2011/2012 NBA Thread: Greatness & Awesomeness

[runawayboulder]

I kinda want to see what it would be like tomorrow if the Knicks won tonight. Every broadcaster, even in NY, is saying they have zero shot. I'd love to see all the ESPN, WFAN and newspaper guys eat s**t for a day.

 

[Scrandy Randy]

Kobe, kobe, kobe! Dude took 32 shots and Bynum took 8. I know people will say if it wasn't Kobe, they would not have made that late game run, but if you get Bynum involved, no way does he let McGee out play him. Kobe has to get those bigs involved. This is the story of Kobe's career.

The myth that big men need the ball on offense to play defense is a myth. If Bynum played defense even when he wasn't getting shots he would have got the ball more but he wasn't. Players would see him making stops, blocking shots, rebounding, etc and give him the ball on the offensive end. He decided to act like a petulant little child and switch off on both fronts. Didn't try to rebound on the offensive end, let McGee in for free open dunks, didn't help Blake on Andre Miller. Has nothing to do with Kobe and everything to do with Bynum and him still being a child.

Kobe was 44% FG - 45% 3PT FG - and 10-11 from the line, he played the most minutes of anyone on the court, no one else played well, and you're going to blame him for taking all of the late shots especially after making three straight three pointers? Ridiculous. Should Blake or Sessions have got the ball? Does one clutch shot a piece make them an option at the end of the game now? No. Should Bynum have got the ball? The guy that chokes it up almost every time when he gets double teamed and was already playing himself out of the game. Gasol? The guy that didn't even get into double figures?

Kobe did nothing wrong last night. The people around him let him down. I also forgot to mention Kobe was the only reason the Lakers even had a chance of winning that game last night.

 

[#1Batmanfan]

^ DING DING DING we have a winner!

 

[Daniel Thompson]

Heat should close out tonight, don not let a team like new york hang on in the series.

 

[Doc Samson]

The myth that big men need the ball on offense to play defense is a myth. If Bynum played defense even when he wasn't getting shots he would have got the ball more but he wasn't. Players would see him making stops, blocking shots, rebounding, etc and give him the ball on the offensive end. He decided to act like a petulant little child and switch off on both fronts. Didn't try to rebound on the offensive end, let McGee in for free open dunks, didn't help Blake on Andre Miller. Has nothing to do with Kobe and everything to do with Bynum and him still being a child.

Kobe was 44% FG - 45% 3PT FG - and 10-11 from the line, he played the most minutes of anyone on the court, no one else played well, and you're going to blame him for taking all of the late shots especially after making three straight three pointers? Ridiculous. Should Blake or Sessions have got the ball? Does one clutch shot a piece make them an option at the end of the game now? No. Should Bynum have got the ball? The guy that chokes it up almost every time when he gets double teamed and was already playing himself out of the game. Gasol? The guy that didn't even get into double figures?

Kobe did nothing wrong last night. The people around him let him down. I also forgot to mention Kobe was the only reason the Lakers even had a chance of winning that game last night.

For some reason, people gloss over this one fact that is the single most important factor in Bynum not getting the ball. When they get it to him, and the double comes, he's a turnover and/or forced shot waiting to happen. I've said that all season, and in this series when it should be magnified, people are looking to blame the usual scapegoat, a scapegoat who just so happens to have enough rings for one hand. It's ridiculous.

The larger issue is the fact that none of the perimeter players, even Kobe in that first half, shot the ball well enough to force Denver to come out and guard them. Basketball isn't difficult to understand, and George Karl is far from an idiot. He's going to keep sending two to three guys at Bynum because he knows he can't handle it and make the right decision.

On the off chance that Bynum actually does kick the ball out to the open shooter, Karl isn't overly concerned that they'll make it, because they haven't consistently all series, or all season for that matter. The Lakers have to make them pay for that, and it's why I question Mike Brown as well, who leaves Goudelock on the bench even though he's shown a consistency and ability to hit those open shots. Baffling really...

 

[runawayboulder]

Even if by some miracle the Knicks did win tonight, the Heat would close it out in G6 or G7 regardless. The Knicks are down so many guys you would need Bibby and Toney Douglas to play so far over their abilities.

 

[Darthphere]

I love the enthusiasm of the Heat "fans" at the game. "Yeah we're clapping, yay I guess."

 

[runawayboulder]

I love the enthusiasm of the Heat "fans" at the game. "Yeah we're clapping, yay I guess."

TNT drowns out the sound of the crowd. I'm watching it on MSG and they're pretty loud.

 

[Nightmare]

Knicks rolling over.

 

[Darthphere]

TNT drowns out the sound of the crowd. I'm watching it on MSG and they're pretty loud.

I wasn't talking about the noise level. The look on these people's faces is like "When is this over?"

 

[runawayboulder]

Before Lebron came there it used to be half full of Knicks fans.

The Knicks have showed no sense of urgency in the 4th. They missed a golden opportunity in the 3rd when the Heat were over the foul limit with over 8 min to go. Instead of driving the lane and drawing fouls they're firing up lousy 3pt attempts and making sh**ty passes.

JR Smith is 0 for a billion and has 50 turnovers. Stat and Chandler have been invisible. Melo is practically jogging up the floor. See you next year....

 

[runawayboulder]

Ha! Here I am conceding the season/series and the Knicks go on a 9-1 run. The Heat lack serious killer instinct and it's gonna come back to haunt them down the line.

 

[L.A.]

Time to put the grizzlies asleep permanently

 

[Daniel Thompson]

I wasn't talking about the noise level. The look on these people's faces is like "When is this over?"

Well there is more to do in Miami then be at a basketball game all night, especially when the night is still young.

 

[Nightmare]

Time to put the grizzlies asleep permanently

Go Grizz!

 

[runawayboulder]

The fun part about a local team's season coming to an end is playing keep em or dump em.

LOL, the fire ext is 68% keep it to 32% dump it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/keep-em-or-dump-em

 

[JaD]

I had no idea that Deandre Jordan was left-handed

That says a lot about his kind of game.

 

[Poeman]

season over for the Knicks...Is everyone's knee intact?

 

[Raiden]

season over for the Knicks...Is everyone's knee intact?

This seems to be their motto for the past decade.

 

[runawayboulder]

This seems to be their motto for the past decade.

No, that's more along the lines of "seasons over.....where do I get paid?"

 

[JaD]

This whole nerd chic thing with the players shouldn't be bugging me this much but it's really been annoying the hell out of me. It seems like everyone is doing it. I don't mind the clothes, 'cause honestly I think some of the best dressed players are D-Wade (I honestly want to break into his house and steal half his wardrobe), KD, or the more casual D-Rose. But when I see Durant wearing glasses without frames, hold on, without and any f***ing frames(!!!) I just think 'What the hell is wrong with these people?' When did glasses become an accessory? I guess mine are accessories now?

Make it stop!

 

[runawayboulder]

NBA players haven't had identities of their own since the 90's ended. Everybody wears those cheesy headbands and sleeves now. Every player has to have a nickname, even the scrub playing 8 deep on the bench. That's why the general sports universe considers the NBA as a joke.

There's too much emphasis on being an entertainer instead of a player. ESPN and ABC have a lot to do with it if you ask me, the way they promote the sport.

 

[Doc Samson]

NBA players haven't had identities of their own since the 90's ended. Everybody wears those cheesy headbands and sleeves now. Every player has to have a nickname, even the scrub playing 8 deep on the bench. That's why the general sports universe considers the NBA as a joke.

There's too much emphasis on being an entertainer instead of a player. ESPN and ABC have a lot to do with it if you ask me, the way they promote the sport.

I don't know about all that, plenty of players wore the headbands back in the day, Lebron came in and brought it back to prominence. But let's not act like players haven't influenced their peers style before.

The Fab Five is synonymous with the longer shorts, but Jordan is the one who really took it to prominence in the NBA, and half the league started doing it, in the 90's. Don't even get me started on the one earring craze he was responsible for too. Iverson came with the cornrows, tattoos & sleeve, after that, 95% of the league followed suit. I don't think any of it has to do with being an "entertainer," and outside of the NFL, I don't think any other American sport is really that comfortable to consider the NBA a joke, not if we're comparing ratings. It's simply the style of the times among their culture. No other sport is really all that different, except with the NBA, it's Black culture. Any inner city in America has Teens rocking the same type of stuff, and they didn't get it from the NBA, it's the other way around...

 

[L.A.]

Kobe might not play tonight?

 

[Doc Samson]

Kobe might not play tonight?

That clown better hope not. If Kobe doesn't, these talking head idiots won't have any other choice but to focus on Bynum and his inability to handle the double team.