NBA Thread

[Hankka]

Dunk Contest looks to be better than last year. Gerald Green and Terrence Ross should put on a good show.

[Lightning Raider]

Dunk Contest looks to be better than last year. Gerald Green and Terrence Ross should put on a good show.

Yeah, I'm liking Ross in the contest, heck him, Gay and DeRozan alone would be fun to watch. I'm rooting for Eric Bledsoe to win but I feel that Kennith Faried "The Manimal" might pull of the win.

[KrayzieBuddha]

Yeah, I'm liking Ross in the contest, heck him, Gay and DeRozan alone would be fun to watch. I'm rooting for Eric Bledsoe to win but I feel that Kennith Faried "The Manimal" might pull of the win.

Hopefully the Slam Dunk Contest isn't a gimmick.

[ebevan91]

Hopefully the Slam Dunk Contest isn't a gimmick.

I stopped watching when Blake Griffin won for dunking over a car. So overrated and gimmicky. No props should be allowed. Not even teammates as props.

[Lightning Raider]

I stopped watching when Blake Griffin won for dunking over a car. So overrated and gimmicky. No props should be allowed. Not even teammates as props.

The dunk contests get harder each year, everything has been done already. Probably a 720 would clinch it or something amazing I haven't thought off yet which looks sick and hard to do.

[KrayzieBuddha]

Down goes Lakers against the Champs. Goes to show you they're not working as a team or can't really play decent basketball. D Anotoni's system isn't working for this team. Gotta blame Jim Buss for that lol. For the Clippers, I just saw parts of the 4th quarter, I'm pretty impress the progress there making. Take notes Lakers, you're not going to the playoffs.

[golduck#1]

Down goes Lakers against the Champs. Goes to show you they're not working as a team or can't really play decent basketball. D Anotoni's system isn't working for this team. Gotta blame Jim Buss for that lol. For the Clippers, I just saw parts of the 4th quarter, I'm pretty impress the progress there making. Take notes Lakers, you're not going to the playoffs.

It sounds like you expected the lakers to beat the heat away from home where Miami are 22-3. Doesn't really show much because Heat are on there game at home and even the Thunder would have trouble beating the Heat so it's not just because the Lakers aren't living up to there expectations for the reason this happened. If you take out the fourth quarter we played really well, controlled the ball, making Miami take tougher shots and playing defense (just not of Lebron). Also Dwight is about 70% heatlthy, Kobe is Kobe and playing with injuries all the time. Steve Nash was out for 30 games, Pau gasol out for 6 weeks plus already missed 9 games, steve blake has been out since decemeber, Jordan Hill is injured. It just hasn't been a good year for the Lakers but I would still expect them to make the playoffs especially since I can see Portland dropping off and Houston getting tired as well ( Harden and Lin playing 36 minutes on a fast tempo team in there first full season). Don't count the Lakers out becuase they lost to the defending champs at home.

[ysmr97]

My heart broke today during the Knick-Clip game.... At least Melo kicked a** XD

[Barbarooza]

Triple overtime is the greatest invention of all time. Only thing that could've topped that game was a buzzer beater to win it. What I love about American leagues is the concept that there is always a winner and a loser. No drawn games. In NZ (where I live), a game like rugby can end in a draw which kind of leaves an empty feeling. Like the whole thing was pointless

[KrayzieBuddha]

It sounds like you expected the lakers to beat the heat away from home where Miami are 22-3. Doesn't really show much because Heat are on there game at home and even the Thunder would have trouble beating the Heat so it's not just because the Lakers aren't living up to there expectations for the reason this happened. If you take out the fourth quarter we played really well, controlled the ball, making Miami take tougher shots and playing defense (just not of Lebron). Also Dwight is about 70% heatlthy, Kobe is Kobe and playing with injuries all the time. Steve Nash was out for 30 games, Pau gasol out for 6 weeks plus already missed 9 games, steve blake has been out since decemeber, Jordan Hill is injured. It just hasn't been a good year for the Lakers but I would still expect them to make the playoffs especially since I can see Portland dropping off and Houston getting tired as well ( Harden and Lin playing 36 minutes on a fast tempo team in there first full season). Don't count the Lakers out becuase they lost to the defending champs at home.

The way the Lakers playing, I'm counting them out even if they're all healthy.

[golduck#1]

Triple overtime is the greatest invention of all time. Only thing that could've topped that game was a buzzer beater to win it. What I love about American leagues is the concept that there is always a winner and a loser. No drawn games. In NZ (where I live), a game like rugby can end in a draw which kind of leaves an empty feeling. Like the whole thing was pointless

Try having your countries grand final being a draw and then replaying it the next week aka St Kilda vs Collingwood 2010 grand final (great game but would to of loved to seen a winner considering a number of things happened that day)

The way the Lakers playing, I'm counting them out even if they're all healthy.

Fair opinion but they have been playing well lately, especially since their win over OKC a few weeks back. If you get Dwight to 100% I can see them being a team OKC and Clippers won't want to meet in the playoffs. Can you honestly see Portland who is lead by a rookie point guard or Houston who give up more points than anyone in the league? The thing that gives the Lakers a slight edge is that they have the second easiest schedule for remainder of the season and can only improve. It's not like the Lakers get worse, where can they possibly get worse. If they learn to hold onto the ball 3 or 4 times more than what they are now it not only gives up more scoring oppotunities but it also cancels out more transition points and just points in general. Like I said before you get Dwight 100% and happy you have the Orlando Magic of 2009 with Kobe, Nash, Pau and a better bench (although not hard or by much). I'm not saying they are gonna win the championship because frankly Thunder have that reserved but what I am saying is that you better prepare for Lakers to make a series against a top seeded team if nothing gets as bad as it is now.

[Nyberg.Brandon]

Dunk Contest looks to be better than last year. Gerald Green and Terrence Ross should put on a good show.

I love Gerald Greens dunks from his first contest. The no shoes walking up a staircase, and blowing out the candle. Im also enjoying how the raptors keep getting a someone in every two years. Jamario moon, Demar Derosen and now Ross. Maybe he will actually win it.

[Vern]

People care about the All-star break?

[John Wallrein]

Clippers drop 46 in the first quarter against the Rockets... and end up with 106. C'mon man, I was hoping to at least have them break 150 haha

[PsychicPsycho]

With this talk about the dunk contest, I figured I'd ask- does anyone else think dunks are overrated? Watching ESPN, I see a lot of times were the 'top play' is a dunk, but I've always found 3-pointers and blocks more impressive.

The dunk contests get harder each year, everything has been done already. Probably a 720 would clinch it or something amazing I haven't thought off yet which looks sick and hard to do.

I'm always hoping for a front flip.

What I love about American leagues is the concept that there is always a winner and a loser. No drawn games. In NZ (where I live), a game like rugby can end in a draw which kind of leaves an empty feeling. Like the whole thing was pointless

Love that too. That's part of the reason I never really got into hockey or soccer.

[Vern]

With this talk about the dunk contest, I figured I'd ask- does anyone else think dunks are overrated? Watching ESPN, I see a lot of times were the 'top play' is a dunk, but I've always found 3-pointers and blocks more impressive.

Dunks are an "in the moment" kind of thing to be honest. Replays of most dunks are pretty boring.

[Cancer0081]

I found it funny that while Team Chuck soundly beat Team Shaq in the Rising Stars Challenge the last minute or so ended in their own kind of dunk contest.

[Hankka]

Happy 50th birthday to the one and only Air Jordan! Here's some top plays:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=LAr6oAKieHk

[Black Dragon]

shame that i never got to watch shaq or mj in their prime. it's not the same just watching highlights

[Totodile is BEAST]

From here on out here's who I have making the playoffs.

Western Conference
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. OKC Thunder
3. Denver
4. LA Clippers
5. Golden State
6. LA Lakers (poised for a run)
7. Jazz
8. Memphis (No real star on the team. Randolph and Gasol solid, but not superstars.)

Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat
2. Chicago (D-Rose returns strong)
3. Pacers
4. Knickerbockers
5. Atlanta
6. Brooklyn
7. Celtics
8. Toronto

Playoffs Divisionals
Spurs advance, Thunder advance, Lakers advance, Clippers advance
Heat advance, Bulls advance, Pacers advance, Knicks advance
Playoffs Conference Semi Finals
LAL(bias) beats Spurs in 6
Thunder beat LAC in 5
Knicks beat Heat in 7 (I'm an upset guy, eh?)
Bulls beat Pacers in 6
Playoffs Conference Finals
lakers beat thunder (whoo-oo) in 7
Knicks beat bulls in 5

NBA FINALS ON TNT
lakers win in 5