OT: NBA 2005-2006 Season Discussion

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:19 am

Of course there are a couple calls in a game that are ridiculous...I can think of a couple calls on Diaw and Barbosa that were ridiculous as well. And the shot you're thinking of was Bell's jumper that Harris didn't foul him.

I think Dirk got frustrated with Marion...Marion is just too quick for him sometimes and that results in Dirk going to the fall away jumpers instead of driving to the hoop which gets him to the line. The Suns actually played a little defense today...which was good to see. The Suns are TOTALLY a different team when Bell is on the floor, even if he's not at 100%. Same thing holds true with Howard for the Mavs...those two guys are the keys going forward.

Dirk needs to stop getting dunked on though...twice by Diaw and once by Thomas in the last two games. Not quite as bad as the Kobe over Nash in the first round, but tonights was pretty legit. Diaw keeps getting better and better. Haha...Joe Johnson for two first rounders and Diaw. The Hawks suck.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Wed May 31, 2006 11:42 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:Of course there are a couple calls in a game that are ridiculous...I can think of a couple calls on Diaw and Barbosa that were ridiculous as well. And the shot you're thinking of was Bell's jumper that Harris didn't foul him.

I think Dirk got frustrated with Marion...Marion is just too quick for him sometimes and that results in Dirk going to the fall away jumpers instead of driving to the hoop which gets him to the line. The Suns actually played a little defense today...which was good to see. The Suns are TOTALLY a different team when Bell is on the floor, even if he's not at 100%. Same thing holds true with Howard for the Mavs...those two guys are the keys going forward.

Dirk needs to stop getting dunked on though...twice by Diaw and once by Thomas in the last two games. Not quite as bad as the Kobe over Nash in the first round, but tonights was pretty legit. Diaw keeps getting better and better. Haha...Joe Johnson for two first rounders and Diaw. The Hawks suck.

Dirk sucked. He never adjusted to how they played him which was different with Bell back. I couldn't care less about him getting dunked on as at the end of the day, it still only counts for 2 points. Yeah, non-calls or bad calls were insignificant as we lost by 20 and not 5. Mavs should bounce back. Josh Howard is fine so he'll be ready to go tomorrow. I'll take solace in the fact that 2 of our leading scorers sucked and we were still in the game in the 4th.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed May 31, 2006 12:37 pm

I missed the game, but I was very happy to read that Kurt Thomas finally got some court time.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Wed May 31, 2006 1:08 pm

Feanor wrote:I missed the game, but I was very happy to read that Kurt Thomas finally got some court time.

probably nothing to read into that. Dampier got on the floor for the first time too. It probably was more to get the starters out, especially seeing Josh Howard go down again.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:25 pm

Well I wasn't sure if he would play at all this postseason, so it's good news.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:30 pm

Hamilton is shooting tight, missing what should be gimmes. Explains a lot why Detroit is just hanging on.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:50 pm

Dirk put up 50 big ones and carried the Mavs to the win!!

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:53 pm

SoMisss2000 wrote:Dirk put up 50 big ones and carried the Mavs to the win!!

Yeah, he was nails. Impressive win.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:46 pm

I found Game 6 of the Eastern Conference championships on ESPN and decided to watch a bit. For a potential series clinching game, why are there so many empty seats? I know the weather is nice in Miami, but for a game like this I can't believe how many empty seats I'm seeing.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:52 pm

Forget that last post. There was a section behind the Heat bench that was half empty 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter. With 6 minutes left in the 3rd it's filled up pretty good now. Guess that group was partying outside for a while

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:08 pm

It also helps that EVERYTHING in the arena is white...even the seats.

BTW...it seemed like the Pistons were the ones who were late showing up. They still haven't shown up and we're heading to the 4th. I have a feeling if the Pistons flame out, you're going to see Ben Wallace in a different uni next year...as well as Flip Saunders.

I found it funny that Ben was complaining that they worked too much on Offense and not enough on Defense. What is letting them down in this game? WIDE OPEN SHOTS. They can't hit sh*t. Apparently they should have practiced shooting. I believe they are in the 25% area through three. They made all of 11 hoops in the first half. Wow...I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:45 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:I have a feeling if the Pistons flame out, you're going to see Ben Wallace in a different uni next year...as well as Flip Saunders.

I hope you're right and I hope it's the Bulls.

I'm very glad we'll be seeing some new blood win the NBA Finals this year. Whoever the Heat face it should be an exciting Finals.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:46 pm

Yeah, it's definitely going to be two completely different styles, that's for sure. Should be fun either way. I fully expect it to be the Mavs...the Suns just don't have enough healthy bodies.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 11:17 pm

Congrats Mavs fans...the better team won.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:20 am

Hell of a comeback for the Mavs tonight. Playing 7-game series finally caught up with the Suns. I'm not a Mavs fan but I do really like Cuban so I'm happy they made it to the Finals. Mavs/Heat should be a good series. It's been a fun NBA playoffs this year for sure.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:56 am

We're going to the Finals baby!!!

I would go meet the team at the airport being that i'm only about 10 mintues out except that the charter is not coming in until about 2 am.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:07 am

SoMisss2000 wrote:We're going to the Finals baby!!!

I would go meet the team at the airport being that i'm only about 10 mintues out except that the charter is not coming in until about 2 am.

A real fan would sack it up and get out there.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:13 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
SoMisss2000 wrote:We're going to the Finals baby!!!

I would go meet the team at the airport being that i'm only about 10 mintues out except that the charter is not coming in until about 2 am.
A real fan would sack it up and get out there.

nah, if it were a finals victory, i would.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 3:25 pm

Very weird but good NBA season. I don't think a lot of people picked a Heat/Mavericks matchup in the finals.

My prognostication has sucked these entire playoffs so I shouldn't even venture a guess but I'll finally hop on the bandwagon and pick the Mavs. Simply a very deep team. They have a lot of fouls to throw at Shaq and Diop is playing good defense so while it's the usual mismatch at the center spot, I think Diop and Dampier just have to play decent on Shaq. I think the Mavs are basically going to try to throw a blanket on Wade just like teams did with the old Lakers where they let Shaq get his and tried to stop Kobe while the rest of the Lakers stood around and did nothing.

While they've had a good playoff run, it's hard for me to count on Walker, Williams, and Payton at this stage of his career in a critical series. The Mavs are deeper, more athletic, younger, quicker, and more balanced. In retrospect it seems clear that the Spurs/Mavs series was the true finals. I'll say Mavericks in 6.

Kazuya · Post by **Kazuya** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:38 pm

The local nightly newscasts are all abuzz about the ticket prices for Games 1 and 2 -- ranging from $300 for nosebleed to $15K for courtside. I'm trying to think what kind of crazy yuppie would drop $15K on a basketball ticket. s***, I turned down decent seats to Game 2 of the WCF because I've held the opinion for some time that there are maybe a few hundred seats in the arena that are better than watching the game in HD in the comfort of my home. Given the occasion, I woudn't have minded paying a few hundred bucks for some lower-bowl seats, but they can kiss my ass at those prices...

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 2:40 am

Kazuya wrote:The local nightly newscasts are all abuzz about the ticket prices for Games 1 and 2 -- ranging from $300 for nosebleed to $15K for courtside. I'm trying to think what kind of crazy yuppie would drop $15K on a basketball ticket. s***, I turned down decent seats to Game 2 of the WCF because I've held the opinion for some time that there are maybe a few hundred seats in the arena that are better than watching the game in HD in the comfort of my home. Given the occasion, I woudn't have minded paying a few hundred bucks for some lower-bowl seats, but they can kiss my ass at those prices...

Basketball games go buy so fast, I often leave the American Airlines Center with the feeling of, "is that it?" I just spent $120 (60 a piece) for that? I'd rather spend my money going to the awful Texas Stadium and seeing a longer football game. Even that isn't as good as staying home and watching in HD. That's why I often only get to 2 or 3 Cowboy games per year. Football is a TV watching sport to me. However, it is exciting being there.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 3:37 pm

Are you kidding me? Nosebleeds at $1250. They are for games 1 and 2 but still....These seats are normally $20 a piece..lol

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Dallas-Mavericks- ... dZViewItem

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:05 am

Gameday baby! The city is buzzin! This is the biggest sporting event to EVER take place here. Of course we have Super Bowl Championships, but those games never were played here. There was the Stanley Cup back in 1999, but the NHL wishes it were the NBA. There has never been a World Series played here so these Finals are #1 as the biggest sporting even to occur in the city. Let's go Mavs!!!!

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:28 pm

Interesting argument about Dallas' supposed improvement on defense. They really haven't improved so much as cut down the number of possessions while retaining their offensive proficiency. Essentially, letting Nash go has allowed Nowitski to go more to a mid-range game instead of setting up outside to give room for Nash to operate. So Dallas is scoring about as well as it ever did, per 100 possessions. But by cutting down the number of possessions (by running more of the clock), they seem to be playing better defense.

Most critics attribute the Mavs' resurgence to a newfound focus on defense. This has supposedly been inspired by the departures of the offensive-minded Nash and the offensive-minded coach Don Nelson (in 2005), along with the arrival of defense-obsessed coach Avery Johnson. Superficially, that seems right. In 2004, Nash's last year, Dallas averaged 105.2 points a game while surrendering 100.8; this season they score 99.1 and give up 93.1.

Look closer, however, and this defensive improvement is an illusion. The 2004 Mavs played very fast-paced basketball. That up-tempo Dallas squad averaged 93.2 possessions per game, second most in the league. This year, the Mavericks use 87.8 possessions per game, which ranks 27th of 30 NBA teams. Slowing down the game means you'll both score and surrender fewer points. The best measure of defensive effectiveness, however, is efficiency—how many points you allow per 100 possessions. In Nash's last season, Dallas scored 112.6 points per 100 possessions while giving up 106.9. This year's squad did only slightly better, giving up a middling 104.7 points per 100 while remaining an offensive powerhouse by scoring 112.1 points per 100 possessions. (These stats are available at the invaluable Basketball-Reference.com.)

Playing with Nash turned Nowitzki into a half-star, half-carnival freak. Nash's penetrate-and-dish moves allowed the 7-foot tall, David Hasselhoff-loving German to take advantage of his uncanny accuracy from the 3-point line. It turns out, though, that having him spot up for 3-pointers isn't the best use of Nowitzki's abilities. Nash's great asset is his unselfishness and ability to find the open man. What makes Nowitzki special is that he doesn't need to be open in order to score. Nobody can guard him.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:42 pm

Not to mention, they have cut down on turnovers. I think that is the biggest reason for their "better" D myth. Can't really take the Phoenix series as a good indicator because the Suns were just worn down...having to go 7 with both LA teams...they just didn't have it in them. Notice how in the games they lost, they were winning through the first half in almost all of them...then they turn to s*** in the 2nd. I can't imagine Avery Johnson was making THAT many adjustments in 4 different games to make that much of a difference. The tired leg factor had a TON to do with it. And that's the Suns fault for not having more reliable players behind the top 6 or 7. But anyway...I think the turnovers are the biggest reason Dallas has "looked" like it has been better defensively. Turnovers lead to easy baskets and if you limit those, the opponent scoring average goes down as well.