NBA Playoff Thread

"Ever since 'Mil' lost a big game, I've questioned the veracity of the entire league!"

 

An NBA ref went to prison on gambling-related charges. Other NBA refs pled guilty to income tax evasion -- and were still allowed to work.
That's public record, and that's MORE than enough to set off conspiracy theories. So is the fact Stern is a megalomaniacal jackass who has said that making more money for the league is his only priority in running it.
Doesn't mean the theories are true, just that there are reasons why they will always exist besides fanboi paranoia.

 

For a long time, I thought there were biases in favor of certain teams in the NBA. I realized I was being a wonk when I went to a Lakers message board and saw their fans widely complaining of media and ref biases against the purple and gold.

 

Fandork paranoia created the conspiracy theories long ago. Most fans think the officials are against them at some point. It's the easy way to stay loud and angry long after a result, instead of just saying, "Aw, hell. My team got beat."

Now, with some officials running afoul of the law, the fandorks have some "FACTS!!!!" to fill in the blanks, at least as far as the NBA is concerned.

 

and you would think that these officials once caught and fired might have an axe to grind with Stern, yet nothing ever comes out about Stern determining the outcome of games.

 

Just resuscitating for tonight.

Be interesting to see the crowd reaction to Johnson. Not often you might see a home town all star in a playoff game booed whenever he touches the ball.

Figure they'll be down 30 by half and end up losing by 50 in Woodson and Johnson's last game with the team. Only question is who leaves the facility first--the team or the spectator(s).

 

Rumor has it Naismith put an oversized peach basket at one end of the court....

 

Man, I never thought a team would make the Hawks of the 1980s look like an overachieving group.

 

I can't believe the crowd in Atlanta is as big as it is. Maybe they're all just waiting around to boo at the end.

 

I said earlier that Cleveland would meet Phoenix in the finals.
Well, Orlando looks as good or better than Cleveland.
Vince is showing some leadership. JWill has been there before. Nelson is at the best I've seen him, and there are at least four more obvious contributors starting with you know who.
LeBron and Shaq are gonna get tested big-time in this next series.

 

To continue with the HOF debate:

Pau Gasol

It's clearly too early in his career to say definitively yes or no. Despite the belief of a few people in this thread that the HOF is only reserved for the most elite players, the HOF is littered with guys that were 2nd and 3rd fiddle on teams that won multiple championship.

I'd say the Lakers need to win at least one more championship for Gasol to get serious consideration. His statistics aren't jaw dropping, but they're squarely within the range of other HOF guys from teams with multiple championships.

 

Orlando looks like a monster right now, but keep in mind they've beaten the Bobcats and the Hawks to get to the conference finals. The Cavs blew through Detroit and Atlanta in the first two rounds years last year, winning every game by double digits, and we all saw how that turned out.

That said, if the Cavs don't get their shit together, you can forget about how they'll do against Orlando this year. They won't be getting that far.

In unrelated news, don't look now, but the Jazz are making a game out of this. Not going down without a fight. God bless 'em. (And take note, Atlanta)