New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season
- Thread starter Ron Party
- Start date
tough loss by the c's. they couldn't make the plays down the stretch. lakers' 33 may be in danger as it seems.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
and the Lakers are sure making the playoff picture interesting. A win yesterday would have put them into the 7th spot but a wipeout loss to the Suns keeps them tied for 8th but Utah has 2 games in hand
and Bynum is done for the season (with 4 weeks left) and will have arthroscopy on both knees
and Bynum is done for the season (with 4 weeks left) and will have arthroscopy on both knees
I was rooting for the Celtics last night. Close game even though Garnett didn't play.
Clippers have Sacramento tonight in Sacramento with Memphis and Denver hot on their tails.
Denver plays OKC tonight.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
...and Rondo too. Call me a crazy guy but I'm 'bullish' on the C's chances as spoilers.
You guys (Phil and Steve) crack me up!
Both of you positioning your perennial powerhouse teams (Lakers and Celtics) as playoff spoilers.
Plus, I could have sworn Steve switched over to the Warriors from the Lakers earlier this season.
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Hi
On George Karl.. He is a good coach with a great winning percentage and 25 years + of experience but has never won an NBA championship ... I am not even sure he ever went to the Finals either ... True the coach s not playing but ... The Nuggets IMO won't get far .. I think it will be again OKC with the Spurs having a great shot at facing the Heat and losing in 5 games ... I hate the Heat
On George Karl.. He is a good coach with a great winning percentage and 25 years + of experience but has never won an NBA championship ... I am not even sure he ever went to the Finals either ... True the coach s not playing but ... The Nuggets IMO won't get far .. I think it will be again OKC with the Spurs having a great shot at facing the Heat and losing in 5 games ... I hate the Heat
You guys (Phil and Steve) crack me up!
Both of you positioning your perennial powerhouse teams (Lakers and Celtics) as playoff spoilers.
Plus, I could have sworn Steve switched over to the Warriors from the Lakers earlier this season.
W,
That's because the C's and the L's are not 'favored' as title contenders this season, for one reason or another.
Unlike your Clippers who are still up there in the field. If the Clips can win the title this season, I will be very happy, but I say that to just about any team who will dethrone the Heat.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
You guys (Phil and Steve) crack me up!
Both of you positioning your perennial powerhouse teams (Lakers and Celtics) as playoff spoilers.
Plus, I could have sworn Steve switched over to the Warriors from the Lakers earlier this season.
you're correct and from the Warriors I then thought Clipps who were on a long win streak at the time. I watch a ton of NBA games and most all western conference games. The Nuggs are every bit as fast as the Thunder and have great scoring ability. If you find a way to slow the ball down yuo can beat them. When the Lakers try to run and gun with them they are woefully beaten by the Nuggs
I guess what it all boils down to for me is who the heck in the West is going to have the talent to challenge the Heat as I too have switched my stance on them. Frantz who lives in Miami sees the Heat all the time and knows the abilities of LBJ. Beating the Lakers 33 game win streak is something that would be amazing if they pull it off and the way they are playing now they look unbeatable
James has really upped his confidence level. I think the breaking point was last year when he poured in 40 something points at the Garden to save the Heat from losing Game 6. He found his potion last year and this year he is drinking it every night. Mentally his is right there with the best ones. The wishful thinking part is that the Heat may be peaking right now and the curve may begin to slide down somehow as the months go on. And some other team might peak in the playoffs to augment that strong advantage of the Heat. They are a team that plays 4 quarters, and they have their go to guy in James down the line. They run about 3 isolation plays with James on Green the final minutes ala MJ or Kobe. That is where Boston's lack of bigs is evident. No interior defense like Tyson Chandler to help out on the inside D. And speaking of Jeff Green, the Perkins trade has finally shown some light. 43 points against the Heat. That is an milestone in itself. He is poised to be the C's future star when Pierce and KD retire. Call me a crazy guy but I'm still bullish on the C's.
Mentally his is right there with the best ones. The wishful thinking part is that the Heat may be peaking right now and the curve may begin to slide down somehow as the months go on. And some other team might peak in the playoffs to augment that strong advantage of the Heat. They are a team that plays 4 quarters, and they have their go to guy in James down the line. They run about 3 isolation plays with James on Green the final minutes ala MJ or Kobe. That is where Boston's lack of bigs is evident. No interior defense like Tyson Chandler to help out on the inside D. And speaking of Jeff Green, the Perkins trade has finally shown some light. 43 points against the Heat. That is an milestone in itself. He is poised to be the C's future star when Pierce and KD retire. Call me a crazy guy but I'm still bullish on the C's. My Clippers have been pedestrian since the All Star break. Hope they ramp it up again.
I'm not rooting for the Heat either.
Nobody in the East is going top take them down, I don't think.
I've turned on OKC since Serge Ibaka took that cheap shot / low blow at Blake Griffin.
There are more good teams in the West but perhaps not one that can beat the Heat - at least the way they are playing now.
Maybe the Heat are peaking too soon - one can only hope.
I'm not rooting for the Heat either.
Nobody in the East is going top take them down, I don't think.
I've turned on OKC since Serge Ibaka took that cheap shot / low blow at Blake Griffin.
There are more good teams in the West but perhaps not one that can beat the Heat - at least the way they are playing now.
Maybe the Heat are peaking too soon - one can only hope.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
agree on all points but I'm not seeing anyone who can beat the Heat. Winning 34 might prove a huge emotional let down afterwards that may be they'd be vulnerable in the playoffs
Barring injury, the Heat will repeat. (Hey, that rhymes.) They have the best defense against the pick and roll I've ever seen. They have the best trapping defense I've ever seen. They have more players with high basketball IQs than any other team. And, most importantly, they will have home court advantage. I can see them even running the course in the playoffs: 4-4-4-4, undefeated.
well, right now i can see one more thing above lebron's performance, that is pat riley's basketball acumen. call him the architect of this supposed heat dynasty in the making. he really did everything right. from flashing those rings in front of james to bag him and bosh, to adding battier last season, allen, lewis and birdman now, wow that is some lineup, even one fabulous shooter in james jones has been just warming the bench. riley planned it all.
Hi
On George Karl.. He is a good coach with a great winning percentage and 25 years + of experience but has never won an NBA championship ... I am not even sure he ever went to the Finals either ... True the coach s not playing but ... The Nuggets IMO won't get far .. I think it will be again OKC with the Spurs having a great shot at facing the Heat and losing in 5 games ... I hate the Heat
One of Karl's Seattle teams lost to the Bulls in the finals. He's lost in the conference finals a few times.
I don't think his teams ever underachieve given the talent in them, usually the reverse.
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
sorry Frantz but I like the Nuggs. I watched them run rings around the Thunder last night in OKC. They own the series against the Thunder and not too many teams can say that
steve williams
Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
FWIW..........
UNDERESTIMATE NUGGETS AT YOUR OWN RISK
By Steve Aschburner
.
Overlooked is fine. Underrated? No problem. Neglected isn’t an issue with the Denver Nuggets even, because it’s a fairly easy thing to do at the moment. Coach George Karl and his bunch headed into their game Tuesday at Oklahoma City with the NBA’s second-longest active winning streak. Trouble is, that’s a distinction that’s akin to Sham’s “place” finish in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, what with the Secretariat-like Miami Heat out front chasing history.
But underestimate the Nuggets at your own peril.
Asked for the umpteenth time this week about Denver, its perceived shortcomings (no superstar to serve as “closer,” playing too fast a pace) and its prospects for reaching The 2013 Finals, Karl bristled a bit. “Definitively yes. I’m tired of the damn question,” he told a group of reporters at Chicago’s United Center Monday.
“First of all, 50 percent of all games are won at the defensive end – I think 70 percent of the games are won with your defense,” Karl said. “The go-to mentality, Ty [Lawson] has gotten good there, Gallo [Danilo Gallinari] has been very good there. Have they gotten into the echelon of a Kobe or a Lebron? I remember you all saying LeBron wasn’t a closer three years ago. Maybe two years ago.
“It’s about making basketball plays. It’s not about a guy making shots. It’s about stops, possessions and efficiency.”
The Nuggets knew they were going to be stronger in the second half of this season. They opened with 22 of their first 32 on the road and lost 14 of the roadies. Since then, though, they are 8-5 away from Pepsi Center and 29-7 overall. Their home mark is 30-3.
Denver leads the NBA in assists per game and in scoring points in the paint, a by-product of playing at the second-fastest pace. It ranks third in offensive rating (110.2) and 12th in defensive rating (105.2).
The improvement in defense can be traced to a good degree to Andre Iguodala‘s arrival. Karl stops short of calling him the best defender he’s ever coached only because he doesn’t want to “get shot” by former Seattle star Gary Payton. But Iguodala’s versatility, athletic ability and demeanor have been a huge influence.
“Any time you have a player you can put on the point guard one night, Kevin Durant the next night and probably, if he had to, [Carlos] Boozer [another night]… He can cover almost anybody on the court,” the coach said. “That’s a great luxury to have as a coach. I think his intensity, his focus is somewhat contagious to some of our younger players.”
The closer-by-committee approach, while it doesn’t five the Nuggets any one player who can reliably get to the foul line late in games, does afford them options.
How does Karl choose from game to game?
“It’s a combination of matchups, what has worked successfully as a play and what player is having a good game,” he said. “And do I want to make a decision or do I want to make a shot? If it’s a decision, you might put the ball in Andre’s hands because he’ll make the pass. I’d say Gallo, because of his size and length, to go get a shot within three seconds, you might put the ball in his hands. And Ty has gotten to be pretty good in situations where teams are giving soft pick-and-roll coverage. So it comes in different packages.
“I think that’s enough. I think it’s more than enough.”
The Nuggets players are aware of the limits being placed on them by outsiders, based on perceptions of what a Finals team should or must be. They like it about as much as Karl does.
“That’s all on how people view the game,” Iguodala said after Denver’s overtime victory against the Bulls Monday. “Sometimes fans, sometimes even players, they don’t know the game sometimes and they look at numbers or they use smoke-and-mirrors as far as who’s a top 15 player, who’s a top 20 player. I think we have guys like that on our team.
We can match up with anybody. I just think as a team we have to mature. And not feel satisfied with the regular season.”
UNDERESTIMATE NUGGETS AT YOUR OWN RISK
By Steve Aschburner
.
Overlooked is fine. Underrated? No problem. Neglected isn’t an issue with the Denver Nuggets even, because it’s a fairly easy thing to do at the moment. Coach George Karl and his bunch headed into their game Tuesday at Oklahoma City with the NBA’s second-longest active winning streak. Trouble is, that’s a distinction that’s akin to Sham’s “place” finish in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, what with the Secretariat-like Miami Heat out front chasing history.
But underestimate the Nuggets at your own peril.
Asked for the umpteenth time this week about Denver, its perceived shortcomings (no superstar to serve as “closer,” playing too fast a pace) and its prospects for reaching The 2013 Finals, Karl bristled a bit. “Definitively yes. I’m tired of the damn question,” he told a group of reporters at Chicago’s United Center Monday.
“First of all, 50 percent of all games are won at the defensive end – I think 70 percent of the games are won with your defense,” Karl said. “The go-to mentality, Ty [Lawson] has gotten good there, Gallo [Danilo Gallinari] has been very good there. Have they gotten into the echelon of a Kobe or a Lebron? I remember you all saying LeBron wasn’t a closer three years ago. Maybe two years ago.
“It’s about making basketball plays. It’s not about a guy making shots. It’s about stops, possessions and efficiency.”
The Nuggets knew they were going to be stronger in the second half of this season. They opened with 22 of their first 32 on the road and lost 14 of the roadies. Since then, though, they are 8-5 away from Pepsi Center and 29-7 overall. Their home mark is 30-3.
Denver leads the NBA in assists per game and in scoring points in the paint, a by-product of playing at the second-fastest pace. It ranks third in offensive rating (110.2) and 12th in defensive rating (105.2).
The improvement in defense can be traced to a good degree to Andre Iguodala‘s arrival. Karl stops short of calling him the best defender he’s ever coached only because he doesn’t want to “get shot” by former Seattle star Gary Payton. But Iguodala’s versatility, athletic ability and demeanor have been a huge influence.
“Any time you have a player you can put on the point guard one night, Kevin Durant the next night and probably, if he had to, [Carlos] Boozer [another night]… He can cover almost anybody on the court,” the coach said. “That’s a great luxury to have as a coach. I think his intensity, his focus is somewhat contagious to some of our younger players.”
The closer-by-committee approach, while it doesn’t five the Nuggets any one player who can reliably get to the foul line late in games, does afford them options.
How does Karl choose from game to game?
“It’s a combination of matchups, what has worked successfully as a play and what player is having a good game,” he said. “And do I want to make a decision or do I want to make a shot? If it’s a decision, you might put the ball in Andre’s hands because he’ll make the pass. I’d say Gallo, because of his size and length, to go get a shot within three seconds, you might put the ball in his hands. And Ty has gotten to be pretty good in situations where teams are giving soft pick-and-roll coverage. So it comes in different packages.
“I think that’s enough. I think it’s more than enough.”
The Nuggets players are aware of the limits being placed on them by outsiders, based on perceptions of what a Finals team should or must be. They like it about as much as Karl does.
“That’s all on how people view the game,” Iguodala said after Denver’s overtime victory against the Bulls Monday. “Sometimes fans, sometimes even players, they don’t know the game sometimes and they look at numbers or they use smoke-and-mirrors as far as who’s a top 15 player, who’s a top 20 player. I think we have guys like that on our team.
We can match up with anybody. I just think as a team we have to mature. And not feel satisfied with the regular season.”
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