NBA Power Rankings

[mabber]

NBA.com Power Rankings:
August 3, 2006

by John Schuhmann

August 3, 2006 -- Welcome to NBA.com's 2006 offseason Power Rankings. Please note that these rankings are the view of one humble NBA.com Features Editor and are not "official" rankings. Have a comment? Let us know.

There are still some details to iron out as far as player movement, but we've got a pretty good idea of who did what this summer. Will Ben Wallace make the Bulls a contender? Will the 5-8 seeds in both conferences be as jumbled as they were last year? Can any rookie make the impact that Chris Paul did last season? Lets get to the rankings ...

Based on 2005-06 playoff results and regular season record:
High jump of the week: Chicago, NO/Okla. City, Houston (+6)
Free fall of the week: Sacramento (-6)

1. Miami (1) 52-30 They're the champs and Dwyane Wade is the best player in the league, but will that translate into the best regular season record? And does it matter?

2. Dallas (2) 60-22 They've improved their bench with the additions of Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Devean George and Gregg Buckner.

3. San Antonio (5) 63-19 A healthier and rested Tim Duncan could get the Spurs back on top, and he's got a little more help down low with Francisco Elson and Jackie Butler.

4. Phoenix (4) 54-28 Look out league. Amare is back.

5. Detroit (3) 64-18 Ben is gone, but they still have that swagger and they could have done a lot worse than Nazr Mohammed as a replacement. Flip Murray gives them a little more offense off the bench.

6. Cleveland (6) 50-32 We're still waiting on Drew Gooden to stay or go, but if essentially the same squad returns, the Cavs have a shot at their first division crown since 1976.

7. New Jersey (7) 49-33 With a full season under their belt together, Kidd, Carter and Jefferson should be sharp from the get-go this time around and Nenad Krstic should continue to develop.

8. Chicago (14) 41-41 We're taking a bit of a wait-and-see approach before we put the Bulls on the level of Big Ben's former team. Mostly, we want to see who will do the scoring.

9. L.A. Clippers (8) 47-35 They essentially traded Vladimir Radmanovic for Tim Thomas, so the key for the Clips may be the improvement of Chris Kaman and Shaun Livingston.

10. Washington (13) 42-40 They've added Darius Songaila to strengthen their bench and from what we've seen from Gilbert Arenas this summer, he could be an MVP candidate.

11. Memphis (9) 49-33 A great regular season was followed with another playoffs sweep. Dealing Shane Battier for Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift could work in the long run, but will most likely hurt in '06-07.

12. NO/Okla City (18) 38-44 No team looks to have improved more than the Hornets this summer and that's not even taking into account that Chris Paul has been working on his jumper.

13. Denver (12) 44-38 They seem to be putting the Kenyon Martin issue behind them and we're calling it here right now: Carmelo Anthony is definitely an All-Star and a fringe MVP candidate this season.

14. L.A. Lakers (10) 45-37 We will be keeping a close eye on the Lakers early this season. Specifically, we want to see how much Andrew Bynum has been working on his game this summer.

15. Orlando (20) 36-46 The 2006-07 season is the official coming-out party for one Mr. Dwight Howard.

16. Houston (22) 34-48 They were 21-10 with both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming last year and we like the addition of Battier.

17. Sacramento (11) 44-38 A full season of Ron Artest and the development of their young guys off the bench should help. The loss of Bonzi Wells (still not sure where he lands) should hurt.

18. Milwaukee (16) 40-42 The jury is out on the deals they have made, but the key could be making Andrew Bogut more of a focus in the offense.

19. Utah (17) 41-41 If they can get 80-plus games from Andrei Kirilenko and more consistency from Deron Williams, they should battle for a playoff spot.

20. Indiana (15) 41-41 With Peja gone and a whole new bench, much will depend on the development of Danny Granger and the health of Jamaal Tinsley.

21. Seattle (21) 35-47 We're still waiting on something to be worked out with Chris Wilcox, but basically, the Sonics need to improve from within.

22. Minnesota (24) 33-49 Randy Foye and Mike James will give the Wolves some much needed punch in the backcourt, but losing Rashad McCants for a significant amount of time is a tough blow.

23. Philadelphia (19) 38-44 So Allen Iverson is staying, but the question remains: Where are the Sixers going?

24. Boston (25) 33-49 The Celtics made a lot of changes, but none of them involved Paul Pierce. They will battle the Raptors for the title of Suns-East.

25. Toronto (26) 27-55 T.J. Ford should give the Raps the pass-first point that they needed last year to be more consistent and Anthony Parker and Fred Jones should give them a lot more firepower off the bench.

26. Golden State (23) 34-48 With Ike Diogu and Monta Ellis, we like the Warriors' future, but they'll need more chemistry than what they had last year among the vets to improve their present.

27. Charlotte (27) 26-56 Adam Morrison will give them the scorer that they so desperately needed last year, and don't overlook the return of Sean May, who showed signs of excellence before his injury last season.

28. Atlanta (28) 26-56 We're expecting a lot from Marvin Williams this year, but trades just don't come easy in Atlanta, do they?

29. New York (29) 23-59 With Isiah taking over on the bench, we might get a better idea of who was to blame last season.

30. Portland (30) 21-61 Be patient Portland. Things are turning around and Brandon Roy is the future, but it will take some time.

http://www.nba.com/features/power_rankings.html

[1Parker1]

Is Dwayne Wade now considered the best player in the league?

[mabber]

Is Dwayne Wade now considered the best player in the league?

This was done by one guy. I'm sure the consensus wouldn't have Wade as the best player but let's not open up that can of worms again :lol

[NBA Junkie]

Undoubtedly, these rankings will be subject to change between now and the start of the regular season once rosters are filled out.

[johngateswhiteley]

Is Dwayne Wade now considered the best player in the league?

...whatever anybody thinks, they are stupid if they think wade is the best player in the league. thing is the media is so fickle and retarded...who gives a shit. Duncan is the best player in the league and has been for the past 5-7 years.

[mabber]

...whatever anybody thinks, they are stupid if they think wade is the best player in the league. thing is the media is so fickle and retarded...who gives a shit. Duncan is the best player in the league and has been for the past 5-7 years.

Apparently, you do :lol

[leemajors]

i still can hardly believe the suns won 54 games without amare

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Can we honestly think that Amare will be healthy and be back to his all-star calibur just like that? For all we know he could be another Grant Hill.

[mabber]

Can we honestly think that Amare will be healthy and be back to his all-star calibur just like that? For all we know he could be another Grant Hill.

I don't think he'll ever get back to what he was and that's a shame cuz he was fun to watch (except when playing the Mavs).

[cheguevara]

Is Dwayne Wade now considered the best player in the league?

I stopped reading there.

Dwade is super good but come on he is very one-dimensional

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

2. Dallas (2) 60-22 They've improved their bench with the additions of Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Devean George and Gregg Buckner.

Are you serious?!?!?
These are improvements!??!

[1Parker1]

^I would say so! Certainly an improvement over Daniels and KVH.

[MrChug]

i still can hardly believe the suns won 54 games without amare

Word. But the truth is that I'm afraid that Amare's going to be the next Grant Hill. He came back from the injury last year, played 50 minutes and basically re-injured himself. He was jittery about doing it, but worked out with team USA, and decided (I'm quite sure after tweaking it) that his injury hadn't healed enough for this type of activity. I've had a major knee injury and KNOW about those jitters...and the minute he's TOO confident about it, he's gonna pull a Hill and re-injure it. Scary...

[Rip-Hamilton32]

...whatever anybody thinks, they are stupid if they think wade is the best player in the league. thing is the media is so fickle and retarded...who gives a shit. Duncan is the best player in the league and has been for the past 5-7 years.

actually its lebron stats wise..duncan is good but not even close to the best

[dallasmavsnfuego214]

Word. But the truth is that I'm afraid that Amare's going to be the next Grant Hill. He came back from the injury last year, played 50 minutes and basically re-injured himself. He was jittery about doing it, but worked out with team USA, and decided (I'm quite sure after tweaking it) that his injury hadn't healed enough for this type of activity. I've had a major knee injury and KNOW about those jitters...and the minute he's TOO confident about it, he's gonna pull a Hill and re-injure it. Scary...

ya, i know that feeling. and your right, unless he just quits the game forever, he will always have this problem. the muscle is healed but it will always be tight and easy to tear again now that he initially hurt it.

[shaggy17]

4. Phoenix (4) 54-28 Look out league. Amare is back.


Such a true comment. Amare is only 22-23 and people already think he wont come back. If he was 30 or near it I would agree but that isnt the case. This team not only has a VERY realistic chance of winning the west but a GREAT chance of winning the championship. They have gotten better on D bigtime compared to the 04-05 season (and I feel they will be better compared to last year) and they have the toughness (Kurt Thomas,Raja Bell, Boris Diaw) and heart added to that. No need to mention the offense because it kicks ass. They have the MVP..(And if anyone says Nash winning the MVP is a joke doesnt know ball because he makes his teamates better and is the heart and soul of that team along with being the best pg in the league. He turned that team around and is a huge reason why they werent lottery bound this past year). They also have Marcus Banks backing up Nash and IMO are the most versatile team in the league. This team is down right sick and scary.

[DirkAB]

What is more useless than power rankings? Pre-season power rankings.

[tlongII]

We're # 30!

[Mavs_man_41]

...whatever anybody thinks, they are stupid if they think wade is the best player in the league. thing is the media is so fickle and retarded...who gives a shit. Duncan is the best player in the league and has been for the past 5-7 years.

Sorry as much as i hate to say it kobe is better than duncan.

[Mavs_man_41]

Such a true comment. Amare is only 22-23 and people already think he wont come back. If he was 30 or near it I would agree but that isnt the case. This team not only has a VERY realistic chance of winning the west but a GREAT chance of winning the championship. They have gotten better on D bigtime compared to the 04-05 season (and I feel they will be better compared to last year) and they have the toughness (Kurt Thomas,Raja Bell, Boris Diaw) and heart added to that. No need to mention the offense because it kicks ass. They have the MVP..(And if anyone says Nash winning the MVP is a joke doesnt know ball because he makes his teamates better and is the heart and soul of that team along with being the best pg in the league. He turned that team around and is a huge reason why they werent lottery bound this past year). They also have Marcus Banks backing up Nash and IMO are the most versatile team in the league. This team is down right sick and scary.

I think that is the first thing you have ever said that i agree with. Nash does deserve to be mvp, just look at the suns before he got there and the immediate improvement.

[Axl Van Dam]

:rolleyes D-Wade is good but not necessarily the best. I mean he got to average that many points in the finals because Dallas had defensively incompetent big men trying to stop his penetrations. Now if they played San Antonio I'm pretty sure D-Wade's ventures into the shaded lane would've been greatly reduced with Bruce Bowen defensive prowess and T.D.'s shotblocking ability.

[Axl Van Dam]

Sorry as much as i hate to say it kobe is better than duncan.
:lol Kobe is better than T.D.? Hmmm last time I checked the "GREAT" Kobe Bryant couldn't even lead his team past the Phoenix Suns which they led 3 - 1 and didn't have Amare Stoudemire in the line-up. Imagine if Amare were there during that time, Kobe would've shit his pants. :lol

[JHoLove]

Kobe is better than T.D.? Hmmm last time I checked the "GREAT" Kobe Bryant couldn't even lead his team past the Phoenix Suns which they led 3 - 1 and didn't have Amare Stoudemire in the line-up. Imagine if Amare were there during that time, Kobe would've shit his pants.

Look, Im not advocating this kobe > td, but kobe doesnt have ginobili or parker on his team. It's pretty much a one-man show. He has Lamar Odom.. who expected a team with smush parker and chris mihm starting to go that far.

[Mavs Fan In Egypt]

Are you serious?!?!?
These are improvements!??!

Maurice Ager>Marquis Daniels
Austin Croshere > KVH
Anthony Johnson>Darrel Armstrong
Greg Buckner>Adrian Griffin.

ya, i wud go as far as calling those improvements.

[waterbottle2000]

san antonio has matt boner
which is greater and has more immense powers than kobe, lebron, wade, duncan , and even mj himself all combined
look for san antonio to repeat at least 10 times wit boner on their team

[Axl Van Dam]

Look, Im not advocating this kobe > td, but kobe doesnt have ginobili or parker on his team. It's pretty much a one-man show. He has Lamar Odom.. who expected a team with smush parker and chris mihm starting to go that far.

:lol That's precisely what he wants "A 1 MAN SHOW". So he can score 61, 81, 91, 101, 201, 301 pts in a game. I betcha he will refuse any offer from the top brass to get him a decent supporing cast. :lol

[Axl Van Dam]

san antonio has matt boner
which is greater and has more immense powers than kobe, lebron, wade, duncan , and even mj himself all combined
look for san antonio to repeat at least 10 times wit boner on their team :lol On the other hand New York has Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jalen Rose, Quentin Richardson, Nate ( ALL I WANNA DO IS DUNK THE BALL ) Robinson, Jerome James, Jamal Crawford etc and it has got them ahh, errrr, let me check my notes, double checking.......... IN THE DUMPS!!!!!!!!! :rollin

[dav4463]

Duncan is the best player to have on your team. Maybe not the most individually talented, but simply the best player in the NBA. Again, NO TEAM in ANY sport has a better winning percentage than the San Antonio Spurs during the Tim Duncan years.

[Axl Van Dam]

Duncan is the best player to have on your team. Maybe not the most individually talented, but simply the best player in the NBA. Again, NO TEAM in ANY sport has a better winning percentage than the San Antonio Spurs during the Tim Duncan years.

:tu :tu :tu DAMN RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SpursWillOwn]

homers! but i agree!! :lmao

[mabber]

:rolleyes D-Wade is good but not necessarily the best. I mean he got to average that many points in the finals because Dallas had defensively incompetent big men trying to stop his penetrations. Now if they played San Antonio I'm pretty sure D-Wade's ventures into the shaded lane would've been greatly reduced with Bruce Bowen defensive prowess and T.D.'s shotblocking ability.

The Spurs couldn't even keep Devin Harris, Josh Howard & Jason Terry from getting to the hoop...how do you expect them to keep Wade from getting there :lol :lol :lol Wade would have destroyed them just like he did the Mavs.

[George Gervin's Afro]

The Spurs couldn't even keep Devin Harris, Josh Howard & Jason Terry from getting to the hoop...how do you expect them to keep Wade from getting there :lol :lol :lol Wade would have destroyed them just like he did the Mavs.


one big difference between the mavs and spurs. the spurs never choke when things get tough. the reason why miami was so successful against dallas is because riley played a great zone and exposed the mavs as a perimeter team. the spurs stuck with their defense philosophy and got burned by it. Riley adjusted and Pop stuck with his game plan. SA is a at least comparable athletically to the heat but the heat realized to play one on one was not to their advantage. at the end of the day the mavs have a zero inside the lane game. i GUARANTEE you the mavs will face more zones this next year and remain a soft jumpshooting team.. with the exception of the jordan years every NBA champ had a dominant inside low post player.. the mavs have damp and diop..you mavs blew your only chance... :lol :lol

[mabber]

one big difference between the mavs and spurs. the spurs never choke when things get tough. the reason why miami was so successful against dallas is because riley played a great zone and exposed the mavs as a perimeter team. the spurs stuck with their defense philosophy and got burned by it. Riley adjusted and Pop stuck with his game plan. SA is a at least comparable athletically to the heat but the heat realized to play one on one was not to their advantage. at the end of the day the mavs have a zero inside the lane game. i GUARANTEE you the mavs will face more zones this next year and remain a soft jumpshooting team.. with the exception of the jordan years every NBA champ had a dominant inside low post player.. the mavs have damp and diop..you mavs blew your only chance... :lol :lol

What does this have to do with trying to keep Wade from getting to the rim?

[mabber]

one big difference between the mavs and spurs. the spurs never choke when things get tough. the reason why miami was so successful against dallas is because riley played a great zone and exposed the mavs as a perimeter team. the spurs stuck with their defense philosophy and got burned by it. Riley adjusted and Pop stuck with his game plan. SA is a at least comparable athletically to the heat but the heat realized to play one on one was not to their advantage. at the end of the day the mavs have a zero inside the lane game. i GUARANTEE you the mavs will face more zones this next year and remain a soft jumpshooting team.. with the exception of the jordan years every NBA champ had a dominant inside low post player.. the mavs have damp and diop..you mavs blew your only chance... :lol :lol

Does losing at home in OT in a game 7 not consitute choking when things get tough? You call the Mavs chokers and then you explain how the Heat went about beating the Mavs? I don't buy this choking crap, but if you're gonna call the Mavs chokers then you need to call what the Spurs did in game 7 a choke job as well. They had everything going for them after coming back from being down 20pts and flat out blew it/choked in OT. The Mavs choked in game 3 vs. the Heat for sure. After that, they were just beat.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Does losing at home in OT in a game 7 not consitute choking when things get tough? You call the Mavs chokers and then you explain how the Heat went about beating the Mavs? I don't buy this choking crap, but if you're gonna call the Mavs chokers then you need to call what the Spurs did in game 7 a choke job as well. They had everything going for them after coming back from being down 20pts and flat out blew it/choked in OT. The Mavs choked in game 3 vs. the Heat for sure. After that, they were just beat.


well the mavs got lucky. they shout 17 for 20 in the first qtr and 69% for the half..that's lucky..they managed to hold on to beating the spurs who came back and had the lead with 30 seconds left. history will be unkind to your soft mavs team. if the mavs never get back they will be forever known as chokers....the mavs? they choked away a 2-0 lead in the nba finals.. they aren't tough enough and they blew thier chance...

[td4mvp21]

Does losing at home in OT in a game 7 not consitute choking when things get tough? You call the Mavs chokers and then you explain how the Heat went about beating the Mavs? I don't buy this choking crap, but if you're gonna call the Mavs chokers then you need to call what the Spurs did in game 7 a choke job as well. They had everything going for them after coming back from being down 20pts and flat out blew it/choked in OT. The Mavs choked in game 3 vs. the Heat for sure. After that, they were just beat.

I don't think the Spurs choked. They almost won. They choked the first four games of the series, but the last three they didn't, which was when it was the toughest.

[LEONARD]

well the mavs got lucky. they shout 17 for 20 in the first qtr and 69% for the half..that's lucky..they managed to hold on to beating the spurs who came back and had the lead with 30 seconds left. history will be unkind to your soft mavs team. if the mavs never get back they will be forever known as chokers....the mavs? they choked away a 2-0 lead in the nba finals.. they aren't tough enough and they blew thier chance...

Sorry, but the Spurs choked twice in game 7...once in the first quarter and then again from after Manu's 3 thru OT when they had ALL the momentum...big time choke job on THEIR court!!

Going 17/20 in the first quarter had NOTHING to do with poor defense by the Spurs? I see 3 dunks and 2 layups in the 1st quarter. Or did the Mavs just stepp up under the pressure??

If the Spurs would've gone 17/20 there would've been 10 posts here about "_allas" and $hit like that...


I don't think the Spurs choked. They almost won. They choked the first four games of the series, but the last three they didn't, which was when it was the toughest.

How was game 1 a Spurs choke?? :drunk

and game 7 wasn't?? :smokin :drunk :hat

[mabber]

well the mavs got lucky. they shout 17 for 20 in the first qtr and 69% for the half..that's lucky..they managed to hold on to beating the spurs who came back and had the lead with 30 seconds left. history will be unkind to your soft mavs team. if the mavs never get back they will be forever known as chokers....the mavs? they choked away a 2-0 lead in the nba finals.. they aren't tough enough and they blew thier chance...

Yeah, the Mavs choked away a 2-0 lead in the finals, but all I'm saying is the Spurs choked away game 7 vs. the Mavs. It is what is, and if you're gonna call the Mavs chokers you have to call the Spurs chokers as well.

[Spurologist]

4. Phoenix (4) 54-28 Look out league. Amare is back.

http://www.drpsychotic.com/jokes/nerd.gif

[td4mvp21]

How was game 1 a Spurs choke?? :drunk

and game 7 wasn't?? :smokin :drunk :hat

Ok, Games 2, 3, and 4 were choke jobs. Way to go sherlock.

[LEONARD]

Ok, Games 2, 3, and 4 were choke jobs. Way to go sherlock.

but not game 7?? :lol

[Barry Bonds]

Ok, Games 2, 3, and 4 were choke jobs. Way to go sherlock.

roid rage :rolleyes

[pussyface]

it is funny to hear a spurs fan talk about how the media is biased in then in the next breath say that Tim Duncan is clearly the best player or whatever, like they dont carry their own obvious bias.
i would say it is very debatable etc who the best is. i would say lebron james, myself.

[PaceMonster]

i was scared as hell the whole finals...especially wen terry shot that 3 at the end of game 6...dallas is an incerible team....they really dont have much experience so they'll just get better from it....but give miami its credit...they were 4 minutes or so away from a 3-0 deficit and most likely a sweep

[himat]

Duncan is the best player to have on your team. Maybe not the most individually talented, but simply the best player in the NBA. Again, NO TEAM in ANY sport has a better winning percentage than the San Antonio Spurs during the Tim Duncan years.

Tim Duncan is very talented. He's by far not the flashiest player in the league though. His game works very well, but it's boring.

[sribb43]

Maurice Ager>Marquis Daniels
Austin Croshere > KVH
Anthony Johnson>Darrel Armstrong
Greg Buckner>Adrian Griffin.

ya, i wud go as far as calling those improvements.

Mo Ager is not better than Marquis, he might be 2-3 years from now, but as far as the upcoming year Quis has the advantage. As far as the other players mentioned, yes they are upgrades from last year

[LEONARD]

Mo Ager is not better than Marquis, he might be 2-3 years from now, but as far as the upcoming year Quis has the advantage. As far as the other players mentioned, yes they are upgrades from last year

Wow, you've already seen Ager play in the NBA?? :hat

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, the Mavs choked away a 2-0 lead in the finals, but all I'm saying is the Spurs choked away game 7 vs. the Mavs. It is what is, and if you're gonna call the Mavs chokers you have to call the Spurs chokers as well.

Well, there would be a significant difference between the teams inasmuch as the Spurs group that lost last season to the Mavericks has also performed well enough in playoff situations to win an NBA title. It's not a 3 vs. 0 argument; it's a the Spurs got it done when it mattered most, even if they lost a game 7 at home the next season, while the Mavericks still haven't been able to get it done when it mattered most.

As for the rankings, after the discussions around here for the last 2-3 weeks, I'm surprised the Spurs are even in the Top 20 of anyone who's objective.

[Barry Bonds]

Well, there would be a significant difference between the teams inasmuch as the Spurs group that lost last season to the Mavericks has also performed well enough in playoff situations to win an NBA title. It's not a 3 vs. 0 argument; it's a the Spurs got it done when it mattered most, even if they lost a game 7 at home the next season, while the Mavericks still haven't been able to get it done when it mattered most.

As for the rankings, after the discussions around here for the last 2-3 weeks, I'm surprised the Spurs are even in the Top 20 of anyone who's objective.

true. history does matter so the Spurs can never be labeled chokers with Manu and Duncan on the team. they choked against Dallas but they are not chokers. Plus this is only Dallas' first Finals and the Heat had a mcuh more experienced/talented team.

Shaq>Dampier
Haslem<Dirk
Walker>Stackhouse
Wade>Howard
Terry=Williams

[StylisticS]

Such a true comment. Amare is only 22-23 and people already think he wont come back. If he was 30 or near it I would agree but that isnt the case. .


Well how old was Antonio McDyess when he had the same injury. He, ironically, played for Phoenix. Penny was still in his 20's and I do not believe he had any symptons of this injury while in Orlando. But his career went downhill once the injury succumbed him, ironically, in Phoenix.

[mabber]

i was scared as hell the whole finals...especially wen terry shot that 3 at the end of game 6...dallas is an incerible team....they really dont have much experience so they'll just get better from it....but give miami its credit...they were 4 minutes or so away from a 3-0 deficit and most likely a sweep

I give them all the credit in the world. In the end, because of Wade and experience...they were just the better team. And Dallas blew their chance in game 3.

[Mavs_man_41]

the spurs never choke when things get tough.

LMAO i think its safe to say manu choked. :lmao

[Mavs_man_41]

true. history does matter so the Spurs can never be labeled chokers with Manu and Duncan on the team. they choked against Dallas but they are not chokers. Plus this is only Dallas' first Finals and the Heat had a mcuh more experienced/talented team.

Shaq>Dampier
Haslem<Dirk
Walker>Stackhouse
Wade>Howard
Terry=Williams

LMAO you fucking moron i give you credit, you just made me spew my drink all over the computer when i read this. :lmao

Walker>Stackhouse? Whatever you say buddy, how bout the mavs just keep stackhouse.

Terry=Williams? Lmao if Avery Johnson called Pat Riley and offered him that trade im sure he'd get so excited he would piss his pants. LMAO thanks man, i really needed a good laugh.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

wow..stackhouse used to be one of the best in the league and yet people compare him to walker..and williams is also nothing close to being terry..although terry doesn't know how to do a layup with his left hand

[sabar]

People throw around choke so much and don't even know what it means.

No, it doesn't mean you lost. You can choke and win. Blowing a 28 point lead to a 3 point lead is choking. Losing by 1 point isn't.

Unfortunately both Dallas and San Antonio are excellent at not being able to hold on to massive leads. Spurs have better clutch players though. Dirk and Terry need to find out how to not shoot 2 for 11 or whatever horrid percentage they shot when they choked against Miami those few times.

[mabber]

People throw around choke so much and don't even know what it means.

No, it doesn't mean you lost. You can choke and win. Blowing a 28 point lead to a 3 point lead is choking. Losing by 1 point isn't.

Unfortunately both Dallas and San Antonio are excellent at not being able to hold on to massive leads. Spurs have better clutch players though. Dirk and Terry need to find out how to not shoot 2 for 11 or whatever horrid percentage they shot when they choked against Miami those few times.

While the Mavs shot a poor % in the finals vs. the Heat, you have to give the Heat credit for playing good defense. No one in the playoffs to that point (except the Griz in round 1...they just didn't have enough offense) had played ANY defense vs. the Mavs so it was an adjustment for the Mavs to not be able to get to the rim anytime they wanted and actually have someone contesting all their shots. While the Spurs of old were a great defensive team, they were not in the Mav series cuz they had to the Mavs and play small ball. The Phoenix series well...they don't care about defense.

[Haiku]

People throw around choke so much and don't even know what it means.

No, it doesn't mean you lost. You can choke and win. Blowing a 28 point lead to a 3 point lead is choking. Losing by 1 point isn't.

Unfortunately both Dallas and San Antonio are excellent at not being able to hold on to massive leads. Spurs have better clutch players though. Dirk and Terry need to find out how to not shoot 2 for 11 or whatever horrid percentage they shot when they choked against Miami those few times.


finally some sense.
when you lose now, the new word
for it is choking.

[td4mvp21]

but not game 7?? :lol

Ok, maybe Game 7 but but but but but.....we still have three championships? haha jk.

[Axl Van Dam]

The Spurs couldn't even keep Devin Harris, Josh Howard & Jason Terry from getting to the hoop...how do you expect them to keep Wade from getting there :lol :lol :lol Wade would have destroyed them just like he did the Mavs.

Granted that trio scored but they did not score at will because if they did The Spurs would've not been able to tie and almost win the series. D-Wade on the other hand just blew by everyone the Mavericks' defense. Even when Miami lost the first 2 games D-Wade just got to the rim and scored.

[mabber]

Granted that trio scored but they did not score at will because if they did The Spurs would've not been able to tie and almost win the series. D-Wade on the other hand just blew by everyone the Mavericks' defense. Even when Miami lost the first 2 games D-Wade just got to the rim and scored.

And you think the Spurs would have kept Wade from doing that to them when they couldn't keep much lesser players (Harris, Terry & Howard) from getting to the rim against them? Especially, with 1-2 players having to account for Shaq. Hey, I'm not saying the Spurs couldn't have beat the Heat but it wouldn't be because of their ability to keep Wade from getting to the rim.

[Axl Van Dam]

And you think the Spurs would have kept Wade from doing that to them when they couldn't keep much lesser players (Harris, Terry & Howard) from getting to the rim against them? Especially, with 1-2 players having to account for Shaq. Hey, I'm not saying the Spurs couldn't have beat the Heat but it wouldn't be because of their ability to keep Wade from getting to the rim.

:domokun Just the same I think D-Wade wouldv'e had less points, attempts and drives to the basket if they played the Spurs. :domokun

[NBA Junkie]

:domokun Just the same I think D-Wade wouldv'e had less points, attempts and drives to the basket if they played the Spurs. :domokun

Not to mention that the agressive offensive play of Parker and Ginobili as slashers plus Duncan's interior game would have offset what Wade had done. IMO, San Antonio just matches up better with Miami than Dallas does.

Another thing in SA's favor is that they rarely lose games if they're leading by 8-10 points on most nights. Yeah, Dallas did beat SA in the second round, but I also remember them blowing double digit leads to the Spurs in games 3, 6, and 7 despite barely holding on and winning a couple of them. San Antonio is a more composed team than Dallas in terms of holding leads. I doubt we would have seen the Spurs collapse with a 13 point lead with six minutes left in game 3 like Dallas did.

[mabber]

Not to mention that the agressive offensive play of Parker and Ginobili as slashers plus Duncan's interior game would have offset what Wade had done. IMO, San Antonio just matches up better with Miami than Dallas does.

Another thing in SA's favor is that they rarely lose games if they're leading by 8-10 points on most nights. Yeah, Dallas did beat SA in the second round, but I also remember them blowing double digit leads to the Spurs in games 3, 6, and 7 despite barely holding on and winning a couple of them. San Antonio is a more composed team than Dallas in terms of holding leads. I doubt we would have seen the Spurs collapse with a 13 point lead with six minutes left in game 3 like Dallas did.

Yeah, I'm sure holding leads will be a point of emphasis this season with Avery. They were terrible at it last season (regular season & playoffs). It's one of the next steps of improvement for them. Fortunately, they have guys that learn well and want to improve.