The NBA - basketball talk

WE'RE GOING TO THE MATTRESSES!!!

The only thing I hated about the ECF is that Boston didn't break D-Whistle's arm when the game was decided (scorched earth tactics anyone?). Still hoping his ACL explodes in the finals.

As much as I dislike the Thunder (for taking the Spurs out), LeBrick, D-Whistle, their pet velociraptor and the rest of the CHeat are still a trillion times more despicable.

edited 11th Jun '12 12:26:29 AM by Nitramy

Well, there's some general reasons why people might think this is bad.

—E!SPN loves the Heat and makes sure to hype them up and ride the Big 3's collective schlongs 24/7. Most sports fans dislike E!SPN, but they're the leader in providing sports coverage, so they'll have to listen to them once in a while for things. Therefore, Miami winning will be a terrible thing for them because they'll have to hear ESPN continue their routine of hyping and schlong-riding 24/7.

—You have a problem with new teams with no history immediately winning a title, and the fact that the Thunder have a good chance of doing so irks you immensely*

Personal reasons:

—You live in Seattle and you're a die-hard Sonics fan, and you can't stand the fact that the current Sonics franchise, now named the Thunder might actually win the NBA finals shortly after ripping your heart out by leaving Seattle, despite your thoughts that people in Oklahoma don't care about basketball and that the only thing people enjoy doing in Oklahoma is crystal meth.

—You're a Knicks/Celtics fan who's butthurt that Miami crushed your dreams of defying the odds (New York's dream being winning the title despite all the critics saying otherwise, Boston's dream being to win the title despite people saying that they were too old)

—You're a Mavericks/Lakers/Spurs fan who's butthurt that OKC beat you because you didn't expect it (well, maybe not so in Dallas' case)

As a neutral, I just hope that the Finals are at least entertaining.

edited 11th Jun '12 5:30:32 AM by NoChorus

Normally, I'm neutral, but the asstarded way they put together Miami's team makes me want them to go down in flames before I go back to being neutral towards them.

That and I want Wade to get his karma for breaking Rondo's arm.

Can't really say it's because of the butthurt though, since I hated the Blunder for years now because of Kevin Daddylongarmsandlegs Durant, James The Hobo Harden, Russell Westbrick, Serge I'm A Great Defender Apparently Even Though The Only Defensive Contribution I Make Are Off-Ball Blocking Ibaka, and Kendrick I'm So Tuff, No Really Perkins (which obviously was just a recent addition).

And understandably there's already the hate for the Cheat (because of Dywane I Don't Flop, It's The Foreign Players That Do, Even Though I Actually Flop Ever Since 2003 Wade) that was made worse by the atrocious arrival of Le Bron Queen James and Christina Bosh.

edited 11th Jun '12 7:02:01 AM by entropy13

I want Miami to lose because Lebenedict James betrayed his team and doesn't know a damn thing about loyality. If future generations are to know that loyality to your team (with only A FEW exceptions) always triumphs, then OKC has to win and deny Lebron James once again.

Loyalty? "The Decision" was badly done, but Lebron doesn't owe anything to Cleveland.

Cleveland has only themselves to blame. If you don't build a team around a talented player, there will come a time where the player will get tired of carrying the team and they want to do something else.

edited 12th Jun '12 7:31:01 AM by NoChorus

Yeah, that's why Dirk left the Mavs in 2010 because of the underwhelming playoff performances of the team, and with Kidd, Marion not getting any younger, and the absence of the "2nd man" for the team, especially considering Terry's inconsistency...

Oh wait.

Dirk also has a better head on his shoulders. He could've easily left Dallas to go somewhere else to try to get a championship, but he didn't.

Lebron jumped ship and tried to make a superstar team with the sole goal of winning.

And now that the Thunder have taken the first game, it's going to be interesting to see how he's going to respond to the criticism that's rearing its ugly head again (unfounded or not).

He can't really be criticized for the loss. He scored 30 points.

If it's anyone for criticism to be levied at, it's Dwayne Wade for struggling and Spolestra for not starting Chris Bosh when they clearly need him out there.

Exactly. James isn't choking, it's just that Durant doesn't miss in thw fourth and this time it's Wade who's disappeared.

But trying to win Game 1 on the road when 1. Your team is so-so on the road (18-15 in the season, eww) and 2. Playing against a team that has lost no playoff games at home due to a very loud fanbase (it's the only Big Four franchise there and has yet to taste a championship unlike San Antonio) is hard.

Dwight Howard is the epitome of disloyalty here. You cannot argue against that. At least Lebron admitted that The Decision was a mistake; Howard is still denying that he wanted Van Gundy fired.

Dwyane Wade, though... I'm not sure about him anymore. Is it injury? A mental lapse? Great defense from the Thunder? No Bosh to spread the floor?

Oh, here's a thought - if Lebron went to Chicago and Rose, would anyone complain nearly as much?

edited 13th Jun '12 1:55:21 PM by Serocco

Probably more in Cleveland, since that's a division rival. But less in Chicago and elsewhere, since we didn't want him. And it wouldn't be active occlusion behind friends (D Rose didn't push for anyone, since he loves his current teammates).

I've been out for a few weeks. Shame to see San Antonio lose.

After the thunder hopefully win, we can write off this terrible season and I can hope the bulls win it next year. Stupid, dangerous scheduling and injuries for the sake of the teams making a quick buck will hopefully be over with. An actual preseason with team-building should result in a better product and not throwing together shit and seeing what sticks. Detroit will hopefully continue its surprising turnaround. Damn shame Rose and Deng will be out for a while...

I don't like how the Thunder became the Thunder, though. I don't want Bennett's sleazy tactics to get vindicated with a ring.

You have a good point about that. I would've loved to see a seven-game Boston v. Chicago series.

edited 13th Jun '12 2:27:13 PM by Serocco

But that's the only thing to dislike about them. Which is why I'll refer to is as a Sonics win if I remember to.

Ha. 7 games.
Taj Gibson solos.

I saw Durant push a Heat player down the ground before the shot clock started in the fourth quarter last night. No call, probably since the shot clock wasn't on at the time. Same thing happened earlier to Battier, and they pulled a few of these against San Antonio.

There was also the flop by Harden on Ginobili in Game 6. The call against Ginobili took a three-pointer away from the Spurs.

edited 13th Jun '12 2:49:15 PM by Serocco

You lie! Americans never flop in the NBA! It's all those "Guddem foreigners!"

Funny thing is, it's the Argentines/Argentinians, like Ginobili, that have been stereotyped as the floppers.

edited 14th Jun '12 9:29:27 PM by wanderlustwarrior

What about Blake Griffin and Chris Paul? Hell, James Harden? Dwyane Wade? Mike Miller?

Amurrcans dun't flop! It's all dam guddem foreigners, I tell ya!

edited 15th Jun '12 2:36:23 AM by entropy13

It's funny how after the Thunder won Game 1 people were talking like they won the championship. E!SPN didn't exactly help either.

edited 15th Jun '12 4:40:15 AM by NoChorus

It's funny how the pre-season games haven't been played yet and they're already counting the number of championships they'll be winning.

Argentines flopping was a meme for a while. It didn't help that most of them at the time were more egregious floppers or played on teams with them.

I remember Guaran-Sheed. You've gotta pick your calls.
Or just go nuts, Jason Terry.

Vlade Divac is the best flopper that ever flopped.

Youtube "raja flop"