Nba

[Sanouske]

I had a great discussion with nit3 on the NBA a while back so I hope we can get some more good discussion going. :)

So do you watch NBA basketball at all? Have a favorite team or player?

So far this has been an interesting season. Especially in the Western Conference. There are so many quality teams. It is really hard to pick a favorite at this time. It is hard to rule out the Spurs though. They just have so many playoff tested players it is hard to imagine them going down without a heck of a fight. Other than that you really have to look at the Lakers, the Suns, and the Hornets as the other major contendors. Maybe less so for the Hornets because of all their inexperience.

The West is sort of a joke though. Only 3 quality teams period with two obvious standouts. The Celtics are the model of consistency this year. It is good to see them get back into the spotlight a bit. They have been down for many years. Plus they have KG and he used to play for my hometown team so I really hope they do well. I think they have the best shot at making it out of the West. The other team I could really see coming out of the West is the Pistons. They are a vetern, playoff tested team like the Spurs.

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Some of my other little notes and thoughts.


Who else really enjoys watching Lebron play? That guy is just a beast. I have never seen anyone attack the rim like him. He goes to the basket harder than anyone else in the league. His clutchness in the playoffs last year was amazing as well. If he wants to get back to the finals he will have to do it again though. I welcome that sight though.

Another young player I have enjoyed watching is Chris Paul. He can just play ball. Some of his recent games have been spectacular. He is a great distributor of the ball and is a good scorer as well. Once he picks up his D a bit he will be one of those players.

Allen Iverson is just one of my favorite players. No one goes out and plays harder than him. He is just a baller. Even if you don't know much about basketball you only need to see him play once to see how much heart he plays with.

What did eveyone else think of the Shaq trade to the Suns? At first I was ify on it, but they have made me believers recently. They may not win it this year, but I think they will win at least one championship with Shaq on their team though. They really needed that inside presence on the defensive end.

Now we come to another of my favorite players. Tim Duncan. He is one of the classiest athletes out there today. I have a lot of respect for what he has done on the court as well as off the court. It is good to see people like him excel. He may not wow you with his stats, but he is gonna have at least a fist full of rings when he is done and there is nothing you can do to argue against that.

[Barzillal]

I played in the basketball team back in Junior High but I havent been playing ever since I play occasionally but it depends on the work demands =p
I enjoy watching the NBA still and
here are my thoughts on it
basically I do not like the Eastern Conference that much I have always admired excellent teams with excellent big guys under the paint. That is why I prefer the western coast than the east.
James however is an exception lol since he is just as you have quoted sano "a beast" with his wide and strong stature not to mention his incredible speed he overwhelms other players especially the ones guarding him. His shooting is not bad too and his passing skills is excellent as well.
My guess however that their team still lack something to win a championship but I am not saying its impossible afterall they were in the finals last season.

[Sanouske]

lol, they are going to lack offense. =p At some point they are going to have to outscore a team and they are going to have trouble doing that with Lebron as their only big offensive threat. If they make it deep it will be because of their defense or Lebron just taking over the game.

[Barzillal]

or if James gets possessed as so my father quotes it lol
that is true James is the only main offensive man in the team and if they keep on relying only on him there might be some troubles in the future and a good example of this case was during the finals last season. James was quarantined quite well by the defensive man Bruce Bowen, the team was literally paralyzed while Duncan and most of the spurs team dominated the offensive rim =( San Antonio is a team that has alot of key players... they have offensive force inside and outside as well ( Parker, Ginobili )
I am hoping James to win at least one title though lol I like his playing style.
Oh yeah I hate.... Detroit for some reason haha

[Sanouske]

I have a feeling Lebron will win at least one by the time his career is done. (assuming he stays healthy) He has too much talent and we are just begininng to see what he is capable of. I can't wait till he gets a real wing man to play by him. I have a feeling that will be the next Jordan-Pipen type pairing.

[Barzillal]

if he will get a pair that is lol it seems he is a one man show for cleveland for now
and if he does get his Pippin like team-mate then yes we might be seeing a cleveland dynasty wait... haha I forgot the Western Conference haha
true he will have at least 2 I guess
who do you think will play in the finals?

[Sanouske]

That is hard to say. I think Boston will make it from the East. The only team that I could see beating them from the East is Detroit.

The West is really hard to pick though. So many good teams this year. >_> The three teams that I think have a really good shot at getting there are the Spurs, the Suns, and the Lakers. The Spurs have been looking old latley though. If they can't find their legs they could be looking at an early exit. The Suns could be a very dangerous team in the playoffs, I really look for them to make a run. The Lakers could be dangerous too, we will see how Gasol holds up in the playoffs though.

So I guess my picks right now would be Boston and either San Antonio or the Suns. Can't pick between them just yet. >_> Like I said, San Antonio needs to find their legs. If they can do that they will be my pick.

[Barzillal]

Boston has all the firepower Pierce Allen and Garnet and its almost crazy that the three can work well together >_< but experience will come to play here too especially that the big three doesnt have any finals exposure. Detroit on the other hand who has all the experience players, we cant leave Cleveland out of the picture in the east too, no one would have expected that they (Cleveland) would reach the finals last season
just as you said, the west will be one hard... I am betting for the Lakers to make it though I have always been a lakers fan xD hahaha and with Kobe's exceptional transformation this season I am more inclined to vote for them and hope that theyd reach the finals.
when you mean "Old" (San Antonio) are you referring to the simple and as what others quoted dull plays of the team? No matter how how good their team is ( San Antonio)
I find them quite boring haha sorry if anyone thinks differently I am not saying that theyr a bad team xP

[Sanouske]

I mean they are old as in they are old. =p Their main players are getting up in years, they don't quite have the stamina they once had. Anyways, the Celtics are really looking like a force right now. I have watched them play a couple times for a little bit recently and it is scary how good they are on both ends of the court. I dare say they are my pick to win it all at the moment. I really hope they can pull through so KG can get a ring.

[Barzillal]

Yes, I do not want Kevin Garnet to end up like those big names retired without any championship ring (Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton etc). However commentators and sport analyst do say that playoff final experience is a factor too in winning and facing the overwhelming pressure of the finals. There are a many good teams in the season who cowered against the team who has more playoff experience... It can be compensated though with the three fire powers of the team (Pierce, Allen and KG) they have good back up too, their coach is experienced as well. They are the most probable team who will get into the finals in the East side as they are clearly dominating there (of course I am not undermining the record of Pistons, Cavs and the Magics).
Come the west division (I tend to enjoy the games in the west more than the east) I am rather I would want the Lakers to get another shot. Kobe has changed alot this season, he is more like the main playmaker now. A true leader of the team. He was like just an offensive force but now with his records and stats he has assists... he makes huge plays in crucial moments. Leads and rallies the team when they are behind. Shares the ball often now as much as he used to. With the addition of Gasol and the up coming return of Bynum I would say that their team is quite prominent (however they would have to face many obstacles there with San Antonio, Portland, Suns, is New Orleans in the east or west?) or probably I am just a Lakers fan lol