I might be early!

Cartalas · Post by **Cartalas** » April 23, 2006, 1:07 am

Gratz Spurs on NBA Championship , Total Domination. God I hate them

StupidMcDupid · Post by **StupidMcDupid** » April 23, 2006, 10:34 am

Thanks!It was good to see Ron Artest talkin all that smack before the game,and then see the Spurs run the ball up their throats.

.

Gratz Us on Championship #4!!

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 23, 2006, 12:12 pm

you takin the spurs vs the feild... if so I want that bet any day of the week and twice on sundays

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 23, 2006, 12:31 pm

Spurs won't even live to see the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » April 23, 2006, 12:32 pm

That game was insane. As a Spurs fan (and Artest hater) I loved every minute of that game. It is insane how they turn it on in the play-offs. I am not ready to say they have won yet though, it is a long play-off and both the Mavs and the Pistons will be tough.

That said, if they play like that every game they will win it.

Btw.. holy fuck did anyone else watch LeBron??

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 23, 2006, 1:03 pm

Kelshara wrote:
That said, if they play like that every game they will win it.

Btw.. holy fuck did anyone else watch LeBron??

You know there is no way they play every playoff game like that, and they are SUPPOSED to handle the kings like that, they are the #1 seed!

Cleveland is scarey man... suddenly the east has 3 legit teams...

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » April 23, 2006, 1:07 pm

Yeah I know they wont. But they are a veteran team and KNOW how to win play-off games. I would seriously be worried if I was a Mavs or Pistons fan right now.

And yeah.. granted Wizards isn't the best defensive team but damn.. and they didn't even use Ilgauskas much in the paint! I do expect Wizards to come back with a vengence though.

Suffice to say, Cleveland is buzzing right now!

noel · Post by **noel** » April 23, 2006, 1:46 pm

A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.

I'd say the Nets look legit in the East (they have yet to play at the time of this writing) so that would make four teams in the East with a legit shot.

I'm disappointed the Clippers let the Nuggets back into the game, but glad they won.

If you think Lebron is good now, just wait until he gets good. Mark Jackson, the future called, Michael Jordan is still the greatest basketball player of all time, but it's Lebron who's a close second, not Kobe Bryant.

Miami beat the Bulls. The Bulls are a great young team with a great coach, but I think if Miami were capable of making a run at the Pistons, this game would have been a lot more one-sided.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 23, 2006, 6:23 pm

noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.

Possibly, but the road to the Championship goes through San Antonio until someone beats them.

If San Antonio can close out the first round quickly and rest Duncan and Ginobili they have as good a chance of winning the title this year as they had last year.

noel · Post by **noel** » April 23, 2006, 6:48 pm

Crav wrote:
noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.
Possibly, but the road to the Championship goes through San Antonio until someone beats them.

That's fucking stupid. The road to the championship goes through 16 separate teams until someone beats them. Grats you on saying nothing of note.

If San Antonio can close out the first round quickly and rest Duncan and Ginobili they have as good a chance of winning the title this year as they had last year.

Yeah cause last year when San Antonio had a healthy Duncan and Ginobli, they beat Detroit OH. SO. CONVINCINGLY.

Here's a hint: For all of Artest's running at the mouth, THE QUEENS AREN'T THAT GOOD.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 23, 2006, 8:16 pm

noel wrote:
Crav wrote:
noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.
Possibly, but the road to the Championship goes through San Antonio until someone beats them.
That's fucking stupid. The road to the championship goes through 16 separate teams until someone beats them. Grats you on saying nothing of note.

noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.

noel · Post by **noel** » April 23, 2006, 8:39 pm

Boogahz wrote:
noel wrote:
Crav wrote:
noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.
Possibly, but the road to the Championship goes through San Antonio until someone beats them.
That's fucking stupid. The road to the championship goes through 16 separate teams until someone beats them. Grats you on saying nothing of note.

noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.

I'm saying... The championship will go through Detroit. Period. I'm not qualifying that statement.

He is saying, the championship will go through A until B defeats them. First of all, he's wrong when he uses San Antonio as the A. Second, that can be said for any team.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » April 23, 2006, 9:53 pm

heh Noel you kind of owned yourself here and came up a bit hypocritical. Anyway, I think it can safely be said that so far only San Antonio and Detroit have been really convincing in their games. Watching Pistons right now and honestly, against Bucks the Pistons only have one real opponent: Themselves.

That said, Spurs ARE defending champions and you know the saying: To be the champ you have to beat the champ.

Oh, and Sacramento with Artest was a completely different team towards the end of the season. To claim otherwise is.. well.. ridiculous. Were they Spurs/Piston level team? Nope, but a hell of a lot better.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 23, 2006, 10:27 pm

If Rip is hurt, I will go on a shooting spree.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » April 23, 2006, 11:09 pm

I'm a Heat fan, but I find it hard to believe anyone will be able to beat the Spurs or the Pistons.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 24, 2006, 3:44 am

noel wrote:
Crav wrote:
noel wrote:A few things:
The road to the finals goes through Auburn Hills.
Possibly, but the road to the Championship goes through San Antonio until someone beats them.
That's fucking stupid. The road to the championship goes through 16 separate teams until someone beats them. Grats you on saying nothing of note.

Yea because all the teams in the playoffs are equal right? Until someone can prove they can beat San Antonio in a best of seven they are the champions, period end of story.

Now if you’re going to say that in order for a team to get to the finals from the East they have to win at least one game in Detroit then you are correct, however, I doubt that's what you were saying. I of course apologize if that is what you meant.

noel wrote:
If San Antonio can close out the first round quickly and rest Duncan and Ginobili they have as good a chance of winning the title this year as they had last year.
Yeah cause last year when San Antonio had a healthy Duncan and Ginobli, they beat Detroit OH. SO. CONVINCINGLY.

Here's a hint: For all of Artest's running at the mouth, THE QUEENS AREN'T THAT GOOD.

Oh I'm sorry did Detroit win the championship last year? I must have missed the part where it went past six games. Convincingly or not who won the Championship, who proved they were the better team by winning?

Out of curiosity where in my post did I even mention the Kings directly? I simply said that if they can win the series quickly and rest Duncan and Ginobili they will have as good a chance as last year. Here a stumper for you, who won the Championship last year? I'll give you a small hint...it wasn't Detroit.

noel wrote: I'm saying... The championship will go through Detroit. Period. I'm not qualifying that statement.

He is saying, the championship will go through A until B defeats them. First of all, he's wrong when he uses San Antonio as the A. Second, that can be said for any team.

Why am I wrong? Please explain how I am wrong in saying that San Antonio are the champions until someone beats them in a seven game series.

If your talking about home court advantage then you are correct the finals will go through Detroit in much the same way that the Western Conference finals went through Phoenix last year, I think we remember how that went.

noel · Post by **noel** » April 24, 2006, 9:57 am

San Antonio's not going to make the Western conference Finals. That's how you're wrong.

All I was saying, and I apologize for not making myself clear, is that technically everyone is in it until they lose a series.

San Antonio, sans Parker, is a shadow of the team that won the finals last year, and it's not like they won them convincingly last year anyway. Teams like Dallas, and Phoenix (if they get what's his name back), have improved tremendously. There's no point in even talking about how much Detroit has improved because San Antonio will never see them.

The only reason the Spurs won last year was that Parker and Ginobli dragged Duncan through the finals where (like usual) he was nearly invisible and Larry Brown was too busy negotiating his contract with Isaiah to coach a fucking game.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 24, 2006, 11:08 am

Yeah, fuckin' Larry Brown. He needs to die in a fire.

Post by **Sylvus** » April 24, 2006, 11:38 am

Crav wrote:Oh I'm sorry did Detroit win the championship last year? I must have missed the part where it went past six games.

What are you talking about? It went 7 games. The Pistons won game 6 in San Antonio and then lost game 7, still in San Antonio. Virtually every sports writer who commented on it after the fact agrees that Detroit lost because they didn't have home court advantage, and why it was such a big deal that the Pistons had the best record in the NBA this year.

They came out of the gate wanting home court through the NBA finals, and accomplished that goal. No one is beating the Pistons this year. Hell, they only lost 4 games at home all year, the fourth being the last game of the year with all scrubs (read: Chauncy Billups didn't play and the rest of our starters played about half as much as they usually do) playing in the game.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » April 24, 2006, 12:10 pm

GO GO BUCKS!

Cartalas · Post by **Cartalas** » April 24, 2006, 1:04 pm

"Phoenix (if they get what's his name back), "

OMG LMAO!!! ( Sorry Winnow that was funny as hell)

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 24, 2006, 1:07 pm

Cartalas wrote:"Phoenix (if they get what's his name back), "

OMG LMAO!!! ( Sorry Winnow that was funny as hell)

OMG, I just noticed that Winnow must have angered the forum gods as well! His Suns thread was deleted!? It's a kunspeeruhsee!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 24, 2006, 1:21 pm

Who needs what's his name when you have Tim Thomas! 22 pts, 15rbs, 8-10 FG, 3-4 3ptsers , 2 stls, 1 blk and a WIN for the Suns.

He was a nice late season pick up I'd say : ) Amare out, Kurt Thomas out, Brian Grant out with stomach flu....who you gonna call for a big man?

Boris Diaw should be over his strepp throad by Tuesday.

The real playoffs begin in round two.

Post by **Sylvus** » April 24, 2006, 1:26 pm

Round 2, when the Suns are already done for the postseason?

Don't get me wrong, I think they'll beat the Lakers, but I think you're going to be surprised when the Lakers win 2 games in this series.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 24, 2006, 1:51 pm

Kobe only got 22, but the Suns barely won.

We all know Kobe. We all know the Suns' defense. K-Dog's going to take this to 7 games by himself.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 24, 2006, 3:06 pm

noel wrote:San Antonio's not going to make the Western conference Finals. That's how you're wrong.

All I was saying, and I apologize for not making myself clear, is that technically everyone is in it until they lose a series.

Your opinion doesn't really make me wrong, but while I disagree with your first statement I'll gladly in theory agree with your second statement.

noel wrote: San Antonio, sans Parker, is a shadow of the team that won the finals last year, and it's not like they won them convincingly last year anyway. Teams like Dallas, and Phoenix (if they get what's his name back), have improved tremendously. There's no point in even talking about how much Detroit has improved because San Antonio will never see them.

Even with all those improvement they couldn't have a better record than the Spurs in the regular season, a team that is built around the playoff more than the regular season. Don't believe me? Why else would you keep a guy like Robert Horry around or sign two aging stars like Finely and Van Exel?

How much have the Pistons improved? I see the wins, but that's in a conference where all the seeds below 5 are at or below the .500 winning mark. Would you really call that an improvement. Is gaining a one game advantage really worth a coach who has never coached the finals and has only gone past the second round once?

On the subject of injuries do you think the Pistons would have a chance at the finals if even one of their starters goes down? One of the problems with building a complete team is that without one of the pieces it tends to not function as well.

noel wrote: The only reason the Spurs won last year was that Parker and Ginobli dragged Duncan through the finals where (like usual) he was nearly invisible and Larry Brown was too busy negotiating his contract with Isaiah to coach a fucking game.

That's funny because I thought Duncan has a finals MVP. Oh and the only reason the Spurs won last years Championship is because they won one more game than the Pistons. On the road or at home it really doesn't matter because there is no close to winning there just is winning or losing.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 24, 2006, 3:39 pm

On the subject of injuries do you think the Pistons would have a chance at the finals if even one of their starters goes down? One of the problems with building a complete team is that without one of the pieces it tends to not function as well.

You can say that about any team, but moreso about superstar teams. Cavs lose LeKing? Lakers lose Kobe? Come on, I'd much rather take my chances losing Sheed to one tech too many.

That said... I think the Pistons could mingle if Sheed went down, because McDyess is good enough of a replacement. Other positions would be more difficult to fill, though Delk is proving to be a solid backup point guard / shooting guard.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 24, 2006, 3:51 pm

Sylvus wrote:
Crav wrote:Oh I'm sorry did Detroit win the championship last year? I must have missed the part where it went past six games.
What are you talking about? It went 7 games. The Pistons won game 6 in San Antonio and then lost game 7, still in San Antonio. Virtually every sports writer who commented on it after the fact agrees that Detroit lost because they didn't have home court advantage, and why it was such a big deal that the Pistons had the best record in the NBA this year.

I apologize I didn't remember if it was 6 or 7 games last year and it honestly didn't matter. I could have said it went 6 or 7, heck I could have said it went 5 games and while I would be wrong on that count it still wouldn't have changed the fact that the Spurs won the Championship.

It's funny because those same writers also agreed that if Wade hadn't gone down in the conference finals the Pistons probably wouldn't have made the finals in the first place.

Sylvus wrote: They came out of the gate wanting home court through the NBA finals, and accomplished that goal. No one is beating the Pistons this year. Hell, they only lost 4 games at home all year, the fourth being the last game of the year with all scrubs (read: Chauncy Billups didn't play and the rest of our starters played about half as much as they usually do) playing in the game.

Luckly you don't need to win 4 games away in the playoffs, all you need is to win one game and you change home court. So all that work and coming out of the gates strong mean nothing if they lose just one game at home.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 24, 2006, 4:02 pm

Leonaerd wrote:
On the subject of injuries do you think the Pistons would have a chance at the finals if even one of their starters goes down? One of the problems with building a complete team is that without one of the pieces it tends to not function as well.
You can say that about any team, but moreso about superstar teams. Cavs lose LeKing? Lakers lose Kobe? Come on, I'd much rather take my chances losing Sheed to one tech too many.

That said... I think the Pistons could mingle if Sheed went down, because McDyess is good enough of a replacement. Other positions would be more difficult to fill, though Delk is proving to be a solid backup point guard / shooting guard.

See the thing is that's a 1 in 5 chance for those teams not a 5 in 5. The Pistons are built on the idea that each player can cover up the others weaknesses and while that makes them a very strong team it also makes them very vulnerable.

Either way I was only responding to the comment by Noel that w/o Parker the Spurs are not as good which of course is like saying 2+2 = 4. I was simply pointing out that without any of their starters the Pistons are a much weaker team, I'll refer you to my previous mathematics for the obviousness of that statement.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 24, 2006, 8:06 pm

Leonaerd wrote:Kobe only got 22, but the Suns barely won.

We all know Kobe. We all know the Suns' defense. K-Dog's going to take this to 7 games by himself.

I know it gets old but the Suns get no respect. Who gives a fuck what Kobe scores against Phoenix? He averaged 40+ against the Suns during the regular season and the Lakers STILL lost every gave except the one Nash, along with half our team resting for the already clinched 2nd seed in the playoffs.

Kobe got 22....yeah..and the Suns also had a horrible shooting percentage this game...and STILL won....without big men to speak of except Tim Thomas. Why not see it as it is...the Lakers suck at full strength and can't even beat a hurting Suns team? I know it's in vogue to hate the Suns, but chalk them in for a trip to the Western Conf Finals and deal with it...although they will get no respect for doing that again from you guys...because there's some strange voodoo going on in Phoenix which allows them to win back to back division titles that 28 or 29 other teams would love to be able to do...but for the Suns, it's like some magic trick.

Oh it's the system...it's Nash...it's Marion...it's the Coach...it's getting awesome players in free agency every year...you're god damn right it is so unless you're the Spurs or Pistons, you suck ass and need to prove yourself more than the Suns do over the past two years...and that includes the Mavs until Phoenix or Dallas is eliminated.

Here's another nice article on the MVP candidates from ESPN:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime ... ime-060419

SPECIAL MIDWEEK EDITION:
Separated but equal . . . almostBy Marc Stein
ESPN.com

As teammates, they were inseparable.
Well, guess what?

As MVP rivals, they ain't any easier to separate.

Steve Nash. Dirk Nowitzki. There they are, together again, filling the top two slots on my MVP ballot.

Finding any distance between them now is honestly harder than ever.

By now you've surely heard me and numerous colleagues wail about how tough it was to pick this season's Most Valuable Player. I know, I know: We say that every year. But I can't see how it's ever been more true. I would struggle to mount a passionate protest if any of the five guys on my official ballot end up as the NBA's 2005-06 MVP. And I can't remember ever thinking that before this, my 13th season covering the league.

The ballots in all categories -- including All-NBA teams, which I'll unveil in the final Daily Dime of the regular season Wednesday -- are due back to the league office by Thursday at 3 p.m. Here's how mine will look:

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Steve Nash

Nowitzki is having an MVP-caliber season, as one of the few players on the NBA map who can legitimately claim to get better every single season. In the low post, on the defensive end and when confronted by smaller/quicker defenders, Nowitzki is clearly better than he was a year ago. The only thing missing on his resume is the No. 1 seed in the West, and it's not really fair to hold that against the big German when Dallas exceeded all expectations anyway by winning 60 games . . . despite the biggest gap between the best and second-best player (Josh Howard) on its roster than any player in this discussion. Even Nash, when asked about Nowitzki's MVP-worthiness, told me: "What more does Dirk have to do?"

LeBron James is having an MVP-caliber season, too, thanks largely to the late rush from his Cleveland Cavaliers that might wind up netting the third-highest win total in the Eastern Conference after seven seasons out of the playoffs. LeBron's individual production is ridiculous (31.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.6 apg) and looks even better when you remember that Larry Hughes, imported to be the backcourt sidekick who would help James finally get Cleveland back to the postseason, missed 45 games. If 50 wins equates to elite status, and if the Cavs can get there by winning Wednesday's finale against Atlanta, LeBron might combine singular prowess and team success better than anyone in the field.

Of course, I can only say might because of Kobe Bryant, who's having his own MVP-caliber season. Did someone say ridiculous individual production? Surely you haven't forgotten Bryant shredding Nowitzki's Mavs for 62 points in three quarters . . . and then hang 81 points on the Toronto Raptors. It's no less of a trick for Kobe to have the Lakers at 44 victories, relying heavily on Smush Parker and Kwame Brown (with pretty much zippo on the bench behind them) as major contributors. Given the depth of the West compared to the densely populated sub-.500 culture in the East, Kobe's win total and 35-point scoring average arguably trumps LeBron. Most amazing feat of all from No. 8: No one even talks any more about Eagle, Colo.

No ballot, furthermore, would be complete without Chauncey Billups, who's having an MVP-caliber season of his own as the Nash of the East. As noted in this cyberspace more than once, it's tough to stand out in the NBA's equivalent of a "Seinfeld"-standard ensemble, but Billups does so even with three other All-Stars in the lineup. If you were to single out one player from the league's foremost starting five, it would have to be the 29-year-old point guard who, like Nash in the desert, somehow gets better, more clutch and more glue-like as he gets older.

So . . .

To beat out all of the above competition, the reigning MVP would have to be even better than he was last season.

Right.

He was.

Nash simply would not let the Suns drop out of the NBA elite, even though these Suns -- with almost a whole new team in place and with Amare Stoudemire's season consisting of three games and two knee surgeries -- were not last season's 62-win Suns. Nash promptly dispelled the myth that he wouldn't be as effective without Stoudemire as his pick-and-roll finisher and produced his best statistical season yet, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor, better than 40 percent on 3-pointers and better than 90 percent from the line as one of seven Suns to record a career-best scoring average. As a result, Phoenix has 53 wins and has maintained one of the league's top four records all season, in spite of all the changes and a run of injuries that recently claimed new interior defensive anchor Kurt Thomas.

Shawn Marion's own brilliant play diminishes Nash's candidacy to some, but we again invite you to answer this question: If it were Nash out for the season instead of Stoudemire, would Phoenix be the No. 2 seed in the West?

The Suns actually started 4-5, but coach Mike D'Antoni -- who had guaranteed a 50-win season after losing Stoudemire -- repeated his guarantee by reminding folks that he still had Nash and that his point guard would "figure it out."

"That's what he does," D'Antoni said. And that's why, close as it was, Nash's season rates as the best of the five on this scorecard.

Stein's ballot:

1. Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
2. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
5. Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
October prediction: Tim Duncan

noel · Post by **noel** » April 24, 2006, 9:14 pm

If you think for a second that the Spurs could have beaten a healthy Heat team last year, you are smoking some really good shit.

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 24, 2006, 10:39 pm

I think most assuredly the spurs could have beaten any team last year as easily as they could have been beaten, were they the best talent in the game, probably not, did they play the best team game when it counted, they sure as fuck did. That said the suns are one of 5 teams that could take this in my opinion, the suns, the spurs the pistons the cavs and the mavs. I'd give the edge to the pistons and say suns from the west as a slight underdog.

And Lebron is the MVP

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 24, 2006, 11:04 pm

noel wrote:If you think for a second that the Spurs could have beaten a healthy Heat team last year, you are smoking some really good shit.

You keep attributing statements to me that I have never made. Where did I say that the Spurs would have beaten the Heat in the finals last year? I was simply responding to a comment that just because something is a popular belief doesn't make it true.

We can go on and on about hypothetical questions all day and night, but here is a question that can be answered without stretching your imagination at all, "Who won the Championship?"

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 24, 2006, 11:38 pm

Nice rant, Winnow! I haven't seen one like that in a while.

StupidMcDupid · Post by **StupidMcDupid** » April 25, 2006, 12:02 am

Someone mentioned in this topic earlier saying that the suns have improved and that san antonio won't be seeing the western conference finals.

I would just like to say that the Spurs beat the hell out of the Suns last year,with the suns having home court advantage in the western conference being the #1 seed,and they had Amare,so dont tell me that this year they have a better chance of beating the Spurs this year (if the suns make it that far) because they don't.

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 25, 2006, 12:12 am

The spurs are not playing near as well as at this point last year... the suns definately have a better shot

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 25, 2006, 12:17 am

can I add, anyone that refers to him as

K-Dog's going to take this to 7 games by himself.

needs to be beat with 5 bars of soap and a pillowcase please

StupidMcDupid · Post by **StupidMcDupid** » April 25, 2006, 12:21 am

Spurs are 3-1 against the Suns this year and have home court advantage against them,just face it,there are no "big men"from the Suns who can match up with the "big men" of the Spurs,and like last year,Spurs just killed the suns by getting way too many offensive rebounds,and i think that will be the case this year, if they do face off.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2006, 2:47 am

The Suns will have a hell of a time with the Spurs. They're smart enough to exploit the Suns down low.

The Spurs really suck though...all of them...it's just the system. They're a bunch of losers really...just the system...plug in any coach and 12 players with birth defects and they'd still win...just the system is all.

Crav · Post by **Crav** » April 25, 2006, 3:36 am

You want to know the secret to the system?

[Show]: It's powered by the work of illegal immigrants!

Just in case anyone some how misses it, that was a joke.

noel · Post by **noel** » April 25, 2006, 9:20 am

Winnow wrote:The Suns will have a hell of a time with the Spurs. They're smart enough to exploit the Suns down low.

The Spurs really suck though...all of them...it's just the system. They're a bunch of losers really...just the system...plug in any coach and 12 players with birth defects and they'd still win...just the system is all.

I know you're joking an all but... A healthy Duncan, Ginobli and Parker are just insane. I personally think the real key to their success has been the coaching of Greg Popovich.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2006, 12:03 pm

Marion is the best small forward in the league. Nash is the best point guard in the league. Boris, Raja, Leandro are all high quality support players...we've got some no name player from Atlanta chalking up back to back triple doubles...A late season pick up posting 22pt, 15rb 5-6 3pointer stats in the playoffs. Amare proved he could still play his first night back. His knee surgury for the cist removal isn't serious. You Suns naysayers better pray that they don't take it all this year because next year will be just an easy victory lap to back to back titles if they do.

PHOENIX SUNS TEAM RANKINGS (I'll bold the ones they rank first in)

1st - Points per Game 108.36
1st - Winning Point Differential +7.71 (yeah, that's right..Spurs +5.24, Detroit +4.64)
1st - Field Goal % .479
1st - Three Point % .399
1st - Free Throw % .806
1st - Assists per game 26.57

Well looky there... a clean fucking 1st place sweep!...even in the all important point differential stat.

Here's some info for you:

Nash becomes only the 4th player in NBA history to shoot 50+ % from the field, 40+ percent from the 3 and 90+ percent from the foul-line.

He joins Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Mark Price.

Marion's four game stretch after the all-star game: (he's the 6'7" product of the system guy that happened to have great stats pre Nash as well) ...wouldn't think of giving him some credit for being a hustle guy that puts in 100% every game...nah!

44 points 15 rebounds 4 steals 3 blocks 15/22 field goals
31 points 24 rebounds 3 assists 2 blocks 1 steal 11/19 field goals
30 points 18 rebounds 3 assists 3 steals 12/19 field goals
29 pts 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks 11/21

Last year, Marion was the 2nd player in NBA History to be in top 5 avg of steals and rebounds. David Robinson did it in '91-92. Well, Marion did it again this year, tied for 3rd in steals (2.0 spg) and 3rd in rebounding (11.8 rpg)

No one does it for 15 yrs, and he does 2 yrs in a row.

Marion had eight steals in a game this year.

I like my chances with the Suns. I'll take Boris Diaw and Marion down low with Tim Thomas (22pts, 15rbs, game 1) and see who can run and shoot with that crew with Nash, Barbosa and Bell lighting it up from long range or schooling big ment on their way past them to the hoop for an easy layup...you see it...you just wipe it from your memory after it's over.

I'll take Nash up high and Diaw down low passing the ball all over the fucking place with Marion not needing any set plays to score his 20/game.

I'll take this little tidbit:

(This is the stat where three-point makes count extra, so basically it's a ranking of points scored per FGA.)

Current leaders:

1. Shaquille O'Neal .600
2. Steve Nash .579
3. Raja Bell .565
4. Eddy Curry .557
5. Mike Miller .557
6. Shawn Marion .556
7a. *Leandro Barbosa .554
7. Tony Parker .552
8. Kyle Korver .551
9. Gerald Wallace .550
10. Delonte West .548

*Barbosa does not have enough attempts to qualify.

Line up three women...two pretty but boring ones and another not so pretty but a fucking blast to be with...I'll take her and you can have the trophy wives! Go Suns! Fuck your boring teams!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 25, 2006, 12:09 pm

While you're posting those stats, what was the point difference in their losses?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2006, 12:17 pm

Boogahz wrote:While you're posting those stats, what was the point difference in their losses?

That differential takes into account all of their games (losing teams have negative stats in this category)

Moving on, Boris is in some good company:

Boris Diaw - Phoenix Suns

Most Improved Player

2005-06:
Averaging 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists (19th), .527 FG (T-7th) in 35.5 minutes, all career highs, in 2005-06 ... One of three NBA players (LeBron James, Jason Kidd) to average at least six rebounds and six assists ... Became only fourth NBA player (Kidd, James, Dwyane Wade) to record multiple triple-doubles this season with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at Dallas on March 5 ... Logged his first career triple-double at Philadelphia on Jan. 31 with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high tying 13 assists ... Scored a career-high 31 points at Minnesota on Dec. 26 (prev. 20, April 17, 2005, Atlanta at New York).

Our take:
Boris Diaw was basically a throw-in in the Joe Johnson trade last summer, having played limited minutes for a team that went 13-69 in '04-05. The Suns didn't exactly have him penciled into their rotation and thought that he could maybe give them some minutes at the one or the two. No one could have guessed that he would be starting at center for them (and holding his own) down the line. You can say that he's a product of Steve Nash or that anyone's numbers will go up in the Phoenix system, but you can't deny that Boris Diaw has done a lot for himself as well.
-- John Schuhmann

From the coach:
He's the type of guy that has to have guys around him that know how to play, because it's not his game to go one-on-one and try to do things himself. He's a team player and he thrives in a team type of system. With Nash and Shawn Marion and guys like that, that's what he has found. And then the confidence grows. He's gotten better with his shot. He's just a terrific ball player.
-- Mike D'Antoni

A fan's take:
He arrived from Atlanta, one of the worst teams of the league, to one one of the best, Phoenix. Logically, his stats should have gone down. On the contrary, he is now one of the most complete players of the league, and is able to play as a guard, a forward or a center. And despite the absence of Stoudemire, Phoenix kept on winning with Diaw as a center. He definitely deserves this award.
-- Tom - Cognac, France

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » April 25, 2006, 12:50 pm

who cares what some fan from fucking france thinks!

Cartalas · Post by **Cartalas** » April 25, 2006, 12:59 pm

Winnow???

"1st - Winning Point Differential +7.71 (yeah, that's right..Spurs +5.24, Detroit +4.64) " ?????

Go here Sort by PPG Diff and look

http://www.nba.com/statistics/sortable_ ... 1.html#top

#1 Spurs 6.81
#2 Detroit 6.67
#3 Dallas 6.07
#4 Suns 5.54

Maybe you were confused with Assist per game that is where the Suns are #1

Suns 7.71

Post by **Sylvus** » April 25, 2006, 12:59 pm

Your stats are cute and all, but I'll ask you this question in advance of them not winning the Stern-ley Cup this year: do you think there are some negative stats out there that you aren't posting that are preventing them from winning it all?

From what you've posted, they look like the greatest team ever assembled (on paper).

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 25, 2006, 1:02 pm

Cartalas wrote:Winnow???

"1st - Winning Point Differential +7.71 (yeah, that's right..Spurs +5.24, Detroit +4.64) " ?????

Go here Sort by PPG Diff and look

http://www.nba.com/statistics/sortable_ ... 1.html#top

#1 Spurs 6.81
#2 Detroit 6.67
#3 Dallas 6.07
#4 Suns 5.54

Maybe you were confused with Assist per game that is where the Suns are #1

Suns 7.71

I think he got a little mixed up with all of the columns and missed the first DIFF column.

Also, I know what the differential takes into consideration. What I was asking for was the average difference in point totals when they lost vs when they won. Not an average of both which you still got wrong.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 25, 2006, 1:15 pm

PHOENIX SUNS TEAM RANKINGS

Offense
1st - Points per Game 108.36 HME
3rd - Points per Game 102.81 OPP
4th - Winning Point Differential +5.54 (yeah, that's right..Spurs +6.81, Detroit +6.67, Dallas +6.07)
1st - Field Goal % .479 HME
16th - Field Goal % .454 OPP
1st - Three Point % .399 HME
10th - Three Point % .363 OPP
1st - Free Throw % .806 HME
30th - Free Throw % .731 OPP
1st - Assists per game 26.57 HME
25th - Assists per game 18.85 OPP

Defense...
28th - Rebounds per game diff -4.08
4th - Blocks per game diff +1.58
21st - Steals per game diff -0.51

Also
27th - Turnovers per game (low is good!) -1.58

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2006, 9:39 pm

Sylvus wrote: do you think there are some negative stats out there that you aren't posting that are preventing them from winning it all?

Hell yes! The Suns have no big men and good teams will demolish them inside. Amare, Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant (sort of) are all gone. Dallas somewhat, and the Spurs for sure, can pick apart the Suns inside. The rest of the teams can't keep up enough for it to matter offensively.

Detroit has the endurance to come from behind. They've trailed twice for most of the game and ended up beating the Suns. (in final minute of the first meeting).

I place the Suns behind the Spurs and Pistons and right around the level of Dallas this year. The rest of the teams fall below with Miami being better against a lot of teams but get schooled by the Suns due to play style...Shaq is useless against us if you watch the game film of the Suns/Heat's two meetings this year.

That said, (hate to start of sentences that way), I don't think it's impossible for the Suns to take it all this year but it would be an upset for sure. It would also be an upset if they didn't make it to the WCF. I do see them cruising to the West Conference Finals which is impressive in itself this year. Part of that is having Dallas and San Antonio both in the other division.