Ok ladies, the punk, "Number 33" is no longer a factor in the playoffs. He's on vacation to make illegitimate children, skip out on his bar tab and get pulled over for driving the wrong way down the street. There is no other player in the NBA that I despise as much as "Number 33". Does anyone other than myself think Indiana has a chance against the Lakers? Smits has a big body and a decent midrange jumper, but is going to have to stay out of foul trouble if they are going to win. Reggie should be able to light up Kobe "I wanna be the Dagger" Bryant and Mark Jackson should be able to dominate any Lakers point guard. I have a feeling this series is going to come down to which bench out plays the other. ------------------ We need some meat in the post!
I too want the Pacers to win. Indiana has the Lakers beat at every spot except center. Mark and Reggie will have a field day with Kobe and Harper. Jalen's flat out better than Rice. Davis can dominate Horry or Green down low. Plus if Rik can hit his mid range jumper on Shaq then the Pacers have a good chance to win. ------------------ THE DEAN HAS WRITTEN
In a word, no. I despise the Lakers as much as anyone, but tonight was their chance to lose, and Portland choked. No one on Indiana can guard Shaq. No one. Miller can't contain Kobe. Still, the Fakers deserve an asterick when they win. They know they don't deserve it. They know that Portland is a better team. ------------------
Indiana doesn't have a snowball's chance in this series. Smits can't guard Shaq, and is too slow to create his own shot. Miller will score points, but he can't guard Kobe. Reggie Miller and defense don't belong in the same sentence unless doesn't play any is put in between them. Rose is good, but he's apt to disappear and take a bunch of bad jumpshots. Dale Davis isn't an offensive threat. Lakers in 5. Six at most. ------------------ Drop kick me Jesus through the goalposts of life, Tumble end over end, neither left nor right. Straight on ahead through the goalposts I'll go. I've got the faith Lord, If you've got the toe.
Oh, and there's no such thing as an astericked championship. ------------------ Drop kick me Jesus through the goalposts of life, Tumble end over end, neither left nor right. Straight on ahead through the goalposts I'll go. I've got the faith Lord, If you've got the toe.
For this one there should be. The Fakers didn't earn anything. I don't care what happens in the NBA Finals, I will always remember the Portland Blazers as the top team this season and nothing can change my opinion on that. ------------------
And no one can change your opinion that the earth is flat, if you're determined enough to believe it. They might laugh at you a little bit, though. Meanwhile, if Shaq can shoot better from the FT line than Kobe Bryant in a game where Kobe gets more rebounds and blocked shots, I suppose Indiana has a chance. But not much of one. Mark Jackson won't be able to post up Ron Harper as effectively as he did the Knicks PGs, for one thing. But Rose should do well against Glen Rice. ------------------
Nothing? How about this : Lakers were 67 - 15 in the regular season. Blazers were 59 - 23. The Lakers were better in the season. Lakers won 4 out of seven games in the playoff series. The Lakers were better in the playoffs. Portland had better players. LA was the better team. ------------------ Drop kick me Jesus through the goalposts of life, Tumble end over end, neither left nor right. Straight on ahead through the goalposts I'll go. I've got the faith Lord, If you've got the toe.
The Fakers weren't better. Hell, almost all of the games they won were handed to them by the officials. Regular season doesn't matter. The Rockets should have showed you that. What matters is the playoffs, and if not for a quarter of horrid play and officiating, Portland would be in the Finals. I will always think of them as the best team for this year. ------------------
I don't get it. Portland is the best team, but they played horrible in the fourth quarter of game seven. They're not responsible for that? Who is, then? Why don't you just blame God for making their shots miss? If Portland was the best team they would have won the game. It wouldn't have been difficult; all they had to do was hit maybe four or five of those eighteen missed shots.
Back to topic at hand ...I am going to at least give Indiana more credit than most people will. First, Reggie can guard Kobe as well as the next guy and despite Kobe's first team all defense notch, Reggie can get ANYONE into foul trouble with his constant pump faking and jumping into people. Basically, because of the poor PF spot and questionable guard play from Lakers other than Kobe (Rice is very inconsistent too), I think Pacers have a shot. To me it comes down to bench play though. Travis Best and Austin Croshere vs. Robert Horry and Brian Shaw. How many more times must the Lakers count on a role player (Shaw tonight) to save them. Finals is a whole new stage and complete meltdown ala first 3 quarters of tonight should be more devasting. But, if Lakers play up to potential (which is a big if considering their somewhat erratic play during the playoffs), they should win fairly easily. BTW, is it just me or does everyone else fail to see where teh coaching wisdom of Phil is helping now. He certainly didn't lead them to victory tonight...they took that upon themselves ------------------ When I die I want to go peacefully like my grandfather. Not screaming like the passengers in the back seat!
Miller cannot guard Kobe. Kobe is way too quick for Miller. Look at the Knicks, Allan Houston was able to continually blow past Miller, and he had a bum foot. What do you think Kobe is gonna do? The Lakers are weak at PF, but all the Pacers have to take advantage is Dale Davis, who ain't an offensive threat, and Austin Croshere. They have no one who is even close to a Wallace, Webber or even Robinson. Factor in that the Pacers are a poor road team(as were all the Eastern conference teams), they don't have a chance. ------------------ Drop kick me Jesus through the goalposts of life, Tumble end over end, neither left nor right. Straight on ahead through the goalposts I'll go. I've got the faith Lord, If you've got the toe. [This message has been edited by Puedlfor (edited June 05, 2000).]
The Pacers have no chance. The Spurs would've taken out LA, but Duncan got hurt. Portland choked. That's it, there's no hope left. ------------------ "Yes, I came from the 80s...but I didn't kill anybody. Give me a break." -Mike Tramp, former lead singer of White Lion
I don't care if they have a chance or not. I'm rooting for Indiana. I pick them in six games. Pippen is gone; NY is gone; all that is left is Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal, and they can only be eliminated in one (or four) fell swoop(s), and no one I dislike will win the championship. Go Pacers!!! ------------------ http://www.gaffordstudios.cjb.net/
I think Indiana has a good chance. They and Portland are the 2 most balanced teams in the league. They also have 2 go-to-guys (Kobe can only guard one). Further, they were also 3-1 against the Lakers and Blazers this year. Also, in the Bulls recent title runs this was the one team I recall that stretched them to the limit, and had them down late in a game 7. These Pacers can play with anyone, and will win some games, as they have done in every playoff series in recent memory. Still, since there A Davis trade I have always thought this move would come back to haunt them late in the playoffs (you never have enough good veteran big men), as he was the low post player with the best compliment of offense and defense. My hunch is they will sorely miss him in game 6 or 7, and it might make the difference. For now I'll route for the Pacers (Don't like Rose for the Elie play though). However, it is getting easier and easier to route for the Lakers with all the discredit, and incoherent, and in my mind unjustifiable slamming Oneal and Bryant are getting. These are the best pair of players and leaders since Hakeem and Drexler teamed up in 95, and they are not getting their due in my opinion. As I think the rest of the Lakers are very sorry-Harper and Green start for pete sake, the overall basketball skills of these 2 players are not getting the credit deserved. Without these 2 players, the other profesisonal team using their building or the cross-town Bruins would be the best team in town. BTW-JV this last point was not direct at you. I have no problem with people disliking the Lakers. But when people throw around "hating" players not for their own actions, but for how the media treats them and go on tirades discrediting their accomplishments because of basically jealosy about the latter I think that is too far. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited June 05, 2000).]
Shaq and Kobe= Hakeem and Clyde?? Funny. I don't even want to think about two players who can't play in the clutch, are poor leaders, and have won virtually nothing (without it being handed to them) to one of the all time great duos. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. ------------------ Cheaters never win. Unless you play for LA that is.
I think Indiana can win a couple of games when Reggie and Rose are both on, but no way they win the series. I saw Smits look awkward & clumsy (missing several easy layup/tipins in the East Final) and I think Shaq will eat him alive. I like alot of Indinas players, especially their veterans. I would love Mullin to get a ring and I enjoy watching Reggie play in big games, and I think Rose is a rising star, but they can't touch Shaq. ------------------
Cat -- what are you talking about, Shaq has won at every level except college and pro. ------------------ "Yes, I came from the 80s...but I didn't kill anybody. Give me a break." -Mike Tramp, former lead singer of White Lion
I gotta agree about this. I hate the Lackers, but I hate Snotty even more. I was happy to see that he wont even get the chance to win a ring. Now I gotta root for Indiana. (Ive been hoping that ANYONE from the east would win ever since the Twolves, Kings and Suns got ousted) But public enemy #1 is out of the playoffs now, so who cares? ------------------
Until 94 Hakeem was pretty much in the same boat as Shaq, so was Drexler until 95. Both players blew it all the times they had made it to finals before (NCAAs, Clyde with the Blazers), but each persevered and finally made it over the hump. In all probability Shaq will too, though I think Indiana can give a better fight than most people think. BTW-Game 7 yesterday was very much like Game 5 versus Utah in 95 where Clyde saved our bacon. I guess Utah was really the best team that year? right Cat, because except for Clyde's last 6 minutes of Game 5 we were beat, beat, beat. All this bad sportmanship and delusional tirades ultimately caused by Laker "envy" is enough to make me want Shaq to win it all. Still wouldn't mind if Indiana wins either though, I guess I can just sit back and watch, because Pippen, Minnie Mouse, Wallace arn't going to win sh@@. ------------------
