NBA '08 Playoff Thread

Kobe made it to the Finals and (likely) will lose to the best team in the league.

Chris Paul's team lost AT HOME in a Game 7 in the SECOND ROUND.

 

Jordan would have won this game.

I never want to hear Kobe compared to MJ again. Kobe's very good, even great. Jordan's the best player of all time. Big difference.

The softness of this Lakers team is the reason why they are down 3-1.

 

The main reason people compare Kobe to Jordan is because usually Kobe does do whatever it takes to win. His effort tonight is not in question; just the results. As with Jordan (and Magic and Bird), doing whatever it takes to win sometimes isn't enough.

He couldn't stem the tide alone. The Lakers lost this one as a team, after having a 20-point lead on a night when their best player was a facilitator. Had they held the lead, it may have changed the series, at least enough to keep it going back to Boston for a Game Seven they would have had no chance of winning.

Now, it's time to think about these Celtics as champion. It is nice to see that Pierce has carried them, because he's the only one of the Big THree who can claim a spot among Celtic Greats with a title. Garnett, all-time great player, but not an all-time great Celtic. And honestly, it is great to see some good guys like Allen, Pierce and Garnett validate their careers with a ring.

Will every single player on this team have their number retired, as has been the Celtics' custom in the past?

 

Greatest win in celtics' history ... considering the circumstances? starting point guard hurt, starting center hurt (both in game or Game 3), down by 20-plus in second half, on the road after a brutal game 3, how much this game meant in the series?

obviously the celtics have a rich history and have won a ton of big games, but this one was pretty impressive.

i think so. amazing win.

but i'm only in my 20s, what do I know?

 

Does whatever it takes to win? The reason why people compare Kobe to Jordan primarily is because he's insanely talented, athletic, and, well, good at putting the ball in the basket...he's one of the best scorers of all-time...and of course, also has a few rings from the Shaq era. Very flashy, well-known, and successful, which makes him an LA idol.

But he's also, by most accounts (including Phil Jackson's book), a terrible teammate and up until this season has been a non-factor in the playoffs since O'Neal's departure.

He's the closest to MJ of this era, but even then, he's not even close.

 

It'd be a great story to see Jesus Shuttlesworth get an NBA Finals MVP, if only because of his unprecedented struggles during the first two and a half rounds.

Has Kevin Garnett even cracked a smile during his postgame press conference? Christ...

 

what a game. i saw the second half and it was awesome to see the celtics finally grow a pair and finish a game.

 

Did anybody else have audio problems tonight on the HD feed? I noticed a lot of static, especially the few times where the crowd decided to pay attention to the proceedings on the floor.

Am I the only one who thinks this series might put a dent in the whole "the West is the FAR superior conference" stuff? Better quality overall from top to bottom? OK. But it's hard for me to worship at the altar of the almighty Western Conference when the Lakers, who ran roughshod through the first three rounds, are getting punked by a Celtics team that struggled far more with the Hawks, Cavs and Pistons. I just don't think the difference between the East and West is THAT much.

 

Dude, will you stop calling him that? That movie is 10 years old. What were you, like 10 when it came out?

 

yes, but its a classic dammit.

 

kg plays his ass off and has nothing left in the postgame pressers ... god bless him. so intense. love it.

 

I've been saying that since the beginning of the playoffs. The West is far deeper, but the top tier isn't that much different. The West and East have alternated champions for the past five years.