New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[steve williams]

Bob et al

are any of you thinking that the injury to D. Rose is more serious than what they let on

 

[rblnr]

Bob et al

are any of you thinking that the injury to D. Rose is more serious than what they let on

May be wrong, but I think they're just being careful with an injury that is easy to reaggravate. As their still a few games ahead of the Heat for home court in the playoffs, I think they'll wait as long as they can.

 

[steve williams]

May be wrong, but I think they're just being careful with an injury that is easy to reaggravate. As their still a few games ahead of the Heat for home court in the playoffs, I think they'll wait as long as they can.

Forget the Heat Bob, they should be thinking Thunder and home court advantage

Thunder is 2 games back of the Bulls. Plenty of time for the Thunder to snatch home court throughout

 

[jadis]

Bob et al

are any of you thinking that the injury to D. Rose is more serious than what they let on

In the BOS vs MIA game the other night, I heard Jeff van Gundy say that he thinks the injury of D.Rose is serious. I read that Rose missed the last 10 games and he still couldn't run bec of his groin injury. The fear of Bulls fans would be a recurrence or aggravation of that same injury if he comes back and play, and the worst part would be that it would be happening either at the end of the regular season or the start of the playoffs in which only 4 losses can wipe out a team and get them packed for a vacation.

And watching the replay of the C's vs Heat yesterday, that was one game where the C's offense was just superb and Miami's was not. MIA was missing lots of shots, maybe a bad night. The younger players like Bradley, Bass and Stiesma were very energized on their defense and Pierce and KG just sank a lot of their shots. It's funny how a big loss like that by Miami would make people wonder if they are that strong really because it makes them look very vulnerable specially when the offense of their opponents is fantastic. I guess it was one of those bad days for the Heat team, they should be able to come back easily and regroup.They are one of the few intact teams from last season plus they added a few good players to help them in Battier and Turiaf. And free from injuries to their star players.

 

[FrantzM]

Steve

I am with Phil , please don't confuse me with a Heat fan, I am not. I am a Lakers fan but the basketball lover in me is impressed by the Heat. They have likely the best player in the NBA with LBJ and D-Wade will figure in any top 5 players right now. And they have the third wheel playing Power Forward: Bosh who's likely one of the best Power Forward in the league Put this with a self-effacing but extremely smart coach .. Very good and intelligent role players. Battier for example is a superb defender capable of frustrating for an etire series most players in the NBA with his hand-in-your-face-while-you-shoot routine.. An intelligent player with a superb understanding of the game ... Plus as Jadis said earlier .. They are virtually the same team as last year with a better bench.
I know you like KD but do you really think he is a better player than LBJ? Or would you think that Westbrook is better than D-Wade? ..They play great defense and can score a bunch of points in a hurry. Their biggest enemy is themselves particularly the tendency of LBJ to wilt under pressure.. Last year it wasn't so much the Mavs stopping them rather than LBJ melting under the (pun intended) heat ... To repeat my point I don't see which team will stop them Not Chicago with just one weapon (the likely seriously injured D-Rose), not on in the East and OKC has to first escape a very lethal West with an invigorated Lakers and other teams just lurking to unseat them form their present throne as the west favorite ...The Heat remain to me the favorite and I hate to see it but they will be contender for many more years

 

[steve williams]

Frantz, hope you're right but I can tell you that I am a basketball junkie and watch 15-20 NBA games per week and I see all of the top teams play. To answer your question, yes I believe the Thunder can beat the Heat and can do it in 6 games

You just saw them destroy the Heat and then the Bulls

Is KD a better player...no

However when it comes to the last shot of the game I'm going with KD over LBJ any day. The Thunder is a young, very talented, very,very fast bunch of young kids who play the same game game day in and day out.They never look tired.Westbrook can cover D-Rose in the Finals and the unknown right now is the extent of his injury

To me the Thunder is "Showtime"of the 21st century as they make me reminisce of the original showtime

So painfully (because I am such a Lakers fan) I really am betting on the Thunder to go all the way, but certainly to take the West.

As for a reinvigorated Lakers team with Sessions, yeh they look much better with some speed and youth, however the Thunder destroyed the Lakers as well at Staples.

I'm not a betting man Frantz but a gentleman's wager

Thunder.....me

Heat..........you

 

[MylesBAstor]

Steve

I am with Phil , please don't confuse me with a Heat fan, I am not. I am a Lakers fan but the basketball lover in me is impressed by the Heat. They have likely the best player in the NBA with LBJ and D-Wade will figure in any top 5 players right now. And they have the third wheel playing Power Forward: Bosh who's likely one of the best Power Forward in the league Put this with a self-effacing but extremely smart coach .. Very good and intelligent role players. Battier for example is a superb defender capable of frustrating for an etire series most players in the NBA with his hand-in-your-face-while-you-shoot routine.. An intelligent player with a superb understanding of the game ... Plus as Jadis said earlier .. They are virtually the same team as last year with a better bench.
I know you like KD but do you really think he is a better player than LBJ? Or would you think that Westbrook is better than D-Wade? ..They play great defense and can score a bunch of points in a hurry. Their biggest enemy is themselves particularly the tendency of LBJ to wilt under pressure.. Last year it wasn't so much the Mavs stopping them rather than LBJ melting under the (pun intended) heat ... To repeat my point I don't see which team will stop them Not Chicago with just one weapon (the likely seriously injured D-Rose), not on in the East and OKC has to first escape a very lethal West with an invigorated Lakers and other teams just lurking to unseat them form their present throne as the west favorite ...The Heat remain to me the favorite and I hate to see it but they will be contender for many more years

I think that when the pressure is on, no one can stop KD. Look at what he did in the Olympics. KD can create his own shot, shoot over you or if necessary drive past you. I think talent wise LBJ and KD are on the same level but upstairs the nod has to go to KD.

 

[steve williams]

KD IMHO is the MVP this year and yes I would go with him always before LBJ. He can beat you in so many ways

 

[Ron Party]

I think that when the pressure is on, no one can stop KD. Look at what he did in the Olympics. KD can create his own shot, shoot over you or if necessary drive past you. I think talent wise LBJ and KD are on the same level but upstairs the nod has to go to KD.

+1. If I'm starting a team, I pick KD over LBJ by a wide margin. I also pick D. Wade over LBJ.

 

[jadis]

It's redemption time for both KD and LBJ. Both of them were involved last season in playoff games wherein they let Dallas rally back from a big big deficit and lost those games wherein both could have made clutch pressure plays to keep Dallas' rally from succeeding. But they lost those huge leads, and lost those series eventually. Magic had his redemption after being called tragic Johnson in the '84 Finals, coming up with the big baby hook to nail the C's on the parquet floor to eventually win the title that year. Bird too, in '81 and '84 redeemed his '80 and '82 so so performance to lead the C's to a title. MJ of course, so many times. Dirk had his too last season. So for KD and James, it's all about stepping up, shinning above the rest, and bringing their team the golden trophy. I'm assuming of course, that if they meet in the Finals come June. Being a lover of the underdogs, I believe the 'spoilers' are out there ready to prevent this matchup. The Bulls, if only D Rose didn't have this 10 or 11 game absence from his groin injury, certainly is a favorite to be in the Finals, but right now, there are many questions regarding their 'strength'. Quite simply, I believe the Bulls need a 100% healthy Rose to figure in a title run. Funny but I heard Brent Barry made a comment after the C's beat the Heat yesterday and he said " I think that neither the Bulls nor the Heat want to face the Celtics in that playoffs'. The C's are playing with nothing to lose right now, and they have much to prove by inching up the ladder in slow steps. Interestingly, the JO surgery had cause KG to play Center and he actually is scoring better than the last 2 seasons at the 5 position. This, after claiming he hates playing the 5.

 

[jadis]

Chicago lost again, to Houston tonight. And Rose is still out. All eyes now on his condition, specially to Bulls' fans. Injury is always a killer to a title drive. I read yesterday that Linsanity was replaced by Linjury. That's all part of the ball game, though.

 

[JackD201]

It's redemption time for both KD and LBJ. Both of them were involved last season in playoff games wherein they let Dallas rally back from a big big deficit and lost those games wherein both could have made clutch pressure plays to keep Dallas' rally from succeeding. But they lost those huge leads, and lost those series eventually. Magic had his redemption after being called tragic Johnson in the '84 Finals, coming up with the big baby hook to nail the C's on the parquet floor to eventually win the title that year. Bird too, in '81 and '84 redeemed his '80 and '82 so so performance to lead the C's to a title. MJ of course, so many times. Dirk had his too last season. So for KD and James, it's all about stepping up, shinning above the rest, and bringing their team the golden trophy. I'm assuming of course, that if they meet in the Finals come June. Being a lover of the underdogs, I believe the 'spoilers' are out there ready to prevent this matchup. The Bulls, if only D Rose didn't have this 10 or 11 game absence from his groin injury, certainly is a favorite to be in the Finals, but right now, there are many questions regarding their 'strength'. Quite simply, I believe the Bulls need a 100% healthy Rose to figure in a title run. Funny but I heard Brent Barry made a comment after the C's beat the Heat yesterday and he said " I think that neither the Bulls nor the Heat want to face the Celtics in that playoffs'. The C's are playing with nothing to lose right now, and they have much to prove by inching up the ladder in slow steps. Interestingly, the JO surgery had cause KG to play Center and he actually is scoring better than the last 2 seasons at the 5 position. This, after claiming he hates playing the 5.

Phil, would you know if KG has upped his body mass a lot the last few years? Playing 5 will allow him to rest more. Reminds me of Webber in a way. Webber hated playing the 5 spot but was forced to. Hakeem transitioned very easily from 4 to 5. If KG does so, he may look at a few more very useful years.

 

[jadis]

Phil, would you know if KG has upped his body mass a lot the last few years? Playing 5 will allow him to rest more. Reminds me of Webber in a way. Webber hated playing the 5 spot but was forced to. Hakeem transitioned very easily from 4 to 5. If KG does so, he may look at a few more very useful years.

Statistically, I wouldn't know if he upped his body weight of late, Jack. But, my own observation of him is that he did not. And, adding more weight will not bode well with his knee surgery done in 2009. As it is, after the surgery he came back like his old self but re-injured his knee that caused him to miss playoff games in the playoff loss to Orlando. He hasn't done much alley-oop dunks anymore on Rondo lobs. That is a conscious plan, imo, to keep him away from aggravation or recurrence of his knee problem. Good to know that the 5 would rest him more. He needs it. And maybe that is why his shooting touch has been better than even last season. He can 'float' around more.

 

[steve williams]

Chicago lost again, to Houston tonight. And Rose is still out. All eyes now on his condition, specially to Bulls' fans. Injury is always a killer to a title drive. I read yesterday that Linsanity was replaced by Linjury. That's all part of the ball game, though.

sad thing was that OKC also lost to the Grizzlies thus preventing gaining a game on the Bulls

 

[MylesBAstor]

You knew it was only a matter of time until this happened.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/...fined-undisclosed-amount-numerous-infractions

 

[jadis]

MIA vs OKC. Miami dictating the pace right now. Let's see at the 4th if Westbrook and Durant will explode.

 

[Ron Party]

Home court foul or no-foul calls are irritating.

 

[jadis]

Heat played their type of game, reducing the open court running game of the Thunder. Perkins missed those 2 FTs, he could have dunked it for a 3 pt play. Westbrook on James was a mismatch and James was a force tonight.

 

[Ron Party]

James always is a force, but the home court refereeing was a joke. It very well could have been a preview of the finals but as I've repeatedly stated the winner will be the team with home court advantage.

 

[jadis]

James always is a force, but the home court refereeing was a joke. It very well could have been a preview of the finals but as I've repeatedly stated the winner will be the team with home court advantage.

Agreed, Ron. Home court refereeing has been there in the past, and there is nothing much the league has done about it. I think they would even deny it. I'd like to see these 2 teams in the Finals.