*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (6 Viewers)

[Gr00vus]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

You've always been the most negative of Lakers fans around here, and right now it's hard to argue with you. But I'm not convinced you're right. Every game in the playoffs, and every series, is a reset. If the Lakers can win on Saturday, and if Bynum returns to the form we saw in the first two games of this series, then they could beat Oklahoma City.

They could, but they probably won't. You disagree with that? I don't think too many people knowledgeable about the NBA would expect the Lakers to win a series vs. OKC.

 

[tommyGunZ]

I think George Karl deserves a whole lot of credit for this series. Doubling everything down low has completely removed Bynum and Gasol from the game and its pretty clear that Bynum's frustration is affecting his production on the defensive side of the ball as well. If the Lakers are going to beat you, make them do it with Kobe taking 25 contested jumpers a game. I don't think the statistics would show it, but I feel like since game 2 Jordan Hill has been the best big for the Lakers, that's a good spot for the Nuggets to be in.It was nice to see the law of averages finally catch up the the Nuggets jump shooting tonight, they seemed to make everything from everywhere. I think that as long as they can hit a respectable amount of jumpers in Game 7 the should be able to pull of the series victory. Games like tonight are the reason why I don't want McGee to get a long term contract this offseason. For every Game 5 he has, he has a half dozen games like tonight where he is a total non-factor. I think the most hated player right now in Colorado sports is Kobe Bryant. I absolutely love how the crowd boos him every time he touches the ball.

I agree with everything in this post, including loving how hated Kobe is in Colorado.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

You've always been the most negative of Lakers fans around here, and right now it's hard to argue with you. But I'm not convinced you're right. Every game in the playoffs, and every series, is a reset. If the Lakers can win on Saturday, and if Bynum returns to the form we saw in the first two games of this series, then they could beat Oklahoma City.

I'd say Perkins and Ibaka are a tougher pair to deal with than McGee and Faried. OKC in 5.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

Always enjoy your thoughts Groov. A lot to chew on here.I agree that the Lakers will be dogs in the 2nd round, but the NBA is all about matchups, so I wouldn't count the Lakers out.I agree that Mitch and Jim have to move Bynum for Howard if it's there, regardless of any outcome (either a loss or Sat or a championship). I would not deal Pau for whatever despite his struggles in this series. Guy is still an extremely valuable player and should only be dealt for value in return, not bits and pieces.Agree that Brown is being outcoached, but that's not surprising. W/re to the egos and locker room, the dynamics make this an extremely hard team for younger coach w/o rings, and I think he's done a pretty good job of navigating the land mines all season considering the dysfunction.

 

[timschochet]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

You've always been the most negative of Lakers fans around here, and right now it's hard to argue with you. But I'm not convinced you're right. Every game in the playoffs, and every series, is a reset. If the Lakers can win on Saturday, and if Bynum returns to the form we saw in the first two games of this series, then they could beat Oklahoma City.

I'd say Perkins and Ibaka are a tougher pair to deal with than McGee and Faried. OKC in 5.

The problems with Bynum and Gasol have very little to do with McGee and Faried and a whole lot to do with Bynum and Gasol. If they could somehow find a way to fix these problems, then Perkins and Ibaka shouldn't stop them either.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

You've always been the most negative of Lakers fans around here, and right now it's hard to argue with you. But I'm not convinced you're right. Every game in the playoffs, and every series, is a reset. If the Lakers can win on Saturday, and if Bynum returns to the form we saw in the first two games of this series, then they could beat Oklahoma City.

I'd say Perkins and Ibaka are a tougher pair to deal with than McGee and Faried. OKC in 5.

The problems with Bynum and Gasol have very little to do with McGee and Faried and a whole lot to do with Bynum and Gasol. If they could somehow find a way to fix these problems, then Perkins and Ibaka shouldn't stop them either.

Oh, okay. I figured the players they were being defended by the majority of the series would have had an impact on their performance. Thank you for clearing that up.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Despite the addition of Sessions, it looks like the same old Lakers from the Dallas series last year. Just too slow, and not enough shooters.

 

[Gr00vus]

Despite the addition of Sessions, it looks like the same old Lakers from the Dallas series last year. Just too slow, and not enough shooters.

 

[No. 16]

Regardless of what happens Saturday, the Lakers aren't getting out of the second round if they make it there. They'll be lucky to win a game from OKC in that case. At that point I think you need to break these guys up. Send Bynum out for Howard (sorry Cappy), send Gasol out for whatever. This isn't a championship quality squad (like I've been saying all year), the problems are deep seeded and involve the main 3 guys's heads. Brown is getting steamrolled by egos he doesn't know how to work with, just like in Cleveland, they've tuned him out.

You've always been the most negative of Lakers fans around here, and right now it's hard to argue with you. But I'm not convinced you're right. Every game in the playoffs, and every series, is a reset. If the Lakers can win on Saturday, and if Bynum returns to the form we saw in the first two games of this series, then they could beat Oklahoma City.

I'd say Perkins and Ibaka are a tougher pair to deal with than McGee and Faried. OKC in 5.

The problems with Bynum and Gasol have very little to do with McGee and Faried and a whole lot to do with Bynum and Gasol. If they could somehow find a way to fix these problems, then Perkins and Ibaka shouldn't stop them either.

Oh, okay. I figured the players they were being defended by the majority of the series would have had an impact on their performance. Thank you for clearing that up.

Haha.

 

[Gr00vus]

I would not deal Pau for whatever despite his struggles in this series. Guy is still an extremely valuable player and should only be dealt for value in return, not bits and pieces.Agree that Brown is being outcoached, but that's not surprising. W/re to the egos and locker room, the dynamics make this an extremely hard team for younger coach w/o rings, and I think he's done a pretty good job of navigating the land mines all season considering the dysfunction.

I was being overly glib with the Gasol thing. But you have to be realistic. The guy is on the wrong side of 30 now, this looks like the 2nd year in a row he's wilting in the playoffs and he didn't put up fantastic number this year. Combining that with a max deal doesn't leave you room to ask for a 1st team all star in return. I'd be calling up Houston again to see what they could get for Gasol (and maybe Sessions if you could land Lowry in the deal).Either that or you have to find a coach who knows what to do with Gasol. Brown obviously has no idea. Let's take our 7 footer and have him stand around and shoot from distance, that way we can minimize his ability to score and get him away from the offensive glass in one stroke all so he can make one or two nice passes a game from the perimeter when someone remembers to get him the ball - brilliant!Wasn't Brown's thing supposed to be defense? He's really nailed that the last few games.

 

[Gr00vus]

I don't know if Odom would have made much of a difference in this series, but neither having him nor getting any immediate value for him has hurt.

The way it turned out, they basically dealt him, Fisher and a 1st rounder for Sessions. So I wouldn't say they didn't get immediate value (particularly considering how he totally fell apart - maybe that doesn't happen in L.A. but I think he checked out as soon as he found out they tried to deal him to N.O.). I would say the net effect was probably a wash.

 

[Kev4029]

I don't know if Odom would have made much of a difference in this series, but neither having him nor getting any immediate value for him has hurt.

The way it turned out, they basically dealt him, Fisher and a 1st rounder for Sessions. So I wouldn't say they didn't get immediate value (particularly considering how he totally fell apart - maybe that doesn't happen in L.A. but I think he checked out as soon as he found out they tried to deal him to N.O.). I would say the net effect was probably a wash.

And they probably never go after Hill if Odom is still around.

 

[Gr00vus]

Despite the addition of Sessions, it looks like the same old Lakers from the Dallas series last year. Just too slow, and not enough shooters.

When the top of the roster is expensive and the team is so good it's drafting near the back every year, it's hard to get young and develop talent. That Farmar-Brown-Bryant perimeter from a few years back LAL would occasionally roll out was inconsistent, but it was a fast lineup that put a lot of pressure on the opponent.

True. Then again they're paying about $8M for Blake and McRoberts - I have to believe there were better ways to spend that money. Of course World Peace is pulling down $8M plus too. I think those decisions have as much to do with the crummy supporting cast as not having earlier draft picks. Also, S.A. seems to be able to restock the shelves while picking low in the order too. It'd have been nice if the Lakers could have found a solid rotation player in the back half of the draft like S.A. seems to do at least once in the last 15 years.

 

[Gr00vus]

I don't know if Odom would have made much of a difference in this series, but neither having him nor getting any immediate value for him has hurt.

The way it turned out, they basically dealt him, Fisher and a 1st rounder for Sessions. So I wouldn't say they didn't get immediate value (particularly considering how he totally fell apart - maybe that doesn't happen in L.A. but I think he checked out as soon as he found out they tried to deal him to N.O.). I would say the net effect was probably a wash.

And they probably never go after Hill if Odom is still around.

True, I spaced that. They got Sessions and Hill for Odom, Fisher and a 1st rounder.

 

[timschochet]

3) Artest will be back for Game 7.

It's amazing to believe that, given the way this guy played during the first half of the year (he was worse than useless) we Laker fans are begging for his return to the court. But make no mistake, we are.

 

[tommyGunZ]

And Bryant did that after receiving more bags of intravenous fluids (four -- two before the game and two at halftime) than Gasol grabbed rebounds (three -- the lowest board total Gasol had in any game all season).

 

[tommyGunZ]

Can we FF to Saturday already? What a ####### debacle.

Couple of hopefully encouraging thoughts to help bridge the time....1) I don't recall the exact number, but if you combined all North American pro sports with best-of-7 series in their playoff structures, the home delivers at least 80% of the time. So while the Game 5 loss was frustrating and Game 6 was a nightmare, history is still on LAL's side here.2) Mike Brown may be on the short end of the coaching matchup, but George Karl is beatable. Karl has been knocked out in the first round 12 times, and he has more first-round losses as a favorite than first-round wins as a dog. He's won a few Game 7s, but he's lost a few (including Game 5s of best-of-fives) with the talent edge. 3) Artest will be back for Game 7. He's not a superstar, but he can play big minutes for a thin team that has been one perimeter player short this series. In this particular matchup, Artest's value will be increased by letting Kobe stay at SG when DEN goes double-point, so Kobe can spend more time guarding Andre Miller and Steve Blake can spend more time guarding the Gatorade barrel. 4) It's a multi-game series. One postseason loss does not end the season. I cannot emphasize enough the difference between that time Ty Lawson went off in that one playoff game and that time Ali Farokmanesh killed the dreams of a potential champion. Or Shaka Smart. Or whoever the #### played for Bucknell in 2005. GL tomorrow night. As much fun as I would have dancing on the legacy of yet another 3-1 series lead blown by Kobe Bryant, I'm much more intrigued by OKC v LAL than OKC v DEN. (And PSA: Sunday is Mother's Day. That #### blindsided me this year. I used to have that "holiday" on point when I lived in Minnesota because it was always the same weekend as the fishing opener and hearing/thinking about that coming up triggered the reminder to do something for Mother's Day, but now I don't have a guy thing on the schedule to remind me.)

It's impossible not to be disappointed as a Laker fan this morning, moreso due to Pau and Drew's disappearing acts than the loss. I still think they'll win Game 7, and I think the OKC series is more of a coin flip than folks think.Per Laker beat writers/reporters, Artest is like a rabid dog chomping at the bit. I'm hoping his energy and ability makes a big difference. Guy was playing fantastic ball the last month of the season prior to his mental breakdown. He can make a lot big difference, for several of the reasons you point out, but also for the intensity and fight he brings. Which is what has been embarrassingly lacking from #16 and #17 the last two games.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I didn't see the game last night, but, while I enjoy ripping Bryant as much as anyone (since he so often deserves it), I have no problem with him calling his teammates out for not showing up in a playoff game. When your superstar is as sick as a dog and still plays well, and you don't bother even showing up, well, you deserved to be publicly called out.

 

[Shrugs]

I think this is actually the perfect scenario for Artest to return. If he came back for the first game of the OKC series, I could see his head not being in it the right way. But now there's no time for that. He knows the team needs him. All that stuff is forgotten. He just needs to do his thing like he was doing before the suspension.

 

[Kev4029]

I've been reading a lot of articles on the Nuggets-Lakers series today, it seems like nobody wants to give the Nuggets any credit. All I'm reading is that Bynum and Gasol have disappeared and that Ron Artest World Peace is going to revive the Lakers as hes a defensive stopper and an outside threat. This is all ignoring a few things:

1. The Nuggets have played incredible defensively against the post players, and IMO have exposed every weakness the Lakers have.

2. MWP will spend nearly all of the game covering either Gallo or Afflalo, both of whom have been mediocre at best. Its unlikely he'll make a significant impact on that side of the court.

3. MWP shot 29% from the 3PT line this season and is a 34% shooter for his career, that's hardly the kind of shooter they need. Also, I would guess that the player who is going to lose the most minutes to MWP is Blake, who has been the Lakers only credible 3 point shooter outside of Kobe's late game shooting in game 5.

 

[drummer]

So you're saying Kobe is 4-1 in Game 7s and each win led to an NBA title. Thanks for your usual great analysis.

Derek Fisher is 5-0 in Game 7s and four of those wins led to an NBA title.So by your logic it's clear Derek Fisher is more clutch than Kobe Bryant.

As usual we're all flattered to know you read this thread and it's a joy to read all the insight and thoughtfulness permeating in your posts in this thread and every other thread that has the privilege of your participation.

That one was personal.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I've been reading a lot of articles on the Nuggets-Lakers series today, it seems like nobody wants to give the Nuggets any credit.

The problems with Bynum and Gasol have very little to do with McGee and Faried and a whole lot to do with Bynum and Gasol.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this was taken from somewhere else.

 

[drummer]

I'm getting really frustrated watching Sessions, Barnes, and Blake pass up WIDE OPEN shots. I don't have a great feeling about Saturday. I do know that MWP won't pass up those shots. Here's hoping he's on.

None of them are shooting well, if they were taking all the open shots that have you would be even more frustrated with all the shots they were missing. The Nuggets have made the Lakers into a jump shooting team and its killing them.

They arent making the shots anyways. That extra pass into the post or to someone else just keeps resulting in a contested shot and a miss. You can't keep passing up those wide open jump shots.

If it is open on the first pass, it will be open on the 5th or 6th pass. What they need to do is incorporate more ball movement and at least make the defense reposition to open up offensive rebounding opportunities before settling.

 

[Kev4029]

Also, I don't think I've ever seen a PG (Miller) post up a SF (Barnes) multiple times before. It looked like the Nuggets cleared out a couple different times for Miller to post up Barnes, which he did successfully. I've made this point before, but I think Miller might have the best post game in the NBA, its too bad hes 6'2" and not 6'8". His move where he looks like hes going to turn around to post up his man and just continues his spin for some reason is just the most incredible move to me. He only uses it on occasion but it works every ####### time. I hope Miller accepts playing 25 mpg off the bench and re-ups with the Nuggets this offseason.

 

[drummer]

When Bryant was asked whether his teammates matched his heart in Thursday's game, he replied, "No. Of course they didn't."

Bryant said he spoke with Gasol after the game and planned to speak with Bynum to ensure they have the proper focus heading into a winner-take-all Game 7.

"It's one of those things where psychologically you have to put yourself in a predicament, in a position where you have no other option but to perform," Bryant said. "You have to emotionally put yourself with your back against the wall and kind of trick yourself, so to speak, to feel that there's no other option but to perform and to battle. When you have that, when you put yourself in that mind state, then your performance shines through. Your talent shines through, and it doesn't matter what the defense does, it doesn't matter if you get fouled. It doesn't matter because you're emotionally at a level that's above that. That's the mind state that they have to put themselves in."

On the positive side, the Lakers will have Metta World Peace back in the lineup Saturday, as Game 6 marked the last game of World Peace's seven-game suspension for elbowing Oklahoma City's James Harden in the head.

"I expect him to come out and play with the tenacity that he's known for," Bryant said. "He's the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with that sense of urgency and play with no fear. So, I'm looking forward to having that by my side again."

I understand his frustration, but the correct answer to this line of questioning is "no comment".

WAT. Bryant has every right to call them out. Shaq called Bynum out last night on TNT. Bryant is the only guy who can call them out as a Laker. Brown sure ain't gonna do it.

 

[Village Idiot]

The Grizzlies have lost every game on the road to the Clippers this year.

They came back from a double digit deficit to force OT in LA with paul and griffin in better health.

With Paul and Griffin not at 100% do the Grizzlies win to reach game 7 in Memphis?

 

[Short Corner]

I don't know if Odom would have made much of a difference in this series, but neither having him nor getting any immediate value for him has hurt.

The way it turned out, they basically dealt him, Fisher and a 1st rounder for Sessions. So I wouldn't say they didn't get immediate value (particularly considering how he totally fell apart - maybe that doesn't happen in L.A. but I think he checked out as soon as he found out they tried to deal him to N.O.). I would say the net effect was probably a wash.

And they probably never go after Hill if Odom is still around.

True, I spaced that. They got Sessions and Hill for Odom, Fisher and a 1st rounder.

They picked up the Mavs 1st round pick. They also dropped Walton's contract in the exchange.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

Super awareness by the Clippers at the end

 

[flapgreen]

Wow the NBA sucks. :X

 

[Daywalker]

How did Shaq only have one MVP? Went to six finals. Shows you how weak NBA is right now. No big men and the three-time MVP has an average jumper. Geez, two years ago is was about all this new talent and the rebirth of the league. Not seeing it.

Don't Barkleys' Suns or Malone/Stockton just kill these teams?

 

[sports_fan]

How did Shaq only have one MVP? Went to six finals. Shows you how weak NBA is right now. No big men and the three-time MVP has an average jumper. Geez, two years ago is was about all this new talent and the rebirth of the league. Not seeing it.

Don't Barkleys' Suns or Malone/Stockton just kill these teams?

Shaq finished 2nd twice (1994-95 & 2004-05) and 3rd twice (2000-01 & 2001-02).Looking at the MVPs over the past 20 seasons or so, LeBron's right there with the best of them.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

LeBron to win MVP even with Bill Simmons's vote ineligible

Miami Heat staff are planning for a special on-court event before the game on Sunday, which is expected to be the announcement of LeBron James winning league MVP.

LeBron can thank his own performance and SAS's late surge. If OKC gets the #1 seed in the West, Durant probably wins MVP instead.

Has he addressed this, btw? Or has it just been another half-dozen articles telling us what we already know about the Celtics?

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Lotto balls are chosen on May 30, btw.

 

[Dought Man]

What the heck will the internet talk about once Lebron wins a championship? He has 9,000 mentions per hour on the internet this week, the closest NBA player is Blake Griffin at 445 per hour. Unreal.

 

[Moe.]

LeBron to win MVP even with Bill Simmons's vote ineligible

Miami Heat staff are planning for a special on-court event before the game on Sunday, which is expected to be the announcement of LeBron James winning league MVP.

LeBron can thank his own performance and SAS's late surge. If OKC gets the #1 seed in the West, Durant probably wins MVP instead.

Has he addressed this, btw? Or has it just been another half-dozen articles telling us what we already know about the Celtics?

He's talked about it on a couple of podcasts. He said being involved in a gambling scandal is one of the highlights of his career.

 

[Kev4029]

Player Vote Points 1st PlaceJames 1074 85Durant 889 24Paul 385 6Bryant 352 2Parker 331 4
Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

 

[sports_fan]

Full votes

Player, Team	                1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Total PointsLeBron James, Miami	        85	25	9	1	1	1074Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City     24	83	13	1	0	889Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers	6	5	32	35	25	385Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers	2	5	30	39	30	352Tony Parker, San Antonio	4	3	31	31	22	331Kevin Love, Minnesota	        0	0	4	6	20	58Dwight Howard, Orlando	        0	0	1	1	5	13Rajon Rondo, Boston	        0	0	0	2	6	12Steve Nash, Phoenix	        0	0	0	1	4	7Derrick Rose, Chicago	        0	0	1	0	0	5Dwyane Wade, Miami	        0	0	0	1	3	6Russell Westbrook, OKC	        0	0	0	1	1	4Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas	        0	0	0	1	1	4Tim Duncan, San Antonio	        0	0	0	1	0	3Joe Johnson, Atlanta	        0	0	0	0	1	1

 

[LHUCKS]

Player     Vote Points    1st PlaceJames      1074           85Durant     889            24Paul       385            6Bryant     352            2Parker     331            4

Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

 

[LHUCKS]

How did Shaq only have one MVP? Went to six finals.

He was robbed at least two years.

 

[This_Guy]

Player     Vote Points    1st PlaceJames      1074           85Durant     889            24Paul       385            6Bryant     352            2Parker     331            4

Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

Depends on how you define MVP. James was no doubt the best player in the NBA this season. But I think each of the bottom 3 were probably more valuable to their team's success than James was.

 

[Popinski]

Player     Vote Points    1st PlaceJames      1074           85Durant     889            24Paul       385            6Bryant     352            2Parker     331            4

Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

I think more embarrassing is the voting All-Defensive teams, which is done by NBA coaches. Regardless, the significance of these awards is limited at best.

 

[Kev4029]

Player     Vote Points    1st PlaceJames      1074           85Durant     889            24Paul       385            6Bryant     352            2Parker     331            4

Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

I think more embarrassing is the voting All-Defensive teams, which is done by NBA coaches. Regardless, the significance of these awards is limited at best.

Done by "coaches". Many of the coaches hand this responsibility to somebody else. I remember one year that JR Smith had two or three votes for All-Defense because who ever was voting probably didn't know the difference between JR Smith and Josh Smith. That was the point when I knew that the voting was 100% a joke.

 

[Kev4029]

Player Vote Points 1st PlaceJames 1074 85Durant 889 24Paul 385 6Bryant 352 2Parker 331 4Twelve voters should have their privileges taken away. I 100% disagree with the Durant votes but I could almost understand the argument, the other twelve first place votes are either incredibly biased voters or they didn't watch any basketball this year, either way they don't deserve to be voting next year.

Depends on how you define MVP. James was no doubt the best player in the NBA this season. But I think each of the bottom 3 were probably more valuable to their team's success than James was.

Heat were 1-3 without James.Lakers were 5-3 without Kobe.

Spurs were 3-3 without Parker.

Clippers were 3-3 without Paul.

There is absolutely nothing that you could point to with Parker and Kobe that would show that they had a better year. The only argument that Paul has is the Clippers improved by about .200 but the Clippers made a handful of changes and their second best player got a year better plus they were significantly better before Billups got hurt, in games he didn't play they were .565. That winning percentage would have put them one game ahead of the Mavs and Jazz and a game behind the Nuggets.

Really the only argument for Durant is he was the best player in the League this year that didn't play for the Heat.

 

[Raider Nation]

Thank God the Sixers went back to their classic look.

Remember this disaster?

Or this one?

:X

 

[derek245583]

Lotto balls are chosen on May 30, btw.

High stakes this season. A few multi-time All-Stars at the top, and several picks in the hopper have partial protections.

Who?I know Anthony Davis, but college basketball seems like months ago, cant think of anyone else but Yancy Gates

 

[Kev4029]

Hell of finish to the Philly-Boston game.

 

[Kev4029]

Rondo put on a clinic, 13 points, 17 assists, 12 rebounds and 4 steals.

And the Celtics did the smart thing that I never see teams do, foul up 3 in the final seconds. Don't understand why all teams don't do that.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Sixers shooting again goes cold.

They had this game if they would have shot just a hair better.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

76ers shoot 59% from the field.

Now they shoot 39% with Joakim Noah out.So damn bipolar.

32.1%

Sixers shoot 39.7%... beat the Rose-less Bulls to move on to the second round.They will have to hit 44%+ to even be considered a serious threat to any team remaining.

They shoot 43.9% and lose by 1 on the road.

 

[modogg]

I look forward to someone knocking Rondo around a bit, the guy is a d-bag.

and i have to think Webber is one of the worst analyst to have behind the mic. the guy adds nothing to a game, except cheer for whichever team he wants to