09 playoffs thread

i really can't stand this guy ans his stupid statshttp://a.espncdn.com/i/columnists/Hollinger_John_35.jpg
I let you down. Sorry about that.

Of all people, I should have seen through the coronation blitz and realized that Orlando had a great shot to win this series. Unfortunately, I picked Cleveland to emerge in five games.

As I was writing Tuesday's story on how the Magic had carved up the Cavs during the regular season, I immediately began getting a sinking feeling that perhaps I had screwed up. The Magic's point differential during the second half of the season wasn't anywhere close to Cleveland's, but as we've learned countless times, the playoffs are all about matchups.

STFU dude. just juke the stats again and come up with why orlando is going to win now.

JA Adande weighs in:

If you've ever been to the restaurant Houston's, you understand that no main course you order will taste better than the spinach-and-artichoke-dip appetizer. That's something to keep in mind for everyone salivating over a possible LeBron James-Kobe Bryant matchup in the NBA Finals.

Hollinger is the worst.

take those fucking baseball stats somewhere else.

lol

is orlando that good? really?

i think orlando is more of a matchup problem than they are good.

they are a matchup problem for anybody, right? if the inside out game is working and they are hitting their threes opponents are fucked.

hollinger backpedal is too funny

yeah i think it's a problem for anyone--the celtics could handle howard but had no answer for turk/shard, cleveland should be able to handle those two guys better but dwight is a bad bad matchup for their big dudes.

i want to see ilgauskas guard evil ilgauskas marcin gortat

― first you get the monkey, then you get the power, then you get the women (hmmmm), Wednesday, May 20, 2009 10:59 PM

XD

that point differential shit is a joke that's why betting the spread on nba games has never been a good idea.

Who is the worst player:

Chauncey Billups
Rashard Lewis
Pau Gasol
Mo Williams

I would say Mo Williams.

Who is the worst player:

Lamar Odom
Nene
Turkoglu
Whoever you think is the best out of Ilgauskas/West/Varejao

I would say the best out of Ilgauskas/West/Varejao is the worst of those four options.

I just think the Cavs' lack the quality #2 and #3 guys that the other teams have. They have good depth, but Lebron still doesn't have a great #2 guy or even a good #3 guy, imo.

Yeah the Cavs definitely depend on 1) Lebron >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kobe or Melo or Daaawight and 2) Cavs team D being ridiculously good.

looking forward to this nuggets/magic finals

― Dr. Phil, Thursday, May 14, 2009 11:59 AM

weird game - as incredibly as lebron played it's pretty unfortunate that he missed three free throws in the 4th - he really has a habit of doing that - i guess the magic could take this 6 or 7 - my concerns are that as dominating as dwight can be (last night duh) he still has too many 12 pt 16 reb games - also they're not gonna shoot 45% from three every game - they can't count on those two things like they did last night

He got shook from the 12" boner

yeah i feel like my boner def jinxed him last night - really sorry lbj

They can shoot 40% +/- for three more games though and take more than 20 3pt shots. Orlando ain't bashful and they shoot a high %. Also Dwight may have too many 12/16 games when Perkins or Duncan or whomever is guarding him, but I don't see Z holding him to 12 anytime soon. He looked like a men amongst boys last night.

On Monday morning, these series will be LA 2-0, and Orl/Cle tied at 1 apiece.

Calling it.

And LeBron goes for 50 tomorrow night.

If you were starting an NBA team and you were offered any roster in the NBA minus its best player, how many teams' rosters would you take over the Cavaliers roster? For me, it's a lot of teams. The best aspect of the Cavs' roster is its flexibility, since they aren't burdened by long-term contracts or significantly overpaid players. But in terms of objective quality, I don't know. Is there a player on that entire roster you wouldn't trade straight up for Anthony Randolph or Eric Gordon or Rudy Fernandez (for example)?

And yeah, they play defense, but how much of that is systemic? They have a great defensive coach, and a great defender in Lebron. Would you call West or Ilgauskas or Williams "good" defensive players if they didn't happen to be on the Cavs?

Wow so a tie on Saturdays LAL/DEN game? BOLD CALL!

a bold clam

dwight could just straight up dominate, but i think there's something with his demeanor there - another thing: in the sixers series dwight had a 31-16 game and a 36-11 game and the magic lost both games, so it's possible that "let dwight get his" is actually the best strategy against them - certainly would make more sense for the cavs to divert their attention to hedo and lewis anyway

Shit. LA 2, Den 1.

Orl 2, Cle 1, but Cle will win on Monday night.

There's no tying in the playoffs.

The Cavs strategy basically needs to be stopping the Magic from shooting 55% cuz they aren't going to win too many ballgames if they don't do that.

it's possible that "let dwight get his" is actually the best strategy against them - certainly would make more sense for the cavs to divert their attention to hedo and lewis anyway

This strategy has worked in the past against a team that focuses on a big man. For sure.

"There's no tying in the playoffs."

That should be the NBA motto.

Better than "Where Caring Happens"

and anyway - i love the hell out of dwight howard but he's not going to put up 30 a game even if some old ass slovokian with stilt legs is guarding him

yeah i thought the cavs had the strategy right and hope they don't go back on it. even besides their 3s turk and shard (who i think should inherit the nickname "the rifleman" from chuck person) made huge shots down the stretch and only won by a point.

ftr they actually won by 4 points because mo williams made a three quarters court shot before halftime

ftr they actually won by 4 points because mo williams made a three quarters court shot before halftime

Yeah, but if you look at what the Cavs have been doing with their time off, they could actually claim to have been practicing this shot.

Also Lebron probably not going to continuing hitting crazy mid-range jumpers like that.

Basically from the point in the game where Orlando got over their initial shell-shock they killed the Cavs on offense. I don't think that's a good endorsement of the Cavs defensive strategy.

Mind you this loss didn't happen in vacuum either. This was the same strategy that handed the Cavs two big losses and one eeked out win during the season.

Still wouldn't be surprised at all if the Cavs win in 5.

I would be kind of surprised actually.

Will tomorrow be productive at all at my office? No. Probably not.

and that will be okay.

UNSTOPPABLENESS

Mark Jackson is oddly fond of telling us about what "you talk about"

Ooh he crossed me up there throwing in a "you think about..."!

oh megaroffles chauncey throwing the inbounds off of kobe to himself

loooooooool kobels, chauncey just punked you.
xpost

billups for the win

billups for president actually

LoL kobe's mad halftime interview

love lolin' @ kobe

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd110/tripl3_a/KOBEOWNED.gif

i can watch that forever now