The Perpetual NBA Thread

[empy]

got my tickets already for round 1...beat da bulls!!

[ssaloon]

forecast ng yahoo sports:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 DETROIT PISTONS (64-18) vs. No. 8 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (40-42)

Season series: Pistons won, 3-1, with Milwaukee's only victory coming Monday night when Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace didn't play for Detroit.

Storyline: The team that finished with the NBA's best record against the only sub-.500 team in the playoff field. The only thing that matters to the Pistons is getting back to the NBA Finals to make up for last season's loss, and this series should be nothing more than a brief first step.

Key Matchup I: Michael Redd vs. Hamilton. Redd is one of the league's best shooters, and the Bucks' best hope of making this a competitive series is if he gets hot and can carry them. But Hamilton is constantly in motion on offense, and Milwaukee can't afford to have Redd wear himself out chasing him. Tayshaun Prince will probably defend Redd.

Key Matchup II: Chauncey Billups vs. T.J Ford. Ford is one of the league's quickest players, but even if he gets into the lane, there's little chance of him getting his shot over Ben or Rasheed Wallace. And he doesn't have the strength to prevent Billups from getting to the spots he wants.

X-Factor: Andrew Bogut. The No. 1 pick in the draft had a solid, but not spectacular, rookie season. He'll need to raise his level of play to keep the Wallaces occupied on defense.

Little-known fact: The Pistons ended the regular season with a two-game losing streak. They also lost their last two preseason games -- then won their first eight of the regular season.

Prediction: Pistons in 4.

No. 2 MIAMI HEAT (52-30) vs. No. 7 CHICAGO BULLS (41-41)

Season series: Heat won, 2-1, with the Bulls getting their only win last Sunday when Dwyane Wade didn't play because of illness.

Storyline: The Heat won 52 games even though they seemed to occasionally lose interest, but their troubles were with elite teams, not the ones below them. With Pat Riley returning to the playoffs, he'll make sure his team is motivated against a Chicago team that won 12 of its final 14 games.

Key matchup I: Wade vs. Ben Gordon. Gordon had a superb finish to the regular season and is one of the league's streakiest shooters, highlighted by a recent 9-for-9 night from 3-point range. But he's not as consistent as Wade, nor is he as good a playmaker.

Key matchup II: Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich vs. Antoine Walker and Gary Payton. The Bulls have nobody who can slow Shaquille O'Neal, so they have to win the other matchups. Deng and Hinrich will have to outplay Miami's top role players.

X-factor: Andres Nocioni. With double-doubles in nine of his last 12 games, his impressive play has coincided with Chicago's strong finish. The Bulls will need him to keep it up.

Little-known fact: This was an excellent playoff rivalry in the last 1990s, but Riley could never lead the Heat past the Bulls during Chicago's dynasty days.

Prediction: Heat in 5.

No. 3 NEW JERSEY NETS (49-33) vs. No. 6 INDIANA PACERS (41-41)

Season series: Pacers won, 2-1, getting the final victory in a game that Jermaine O'Neal sat out and Vince Carter played only 9 minutes because of a hamstring cramp.

Storyline: An Indiana team that couldn't stay healthy or consistent during the season against a Nets team that finished strong, including a league-best 14-game winning streak late in the season.

Key matchup I: Jason Kidd vs. Anthony Johnson. With Jamaal Tinsley hurting, Kidd will find himself matched up against the player who backed him up when New Jersey made back-to-back trips to the finals in 2003-03.

Key matchup II: O'Neal vs. Nenad Krstic. Krstic is overlooked because of the presence of Kidd, Carter and Richard Jefferson, but he's a good scorer inside and gets out quickly on the break for a big man. O'Neal has overcome his groin injury and seems back in top form, having scored 20 or more points in each of the last five games.

X-factor: Clifford Robinson. The 39-old-year veteran has remained reliable for the Nets, and he will likely see plenty of time against O'Neal -- who was a rookie in 1996-97 in Portland when Robinson was in his final season with the Trail Blazers.

Little-known fact: Nets coach Lawrence Frank has ties to the Hoosier State: He was a manager on the Indiana University basketball teams under Bob Knight.

Prediction: Pacers in 7.

No. 4 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (50-32) vs. No. 5 WASHINGTON WIZARDS (42-40)

Season series: Wizards won 3-1, with Arenas averaging 27.8 points. Washington held LeBron James below 20 points twice, including a 6-for-23 game in February.

Storyline: It couldn't be more obvious: This series is all about what James does in his first postseason. Larry Hughes against the team he left behind goes as the distant No. 2.

Key matchup I: James against Caron Butler. James against anyone has the potential to be a one-sided matchup. But Butler has emerged as a strong scoring complement to Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, and it's no coincidence that Washington's five-game losing streak late in the regular season came while Butler was out with an injury.

Key matchup II: Hughes vs. Gilbert Arenas. The two helped key Washington's return to the postseason last year before Hughes joined the Cavs last summer. He's a strong defensive player but will have his hands full with Arenas, who finished fourth in the league with 29.3 points per game.

X-factor: Flip Murray. The trade-deadline deal that brought Murray to Cleveland didn't make nearly as much news as when the Cavs landed Hughes and Donyell Marshall during the offseason. But Murray averaged 13.5 points after joining the Cavs, and he's shown he's willing -- and James trusts him -- to take big shots.

Little-known fact: Although it has been eight years between postseason visits, the Cavaliers do have some playoff experience. Eight players have 177 combined games, led by guard Eric Snow, who has played in 71 postseason games and made the NBA Finals.

Prediction: Cavaliers in 7.

[ssaloon]

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (63-19) vs. No. 8 SACRAMENTO KINGS (44-38)

Season series: Spurs, 2-1, winning two games by a total of four points before Ron Artest came to Sacramento. The Kings won by 10 at San Antonio in early April.

Storyline: The Spurs start their quest for a second straight title against a dangerous No. 8 seed: Sacramento is 26-14 since acquiring Artest in January.

Key matchup I: Tony Parker vs. Mike Bibby. Both are point guards who look to score without disrupting their team's offenses. Parker had his best season, averaging 18.9 points and shooting 55 percent. He is more of a slasher, while Bibby relies more on his outside shot to average 21.1 points.

Key matchup II: Artest vs. Bruce Bowen. Perhaps the two best 1-on-1 defenders in the league, but they probably won't waste much time covering each other. The Kings may prefer to use Artest on Manu Ginobili, since Bowen spends most of his time behind the 3-point line. San Antonio will put Bowen on whichever Sacramento player gets hot.

X-factor: Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Brent Barry. Those perimeter players are supposed to give San Antonio one of the league's best benches. The Kings aren't very deep, so this could be a huge advantage for the Spurs.

Little-known fact: Though they have been two of the best teams in the West during this decade, the Spurs and Kings have never met in the postseason.

Prediction: Spurs in 6.

No. 2 PHOENIX SUNS (54-28) vs. No. 7 LOS ANGELES LAKERS (45-37)

Season series: Suns, 3-1, even though Kobe Bryant averaged 42.5 points in the four games. Steve Nash and Raja Bell sat out the Lakers' only victory, and Phoenix averaged nearly 112 points in its three wins.

Storyline: This series is all about offense, so it could be the most fun of the opening-round matchups. The high-flying Suns and Nash, their MVP candidate, against NBA scoring leader Bryant, who also has MVP hopes.

Key matchup I: Bryant vs. Bell. Lakers coach Phil Jackson respects Bell's defensive abilities, but Bryant has no use for Bell. After scoring 51 points in a loss at Phoenix he said, "I've got bigger fish to fry than Raja Bell," he said. "Are you kidding?"

Key matchup II: Lamar Odom vs. Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw. Odom is one of the league's most versatile players, but so are Phoenix's two frontcourt players.

X-factor: Kwame Brown. He may never reach the potential that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, but Brown has had some of his best moments in the league in the second half of this season. The Suns will always give up rebounds and points in the paint, so there's a chance for Brown here.

Little-known fact: Phil Jackson has been an NBA coach for 15 seasons, and his teams have reached the playoffs every time. All of the past Jackson-coached teams have advanced to at least the second round, with nine winning the championship.

Prediction: Suns in 7.

No. 3 DENVER NUGGETS (44-38) vs. No. 6 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (47-35)

Season series: Clippers won 3-1, taking the last three meetings and sweeping a home-and-home series in January by a combined 51 points. Carmelo Anthony averaged 25 points for Denver.

Storyline: The Clippers are back in the postseason for the first time since 1997, and plenty of people think they can even advance. Los Angeles has home-court advantage even though it is the lower seed because it finished with a better record.

Key matchup I: Elton Brand vs. Kenyon Martin. Regarded as a tough interior defender, Martin has been slowed this season by a variety of leg injuries. He'll have to be at his best against Brand, who quietly had one of the best seasons in the NBA, ranking among the league leaders in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.

Key matchup II: Anthony vs. Sam Cassell. They won't be matched up against each other, but they are two clutch players who long to take big shots. In a close game, both teams should know where the ball is going down the stretch.

X-factor: The Staples Center crowd. There's been enough talk about the circumstances surrounding this series that the NBA will discuss the way it seeds playoff teams. But the Clippers have the home-court advantage, and they best put it to good use.

Little-known fact: The Clippers haven't won a postseason game since 1993. The last postseason series victory for the franchise was in 1976, when the Buffalo Braves beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Prediction: Nuggets in 7.

No. 4 DALLAS MAVERICKS (60-22) vs. No. 5 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (49-33)

Season series: Mavericks won, 3-1, after the Grizzlies won by 20 at Dallas in the first meeting.

Storyline: The Mavericks had the second-best record in the Western Conference, but had to settle for the No. 4 seed because the top three go to division winners and they finished behind San Antonio in the Southwest. The Grizzlies have never won a postseason game, getting swept in the first round in each of the last two years.

Key Matchup I: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Pau Gasol. Nowitzki is a much better defender than he was earlier in his career, Gasol was slowed by a sore foot at the end of the regular season, and if he's limited at all, it's hard to imagine Memphis having any shot.

Key Matchup II: Mike Miller vs. Jerry Stackhouse. Arguably the two best sixth men in the league this season. Whichever produces the quickest when he comes off the team will give his team a huge boost.

X-Factor: Jake Tsakalidis and DeSagana Diop. Both centers were first-round picks who never looked like they would be productive NBA players until this season. But now either could help swing a game with his rebounding and defense, and Tsakalidis has even provided the Grizzlies with some unexpected offense from time to time.

Little-known fact: The Grizzlies set a dubious NBA record by losing their first eight playoff games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Nets had the old record by dropping their first six postseason games.

Prediction: Mavericks in 6.

[kimpOy]

ehem ehem umiinit na...


Kobe about a week ago: "I don't even think about Raja... I've got bigger fish to fry. You've got to be kidding me."

Raja Bell replied : "Well, you know, I think that's pretty retarded of him to say.If he's got bigger fish to fry, then why am I on his mind? Kobe is a great player, but I guess he thinks his talent somehow translates into being a tougher person... And I will challenge him on that any time he wants."

[ILuvDetailing]

wrong move Raja you don't wanna piss off Kobe, or he'll drop 50 on you.

The real season begins...

got my tickets already for round 1...beat da bulls!!

Courtside ba?

[akuma]

lupet ni Lebron in game 1... triple double agad... 32pts... 11 rebs... 11 ast...
97-86 ang score...

sana magtuloy tuloy ang cavs...
lebron for mvp??

[akuma]

ehem ehem umiinit na...


Kobe about a week ago: "I don't even think about Raja... I've got bigger fish to fry. You've got to be kidding me."

Raja Bell replied : "Well, you know, I think that's pretty retarded of him to say.If he's got bigger fish to fry, then why am I on his mind? Kobe is a great player, but I guess he thinks his talent somehow translates into being a tougher person... And I will challenge him on that any time he wants."

i guess raja got the better of this in game 1... hehehe... suns won 107-102
kobe had 22pts only...

[empy]

Courtside ba?

13 rows up, right behind the basket next to the Heat bench. our seats are always on TV, particularly when someone's shooting a free throw.

sayang may tsikot.com shirt sana ako, isusuot ko

[ILuvDetailing]

13 rows up, right behind the basket next to the Heat bench. our seats are always on TV, particularly when someone's shooting a free throw.

sayang may tsikot.com shirt sana ako, isusuot ko

Teka bossing, napanood ko yung Heat - Bulls game kagabi, halos lahat ng Fans white ang suot, libre ba yun?

Request ka kay Baiskee, white tsikot t-shirt.

[empy]

"wear white" nga yung theme. last season black naman. and yes, pinamimigay nila yung shirts pagpasok mo sa arena.

di pa ako nakakapanood, hindi kasi sa akin lang yung seats - may kasosyo kami (company seats kasi). my first game is game 5...nakahanda na yung throwback Alonzo Mourning Georgetown jersey ko sa hanger :hihihi: