NBA Playoff Thread

And the Hawks fire Woodson.

 

This collection of stiffs had the best regular season record in the NBA.
More of an indictment of the fraud that is the NBA regular season that the stiffs on the court?

The NBA, You Know You Want It, Bitch.

 

Mike Brown'S been fired, or not, depending on who you believe. Press conference at 2:30.

 

Elbow surgery would alter the equation somewhat, but not totally, Junkie. James sure seemed healthy enough last night, he just had his problems with the Celts' defense, which was great, but I don't see a guy with a bad elbow grabbing double-digit rebounds.
Game Five is the issue. James looked like his pregame meal consisted of Vicodin and Grey Goose. He just wasn't there. If that's due to injury, he should have had the moral courage to lift himself from the game rather than be an anchor on the court. If it's not due to injury, then what?

 

And there's your problem with the Cavs. I'm sure LeBron's got to be thinking hard about Chicago, realizing Derrick Rose can handle the ball distribution, and Joakim Noah can pound the boards. Wow, imagine James if a defense had to worry about someone else.

 

Pleas explain how Allen and Howard's accomplishments are similar. I would love to see what you could possibly come up with

 

Mike Brown couldn't coach to begin with.

But when LeBron first came to Cleveland, they were God-awful horrible. Less than 20 wins the previous season. Now they have had the best record in the league the last two years and he's won the MVP two straight years. So that's a failure?

Ok, so they may have come up short in this one series, but hey lots of players had to wait a while before winning the championship. How one does over an 82-game season is a much better barometer of success, IMO. Lots of goofy things can happen in a short series, especially if you get the wrong matchup. Just ask Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby.

As for James going to the Los Angeles Lakers, no way. There's still only one basketball. Chicago? Possibly. New York? Not if he is serious about winning. The supporting cast in New York is far inferior to what is in Cleveland. He would be taking a big step backward if his real goal is to win.

Cleveland will match (financially) any other offers out there. He's an Ohio guy and dearly beloved for saving the franchise. Why walk away from that?

 

And would John Calipari be any better?

If LeBron were to stay in Cleveland, what the Cavs need is someone like Phil Jackson or even Pat Riley, someone who even the biggest star would respect.

 

That's why Chicago, to me, is the only viable option. You have the supporting cast you need. Now all you need is a coach, not whatever Vinny Del Negro was.

 

Watching the Dan Gilbert presser. I don't know why he isn't announcing the obvious and whack Mike Brown. SI is reporting that Brown has been fired, ESPN says it isn't true via Ric Bucher.

Chris Mannix tweeted that SI is standing by what they reported.

Gilbert is posturing and wasting everyone's time trying to rationalize that everything will be evaluated. There's nothing to evaluate.

 

LeBron pretty much quit on his team the last two games. Don't give me that triple double crap. It's irrelevant when you shoot 8-for-21, with nine TOs and a -5 in plus/minus.

What LeBron is right now is a superstar talent whose pride and effort is seriously in question. This goes beyond the court. It goes to his lax attitude in press conferences after and before games, his lack of urgency, his carelessness in big moments of games ... this is something we've never seen from him, much less an MVP regarded as unquestionably the best player of his league.

Right now, at this moment, LeBron is a hell of a lot closer to Tracy McGrady than Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

And don't make Cavs management the scapegoat. Ferry has done a commendable job in getting pieces, acquiring the necessary players and surrounding LeBron with solid role players and legit scoring threats like Shaq and Jamison.

I don't know why so much attention is paid to where LeBron will go opposed to why he quit and was so effortless when his team needed him the most.

 

If LeBron goes to Chicago, I guess I'll have to go back to not liking Noah. He was very annoying at Florida when they were winning - the antics from a champion come off as almost bullying. But as an underdog on inferior teams in Chicago, I've liked his passion. I can see him being completely unbearable as one of LeBron's dancing partners.

As for the hometown angle, I get that, but it's not like LeBron chose to play in his hometown. He didn't pick Cleveland, it was luck. I'm sure he relishes having the chance to consult with his "team" on where to go next and I don't really see why he'd be beholden to Cleveland/Ohio.