2008-09 NBA Running Thread

50 is almost completely unrealistic with this team given what's probably the toughest division in the NBA, a new coach with different ideologies than Little General and Dirk's historic ability to suck terribly when games matter (like, hm, tonight).

The Mavs have 11 games left against the Spurs, the Rockets and Hornets. How they come out of those games with anything resembling a winning record is beyond me. I say 3-8, maybe 4-7 or 5-6 if they hit a run.

As the '06 Mavs proved, you can start poorly and it doesn't mean much. But Jet's jets are about out of rocket fuel, Stack every day creeps closer to complete irrelevance, JKidd still looks out of sync with an offense that's probably least compatible with his aging skills as he's ever had, our low-post offense is an absolute joke while Damp and Diop's D has slipped, Dirk will continue to put up monster numbers in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and choose when to turn it on and off in the 4th... this team could creep into the playoffs as an 8 seed, MAYBE a 7 seed, but I don't see it.

It's kind of sad that the only player on the team with no serious holes right now proved himself to be a low-class thug in the off-season.

 

Shaq is officially done.

Last night, New Orleans started some center named Hilton Armstrong. Last year he averaged 11 minutes, 2.7 ppg, and 2.5 rpg. He played 19 minutes against Phoenix.

Shaq managed eight points and eight rebounds.

Good night, Shaq.

 

In Shaq's defense, part of the problem is that the Suns still run the offense primarily through pick and rolls and ball movement to the weak side, usually Stoudamire or Bell at the weakside elbow. They do not make the commitment to feed the low block. Shaq's defensive rebounding has improved tremendously, as has his low block defense (see Duncan matchup.) Too bad that Porter chose not to go to Shaq in the 4th and instead went small, even though they got right there until Posey and R. Butler went off on 3s and Nash turned into a TO machine.

 

Indeed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/081028

 

I am and I do. I was just talking to a buddy the other day about how I wanted to go see Derrick Rose play in person and he said "we could always take a road trip to Portland".

 

Who do you think will make it?

Edit: Just saw your post.

I think Boston has a much better chance than Cleveland of going to the Finals.

 

Terrific finish sees the Blazers hold off the Spurs 100-99.

Finley had a shot rim out at the buzzer for San Antonio. Roy and Aldridge were fantastic for the Blazers.

 

A night after he had 15 and 13 at SA. Look, Shaq is not going to be good on the back end of back-to-backs. He's old. He's got a 330-pound frame on knees than can handle 250. No one in Phoenix is expecting a string of 20-20 games from Shaq. Yeah, he's "done" as a marquee player. But he's still a decent center who can pull down decent numbers during the season.

Not to mention Hilton Armstrong pulled one of the dirtier moves I've seen last night, not only pulling a hack-a-Shaq but trying to intentionally hurt his shoulder as well.

 

Houston's offense has been horrible, and that's because it has been horrible against Memphis and OK City.

Adelman has to learn that Yao, TMac and Artest are ball-stoppers so a motion offense is a no-no. The only people who know how to adequately move without the ball are Barry, Luther Head and Alston, and only one is an above-average ball-handler.

The defense, though, is outstanding.

 

I'd like to believe the Cavs are just trying to sort out their rotation since bringing in Mo Williams and waiting for the deadline before they dump Wally on somebody. But Christ on crutches, three games into the year, I don't like what I'm seeing AT ALL.

The opening night loss to Boston was a perfect template of every big game for the Cavs in the last few years: Build a lead, piss it away in the third quarter because your coaching staff doesn't know how to make halftime adjustments, watch your offense grind to a complete stand-still in the second half, leaving LeBron to go 1-on-5, turn it over 20 times, still find a way to stay reasonably close in crunch time, blow a few free throws and lose the game.

Same shit, different year.

I'm as big of a Cavs honk as you'll find on this board, but for everybody on here saying the Cavs are going to the Finals, I just absolutely cannot see it.

 

Congratulations, Oklahoma City! You've won your first game! And if you had 1,000 more fans, it would have been a sellout!

 

My question is do the Blazers really need Greg Oden to be good?