The NBA Thread

[chrisnu]

Ray Allen is so money.

That this is the Celtics just makes it that much worse.

The Lakers could have had Posey instead of Luke Walton.

[Spinal]

Eh, lesser of two evils.

[Milky Joe]

I don't see how an NBA fan couldn't be happy to see Allen, Pierce, and Garnett win a championship. They all thoroughly deserve one, and it's nice to see someone new win for once. Lakers fans are a different story, of course.

[Derek]

That was just fantastic. If anyone finds a picture of the green and white confetti falling on Kobe as he walked off court, please post it.

[Ezee E]

I've been wanting Garnett to get one. He's one of those few players that everyone seems to get behind.

[DavidSeven]

I don't recall a championship victory as spirited and emotional as that one in a while. I think being the best team all season and then thoroughly dismantling LA sort of validated the moment for them. They're definitely the undisputed champs this year.

A moment nearly as gratifying as seeing the overwhelming joy on Allen, Garnett, and Pierce's faces was the loud boos during Stern's introduction. :lol:

Let's officially put the Kobe/MJ comparisons to rest, shall we? Not that they had any validity anyway. The guy was a mouse tonight.

[origami_mustache]

All about the Jayhawk factor...Orange Bowl Champs, NCAA basketball champs, and Paul Pierce has his championship now.

[Benny Profane]

So I guess the Cavs and the Hawks were the second and third best teams this year.

[Dukefrukem]

woohoo!@!!!11!!!!

Title Town baby!

[DavidSeven]

So I guess the Cavs and the Hawks were the second and third best teams this year.

Eh. The length of those series were a combination of playoff inexperience and being heavily favored in the early rounds. Those series don't go to Game 7 if played in either the Finals or Conference Finals.

[bac0n]

Good to see KG finally get the championship ring he so thoroughly deserves. Too bad it took him leaving my T-Wolves to get one. Still, I'm pleased for him, just as I was pleased with the T-Wolves traded him, cuz the T-Wolves seem to be content spinning their wheels, and he was just stagnating here.

[Benny Profane]

Eh. The length of those series were a combination of playoff inexperience and being heavily favored in the early rounds. Those series don't go to Game 7 if played in either the Finals or Conference Finals.

I thought my comment was blatantly stupid enough not be taken seriously.

Now watch as a dope like Tony Kornheiser makes the same point on today's show, but he will actually be serious about it.

[DavidSeven]

Huge kudos to Garnett for throwing a shout out to Minnesota during the post-game interview. That was class.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Well, that was interesting. Too bad they knew it was wrapped up so early into the game. The celebration on the sidelines was a bit awkward.

[origami_mustache]

nice to see game 6 wasn't rigged in favor of the Lakers this year.

[Robby P]

Now that he has his title, we can all finally agree that Kevin Garnett is one of the fifteen or twenty greatest basketball players ever, yes?

[Benny Profane]

Now that he has his title, we can all finally agree that Kevin Garnett is one of the fifteen or twenty greatest basketball players ever, yes?

I dunno, there's no OPS+ in basketball to adjust for the different eras.

A title should have no bearing on that judgment anyway.

[DavidSeven]

Now that he has his title, we can all finally agree that Kevin Garnett is one of the fifteen or twenty greatest basketball players ever, yes?

He's one of the greatest team players to ever play, but he's still never demonstrated the ability to carry a team on his back for even just one big game. It's hard to judge him in this series since it seems like Allen and Pierce were the ones making the big plays late in the games.

[Benny Profane]

Players from my generation I'd rank higher than Garnett:

Jordan
Magic
Bird
Kareem
Karl Malone
Duncan
Olajuwon
Ewing
Stockton
Shaq
Isiah

Debatable: Barkley, David Robinson, Reggie Miller, McHale, Dumars, Kobe

Without going into other eras, and considering there are probably a few from my era that I've missed, I'd have to say no.

[Robby P]

I dunno, there's no OPS+ in basketball to adjust for the different eras.

Very true. Basketball metrics are indeed a bit behind the learning curve right now, but it's also a profoundly different sport from baseball. Tons of variables in play, perhaps too many.

Personally, I don't think I'd rank Ewing or Isiah Thomas ahead of Garnett, but I agree with the rest of your choices. I guess it is more debatable than I first thought.

[MadMan]

nice to see game 6 wasn't rigged in favor of the Lakers this year.

:lol: I can't remember if the Lakers won Game 6 against the Pistons in 2005 or not.

Eh, lesser of two evils.

My thoughts exactly, although I am glad that KG got a ring. Doc Rivers though having a ring still doesn't sit well with me at all, period.

[chrisnu]

It looks like nine spots on the US Olympian team are guaranteed.

Starting lineup:

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: LeBron James
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Dwight Howard

Bench: Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Michael Redd, Tayshaun Prince

Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire declined to join the team. Tyson Chandler played for the squad at the Fiba Americas tournament last year, but wasn't selected. Deron Williams hasn't been named yet, but I think he'll be the third point guard on the team, now that Billups is out.

They need more bigs. I think that Carlos Boozer, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Al Jefferson definitely need to be considered. Maybe Marcus Camby. I know that Elton Brand was on Team USA at one point, but after last season, I don't think he'd be willing to risk injury.


Juan Carlos Navarro went back to Spain! There goes the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic insurance. If another team is willing to pay Vujacic Jason Kapono money ($6 million a year), I think James Jones is a similar player, who could probably be had for less.

Trade rumors: The Grizzlies trading Kyle Lowry and the #28 pick (from the Lakers) to Denver for the #20 pick and Linas Kleiza. The Grizzlies have a glut of young point guards (Lowry, Mike Conley, and Javaris Crittenton), and need to find another scorer to replace Navarro. The Nuggets could use a true point guard, and likely aren't going to keep Anthony Carter.

Another rumor is the Cavaliers sending Anderson Varejao and the #19 pick to the Warriors for Brandan Wright, the #9 pick in last year's draft. Varejao didn't like giving up crunch time minutes next to Ben Wallace, and the Warriors could use another banger off the bench. The Cavaliers would save some money, and Wright showed potential when he got playing time last year.

[Robby P]

Starting Jason Kidd over Chris Paul is a good way to get beat by Lithuiana...again.

[Ezee E]

Replace Kidd with someone like Boozer or Okafor.

[rocus]

I don't understand why we don't just send the NBA champs to the Olympic games. Are you telling me that any country could beat the Celtics? I understand that in some years it's difficult, for example the Spurs have so many international players that it probably wouldn't work for them. In that case send the runner up.

The biggest reason we lose in international competition is because we send an All-Star team to play against actual TEAMS. Our "teams" play like anything but. If we sent the NBA champ, they would already have defined roles (nobody pouting about playing time), and offensive and defensive chemistry.