Apr.23 at 1:10 am

Adrian Zapata says:
i think phoenix is done. at least in 5

Apr.23 at 1:13 am

RV says:
I know the mvp is a regular season award, but any second thoughts Lang?

Apr.23 at 1:15 am

RV says:
i wouldn’t say Phoenix is done, they could have easily been 1-1 going back to phoenix, they’ll continue to keep it close and will win in phoenix, 7 games, spurs once again closing it out at home

Apr.23 at 1:17 am

RV says:
i could see the hornets beating the Lakers, but i believe they play winner of phoenix/spurs, right? So they probably won’t get past either, but they’ll make it a good series.

Apr.23 at 1:18 am

Joe says:
Chris Paul doesn’t look at the basketball when he dribbles, well, because…do you ever have to look at your feet when you run or walk? yep

Apr.23 at 1:19 am

Tanny says:
Shaq barely moved and Tony flies off of him. Shaq is an immovable force of nature(or just an immovable stranded whale on a basketball court).

Apr.23 at 1:22 am

Co Co says:
Aw Mike…..

Apr.23 at 1:24 am

RV says:
i never got why guys stir things up as the underdogs, josh smith guaranteeing the series got them blown out in the 1st game, now bibby will get them blown out in game 2. And i haven’t even mentioned Stevenson’s dumbass..

Apr.23 at 1:28 am

Hursty says:
Everyone loves Chris… because he rocks! (someone had to say it)

Apr.23 at 1:30 am

Hursty says:
was bibby ever considered a star? he was very good (with sac-town and the old guard) and is still a cut above the average point. thoughts?

Apr.23 at 1:31 am

Hursty says:
that collision was awesome! TP had (in some opinions) a go at shaq and his break up in the interviews.

Apr.23 at 1:33 am

RV says:
and i dont know if the nba needs saving, its pretty damn good right now, yeah there’s some knuckleheads running around, but there’s plenty of good young guys out there just balling out of their minds, but he would make a perfect NBA poster child

Apr.23 at 1:39 am

RV says:
he was never an all star though, so maybe a semi-star, he was a pretty good shooter his first 5 yrs or so in the league, got as high as 20 per game, and even 8 assts per early in his career, but the last few yrs his FG percentage has been horrible, he’s been really streaky

Apr.23 at 1:41 am

RV says:
oh and he’s eddie house’s brother in law too, wonder who the fam is cheering for back home

Apr.23 at 1:41 am

Hursty says:
playoffs have started but not ‘really’ started. SVG (magic) said it best. That they havent really begun until someone loses(sp?) on their home floor. Otherwise its just assumed knowledge that the team with home court will win the series all other things being even, thats why houston are in more trouble (obviously) Detroit (down 1) and PHX were away and made the spurs really earn game one. If the suns play like G1 at home it’ll be 2-2 and then its whether they can steal one on the road. To say that the suns are in the worse position is correct but they aren’t dunzo until they lose at home.

Apr.23 at 1:44 am

Hursty says:
so, theyre both trigger happy (although Mike can actually run a team), short, I liked Bibby but hes got some weird tattoos, the older(?) version of Jason Williams since both had nasty cross overs when younger. Im reaching here but oh well.

Apr.23 at 1:51 am

ikemob22 says:
Agreed I predict to see him on so many magizine covers this summer its gonna be stupid, not to mention all the commerical adds he’ll get he’s the new fresh face! He’s what Kobe use to be b4… well u know… when he (kobe)had that kid smile and everyone thought he was awesome & perfect.. dnt worry chris will get haters later on but now is his time to shine!

Apr.23 at 1:55 am

Myles Brown says:
Look out…more stats. I know +/- is a circumstantial number, but when Diaw and Barbosa were -17 and -18, while Ginobli and Udoka were +12 and +17 then those are pretty effin telling statistics. Diaw absolutely killed them down the stretch taking shots he couldnt make and missing ones he shouldve made. Nash wasnt looking to score and STAT was totally taken out of his game, but Id still rather see those two force the issue rather than depend on Diaw. And Barbosa is worthless in the half court.

Apr.23 at 1:58 am

RV says:
its too hard to hate CP, Kobe has his haters, but he’s easy to hate, you can ‘t help but like CP, he has a nice attitude, but nasty game, well spoken, but still talks trash, he appeals to the ying AND the yang of basketball, who can hate him?

Apr.23 at 2:00 am

RV says:
And who’s call was it to pick Deron over CP, sloan’s? Did he ever say what his reasoning was? Size? Leadership/experience?

Apr.23 at 2:03 am

Hursty says:
I wonder where Holiday is RV? CP3 was already on the cover of a young magazine (that SLAM has somewhat taken under its wing). So, the ’secret’ is out. That sounds really dumb….

Apr.23 at 2:04 am

Myles Brown says:
Oh, and I always thought Chris Paul was a great player, but my respect for him went up another couple of notches this week. However the “family guy, doesn’t get in trouble, is a normal-sized person” profile fit Nash perfectly also and there was also talk of him saving the league. But he still hasnt won anything and now hes been all but forgotten in Pauls hoopla. So placing that kind of responsibility on the kid might be a bit premature and more than he can ultimately handle. I would say lets leave the Captain Save-A-Lig to Kobe or Bron, but Im one of those stubborn bastards who doesnt think the NBA needs saving for casual and fairweather fans anyway…

Apr.23 at 2:07 am

Hursty says:
what is the +- mean? i know its better if the stats are good… can someone explain?

Apr.23 at 2:08 am

namik says:
Diaw sucks balls. As for a change in MVP, lets see CP do that to Deron Williams or even Devin Harris. If any of you were actually watching the game, TNT showed stats which showed Pauls numbers went up quite drastically when he went up against Kidd. His shooting % jumped 10 points. That is insane. Not to knock CP but like Lang said, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Whoever was announcing actually said “Chris Paul doing whatever he wants” at some point.

Apr.23 at 2:09 am

Hursty says:
as long as the machine that stern feeds keeps bringing home money….

Apr.23 at 2:10 am

RV says:
yeah but nash blew up too late to save anything, he did give the league a nice boost though, i agree it doesn’t need saving, but they could use a face that appeals to a wide audience, and that’s chris paul, he’s the guy they could probably count on being a good choice for any ad for yrs to come, not like now where one player does something stupid or weird and then they have to go look for a safer choice and then it just repeats

Apr.23 at 2:11 am

namik says:
Also did anyone else see Chris Paul LET THE BALL BOUNCE before he caught it with 1.9 seconds left? And who was there to guard him when he finally caught it? Dirk. Isn’t Avery Johnson supposed to be a defensive coach? Time to make some changes on the coaching side Cuban. Suns suck. Meeting the Spurs in the first round might have something to do with it, but….seeing them struggling makes me happy.

Apr.23 at 2:13 am

RV says:
i think there may be another +- stat, but i think he’s refering to point differential, basically means during the time this player was on the court the team was + 17 pts, or -5 pts. Example, suns go up 5, then down7, then thats -2

Apr.23 at 2:15 am

RV says:
wild ass chucky hayes led the league in player point differential for a good while, last yr i believe

Apr.23 at 2:16 am

Hursty says:
Nash has a similair effect to that of say Melo, without the offcourt incidents and the ‘fight’, Dwade etc. Great players who give the league a new great face, but will never be ‘that guy’ who IS the league. Enormous talents, great players, very marketable, both are going to rake in the hundreds of millions over time and will be all nba and allstar in future years but they can’t measure up to names like Jordan, Bird, Magic, Yao, Kobe, LeBron. Paul isnt the 1st tier or 2nd, somewhere in between.

Apr.23 at 2:16 am

Co Co says:
Whose idea was it to take Marvin Williams over Chris Paul and Deron Williams is a more important question….

Apr.23 at 2:17 am

tealish says:
Yes, but you see, Nash is a Canadian. A pasty white one at that. Not exactly the face o’ the L. I’m just saying.

Apr.23 at 2:18 am

Hursty says:
so, how can that account for LeBron being +- 34? they were down 8 then won by 30.

Apr.23 at 2:23 am

唐 says:
it’s funny to watche San Antonio VS Phoenix

Apr.23 at 2:25 am

RV says:
coco, an even more important question is shelden williams over foye, roy and gay

Apr.23 at 2:27 am

Hursty says:
what about Boozer slipping into the 2nd round? hes arguably more important than guys like Yao, Amare, who were in his class.

Apr.23 at 2:27 am

RV says:
where did u get 34 from?

Apr.23 at 2:32 am

Hursty says:
yahoo game 1… i think? it was here on langs thing for a couple days ago…

Apr.23 at 2:33 am

Hursty says:
sh!t, thats wrong. they (cavs) down 8, won by 30 in game 2. my bad. it was 34 in game 1.

Apr.23 at 2:37 am

RV says:
i can’t find where lang wrote it, but i didn’t explain it correctly earlier, its based on the point differential while he’s playing, compared to the point differential when he’s on the bench. So if lebron played 40 mins, u total up the point during those 40 mins, let’s say it was +20, then u total up the points while on the bench, if it was -5, then James +- is +15

Apr.23 at 2:40 am

Hursty says:
so it doesnt have anything to do with whether the individual scores or rebounds? no stat relevancy? its just based on how the score goes while their playing/not playing?

Apr.23 at 2:41 am

RV says:
Denver had the third best 5 man point differential, but that combo was only on the floor 3 mins, Karl needs to look into that.. Lebron is at +43 in two games, thats #1 in the playoffs, najera has the highest for the nuggest, probably because hes the only one scores and plays D too

Apr.23 at 2:41 am

Hursty says:
any idea what BA means? next to blocked shot? Blocks altered?

Apr.23 at 2:43 am

RV says:
yeah, just based on whether his team had a positive point differential or negative while he’s playing and while on the bench.

Apr.23 at 2:43 am

Hursty says:
so the suns as a team would generally be bad, same as nuggets= the celtics having good +- stats?

Apr.23 at 2:43 am

niQ says:
sam mitchell is an idiot to give bosh the last shot with kapono, calderon, and delfino on the court. at least drive in and try to draw a foul if you’re gona use bosh.

Apr.23 at 2:44 am

niQ says:
i mean. whats the point of role players if u dont use them

Apr.23 at 2:44 am

RV says:
i think its blocks against, who got their shot blocked

Apr.23 at 2:47 am

Hursty says:
i didnt see it but i know bosh can hit those shots and if there wasnt any D he might as well take it. If calderon, kapono, delfino were on he woulda passed it to them, if they checked him tight.

Apr.23 at 2:47 am

RV says:
as a team yeah, but they keep the stat for 5, 4, 3, and 2 man combinations, as well as single player, so the nuggest may not be so bad on like a melo/AI combo….if u got to nba.com, under stats, its called the Lenovo +- stat, u can search for all the combinations

Apr.23 at 2:49 am

Hursty says:
how can they have their own shot blocked??

Apr.23 at 2:51 am

RV says:
i dont get why the only player from Toronto with more than 3 fouls was Bargnani with 4, they should have used their fouls to hack Howard throughout the game, no one else on the magic shot a good % except for Nelson, give Dwight 15 freebies at least, probably saves u 7-8 pts overall and that’s big in a 1 pt game

Apr.23 at 2:52 am

Hursty says:
yeh i thought that was what it was called. thanks for that RV. with BA i dont see how dikembe can have say, 3 blocks, 2 ba? he got blocked twice? Yao seemed to have a few of them too.

Apr.23 at 2:53 am

RV says:
its who got blocked, if TD gets rejected by the suns twice in the game then his BA would be 2

Apr.23 at 2:54 am

RV says:
i’m not 100% sure that’s what BA stands for, but i think that’s right, dikembe did get his shot blocked about 2 times last game

Apr.23 at 2:55 am

Hursty says:
hmm. ok. these stats are helpful if you actually know what it means.

Apr.23 at 2:57 am

RV says:
you also might be thinking of the player efficiency ratings, those involve their own stats, but that’s from ESPN’s john hollinger

Apr.23 at 3:00 am

Hursty says:
do they have that on nba.com?, thats all the box score i read.

Apr.23 at 3:07 am

RV says:
those efficiency ratings are at espn.com, but nba.com has somthing similar, both are efficiency ratings, but i dont know if they both use the same formula

Apr.23 at 3:11 am

Hursty says:
hey Lang, slam got heaps of praise for its gracious help/tour given to ‘handle’ magazine (an Australian one for everyone else) during all-star weekend. Just thought you and the team should know that it made the magazine over here, even if its late.

Apr.23 at 3:14 am

Hursty says:
yeh, well i spose im only gonna really read the report on nba.com and the box score their and whatever Holly or the slam site puts up for good games/ all houston games. Other than that fox sports and my phone give me what i need-barely.

Apr.23 at 3:58 am

KA says:
LOL tony’s like, ok i got the ball on the wing, i got nash on my right, i’ll juke him to the left, he’ll flop OH SHEET IT’S SHAQ AAAAAAAAAAAA *splat*

Apr.23 at 6:27 am

Tariq says:
“I realized I better at least make a cursory effort to move around and stuff. So I got up and went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and came back and sat down on the couch.” Beer-fetching is excellent for circulation. Also try my patented “get up, stretch, adjust the boys, and sit back down” routine. It prevents groin injuries.

Apr.23 at 6:29 am

Tariq says:
“Is Phoenix dunzo?” Yes. Always have been. Still think it could go six, though. Jake’s Big Slowpoke Gonzalez analogy is remarkably accurate.

Apr.23 at 6:30 am

Tariq says:
“I don’t know what Patrick Ewing has been teaching Dwight Howard, but Dwight has apparently mastered the art of sweating profusely.” Awesome, Lang.

Apr.23 at 6:31 am

Tariq says:
“How far can the Hornets buzz along?” Conceivably, as long as the road that doesn’t intersect with the Spurs takes them.

Apr.23 at 6:32 am

Tariq says:
*as far…

Apr.23 at 7:07 am

TC says:
It would be fun to see Chris playing against Deron in the playoff. CP3 is great but JKidd is 42 years old so people expect him to do well. And like it or not, Kobe is the MVP this year.

Apr.23 at 7:29 am

KA says:
glad i’m not a betting man. based on progress at least, ive been wrong abt spurs, mavs, wizards, rockets and sixers.

Apr.23 at 8:10 am

FLUXLAND says:
Lang, what kind/brand of beer do you drink? And why does the NBA need to be saved? Brown pointed out Nash fits that mold..and what happened to LeBron and Kobe? Speaking of Nash..perhaps dude needs to stop playing Spielberg part time and dreaming of being Diego Armando, saving the whales, recycling shoes and starting a career as a music critic. Then, again he’s sold on the NBA being fixed and this is just a paycheck now. Damn the ring. You can see in his interviews the fire in the eyes for the chip is gone. Or maybe that’s just all me.

Apr.23 at 8:50 am

Sam Rubenstein says:
Chris Paul is so good, it doesn’t matter what kind of image he has. And in today’s age of information, it’s really too much to ask for a public figure to be squeaky clean, cause you know there’s something. I’d rather have him allowed to be whoever he is than worrying about being Mr. Perfect.

Apr.23 at 8:53 am

Ryan Jones says:
Lang’s a Tequiza man.

Apr.23 at 8:53 am

DP says:
yo, I actually did my own game notes. so freakin check it out later on my blog dudes. 4 real. Amare, where did you go in the second half? Ginobli, I F*CKIN HATE YOU! but you kind of tight though. Can I get yo jersey? ha play wit it.

Apr.23 at 8:56 am

Eboy says:
Curt Henning did things with chewing gum we mortals can only dream about.

Apr.23 at 8:58 am

DP says:
DGP, the Spurs cannot be stopped. Lord forgive me for admitting to that. play wit it.

Apr.23 at 9:03 am

Cheryl says:
Co Co, if the Hawks had Chris, we’d be having a whole ‘nother conversation about the Hawks/Celts matchup, don’t you think?? I’m a happy woman today. The Spurs pulled it out again, and the Hornets are ablazin’. These two series are heaven for a hoops fan.

Apr.23 at 9:05 am

Solito says:
Nobody is accountable on defense in Dallas and Phoneix. Players turn their back on their matchups when helping on the pick and roll but they are not stepping out to challange (Shaq and Damp) so nobody rotates behind the. Resulst: Spurs and Hornets get easy looks in good scorring positions. Milk Carton: BOX OUT!

Apr.23 at 9:20 am

Kevin says:
i’m nervous about Phoenix.. their only clutch player is Nash.. Barbosa, Diaw & Stoudemire ALL choked last night - doesn’t make me feel good.

Apr.23 at 9:21 am

Kevin says:
that and.. it looked like Tony Parker’s able to get uncontested layouts 8/10 times he drives.. which is absurd, in my head i wanted Shaq to take a hardass foul on him when Shaq wasn’t in foul trouble.. i REALLY wanted to see that, btw.

Apr.23 at 9:26 am

B. Long says:
CP3 is sick and def the best point guard in the game right now but just keep in mind that they r playing a team that barely made the playoffs and can’t stop the Flint Tropics from breaking 100.

Apr.23 at 9:33 am

Cheryl says:
Spurs vs. Hornets in Conference Finals? What an awesome series that will be, if it happens. I know, they first have to get through the Lakers and Jazz, so don’t jump on my comments. I’m just sayin’…

Apr.23 at 9:38 am

Lang Whitaker says:
Pass me a lime, Jones.

Apr.23 at 9:56 am

Bryan says:
Very disappointed in the Suns. BUt I can’t wait to see the Mavs get knocked out.

Apr.23 at 10:00 am

scott says:
San Antonio Vs. New Orleans can’t happen in the conference finals. They would meet in the semi finals. However, LA Lakers and San Antonio could meet in the conference finals and I think that could be a little interesting.

Apr.23 at 10:05 am

B. Long says:
Word is the Mavs asked Ason to get physical and tough with CP3 but he refused because he’s not a woman. OUCH!

Apr.23 at 10:08 am

whooo! says:
Cheryl, i dunno which playoffs you’ve been following, but the spurs-hornets would be a 2nd round matchup. #2 vs #3.

Apr.23 at 10:09 am

whooo! says:
if utah makes it to the wcf vs san an, that’ll suck, but if they make it against the hornets, it’ll be great. in the same sense, lakers-suns or lakers-spurs would be far more interesting than against the mavs or hornets.

Apr.23 at 10:11 am

whooo! says:
that’s why i don’t think ratings are all about a team, but also the matchup. lebron’s ratings in the finals sucked cuz they were destined to get destroyed. matchups and good basketball with nice underlying storylines are far better than overhyped games because of one player.

Apr.23 at 10:13 am

Joel O's says:
Good point on why CP might save the NBA: he’s so ridiculously down to earth. For all the fire he shows on the court and supreme self-confidence, he seems like a guy you could just hang out with and not be in awe of. A guy who doesn’t have “become a global icon” penciled in his to-do list, or comes up with his own (exotic) nicknames.

Apr.23 at 10:18 am

Joel O's says:
@Sam: Thing is, he doesn’t seem to be trying to be Mr. Perfect, he just doesn’t seem to be trying. It’s when people try too hard to show a specific image that it becomes fake, like young Kobe seemingly trying too hard to Be Like Mike (even though we all wanted to ourselves, he just did it better). Like trying to show the world that you’re a beer-slugging, gun-totin’, Iran-Obliterating, imaginary-sniper-dodger when you obviously are not.

Apr.23 at 10:21 am

Tariq says:
Wait, what if Denver pull off the upset (which will never happen anyway). Wouldn’t the Hornets play Denver? Oh…no, right. GS played Utah last season. Well that’s dumb; the highest remaining seed should play the lowest remaining seed.

Apr.23 at 10:28 am

Tariq says:
I hate it when media types talk too much about people’s personalities. I’m convinced that ALL these players’ true selves are inscrutable. At least to us. Whenever I hear this kind of talk it’s like we’re playing a game of “What Do We Want to Tell Oursleves to Believe?”

Apr.23 at 10:30 am

Cheryl says:
yeah, i misunderstood the seeding. i would like to see tp vs. cp though, so if it’s the semis, great.

Apr.23 at 10:30 am

Tariq says:
I mean: is Stephen Jackson a lunatic? A misunderstood sweetie? A complicated genius? What about Sheed? Nutjob? Family man? Grant Hill? Squeaky Clean Boy Next Door? Give me a break. Way to reduce human beings to convenient blurbs.

Apr.23 at 10:32 am

Tariq says:
Cheryl: Unfortunately (well, for me at least), I don’t think there’s ANY way New Orleans can beat the Spurs. I think they COULD beat anyone else in the West, but not them. The Lakers are the only team I see that MAY be able to beat the Robotrons.

Apr.23 at 10:35 am

H to the izzo says:
Tariq:I agree.

Apr.23 at 10:42 am

whooo! says:
tariq, i think you’re right too. without bynum though, it becomes much harder. in essence, it won’t be about what kobe or pau can do, it’ll depend on which lamar odom shows up to play. a scary thought for any laker fan.

Apr.23 at 10:43 am

TADOne says:
CP34MVP.

Apr.23 at 10:44 am

TADOne says:
And Tariq: I completely understand the playoffs are a whole different level in all, but Paul and the Hornets actually did very well against the Spurs during the season, so I wouldn’t completely sell them short of being able to beat the Spurs.

Apr.23 at 10:45 am

Joel O's says:
Well, Lamar has been showing up so far, but Duncan is way, way better than the likes of Camby and KMart.

Apr.23 at 10:48 am

Bryan says:
Tad: go Pistons haha…

Apr.23 at 10:52 am

Joel O's says:
And for what it’s worth, to whoever out there besides me who watched the Raptor game last night, I think Chris Bosh kinda choked on that last possession. He was open for the shot, he hesitated and took a dribble that didn’t get him anywhere, then took a jumper with Dwight in his face. Sigh.

Apr.23 at 11:01 am

Tariq says:
whooo: I think San Antonio get to the Finals. But I’m saying if ANYONE is going to beat them (besides Boston), it’s probably LA. Who else has a shot? Utah? They’re a trendy pick to win the West, but I don’t buy it.

Apr.23 at 11:03 am

TADOne says:
Ahhh Shia, 2 days late and a dollar short. The Pistons will right the ship tonight, no worries.

Apr.23 at 11:03 am

Tariq says:
TAD: I agree that we shouldn’t completely write off the Hornets against the Spurs, but let’s just say they’d be heavy, HEAVY underdogs. I’d LOVE for NO to win, incidentally, assuming they both advance.

Apr.23 at 11:10 am

TADOne says:
I think it is a good bet that they both advance, and i’m willing to bet the Hornets give the Spurs all that they can handle. They actually match up very well with the Spurs. Do you think the Suns find any signs of life back home and make this a series?

Apr.23 at 11:13 am

Tariq says:
Yeah, I think the Suns have a chance of actually tying it up, but I don’t think they can win more than two games, if that.

Apr.23 at 11:16 am

Tariq says:
Regarding the probable NO/Spurs series, I agree with you: the Hornets match up very well with the Spurs. But San Antonio just exude this air of invincibility, and I just don’t think that New Orleans can beat them. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Spurs will have their hands full, but if they come close to losing, I’m pretty sure Fabricio Oberto will hit a clutch three or something crazy like that.

Apr.23 at 11:17 am

TADOne says:
What about Dallas’s chances? The Hornets have lost something like 22 straight in Dallas, but most of those losses were not this current bunch. I think Dallas gets hyped and wins 1 back in Dallas, and the Hornets take them out in game 5 in front of the NO crowd.

Apr.23 at 11:17 am

Diesel says:
Hursty and RV…get a room

Apr.23 at 11:21 am

Tariq says:
Well, I desperately want the Hornets to beat the Mavs, but I still don’t feel safe. They’re in a good position, but they still have a lot to do. If I were a betting man, I’d put a chunk on Dallas winning the next game, and Game 4, in my opinion, will probably decide the series. If they go back to NO at 2-2, the Bugs could be in trouble.

Apr.23 at 11:34 am

Allenp says:
Did anyone else notice that when Steve Nash was guarding Tony Parker in the second or third quarter the only play the Spurs called was iso at the top for Parker? And they got a layup every time? I can understand if y’all missed it because none of the announcers mentioned this development when they top a break from slobbing Nash’s nob. Nash is OUTSTANDING on offense, he is super clutch, but on defense he might be the worst player at his position.

Apr.23 at 11:40 am

TADOne says:
This is not breaking news, Allen. Nash IS the worst defensively at his position, not MIGHT be. Thing is, Parker actually does that to a lot of PG’s, not just Nash. There is a reason he led the league in points-in-the-paint.

Apr.23 at 11:42 am

Joel O's says:
Smush Parker is the worst defensively at his position.

Apr.23 at 11:52 am

Allenp says:
TAD, my point was that NONE of the announcers mentioned this stretch of abuse. You think that if Kobe got isoed for 10 straight possessions and killed, nobody would mention it? How about if it happened to Lebron while he was guarding Caron Butler? Parker kept the Spurs in the game by himself during that stretch when the Suns had a legit shot to blow the game open.

Apr.23 at 11:59 am

Tommy Patron says:
Anyone know why the Raptors always isolate Bosh on the left free throw line extended? The he drives right and tries to finish with his left. I think it would be better to start him off on the right, that way he could go left (to his strong hand) or his preferred right toward the baseline, where it’s harder to help.

Apr.23 at 12:01 pm

RV says:
Diesel, 100 + posts and that’s the one thing you what you want to comment on? You’re better than that! Hopefully…..well… maybe not..

Apr.23 at 12:02 pm

RV says:
anyone else agree on hack-a-Howard?

Apr.23 at 12:09 pm

TADOne says:
Allen: Oh ok, I didn’t actually watch much of the Suns/Spurs game, so I didn’t realize that. Who was the broadcast team for that game anyway?

Apr.23 at 12:14 pm

TADOne says:
RV: Why not? That is about one of the very few weaknesses Howard has left in his game.

Apr.23 at 12:16 pm

Bryan says:
Tad:it’s cheap.

Apr.23 at 12:16 pm

Tariq says:
Allen: I noticed that and kinda looked at like this: Nash isn’t guarding Parker, Shaq is! Genius strategy: ALLOW him to drive by Nash like he was at Arby’s, and then have Shaq block him! Why didn’t I think of that?! But they seriously, they should NEVER leave Nash on Parker. That’s just dumb. Switch Nash onto Bowen and have Hill or Bell or ANYONE else guard him. Not sure why they don’t do that.

Apr.23 at 12:21 pm

Tariq says:
Also, and this is kinda off-topic, but a coupla nicknames I’ve been thinking about: Reggie Miller: Screech (for obvious reasons) Dwight Howard: In honor of his 20/20 games, I think we should come up with some kind of vision-related nickname for him. The best that I could come up with is “The Lenscrafter”.

Apr.23 at 12:22 pm

RV says:
i dont think its cheap for them to do it throughout the game, if it was hack-a-howard for the last 5 mins nonstop it would be, like i said earlier none of the raptors have over 3 fouls except Bargnani who had 4, and only two orlando players shot over 50%, nelson and howard. Take away some of howard’s easy shots and that’s the difference in a one point game

Apr.23 at 12:28 pm

RV says:
dwight “snellen chart” howard

Apr.23 at 12:30 pm

TADOne says:
Shia, it is cheap. But they were only doing it to get back into the game, right? Or were they doing it thruout the game? I didn’t watch, so I don’t know.

Apr.23 at 12:33 pm

RV says:
Tad, i didnt’ see it either, but i don’t think they weren’t doing it, i was asking because i thought that’s what they should have done, from the box score it doesnt seem like it, he oly shot 9 fts and the raptors didnt have a lot of fouls

Apr.23 at 12:34 pm

what says:
Tariq is a smart man with that 10:28 post.

Apr.23 at 12:35 pm

Holly MacKenzie says:
Chris Paul is fantastic and is fitting nicely into my #2 spot for favorite nba players. We are lucky to be watching his first playoff experience unfold.

Apr.23 at 12:36 pm

Holly MacKenzie says:
Joel O: Bosh def choked on that final possession. So frustrating. SOOO frustrating.

Apr.23 at 12:38 pm

TADOne says:
Co-sign Holly, ten-fold. Well, everything except the part of him being #2. He has taken over #1 quite nicely, with apologies to AI.

Apr.23 at 12:40 pm

TADOne says:
I’d have to disagree about Bosh choking. Sure, he missed the shot, but what exactly was Bosh doing getting the ball above the 3 pt line to win the game? I know he is their ‘go to’ player, but if they decided to draw up a 3 pt shot to win, why didn’t they go to Kapono or Bargnani?

Apr.23 at 12:43 pm

H to the izzo says:
TAD:Because,like it or not,Bosh is the star it’s his job to make these plays.If he wants to be taken seriously as a star he has to make those shots,Kobe does it,Duncan does it,Nash does it.And Tad,do you really want a basketball in Andrea Bargnani’s hands in crunch time?

Apr.23 at 12:47 pm

TADOne says:
izzo: I agree with you that Bosh needs to be their go to guy, but you couldn’t draw up a better play for him? Again, if it was decided they wanted to go for a 3 and the win, then Kapono would have been a better option. They only needed 2 to tie, and they had plenty of time to get Bosh into a better position to score.

Apr.23 at 12:52 pm

Bryan says:
Lang if you’re out there…what the hell happened to Shareef Abdur Rahim?…It sucks that I don’t get to see any of the games you people are talking about.

Apr.23 at 12:54 pm

H to the izzo says:
Duncan would have made that three.

Apr.23 at 12:56 pm

TADOne says:
Duncan also traveled, but point taken.

Apr.23 at 12:56 pm

Joel O's says:
Yeah, Holly. Whatever people say about his “softness” Chris Bosh really shines when he attacks the rim. He either gets fouled or dunks it pretty hard, and he’s a very good free throw shooter. That would’ve been the move to win the game, but Chris held the ball for what seemed like forever, thought about it, made a really pointless dribble (the type high school coaches go nuts about, well mine at least) which got him nowhere and gave Dwight ample time to jump at him. I wouldn’t've minded if he had just taken the jumper, cuz he can easily make it. But I think he was afraid of getting stuffed by Dwight, so he kinda hesitated.

Apr.23 at 12:58 pm

Joel O's says:
@Tad: Down a point with seconds to go, having your PF catch the ball at the top of the key is a really, really bad go-to play.

Apr.23 at 1:01 pm

H to the izzo says:
LeBron travels a lot too,ditto MJ.

Apr.23 at 1:03 pm

TADOne says:
Joel: So they were only down 1 pt at the time, not 2? If that is the case, then the play call is worse than I originally thought. Ugh.

Apr.23 at 1:04 pm

TADOne says:
izzo: No doubt.

Apr.23 at 1:06 pm

Co Co says:
I don’t know that Chris choked, but as I watched it unfold I thought to myself this cannot be the best shot they could get. He had a path to the rim, but he didn’t take it. He should’ve put the onus on the refs, but he chose not to for whatever reason. Wait, after writing that it does kinda sound like he choked. Never mind.

Apr.23 at 1:12 pm

TADOne says:
Co Co: Yeah, I guess you can say he did choke, since he didn’t make the smart basketball play. But I alos noticed on that play that Calderon dribbled the damn ball around for about 5 seconds, before he figured what he was going to do with it. I’m not sure what kind of play Mitchell drew up in the huddle, but it sure seemed like he didn’t draw up something as much as he said “hey Chris, um, get open, and, um, do what you do. Ok, everyone got that? 1,2,3, Raptors!”

Apr.23 at 1:14 pm

Joel O's says:
@TADOne: Yeah, man. They were down 1, 104-103. If they had gotten it to Chris in the paint, the odds are he woulda gotten clobbered and got sent to the line.
@CoCo: I guess he did choke but Smitch put him in that position. What’s your big guy gotta do? He isn’t that small and mobile so he can’t instantly create a shot for himself like a DWade or Kobe or AI, so he either settles for the jumper or drives - which might’ve taken too long.

Apr.23 at 1:14 pm

G Diesel says:
Although I’m a Lakers and Kobe fan, I officially have a man crush on CP3. The guy is already a Hall of Famer.

Apr.23 at 1:15 pm

bro D. says:
CP3 hit Julius Hodge in the balls. All I’m saying.

Apr.23 at 1:18 pm

Co Co says:
We’ll never know if the play was a long jump shot because Sam isn’t going to say so. I just know I thought they could have gotten a better shot than that

Apr.23 at 1:20 pm

H to the izzo says:
bro D:I’m assuming you know the full story,in which case I’m going to call you an idiot.Apologies if you don’t know it.

Apr.23 at 1:22 pm

Bryan says:
What is the full story?

Apr.23 at 1:23 pm

TADOne says:
Co Co: Damn right they could have gotten a better shot. I remember a Links Lang did awhile back and he had game notes from a Raptors game, and he mentioned that Sam Mitchell seemed to call the same ‘iso’ play everytime down the court. This was like 2 years ago, maybe. It doesn’t seem like Sam has improved his play-calling skills much since then.

Apr.23 at 1:24 pm

TADOne says:
Hodge stole Paul’s prom date in highschool?

Apr.23 at 1:26 pm

FLUXLAND says:
Yeah.. I’m sure that’s the play Sam called! Give me a break! What’s Jose doing passing him the ball on top of the key?

Apr.23 at 1:29 pm

H to the izzo says:
The NC State fans were holding signs and shouting chants about Paul’s deceased grandfather(who was murdered) all night.Hodge (alledgadly) said something about Paul’s grandfather.

Apr.23 at 1:34 pm

Bryan says:
If that’s the case he’s lucky all he got was a punch in the nuts.

Apr.23 at 1:40 pm

G Diesel says:
FLUXLAND, if you watch the Raptors game on a regular basis, you would definitely know that Sam Mitchell calls those stupid plays all the time. I broke my remote control last night.

Apr.23 at 1:53 pm

what says:
I hesitate to call it a choke unless a guy misses a shot he normally makes. Fadeaways just inside the 3 point line are not the strongest part of CB4’s game. If this was one of their Eurosofties missing an open 3, then it’s a choke.

Apr.23 at 1:58 pm

what says:
Never heard that story before, but if it’s true that’s the most justified ball-punch in history.

Apr.23 at 2:00 pm

what says:
Although, this link (click my name) says he punched him in the balls and THEN they started making fun of his grandfather afterwards… still doesn’t excuse the heckling but doesn’t excuse the ball punch either

Apr.23 at 2:05 pm

H to the izzo says:
What:The article you chose was a piece trying to appease the fans who felt they were being blamed,I wouldn’t give that too much merit.The NC State fans were punks,as was Hodge.

Apr.23 at 2:06 pm

H to the izzo says:
Michael Jordan once punched a teammate in practice.That is all.

Apr.23 at 2:10 pm

Diesel says:
@RV - the reason there are 100+ posts is because you and hursty need 50 to decide what BA stands for. And no I would not try hack a Howard because Toronto isn’t deep enough down low to have any of their guys in foul trouble.

Apr.23 at 2:49 pm

Nick says:
I hate that i can’t hate cp3

Apr.23 at 3:01 pm

Nick says:
i hate that i cant hate cp3

Apr.23 at 5:47 pm

ciolkstar says:
The fact that DP is 13 makes all the “play wit it”s more disturbing, but forgives some of the idiocy.

Apr.23 at 8:21 pm

RV says:
@diesel, i tried using the metric system, but i still wasn’t able to get 50 posts from 5 or 6 posts…and like i mentioned, none of Toronto’s players had more than 3 fouls except Bargnanu, they had plenty left and could have at least started miway thru the 4th, and there’s no rules against guards or forwards fouling centers so down low depth isn’t that much of a problem when fouling purposely.

Apr.23 at 8:25 pm

RV says:
bargnani*

Apr.23 at 9:43 pm

RV says:
Star jones filed for divorce, i guess the rumores are possibly true

Apr.24 at 12:55 am

Hursty says:
heck NO! RV thats pretty much blasphemy(SP?)!

Apr.24 at 12:58 am

Hursty says:
nice moves by Kobe.. finger roll and 1!

Apr.24 at 1:20 am

Hursty says:
Kobe is absolutely b!tching on the Nugs… wtf can JR be saying to him. 49 points, 10 assists, 4 boards.