NBA '08 Playoff Thread

So in other words I can't win, right?

I've posted on just every page of this 75-page thread, multiple times on most pages. If people read what I've had to say and think I'm some blinded fanboy, there's really nothing I can do. I'd like to think that's not the case, but at the same time I don't really care that much. I hope the C's wrap it up on Tuesday the way all of the Laker fans have conceded and then I can start that break at the end of the week.

 

In fairness DD, I don't think many people here have been throwing the Kobe/Jordan thing back in the faces of Laker fans. It's been a fairly widespread sentiment by some national columnists, Jackson and a few other ESPN personalities. I could be wrong (I'm sure someone will dig up some post where I throw it back at Tripp or something) but I don't think most people have been saying Laker fans around here have been wrong on Kobe/Jordan, just that the sentiment in general is flawed.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/wcStory?contentId=8118850

What the F? Instant replay showed this was a hack. This wasn't some game-deciding steal. It looked nice at first glance, sure, but Kobe didn't even touch the ball. Each time they showed the replay last night, I wondered more and more why no one mentioned that Kobe failed to touch the ball on that "steal."

 

Yep. And DD, those negative things you brought up about Jordan happened when he was still maturing as a player and a teammate. He won his first title in his eighth season. This is Kobe's 12th season. What's his excuse?

As for the rest of it, we have no idea if Jordan would have as many titles if the Spurs or Lakers had played back then. Seeing as they had the same coach, it's really a pointless question.

The best metric would have been if the Bulls had played the 94-95 Rockets. Unfortunately, we'll never know.

 

Before anyone else starts searching, I don't believe Boobie and I have ever had a debate where I make overly favorable comparisons between Bryant and Jordan. I still believe Jordan to be the better all-around player, who, if I had to compare with any of today's players, would be a hybrid of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Jordan/Bryant = competitive spirit, defensive intensity, 1-on-1 ability at both ends, mid-range offensive game.
Jordan/James = physical strength; take the ball to the rim at will; huge hands that made the ball his personal toy.

 

This afternoon, the Boston talk radio people were going on and on about how biased the ABC announcers were toward the Lakers.
I didn't get to see most of the game last night (I was at work), but was it obvious that they favored LA or was it a matter of they weren't obviously pro-Celtics, therefore they must have been biased toward the Lakers?

 

I think Breen is fairly pro-Kobe, pro-Lakers. But there's no way in hell you could come away from that broadcast and say the team is pro-Lakers. Even as they were wrapping up the win, Van Gundy and Jackson were ripping all over the Lakers for their poor defense and saying that they won't be able to win in Boston. The comments were echoed by a few in the postgame. Even as a C's fan and a fan of Van Gundy, I thought it was over the top.

If there were centering it on Breen, I couldn't argue. Though I didn't think he was good in the Pistons series either, and that had nothing to do with being anti-Celtics. I just find him irritating.

 

Bad airplane = 7-game series

 

Double Down, that was awesome. It doesn't hurt that I agreed with much of it, of course.

There is nothing like a fan's bitter, passionate rantings. Reminds me of when some of us unloaded on RokSki in this thread a year ago.

That f%$#.

 

Well Kobe's only been "the man" for 4 seasons.

P.S. Again, lets not forget, he already has 3 titles.

 

Wow, they must not have listened to the fourth quarter. They made it sound like the Lakers should refuse the victory out of shame and allow the Celtics to celebrate the title. They made the Lakers sound like the 73 Sixers. And this was in the final seconds as they were about to win the game.

 

Problem is, because Shaq won one without him, Kobe's going to be reminded in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that he hasn't won one since then, that he's lost seven of his last nine NBA finals games.

Fair or not, the critics will throw that at him until he wins another ring.