General Chat / Official NBA 2005 Playoffs Thread

The "Its not whether you win or lose its how you play the game!!!" argument was nice in Little League.  This is pro sports.  I give Detroit credit for being a great team.  But they are not better than the Spurs.  This series was close, but San Antonio didn't win because one or two bounces went their way.  They won because they outplayed the Pistons.  It was close, and they didn't outplay the Pistons by much, but they did.  Therefore, they are the champion.  They were the ones who achieved the ultimate goal.  Not Detroit.

Ah but would the Pistons have won if they were playing game seven in Detroit? San Antonio made a couple of threes when it mattered, but does that mean that they are better?
I too think that the game, and the series for that matter, was too close to determine a clear winner.

In this possible outcome, the Spurs outplayed the Pistons (if outplayed means winning the game - I happen to think you can outplay the other team and still lose the game). What about Game 5? San Antonio almost certainly loses that game if not for the patented Robert Horry buzzer beater. Does that mean San Antonio outplayed Detroit in that game too? You can't say San Antonio is "better" than the Pistons just because they scored more points than them over a period of 12 minutes. What you can say is that San Antonio won this seven game series. That's a fact. San Antonio being the better team is conjecture. And based on what I saw, I don't believe that to be true.

It's not like you "step it up a notch" because this is the pros. The players are better, but the game is the same. What applies to basketball at a junior high level still applies at the pro level. And it's not even about sports really. It's about analyzing something thoroughly instead of settling for the black and white answer, which is almost always a falsification.

Read this article.

That article doesn't say anything. What's your point?

I thought it was a great article that proved us both wrong.

I don't see what the article has to do with our disagreement. And it doesn't really prove anything -- it's mostly a piece of speculative fiction.

Not what I was hoping for, but it was a great series to watch.

Congratulations, San Antonio.



I thought it was kind of cool that a writer from my local newspaper predicted Spurs over Pistons in seven, at the begining of the playoffs.

Andrew fucking Bynum


THAT'S our #1 pick??? Some 17 year old high schooler who happens to have a big body? is Mitch THAT desperate for another Shaq that he'll snag the first large guy he sees? Has he turned into WWE Owner Vince McMahon with his big man fetish?

Geez, this guy will be a Tyson Chandler at best... and it took Tyson 7 years to get to where he is today. What happened to more immediate impact? What happened to getting a contributor? What happened to using the draft to get a guy you can't get in free agency because you're over the cap because you traded Shaq for Caron Butler and $25 million in loose baggage?


I told Iris about how I was listening to Chinese radio (AM 1430 if you care) the other day, and the announcers were just bashing Mitch left and right. Well, at this moment, I've very inclined to favor them. Unless Mitch has suddenly gained some sort of Jerry West intuition and has found the next phenom... but I doubt it.

And to think... we could have had someone like Gerald Greene. Instead we get our own version of Darko Milicec.


Maybe our second rounders can help.

Frickin Golden State picking Ike Diogu at #9. He was ours man! Oh well, Francisco Garcia will be a solid player. At least we didn't pick some lame high schooler.

Luther Head?

Interesting.

Wolves took McCants. I'm pretty happy with that as long as he can work on his attitude a little bit. He can break down defenses which is something the Wolves desperately needed.

i was at the draft and the pre-draft reception once again this year. at the pre-draft reception was jon starks, kenny smith, and dwyane wade to answer questions, take pictures with, and get autographs. there was also lots of food which was nice. after we got taken from the westin hotel to MSG by coach busses and entered MSG through a back enterance which took us directly to the theater, it was time for the draft. i didnt really care that much about any of the picks untill number 15 when it was the nets turn. they had gerald green, hakim warrick, and danny granger still available for that pick and they go with with antoine wright? hes not bad, but come on, with kidd, carter, and jefferson, whats the point of taking another guard??? i dont get it...

you can check out my draft and pre-draft reception pictures here - http://public.fotki....005_draft_pics/

The Heats pick was a steal

Unless you believe the reports that he has "the knees of a 35 year old". I think he'll probably be a pretty good player though if he stays healthy. Wouldn't have minded him on the Kings either.