NBA Playoffs, 2005

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:30 pm

Kobe is out, KG is out and looks like Lebron is going to be left out as well.

OTOH, Vince Carter may end up crashing the party singlehandedly.

What's interesting is that many of the key players are very young: Wade, Amare, Anthony, Arenas, Heinrich and Gordon. Not necessarily a changing of the guard but there's been a big infusion of young talent in the league the last couple of years.

Phoenix and Detroit appears to have the most momentum. San Antonio and Miami may have peaked earlier. If Phoenix wins, it may be the first time a team playing essentially a small lineup wins it all. They will have to keep shooting lights out from the 3-point range.

Denver also has been playing well but the knock against them is the lack of depth and lack of outside shooting. If they can't get layups, will they be stymied? I think they could give even the Spurs fits. If they get into the sixth slot, they should beat Seattle.

Chicago-Washington would be a good first-round matchup of young teams. But Miami and Detroit seem headed for a showdown. Prince can shut down any player, which may be the key to Detroit getting to the finals. Wade is a great player but he'll have to beat Prince in crunch time.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:53 pm

Go C's!

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:55 pm

My thoughts about the the Suns after watching all but two games this year:

1. They set the franchise mark for road victories a couple weeks ago. They are TOUGH on the road, even moreso than at home. This kind of scares me since they will probably end with the best record, thus playing more games at home during the playoffs. For some reason, they play a lot more loose on the road which translates into more wins.

2. They lead the league in three point shots taken, made and they are second in percentage. That is freakin' ridiculous. Which leads right into my next thought.

3. Quentin Richardson is struggling like crazy right now. He had two terrible games, then he missed two with an ankle injury, and he came back to another horrible game on Saturday. He is going to be the X-Factor. If he steps his game up, the Suns will be tough to beat having Jimmy Jackson off the bench to replace Q and Joe Johnson when they need a breather. If Q struggles, Jimmy will be playing more, leaving them with nothing on the bench.

4. Will they run in the playoffs? Hell yes...good luck trying to stop them. If anyone watched the game on Saturday against the Kings...you know what happens when the other team tries to run with them. They obliterated the Kings...I think Amare had 7 dunks. He shot 9 of 10 in the third quarter for 22 points...um, that's good.

5. Marion is the team MVP...the knock against Nash is his defense, which I admit, is pretty bad. Marion on the other hand, averages a double double easily and marks the best big man on the other team (not to mention he is arguably the fastest guy from one end of the court to the other). No other player is as valuable on both sides of the court as Marion. Not to mention, he has carried me in the fantasy playoffs to a lead in the finals. Dude fills the stat colums...all of them. Nash certainly helps on the offensive end...which directly relates to the uptempo style that has won 61 games thus far. If they win the last two, they will break the franchise record (set by the 92-93 team that went to the finals: F*ck John Paxson). Nash is the MVP to outsiders...but those on the Suns or who follow them closely know that Marions versatility is second to none. I'd also argue that he should be the defensive player of the year.

6. I'm afraid of Memphis. They match up well because they can play small ball as well, and they can run. The 4 games this season have all been close (each winning 2)...I really wish that Denver would have slipped to 8 because I know Phoenix can handle them (Denver has lost three games since Karl took over, 2 to the Suns). It should be interesting. Memphis is probably the biggest favorite in my book to beat Phoenix. I don't think anyone in the East, or in the west outside of SA can beat them. Personally, I don't think SA will make it to the West Finals because Dallas will beat them before that happens.

Should be a good playoffs. This is the first year in a long time that I actually think the Suns have some sort of a chance. I, like every other Braves fan, knows better than to be too confident going in to the playoffs.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:59 pm

Denver also has been playing well but the knock against them is the lack of depth and lack of outside shooting. If they can't get layups, will they be stymied? I think they could give even the Spurs fits. If they get into the sixth slot, they should beat Seattle.

IF, and I do mean IF, Camby can get that hammy in shape, depth really isn't an issue. You figure Nene is healthy now, Elson, Najera, Buckner, Person, boykins.

Nene, Najera and Elson (not so much Elson, but to a point) can give a few quality minutes when in need. They can't get you a full game, but surely can rest up the big men when they need blow. Also, Najera is awesome at coming in and giving the team a needed boost of energy, very much the same way Boykins does.

Since the arrival of Person, the Nuggets as a whole have become a much better perimeter team. Are they one of the elite out there, hell no. However, if you look at the before and after stats from when Person came to denver it's almost night and day.

Not saying that Person is doing it all, but it seems like everyone has stepped up their outside shot since his arrival. Buckner and Dermar espeically.

oh well, it's all for not anyway. Camby is the key to how far they go in the playoffs and right now it's not looking good. He tweaked his hammy pretty good again the other night an without him the team is doomed.

Everyone talks about Melo and Kmart, but what it all really boils down to is Camby's health.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:02 pm

I really wish that Denver would have slipped to 8 because I know Phoenix can handle them (Denver has lost three games since Karl took over, 2 to the Suns).

You mean 3 games since the all-star break, two of which were to Pheonix. Neither of which as a blow out. As a matter of fact, all 3 games this year have been close. The first two coming down the final seconds, while the last meeting the suns opened it up a little bit in the last 2 minutes or so. I think Pheonix and Denver would be a very fun series with Phoenix winning in 6.

Right now, the team I'm watching to make some noise in the west is Houston.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:06 pm

Boom wrote:You mean 3 games since the all-star break, two of which were to Pheonix. Neither of which as a blow out. As a matter of fact, all 3 games this year have been close. The first two coming down the final seconds, while the last meeting the suns opened it up a little bit in the last 2 minutes or so. I think Pheonix and Denver would be a very fun series with Phoenix winning in 6.

Um, that's what I said...they've lot three games, 2 to the Suns. And it doesn't matter how close they were. A win is a win, especially in the playoffs. You don't think losing all of your games in a year to a team kind of hurts the psyche going into the playoffs? I do.

I hope whoever plays them gets past Houston...I'm not a big fan of matching up with Yao...plus Amare struggles when they play Houston because Yao is so damn long.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:07 pm

They've lost 7 since karl took over... 3 since the all-star break. Karl came in just before the break.... losing a few.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:07 pm

Boom wrote:They've lost 7 since karl took over... 3 since the all-star break. Karl came in just before the break.... losing a few.

Symantics...either way. They lost the two games against Phoenix after the all-star break when they were playing their best bball. That's the point.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:18 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Boom wrote:They've lost 7 since karl took over... 3 since the all-star break. Karl came in just before the break.... losing a few.
Symantics...either way. They lost the two games against Phoenix after the all-star break when they were playing their best bball. That's the point.

Symantics... yes. Part of the point... not really. Give a f***..... You threw out at stat that was incorrect so I decided to correct you.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:20 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:3. Quentin Richardson is struggling like crazy right now. He had two terrible games, then he missed two with an ankle injury, and he came back to another horrible game on Saturday.

Yeah, just in time for the DSP playoffs

Between him, Redd, and Iguereowewiodsis-its all hurting at the same time, I missed my chance at taking you on in the championship. It was a fun season though, congrats.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:22 pm

Fair enough Boom.

And Matt, I'm more worried about the REAL playoffs. That does suck taht he was a stud for 9/10ths of the year and then went to sh*t this week, when you needed him the most. Bad timing. I really do not like that the playoffs run through the end of the season. I reckon quite a few teams who have positions locked up will rest some of the stars. Kinda ruins the integrity of the season. Oh well.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:48 pm

Actually, Q has had an overall poor shooting year. Both his 2-point and 3-point percentages are low. Sounds like he's casting more 3s, not playing the same role he did when he was with the Clips.

Yeah Marion and Johnson are having career years. Marion boosted his rebounding while Johnson is shooing like 46% form 3-point range to compensate for Richardson's subpar percentage. Johnson seems to drive more so maybe defenders aren't rushing him as much.

I would think the monster year Amare is having is drawing some attention, which makes it somewhat easier for Marion to clear the boards and for the 3-point shooters.

Suns downfall may be defense and the offensive rebounding they may give up with the small lineup. Amare must leak out on the fast break which may be why you see all those highlight dunks and someone else leading the team in rebounding.

But Phoenix and Denver are fun teams to watch. A good departure from the slow-it-down approach of Detroit, Houston and San Antonio. Maybe if a small lineup running team wins it all, there will be more running teams next year.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:48 pm

The NBA season is still going on?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 2:53 pm

wco81 wrote:Actually, Q has had an overall poor shooting year. Both his 2-point and 3-point percentages are low. Sounds like he's casting more 3s, not playing the same role he did when he was with the Clips.

A lot has been made of the transition Q has made to being a spot up shooter. With Nash running the high pick and roll with Amare out of the half court set, you don't get a lot of Q posting up. He did A LOT of that with the Clips...and then he selectively shot the three. Nowdays, he just sits and waits around the three point line, hence the shot numbers going down. Every once in a while, they post him up. Keep in mind that the Suns shoot, on average, 20 more shots per game than any other team in the league. That is ridiculous...who needs a shot clock?

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:18 pm

pigpen81 wrote:The NBA season is still going on?

Yeah, it's almost as long as soccer season but not quite as boring.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:29 pm

Yeah, it's almost as long as soccer season but not quite as boring.

Touche!!!!!

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:35 pm

Assuming they don't fall apart and lose the spot, I think the Sixers are going to have a short stay in the playoffs. I can barely see them winning 2 games vs. Detroit or Miami let alone 4. What a waste of an absolutely fantastic season by AI.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:37 pm

I like the Bulls...You have to be an idiot to bet against Jordan.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:25 pm

F U Vince Carter.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:30 pm

sf_z wrote:Jordan plays for the Wizards. Now who's the idiot?

.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:57 pm

sf_z wrote:Jordan plays for the Wizards. Now who's the idiot?

The Bulls-Wizards series should be a good experience for two young teams. I don't see either winning in the second round. Too bad Curry and Deng aren't playing. Maybe Andres Nocioni can start a brawl to get this series higher on people's radar.

And I've been a fan of the Wizards since they were the 2002 Warriors.

I am glad that Indiana lost a few and helped bump the Pacers to the 6 spot. I think the Bulls would struggle against them in the opening round just because they have a lot of playoff experience.

I think the Bulls will pull this one out since they have been better on the road, but I agree they probably lose in round 2. Losing Curry and Deng will hurt much more once the playoffs start.

I think the Pistons have a solid shot to head back to the NBA championship. I think Miami will likely make it to the Eastern finals to face them -- can't see any of the other Eastern teams getting that far.

The west is harder to predict in terms of each round, but I think the Suns will win it all. They are just a tough team to match up with, and trying to run with them for 5-7 consecutive games will be more than anyone outside of San Antonio or Dallas could handle. They will have to get really cold offensively to lose.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:09 am

I hope you didn't watch the game tonight Boom...128-114 and it wasn't even that close. Denver does NOT want to face Phoenix in the playoffs. Let me get this straight now.

Denver has lost 4 games SINCE THE ALL-STAR BREAK. 3 of them to Phoenix. That was a royal ass kicking tonight. Nothing like limping into the playoffs for your Nuggets.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:18 am

Nuggets had a big incentive. Trying to get the sixth slot so they avoid Phoenix or SA in the first round.

But there's so much you can do when the other team is shooting 14-27 from 3-point range.

Not to say it's a fluke, since the Suns are shooting very well for the season from distance. But they can't expect to do that every game, especially in the playoffs, can they?

I think it works for the Suns because everyone has the green light so they're shooting with a lot of confidence. But players tend to tighten up when the stakes are higher. All it takes is a bit more doubt to diminish that confidence.

Not saying they will lose that confidence. But I don't think they're going to shoot near 50%, or even necessarily around the 40% they've shot during the regular season, througout the playoffs.