NBA '08 Playoff Thread

This is about money and a stubborn refusal to let anyone else tell him how to run a team. D'Antoni's pouting because Kerr told him to use his bench and hold guys like Amare accountable on defense. Apparently D'Antoni doesn't believe anyone will question his "all-offense and hope the other team misses the layup" philosophy in New York.

Boy, is this going to be fun. I wonder if he realizes yet that he just traded in Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire for Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph.

 

Pistons getting ran out of the gym again in Orlando. I've said it before, I'll say it again -- Detroit is middle of the road in the East without Billups.

 

I actually like D'Antoni, as a guy and as a coach. I know one thing: The situation just got a lot less combative for the NY beat writers.

 

So much for Orlando blowing Detroit out. Pistons up five with 5 minutes left.

 

I really like Stuckey's offensive game for a young guy, but his defense is suspect. Credit 99-year-old Lindsey Hunter for coming in and doing a nice job so far on Nelson as well as hitting some big shots.
We'll see how Detroit closes without its go to guy down the stretch.
If Orlando lets this one slip, then the Magic are done.

 

Which makes the move all the more mystifying. He seems like a pretty smart, reasonable guy. What is he seeing in NY that everyone else isn't? I don't care about it being prestigious or Walsh being able to turn it around, right now that job sucks and D'Antoni's star is pretty high. He could do a lot better. Can he turn it around? Not right away and definitely not with that personnel.

 

Three different Pistons passed up wide open 3-point looks and then Prince took a high percentage floater in the lane to put Detroit up one.

 

That seemed like a really dumb shot by Orlando. Why not try to get the ball inside?

 

I'm not going to get too ridiculous here with this one ... but that was a game that over the past two seasons, Detroit loses. A typical slow start, then slowly claw back in and let someone take over the final two minutes and blow it.
And to grab this one without Billups is a big, big win for this team. After going down 2-1 against Philly, this team has looked much different. The attitude/effort/swagger? is not quite what it was during the back-to-back Finals years, but it's as close as it's been over the last two or three seasons.

 

Wow, the Celtics are sucking the joint up. Down 34-15 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

 

The continued suckitude on the road by the Celts will put the title in Western Conference hands once again more than likely. Just anyone but the Spurs please. If it comes down to the Celts and Lakers though, please God let the Celts win it!

 

The possible MVP just shot a wide-open, baseline, 15-footer off of the side of the glass.

Fuck do these team suck.

Ziggy and Posey are two of the four best players on the floor.

And don't tell me it's fucking defense.