^ there's a clip on you tube right after the game where LBJ and the Heatles are walking into the locker room and you can hear that kid crystal clear pretty d@mn far into the tunnel.  It's fantastic.

 

The C's can play as a team and aren't reliant on just their top 2 1/2.  The drop off from Wade and James is so deep that those two have to play 48 min at super human levels.  The C's have more role players that can contribute in different ways.  It allows their best players strengths to really shine, instead of trying to do everything.

 

Doesn't really matter who wins this series though.  OKC and the Spurs I think are just at a different level than these two teams.  Winner of the West takes the title in 6.

I'd say less than six.  :drunk:

My ideal scenario would be: Celtics beat Heat in six, Garnett breaks his thumbs in freak chest-thumping incident, Spurs sweep Celtics, Cavs draft MKG and Perry Jones.

well, with a okc victory over SA, your dream scenario is already foiled.

I saw a " Go Boston!" sign on I-90 Westbound overpass around E220 into Cleveland this morning.....

I saw a " Go Boston!" sign on I-90 Westbound overpass around E220 into Cleveland this morning.....

 

If the Celtics win tonight, that sign needs to come down tomorrow morning.

Predictions on tonight's game & the NBA Finals, Miami vs OKC.  After watching OKC pour it on and look like they were just toying with the Spurs, my money would be on OKC.  But I can't rule out Lebron & his ability to single handedly take a game over.

No matter who wins, it should be an epic series.  Maybe the best since the Magic-Bird matchups.  If I was a betting man, I would have to go with OKC.  I thought they showed the type of guts it takes to win a championship by coming back to beat the Spurs.  And, man are they well-rounded with perhaps their ONLY weakness being the lack of a dominant post-scorer (which Miami doesn't have either).  From a psychological standpoint, I don't think the Heat would'vd overcome that 2-0 hole OKC found themselves in against SAS.  It probably doesn't hurt to feel like most of the country is rooting for you to the beat the Heat.

^true.  True. & true.  ESPN experts seem evenly split in choosing the overall winner but most predict the series to go 7 games.  Bosh could be a major deciding factor.  Getting him back was huge against the Celtics.  I don't think Lebron will be enough to do it all himself.  Wade seemed like he was hardly a factor in game 6 & 7.

I like Oklahoma City's depth and the fact that their "Big Three" is almost as talented as Miami's. 

 

As epic as this series looks like it will be (on paper), and despite being a big sports fan, I don't think I'll be watching much of it.  Outside of the Cavaliers, I don't have much interest in the rest of the NBA these days, especially not with ABC/ESPN announcers like Van Gundy spending so much time on-air time apologizing for LeBron Jones.

Well, I suspect you really haven't been watching much.  The criticism of Lebron among the pundits has IMO been a bit unfair this postseason.  Certainly no "apologists" from what I've heard.

Well, I suspect you really haven't been watching much.  The criticism of Lebron among the pundits has IMO been a bit unfair this postseason.  Certainly no "apologists" from what I've heard.

 

Who, in particular, has been overly harsh on him?

 

You're right, I haven't been watching much.  I watched a bit of the Indiana series (particularly after the Pacers went up 2-1) and most of the Boston series.  The only notable discussion of Jones that I recall was in Game Six when Van Gundy had his *graphic description redacted* in discussing the way that Jones had been dealt with since leaving the Cavaliers.

Also in looking at the numbers, I think Serge Ibaka is a better overall player than Chris Bosh.  Four of the top six players in this series will be wearing blue.

Ibaka probably fits in better on the Thunder than Bosh does on the Heat, but all things being equal, Bosh is a much better player.  If you moved Ibaka over to Toronto, I doubt he goes for 24 and 10.

Ibaka probably fits in better on the Thunder than Bosh does on the Heat, but all things being equal, Bosh is a much better player.  If you moved Ibaka over to Toronto, I doubt he goes for 24 and 10.

 

It's not like Toronto ever got out of the first round in a consistently weak Eastern Conference.  Ibaka would get his 10 rebounds, though you're right, he'd never get 24 points a game.  But then again, there's more to the sport than just scoring.

Ibaka probably fits in better on the Thunder than Bosh does on the Heat, but all things being equal, Bosh is a much better player.  If you moved Ibaka over to Toronto, I doubt he goes for 24 and 10.

 

Why does Ibaka need to (or want to) go 24 for 10? He's a role player. He leads the league in blocks, the next guy has 1/3rd as many blocks as Ibaka - Miami doesn't have defensive players in the same echelon as Ibaka and Sefolosha, and Collison is good too.

 

I would take getting almost 4 epic blocks a game, and that's just on average, over whatever scoring contributions Bosh makes. Be the best in the league at something. When Ibaka posts up and blocks a shot the crowd goes wild and the team feeds off that energy.

Ibaka's block numbers don't account for the amount of shots he redirects.  He is a stud defensive player and would be a top 10 pick if his draft was redone.

Blocks are fine, but they're not more valuable than basketball points.  Bosh is kind of lost in the shuffle in Miami, but he was a top ten scorer and rebounder in the four years before he joined the Heat.  That's elite level production. Ok, I've had enough of defending one of my least favorite basketball players now.

Let's put it this way..... if I was building a team to win a championship and you forced me to decide between the two as my PF, Bosh would hardly be a lock.  It would depend on the makeup of the rest of my team.  On the current Heat, I would swap Bosh for Ibaka every day of the week and twice on Sunday.  He is exactly what Miami needs and is missing.  He would be their Ben Wallace.  If you asked me which one would help the current Cavs more, I would say Bosh.

^I agree that Ibaka would be more valuable on this current Heat team.  But I also think that the Javale McGees and Serge Ibakas of the league tend to be overrated because of their style of play.  It's more fun to watch a player block a shot into the stands than it is to watch a player methodically drain 18-footers.  But I would generally take an elite offensive talent over an elite defensive talent.

^I agree that Ibaka would be more valuable on this current Heat team.  But I also think that the Javale McGees and Serge Ibakas of the league tend to be overrated because of their style of play.  It's more fun to watch a player block a shot into the stands than it is to watch a player methodically drain 18-footers.  But I would generally take an elite offensive talent over an elite defensive talent.

 

I don't think he's at all overrated.  In fact, if anything, he may be quite underrated.  He had a PER of 19.0 this past season while Bosh's PER was 18.9.  For those who aren't familiar, PER is a stat that measures a player's all-around contribution to his team.  It's a bit esoteric and far from perfect, but it does seem to indicate that these players are closer to one another in what they bring to the table than a lot of people would like to believe.  It should also be pointed out that Bosh's PER has dropped pretty significantly since joining the Heat last year, which could be due to a lot of factors (injuries, surroundings, aging). 

Bosh's PER was 25, good for 4th in the league (James, Wade, Durant) the year before he joined the Heat.  Ibaka's never going to sniff that.  He's a great player, and he fits on the Thunder perfectly, but he's only a role player.  Durant, Westbrook, James, Wade, and Bosh all are or are capable of being franchise cornerstones.  Harden may get there some day, and Ibaka will block lots of shots and play efficient off-ball offense.  But I think it's relatively clear who the best 5 players in the series are. The fact that the Thunder have Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, et al. behind Westbrook and Durant is their advantage in this series.  The Heat have.....Ronnie Turiaf?

Bosh's PER was 25, good for 4th in the league (James, Wade, Durant) the year before he joined the Heat.  Ibaka's never going to sniff that.  He's a great player, and he fits on the Thunder perfectly, but he's only a role player.  Durant, Westbrook, James, Wade, and Bosh all are or are capable of being franchise cornerstones.  Harden may get there some day, and Ibaka will block lots of shots and play efficient off-ball offense.  But I think it's relatively clear who the best 5 players in the series are. The fact that the Thunder have Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, et al. behind Westbrook and Durant is their advantage in this series.  The Heat have.....Ronnie Turiaf?

 

I simply disagree with the premise that Bosh is a better player right now.  If you want to argue that a few years ago he was a better player than what Ibaka is now or may become in the future, I'd agree.  But for whatever reasons, Bosh's career seems to be on a downward trajectory.

 

And even at the height of his career, he wasn't carrying Toronto anywhere.  He was still more of a Robin-type player who needed a true Batman.

 

Also, give Harden his due.  His PER of 21.1 blows Bosh's number out of the water and really shows that he had a bigger impact on the game.  He's already "there."

Yeah, I guess it's a total mystery why his numbers started to fall off last season, and he's definitely not carrying Miami the way that Ibaka and Harden are carrying the Thunder.

Bosh would never have a PER of 25 on a team with Westbrook and Durant so it is not a fair comparison.  Fact is, they are just totally different players.  It's like asking would you rather have John Stockton or Allen Iverson.  They impact their teams in totally different ways.  I have never been a big fan of Bosh, and that goes back to well before he joined Miami.  I wouldn't want a PF like him just like I wouldn't want a PG like Allen Iverson.

a lot of players get numbers when they are the only good player on a bad team.  There are a certain amount of points and boards to be had and a good player, with nobody to help them, will take those opportunities like a 'looter in a riot'.  This artificially inflates their stats.  There are many players who get a big contract from a new team and don't end up being as good as people think. 

 

In terms of miami, I believe that the premise is flawed.  Instead of two top five players and a top ten player, they have the best player in the world in lebron, maybe a top ten player in wade, and a top twenty-five player in bosh.

Wade is very good and can play as well as anyone when he's on fire, but he isn't as consistent as a top five player should be and his legs are becoming increasingly old.  I expect a precipitous drop from him in the next few years given his style of play, a la iverson.

 

Also, i'm not sure the metrics are worked out as well in basketball as baseball.  Just because hollinger comes up with an efficiency system doesn't mean it is a true indicator of impact.  Basketball is the game that is most athletic and most influenced by things like mindset, determination, and encouragement.  This is why a flat basketball team will never win a game and teams can be rattled by situation.

Any "takes" on the recent Jim Rome vs. David Stern episode?

Both were out of line.  But I sympathize with Stern more.  There were so many more respectful ways Rome could've asked the question if it had to be asked.

 

I did get a chuckle out of Stern's "do you still beat your wife" retort.  Of course nobody would answer "yes", but if you answer "no" wouldn't that mean that you once did?  Perfect trap question to put someone on the spot :)

"The lottery is fixed" line is getting tiresome.  I'd probably be pissed if I was Stern in that situation too.

Both were out of line.  But I sympathize with Stern more.  There were so many more respectful ways Rome could've asked the question if it had to be asked.

 

I did get a chuckle out of Stern's "do you still beat your wife" retort.  Of course nobody would answer "yes", but if you answer "no" wouldn't that mean that you once did?  Perfect trap question to put someone on the spot :)

 

Yeah I agree. The conversation was so awkward! Rome (or his publicist) released a really good statement. I expect them to be back on the phone asap. It would be good pr for Stern and of course, epic ratings for Rome.

Yeah, I guess it's a total mystery why his numbers started to fall off last season, and he's definitely not carrying Miami the way that Ibaka and Harden are carrying the Thunder.

 

No obviously it's not a mystery, but the fact is that the numbers have dropped significantly.  He should still be putting up a PER in the 21-22 range.

Blocks are fine, but they're not more valuable than basketball points.

 

They do when others on your team aren't getting blocks but are getting points. Why does OKC need another scorer in addition to the Big 3 in Durant, Westbrook, and Harden? Also consider that Sefolosha, Ibaka, Collison, Fisher, Perkins, and even Cook have proven capable of going off any moment with a rash of scoring. Somebody is going to be hot. Ibaka, one player, does not have to carry the team defensively - he can and should focus on defense, clearly.

That game was fixed.  The goaltending, missed called on Durant, MULTIPLE offensive fouls calls on OKC where the player was clearly moving. 

 

David Stern runs a conspiracy.  He wants 7 games for the $$. 

definitely some missed calls that could've changed the direction/momentum of the game, but Miami came out focused & intense, OKC seemed loose & cold.  Plenty of missed wide open shots from OKC.  Battier was on fire last night and nobody saw that coming.

I don't know if it's a conspiracy (as much as I'd love to believe that), but the officiating was horrible last night again.  The NBA needs better referees, period.  For as bad as OKC played, they still had a very legitimate shot at winning the game and the refereeing may have cost them that.  And further, that was a huge momentum-shifting game that has changed everything about the series. 

 

How can any fans of NBA really enjoy the game when the guys with the whistles are so significantly impacting the game?  This is precisely why, outside of the Cavaliers, I can't be bothered to follow the league too closely even though I like the sport.

The game was won by Miami's 18-2 start and then the Basketball Gods smiled down on that three-point bank shot from Battier right when OKC had all the momentum.  If Battier misses that shot (which he did other than a huge amount of luck), OKC is running the other way down 4 with 4 minutes left.

I'm very glad you guys are calling out the criminal officiating so that I don't have to lol - I hate it when fans kvetch about officials, it's such a lame cop-out because the bottom line is that we stunk to high heaven in the 1st Q. When the score got to 18-2 I knew it was over, even though I also knew we'd make a fierce comeback. I did not think we'd be within 2 to tie with seconds left and the ball in Durantula's hands, which usually means a good thing is about to happen.

 

But I don't think it changes the momentum of the entire series. The Heat were dangerous because they played with fire, desperate to avoid a 2-0 start they didn't think they could overcome. I am not worried, especially because I don't think much of Miami's "home court" and if the Thunder can steal a game in SA, sweep the defending champs and our budding franchise rivals in Dallas, eliminate the Lakeshow in 5, they can easily get at least one in Miami.

Well, for all the LeBron haters, it doesn't look good.  Miami has just gone up 2-1.  Worse yet is HOW they won tonight.  OKC had the game going clearly their way with a 10 point lead in the 3rd, but clearly came unravled down the stretch.  Durant esp fell apart -- missed FTs, turned the ball over and couldn't hit the big shot down the stretch.  OKC totally lost their poise and turned the ball over.  Miami looked like the experienced, settled team under pressure, esp. LeBron... OKC suddenly looks very green under pressure.... again, not good news for LeBron haters by the shores of Lake Erie.

LBJ is the best player on the court. The odds are in his favor if he keeps it together.

They were also up 2-1 last year.  Looking good has never been the problem for LBJ, it was always finishing. 

I'm watching a video game, not the NBA championships. 

 

The calls are the worst!  The three blind mice would make better refs!

 

They haven't been consistent, that's for sure.  One game, the refs call the ticky-tack stuff.... and then the next, like last night, they let the teams play more physical.  Even though Miami seems to be running away with this, the series has been very entertaining and a lot of good basketball is being played.  The Thunder are just showing their inexperience and promise at the same time.

^ I agree.  This may turn out to be one of the closest five game series ever.  I definitely think the difference between the teams isn't skill or ability but inexperience on a big stage...and Harden

 

Side note, I heard on the tony kornheiser radio show that Cleveland has the highest tv ratings for the finals out of any US city.

I'm watching a video game, not the NBA championships. 

 

The calls are the worst!  The three blind mice would make better refs!

 

In OKC the folks are all pretty livid, on the sports radio channels, on the news programs, any conversations at the lunch counter, etc. Is this justified or are we just being whiny first time losers?

 

I myself am in disbelief that officials can just so easily hand the trophy to LeBron.

Miami is being more aggressive.  The more aggressive team tends to get the calls.  So, yes, the calls are slanting their way.... but I would put most of the blame for that on OKC.

How does that trade between NO and Wash make sense for Wash?

I think they are hoping that Ariza can return to pre-Lakers form and that Okafur has enough left in the tank to groom Seraphin and give some help to Nene.  Most importantly, Okafur (who iirc was a 4.0 student at UConn) adds a character presence to that locker room which they sorely needed.  Since he won't be counted on to hold down the middle all by himself and his minutes will be down, his per/48 numbers might go up.  I wouldn't mind having him on the Cavs (especially since I don't write the check to cover his bloated contract ;))  Lastly, both Ariza and Okafur come off the books in 2 years and maybe Washington is trying to position itself to make a splash in FA right before Wall's rookie deal expires.

Miami is being more aggressive.  The more aggressive team tends to get the calls.  So, yes, the calls are slanting their way.... but I would put most of the blame for that on OKC.

 

Is there any statistical proof of Miami being more aggressive?  I believe I saw some analysis of one game during the Boston series which showed the Celtics actually got to the rim more often than the Heat, but Miami still got more calls.

 

I don't really know what's going on, but what I do know is that between the officiating during the postseason and coming to grips with the reality that James is going to be rewarded for what he did to us, I'm pretty close to giving up on the NBA...including the Cavaliers.  Sports are supposed to be fun and entertaining, and for a fan of a small market team, it's just not anymore.  The league has changed too much.  I'd almost rather have an NHL team at this point (actually I think I'd much rather have one).

^I would be more inclined to agree if the Cavs didn't have Kyrie Irving and the 4th overall pick in a pretty talented draft.  I just like basketball a lot, and I don't think any sporting event beats live basketball.

^^Considering that Canada hasn't won a Stanley Cup in decades, I don't know that the NHL is any better.  Don't get so down.... I actually think that James winning one will help ease your pain.  At least then we can have some different topics of conversation on our sports talk radio.... that is, whenever we are not talking about the Browns.