NBA - 2002/03

[Morgbug]

Y'know, if you reopen bidding on Patty, I bet I'd win.  Thinking of moving to Utah anyway....

That poster is just hanging there waiting for a bet....

[JediMAC]

Ah yes, all is right again in the world!  At least today anyways.  Nice to have a small forward back with the squad for a day!  Hopefully the Lakers will come out with the same intensity in Game 4 and send the series back to San Antonio all locked up.

So what do I have to put up for the poster Brent - besides Patty...?  I've got some really cool little Canadian cube head thing-a-ma-bobbers if you're interested.  6 in all!  
- TBM

[Morgbug]

Something worth about $20 US?

Got any spare AT-ST's?

[dustrho]

GAMBLING IS NOT ALLOWED IN THIS FORUM.  PLEASE TAKE IT OFFLINE.  --THE MANAGEMENT        

Anywho, congrats on the Lakers beating the Spurs last night.  It's the only win they're going to get in this series.  The Spurs are just hustling the Lakers right now.  And once the Lakers lose I wouldn't doubt that Phil Jackson gets fired.  Every great coach that creates an awesome team only gets his props if his team wins.  When the Lakers lose, so will Jackson.  I sure wish Jackson was still coaching the Bulls.

[JediMAC]

GAMBLING IS NOT ALLOWED IN THIS FORUM.  PLEASE TAKE IT OFFLINE.  --THE MANAGEMENT        

Gambling...?  Who's gambling?  Brent's just going to send me his cool poster that I've long sought, is all!    

And nice try B, but the AT-STs were $30...    Like I said, I've got some cool little Canacklehead cube noggin dealies...  

[Morgbug]

I'll take that as a no.

Dale, I'm in need of a chicken icon.  Can you assist please?

[Scott]

I can't see anyone beating the Lakers anymore sadly.  With C-Webb out the Kings have no shot, the Spurs look scared and are the only team who can do it, not sure what happened yesterday.  Very remeniscient of Game 4 when the Wolves blew the big lead in LA.  

[dustrho]

I'm not too worried as of yet, but the Lakers are definitely not dominating anymore.  I'm still rooting for the Spurs, and I think they have a great chance at still beating the Lakers.

[Morgbug]

I'm not sure I would call yesterday's game dominating.  I'm marginally inclined to call it influence peddling by the NBA though.  

Matt's comments regarding the first game's officiating could be more than easily duplicated and reversed here.  Just how many fouls is Shaq allowed without being called on?  Pushing off to get a board used to be a foul, but apparently no more.  But I guess the NBA is about entertainment now more so than about the sport.  How else do you explain allowing Nicholson onto the floor to berate the ref (after a Shaq foul no less) and then let him stay in the Arena?  Sorry, but if that had been in a hockey game his a$$ would have been out.  

See Matt, I told you the refs would reverse it

I'm going to try real hard here to bite my tongue and not point out the 35-12 free throw disparity between the two teams (you can figure out who it favors, I'm sure  ).  Duncan shot more free throws than the entire Laker team.  Say what?!  Shaq only got fouled 3 times the whole game?  Yeah, right.  Kobe got fouled ONE TIME, in 39 freaking shot attempts?!?  Are you kidding me?  If this was a blowout, the disgustingly lopsided (and totally bogus) foul calls (or lack thereof) wouldn't be such a big factor.  Just total BS if you ask me.  Looked like the 4th quarter of that Sacto game last year where the Lakers got every call.  Whatever...

This is what Matt said, to which I replied:

Do you think the NBA really actually calls all the fouls?  Ever?  In any game?  Remember, I'm old enough to recall when basketball was a non-contact sport.  It looks more and more like a rugby scrum all the time.  

By the same token, 3 in the key; travel ball?  This is why I prefer college, they actually play by the rules of a game called basketball, rather than an entertainment program known as the NBA.  

Don't worry though, the calls will be reversed when the series shifts out west.

I rest my case.  Even if this was the Celtics, I'd be appalled.  It's just a wee tad to blatant, IMNSHO.  

[FX-7]

I thought the refs were horrible yesterday, they didn't call anything on ShaqFu...it was refreshing to see him hit so many free throws, he is painful to watch sometimes

[JediMAC]

I'm not sure I would call yesterday's game dominating.

If you were referring to Chris' statement above, Brent, he said he did NOT think they were dominating (which I'd agree with)...  

And yes, I already thought the exact same thing that you pointed out, especially in reference to both of our quotes.  Glad to see the refereeing is respectively lopsided no matter which court they're on (though it shouldn't be that way).  So, that means the Lakers are going to have to completely dominate Game 7 so it's not in the refs hands...

But, perhaps you haven't noticed, though I certainly have - Shaq has been called on an oodle of "over the back" fouls in this series, and some fairly questionable ones at that.  But it's pretty much all evened out (if not still lopsided) considering Shaq gets hacked like a MoFo down low almost every time he touches the ball, and only about a quarter of them actually get called.  Granted he probably only gets half of his offensive fouls called when he's backing guys down, and turns to the basket.  As the mammoth monster he is, I guess he's just a big pain in the butt to officiate on both ends of the floor...

Just glad we're all notted up again and are now in a best of three.  Game 7 should prove most interesting...

All that said, what the hell is up with your Celts?!?    Geez, have those guys fallen flat in this round.  They're more interested in beating up their fans than the Nets...  

[Scott]

It goes both ways though, on the Offensive end I saw tons of calls where Shaq could be called for charging or pushing off or just being way too physical, they allow that to happen so they will have to allow the physical play by defenders to happen too

He should have his own rules

[JediMAC]

It goes both ways though, on the Offensive end I saw tons of calls where Shaq could be called for charging or pushing off or just being way too physical, they allow that to happen so they will have to allow the physical play by defenders to happen too

I agree Scott, and that's precisely what I meant when I said this:

Granted he probably only gets half of his offensive fouls called when he's backing guys down, and turns to the basket.

[Scott]

And as much as I hate Kobe I actually really like a lot about Shaq, he is so big and strong and can have such finesse around the hoop, he is a lot of fun to watch when he wants to play

[Morgbug]

Yeah, I misinterpreted what Chris said.  Ooops, my bad.  

I just think the league in general sucks for how it has moved away from the rules.  Sometime between now and the last Laker dynasty it went from basketball to entertainment.  

I agree Shaq takes a pounding.  He shouldn't.  He also gives a pounding, both on D and when going for an offensive rebound.  But that's the whole point, the league let's it go (encourages it?) so this is where you end up.  Entertainment, not basketball and the subsequent crappy fights that so detract from the game.  Let them play and play by the rules.  Shaq will adapt, they all will.  I think the game would be faster, cleaner and certainly more enjoyable.  Remember the Lakers-Celtics of the 80's?  Of course you do.  More entertaining than it has been in the last 10 years and I'd be willing to bet ratings were higher too, relative to the number of TV's available.  

Shaq is a good player and it was a treat to see him hit free throws.  Funny how games are won like that, ain't it?  Pity he never did it prior to coming to the Lakers, else he would have had two  more rings.