks. I remember watching Brooks carry the Oregon Ducks a few years ago, and he's developed quite an NBA player as well.

The light at the end of the tunnel though (Which is an apt metaphor for LA's postseason thus far) would be playing against Cleaveland, assuming we can get passed Denver. I really don't think the Cav's match up well against LA. It would be a good series though. The only problem they would have (Surprise, Surprise) would be against Lebron's penetration. Seeing if they could make him a jump shooter would be interesting.

slapdash21 · Post by **slapdash21** » 11 May 2009 10:33

big baby!!

hah his postgame interview was HILARIOUS. almost as funny as right after the shot when he pushed the kid out of the way cuz he was so excited.