2008-09 NBA Thread

[X]

And the Detroit have gone into Boston and taken Game 2!! Hello NBA Finals here we come, back again. And like always the key and yet underappreciated player is Rodney Stuckey, he was running show at the end of that 3rd Quarter and gave the Pistons that added boost, he is awesome I loved how the commentators were calling him the "poor man's Dwayne Wade" the whole game.

Also, I didn't see the West Game 1, but what is up w/ SA blowing a 20 point lead??

...One win is pretty f'n quick to immediately award a series to a team. Especially when the series is tied.

Celtic's just played poor defense in that game, and the Pistons were much more efficient in the 3-point game. What really killed us though was the bench. They were nowhere to be found when it came to scoring. To be honest I wouldn't of minded seeing PJ Brown take a couple extra shots as he had a big game the other night.

I still see the C's taking this series, and I won't go back on that. KG has dominated Rasheed Wallace in the first two games, and some of our team's best numbers all during the regular season came against the Pistons.

Pistons are a damn tough team, but even if they do manage to take the series, I can't see them beating the Spurs or the Lakers.

 

[RBH]

Its really quite simple Xfearbefore, your Celtics have to get their heads out of their asses and win a game on the road. Coem on! If the Lakers can beat the best home team (Utha Jazz) on their court, surely the Celtics can win one in detroit (which did happen this season already). Going into the series, I believe the Celtics were confident that they had the home court and did not need to worry so much about the road. Well news flash, now they do. It is time to put up or shut up. Game 3 and 4 are pivotal games and the Celtics have to become the big 3 and do it again.

As for the Lakers, they had an amazing comeback to beat the Spurs in game 1. I just hope they dont play like that all the time because I would rather they be in the game for all 48 minutes. Lakers-Celtics here we come!!!Mr. Hayek vs Xfearbefore PART 2

 

[BooCocky]

It doesnt matter, I am sticking with my two teams from the beginning of the playoffs still. San Antonio is still in it because a series hasnt started until a team loses at home. The Spurs did suck yesterday but Ginobili has been ineffective and he wont play like that at home. I think it will come back 2-2 . La Will win at home then SA will win at home and another epic game 7 with SA pulling another one out on the road.

Tim Duncan has been solid and Parkers only been effective throughout the first half. If it clicks watch out.

I picked Detroit becaause they have the experience and won one on the road. Now Boston has to do something they havent done in 6 playoff road games. Win. I think Detroit will win in six setting up a Spurs-Pistons series with the Spurs prevailing again.

If not. O well :-\

 

[RBH]

Looks like Boston finally did something right and won a road game. We all know now that the Detroit Pistons are the dumbest team in NBA history for letting opportunity slip out of their hands. Now the Celts have retaken the series and even if they lose Game 4, the Celts can win Game 5 and pretty much put the Pistons backs against the wall.

The Lakers will win this series even if they lose Game 3. The Lakers are a better team not only because of Kobe but because of the great supporting cast. Gasol has been a great addition and one of the many reasons why the Lakers have gotten so far and will make the finals for an epic clash with Boston.

 

[strafro]

Yeah, I always get worried when the Pistons get a favorable advantage in the playoffs, the commentators always talk about how the Pistons don't get rattled, which makes them a great road team in the playoffs, but it also makes them a terrible home team, but the shots just weren't falling in Game 3 for us, not sure what happened, we just missed sooooo many open J's, people can talk about Boston's "great D" all they want but the fact is the Pistons lost cuz they couldn't make an open 3-point shot, I counted at least 6 or 7 open 3s that we missed, gotta fix that crap, we still are in the series no doubt about it, but if we can't hit shots, we won't win.

 

[RBH]

It is now official.. All you guys who are fans of other teams will have to watch greatness emerge as the two best teams in the league square off. In one corner. They were the best team all season long. They were the heart of soul of Boston. They wear green. They play SHIPPING OFF TO BOSTON ast every game. They have the players affectionately known as the Boston Three Party: Garnett, Pierce and Allen. They are the Boston Celtics. They are the team of xfearbefore.

In the next corner, you have legendary team. They are the golden childs of the NBA. They have the single best player in the NBA. They have the most amazing coach in history. They wear purple and gold. They added Pau Gasol to their team. They are the Los Angeles Lakers. They are supported by Mr. Rob Hayek and AJ.

So gentlemen, it is now an intelligtent basketball discussion between me (Mr....Hayek) and Xfearbefore....dude get out of your shell and come debate me in the basketball forums. Someone go call him....Its Lakers-Celtics!!

I know the Celts won both games against the Lakers during the regular season but that was pre-Gasol. Last year Spurs got swept during the regular season by the Cavs and won the finals matchup. This year should be no different. If the Lakers can control at least 2 of the Boston 3 party, they should win. Defense and Momentum is key.

My Verdict: LAKERS IN 6

 

[BooCocky]

I come back for this simple little thread. I usually dont blame the refs for big mistakes buts its one of the exceptions. The foul on Brent Barry was a foul and they admitted it. That single handedly changed a series. Could have been 2-2 but the refs blew a call on San Antonio. O well so be it. If it was anyone outside of Barry it would have been called. The NBA really hates the spurs dont they?

O well Congrats to the best player in the NBA for going to the finals. it should be a hard fought series but i think LA can win in 6. If not they lose in six. Yep i'm in that kinda mood.

 

[matthew2109]

who didnt see this matchup coming??

The "revival" of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry (not sure if you could call it one now), would have Stern jumping up and down in joy. Replays of those Magic vs. Bird Finals games would not be stopped. Ratings would be high because LA is the number two market (and have fans across the country), and Boston is a big market, with a lot of new bandwagon fans across the country.

it is obvious that the league officials want a Celtics-Lakers Finals. Stern is a hypocritical guy (remember Kevin Garnett pushing the ref in the Hawks game and not getting even a fine, but Suns players last year come off the bench, and get suspended) and there are strong rumors of him fixing the NBA.

 

[X]

It is now official.. All you guys who are fans of other teams will have to watch greatness emerge as the two best teams in the league square off. In one corner. They were the best team all season long. They were the heart of soul of Boston. They wear green. They play SHIPPING OFF TO BOSTON ast every game. They have the players affectionately known as the Boston Three Party: Garnett, Pierce and Allen. They are the Boston Celtics. They are the team of xfearbefore.

In the next corner, you have legendary team. They are the golden childs of the NBA. They have the single best player in the NBA. They have the most amazing coach in history. They wear purple and gold. They added Pau Gasol to their team. They are the Los Angeles Lakers. They are supported by Mr. Rob Hayek and AJ.

lol, so wait, why are the Lakers the "legendary" team but not the Celtics? Last time I checked the Celtics have won more NBA titles then the Lakers (and own an 8-2 record against the Lakers in the finals).

So gentlemen, it is now an intelligtent basketball discussion between me (Mr....Hayek) and Xfearbefore....dude get out of your shell and come debate me in the basketball forums. Someone go call him....Its Lakers-Celtics!!

I know the Celts won both games against the Lakers during the regular season but that was pre-Gasol. Last year Spurs got swept during the regular season by the Cavs and won the finals matchup. This year should be no different. If the Lakers can control at least 2 of the Boston 3 party, they should win. Defense and Momentum is key.

My Verdict: LAKERS IN 6

I totally agree that the two games we won pre-Gasol are just useless facts at this point. But keep in mind that we did handle the Lakers pretty easily in those two games as well, so even with the added depth of a guy like Gasol, I still don't see the Lakers being able to hold up with the Celtics in terms of defense or offense. Except of course for Kobe Bryant. He is the key to this entire series. If we can keep him relatively low in scoring (and for a guy like Kobe, I'll be happy if he only gets 20-25 points a game) then I think we'll take this, but if he explodes into a 40 or 50 point night like we know he can, I don't know.

However, like you said, defense is key. Celtics are clearly the better defensive team, and the match up that needs to be paid attention to here is that of (surprise) Paul Pierce vs. Kobe Bryant. Pierce has been playing some great defense this year and I think he'll be able to contain Kobe to some degree. Don't forget we made Lebron James look like an elementary school kid in a pick-up game for the first half of the Cleveland series.

KG vs. Gasol will be another very important match up. Gasol has got the youth and energy, but KG is the vet with the great D and the sweet post-moves.

All in all Coolhayek, this is going to be one HELL of a series man. We're gonna have some damn fun watchin' this. Obviously I have to go with the Celtics (I love it when I predict my team will be in the championship game and they do. I've been spot on all year predicting the Sox, Pats & Celtics.) But I think this will be a damn tough series that really could go either way. Celtics in Game 7 at the new Garden.

BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

EDIT: I had to edit this to respond to this idiocy.

who didnt see this matchup coming??

The "revival" of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry (not sure if you could call it one now), would have Stern jumping up and down in joy. Replays of those Magic vs. Bird Finals games would not be stopped. Ratings would be high because LA is the number two market (and have fans across the country), and Boston is a big market, with a lot of new bandwagon fans across the country.

Yes, of course, bandwagon fans. Just like the ones that Mike Bibby was talking about? Bull-fucking-shit. I don't know about other areas of the country, but up in New England, we've always supported the Celtics. Did attendance and support start to dwindle the last couple of years? Of course, that will ALWAYS HAPPEN in ANY SPORT for ANY TEAM when they aren't successful, especially in an area that has come to demand excellence in the last decade like Boston has (3 Super Bowls and 2 World Series titles will do that to ya). It's the same thing with the Bruins. Yeah the support is down, but even last year when the Celtics were stinking up the NBA, the new Garden was always packed atleast 3/4ths of the way full.

Wanna talk bandwagon fans? LA is the biggest bandwagon team on Earth, second only to the Yankees in the late 90s. Everyone all of a sudden was a Lakers & Yankees fan "for years" in 1999, and why? Because they win. Bandwagoning is just a part of sports.

it is obvious that the league officials want a Celtics-Lakers Finals. Stern is a hypocritical guy (remember Kevin Garnett pushing the ref in the Hawks game and not getting even a fine, but Suns players last year come off the bench, and get suspended) and there are strong rumors of him fixing the NBA.

I'm so sick of that bullshit "KG pushed a ref" crap. Excuse me? If by pushed you mean he wriggled his arm out of a ref's hand, thus pushing the ref backwards from the movement. It's not like he went up and pushed the guy in the chest or some bullshit like that. KG is one of the classiest players in the NBA.

And what "strong rumors" of David Stern fixing the NBA? Are you kidding me here? That's fucking ridiculious, just downright ridiculious, if he was fixing the NBA don't you think he would've had the Celtics demolish the Hawks in the first round instead of struggle in 7 games? Sounds to me like someone is just bitter that their team got eliminated.

The two BEST TEAMS are in the NBA Finals. Get over it.

 

[RBH]

The Celtics are certainly a legendary team but the Lakers have had more success recently (by recently I mean 00s, 90s and mid 80s) I also believe Kobe Bryant is key to this series but Kobe cannot do it all by himself. He needs the rest of the team to play. If you watched Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, You would know that Lamar Odom played like shit, he missed almost all his free throw and also couldnt make a damn shot. But every other game, Odom and Fisher played much better defesively and offensively. It also has a lot to do with free throws. When the Lakers make their free throw shots they win. It is that simple.

Like I said defense is key and I am gonna say this right now. Home Court does not mean shit in this series. Anytime a final series (like last finished final series) is played in any sports, home field, court or ice goes out the window. The Lakers have proven that they can win on the road as have the Celtics and I believe that this series will go deep with both teams winning at least 1 game on each other's court....now Xfearbefore, you may ask, "If youre such a Lakers fan and you know the Lakers are undefeated at home in the playoffs, why do you think they will lose at home"......because I know the Celtics are the only team aside from the Pistons that can actually win at Staples Center. But like I said this Lakers team is different from the team you guys mashed up earlier this year. The whole team (sans Andrew Bynum) is healthy and well rested as are the Celtics. The key for the Lakers is stopping Garnett. I believe he is the biggest threat you guys have and Pierce is second on the threat list. Hence I say Lakers in 6 but if it goes to 7, Celtics will win because they never lose Game 7. Yes the Celtics do own the Lakers 8-2 but just like we did in the 80s, things have changed and fortunes have reversed and I am proud to say that after watching my team disintegrate for the last 5 years (lifelong Laker fan, NO BULLSHIT BANDWAGON, I remember the Del Harris coaching era with Nick Van Exel as point guard)



And for anyone who says the NBA fixed this, like Xfearbefore said, get over yourselves....get over the fact that your teams suck and the Lakers and Celtics kicked your asses.

 

[BooCocky]

In all honesty i could care less who wins the series. Its whats best for the NBA. it'll make em the most money and they are trying to ignite an old rivalry. it should be enjoyable. Hopefully Kobe can silence the critics and win a title, but the same could be said for KG, Allen, and Pierce (SP... complete blond moment)

Hopefully Kobe and LA wins so i am not out of like 500 dollars :-\

 

[Golden Standard]

Celtics babya we got games 1 and 2 at home and now we gonna finish off L.A. in L.A. So if you people was hoping for a good series sorry cause Boston will take down L.A. in 5 games. Lakers will win a game but it wil be their one and only game. Lakers cannot stop us we are too tough and too physcial for them to handle us. Maybe next year L.A. or maybe never cause this year and the next couple of years is the Celtics year. The dynasty has returned and its here to stay for awhile longer. Their was Russell and his Celtics dynasty, Bird and his, and now Pierce and his Celtics dynasty. Beat L.A.!!!!!!!!

 

[matthew2109]

And what "strong rumors" of David Stern fixing the NBA? Are you kidding me here? That's fucking ridiculious, just downright ridiculious.

not fixed huh??

In the letter submitted by Donaghy's attorney, the following "manipulation" is alleged:

"Referees A, F and G were officiating a playoff series between Teams 5 and 6 in May of 2002. It was the sixth game of a seven-game series, and a Team 5 victory that night would have ended the series. However, Tim learned from Referee A that Referees A and F wanted to extend the series to seven games. Tim knew referees A and F to be "company men," always acting in the interest of the NBA, and that night, it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series. Referees A and F heavily favored Team 6. Personal fouls [resulting in obviously injured players] were ignored even when they occurred in full view of the referees. Conversely, the referees called made-up fouls on Team 5 in order to give additional free throw opportunities for Team 6. Their foul-calling also led to the ejection of two Team 5 players. The referees' favoring of Team 6 led to that team's victory that night, and Team 6 came back from behind to win that series."

Although no teams are specifically named, it is not hard to deduce the game in question. The Lakers-Kings series was the only one that postseason that went seven games, and the officiating in Game 6 was so questionable that consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader called for a formal investigation.

"My first thought [upon hearing Donaghy's allegation] was: I knew it," Pollard said Tuesday night. "I'm not going to say there was a conspiracy. I just think something wasn't right. It was unfair. We didn't have a chance to win that game."

ESPN

That Game 6 was by far the worst officiating i have seen and was very obvious what something was going on. In that very Game 6 Los Angeles made 21-of-27 from the line while Sacramento converted 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter alone. The other series in questioned was the lopsided seven game sereis between Dallas and Houston in 2005 where Dallas won game 7 by almost 40 points.

 

[RBH]

Of course Matthew you (whose teams probably suck) would believe everything that a corrupt ex-referee would say. You klnow that jackass ex referee is just saying that shit to get attention you know that dont you? Oh wait, youre still crying about your teams sucking. Why dont you just get over it and accept the fact that the Lakers and Celtics were the two best teams in the league this year just like the Spurs and Cavaliers were the two best teams last year. Your team didnt make it? GET THE FUCK OVER IT! The worst case of officiating was Game 2 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and Celtics but you dont see me bitching about it. Why? Because there's nothing that is gonna change it. The Celtics were more aggresive in Games 1 and 2 and the Lakers were more aggresive last night hence the reason why the Lakers won. Damn it Xfearbefore where the hell are you to rup this guy to threads? damn newbies!

 

[X]

not fixed huh??

ESPN

That Game 6 was by far the worst officiating i have seen and was very obvious what something was going on. In that very Game 6 Los Angeles made 21-of-27 from the line while Sacramento converted 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter alone. The other series in questioned was the lopsided seven game sereis between Dallas and Houston in 2005 where Dallas won game 7 by almost 40 points.

A) Where again in that article did it mention even slightly that David Stern had fixed games? Oh wait, it didn't. We weren't talking about Tim Donaghy, we were talking about the Commissioner. Pay attention.

B) Because clearly a man who is about to go to jail for years of his life wouldn't lie to us. That would never happen. It's not like he could have just randomly recalled a game that had bad officiating in his memory and state it was fixed. You realize one of the main refs in that game is a retired police officer who still trains recruits? Sounds like a big time gambling and game-fixin' ring to me, thats for sure!

C) You're an idiot. Case closed.

I have really liked what I've seen thus far in this series. Granted, last nights game disgusted me with our offensive performance, but our defense was again pretty solid for the entire game. The Lakers defense hasn't even been mildly annoying so far in this series, and the Celtics can pretty much score at will. The only problem was they couldn't knock down any shots last night. They got open look after open look and KG & Pierce kept missing 'em. Which doesn't make much sense considering that Pierce is usually stellar in LA in front of his family and friends. I don't expect what happened last night to continue, because KG & Pierce are simply too damn good to miss that many shots again. And we hung around that entire game, and damn well could've if not SHOULD HAVE won that game in the end. For all of the LA fans bitching about foul calls in Game 2, the same exact thing happened to Boston in Game 3. We never got the benefit of the call when we drove to the basket, which is to be expected, which is why I hated that people were bitching about Game 2's refereeing. It's the NBA people, what the hell more do you want?! This is pretty much the best the refs can do.

I expect us to come out angry at ourselves over Game 3 and to take Game 4 tomorrow night. After that we'll have to see, as my original prediction of Boston in 6 games may actually end up being Boston in 5 games with the way we've been playing thus far.

Oh, and god damn you Sasha Vujacic. I hate you and your incredibly fun name to say.

 

[Shocky]

Of course Matthew you (whose teams probably suck) would believe everything that a corrupt ex-referee would say. You klnow that jackass ex referee is just saying that shit to get attention you know that dont you? Oh wait, youre still crying about your teams sucking. Why dont you just get over it and accept the fact that the Lakers and Celtics were the two best teams in the league this year just like the Spurs and Cavaliers were the two best teams last year. Your team didnt make it? GET THE FUCK OVER IT! The worst case of officiating was Game 2 of the NBA finals between the Lakers and Celtics but you dont see me bitching about it. Why? Because there's nothing that is gonna change it. The Celtics were more aggresive in Games 1 and 2 and the Lakers were more aggresive last night hence the reason why the Lakers won. Damn it Xfearbefore where the hell are you to rup this guy to threads? damn newbies!

See most of that would make sense, and why would someone believe a scumbag like Donahy, but there is precedent. I give you, Jose Canseco. No one believe a word from Canseco about steroid allegations, but guess what, Canseco was the man the blew the roof off of the steroid situation in the MLB. Like it or not, he maybe an asshole, but you can't call Canseco a liar.

This could be another situation where a guy was caught, and now is going to bring the rest of the league down with him. I wouldn't simply dismiss what he has to say because I think there is a valid point he is making.

Hate to break the news to you, but outside of LA, most people seem to think that that series with the King was rigged and that they got screwed royally by the referees. Hell I remember that series perfectly and I live in the midwest where I shouldn't care about that series. I think that the Kings got jobbed by the refs myself. So for a situation like this to occur, I don't doubt it. These leagues are all about the money, and Los Angeles is a bigger market then Sacramento, so it was only natural that they wanted the lakers to advance.

 

[RBH]

But you know Shocky while those points do make sense, dont ever justify the Lakers 14 titles by saying they are "Golden" and that the league wanted them to win because I would say that it was complete bullshit. If the NBA really wanted a great NBA finals every year and wanted to fix it so damn badly you guys would be seeing New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers every fucking year. The Knicks are shit though so we wont ever see that.

Many people outside of LA will agree with you but many outside of LA will not. The Sacramneto Kings were just not good enough to beat the Lakers. They had us down 3-1 and they could not finish us off. So dont cry wolf and say every Lakers victory is because the NBA "wuvs us" (I meant to mispell that word).

The Lakers played like utter crap last night offfensively and still won. Hopefully they get their act together and go out and win Game 4 with a vengeance because Lord knows they need to play better than the crap they instilled last night.

As Xfearbefore would say, the NBA is like that when it comes to officiating. All of you need to deal with it and stop whining. I have been a Lakers fan for many years and we have sucked balls the last few years. You didnt hear me bitching last year. Why? because the Spurs deserved itlast year. This year, it was the Lakers and the Celtics' turn. If Boston beats us, yes it will suck but there is no shame in losing to a team that is better than you if you havent proven capable of playing at a championship level. Still, Lakers need to win Game 4 to make it a series again.

Please do not bring Jose Canseco into the basketball forums. If I ever saw that guy in real life, I would beat the living shit out of him. He is not the 'savior" of baseball. He was only looking out for number one. If there was no money involved, Canseco would have kept his mouth shut. Yes I know he is a 6 foot 3 inch dude but I would and still could beat the shit out of him.

 

[matthew2109]

A) Where again in that article did it mention even slightly that David Stern had fixed games? Oh wait, it didn't. We weren't talking about Tim Donaghy, we were talking about the Commissioner. Pay attention.

The article may have not said David Stern but it did specifically say the NBA.

The Sacramneto Kings were just not good enough to beat the Lakers. They had us down 3-1 and they could not finish us off.

The Kings were not up 3-1. Rob changed that with his game winner to even the series 2-2.

Game 1 106-99 Lakers
Game 2 96-90 Kings
Game 3 103-90 Kings
Game 4 100-99 Lakers (Big Shot Rob hit that trey as time expired)
Game 5 92-91 Kings
Game 6 106-102 Lakers
Game 7 112-106 Lakers

because the Spurs deserved it last year

Suns fans dont think so after the Robert Horry incident last year

 

[RBH]

Matthew so are you a person that complains every year when the finals come around? Who do you root for because you seem to have a lot of hardened feelings. The Lakers have sucked the last few years in case you didnt notice. They were bounced from the forst round 2 years in a row by the Suns and didnt even make the playoffs two years ago. To say the NBA was in a bad place would be an ignorant statement. While it is true that the Spurs and Cavs did not generate ratings last year it does not mean that the NBA necissarily "fixed" the games. The NBA right now is the talk of everyone I know. Basketball still sells out regularly at games and people watch it.

While its not as popular as football or baseball it doesn't necisarily mean that it is suffering so to say the NBA is or was desperate for ratings would not accurately match up because well things do not necisarrily work that way.

The Lakers are a popular team. I can compare them to the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys. Ppl either love them or hate them and they have several bandwagon fans (not me, true Laker fan since 95 when i was old enough to enjoy basketball).

Yes this Lakers-celtics series is gonna be the series that saves the NBA and the league will be reborn next year. More people will be excited for it and more people will be into their teams and their teams chances. I also believe that this is the first of a brand new Lakers Celtics rivalry and that despite who wins this series, we will meet them again in the finals in the near future...hell maybe even next year! In the NBA, it is a lot easier to repeat than any other sport.

 

[Golden Standard]

I think next year Celtics and Lakers will face off against each other. Boston is the dominate team in a weak eastern conferecne and i think a young good team in L.A. with Andrew Bynum their star center coming back will make it back to the Finals.

As for the nba being rigged. I mean come on! San Antonio won 4 championships in the last 9 years. Now since the Spurs don't bring in good ratings in the finals, and everytime they played in the finals the ratings was low, don't you think the nba would have tried to rigged their series so they would not make it to the finals. See you have to look at it like that. The Kings/Lakers series in 02 was not rigged. All them people outside of L.A. said that stuff because they don't like the Lakers and people said it in Sacramento cause they really don't like the Lakers and never have liked them.

Lakers went to the free throw line more then the Kings in game 6 cause they earned it by going to the rack and drawing the fouls. Plus the Kings had a greater chance of winning game 7 then game 6. The game went to overtime in gane 7 and the Kings missed all their free throws in overtime and not to mentino they had a chance to win the game and series at the end when they had the ball. They had Mike Bibby and Oeja would could knock down the game winners and was fairly wide open but they give the ball to Webber who had people all over him. Not a smart move by the Kings so it loks like they shot them own selves in the foot in that series.

The former nba ref Tim whatever his last name is could have lied and said that stuff to make the other refs look bad and save his butt. I mean the nba didn't rigg nothing prime examplke Spurs winning the title 4 out of the last 9 years. Lakers was just the better team then the Kings that year Kings fans and other nba fans have to get over it and accept that it was 6 years ago let it go. Plus its the nba it don't matter who is in the finals people will watch. Knicks/Grizziles could play in the finals and people would watch its the nba they love watching nba basketball its one of the top sports in the world. People all over the world play nba and loveit and watch it. The nba knows that so they don't have to rigg nothing plus why would they risk it all for that one series with the Kings/Lakers to fix it. And why didn't they fix the Nets/Celtics series too so they could of had their dream finals between the Celtics/Lakers right then and their.

See people nba not rigged like you thought it was.

 

[RBH]

Well I want to start off by saying congratulationg to the Boston Celtics and Xfearbefore you Boston bastard! It seems the Celtics had the Lakers number YET AGAIN...what is it 9-2 now in all time Lakers-Celtics history? Hey the Celtics deserved it and the Lakers didn't. Plain and simple. Now Garnett and Allen have their precious titles....that will be all they will get. This is the last title Boston sport teams will get in the next 5 years....curse curse curse....Why does Boston win everything? What are you guys gonna say you have the best clam chowder? o wait...

Boston red Sox: defending champs...will NOT win it this year. Will succumb to some sort of freak play or injury and lose in first round of playoffs.

New England Patriots: everyone is gunning for them. They will lose in divisional round..

Boston Bruins: They suck already. Not like they are gonna do anything. The Montreal Canadiens own their asses.

Boston Celtics: will enjoy their title and then fall badly next season when everyone tries to beat them and succeeds.


It is time for the town of Boston to start losing again and California teams to take back what is rightfully theirs in the books of championships!

 

[X]

I'm sure you all missed me huh? A graduation and an NBA title to celebrate all in a two week span! Sweetness! The Celtics showed why they were the best team all year round, and they shut up all the doubters (I'm looking at you ESPN, who through December to February talked nothing but shit about the Celtics). KG, Pierce, & Allen all finally have the rings they've all deserved for so long. Seeing KG win it all and screaming "Anything's Possible!" in tears at the end of the game was honestly one of the greatest sports moments I've ever seen in my life. Shit I was getting emotional from watching it.

First things first: Re-Sign James Posey. Right fucking now, Danny Ainge.

Well I want to start off by saying congratulationg to the Boston Celtics and Xfearbefore you Boston bastard! It seems the Celtics had the Lakers number YET AGAIN...what is it 9-2 now in all time Lakers-Celtics history? Hey the Celtics deserved it and the Lakers didn't. Plain and simple. Now Garnett and Allen have their precious titles....that will be all they will get. This is the last title Boston sport teams will get in the next 5 years....curse curse curse....Why does Boston win everything? What are you guys gonna say you have the best clam chowder? o wait...

Hey this is New England and Boston's time to shine, don't hate. I think the previous 70 years of collective sports failure more then makes up for our recent success. Aside from the Bruins & Celtics, Boston hadn't won shit since the 1910's. The Pats sucked for years, the Red Sox for years, the Celtics sucked the last decade or so, and the Bruins have been in a decline for well over a decade now. Every team has their rough spots and their high marks. This is just one of the high times.

Boston red Sox: defending champs...will NOT win it this year. Will succumb to some sort of freak play or injury and lose in first round of playoffs.

C'mon now, I can understand saying they won't win the WS because to repeat is such a hard thing to do, but first round? No way. Who are we gonna face in the first round? Likely your Angels again. And who will win? The Boston Red Sox. Again. Like always. The Red Sox have owned the Angel's asses every time they face each other and they usually end up getting swept in embarassing fashion. So the Sox will easily make it out of the first round. From there it gets a little more difficult, but there really isn't a better or more well-rounded and deep team in the AL or the MLB for that matter as the Red Sox. They've had several key players injured over the last few monthes, and they've been able to fill up the gaps nicely. When Ortiz fell to injury, JD Drew took his spot in the lineup and has since hit some 10 or so HRs in June and has hit well over .400 for the month. Dice-K goes down to injury, and we call up the rookie Justin Masterson who thus far has been overachieving to a ridiculious level. This team is deep man. We can still score 5+ runs a game without Papi or Manny. We're dangerous, and honestly what team can beat us? What team has improved so vastly over the last year that they can beat virtually the exact same team that won the WS last year, heck this team is actually better then last year's with the added depth of guys like Sean Casey and Bartolo Colon. Repeat in store. Fo 'sho.

New England Patriots: everyone is gunning for them. They will lose in divisional round.

Again, you aren't giving them NEARLY enough credit. Is that a joke? Divisional round? ROFL. Who's going to beat them? The Dolphins? The Bills? The Jets? No way. Not going to happen. Are you forgetting this is the team that won 18 straight games and set record after record for it's offense? The only real weakness this team has is it's backfield defense, which is why I'm not too quick to hail them the 2009 Super Bowl champs. But I'd still say they easily make it atleast to the Conference finals.

Again,
Boston Bruins: They suck already. Not like they are gonna do anything. The Montreal Canadiens own their asses.

The Bruins aren't nearly as bad as people say they are. They did make the playoffs this year, and nearly defeated the #1 seeded Montreal when no one expected anything less then a dominating sweep. We added some real depth to the team with the draft, and while I don't think they'll be contending this year or probably even the next, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bruins return to prominence in a few years. The management will pretty much have to considering the competition with all the other sucess that Boston franchises have had in the decade so far.

Boston Celtics: will enjoy their title and then fall badly next season when everyone tries to beat them and succeeds.

Awwww, I'll let that slide as just Lakers jealousy of Boston completely and utterly crushing your team and making them look like a bunch of 12 year olds playing pickup. Celtics will again be a force to be reckoned with next year. The team will undoubtedly re-sign James Posey, though guys like PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, Eddie House, and Tony Allen are all probably leaving. Not too big a blow though, the only real issues the team has is the need for a backup experienced PG and we could probably use another 3-point shooter off the bench in the vein of House or Posey. Add to that the draft coming up (though we do pick last obviously) and this team is in damn good condition to repeat. They've got the entire core of team coming back with a vastly improving PG in Rondo (who I still think will turn into an everyday PG despite people calling me crazy and telling me he sucks) and a still extremely young and raw center in Kendrick Perkins. This team is in good condition.

It is time for the town of Boston to start losing again and California teams to take back what is rightfully theirs in the books of championships!

A state roughly 10 to 12 times the size of Mass had better be as successful as Mass, or else thats just sad. How many sports teams do you guys have? 20? 30? New England has...4 teams. And we still compete with you guys in number of titles won for a region. Sad, sad, sad.

 

[RBH]

First of all congratulations Xfearbefore for graduating with your (masters?). That must have been some hard work and its an accomplishment. I got one year till I graduate from cal state fullerton (one of the top college baseball teams in america)....then Im gonna be a broadcast journalist.

The Celtics deserved the title this year and were better than the Lakers. If anyone out of the Boston area teams can repeat the best it will be the Celtics. It is a lot easier to repeat in the NBA and NHL then it is MLB and NFL. But the Lakers will be back next year and I believe that we will meet again in the finals (9-2 right now is the score Celtics lead all time series).

Congrats to Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Those guys deserved a title more than anything and I am glad that someday they will be able to retire saying that they won at least one title. Some guys don't end up winning any titles and come o so close (Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone to name a few) So overall it is a sucess for those guys and Kobe can wait another year.

As far as baseball goes, meet me in the MLB thread and we will discuss Red Sox and Angels.

I will make my annual football picks very soon but I just do not see the Patriots going all the way to the big dance. They will easily win the division but I cannot help but remember the Colts last year and the way they lost to San Diego in the divisional round after winning the super bowl. The Chargers were gunning for them and this year you got so many teams gunning for the Pats: Chargers-pissed that they lost twice to Pats, Colts-pissed that they didnt get to play Pats, Steelers-pisssed that the Pats made them look like jackasses, and the rest. But that is for the NFL Thread isn't it?

Yes I am jealous that the Celtics won the title but I am confident that like I said about the other Boston teams, other teams will be gunning for them. The Celtics are the best team in the world right now but like all things that are on top, there is nowhere to go but down. And it's not just because it is Boston, it is a generalization of any sport teams. The last team to repeat in any sport ironically was your Patriots in 2001-2002. That is 6 years ago. Anyway we'll see.

 

[Big Sexy]

The Detroit Pistons are going to win the title next year. They were the best team in the NBA last year and if Chauncey Billups would have been healthy then they would have won in the east finals and gone on to win the title.
Deeeeeeeeeeetroit Basketball

 

[strafro]

The Detroit Pistons are going to win the title next year. They were the best team in the NBA last year and if Chauncey Billups would have been healthy then they would have won in the east finals and gone on to win the title.
Deeeeeeeeeeetroit Basketball

Dude, I am from Detroit and completely disagree with you here, the Pistons made the East finals in spite of having Chauncey on the team. What we really need to do is trade him to free up some space to try and sign a big name free agent next year (i.e Bosh, Wade, LeBron) and let Rodney Stuckey take over as the everyday point guard for the team. And to say the Pistons were the best team this year is just ignorant, I am a big Pistons fan but to say anyone but the Celtics were the best team is just ignorant.

For further evidence, look at where Chauncey was everytime Detroit made a comeback..on the bench. He is no longer Mr. Big Shot, when he was he took too many bad shots and they fortunately went in. Billups is not such a huge star like you think, it's time for the new blood to step up.

Altough I do like the idea of Michael Curry as head coach.