The 2008/2009 NBA season thread

[D]

I just think LA are too soft for this Magic team

Bynum can't guard Howard
Pau Gasol don't have a chance against Howard

Howard can stop Gasol inside
Pietrus should be able to bother Kobe some of course u aren't gonna stop Kobe

Alston over Fish
If Gasol has to guard Rashard Lewis or Turkolou he is fucked as he cant guard guys on the perimeter

Orlando are athletic enough to bother LA also

[crow316]

Orlando has a deadly inside out type of game. But they live or die by the 3. And saying Gasol is fucked because he cant guard Hedo is false logic. Hedo cant guard him underneath, so we'll have to wait to see how that plays out. It should be a fun series.
  As far as bringing up the "LeBron has no team" b.s.  Save it.  All year long its been, "Lebron FINALLY has a team.." blah, blah, blah.  He had a team good enough for the best record. They became cocky, and LeBron believed his own hype. LeBron is playing with two all-stars. He has a team. He's the one who wants to take over the game to the detriment of his team. This gives him his stats that you are so proud of.   Its also why he's not playing Thursday.

[D]

2 all stars?

WHAT?

Mo Williams was an all star because 2 other dudes picked ahead of him got injured

who's the second?

Name one other guy on that team besides Mo Williams that can average anywhere near 20ppg

U can't

Delonte West couldn't start for any other playoff team, Varejao couldn't either

I am not going to sit here and say they suck,but regular season talent, and playoff talent are two entirely different things.

When the stage gets higher, the cream rises to the top

Lebron's players couldnt elevate their games and shrunk under the lights.

[D]

Uh Oh LA

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)?Orlando is evaluating All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson(notes) for a possible return to the Magic lineup for the NBA finals that begin Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Magic spokesman Joel Glass said on Sunday that Nelson?s rehabilitation from a shoulder injury is ahead of schedule but that his status remains uncertain.

Nelson has been out since early February with what had been called a season-ending shoulder tear.

Magic president Bob Vander Weide told The Orlando Sentinel after Saturday?s win against Cleveland that he wanted Nelson to take another MRI and consult with doctors for a possible comeback.

Nelson has been working out and has said he has full range of motion. But Magic general manager Otis Smith has repeatedly said there is no way Nelson could return this season.

[faldor]

2 all stars?

WHAT?

Mo Williams was an all star because 2 other dudes picked ahead of him got injured

who's the second?

Name one other guy on that team besides Mo Williams that can average anywhere near 20ppg

U can't

Delonte West couldn't start for any other playoff team, Varejao couldn't either

I am not going to sit here and say they suck,but regular season talent, and playoff talent are two entirely different things.

When the stage gets higher, the cream rises to the top

Lebron's players couldnt elevate their games and shrunk under the lights.

That's easy to say now, but I didn't hear anyone saying that after they swept the first 2 series in the playoffs.  I heard a lot of people say they might not lose a game in the playoffs, not Lebron doesn't have a good enough supporting cast.  It's easy to pile on that bandwagon now that they lost. 

[w.axl.rose]

Uh Oh LA

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)?Orlando is evaluating All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson(notes) for a possible return to the Magic lineup for the NBA finals that begin Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Magic spokesman Joel Glass said on Sunday that Nelson?s rehabilitation from a shoulder injury is ahead of schedule but that his status remains uncertain.

Nelson has been out since early February with what had been called a season-ending shoulder tear.

Magic president Bob Vander Weide told The Orlando Sentinel after Saturday?s win against Cleveland that he wanted Nelson to take another MRI and consult with doctors for a possible comeback.

Nelson has been working out and has said he has full range of motion. But Magic general manager Otis Smith has repeatedly said there is no way Nelson could return this season.

that old news.

[D]

CLe beat a shitty Detroit team and an injured laden Hawks team

no big deal

The media are idiots anyway

A team wins game 1 its over

they lose game 2 and they are the shittiest team ever

I try to not listen much to the prisoner of the moment media

[faldor]

CLe beat a shitty Detroit team and an injured laden Hawks team

no big deal

The media are idiots anyway

A team wins game 1 its over

they lose game 2 and they are the shittiest team ever

I try to not listen much to the prisoner of the moment media

I agree, but now the media is saying the Cleveland team they were pumping up all year isn't good enough outside of Lebron.  I just think it may be a bit of an overreaction.

[crow316]

Mo was an all-star. Even though he had to have two guys go down before he could be selected, there were a LOT of people, including LeBron, that said that he should have been selected originally.  Z was also an All Star.  So, no matter how you slice it, LeBron was playing with TWO all-stars.  Not a bunch of scrubs like its being spun.
    I like how Detroit and Atlanta are "bad teams" now, but before this last series, everyone was saying how great Cleveland was and how great they were playing when they beat them.  When it comes to LeBron, its all spin and hype. Thats why I have a problem with him.  Do you honestly think that the media would be making excuses for Kobe if he walked off the floor and ran out the back door like a spoiled punk? 

[D]

It isnt lebron's fault though the media suck his dick

I kinda feel bad for the guy cause I honestly don't think people will give him his just due and acknowledge his true greatness thanks to Nike and the NBA for trying to make him this big thing

I hated him for a long time cause of that Witness shit and the NBA'sbullshit way of pushing people down your throat

then I realized how great he is and how humble he is and he is a pretty decent guy.


I was never a fan of MJ cause of the same shit.

Look at his playoff

not many have put up those kinds of numbers.

[Sober_times]

Lebron James is a great player. A great player with a mediocre supporting cast. End of story. He will never win a championship in Cleveland with the supporting cast he has. NEVER. They are a few pieces away. He can't trust his players to perform consistently. Game five the people around him play great. Game six they play like shit. I mean 10 foot jumpers and three point shots these guys have nailed turn into airballs. Pathetic. Except Mo, who played great last night but he too can be inconsistent.

I do give all the credit to Orlando for limiting Lebron in game 6. Just like they limited Pierce to win game 7 of that series. Pierce went 2 quarters without scoring a point. I'm anxious to see what they do against Kobe. And I am very anxious to see how the Lakers attempt to contain Howard.

Lakers miss another opportunity to get Kobe a Shaq-less ring. Orlando in 6 and with it comes some long overdue respect for Mr. Stan Van Gundy. Who through all of his faults deserves to be known as a good NBA coach.

Of course I hate the lakers so maybe my prediction comes with some prejudice. 

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Mo Williams' guarantee.

What happened?

I was glad the Cavs were eliminated, but then I turn on the TV and they are still talking about them and how LeQueen is going to New York?

WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?!!!

[crow316]

A great player with a mediocre supporting cast. End of story.

They weren't considered mediocre until they lost. Thats the point I was making earlier. Now the NBA and ESPN have to save LeBron's image, so his teammates are being thrown under the bus.  I actually agree to an extent with what D was saying about them being a regular season team.  I was saying before the playoffs that the Cavs were playing full-bore to get the best record, and wouldnt be able to change gears for the play-offs.

[Ignatius]

2 all stars?

WHAT?

Mo Williams was an all star because 2 other dudes picked ahead of him got injured

who's the second?

Name one other guy on that team besides Mo Williams that can average anywhere near 20ppg

U can't

Delonte West couldn't start for any other playoff team, Varejao couldn't either

I am not going to sit here and say they suck,but regular season talent, and playoff talent are two entirely different things.

When the stage gets higher, the cream rises to the top

Lebron's players couldnt elevate their games and shrunk under the lights.

First of all, you keep doing the same thing over and over...if Lebron had Gasol and Bynum, if Lebron had a different suporting cast, if Atlanta hadn't been injured, if Detroit were a better team, If Yao had played against the lakers...man, you need to stop that already.

The Cavs lost cause they got beaten by a better TEAM. Lebron had huge numbers in the series - although he left the worst for last (Lebron scored 25 points and had 7 assists in their last game, that's way below his series average), but was that enough for the Cavs? No.

This team, including Lebron, is just not playoff material yet. When the big days come, they vanish just like the Dallas Mavericks out west. Dallas, the never ending promising team with such phenomenal players in the past 5-7 years and they are yet to ACCOMPLISH anything. They even lost a first round series against Golden State not too long ago as the West number 1 ranked team.

Cleveland is pretty much the same. They have a huge star, good supporting cast but they simply don't deliver when they have to. Simple as that. Orlando - on the other side - did what they had to do in order to win this. Played like a team.

[gilee7]

I think it's hilarious. I don't like Lebron just because everybody sucks his dick. It's not really fair to dislike a guy for that, but it gets annoying constantly hearing about how amazing he is. All of my friends hopped on the Cleveland bandwagon early on this season, and we've had many debates on the Kobe vs. Lebron thing, with me being the only one in Kobe's corner. Everyone was picking Cleveland to win it all, and now they're not even in the Finals.

Although now everybody's jumped on the Orlando bandwagon and thinks that they're so great just because they beat the Cavs. I think the Lakers are the best team in the NBA; I think they have been all year long. Cleveland is pretty much a one man show and their coach sucks. Their only "gameplan" in the playoffs was to give Lebron the ball and see what he does with it. The Lakers have Phil Jackson, a guy who's won 9 championships. He actually coaches instead of saying, "Just give the ball to Kobe and everyone else stand around and watch."

I think it'll be a good series, a close series. But I'm picking the Lakers in 6. Kobe finally proves he can win a ring without Shaq.

[Mal Brossard]

Calling Z an all-star at this point in his career is ridiculous.  He was in 2003 and 2005, but that's 4 years ago.  He's lost a step, BIG time.  He's not an all-star anymore, so to say Lebron has two all-stars around him is ridiculous.

[crow316]

In the NBA, once an All-Star, you are always considered an all-star. I know he isnt what he used to be. But he is still good enough to be in the starting line-up. My point is, he aint no scrub. LeBron has talent on his team.

[D]

what kind of nonsense is that Crow?

being an all star a few years ago and being barely able to run up the court in 09 is entirely different.

I'll give u that Lebron didn't play great in 4th quarters but probably cause he was tired from carrying a cast of guys who shrunk on the big stage and didn't help


If u watched the series, U would see tons of easy open shots lebron got his teammates and they blew em.

He doesn't have any frontcourt guys anywhere near pau Gasol or Lamar Odom's level.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Let us rejoice.

I found a ticket on TicketMaster!  Game 6!  I get to see the Magic celebrate on my home floor, but I wouldn't be surprised if Orlando closes things out at home.

$175 for nosebleeds. 

[Eazy E]

Did you sign up to be an Orlando Magic insider or something?  I was thinking about trying for tickets, but I thought they didn't go on sale for a few days.