2011 NBA Playoffs Thread

[Cheesebeef]

so my question is was this dallas overcoming adversity or OKC choking it away? I'm interested to hear what people think lol........

OKC definitely choked in this game, but you still have to play incredible basketball to come back from a 15 point deficit with 4 minutes left.

The answer is both.

 

[desertdawg]

sure do. but you have to give dirk credit. if this wasn't overcoming adversity i don't know what is. they played a terrible game in many regards today yet their best player is just that much better than anyone else on the court. and that was the difference when the game was on the line. my question is how is dirk 2nd team all NBA lol. oh well.

Looks like yall are headed to the Finals, once that bearded hard-on fouled out, it was all Dallas. Looks like the Bulls and the OkC are in some trouble.

I aint watching the Finals if it's the Heat and the Mavs, I'll probably just catch the highlites.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Methinks the refs screwed OKC leading up to the OT. That was no foul by Collison that put Dirk at the line. Dallas was allowed to play very agressive, OKC was whistled quite a bit it seemed. More fouls against OKC, more free throws for Dallas, etc.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Looks like yall are headed to the Finals, once that bearded hard-on fouled out, it was all Dallas. Looks like the Bulls and the OkC are in some trouble.

I aint watching the Finals if it's the Heat and the Mavs, I'll probably just catch the highlites.

why not? That will be a hell of a series. I'd actually PSYCHED to watch those two teams go at. A series with 3 super-super stars and good vets all around, not to mention a rematch of a pretty good series from 5 years ago. That sounds like appointment TV to me.

 

[Lorenzo]

Methinks the refs screwed OKC leading up to the OT. That was no foul by Collison that put Dirk at the line. Dallas was allowed to play very agressive, OKC was whistled quite a bit it seemed. More fouls against OKC, more free throws for Dallas, etc.

well karma pays off. he should have shot an and 1 on a couple of those shots. not to mention in the last game when he only got to shoot 3 free throws the whole game. I'm not buying the refs being the difference. this is more of a great player surrounded by a veteran team playing against a very talented team that is still very young. it really shows late in the games.

 

[Lorenzo]

OKC definitely choked in this game, but you still have to play incredible basketball to come back from a 15 point deficit with 4 minutes left.

The answer is both.

I definitely agree with that and i edited my post.

 

[cly2tw]

Wow, just WOWOW!

Dirk was clutch and hit all these shots being fouled 3-4 times for each score! But, Marion and Kidd defense was equally crucial. And Thunders paid their price for lack of experience. Particularly, Westbrook needs a lot of maturation to do.

Seeing how Marion now matured as a great defender I never thought of him, you see the crime D'Antoni did to our Suns back then. Encouraged by his opportunist defense philosophy, Marion used to go for the head fake each every time despite having a lot of steals and blocks. Only when now he got the right coaching and his playing time depended on proper defense he provides has he become the best defender he had the potential to. As a Suns fan, you can't help but think what Amare would have become with a coach like Carlisle, who would teach them the fundamentals, not just overusing their natural jumping talent.

 

[Lorenzo]

why not? That will be a hell of a series. I'd actually PSYCHED to watch those two teams go at. A series with 3 super-super stars and good vets all around, not to mention a rematch of a pretty good series from 5 years ago. That sounds like appointment TV to me.

you know I am looking forward to the heat. before the bulls/heat series started I actually feared the bulls more and wanted the heat. but they are proving me wrong. nevertheless if your dallas you get a lot more brownie points by beating the heat as opposed to the bulls. because of all the ratings. dirk will have his chance to show his game once again.

 

[desertdawg]

why not? That will be a hell of a series. I'd actually PSYCHED to watch those two teams go at. A series with 3 super-super stars and good vets all around, not to mention a rematch of a pretty good series from 5 years ago. That sounds like appointment TV to me.

I just don't care for either team, I think Dallas deserves it more but I see the Heat winning it in 5 or 6 games.

Best players on the court will be..

Wade
Lebron
Dirk
Bosh
In that order too, Dirk has been playing lights out, he's probably playing the best out of the four right now. I think we will see Bosh and a whole lot of help trying to mess with Dirk. But Dallas can't stop Miami from scoring, someone's always lighting it up between the Wade/James/Bosh trio.

Dirk would have to play incredibly for four games, like in a row, I aint watching.

 

[Lorenzo]

I just don't care for either team, I think Dallas deserves it more but I see the Heat winning it in 5 or 6 games.

Best players on the court will be..

Wade
Lebron
Dirk
Bosh
In that order too, Dirk has been playing lights out, he's probably playing the best out of the four right now. I think we will see Bosh and a whole lot of help trying to mess with Dirk. But Dallas can't stop Miami from scoring, someone's always lighting it up between the Wade/James/Bosh trio.

Dirk would have to play incredibly for four games, like in a row, I aint watching.

maybe so, but someone has to guard chandler or he is going to be getting 5 to 10 dunks per game.

I don't have a problem with someone saying wade or lebron is better than dirk. what those guys are doing these playoffs are incredible as well. they are playing well in all aspects of the game. what dirk is doing offensively over the course of several playoff games is not like anything I've seen in a long time.

we have plenty of time to break down that series if it is indeed what we see. still a lot of ball left to play.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Wow, just WOWOW!

Dirk was clutch and hit all these shots being fouled 3-4 times for each score! But, Marion and Kidd defense was equally crucial. And Thunders paid their price for lack of experience. Particularly, Westbrook needs a lot of maturation to do.

Seeing how Marion now matured as a great defender I never thought of him, you see the crime D'Antoni did to our Suns back then. Encouraged by his opportunist defense philosophy, Marion used to go for the head fake each every time despite having a lot of steals and blocks. Only when now he got the right coaching and his playing time depended on proper defense he provides has he become the best defender he had the potential to. As a Suns fan, you can't help but think what Amare would have become with a coach like Carlisle, who would teach them the fundamentals, not just overusing their natural jumping talent.

agreed. Carlisle was the guy I wanted when we fired DA, but we did what seems to be the norm for this franchise... first you go ultra cheapo and that's when we went with "defensive" Porter... who's Milwaukee teams were always awful defensively, not to mention he was never a part of either Piston team that went to the Finals.

 

[Cheesebeef]

maybe so, but someone has to guard chandler or he is going to be getting 5 to 10 dunks per game.

I don't know if you noticed but the Heat's interior defense has been stifling for the most part throughout the playoffs and that was just with Anthony for the most part. Now you add in Haslem to that mix and I think guarding Chandler won't be much of a concern for Miami.

A Dallas-Miami series will be as good as anything the league has seen in the Finals since Bulls-Jazz IMO. Lakers-Celtics had the nostalgia thing going for it, but almost every game of that series last year was just brutal to watch. There were two close games and uggers all around. And while Lakers-Celtics 3 years ago was fun to watch because of how the Lakers choked away a 24 point lead and then lost by a million, ultimately, it wasn't very good basketball either.

Here we have two veteran laden teams, who can score and play nasty D with uber-super stars in their prime going head to head. I can't wait for that. Should be a hell of a show. I think that eventual matchup goes 7, with the Heat taking the crown at home.

 

[Lorenzo]

I don't know if you noticed but the Heat's interior defense has been stifling for the most part throughout the playoffs and that was just with Anthony for the most part. Now you add in Haslem to that mix and I think guarding Chandler won't be much of a concern for Miami.

A Dallas-Miami series will be as good as anything the league has seen in the Finals since Bulls-Jazz IMO. Lakers-Celtics had the nostalgia thing going for it, but almost every game of that series last year was just brutal to watch. There were two close games and uggers all around. And while Lakers-Celtics 3 years ago was fun to watch because of how the Lakers choked away a 24 point lead and then lost by a million, ultimately, it wasn't very good basketball either.

Here we have two veteran laden teams, who can score and play nasty D with uber-super stars in their prime going head to head. I can't wait for that. Should be a hell of a show. I think that eventual matchup goes 7, with the Heat taking the crown at home.

we shall see. I know a lot of people will pick the heat and the heat are a great team. I don't really how it will go. I thought the mavericks would lose to the lakers in 6 or 7 games(eventhough I knew they could beat LA). and honestly I felt like LA was the best team in the whole NBA. but the heat are impressive. haslem looks good, but honestly I don't think it is close after you get through the starting 5 of miami. dallas can come at them in waves with not just dirk. now the pure greatness of lebron and dwade in itself can win them games and force a long series. but I still think they have their hands full with the bulls. and if it is the mavs/heat I think this will by far be the heat's toughest challenge. they will give up more points to the mavs than what they've had to deal with in the east. so the pressure will be on them to score. and the mavs can defend a little better than they get credit for. a lot of OKC's points are off 3's and transition. Miami is not a good 3 point team, but they will kill you in transition if you turn it over. my concern for the mavs is their inability to keep westbrook and durant off the FT line. they will be in the same boat against james/wade/rose/etc. if they make it to the finals.

one thing many people haven't talked about is that since the 2006 finals i don't think the heat have beaten dallas in a single game. that is a weird stat if you think about it. I guess it just make for a more interesting match up. cause those were all reg season lol. and my have things changed.

 

[Bert]

Methinks the refs screwed OKC leading up to the OT. That was no foul by Collison that put Dirk at the line. Dallas was allowed to play very agressive, OKC was whistled quite a bit it seemed. More fouls against OKC, more free throws for Dallas, etc.

Crazy talk, Collison pushed Dirk in the back from the free throw line all the way to the baseline and then shoved him out of bounds.

I'm not a fan of either team but cmon' man, that was a foul.

 

[Griffin]

Quite an impressive comeback from the Mavs. This series is pretty much over. I suppose it's for the best, since OKC wouldn't stand a chance against the Heat if Miami advances.

I remember reading last summer that Nash talked to Nowitzki about playing together in Phoenix, although no one really expected Dirk to leave Dallas. Dirk is now playing like an MVP again. I wonder how far the Suns could have gotten if Dirk did choose to come here.

 

[Bert]

The biggest problem I see with the Thunder is immaturity, you could see it tonight when things started to turn. They had no idea what to do and they DONT listen to their coach. I saw Durant, Harden and Westbrook be grabbed by their coach going into a timeout and all 3 of them completely blew him off. They wouldn't even make eye contact with him, they just looked passed him and walked through him.

I see a team of very talented individuals who play together when things are going well, but totally fall apart when adversity hits.

 

[Covert Rain]

i think you completely misread what lorenzo was saying. he said they were 11-1 on the road and 24-5 before he got injured. That means they were 33-20 total and 17-12 after he got injured. a difference of playing .830 basketball versus .622 basketball. THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE. in light of clearing up that misunderstanding, do you still believe that team didn't miss butler and didn't overcome adversity in losing him considering they were a .830 team with him and a .622 after?

I didn't look up the record so I was going with what I thought he posted. Also, when Bulter went down they were 25-8 overall. Dirk followed with his own injury and didn't return until 10 games later going 2-8 during that stretch. The only lost 11 more times in 39 games after Dirk playing full games. I would say the difference between 5 losses and 11 losses is negligible with Dirk in the lineup and minus Butler. With Dirk and Bulter they were playing .757 ball. After Dirk returned and minus Butler .736 overall. Still don't see overwhelming evidence they missed Butler.

OKC definitely choked in this game, but you still have to play incredible basketball to come back from a 15 point deficit with 4 minutes left.

The answer is both.

I have to say that yes that Dallas had to score but jeesh.....the last couple games with the Thunder have to have had the worst execution down the stretch that I have seen. I was seriously having some D'Antoni/Gentry flashbacks of our Suns unable to execute down the stretches of close games.

I called it last game. The Thunder were playing too much one on one basketball down the stretch of close games. If you look at their other losses in the playoffs, they had the same problem. Their offense became a series of one on one moves either for Westbrook or Durant. Reminded me of D'Antoni force feeding the pick and roll between Nash and Amare even though it wasn't working. Even on some of the fast breaks there was a difference. Dallas would go on the fast break and 3 to 4 guys would touch the ball. Thunder went on the run and it was one guy forcing the ball to the rim.

I realize the Thunder are young and inexperienced but my gosh, the coach here deserves alot of the blame. The Thunder did everything they could to piss away the game at the end and there was a bunch of selfish play to boot.

 

[Superbone]

dallas just got outplayed today. ibaka worked chandler, haywood, and dirk on the boards. way too many easy points for OKC. this series looks like it will go 7.

Huh? You won dude.

 

[Russ Smith]

Comments on last night.

Brooks man wtf are you doing? Harden fouls out do you think they're going to double Durant and double Westbrook on the pick and roll, so you just run 20 seconds every possession and then expect Westbrook to create a shot. Put a shooter in for Sefalosha or run some sets, don't just stand around.

Westbrook slow down, still got the always in a hurry thing as Wooden said be quick, don't hurry.

Durant man you are the best player on the team you HAVE to want the ball. 0 points in the last 10 minutes, twice they ran a play specifically to get him the ball on a switch and he caught it and played hot potato and threw it back to Westbrook who was completely surprised showing it wasn't the called play. I realize at times Westbrook dribbles too much but Durant has to get open.

That call on Collison that put Dirk at the line to tie it was pretty close. But then they ignore the exact same thing when Kidd hooks Westbrook on the inbounds causing him to fumble a bit and ultimately leading to them getting a 35 foot heave instead of a shot. Even on that Westbrook tries to screen for Durant who doesn't use the screen and then Westbrook is in his way, if that was the called play it's a terrible play. if that wasn't the called play how come the execution is so bad?

Young team but I'm not convinced Brooks is the guy to get them there.

Dirk is amazing in this series.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I didn't look up the record so I was going with what I thought he posted. Also, when Bulter went down they were 25-8 overall. Dirk followed with his own injury and didn't return until 10 games later going 2-8 during that stretch. The only lost 11 more times in 39 games after Dirk playing full games. I would say the difference between 5 losses and 11 losses is negligible with Dirk in the lineup and minus Butler. With Dirk and Bulter they were playing .757 ball. After Dirk returned and minus Butler .736 overall. Still don't see overwhelming evidence they missed Butler.



I have to say that yes that Dallas had to score but jeesh.....the last couple games with the Thunder have to have had the worst execution down the stretch that I have seen. I was seriously having some D'Antoni/Gentry flashbacks of our Suns unable to execute down the stretches of close games.

I called it last game. The Thunder were playing too much one on one basketball down the stretch of close games. If you look at their other losses in the playoffs, they had the same problem. Their offense became a series of one on one moves either for Westbrook or Durant. Reminded me of D'Antoni force feeding the pick and roll between Nash and Amare even though it wasn't working. Even on some of the fast breaks there was a difference. Dallas would go on the fast break and 3 to 4 guys would touch the ball. Thunder went on the run and it was one guy forcing the ball to the rim.

I realize the Thunder are young and inexperienced but my gosh, the coach here deserves alot of the blame. The Thunder did everything they could to piss away the game at the end and there was a bunch of selfish play to boot.

this is what mentally weak teams do. mentally tough teams take advantage.

 

[Russ Smith]

Crazy talk, Collison pushed Dirk in the back from the free throw line all the way to the baseline and then shoved him out of bounds.

I'm not a fan of either team but cmon' man, that was a foul.

Dirk didn't even come close to going out of bounds. He had his right hand on the hip and then ducked in on the left side and knocked the ball out of bounds. It's like a CB in the NFL they call the right hand on the hip, there was not that much contact.

Kidd did almost the same thing on the inbounds to Westbrook right after it's why Westbrook fumbled for a second and it totally screwed the play. And kidd knew he did it, he ran away like oh crap.

I have no problem with calling one if they call the other but I would have preferred they call neither. To be honest I think Dallas just inbounds to Dirk and he scores anyways, he was out of his mind hot at the end.

 

[Covert Rain]

this is what mentally weak teams do. mentally tough teams take advantage.

More experience and talent level sometimes overcomes mental weakness. Case and point, the year they went to the finals. Their talent and experience got them that far. On the other hand I have seen less talented and less experience teams go down swinging which doesn't always equal mentally weak.

 

[Lorenzo]

I didn't look up the record so I was going with what I thought he posted. Also, when Bulter went down they were 25-8 overall. Dirk followed with his own injury and didn't return until 10 games later going 2-8 during that stretch. The only lost 11 more times in 39 games after Dirk playing full games. I would say the difference between 5 losses and 11 losses is negligible with Dirk in the lineup and minus Butler. With Dirk and Bulter they were playing .757 ball. After Dirk returned and minus Butler .736 overall. Still don't see overwhelming evidence they missed Butler.



I have to say that yes that Dallas had to score but jeesh.....the last couple games with the Thunder have to have had the worst execution down the stretch that I have seen. I was seriously having some D'Antoni/Gentry flashbacks of our Suns unable to execute down the stretches of close games.

I called it last game. The Thunder were playing too much one on one basketball down the stretch of close games. If you look at their other losses in the playoffs, they had the same problem. Their offense became a series of one on one moves either for Westbrook or Durant. Reminded me of D'Antoni force feeding the pick and roll between Nash and Amare even though it wasn't working. Even on some of the fast breaks there was a difference. Dallas would go on the fast break and 3 to 4 guys would touch the ball. Thunder went on the run and it was one guy forcing the ball to the rim.

I realize the Thunder are young and inexperienced but my gosh, the coach here deserves alot of the blame. The Thunder did everything they could to piss away the game at the end and there was a bunch of selfish play to boot.

When Dirk got injured the mavs were 24-5. butler didn't get injured until a few games after dirk did. Ironically it was in OKC that dirk got hurt and the mavs won probably their most impressive regular season game in which they punked OKC in OKC without dirk. I don't know what stats you are breaking down, but they aren't telling the true story. the true story is that when they were all healthy at the start of the season they were killing it...period. but it got dismissed because of reputation.

then chandler missed some games in that stretch too. anyone who actually watches the mavs would know that losing any one of these three guys would be very difficult to overcome. Butler could still help this team moving forward. I would feel a whole lot better about their chances in the finals with caron butler out there. Imagine how much better the mavs would be if butler was out there.

after last nights game people are blaming the ref, coach, et. the thunder are just not ready for this moment. they are too young. they outplayed dallas and still lost because they don't know how to close out a game. it's that simple. dallas is closing games whether they have a lead or whether they have to come from behind. I guess neither is tough. neither is facing adversity. dirk should just sit on the bench until the last 5 mins of the game then.

 

[Lorenzo]

More experience and talent level sometimes overcomes mental weakness. Case and point, the year they went to the finals. Their talent and experience got them that far. On the other hand I have seen less talented and less experience teams go down swinging which doesn't always equal mentally weak.

the year they went to the finals they were less experienced. josh howard a 3 year vet was their second best player. dampier was their center? devin harris(a second year player bearly getting his first consistent playing time) was relied on to run the point. that was actually terry's and dampier's 2nd year of playoff competition if I remember. same for most of the other players other than dirk and stackhouse.

dirk and stackhouse were probably the two most experienced players. this year's team is way different. they are much older. I think that dallas team was one of the youngest in the league at that time. which to me is a direct reflection of why they lost in the finals and choked against golden state. what happened to the rest of those guys? they are all gone.

this year's team is clearly more mentally tough. in one game on the road they lead for 48 mins, but because they don't lead by 20 the whole game they are weak. you say they need to come from behind to prove they can overcome adversity, then they do it in a game even more so dramatic than the games against the lakers. again the mavs can't really do anything better than they have. being worse to prove that you are better (or stronger) is not the way to prove yourself. if anything all of the guys on the mavs roster are comeback type guys. i think most people have written off every one of these guys. yet they are proving themselves to still have fight.

 

[Lorenzo]

Huh? You won dude.

I know...that was when KD hit that 3 lol. i thought it was over. they were playing terrible.