Loyal readers, here is your chance to get the discussion going. Let us know what is on your mind. Today is a great day for the Pine!
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Wallysays
What’s on my mind are two great championship series going on in the NBA and NHL with both tied 2-2 going into game 5. How good is that?!?!?
The NBA picks up again tonight with the Heat at the Mavs. Will LeBron show up? Will DWade (and Bosh) continue to carry the offensive load? Will Dirk continue to be clutch? So who’s gonna win the now “best of 3” series? The brain is telling me that the Heat will ultimately prevail in this series, but I think it’s going the full 7 games. The heart, of course, wants the Mavs to win the next two games by 30 points each and end it all so we can bash Lebron and the Heat for the next 6+ months. Tee hee. 🙂
In the NHL, what’s suddenly gotten into the Bruins??? They have an offense?!?! Yes!!! Boston has outscored Vancouver something like 12-1 over the last two games. Series heads back to Vancouver for Game 5 Friday … Is home ice the ultimate elixir in this series? Will Roberto Luongo get his confidence back? Wally’s brain and heart are pickin’ the B’s to win it all in 7.
What do you folks think?
Wallysays
Wow … guess I shoulda picked a different topic. The silence is deafening.
bill ribassays
Sorry, I was out cutting grass all day. I can’t speak for basketball, but for the NHL, it’s been one wow after another. The first two games were real close, which is about how I thought they’d go, but the next two were blowouts. It’s basically a 3 game series now, both teams have lost players, I’d give a slight edge to Boston, just because they have a bit of momentum, but that could change in a heartbeat back in Vancouver. Ridiculously fun to watch.
Wallysays
GREAT outcome last night in the NBA. The Mavs won AND LeBron was useless in the 4th quarter again. Deeeeelish! He’s The King alright … The King of Fades.
How about Jason Kidd??? What a real pro … and he had a great game last night. If the Mavs win, I might be happiest for him.
Of course, though, Dallas was wicked hot from three land and yet the really only won a squeaker down the stretch. I hope they have another night likethat on Sunday, but you just can’t count on the shooting being there to that extent. And they were lucky DWade played limited minutes due to some type injury … yet he still scored about 23 … six more than the King of Fades. Tee hee. 🙂
bill ribassays
Is the Lebron thing like some superstars who get to the finals and just struggle for no reason, or is he just tanking?
Wallysays
We have quite a bit of evidence that he’s choking and crumbling under the HUGE pressure, which he pretty much piled on himself over the last 10 months or so. We’ll see how Game 6 goes, but the last two were quite subpar for a so-called “superstar” who some (in the vast minority) think is one of the “best ever” NBA players. Let’s just say there were some ill-timed comparisons to Michael Jordan about a week or so ago. Doh!
How many times have you seen a triple-double be so underwhelming. I truly think that Dallas’ decision to double team him has really taken him out of the offensive flow. He seems completely comfortable with settling for passing the ball. For a guy that wants to be the best in the world – Jordan has set the bar – you had better be ready to raise it.
4 assists in the 4th quarter isn’t exactly moving the bar.
Wallysays
Look for a BIG free throw discrepancy favoring the Heat tonight. Unfortunately, that’s what it means to have home court advantage in the NBA. It’s BS … but that’s they way it is. Hope Dallas can overcome it and win one of these.
Wallysays
Correct Smitty … “triple-double” is just a word. “Superstars” who fail to put up decent points with the game on the line … AND win … will never be considered “among the best”.
Ironically, Miami might be up 3-2 if DWade didn’t miss major minutes with that hip injury in Game 5. HE is THE one who is carrying that team thus far … with Bosh also quite productive. The only reason Lebron has a lot of asists is because his teammates are knocking down a good % of shots. What’s Lebron shooting from the field in the last 2 games? is it even 35%?
Mario Chalmers and MIke Miller are also playing well for Miami. I’ve asked this before … how is is that Chalmers does not start???
Wally – I think Chalmers started early on the year, but moved to the bench with the acquisition of Bibby and I believed he was struggling at the point guard position early on. He is playing really well right now, which is why he got the start tonight.
Let’s not forget that when LeBron, DWade, and Bosh decided to do the Big Three version 2.0 – a lot of basketball analysts questioned how things would work when the game was on the line. There is one ball and two guys that want the ball at the end of the game.. One of them has to defer – right now DWade has stepped up and has been that guy that wants to be scorer with the game on the line.
Obviously within the dynamic of a TEAM, LeBron’s willingness to be a playmaker is a good thing. HOWEVER, when you want to be the best player in the world and you made a circus out of your decision to leave Cleveland – it isn’t going to be enough.
8 mins to go and the Heat are down 12. Plenty of time, but it will be interesting to see if LeBron and DWade hit the panic button and start going on their own.
This could get ugly.
Is it just me or does Chris Bosh look completely lost on the defensive end??
Wallysays
A delightful outcome. Not only did Miami lose the series, they looked terrible doing it.
Congrats to Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, JJ Berea and the rest of the Mavs ! Well done!!! Wasn’t Dirk’s best effort, but his teammates sure stepped up.
Hopefully, it’s the Bulls who make the Heat look bad next season, so they can go to the Finals.
Considering Chalmers was more than willing to instigate a fight in a possible deciding game, I can understand why he is coming off the bench.
Wallysays
Maybe … just maybe … we just saw another instance where great offense was mainly responsible for winning a chan’ship. Afterall, when you take a step back and ask how Dallas beat Miami, the first thing that comes to mind is GREAT shooting. Again, the Mavericks were hot from outside, maybe not as sizzling as they were in Game 5, but they shot 50% from the field and a sizzling 42% on three’s in Game 6. All that despite the Heat being lauded as one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best. Also, particularly last night, the Heat shot a miserable 20-33 from the free throw line, at home, and where they’re unguarded of course. Poor “offense” … really inexcusable.
This series boiled down to Dallas shooting very well from the perimeter, and Miami failing to do so, particularly in 4th quarters.
On Chalmers … well okay … the youngster’s head got the best of him last night at halftime, BUT he certainly was more productive than Bibby on both ends of the court in the series.
Wallysays
Vancouver’s “star goaltender” Roberto Luongo coughed it up big time again last night in Boston. 4 goals in something like 3 mins in the first period … the fastest 4 goals ever in the playoffs, I think.
But how is Roberto Luongo different than LeBron James? At least Luongo plays well at home. (But we’ll see for sure when Game 7 is played in Vancouver Wednesday).
Wallysays
Correction … he gave up 3 goals in about 90 seconds and then was promptly yanked … AGAIN. The backup gave up the 4th goal shortly after entering.
bill ribassays
Yeah, but Luongo is like 40 too. No spring chicken. For some reason Vancouver can’t buy a goal in Boston. Game 7 should be a blast to watch though.
Wallysays
And for some reason, Boston can’t seem to buy a goal in Vancouver either. Hope that changes Wednesday!
Alright guys, I have to share this. I was reading the comments to one of Rob Neyer’s posts on SBNation about baseball realignment, and somebody wrote this:
“I suggest a ranking system in which they would all be assigned a number from a computer and maybe some learned people. The top two would play a game at the end of the season, the others can slug it out for no apparent reason except pride.
Loyal readers, here is your chance to get the discussion going. Let us know what is on your mind. Today is a great day for the Pine!
What’s on my mind are two great championship series going on in the NBA and NHL with both tied 2-2 going into game 5. How good is that?!?!?
The NBA picks up again tonight with the Heat at the Mavs. Will LeBron show up? Will DWade (and Bosh) continue to carry the offensive load? Will Dirk continue to be clutch? So who’s gonna win the now “best of 3” series? The brain is telling me that the Heat will ultimately prevail in this series, but I think it’s going the full 7 games. The heart, of course, wants the Mavs to win the next two games by 30 points each and end it all so we can bash Lebron and the Heat for the next 6+ months. Tee hee. 🙂
In the NHL, what’s suddenly gotten into the Bruins??? They have an offense?!?! Yes!!! Boston has outscored Vancouver something like 12-1 over the last two games. Series heads back to Vancouver for Game 5 Friday … Is home ice the ultimate elixir in this series? Will Roberto Luongo get his confidence back? Wally’s brain and heart are pickin’ the B’s to win it all in 7.
What do you folks think?
Wow … guess I shoulda picked a different topic. The silence is deafening.
Sorry, I was out cutting grass all day. I can’t speak for basketball, but for the NHL, it’s been one wow after another. The first two games were real close, which is about how I thought they’d go, but the next two were blowouts. It’s basically a 3 game series now, both teams have lost players, I’d give a slight edge to Boston, just because they have a bit of momentum, but that could change in a heartbeat back in Vancouver. Ridiculously fun to watch.
GREAT outcome last night in the NBA. The Mavs won AND LeBron was useless in the 4th quarter again. Deeeeelish! He’s The King alright … The King of Fades.
How about Jason Kidd??? What a real pro … and he had a great game last night. If the Mavs win, I might be happiest for him.
Of course, though, Dallas was wicked hot from three land and yet the really only won a squeaker down the stretch. I hope they have another night likethat on Sunday, but you just can’t count on the shooting being there to that extent. And they were lucky DWade played limited minutes due to some type injury … yet he still scored about 23 … six more than the King of Fades. Tee hee. 🙂
Is the Lebron thing like some superstars who get to the finals and just struggle for no reason, or is he just tanking?
We have quite a bit of evidence that he’s choking and crumbling under the HUGE pressure, which he pretty much piled on himself over the last 10 months or so. We’ll see how Game 6 goes, but the last two were quite subpar for a so-called “superstar” who some (in the vast minority) think is one of the “best ever” NBA players. Let’s just say there were some ill-timed comparisons to Michael Jordan about a week or so ago. Doh!
Tee hee? Did a middler school join us?
How many times have you seen a triple-double be so underwhelming. I truly think that Dallas’ decision to double team him has really taken him out of the offensive flow. He seems completely comfortable with settling for passing the ball. For a guy that wants to be the best in the world – Jordan has set the bar – you had better be ready to raise it.
4 assists in the 4th quarter isn’t exactly moving the bar.
Look for a BIG free throw discrepancy favoring the Heat tonight. Unfortunately, that’s what it means to have home court advantage in the NBA. It’s BS … but that’s they way it is. Hope Dallas can overcome it and win one of these.
Correct Smitty … “triple-double” is just a word. “Superstars” who fail to put up decent points with the game on the line … AND win … will never be considered “among the best”.
Ironically, Miami might be up 3-2 if DWade didn’t miss major minutes with that hip injury in Game 5. HE is THE one who is carrying that team thus far … with Bosh also quite productive. The only reason Lebron has a lot of asists is because his teammates are knocking down a good % of shots. What’s Lebron shooting from the field in the last 2 games? is it even 35%?
Mario Chalmers and MIke Miller are also playing well for Miami. I’ve asked this before … how is is that Chalmers does not start???
Wally – I think Chalmers started early on the year, but moved to the bench with the acquisition of Bibby and I believed he was struggling at the point guard position early on. He is playing really well right now, which is why he got the start tonight.
Let’s not forget that when LeBron, DWade, and Bosh decided to do the Big Three version 2.0 – a lot of basketball analysts questioned how things would work when the game was on the line. There is one ball and two guys that want the ball at the end of the game.. One of them has to defer – right now DWade has stepped up and has been that guy that wants to be scorer with the game on the line.
Obviously within the dynamic of a TEAM, LeBron’s willingness to be a playmaker is a good thing. HOWEVER, when you want to be the best player in the world and you made a circus out of your decision to leave Cleveland – it isn’t going to be enough.
8 mins to go and the Heat are down 12. Plenty of time, but it will be interesting to see if LeBron and DWade hit the panic button and start going on their own.
This could get ugly.
Is it just me or does Chris Bosh look completely lost on the defensive end??
A delightful outcome. Not only did Miami lose the series, they looked terrible doing it.
Congrats to Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, JJ Berea and the rest of the Mavs ! Well done!!! Wasn’t Dirk’s best effort, but his teammates sure stepped up.
Hopefully, it’s the Bulls who make the Heat look bad next season, so they can go to the Finals.
Considering Chalmers was more than willing to instigate a fight in a possible deciding game, I can understand why he is coming off the bench.
Maybe … just maybe … we just saw another instance where great offense was mainly responsible for winning a chan’ship. Afterall, when you take a step back and ask how Dallas beat Miami, the first thing that comes to mind is GREAT shooting. Again, the Mavericks were hot from outside, maybe not as sizzling as they were in Game 5, but they shot 50% from the field and a sizzling 42% on three’s in Game 6. All that despite the Heat being lauded as one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best. Also, particularly last night, the Heat shot a miserable 20-33 from the free throw line, at home, and where they’re unguarded of course. Poor “offense” … really inexcusable.
This series boiled down to Dallas shooting very well from the perimeter, and Miami failing to do so, particularly in 4th quarters.
On Chalmers … well okay … the youngster’s head got the best of him last night at halftime, BUT he certainly was more productive than Bibby on both ends of the court in the series.
Vancouver’s “star goaltender” Roberto Luongo coughed it up big time again last night in Boston. 4 goals in something like 3 mins in the first period … the fastest 4 goals ever in the playoffs, I think.
But how is Roberto Luongo different than LeBron James? At least Luongo plays well at home. (But we’ll see for sure when Game 7 is played in Vancouver Wednesday).
Correction … he gave up 3 goals in about 90 seconds and then was promptly yanked … AGAIN. The backup gave up the 4th goal shortly after entering.
Yeah, but Luongo is like 40 too. No spring chicken. For some reason Vancouver can’t buy a goal in Boston. Game 7 should be a blast to watch though.
And for some reason, Boston can’t seem to buy a goal in Vancouver either. Hope that changes Wednesday!
Alright guys, I have to share this. I was reading the comments to one of Rob Neyer’s posts on SBNation about baseball realignment, and somebody wrote this:
“I suggest a ranking system in which they would all be assigned a number from a computer and maybe some learned people. The top two would play a game at the end of the season, the others can slug it out for no apparent reason except pride.
OH WAIT THAT WOULD BE STUPID.”
Hilarious, IMO.
Yes … our BCS college football system … hilarious!