Inside The Nba Brough To You By Colonah Not Hyundai

[Joe's Dad]

Mmmmmm...HELLO!


There's something called the 'Western Conference Finals' going on also. Can we have some insight from...'Inside The Nba Brought To You by Colonah Not Hyundai'?



Keep up the good reporting there, JoeG!!!

[Joe G]

Hi JD look^^^^ one post...

[Furiously-Fancy]

So hoopsters, the matchups are set for round two...
Kudos to the Suns for coming back from 3-1 against the Lakers...
it's time for Dyan Cannon, Jack Nicholson, Snoop Dog, and the rest of the Lakerites to face reality..their team sucks! Kobe is a great player, but where was he in the second half? 3 shots?? bizarre...
Anyway, on to round two...:
Eastern Conference:

Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Team MOTOWN against LeBron and the mistake on the lake crew! Other than the chance to see the next great one, WE WILL ALL BE WITNESSES! but to an old fashioned *** kicking...Detroit has too much more at every position....and nobody on the Cavs can deal w/ the many matchups that Detroit offers. LeBron will be fun to watch...but Detroit will win in 5..or 6 if they get overconfident...

New Jersey and Miami Heat: Bulls gave Miami fits w/ outside shooting, and constant motion and hustle. But the NETS aren't as young, or as good a 3 point shooting team. Vince Carter has scored a LOT so far, but has a history of coming up short at crunch time. Nobody on NJ canhandle Shaq, or D Wade, and J Kidd can only shoot against Detroit....so look for the Heat to prevail in 6....

Western Conference:

San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks: These aren't the 'doughnut' Mavericks (soft, and hole in the middle) of yesteryear, and Avery has them playing Defense...so this matchup is the primo
One so far this year...and the true Western Conference finals. This will be a clsoe fought series, but the Spurs will win in 6 or 7, banking on their playoff experience..and as usual Duncan and Ginobili/Parker

Phoenix Suns Vs. LA Clippers: The key to this one is who will control the tempo.....If allowed to run at will...nobody can beat the Suns, but the Clippers will probably do as the Lakers did, and play physical, and 1/2 court style featuring and inside game. And they have a LOT more talent than the Lakers, so they canmake that work....I see the Clippers winning in 6 or 7

You've called it well my friend......until now. I said it in the beginning and I will keep saying it......the SUNS & PISTONS for the World Championships. True the Suns are often outmanned......but as you well know it's all about DESIRE. The Suns are extremely determined therefore they win!! ; )

[Joe G]

Oooooppppsss!!! Cleveland Wins By 2 Over Detroit......
Hmmm The First Place Team In The Whole Nba And The Cavs? What Gives?? The Pistons Are Making Them Look Like The Best Team In The Nba In The Last 30 Years!!!
We Won't Talk About Fouling Out 1/2 The Detroit Starters, And Then Allowing Martial Arts Defense Against The Detroit Guards...the Great Teams Overcome The Officials When Necessary....
And Tho We Love Ben Wallace...we Were Always Secretly Worried About Him Shooting Foul Shots At Crunch Time! O For 2..with The Frikkin Game On The Line....won't Get You To The Hallof Fame....and This At Contract Negotiation Time??? Good Plan...
And Memo To Flip Saunders..you Are Making Larry Brown Look Like The Legendary Red Auerbach...those Little 'adjustments' The Great Teams Make Between Games Are Key This Time Of Year...and Standing Around And Watching Isn't An Offensive Set...where Did The Pick And Roll Go? And What Happened To Mr. Big Shot? C'mon We've Got A Better Player At Every Position Except For Lebron...and We Are Way!!!!! Too Worried About Him...he Should Be Being Forced To Adjust To Us....!!!
But The True Great Teams Overcome Adversity..and Detroit Will Not Quietly Surrender....and Will Be Back And Will Still Win This Series....
Memo To Zebras...why Are Flops Being Called Fouls..and Muggings Are 'part Of The Game'?? A Little Consistency Please....for Both Teams Sake....
Spurs Win 98-97......and Get To 2-3 With Mavs:
As We Said, The Great Teams Don't Fold Under Pressure...and Do Close Out The Opponent.....the Spurs Will Not Lay Down Either...and Will Win In 7....
Unless Nowitzke Is Allowed To Keep Shooting Free Throws Every Time Somebody Looks In His Direction.....a 7 Foot Fade Away Shooter Should Never Be Shooting That Many Fouls Shots...while Little Tony Parker Leads The Nba In Scoring In The Paint, But Will Need Comprehensive Medical Coverage Before This Series Is Over....ummmm How Many Free Throws Has He Gotten??

[Joe G]

Inside The Nba Round Two Eastern Semis

Detroit Pistons win 84-82!! even at 3-3 in games....

So hoopsters, Rasheed comes back! and 4-8 from the 3pt line....and this AFTER lookin like an *** w/ his predictions...and ankle injury.....even tho Detroit won, it is getting to be more than the average fan should have to watch to see the officiating so lopsided.....did NIKE (who owns the marketing rights to LeBron) buy out the league offices, and dictate that he would be annointed??
The guy is the next big thing in NBA history, and before he's done, people will forget the Doctor/Magic/Bird/and maybe even Michael, this guys the whole package..6'8" strong, quick, and basketball savvy WAY beyond his years....memo to the Eastern conference, it's gonna a long several years if he gets any talented teammates!! SO>>>>he doesn't need to get EVERY call EVERY time, hell he was so called fouled 5 seconds after the ball was gone!! and he uses his strength to shed defenders, but that's NEVER called...it's almost become a joke to see...he either gets an uncontested lay-up or dunk..or a foul is called..then poor Rip Hamilton is assaulted at crunch time...and the zebras look the other way....and he 'turned the ball over' according to the announcers!!
memo to David Stern.....if the game is to have any integrity..there has to be at least SOME balance in the whistles...I know the NBA is dying to market LeBron...but he doesn't need help from the zebras!!!!
Now, back to the game....nobody took more than 9 freee throws except LeBron with his 18!!!! and did you see the pressure shots by Chauncey..with a defender choking him?? and Rasheed sandwiched by three guys?? where was the 'and one' on those plays???
But, as I humbly predicted, the PISTONS NEVER!!! give up...or panic....and did get this critical win to bring the series back to the MOTOR city.....where they will prevail...unless 5 officials work this one, and all of them have #23 and 'we are all witnesses" T shirts!
Kudos to ancient Lindsey Hunter, who is all of 6' covering Lebron at 6' 8" and doing a respectable job.....and to 'Sheed' for not hiding under the pressure..and to Tayshaun Prince for steady play throughout.....
Lastly......can't say enough about LeBron...who's out there with castoffs from the CBA..but is so great...that they are still competitive....if he gets some talented teammates, the road to the title will definitely go thru (UGH) Cleveland!!!!!!!

[Joe G]

Inside The Nba Western Conference Semis

Spurs win....even series at 3-3...
Hmm as I said, the Spurs will NOT give up...and will win this series...now it's even and back to San Antonio.....one word describes what happened: GINOBILI!!! Manu is back and played very well...keeping SA in while Duncan was on the bench w/ foul trouble.....and Parker playing poorly....

[**jdazmum**]

yeah, Spurs! This is a fun playoff, I would love to see Spurs duke it out with the Suns. They got a 3 day rest, hope it helps. 50 thinks that it's a conspiracy, it's all coordinated so that it can go to Game 7 so the NBA can make more money off ticket sales. Front row seats go for $8,000! Fork the money over!

[Joe G]

Yeah JDazmum....50 may be on to something....I used to go to PISTONS games...when it didn't cost a mortgage and firstborn to get in ....and enjoy a 5 dollar 12 oz beer, 10$ parking (a mile away) and 3 dollar soggy hotdogs. And there was a time when the fans there actually knew the game. Once, I was sitting amongst all these rich folks w/ women in diamonds/furs/etc...and one of them actually asked me: "which one is Michael Jordan'? !!!!!! of all the players in NBA history, he'd be one you'd expect people to know....and most of the chatter was about gossip/money/stocks/bonds..etc...and nothing about hoops....I never go anymore...it just isn't worth it and the crowds are too wierd...
Yeah Pistons and Suns would be good...but first we gotta get past Cleveland, and then Miami too....but I have confidence in the PISTONS..they have heart..and character ....as do the Suns too..and the Spurs.....
The NBA does generate a TON of money..so the average guy type fan is squeezed out...and 50 could be about right

[Ndnsoldierboy]

I think before Lebron gets any kudos, he needs to get a ring for a championship on his hands...he is a good player though. I haven't been keeping up with the B-ball recently but seen its a crazy playoff season afterall. Good luck Pistons...going to need it.

[Joe G]

Hmmmm what's that sound??? a passing locomotive? an errant jet plane off course?
a UFO? nahhh it's the PISTONS defense sucking the life outta the Cavs...and eliminating them.....61 pts in a WHOLE game???? 23 in the second half? well, as predicted, the great teams are REAL hard to eliminate, eh LeBron?? Lets' RECAP:

Detroit 79, Cleveland 61
Pistons Stymie James in Second Half to Advance
Cavaliers Home
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 21 (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons taught LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers a lesson about what it takes to win a Game Seven. {DEFENSE BABY!!!! and TOTAL team play .....}}

Flashing their trademark defense to slow down James in the second half while shutting down the rest of his teammates the entire way, the Pistons grinded out a 79-61 victory over the Cavaliers in the decisive seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals. {18 pts...hmmmm but thanks Cleveland for reminding Detroit HOW they got here...}}}

NBA highlights from
Cavaliers-Pistons: Play
Tayshaun Prince scored 20 points and Richard Hamilton 15 for the top-seeded Pistons, who won the final two games of the series to advance to the conference finals for the fourth straight season. {Count 'em 4TH straight!...}}}

Playing their fourth Game 7 in the last three seasons, the Pistons used a tenacious defensive effort in the second half to finally shake the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who were not even expected to be in a decisive game against the NBA's best team during the regular season. {Yeah it wasn't easy....and LeBron was REALLY a tough cover...but his teammates were exposed as the no talent dorks they actually are..I think i could score 10 pts if the entire other team was covering LeBron}}

In the second half, the Pistons held the Cavaliers to just 23 points, tying the lowest mark in a second half in playoff history. Utah scored 23 points against Chicago in Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals. (23pts!! dayuummmm total suffication}}

The 61 points was the third-lowest mark in playoff history. {Michael once scored 61 against a good Celtics team in the playoffs...by HIMSELF!!}}

Cleveland shot just 19 percent (5-of-26) after the break, when Detroit showed its championship mettle. {and LeBron didn't get a foul called on Detroit every time he had the ball..or a Piston looked in his direction...hey he actually was called for charging...hmm could it be David Stern and the Zebras read this thread??}}

The inexperienced Cavs were carried to the decisive game by the 21-year-old James, who had been brilliant throughout his first postseason. {No argument there...this was one of the best examples ever of 1 guy carrying a bunch of stiffs...even Michael had Scotty Pippen, and all those outside shooters (Kerr/Paxson..etc) when he was winning titles...LeBron looked about about like George A. Custer towards the end of that battle...absolutely no help from any teammates}}

James got off to a strong start in the biggest game of his young career, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the first half that ended with the Pistons holding a 40-38 lead. {and everybody who owns stock in Nike celebrating}}}

However, the Pistons' constant double-teams finally began to take their toll on James, who missed his first seven shots and went just 1-of-9 from the floor in the second half. {Actually, this was kind of a return to the 'Jordan Rules' where the entire roster is assigned to stop him...regardless of what any other player does...this is what should have been done all along...then it woulda been a sweep..instead of 7 games}}

James made 11-of-24 shots overall and never really got any help from the rest of his teammates who went a combined 9-of-41 from the floor. {9 of 41??? damn, they should all retire/resign...and take up something else.....}}
So, the PISTONS go on to play the Miami Heat..where SHAQ and D Wade await...and get nervous....these PISTONS can NEVER be counted out.....
memo to David Stern/NIke....
How come there aren't any cutesy slogans and jersey promotions about Detroit?? they have a funny habit of showing up in the NBA finals...so some of them must be pretty good players....duhhhh

[Ndnsoldierboy]

Pistons and Heat...it will go 6....Motown all the way.

[Furiously-Fancy]

Pistons and Heat...it will go 6....Motown all the way.

Ditto Dat!!


Go PISTONS


& SUNS!!

[Joe G]

Hey Lebron Bring Along The Minnows!!

Yo, Kenny....Any room left for LeBron, Varejao, and crew??
and don't forget the Heat have reservations for a trip after this series... and start cutting back on the weight in that boat...SHAQ will be coming along too.....

[Joe G]

Opppps so much for the Spurs !!!

Spurs win....even series at 3-3...
Hmm as I said, the Spurs will NOT give up...and will win this series...now it's even and back to San Antonio.....one word describes what happened: GINOBILI!!! Manu is back and played very well...keeping SA in while Duncan was on the bench w/ foul trouble.....and Parker playing poorly....

Hmm SPURS are gone and Mavs move on...but they were ahead by 20...and SA actually took the lead late in the game...but the MAVS won in overtime...but this game shows again, the good teams are HARD to close out.....
But one wrong for my predictions...but it was CLOSE ....tho...and now I can be punished by seeing more of that Sicko Mark Cuban...he of the zillion $$ and probably having Bill Walton announce all the remaining games....and watching Nowitzke escape the choker's role...
Memo to 'big shot' Bobby Horry it looks like time to call it a career...your shooting was so bad this series..that you spent the majority of crunch time watching....
And Tim Duncan..who played VERY well this series, came up short at crunch time...w/ several missed close in shots...but this was SOME series....and lots of good drama...

[Furiously-Fancy]

Hmm SPURS are gone and Mavs move on...but they were ahead by 20...and SA actually took the lead late in the game...but the MAVS won in overtime...but this game shows again, the good teams are HARD to close out.....
But one wrong for my predictions...but it was CLOSE ....tho......

Only if close counted......if close counted I think life would be different for all of us...HA! HA! HA!!!!!!