The OtherArena

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

jdw — Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:04 am

Author: jdw

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:04 am

NBA Finals ratings second-best ever on ABC

Going only 5 games and having Game 5 be a blowout held it back a bit. Strong numbers.

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

Rian — Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:09 pm

Author: Rian

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 4:09 pm

Harden pretty much wrapped it up after game 1. No one else stepped up to take his role either.

No one is really going to remember who the Heat beat when it's all said and done. And good to see Fisher revert to his Laker ways with the "flagrant" foul on LeBron.

Time for someone else to step up and take the crown away from LeBron.

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

JAG — Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:39 pm

Author: JAG

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:39 pm

LeBron gets his face turn, but will America be a willing audience?

He was sublime in these playoffs and his Game 6 in Boston will be in the annals forever. He may be good enough to create a dynasty (even a mini one), but Wade has clearly dropped a level and I don't see it getting better.

Happy for Riles, like Yohe said. The Jordan years were tough on him and it's nice on some level to see him be back on top without a hair out of place.

As for OKC, Durant has to take the next step now and affect the game in other ways. It's cute he's not a diva, but how about rebounding and defending some? I have soft spot for Westbrook, but that bad breakup may still be coming. And Harden cost himself about 40% of his next contract and if I'm Presti, moving him and Perkins for a true third piece would be my play this summer.

Considering how shitty things looked in November and how giddy guys like Rian were about it, a truly superb season for the NBA.

Wonder what the audience was for the coronation? 20M?

Jagdip

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

Steve Yohe — Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:26 pm

Author: Steve Yohe

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:26 pm

Great final. You got two even teams....the two best teams...& the best players. Went head to head...and OKC didn't have it. Great to watch.

Now all James has to do is prove he's the greatest player of all time.

Happy for Riley & McAdoo.---Yohe

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

jdw — Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:05 pm

Author: jdw

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:05 pm

We can put away the Lebron Is A Choker stuff.

Thunder either grow from it or fracture and need some fixing. I think they're the more talented team that third got outplayed, third got out coached/adjusted (on the defensive end) and third our Lebroned. All three of those are surprising as hell given the past two seasons of the Heat in the post season. Talent is there... they just need to avoid the meltdown. Lots of great teams have hit walls like this and then bounced back and broken through it.

John

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

corrado — Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:23 pm

Author: corrado

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:23 pm

Thats a wrap. What a disappointing end by the Thunder. Heat really chopped them up tonight. Led by Lebron who shook everything off and won his 1st title. But it wasnt just Lebron who was key tonight. Mike Miller off the bench. Chalmers. Bosh. Battier. And believe it or not Wade didnt do that much compared to the aforementioned names.

The Thunder though will be back. This isnt going to end them. They are still incredibly young and this will hopefully teach them in the long run.

Now time will tell if the Heat will do as Lebron delievered and win 7 more titles. They wont but if the supporting players step up like they did this postseason, they'll be fine as well in the long run.

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

jdw — Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:53 am

Author: jdw

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 10:53 am

Hard to see the Thunder coming back given how they played: monster 1st quarter to answer all the knocks about having bad first quarters, only to completely fall apart quickly in the 2nd. Just... strange. Where were these Thunder when the Lakers and Spurs were playing them? How did these Heat go so long with the Celts (well... Bosh may mean more than some of us give him credit for).

John

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

corrado — Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:51 pm

Author: corrado

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:51 pm

Heat are one win away from the Title after a 104-98 win. Crazy game with Lebron missing most of the final minutes with "cramps". I dont think he'll miss the next game despite the "cramps."

Westbrook had a 43 point game and saved the game for the Thunder when they were down. Until he had a brainfart late and fouled Chalmers (who had a breakout game tonight) with the Thunder in the penality.

I really cant see OKC coming back from this.

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

corrado — Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:26 am

Author: corrado

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:26 am

All in the game yo.

The inevitable Whitlock NBA Finals Wire column.

I got a good laugh at "David the Greek Stern"

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

Rian — Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:37 pm

Author: Rian

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:37 pm

I missed the game, was coming from the Galaxy/Timbers game back to LAX and just saw literally the last two minutes in the bar at LAX. OKC needs to cut down the turnovers and play a little better defense. They have the physical talent to win this, but do they have the mental?

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

jdw — Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:04 pm

Author: jdw

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:04 pm

JAG wrote:

Nobody has come back from 3-1 in Finals and it wouldn't start this year.

Not in the Final, but it has happened:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-8378573

1968 was effectively the Final: the 76ers were likely to be the Lakers just as the Celtics did.

1981 was the Final as well: KC and the Rockets were in the Western Final, and the Eastern Champ was going to beat them. The same day the Celts held at home to cut it to 2-3, the Rockets closed out KC. Everyone knew the 76ers or Celts would beat that jobber.

Those would be the near-equivs, They were great series, and a four really good teams.

I don't think the Heat would roll over three straight. But since it's 2-3-2, if OKC takes Game 5 to go home needing 2 to win...

1988 Game 6: Detroit Pistons 102-103 Los Angeles Lakers
1988 Game 7: Detroit Pistons 105-108 Los Angeles Lakers

I could see the series going the same way.

Obviously it's not where OKC would want to be. But the Pistons were better than the Lakers that year, yet we came home and won the 2 when the Pistons only needed to take 1. I think OKC is better than the Heat, so their winning back-to-back games in OKC isn't close to impossible. They just need to win 1 in Miami.

John

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

JAG — Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:29 am

Author: JAG

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:29 am

Nobody has come back from 3-1 in Finals and it wouldn't start this year.

The pressure in elimination games is too great in June. OKC has to figure it all out by tipoff tomorrow, if not, it's a wrap.

I see very correctable things (turnovers, shot selection, foul trouble) and there's nothing big games from Westbrook and Durant wouldn't cure.

The biggest problem is they haven't put doubt in LeBron's mind and without that, he's easily the best and most complete player on the floor.

Jagdip

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

jdw — Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:36 am

Author: jdw

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:36 am

Didn't get a chance to watch much of the game, except the home stretch. Agree with Dustin: OKC was doing things late that they hadn't done in the prior series. It wasn't just the inbounds play, but several other times they threw the ball away. I know OKC had turnover issues in the regular season, but against the Lakers and Spurs they seemed to reel those on.

That was really a game where they should have turned the 10 point lead into 20 and crushed the soul of the Heat. Now they really need to win Game 4 to avoid Game 5 being a close out, and needing to beat the Heat three straight games. I know 6 & 7 will be back in OKC is they were to win Game 5 down 1-3. But winning three straight against the Heat will be hard to pull off.

John

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

Dustin — Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:50 pm

Author: Dustin

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:50 pm

corrado wrote:

But despite that, OKC is showing signs of weakness. Durant in foul trouble. Ibaka absent from the 4th again. If OKC continues this, I dont think there's a chance they'll win the title.

OKC is doing some things that I haven't seen them do in the playoffs. Those last several offensive possessions were awful. Up until game 2 of this series, OKC had been clutch in their execution late. Credit the Heat's defense, but some of the errors OKC is making are unforced (throwing the ball away on the inbounds play).

OKC looked like they had some things figured out in the 3rd, building the 10 point lead until KD got his 4th foul. Although I thought the call was horseshit, with contact being minimal and the whistle being late, KD has to be smart enough to avoid that foul call. Get out of the way or put your hands straight up in the air. He was fucked when he left his feet.

After that it looked like the Thunder could never get back into that offensive flow.

Last but not least is the glaring difference in free throw percentage. The Thunder were great free throw shooters coming into this series. In game two and game three OKC has been dreadful, meanwhile Miami's free throw shooting has been the difference.

Re: 2011/2012 NBA Thread

corrado — Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:03 pm

Author: corrado

Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:03 pm

I have a question. When Harden fouled Lebron with a minute left. The announcers said that there was a foul to give, and it was a blocking foul, and despite that, Lebron shot 2 FT's. Now was that a mistake? Or was it the Heat with a foul to give. If it was the other way around a very glaring mistake.

But despite that, OKC is showing signs of weakness. Durant in foul trouble. Ibaka absent from the 4th again. If OKC continues this, I dont think there's a chance they'll win the title.