"JV Game" is over now to LA - Official Lakers-Heat thread

[E20]

THEY SHOWED KOBE AND SHAQ SHAKE HANDS!!!!!!! STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!

:elephant :elephant:elephant:makeout:makeout:makeout:makeout :makeout:makeout:makeout:makeout

[Rummpd]

SIGH! :blah :elephant :smokin

But at least this time it was a nice win.

[missmyzte]

Shaq just doesn't want the LA fans to boo him. They will anyway.

[Horry For 3!]

Okay.....and you made a thread about this for what?

[missmyzte]

^^ I think he's being sarcastic

[Trainwreck2100]

I can die in peace now

[1Parker1]

Shaq just doesn't want the LA fans to boo him. They will anyway.

:lol Yea, cuz I remember the Xmas day game, Shaq purposely just walked right by Kobe, "adding to the drama"

[Horry For 3!]

I think I may have heard some booing when Shaq made it...

[missmyzte]

Fans are booing every time he touches it :D

[E20]

Okay.....and you made a thread about this for what?
I was just expanding on what Reggie Miller said, that there shouldn't be a big hoopla over two people shaking hands. As we speak sportswriters for every national newspaper are writing a 2 column article regarding this concern, ESPN's fastbreak will probably spend their whole 30 mintues of air-time to debate this.

[T Park]

24 is on.

Fuck these drama queens.

[Horry For 3!]

I was just expanding on what Reggie Miller said, that there shouldn't be a big hoopla over two people shaking hands. As we speak sportswriters for every national newspaper are writing a 2 column article regarding this concern, ESPN's fastbreak will probably spend their whole 30 mintues of air-time to debate this.
Yeah, I know. It is fuckin stupid but always good for the media/entertainment.

[Heatfan]

Enjoy the win. Because the Suns and they way they are playing w/o Amare will wipe the floor with the Spurs in the Western finals when Amare comes back. Suns/Heat NBA finals 2006

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Enjoy the win. Because the Suns and they way they are playing w/o Amare will wipe the floor with the Spurs in the Western finals.

BAN this asshole

[ShoogarBear]

Should have just been ejected for taking a swing at Andrew Bynum.

[E20]

Punch or elbow?

[missyy0867]

haha i was waiting for someone to make a thread about that i had just turned it to tnt and saw it

[ShoogarBear]

Shaq dunked on Bynum, very next play Bynum put a spin move and dunked back on Shaq. On the way back down the court Bynum bumped Shaq, and like and idiot, Shaq took the biat and swung an elbow.

Refs were too chicken to eject him and instead called double technicals.

[Horry For 3!]

It was a forearm to the head

[boutons_]

not a swing, just a forearm into Bynum's shoulder.

17 years old, that's awfully young, Shaq is nearly twice his age.

[mavsfan1000]

Enjoy the win. Because the Suns and they way they are playing w/o Amare will wipe the floor with the Spurs in the Western finals when Amare comes back. Suns/Heat NBA finals 2006

Not if the mavs beat them first. :lol

[spurs=bling]

Should have just been ejected for taking a swing at Andrew Bynum.


no shit

after that i turned off the TV

[Horry For 3!]

Shaq dunked on Bynum then Bynum went and punked Shaq. He did a good post move and dunked.

[sprrs]

It was a forearm. Considering it was Shaq it Bynum probably got pushed back farther than he should have.

[Solid D]

He should have just "melvin-ed" Bynum for acting "all that" after the dunk.

[E20]

Damn, I thought Bynum was older.....isn't there an age limit?

[ShoogarBear]

Bynum's head and face look like a 10-year old's.

[Tek_XX]

Good call, double technical was warranted nothing more.

[Horry For 3!]

Damn, I thought Bynum was older.....isn't there an age limit?
There is now...19.

[ShoogarBear]

Shaq's forearm was above the shoulders. I believe that's supposed to be automatic ejection.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Good call, double technical was warranted nothing more.


Agreed.

[Tek_XX]

Shaq's forearm was above the shoulders. I believe that's supposed to be automatic ejection.

hmm guess you're wrong.

[missyy0867]

it looked to me it hit his shoulder not above

[Heatfan]

Hey as long as is not the Spurs. I don't care who it is. That will be a awesome west finals Mavs and Suns.

[Guru of Nothing]

Maybe Shaq should have given Bynum an autograph last year.

[sprrs]

it looked to me it hit his shoulder not above

That's what the announcers said too

[ShoogarBear]

hmm guess you're wrong.hmm guess not:


EXCEPTION: Rule 12A--Section V--l(5)
l. A player, coach or trainer must be ejected for:
(1) A punching foul
(2) A fighting foul
(3) An elbow foul which makes contact above shoulder level
(4) An attempted punch which does not make contact
(5) Deliberately entering the stands other than as a continuance of play
m. Eye guarding (placing a hand in front of the opponent's eyes when guard-ing from the rear) a player who does not have possession of the ball is illegal and an unsportsmanlike technical shall be assessed.
n. A free throw attempt is awarded when one technical foul is assessed.
o. No free throw attempts are awarded when a double technical foul is assessed. Technical fouls assessed to opposing teams during the same dead ball and prior to the administering of any free throw attempt for the first technical foul, shall be interpreted as a double technical foul.
p. The deliberate act of throwing the ball or any object at an official by a player, coach or trainer is a technical foul and violators are subject to ejection from the game.
q. Elbow fouls, which make contact above shoulder level, and punching fouls, although recorded as both personal and team fouls, are unsportsmanlike acts. The player will be ejected immediately.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I would be mad if the refs played into the 17 year old's hands and threw shaq out.

Bonehead move by shaq, but just move by the refs imo.

[T Park]

damn shoogar OWNED the haters.

[infinite styles]

I don't care if he should have gotten ejected but the shit was hilarious. Bynum was pumped up after that. Bet by Wed. he has the a life sized screen by screen photo of it in every room of his house.

[Guru of Nothing]

It's as if the NBA ref calls have borrowed a page from the NFL refs; and to think, it was only yesterday that I thought just the opposite.

[missmyzte]

That was great TV! You gotta admit, after all this, we're finally getting the show that we wanted. The only thing we need now is for Kobe to dunk on Shaq and for the Lakers to win the game and all will be well.

[ShoogarBear]

Kobe did his part with that halftime buzzer beater.

[ShoogarBear]

It's as if the NBA ref calls have borrowed a page from the NFL refs; and to think, it was only yesterday that I thought just the opposite.After listening to that bullshit explanation they just presented you're right.

It has nothing to do with the head. It has to do with being above the shoulders.

[Duff McCartney]

Damn Miami is a pretty shitty team if they are losing to the Lakers.

[Tek_XX]

After listening to that bullshit explanation they just presented you're right.

It has nothing to do with the head. It has to do with being above the shoulders.

hmm guess your list is wrong.

[leemajors]

Damn Miami is a pretty shitty team if they are losing to the Lakers.

good teams sometimes have shitty games, i think...

[ShoogarBear]

hmm guess your list is wrong.Hmm it's the official NBA rules. You sure you weren't working in Indianapolis yesterday?

[Vinnie_Johnson]

This game is hard to watch I hate Shaq but hate The Lakers too. Who to root for darn I guess it's a win win......

[Tek_XX]

Hmm it's the official NBA rules. You sure you weren't working in Indianapolis yesterday?

Dude your beef is with the NBA, not me.

[T Park]

So the NBA rules are wrong now??

Interesting.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Shaq threw a forearm not an elbow

[ShoogarBear]

Dude your beef is with the NBA, not me.Dude you're the one who came in talking crap and couldn't back it up.

[T Park]

so a forearm is ok?

Why is a forearm different than an elbow or fist.

Its the same intention..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

so a forearm is ok?

Why is a forearm different than an elbow or fist.

Its the same intention..


Well it's hard to try to hurt someone with a forearm and its hard for a forearm that wasn't intended to hurt to be as bad as an elbow that wasnt intended to hurt.

Remember robinson getting nailed with an elbow? Do you think he'd have crumbled if it were a forearm hitting him in the temple?

[T Park]

Well it's hard to try to hurt someone with a forearm and its hard for a forearm that wasn't intended to hurt to be as bad as an elbow that wasnt intended to hurt.


Its hard to hurt someone with a forearm??

I bet some of Karl Malone's buddies would disagree with you.


I guess Forearms are harmless.

What the hell, forearms to the head should be LEGAL!!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

hey did ashton kutcher came out suprise shaq he was punkd?

[missyy0867]

that guy just got tooken out of the game for hitting the floor????

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Its hard to hurt someone with a forearm??

I bet some of Karl Malone's buddies would disagree with you.


I guess Forearms are harmless.

What the hell, forearms to the head should be LEGAL!!!


Typical barbaric neocon. I never said that so dont put it in my mouth. I simply implied forearms are not as deadly as elbows, hence should not be frowned upon as bad as elbows.

[milkyway21]

Should have just been ejected for taking a swing at Andrew Bynum.

i have one reason for that :

the Lakers drafted Andrew Bynum but Bynum's favorite player in the NBA is-Tim Duncan :D and it's not former Laker ShaQ O' Neal.:cry

[Horry For 3!]

Yeah.....

[Vinnie_Johnson]

that guy just got tooken out of the game for hitting the floor????

That was weak :depressed

[Tek_XX]

why post this on the spurs page?

[T Park]

Typical barbaric neocon

Im not the one advocating forearms are harmless.

[ShoogarBear]

LMAO at these officials. They are calling the actual GAME okay, it's all the extraneous BS with technical fouls they are butchering.

[sprrs]

Really crappy move by the refs ejecting Cook, especially after Shaq wasn't ejected for the forearm

[exstatic]

..in Forget Paris. He just ran Brian Cook with his second T for slapping the floor after a blocking call. Absurd. Stop thinking about your small raisins, Joey, and just ref. No one is there to see you call Ts.

[SouthernFried]

You ever notice, that it's the poodles that bark the most?

Nobody's coming out of the East, except Detroit. And they don't need to yap about it.

[ShoogarBear]

Maybe Debra Winger just flew back to France and left him at home alone.

[Horry For 3!]

Its hard to hurt someone with a forearm??

I bet some of Karl Malone's buddies would disagree with you.


I guess Forearms are harmless.

What the hell, forearms to the head should be LEGAL!!!
There was no forearm to the head :wtf There was a forearm to the shoulder though.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Im not the one advocating forearms are harmless.


No, wall-eyed neocon, x does not equal y, and saying that forearms should not be counted as elbows is not the same as saying they're harmless.

He got a technical, and earlier in this thread I said that was a good call by the refs.

[Tek_XX]

delete it then asshole

Damn dude why you so angry?

[exstatic]

Especially when it's the SECOND thread on this. :smokin

[T Park]

wall-eyed neocon

You keep bringing politics into it.

Must feel quite small about yourself. Learn some new politic smack Trotsky.



He got a technical, and earlier in this thread I said it was a good call by the refs

Wich is equally moronic as Violet Palmer being a good ref.

[SouthernFried]

They are sensitive to emotional displays about their calls. It's ok Joey, he didn't mean it...honest. There there boy. Good boy.

They need love like the rest of us y'know.

[krinkx]

Hey as long as is not the Spurs. I don't care who it is. That will be a awesome west finals Mavs and Suns.

you sure are afraid of the spurs... :elephant :smokin :fro

i'd be afraid of them too, if i were a HEAT fan.... :blah :lol :spin

[missmyzte]

Brian Cook is my favorite Laker, he's a good kid, a quiet kid, and to eject him for muttering one cuss word and getting a little frustrated on a BS call is just pathetic.

[Horry For 3!]

Especially when it's the SECOND thread on this. :smokin
He made it before you.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/basketball/nba/img7958799.jpg

[leemajors]

he's just mad about having to live in victoria, tx. it's a shithole no one in their right mind should willingly stay in.

[Horry For 3!]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/basketball/nba/img7958799.jpg
:tu

[missmyzte]

Now Wade is injured ...
I'd never wish injury on anyone, I hope he's okay.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

That was a bad call by Joey.

[BJack24]

Will someone please tell me when in the game this was?

I want to go back and watch it on my TiVo.

[BJack24]

24 is on.

Fuck these drama queens.
:tu :tu :tu :tu :tu :tu :tu :tu :tu :tu

[missyy0867]

ummm i thought it was like near the end of the 2nd quarter

[BJack24]

Oh okay. Thank you Missy.

[Leetonidas]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/photos/basketball/nba/img7958799.jpg

I don't know why, but that made me laugh. :lol

[Heatfan]

The Spurs are the ones that should be afraid of the Pistons. They wipe the floor with the Spurs twice. The Heat still get 3 more cracks at Detroit.

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs fans are hysterical. You guys bitch every single day that the team like the Lakers and Heat get all the attention, yet you all started SEVEN threads about this game :lmao

I merged them all into this one.

[T Park]

The Spurs are the ones that should be afraid of the Pistons. They wipe the floor with the Spurs twice. The Heat still get 3 more cracks at Detroit.

WTF, now these clowns are coming out here???


You guys bitch every single day that the team like the Lakers and Heat get all the attention, yet you all started SEVEN threads about this game

Slow news night.

I guess Spreewell signing with the Clippers wasn't newsworth enough.

[missmyzte]

Come on Kori, you know what a huge SUPERSTAR Brian Cook is, he really did deserve two threads of his own.

:lol

[Kori Ellis]

Slow news night.

:lmao

One thread would still suffice.

[missmyzte]

Okay, now raise your hand if you knew who Brian Cook was before tonight. :)

[Kori Ellis]

Come on Kori, you know what a huge SUPERSTAR Brian Cook is, he really did deserve two threads of his own.

:lol

:lmao True. True.

[T Park]

now raise your hand if you knew who Brian Cook was before tonight

*raises hand*

[BJack24]

Spree signed with the Clips???
LINK?

[T Park]

are you kidding me, this game is STILL GOING!?!?!?


I watch 2 hours of 24 and its STILL GOING!!!


I tell you what, maybe its our bigs being so bad, but Chris Mihm looks apealling.

[Horry For 3!]

Okay, now raise your hand if you knew who Brian Cook was before tonight. :)
I know who Brian Cook is. I also remember watchin him play when he went to Illinois.

[missyy0867]

whats 24? wasnt chris mihm with UT or am i makin things up?

[Horry For 3!]

whats 24? wasnt chris mihm with UT or am i makin things up?
Yeah. Chris Mihm played for Texas. He also went to Austin-Westlake. My cousin and him are pretty good friends.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Lakers are doing there best to lose this thing.

[BJack24]

are you kidding me, this game is STILL GOING!?!?!?


I watch 2 hours of 24 and its STILL GOING!!!


I tell you what, maybe its our bigs being so bad, but Chris Mihm looks apealling.
Mihm is a good player. However he is streaky. He can have really good games and other times look horrrrrible.

[missyy0867]

wait westlake highschool?i know ppl that go there! i go to westwood!

[BJack24]

whats 24? wasnt chris mihm with UT or am i makin things up?
24=Best show ever

[missyy0867]

24=Best show ever

well that helps alot

[Horry For 3!]

wait westlake highschool?i know ppl that go there! i go to westwood!
All my cousins go to Westlake. All of my Uncles are rich because they are doctors :lol One of my uncles own a lot of hospitals in Austin.

[missyy0867]

wowww yeah westlake is NICEEE realll nice and those houses up there on those mountains are insane we went to that school for the westlake marching band competition and there fball field is really nice!!! oh and we got 4th place ;)

[Horry For 3!]

wowww yeah westlake is NICEEE realll nice and those houses up there on those mountains are insane we went to that school for the westlake marching band competition and there fball field is really nice!!! oh and we got 4th place ;)
Yeah, I think my Uncle lives up there on the mountain somewhere. I have been like 2 or 3 times but I haven't been in a long time so I can't really remember.

[Horry For 3!]

Heat has got the lead down to 3

[Vinnie_Johnson]

Damn Wade is nice!!!

[missyy0867]

woahhhhhhh didnt know there was only 50 secs left

[Vinnie_Johnson]

That's the nail in the Heat's coffin.

[Horry For 3!]

Lakers up by 6 with 19.2 secs left

[ShoogarBear]

Spurs fans are hysterical. You guys bitch every single day that the team like the Lakers and Heat get all the attention, yet you all started SEVEN threads about this game
Well, you have to admit that for each of the two Piston games, the following game was MUCH more entertaining.

[missmyzte]

This game was the very definition of entertainment - it had everything! And, of course, the most important thing - - the Lakers are gonna win!!!!

[Vinnie_Johnson]

This game was the very definition of entertainment - it had everything! And, of course, the most important thing - - the Lakers are gonna win!!!!

And The Heat fall 10 games back of Detroit in The East. :elephant

[Horry For 3!]

This game was the very definition of entertainment - it had everything! And, of course, the most important thing - - the Lakers are gonna win!!!!
Yeah, Lakers won.

[E20]

Kobe is lighting the Heat up!!

37 points on 13-24 shooting
Nice.

:pctoss
All I want in life is Lebron/Kobe powers.

[Horry For 3!]

:lol @ Kobe all happy because Shaq is "cool with him" now and they won

[missyy0867]

well that was pretty interesting and now im off!..lucky most yall are through with school! :depressed

[The Cougar]

Craig Sager is still a moron

[E20]

:lol @ Kobe all happy because Shaq is "cool with him" now and they won
What did he say?

FUCK FUCK WHY DID I MISS IT!!!!

[Horry For 3!]

What did he say?

FUCK FUCK WHY DID I MISS IT!!!!
Nothin really, just smilin all big and laughin

[Trainwreck2100]

LMAO at TNTs photoshopping

[missmyzte]

Kobe is happy because the Lakers beat Miami, he could care less about being "cool" with Shaq.

[milkyway21]

Kobe is happy because the Lakers beat Miami, he could care less about being "cool" with Shaq.

i just can't understand all the drama bet the Lakers and Miami team players, not just between ShaQ & Kobe

the last time they met, it was Payton and Odom, right. Well, i think i like Odom more than Payton.

i bet there will be more of it til playoffs he:D he:D

well, here's the pic of the day :lol

http://msn.foxsports.com/id/5253276_36_1.jpg

Both Shaq and Kobe have downplayed their very real personal animosity. It's all media hype. True rivalries can only exist between teams on the same level of excellence. Wins and losses are the only things that count. Blah, blah, and even humbug! The truth is that despite their making nicey-nicey before Monday's game, both of these guys would give their eye/teeth to humiliate the other. :lol


Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant shared a hug and some kind words before the start of Monday's game. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
Too many times this season Kobe has reverted to his shoot-‘em-up and forget-about-dee mode. And, because all of Shaq's vital statistics are down, the buzz around the league is that the Big Load's ability to dominate ball games is diminishing.

In the final regular-season meeting of the Heat and the home-standing Lakers, nobody expected to see Kobe go out of his way to take a chance on a hard-driving Big Diesel — or to witness Shaq's closing on one of Kobe's ventures into the paint and smacking both the ball and his former teammates' noggin into the stands. A more realistic expectation was that each would have his chops cranked to the max.

Let's investigate the Lakers' emotional 100-92 win to see whether Shaq or Kobe had the most influence on the outcome.


Name MIN FG 3-FG FT REB A ST BS TO PTS
O'Neal 31 8-14 0-0 2-8 10 1 0 1 1 38
Bryant 41 13-24 2-5 9-9 3 4 1 0 1 37

By actual count, Shaq dominated a total of ten plays during his 31 minutes on the court.


Three put-backs of his teammates' missed shots, plus another offense rebound that resulted in a foul and his making 1-of-2 free throws.

A quick spin and a flipper that split the net.

Three baskets scored after catching clever entry passes and shooting without having to put the ball on the floor.

One excellent defensive rotation that denied an easy shot and eventually forced the Heat to hoist up a desperate shot to beat the shot-clock.

A blocked shot that led to the blockee (Luke Walton) fouling Shaq. Shaq was also fouled in the act twice, but missed all four free throws — sequences that Tex Winter regards as turnovers.
Over all, Shaq looked slower afoot than he ever has. Both Chris Mihm and young Andrew Bynum were able to leave him in the dust with quick spin moves. Several of the Lakers big men — including Bynum — bounced off the floor while Shaq was still gathering himself to jump and subsequently beat O'Neal to rebounds.

Instead of moving his feet, Shaq repeatedly reached for the ball on defense. That's why he was tagged with five fouls, one of which was particularly interesting: Shaq definitely delivered a slight bump as Lamar Odom was shooting a layup. But the refs waited until the shot missed before tooting their tooters. Had Odom's shot been successful, no foul would have been called. It's this kind of late, situational whistle that makes players and coaches blow their tops. Hey, guys, it's either a foul or it's not!

Shaq only missed six shots, but some of them were doozies: A 3-foot bank shot from straightaway that slammed off the glass and never touched the rim; a 4-foot angle-flipper that never touched the rim; an unimpeded layup that clanged off the ring; a 4-foot jump hook that weighed a ton and missed by a mile. For sure, Shaq's lifetime field goal percentage is close to 58 percent — but given the easy shots he takes, anybody else in the league would be shooting 80 percent. In truth, Shaq has the worst shooting touch since Chris Dudley.

Was the big guy hurt? Old? Too heavy? Tired? Bored? Whatever was plaguing Shaq, in this particular game the Heat played better with him on the bench: The middle was open for drives by Dwyane Wade and even Udonis Haslem. Alonzo Mourning covered much more ground on defense. Without Shaq, Miami showed quicker defensive rotations.

Perhaps Shaq will reassert his dominance come the playoffs. But the savvy bettor is advised to risk only his chump change on this eventuality coming to pass.

Kobe was dominant on offense, and a patsy on defense.

As is his wont, Kobe absolutely took over the game in the latter half of the fourth quarter, hitting long-range jumpers, moving crisply with and without the ball and thereby forcing the Heat to foul him. Indeed, as Miami made their move to catch the Lakers, Kobe missed only one clutch shot.

Equally as impressive was the fact that Kobe did most of his scoring within the context of the triangle. If he only made four non-assist passes that helped facilitate the offense, he only forced a total of four shots (making one).

Forget about A.I., T-Mac, Gilbert Arenas and the rest. Kobe is the most talented (and the most clutch) scorer in the league.

At the same time, his defense is getting worse and worse. He reacted passively to every screen set in his vicinity — making no effort to get through, get over, or even get under. Whenever possible, Kobe leaned into the passing lanes. If he did intercept one pass, he also lost a pair of gambles that directly led to one basket scored by the bad guys as well as a foul being called on Kwame Brown.


Throughout the game, Wade obliterated Bryant's faux defense on fourteen separate occasions. (Kobe only played forceful defense against Wade on a single possession.) His lapses didn't all result in scores by Wade (11-24, 7 assists, 34 points). Some led to assist-passes, some to passes to wide-open teammates who proceeded to miss open shots or were fouled. Bryant also turned his head on numerous occasions — thereby allowing Wade a backdoor cut that turned into a dunk. Another neck-twister permitted Gary Payton to run out, corral a lead pass, and score a layup.

It seemed as though Kobe played off-the-ball defense with a certain amount of élan, but only for a few seconds at a time. Whenever Wade had the ball, Kobe only played aggressive defense on Flash's initial dribble. Even so, the Lakers' team-defense was admirable, their rotations swift and accurate, and Miami was limited to 41 percent from the field.

What generalizations can be gleaned from the game?

The Lakers are slowly but surely coalescing and becoming a legitimate playoff team. Odom (5-12, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 19 points) is finally getting comfortable in the triangle. Brown (1-3, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 points) is making more and more good decisions — especially on defense. Devean George (5-10, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 17 points) is L.A.'s X-factor. When he plays well, the Lakers can compete with almost every team in the league. And Phil Jackson doesn't require a roster full of super-stars to prove that he's one of the best coaches extant.

Also, Shaq's salad days are a distant memory. His downward spiral will accelerate unless, and until, he loses another thirty pounds.

And that, if his defense is pitiful, Kobe Bryant remains the game's most dominant, and most timely, point-maker.

Charley Rosen

[1Parker1]

This is a joke. Detroit has absolutely ZERO competition in the East. Their two main competitors, Pacers and Heat have gone downhill since the season started. I'm absolutely amazed at how weak the East is.

[leemajors]

anything can happen in the playoffs/rest of the regular season. besides, isn't the east stronger than the west this season? miami hosed themselves adding all those players.

[1Parker1]

How is the East stronger this year?

[leemajors]

that's what everyone was saying...

[Medvedenko]

The East and the West are pretty balanced...I still think with the Artest situation not being handled and the JO ailment, the Pacers will struggle. The Pistons, Heat, and maybe the Nets are on the forefront with the Spurs, Suns and Dallas in the West. The only really team that scares me is the Spurs and if the Suns get Amare back, watch out.

[nkdlunch]

the Heat are a disgrace of a team. :lol

[nkdlunch]

This is a joke. Detroit has absolutely ZERO competition in the East. Their two main competitors, Pacers and Heat have gone downhill since the season started. I'm absolutely amazed at how weak the East is.

Agree, but the same can be said about the West. Spurs have no competition right now.

[boutons_]

'Spurs have no competition right now."

WTF?

Mavs would need probably 6 to eliminate.
Suns with Amare at 100% could need 6 also,too.
They are both better and different this year.

Pistons sholdn't need more than 5 games in any series to win the EC bracket.