2005-2006 NBA thread

Wasn't Leonard the one assigned to Jordan during that conference finals in 97'?

 

Prolly, his 3 point game was poppin something serious back then. Miami's offense ran back then to how it does now. Dan Marjle, Jamal Mashburn, Voshon Lenard lived at the perimeter like Williams, Walker and Payton. Tim Hardaway would sometimes drive in the lane and make clutch shots like Wade and Ike Austin and Zo had the paint on defense/offense like Shaq and well..Zo

 

Yes, there were veterans on this team, but Shaq was the only player that had been there and done that. Take him out of the equation: Mourning, Posey, Walker, Williams, Haslem, Wade - NONE of them had any kind of Finals experience. Dallas also had veterans without Finals experience (Dirk, Stackhouse, Dampier, Terry, etc.) and they looked pretty good after 2 games. Were they a "full team" with more experience then? I just think the "experience" excuse is a bad one because really there were only a handfull of players that had been to the Finals before. That's all I'm saying.

And yes, I know who Voshon Lenard is. I also know who Glen Rice, Keith Askins, Steve Smith, Matt Geiger, Bimbo Coles, Grant Long, and Rony Seikaly are. What's the point of that question exactly?

 

Shaq and Riley is your championship experience right there, Payton's got Finals experience too ( he took it to MJ in 96 as much as humanly possible) so those are your champs but then go down the roster and Alanzo Mourning is an All-Star with tons of Playoff experience, Toine's a vet and all-star, J-Wills a vet. That's veterans right there with deep playoff experience. On top of that they run a west coast style of ball (Riely in the 80's and Shaq in the 2000s) that is design to have scorers on the perimeter and free up the gaurd to make plays on the weak side (Magic,Kobe etc). Wade works perfectly in that system so its not he's leading the team on his own like he's Lebron or AI or something. A team with that roster of course is gonna find a way to come back from 2-0 to tie at the very least.

Dallas comparativley has less experience ( I'm there's what? Stackhouse) and a coach who despite doing an amazing job hasnt come up against a team like that who can make the adjustments and utilise players 3-8 in balance with the 2 main options. So Dirk can use this as experience to build on. His career is still progressing at a rapid pace hence his MVP season. One bad series doesnt kill your career and unjustify comparisons to Bird ( no one has said he's better to bird it's just as a foward with his perimeter game he's closest so people have the right to at least...well comapere) it's what you do next that defines you.

To dismiss it as anything else would be narrow-minded and asnine that's why I asking because anyone who knows this game is aware of that/

 

Got it

 

Ah, the old days where basketball was basketball and competition was always welcome.

I found some old videos of the legendary players that made the game great. There was none of this touchy fouls, $tern, or any special treatment for popular players or teams. This was about true competition and the players, not the league or the refs decided the outcome of the game.

Hopefully the NBA can regain its dignity by allowing players to play and not stepping in with corporate rules and special treatment to certain players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKTLQOF-p18
(Pistol Pete Maravich)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihOmTU4c5KE
(Michael Jordan exploding against the Suns)

Notice how there are no endless whistles going in Jordans favor? God, these were the greatest days in basketball where games were called fair, where competition was welcomed, and players decided who was the very best on the court.

Can you imagine if series like the Knicks/Pacers, Lakers/Celtics, Jazz/Bulls, Pistons/Celtics, and Knicks/Bulls were determined by $tern and the league officials? These games would've been nowhere near as good and classic as they are, which is why they get more respect than these "players" and "games" today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfBeD4eLV84
(Buzzer Beaters)

Hey $tern, notice how none of these games were decided at the free throw line based on a no touch foul?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahI7ohS5L-Y
(Reggie Miller Moments)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cFkDTtQdMw
(Larry Bird)

 

By the way, have the summer games started yet? You know the team that Coach K is coaching. I can't wait to see the refs not give Wade, James, and Anthony the calls due to their overrated popularity.