Right now I have it as Spurs Thunder Miami Boston I don't think it's too debatable. I think all 4 teams CAN beat each other. Boston matches up MUCH better against Miami than Indiana does. Indiana was an iso team which played into Miami's trapping defense and allowed them easy buckets. Boston has shown that it can play well against the Miami defense. Hell, with Bosh out, if Bradley, Ray Ray and Pierce weren't so banged up I would put them as favorites over Miami.
NBATV just showed a clip of Pitmman and also of the Heat bench after the Pittman foul. Pittman winked at them, causing Wade, LeBron, and Mike Miller to laugh it up and pound fists. That foul had been well-planned in the locker room and Pittman executed it as drawn up, after Spoelstra put him in the game to do it. Now the NBA can ignore Haslem's shot, punish 13th manscrub Pittman (who committed a foul that was worse than Artest's on Harden), and pretend that they are coming down hard on the Heat
Heat had a bounty on Lance Stephenson. Look for Roger Goodell to suspend Wade and Bron for the rest of the post season.
Notice that Stevenson takes the concussion and doesn't even fall, while Pittman flops! That is Heat basketball.
It's funny how they use Pittman to do it.. smh If you got a problem with someone, handle it yourself.
There is almost no doubt Haslem will be suspended for at least one game. All Pittman did was impale his career and possibly make LeBron or Wade targets for a dirty play in game 6. I haven't seen it yet, but if LeBron and Wade laughed and pounded fists in response to Pittman's wink, they are total idiots.
Exactly I didn't see that clip. But I doubt a scrub is going to take suspension and a large fine to go after Stephenson. The league can't make a statement with hitting Pittman he's just the fall guy for this
This series is degenerating into thug basketball. This is not what being tough is about. You settle your differences by playing hard, not by cheapshotting other players. I'm glad that Miami won't take the championship because it would be a horrible precedent with their off-the-court antics. But the state of NBA basketball just breaks my heart, it really does. I love this sport and to see all these personal, potentially very dangerous, actions in the game just makes me sad.
Being scrappy and playing dirty is entirely different from blatant bounties and doing stuff that would seriously other players. It's gotten out of hand.
You must not be familiar with the pre-flop era of basketball that is today's sad game when there were guys on each team labeled as "enforcers".
I've been watching since the early 90s, which I don't know, you might consider late. But sending a message is entirely different from the crap I saw today. These guys are doing throat-shots and aiming for the head and I don't care what era you're from it's not cool. You can lay someone out on their ass and honestly sometimes you should but you don't do it like this.
Yea I agree with you. I thought Hansborough's foul was a hard basketball play but Haslem's and Pittman's were both bush league. But today's game is wayyyy more tame than it's ever been. It's more flopping and acting than actual physicality, so I wouldn't say that these isolated plays (and including others like Bynum's clothesline) is the norm of today's game.
Our coach doesn't agree with you: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X7r6vXeOfyQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Yeah, and that's McHale. Get Rudy's opinion if you really want to know about how thuggish the game used to be.
Yes, the Heat made some dirty plays tonight. But it was only in response to the Pacers trying to intimidate the Heat and Hansborough's foul. The Pacers have initiated this obviously. However Miami took it too far with the Pittman foul.
No, I agree with you too, the game is a lot softer than it's ever been. I was just so upset cause Pittman in particular, the game was over and you're proving nothing. The Haslem one, while I don't agree with the call, I wasn't as torn up about. As any decent NBA fan I've seen this before. Doesn't mean I agree with it. Players nowadays are so much more athletic and stronger that these sort of moves get way more dangerous IMO.
I think it's funny how Worthy is the one that sends Rambis into the cameramen whilst trying to prevent him going after McHale :grin: