man where has Cleveland's bench gone?
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man where has Cleveland's bench gone?
Same place the Laker bench has gone I guess. Never seen a team get so many dunks when the other team has 2 seven footers in the line-up. C'mon Lakers, pull your heads out of your ass and play some defense and rebound.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
COME ON LEBRON!!!!!!!
fypQuote:
Originally Posted by Lukie
no tyQuote:
Originally Posted by Lukie
wowaweewa
:cut:
sickkkkkkkkk
I guess this is just a bad match up? I never watch the NBA before the playoffs but it's hard to understand how this is the best defensive team in the NBA. A lot of teams (not Cleveland obv) are going to make 45% of their threes if no one is in the zip code. Surely some other teams tried the pick and roll against them?
Also I'm not sure what was worse, Bron's horrid sequence of pounding the ball then taking awful threes in the last minute of the third quarter when they had a 2 for 1, or the "play" they ran for WALLY SZERBIAK in the fourth quarter. When you're hoping Wally Z can deliver in the conference finals you have galactic-ly mismanaged something. Assuming they can't rally I think this is Mike Brown's last coach of the year award.
There were a lot of things I questioned.. for example Ben Wallace on Rashard Lewis at the end of the game even after the timeout.. Gibson in the lineup instead of Z at the start of overtime... just to name a couple.Quote:
Originally Posted by drmcboy
Random aside that has little to do with actual basketball (I think?): why does everybody on ftr hate LeBron? There are so many legitimately not likable characters left in the playoffs.. from Kobe Bryant's off-court 'adventures' to Dwight Howard's elbows, Dahntay Jones's dirty ass plays.. again just to name a few.
I remember mcat calling him LeBitch Scowl or something.. why all the hate? I'm an ignorant, biased clevelander so obviously I like the guy, but what is it other than the fact that he's so good that makes people not like him?
Z flat out cannot guard the pick n roll, he's so worthelss on D. However, Wallace/Varejao simply do not add any offense, so it's a tough give/take.
I hate Lebron because he acts like he's the shit when he's won nothing. This series is doing nothing to make me hate him less, as he's put up 4 straight bad 4th quarters (sans the miracle 3). Win something, then get the title "king". I know he didn't give himself the nickname but he seems to buy into his own hype. So do the refs, he gets every whistle with out fail and it's just ridiculous that some 24 yr. old with no rings and 1 MVP is getting mentioned in the same breath as Kobe/MJ/etc...
I know you'll hate every reason I just gave cuz you're a Cavs homer, I do the same thing when people hate on Manu, Timmy, or Bruce.
I love lebron, it's why the cavs piss me off some much because I want him in the finals and on a watchable team. I don't blame him for the bad threes, that's why you have a coach.
Do people really think Kobe raped that girl? I like him too, anyone on the redeem team who did not suck (see: Howard) will always have a place in my heart, even Coach K and no one outside carolina hates duke more than I do.
this.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
Go Magic (Orlando that is, not the HIV infested one)
i love watching lebron play, and am a fan i guess because of that. Outside of this series, i dont really ever care if the cavs win though.
and lukie, lol if you think that Kobe raped that chic. what did she have, like 7 dudes seed in her when they did the rape kit?
expert head coaching imo
http://i42.tinypic.com/28lyo39.jpg
Lets go Magic!
lets go cavs!!!
too bad this lead won't carry over to game 6 :x
i'll address everyone else's concerns at a later time (unless i forget or i don't want to)
omg there goes howard swinging YET ANOTHER elbow, just missed wally's face
dude is so dirty it's funny
Oh snap.
damn Lukie, this has got to feel pretty sick.
Holy crap. How does a team go so jekyl and hyde so often a series DURING GAMES?!?!
That being said, 4 points isn't by any means insurmountable. Cavs can still win.
well god damnit it's hard to hate on them when they win!
wtfover
i was out and about and it seemed like everyone was down all game, almost like it was resigned that we'd lose game 6 anywayQuote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
then at the end of the 4th when it started heating up, the spirit came back and everyone was happy and wild and loud again (and probably drunk too)
but we're still going to lose game 6 though; hyachachach
LET'S DO THIS MELO!!!!!!!
Lots of pressure on the magic now IMO, plus LeBron may still have a detroit game 5 in him. If the cavs win game 6 tho I think pressure will go back to them. plus the magic would I assume be the first team ever to win 2 road game 7s plus a road game 6?
go nuggee
ya, pressure getting to them....
NAWT
well, there's always next year
Man I find myself really wanting to root for Orlando but I think they're going to have a helluva time closing out games against the Lakers. I'll always root for the underdog but I like Kobe a lot, so I'm a bit torn.
God it's going to make me so happy to see all the LeBitch doll commercials during the Finals while the real LeBitch is fishing.
yeah, i thought this was problematic
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4224350
just a nh, gg woulda been enough LeBronCode:In an appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Stern acknowledged he was not pleased that James, the league's reigning MVP, didn't meet with the media, or shake hands with the Orlando Magic, following the Game 6 loss Saturday night.
yea Stern was upset, still didn't do anything about it, no fine, no reprimand. This is 2 straight years LBJ has done it. Hell, he gets away with everything else, cannot see how he wouldn't get away with this.
Other than Delonte West, absolutely no one on the Cavs did anything to help LeBron, including the Coach of the Year. The Cavs' big men were absolutely horrendous -- Wallace needs to retire -- and the second-best 3-point shooting team couldn't hit the ocean from the beach.
Cleveland is going to have to do something creative, because I don't think you can fire a CoY, and there aren't many great free agents this year. Maybe lure Larry Brown from Charlotte and then go get Rasheed?
I think the Magic have a good shot at knocking off the Lakers. They have the same matchup problems the Cavs do -- Bynum has been horrible and will likely have foul trouble every game. Lewis and Gasol each present the other with matchup problems, so that'll be interesting.
If Jameer were 100% I'd put large chunks of money on the Magic. As is, I think Lakers will take it in 7.
S T R E T C HQuote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
seriously, horrible sportsmanship by him, and even worse was his attempt to justify it.
but, is it really a big deal? fining someone for not shaking hands.. wtf? any other player and it would be a non-issue.
pretty much spot on, except i disagree with your take on mike brown/larry brown. there were a few gaffes this series, but i wouldn't touch larry brown as my head coach with a 10 foot poll and i certainly wouldn't want to replace mike brown with larry brown.Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
and there's something about having the most dominant big man in the game and dishing out to 6'10 3 point shooters that hit everything that is somewhat of a problem defensively, especially when your big men are old and slow, save for one, and your perimeter defenders undersized.
hychachach
I actually didn't mind it at all until a couple players called him out about it and I realized he did it last year. At first I was like "wtf he just lost why would he stick around" when I guess staying and shaking hands and doing interviews is the norm in this situation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lukie
U talkin about the same ManU, Timmy and Bruce that I think you are talkin about?Quote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
the only 3, people love to hate on them
GO LAKERS, i can say this from being a fan before they got kobe and shack, the divac days and horray was the best out there, i say they take the majic in 6, although majic are a good team i think kobe has the prize in sight go L.A.
I hope the Magic show up for future games. I sooooo don't want Kobe to get another ring.
werdQuote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
I tell u what though, we better see a different team on Saturday or things are going to get ugly down the stretch.
Anyway, Magic shooting went the way of the dodo tonight and I don't think that can be expected to happen again. Orland now must respond, should be a good game 2.
Lee god miss the chippy no effing way
sigh :(
Orlando is going to win games in this series, they have 3 straight at home and it's far from over. But do or die pretty much from this point on.
sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo how much talk will be given to the blown goaltending call on the alley-oop?
the lakers are getting just about every call this series, it's funnyQuote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
of course the magic would probably make the same argument in the boston series. and the cleveland series.
so i watched pretty much every playoff game on tv through the first 3 series.... but i'm having a hard time watching the finals. bitterness or something.
it does seem somewhat slanted, also, as well as SVG seemed to coach in the ECF he seems lost (rotations-wise) in this series.
Either way if Lee finishes off the alley-oop we have a sick good series, but with the 2-3-2 format the road team really has to win one of the first two games, b/c winning 3 in a row is so tough, no matter how big their home court advantage is.
I decided whale wars was more interesting than game 2, even as it was going into over time. (please don't hate me spenda).
I hope LA sweeps now that they're up 2-0. Fuck Kobe.
are there any magic fans here who can describe what it's like when jj redick has your title on his fingers?
hah i noticed that, I've never seen a player want the ball out of his hands faster than JJ on the last play of regulation.
is winning 3 in a row at home any tougher than winning specifically games 3, 4, and 6 at home?Quote:
Originally Posted by bigspenda73
seems like a commonly recited variant of gambler's fallacy to me.
maybe the psychological factor leads to a sort of placebo effect which gives it some credence?
or extensive travel maybe tends to favor the home team?
no it's the same of course, nice postQuote:
Originally Posted by Lukie
I have to disagree from a psychological standpoint there is more pressure as well as a comfort standpoint for the road team.
Plus a lot of the analysts who have been in these spots say it's different.
yes, yes, yes, I can agree for a game-by-game standpoint that it's the same. However, the fact is the finals have become more 6-game series based lately than 7th game.
Since 1985 which is when the 2-3-2 format started there have been 3 7-game series and 11 6-game series, tell me that would be the same with the 2-2-1-1-1 format.
also with some quick scrolling math it seems before 1985 there were 13 7-game series played and 12 6-game series.
It's entirely possible (even likely) for 3-4-5 to be equally as tough as 3-4-6 but for 3-4-5 to make 6-game series more likely, DUCY?
As for the psychological differences I just always disagree with this type of argument because it seems to assume that professional athletes are weak-minded people who are easily bothered by pressure. Sure there's the occasional Chris Webber who does shrink under pressure but most top athletes have been trained from a young age to not let pressure get to them and perform at least as well when the pressure is high.
Now it's a series. I absolutely loved how Kobe buckled like a belt down the stretch. The sad thing is that Orl played damn near perfect basketball and still just barely won. They can't count on a Kobe collapse to get the "W" in future games. But a win is a win.
lol chokeaments
pretty horrid last minute the magic played in reg. and OT
Take the magic on the M.L. next game (game 5).the under is a lock also if the line is 200+.I hit the sides and the over but I bought 3 points on the over under bet.It would of pushed other wise and lost if you bet late.(Sports handicapper for 20 years)65% on M.L. bets in the playoffs this season.60% on totals.59% on bets with the point spread.I'm up $7k on the playoffs +14 units .!!!!!!!!!! I love this game..!!!
One thing I really hate about the NBA and it only gets worse during the playoffs:
The players. Whine. So. Freaking. Much.
Seriously, when you start throwing your hands up in the officials face, yelling at them, or otherwise showing them up... it should be an automatic T. Calmly talking is obviously different.
Seriously tilts me to no end, hyachachach.
Nice choke by the Magic, only saw the last five minutes of regulation and all of OT. Way to go, gg in 5 or 6.
To kind of hop on what Lukie started, the one thing I really hate about the NBA is that you can miss 95% of the game but if you make it for the last 5% of the game you're A-okay.
it's either
1) team is beating the shit out of the other team, blowout, nothing to see
2) it's close but not close so they're nailing free throws to win the game
3) it's super close and is going to come down to the last second
I'll save comparisons to NCAA basketball, NFL/NCAA Football, MLB, NHL, etc. for another thread. But I haven't been too happy at the end of games when I've watched the entire thing and realized I could have done something else with my 2+ hours. I would have gone apeshit for Lebron vs. Kobe, though, so I guess I'm just your casual fan so don't hate.
that karate flip guy is some funny shit...LMAO
UG, watch the hockey game tonight bro. Prepare to have you face blown off by awesome
uhhhh.... i can't see how i related to this in any way, not even kind of. <3Quote:
To kind of hop on what Lukie started, the one thing I really hate about the NBA is that you can miss 95% of the game but if you make it for the last 5% of the game you're A-okay.
i mean, if you just want to see who wins, you're right, but that's more a function of not caring a whole lot and you might as well just watch the sportscenter highlights or read about it in the paper.
i'd argue that seeing the whole game, or at least a good portion of it, makes the ending a lot sweeter and more exciting. you also get to see a lot of good basketball (hopefully).
it also implies that there are a lot of close, exciting finishes, which is actually a plus even if not in this tiny scope/context. compare to the snoozefest baseball zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz what? (we've had this convo before, i know it)
also how is it different than any other sport or competitive event, of course you can just turn it on in the last minutes and see the winner, and maybe a nice ending if you're lucky. it's not really a substitute for watching the whole event, provided that you're an actual fan of said event and enjoy watching it.
blah blah blah ramble ramble ramble blah blah blah
fmpQuote:
Originally Posted by drmcboy
Being down 0-2 sucks no matter what format they play. sometimes I think if the first two games split 22111 helps the road team a bit but.
what doesn't make sense is why they change at all since clearly they think 22111 is better. I assume they still site travel as the reason but that looks pretty silly since every time they travel this series it's with one day off and all the extra days are in the same city.
Lukie, that was the "one thing that I hate about the NBA," it had nothing to do with your post except you also stated your "one thing you hate about the NBA" or whatever.
Bleh, it was just a semi-drunk post and I shouldn't have posted it. All it does is just rain on your guy's parade, I'm retarded....another time, another place we'll have this discussion.
this seems like the perfect time and place for this dicussionQuote:
Originally Posted by UG
pretty ridiculous how 1 missed FT might have cost us one of the best Finals in a long time.
yeah I don't really care who wins but I wanted 2-2
The Magic have been so disappointing. They would/could/should be up 3-1 right now instead of being down it. I'm not a Magic fan (love da Knicks), just hatin' on the Lakers. The fat lady is clearing her throat, cos I don't see how Orlando can recover from this. Damn they had game four pretty much sewn up and gave it away.
I was so looking forward to part 2 of this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJ65...eature=related Now we'll never get to hear it.
I tend to stick to money line bets in the nba, but with the magic being at -150 to open I'm going to advise my clients to avoid betting on the sides and take the under.It opened at 197.5 and is at 198.5 now i think it will be at 200 by game time so wait it out.The public likes to bet over on the NBA so of course the value is on under bets.Totals are actually a hard way to make a profit in the nba but the 3 points is going to be tough to cover but very likely could happen.In other words it's a gamble or a coin flip.The total on the other hand would be under 200 points 7 out of ten times in this game scenario.G.L. all
http://linecrushers.zoomshare.com
Total choke job by the Magic.
Howard had one of the greatest defensive performances I've ever seen...and one of the worst offensive ones. It's amazing that he can score 20 ppg and be so awful. When you are like the strongest guy in the league, you can't carry the ball low and let people like Kobe and Fisher prevent you from getting a shot off.
If he can develop a scoring move, he'll be better than Shaq IMO.
it's annoying, all he has to do is hold the ball high, like a lot of other big men that aren't nearly as strong as him. Yao and TimmyD come to mind, I'm sure there are others that are relatively weak but don't get stripped nearly as much and when they do fouls get called b/c it's in plain view, not down in the scrum.
yeah he has like 17 turnovers and 16 baskets in 4 games.
It does seem like he has a great attitude, is humble and tries hard to improve. It's a little scary because he's a dominant player but has so much room for improvement.
who do you blame, it's his 5th year and he's missing a basic component of all the great post players
god making him pay for terribad olympics
www.linecrushers.zoomshare.com Ok as far as getting a side bet in on Sundays game if you have the ability to buy points buy the 3 points on the lakers taking it to +6 no way the magic covers 6 points this will get you $58.50 back on a $100 bet and it will almost be a sure thing.The under still looks very promising as I dont see either team breaking 100 points after going to over time the last game.It should end with a total of between 170 to 195.the only way this thing goes over the total is with multiable over times.
There have been HOF centers who weren't great interior scorers, like Bill Russell, Wes Unseld or Dave Cowens who were great passers, and in the case of Cowens, a good perimeter shooter. But Howard obviously has the potential to do it. I wonder if Patrick Ewing is working with him on a yet-to-be-revealed 15-foot jumper? He should consider getting coaching from Moses Malone instead.
Sometimes it takes a big man a little bit longer to develope fully than say a guard.I think Howard will be a dominate player within 3 years on both ends of the court.
I'm really pushing this under bet on the total on Sundays game now.I've done a lot of home work. I'm not going to break it down like a double barrel shot gun right here but the fact that it went to over time the other night is a good reason alone.Here's another the lakers may just lay down so they can seal the deal in front of the home crowd.
Screw it here's the real reason I have it on good authority from my man in Orlando that half the lakers team were out clubbing tonight and still are out as we speak and were also out last night.So they should be damn tired.This makes me inclined to remove my recommendation to buy 3 points and take the lakers.
Let's just steer clear of the betting on either team and take the under as I said before it is going to have to go to double O.T. to go over 200 points total.I project the final score will be in the range of 170 to 195 points.Closer to the 170 end of it.
I guess you could deduce that this means the magic will win the game and I think they will with this new info but cover 3 points um maybe ,maybe not. & I don't want to have to bet 1.5 to get 1 on them the way they have choked down the stretch do you?This is the M.L. right now magic -150.
you mean a FT?Quote:
Originally Posted by baudib
Coyboy you're a clown. Lakers can go out and pop bottles and still make it rain on the Magic....and they will.
Lakers by 10 for the win tonight.
magic will win this game, lakers want to win at home
lakers win 100%
seriously wtf are you fucking trolls doing
{locked} til the freeroll is over and you all leave
im in yer locked nba thread, predicting a lakers victory
{unlocked because the playoffs are over and I think the majority of freetrollers are gone}
Lakers/Kobe win another title. Discuss.
As I suggested the under was a lock.at 185 total points.The Lakers still won the game despite a little party time the last 2 nights.I bet on the Lakers and bought 3 points but it was a modest bet of 1 unit.I put 5 units on the under.
I hope some of you took my advice on the two tips I gave on the last two games.I'll post some M.L.B. games here this week once I feel like I'm in the flow of it.I don't mess with Base Ball till N.B.A. is done.You see the perception is that sports handicappers like the NFL the truth is most of us like the NBA more because its on 2 3rds of the year with games almost every night of the week.Gives us lots of options.But the NFL is a money maker in its own right.G.L. all
I love that karate flip guy..LMAO again.
I have Kobe in my top 5 for all-time NBA(/ABA) guards:
1. Jordan
2. Magic
3. Oscar Robertson
4. West
5. Kobe
I think you can make an argument that he's better than LOGO, but my guess is Lakers fans would say no. I don't see how he could surpass any of the top 3. To be honest I'd take Chris Paul over Kobe (Paul deserved MVP in 2008 IMO) but I guess I should wait until he gets to a conference final or has 5 NBA seasons in first. Personally I prefer Dwyane Wade, when healthy, but it's debatable and it's unlikely he will ever match what Kobe has already done in his career.
If old-timers like Clyde Frazier, I won't argue, but he's clearly better than any shooting guard (although West is probably a SG in today's game) not named Michael and probably better than any non-scoring point guards (Stockton, Kidd, etc.).
Where he ranks among all players...I don't know. My guess is he's somewhere between 10th and 15th greatest player.
....god fucking damnit
ya sorry passed out during the 2nd quarter, forgot to unlock
gg Magic, really didn't see them just falling apart in game 5 but that's life. I know a lot of ppl hate Kobe and while he gives a lot of reasons to dislike him I just find his game too "pretty" to not love. He just seems like the most fluently athletic person on the floor and that's what separates him in my mind from Lebron/DWade.
what separates kobe from lebron is that kobe has phil jackson, pau gasol, andrew bynum, and lamar odom where lebron has mike brown, anderson varejao, zydrunas ilgauskas, and ben wallace.
really, that's it
no comparison
but didnt lebron and those guys win an ass-ton of games this season?
Does it upset you that Adam Morrison has a ring and LBJ doesn't.
Yes...I'm quite certain that the 08-09 Cavs are teh worst 65+ win team in NBA history, by a wide margin. They happened to run into a team in the ECF that has their number and was able to expose them. They would have beaten Boston, but I'm not sure about the Lakers.Quote:
Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/holli...seasonType%3d2Quote:
Originally Posted by a500lbgorilla
Lebron James PER rating of 31.76 is incredible. Compare that to Michael Jordan's high water mark of 31.89, and you could use the same supporting cast argument there as well.
blah blah meow chow