2008/2009 NBA Thread v2.0

[DMN in the House]

So, I don't know how many people remember him, but I met Elden Campbell at my work today. Really nice dude. Not as tall as you'd think, though. Maybe because I'm 6'2" and a big dude, but he didn't seem like 'holy shit, that dude is TALL'.

[VerbalPuke]

Elden Campbell? Hell yeah, I always liked the Big Easy, he was with the Pistons in the latter part of his career, winning the championship with us in 04. He was actually an important part of our bench since we had to go up against Shaq that year when he was still a Laker. I miss having a good big man off of our bench like him, hell I miss having a team that deep, we are going to suck this coming year. Either way, that's cool to meet Elden Campbell, he was a Laker draft pick, Campbell was around during some of the NBA's best years.

[DMN in the House]

Yeah, I remember watching him play with Vlade, Sedale Threat, Cedric Ceballos, Eddie Jones, and Nick Van Exel. Those were some 'bad' Laker teams. Well, bad for Laker teams, which isn't to say they were truly bad. It was cool to meet him.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah, I remember watching him play with Vlade, Sedale Threat, Cedric Ceballos, Eddie Jones, and Nick Van Exel. Those were some 'bad' Laker teams. Well, bad for Laker teams, which isn't to say they were truly bad. It was cool to meet him.

So bad that they didn't even make the playoffs one year.

[DMN in the House]

Well, its all relative. Not making the playoffs makes you a bad Laker team. This is a team who, in the last 25 trips to the postseason have, IIRC, made the Finals something like 12 times. Six times this decade they've been in the Finals. Anything less than that is... bad.

[Mr Evil Guy]

Real shitty break for Courtney Lee at the end of regulation there.

[naiwf]

Real shitty break for Courtney Lee at the end of regulation there.

He missed two running layups in the last minute of regulation. The guy choked away a split in LA.

[VerbalPuke]

Yeah, I remember watching him play with Vlade, Sedale Threat, Cedric Ceballos, Eddie Jones, and Nick Van Exel. Those were some 'bad' Laker teams. Well, bad for Laker teams, which isn't to say they were truly bad. It was cool to meet him.

That's actually not too bad of a crew, though I get what you mean. I was always a fan of Vlade.

[Mr Evil Guy]

Real shitty break for Courtney Lee at the end of regulation there.

He missed two running layups in the last minute of regulation. The guy choked away a split in LA.

Hence the real in front of the shitty.

The game should've been over.

[Fait Accompli]

You do not give life to the opposition when you're down 0-1 in the series no matter where game 3 is going to be next. I don't want to come off as one of those guys that proclaims the series over after the first couple of games but really, when you get a chance to tie the series, you tie it up. You don't leave it to chance. If I was drafting up that play, I'd strictly hope that Howard was the one that received the lob rather than Lee because we know he could throw it down. Now, they've given the Lakers life and they are down 0-2. And out of the next three games, I can see them winning one game - maybe two if the Lakers have a couple of off nights and the Magic get extremely lucky.

[naiwf]

Any chance the Magic had of winning the series died tonight. Even if they'd won this game, they probably were looking at going back to LA needing to win at least one of the last two. Their only hope now is to not get swept for the second time in the Finals since they're not winning 4 of 5 unless Kobe blows out a knee.

[DMN in the House]

I'm almost positive Orlando will win game 3. If they don't, then it's a sweep.

[alldaws1]

You do not give life to the opposition when you're down 0-1 in the series no matter where game 3 is going to be next. I don't want to come off as one of those guys that proclaims the series over after the first couple of games but really, when you get a chance to tie the series, you tie it up. You don't leave it to chance. If I was drafting up that play, I'd strictly hope that Howard was the one that received the lob rather than Lee because we know he could throw it down. Now, they've given the Lakers life and they are down 0-2. And out of the next three games, I can see them winning one game - maybe two if the Lakers have a couple of off nights and the Magic get extremely lucky.

Hmm, yeah. Let's toss it up to Dwight Howard because he won't be guarded tightly by anybody at all, he's rubbish. That play was down to Courtney Lee. Great design, great pass just a bad finish, it should have been over.

I thought Orlando was much better last night, Turkoglu did a decent job on Bryant late in the game and we finally knocked down some long range shots. Some horrible calls by the referees on both sides and clearly Kobe Bryant is the Didier Drogba of the NBA. From that performance thought I think we can win two of the next three in Orlando. It would have to be the first one tomorrow, or as DMN said we'll probably be swept.

Edited June 8, 2009 by dwsnuk

[Blaze09]

Well, its all relative. Not making the playoffs makes you a bad Laker team. This is a team who, in the last 25 trips to the postseason have, IIRC, made the Finals something like 12 times. Six times this decade they've been in the Finals. Anything less than that is... bad.

Hey, it didn't end that bad, they got Kobe out of all of it

and the Pistons better improve, those 4 picks better come to good use

[gunnar hendershow]

Courtney Lee's first miss was less understandable than the second miss. On the first one he had Odom on him like glue. However, he still had an easier angle at the basket. The second one he had Gasol hovering over him and what surely looked like a very small spot to get the ball in. It was fantastic defense. Magic would win that game if Dwight Howard was better offensively. He's getting the way he's being defended changed every time down, but he never comes up with a gameplan for particular kinds of defenses. He just has the deer-in-headlights look in the series. Nobody on the Magic had any will to takeover, and this is a team that's chemistry is a mess because of Jameer Nelson's return. This could be a sweep.

Edited June 8, 2009 by damshow

[alldaws1]

It wasn't 'fantastic' defense on the last shot of the fourth quarter. Gasol gets over there but Lee is already up, has the ball and has enough room to make the shot, no question about it. The screen worked perfectly and with 0.6 seconds left on the clock that's the kind of look you're hoping for.

Dwight needs to be less sloppy and more decisive with the ball certainly. Once he's got it and draws the double or triple he's been able to kick it out to an open shooter a few times but more often than not he's losing the ball whether it's being stolen or whether he's gone to the rim, missed and not got a foul.

I'd like to see some Anthony Johnson. I'm all for starting Rafer and giving Nelson his minutes but when Alston's missing every shot under the sun and Nelson's not giving as much of a boost as we'd like, stick Johnson in there. I don't think we need to resort to putting Turkoglu or Redick at PG, even though it does level up the height difference a bit.

[DMN in the House]

Lee got a decent look at that shot, and it just didn't go down. That was a great play, and it just didn't happen for them. Cie la vie.

As for Howard, he's been in the league what, five years? He still doesn't have any post moves. He's a good defensive big man, and can jump really high, but he's not an elite player, not really.

[Trey]

Howard should pick up a post move or two this off-season. He's been the only rebounder and defensive big man for the Re-Deem Team the last 3 off-seasons or something like that, right?

[naiwf]

The Magic shot a ridiculous 75% in the first half (NBA Finals record for a half) and are somehow only up by 5.

[gunnar hendershow]

Magic could have won that game by more.