rolling playoffs thread

http://www.nba.com/media/cavaliers/playoffs_story_060420_05.jpg

that's a playoff game. great fan turn out!

"Bullets"

anyway i'm hoping the sixers can pull of one win in this series-- preferably at home. the rest of the east first round is basically meaningless excpet for the first celtics home game where KG will probably have a seizure at some point

really hoping for SA-PHX first round matchup

predirktions

east
BOS-atl in 4
CLE-was in 6
ORL-tor in 5
DET-phi in 5

(obvious, but it's the fucking east)

west
LAL-den in 6
no-DAL in 7
SAS-pho in 7 (almost don't want to pick for fear of jinxing, not feeling the spurs and manu's injury and shit, and suns are hungry, pissed abt last year and years past etc)
UTA-hou in 5

man i like phoenix a lot this year. besides the whole revenge thing i think the series going 6-7 really benefits them. i mean if shaq can really body duncan and make him work the whole series i could kinda see amare totally dominating game 6 or 7.

i like the hornets a lot too and i think paul will really stomp out kidd, but idk this last month dirk has played like a dude who refuses to lose in the first round again. i would be kind of stunned in a way if the mavs lost that series to be honest.

lakers will smash and who cares about houston and utah

boston in 4
cleveland in 5
orlando in 5
detroit in 6
LA in 4
dallas in 7
phoenix in 7
utah in 6

boston in 4
wizards in 7
orlando in 7
detroit in 4
LA in 5
hornets in 6
phoenix in 6
utah in 5

think i overrated philly
they win one max

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/avatars/maxheadroom.gif

SA over PHX in 7 (don't really know about this one. i maybe see ginobili taking over like never before)
NO over DAL in 7 (dallas looks alright lately!!)
UT over HOU in 4 (houston's good vibes + teamwork formula wore off)
LA over DEN in 6 (melo's dui jumpstarts the nugz to a pair of inspiring victories!!!)

in the east anybody but boston plz

my overall west ranks:

1. l.a. (most talent and kobe. but bigs are hurt?? and a lot of young guys.)

2. utah (awesome disciplined varied offense. slow bigs can't guard anyone. wild card: jerry sloan has 20 years of precedent w/the refs and the league, which lets them play physical as fuck at home.)

3. s.a. (dont count em out)

4. phx (good clean fun, but these are suddenly some old ass, brittle dudes) (amare is very good)

5. new orleans (too young right now. all jumpshooters except paul.) (lol and bonzi)

6. dallas (lots of tested warriors, lots of isolation basketball, lots of avery)

7. denver (random collection of 'names' assembled like an 8th grader playing nba live 04) (george karl has never done shit in the playoffs) (blow it up after first round loss)

8. houston (not much talent overall, cautious tmac isn't scary) (what do they do with yao in teh future??)

top four could all win it.

damn homie

im a spurs hater but that was some shit from TIMMY right there

This game is bonkers.

For some crazy ass reason they cut to commercials @ 2:00 to 1:10?!?!? Stupid local ABC affiliate.

this series is serious

serieous

fuck a double ot

fucking how come ginoblli is just allowed to travel

maybe not a good sign for the series that spurs are 2/2 on set plays to tie the game and suns are 0/2 on set plays to win

lol home referee advantage

why the spurs win every playoff series i guess

xp to myself

hahahaha stupid frenchman

i kind of found myself rooting for the spurs and then they showed bowen

"OMG NASH MISSED OH MY" <3 van gundy

aaaah SHAQ

omg diaw take it strong aarrrrggggg

so demoralizing if suns lose

tim duncan 3 lolololol

that was a true queen move by duncan

that 3

OMG

gay

FUCKFUCKFUCK I HATE SA SO MUCH ARHJGRGRHGRGHERGPIHDFGIJODFGPO ZDFB

ginobaldy

manu?

ayo i think this series is over real talk

not over but you know i think the spurs will def win. suns can't lose games like this

suns defensive strategy: leave duncan open for 3's and give total lane access to ginobli

fabulous ending

love Duncan in the interview: "were you confident on the 3?" "uhhhh.....(laugh)"

yup totally gay ending

okay that whole game was just o_O and that's all I have to add.

haha haterrrrrrs

That game was a fucking classic.

yeah. it makes me want the spurs to lose too. i'm gonna be a hater.

well in terms of main street aesthetics it is.

but demographically it's another world.

by the way: i was just thinking today about how, in contrast to the previous series, where after defeating their opponents, the c's would say a good word or two about them, I've heard nothing acknowledging the lakers post-defeat. certainly nothing indicating the least respect.

last night letterman tried to coax something re the lakers out of kg & ray, and they just seemed to sigh, on the verge of eye rolling, and ray said something about how they don't even notice their opponents, they're just a blur.

the rematches next season should prove interesting.

If Sasha plays defense in 2008-09 the way he defended during garbage time in Game 6, WATCH OUT BOSTON!

i liked the moment when letterman brought up auerbach and asked if anyone was smoking cigars last night and kg and ray exchanged nervous glances then chuckled "yeah, i think there were some cigars..."

i'll bet after the press left the c's locker room looked like a fucking peter tosh concert.

haha. as if kg needs further levels of altered consciousness.

just got back from the parade. good times.

and perk was still frowning.

parade was awesome. Doc especially seemed very pleased with himself. you could tell he was thinking "so what do you think about that, you fickle cunts?!"

haha. as if kg needs further levels of altered consciousness.

actually, i think that's EXACTLY what he needs. i'd be worried about him killing someone if he walked out of the garden with his in-game intensity.

indica, then.

i'll bet after the press left the c's locker room looked like a fucking peter tosh concert.

with robert parish supplying the good stuff!

loved the fact that roxbury, dorchester, mattapan, etc... out in force at the parade. all those fans the c's don't see in their house.

scoop jackson's column on KG made reference to this moment, anyone know what he's talking about?

Yes, i saw this from section 301 - in the 2nd quarter while one of the Lakers (probably Gasol) was shooting foul shots he gave Big Baby step-by-step instructions from the sideline. Big Baby was facing the other way and kept looking over his shoulder to glean the info.

Did the instructions include "grow another 6 inches"? -- Big Baby was as great as one could be against someone that's a full head taller.

he might've given just those instructions, cause I bet that's what he told himself to do as a teen and his massive will made it so.

Things I really really want:

1. The Kevin Garnett on Salvia YouTube Channel
2. The Big Baby WiiFit Workout

http://i27.tinypic.com/2q0oxg9.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/2ywtnv4.jpg

http://i32.tinypic.com/x38y6u.jpg

aw i miss the playoffs :(

http://i32.tinypic.com/350kshw.jpg

friend took picks - i was at street level at the time. this is both redundant and retarded to say, but KG is REALLY FUCKIN TALL.

http://www.celticsblog.com/images/stories/articles/thankyou/coaches.jpg

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0619/nba_g_rivers1_580.jpg

lol @ those 80s style big head tees

i think i had a robert parish one

Doc looked like that the whole time. they were stopped in front of us for what seemed like a logn time, prob a couple of minutes, and he kept making that face and pointing at the crowd. he was so pumped.

shit that looks fun

omg

Meanwhile, the Red Sox reportedly may wear green uniforms on Friday to honor the Celtics.

http://redsox.mlb.com/images/2004/03/16/d6uHDX9E.jpg

that would be pretty sweet.

the parade was wild. much more exciting than the Sox parade, although i wasn't here for the 2004 which i imagine went off. i've been to a few parades on either side of the water and i've never seen players more into it, or more obviously delighted.

LOL @ big baby davis going shirtless at the parade

yesterday i typed into the box here:

"big baby is even bigger when he's half naked"

but i had to reconsider posting it.

http://redsox.mlb.com/images/2004/03/16/d6uHDX9E.jpg

these the st pattys day uniforms - spring training every year

We've all seen these parades on SportsCenter, the highlights of fans lining the streets, going crazy, but until you're in one I'm tellin u... U HAVE NO IDEA!! The madness was crazy. Not sure how many people were out there but it seemed like millions. It was just a sea of green, people everywhere. All ages. And they were going crazy. Some of u were probably there makin all that noise, and trust me we heard ya. And if u weren't there u will see on the highlights and you will wish u were there. It was a day filled with confetti, music, screaming and Green, Celtic Green. The celebration was off the hook, one that none of us will ever forget.

Everything started this morning. We met at the facility at 8:45 and took the team bus to the Garden. We had police escorts down. When we got to the Garden, we saw all the people in the streets... it was crazy!

We were all assigned Duck Boats to ride through the city. I was on #16. I was inside the Duck Boat at first, but when we pulled out of the parking lot, I went and stood on the back. MAN...IT WAS AMAZING. It felt soo good to see all the people that came out. I'm telling you that there's nothing in the world that tops that feeling. The signs that people had were great...there were some real funny ones. E. House was on the Duck Boat with me, and we pointed out the best signs to each other. I'm telling u it was some crazy ones! I think E. House coined how we all felt on the Duck Boat when he said, "We went from basketball stars to rock stars in one day." That's how I felt...like a rock star.

rondo a'bloggin.

anybody got a clip of that ridiculous kg fallaway bank shot thing from game 6?

That was nice icing, that was.

is there a .gif of KG doing the ANNNYYYYYTHIIIIING IS PPOOOOOOSSSIIIIIIBBLLLLE thing w/tafoya yet?

btw does everyone totes agree this was the most fun year to be an NBA fan in like forever?

It was my favorite season since (coincidentally?) the Lakers/Kings western championship year.

being the diehardiest of celtics fans i cant answer this question objectively - but yah i lUVD it

I'm certified...I'm certified....Michelle you look good tonight...

my favorite season in sports period.

Oh, you people! The NBA playoffs are soooooo over.

4 Aimless:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSSq3fWS2dI

man its POURING @ fenway [c's duckboats circling w/ 'we are the champions' playing]

xpost - LOL!!!!!!!

big baby davis i can't wait
fuck that i can't waaaaiiiiiitt

http://www.splicetoday.com/sports/no-cinderella-in-boston

No Cinderella In Boston
Philip Medley

Everyone thinks the Boston Celtics had a miracle turnaround, but the only thing miraculous about their championship was trading a bunch of eighth graders for All-Stars.

I make a solemn plea to sports analysts everywhere: Please stop referring to the 2007-08 Boston Celtics as the greatest turnaround in NBA history.

Or can we at least put an asterisk next to such a comment?

For those sports fans who were not aware (and I’m looking at you, people living in the Biodome), the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship, and in the process they won an impressive 66 games. During the 2006-07 season, however, the Celtics managed only 24 wins—but that’s pretty impressive considering the team consisted of Paul Pierce, some eighth graders and a couple of those old guys whom you see playing at the rec center with Horace Grant-style glasses and braces on both knees. I mean, sure, we all remember the huge splash they made in the free agent market when they signed Kevin Pittsnogle on July 26, but amazingly they turned right around and got rid of him on October 20.

The increase of 42 wins shattered the previous record of 32 games, set by the 1997-98 San Antonio Spurs. Some attribute that amazing feat by the Spurs to the addition of guard Reggie Geary, but I’ve stubbornly held that it had more to do with the drafting of this guy named Tim Duncan (coupled with a healthier David Robinson).

Well, what happened in Boston? Did Brian Scalabrine pull Larry Bird out of his ass? Not that I’m aware of. Did Doc Rivers learn how to coach? Definitely not. The Celtics were poised to get the number one pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and make Greg Oden the “Shaq” to Paul Pierce’s “Kobe.” But at the end of the Draft Lottery, Boston was shocked to find itself with the fifth pick, which was definitely the opposite of “wicked awesome.” With Pierce growing more and more frustrated with the overall shittiness of the franchise, General Manager Danny Ainge decided it was time to resort to Plan B, entitled: “We Got the Fifth Pick? Holy Shit! What the Fuck Are We Going To Do Now?’

And so the Celtics executed a number of personnel moves (the most underrated of which was the signing of James Posey). Of course, the primary moves were a trade to acquire Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics and a trade to acquire Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves. In fact, out of 15 players on the Celtics 2007-08 roster, only six were on the team during the 2006-07 season. Boston went from a starting lineup of (then-rookie) Rajon Rondo, Wally Szczerbiak, Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins to a lineup of Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins (not to mention a slew of better bench players). So, really the analysts are right: the Celtics experienced an incredible single season turnaround. Unfortunately, it was a turnaround of their roster.

Does this devalue the Celtics championship? Of course not. My frustration is merely with those people who tend to give credit where credit is not due. To most people, a “dramatic turnaround” is keeping relatively the same roster, drafting one (albeit incredible) player and winning 32 more games—it’s not adding two future Hall-of-Famers, completely changing your bench players and winning 42 more games.

Which brings me to Danny Ainge. We’re quick to forget that he was on the hot seat before this season. I’ll admit, Ainge deserves credit simply for pulling off these trades, but it’s time for everyone else to admit that he fell ass-backwards into this scenario: he is not some sort of GM genius. First of all, he was extremely lucky that there were two teams out there that were in full rebuilding mode and were very eager to unload their respective superstars. People are acting like somehow this was Ainge’s plan all along: stockpile young players and eventually trade them for superstars. In what way is that a reliable strategy? In actuality, Ainge was planning on drafting Greg Oden or Kevin Durant and hoping that either one would form a nice core with Pierce and Al Jefferson. When they wound up with the fifth pick in the Draft, Ainge was forced to say “fuck it” and trade the team away or risk being fired halfway through the season.

This probably makes me seem bitter about the Celtics’ success; however, although I wouldn’t say that I was rooting for them in the Finals, I definitely was not upset about them winning. There are three reasons for this mindset: 1) My hatred of Kobe, Phil Jackson and the Lakers reigns supreme; 2) The result of the Finals made my team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, look pretty damn good considering we almost defeated Boston with nothing more than Lebron James and some cardboard cut-outs of basketball players; and 3) I’m kind of excited (make that downright giddy) about the prospect of the Celtics following the exact same path of the Miami Heat. Much like the Heat, the Celtics mortgaged their future to win a championship right now. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Boston fans need to be prepared for the repercussions. By my math, Ray Allen will be 98 at the start of next season, and he showed significant signs of slowing down throughout the playoffs. Additionally, Kevin Garnett proved to the world that he is content with taking 18-foot jumpers every time down the floor and that he really doesn’t feel compelled to take over a game on most nights, even though he is talented enough to do so.

I congratulate the Boston Celtics on their NBA Championship, but can we please stop talking about this like it’s a rag-tag, Walt Disney, underdog sports tale, reminiscent of Tiny Giants?

few of minor complaints w^^^

1 david robinson was out out for all but 6 games of the pre-duncan season. as it relates to this argument the spurs added two hofers in their big turn around season too.

2 as rondo was only the starting point guard in 25 of the celtics 82 games his rookie year its not really accurate to insert him into seasons starting line up. especially since sebastian telfair started more games at the point than rondo. lol telfair was that really just last season.

3 all the historical turn arounds have been sparked by major roster changes. so while the concept of the greatest turn around season may be absurd this celtics team qualifies for the honor as much as any anyone. also lol its the biggest - suk it.

all the historical turn arounds have been sparked by major roster changes

Yer right, of course. Adding Kareem was a pretty big roster change for the Bucks when they had their biggest turnaround season ever. About 7'3" of roster change. yuk-yuk