I believe Philly is out of the picture next year and it'll be down to the Bucks and Raptors. I'll cheer for Sam Cassell and the Bucks. Sam helped the Rockets win two championships also and he NEVER wanted to leave the Rockets, he got traded and never got the salute he deserved as a Rocket. He was always loyal. I won't cheer for the Raptors, as much as I like Hakeem, I hope he doesn't win another championship. The Rockets really needed him and were very fair. How much better are the Raptors than the Rockets? Not much. Does he want to be the man again? Does he realize the Vince jacks up alot of shots? I felt if Hakeem would stay in Houston, we'd have a good chance to go all the way, no he screwed us over for his bull****e pride! Go Bucks! -Vernon Maxwell, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry - Rocket Heroes ------------------
Any reason you think Philly is out of the picture? Do you think they won't be able to overcome the tremendous loss of Todd MacCulloch? ------------------ This post contains no smilies, you must judge my seriousness on your own...
they barely made it, the bucks are on the rise and the raptors will get better with dream. philly barely won both series,they were one five foot jumper from glen robinson and one last second jumper from vince carter from being eliminated. look at the east after the bulls, not very consistent send the same teams back to back to the finals. ------------------
I can't believe I disagree with tinman, but I take exception to Mad Max as a hero. I still haven't forgiven him for quitting on the team in '95. ------------------ I'm so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip that I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.
They barely won b/c half the team was injured... ------------------ This post contains no smilies, you must judge my seriousness on your own...
So you think Philly will return to the Finals? Obviously there was a reason why that team was 'hurt' all year. they are FRAGILE. With Hakeem, the Raptors are better than the Sixers, Hakeem will shake Mutumbo like he always does. And the Bucks were always better, than had more weapons, they are a team on the rise. Philly's got their chance and they lost. But throw away all these teams, look at the stats, how many eastern conference teams reached the finals 2 times in a row?? give me an answer. ------------------
"But throw away all these teams, look at the stats, how many eastern conference teams reached the finals 2 times in a row??" The Bulls come to mind... Also for you to count out the Sixers b/c they're fragile and then talk up Dream like he'll actually play more than 60 games isn't very consistent. ------------------ This post contains no smilies, you must judge my seriousness on your own...
Actually I think Milwaukee gave them that series and Toronto was one shot away also from beating them. If it wasn't for Sam's tech, they probably would have won. Yeah yeah pete, this is MY opinion. MY prediction is magic vs bucks in finals, magic in finals. The bucks largely lack big men. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tozai (edited August 01, 2001).]
Don't forget those Charlotte Hornets. One game away from eliminating the Bucks. Silas is a fine coach. And they've added Bryce Drew and Kirk Haskins from Indiana. Oh yeah, they lost Eddie Robinson. And they still have Derrick Coleman. Never mind. ------------------ "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak. Because someday you will have been all of these."
I just don't get this whole "they barely won" argument. The Bulls barely beat the Jazz, the Bulls barely beat the Pacers. They still beat them though. I'm not even saying the Sixers are going to repeat, but you can't say they're "out of the picture" as if they've gotten worse during the offseason. Yeah tozai, this is MY opinion as well. ------------------ This post contains no smilies, you must judge my seriousness on your own...
The Sixers have not gotten worse during the offseason. They just won't make the Finals this year. They did "barely win" The bucks had a chance to put them away in Games 5 and 6 but completely lost their composure. MY opinion, My Opinion, MINE, so go logically prove me wrong as you always do... ------------------
Yeah, the bulls! that was along time ago. I really think if Rodman wasn't there, the bulls would have won all three of them, but the Sixers are not that good compared to the Bulls. Iverson is not MJ, he can't dominate (offensively and defensively) every night. I mean Sam Cassell was posting him up! The Raptors, they have Anotonio Davis AND Dream. The Sixers just have Mutumbo and Matt Geiger??!? Dream is not the healthiest guy in the league, but he'll be in the playoffs. Hakeem will give the Raptors the extra edge against the Sixers. I'll still cheer for Dream, but not against the Bucks. ------------------
Pete Rose, You man enough to put money that Sixers will make the finals again? The real Pete Rose would put money on his own team ------------------
The Sixers will have speedy claxton. What team can guard he and iverson on the floor at the same time? Well...who can they guard when they're on the floor at the same time? ------------------ [This message has been edited by gettinbranded (edited August 01, 2001).]
Has everyone already forgot about Orlando with a healthy G. Hill? I think the blance of power may have going back to even. The West is still stronger for another year or two, but now I can see Philly, Orlando, and Toronto being able to compete with anyone. I think Milwaukee is good, but without the one super-star I just don't put them in the elite class. Ray Allen, BIg Dog & Cassell are all nice players but none, IMO, are superstars. Allen may be close though.
Phily was one of the 4 elite teams in the league last year, and the only one in the East. They played a very high level all year. Injuries happen, and they still made it to the finals, playing the Lakers better than another other team including the 2 other elite teams who got swept by them. Odds are Phily returns in the East, they may also be the 2nd best team in the whole league. It is true that Milw and Tor played them close, but they didn't beat them even with all their guys healthy and the Phily guys broken. I don't think those teams would play nearly so well with a hit to one of their big guns.
Sac and Phily deserve mention as elite teams if you add the Spurs to the Lakers. Phily was also 3-3 against them, splitting every series with those teams. All season long Phily was in the running for the best record in the league with these other teams. They were the only team to beat the Lakers in the playoffs and made it to the finals. They did all these while having more injures than just about any playoff team. I can see how you might think they will be worse next year based on the rule changes--though I thihnk there penetration offensively might help them and their D shoudl only be tougher. But there was no question there were 4 elite teams last year and they were one of them--I don't think you can take this from them.
I believe the zone will hurt Philly more than anyone. They have no shooters. I like Milwaukee or Toronto, hopefully Toronto. I've always liked them and they'll be right behind the Rockets in my mind if they get Dream. ------------------
Philly is not really an 'elite' team IMO. I consider the Lakers and Spurs the only true elite teams. Philly did not dominate the eastern conference teams (the bucks split the regular season) even when they were healthy. If they were 'Elite', how come the Rockets go into Philly and KICKED their ass!!This is the NBA, there's no 'what if a team is fully healthy' no team is truely fully healthy. The Bucks weren't truly heathly if you like to add the arguement, did Sam play with a bullet proof jacket? What about Ray Allen and his ankle in the game 7? Hey remember the Rockets didn't have 'fully' heathly team in 95, we put mario elie at SF. ------------------
It'll take Orlando until at least next year to become a dominant team although they will show promise this year. This is because they just won't have the chemistry that it takes for a team to be successful. If you look at any winning team, their nucleus had not changed in a major way from when they were mediocre. ------------------ Life quotes:-Statistics are like a bikini;what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. -You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone. -Anyone who can walk to the welfare office can walk to work. -Budget:A method for going broke methodically. -We've sent a man to the moon,and thats 29000 miles away. The center of the Earth is only 4000 miles away. You could drive that in a week but for some reason nobodys ever done it. -I either want less corruption or more chance to participate in it. -People will accept your idea much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first. -As long as people will accept crap it will be financially profitable to dispense it. -Laugh at your problems,everyone else does. -Sex is not the answer.Sex is the question.Yes is the answer. -If at first you don't succeed,redefine success.
