04/25/24
May 05, 2003
SHAME ON ME: (or why I hate the 2003 NBA Playoffs) | Marty Burns of Sports Illustrated points out the highs and lows of the first round. What were your own highs and lows? Also (this probably deserves its own thread), John Stockton quietly announces that he will "move on." Your thoughts on John Stockton?
posted by jacknose to basketball at 10:43 AM - 11 comments
My high is the Dallas Mavericks dodging their date with ignominy. I didn't want to find out what Mark Cuban would do to the coach or the team if they became the first to lose a series after going up 3-0. Now they can lose to the Kings in six games with dignity.
posted by rcade at 11:01 AM on May 05, 2003
Have to say my high would be Tracy McGrady with a size 15 sneaker in his mouth after his "Well it feels good to be in round 2" comment got the comeuppance it deserved. Silas getting canned is sad, I have a soft spot for the man who helped bring Seattle it's only title. And what can you say about Stockton that hasn't been said? No player ever got more from less than he. Yes, he played dirty but he he did it with such savoir-faire that it was excusable, IMHO.
posted by vito90 at 11:43 AM on May 05, 2003
High point: McGrady and Garnett deciding it was over a few games too early. Low point: Arvydas Sabonis fouling out Sunday. It's astonishing to see so much skill from a player so far past his prime. Too bad he's on one of the most awful teams ever. Derail: the lowest point I've ever seen in the NBA was when Rasheed Wallace threw a towel in Sabonis' face.
posted by dusted at 01:30 PM on May 05, 2003
You guys pretty much hit all my points... corpse: one rumour is that the Raptors will go after Silas to fill their spot. His toughness is what that team desperately needs, plus the thinking is that he can bring Toronto-native Jamaal Magloire (who loves Silas) with him as a free agent, which fills a glaring gap in the paint (I can't find the list of upcoming free agents for 2003 anywhere). dusted: Sabonis was awesome yesterday. You just wish some of it would rub off on the other jackasses. jacknose: You're an Indy guy, aren't you? What happened there (besides them not being close to as great as they thought they were)? Can Thomas and Miller be reconciled, or does one have to go?
posted by smithers at 01:51 PM on May 05, 2003
I can't find the list of upcoming free agents for 2003 anywhere Here ya go.
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 02:39 PM on May 05, 2003
Hey, the Celtics had something to do with that Indiana series. Say what you will about the Pacers collapsing -- no collapse explains things like Pierce going 21 for 21 from the line. From a Celtics perspective, what happened is that Pierce stepped up his team game. He's always come on strong in the fourth, but in that series he made sure to distribute the ball earlier. By getting Delk and McCarthy involved, he freed himself up for late-game heroics. The Celtics keep talking about finding a third scoring option. Delk does fulfill that need. Also, and this is going to be hugely important even though few people noticed, Walker changed his game. He consistently went inside and developed a nifty little jump hook out of nowhere. You'd assume this is because he was guarded by Ron Mercer, but there was little sign of either behavior during the season even when he was guarded by bad defensive players -- and he used the jump hook to get around double teams vs. the Pacers. Very interesting tendency.
posted by Bryant at 04:33 PM on May 05, 2003
As a Celtics fan, I think the MVP of that series was Isiah Thomas.
posted by yerfatma at 04:41 PM on May 05, 2003
High point #1: I'm rooting for the Kings and I hate the Lakers, and things are shaping up nicely in the West. The Timberwolves showed up some of the Lakers' vulnerabilites, having Fox out will hurt the Lakers, and the Spurs and Kings are healthier than they were last year. (I think the Spurs could beat the Lakers, although I don't think the regular season results mean anything.) Dallas should be exhausted with only two days between a draining seven-game series and the Kings look sharp and are rested. High point #2: Long ago in high school English, I learned that a tragic hero will fall due to a tragic personality flaw ("hamartia" in Greek) and that most common tragic flaw is excessive pride ("hubris"). So after the Timberwolves went up 2-1 on the Lakers and Kevin Garnett said the T-Wolves would win that series if they won Game 4, I didn't need to watch the rest of the series to see how it'd turn out. I don't think Marty Burns can claim "Isiah Thomas leaving Reggie Miller on the bench in Game 1" as the Worst Coaching Decision and then claim Miller's "9.2 points on 28.3 percent shooting" as the Biggest Disappointment, unless the benching caused the poor shooting.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:17 PM on May 05, 2003
Another high point: seeing Kenyon Martin blow an uncontested fast-break dunk after taunting the crowd with his disgusting chameleon-tongue routine. Nice work, K-Mart.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:26 PM on May 05, 2003
Tks. weirdguy ... wow, I didn't realize how many interesting names are up for grabs this summer.
posted by smithers at 03:40 AM on May 06, 2003
My low/high is Paul Silas being canned. It's a blessing in disguise though, he gets out of the evil ownership empire and perhaps will make a return to Charlotte.