Not really. Dallas made the Finals and the WCF (I think multiple times there). They have this "chokey" reputation because of 2007, where they just got a bad matchup and were totally outcoached in round #1. They are a good team and with fair officiating they should be favored to go deep... but to be honest with you I just can't see that happening this year, with Stern banking everything on Phil Jackson's last hurrah. Who would watch a Dallas/Boston or Spurs/Boston Finals?
It seems very unlikely that Boston will lose the #1 seed, or Orlando will move to #2 or #3. So in this case, they will probably meet in the 2nd round, IF Orlando can get by Atlanta. I think the seeds will be Boston, Miami, Chicago, Orlando.
big win by Miami tonight... but who is to say they keep it up, with the history of the last 1.5 weeks?
I think it's a tossup between them and Miami, yeah. If I was betting, I'd pick whomever has HCA, which will probably be Boston.
Lakers are the top team in the league and they are defending champion. Despite last summer the media went crazy with the Lebron-Wade and Bosh trio but before the seasons started most analysts and media picked the Lakers to win it all and few picked the Heat! The Lakers are so stacked that the champion is theirs for the next 3 years. Bynum - score, rebound and block shots. What more can you ask from a C position? Gasol - Career 20/10/2, top big man in the league. Artest - Old but still can play decent defense Kobe - Second SG behind Wade Fisher - Old and Slow but the referees still constantly buying his flop Odom - Seriously, this guy should be in the talk of sixth man of the year every seasons Blake - At this stage All GMs will take him over bibby Brown - solid young player Barnes - Another solid player
Because IMO they are a better team. I don't just look at W/L, but also point differential and offensive and defensive stats, which have better long-term predictability. See: http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8159 for an interesting analysis of this.
Because the Magic has been struggling lately as well? Because the Bulls just lost Boozer? A lot things still can happen in the next weeks before the playoffs start...so...
I see...and would like to see a LA/BOS finals atm...but if PJ won his second sixth ring against the team that got him his first six..it'd be an awesome story.. I'll say this and keep saying this till LA gets knocked out in dramatic fashion. Only LA can beat LA...and LA usually doesn't do that in playoffs. And clippy, you're way too paranoid about D stern. The guy doesn't really have THAT kinda control over this league...fact is, though I'd still enjoy Miami winning this year, I don't think they're good enough just yet. BOS and LA are, and if they do meet in the finals it'd be because they kicked the *** of whoever was in their way.
put asterisks beside Gasol, Bynum, Blake, Brown. *When they play hard and within the game plan...Blake didn't have the touch this game, and SB apparently thought he was young Kobe..Gasol was OK on O, but both him and Bynum should've played harder in getting the boards.. Overall it was a good game though, you can't expect EVERYthing to go your way every game. Still I say LA is more the talented and capable team.
The fact is that NBA games are very easy to control (easier than any other sport) because of the subjective nature of fouls. If you look at other leagues, only in basketball are all of the championships dominated by a handful of teams (most notably the Lakers who have been there literally over half the time.. think about that!) And I find it very odd that in critical games that the Lakers have needed to win to advance an alleged Stern agenda, they have consistently received 20+ FTs in the 4th quarter. I can't think of any other games, regular season or playoffs, where this has happened. Couple that with a couple of old guard refs (Bavetta & Crawford) always being around for these games and... well, it's easy to at least see how their _might_ be some funny business going on.
sometimes one win is all it takes. look at their win vs the cavs earlier in the season. it's all about confidence in the L they beat the lakers with lebron and wade playing BELOW their normal selves.
Name one of those critical games aside from 2002 Game 6. ( not to mention then there's the question of what happened in Game 7)
i despise the fakers, but imo tonite's game was officiated heavily in favor of miami.....there were at least 6 instances in the 4th that caught my eye as head scratching calls, in addition to the handchecks allowed on koby the b****
lakers shot 8 more fts than miami. and are you saying other teams get more calls than the lakers? that's unheard of.
