Here Today... Gone To Hell!

So, who's your favourite to win this season?.
I'm going with the San Antonio Spurs.
P.S: Kobe ain't going to do nothing without the Big man, just check yesterday's results: 38 points by kobe and a loss bay the lakers.

My favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks, my favorite player is Dirk Nowitzki, the most versatile and best shooter in the game!!!!!!!!!!

Devin Harris and Jason Terry are proving that they can take the place of my 2nd fav player *steve nash* and the additions of Erick Dampier and Jerry Stackhouse make them a better overall defensive team.

the emergence of Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard along with the steady play of Micheal Finley make the Mavs very very dangerous, we are already 2-0 and are looking amazing!

I've always liked the Sonics. There won't even qualify for the playoffs though.

I hate the Spurs. Duncan has to be the less charismatic player in the game. He is very good ( I hate it when he always shoots off the backboard) but there are a few other allstars players in his position ie. Garnett, Novitzky,Webber,Gasol ( if he is not allstar this year, he will never be) who will make the highlights more often.

The Mavs...I wouldn't have traded either Jamison, nor Nash. The Mavs still need a big, dominant fella. I like the team, but not a strong candidate.

Favorites this year are the Heat, The Pistons, The Wolves and The Rockets.

MVP will go to Kobe Bryan.

My favourite team is the celtics, but they won't win a championship in the next 20 years!!. anyway, actually, my favourite team always was jordan's team ;D.

I don't think the mavericks have a better team than the last couple off years, maybe they do have a more balanced one, but the players are worse. gone are nash, walker and jamison. those 3 are a lot better than the others.

Duncan is boring, shure. But he's the best.

jamison is a great offensive player but he cant play defense, walker just didnt fit, plus those players skills didnt compliment Nowitzki

trading jamison not only grabbed jerry stackhouse but it also gave them the 5th pick in the draft with which they got Nash's replacement, Devan Harris who is gonna be phenomenal! he is already the starter he averaged almost 17 points and 7 assists in the preseason! Plus they have high scorin jason terry to help out at PG

Dallas are 2-0 and have destroyed the Kings and Hornets, dallas did what they had to do to win a championship, they got better defensively but still have dominant scoring. Dont sleep on Dallas!

Steve nash is my 2nd fav player and it kills me that he is gone. i hate it so much.

they have a legitimate post presence now in erick dampier, this guy is dominate! only reason no body knows this guy is cause he was trapped in golden state, he is a legit low post scoring and defensive threat.

Hope you're right, ' cause I certainly like the mavericks, as they're a fun team to watch. Dirk is one of the top 5 players of the nba in my opinion!!.

I just hope the Lakers will still make the playoffs.  At least tickets are easier to get now.

Gasol had a huge game last night. Memphis beat LA 112 - 87. Hopefully this will be the start of a winning streak for the Grizzles, they are 1-4 now.

Cocaine tongue: What's up with Digital + not covering the NBA this year? I haven't heard anything from anyone at canal + nor digital +. Don't tell me they didn't resign the contracts... :no:

Echo de menos al Montes y al Damiel!!

Dallas is off to a 5-1 start..... not bad....

I'm still going for the Raps this year.  They just blew an incredible comeback against the Sonics.  Chris Bosh is just going to get better throughout the year, and 4-2 still ties them for first in the East.

i think the pistons will repeat, beating the wolves in the finals. lakers wont make the playoffs. the big teams are detroit miami indiana minnesota dallas san antonio and prob sacromento. also i think boston and philly will bounce back and have good years

Damm, I hadn't checked this post til today. sorry for taht one ignatius, but as you probably already know, they have now agreed to a contract and are broadcasting games right now.

On other terms, lebron james kicks serious ass. that kid's gonna become one of the greatest of all time!

Yeah, I heard that a few days ago. Good to have the NBA back.


The kid is very talented, but he won't be any better than MJ. Ever since Michael retired ( I'm talking about when he retired for the second? time in 98) journalists and sports analysis's have named at least 5 players to be the next MJ; Kobe, Carter, Mcgrady, Iverson, now James...out of the above 5, Kobe is the closest in attitude, skills, drive, leadership...but still not quite enough. Kobe's has had some nights in which he reminded me of the best Michael. He's not afraid to take over the responsability. People believe the Lakers won three titles because of Phil Jackson and Shaq, but let me ask you, was Shaq the go-to guy in the final seconds? No, Kobe was. That's the main reason why Shaq will never be the greatest.

I don't think anybody will be greater than his airness, i'm just saying that I thinks he'll become "one of the" greatest. he's just 19, look at what he's doing.....

Hi!

I don'tknow anything about baseball!

..But I did see a hillarious clip from an NBA game where players got pissed off and began beating an  audience member. Since there is something wrong with me, i thought it was absolutely hillarious!If someone knows where to find the clip in net and posted a link I'd appreciate. :yes:

No shit!? :P

LOL. Baseball basketball what's the difference. Idiots doing stuff with ball. Other idiots getting pissed off or all exited about it.
Anyway, I ment basketball :D
...And noticed there's a thread about this.
I shut up now.

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/news_story.asp?id=105601

I've had about enough of this cry-baby.

The PEAK of Vince Carter's career was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis against Philly.  He missed the shot that would've put the Raps in the finals, and he hasn't done jack shit for the team since then.  The rumours are suggesting the Raps are looking to trade him for Abdur Rahim...... PLEASE do it.

I am amazed that this guy has been the leading vote getter for the All Star game for the past few years... what a garbage, overpaid, overrated player.

Does anyone else find this statement FUCKING ridiculous??  That's like saying "I don't want to get rebounds anymore."... It's part of the fucking game.  If he's not going to dunk, what's he going to do?  Keep taking last-minute jump shots through a double team?  :rant:

I agree.

I remember in his first or second year ( the one in which he beat Steve Francis inthe Slam Dunk contest) me and my roommate used to argued whether Carter was going to be a better player than Michael or not. Of course I would tell him no way in hell will Vince take over Michael's throne, but Vince's ability to dunk and a few buzzer beaters that year, made my friend believe we was gonna be better than Michael. Even his cousin, T-Mac, was a secondary player when both played in Toronto. He got traded cause he wanted his share of the spotlight. Quite frankly, I thought he was never going to be as good as Vince, but time has proven me wrong. T-Mac has taken his game to the highest level, along with Bryant, Iverson, Garnett....but there's no sign of Vince.

Carter should at least consider to dunk again due to the fact that's the only thing that got it fame and glory to begin with.

Yeah, Toronto should trade him.

Comparing Vince Carter with MJ is and has allways been ridiculous!  And with no dunks he can retire,because that was the only thing he was good at

He should stop jogging, passing and shooting as well, the douche

he hasnt stopped, he has dunked about 10 times since makin that statement, vince carter is over rated, tracy mcgrady is grossly overrated.

i dont care how good of an individual player u are, Tmac has never won or made anyone he plays with better, look at houston this year

people keep goin on how that was a great trade when TMac isnt that much better than stevie franchise and add Cato and Cuttino Mobley in the mix and Orlando certainly got the better of that deal.

Yeah, Vince came out and said he was joking about the "not dunking" thing because he'd had enough of that reporter in particular.  Well Vince, dunking or not, you're averaging like 15 points a game.... no one gives a fuck anymore.

Everyone outside of Toronto only sees the highlight reels, I can't wait until Vince is out of here.

Yeah but look at Francis, Novitwzky, Garnett, Webber, Stojakovic, Hill, Iverson, Houston, Malone, Payton...what do they have in common? None of them has ever won anything. They are great players, but haven't won a title.

T-Mac is one of the most talented players around. He just wasn't lucky in Orlando. Hill spent the last three years out injured, so Tracy basically didn't have any help other than Armstrong's. Let him adjust to the new team and we'll see what his partnership with Yao brings...

those players u named ran into Shaquille O Neal, all those players have won a series in the playoffs and have been to the conference finals

TMac scores but thats about it, he doesnt play defense doesnt make his teammates better


Tmac is better individually than the three guys he was traded for but he isnt better than mobley and francis combined and people who think Houston all of a sudden will contend for a championship are wrong because they gave a lot for TMac

granted they do have a great one two punch for the future, but Yao isnt playin very well this year, until Jeff Van Gundy gets out of his outdated coaching ways, Houston wont be successful.

Tmac is below his scoring average and Yao has had very few good games this season. I think Van Gundy needs to change some of his philosophies.

Also, the players I've mentioned had a team backing them up. If you replaced any of these players for T-Mac while he was in orlando, all of them would've gotten the same luck. Nothing. Orlando relied on two players, Hill and T-Mac, the rest of the team was so horrendous, any team from Europe could've beaten them.

Francis and Mobley are very alike players as well. I haven't seen Francis playing defense since he's played in the NBA. On the other hand, Cuttino, only plays D when he's facing Kobe. Francis is just another version of Iverson. A guard with a tendency to play a shooting guard position ( at least over the past 4 years). They are both great players, but both are one or two step behind the league's top.

As for T-Mac not being a team player, we'll see this year. He hasn't got any chance really to make his team better. No one could've made Orlando a better. Well, maybe MJ could've, but he is/has been the greatest.

I agree with your comments about Van Gundy though. The guy had lot's of talent in the Knicks ( Houston, Latrell, Johnson, Camby, Ewing...) but wasted trying to make the Knicks a defensive team.

yeah its more van gundy's fault in houston,Mcgrady is so handcuffed, he only had 17 points last night, his scoring average is plummeted, he is like larry brown who fucked up our olympic team by playin that slow ass basketball instead of letting them run.
 if we had ran we wouldve won the gold easily


I like TMAC *well i hate him now cause he hit the buzzer beater to beat me on NBA 2k5 tonight* but i agree with u on steve francis and Grant Hill and Dwight Howard do make a huge difference.

Look at Kobe last night, over 40pts 9 rebs 8 assists and they lost by 3 he was 11-17 fromt he floor, but he has no team, which i guess is his own fault, i think the lakers shouldve kept Gary Payton

Payton just wasntmade for the triangle offense but he is provin in Boston that he can still play, i just dont think a career backup like Chucky Atkins will be able to help his team get into the playoffs, i dont think the lakers make it this year.

Kobe is aiming at the scoring title and MVP this year. He's the lakers ofense first option ( one and only I'd say) so the whole team will do as Kobe allows. In a lot of ways, he reminds of MJ when he was younger. Huge ego, selfish, arrogant, individual player...but Mike learned to adjust a few things in order to win the title. So he did, he made the bulls a better team by delegating some of the responsability, Paxon, Kerr, Rodman, Grant, Pippen,Longley, Wennington, Harper...all have been crucial at some stage.

Bryant has won three NBA titles already, I guess he now seeks for every indivudual title he aims for. The Lakers won't even make the playoffs, but Kobe will have averaged 30 a game.

Payton is a very anarchic player. That's why he didn't really fit in with the triangle offense. The 1996 final against the Bulls though was very fun to watch though.

On the other hand, James scored his 2,000 point last night against the bullls. The guy is 19, any guess on when will he pass MJ's total scoring?

On a side note, I think this thread should be merged with the other NBA thread.

Lebron James is the greatest basketball player ever and will be better than Micheal Jordan


before people disagree listen to this

he is 19 years old and putting up unbelievable numbers, he averaged 20pts 5 boards and 5 assists a game last year and he was a rookie, he has improved his jumpshot considerably and leads a cleveland team who is pretty bad to a good record.

Lebron makes bad players average and average players good, he is magic johnson on steroids

remember the talent magic had around him his whole career, lebron has nothing around him.

i use to not like lebron but he is 19 and doing what he is doing, imagine is 5 to 6 years how unbelievable he will be cause he is still growing and improving, he is putting up primenumbers and he isnt even able to get in a bar.

what was jordan doin when he was 19? playin for North Carolina

Jordan will always be the greatest scorer but when it comes to all around basketball player, if Lebron can ever pick it up and be a dominant defender he will go down as the greatest player ever

Blasphemy!

If I?have a hard time trying to understand how you could say James will be a better player than Michael, It shocks me to no your statement above " James is the greatest player ever"

Ok, little by little. Let me begin by pointing out the obvious. James is not greated than MJ. I don't know if you mistyped the statement above, by saying that a sophmore 19 year old kid who hasn't done anything yet is the best player ever, is not even worth commenting.

Now, will he be the best player ever? that's a more interesting debate. The answer still obvious, No, but let me tell you why...

1.- Team success. MJ has won 6 NBA titles with the Bulls. He made the Bulls a better team. He understood scoring 45 points a game was not going to bring him much closer to a NBA ring. There's no point to argue what would have happened if Lebron had played in the bulls the or Michael in his prime with Today's Cavs, but I'm yet to see anger in James look. He is a very good, skillful player, but he doesn't have the anger, willingness and most important ( more important than any skill) the discipline to take his game to a different level.

2.- Individual Success. MJ has won 5 NBA MVP's, 6 NBA Finals MVP, 3 all star game MVP, 10 scoring titles, 2 Steals titles, 2 Slum dink titles, NBA rookie of the year, Best defensive player of the year, Highest scoring average ever in the history of the game, 10 + Times elected in the league's first team, 10 times + elected in the best defensive team...any many more achievements. There is no way any other player will ever level up with Michael in that sense. Never.

3.- Charisma. Yes Lebron James has charisma, but he is miles away from Michale even when he started to play. Back in 1985 was when we first watch our first NBA game in Spain - I knew then who Michael was because I had seen his ass and another hungry americans beating the shit out of Spain in the 84 olympics final - he outshadowed every other player. Even the likes of Bird, Johnson, Wilkins...no one had the Charisma MJ had when he first joined the league. Nike saw potential there and they will always grateful they had signed Michael, otherwise they wouldn't? have been a tenth of profitable as they are today. Everybody knew Michael worlwide from early on. Not just the fans, everybody. If you ask people outside the US who is Lebron James, a very low percent will recoginse who you are talking about. Even Kobe had more impact early on.

4.- Respect. No other player will inspire the same respect, fear, intimidation, admiration ever inthis league. Even when he came back for the third time a few years ago, younger players had marked in their own calender their games against the Wizards. Speaking of Which, the NBA ratings increased a whooping 45% because of Michael.

There are many more reasons why Lebron will never be better than Mike. These were just a few to get you going...

dude lebron is only in his 2nd year!!!!!!!!!! give that man time!

look at cleveland this year, they were the doormat in the NBA forever now they are gonna make theplayoffs

beside jake illaugauskas *sp* who does lebron have on his team?

lebron is only 19 and already does something it took jordan 5 years to do and that is makehis teammates better.

the guy scores 25 a game is grabbin over 8 board and dishing out 5 assists, and he is only 19

imagine when his jump shot *which has already improved unbelievably* gets even better, imagine when a couple more pieces arrive in Cleveland.

will he ever be better than Jordan? thats probably impossible cause like the jimi hendrix argument, elvis, beatles etc etc, when someone has been announced as the greatest ever its like its impossible for someone to replace them no matter how great they are.

why isnt Wilt Chamberlain the greatest player ever???? he average 50 pts in one season , he averaged 20 rebs in one season

look at Kobe Bryant vs Lebron James, Kobe who was suppose to be the next Jordan doesnt make his teammates better, but look at Lebron name 3 other people on that team and they are a good team all because of Lebron

im not a fan of Lebron James, i dont watch him or dont particularly like him but i must give that guy some credit

if he were 25-26 and puttin those numbers up yeah it would be just a great player but he is 19 years old!!!!!!! i mean he isnt even 21 yet. he is putting up the best numbers in the NBA night after night when Jordan was still playin college ball for North Carolina


so maybe Lebron is the best he will be right now, but what if he isnt? just imagine!!!!! its scary to think if he is just gettin started how great he will be.

There are some good points in there D, but let me ask you...

Are the bulls players back then ( 15 years ago) any better than the cavs players today?

Jordan made Grant, Pippen, Hodges, Paxon, Vincent....good players. Hadn't they had played with Mike, they would have never reached the level they did with mike.

As for the cavs this year, ilgauskas and gooden and the only ones I could mention. Not much individual talent, but then again, the eastern conference is a piece of cake compared to what it used to be 15 years go? Remember the central division with the pistons, hawks, the cavs, the bulls...shit, I remember in 88 the bulls had a team record of 50-32 and the were 5th in the central division!!

Yeah I agree james is only 19. At 19 MJ was giving NC the NCAA title scoring the winning bucket with 18 seconds to go. Not bad for a 19 year old kid. I would like to see how  James would react to a similar situation....

Look at Iverson in his first year, he averaged 25 pts and dished 7 or 8 assits per game. Look at T-mac, he's always averaged 25 + pts, 6 assit and 6 boards since he's joined the NBA. Look at Garnett's numbers as well...They do have great numbers, but just because James is an all around player, doesn't mean he'll be the best.

As for the best player ofd all time, I think mike has the honour. Voted by specialists and even peers. He was eeven voted the best sportsman of all time by ESPN 4 years ago. Ahead of Al?.

James will be a hell of a player, but our generation won't see a better player than Mike.

yeah absolutely but i do think lebron will be remembered as the best player from this era over duncan,garnett,kobe

im glad u brought up allen iverson, i sorta like iverson but damn is he overrated.

if u have ever looked at his stat line he shoots damn near 11-28 every game, i mean if i shot that in my adult basketball league id be kicked off the team.

the biggest point u made about jordan was field goal percentage, i mean shooting over 50 percent is phenomenal, especially for a guard, kobe this year is averaging close to 30pts a game but is only shooting 40 percent from the floor.

i do have one argument though that i dont know if it can be argued against or not

the year after jordan retired the bulls still made the eastern conference finals losing to the knicks so it isnt like they plummeted to a lottery team. so jordan is the greatest but when it comes to best all around i think that is very much open for debate.

Yeah and they lost 4-3 but they had become better players thanx to Jordan. My point is, Jordan took them to the next level and when he first retired, his teammates had even a more stronger reason to prove people they could win games without MJ. It was a team with three rings and plenty of experience, factor which determines your team success in playoff mode.

The following year, MJ was back but they lost in the eastern semis against the magic. Why? Mike was erratic and out of shape. Next year though, Mike had 5 long pre-seasson months to prove everybody wrong yet again and helped the bulls to an outstanding 72-10 and easy ring title.

Yeah, Iverson doesn't have a good field goal %. Actually, who in the nba playing as a guard or shooting guard has an field goal % over 50? No one, not even James, Mike did for 10 seasons.

How' bout them sonics? kicking ass uh?

Milwaukee trading Ray Allen could go down as one of the single worst trades this side of charlotte trading kobe bryant for vlade divac


I miss Steve Nash being on Dallas, i love Steve Nash and Dallas cant take care of the ball and their offense is nowhere as good without him.

Look at PHoenix, how bout Phoenix and Seattle this year both are pleasantly suprising, i love phoenix and i think they have a good thing goin, who knew adding steve nash and quentin richardson would make such a difference but its made phoenix amazing.

Still never has and never will be anything like watching the Bulls with Jordan,Pippen and my fav player of all time Dennis Rodman. every game i was glued to the tv, where was nba season pass back then!!!!!

Bah, every promising new player that comes along is going to be the "next Michael Jordan".

One thing I don't think you guys mentioned was that they get force-fed that bullshit the second they step foot on an NBA court.  Last year all I heard was how "Lebron is going to be the next Michael!"... How is the player supposed to react to that?  Those are some tough shoes to fill.

I don't know if anyone will be able to top Michael... For fuck's sake he almost took those shitty ass Wizards to the playoffs!

the cleveland cavaliers suck, Lebron James has led them to a great record and they are a respectable team, Lebron wont be the next micheal, he is like Magic Johnson on steroids

how can anyone undersell Lebron James? the kid is 19 years old and his numbers are right with the best players in the league

did i mention he is a 19 year old?

like i said if he were 24 or 25 it wouldnt be a big deal but he is 19 years old

and no garnett, or kobe or mcgrady or anyone did what lebron is doin at 19 years old

mcgrady led the league in scoring last year and had a team about as good as what lebron has now *he had drew gooden, lebron has gooden this year*

orlando won 19 games or so, cleveland are gonna be a playoff team. Lebron was also easily the best player on the floor during the olympics

i remember reading that when he was on the floor the US were like a plus 8 but when he was on the bench or played less than 20 minutes they lost every single game but when he played over 20 they won every game

coincidence?

He was the only one who cared really. Look at the kid, he is 19 and he is playing for his country in the most prestigious world-wide basketball competition. The guy really gave everything he got. The other players don't care unless there's big money behind. Iverson, Duncan, Marbury...they looked like they were on summer camp. It was pathetic.

The NBA has become like soccer in Europe. It's a business, none of the players are for the beauty of the game. It is indeed a job, but players are merely mercenaries these days.

On a side note, USA played their best game in the olympics against Spain. We lost just by five. Had the US played as well as they played against Spain, they would've wonevery single game by 15.

did u see the show Dirk Nowitzki and Tracy Mcgrady put on tonight?

un fuckin believable, Dirk scored 53 pts and Mcgrady at 48 as Dallas squeaked by in Overtime.

watchin that game made me really miss Steve Nash, Jason Terry and Devan Harris just dont get it done. Jerry Stackhouse, man he's ok and everything but id rather kept antawn jamison, he is averaging 24 pts and 9 rebs this year.

but oh well sometimes less is more and Dallas proved it tonight letting Dirk carry the show.

I didn't watch the game but saw a few highlights and recap on nba.com T-Mac was 19-36 from the floor and Dirk 15-32 & 21-22 from the foul line. Amazing! Hopefully the TV channel that covers the NBA here will rerun the game this weekend.

Jamison is playing for the Wizards now right? those are pretty good numbers. I think Washington has ended up better after the trade. I was never a fan of Stackhouse. When Mike signed him for the Wiz, he averaged 22 a game but it looked like he wasn't "really" there. I mean, he did his job, but I didn't see him as involved as he should've been considering he came from NC as well and he was playing with the best player ever.

i dont like jerry stackhouse, good individual numbers over his career but never a winner, never a guy that helps his teammates or does anything but score.

i love Dirk Nowitzki he is my favorite player by the way and watching him play just gives me a rush, i think dallas shouldve kept jamison cause essentially they got devin harris and stackhouse for him

i wish Don Nelson would abandon having a sixth man cause stackhouse isnt suited for that role at all.


Washington have a good record this year, they beat the hawks by 24 pts tonight, i think they will make the playoffs.

i think there are players in the NBA who are just losers, good players but losers and when they are added to a team it hurts the team significantly

look at the Detroit Pistons, they added two "losers" as i like to call them in Derrick Coleman and Antonio Mcdyess, the pistons just dont seem to have "it" this season, sure i cant blame those two players but the pistons were damn near unbeatable last year, they lose Okur to Utah was it but they dont seem as great this year

maybe they are just satisfied and unmotivated after their championship and are waiting for the playoffs, but to me mcdyess and coleman just dont fit on that team.

Agree. Didn't Coleman won the NBA rookie of the year 15 years ago? He's always been a talented player, but for some reason, he's never reached the expectations.

Same with Larry Johnson or kenny Anderson. They were number one and two draft picks but didn't do too much. Well, Larry did play in a few allstars and made a few commercials but retired early.

I wouldn't have traded Okur. Big Fella, big all aound moves, young and good jumper. I don't know what Brown was thinking.

Wilkins is another of those "losers". He was a great scorer and always appeared in every highlight show, but the Hawks never passed the Eastern Semis. He ended up in Greece winning ( finally) the Euroleague a few years back.

i can stick jerry stackhouse in that category also, that was my tracy mcgrady argument

sure mcgrady is a prolific scorer and a great, great individual player but to me until proven otherwise he is more about his stats and highlights than the overall good of the team. i hope he proves me wrong cause i really like Tmac

thats jerry stackhouse, all the talent in the world but just never made anyone around him better, never sacrificed himself for the team.

the difference in a Mcgrady vs say Lebron James, if Mcgrady is having a bad shooting night he will kill your team cause he doesnt play defense, not a great passer doesnt really rebound or do any of the intangible small things.

if lebron is having a bad shooting night, he is still rebounding,dishing out assists and helping the team.
Kevin Garnett had that label for a while but has shed it.

anyone else gonna vote for the NBA all star team?

just go to www.NBA.com and vote

put one in for Nowitzki if u dont have any preferences.

Noviwsky will start. Yoy don't need to demand votes for him, cause he will amongst the most voted. He will play as 4, Garnett as 3 ( or the other way around) Duncan as 5, Mac as 2 and Kobe as 1. What a line up!!

I have to require some help cause I want my man in there, Gasol. He's averaging good numbers, but he is screwed due to the fact he plays in the western conference and there are a million great players to chose from as 4 or 5. We've got Stojakovic, Webber, Garnett, Duncan, Nowitzki, Anthony, Boozer...the list is endless  :(

i love the grizzlies they are my 4th fav team behind

1.dallas
2.indiana
3.phoenix
4.memphis


i love jason williams

i am hoping now that mike fratello is the coach pau gasol and company with thrive more in a more conventional system

i hate the 5 men rotation that Hubie did.

gasol at 35pts 16 boards or somethingl like that in his first game under fratello, so heres to hoping

i dont like Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony isnt an all star this year, he has been reduced to a 6th man

i dont see how anyone argued that he was better than Lebron

Lebron does it all, Carmelo scores, Dwayne Wade is the rival to Lebron now, its no longer Carmelo.

i wonder if Toronto are kickin themselves for takin Chris Bosh over Wade?  imagine that team wade,rose,carter, WOW!

here is how im voting  *personal favorites of course factor in*


eastern conference

Dwayne Wade
Lebron James
Antawn Jamison  *wouldve been artest*
Jermaine O'Neal  this guy is the best power forward and got ripped off, he shouldnt have been suspended that long for punchin a fan who was trespassin on the court.
shaquille O'neal


western conference it was

Steve Nash *2nd fav player* also the engine averaging over 12 assists a game*
Kobe Bryant
Pau Gasol
Dirk Nowtizki
Jamal Maglore

in the west there are no centers to choose from, im not votin for Yao ming cause i think he has had a horrible season. he will win though cause of the China vote.


the west is stacked, u still have duncan,garnett and amare stoudamire who i didnt vote for, so its crazy tryin to choose!

My favourite team is the Lakers and my favourite player is Kobe Bryant. He almost made an fourty-double 2 nights ago... 10 pts, 12 rebs, 10 assts and 8 TO...

Anyways, I think the Lakers can win... if they make playoffs (they're 8-6 now), just put the ball on Kobe's hands and let him take the shots...

Lebronze is a pretty good player but can't be compared to MJ.He may be only 19 but don't forget that when MJ was 21 he led the USA basketball team (which at that time consisted of college players) to the gold medal.On the other hand Lebronze failed to lead a USA team full of NBA players...

MJ is the only player in history who didn't have ANY weaknesses- he had the perfect combination of body,mind and soul.And most importantly he wanted to play like MJ every single night !

On a side note glad to see that Dirk has so many american fans! He has the potential to become the greatest forward of all time

I wouldn't go that far. If he plays the way he's been playing he may have a go at the MVP of the year, but I don't think he will ever be as good as Larry Bird to name somebody. We are talking about the greatest forward of all time here. Dirk has a long way to go still...

I order to be considered in the same list, dirk has still to get  a couple of rings in his hands. if he manages so during his career, his status could be the same as bird's.

Dirk is the greatest international player ever hands down in my opinion

Larry Bird helped make the league what it is today

Dirk will never have the impact Bird did

without Bird and Magic the NBA probably wouldnt be popular today.

Dirk however is being credited with revolutionizing the game by his versatility and size, being able to do everything on the floor

once heimproves his passing and defense he will definitely be a top 3 player.

 :peace: hi, out there. at first i wanna say that i love basketball and it?s a pleassure being a part of this sportsculture( as a fan and streetballplayer) . o.k  i just read your posts about good NBA -players and and i think it?s difficult to say as an objective person whose players skills are great. normally everyone compares teams or players by their stats but basketball or sports in generall also have something to do with more than just skills . i think m.j is the best example becaus he showed with will , concentration, discipline and of course his incredibile talent as an athlete something legendary . but i have to admitt that there aren?t players who play on the same level , i believe that there have been great players ( Scottie pippen,bird,magic ,thomas,the mailman, grant hill(not a lucky guy) drexler, payton, kobe, garnett, perhaps, lebron, dirk , t- mac and many moore . but the point is that all that criticising and preassure , money don?t help those guys . just watch the players who have enourmos shoe deals, no one of them has won a ring: garnett, iverson, mc crady, lebron, marbury. the nba life is hard and not every of those probablly 400 players is able to present what he has in store every game ( 82 games+ playoffs) . u have to be a fighter and most important a TEAMPLAYER to achive something in te NBA,there are a lot of fighters in this league.(our pleassure)   ps: watch out for wade,duncan is boring but unbelievabely good and sorry for mistakes        see you  L.A ! linz austria

The Toronto Raptors have traded All-Star swingman Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for center Alonzo Mourning, forward Eric Williams, center/forward Aaron Williams and two conditional first-round draft picks. The trade cannot be announced until the NBA approves it for salary-cap purposes.

Carter, who is currently on the injured list with a strained left Achilles, started at guard alongside new teammate Jason Kidd for the Eastern Conference in last season's All-Star Game.

Now in his seventh season, Carter has averaged 23.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was drafted fifth overall in 1998 after his junior season at North Carolina by Golden State, which traded his rights to the Raptors in exchange for the drafts rights to Antawn Jamison.

Mourning, who has not played since December 7, has been undergoing treatment for an assortment of ailments, including a sinus infection. The Nets signed Mourning to a four-year, $22 million contract prior to the 2003-04 season, but his time with New Jersey lasted only 12 games because of a condition known as focal glomerulosclerosis. He was forced to stop playing on November 25, 2003 and underwent a kidney transplant less than a month later with an organ donated by his cousin.

Mourning was the second overall pick in 1992 by the Hornets and twice was the Defensive Player of the Year (1999 and 2000) with the Miami Heat. Mourning did not play in 2002-03 because of the kidney disease.

He is a seven-time All-Star who owns career averages of 19.8 points and 9.6 rebounds.

Aaron Williams, who was in his fifth season with the Nets, has averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds over his 11-year career which has included stops in Utah, Milwaukee, Denver, Vancouver, Seattle and Washington.

Eric Williams was in his first season with the Nets after signing as a free agent in August. He was selected by Boston with the 14th pick overall in the 1995 NBA Draft and has had two stints with the Celtics. Eric Williams, who has averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 boards, has also played for Denver and Cleveland.

One of the draft picks the Raptors received was Denver's first-round pick in 2005. It is protected if it turns out to be one of the first three.

The other, which also came from Denver, is protected if it is one of the top eight in the 2005 lottery and one of the first five in 2006.

Conditional is the key word in that sentence. The trade is a win-win for both teams actually. It will be interesting to see how Vince will play with Kido and Jefferson.

this isnt good for Toronto, the got eric williams and aaron williams, mourning wont play for toronto, he will be bought out or traded.

2 conditional first rd picks means any pick that isnt a top 5 pick, so really toronto shipped out their top money maker for nothing

there isnt anyone they could draft that could take the place of Carter's marketing appeal and ability to draw fans.

his numbers have slipped but he still is a huge box office draw.

so i dont think it was a good idea

i think they couldve got a much better deal for carter had they held out.

Air canada is certainly not the same player he was a couple of years ago. Of course he is still one of the top players (he can still score 25 points a game easily), but he's not in the same category as KB or LJ. It's still a nice addition to the nets.

What do you think of king games??. is he the next ptbntnmj (player to be named the next michael jordan)??. cleveland will surely make the playoffs, and with him playing at the level he is right now, anything can happen

he is 19 years old averagine 25pts 7 rebs and 7 assists a game


that is amazing

he is a different player than jordan

james is more like larry bird and magic johnson than jordan

jordan was a better defender and a better scorer, james is better at making his teammates better.


Lebron has already improved his jumpshot by leaps and bounds over last year

imagine in 5 years if he keeps improving how awesome he will be?

i think he can be the greatest player ever when its all said and done.

he has nothing on that team and they are still good.

How could you say that? Did the Cavs win all the sudden 6 NBA titles? they didn't even reach the playoffs yet. The guy is 19 years old and you say he is better than Mike making his teammates better...incredible  :o

D, let me ask you something...Did Scotty Pippen, John Paxon, Horace Grant, Craig Hodges, Hansen, Rodney MCcray, Bill Cartwright, Brad Sellers... were any good before they teamed up with Mike?

Pippen spent the first few years coming off the bench, same with Horace. Paxon was just an average guy who'd never dreamed of ever scoring the winning shot in the NBA finals, Hansen, played for the Jazz, he was Jeff Malone's replacement. McCray, a houston Rockets average player, Cartwright was Ewing's sub in New York...Not too mention Brad Sellers...he was aweful. Hodges, a great three point shooter, was just that until he signed with the Bulls...these guys were Michael's teammates during the Bulls first three titles!!  All of them were mediocre to say the least until they understood their role in the Bulls. How can you say Lebron makes his teammates better? He is just 19 for God's Sake. Yes, he may averaged 25 pts, 7 assit and7 boards...but you need to be a great leader to make your teammates better.

You are telling me a 19 year old kid was a better leader than Mike?


One more thing, the eastern conference ( especially Central division) is the weakest is been in 30 years. Central Division 15 years ago was the strongest is ever been. MJ bulls back then in 88, with a record of 50-32 ranked 4th. That record, today, will make your team 2nd in the whole conference.

There's no doubt lebron james is waaaaaaaaaay too far from Mj. Until he reaches his status, he has to do the following:

-win 6 nba rings
-10 scoring titles
-defender of the year award
-4 mvp's, a couple of all star mvp's and slam dunk championships
-score at least 69 points during the season or 63 in playoffs while some other superstar calls him "god"
-score 45 in the playoffs while playing sick
-retire
-make a couple of comebacks with at least one astonishing performance in the garden wearing number 45 and win at least 3 nba titles after comeback number one.
- etc etc...

No doubt lebron is one of the best players at the moment, and if he continues to play the way he is doing now, he will sure become one of the greatest ever. but only time will tell.

i agree with most of that but the scoring titles

Lebron isnt that type of player

u also must remember micheal jordan took 27 to 30 shots per contest to get that scoring average, whereas lebron is more about getting his teammates involved and shoots maybe 18 to 22 times a game

ignatius:

u are calling the detroit pistons and the indiana pacers weak?????


im speaking of their second years in the league Lebron is better than jordan at making people better

give lebron time, he cant win 6 titles when he has only played 2 years.

Jordan's first few years in the league he was a ballhawk, he didnt make anyone better, he put up great numbers but he didnt do anything for his teammates

he later learned that he needed help and then started making his teammates better

but through their first 2 seasons overall Lebron is better at making his teammates better

Jordan would score 50 a game but his team never won.

i dont think u realize how horrible cleveland were till Lebron arrived
and like i said they have only one other player who could possibly start on another team in the league and thats jake illgauskis *sP*

scottie pippen was one of the 50 greatest players, Horace grant was the most overlooked piece of that puzzle
facts are without scottie pippena nd horace grant, later scottie pippen and dennis rodman, jordan doesnt win those championships

after jordan retired the bulls still made the Eastern conference finals and if they hadnt been bullshitted they wouldve returned to the finals

so dont under value scottie pippen and horace grant's talents without jordan.

Little by little...

First of all...you have to be a leader to make your teammates better. Yes, the guy averages 25 - 7 & 7 a game, but you need to gain respect from your teammates and peers. You will? onyl get that through experience, age and perseverance. James is a 19 year old kid who happens to play great ball. His time will come.

Second... D, please take a look at the eastern coference stats today. There are 15 teams, 7 have an above 50% record. That means more than half of those teams have a losing record. Look at the Central division standings for a moment...2nd and 3rd spots are barely above the 50% mark. The cavs are at 58% and they are division leaders. 15 years ago the dominant conference was the eastern conference. The toughest division was the central with the hawks, bulls, pistons, bucks, pacers, cavs...they all average a 50% or higher record then. The eastern conference was what the western is today. That means, even a mediocre team like the cavs, is able to lead the central division. Pacers and Pistons although very solid defensive teams, struggle to score. The pistons were so lucky they faced the unmotivated Lakers in the Finals last year. Had they played against the Wolves or Spurs, they would've gotten their ass kicked.

Third...Pippen made it on that list because he played along side MJ. Yes, the bulls reached the conference finals once MJ retired, but what did Scottie and Horace accomplish afterwards? Scottie has played with Houston and Portland and his performance has been way worse than what we saw with the Bulls. He's always been a overrated player, lucky enough he played with Mike. Otherwise he would have never won anything. Same with Horace...he played with Shaq in LA and Orlando, signed a bad ass contract, but did he reach out the expectations? No he didn't... I guess what I'm trying to say here is, pippen and grant were good players, but they would've never accomplished anything without Mike.? MJ made them better

About MJ been a ballhawk...well, he was a shooting guard, not a guard. He had many field goal attemps that's true, but he always kept a percentage above 50% till at least his 8th year in the league. Tell me now D, what's Lebron field goal %? Exactly. Oh and by the way, in 89, after the all star game, Doug Collings ask Mike to play guard for the last? quarter of the season. Do you know what his numbers were? He got 15 triple doubles, 32 pts a game, 8 boards and 8 assits...and those numbers were not enough I guess to give him the MVP award... ???

yes but that was MJ's 3rd or 4th year

im statingthrough 2 seasons

it is hard to fathom anyone being greater than jordan but i believe Lebron has the best chance, just based on what he has done so far

now if he stays where he is now for the rest of his career he will just be a great player

but if he keeps improving by his 24th or 25th birthday he is gonna be a phenom to which the league has never witnessed


look at the championships in the 90's the bulls won

the league was down!

in the early 90's u had the pistons *but they were being dismantled thanks to a change in management*

the aging lakers and the trailblazers

the knicks had yet to come into their own, the cavs were good but not what id consider dominant

after jordan came back u had new york,orlando *till shaq went to LA* indiana, miami, utah,houston and san antoinio

the league is a lot more competitive right now than in the 90's in my opinion.


at 19 years old Lebron James is better overall than Jordan was at 19 years old and is close to where Jordan was in his 2nd NBA season.

Lebron's field goal percentage isnt the best but u must remember, jordan's field goal percentage was only that good cause he slashed and drove to the basket and was unstoppable in doing so

it took Jordan a very long time to develop a decent jump shot.

Rather than start a new NBA thread, I figured I just add to this one.  What are everybody's thoughts on this season.  I'm picking Spurs over Pacers in the finals.  Do we have many NBA fans around here?

Spurs are the obvious choice for the West... A lot of people seem to be saying Indiana too, but I could see New Jersey taking the East.  Kidd/Jefferson/Carter is deadly and near impossible to defend, although they don't have any big men.

Here's one for you, will the Lakers make the playoffs this year?  My gut says yes, but my gut is not confident.

Yeah, when I live in America I used to order the NBA pass, but it was cheaper then (I think).

I hate The Spurs, they are the most boring team. Manu Ginobili is fun to watch though, he'll be traded in a few years to the...Knicks (and you heard it here first). I don't hink the Spurs are even gonna make it to the Western Finals, my guess is the Suns or Wolves. My heart says the Grizzles (my country man Gasol plays there) but they need at least a few more years to make a more solid team. So, I'm saying the Suns.

The East is a totally different ball game...I'd say the Heat. They's added a few important players to their roaster this summer, to many a collection of egos. But if they manage to find the perfect balance (and they will) they are my favorites.

Question to the Toronto fans...Eazy E (weren't you a Tornonto Fan?) What do you think about your new point guard Calder?n? What do people say about him?

Yeah, Miami will be up there again, it will be interesting to see how they handle themselves without Shaq over the next month.

Well the Raps picked up 3 rookies this year and the focus has definetaly been on them.  In preseason they all did well, but the focus was on Charlie Villenueava... In the 3 regular seasons games all the talk has been about Jose Calderon.  He's the only bright spot I've seen on the team this year.  He brings a LOT of energy on to the court.  In his first game he brought the team back from a blowout when he came off the bench in the second and the next game he dropped 20 points.

My favourite thing about this guy is that he drives the lane and then dishes the ball out... it works GREAT for opening up a few guys and keeping the energy level up.  I heard that this type of play was common for European point guards.  Anyways, everyone is loving him so far.. so it's too bad the rest of the team is doing so terrible.

I don't think the Lakers are a playoff team in the West.  I can name 8 or 9 teams in the conference that are better.  This is Kobe and Phil's chance to prove how great they truly are.  If Kobe can carry this team to the postseason, I'll have a new respect for him as a player.  I think Phil Jackson also needs to prove himself.  He's never won a title when he didn't have the best/most dominant player on his team.  He went from Jordan and Pippen to Kobe and Shaq.  If he gets this team deep into the playoffs, he doesn't even have to get to the championship, then it'll be his biggest accomplishment as a coach to date.

Interesting post, but I don't think that's 100% accurate. Yes, Phil Jackson has coached MJ, Pip, Kobe and Shaq, but he also gave those teams the winning edge they needed. Before Phil coached them, neither the Bulls nor This Generation Lakers had won anything. Maybe is the Yoda touch he treats his players with or the books he makes them read (this is actually truth, I read he makes his players read philosofy books) , but he definitely adds something. So it's not like he just happens to have the best players and let them do what they do best.

He's back because this year represents a challenge to him. It's also a challenge to Kobe to see if he can win a title without the big guy's help. It'd be interesting to see...

I just think Phil joined up with both teams at the right time.  He started coaching the Bulls right as Jordan hit his prime.  They hadn't reached that level in previous years cause MJ was still developing and Pippen had barely been on the team yet.  With the Lakers, Kobe didn't develop into a elite player until the year Phil got there.  I guess you could argue that it was Phil that helped him develop into that player, but I don't think that's the case.  I think the Lakers could've brought just about anybody that year and they still would've won those titles...and the same goes for the Bulls.  I'm not saying Phil Jackson is a bad coach, but he's not one of the all-time greats.  Just look at how the Lakers are doing this year.  They're not even the best team in Los Angeles.

Tha's not true. Pippen was picked in 1987 by Seattle then traded to the Bulls. He had already been 3 or 4 years on the league when The Bulls won the first title in '91. His rookie season wasn't that good, Brad Sellers would start in his position, but in 1989 he was already a starter. His battles agains the Bad Boys during the 1989 and 1990 Easters Finals were remarkable.

Also, in 1994 after MJ's first retirement, the Bulls reached the EAstern Finals only to lose 4-3 against New York. Horace Grant has been traded to Orlando. The Bulls had a mediocre team but almost made the NBA Finals (Without Michael).? Jackson deserves a lot of credit for that.


There's no way to find that out. Jackson has been lucky to coach such talented players, I'm not gonna argue that, but he gave those players the edge they needed. Also, he manage to teach the Triangle Offense Concept in both teams with success. Yes, he didn't come with the original idea, his assistant did, but this shows even the best players need a system. Besides, MJ, Kobe and Shaq have admitted Jackson is the best coached they've ever had.

Good points, that 1993-94 Bulls team wasn't very good and they did go deep into the playoffs.  I'll give Phil credit there.  And he should also be commended on his ability to implement the Triangle successfully with two very different teams.  Phil is a great coach...I just think he's somewhat overrated.  With the whole best coach MJ, Kobe, or Shaq ever had thing, its a true statement...but those guys never had very good coaches other than Phil.  But yeah, I think I went a little too far with the Phil criticism.  He's done a great job over the years, but he has been quite lucky too.  But what great coach isn't I guess?  All the great coaches have had great players.

Weird no one talked about Kobe's performance last week. 62 points in 33 minutes. He sat down throughout the entire 4th quarters cause the Lakers had a 30 point lead. The guy scored 30 in the third, 7-13 from the field and 14-16 from the free throw line! He shot 16 free throws in one quarter!  :o

The Lakers are not doing that well, but this should be Kobe's year. 2006 season MVP could already have a winner.

I woukd've liked to see him play the 4th.  The way he was playing he could've cracked 90.

i thought the same thing. go for that damn record. what is it? 100 in a game?

Jackson asked in the 4th if he wanted to go back in, but he didn't. He was probably dying to get back in there, but he thought the press would've flamed him for doing so cause the lakers had a big lead, plus the press keep saying Kobe plays for Kobe instead of playing for the Lakers benefit. That sure had something to do with his decission.

I don't think he'd scored 100 points (he would've had to score 38 in the 4th) but he could've reached 80 easily. What a pity...

Just curious, what does everybody think of Ron Artest here.  I'm a Pacer fan, and I want him out right now.  He may be extremely talented, but this is two seasons in a row his idiocy ruins a potentially great season for my Pacers.  That brawl totally ruined last season, and he's been a huge distraction this season as well.  Talk about a waste of talent.

I think Artest is a very good player, tough and dedicated. Every team would love to have him (besides the  pacers, who are shopping him around), but he certainly has a bit of an attitude problem.

Regarding Kobe, I do think he plays for himself. In my humble opinion, he doesn't make his teammates better.

I don't think he is that talented. He probably think hs is, but there's at least 20 players in the league better than him.

Besides, he is a trouble maker. I really wouldn't want the guy on my team.

I no longer want Artest on the Pacers, but I disagree about him not being that talented.  If he ever got his shit together I think he'd be a top 10 all-around player.  He can score more than 20 a game, and he's one Defensive Player of The Year.  Not too many guys in the league can do that.  However, it is apparent that the negatives outweigh the many positives.

Kobe drops 81 points!  :o

The second highest point total in NBA history only beaten by Will's 100 points.

I knew this was coming...it was just a matter of days after his 60 points + peformance last month and 4 consecutive matches scoring 45 + points. No doubt he is trying to win his first MVP award.

now, I don't really know why he does this. MJ's bulls were not a strong team until Michael understood what he needed to do to make his teammates better. Kobe is not making his teammates better by scoring 81 out of 122 points.

Anyway, amazing performance though.

I watched this whole game... Our announcer was talking about how flat the Lakers were going into the second half and that the game was pretty much over when the Raps were up by like 17 or something.  Then this guy just exploded. 81 points?!?!?!!

It didn't help that the Raps were doing shit like fouling on 3 balls, but damn... that was a hell of a game to watch.

I find it admirable that MJ fans try to keep him the greatest but COME ON MAN!!!!!!!!


Kobe doesnt have a Scottie Pippen, he doesnt have a Horace Grant or Dennis Rodman.

The Lakers were down by 18 points when He took over and scored 55 pts in the 2nd half to lead them to a victory.

MJ didnt understand that until later in his career either.

Kobe is a better jump shooter than Jordan.

Kobe has the same intensity, the same driving ability, the same defensive ability.

Kobe is only 27 years old and if he keeps goin at this rate he will be better than MJ skill wise.

Jordan as great as he was got helped a lot by his image.

Kind of like Hulk Hogan in wrestling, his image was sooooooo huge it made him even more larger than life than he really was.


Kobe has the chance to be better than MJ.

All he needs is a few teammates and the Lakers will be untouchable.

D... Jordan IS the greatest!

There are a few players who could challenge that title, but Kobe isn't one of them.  Obviously the Bulls had an amazing team even without MJ, I'm pretty sure they went to the Eastern Finals the year he retired, but Jordan worked with his teammates and played good D.

There is a similarity between the two in terms of determination and not showing fatigue.  They both go out there and play hard the whole time.... but what Kobe's doing now doesn't make him the greatest.  When Jordan was averaging something like 37 points per game, the Bulls weren't winning championships.  He changed the way he played in order to make the team better.  That's something Kobe or Iverson don't do.  They're ball hogs and not good leaders.  How many of the Lakers do you think sincerely congratulated Kobe after the game?  They may be in awe of him, but he's not a good leader.

No way Kobe should win MVP while Steve Nash is leading the Suns to second place without Stoudemire.  A team with a Kobe or an Iverson won't be as good as Jordan's Bulls or the Detroit Pistons right now.

Of course, Kobe's career isn't over and MJ's is.... so things can change, but I don't see it happening.  Still Kobe's been playing amazing lately, and 81 points in a game is incredible.  I wouldn't give him MVP though, and definetaly not "greater than MJ".

Kobe is doing now what Jordan did earlier in his career and like Jordan he is doing it cause he has no choice.

The Lakers stink and the reason Kobe gets it over my favorite player Steve Nash is cause Nash has Shawn Marion whereas Kobe has nobody.


Jordan as great as he was will always be further elevated by the commercials, the shoes, endorsements, it makes him larger than he really is.

He right now is the GOAT but if Kobe keeps this up over 7 or 8 more years, he CAN be the greatest.

Lets not disqualify him before his career is over simply cause Jordan is always suppose to be so.

Kobe is a 1st Team all NBA defensive player as well, so not only is he scoring like he is, but he is guarding the other teams best player every night as well.

Kobe already has 3 rings and his individual numbers suffered due to Shaq, Kobe already dropped his game down to play within a team like Jordan later, he won his 3 rings, so now Kobe is showing what he can do.

In a couple years they will put a team around him and he will go back to winning titles

D, it's obvious you have something against MJ. A few months ago you say Lebrom James could be better than MJ, now you say Kobe will be better than MJ, next thing we know, you'll say Steve Nash will be better than MJ...

Have you ever seen Michael play?? ::)

How can you compare Lebron and Kobe with the greatest player any sport has ever seen? I'm not gonna go with the 6 nba titles Michael won with the bulls, but just look at his achievements. 5 MVP's, 10 scoring titles, 2 times steals leader, best defensive player or the year, 3 times all start MVP, 2 times Slam dunk champion...a million of 50 + games. A trillion of buzzer beaters...

There's no one like him. I don't know if there will ever be another player just as good, but shit, it wont be Kobe or Lebron James that's for sure.

You said Jordan won his nba rings because of his teammates? Hmm...that's right, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. They were superstars when they signed with the bulls right? how about Paxon? How about Craig Hodges and Jimmy Hansen and Sam Vincent? Not too mention Bill Cartwright and Luc Longley. Yes, what a line up. ::)

Oh, there's Dennis Rodman, I'll give you that one. He sure helped the Bulls threepeat.

There's something you don't understand; all those players were mediocre until Michael made them better. Scottie and Horace weren't superstars when they signed for the bulls, they were both drafted in low positions. They got better playing with MJ.

MJ, despite's his amazing talent, had the strongest determination to win. He is/was a true leader. He understood he needed help from his teammates so he made them as good as they could be.

Look at Scottie or Horace, what the hell have they done without Michael? Scottie didn't do shit for Portland or Houston (despite playing with Hakeem, Barkley and Clyde Drexler) not too mention with the Blazers. His highest scoring season was 15 points a game after MJ's retirement. Horace Grant won a ring with the lakers but he was AC Green's sub!

Kobe bryant has won 3 titles. He knows what he should do to make his teammates better, is he doing it? Fuck no he is not. He is just there scoring 2/3 of his teams points just because he wanted to be in the history books. His Assits stats are the lowest in years!

So yeah, go on and keep trying to find a player with more potential than MJ. Sure you find plenty of those, but none will ever make it as huge as MJ did.

I am a huge Laker fan.  I have to agree with D on this one.  People just don't like Kobe.  MJ scores in the 80's and everyone would rave about it.  Kobe does it, he is a ball-hog.  Kobe shot about 60% in that game.  Most teams don't shoot that on any night.  Therefore, if he is shooting at a higher percentage doing it himself, then the team would if everyone was involved, he should be the one that shoots.

The fact is Kobe has noone.  The Lakers never really had anyone outside of Kobe and Shaq.  Now that Shaq is gone there is noone for Kobe.

MJ was great.  Surely the greatest ever.  However, I agree with D, if Kobe continues to shoot like this and ends up winning another title or two he should be right there.  I also think D made a great point, as great as MJ was, much of his hype was due to the commercials and image portrayed.  There is no one that can ever match the image MJ had to the world.

The lakers were down by 18 points the 3rd quarter.  Kobe didn't score 55 in the 2nd half to pad his stats; he shot to win the game.  Last month he scored 62 points through 3 quarters against Dallas.  Did he play the 4th quarter?  NO, he told phil he didn't want to play b/c they were up by 34 points.  Hate the player, not his game.

No one's questioning whether or not Kobe had an amazing game... I mean, he scored 81 points!  It seems to me though that Kobe's attitude is "my team can't win, I'm the only one that can get the job done", and that won't work most of the time.  Look at Iverson... you give him Webber, you give him Mutumbo, but Philly hasn't been better than average.  These two have the same attitude.  Don't get me wrong though, these guys are definetaly huge talents, but they lack that will to make the team win that MJ brought to the court.  72 wins in one season!... You can put Shaq, Malone and Payton around Kobe and they can't win 72 games (or a championship).  Sure, the Lakers won the titles a few years back, but I would give more credit to Shaq than Kobe.  He heads off to Miami and they jump to the top of the East, meanwhile the Lakers aren't even the best team in L.A. 

Kobe might drop 82 which is amazing, but I don't think he's deserving of getting MVP.  The way Kobe is playing will probably just be enough to get them into the playoffs... You can argue whether or not you think he should get MVP (which he shouldn't -- Nash, Duncan, Wade, a third stringer from the Pistons)... but he's got nothing on Jordan.  Yeah, he had a larger than life reputation, but he did everything he could to ruin it by retiring to play in an MLB farm league... but then he comes back and does another back-to-back-to-back.

The lakers were well on their way to win more than 72 games until Malone got hurt.  Subsequently, Shaq and Kobe also missed significant stretches of time during that season.   

While the Heat have improved, they didn't make it to the "top" of the east.  This season, their record is only a few games better than the lakers and they play in an arguably weaker conference.  Look at who the heat have on their team.  So many big names...maybe shaq is also having troubles not being the focal point of their offense.

It's tough to define the mvp.  best player?  or most valuable to team?  Without kobe, the lakers would be last in the west, without nash, the suns would be respectable. 

You don't think kobe has anything on jordan?  Kobe is definitely as clutch as Jordan.  No, he hasn't led his team to 6 championships or made his players better like jordan, but show some respect.
 

What point in this discussion you are not getting? MJ was beyond personal stats, but if that's what you are using to value a player. Look at Kobe's stats and look at Michael's. I already pointed out all MJ's personal achivements through the years, but at the age of 27, MJ had already won 2 MVP's, 5 scoring titles, 2 steals leaders, 1 all star MVP, 5 times named in the best DEFENSIVE team of the league and once named the BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER. Not to forget, the slam dunks contests. Now, has Kobe achieved that much at the age of 27?

Michael was a better player (in both the defensive and offensive ends), had a better attitude and had more charisma.

That's the difference. Some of you need to watch more MJ's games. It's amazing how memory turns into something weak since you don't remember anything MJ's done for the game.

Some of you blame Michael's success on his image and his face being on Tv all the time. Well, the reason why Kobe is not getting all the publicity is mainly because he was accused of rape a few years back. Nike had a double page ad recently in SI featuring Kobe, so I guess this is a sign that maybe all those brands are betting on Kobe again. However, he will never have the charisma Michael did. Kobe is just too self-centered, even more than MJ...could you imagine a tv ad now saying " Like Kobe, I want to be like Kobe" Me niether. He just doesn't have that charisma appeal.

Michael's life hasn't been a bed of roses either. Have all of you forgotten how the media smashed his image with "the Jordan Rules" or how Tv's all over the world spreaded out his gambling addiction? Or how he was blamed for his father murder?



Haha, don't make me laugh. Do you follow the NBA at all? Man, When Nash signed for the Suns, the previous season (without Nash) the Suns won 26 games, lost 56.? With Nash, the Suns won more games last year than any other team in the NBA.? So yeah, you were right on there? : ok:

I totally agree with my spanish friend. Jordan and Bryant are not even in the same league. Jordan is the best ever. Kobe is not even the best player in the league at the moment (imo, Lebron, Duncan, Garnett , Nash are above).

 : ok:

See, even Axl's lawyer agrees with me? ;)

Pippen has an interesting blog on the MJ & Kobe comparisons:

http://www.nba.com/blog/blog30.html

Basically, with a shift away from rough, physical defense, scoring has become easier because that's what the league wants to attract fans.  You can't compare what MJ had to go through to get his points in comparison to Kobe (who made it to 81 on free throws at the end).


This part is good:

From a leadership perspective I think Kobe has taken a step back. Look at what he has to live up to now. You just scored 81 points. If you scored 81 points, your team should pretty much go out and win at least 75 percent of their games the rest of the year. Is that fair to say? You just compared yourself to Wilt. Can you go out with your team and do that or are you just going to go out and score tons of points every night? Are you going to get back to the point where you are shooting a lot of shots and you're teammates are not shooting and you're losing?

Right now, Kobe has willed the Lakers to a 22-19 record. It will be interesting to see what happens the rest of the way.

Interesting read. Thx for posting that Eazy.

Kobe has NEVER even been the best player in the league at any time in his career. So how could he be the best ever???

Jordan made his TEAM better, and his teammates respected him because they knew his #1 goal was to win championships. The same cannot be said for kobe. 

The Phoenix Suns team 3 years ago wasn't the same suns team today.  Without nash, the suns still have amare Stodamire and Shawn Marion.  Both are all-stars.  Kobe has the worst suppporting cast in the entire nba.  He has to carry his team.  Put Nash on the lakers, and they'd be below 500.  Nash is a great player, but he has awsome talent around him.

If you don't think Kobe is the best player in the league, you are jealous; or feel threatened by Kobe's success.  There was a great segment on the Colbert Report...Stephan told kobe to stop confusing him b/c he thought jordan was the best player ever.  I'm not arguing that kobe is the better player than jordan; but give kobe his props.

 He is without a doubt the most talented, driven, clutch player in the NBA right now.

Artest finally gets traded!

I think Indiana got the better end of the deal, personally.  I wouldn't want Artest on my team, but I'm sure he'll be able to make a difference in Sacramento.  Indiana should get a good boost from having Peja on their team.

But Peja is an unrestricted FA after the season.  If Indy doesn't win it this year...they'll have given artest away.

Well considering how weak the East is, Indiana could make a decent run in the playoffs now.
That's not terrible for an inactive Ron Artest... and if Peja fits well with the team they can resign him.

I'm going to be watching the Kings / Raps game on Sunday so this will make that game a little more interesting. 

Its great to see Artest finally gone.  Anyway, Jordan was by far a better player than Kobe.  When Kobe won his titles he was part of an amazing one-two punch with him and Shaq.  Jordan never had a teammate half as good/dominant as Shaq, and that's including Pippen.  Jordan was the most dominant player in the league for more than a decade.  Kobe was never even the most dominant player on his team until Shaq left.  In addition, Kobe is a horrible teamate who does nothing to make his fellow players better.  Even in the most clutch situations, Jordan wasn't above dishing the ball to John Paxson or Steve Kerr to take the last shot if he thought they were in better position to do so.  Kobe is one of the best players in basketball right now.  Jordan was basketball in his day.  To compare the two is laughable.

If Cleveland are able to get peja as a free agent next seasons, LeBron will win his first NBA Championship (just imagine Hughes, Lebron and peja as the starting backcourt......)

You still don't get it, do you?

Marion's been playing with the Suns since 99 and Stoudemire since the 02-03 season. The Suns, with these two allstarts, won 26 games in the 03-04 season.

With Nash the Suns last year (04/05) won more games than any other team in the league. Don't you understand it? Nash is responsible for such an improvement. He's made his teammates better, like Michael did.

So please, stop throwing ridiculous theories if "Nash played in the lakers" "if Nash didn't have Marion..." because as I already proved to you, they are pointless.

Get what?  I've said above that Nash is a great player who makes his teamates better.  But you can't deny that the Suns have great talent around Nash.  Those 29 games the suns won in 03-04 (look it up)...they might've won more if Amare wasn't out for 27 games.  Phoenix is having a great year (even without Amare) and Nash should be considered for mvp.

But Kobe is also having a tremendous year.  He's making history and putting up scoring numbers we haven't seen since michael in the late 80's.  Ultimately, as a laker fan, the only way he should win the mvp is if he carries his team into the playoffs.   

Sports is all about 'ridiculous theories'.  That's why we love sports.  I'd love to see Wilt Chamberlin average 50 points a year in today's NBA or see Kobe try for 100 back in Hershey, PA in 1962.  But we can't; so we spew these theories.

Kobe and Nash are completely different players; kobe is a scorer first; nash a passer.  Honestly I'd love to see them play together, but that'll probably never happen.

He certainly is now. 


I heard on the readio the other day that Jordan took a higher percentage of his team's shots than Kobe.  I haven't checked it myself.  Kobe does not have the players on his team that Jordan had.  He does everything Jordan did when Jordan didn't have any players. 

Shaq had me in stiches at the All-Star game... his shoes... his intro... that dunk he did instead of a free throw... the big man knows how to have a good time.   : ok:

who is everyone's favorite players


mine are

Dirk nowitzki
Steve nash
ron artest who is a fuckin beast!

My favourites would probably be:
Steve Nash
Chris Bosh
Tony Parker

I'd like to say Lebron,  I think he needs a little bit more personality.

The players I dislike the most are:
Wince Carter
Allen Iverson
Kobe Bryant

Lebron seems like the fakest dude in the world to me. Like David Stern sit him down and had a whole image team make him over and scripted lines for him and trained him how to act etc.

Dont like guys with zero personality.

Yeah, that's exactly it.  He's just missing something... but he's definetaly an amazing talent with a load of potential.

My favorite all-time player is Reggie Miller.  Some of my other all-time favorites are Mark Jackson, Rik Smits, Dale Davis (I'm a Pacer fan if you didn't realize).  My current favorites are Jermaine O'Neal, Anthony Johnson, Jeff Foster, and Danny Granger is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  Ron Artest is a beast, but he's also the biggest moron I've ever seen.

yep...definitely a Pacer fan.

Same as Eazy, I can tell he's a Toronto fan? :hihi: Chris Bosh? ::)

Mine are:

Ray Allen (always a fan) - he's got the most beautiful jumper of all
Chauncy Billups - Amazng how this guy was just an avarage player in all the teams he's played, and now an all star.
Pau Gasol - Well, I'm a bit biased there obviously, but the guy's numbers are his best ever.? 20 points and almost 10 boards per game + 4.5 assits! Great season for him.
Kobe Bryant - He is the most talented player around. His individual skills are simply amazing. However, he lacks the leadership, charisma and attitude.
Steve Nash - a He reminds a lot of John Stockton. The greatest point-guard ever.

The coaches of the NBA agree with me.   : ok:   Loads of potential and a good person to boot.


Is "the greatest point-guard ever" referring to Nash or Stockton?

He's good that's for sure.? But not that good, he's not even the best of that franchise? :P. There's a spanish point-guard there..I think he's better? ;)



I was referring to John Stockton. He lack the image and charisma the likes of Magic, Isiah, Robertson had but this guy understood the game better than any other point guard in the history.

Hmmm... I haven't come across a spanish guard better than Bosh... I'll have to keep my eyes open.


Who wears short-shorts?  :hihi:

The roster for the 2008 Dream Team is stacked!  A lot of young players on there... but no Iverson?  :o

I've seen that...ridiculous.  :no:

How about Bryant? I haven't seen the complete roster.

Why take AI?  He's been a part of the last 2 teams that played poorly, he's selfish, and his best days are behind him.  Kobe was selected as was Lebron DWade and Melo.  This is a TEAM and not a collection of individuals. 

The point guard for the Raptors in question is Caldaron, he comes off the bench.

LOL, I know who Calderon is... but he's not even remotely close to being better than Bosh. :P

He's actually been in a really bad slump lately, the "rookie wall" I guess.  Charlie Villanueava on the other hand is on fire.  If the Raps were winning games like the Hornets, I'm sure Chris Paul wouldn't have Rookie of the Year as locked up as he does now.

I wasn't saying he was better than Bosh (not even close, Bosh is a stud).  But there seemed to be a question of Caldaron name so I supplied it.  Toronto should improve if Calangelo works his magic there too.

Yeah I know..I was just messing with Eazy.  He said Chris Bosh was aomngst the best nba players today and I replied to him by telling he wasn't all that.  He and I both knew who Jose Calderon was since we'd already talked about him; he's from Toronto and I'm fron Spain.

When all the youth in the NBA matures over the next 3-5 season the talent level in the league will be scary.  Dwight Howard is already a man among boys and he's only 19 or so.  Now if they could only hit jumpers.....

It's already starting to get scary... I still can't get over the 2003 draft: Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade & Chris Kaman!  The NBA is in good hands for awhile.

I'm starting to like James more and more, he has just been on fire lately.  I think the Cavs have won 10 or 11 of their past 12 games.  He's definetaly learning how to perform in clutch situations (I just read on NBA.com he drained another game winner) which he was getting criticized about for awhile.  I tuned into the Cavs .Vs. Heat game about a week back and got hooked watching James and Wade go at it.  In the first quarter I had a feeling James was going to land a triple double, and sure enough I turned the game back on in the fourth just in time to see him dish the ball inside for his 10th assist (which gave Cleveland the game too).

What does everyone think about the playoff situation right now?  I think the Lakers will hang on to the 8th spot in the west and get crushed by the Spurs, but I'd prefer to see a Suns .vs. Lakers series, that would be an offensive spectacle.  I think that the Bulls will boot Philly from the playoffs which would make me really happy...  I remember saying earlier in this thread that I thought the Nets (as much as I hate them) could probably take the East and they have been playing amazing lately.  I'm starting to second guess how they will perform in the playoffs without an inside presence though.  I think Miami would kill them if they ended up in a series.  Cleveland's playing good too... but it will probably end up being Detroit with their great chemistry.

As it looks, it will be better to finish 6th than 5th in the west. The 6th team will play Denver, while the 5th will play either Dallas or San Antonio. I'm pulling for the Grizzles, so I hope they finish 6th.

The East will see Detroit playing New Jersey in the final. I really don't think the Heat will be such a threat. It wouldn't surprise me if they lost in the first round.

Cleveland is well ranked. Looks like they'll play the Wizards. Lebron and the Cavs wil advance but they'll fail to even win a match against Detroit in the semis.


Go Grizzles!

Shaq I believe is playing possum, once the playoffs roll around he is gonna dominate.

Also Jayson Williams and Alonzo Morning have missed significant time here lately which is why they've struggled.

before Zo went out they were on a tremendous run.


NJ are overrated, dont let their 14 game win streak influence u. they beat a lot of teams who already had it packed in for the season. they lost by 20 to Philadelphia.

They arent a contender.

I think Indiana could sneak up on some teams.

WIth Jermaine O Neal fully healthy, if they could get some chemistry and some momentum, they could be tough for someone to eliminate.

Holy Shit... I just noticed that right now there are FOUR teams with losing records that are currently in the playoffs in the L-eastern Conference!  Detroit should really be able to cruise to the finals with the team they have.  I'm pretty confident that the top 4 teams will make up the semis in the East.

What do you guys think about MVP right now?  The Lakers managed to make the playoffs (well, just about), so you could make a case for Kobe.  I guess Nash, Nowitzki, Wade and James are the other possibilities.  I don't think he'd be considered for MVP, but I think Elton Brand has done a great job of getting the Clippers into the playoffs.  It's tough to carry "the worst team in professional sports" into the playoffs.... and with a better record then that OTHER Los Angeles team that was winning championships just a few years back.


I read this somewhere and I thought you guys might like it:

Lebron James on pace to become the youngest player to turn 22.    :hihi: :hihi:

LOL!!!!!!!!! Love that about Lebron but seriously as much Hype as this guy gets, he has lived up to all of it and surpassed it.

I think the MVP is Dirk Nowitzki.

Dallas have the third best record in the league. He is the teams only allstar.

Check out all the injuries Dallas have had to play through:

Keith Van Horn 30 plus games missed
Jerry STackhouse 28 missed games.
Josh Howard 23 missed games
Devin Harris 30  missed games
Marquis Daniels 19 missed games

Dirk has carried Dallas whereas the other guys ahead of him have had more help.

The other guy I think that could win it is LEbron cause like Dirk he hasnt had as much help as the other MVP candidates.

this is a tough year to pick and MVP. so many players had great years.

i'd go with nash. everyone assumed their season was over when amare went down. but nash stepped it up, had an even better year than last year, and led this team to another sucessful season. and he's been dishing the ball to a bunch of no-names all year.

runners up in order: billips, dirk, kobe, iverson, james

If they don't give it to Kobe this year, when will they? I'm not Kobe's #1 fan, but c'mon, he deserves it more than anybody. James has had an amazing season, but not better than Kobe. Besides, Kobe's been in the league forever and never won it, it'd be a slap in the face for him if they gave it to James.

Dirk has also had a good season, so has Billups.? My top three will be Kobe, Dirk and Billups.

I'm suprised you guys are listing Billups... I know he's been having a great year, but there is SO much talent around him.  If Billups struggles, there are enough guys to pick up the slack.  The 4 all-stars said it themselves when they were asked about Kobe's 81: "That would never happen here".  Detroit is an all around great team with a big focus on team play, I couldn't see singling someone out for MVP consideration.

for me, this league is void of true leaders. billups is an exception, and he's the best leader in the league right now.

he's an incredible defender.

he dominated nash the two times they met this year.

and i think he does alot to help his team win, and they win alot.

if kobe played a little more like billups, odom's name would be in the papers a whole lot more. that guy is a stud, and it's a shame he doesn't get a chance to contribute.

I think it's Dirk's year.  You would expect Kobe to win since he has been the best player in the league this year, but the reality is that MVPs only go to players on great teams. 

Remember how Jordan was dominating the league in the mid and late 80s?  He never won MVP those years because the Bulls were not an elite team then.  Will be the same with Kobe this year.

My pick for MVP is Kobe.  He averaged 35 PPG, and without him the Lakers would've been one of the worst teams in all of basketball.  With him they made the playoffs in the tough Western Conference.

Holy shit.... I was periodically checking the stats on the Cavs game and had the feeling Lebron was going to get a triple double... I ended up watching the 4th quarter and sure enough he gets his 10th rebound with less than a minute remaining.  What a playoff debut!   :o

Mavs all the way!

Damn the Spurs looked good today.  Anybody think its gonna be anything else other than a Spurs-Pistons finals.  Both teams are going to be nearly impossible to beat in a 7 game series with home court advantage.

Ron Artest thinks so  :rofl:

Did I hear that right, the Spurs scored 73 points in the first half? 

That was an UGLY 4th quarter breakdown in game 1.  ;D

I know...if the Grizzles are looking to win at least one game, Gasol will sure need more help from the likes of Battier, Jones, Wright...

Look at them Clippers. It'd funny if they advanced and the lakers don't. What would the hollywood stars do then? go to a Clippers game?  :nervous:

Kings' Artest suspended for one game

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Ron Artest's reputation might have caught up to him at a terrible time for the Sacramento Kings.

The NBA suspended Artest on Monday for Game 2 of the Kings' first-round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.

Stu Jackson, the league's top disciplinarian, said Artest's elbow to Manu Ginobili's head in the series opener was egregious enough to warrant another suspension for the man who missed 73 games and the playoffs last season after one of the most infamous brawls in sports history.

But after their difficult playoff task got exponentially harder, the Kings suggested Artest was punished simply for being Ron Artest, possibly the most notorious player of his generation.

''You know with Ron's questionable past, they're going to look for a way to get him,'' said Bonzi Wells, who will get many of Artest's defensive assignments. ''Whether it's minor or major, they're going to look at it in a different way.''


 
 
 
The one-game suspension caught both Artest's teammates and the Spurs completely by surprise, because neither club thought the personal foul was even worthy of post-game comment, much less a suspension nearly 48 hours after the fact.

Artest was at the AT&T Center for practice Monday, but the focal point of Sacramento's midseason turnaround won't be in uniform Tuesday night when the Kings play Game 2 against the defending league champions.

''I talked to Stu Jackson, which was encouraging,'' Artest said in a brief, apologetic statement after his usual post-practice shooting workout. ''There have been a lot of things that have happened in my career which (were) unfair. I support my teammates, and hopefully they'll win the game, and I'll be back Friday (for Game 3).''

The league cited Artest for his foul on Ginobili in the third quarter of the Spurs' 122-88 victory. Ginobili caught Artest's elbow in his jaw while attempting to run through the lane, and the Argentine star fell to the ground as Artest got a personal foul.

Though Spurs coach Gregg Popovich jumped off the bench to argue for a flagrant foul, Ginobili got right back up, and the game continued. Afterward, Ginobili said he wasn't injured on the play and didn't consider it particularly serious, while Popovich said he had no problem with Artest's aggressive style of play.

''I didn't even see the play, but it couldn't have been that bad,'' said Mike Bibby, who declared himself ''amazed'' by the league's decision.

''There was no flagrant foul or technical foul on the play. They look at things differently for certain people, you could say.''

Popovich said the Spurs didn't even contact the NBA about the play, something many teams - including the Kings - will do for any questionable play, particularly in the playoffs.

Ginobili was shocked when he heard about the suspension after practice at the Spurs' suburban training complex.

''For us it's good, because he's a great player, but we don't have much to do with it,'' Ginobili said. ''It didn't hurt me. I said it after the game. But the league (watches) everything we do.''

Artest was injured on the game's opening possession when Ginobili inadvertently elbowed him hard in the face while driving to the hoop. Artest's feet flew out from under him, and he stayed down for several moments before jogging around the court in pain from a cut that required three stitches to close.

Ginobili alluded to the Kings' theory that Artest was being punished partly for his history of misbehaviour and hard-nosed play, which also included aggressive shots to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in Game 1.

Popovich wouldn't speculate on such ideas, instead finding a way to worry about how the absence of the Kings' emotional leader and defensive star actually could hurt the Spurs.

''Sometimes it can be your worst nightmare when a good player is out on another team, because everybody else can pick up their games,'' Popovich said. ''We're not going to change a whole lot. I'm more concerned about the mental part of the deal for us.''

Artest mostly guarded Ginobili in Game 1 and scored 16 points on 7-of-21 shooting. The Spurs routed Sacramento with a 41-point second quarter, taking a quick 30-point lead and turning the entire second half into garbage time.

Kevin Martin will move into the Kings' starting lineup at guard, with Wells moving to small forward. Martin probably will get the unpleasant task of guarding Parker, who burned the Kings for 25 points in three quarters.

Artest's defence made little difference while the Spurs scored 73 points in the first half of Game 1, making 68 per cent of their shots and cruising to a 34-point lead. And perhaps his absence will inspire the passion that was missing in his teammates while San Antonio won Game 1 - or perhaps the Kings are headed for an 0-2 deficit heading home.

''I think the Spurs are going to play the same no matter who's out there,'' Kings coach Rick Adelman said. ''When I looked at the tape, I thought it's possible they'll send a message and (upgrade) it to a flagrant foul, but I had no idea they would suspend him.''

This was some fucking bullshit.

I hate David Stern so much.

That forearm was nothing.

Oh well. NBA national bullshit association.

 :rofl:

I haven't seen the play... It didn't come up on any sports news as a "big play".   :-\

As if things weren't tough enough already for the Kings.

I don't think that Artest should've been suspended, but its pretty damn funny to me.  Peja may have had a pretty shitty game against the Nets in Game 1, but he's not gonna get himself suspended.

Congratulations to Nash on the MVP.  Still gotta get past the Lakers. 

I've checked the nba site and saw nothing about Nash winning the MVP...

If my memory doesn't fail me here...the MVP is usually given during the NBA conference finals (still a few weeks to go..)

Its usually given during the 2nd round...but some Arizona newspaper leaked it last week.

Just for the record....Kobe is god.

The Lakers are just one win away to send the Suns home. Amazing play by Kobe hitting that jumper at the buzzer...

Kobe is doing what he's supposed to make his team win. He's getting his teammates involved, even Kwame Brown is playing good.  :o

I caught the highlights of the Lakers game... and damn... Kobe was clutch.  I think I also saw a statistic saying there have only been 7 teams that have come back from a 3-1 series (of course it may be more likely now that the first round is a 7 game series).

I think the team I most want to see do well are the Clippers.  They have such good chemisty and I'm not suprised they're beating the enver Nuggets.  I think it works out that they will play the Lakers if they both move on.  It will be Jack Nicholson Vs. Billy Crystal.   : ok:

Or Jack Nicholson vs. Frankie Muniz

..And the Grizzles remain win-less in the post-season. They hold a pretty impressive record: 0-12.

I guess I'm now pulling for the Wizards and Clippers.

The Suns-Lakers series has been amazing.  There's been great basketball, drama, and the constant threat of a full-scale brawl - what more can you ask?

It's also been a perfect stage for the Kobe-Nash MVP debate.  I think Nash has been more valuable to the Suns than Kobe to the Lakers.  If Nash was on the Lakers, Lamar Odom would be scoring 40 pts a game and other talented players they have would also be contributing significantly more (e.g., Walton, Brown).  If the Suns win, you can't argue that its because the Suns have a better supporting cast than the Lakers - other than Marion, the Suns don't have any players who accomplished much before this season playing with Nash (and by the way, Odom is thoroughly outplaying Marion in this series).

Diaw and Thomas have really stepped it up for the Suns.  I think game 7 will bring the regular season Kobe back.  He will feel that it is all up to him so he'll force shots and the Suns will win.

I guess you're now pulling for the Clippers.   :P

That was a heartbreaker for Arenas.  He nailed a HUGE 3-ball but missed the two free throws in OT.  He just looked drained and shook up after he missed those shots.  James has amazed me once again, I never thought he would hit that game winner in Game 5.. and now the Cavs are in the second round.

The Lakers-Suns series has been really entertaining.  I had a feeling the Suns would be able to rally back to at least a game 7, as far as tomorrow goes... I think it could go either way.  I'm going to say the Suns take the series.  They've got all of the momentum and the crowd is going to be eletric.  They just need to keep the tempo up!

I have absolutely no confidence in the Lakers.  During the 4th quarter/OT of game 6 everyone other than Kobe was afraid to take a shot. 

Nash has definitely had a great series.  Diaw is having an unbelievable series as well.  Without a doubt he is most improved player.

As far as game 7 goes.....it makes me go back to game 7 vs. the blazers in 2000.  The Lakers coudn't finish that team off and then had to come back from 15 down.  I predict either a suns 25+ blowout or a close laker win.

havent watched 1 full game this year

i like how phoenix is playing but they aint got defense

What a bandwagoner Jack Nicholson is!   :hihi:

Is LeBron going to take the Cavs to the conference finals?  I've watched the last three games and I'm just amazed that the Pistons haven't picked up their game.

Dont know what are  u talkin' about,but this was 2005/2006 season:))

Yeah, but we've just been discussing the NBA in general in this thread... not my fault the person who started the thread hasn't edited it!

Why 2004/05?

This season, Go Mavs! First time in the Finals ever. And I hope they beat Miami (2005/06 season).

this should be an interesting series. there's all kinds of mismatches. shaq could go insane and just take the whole thing over. this could end in 5.

but i really like a. johnson as a coach, and it wouldn't surprise me if he finds a way to neutralize shaq.

and miami doesn't really have an answer for nowitski.

tough series to call.

Miami Heat.. Your 2006 NBA CHAMPIONS! :peace:  :beer:

Shaq, Wade.. and, um, and, well thats about it.. :hihi:
Heat win in 6 games, was hopin the Suns would be in the finals.. but theres alwayz next year when they get Amare back! : ok:

I'll also go on record saying Heat in 6.