The NBA Thread

[Gilly]

Don't you think if the Knicks had all their players they'd be up 2-0? I hate the Knicks especially now that they have Carmelo, but it seems to me that they would have won those games if healthy.

[senorcorazon]

The Celtics are just a better team -- they've got guys who can make plays all over the court whereas the Knicks have Jared Jeffries.

The Knicks don't know how to win games, by which I mean the nonsense that happens at the end of playoff basketball games. I'm looking at you, KG, with the tripping and the shoving. The conclusion of playoff games is either the fluid glory of Robert Horry sinking an outside shot, or the filthy thuggery of Robert Horry shoving people at the very end. The Knicks can't do either of those correctly.

[jbissell]

The same can also clearly be said of the Pacers. All of them looked absolutely terrified of shooting in the last few minutes of Games 1 & 2.

[Greggulator]

If the Knicks had a healthy Chauncey and a healthy Amare, they'd be a lot more competitive. But they had all of those guys healthy for Game 1 (until Chauncey got hurt) and lost.

The Knicks don't have anywhere close to the depth the Celts have. Landry Fields is a nice roleplaying rookie but that's about it. Tony Douglas is capable of knocking down a shot or two but aside from that, he can't give you much. Rodney Turiaf plays with a lot of energy and is clearly the most entertaining player while on the bench in the league, but he's not much more than that. Jared Jeffries is getting big minutes, and he's pretty much shot.

It's pretty spectacular that the Knicks have played the Celts as tight as they have. It's a credit to Mike D'Antoni and to the team. But they're playing as well as they possibly can. The only way that they pull the series out is if, somehow overnight, they figure out  a way to get both Melo and Amare having crazy games at the same time, and that's going to be really hard to do since they both pound the ball a lot (Melo more than Amare) before making a move. Compare that to the Celts, where Rondo and PP and Ray and KG play together pretty seamlessly and the role players all know how to show up.

I think the Knicks are going to be a lot better next season but this isn't their year.

I didn't see any OKC last night but that team is really well-equipped to go on a run. If JR Smith's comments are to be believed, Denver's completely folded the tents -- a trademark of a George Karl team. The OKC team seems to have really upped it to another level lately and KD could very well be the best player alive at the current moment, with Russell Westbrook playing out of his mind, as well.

[gravy boat]

I have recently scrambled up the side of the Memphis bandwagon and I am enjoying the ride.  I always liked Zach Randolph and it's good to see him on a winning team.  This team can go deep. 

Darrel Arthur had the sequence of the playoffs last night -- blocked shot on D followed by a hustle move to get to the alley oop.  http://dimemag.com/2011/04/darrell-arthur-swats-tony-parker-then-crushes-on-tiago-splitter/

[senorcorazon]

Thank god for the Grizzlies and Hornets and Hawks for shaking up the postseason. Amazing so far. How much fun would a Grizzlies-Thunder series be?!

[Andy]

Kevin durant is one of the best things to happen to OKC in a long time. A great player and ambassador for the city.

[Gilly]

If he becomes the face of the league, I hope he stays as humble as he is now but develops a little bit of a personality as well. I can see the media wearing him down.

[TheeChrisDee]

Thank god for the Grizzlies and Hornets and Hawks for shaking up the postseason. Amazing so far. How much fun would a Grizzlies-Thunder series be?!

I'm not sure how Memphis recovers from that game last night.  Spurs are taking that series.

I think the Thunder need to have a series against the Spurs to prove their mettle

[Pregnant Pause]

Playoffs have been great so far, but it is a little frustrating that all the cool likable teams keep bumping up against each other.  First OKC has to play Denver, and now Memphis, while we're treated to the two way tie for last Celts-Miami in the East.  Chicago vs anyone from the West would be such a great finals.

Also, as one of like 9 sixers fans, I was quietly impressed with their play.  Even though they lost, I think Andre Iguodala had his best game I can remember in game 5.  Evan Turner didn't back down the whole series.  If they could somehow land themselves a competent big man, they could be a mid level contender. 

[TheeChrisDee]

as a Celtics fan I was much more worried about facing the 76ers in the first round. The Sixers defensive matchups vs the C's scared me.

I thought they would make it a long series, and thought maybe The Knicks had an outside shot of upsetting the Heat.

Grizz/Thunder should start off fun, but I think the Thunder take care of business early.

I'm picking the Mavs to take down the Lakers (ok I'm hoping).

Bulls roll over the Hawks, who cares about the regular season troubles the Bulls had with ATL.

Celtics/Heat could go either way.  I have no prediction.

[jbissell]

Bulls roll over the Hawks, who cares about the regular season troubles the Bulls had with ATL.

I assume you're joking. The Bulls lost by 3 the first time they played in early March. Noah was still getting healthy and Rose had a lousy game. The 2 times they played later in March the Bulls won by 18 in Chicago and 33 in Atlanta.

Round 2 predictions:
I would've said Thunder in 6, but with Memphis winning game 1, I say Thunder in 7.
Lakers over Mavs in 7.
I'm actually expecting the Bulls to have an easier time with the Hawks than the Pacers. Bulls in 5.
I really have no idea about Heat-Celtics. I guess I'd take the Heat in 7, but if Rondo plays like he did in Round 1, I could see Boston winning. I'd also much rather have the Bulls play the Celtics in the Conference Finals.

[TheeChrisDee]

my bad, i thought the hawks beat 'em twice this year.

[jbissell]

my bad, i thought the hawks beat 'em twice this year.

Clearly you were just predicting the game last night. The Bulls looked flat for most of the first quarter. It was the 3rd playoff game I've been to at the United Center over the last 3 years and the crowd was just dead (amazing the change in the expectations for an 8 seed vs. a 1), except for a little stretch when they took the lead in the 3rd and looked like they were going to pull away. Josh Smith tried to shoot the Hawks out of the game for a while, but then Johnson and Crawford couldn't miss in the 2nd half and that was that. It was bizarre to see Rose not attempt a single free throw the entire game and I really don't think the Bulls can win if he's not getting to the line because the offense just isn't good enough without the cushion of those free shots. They also can't spot the Hawks a big lead and then make a comeback at the end of the game like against the Pacers. The Hawks have several guys that not only aren't afraid to shoot at the end of the game, they're actually capable of making those shots. I still think the Bulls will take the series, probably in 6, but it was not a good way to start the series. Not to mention Rose re-tweeking his ankle in the closing seconds.

[Greggulator]

Mavs/Lakers has a TON of potential for awesomeness. The commentators were spot-on last night: Two of the best finishers in the game w/ Kobe and Dirk going at it.

I can get behind a big Mavs run to the finals, even if it's over OKC. Dirk has managed to become the most underrated player of his generation. His reputation was ruined the year the Mavs choked against GSW -- completely ridiculous that his star fell that quickly considering Kobe missed the playoffs one year and didn't get any demotion in status. He's easily the best international player of all-time (I count Hakeem as an American) and, since he entered the league, one of its five best players in one of the greatest eras in terms of individual talent.

J-Kidd is also really slept on. I think he's totally taken for granted. He essentially reinvented the point guard position with his constant triple-double potential. He's not as great as he once was but is still pretty effective and, despite him not being much of a shooter, I'll always trust him in a big spot.

I also love JJ Barea. The "sparkplug off the bench from a small college" template has been a long favorite of mine. He's so friggin' feisty on the court. He has JR Smith syndrome of being able to shoot a team out of a game, but if he's on he's just such a great weapon.

As far as the Bulls: They go as far as Derrick Rose takes them. The only other guy who can really create his own shot is Luol Deng, who is decent but isn't someone I'd count on to take over a game. The Bulls are all defense and need to shut folks down to win. They couldn't do that last night. They nearly crapped the bed against a pretty bad Indiana team. I hope they step up because they're the only likable team in the east left.

KD also talked about the Osama stuff. He was living in DC and saw the wreckage from the Pentagon. He said that he was really happy that we got Osama but, as a Christian, didn't believe in celebrating someone's death. Religion and sports is so trite at this point but I 100% believe that KD is a genuine, kind kid with a heart of gold.

These games this year could not possibly be better.