NBA Playoffs Thread

Not over yet for the Lakers. They're primed to match the 1994 Rockets - lost the first two at home to the Suns - and, closer to their own past, the 1969 Lakers. Lost the first two at home to San Fran, won the next four, including Game 6 by 40. That's right.

Or not. Mavs definitely looking really, really good but their jump shots can always stop falling and the Lakers can always get it back together. Dallas was also nearly as good on the road this year as at home so wouldn't be shocked to see them drop some in Dallas.

Artest will be suspended, I'm assuming. Dumb, dumb play at the end. Gasol look out of sorts. Looking ugly, definitely seen it before - 1986 against the Rockets, 1990 against the Suns come to mind. But certainly not over.

If the Mavs do take them out I want them to win it all, would like to see Dirk get a ring.

 

Strange, I was thinking of David Stern having to give the trophy to Mark Cuban ...

 

Would be reminiscent, in some ways, of Al Davis' "the greatness of the Raidahs."

 

I'd be overjoyed by the course of these playoffs if it wasn't for one pesky detail--how nicely it seems to be setting up for Miami.

I truly don't want to see the smug faces and fake poses of Lebron/Bosh/D-Wade/Riley hoisting that trophy next month. I thought LA was nicely built to exterminate the Heat, which was the only reason I'd any interest in seeing them advance. But looking likely that they won't be around now, and I'm skeptical about anyone else removing the Heat.

It has been a damn entertaining playoffs, though, just hope it doesn't end with the South Beach boys dancing on the podium.

 

Still would like to see Oklahoma City/Miami in the Finals. Bunch of 25-year-olds, all playing for their first title?

Awesome.

Oh Noes! the Lakers won't win the title this particular year!

All strong teams meet their end at some point. Better to have cashed in a couple titles (one to win it, one to validate the previous year and ice that cake by beating the Celtics), rather than not. The Pistons had their fluke title seven years ago. The Steve Nash Suns never cashed in even a single Finals Appearance. History will judge this group kindly. It's a natural end; we won't have to read Plaschke's wailings that the Shaq/Kobe Lakers left multiple titles on the table (complete and utter bullcrap, but I digress).

The run is over, the team is older and never found a rhythm this season. It happens. Nothing "SUCKERS!!!!' about it.

 

Why are people (and by that I mean analysts, Twitter world, etc) bringing up the '06 Mavs that blew a 2-0 lead in the Finals? This is an entirely different team. Chandler, Haywood, Marion, Barea, Stevenson, Kidd, Carlisle ... none of them were there for that. I know I'm going to be hearing "Ohp, the last time the Mavs were up 2-0 in a series" crap all tomorrow and until Game 3, and I don't know why.

Apples and oranges.

 

These playoffs SUCK!

/bitterLakersfan

 

Absolutely.

Because seeing the humble faces of Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, Jerry Buss and 42,495,902 die-hard, long-suffering Laker fans is so much more satisfying. :

 

Long-suffering Lakers fans?

 

The two leading scorers, Dirk and Terry, were on hand for that '06 fiasco. (And Cuban was there too.) Remember, they were up 13 with three minutes left in Game 3.

Gacking is simply woven into the Mavs' fabric. They lost a 31-point lead to the Lakers in 2003 and just two weeks ago blew a 23-point lead to the Blazers. And they won 66 games in 2007 and got tossed by Golden State in the first round.

Eliminating the Lakers this year would be slaying a huge dragon. Which they've done before: They lost two at home in 2005 and beat Houston, and they beat the Spurs in Game 7 in 2006 en route to the Finals. But we just remember the choke jobs because they've been epic.

 

How Pau somehow reverted to Pau 1.0 is the biggest mystery of this entire season.

Why Shannon Brown thinks it's wise to jack up 23-footers after dribbling between his legs for eight seconds is smaller mystery, but no less baffeling for Lakers fans.