2011 NBA Playoffs Thread

[Lorenzo]

While I'd agree in theory that Kobe is on the start of the decline, I don't think that has any impact on this series. If you watched the game last night Kobe wasn't the problem (other than twice on bad switches) and was active defensively with 3 or 4 steals. The issue in this series is a whole lot of Pau not being remotely there on either end of the court, Artest's shots looking like garbage, an ineffective bench, a lack of defensive communication, absolutely NOTHING from the PG spot from Fish or Blake, and lack of hustle and willingness to get on the ground after loose balls.

Bynum, Kobe and Lamar are bringing it. I can't name another player on the roster making a remotely positive impact. I wish this was a "Kobe problem" right now, because he is pretty fluid and flexible and adjusts accordingly. It isn't. It's a team problem, and they have gone through it several times this season, then they right the ship. They don't have the luxury of time to right the ship right now, so either they pull it all together or I will have a relatively stress free summer (which I don't like).

It would also help if Pau put down his makeup bag and started to play some basketball. He's not being aggressive, and is not making quick decisions. He's pounding the ball, and kicking it out with no time on the shot clock. He had a few aggressive plays, such as getting great position low and going right to work, then for the next few plays he's completely disengaged.

One sequence I thought was terribly funny in a masochistic way was the announcers were praising some good ball movement and as they are saying that, the ball went in to Pau who just stopped the flow, pounded the ball, and did absolutely nothing with it passing it back out after 4 seconds or so. Now, nobody moved around him either to get a pass, but he could have realized that a hell of a lot faster and kept moving the ball. Or shot it. Or something. Kobe stagnates the offense, true, but you can't have both Kobe and Pau chewing up 3/4 of the shot clock.

Either the Lakers do something special here, or they have epic failure in Phil's last year in LA. I'm kind of Pau-ish right now (disinterested) because I don't see them winning the title this year (and haven't for awhile) so they might as well be bounced early and save me some nerve endings.

I did not watch game 2 due to sleep(east coast).

but if the scoreboard is any indication of being much worse for the lakers compared to that of game 1...then I would have to agree with you.

In game 1 I watched the 2nd half only. What I saw after the first few positions (when dallas was turning the ball over) it appeared that everyone without the name "bryant" on the back of their jersey basically had no impact on the game at either end of the court.

dirk got whatever he wanted at the offensive end(much like kobe did at the other end). but the difference was that other guys for dallas were contributing at both ends of the court. j-kidd came up with some huge defensive plays(fouls or not).

in game 2 i hear that barea and marion had huge games.

artest has basically been a no show. i really thought in the last 2 games in the reg season when the lakers won vs. the mavs..it was artest that was having an impact at the offensive end. he was hitting shots and backing the smaller player down to the basket. he was also getting offensive rebounds. so far the mavericks have done a good job of defending him and not allowing him to have the impact on the series that I thought he would. In the regular season the mavericks were playing a heavy minute defensive lineup of kidd playing the 2...marion playing the 3....terry playing the 1. In these cases they were often switching marion to guard kobe and kidd to guard artest. Artest was simply killing dallas in these situations. So much so that dirk even made mention of artest being a concern in his game 1 press conference. It appears carlisle has adjusted somewhat in the playoffs and artest is not hurting dallas at the moment..

 

[D-Dogg]

artest has basically been a no show. i really thought in the last 2 games in the reg season when the lakers won vs. the mavs..it was artest that was having an impact at the offensive end. he was hitting shots and backing the smaller player down to the basket. he was also getting offensive rebounds. so far the mavericks have done a good job of defending him and not allowing him to have the impact on the series that I thought he would. In the regular season the mavericks were playing a heavy minute defensive lineup of kidd playing the 2...marion playing the 3....terry playing the 1. In these cases they were often switching marion to guard kobe and kidd to guard artest. Artest was simply killing dallas in these situations. So much so that dirk even made mention of artest being a concern in his game 1 press conference. It appears carlisle has adjusted somewhat in the playoffs and artest is not hurting dallas at the moment..

Yes. I broke it down like this:

Artest getting suspended would be a blessing in disguise. And a disguise like elephant hiding behind a pencil.

There's nobody for him to guard in this series, and his offense isn't there.
He's valuable in OKC/Memphis/Heat/Celtic matchups, but not this one. There's not a defense "get" for him that he has to focus on for his contribution to the team. So he's bored and feels he must compensate on offense. Doesn't make his shots, and gets frustrated. Misses more shots. Pops Jose Juan in the head out of frustration. Done for this series, mentally.

If he had made some shots, he could have ridden that momentum, but it isn't there. During game 3, since he'll be suspended, he needs a long, long chat with his therapist.

 

[D-Dogg]

Also, this is interested because almost ANY other series and I'd be calling time of death.

However, if you asked the average fan to name the team that would be most likely to come back from a 0-2 hole going on the road, the Lakers would likely be the top choice given the "in the moment" approach Phil instills, the non-emotional way they approach games, their strong road play and their talent when they get rolling.

Likewise, ask them what team would be most likely to give up a 2-0 lead on their home floor, and Dallas would be the choice there too, based on reputation.

So here we have the two teams that are both first choice in those two areas, going at it in game 3. It's kind of intriguing...can Dallas put the foot on the neck and crush the Lakers? Or do the Lakers "click" and get Dallas jumpy about not "blowing it." How Dallas reacts right now is something I find incredibly interesting.

Lakers winning would be a miracle IMO, so I've already written them off...and since I don't think they can win a chip this year I've kind of been a bit ambivelant for a while on them. But the Dallas angle is freaking delicious, IMO. This is either a turning point for them as legit contenders for a title, or the absolute concrete proof of them being choke artists. Plus, Cuban looks like he's wetting himself every 5 minutes, he wants to beat Phil so bad. It's kind of awesome...and yes, I'm saying that as a Laker fan.

 

[Cheesebeef]

while Pau is playing like the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man, I think it's a little too easy to say there's not a Kobe problem here as well. That's not to say Kobe's playing poorly in this series, because he's not. But the fact that he is starting to decline means that he simply can't be Superman on both sides of the court it seems when this team needs him to be at this point in his career and at this point, that's exactly what the team needs.

The Lakers are still out-rebounding the Mavs and it's still got a huge size advantage, but Kobe's inability to get to the rack and create for anyone else makes it that much tougher for the Laker big men to take advantage of their size against a somewhat smaller front line.

At this point in the playoffs, teams need their Superstars to be Superstars at both ends of the court. I think Kobe still has that at times (and is still the greatest end of game assassin in the league), but so far in these playoffs, it appears he doesn't have the energy due to age to really be able to be that guy every minute, night in, night out.

we're seeing a passing of the guard in the NBA in this post-season. I still wouldn't could the Lakers out for this series because I think Kobe's legs possibly have one more great run left in them, but the SA, LA, Boston's of the league ain't long for this world at this point.

a shame too... as much as I will be ELATED if the Lakers go down in flames against the Mavs, it would have been incredible TV to see at least one LeBron v. Kobe match-up in the finals when both were still in their prime. if we don't get it this year, we'll probably get it next year, but me thinks it'll be more like the one year too late Magic v. Michael showdown which was really not much of a showdown at all.

 

[Bert]

LoL you guys should look at the comments below any story about the Lakers today.

Laker fans are sooooooooo freaking mad and lashing out at everyone from other fans, to the refs, Kobe's alleged victim, to Jack Nicholson. Its hilarious. The comments on Asher's FB page are priceless.

(Sorry BIM I know you're not in that group)

 

[Lorenzo]

Yes. I broke it down like this:

Artest getting suspended would be a blessing in disguise. And a disguise like elephant hiding behind a pencil.

There's nobody for him to guard in this series, and his offense isn't there.
He's valuable in OKC/Memphis/Heat/Celtic matchups, but not this one. There's not a defense "get" for him that he has to focus on for his contribution to the team. So he's bored and feels he must compensate on offense. Doesn't make his shots, and gets frustrated. Misses more shots. Pops Jose Juan in the head out of frustration. Done for this series, mentally.

If he had made some shots, he could have ridden that momentum, but it isn't there. During game 3, since he'll be suspended, he needs a long, long chat with his therapist.

the interesting thing about artest is that in the last 2 regular season games I thought he was the major difference. the dallas guards have 0 chance of guarding kobe. but marion appears to kobe's version of dirk's odom. a guy that has the size and athletic ability to at least make him work. in the reg season when they were pulling marion for kobe duty...artest was killing dallas on the glass and making shots over kidd easily. i was actually down right nervous of defending artest more than anyone else on the lakers based on what I saw in the reg season. now artest appears to be done? I don't know. I agree that he doesn't really have anyone to defend which is what would be his paycheck when he is not a factor offensively. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago he could have tried to guard dirk.

 

[Lorenzo]

Also, this is interested because almost ANY other series and I'd be calling time of death.

However, if you asked the average fan to name the team that would be most likely to come back from a 0-2 hole going on the road, the Lakers would likely be the top choice given the "in the moment" approach Phil instills, the non-emotional way they approach games, their strong road play and their talent when they get rolling.

Likewise, ask them what team would be most likely to give up a 2-0 lead on their home floor, and Dallas would be the choice there too, based on reputation.

So here we have the two teams that are both first choice in those two areas, going at it in game 3. It's kind of intriguing...can Dallas put the foot on the neck and crush the Lakers? Or do the Lakers "click" and get Dallas jumpy about not "blowing it." How Dallas reacts right now is something I find incredibly interesting.

Lakers winning would be a miracle IMO, so I've already written them off...and since I don't think they can win a chip this year I've kind of been a bit ambivelant for a while on them. But the Dallas angle is freaking delicious, IMO. This is either a turning point for them as legit contenders for a title, or the absolute concrete proof of them being choke artists. Plus, Cuban looks like he's wetting himself every 5 minutes, he wants to beat Phil so bad. It's kind of awesome...and yes, I'm saying that as a Laker fan.

You know I have to agree with most if not all of your post. this is still intrigueing because of dallas' reputation. and while the mavs have proven that they are a different team that plays defense and has show little to no signs of being rattled by playing prison basketball(unlike years past)....their two top offensive players were both members of the 2006 heat breakdown. so that can go two ways. dirk constantly talks about having one more chance at redemption and getting it right. so there is that notion. the other notion would be if they lose this lead....they might mentally struggle with that and lose their confidence. They dealt with this very issue with portland, but they bounced back. I think the heat series(for dirk) will help him honestly. I don't think the guy is going to blow this opportunity.

I've said all along with this dallas team. they just appear to be different than dallas teams of the past. the loss of butler really hurt them(it didn't help that dirk was out for that long either). when dirk and butler were both healthy I thought they were hands down playing the best bball in the league. It took a while, but when dirk got back and healthy...they finally looked like a team that could contend because of chandler at the defensive end. Having said that there are so many strong teams in the league. in spite of this not being the "same old mavs" the rest of the league is very strong. there were not clear cut dominant teams.

 

[Bert]

You know I have to agree with most if not all of your post. this is still intrigueing because of dallas' reputation. and while the mavs have proven that they are a different team that plays defense and has show little to no signs of being rattled by playing prison basketball(unlike years past)....their two top offensive players were both members of the 2006 heat breakdown. so that can go two ways. dirk constantly talks about having one more chance at redemption and getting it right. so there is that notion. the other notion would be if they lose this lead....they might mentally struggle with that and lose their confidence. They dealt with this very issue with portland, but they bounced back. I think the heat series(for dirk) will help him honestly. I don't think the guy is going to blow this opportunity.

I've said all along with this dallas team. they just appear to be different than dallas teams of the past. the loss of butler really hurt them(it didn't help that dirk was out for that long either). when dirk and butler were both healthy I thought they were hands down playing the best bball in the league. It took a while, but when dirk got back and healthy...they finally looked like a team that could contend because of chandler at the defensive end. Having said that there are so many strong teams in the league. in spite of this not being the "same old mavs" the rest of the league is very strong. there were not clear cut dominant teams.

Honestly Lorenzo, as a Suns fan I saw alot of those Mavs teams back in the day and I can tell you that this team is nowhere near as 'soft' as those teams were. Dirk finally has some big bodies to help him out (that aren't named Dampier) and the one two punch of Kidd and Barrea is so much better than what they had at PG it's crazy. Even Jet has quit taking so many boneheaded shots. I'm rooting for you guys big time. Not just because I hate LA, but Dirk is one of those players who IMO deserves a championship.

 

[Lorenzo]

Honestly Lorenzo, as a Suns fan I saw alot of those Mavs teams back in the day and I can tell you that this team is nowhere near as 'soft' as those teams were. Dirk finally has some big bodies to help him out (that aren't named Dampier) and the one two punch of Kidd and Barrea is so much better than what they had at PG it's crazy. Even Jet has quit taking so many boneheaded shots. I'm rooting for you guys big time. Not just because I hate LA, but Dirk is one of those players who IMO deserves a championship.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/da...ving-lakers_big-men-little-shot-in-series.ece

this is a good read from a level-headed dallas journalist/radio broadcaster. He is not a dallas native or mav affiliate so I wouldn't call him a homer. he actually picked dallas to lose to portland.

 

[Lorenzo]

Honestly Lorenzo, as a Suns fan I saw alot of those Mavs teams back in the day and I can tell you that this team is nowhere near as 'soft' as those teams were. Dirk finally has some big bodies to help him out (that aren't named Dampier) and the one two punch of Kidd and Barrea is so much better than what they had at PG it's crazy. Even Jet has quit taking so many boneheaded shots. I'm rooting for you guys big time. Not just because I hate LA, but Dirk is one of those players who IMO deserves a championship.

I agree about dirk. he and nash both are my two favorite players in the league not to have a ring. obviously im a mavs fan and do not like the suns. having lived in phx for four years and most of that time the suns were an obtacle of dallas(one year eliminated them). So i wasn't cheering for phx, but quietly i would have wanted nash to win it all when dallas wasn't in the mix. the one positive thing about nash leaving was that people really got to see how great nash was. people used to laugh at me when I said i thought nash was the best PG in the league. I think when he finally had a better supporting cast in phx(compared to what he had in dallas) people saw what he could do. and dirk was pretty much forced to elevate his status from all star jump shooter with potential to be great(as was seen in the playoffs when nash was in dallas and dirk would carry the mavs offensively at times)...to MVP unguardable force that he is today.

kidd and barea...the positive with LA is that they don't have a PG that dallas is worried about. on a nightly basis barea and terry would be a defensive liability because of their size and lean frame. but in this series they can actually defend the lakers PG. this was not the case vs. andre miller last series when he was working terry/barea on every possession. really kobe is the lakers PG by default. so the mavs can focus exclusively on putting their best perimeter defender(kidd/marion/brewer/stevenson) on kobe. eventhough none of these guys can really check kobe....they don't have to respect the lakers PG. then if artest is not a factor....the only concern on the perimeter is kobe. ironically dallas' achilles heel has been quick perimeter wing players in recent years. since they've traded harris they lack the speed to guard guys like paul/westbrook/parker/etc

dampier?? it's a wonder how they made due with that guy. he was an upgrade from shawn bradley, but dampier was basically a clog. he had no offensive game. he had 50% chance of catching a pass if he was wide open and he did not have the athletic ability to guard a guy that could move. he was better than what they had in the past, but they've never had a guy remotely close to the skill set of chandler. in fact prior to chandler...i would say haywood was the best thing they've had in the cuban era. and haywood is now the backup.

 

[Lorenzo]

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6487063

artest officially out for game 3.

 

[Lorenzo]

barnes likely to get more mins. so that means he might be suspended for game 4 lol.

I don't think this necessarily helps the lakers like some people say, but it might show them some alternatives to artest if he is not effective at all.

I remember in times that the mavs have lost key players to injury or suspension in the playoffs they have always lost. 2003 dirk was out and we lost to SA in 6 games in WCF. Phoenix knows first hand about playoff injuries and suspensions causing them to lose playoff games. amare having knee surgery took them out of the title race. and the next year we all know what happened.

stackhouse got suspended for game 5 of the nba finals on a foul on shaq of all people. terry punched finley in the nuts in a game against SA in the playoffs which he got suspended. both games dallas were losing in garbage time when the fouls occurred. and both suspensions led to losses in the next game. you never want a key player to get suspended(especially from a stupid foul in garbage time).

 

[Cheesebeef]

barnes likely to get more mins. so that means he might be suspended for game 4 lol.

I don't think this necessarily helps the lakers like some people say, but it might show them some alternatives to artest if he is not effective at all.

I remember in times that the mavs have lost key players to injury or suspension in the playoffs they have always lost. 2003 dirk was out and we lost to SA in 6 games in WCF. Phoenix knows first hand about playoff injuries and suspensions causing them to lose playoff games. amare having knee surgery took them out of the title race. and the next year we all know what happened.

yeah, but you're talking about Superstars being suspended or injured, as opposed to a guy who's literally just being a distraction and taking terrible shots. kind of a difference there.

we'll see how it plays out, but so far in this series, i was pretty happy any time the ball was in Artest's hands because he was just outclassed on both ends of the court.

 

[D-Dogg]

kidd and barea...the positive with LA is that they don't have a PG that dallas is worried about. on a nightly basis barea and terry would be a defensive liability because of their size and lean frame. but in this series they can actually defend the lakers PG. this was not the case vs. andre miller last series when he was working terry/barea on every possession. really kobe is the lakers PG by default. so the mavs can focus exclusively on putting their best perimeter defender(kidd/marion/brewer/stevenson) on kobe. eventhough none of these guys can really check kobe....they don't have to respect the lakers PG. then if artest is not a factor....the only concern on the perimeter is kobe. ironically dallas' achilles heel has been quick perimeter wing players in recent years. since they've traded harris they lack the speed to guard guys like paul/westbrook/parker/etc.

Funny, I was thinking of lineup changes I would make and one of them would be to run Kobe at the point.

Kobe, Barnes/Brown, Lamar, Pau, Bynum.

The bench is crap anyway and Lamar or Barnes already has to start with Ron suspended. Just bring Fish off the bench.

Bynum and Pau would be sucking wind for sure, but I really am not feeling sorry for Pau at the moment.

 

[Lorenzo]

yeah, but you're talking about Superstars being suspended or injured, as opposed to a guy who's literally just being a distraction and taking terrible shots. kind of a difference there.

we'll see how it plays out, but so far in this series, i was pretty happy any time the ball was in Artest's hands because he was just outclassed on both ends of the court.

well he's no STAT.

but I would say he's every bit the difference maker that stack or terry was to the mavericks at that point. the guy has been a key player for LA and has had key plays in their title run. some of them game changing. he was definitely a major concern for dallas coming in. it's hard for me to see another guy behind him in the depth chart that is going to be better than him. Luke Walton? maybe i don't know. either way the edge at that position clearly goes to marion now.

I think this is the case of him having a couple of bad games and everyone is judging him in the moment. which is fine...but that doesn't mean that they don't need him any longer. in fact he is probably exactly what they need.

Donald if the lakers go to the odom/gasol/bynum combo they lose key mins in stretches where they will have to play small. they also have major problems guarding dallas on the perimeter i would imagine. i don't know I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[D-Dogg]

Donald if the lakers go to the odom/gasol/bynum combo they lose key mins in stretches where they will have to play small. they also have major problems guarding dallas on the perimeter i would imagine. i don't know I guess we will have to wait and see.

Yeah, I was kind of jesting with that. There's nobody to rest Gasol and Drew, so you can't really start Lamar. Barnes will play in Artest's spot.

And since Shannon Brown is an idiot, I'm loathe to start him over Fish to simply move Kobe to the point.

But I wouldn't be opposed to Phil trying out a Kobe-Shannon-Barnes-Pau-Drew lineup for a long stretch, using Lamar and fish as the relief. It means Luke Walton touches the floor though, and that's really, really bad.

 

[Lorenzo]

Yeah, I was kind of jesting with that. There's nobody to rest Gasol and Drew, so you can't really start Lamar. Barnes will play in Artest's spot.

And since Shannon Brown is an idiot, I'm loathe to start him over Fish to simply move Kobe to the point.

But I wouldn't be opposed to Phil trying out a Kobe-Shannon-Barnes-Pau-Drew lineup for a long stretch, using Lamar and fish as the relief. It means Luke Walton touches the floor though, and that's really, really bad.

I don't know. either way the lakers have to win game 3 or else they are likely done. I'm not ready to write them off yet like a lot of people are. they are still the defending champs and kobe will come out with guns blazing. the question is will it be enough if dallas plays like they have been or better. the mavs role players usually play better at the AAC so it should be interesting.

 

[Covert Rain]

I don't know. either way the lakers have to win game 3 or else they are likely done. I'm not ready to write them off yet like a lot of people are. they are still the defending champs and kobe will come out with guns blazing. the question is will it be enough if dallas plays like they have been or better. the mavs role players usually play better at the AAC so it should be interesting.

Normally I would say if the Lakers lose game 3 they are 100% done and there is no way they win 4 straight.

Then again...we are talking the Mavs who have choked more than any team in recent memory.

 

[Lorenzo]

Normally I would say if the Lakers lose game 3 they are 100% done and there is no way they win 4 straight.

Then again...we are talking the Mavs who have choked more than any team in recent memory.

choked what? the suns?

sorry that's a joke. you are right. while no team has ever come back from that deficit... it's not over til it's over. If they get up 3-0 it will take something crazy for them to come back and win it. but they do have a game 7 at home if they can get there.

against portland after they lost game 4 everyone was calling them out...then they closed out portland. but that was portland. this is LA.

 

[Cheesebeef]

choked what? the suns?

sorry that's a joke. you are right. while no team has ever come back from that deficit... it's not over til it's over. If they get up 3-0 it will take something crazy for them to come back and win it. but they do have a game 7 at home if they can get there.

against portland after they lost game 4 everyone was calling them out...then they closed out portland. but that was portland. this is LA.

you gotta deal with the choke label until it's dead and buried dude. i know the casket's been lowered, put you still got throw dirt on that coffin before it's done for good.

 

[82CardsGrad]

you gotta deal with the choke label until it's dead and buried dude. i know the casket's been lowered, put you still got throw dirt on that coffin before it's done for good.

Seriously.... would anyone really be surprised if the Lakers win this series?? I can't believe I'm actually rooting for the Mavs, but.... I am!

 

[Lorenzo]

you gotta deal with the choke label until it's dead and buried dude. i know the casket's been lowered, put you still got throw dirt on that coffin before it's done for good.

I know...it is what it is. I've been talking for a long time about why this mavericks team is different. even against the lakers....you know this. but they have to finish. 2-0 in the second round doesn't mean anything if you don't close it. In this series particular I felt like the mavs could push the lakers to a long series, but wasn't sure that they could win it. I never thought that the lakers would slice through the mavs like a knife through butter or said that the mavs front line was toilet paper soft. i think at the least they have proven that they are tough and can beat LA or at least push them to their limit. but now everything has changed. when you take a 2-0 lead on the road you are going to be expected to finish the deal(no matter what the expectations were going in). if they lose this they have to deal with the choke label moving forward.


everybody is making a big deal about this because it is the lakers. but winning this series is not the championship either. the mavs have done this before vs. the spurs in the second round. same deal. it was a breakthrough, but they lost the finals.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I know...it is what it is. I've been talking for a long time about why this mavericks team is different. even against the lakers....you know this. but they have to finish. 2-0 in the second round doesn't mean anything if you don't close it.

everybody is making a big deal about this because it is the lakers. but winning this series is not the championship either. the mavs have done this before vs. the spurs in the second round. same deal. it was a breakthrough, but they lost the finals.

yeah, but that's when this all started for your boys. that's why "doing this before" doesn't matter, because they haven't done it since.

 

[Lorenzo]

yeah, but that's when this all started for your boys. that's why "doing this before" doesn't matter, because they haven't done it since.

ok...whatever you say lol. I'm not argueing with you there.


what I mean is it doesn't really matter unless they win a championship. if they lose to the lakers, thunder, griz, heat, bulls, celtics, whoever it's not going to make me feel better about what they did this year. if they don't win a title this year...next year they will deal with the "choke" label. you don't get brownie points for knocking off the defending champs in the second round and losing later down the line.

going back to the regular season...everyone made a big deal about dallas losing to LA...i always defended dallas saying it didn't mean anything, and people did not agree.

But had dallas swept the series it wouldn't have meant anything either. Why? because like J-Kidd said on TNT last night. You are a soft team until you win a title. Soft teams don't win a title.

In other words the mavs don't prove jack...until they win a ring.

 

[82CardsGrad]

ok...whatever you say lol. I'm not argueing with you there.


what I mean is it doesn't really matter unless they win a championship. if they lose to the lakers, thunder, griz, heat, bulls, celtics, whoever it's not going to make me feel better about what they did this year. if they don't win a title this year...next year they will deal with the "choke" label. you don't get brownie points for knocking off the defending champs in the second round and losing later down the line.

going back to the regular season...everyone made a big deal about dallas losing to LA...i always defended dallas saying it didn't mean anything, and people did not agree.

But had dallas swept the series it wouldn't have meant anything either. Why? because like J-Kidd said on TNT last night. You are a soft team until you win a title. Soft teams don't win a title.

Actually... if the Thunder pulled that off (beating the Lakers but losing down the line), they would definitely receive praise and respect. Not the case for the Mavs however...