Pierce delivers
The Boston Celtics are doing it the hard way, but the key is to just win and they are. The Celtics are becoming the poster boys for why you play hard for 82 games and grab home-court advantage. That said, the Celtics better get their road game together in this next series because they are facing a team in Detroit that is rested and knows how to win in any arena.
The Cavaliers did not have the firepower and tough-minded confident scorers Detroit has. So Celtics beware, this series will not proceed like the previous two.
I do like how things are evolving for Boston among the Big Three. I said earlier this season that Paul Pierce should be the go-to guy. Kevin Garnett’s value is across the board and Ray Allen’s value is knocking down threes or just being a serious threat, but Pierce is “The Truth.” The performance he had Sunday was the best of the postseason and he has to continue that effort against the Pistons.
Celtic fans should be patient with Ray Allen. He is in a tough position because he has gone from No. 1 option his whole career to the third. That in itself is extremely difficult, especially when you are a shooter and not getting consistent touches.
I do applaud the fact that Doc Rivers has realized Eddie House should be playing in the rotation over Sam Cassell. Energy is what House brings and he gives them a potent three-point threat without dominating the ball. Cassell will be needed in this series before it’s over, but House deserves to play right now.
I must admit that I am now a member of the LeBron James Fan Club. He almost pulled off another miraculous moment Sunday, just like he did in Game 5 last year against Detroit. He virtually showed us why he will become probably the best player this game has seen, but he will need some help and I think Cleveland is just two athletic shooters away from winning the Eastern Conference next year. James just knows how to seize the moment and that is rarified air reserved for Michael Jordan… or maybe Kobe Bryant this year if the Lakers win it all.
The Lakers did something that most teams look back on and say, “That was the turning point to winning a championship.” They beat the Utah Jazz in an elimination game on their floor, which only a few teams did all year. They also did it wire to wire, which was even more impressive.
The Big Poodle (Pau Gasol) is one the most fundamentally sound big men I have ever seen and I guess all it took was him not having to be the star to show us. The Lakers road to the NBA Finals will be extremely difficult no matter who they face. They have no answer for Tim Duncan and they have no answer for Chris Paul.
The Pistons put us to sleep at times and we question their motivation, but one thing remains true… They might be the smartest team left in the field and Chauncey Billups is back healthy and ready to go in the Conference Finals.
The burden again falls on Rasheed Wallace. Wallace can guard Garnett without help, so if Pierce gets hot the double team will be directed at him all series long.
? Said,
May 19, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
lebron james in the same rarified air as jordan? or even kobe? what a freakin joke. lebron doesn’t even deserve to be in the same sentence as either player. lebron had the worst performance this series and you’re joining his fan club?
koly tenguela Said,
May 19, 2008 @ 8:51 pm
Eddie,
glad to see that you are finally giving Lebron James his due. I’m wondering if you are still giving him a 7 defensively while chris paul is a 10 in your book but that’s old stuff now. It’s too bad that he just doesn’t have at least another player on his team who can consistently score and that he’s playing with guys who ( mostly) would have been 9th or 10th man in the rotations of any of the other semi-finalists (excepted ilgauskas).
I’m more and more disappointed by the celtics, i pick them for going all the way before the playoffs began but now i’m not sure anymore and i believe that if the pistons play the way they can the celtics have no chance to win that series and i don’t see them beating the spurs anymore if they face them in the finals because i think the matchups won’t be good for them.
Could you explain to me how a player so unbelievably gifted and competitive than garnett could be so shy during 4th quarters. That’s a complete mystery for me, all he has to do is play his game inside and score or draw fouls and instead he’s settling for 20 foot jumpers.
Can’t believe that the doc rivers and sam mitchell’s of the world have been coach of the year when jerry sloan is still waiting.
Lupe Said,
May 19, 2008 @ 11:21 pm
I think if L.A. is going to beat the Spurs, Diet K.G.(similar build, similar talents minus the intensity= Odom) will have to step up. In recent games between the two; I have seen Odom fail to capitalize when Ginobili is defending him. Post him up!!! I think L.A. is disappointed that the Hornets lost simply because the Spurs have someone to pester Kobe(Bowen-He’s going to keep up with him better than he did Paul, he didn’t have the speed for Paul) whereas the Hornets don’t. It’s going to be interesting to say the least between these two.
In regards to Kevin Garnett, did McHale ever show KG some of his moves while in Minny? Kevin McHale is arguably one of the top PF’s ever, he was so fundamentally sound yet it seems he never gave KG any instruction on how to be dominant in the paint. I think Boston will succumb to Detroit in 6 games only because I like Detroit’s starting 5 better, they have arguably their best bench in years, and plenty of playoff experience.
Also, Eddie what are the chances the hack-a-shaq is nixed this offseason? I love watching the Spurs, but that was nasty(though legal).
George J Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 12:28 am
Good article. I enjoyed it as always. But please calll it lik it is for KG: he’s always been overrated. I think he’s only delivered in one fourth quarter of a play-off game against the Kings Igame 4, if memory serves me right) a few years back. KG never became the dominant low post player he should’ve been and when you have arguably one of the top 2-3 low post players in the history as your boss(McHale)there are no acceptable excuses. Second, KG has never been an offensive rebounding threat, the true indication for greatness of Cs & PFs. Third, he never was a great shot-blocke for his size and athleticism. I also do not remeber him dominating games like any great player has done in his career. I remember him having great stats but not domintaing. That only means I’d love to have him in my fantasy team, not my favourite team. Anyway. I do not want to be hating on KG because I still appreciate his great character, community involvement and what he brings to the game, but I’ve watched him since he entered the league and always thought he was just hyped up. For years we used to blame his supporting cast, but, hey, anyone can win with a great supporting cast. Look at Kobe. And LeBron is doing a whole lot more with a whole lot worse supporting cast than KG ever had (there I go again bashing on KG)…
Great article though. I think the Pistons will win it in 5 and the Lakers in 6 for an NBA Finals series that will allow Kobe to redeem himself for handing the title to the Pistons over some juvenile BS last time.
sam Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 2:07 am
with hornets gone its going to be lakers for sure, kobes too good with all his support now
Champi Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 2:28 am
Hello to everyone from Spain. I’ve been watching the playoff (well, just the videos from nba.com because the games in the NBA are played at 4.30 AM spanish time), and I haven’t enjoyed it very much. I know that defense wins championships, but watching Detroit or San Antonio playing is quite boring.
Something that is quite amazing to me is that just two teams have been able to win on the road until now. Here in Spain we tend to complain too much about the referees…but there in the NBA is unbeliavable. The sixth game in the Spurs-Hornet series was so bad that I would be ashamed. Those calls against Paul and West were just incredible. I couldn’t do that without feeling bad about my awful performance as a referee.
I just hope that LA wins it all, and not because Gasol is a Spaniard (I’ve always said that he was too soft to keep banging in the paint against guys like Duncan or O’neal). But I remember that in the last Olympics, Spain played against USA in the quarter finals match. And I also remember that we lost because Starbury scored 33 points or so, and that Gasol won the battle against Odom and Duncan quite easily.
And in the East…I’ve lost all my interest in those series. I’m disappointed with Boston, and I’ve never liked the give-the-ball-to-Lebron style that Cleveland plays. I’ve followed Lebron since he entered the League, and I’ve never liked his game. But it would be unfair to recognize that he has evolved to become a floor general, and that he is under the radar in some aspects of the game like defense, as he defends better that many people think. But I think he will never dominate the game like MJ did.
koly tenguela Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 3:07 am
George J,
Understand your arguments but i really don’t think that kg was overrated. With his skills, size, length and athleticism he’s perhaps the more naturally talented pf ever. His leadership and competitiveness was the real reason of the celtics complete change of culture and he has always been a very good defender. Even, in those playoffs he has been the most consistent contributor for the celts even if everyone is all over pierce right now.
In fact, i fault his different coachs in his career for not forcing him to stop deferring so much to his teammates instead of congratulating him for his unselfishness. If, i was doc rivers, i would have come to him and said ” you know what you are longer,taller, quicker and far more skilled than that wallace guy or that pachulia guy so i’m going to call the next 2 possessions for you and it’s going to be in the post and i don’t care if someone else is open, i want you to go right at him and punish him”.
But i guess, that’s the difference between a popovich who imposed his will on his players and a rivers who try to be their friend. KG is good enough for winning his matchup against sheed, if he does the celts are in the finals so it’s time for him to change his mindset and truly be the man. Pierce won’t be on fire every game.
ssshady35 Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 5:34 am
I have to agree with Said, Labron did have the worst series of his young career and you want to be part of his fan club???? HU?? He did have a great game seven but it was not enough!! If he played better in the other games they may of stollen a game in Boston but his game was just locked down by Pierce and Posey. However he is going to be a great player, I think in about five years he will be better than Jordan, I know thats a lot to say but the man is buit like a tank and by the way I am a Celtics fan so I hope He goes to the west after his contract is up. NOW LETS GO CELTICS!!!!!!
Porky Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 8:17 am
Nice piece, Eddie. Even as a Celt fan, I have come to respect LeBron. He held his cool with Pierce hugging him into the stands and gave PP credit in the post-game conference. Scoring 45 in Game 7 shows he is already a GREAT player and if he had 1 other great player Cavs could win it all.
Michael C. Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 8:47 am
George J,
I think your assessment of KG is complete off base if you consider him overrated. KG does everything you want a power forward to do, he had averaged 22 points, 11-13 rebounds, 5 assists, and almost 2 block shots per game, and 1.5 steals over the last 9 years… that is great power forward play bar none. In this era of finding fault with great players, there rules are always changing for the criticism.
KG’s lack of team success has nothing to do with his high octane performance of the past, but rather the bone head secret contractual deal that K. McHale entered into with Joe Smith at the beginning of 2000 that allowed David Stern to strip Minnesota of their next “5″… yes, five, first round draft picks. Then Stephon Marbury jumping ship and leaving did not help in Minnesota land either. From that point own, Minnesota was never able to amass any talent for KG to shine.
That explans why KG never had quality talent to complete, and it was a testamony to his giftedness that Minnesota made it to the playoffs anyway (and lost in the first round). When KG finally did get help, Troy Hinson (arguable their best point guard at the time) could not compete in the post-season due to injury, and Sam Cassell injury hindered him from playing in the Western Finals against the Shaq/Kobey led Lakers. To compensate, KG brought the ball upcourt and started the offense, he consistently averaged 25-30 points and 15-20 rebounds… and lost because his team’s guard injury could not be overcome. That’s not overrated… that’s gifted and special.
The problem with you guys is that you guys have become so dependent on the refs calling fouls that you think foul shots are an offensive strategy… and they are not. Only silly fans and sport announcers depend on foul shots as a measurement to win games, and outside of MJ and Wade, you are best not to depend on that for scoring.
Finally, you guys have grown so accustom to seeing Shaq bully folks in the low post that you feel that every player should be cut from the same pattern… and you are wrong there as well. Larry Bird was not predominately a low-post player, and no one ever tried to change him into one either. Karl Malone waas not predominately a low-post player, and no one ever tried to change him into one as well.
Don’t attempt to change KG into something he is not. KG post moves are either quickness to the basket, or a fadeaway jumper on the block, and an occassional jumpshop. He is not built like Shaq, or Duncan, he is slender and quick, so his game is different; but he still put up the same type of offensive points and rebounds as those guys, so appreciate him for who he is and not what you want him to be.
illest Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 9:29 am
i have respect for you eddie but for you to say james may end up being the greatest we have seen is absolutely crazy and absurd. I enjoyed your spots on mike and the mad dog. but james shouldnt be even mentioned in the same sentence as jordan or even larry bird.
and kg is one of the most overrated players ive seen. hes not clutch, hasnt won anything, and only got out the first round when he received substantial help. i know hes 20, 10 and 5 every year. but hes not better thatn barkley, chambers, malone, duncan, or gus johnson.
Jax Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Boston - they’re missing Rondo this playoffs, if he gets back into his regular season form, they Boston would be the team that won 66 games this year.
Detroit - they’re only weak point is perhaps being over confident, remember the Philly series?!?
Los Angeles - ow… what can i say? they might just win it all this year! thanks to Pau.
San Antonio - still the better of all the teams left, never count out the heart of a champion!
David Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 10:27 am
Bennett? Bennett? Bennett?
(sung to the tune of Ben Stein’s Beuller? Beuller? Beuller?)
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 10:44 am
I’m here!
Welcome aboard the LeBron James Fan Cruise, Eddie. It’s a great one. There’s a lot of frustrations because of lack of supporting players, but it’s like watching pure court genius. Similarly to what you said… there’s Michael, there’s Kobe, there’s LeBron. They’re in a different league when it came/comes to talent.
This was a very tough series for the Cavs. I don’t want to repeat the obvious on what the Cavs need to be better and get back to the Finals. But, I will say that I’ve always liked Boston, and it was hard to root against them. I don’t get why people still get on KG’s case. This guy is amazing. When I have my baby boy, I’m going to show him tape of how Garnett plays - THAT’s how you should always play. And, Paul Pierce is amazing. Ray Allen is fantastic, too - right now, because he’s not scoring tons, he’s basically the best role SG in the league.
The Celtics are learning each other, and we can see that. But, I think their education came quicker than if they faced another two opponents. I think they will actually beat the Pistons in 6 because they know they’re so close to the Finals. And, they know if they get there, they have a great shot at winning.
Like a lot of people, I’d love to see a Lakers/Celtics Finals. There’s a great chance of that happening. But, Kobe will have to do what LeBron did last year against the Pistons for the Lakers to beat the Spurs. He’ll have to beat Bruce Bowen - not an easy thing to do.
Ah… I’m just so glad to hear that you (Eddie) are now officially a LeBron fan. Now, you see what I see. This guy is a specimen, a freak of nature, the hardest working off-season guy in the league. And, it’s paying off on the court. Offense, defense, decision making, leading… He’s got everything. Even that mid-range jumper was (finally) starting to fall against the Cs. He’ll just get better every year. Now it’s up to Mr. Ferry to go out and get him a complimentary player or two.
Brian Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 10:57 am
You critics give some of these players too much credit too early in there careers. That’s why Chris paul is home what excuses do the critics have for him Mr.should have been MVP.A lot of these players aren’t battle tested and we get so excited about a regular season record or numbers but when guys like Robert Horry or PJ Brown come through with key plays or shots we ignore them. So don’t believe Lebron does it by himself because Delonte West had a pretty good series and if he or Big Z would get some calls played for them maybe it would spread it out a little more for the “King” a little better. They were better off with Paul Silas coaching
benoit69 Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 10:59 am
EDDIE wake up from fantasy land rasheed wallace is one of the most overrated players in the nba - he only shows up now and again and KG will brutilise him
rip and ray are on a par and pierce is way better than chauncey as will be proved in this series
the celtics will win this series easily and even win a game on the road
because benoit69 says so
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Brian - You’re crazy. “If he or Big Z would get some calls played for them…” I know now that you don’t watch the Cavs at all. Mike Brown starts every single game of the regular season and most in the Playoffs with a low post dump to Z. Every single time. The idea is to get him going early. You’d know this if you had a clue what you’re talking about.
There’s always bloggers that come in a write something like you. You always write “…give some of these players too much credit too early in there careers…” or something like that. Why do you care if a player has been in the league for one year or ten? If they have a great season, or they’re great players, than why does it matter??
What Chris Paul did this year was nothing short of amazing and brilliant. He’s a genius. But, according to your logic, we should only give him credit if that was his tenth season? Or, he already had to win a championship? That’s insane.
Great players that never won a championship: Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Dominique Wilkins
Are all of those guys chopped liver because they haven’t won a ring? Is Robert Horry better than all of them because he has 6? No. No.
Get a clue, Brian.
steve Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:32 am
Paul Pierce will not let the Celtics lose this series! I really Don’t think some of these Sports writers really know what there talking about when it comes to great players. Paul has been the Man in Boston for Years and was constantly double teamed and it really burns me inside to not even hear his name mentioned a MVP canidate. Yes i’m biased regarding this matter but, what i have witnessed over the years watching every celtic game is Pierce is one of the few stars in this league that get very little respect by sports writers in general! It’s a shame game seven vs cleveland he finally get some respect!!!!!!
Kingsblade Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:41 am
Horry has 7 rings. That makes him one of the top 9 players of all time and the greatest player to live who never played for the Celtics in the 60’s.
Cody Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Once again all of you are looking for the one man band. This is a team sport and will be won by one. It never ceases to amaze me how all of you do not give any love to the World Champion Spurs. Is 4 championships in 9 years not enough? Is being the winningest team in a 10 year period ever not good enough? Just keep on blowing them off and you will find yourself in the same boat as last year. This should be the run for title # 7 in count them 10 years. Had Duncan not been hurt (4 or 5 years ago) and without the phantom call on the last play of the game 7 against over rated Dallas 2 years ago.
Kolby Bryant ain’t nothin. Bruce Bowen can guard him in his sleep. Mark my words, BB will make Kolby Cry and all the little spoiled brats in L.A. will cry dirty because he can’t run around and take any shot he wants. To tell you the truth Fisher scares me more than any. It will take his long bombs to beat the Spurs.
I thought the Hornets had the best chance to beat the Spurs, but they lost their cool. West was money. Paul finally started getting called on the arm clear out when he went to the hoop in game 6 and realized it couldn’t work anymore in game 7 which took his game away. Oh, and where was Stojakovic (youaremyb@%$*) Bowen shut him down.
Bring on the Lakers!! Chumps! Po-dunk Texas wins again!! Drive for 5
Thats 5 in 10 WOW
dallas Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
or maybe Kobe Bryant this year if the Lakers win it all.” this quote just shows you need to get off lebrons dick cuz he doesn’t make any of the players he plays with any better. he dominates the ball and cant shoot. mark MY words. Lebron will never win a ring when it is all said and done and the jordan comparisons will end only then.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Cody - Who’s KOLBY Bryant? And, do you live in bizarro world?
eddie Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
Kingsblade
you joking right. i think Horry has definitely played a part in helping stars win a title. notice the word helping, but a career
24 min per game
42% fg
34% 3pt
72% ft
4.8 reb
7points per game
does not make one the greatest players ever.—–sorry.
i must admit your Sours will never go away. i think they will win by i am rooting for the Lakers (-:
eddie Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
Sorry i was on the radio talking about Lebron when i wrote the last part of that message. i meant to say Spurs not Sours.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 7:31 pm
Eddie - What were you saying about LeBron? Good things?
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 7:33 pm
And, my Bulls just got #1!!!
Who do they take? What should they do? Are they going to go with the Chicago born and raised PG and try and move Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon in a sign-and-trade for a proper sized SG, holding on to Deng? Or, will they resign Gordon and draft Beasley, letting go of Luol Deng?
I’d try and keep Deng. He could be great - Skiles was just the wrong coach for him. Paxon has his work cut out for him.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 7:34 pm
Eddie - You should write your next article about who’s going where in the draft and why. Give all possible scenarios, etc. We’d all love to read your take.
Gary Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:15 pm
Oh man, Minnesota almost got a taste of the 1 or 2 pick in the draft.
That would have been amazing, but anyway lets see what they get at 3…i’ll probably take Lopez, but lets wait and see what happens, 3 is still pretty good…
Chicago must be the luckiest team of all-time man… Jordan and coming all the way from 9 to 1 and actually securing the next superstar of the game in either Beasley or Rose… Hope the best for them… they will have a nice team next year, i’ll probably take Beasley no matter of needs, but Chicago taking anyone of them is the same, would be a pretty good team next year… Noah, Thomas, Deng, Gordon… and Beasley/Rose…
Cody Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:17 pm
Bennett
Kobe Kolby who cares it won’t matter after Bowen gets through with him (if the refs don’t bail him out as usual).
What part of anything I said qualifies me to be a citizen of bizarro world?
I just wish you guys would give the Spurs some credit for their accomplishments. You that are closely related to the NBA and actually have a voice. There is way to much emphasis put on being a superstar instead of team play. I know it is all about money but damn look at what these guys have done at this day and age. What is the problem?
Is it one of those things where a team dominates so much that you get tired of seeing them win? That is the only reason I can think of because this team is made up of nothing but classy people from the GM to the trainers.
Kingsblade Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
Eddie,
2 things:
1: Did you really not know I was joking? I was a bit stunned to see you reply to my post as though I was serious.
2: Did you just refer to them as my Spurs? You evidently have me confused with someone else.
The Spurs are, by a mile, my least favorite professional sports franchise in existence, and I’m an Oilers fan living in Calgary. (That will likely only make sense for any Canadians that happen to be on here)
Tim Duncan always looks like someone just stole his cat and has his head on a swivel looking for the ref’s shoulder to cry on. Tony Parker cannot keep his eyes from popping out of his head at the slightest provocation, and cannot seem to keep his estrogen levels under control, since he always looks on the verge of tears (if Tree Rollins played today Tony Parker would be his new Ainge). Ginobili cannot manage to stay on his feet for more than 2 possessions at a time and has a distinctly punchable face. How he hasn’t been cold-cocked at least once during his NBA career is beyond me.
Now I’m sure someone is about to tell me how good and successful the three of them have been….and guess what? I don’t give a rats ass. They could win championships every year for the next 10 and I would still feel the same, so don’t bother, anyone who wants to come and tell me that I somehow owe them my respect, cause I don’t care. They are like the boxer who wins by throwing low blows when the ref can’t see. Great record but nobody likes or respects them.
Does that make my opinion on the Spurs fairly clear?
Kingsblade Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:36 pm
Cody:
Geez….you make the Spurs sound like a generous stripper at last call. I am NOT a Kobe Bryant fan, but if you think that Bowen is going to be the main reason for a Spurs victory then you really need to get a better grasp of the game. Especially since you are the on here crying that nobody respects team play.
eddie Said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:55 pm
yep!
koly tenguela Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 6:48 am
Kingsblade,
I can’t believe that just the fact that eddie said that you were a spurs fan lead you to such a hard antispurs rant. Doesn’t know that being a spurs fan was such a shameful thing.
1.Just for making things clear, i’m not a spurs fan (a diehard knicks fan)
2. The spurs are a first class organisation and there’s a reason if everyone around the league’s trying to hire their basketball people ( management and coaching).
3.I really believe that the spurs biggest problem is the lack of charisma of their successive franchise players ( robinson and duncan) which combined to the fact that they are a small market lead most of the fans to despise them.
Let examine what people said about the spurs:
a.their playing style’s boring
they’re definitely not the suns or the warriors but teams like the cavs or the pistons played an even more slow down, defensive game but they are not considered as boring than the spurs . Why?
b.they used hack a shaq
a lot of teams used that tactic before without getting considered like that. Funny that the godfather of the run and gun style, don nelson, was also the inventor of hack a shaq but i’m pretty much sure that most fans will say that pop used dirty tactics and not nelson. Why?
c. they play dirty and they are floppers
I am sure that the wizards won’t have the same tag of being a dirty team and i have seen more dirty, cheap shots in their series against the cavs than in any other spurs series.The only dirty player on the spurs is bowen. Horry does the nash thing but raja bell clotheslining on kobe was probably worst, so what?
Any nba team now has guys who are floppers and i can bet that fisher will flop at least as much than ginobili, so why all those differences in perceptions?
My answer, Duncan’s game lack the excitement that most fans want to see ( personnally i love his game cause he used IQ more than athleticism) and his personnality is devoid of any kind of charisma so most fans can’t stand him or his team. I’ll never know but i could bet that if KG, sheed, lebron,kobe or arenas have been the spurs franchise players the perception of the team would have been completely different.
Sorry for the long post.
Cody Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 7:54 am
You guys always resort to the flopping low blow excuses when you get your asses handed to you(especially Suns fans). I guess I don’t understand this because I am a Spurs fan. Bowen is not dirty. You just can’t stand to see all this exciting offense get shut down by a classy not to mention old guy. Good luck losers.
Zane Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 8:26 am
Eddie, welcome to the Lebron James fan club… even if it is an odd time to join seeing he struggled for the most part in this series.
You’ve got to admire the way this he handles himself, the things he says and does, not to mention what he does on the court. He seems genuinely grounded and respectful, but equally hungry.
He’s averaging 30-8-7, he’s the NBA’s top clutch player, and he’s 23. He’s got the NBA’s best stats, and still got 4 years before he even ENTERS the peak of his career - and the mindset is there. Now, that is scary! He could be better than MJ.
BUT Danny Ferry has done a TERRIBLE job of putting the right players and coach around him. Mike Brown has the easiest coaching job there is… give it to Lebron and get out the way… please, he deserves a better coach than Brown. Ferry has constantly put the wrong pieces around him. Put a credible GM and coach in there and make some drastic changes around James or Cavs may lose possibly the greatest player in the history of the game! Spend the money or live in regret!
Jorel Jenious Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 10:21 am
Lebron’s an amazing player. But there is really no one to compare him to. The greats people often throw out; Jordan (who would look like a big kid next to lebron, and Magic -my all time favorite- but isn’t near Lebron’s level of athleticism (He even has about 45 pounds on ‘Nique. Maybe a stretch would be an in his prime C-Webb (or Kemp) with a guard’s shooting, ball handling, and overall offensive mentality.
Lebron’s the size of a BIG power forward. Look at the power forwards that will be taking in the 1st round of the draft and look at Lebron. Not much if any size difference.
He does the best he can in the high school simple offense. Mike Brown , an excellent defensive coach, should think long and hard about adding a Ron Harper, or Brian Shaw to his coaching staff. They would add about 10 points a game just sharing ball movement and space rotation philosophies from their triangle days. Or beg Silas to come in as an assistant (which aint happenin)
And please get someone (Captain Kirk), not a ball hog or 25 shot guy, but a guy who can defend the 1 and 2, provide ball handling, get them in the offense and find lebron on the break, or create his own 8 to 12 shots. He wouldn’t even need to do this for a whole game just for 3 to 4 minute stretches to pull Lebron off the ball forcing the defense to adjust (more space, wider gaps, back door opportunities, etc. pretty much what they got hughes for, but he was not as eager to do without handling the ball much) Aside from a down year, that is Hinrich’s game. Now with DRose going to Chi Town, Hinrich could be had probably for Pavlovich (a big 2/3) an expiring contract (Snow?) and possibly not much more.
The Celtics win probably win in 6. I’m not a fan of either team, but I don’t see Sheed matching Garnett’s intensity for 7 games without loosing it and hurting his team for at least 2 games. Remember him last year against the great Drew Gooden. Plus Ray is do for a few 17 to 20 point games. And when it’s tight, Saunders will shorten that bench. He didn’t have to the first two rounds. Affalu(sp?) and Hayes will allow Pierce and Ray to get into and nice rhythm and be yanked.
Celtics in 6
Kingsblade Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 11:12 am
koly tenguela,
What does any of that have to do with anything I said? None of that matters and will never convince anyone to like or respect the Spurs.
It’s funny, by the way, to mention being a small market as a reason for their distastefulness. People are more inclined to hate large market teams than small market teams. Think about that for a second….the have to be severely unlikeable for people to even bother to show any distaste for them as a small market, since traditionally nobody really cares about small market teams one way or another.
I actually liked David Robinson. Maybe my memory is off, but I think it had something to with the fact that he didn’t glare at the ref after every single shot he took.
Cody,
Don’t get me started on Bowen. I am so sick and tired of people calling him classy. Why can every other player in the league manage to close out on a shooter WITHOUT sliding a foot into their landing space? He is either dirty or has the body awareness and control of a 3 year old. There is nothing classy about the way he plays basketball.
bballer Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
why argue with kingsblade? anyone that is an oilers fan in the middle of flames country and the red mile must not be able to think rationally!
Kingsblade Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
The red mile is the most irritating pathetic excuses of bandwagon jumping I have ever seen.
Stephan Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Honestly, you spoke about that Lebron has to work on his jumper - and then in one category with Kobe and MJ?? Kidding… seriously, he is a really really great player and I hope he will never ever injury his knees, but as soon as his athleticism will fade, he will definitivly go down more then MJ did. The Celts just denied his way to the basket (pierce did a great job from what I could see in germany) and then he can see his shooting percentage went down the drain. So he does not need 1-2 athletic co-producers, first off a real jumper he can rely on. That “double pump up” thing was just really really ugly and lucky.
And another question: How comes KG never ever gets called for travelling. I know that the NBA Travelling rule is somehow different from the International Level (Eddie might underline this, dunno how your experience was abroad) but his “turnaround thing” often is even 4 steps before he lifts of for the jumper. That’s just ridiculous. Just wondered about that…
Greetings from Germany to all of you!
Stephan
stefan Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Hah!
I am so glad someone mentioned Bowen and dirty play because I didn’t want to be bringing this up out of nowhere but let’s be honest: defense can help win games but outstanding offense will never lose to excellent, fundamentally sound CLEAN defense. Dirty D however, can take a guy out of a series, even potentially destroy a guy’s career. To wit, Bruce Bowen’s defense on some of the leaugue’s best player’s has been among the filthiest in the modern NBA. The little kick out he does where he touches his foot to the shooter’s is so potentially dangerous, I’ve argued for an immediate ban on Bowen every time he’s attempted it. If Bowen decides to pull this kind of garbage on Kobe I hope an example is made of him and a suspension is handed out.
Sooo, my friend Cody, if you want to argue the Spurs aren’t dirty, don’t look at Bowen’s defense. And while you’re at it PLEASE ignore Robert Horry’s deliberate use of a pick to get a fist into the small of David West’s ailing back. Nor should you look back at last year’s playoffs to see the NHL-style hip check on Steve Nash by none other than cheap-shot Bob. Disgusting. PTEW! I spit on the Spurs and their idea of clean defense.
Stefan
PS-For my fellow Canadians…..Go Habs GO! (a bit late, I know)
Michael Bennett Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
Please, no more NHL talk. It hurts my brain.
As for Bruce Bowen, he IS dirty. Very dirty. There have been dirty players in the past (Dennis Rodman, John Stockton) that use little tricks to have a step up on the opposing team or players. Rodman used to grab wrists and step on feet when going up for a rebound. Stockton would grab jerseys and put a fist in your back.
But, these dirty plays weren’t meant to hurt the opposition. Bruce Bowen, sometimes it seems, is out to hurt players, twist ankles, take them out of the game. And, THAT’s why he’s especially dirty. He would deny it (obviously) and Spurs fans would, too, but the facts remain - he HAS injured players with his close outs and footwork. So…
I never thought I’d be saying this but… GO LAKERS!!!
bballer Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
if bowen is so dirty, why do coaches keep voting him onto the all-defensive team for 8 years now. if coaches thought bowen was so bad, he would not get recognized year after year for his abilities. as for team defense, watching utah get away with tugging jerseys and manhandling players is amazing. i love sloan! why aren’t you guys complaining about how many times the hornets made sure someone laid a body on parker. he was knocked down numerous times from game 5 onwards. but if it happens to someone like nash, there is a collective gasp.
the nba has become softer since the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s. the only time you see physical play is in the playoffs. most of you must have forgotten about how jordan had to overcome the physicality of the game in order to win. the league should remain physical. watching teams score easy layups is boring. character and winning is based on overcoming challenging situations to be the best. crying and complaining about how physical the game is ridiculous. even soccer/football is becoming more physical than bball b/c of you wimpy crybabies!
bballer Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
ps. even though i hate chelsea, i hate man u more! go chelsea - 1-1 @ halftime of euro championships.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
bballer - I never said that I didn’t like hard, tough basketball. I love it. That’s the sport. It should be physical and rough.
But, I don’t think players should want to injure other players. There has to be some level of respect. Bruce Bowen, knowing that he’s a lot less talented on the offensive end, focuses on defense. And, although he’s a great perimeter defender who’s accomplishments have been recognized by the coaches, the league and players, he still is a very dirty player who seems to be out there trying to hurt other players.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
And, Eddie - Can you please not allow posts about hockey, european football or any other minor sport?
NBA… NFL… MLB… Boxing. Those are the only sports we should be focusing on in this blog, with a strong emphasis on the NBA!!! You know, because this is HOOPShype.com.
stefan Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
Bennett…
You always say the most inflamatory things…..Thanks for backing me up on the dirty play thing though.
As for what sports we should be allowed to comment on, MLB? Is baseball even a sport? Itried, I really tried to watch a game the other night, and as usual, fell asleep in front of the TV. Football is a sad variation of a human chess game, but can be fun to watch. And pugilism, or boxing as its called, is the most barbaric thing I’ve ever heard of….why would any thinking man have anything worthwhile to talk about on the topic of boxing…..only gambling enthusiasts enjoy it…sadistic cockfighting aficionados.
PLease
but peace,
Stefan
Michael Bennett Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
stefan - Boxing is sport at it’s purest. It isn’t called “the Sweet Science” for nothing. Like anything, the more you know about it, the more you appreciate it, the more you like or love it.
I suspect you are not a tough man and you’ve never been in the ring. If you have, you would have NEVER written that. It’s the toughest of all sports. A great boxer is in better shape than any other athlete.
My favorite sport is still NBA basketball. That should be the focus here. That was the point I was trying to prove. Now, stefan, go back to whatever pansy activity you were doing…
meej Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Did I just read Dennis Rodman as an example of player who did not try to injure opposing players? The same Rodman who pushed Pippen into the backboard supports?
Ray Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Kobe: Called “uncoachable” by his own coach in a book, broke up potential dynasty by fighting with Shaq, accused of rape….
Average fan’s verdict: forgivable.
Bruce Bowen: accused of putting foot underneath shooters while guarding them closely , though it is rarely called by refs, whose job it is to be on the lookout for dirty plays at all times…and who’ve been alerted to the suspicion a million times…
Average fan’s verdict: unforgivable.
Very Strange.
koly tenguela Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 7:04 pm
Kingsblade,
I’m not trying to convince you to like the spurs, i’m not a spurs fan and i believe that if everyone was rooting for the same team, things would quickly be boring. What was interesting to me was your reaction who’s typical of many people’s reaction (including a lot of my friends). I’m not sure that if eddie have said that you were a lakers or hornets fan, your reaction would have been so hard while when i’m trying to judge in a rational way the spurs doesn’t look to me as much the bunch of bad guys that everyone seems to think they are.
My point was a little bit larger than what you said and was to say that a big reason of the spurs bad image is the fact that they didn’t have a franchise player in the last 20 years who was well liked by most of the fans.
When you’re saying that their success is the same than “the boxer who wins by throwing low blows when the ref can’t see”, it looks to me like the perception you have of them is getting in the way of your judgement cause spurs success is about a lot more things than “low blows”.
Also, they are a lot more worst things than you can hate from nba stars than just “glare at the ref after every single shot he took” but i’m sure that with some others you’re a little more cool, why? perception.
That was my point , i could be totallly wrong but …
And bowen’s definitely a gerat defender and as definitely a dirty player.
Finally, i didn’t express my thinking well when i was talking about little market, what i was trying to say was that when you are in a small market and your star is a boring guy, you can’t expect much love from the media and the media makes opinions for a lot of people.
koly tenguela Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
Stefan,
boxing is my second love after hoops, i practiced it for 4 years and it has really nothing to do with barbary. Sorry, but i don’t think you know what you are talking about when you are discussing boxing.
koly tenguela Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
Michael Bennett,
“Can you please not allow posts about hockey, european football or any other minor sport?”
The world is a lot more bigger than just the us, soccer is a minor sport in the us and also the bigger sport in the whole world.
Don’t be so narrow minded and could you please allow people to talk about what they want, that’s your right to disagree with it and that’s people’s right to discuss about what they want even on hoopshype.com.
After all 60 % of the time , you aren’t talking hoops on this blog but insulting people.
There’s something the world owed in part to the us that could be summed up in 2 words: freedom-democracy.
Zane Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
There’s plenty of good reasons to dislike the Spurs.
Poppovich breaking out Hack-A-Shaq is a great way to turn fans off. Manu is a flopper, constantly jawing at the refs. Horry is so dirty he needs to creep up on bathwater to take a bath.
Duncan’s game while excellent, lets face it, you’d rather watching something more exciting, like grass growing. Bowen is so dirty he lost a stone by taking a shower. The rest of the roster are fundamentally sound boring players with little personality, except for Parker.
While the Spurs are disliked, they are equally respected. Without them, who would we cheer against?! I don’t agree with Horry’s or Bowen tactics, they are unbelievably cheap, but they always find a way to win and that is what the playoffs are all about. Win or go home.
Weldon Kees Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Horry’s hip check on Nash last year was unnecessary for sure, but I’ve seen hundreds of plays by other players in the league that were similar or worse. The play with West would’ve gone unnoticed if it was anyone other than Horry. For 12 years, Horry was known as a big who liked to shoot threes, and a good role player who won a lot of championships… this extreme overreaction to one play really isn’t a reasonable assessment of a career that includes 1,107 regular season games and 240 playoff games. No one who is at least trying to be objective could possibly argue that Horry is “dirtier” than Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Danny Fortson, or Ron Artest… if you hate the Spurs–fine– hate them all you want…but if you are going to honestly debate basketball facts, at least try to have some real historical perspective….
Cody Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 9:04 pm
Amen! bballer
Zane Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 10:55 pm
Eissh. Spurs really blew that game, what an opportunity to steal home court.
stefan Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Hey Bennett…
I’m a pacifist and a teacher who helps kids find non-violent resolutions to their conflicts. I’m also a reader and a writer. If these qualify as “pansy activities” in your book, I feel sorry for you. As for getting into the ring…well you’re right I haven’t and wouldn’t but I’ve had to resort to bloodying my knuckles on a few hateful bigots in the past.
You’ll have to excuse me now, I’m going back to the post-game analysis after which I’ll be thumbing through Plato’s Republic and preparing a lesson plan for tomorrow’s class.
Sorry to disappoint you with my pansy choice of lifestyle….twit.
Peace
stefan Said,
May 21, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
Oops…forgot to comment on the lakes-spurs game…Kobe was brilliant in the 2nd half and despite tremendous defensive presence by Bowen, he was able to get his shots and lead his team….I can’t believe I’m saying this but…Go Lakers!
Peace
BTW-I have to admit that Bowen did not play dirty tonight, just good hard tenacious D….good on him.
Zane Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 12:33 am
CAVS need to blow up the team. All these trades work matching contracts and teams.
Trade with Nuggets:
Ben Wallace & Varejao, for Kenyon Martin & Steven Hunter.
2 defensive stars which the Nuggets need.
Trade with Knicks:
Wally & Damon Jones, for Richardson & Curry.
2 guys that suit D’Antoni’s system for 2 that don’t.
Trade with Bucks:
Illgauskas & Pavlovic, for Micheal Redd.
Bogut & Z dominate the paint, a shooter to replace Redd.
New roster:
PG - West/Gibson
SG - Redd/Richardson
SF - LBJ/Richardson
PF - K-Mart/J.Smith
C - Curry/Hunter
Bring Avery Johnson in to coach.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 10:04 am
SOME OBSERVATIONS AND GRIEVANCES:
a) koly - It’s like pulling teeth reading your posts.
b) stefan - You’re a pacifist… so boxing isn’t a true sport? I dabbled in pacifism for a while… not in ‘Nam, of course.
c) I can’t believe I answer these guys posts. It’s like having conversations with the knuckleheads on street corners in Chicago. You don’t make sense.
d) I hope the Lakers sweep the Spurs and shut these dumb Spurs fans up. I don’t mind the PLAYERS on the Spurs. Well, I don’t like Bowen. He’s a son of a gun. And, Ginobili is a pest. I like Parker and Duncan. But, I can’t stand the Spurs fans. THE biggest cry baby, pouting morons in all of sports. When their team is winning, they write ten page essays on why Bowen is the greatest human being ever. But, when they lose game 1, they’re no where to be found. The fans have been blesses because the Spurs lucked out and got Tim Duncan, so they’ve won. But, the fans suck compared to fans in LA, NY, Chicago, Boston, Detroit… even Florida and Phoenix fans are better, and they’re all over 65 years old.
e) Hey, Spurs - Way to blow a 20 point lead on the road! Remember the 2OT Game 1 First Round against the Suns where you had them deflated? Huh?
f) Zane - NO Avery Johnson, please. I do not like Mike Brown, but Avery Johnson might be worse. I think Avery is the biggest underachieving coach in the league. This guy had THE most talent with Dallas, and he couldn’t get out of the 1st Round two years in a row. He’s not a game-time coach - he doesn’t know how to make game-time decisions and react to what’s happening NOW. He waltzed into the position on a Don Nelson referral - he got lucky. He hasn’t proved that he can win with young, developing talent. He only proved that he can make the Playoffs (and lose) with arguably the best talent in the league.
And, for God’s sake, why would the Cavs wants someone like Eddie Curry? I’d like for them to go after Redd, but it’s just hoopshype speculation that he’s available. Your lineup looks a little too much like a (losing) Knicks team.
Cody Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 11:34 am
You are an idiot Bennett. Resorting to bashing Spurs fans. Yeah we lucked out and got Tim Duncan, thats it thats why they dominate year after year just because of Duncan. That really shows your intelligence. Crybabies?
You are the only one crying here. Don’t even talk about the Kleenex Suns, they have been the Spurs bitch for some time now. Lakers are done. Spurs will dominate. They can’t hang. I mean did you see that last night? Look at the big picture if you can.
Kingsblade Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 11:48 am
Boxing is the purest sport in a vacuum, unfortunately it has been far to badly damaged by corruption and has lost all respectability.
It would be great if you could come and walk around my hometown for a few days and tell everyone your opinion on the NHL since you are such a tough guy.
koly tenguela Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
Michael Bennett,
“koly - It’s like pulling teeth reading your posts.”
Typical bennett’s answer: personal attacks and no arguments but it’s discussing with me that’s like “having conversations with the knuckleheads on street corners in Chicago”.
I know it’s tough to read someone’s posts who’s trying to be impartial and trying to discuss in a logical way with arguments.
For my part , your posts are always the ones that makes me laugh the most.
Up to you to know if that’s a compliment or not.
Cody Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
The problem with Dallas is not the coach. It is the management. Jason Terry is a punk, Howard a dope, and Kidd is slow and washed up. Why did they trade a potential allstar in Devon Harris? Worst trade of the year! Get rid of the dork owner some how and you are on your way.
Calvin O Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
Cody–
I agree with you on Dallas. That trade was desperation, plain and simple. It’s definitely a gotta-win-immediately scenerio when you trade your best young perimeter defender and your best young post defender (Harris and Diop) for a guy that is past his prime. At this point there is no way Kidd can hang with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Baron Davis, etc…. and since Dirk isn’t the defensive presence that other franchise players are (Garnett, Kobe, Duncan, and potentially Oden), he needs more D around him, not less… I would consider dallas to be officially out of the elite category in the West now, behind this year’s newcomers– new Orleans and the Lakers– and behind what will probably be next year’s new power, Portland.
Dean Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
You can’t really say that James is in the same league as Jordan and Kobe as both of them are almost always consistent in almost every game. In my opinion, I’d blame Cleveland’s coach for not giving Big Ben an alley-oop rotation; I mean King James to Big Ben! At least he wouldn’t have to become a shooting liability.
Zane Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 7:11 pm
Bennett,
Please put a CAVS trade scenario with names floating in trade rumours, that you think is realistic and match contracts on trade machine.
Ferry got some awful contracts in Ben Wallace and Wally, they need to get rid of these guys, and they need to go after Redd. I think Avery Johnson is the best name that is out there at the moment, and anyone is an upgrade over Mike Brown.
He got the whole team buying his system, and got Dallas playing D which is the whole reason they made the finals in the first place - I don’t agree Dallas are en elite-team talent wise. The Kidd trade was a bad one for Dallas, and Johnson took the fall.
Lupe Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
Wow Mr. Bennett, to sum up all Spurs fans as dumb is beyond ignorant. Then again your words shouldn’t be taken very seriously since up until last year you used to consider producing stats as the only means of measuring defense. Along with the statement that Adam Sandler is one of the greatest actors of our time (he’s average, but I respect the fact he made it into a tough business); you’ve proven that you’re just as guilty as anyone in saying something dumb from time to time. You are a very cranky old man; lighten up. -_-
That aside, I still like the Spurs winning in seven. I think Parker will heat up soon, and Tim has more breathing room in the paint this time so I expect both of them to have a huge series. Also, I liked watching Boston and Detroit tonight. Chauncey now has his legs back, Stuckey plays like a vet despite his age, and watching Boston’s Big Three playing so well was enjoyable. I want this series to go to seven.
Well, I’m gone. Ta ta.
Soul Said,
May 22, 2008 @ 11:43 pm
I enjoy watching Lebron too, but I don’t like the way he scores. It seems like he just bashes his way through the defence and lays the ball up. NBA rule changes allow for this (see one of Eddie’s older articles on the new rules and how MJ could have scored alot more with them) but I dont believe it’s pure basketball. Most of Lebron’s baskets were layups or 3 pointers. Kenny Smith mused how much more Lebron could be more effective with a teardrop. Anyway, Lebron may become one of the greats of our generation, but he’s far from a finesse player. He’s a physical force exploiting the rules.
Lakers213 Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 12:55 am
M. Bennett- I just read “go lakers”…wowwwwww! Never thought I’d ever see those words come out of one of your posts either!
Anyways, lakers in 6 at most! Look if you ask me, Utah will prove to be the most toughest challenge the lakers faced on route to the nba finals. Yes the spurs are the defending champs, have a hall of fame power forward and great coach. But aside from that, utah was a much more challenging matchup for my lakers, Dwilliams (god he ate us up) can score going to the whole and finish with contact, as well as hit the midrange and 3 point jumper, while parker as good as he is going to the whole and even with an improved jumper, still, for the most part is one dimensional. Ak47 is a similar bruce bown minus the dirty-ness, and is more of an offensive threat. And point blank they’re probably the most physical team in the western conference. We played through it and clinched on their homecourt, toughest place to play in the league.
The one thing the spurs do better as a team than the lakers is play defense, however on the flipside, they are not really a team thats an offensive threat, you don’t have to be a great defensive team to beat them, which is a plus for us. As it showed last night, they scored about 5 points less than their average, we failed to hit ours by about 20. Yet we still won…despite Kobe being in the bermuda triangle till midway through the 3rd quarter. lol
Michael Bennett Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 2:06 am
Lupe - No one cares about your opinion on Adam Sandler. He makes $20 million a movie. ‘Nough said.
As for the rest of your nonsense, THAT’s why I can’t stand Spurs fans. Boo hoo. They lost game 1. They’ll lose the series. You’re the cranky one. The bitter one. And, pretty soon, your Spurs will fail AGAIN to win a back to back, the real mark of a great team/franchise.
koly tenguela Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Soul,
Lebron isn’t and will never be as graceful than kobe or MJ cause of how physical and strong he’s. That’s why he doesn’t look as much a finesse player than some others in the league but don’t get fooled by that, he’s really really skilled.
Maybe you don’t remember it but during a good part of his rookie year coming straight out of high school, Silas make him play the most difficult position in all basketball, pg alongside davis, miller, boozer and ilgauskas.
If you don’t have exceptional court vision, handle, skills and feeling for the game you can’t do that when you are a 6′8 240 guy coming out of highschool. Most of the sg and forwards (even amongst the vets) can’t play the pg position. Lebron is not only a freak of nature, he’s also a very skilled player and that’s why he has a chance to catch jordan.
That said, you should notice that jordan was also (particularly for his time) a real freak: he was absurdly athletic and stronger than most of the guys at his position ( maybe only ritchmond could challenge him in the strength department), doesn’t that remind you someone?
He was also a very average shooter (particularly from 3) who improved durig the course of his career, once again doesn’t that remind you someone?
Don’t be so hard on Lebron, don’t believe all those so called analysts ( the stephen a smith of the world who will quickly jump bandwagon cause that’s what they do), make your opinion on what you see the guy achieve on the baskatball court. Keep in mind that during years, jordan was heavily criticized, people were saying that he was just an unbelievable athlete, that he couldn’t shoot, that he was a solist unable to raise his teammates level. Now, where are those guys? they are praising MJ on national tv.
The players who benefit the most of the new rules were the Monta ellis types not lebron. Lebron would have been successful in any era, once again don’t take for granted what everyone told you just because he’s writing on an internet site or speaking on tv.
koly tenguela Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Zane,
It’s not going to be easy but why not going after baron davis, i don’t think that the warriors can resign him and monta ellis in the same summer. SzczerbiaK, Gibson’s new contract and the cavs fist round pick for baron. Then, sign a guy like james jones ( he can shoot 3’s) and use the 2nd round pick on the best wing player available.
That said, i don’t understand why everyone’s so hard on mike brown. He managed to make 2 confernence semifinals and one nba finals, he makes his star player buy into his system, his players play hard every night, so what’s the deal, how many coaches would have done a better job with the rosters he had, not many.
People are saying that he’s not an offensive genius (which’s probably true) but at the same time he don’t have the kind of personnel for playing like the suns. The only chance for the cavs is to slow down the tempo; limit the possessions and let lebron take over in the closing minutes. Everyone’s all over D’antoni but it’s easy to play run and gun and be successful when you have nash, amare and marion but when you have pavlovic, wallace and ilgauskas ( my beloved dad’s probably quicker than him), what are you supposed to do. When D’antoni was fired by the nuggets in 99, who was saying that he was an offensive genius, no one, was that his fault? definitely no, he had at his disposition one of the worst nba teams ever. Brown owed a lot to Lebron but he has done a lot more than a solid job so far and i have seen him be outcoached only one time and it was by pop which is nothing he has to be ashamed. As long that, his players play hard for him let him do his job, people should rather point their fingers at ferry’s inability so far to provide offensive help to lebron.
bballer Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 10:54 am
why resign bdiddy @ $15 m when you won’t make the playoffs. trade him for the expiring contract of marbury and buy out marbury. build gsw around monta, bellinelli, b. wright, biedrins and whoever you draft at the sf spot. you have azuibeke has a back up wing player. just build a championship team instead of a playoff team. bring in a coach with an offensive and defensive plan and take it from there. even though i love the baron, this team is not a championship contender.
bennett, you are hilarious. your posts just rubs people the wrong way and that is good. it keeps the communication flowing.
as for the spurs. yeah they lose game one, but they still look good. what will the nba do if it is a spurs/detroit finals. detroit played like champions last night.
avery is overrated as a coach. he has a weak offensive system. mike brown is not a good coach at all. like avery, he lacks any offensive creativity at all. but then again, the cavs has a solid enough defensive that propels them further than they really should be. the cavs roster is nothing more than a .500 team with one superstar. they need a young post player that could score. the same type of player that kobe got in gasol. until then, lebron will not win.
Cody Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 11:23 am
“And, pretty soon, your Spurs will fail AGAIN to win a back to back, the real mark of a great team/franchise.” You are gonna eat these.
koly tenguela Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 11:45 am
bballer,
who’s responsible for you of the fact that the cavs have a solid defensive system “that propels them further than they really should be”, who make the defensive game plan.
Once again, like most of the people i think that you are a little bit too hard with brown. It looks to me that he has done a good job so far and that his players goes hard all the time for him.
He should probably add to his staff someone able to help him at the offensive end like rivers (who’s worst than brown) has done with thibodeau for helping him at the defensive end.
Also, if i had the choice i would always rather go with a coach who’s strong to build defensive systems than another one who has creativity on offense because you know that defense won championships (one of the only cliches that’s true).
Finally, in evaluating a coach, you should take into account the kind of personnel he had at his disposition. The ultimate example: pat riley who made showtime when he had magic,kareem,worthy etc and “uglytime” with ewing oakley, starks. Not the same type of talent,the same caliber of players, the same style of game.
Kingsblade Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 12:56 pm
Koly,
When bballer said, “but then again, the cavs have a solid defense…” he WAS giving Brown credit for team defense. Why don’t you try understanding what people are saying before arguing with them. It makes you look ignorant.
I’d also like to point out to every one that the 2001 Lakers won the title while ranked 21st in the league in defense rating. There have been a number of champions who were not a top 10 defense. During the Nash/D’Antoni era the Suns have not finished worse than 17th if defensive efficiency. They typically are at about the middle of the league.
Defense is important, true, but you don’t have to be the Spurs or the Pistons, you just have to be able to get a stop when you really need it, and that has been the Suns problem. The showtime Lakers won championships giving up as much as 107 points/game.
The best champions are well rounded teams. They can get stops when they need them, and the can score when they need to. In the last 15 years only the Pistons and the ‘99 Spurs have been able to win titles without being in the top 10 in offensive efficiency. I think a teams goal should be to perform as well as possible in both categories.
David Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Kingsblade,
You are right about the 99 SPurs. I have no idea about the stats but I went to a lot of those games and it seemed that that team, more than any other, would shut down the opposition (smother might be a better word) starting mid way of the 4th quarter. All of their points were lay ups on fast breaks after stops and turn overs.
The Spurs till play great defense — it’s when they can’t put the ball in the &(&(@$ basket that they lose (not as if you care….lol)
Kingsblade Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
I don’t like them, but I do expect to see a strong game out of them tonight. They do not get rattled and they almost always make good adjustments between games.
David Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
It might take them longer to adjust. I’m not a Kobe fan but he IS the best player in the game (hope I’m not starting THAT debate again).
Do you live in Canada?
Cody Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Not trying to start something again, but how many points did Kobe have with Bowen on him? Bowen sat down in the second half with foul trouble, and Kobe went off. Most of the points he had against Bowen were off of a tight pick. When Bowen had him one on one Kobe couldn’t do anything. Call me crazy but he gets under his skin and I know it will be a factor, it always is.
koly tenguela Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
Kingsblade,
what make you so aggressive, i read bballer post, i understand it and i don’t know what i said that made you react like that. I wasn’t trying to go after you when i made my remarks about your spurs rant and i made my point in a very cool way.
I was using what bballer said as a part of my argumentation about the fact that in my view brown haven’t done such a terrible job.
Don’t know what’s wrong with you cause i’ve other discussions before with you without any kind of so personal reactions, looks like i hurt you at some point.
That’s your right to think that i look ignorant, i’m going to try to improve.
Kingsblade Said,
May 23, 2008 @ 11:39 pm
David,
Yes I live in Canada.
Funny thing, I dislike Kobe almost as much as I dislike the Spurs, but watching him in these playoffs has been a revelation. Kobe might actually be a decent basketball player
(This is called a deliberate understatement, so please do not jump all over me Kobe fans)
Even more amusing is the fact that with the Spurs as an opponent I find myself actually cheering for the Lakers, as horrifying a thought as that may be.
Cody,
He did start scoring after Bowen went off, but that was a coincidence, since that is also when he started shooting; and please do not claim that it was Bowen who kept him from shooting, since we all know that Kobe will shoot no matter what if he feels like it. He still scored 19 of his 27 on Bowen. Bowen also had him most of the game tonight and didn’t do much to stop him in game two either.
I think that Bowen has almost as punchable a face as Ginobili.
Koly,
I think you take more offense at the word ‘ignorant’ than it deserves. A lot of people seem think that word is more harsh than it actually is. In any case, your reply to bballer just annoyed me for some reason. There was nothing personal about my reaction, and I don’t even know why you seem to think that to be the case.
When you responded by telling someone, in an argumentative manner, something he already said, you looked as though you did not know or understand what he was talking about, and thus ignorant towards his statement. It is not even precisely an insult to say so, so please do not take it personally. You have not upset me or anything, I just get impatient at times.
koly tenguela Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 5:28 am
Kingsblade,
Bballer said that brown was “not a good coach at all “and then mellowed it by saying that “their defensive system propels them further than they should”, so i wanted to point out the fact that he can’t be such a terrible coach like he said if his system can propel his team further than they should. That’s why i began my post by that.
You know that i’ve no problem saying that i don’t understand when that’s the case and to recognize when i’m wrong.
Not so long ago bennett said that you were an idiot about a david post for something that you didn’t understand, no one other than him said anything so don’t do your best bennett impersonation you are better than that.
Finally, i don’t take offense for anything that anyone said here, believe me or not that’s really true, i’ve no problem with you, you defended your point very well the first time we had a discussion and that’s something that i respect. Anyway, if you think i was wrong then let’s be it; like i told you i’m going to try to improve.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Let it go, koly - man…
Mike Brown is NOT a good coach. He’s a competent coach in a very lucky situation. Last year, the Cavs went to the Finals because of one man - LeBron James. There was nothing about Mike Brown’s system that had anything to do with LeBron James scoring 25 points in a row and matching and eventually beating the Pistons. The Cavs are a pretty good defensive team because of their players and difficult match-ups they present in their front line, NOT because of Mike Brown.
You state your opinions on Mike Brown and how good he is as a coach based off of what? Two Playoff series? This year? I’ve been watching the guy for every single game since he took over and I can tell you, as a Cavs expert, that he is NOT a good coach by any means. Where’s your credentials, toly?
The TNT crew always talks about teams needing an identity. I agree. I think that every team needs a system of their own… a system that has strong points and is based on basketball theory or proof from the past. The Triangle Offense works… with the right players. The pick and roll works… with the right players. The Cavs need to find a coach that can utilize LeBron James and the rest of the players to their full potential. And, Mike Brown does not do that with the 1 on 4 offense. I think when the Cavs find that coach, and LeBron is playing to his strengths and at his full potential, they will be unbeatable.
In the meantime, koly, have some basis for your opinion. Watching 13 Cavs Playoff games doesn’t make you an expert on Mike Brown or the Cavs.
stefan Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 11:20 am
OY,
As difficult as it is to admit, I have to agree with Bennett on the his points about the coaching of the Cavs. Mike Brown doesn’t seem to have what it takes to lead a team. There are moments when Lebron seems to want to jump ship. The mark of a great coach is the extent to which he can have his all-star players’ respect and how well he continues to teach and guide his whole team. Look at Pop and Duncan. Jackson and Kobe. Great coaches get into their superstars ears and correct them when they’re wrong. I’m not sure, cause I’ve only watched about 25 or so Cavs games this year, so I’m not an expert (ehem) but it seems like this is not the case with Mike Brown and his team.
Ummm…One last thing.
Michael Bennett. Just out of curiosity….(pause for derisive laugh. heh-heh-heh)…what is it, specifically that makes you a Cavs expert? Aren’t we all students of the game? I mean, unless you’re on some team’s payroll, I highly doubt it that you’re an actual EXPERT on any of this….save perhaps sounding off and infuriating people.
But peace,
Stefan.
Kingsblade Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
I do know one thing….Brown’s system will likely shorten LeBron’s career if LeBron has to keep it up much longer.
Miguel Benito Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
I’ve always thought of myself as an NBA expert, but have to admit to be humbled recently. I thought for sure the Suns and Mavs would be unstoppable in the playoffs, but both were gone in round one. I thought the Pistons and Spurs were old news and older news… but here they are, both in their conference finals…again. I was absolutely certain that Chris Paul would be MVP… wrong again. I called those who disagreed with me idiots and morons. I guess this season has taught me to be more humble and less abrasive. Now that I look at the big picture I realize how immature I’ve been.
koly tenguela Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
Michael Bennett,
“He’s a competent coach in a very lucky situation”
That’s exactly what i think of him and that’s very different than brown being a terrible or a bad coach like i hear most of the people say about him.
“There was nothing about Mike Brown’s system that had anything to do with LeBron James scoring 25 points in a row and matching and eventually beating the Pistons”
Like i said before , the cavs are able to win because their defense is good enough for keeping them in most of the games in order to allow Lebron to do his thing. Once again, who’s responsible for that ?
“The Cavs are a pretty good defensive team because of their players and difficult match-ups they present in their front line, NOT because of Mike Brown.”
If your players don’t buy into your system and don’t follow the game plan you gave them, your team won’t play D. I’m going to give you an exemple that’s maybe going to surprise you, i really think that the nuggets have as much good defensive players than the cavs but they don’t play any kind of D because Karl has not been able to convince them to make at least the minimum on that end of the court.
koly tenguela Said,
May 24, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
Michael Bennett,
In order to sum up what i think, i don’t consider brown a great coach but i also believe that he’s making the job done. The cavs roster is absolutely horrendous offensively so he understood what his team needed, his players goes hard all the time,he has a system that fit the kind of personnel he has. People should point fingers at ferry who’s responsible for not surrounding lebron with the kind of players who would have allowed him to use his court vision and passing ability in an optimal way.
Any successful coach need to be lucky, so ok lebron’s on his team, pop has duncan, jackson jordan, pippen, kobe, shaq,etc I’m not trying to compare brown with them, i’m saying that without the right players you can’t do nothing. I’ve already talk about D’antoni’s example.
For the rest of your post , i don’t know what to say, i’m not an expert, i don’t have that pretention and i even have a tendency to run from people who called them experts,i don’t watch all the cavs games either.
My credentials, I’ve none, just my passion for the game who make me still find time for playing hoops twice a week and helping kids in my hometown to stay away from the streets by playing basketball while i’ve a job and a girlfriend who’s so desperate that she’s always challenging me to make a choice between hoops and her.
But that’s probably not enough for such an expert like you.
Miguel Benito Said,
May 25, 2008 @ 3:59 am
Well, looks like I’m still an idiot after all.
koly tenguela Said,
May 25, 2008 @ 5:17 am
Michael Bennett,
old fashioned michael bennett, still nothing in your post but at least it’s funny
David Said,
May 25, 2008 @ 9:50 am
Did MB’s post about therapy.net get deleted??? I went there for a session but got zip lol…
Kingsblade, the reason I asked if you lived in Canada, if I may digress from hoops since it seems that the Spurs have as well, is that I have met an extraordinary amout of Canadians who live part time in the Valley (South Texas, South Padre…) nice folks. I just wondered how they found us.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 25, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Doesn’t the 1st Amendment apply here? It’s not like I yelled ‘fire’ in a chat room.
Kingsblade Said,
May 26, 2008 @ 1:02 am
David,
Yeah, there are quite a few of us down there during the winter. There are even more part time Canadians in Arizona. It’s pretty simple really, many of us like to go live somewhere warmer for the winter. My winter place is in California. I can’t get away for the whole winter, and I doubt I would anyways because I do love some winter sports, but I usually spend a month or two a year escaping the snow. I’ve been looking for Arizona property, but haven’t decided where to buy yet. Never really considered Texas…maybe I should look into it. Wouldn’t want to be around too many Spurs fans though…
DJ Said,
May 26, 2008 @ 2:06 am
I thought it througout the season but Lebron is really the legitimate MVP of the league. Kobe was the second best player during the regular season so it’s not a crime that he won the award considering he had better seasons in the past then some MVP award winners. If a guy like Shaq can be robbed of the award and a young MJ can be robbed of the award, Lebron not winning isn’t anything new.
In my estimation, Lebron is already slightly better then Jordan ever was. If Lebron adds a reliable jumper, he will become much better then Jordan ever was and that is scary. And I remember calling Jordan the best perimeter player in the game when most of the accolades went to Magic and Bird. And I’ll be the first to acknowledge Jordan at his best had better stats but Jordan also played in a high scoring era in which it was often much easier to put up stats. Cleveland plays at a slow pace and that doesn’t artificially inflate Lebron’s stats.
And I’m someone who never fell for the hype hoisted on the pretenders to the crown of the best perimeter player ever or “next MJ” but Lebron is like a super athletic fast Magic Johnson who can play excellent defense when he wants to. He doesn’t have the very good outside shot that Magic and Jordan eventually developed but his other advantages already more then make up for it.
MJ with the Bulls was on a ridiculously talented team that won around 56 games *without him* one year. And almost made the nba finals without him…. Pippen in his prime was one of the 20 best players the game has ever seen. Add in a genuine HOFer in Rodman and some other very good role players, it really isn’t a surprise the Bulls dominated. Despite his greatness, MJ was losing in the first round before the Bulls started developing a great team around him.
I am somewhat skeptical if Lebron and many other nba players nowadays are truly clean athletes in terms of performance enhancers but James is a true athletic freak that knows how to play basketball like a veteran nba player who has been in the league 15 years. Since James was a basketball prodigy seen he was a young teenager, I would like to think he is clean. Even though he is slightly bigger then Jordan and the second best athlete in the game today, Kobe Bryant doesn’t have the super human quickness of a young MJ. Bryant does match or even exceed Jordan’s shooting skills/moves. Lebron doesn’t have Jordan’s quickness either but he is MUCH stronger, bigger, taller and even faster then Jordan. Lebron has the speed of an elite NFL wide receiver but the strength of a Karl Malone.
And while Jordan could pass the ball very well and was fundamentally sound, Lebron sees the floor better and is probably the third best big man/superstar passer of all time only behind Magic and Bird.
If Lebron ever gets his supporting cast like Jordan, Magic and Bird had and he develops a better jumper that matches Kobe’s or MJ’s outside shot, the team that has his services will be unstoppable. The scary thing is that even shooting poorly for most of the series, Lebron almost carried the Cavs past a team(Boston) that could still win the nba championship.
Lebron has the physique/size that could almost match up with Moses Malone on the interior….it really shows you how much the game has progressed in the last 25 years.
David Said,
May 26, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Suns fans are no better
Kingsblade Said,
May 26, 2008 @ 11:11 am
You may be right. However Wayne Gretzky is in Arizona and many of us like living in closer proximity to our national deity.
David Said,
May 26, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
We don’t much cotton to ice hockey in these here parts
Michael Bennett Said,
May 27, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Now, let’s hear all the Spurs fans complaints…
“He was fouled! Blah, blah, blah…”
But, remember, before you say anything, remember Tim Duncan taking seven steps for the dunk in the 1st Quarter. Should have been a traveling. Everyone knew it. It was a good no call. So was the last play of the game.
Laker up 3-1. Sorry, Spurs. You are a sad group of so-called champions.
Miller Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 1:34 am
bennett– how are your Bulls doing in these playoffs?
What team are you rooting for this week?
space Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 9:04 am
i should have known with bennett on the scene that this would’ve turned into a cavs or bulls convo. LoL. regardless, he is right. brown is not doing an adequate job as a coach. they DO, however have a capable roster. west, sczerbiak, joe smith, etc. the players need defined roles and ahem: an identity. it is gradually happening, but if larry brown ran the squad i bet they’d be playing the pistons again right now. its just a poor use of players, no interior force & no official #2 guy. its always lebron #1 and whoever is hot that night. not good.
as for the celts. same scenario. i commend rivers for some of his moves and have to blast him for others. he HAS to work ray allen into the offense for them to win that series. a slump that long is not just unacceptable for ray, but also for the coach.
David Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 11:36 am
MB,
Last anyone said from here (San Antonio) no one was disputing the no call…Pop always said the better team wins in a 7 game series and he’s not backing down from that. Hell, Kobe never went to the line so we got no complaints here…do you? In other words, no one here is crying, why should you? I guess you need a different ganja from what you’re smoking …
Michael Bennett Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
Sounds like a bitter fan who’s team is down 3-1.
David Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 4:11 pm
Not bitter at all, just disappointed.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 28, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
Disappointed with tears?
David Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 8:30 am
Ten years ago I would have said yes. Now that I have kids, well it’s fun, but just not the most important thing in my life.
By the way my 6 year old is a die hard Celtics fan, at least for this year.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Michael Bennett Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Smart 6 year old. I like the Celtics, too. The only team remaining that I can’t stand is the Spurs. Well, I like Pop, Parker and Timmy. I just don’t like their fans.
David Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 12:48 pm
Do you have kids?
Michael Bennett Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
I’m 14. So, no, I don’t have kids.
David Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
I’m going to nickname you Picasso, because when I really read your posts I somehow think of Cubist paintings
Michael Bennett Said,
May 29, 2008 @ 5:53 pm
That’s probably the best compliment I’ve ever heard in my short 14 years of life.
David Said,
May 30, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
are those “doggie” years??
Dr. J-Water Said,
June 2, 2008 @ 12:46 am
Eddie,
Do you think the Celtics are better off for having been involved in more closely decided series leading up to the finals?
I am of the opinion that it showed the Celtics grit and ability to grind out the win to get where they want to be. It’s not a knock on the Lakers as we don’t yet know how they will react with their backs against the wall. But we will probably find out soon, given the fact that the Celtics have home court advantage and are an amazing team in the Garden.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers will react to possibly starting the series with a deficit and trying to come from behind.
Be good!
Doc J-Water
Danny T. Said,
June 17, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
Danny T….
Do you really believe what you write?…