Sport: 2007 NBA Play-Offs Pool

[Guy Berger]

Damn... I really thought that the Warriors would pull that one out.

That ejection of Jackson complete bullshit.

Guy

[Big Al]

Damn... I really thought that the Warriors would pull that one out.

That ejection of Jackson complete bullshit.

Guy

I've had it on mute while listening to the record player. Why'd he get ejected?

[md655321]

Baron Davis is still scary good. Dirk just seems angry all the time, you cant play like that and win. There is a difference between intense and just annoyed.

I think the warriors may have lost their chance tonight.

[Guy Berger]

I think the warriors may have lost their chance tonight.

Definitely a possibility.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

I've had it on mute while listening to the record player. Why'd he get ejected?

Not exactly clear. He was clapping... and then he got ejected. I thought you needed two technicals for that, but apparently Jackson is on the accelerated program.

Guy

[Big Al]

I think the warriors may have lost their chance tonight.

Definitely a possibility.

Guy

Nahhhh. Once they get back to that jam-packed insanity of the Oracle, the Warriors will get it back in gear. Don't forget: they overcame a 21-point deficit on Dallas home court. The Warriors have got to feel good about that, at the very least.

[Big Al]

I've had it on mute while listening to the record player. Why'd he get ejected?

Not exactly clear. He was clapping... and then he got ejected. I thought you needed two technicals for that, but apparently Jackson is on the accelerated program.

Guy

[Quincy]

Give the man some fuckin' credit. He didn't play great during Q's 1-3 1/2, but when he had to do it, Dirk stepped up. 2 more games still, but 1 game at a time.

[Jim R]

It didn't bother me at all that Jackson got ejected (mainly because the game was over). I don't feel sorry for the fool, even if he didn't completely deserve it. Bonehead move to even put himself at risk- again. At least he didn't endanger our chances to win this game. Nellie said he's going to fine his a$$.

What pissed me off were the last two foul calls against Baron. On #5, where he defended Harris on the way to a layup, Harris initiated all the contact with his left arm. Baron did reach with his left hand as he was falling backward (there was no body contact from Baron- he was pushed by Harris), but I looked at the tape and couldn't see a foul on Baron. #6 was total ticky-tack bullshit (innocuous contact with no reach in or anything). You don't disqualify a team's star player at that point in a crucial game for a harmless bit of contact like that. I still can't believe that was called.

The W's should have closed it out- or at least made a better effort to close it out- after they went up 9 and had all cylinders firing. But... you gotta take your hat off to Dirk. He finally stepped up BIG.

Good to see (from a Warrior fan's p.o.v., that is ) Harrington finally contributing, but... Monta, Monta, Monta! Where the &^%$ ARE you?

I still think the W's are confident they can win, but game 6 is going to be a hell of a lot tougher to win than game 4 was, Oracle or no Oracle. That said, after tonight I'd even give us a slight chance of a miracle win in a game 7, but I hope it doesn't come down to that.

No matter who wins this series, it's been one for the ages.

[Soulstation1]

nice choke job by the warriors

they had it in the mf'ing bag

mavs ran off a 15-0 run to end the game

warriors fell in love with the 3pt shot and missed them all at the end

why can't the mavs find someone to guard davis? b diddy does whatever he wants on the court

[Guy Berger]

why can't the mavs find someone to guard davis? b diddy does whatever he wants on the court

They did a great job guarding him at the end -- those double teams were brutal.

Jason Richardson could be suspended for shoving a fan.

Guy

Edited May 2, 2007 by Guy

[Noj]

Pretty brutal choke job by the Warriors, glad I missed it. I play basketball on Tuesday nights. Bruised the hell out of my elbow on someone's noggin.

[Soulstation1]

what about the jet throwing down b diddy on the sidelines?

[Noj]

Yeah, that was crap. If they suspend JRich for shoving a fan, they should suspend JT for that WWF shit...

[JSngry]

The Mavs finally show some character. But how deep is it? Have they finally confronted & conquered those deep-rooted demons? I'm still not convinced that this was anything but a one-time desperation show, and won't be until it's proven that they've turned that corner. And it's a corner that shouldn't even have to be turned at this point.

Game 6 is gonna be a hellluva lot tougher for them than this one was, unless the ice water in the Warriors phsyce-veins has begun to melt, which I saw signs of being the case.

How cold is Nellie's deep-freeze?

[Soulstation1]

is shaq and # 24 gonna be in studio for the finals?

[Noj]

The Zen Maestro showing a bit of frustration in coaching lame-brain team...

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “just when things couldn't get any worse for the Lakers, they suddenly did, when Bryant sat out practice Tuesday because of a stiff back. He is expected to play tonight, which might be the only good news awaiting the Lakers. When asked whether he was perturbed in the wake of Game 4, the Lakers coach spoke of the post players' failure to play a more physical brand of ball and the guards' inability to cover the Suns' three-point threats. ‘I did tell them that they have the brain power of slugs or earthworms,’ Jackson said. ‘That was just in the moment of irritation. That part is disappointing.’ ”

[Guy Berger]

The Zen Maestro showing a bit of frustration in coaching lame-brain team...

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “just when things couldn't get any worse for the Lakers, they suddenly did, when Bryant sat out practice Tuesday because of a stiff back. He is expected to play tonight, which might be the only good news awaiting the Lakers. When asked whether he was perturbed in the wake of Game 4, the Lakers coach spoke of the post players' failure to play a more physical brand of ball and the guards' inability to cover the Suns' three-point threats. ‘I did tell them that they have the brain power of slugs or earthworms,’ Jackson said. ‘That was just in the moment of irritation. That part is disappointing.’ ”

FWIW, Phil deserves some of the blame as well.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

Here's the latest as of Tuesday afternoon from American Airlines Center, where the Warriors just practiced before flying home.

# The league is still investigating Jason Richardson's encounter with a Mavericks fan following his three-point attempt with about 20 seconds left in Game 5. Richardson's momentum carried him into the front-row seats and he got tangled up with a fan, who later went to NBA security about how testy things got as Richardson tried to extract himself and get back down the court.

Richardson brushed off the incident this morning, saying that "nothing really happened," no words or shoves were exchanged either way, and that he hadn't spoken to league officials yet.

# As for Stephen Jackson, who was thrown out after just one technical foul for clapping with 8.9 seconds to go, I just got word from the league that he's in the clear. No fines. No suspension. The NBA isn't looking into anything.

Guy

[Aggie87]

The Zen Maestro showing a bit of frustration in coaching lame-brain team...

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “just when things couldn't get any worse for the Lakers, they suddenly did, when Bryant sat out practice Tuesday because of a stiff back. He is expected to play tonight, which might be the only good news awaiting the Lakers. When asked whether he was perturbed in the wake of Game 4, the Lakers coach spoke of the post players' failure to play a more physical brand of ball and the guards' inability to cover the Suns' three-point threats. ‘I did tell them that they have the brain power of slugs or earthworms,’ Jackson said. ‘That was just in the moment of irritation. That part is disappointing.’ ”

FWIW, Phil deserves some of the blame as well.

Guy

Maybe the recent failure of the Lakers is the result of the decision to build a "team" around Kobe Bryant as your focal point. I don't think he makes the players around him better. He is a skilled hot dog, and that's it. It seems like the only times they win are when he goes off and attempts to score 50/60 points. And then he's the hot dog, not the team guy. And even then that's no guarantee of a win. It's like the Iverson era in Philly.

I think the problem is philosophical decisions that have been made, as much as any coaching and the players on the team itself.

Just a thought, anyway.

Edited May 2, 2007 by Aggie87

[Jim Alfredson]

The league should be looking at the ref that threw Jackson (Stephen, not Phil) out. WTF?!

[Guy Berger]

The Zen Maestro showing a bit of frustration in coaching lame-brain team...

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “just when things couldn't get any worse for the Lakers, they suddenly did, when Bryant sat out practice Tuesday because of a stiff back. He is expected to play tonight, which might be the only good news awaiting the Lakers. When asked whether he was perturbed in the wake of Game 4, the Lakers coach spoke of the post players' failure to play a more physical brand of ball and the guards' inability to cover the Suns' three-point threats. ‘I did tell them that they have the brain power of slugs or earthworms,’ Jackson said. ‘That was just in the moment of irritation. That part is disappointing.’ ”

FWIW, Phil deserves some of the blame as well.

Guy

Maybe the recent failure of the Lakers is the result of the decision to build a "team" around Kobe Bryant as your focal point. I don't think he makes the players around him better. He is a skilled hot dog, and that's it. It seems like the only times they win are when he goes off and attempts to score 50/60 points. And then he's the hot dog, not the team guy. It's like the Iverson era in Philly.

I think the problem is philosophical decisions that have been made, as much as any coaching and the players on the team itself.

No doubt. But something clearly went wrong in the Lakers' meltdown during the 2nd half of the season -- and I don't think injuries account for all of it.

BTW, the Lakers are lucky that Kobe is a better player than Iverson or they would be in real trouble.

Guy

Edited May 2, 2007 by Guy

[Noj]

I disagree with the assessment of Kobe. He had 31 pts, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds last game. If a team can't win with their star player putting up those kind of numbers, the team just isn't much good. He's much more than a hot dog, he's also clutch.

When Kobe doesn't score a bunch of points, he's faulted for not scoring. When he does score a bunch of points, he's faulted for not sharing the ball. Just look at how many wide open shots the other Lakers missed in the last game. Any of the Phoenix Suns' players (Marion excepted) drain those same shots.

[Aggie87]

I disagree with the assessment of Kobe. He had 31 pts, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds last game. If a team can't win with their star player putting up those kind of numbers, the team just isn't much good. He's much more than a hot dog, he's also clutch.

When Kobe doesn't score a bunch of points, he's faulted for not scoring. When he does score a bunch of points, he's faulted for not sharing the ball. Just look at how many wide open shots the other Lakers missed in the last game. Any of the Phoenix Suns' players (Marion excepted) drain those same shots.

I agree those are solid numbers for Kobe. And I agree he doesn't have much of a team around him. I still think he's got phenomenal shooting skills and moves in general, but don't think he makes his teammates better.

I wouldn't build a team around him, but would pick him in a game of one-on-one any day.

[Guy Berger]

FWIW -- I don't know if anybody else saw the final votes for coach of the year: -- who the fuck voted for Isiah Thomas?

Guy