Mr Charisma

Gotta disagree with ya, Mac Man. If Delonte West was lighting us up, you might have an argument. There is great value in having MP come off the bench. He has high energy and is rested, and comes in when Lebron is already feeling a bit tired. MP's in-your-face type of defense can be REALLY irritating when you are tired. I agree with KITNO. MP has got to get more minutes. So if your point is that MP should be getting more minutes at Lee's expense, I won't argue that point. But I still think Lee should start.

quote: Originally posted by Marc Acres 3:16:There were crappy calls on both sides last night, can't worry about that kind of thing, we just need to go out and win the games. Exactly. There were a LOT of bad calls on both sides last night. I thought the call on Sasha with 13.6 left was a very cheap call to make at that point in the game. You let them play all game, then call a foul in the last 15 seconds? The non-call on the Tech bothers me on the other side. The replay did show the official on the left wing looking directly in Mo's direction. I don't believe for a second that none of them saw it. I'd sure like to have that one point. Does anyone want to bother acknowledging 2 things: 1) Hedo's shots at the end were incredibly clutch, and 2) Lebron's shot, whether you want to label it skill or luck, was an incredible shot. I would rather lose by a great play by the other team, than by our guys blowing the game. Regardless, we have home-court, and the Cavs haven't come close to beating us at home all season. No reason to believe that will change. Also, I think we should acknowledge some good mid-game adjustments by our coaching staff and team. In each game, the Cavs came out with a different strategy and, once the Magic understood what they were doing, they adjusted accordingly. I stick by what I said before game 2. The Cavs can play big/small/gimpy/burly/whiny, I don't care. The only player on their team that can guard our bigs is Lebron himself. And he can't guard all 3 at once. BTW, one last comment on the officials. So far, in the first two games, they have shown that they are not falling for Medusa's flopping and flailing. He got 1 call last night, which was the first of this series so far. Usually he gets 3 or 4 per game. When he doesn't get those calls, he is a serious handicap on the floor for the Cavs.

quote: Originally posted by DaveCorzineLives!: quote: Originally posted by no_ma'am:the sound of me not caring is deafening +1 You both cared enough to click on the thread apparently. The title clearly showed what this was about. Good for Carlos.

Would it be fair to say that, when Lebron has the ball, and Courtney is guarding him with Dwight waiting in the lane, he has nightmares about... (are you ready for this...) the Howard-Lee Lion !!! I kill me....

Cleveland has a delicate psyche. When you have 1 player that is so much better than anyone else on the team, a lot of different emotions start to surface: jealousy, inferiority complex, etc. The Bulls didn't have that problem because Pippen was so good. When this blows up in their face, they will be looking at each other, trying to avoid the blame and place it on someone else. And if that happens, you just might see LJ decide has had enough of this organization and try another one after 2010. I hope not. I want him right where he is. I still don't think Danny Ferry can build a good enough team around him to win a championship. As far as tonight? Wow. Very tough. But I'll go Magic 102, Cavs 90.

"Okay, I know which one is Mo; and Curly is standing behind me; so which one of you is Larry ?!?!?!"

quote: Originally posted by ball junkie:mitch (NJ): Lebron should cover Lewis, what do you think about that match up? John Hollinger: (3:51 PM ET ) Absolutely agree, I think the Cavs should go small, play Wally/Sasha/Gibson instead of one of their bigs and put LeBron at the 4; none of their bigs can handle Lewis but LeBron can shut him down. Wally/Sasha/Gibson ?!?!?! Please. The next time any of these 3 play defense against anyone will be the first time in their careers. Those are all scorers, not defenders. That does nothing to solve their problem on defense, and will give them combinations that are not nearly as used to playing with each other on the offensive end as they currently have. Again, on defense, these guys have hardly played together. Anyone actually think they can defend the pick-n-roll and naturally know their defensive rotations after maybe 1 practice? If they are scrambling as much as the media is, then this will play to our advantage greatly.

quote: Originally posted by ma:I like Hollinger's articles very much, because he tries to be objective much more than others. I am surprised he fell into the hype this time. Here is a semi-objective analysis from non-ESPN, non-TNT guy: Cavs Lebron 20/30 = 67% , 49pts (playoffs 35pts per game, 55% FG shooting). Mo 6-19 - 17 pts. (playoffs 15pts. per game) West 4-13, 11 pts. (playoffs 13pts per game) Z 5-11, 10 pts. (playoffs 10.7pts per game) Varejao , 6-8 14pts. (playoffs 6.6pts per game) As you see, despite their complaining, Lebron played his best ever playoff game, and the rest of the team is on-par with their playoff averages. Magic Skip 4-10, 11pts (playoffs 12.6pts per game) CLee 2-7, 4pts (playoffs 8.9pts per game, Philly series 12.6pts per game) Hedo 4-11, 15pts (playoffs 14.3pts per game) Rashard 9-13, 22pts (playoffs 20pts per game) Dwight 14-20, 30pts (playoffs 20.4pts per game, Sixers series 24pts per game) Pietrus 5-10, 13pts, (playoffs 9.2pts per game) Magic is either on par, or below their playoff averages. Dwight is better because of weaker post defense, and that's not gonna change a lot in this series. One can claim, it is on par with Sixers series. Offense Analysis The way I see it, the Cavs role players are not gonna play amazingly better in the next games, and their play will be offset by Lebron's worse shooting. Nobody should expect a much better brand new Cavs team in the next games. Magic on the other hand can play better. Hedo is bound to score more points, and CLee is yet to approach his scoring averages. Defense analysis I believe the Magic defense won this game for them, not the offense. The same for the Cavs, their defense lost for them. The funny thing is I don't hear the Cavs players/fans mention defense, but rather "Mo and West will shoot better next game"? Good luck and good bye Cavs. I agree. The Cavs defense is their Achilles Heel. They are starting 2 guys (Z and Medusa) that can guard none of the Magic starters. Sure, they can try and go small, but this is not something they are used to doing, nor is it a line-up that has a lot of experience playing together on either end of the floor. They will struggle. I really have no clue on how they get out of this trap. And, best of all, I don't think they do either.

quote: Originally posted by gobucsmagic: Could you guys believe how upset Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, and the rest of the TNT crew were after the Cavs lost last night? Unreal Did you not hear Barkley predict the Magic would win this series? This paranoia garbage that seems to be the biggest topic of discussion on these boards is getting a little out of hand, don't you think? All that's talked about on the boards anymore is the media. Basketball is hardly discussed at all. *** yawn ***

quote: Originally posted by SendInDaCav:How do Magic fans feel about the Lewis matchup with the Cavs? The only way 'Medusa' Varajeo slows Lewis down is if one of those snakes on the top of his head pokes Lewis in the eyes.

The thought that this thread could turn into a serious discussion is mind-boggling. DoM, you just knew there would be some to take you seriously, didn't you? You changed your role from HATER to BAITER?

quote: Originally posted by Skywise316: quote: Originally posted by siradam134:just wrote this on my whiteboard @ work: 103-88 Magic over the Celtics Dwight Howard: 32 points 23 rebounds 5 blocks J.J. Redick 21 points on 8/12 Shooting Sweet Lew: 25 points 8 rebounds 6 assists Turkoglu: 20 points 6 rebounds 3 assists Rafer Alston: 11 Assists 2 Steals Siradam.. your math doesn't add up. According to you, the starters will score 109 points. Or will the officiating be SO bad that they take 6 points away? {X-Factors} Okay, Anthony Johnson has got to get his act together. Especially on defense. All I'm asking from the guy is to not get completely torched! Up-and-down defense at this point would be an improvement. Obviously for Boston's sake, they need bounce backs from Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. But beyond that, THE big X-Factor is Boston's turnovers. Trust me, they usually have more than just 14 in a game. If Orlando can get back to living in the open floor, they have a shot of pulling this off. So I predicted a Magic win in Game 1.. but certainly not in that fashion. It's shaken my "belief" that Boston can win tonight. Instead of being 90% sure of a Celtic Game 2 win, now I think it's a 60/40 proposition... and most of that leftover belief is due to the crooked officiating. So I'll stick with a Boston win, and I'm even playing Ray Allen in Drive To The Finals tonight. But if I'm wrong and the Magic DO win... all bets are off. Orlando 83 Boston 90 Actually his starters total up to 98 points. You probably thought the first number under Rafer Alston was 'points'. AJ can't guard Rondo. SVG should only put AJ in the game when he wants someone to beat up on Rondo. AJ has 6 fouls to use. He needs to leave a mark on Rondo 6 times per game. And if that doesn't slow Rondo down, bring Lue in for 6 more.

quote: Originally posted by bringithomerashard: quote: Originally posted by davcivic:You're an idiot, you are stupid, you are a moron, you don't know basketball, have you ever played organized sports? you are worthless... hahahahaha...now that all that is out of the way, here we go.... I ony mentioned that stuff on top so that noone else feels like they need to post it...soooooo yeah..JJ has been great. I mean, he gets beat a few times, but who doesn't? If he can still continue to score, and be decent on D he is our man at the 2 while Courtney is out... Lee has more than proven he is our future 2 guard for years to come. But JJ has given us the minutes we need so far, the last 2 games. I hope he continues to shoot ok, and that we don't get burned in game 2. Lee will be back for game 3 apparently, and maybe we can get back on track after that. JJ deserves some credit. He has gone a long ways from the guy that didn't play his rookie season. He will never be the college superstar he was before, but he can be a good backup, specially on a team that needs shooting or that shoots a lot. I for one, am happy to have him now...where would we be right now without JJ? except for the comment of where would we be right now without jj your whole post was almost negative. You hope he continues to shoot ok and that we don't get burned in game 2? He has been shooting great and we are 2-0 with him starting and 3-0 with him playing most of the minutes at sg. Of course Lee is our starter but JJ has done a great job. And you said Lee should be back for game three and hope we can get back on track after that? What do you mean get back on track? A three game winning streak isn't on track in the playoffs? You may not like the guy but wow. I believe in giving credit where credit is due, so: This is possibly the most ridiculous post I have seen in the years I've been on this board. Congratulation, BIHR. I guess... Relevant to the topic, JJ has done an exceptional job over the last 2 games. Last night, he stayed in Ray's face as well as anyone would/could have. And he was relentless in fighting through screens, which is THE most critical element in guarding him.

quote: Originally posted by ma:Gray is not a soft guy, he got some weight. I would take the Celtics, just to bury them and laugh about it. If we bury Celtics, Cavs will really be scared of us. The Cavs are already scared of us.

Dusty Rhodes

quote: Originally posted by davcivic: quote: Originally posted by Mr Charisma: quote: Originally posted by davcivic:Yeah, because we all know players that control their emotions on the court, like Darko, Kelvin Cato, and guys like that, are super succesful on the court, because you know, they play as if they don't care and are a waste of flesh.. Guys like Garnet, Lebron, Iverson, Artest, Rasheed, etc, etc are crap because they play with emotion and put it all out on the court.... LOL. Guys like Darko and Cato don't care. I'm not saying he shouldn't be emotional. I'm saying he has to be able to control it to the point where he doesn't cross a line and hurt his team by getting suspended. If he wanted to get back at Dalembert, then the next time he caught the ball in the lane, or they both went up for a rebound, THEN do your damage. In other words, be smart and pick your moment in such a way that the team is not faced with playing a big game without you. Has Lebron ever cheap-shot someone that caused him to get suspended in the playoffs? Has Garnett.... oops, skip that one..... Are you telling me that Artest show of emotion by going into the stands at Detroit was acceptable? That this show of emotion justified the destruction of that team? By the way, you accidentally left Spree out of your list. Well Spreewell I don't consider succesful, but I honestly just didn't remember him...lol... Artest blowup was not acceptable. One thing is punching another player, its completely different jumping to the seats and knocking some people out...lol Garnett is an idiot on the court, I hate him, but there is not question he plays hard and he wants to win it all. I think some people just freak out sometimes and things happen. I still don't think the elbow was on purpose, it was a swing to run the other way that connected. So I don't think he should change anything. This might be a big deal if the Magic lose the series, but it won't even matter if we win it. If the Magic lose the series, they can't use this as an excuse. Losing a game 7 at home to a mediocre team like the Sixers would be unforgivable. I am also one of those that believe the Magic will end it tonight.

quote: Originally posted by davcivic:Yeah, because we all know players that control their emotions on the court, like Darko, Kelvin Cato, and guys like that, are super succesful on the court, because you know, they play as if they don't care and are a waste of flesh.. Guys like Garnet, Lebron, Iverson, Artest, Rasheed, etc, etc are crap because they play with emotion and put it all out on the court.... LOL. Guys like Darko and Cato don't care. I'm not saying he shouldn't be emotional. I'm saying he has to be able to control it to the point where he doesn't cross a line and hurt his team by getting suspended. If he wanted to get back at Dalembert, then the next time he caught the ball in the lane, or they both went up for a rebound, THEN do your damage. In other words, be smart and pick your moment in such a way that the team is not faced with playing a big game without you. Has Lebron ever cheap-shot someone that caused him to get suspended in the playoffs? Has Garnett.... oops, skip that one..... Are you telling me that Artest show of emotion by going into the stands at Detroit was acceptable? That this show of emotion justified the destruction of that team? By the way, you accidentally left Spree out of your list.

quote: Originally posted by bigfan:I believe Dwight is ultimately responsible for the actions he took that got him suspended. However, did anyone here find Charles Barkley's reaction to the incident, to be a little hypocritical? Night after night, he says how some player should "put an opposing player on his @ss" or "knock the hell out of him" and yet him and Kenny Smith reacted like Dwight tried to murder Dalambert. Also, I'm not condoning Dwight's elbow action, but I think that foul/elbow, shut the mouths of all the people, who say Dwight isn't serious enough, or that he likes to play/clown around/smile too much. Stating what is right does not mean you haven't been guilty yourself. Remember, Charles always said he is not a role model. They are defining the difference between taking someone down hard when they are going for the basket, and cheap-shotting someone with an elbow to the head when they think everyone else is looking at the ball. Also, acknowledge the fact that the both said that Stu Jackson was wrong for not giving further penalties of some sort to Rondo.

quote: Originally posted by duelingdragons:I am HAPPY Dwight finally got mad. Were you HAPPY when OJ finally got mad, too? That's ridiculous. Dwight has been mad all series. Part of being a professional athlete is understanding the parameters that they are working in, and the consequences if they step over the line. Getting mad IS acceptable, and I agree if that is your point; losing your temper and reacting in such a way that hurts the team is not. The NBA has a serious problem on their hands. The fact that they let Rondo slide gives "open season" on trying to hurt the opponent (i.e. - Al Horford last night). This year could be a turning point in how the post-season is officiated. Especially if the Bulls retaliate tonight like I expect them to. Someone on the Celtics is going to get hurt tonight.

Reggie Evans was just hoping to avoid the wrath of the Mighty Gortat. Fear will reign supreme in Philly Thursday night.

quote: Originally posted by KillingInTheNameOf: quote: Originally posted by richnba:If they suspend Rondo, they will have to admit the refs were wrong... Which the NBA will not do I'll bet Brad Miller is glad they didn't suspend him. If I were Miller, I would decapitate him in Game #6! Bad enough dude had his teeth knocked out, but then he had to watch Rondo applaud the foul, and celebrate him missing FT's like a total punk. These are EXACTLY my thoughts. In game 6, if the Bulls find themselves down by 10 or more with 2 minutes to go, they need to open up a lane for Rondo to drive and then just crush him so hard against the backstop that they'll still be peeling him off by opening game of the 2009/10 season. It doesn't need to be Miller. ANY Bull should be looking to do that. In fact, they should have Ben Wallace eliminate him in the 1st quarter. So what if he gets kicked out of the game or series? He's washed up anyway. Vigilanteism should be the order of the day, since the league has chosen not to take appropriate action.

quote: Originally posted by davcivic:I think he starts, JJ backs him, and they use Battie at the 4 with Turk and Shard playing the 3 as needed. Let's see. I don't think we'll see much of Battie at the 4. That was a disaster in the 1st 3 games. Philly is too small and athletic for Battie to be effective. However, I expect him to back up Gortat instead of Foyle at the 5 since, again, the Philly bigs aren't really that big. JJ and Pietrus will both end up with at least 30 minutes each. I'm not sure which one will start, although he did have JJ start the 2nd half last night instead of Pietrus, which surprised me a bit.

quote: Originally posted by Adam_Magic:It was only a matter of time before Hollinger got involved... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/...hn&page=Fouls-090429 Two games. Two calls. Two series. And at the end of the night, the reason we're looking at a high likelihood of a Celtics-Magic conference semifinals instead of a Bulls-Sixers pairing, is because of those two whistles. Both involved flagrant fouls that weren't called as such, both went in favor of the home team, and both may very well end up swinging the series. As luck would have it, of course, this came a day after I had written that officiating had largely been a non-issue through the first 10 days of the postseason, and what a pleasant change that was from the mediocrity we saw in the regular season. Oops. Note the picture at the top of the article. Rondo's hand is drawn up into a fist. If he was going for the ball, his fingers would be extended from his hand. This is a very incriminating photo.

quote: Originally posted by rtillaree: quote: Originally posted by Freex:Dwight definitely messed up, but I would like to see Rondo get a flagrant is Dwight gets suspended. The things is it's so easy to prove it was intentional, and is an elbow to the face. Had he just moved Dalembert with his arms, it would be just a technical. But an elbow to the face is too much. you cant go back and change a foul to a flagrant, that's game changing... I believe the point of changing it to a Flagrant after the game is that it counts against the player relevant to the number of technical fouls he receives during the playoffs, and the potential of exceeding such limits. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

It's interesting that it seems that all the ex-players are expecting a suspension. Only some of the media guys are waffling on the subject. That tells me that the NBA drills it in to players that elbow throwing and such like will not be tolerated, and that it is for their own protection and well being. Kind of like when Pete Rose bet on baseball, and everyone that played the game crucified him because the league so heavily emphasized it's "zero tolerance" of such to every player every day and every year. It's not what we want it to be but, objectively, it is the correct action to take.