Wow not many basketball posts -

The games have been exciting and that's coming from me who doesn't like Lakers or Pacers !

Lakers had hissy fits tonight. Still don't know why Wally gets a technical when the Laker dude pushed Wally. And poor Malone, two technicals.

Nobody believes it, but I sometimes get a gay vibe from K.Garnett !

Just because there aren't many posts, doesn't mean there's not any interest. During karaoke night at the Outsports convention, many of the non-singers were glued the Lakers game in the adjoining bar.

Please don't tell me cutie Luke Walton doesn't wear eye makeup - I swear he does !

Go Pistons and Wolves !

You live by Reggie you choke by Reggie - he didn't hear skinny Tayshawn comin up behind to block that shot !

Awesome blocked shot by Prince. He probably scared the shyyt out of Miller because he thought he was down there by himself.

Great block by Prince just an incredible hustle play and 19 blocked shots!! just amazing!!

I think the Pistons are the hottest team in the East, and they will probably beat the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Too bad. The Pacers looked so good all the regular season. But Jermaine O'Neal is still too inconsistent, and Ron Artest is proving largely ineffective so far in this series. In fact no Pacer has really stepped up yet in this series, except that last minute Reggie Miller 3 in game 1.

I think Larry Brown has the experience to know how to prepare HIS teams for the NBA Finals. Rick Carlisle just hasn't got the experience to make a big run at this point in the playoffs. Reggie Miller and Croshere are about the only veteran Pacers left who've been to this level of the NBA playoffs before.

Sorry to be rooting for the opposition guys, but I've got to be true to my team...the Indiana Pacers...win or lose, they've definately got the talent to get past this round. But so far, there's been no indication they can get past Detroit's smothering defense. Rasheed was kind of silly making that game 2 guarantee, but maybe it was just the kind of incentive the Pistons needed to get that W. Now they've stolen the Pacer's home court advantage, and as long as the Pistons can hold serve, they should be able to win this series...but that's why they play the games...because prognosticating is nothing more than a guess.

Go Pacers!

I agree footbear. The pistons d is looking good. Also if Rasheed starts playing with passion (as witness to his guarantee) the pacers are in trouble. Living in the west I've seen alot of Rasheed and his knock was always about being able to control himself. But if he gets fired up and channels that itensity he can light it up with the best of them. Also I think the difference has been Ben Wallace. Sure he always gives you 15+ rebounds and 3+ blocks a game but now under Brown he is also scoring. Wow!!!Is he fun to watch I like Indiana too but poor Jermaine just has no help down low. They should never have traded away Brad Miller. God bless Reggie and usually prerimeter shooting can do some damage but not when you have Hamilton, Billups and Prince knocking down shots from the outside too. Sorry to say it but I think Indy is going down
ps-I've liked Jermaine O'neal since he started out in Portland. Great guy on and off the court!

GO LAKERS!!! GR8 game 2-nite! Glad we stole "Home Court" advantage and kept it! 4 in 5 is AWESOME!!!

Somebody... please.... BEAT L.A.!!!! Wipe the grin off those arrogant mugs!!!

Sadly, I don't think it's gonna happen.

The final game between the Lakers and Timberwolves was the first game the Lakers played where old-style teamwork was on display. Every member of the squad contributed and they showed flashes of remembering how the game used to be played: with quick passing and seemingly everyone getting a touch.

Of course, during the Finals we will be inundated with stories that ask why the Lakers seem to turn it on & off and whether a they are a truly great team since they don't seem to play their hardest each & every game.

~Adam

[ June 01, 2004, 08:09 AM: Message edited by: Adam ]

And now the Pistons are in, courtesy of their 69-65 win over the Pacers. The score was 33-27 Indiana at HALFTIME. eek!

Is there any reason to believe the Pistons can win one game in the finals?

GO LAKERS!!!

Previous scores with other teams don't mean anything. Detroit has an excellent chance to win this thing, they have a great team and coach. Lakers had troubles with Minnesota (Minnesota had no business losing last night with all the Lakers in foul trouble), and Detroit can play uptempo like Minn did. Plus the fact that L.A. only shows up to play half the time.

Someone else mentioned whiping the smirk off the Lakers -- L.A. has a very good team, but newsflash to Derek Fisher and Devean George: You two are non-starters and you wouldn't be starters anywhere else, you just happen to play on the champion Lakers team, so no reason for the smiling and smirking after every freakin basket you make eek! :mad:

Lakers in 5. The NBA East sucks. That Game 6 was truly a hideous display of basketball (as was the entire series). The NBA needs to reseed the playoffs so we can have a Finals to look forward to with 2 West teams.

Just a couple things to take into account...
Pistons and Lakers split their two regular season meetings (that were played only 5 days apart back in November)...Lakers won in LA by five points and Pistons won in Detroit 5 days later by 10 points, thus neither was a "blowout....
Since these games were played in November they were obviously B.R. (before Rasheed)and that will add an interesting dynamic. The finals are a 2-3-2 series, which means the Lakers have to play games 3,4, and 5 in Detroit, a place they've never really enjoyed playing or played that well......
Don't send that trophy to the engravers just yet, west coast ballers.... wink

[ June 02, 2004, 07:02 AM: Message edited by: NFLJockGuy ]

I think it will be the Lakers in either 5 or 6. I'd love to see the championship evade Malone again, but I don't think it will happen.

Let's see, how do i put this....

Larry Brown is a F'ing sell out. Made one run with the sixers. Traded all of the talent away for people like DC, then skips out of town when it doesnt work.

Hope this jackazz get swept.

The Lakers have tended to take a game or two off in each of the earlier playoff series (usually, one or an other feels his ego isn't getting enough strokes, so doesn't play full out, just to show his value) so we can count on them losing at least one game to the Pistons and I think the Pistons will win one by outplaying the Lakers. Lakers will take the series, 4-2. (And just like last time they won, random acts of destruction will attend the celebration.)

~Adam

I don't expect the Pistons to win more than two either, but hopefully they can make it an interesting series. I probably haven't watched more than parts of two or three games in the Finals for 10 years or more. Go Rip!

let's see..... what can youb say about the eastern conference finals between Detroit and the pacers that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan.... It's bombed out and broken.

The game and the whole eastern playoffs SUCKED!

I love what Stephen Smith said during halftime. He said "the people after a hard days work deserve better than this AAU game"
He said that the level of play totally sucked and I agree.

I really think the laughable and anti-climatic east-west playoff finals of the last few years should prompt stupid-ass Stern and the NBA to look at a playoff with a mixed seeding designed to have the two best teams meet in the finals.
That way, the lakers would have played the Wolves or The Kings.

But am I looking forward to seeing the Lakers play the team that CONSISTENTLY scored 27 points in the first half? Hell naw!

The apologists kept saying "these two teams have great defense". Bitch! There ain't that much defense in the whole 100 years war! It was just terrible terrible shooting!

Maybe the draft should just be based on records and not playoff standings. The West used to suck (in the 80's), but was redeemed by one strong team, the Lakers. The East these days just all around sucks. Detroit and Indiana do stress defense and it was an ugly series, but I enjoyed it more than the can you top this offense of the West.

As much as I dislike the Lakers I see no reason for them not to win the Championship again. They seem to be one of those teams that can turn it on just enough when they need to. The Pistons may have Larry Brown as coach, but in 20 NBA seasons he has only shown he can get to the big dance, not win it all. I may be wrong this time, but then I may also hit the lottery.

[ June 03, 2004, 08:42 PM: Message edited by: phillyrunner ]

after watching the terrible french open women's final. I don't know if I have can stomach watching another terrible final.

Detroit... you better hope the ghost of Dennis Rodman's wedding dress comes back and blocks some shots for y'all. Cuz y'all mofos got no offense what-so-ever! what are the pistons averaging per game? 60 points? Man! They playing like NAIA basketball!