11/21/24
June 15, 2007
Spurs 4: - Cavaliers 0
The NBA PLAYOFF THREAD
or
"Um. Yeah. I guess its over then, huh?"
posted by lilnemo to basketball at 01:01 PM - 22 comments
According to the rating the least watched NBA finals in years. And if you watched any you would have seen the reason why. James didn't show up because the defense of the Spurs didn't let him. It was completely boring basketball.............I can say I would have rather watched the NCAA playoffs they were far more interesting and had better basketball than the NBA games. A TEAM IN THE NBA FINALS SHOOTING 28% FROM THE FIELD....they didn't deserve to be in the finals and the champions didn't shoot much better. Someone wrote that the NBA had better bring back the teams of Magic and Bird maybe they are closer to the truth that we know......28%..28%.....28% I hope somebody shows them how to improve over the off season. James said last night that the Spurs were the better team and even though I am not a real NBA fan anymore they have nothing to put their heads down for at least they made it to the finals.
posted by ucla512 at 01:59 PM on June 15, 2007
Normally I think talk about stuff like reseeding the playoffs is ridiculous. But the fact that it seems that the Cavs would have not made it out of the first round in the West makes me wonder if a full playoff reseeding wouldn't be a good idea. Anyone who tells you that they would rather have seen the Cavs playing the Spurs in the Finals as opposed to a team like the Suns is crazy. We've heard David Stern say that the East-West talent disparity will even itself out eventually for a long time now, and apart from the Pistons of the last few years, there has not really been a Eastern team that can consistently challenge the best teams from the West. More importantly, the East's side of the playoff bracket is an absolute joke. The Cavs reached the Finals after playing one good team in the playoffs. That's pathetic. Part of the trouble was due to injuries suffered by some of the playoff teams in the East, and maybe the Heat can be a perennial elite team if Wade can stay healthy, but the fact that the Eastern Conference playoffs can be ruined by injuries to Wade and Gilbert Arenas shows how poor the talent is in the East. I'm not sure if something needs to be done or if Stern is right and things will just work themselves out. Right now, though, with ratings down and the Spurs actually looking somewhat bored at times in this series, some solution needs to be discussed, at least. It's pretty much generally thought right now that the real Finals was in the SECOND ROUND of the playoffs. This is atrocious for the NBA. David Stern needs to think seriously about the product he provides in the playoffs after this year.
posted by fatfryar at 01:59 PM on June 15, 2007
I think you said 5 YYM, Alvin actually hit the button. My guess is that 4.3.40 is hiding until he gets the 5 dimes plus juice over to his book.
posted by tommybiden at 02:03 PM on June 15, 2007
Yes, I am here, and after losing a ridiculous amount of money to boot, you may have your way with me (sniff). Ginobli should be M.V.P. Is his contract up we could use him. The Cavs played like a team in the finals for the first time. Yet, they did manage to bring some defense; but it was never as close as the score reflected.( THE CAVS ARE STILL A GOOD TEAM, DON'T TAKE THAT FROM THEM) San Ant would have issued that spanking to who ever showed up to play this year; they were machine like. I'LL HAVE SOME GREY POUPON WITH MY CROW PLEASE. (next year the saga continues). So................How about those Indians?
posted by fourthreeforty at 02:15 PM on June 15, 2007
Just a drop in the bucket; tommytrump. (4.3 - 40 has the cake). Ya see, I was up late one night and there was this oriental gentlemen on T.V. talking about how I could make 1 million dollars in less than a month; (wow) so I bought the disc. The rest is history. You too, can live in the lap of luxury by follow the easy 3 step program. (Hahahahah)
posted by fourthreeforty at 02:29 PM on June 15, 2007
I recall myself predicting the sweep on this sight, only to have some dumbasses talkin shit about it because the Cavs swept the Spurs 2-0 during the regular season. Where did u guys go???? And Tony Parker definately deserved the MVP. Fourthreeforty must not have watched game three when Manu only scored 3 points, all from the free throw line.
posted by Grndizzle at 02:49 PM on June 15, 2007
Yeah... but is it a dynasty?
posted by billsaysthis at 03:06 PM on June 15, 2007
I vote the league gets rid of Stern and gets someone that knows how to run a league and bring in more fans instead of running them away. To many teams to watered down talent and to little interest. Hey Folks, what ever happend to Shaq. It seems maybe with his new series that he may want to move back to Hollywood and get some acting lessons. Maybe his new show will score higher than his team.. I know it has already started anew and the slow finals have just finished. Remember EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM...maybe something else to talk about that isn't as boring as the last 4 games. Rumors about are Bryant going to Chicago and Kevin M to Lakers via Seattle. Listening to the radio talk shows the last 7 or 8 days has been quite an experience. ARod to Angels to play SS and Cabera to 3rd. Steinbrenner is down with Alzeimers and O'Neal coming back to LA all in a day on the Sport Radio talk shows. Oh yeah, the best is Jerry Buss's son trashing Bryant in a column. I say bring back MAGIC.
posted by ucla512 at 04:05 PM on June 15, 2007
No wonder the NBA keeps sticking by the WNBA. If these trends continue the women will be playing better basketball in a couple of years. Don't get me wrong, I like defence and enjoy watching the Spurs play some of the best team D I've ever seen. But, Dear God, can somebody hit a shot? Maybe next year at the All-Star Game they should have a 15-ft jumper contest. From what I've seen in this year's playoffs I could win it.
posted by gradioc at 05:36 PM on June 15, 2007
Spurs had more talent from the start period! If the teams in the east are not worried they better be. Western conference teams are just better. And if Detroit dismantles their team now, there is really going to be a power team problem in the east! And I'm not a piston fan either. Dallas, the Suns, and the Spurs; PLEASE! And the Rocket's and Jazz are like one or two players away from being in that other group. Sad thing of it is, is that the Spurs may not be able to repeat simply because the west is that good. Unless we see some serious trades in the off season, I'm willing to bet that the west wins again next year. OK I'm done,enough said.
posted by robi8259 at 07:12 PM on June 15, 2007
No question the Spurs are head and shoulders above the Cavs both on and off of the court. The Suns and the Mavs also are. Boring basketball or good defense, however, from coaches from the same school might be a debatable issue. Neverthess, the finals played to small audiences in the US. But I have not seen any mention on the total amount of viewership worldwide. How many folks in France were tuned in that morning to witness their MVP? Or in Lithuania to watch that stiff, er, Cavs center "Z"? Or in Brazil and Argentina to watch Ginoboli, Oberto and Verajao? How much money did the NBA earn from the overseas market despite the obvious mismatch? My bet is David Stern and the owners are quite content today.
posted by tbocce at 07:13 PM on June 15, 2007
Well Stern got what he wanted..."the choosen one"in the Finals. Unfortunately Stern and the NBA still live in the past. They still think one player can win a championship. Whats so horrid about that thinking pattern is the last 4 years it has been teams that have won it, they havent figured out the talent in the league has wattered everything down so to speak where just one player cant dominate the league anymore. The Pistons allowed Lebron one game where he got off, and the league did the rest, so what do we get for the Finals? A freakin' sweep...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... At least with the Ston's we would have seen at least a 6 game series and maybe some drama. The Spurs shut down the Cavs one player, they wouldnt be able to shut down a whole team like the Pistons(think the Suns series when it went 6). It doesnt matter who in the East made it to the Finals, the Spurs have been on a roll since the All-Star break and after the Suns series I knew who the winner would be...and lo and behold...no surprises As for the East disparity, yeah the Cavs and Pisotns had easy 1st rounders, and the Cavs had a pretty easy second round too. (I still cant believe Wilbon picked NJ to win that series) But Washington lost two starters, one of them Areanes, and the Heat had a hurt D-Wade and a bunch of tired out vets who gave it there all just to get them to the play-offs. The balance isnt that bad, 2 of da last 4 championships have gone to the East, but this years Finals was ugly...no doubt...I could barely watch any of it
posted by dezznutz at 10:43 AM on June 16, 2007
FINALLY! I think the Spurs may actually get some recognition for being a great TEAM. They can put this dynasty thing to rest, especially if they get one for the thumb and a repeat to boot. My guess is they'll be the odds on favorite next year depending on off season moves. As a Spurs fans sign said at game 2: "Lebron might be King James but the Spurs are Lord of the Rings!" Amen, brutha!!
posted by opt2003 at 11:14 AM on June 16, 2007
The balance isnt that bad, 2 of da last 4 championships have gone to the East, Correction. Two of the last nine championships have gone to the East. The disparity between conferences has been there for quite a while. It would have been noticed even earlier if not for a certain man by the name of Michael Jordan. Also, for all the hype surrounding King James in the finals the only thing the NBA recieved was record low TV ratings.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:20 PM on June 16, 2007
Yeah true, but what about Thomas, Dumars and the Pistons plus Bird, Mchale and Co.? I know thats a stretch, but except for the Lakers and Hakeems 2 runs in the Jordanless mid-90's, the East was the Beast for 20 years, but not since then...my point about the 2 of last 4 shows there has been a slow migration back East for some: Shaq, Sheed, Kidd, J.O. etc. plus some fresh new stars, Lebron, D-Wade, Bosh, and Howard to name a couple...but yeah the West is Best right now. Touche on the Lebron hype, I have always hated the nickname King James, he needs to earn that first, as far as I'm concerned he's only Prince James, even though the Spurs treated him like he was mearly a squire.
posted by dezznutz at 05:48 PM on June 16, 2007
I can't call the Spurs a dynasty until they win consecutive championships. It seems like the attempts to over hype everything causes pre-mature proclamations.
posted by jmd82 at 09:30 PM on June 16, 2007
I don't care if you give me Michael Jordan in his prime. No way anyone could stop the spurs with the Cavs roster. Lebron can't make up for the fact that his team is crap
posted by False Prophet at 09:42 PM on June 16, 2007
dang, I go out of town for a week and i miss the whole thing? pathetic. I don't even know what happened, nor do I need to know the details. Lebron's job now was mop duty, apparently. As to the dynasty question, they have been the closest thing professional sports has had in the last 10 years, as they are the only team in any of the major sports to win four championships in the last 10 (and actually 9) years. You know, why don't we just let them win next year, call it five for ten, satisfy the hope for consecutive titles, and cement the whole dynasty issue. Meh.
posted by boredom_08 at 12:16 AM on June 17, 2007
Considering the Spurs have the highest winning % of any team in all of the four major sports and 4 rings in the past 9 years, they should definitley qualify for dynasty status. It seems the biggest thing they have to overcome is the small market and a repeat probably wouldn't even help there.
posted by opt2003 at 01:21 PM on June 17, 2007
Hey Folks, what ever happend to Shaq. He went to Miami and won another ring. And what does he have to do with this thread, anyway, unless you're a bitter Lakers fan?
posted by The_Black_Hand at 09:26 AM on June 18, 2007
As to the dynasty question, they have been the closest thing professional sports has had in the last 10 years, as they are the only team in any of the major sports to win four championships in the last 10 (and actually 9) years. The Patriots are much closer to a dynasty. They have won three since 2001 and have won two consecutively. They have three more years to pass the Spurs (if you count the strike-shortened season, which I don't think should even count).
posted by bperk at 11:17 AM on June 18, 2007
Called it. Now we'll see if a certain avid Cavs fan shows his face.