NBA 2004/2005

[Ignatius]

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!

[D]

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.

[Eazy E]

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.   

[D]

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.

[sandman]

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

[Ignatius]

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.

[Eazy E]

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.

[sandman]

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.

[GeorgeSteele]

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.

[Rob]

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.

[Eazy E]

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!   

[Krispy Kreme]

Mavs all the way!

[Rob]

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.

[Eazy E]

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 

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

[Eazy E]

Go Grizzles!

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

[Ignatius]

Go Grizzles!

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

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? 

[Eazy E]

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.''

[D]

This was some fucking bullshit.

I hate David Stern so much.

That forearm was nothing.

Oh well. NBA national bullshit association.

[Eazy E]

Oh well. NBA national bullshit association.

 

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.

[Rob]

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.