2011 NBA Playoffs Thread

[desertdawg]

LA/NO looks intense already....61 seconds in. (looks like Trevor Ariza is going to be all over Kobe)

 

[Cheesewater]

Wow. Nice flop Vlade...um...Pau.

 

[desertdawg]

Daaaang! 8 assists for unstoppaPaul, the Hornets can't miss, and Kobe is in the shadows. It's super early though, and it's the Lakers.

 

[Mulli]

Daaaang! 8 assists for unstoppaPaul, the Hornets can't miss, and Kobe is in the shadows. It's super early though, and it's the Lakers.

Aaron. Gray. I am shocked at how many rebounds that guy has. And by his lack of muscle tone.

 

[AfroSuns]

Kobe seem to be hurting the tam more than helping. Can Shannon do a worse job than Kobe is doing right now?

 

[Mulli]

Kobe seem to be hurting the tam more than helping. Can Shannon do a worse job than Kobe is doing right now?

Kobe is starting to score now.

 

[desertdawg]

Sweet friggin stuff by the Kobeness. ESPN top 10 fo sho.

 

[Mulli]

Sweet friggin stuff by the Kobeness. ESPN top 10 fo sho.

Shannon Brown can't dunk like that on xbox.

 

[desertdawg]

Hornets are lucky halftime came when it did. Kobe's ankle doesn't seem to be an issue and the Lakers Bench is on point tonight. I hope the Hornets come out strong again, good games between these guys.

 

[AfroSuns]

Kobe is starting to score now.

Yep, you cant write that dude off. I am beginning to think the ankle will fall off and Kobe will still be playing.

 

[Mulli]

Hornets are lucky halftime came when it did. Kobe's ankle doesn't seem to be an issue and the Lakers Bench is on point tonight. I hope the Hornets come out strong again, good games between these guys.

How are Lakers only up 3?

 

[desertdawg]

How are Lakers only up 3?

First quarter was all Hornets.

 

[Lorenzo]

you said the same thing two months ago... then the Lakers handled them with relative ease in Dallas (and without Kobe for most of the second half) and then kicked the every living snot out of them in LA and made them look like complete and utter fools in the second game... both games BOTH TEAMS DESPERATELY NEEDED to win... and the result was predictable.

LA will dominate Dallas for two reasons: a) Dallas runs their mouth for some reason, which provide the extra motivation the Lakers need for a team who otherwise stands very little challenge to them and b) they don't have that one thing that absolutely kills the Lakers... an insane PG. The combo of those two factors is what tips the scales heavily in LA's favor in that eventual series.

the mavericks also blewout LA in dallas in the regular season as well when they were on 6 game losing streak. you don't mention that? but i'm sure there is a valid reason for the lakers losing that one. like caron butler chewed a straw and distracted kobe or something(sarcasm). That's a joke btw so you don't have to come back with a justification there.

we could go back and forth all day and spin our wheels like we already have about the regular season. I actually like the way dallas played LAL this year. they beat them once so they can't say it is not possible. they were physical and looked like they got under their skin which is a good thing. However, the fact will always remain that until dallas wins a title...they will not get respect when stacked against a team like the lakers. and rightfully so. no lakers fan, or objective NBA should expect dallas to win that series. the mavs have to earn it.


I'm not saying dallas will beat LA in the playoffs. I'm saying that first of all, dallas has to beat portland which will be very tough. and second LAL have to play a lot better if they want to make it out of the playoffs.
they may gun for dallas differently because of the barnes fight....but there was already a lot of bad blood there before barnes even played for the lakers. over the corse of any competitve playoff series people are going to talk and get physical. that isn't exclusive to dallas.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of good teams in these playoffs. There are no elite teams that look unbeatable(like previous seasons). LAL are the best team overall...but by default. they can be defeated. Maybe not by dallas because as you say...dallas has nothing in the back court (at the offensive or defensive end) that gives LA trouble. The backcourt is the difference in that matchup after losing butler for the year. Terry will have blow up and get hot from the outside for them to win games in that series. and we all know how reliable terry is.

 

[Lorenzo]

it's funny how winning every game that actually matters over two years does that, huh?

that's the bottom line for the Lakers. Look, I hate it. they're like the biggest ****-tease in the world when it comes to losing the last two years and if you watch them over that time, you come to understand exactly what they are. a team that is seemingly only motivated to win the games they ABSOLUTELY have to. that's not an excuse... it's just who they are.

I just don't think this LAL team is as great as some that we have seen in the recent past. great teams don't play down to the level of their competition. the lakers are not taking games off, teams are simply beating them. The lakers look very beatable. don't take this as me saying it will be dallas beating them. obviously every matchup is different.

I understand that because they are champions they have earned the respect of all fans and get the benefit of the doubt. I personally just think it is funny to hear people say that they take games off. kobe bryant is probably the most competitive guy in the league since jordan...these guys don't take playoff games off. they are just beatable...that's all i mean.

 

[Cheesebeef]

the mavericks also blewout LA in dallas in the regular season as well when they were on 6 game losing streak. you don't mention that?

we've done this already... the Lakers sleep walk through the beginning of the season and the Mavs are usually white-hot then... you know... when games really don't matter.

we could go back and forth all day and spin our wheels like we already have about the regular season. I actually like the way dallas played LAL this year. they beat them once so they can't say it is not possible. they were physical and looked like they got under their skin which is a good thing.

looked like they got under their skin? Your team got routed by 30 points and they only player who retaliated against you was Matt Barnes... who thugs up against anyone. How you could like the way they played the Lakers once the games actually had any meaning is beyond me. I mean... wasn't it YOUR team who started fouling so hard out of the frustration of getting their asses kicked... and then started getting your ass kicked even worse. not sure that's "getting under skin" of the Lakers as much as it is your team completely blew up under the pressure and then got blown out, but...

I'm not saying dallas will beat LA in the playoffs. I'm saying that first of all, dallas has to beat portland which will be very tough. and second LAL have to play a lot better if they want to make it out of the playoffs.
they may gun for dallas differently because of the barnes fight....but there was already a lot of bad blood there before barnes even played for the lakers.

I really think this is a case of a Dallas fan thinking that just because they hate the Lakers because they routinely clown your team's ass, that the Lakers have some kind of animosity towards them. Trust me... this city and it's team doesn't even register Dallas as a blip on their rival radar. They're never good enough to face them in the playoffs, Cuban ******* and moans about Phil and Phil laughs it off and pretty much down the line, everyone involved in the organization, from it's announcers to even it's players have called Dallas soft and it's play by play people have gone on record multiple times saying they HOPE they play Dallas because they're soft and the Lakers don't have nearly as many problems up there as they do at the Rose Garden.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I just don't think this LAL team is as great as some that we have seen in the recent past. great teams don't play down to the level of their competition. the lakers are not taking games off, teams are simply beating them. The lakers look very beatable.

and again... they looked very beatable against Houston two years ago and completely played down to the competition... and against OKC last year... hell... even against the Suns last year... and unfortunately, none of it mattered.

That's the thing, this Laker team ISN'T a dominating team and it really NEVER has been. And it's because they lack a focus to really destroy everyone (which with their talent, it's mind-boggling to me that they don't). But what we see out of them REPEATEDLY (and did last night) is that when push comes to shove, no one can shove them hard enough and it's simply because talent wins out.

 

[Lorenzo]

we've done this already... the Lakers sleep walk through the beginning of the season and the Mavs are usually white-hot then... you know... when games really don't matter.



looked like they got under their skin? Your team got routed by 30 points and they only player who retaliated against you was Matt Barnes... who thugs up against anyone. How you could like the way they played the Lakers once the games actually had any meaning is beyond me. I mean... wasn't it YOUR team who started fouling so hard out of the frustration of getting their asses kicked... and then started getting your ass kicked even worse. not sure that's "getting under skin" of the Lakers as much as it is your team completely blew up under the pressure and then got blown out, but...




I really think this is a case of a Dallas fan thinking that just because they hate the Lakers because they routinely clown your team's ass, that the Lakers have some kind of animosity towards them. Trust me... this city and it's team doesn't even register Dallas as a blip on their rival radar. They're never good enough to face them in the playoffs, Cuban ******* and moans about Phil and Phil laughs it off and pretty much down the line, everyone involved in the organization, from it's announcers to even it's players have called Dallas soft and it's play by play people have gone on record multiple times saying they HOPE they play Dallas because they're soft and the Lakers don't have nearly as many problems up there as they do at the Rose Garden.

Actually dallas has never played LA in the playoffs since 1988. Dallas has beaten the lakers in the regular seasons and lost as well....they have a poor record in LA..but have played much better there since shaq left...that's all we can go by and you already said the reg season is meaningless. by your logic it is only important if the lakers actually win. if dallas beats LA it doesn't mean anything.

again I'm not saying dallas will beat LAL. why are you getting all worked up lol. I don't hate the lakers....in fact I respect them. I just am not going to fall in love with a team that isn't great. I'm a dallas fan...of corse I am going to talk my team up. I could care less what people in LA think about the mavericks. good for them they are lucky to have a great basketball team. I can't speak for a city of millions of people, but I promise you the majority of dallas fans have a healthy amount of respect for the lakers and the city of LA.

 

[Mulli]

Holy demons, the commercials for the playoffs have been TURRIBLE!!

 

[desertdawg]

I hate the Lakers and I respect them. I hate Boston and I don't respect them. I hate San Antonio and I'm glad I don't have to respect them no more. Dallas...I've never respected them enough to hate.

 

[Lorenzo]

cheesebeef...are you a lakers fan or a suns fan? I thought you were a suns fan.

 

[Lorenzo]

I hate the Lakers and I respect them. I hate Boston and I don't respect them. I hate San Antonio and I'm glad I don't have to respect them no more. Dallas...I've never respected them enough to hate.

good point. I really don't use the word hate.


but I had a strong dislike for the lakers when shaq was there. now not so much. this is not a team that I would fear to play(like when shaq was there). that was a dynasty. this lakers team??? i don't feel the same way about them eventhough they have the rings.

I dislike the spurs more than the lakers, but that is because the mavericks have a real rivalry with the spurs. they have played them in the playoffs many times.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Actually dallas has never played LA in the playoffs since 1988.

I know this.

Dallas has beaten the lakers in the regular seasons and lost as well....they have a poor record in LA..but have played much better there since shaq left...that's all we can go by and you already said the reg season is meaningless.

I don't say it's meaningless... but if you think games in January are as important as games in March/April that actually DIRECTLY impact playoff seeding, well, then i don't know what to tell you. When the pressure's on, especially this season, the Lakers made the Mavs look like fools.

by your logic it is only important if the lakers actually win. if dallas beats LA it doesn't mean anything.

well... winning a game in January when you have the entire season ahead of you doesn't really compare to getting your ass handed to you twice when you can lock down homecourt IMO. Call me crazy there.

again I'm not saying dallas will beat LAL. why are you getting all worked up lol.

who says I'm getting worked up?

I don't hate the lakers....in fact I respect them.

that's where we differ. I hate them with a passion and that's why i'm pissed they're playing Dallas because they won't get tested and have no shot to lose that series.

I just am not going to fall in love with a team that isn't great.

nor should you... I just think you're team is tissue paper soft... even upfront. Your PF averages 7 rebounds per game and your C is a good rebounder, but a twig who will get pushed around by the Lakers size. You literally don't have an advantage anywhere on the court. The one place you normally do on other teams is... Dirk... but he and Pau cancel each other out and Bynum can throw chandler around like a rag doll.

I'm a dallas fan...of corse I am going to talk my team up. I could care less what people in LA think about the mavericks. good for them they are lucky to have a great basketball team.

actually, you continually post things about how the Mavs get under the Lakers skin... and i'm telling you, there really couldn't be anything further from the truth. you sound like Cardinals fans back in the day who used to think there was some big rivalry between us and the Cowboys when in reality, the Cowboys paid the Cardinals little mind because they were never a threat to them. Same pretty much applies here for the Lakers and their fans and I don't blame them.

I hope I'm wrong, but i just see y'all getting demolished.

 

[Cheesebeef]

cheesebeef...are you a lakers fan or a suns fan? I thought you were a suns fan.

I HATE the Lakers, which is why i'm pissed that the Mavs are their likely second round matchup.

i just like to talk basketball. hell, i don't even think this Laker team is that special... they just have an OVERWHELMING amount of talent. but very little heart. Weird to say, but if they win the title this year, it will be the most uninspiring threepeat in the history.

 

[Michael]

I like Shawn Marion. That's about it.

I've always disliked the Mavericks. I hated Derek Harper. Jason Terry is a Top Five Punk. Jose Juan Barea is following in his footsteps. I don't like Dirk Nowitzki. Every time I actually wanted them to beat someone, they'd choke. That's key here, because I want a team to advance that I think could actually beat teams I REALLY hate like the Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, etc... Mavs would just choke that away.

Hey, the Mavs beat the Spurs in game seven of the WCF in 2006. I surely enjoyed that. As for Barea: I'd love him on the Suns. Tough little dude.

 

[Lorenzo]

I know this.



I don't say it's meaningless... but if you think games in January are as important as games in March/April that actually DIRECTLY impact playoff seeding, well, then i don't know what to tell you. When the pressure's on, especially this season, the Lakers made the Mavs look like fools.



well... winning a game in January when you have the entire season ahead of you doesn't really compare to getting your ass handed to you twice when you can lock down homecourt IMO. Call me crazy there.



who says I'm getting worked up?



that's where we differ. I hate them with a passion and that's why i'm pissed they're playing Dallas because they won't get tested and have no shot to lose that series.



nor should you... I just think you're team is tissue paper soft... even upfront. Your PF averages 7 rebounds per game and your C is a good rebounder, but a twig who will get pushed around by the Lakers size. You literally don't have an advantage anywhere on the court. The one place you normally do on other teams is... Dirk... but he and Pau cancel each other out and Bynum can throw chandler around like a rag doll.



actually, you continually post things about how the Mavs get under the Lakers skin... and i'm telling you, there really couldn't be anything further from the truth. you sound like Cardinals fans back in the day who used to think there was some big rivalry between us and the Cowboys when in reality, the Cowboys paid the Cardinals little mind because they were never a threat to them. Same pretty much applies here for the Lakers and their fans and I don't blame them.

I hope I'm wrong, but i just see y'all getting demolished.

I understand what you are saying about cardinals and cowboys. but it is not the same thing. the nfc east used to be nasty though back in those days(still is). eventhough the cardinals sucked(sorry guys back then they did) they always played dallas tough.

it is actually ironic that the mavs have not played the lakers more or formed some type of rivalry because the mavs have been in the playoffs every year. there is no rivalry between LA and dallas and the dallas area probably has more of a dislike for SA and Phx because of the playoffs. whereas the lakers have never been on the map.