***The Official NBA Thread***

[cornfused]

whew westbrook have some jets , Marion did a really good job of getting Durant out of sync , OKc was running a nonsense play in the 4th that had the defender Collison out of position and un-squared to defend Nowitzki

[sharkman121]

Westbrook has the jets yeh...but still too much turnovers. He has the raw talent which still needs to be refined with age. He got lotsa time though, he a baby still.

[biggy82]

Westbrook has the jets yeh...but still too much turnovers. He has the raw talent which still needs to be refined with age. He got lotsa time though, he a baby still.

remember he was not a point guard in college eh, he was the shooting guard. so ball protection, patience and above all, assists were not part of his focus during that time. to come to the NBA now and be asked to run the 1-guard spot is hard, cos he has to go against his conditioned habits on the court. he has done a pretty good job of it for this season barring, of course, his league-and-playoff-leading turnovers.

[biggy82]

whew westbrook have some jets , Marion did a really good job of getting Durant out of sync , OKc was running a nonsense play in the 4th that had the defender Collison out of position and un-squared to defend Nowitzki

agreed, but Collison played a stellar game up to tha point. he controlled the monster Dirk on defense; even tying him up TWICE for jump balls, which OKC WON both times.

Collison will be the X-factor in this series, watch for it

[TriniGT]

MIA defense is staggering, MIA 2 - CHI 1. Nice job Bosh.

[biggy82]

yep, Bosch stepped up. Haslem did a good job as well

too many silly turnovers by the Bulls. but this series is far from over.........

[Morpheus]

*Bosh guys. Allyuh feel is ah spark plug??

[TriniGT]

yuh know I is car man, spark plug Bosh FTW.

[casper]

oh geeez....boozier get bat up more than a cork ball

[sharkman121]

Smellin a Mavs - Heat final...

should be epic

[noshownogo]

too early still to call IMO but any match up at this point gonna be good.

[TriniGT]

Yep, these four teams are very light in regards to defense and offense. I think the two top offensive teams are heat and OKC and defensive are Heat and Bulls.

[sharkman121]

^ you dont consider dallas extremely offensively inclined?

If you lapse those guys put up points on you in a hurry. If i remember correctly they were one of the teams who crossed 100pts alot this season

[casper]

in these times, a strong "shooting" side is better than a strong "in the paint" side IMO

shooting sides usually get their shots uncontested and/or gambled...less intense defense beyond the arc or for long 2's....a side that drives alot to the basket will have to face a stronger defense as all ur opponents big men are stationed in the paint...their forwarsds and their center...therfore its harder to put down a shot even though a shot in the paint is a higher percentage shot..

a strong shooting side as dallas against a strong driving side such as miami IMO may have the same faith as the lakers...if ur a driving side; ur running players will get physically exhausted faster than ur opponents who doing more catch and shoot...

once dallas dont fumble and they keep their consistancy on their crackshot shooting, they'll win the playoffs if they do in fact face miami for the championship

[sharkman121]

^ thing is...dalllas is strong in the paint as well..

[casper]

^^^exactly...i really think that miami have their work cut out for them if they do in fact meet up with dallas for the finals

[TriniGT]

The only reason Dallas is putting up these numbers is that OKC is similar to them they rely on offense no defense really, hence the reason the games are like 122-110. Look at the two defensive teamsn CHI and MIA scores were very low. I would think that if MIA and DAL matchup they would leave Nowitzski open and lock everyone else down, Dirk is almost unstoppable unless doubled which would leave someone else open, his height and shooting capabilities is top notch, the only game Chandler has in in the post, Marion is on the run and Kid is a passing game. Barrea is pretty good as he is also one to look out for along with Terry. It will be a great matchup but let's get past conference finals as it's still up in the air.

[sharkman121]

Really impressed with Barrea at the point guard slot, high assists, clutch drives and 3pters and most importantly...few turnovers

[Soundwave]

Bosh Spice FTW...

[biggy82]

ummm, Casper, i beg to differ on a couple points. using your terminology:

-"shooting teams" are generally smaller-sized players. this is because smaller guys tend to move faster, thus spreading the opponent's defense and allowing the open shots. you see lots of hard and soft screens, ball movement and running.

-"in the paint teams" are the opposite; big / tall players. more pick-and-roll plays, post-ups and half-court offense.

team tactics will revolve around which team set the opponent plays. look at OKC-MAVS game 2. Brooks relied on his small unit cos he realized that Mavs had to stay big due to who was actually doing the scoring. he put 4 fast guys on the floor with KD (who is fast as well ) and ran the Mavs into the ground

i dont think any of these 4 teams are strictly "shooting" or "in-the-paint" teams. they are versatile; that's why they are in the finals. Dallas and Bulls are the best at both tho.

[biggy82]

Wow, blistering 1st quarter by OKC...but Mavs have reeled them back in

Gonna be an interesting 2nd half

[Morpheus]

Wow, blistering 1st quarter by OKC...but Mavs have reeled them back in

Gonna be an interesting 2nd half

^^Agreed

[biggy82]

the monster Dirk strikes!! see why i call him the monster.....he can literally chomp down a game!!

this has to be a most demoralizing defeat for OKC...to be 15 pts up with 4:24 to go in the 4th....only to have Mavs go on a 17-2 run to send it into OT

with 1 min to go in OT, you could have heard a pin drop in that stadium

[Morpheus]

yuh know I is car man, spark plug Bosh FTW.

[Morpheus]

Yeah boy biggy82. Daz it dey. Terrible collapse for OKC. Them could make WI squad!

They make Harden look like one hell of an important player for them!

[TriniGT]

Damn came back and saw Dirk take control in the closing minutes of the fourth. As I always said he is a terror for any team, the key is to let him make his points but to lock down and get the others members in foul trouble early. OKC probably will have a big complex going into Dallas next game. For these last four teams having a big lead going into the fourth quarter says nothing at all. Wish I saw the entire game.

[sharkman121]

I am appalled at what took place in the 4th last night.. I backing mavs for the series but i wanted Oklahoma to stretch the series a bit longer. To throw away a 15 pt lead with 4 mins to go is jus demorializing. I know mavs would have won the series anyway but the 4th last night jus broke the Thunder back...especially after they started the game on fire.

[jusme]

throw away a 15 pt lead with 4 mins to go

Boston did that same sheit in game 7 last year
It still hurts as if it happened just yesterday.

[biggy82]

Damn came back and saw Dirk take control in the closing minutes of the fourth. As I always said he is a terror for any team, the key is to let him make his points but to lock down and get the others members in foul trouble early. OKC probably will have a big complex going into Dallas next game. For these last four teams having a big lead going into the fourth quarter says nothing at all. Wish I saw the entire game.

you should have seen the entire game; OKC did that the whole game. why you think they lead as much as 16 pts in the 1st? but that could not help them cos Dirk took over the game in the 4th. must find a way to control the monster Dirk.....otherwise, this series is over in 5

[Morpheus]

Great game so far Bulls vs Heat.

08.0 seconds to go. Chicago ball. No time outs left. Hmmm