Avery is out.

I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. Was it really his fault? Was it DanTony's fault that the Sun's lost?

I kinda have to say yes. They both failed to adjust their team to their players.

I think a really good example of someone doing just that is Adleman (who, not surprisingly, was my pick for coach of the year). I mean, he lost a 7'6" 20 and 10 guy, and they kept winning. They are giving the Jazz a run for their money with three hobbled guys( alston, tracy, battier)

How are they still winning? Gotta be the coach.

Why didn't the Mavs win? Gotta be the coach...right?

So called ESPN "Experts"

ESPN Playoffs

Today I was looking at ESPN and I noticed they had a piece called the Expert Picks in the playoffs section. So I checked it out to see which teams these so called "experts" picked to advance from the first round.

It was pretty sad. I mean, I think all of our picks are better and we don't watch every game let alone write articles for ESPN. There are 10 experts on the page. I'll go over a few of their "awesome" picks:

7/10 experts picked the Suns to beat the Spurs. Good call fellas. Idiots.

6/10 experts picked Dallas to beat New Orleans. Dallas? Really? Isn't Dallas the team that we were HOPING the Rockets could play in the first round? Hasn't Dallas totally gotten worse since the Kidd trade? Weren't they like 0-10 against the other West teams in the playoffs? Didn't they get beat in the first round last year by Golden State? How the hell could you pick Dallas to beat NO? Especially 6 out of 10 so called Experts.

5/10 experts picked the Wizards to win. This one is not as bad and I know the Wiz could still win, so we'll see. But I'm pretty sure Cleveland has this series in the bag.

6/10 experts picked Detroit to win but in 5 games, which can't happen now. I know what you're saying, "At least they picked Detroit." But how much did we talk about how good Philly was before the playoffs started? Patrick had Detroit in 7 and Jeremy picked them in 6.

The last one I'd like to point out is that all 10 experts picked the Jazz to win. Which, obviously is wrong. Just you wait and see!

rule consistancy

I did not think it was fair last year when PHX lost two guys for a game because they put, like, one foot on the floor after Horry hipchecked Nash. But taht was the rule at the time so i thought, "well, they gotta do it i guess, but they shoudl change that rule of the off season."

The rule was not changed, as far as i know.

Then, in the last BOS-ATL game, there was a a mini skirmish started with Garnett and Zaza. Each team had a guy take a step on the floor, and nothing was done about it. I think they need to officially decide what they are gonna do in that situation. They can't sometimes enforce rule, and others let it slide.

Personally, i think they should basically toss that rule and make judgements on a case by case basis. All 4 people (the two from PHX and the two from that last game) did not really go toward the action, they just kinda took a step from their bench, which is something that actually happenes all the time for various reasons.

But if i was PHX, i would kinda be pissed they got totally screwed by that rule, and then the next guys to do it, were completely let off.


================

One more thing, two guys (Deshawn Stevenson and i forget who else) were fined for what, i think, were called "menacing gestures."

Did anyone see these menacing gestures? I am really curious to know exactly what was done. Just cause i want to know what the heck "menacing Gestures" means.

So if you know what they were, describe for me the gestures in question:D

NOH-SAS

What up! what up! How awesome is this series going to be!? I want to see predictions. Yup, again, i don't care.

I can't decide which idea to go with when predicting. If the spurs play like they did in game 5 i think NOH will take it. NOH plays better D than PHX. SAS is going to need ALL three of the big three-not just a couple of them, like they got away with this game, imo.

But then, how can you argue with SAS's experience. They always know how to get things done. Again, look to game 5. They had a lot of things not working for them, but still they took that game. They complete threw off Nash, he looked like a regular ol' PG in that game. Also, PHX made a lot of careless mistakes down the stretch, but old reliable SAS did not. Offensive sets may not have been pretty, but they took care of the ball throughout the fourth.

I feel like inexperience matters very little to CP. And his mindset is assimiliated by the rest of the team. I guess the question is, can CP be contained. Nash is awesome, and he was contained. I don't know though, i can't see CP going down like that.

So i guess i am going to go with NOH over SAS in this one.
=============

I never seen Nash flop so many times b4. He's been hanging out with Dirk Falldownski too much maybe. Thankfully, none of his silly flops were called. As for dirk in his last game, jeebus, don't even get me started. What does he weigh? like 95 pounds?

NBA, "Feel free to light up"

"NBA players are required to undergo four random tests every season between Oct. 1 and June 30. But a player who tests positive for marijuana is not subjected to his first five-game suspension -- or even public knowledge he has failed a drug test -- until his third failed test. "

I was really surprised to see how lax the NBA is on weed. You are tested 4 times, and you have to fail 3 of them before you get in trouble? Lol, what a deterent.

You don't have to be high to have Weed affect you. It has a very long half-life. Things may feel normal to you, but your thinking and, i imagine, your reactions are still slowed down a bit.

Obviously, you know i don't care if they are baked out of their minds all offseason. But i would not be pleased to hear all the Pistons got really blown some night a day or two before a big game (like say, before game 3 perhaps). It is hard to say exactly what effect it will have on their play, but it would still be enough for me to worry about it.

Mike Woodson

don't know much about ATLs coach, but he's been there 4 years now and every year they do way better than the year before.

Team	Year	Regular Season				Post Season
		G	W	L	PCT	Finish	Result
ATL	2004-05	82	13	69	.159	5th in Southeast	Missed Playoffs
ATL	2005-06	82	26	56	.317	5th in Southeast	Missed Playoffs
ATL	2006-07	82	30	52	.366	5th in Southeast	Missed Playoffs
ATL	2007-08	82	37	45	.451	3rd in Southeast	In Progress

but the real reason i'm making this post is because he shaved his head on a bet. he bet his team that if they made the playoffs he would shave his head. they did, and so he did.
now i may be soft on baldys, but that seems ultra cool to me. i wonder how long the bet was standing before they finally made the playoffs. i mean, how often do we see coaches do silly shit like that these days? i like it.

and now i expect jer to explain the origins of the bet and the history behind the relationship between mike woodson and the atlanta hawks. i know you've already researched it man, don't lie. freak.

Detroit FaceMasks

Had to sign in again really quick after seeing this:D I love it!

Playoff Review

So, what has suprised you so far? What has been exactly as you suspected.

Surprised:

Philly and Detroit tied at 2-2
--I have liked Philly's game since January, but I never thought they'd look this good. Even in game 4, they were dominate in the first half.

Boston up 2-1
--Everyone thought they would sweep, and there is no doubt they will still win it, but maybe this will bring people down to earth on the Celtics.

San Antonio up 3-1
--First two games were really close...as expected. Then two blow-outs. Nice effort on game 4, but the Suns really needed to win game 3.

Not surprised:

Lakers up 3-0
--Denver is a head-case. They need to trade someone for someone who will just muscle and not talk.

NO up 3-1
--They've looked really solid. Its too bad Paul won't get MVP, cause he deserves it.

Fat-Time Show

How many years have NBA teams been having fat guys dance (with midriff shirts) for entertainment now? 3 years? Blows my mind.

When the first team organization did it, i thought the natural response would be, "god that was awful; what were they thinking." Instead, it seems to be, "Dang that is cool; we need fat guys dancing at our arena!"

No offense to anyone on this blog that loves dancing fat men.

I heart refs part 2

This was a foul on Scola. No joke.

Tom Thibodeau: Deau'ing the Van Gundy

Anybody heard of Tom Thibodeau? Maybe one of you Rockets fans? Well… I heard someone refer to him as the Celtic’s defensive wiz the other day and that peaked my interest. I just got around to reading a little more about him. Pretty interesting. Sounds like he’s a possibility for the New York job too.

Here’s a few articles that are decent:
Bio1: http://www.nba.com/coachfile/tom_thibodeau/index.html
Bio2: http://www.nba.com/celtics/roster/coaches/tom-thibodeau.html

Rockets’ post Post-Season ’07: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4819325.html
Move to Boston: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-28-299/Talking-to-Celtic-Assistant-Coach-Tom-Thibodeau.html
Move to Boston 2: http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2007/11/01/thibodeau_is_celtics_minister_of_defense/
Knicks job: http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/ny-spknix235660860apr23,0,4802646.story

Looking at his coaching history you gotta know Van Gundy’s philosophies are paramount to him.

It also explains to me why Doc Rivers all of sudden had one of the best defensive teams in modern NBA history when I hadn’t seen any evidence he would (or could) concentrate so heavily on it before the season. I tried to find any evidence that Ainge made the hire/choice but I doubt a good organization would admit to any such thing for fear of demeaning the head coach.

Just out of curiosity I checked and the 2007-08 Boston Celtics held their opponents to an average FG% under .420 (.419). Discounting the strike year (‘98-’99) and another anomaly season (’03-’04 – first season the zone was allowed?), they’re only the 5th team since 1980 to accomplish that feat.

The other 4: 1997 Spurs, 1999 Lakers, 2000 Knicks, 2000 Spurs.

What a difference a starter makes.

8-14 from the field
4-8 from 3pt

5 assists

and only 1 TO

But what he really brought was the fact that Utah could no longer double and triple team Tracy all game long. So, Tracy finally made a shot in the 4th q.

I guess I was way off on the home team winning every game.

Did yall see that fan get kicked out? Thats the first time I've ever seen that.

No Bynum

I predicted the Lakers would go to the finals assuming Bynum would come back.

"Lakers coach Phil Jackson acknowledged Monday for the first time that injured center Andrew Bynum's chances of playing again this season were 'remote.'"

To me, this throws a big problem in the Lakers plans.

How big of an impact do yall think this will have?

beating dead horses

I'm sorry, i can't seem to leave it alone. But haircut, have you seen Dwight Howards stats so far this postseason. Say "uncle."

I heart refs

Doubt you guys watched the houston utah game, but once again, a flop changed the game. AK threw his arms up, and it was enough to get a call from the ref when it was an off the ball foul with 40 seconds to go in a play off game where Houston was down 3 and shooting a three pointer, which went in.

I just wish they would let em play. I couldn't even watch the Was-Cle game cause it was halted every other play because of some call.

Let em play!

Jeff Van Gundy

Ever since he was fired, i been enjoying his commentary. I don't think i knew anything about his personality when he was a coach. But now i have learned what a goofy bastard he is. I mean that in a good way. He is always saying rediculous things. And i love how anytime he thinks someone says something stupid, he completely calls them out.

He joking cuts himself down a lot too, which is pretty funny.

DET-PHI

Alright, i think i have cooled down enough to talk about the game now.

And thanks for not rubbing it in; i know it must have been thought of;D

This is what DET fans dreaded. After two playoff runs where the major problem was lack of focus, playing down to the opponents lv, etc, we like to believe that the Pistons have learned their lesson and that kinda mentality is behind them. Well, in all appearances that was exactly what they did yet again.

They started off posting up 'Sheed and the other players as well, over and over. And it was working well. Halftime we were up 13; and, the pistons came out jacking up threes. They did not return to what had gotten them that lead until they were losing.

Flip seems to know his stuff to me, But i think it has to be said that he is not good at rallying the troops in the way that people like Pat Rilley can. I mean, i can't know for sure where the problem lies.

I wonder how Larry Brown would react to the players joking around with the 76er staff throughout the game. I guareetee Bill Laimbeer was rolling over in his grave when he saw 'sheed joking around with 76ers with like less than 30 seconds left in the game.

I think sportsmanship is all well and good; but, the pistons need to act like cold blooded killers out there, not like attendees at a box social.


Here is the silver lining, though it requires a a bit of extreme optimism to see it. Maybe, just maybe, this loss will wake everybody up; and, from here on out they will play to their potential.

I have horrible focus being ADD and all. But i am sure i would not have the trouble sticking to gameplans that Detroit seems to have.

SAS-PHX

Incredible first game. I got a few things to touch on.

First a question. Those of yous who watched, did you have trouble hearing the commentators? I have noticed this a lot last couple years, and it seems like it is always on ABC i have this problem. Never have this on problem on TNT; the game earlier on ESPN was fine. I have a theory ABC turns up the level on the arena sounds to help "bring the viewer into the arena." When the crowd is loud i can't hear nothing they say, when the crowd is quiet, it can still be tricky.
======

Mainly there are just some specific plays i am curious about. In the 4th, Parker had the ball and Nash on him at the top of the key. Parker faked a pass left, and Nash completely left the ball to cover Finely who was wide open for a three. Maybe Nash bit on the fake initially, but he just kept running, all the way to Finley. Why would Nash leave the ball? i know it is important to not leave a man open for three, but isn't it more important to guard the guy with the ball? Anyone got a theory for why he would do that? I saw someone do the same thing against Detroit like a month ago. With the same result--uncontested layup.

In overtime ginoboli drove and threw up a runner. Shot went long and hit the far side of the backboard and Ginoboli got his own rebound, missed again; Thomas missed a tip-in; then, Duncan made the tip-in--which amounted to a huge basket. On manu's first shot, I saw three angles and saw no one else appear to hit the ball, and the ball did not hit the rim, which is a travel. I was shocked the Refs didn't notice the obvious travel, don't think the commentators noticed it either. Am i missing something here? Was that somehow legal? Did anyone notice that play?

Now for some accolades: Damn, how awesome were Duncan and Manu. That three pointer from Timmy was one of the greatest things i've ever seen. I was laughing my ass off. PHX should have watched the all-star skills competition; those SAS bigs can shoot threes, lol. And Manu from the point Parker followed out to the end, was just rediculous. He drove right to the hoop every possesion, at least a couple times right on Shaq. They had no answer whatsoever. Manu went left each time too, lol, they still couldnt' stop him.

How can anyone think NFL is better than NBA is beside me.

Tyson Chandler-My Buddy

This is really funny-from his blog. What a cool uncle. The team he is talking about at start is Dallas.
===============================

"It's comical to me that they wanted to play us. First of all, it's comical to me that you're scared of a team, and say that you don't want to play them.

But it reminds me of when I was little. I begged for the My Buddy doll, begged for the My Buddy doll. I kept asking, "Ma, get me the My Buddy. Ma, get me the My Buddy." But my mom couldn't really afford it, so she couldn't get it for me at that time.

So, I kept at it. "Ma, get me a My Buddy. Every other kid got a My Buddy. Mom, I never get anything!" Just making my mom feel bad.

So, my uncle told my mom, "I'll fix this." I didn't know my uncle told my mom that, but he came over with this video and pops it in the machine. I'm like, "Ah, My Buddy!" And it turns out it was the Chucky movie.

All the next week, I'm telling my mom, "Please, don't get me My Buddy. Please, don't get me My Buddy."

So sometimes, what you think you really want, you don't really want. The Mavericks think they want us, and they asked for us, and we ain't gonna be My Buddy. They're gonna get Chucky."--Tyson Chandler, from his blog.

CLE-WASH

I was about to post this on the last thread, but it is Tangent City in there. So i'm moving it here to try and help keep things a little organzied.

"WSH-CLE: CLE IN 6 (I know the Cavs suck but there's no way LeBron lets them lose in the first round)" - Jimi

You are probably right man. I am torn. The Cavs are so bad, but Lebron is so good.

The most productive player from that trade has been Delonte West with 10 pts and 4 assists. Ben Wallace has had some nice moments, but his back causes him a lot of problems. Gibson just got back from an ankle injury that is probably still sore. Z is always sore.

Is this Lebron's 3rd or 4th season? I can't believe the crap the Cavs have surrounded him with. I hope he is not as loyal as KG, and i hope he stays in the East.

Predictions... that are actually predictable.

Screw awards and no more trying luck our way into predicting regular season seedings. Hell, reg.seas.seedings only matter so that we actually have somewhere to start when we're doing playoff match ups anyhow.

Now that we have those brackets, let's see everyone's tourney card, along w/ number of games it'll take to win each series.

FYI:
1v8 plays 4v5
3v6 plays 2v7

The matchups (bracket ordered):

EAST
Celtics v Hawks
Cavs v Wizards
Magic v Raptors
Pistons v Sixers

WEST
Lakers v Nuggets
Jazz v Rockets
Hornets v Mavericks
Spurs v Suns


Not sure I have any but I guueeeeesss random predictions are ok too... Finals MVP? Player X disappears? LBJ has X games that will be Instant Classics? Anyone make a name for themselves (i.e. Deron last year)? Any other big story/headline?

Ginoboli!! 6th man?

I love Ginoboli, but it just seems kinda wrong for him to get 6th man. He just barely misses having the 2nd most minutes on his team (Duncan-2,624, Parker-2,283, Ginoboli-2,273). And he is the Spurs leading scorer. Shouldn't the 6th man have less minutes than most of the starters?

I kinda thought the 6th man award was an accolade for guys who are not the stars of their teams. While i don't agree, i have heard media say that Ginoboli is the best player on their team these days. So give him the "6th man award?" For people like Ginoboli, their are accolades like the all-star game and all-nba honors.

I guess really, all that 6th man means is they come off the bench. Which Manu does, so i 'spose i'm all wrong; still, it doesn't quite sit right with me.

All-Funny Name : First Team

These are names that have entertained me all season.
A name becomes less funny as you get used to it, so people like Nene Hilario did not make the cut. Say these names out loud, i think that makes them better.

1-Ira Newble
2-Royal Ivey (dirty groin puncher)
3-Zaza Pachulia
4-Von Wafer
5-Quincy Douby
6-Adonal Foyal

I was shooting for five names, but i like all of these.

West is still crazy

If you thought things would shake out by now, you'd be wrong.

If the Hornets win tonight(vs Clippers) and the Rockets(vs Clippers), Jazz(vs Spurs) and Suns(vs Portland) win Wednesday, there would be a four-way tie with the Jazz, Rockets, Spurs and Suns.

A 4 way tie!!!

The Jazz have the tie-breaker against the Rockets and Suns.
The Rockets have the tie-breaker against the Suns and Spurs due to conference record.
The Suns have the tie-breaker against the Spurs.

In that case, the Jazz move up to the third seed.
The Rockets become the fourth seed.
The Suns go to fifth place.
The Spurs fall to sixth place.

So, the Spurs game against the Jazz could either swing them to 3rd place or 6th place! That is totally nuts! And this isn't even because of the divisional stupidness.

Oklahoma Supersonics.

I'm amazed at this story. The arrogance of these Oklahoma folks is amazing. I hope The Commish squashes them, yet I don't know if he actually can. Fortunately, I know David Stern is way too smart and never believed the crap these guys were emailing him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-supersonics-e-mails&prov=ap&type=lgns


The thing I don't get is have these owners actually been to Seattle? I mean, seriously, Oklahoma is pretty friggin lame. Plus, do they actually think that an NBA free agent is going want to sign with them and move to OKC? The 2 lamest locations used to be Milwaukee or Salt Lake, but those are looking mighty fine compared to Oklahoma.

Another rant about seeding and awards.

5th place with 2nd place record
So, if you look at the standings today, you will find the Rockets in 5th place. That's 5th place, with the 2nd best record. Now, San Antonio has tie braker over them for divisional play. At least, that's what I'm assuming cause Houston has the better Conference play and they are 2-2 against each other.

So, why aren't they at least 3rd with the 2nd best record? Thats because the Lakers and Jazz are gauranteed a top 4 seed. Of course, we all knew that. But I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that this is the first time EVAR that the top 3 teams have come from the same division. Now, they changed the rules before because the Southwest division had the top 2 teams. Think they'll change it again, cause dammit, having the top 2 teams wasn't good enough for the SW. They had to go and F things up.

Rookie of the Year
Who deserves this title? Really. Who? What does it mean to be rookie of the year? Does it mean that you are gonna be awesome a few years down the road? Is it a prediciton trophy? We think this guy has the most potential, here, have a trophy.

Or, is it the guy who has made the biggest impact on a team with the best play. Is it the rookie playing the best ball, THIS year.

If its the first, then it should be Durant. Cause that guy is gonna be good. Gonna be. Not is. Cause he really isn't that good. I've started watching Seattle games recently, cause I wanted to know if he deserved all this hype. Yea, that display against Denver was great, but actually he wasn't even the best Sonic that game.

Call me a homer, cause I am, but Scola is player better ball, having a bigger impact, with less minutes, on a better team than any other rookie.

Recap: Predictions, Midseason

jake said...
midseason highlights-lebron is a maniacdunks-D howard. i heard he's gonna move the goal up to 12 ft MVP-KG (arrrgh! i really wanna go CP, but they have a really tough schedule from here on out, and i doubt their record will be good enough to get looked at for MVP. also, have you looked at BOS schedule!? crap!)
coach of the year-Doc 'right place at the right time' Rivers playoff picture:
EASY
1 BOS
2 DET
3 CLE
4 ORL
5 TOR
6 WAS
7 ATL
8 SPRINGFIELD ISOTOPES (i know i used this joke before, but seriously, who else is in the east? i put the Hawks on there!)

WEST (i really think that HOU, LAL, and PHX are extreme wildcards this season. such big IFs on all those teams. these are tough predictions to make)
1 DAL
2 SAS
3 LAL
4 NOH
5 HOU (i've been listening to patrick too much.)
6 PHX
7 UTA
8 DEN
FINALS
PHX over BOSin 5
finals MVP-Nash
darkhorse-still UTAH. GO JAZZ!if i didn't like steve kerr so much, i would consider the matrix/shaq trade the worst move EVER (for PHX). but i really think he has a legitimate point, and i like steve kerr a lot. so there.

dullstone said...
Mid-season highlights? I wish D-wade was 100%. Most my favorite plays usually involve him. Member last year when, at half court, some guy tried to cut him offt, and he dribbled through the guys legs, then immediately went into an alley-oop to Shaq.Though i know Bron and Kobe do amazing things every game. Right now, i am thinking more of some good games, like the recent hornets-pheonix one. Offhand, i did like marcus camby taking the ball all the way down in transition in traffic. He went right around a steal attempt with a sweet behind-the-back dribble, then, assisted with a behind the back pass. Pretty good stuff for a defensive specialist center.
MVP-too easily garnett, unless things go a different direction next half.
Coach-Portland's coach maybe? Is that Sam Vincent? I guess the other two i would go with at this point are whoever coahces Hornets (i guess i just kinda give the award to the teams that seem better than was expected of them. I don't really know much about their actual coaching). And then Doc, like jake said.I love Dwight, but moving the goal is cheating. I going to just lay a hoop on the ground and show off my new sweet dunk. Next year, i am going to throw a hoop from an airplane, then, i am going to jump out after it, flipping and spinning, and stuff. Upon catching up to the rim, i'll deliver a dunk God told be about while i was atop a mountain in Nepal. The strong will rejoice and the weak will cry.
East
1. Detroit
2. Boston
3. Springfield Isotopes
4. Springfield Isotopes
5. Springfield Isotopes
6. Springfield Isotopes
7. Springfield Isotopes
8. Springfield Isotopes
West-Could be anything
The East is their worst ever this year. I get off topic here so i'm making another post on East.
Finals
MVP: B-B-Billups. Bite Me!:) Last year i kept saying SA was going to win it. So i gotta say Detroit is this time.
I still say Utah in west for darkhorse, and well, anyteam in the east beside the TOP two would be a dark horse. How bout...Washington. The got some upside. Two allstars, and a third coming back.

jake said...
isn't that kind of cheating, tom? picking teams is fun! the whole point is that you can't just say "could be anything"come on man.on the other hand, i couldn't agree with you more about most of these things. i certainly agree that BOS and DET are the only 2 legitimate contenders outta the Least (love that one). it's almost as if Chauncey was there that night that i was dogging him at the cabin and he got pissed. ever since then, he's been playing the best ball of his life! way to go chauncey!
GO ISOTOPES!

dullstone said...
Oh, i let him know what this fool jake was going on about at the cabin.I guess i did kinda miss the point here. I'll try and put up some real seedings b4 allstar break ends. BTW, Detroit has 3 all-stars. Booyah! And, of course, you know they still feel slighted.

dullstone said...
East
1. Det
2. Bos
3. Orl (Clev is in same Division as Det)
4. Cle
5. Was
6. Tor
7. Chi
8. Phi
West
1. NOH
2. Dal
3. SAS
4. LAL
5. PHX
6. UTA
7. DEN
8. GSW
Da Winner: DET
Da Wiener: SAS

dullstone said...
Whoops, i forgot to look at Divisions for West. So it would be: -Actually i'm changing it a little bit too. So my final answer is:
West.
1. NOH
2. UTA
3. LAL
4. DAL
5. SAS
6. PHX
7. DEN
8. GSW

Patrick said...
Mid-season highlights: All the damn trades! WTF...I mean if this Kidd trade goes through, the Easy will be even worse and the West will be even better.MVP- KG...I mean Jimi's stats show that the MVP comes from the team with the best record. And since Bos has no competition over there, there is no reason why they won't continue their winning ways.COY - Byron Scott. NoH has really impressed me this year. I watch a lot of basketball, and wow, they are a sound team.playoff picture:
Easy
1 Bos
2 Det
3 Orl
4 Cle
5 Tor
6 Was
7 Atl
8 Phi
West
1 NoH
2 LaL
3 Uta
4 Hou
5 SaS
6 Dal
7 Phx
8 GS
Tom, did you just look at the standings in the west and copy them? Have you been paying att to Houston's play of late? Hottest team in the league next to your Pistons. And if yall think my Hou prediction is crazy, look at the standings. They are only 1.5 games out of 4th place. Like I said, I think NoH are the most sound team in the league. Lakers are looking freaking good since getting Pau. I'm with Pop, this trade should have been vetoed.Spurs are good, but with the Parker injury they have been playing confused basketball. They should have held onto Beno. Damon S. hasn't helped them.Pheonix is going to fall hard cause Shaq won't play more than 10 more games. Dallas is a ? due to this Kidd trade. They could move way up.
Golden State is still impressive. They lose games they shouldn't, but when they are on, they are tough to beat.
Denver doesn't make the playoffs. There is just too much competition and they aren't that good. I'd talk about the East, but as tom put it, they suck. I think the Pistons are better than the Celts, but they too are losing games they shouldn't.
1st round losers:
GS
Sa
Dal
Lal
2nd round losers:
Hou
Phx
3rd round losers:
Uta
Finals:
NoH over Detroit
Finals MVP: Paul
I really think Houston could beat NO, but I don't want to look like too much of a homer. They are 12-1 since getting Tracy back, and that loss was to Utah without Yao.

jake said...
just remembered that thing about 1-3 have to be from different divisions, so:revised LEAST:swap 3 & 4revised
WEST:
1 DAL
2 PHX
3 UTA
4 SAS
5 HOU
6 NOH
7 LAL
8 DEN
revised insult to patrick:did you look at NOH schedule? sorry dude, there's no way they're finishing with the best record.too hard

dullstone said...
No, I didn't copy the standings. There was complaining that people didn't make predictions, so i did. I really don't have a lot to go off of. I mainly watch piston games. And they mainly play the east. I had not heard that houston is the hottest team in NBA:D How nice. I eventually told myself i gotta choose 2 of these three--DEN, HOU, GSW--for the West. Even though Denver is an effed up team. Crazy amount of talent in starting five, absolutely crazy. But they have mental defects or something. I'll never understand. Either, way i had to say that that much talent will get to the playoffs.
GSW, well, they just seem like a team that has the passion when they need it. I feel like, if it is the end of the season, and they need to close out with x bunch of wins to make the playofffs, they could do it.
As for houston, forgive me, but they seem to fall short when all the pressure is on them. Of course, i hardly watch houston, and admit i really don't know them. But like i said, i had to pick someone, and it was either pick teams for BS reasons or no reasons. Like, another thing i did was make sure LAL was above PHX, cause i feel like LAL always owns PHX. And i think they will more so this year, if both teams have full healthy rosters. As though their opposition refects their regular season success. But i had to go off of something.Take these rankings with a grain of salt.BTW, my dallas ranking is based on the Kidd going there. I don't see how Atlanta could make the playoffs--even in the east.
oh, random FYI,
among Shaq's first 5games as a sun, if he comes back next game, he will play against Lakers, Boston, Detroit, and New Orleans. Trail by fire.

Patrick said...
I'm going to go look at remaining schedules in the near future. I hadn't looked at NoH's. I do know that Houston's is easier than Denver and Golden State's.I've said it before, schedule and injuries have a bigger inpact on record than anything. ANYTHING!

Patrick said...
Yea, Tom, I would say Houston is probably a hard team to know right now. Hardest schedule in the league for the first 2 monthes. Then lost Tracy to injury for 17 games. Throw that on top of a new coach with an entirely different system that Van Gundy's.However, they have pulled it together recently and have a better record in 08 than anyone except for the Jazz.

Recap: Predictions, Preseason

Patrick said...
Western Champs: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the Rockets. I know! It really is a long shot. They have to develop chemistry pretty quickly, but they have probably the deepest roster in the league.
Eastern Champs: BullsDeng is tha shit. I doubt the Cs will do much of anything. And who else is there? The Cavs. But, I'm picking the Bulls.
NBA Champs: Rockets! Wishful thinking, but you heard it here first.
MVP: NashHe deserved it last year, and he'll deserve it again this year.


jake said...
suns over bulls in 6 gamesMVP-Yao (side note prediction: rockets kick everyone's ass until the playoffs where they lose to suns/spurs because they never traded steve francis. HA!)


jeremy said...
WC: SANEC: DET
MVP: TMac
Rockets have a monster regular season (lose to PHX or SAN in playoffs): SAN WIN #5.3 more predictions:'if' pick #1: IF Timmy is hurt in/around the playoffs (which seems like a decent possibility to me for some reason), it's PHX in the West, beating DET in the Finals). 'if' pick #2: IF Kobe goes to Chi-town, Bulls in the East (losing to Spurs in the Finals).'the Dark Horse': I hope they suck as much as they did last year, and it's hard to justify any team with two all stars as a dark horse but nobody seems to be thinking much about them. They have the potential (however unlikely that they reach it) to beat any team in a series (except the Spurs): MIA


Patrick said...
Oooh, I like the dark horse prediction!
Clearly there won't be a dark horse in the west.So, I'm gonna put my dark horse in the east as well: Orlando
Howard is gonna be even better this year, and Lewis is a haus. If they get hot near the playoffs, they could make some noise.


jeremy said...
anyone have a chance to compare our predictions from last season?


Chad said...
Just like 1995. Rockets sweep Magic.MVP = Kobe


thomas said...
East-Det
West-SA
Darkhorse West- Utah, or are they too good to be a darkhorse? What about Denver?
Darkhorse East- Det. In your eye! I've heard and seen a lot of predictions in the media, and no one is picking Detroit for finals really. So i am counting them as a darkhorse.Scoring title-Arenas
MVP-Mcgrady
Breakout year: Team-Hawks, Player-Andre Iguodala. Hollinger had Orlando with a better regular season record than detroit. If that happens, i'll take a giant bite out of a living fish at boysclub. Espn writers are renobs.

Quick Post About Strength of Schedule

Has anyone looked at Hollinger's Power Rankings?

Apparently Patrick was right in saying that Houston has had a tough schedule and Boston's schedule is a joke.

If you sort the teams by SOS (Strength of Schedule) you'll note that Boston has had the 4th easiest schedule (average win percentage of opponents was .490) and Houston has had THE HARDEST schedule (average win percentage of opponents was .516).

The only teams with an easier schedule than Boston are the Hawks, Knicks and Nets.

Jeez.