2005 NBA Playoffs Topic

[naiwf]

Well now that we're down to the Conference Semis, here are my predictions. . .

Miami over Washington in 5

Detroit over Indiana in 6

Dallas over Phoenix in 6

San Antonio sweeps Seattle in 4

Detroit over Miami in 6

San Antonio over Dallas in 5

Who cares as it'll be the least interesting Finals EVER bar none, with Rip Hamilton winning Finals MVP averaging 16-17 PPG, 3 RPG and 3 APG. Yawn.

[Sabu]

I hope Phoenix and the Heat both make it to the finals, as that will be the most interesting Matchup out of the other possible matchups.

[Blitz]

Mavericks got their butt WHOOPED.

[Karizma]

T-Mac's statline from Game 7: 27 pts, 7 assts, 7 rbds, 3 blks and 4 turnovers.

[D-Extreme]

hey if the Mavs somehow get a lucky break like they did in Houston...I think they would. But then again, this Phoenix team is different than Houston. Unlike Houston, Phoenix can beat Dallas' high paced style...for one good reason that Nash knows a few tricks of his former team and can utilize it against them.

The Mavs-Suns series reminds me 10 years ago when Grant just haunted his former team and let Orlando finish them off in 6 games. But I know there are A LOT of differences, but still..it just reminds me of a series I saw long ago.

The Wiz saved face today and didnt get blown out. They are going to their homecourt and I think they could win a game...and maybe nothing more cause the heat will just kill them every game.

[Guest The Styles Clash]

i say pacers make a comeback and melt the suns

[y2jerichoholic]

Whoever thinks the Spurs are boring are wrong. The Spurs are fastbreaking down the court and they love to run. Ginobili and Parker are leading the way for the Spurs, and if the Spurs end up winning the championship, I'm calling it right now, Manu GINOBILI for MVP.

[naiwf]

Whoever thinks the Spurs are boring are wrong. The Spurs are fastbreaking down the court and they love to run. Ginobili and Parker are leading the way for the Spurs, and if the Spurs end up winning the championship, I'm calling it right now, Manu GINOBILI for MVP.

←

[Karizma]

I already said Manu for MVP if the Spurs make the Finals...he's stepped up in every big game I've seen internationally (from the Olympics, to the World Champs a couple years ago when he was injured and he beat down Peja and Vlade and the Argentinians got ripped.).

I've watched a ton of Spurs games (more than I would ever want to, but it wasn't my choice) and they can play fastbreak.But most of the time, they are fucking boring.If they had a more explosive guard like Wade/Shaq with the Heat(that actually handled the ball a bit more) they'd be fine, but witht he lack of use for Ginobili who could fill that role it's just pass it to Duncan, if he can't get a shot off pass it out and hope someone hits a shot or is open.

haha at Wallace being domianted by Jeff Foster.The Pacers team are running on what they have been doing all season, pure emotion, they want Reggie to go out with a bang...and they could just pull it off.

[D-Extreme]

Man, I loved that game and I think the pacers can pull off a good series against Detroit in seven games. Infact, I think they can win. They have been underdogs since that incident occur and they always risen to the occasion. So far, this is one of the post-seasons I'm enjoying in the last 5 years. (thats 2 out of 5) Of course last year was the first, since Detroit pulled one over LA.

[Blitz]

Mavericks now have a legitimate chance of beating the Suns, since Joe Johnson is out.

Only if it could have been Amare... *cough* I mean...

[naiwf]

Indiana 42, Detroit 28 AT THE HALF. Ugh.

This is why no one outside of Michigan likes "D-troit Basketbrawl". If Indiana can somehow knock them out of the playoffs they will be doing the rest of the league a huge service, and should receive a little something extra in their playoff bonus checks.

[D-Extreme]

I guess Indiana didnt need Artest to get revenge on Detroit for last year. Sure, Detroit caught up on the second half...but they still lost. Man they were so disimal at the first half. Hats off to Indiana for bustin the defending champs assess tonight.

[Karizma]

If Rasheed gets a second predition right in a row, the Pistons will win the series.

A win at game 4 could possibly break the Pistons though.Fuck, whenever Reggie steps up (albeit even at times) the Pacers STILL Win despite JO and SJax's playing like shit.

All this does really with that series is give Shaq an extra week off, seeing as Washington's gonna be swept.

[Sabu]

Dallas got KILLED in the last 5 minutes. I almost felt sorry for them.

[Blitz]

I officially hate Steve Nash now. Every year when he played for us, he choked in the playoffs and made us lose. One year he had Van Exel to back him up, though. Now it seems as he passed on the curse to Dirk Nowitzki. Geez, he is really sucking right now. He needs to step up in a major way if the Mavericks are going to go anywhere.

[naiwf]

Dwyane Wade's 42, 7 & 4 leads Miami into the ECF after sweeping the Wizzanators away. I think this should finally put to rest the question as to who is currently the best player of the LeBron/Darko :shifty:/Carmelo/Bosh/Wade draft.

[D-Extreme]

I guess so...but it be funny to see Darko with two rings after this season...unless of course, Millermania will run wild on Detroit at the semis.

So far, I got one prediction right in this series (Miami sweeps Washington) which was predictable. But hell, I didnt expect a sweep without Shaq. I guess all they needed was Wade and Zo on the starting lineup.

[JStarr]

Gotta love 'Zo...it seems most of the league and its fans had given him up for dead, and now he's helping carry a team that was supposedly all about Shaq.

Waiting anxiously to see the Pacers land another knockout shot on Detroit, but even as a serious Pacer fan, I can't help but feel they're running into a buzzsaw with Miami looming. Anyone wanna take bets on the Heat running the table 16-0?

And an interesting piece on D-Wade from ESPN.com:

WASHINGTON -- The wise men always told us the next Michael would not be manufactured, that he would just burst upon the scene without aid from the media's overzealous hype machine.

"Just let it happen," they said calmly as everyone from Harold Miner to Kobe Bryant was anointed as Next.

I don't know yet if Dwyane Wade is the one, and I love LeBron James. But it's getting harder by the possession to write off Wade's historic production as the result of being Shaq's mate -- especially when Shaq is on the sidelines in a tent-sized, three-piece suit.

And dig this -- Miami's unassuming kid with the Barry Sanders moves (yes, they're that sick) was not manufactured. Eerie.

Saturday, in an astonishing display that made his All-Star-caliber opponents Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes look pedestrian -- and maybe I'm being kind considering the way he split their fruitless double-team before sinking a bank shot in the second quarter -- Wade put 42 on the Wizards in leading Miami to a 99-95 win and back to South Beach on a broom.

Four-Oh for the series, just like against New Jersey. Or in the case of Wade, who scored 22 in the game-turning third quarter, Four-Oh My!

I cringe when I see someone mentioned in the same sentence as Air, so it is with great reservation that I throw Wade's name into that conversation. But he has already put himself in rarified company. In just his second season, he has joined Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael as the only players to average at least 25 points, eight dimes and six boards while shooting 50 percent from the floor in a playoff series. Before Wade came along it hadn't been done since 1991, because even today's best perimeter guns barely top Ty Cobb when it comes to accuracy. But Wade connects at a clip that makes old-heads proud.

Want another Mount Rushmore? When Wade gave the Wizards 31, 15 and five in Game 2, he became only the fifth player ever to post 30 points, 15 assists and five rebounds in the postseason and the first since 1989. Oscar, Clyde Frazier, Jerry West and Magic did it, too. Michael never did.

And the nicest thing about this story is that Wade's too humble to spoil his partnership with Shaq. Hear that, Kobe and Penny? Imagine if Dwyane had teamed up with a younger Diesel.

But hey, there's a reason it's happened as it has. Just as Shaq was the best thing to happen to Kobe, Wade might be the best thing to happen to Shaq. A young Magic joined an aging Kareem and the rest was history. Perhaps in the young Wade and aging Shaq, we're seeing history in the making.

Yeah, it may be a while before we see Bron, Melo, or Bosh (Darko's not even worth a mention here) joining that kind of May company.

[Karizma]

Bosh Probably won't do those high Assist number, if he does, Bosh will then own his whole class easily, but I see Bron getting that one day...the first thing, and maybe the second.I like the comparison of Magic/Kareem and Shaq/Wade though.

If the Pistons win it means nothing, they didn't even take on a full strength Pacers side.Ron-Ron was tearing the league apart in the games he played this year (24/6/3 or 4 apg 2 steals) and he and SJax would have tore apart The Pistons, who's Tayshaun gonna mark, Artest or SJax?

Miami could have the East on lock if Laettner woke the fuck up though.Eddie Jones is starting to find a bit of form again with Shaq gone.

Steve Nash dominated (20-28 fgs, 48 points) but what the fuck happened to Amare, he got shut the fuck down.