Who Will Win the NBA Finals?

[theroc5]

Preseason is just a couple weeks away and we pretty much have the final rosters, so with that said WHO WILL WIN IT ALL? Try to be as un biased as you can.

[Obstructed_View]

<--- Biased. Always have been, always will be. Healthy Spurs = no reason not to win it all.

[stretch]

mavs have a top coach, the deepest, most balanced, and possibly most talented team in the league. they have 12 players that have proven they can come in and contribute positively on a regular basis (Dirk, Terry, Howard, Harris, Diop, Damp, Stack, Buckner, George, Croshere, Johnson, Mbenga), as well as another very promising, athletic rookie (Ager). They made it to the finals, and could have easily won if they simply made a couple aggressive plays at the right time. They have improved more than any other title contending team, and improved in the areas they needed (shooting, veteran leadership, toughness, defense). they are a dominant rebounding team, and have very good offense and solid defense (which will likely improve after another year under Avery's system). This team has also finally been together for a few years now, and has really had time to gel. Given all the circumstances, if they cannot win it all this year, then I think they may be the most disappointing team in the NBA. anything short of 60 wins and a title (barring any injury) is absolutely inexcusable for this team.

[Obstructed_View]

The Mavs squeaked past a Spurs team whose coach completely fucked up the the rotation and the team philosophy, benching both of his starting centers for five straight games. The Mavericks can hope that Pop does something so stupid a second time; I'm still having trouble believing he did it the first time. It's the only chance they have of ever beating the Spurs again.

[theroc5]

The Mavs squeaked past a Spurs team whose coach completely fucked up the the rotation and the team philosophy, benching both of his starting centers for five straight games. The Mavericks can hope that Pop does something so stupid a second time; I'm still having trouble believing he did it the first time. It's the only chance they have of ever beating the Spurs again.
yep agreed, not to mention who the spurs got in the 1st round and who the mavs got in the first round.

[stretch]

The Mavs squeaked past a Spurs team whose coach completely fucked up the the rotation and the team philosophy, benching both of his starting centers for five straight games. The Mavericks can hope that Pop does something so stupid a second time; I'm still having trouble believing he did it the first time. It's the only chance they have of ever beating the Spurs again.
well, you already admitted you are a homer, so your thoughts are pretty meaningless.

[theroc5]

well, you already admitted you are a homer, so your thoughts are pretty meaningless.
i didnt say i was and i agree so my thoughts arent lol

[stretch]

yep agreed, not to mention who the spurs got in the 1st round and who the mavs got in the first round.
The Mavs got a dangerous Grizzlies team, and the Spurs got a dangerous Kings team. The Mavs simply made plays, and closed them out easily. The Spurs did not make plays, and therefore had a tougher series. Obviously, the Mavericks were the better team. They took care of business in the round before, like they should have, then took care of business against the Spurs. the difference this year is... the Mavs have clearly improved their team. The Spurs have not. and now the Mavs dont have the mental block against the spurs, like they had in the past. if they meet the spurs in the playoffs again, i see the Mavs winning in 5.

[tlongII]

Blazers

[MosesGuthrie]

IMO the teams to beat in the West are SA and Dallas and in the East Miami and Detroit.

I am pulling for the Spurs and to dismiss them would be ignorant, to dismiss the other teams would be equally ignorant.

I think those four teams will get 60 wins and fight it out for the title.

[theroc5]

The Mavs got a dangerous Grizzlies team, and the Spurs got a dangerous Kings team. The Mavs simply made plays, and closed them out easily. The Spurs did not make plays, and therefore had a tougher series. Obviously, the Mavericks were the better team. They took care of business in the round before, like they should have, then took care of business against the Spurs. the difference this year is... the Mavs have clearly improved their team. The Spurs have not. and now the Mavs dont have the mental block against the spurs, like they had in the past. if they meet the spurs in the playoffs again, i see the Mavs winning in 5.
talk about homer :drunk

[MosesGuthrie]

the Mavs have clearly improved their team. The Spurs have not. and now the Mavs dont have the mental block against the spurs, like they had in the past.

I don't agree the Spurs have not improved because IMO they have. I do think the mental block is way gone and the Mavs have improved. Its still no guarantee of victory by either team.

[stretch]

talk about homer :drunk
thats the facts. that has nothing to be with a homer.

[theroc5]

thats the facts. that has nothing to be with a homer.
mavs in 5? psshhh

[Louis]

I'm a Rockets fan but I think the Mavs will make their second appearence in the Finals and win...funny how all the homers voted for the Spurs, a team that will not even make it out of the second round again regardless of who they play.

[stretch]

mavs in 5? psshhh
well, that part is my opinion. but the rest of it, is fact. the Mavericks were the better team.

[Obstructed_View]

The Mavs got a dangerous Grizzlies team...
And *poof* goes your credibility.

[mavsfan1000]

The Mavs squeaked past a Spurs team whose coach completely fucked up the the rotation and the team philosophy, benching both of his starting centers for five straight games. The Mavericks can hope that Pop does something so stupid a second time; I'm still having trouble believing he did it the first time. It's the only chance they have of ever beating the Spurs again.
Centers can't guard Dirk. The sooner you realize this the better. You have to play Duncan at center against the mavs and the spurs don't have a worthy power forward to guard Dirk still.

[Obstructed_View]

Centers can't guard Dirk. The sooner you realize this the better. You have to play Duncan at center against the mavs and the spurs don't have a worthy power forward to guard Dirk still.
Has nothing to do with guarding Dirk, which isn't as difficult as some of you make it out to be. It has to do with blocking shots and clogging up the paint, which would have kept Horry at the three point line and kept everybody out of foul trouble.

[themvp]

Spurs if stay healthy.

[JamStone]

I'm going to be unbiased and say the Dallas Mavericks. I think the way AJ has changed the way that team has played has been key. The further development of Devin Harris will make their second unit even stronger. I think Devean George was a great pick-up because he can play the 4-spot in small ball situations.

I think the Mavs probably have the best chance, albeit not an overwhelming favorite, at the title this upcoming season. They have depth, coaching, solid starting five, probably the best bench in the league, much improved defense, and can play both big and small.


Of course, the fan in me says the Pistons are still good enough to have a shot at the championship.

[Emily Rose]

The Mavs got a dangerous Grizzlies team, and the Spurs got a dangerous Kings team. The Mavs simply made plays, and closed them out easily. The Spurs did not make plays, and therefore had a tougher series. Obviously, the Mavericks were the better team. They took care of business in the round before, like they should have, then took care of business against the Spurs. the difference this year is... the Mavs have clearly improved their team. The Spurs have not. and now the Mavs dont have the mental block against the spurs, like they had in the past. if they meet the spurs in the playoffs again, i see the Mavs winning in 5.

:drunk :drunk :drunk :lmao :lmao :lmao It is such a shame the season cant get here soon enough. Who knows what could happen. Last year many saw the Pistons winning 70 games and taking the title back yet they didnt even force a game 7 against the Heat. Then many thought the Mavs would either sweep Miami or beat them in 5-6 games yet that didnt happen. Be confident in the Mavs. They are your team so you should be but to say they will win over the spurs in 5 games easily is just flat out arrogant. Whether or not this team is good enough to win it all, it will take a tough brutal 6-7 game series to eliminate the spurs and it will be anything but easy.

[David Stern]

The Heat will repeat but Cavs/Suns will be in the mix of things. The best fans in the NBA along with Big Daddy and Flash coming soon!! :elephant :elephant
The Mavs/Cuban want nothing to do with us! :angel

[LilMissSPURfect]

spurs without conspiracies! :flag: :flag: :flag:

[Supergirl]

The Mavs got a dangerous Grizzlies team, and the Spurs got a dangerous Kings team. The Mavs simply made plays, and closed them out easily. The Spurs did not make plays, and therefore had a tougher series. Obviously, the Mavericks were the better team. They took care of business in the round before, like they should have, then took care of business against the Spurs. the difference this year is... the Mavs have clearly improved their team. The Spurs have not. and now the Mavs dont have the mental block against the spurs, like they had in the past. if they meet the spurs in the playoffs again, i see the Mavs winning in 5.

The Spurs and the Mavs will almost certainly meet again, and it will probably be as close a series as it was - and it was as close as any series can be. Come on - had Manu not fouled on the final play, the Mavs wouldn't have even made it to the Finals. It came down to LITERALLY one little misstep, one little miscalculation. These teams are very evenly matched, as they are again this year. Neither team lost a single player who contributed to their success in the playoffs last year, and both teams have made some positive additions. No reason to think they won't both be back in the West Finals next year.

[mavsfan1000]

Western wear
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
September 28, 2006

More Kerr – Eastern Conference preseason rankings

The Mavericks are the defending Western Conference champions, and they have to feel good about finally dethroning their nemesis – San Antonio.

But after blowing a 2-0 Finals lead – and a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead over Miami in Game 3 – the Mavs have plenty to ponder as they enter this season. Did they blow their best chance at a ring? Because making it back to the Finals isn't going to be easy.

The Spurs will be as strong as ever, the Suns and Clippers are poised for a breakthrough, and a host of talented teams throughout the West figure to give Dallas all it can handle in the regular season. In fact, it's easy to make the case that 14 of the conference's 15 teams are good enough to make the playoffs. (Sorry Portland.)

With that in mind, the Mavericks may suffer from an early season hangover as they take on their daunting task. Still, Dallas won the West a year ago with a terrific playoff run and beat the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. That alone earns the Mavs the No. 1 spot.

ADVERTISEMENT
1. Dallas Mavericks – Avery Johnson instilled a defensive mindset that his team desperately needed. The Mavs' depth and versatility and the brilliant play of Dirk Nowitzki gives them a great chance to get back to the Finals.

2. San Antonio Spurs – Tim Duncan should be much healthier than last season when he struggled with a foot injury. The Spurs usually bounce back strongly from playoff defeats, and this year should be no exception.

3. Phoenix Suns – Can Amare Stoudemire return to his once-dominant self? If not, Steve Nash will have a big load on his shoulders. Again.

4. Los Angeles Clippers – Elton Brand became a full-fledged star last season. He headlines one of the most talented teams in the league.

5. Los Angeles Lakers – Does Kobe Bryant have enough help? Vladimir Radmanovic will shoot the ball well, but he needs to rebound to help solve L.A.'s interior woes.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Randy Foye and Mike James will add some much needed fire to the Wolves. They could be just what Kevin Garnett needs to help turn around this team's fortunes.

7. Sacramento Kings – Eric Musselman replaces Rick Adelman, and he'll place more emphasis on defense. The Kings will have to replace Bonzi Wells' offense, though.

8. Houston Rockets – Will the Big Two stay healthy? Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have more help, but it always comes down to their physical status.

9. New Orleans Hornets – An offseason spending spree has Hornets fans buzzing (sorry). Chris Paul will lead an explosive attack.

10. Utah Jazz – The Jazz are slowly building a nice foundation, but Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko must stay healthy.

11. Denver Nuggets – This team was a mess by the end of last season, and George Karl has some issues to deal with. But Carmelo Anthony's performance for Team USA at the world championships bodes well for the Nuggets.

12. Memphis Grizzlies – Pau Gasol's injury changes everything because the Grizzlies run everything through him. They'll have to survive the first few months of the season without him, but by then, it could be too late.

13. Golden State Warriors – Don Nelson is back and Bay Area fans are pumped. But Nellie will have to work some magic because the Warriors' roster hasn't changed from last season's 34-win team.

14. Seattle SuperSonics – The real question isn't whether the Sonics will make the playoffs. It's whether they'll stay in Seattle.

15. Portland Trail Blazers – Brandon Roy is a nice-looking rookie, but he's joining the worst team in the West. The Blazers are still in the dreaded "rebuilding" mode.

Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send Steve a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.





some early poll results:

Question: Of Kerr's top 3, who is the West's best?
Thanks for voting! 1780 votes since Sep 27 2006
Mavs 40% 712 votes
Spurs 30% 542 votes
Suns 30% 526 votes

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aj1e6V25qrxItEFyDq_vXmC8vLYF?slug=sk-westrankings092806&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Bruno]

Spurs or Suns, it will depend on who will face who in the playoffs.

[dirk4mvp]

Suns or Mavericks.

[stretch]

:drunk :drunk :drunk :lmao :lmao :lmao It is such a shame the season cant get here soon enough. Who knows what could happen. Last year many saw the Pistons winning 70 games and taking the title back yet they didnt even force a game 7 against the Heat. Then many thought the Mavs would either sweep Miami or beat them in 5-6 games yet that didnt happen. Be confident in the Mavs. They are your team so you should be but to say they will win over the spurs in 5 games easily is just flat out arrogant. Whether or not this team is good enough to win it all, it will take a tough brutal 6-7 game series to eliminate the spurs and it will be anything but easy.
The Mavericks won in 7, and very possibly could have won much earlier than that. Now, the Mavs have much more playoff experience, which is something they lacked, and have gotten over the hump of beating the spurs. Avery is already showing that hes a very very good coach, and will only improve after this experience. they have also clearly improved the team through FA. The spurs have not improved their team in any ways. they got a couple centers that havent really done much in the NBA, and no one other than stupid homer spurs fans expect them to be much better than Rasho and Nazr. then they already have an old team, that is only getting older. the only young talent they have is Parker, but his improvement alone isnt going to be enough to match the improvement of Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Dirk, and Diop.

i have nothing but respect for the actual spurs organization. they have been great, and have kept this team at the top of the league for years, and constantly ahead of the Mavericks. however, all good things come to an end, and yall need to accept that the spurs dominance is ending. they have had an incredible run, and won 3 titles while doing so. but this has happened to all great teams in all sports, and in the NBA, its the spurs turn next.

[stretch]

The Spurs and the Mavs will almost certainly meet again, and it will probably be as close a series as it was - and it was as close as any series can be. Come on - had Manu not fouled on the final play, the Mavs wouldn't have even made it to the Finals. It came down to LITERALLY one little misstep, one little miscalculation. These teams are very evenly matched, as they are again this year. Neither team lost a single player who contributed to their success in the playoffs last year, and both teams have made some positive additions. No reason to think they won't both be back in the West Finals next year.
Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner. either way, im not going to get into detail any more about the officiating since spurs fans refuse to think that the spurs EVER get away with any calls, and that the mavs get away with more calls than any team in the history of the NBA. ill just say this... there were bad calls both ways, for and against both teams. but it came down to execution, and the mavs executed better than the spurs did.

you have got to be nuts to say the spurs seriously made some positive additions. Elson and Butler MAYBE an improvement over Rasho and Nazr, but not very significant. however, Greg Buckner, Deaven George, Austin Croshere, Maurice Ager, and Anthony Johnson are CLEARLY an upgrade over Marquis Daniels, Adrian Griffin, and Darrell Armstrong. to add to it, the mavs still have growing youthful talent, in Harris, Howard, Dirk, and Diop. and so far, reports have been very good on Maurice Ager, and he could make some nice contributions this year as well. also the mavericks are now playoff tested, have had a few years under avery's system and have had time to gel, and have a much larger hunger to win than the Spurs.

[cornbread]

Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner. either way, im not going to get into detail any more about the officiating since spurs fans refuse to think that the spurs EVER get away with any calls, and that the mavs get away with more calls than any team in the history of the NBA. ill just say this... there were bad calls both ways, for and against both teams. but it came down to execution, and the mavs executed better than the spurs did.

you have got to be nuts to say the spurs seriously made some positive additions. Elson and Butler MAYBE an improvement over Rasho and Nazr, but not very significant. however, Greg Buckner, Deaven George, Austin Croshere, Maurice Ager, and Anthony Johnson are CLEARLY an upgrade over Marquis Daniels, Adrian Griffin, and Darrell Armstrong. to add to it, the mavs still have growing youthful talent, in Harris, Howard, Dirk, and Diop. and so far, reports have been very good on Maurice Ager, and he could make some nice contributions this year as well. also the mavericks are now playoff tested, have had a few years under avery's system and have had time to gel, and have a much larger hunger to win than the Spurs.

I love it how he says the bad calls went both ways but still has to whine about one that went against the Mavs. Just had to squeeze that one in there, right? Would you care to share anymore examples of how the refs kept the Mavs from closing out the series sooner?

I will always look back and enjoy the calls that went in Wade's favor in the Finals. Irony at its best.

[Rynospursfan]

I voted for the Heat because I think they have the easiest road back to the finals. The Spurs, Mavs and Suns will have to duke it out in the west. Also one addition the Spurs made that should not be overlooked is Matt Bonner. I believe he will add another dimention to this already dangerous Spurs team.

BTW, I think the Clippers, Cavs, Nets and especially the Rockets have no business being in the poll.

[dknights411]

BTW, I think the Clippers, Cavs, Nets and especially the Rockets have no business being in the poll.

Clips and Cavs, maybe.
Rockets, ehhh.
Nets? :lmao

[stretch]

I love it how he says the bad calls went both ways but still has to whine about one that went against the Mavs. Just had to squeeze that one in there, right? Would you care to share anymore examples of how the refs kept the Mavs from closing out the series sooner?

I will always look back and enjoy the calls that went in Wade's favor in the Finals. Irony at its best.
well, i agree that the one where dirk stepped on duncans foot was pretty bad as well, although that was a little more excusable, because there were several players around, and there still was some contact. the one where Parker grabbed his jersey is pretty obvious and blatant.

would you care to explain why the spurs lost to the mavericks? without using an excuse as pathetic as officiating?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

if they cannot win it all this year, then I think they may be the most disappointing team in the NBA.
i felt last year was probably their best shot they had. this year there's too many good teams. i'm not doubting my spurs, but it's too soon to tell. anyway, you mavs fans can start donning your blue and green and start saying go mavs in april once the coast is clear. if it clears up for ya'll. VIVA LAS ESPUELAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Emily Rose]

The Mavericks won in 7, and very possibly could have won much earlier than that. Now, the Mavs have much more playoff experience, which is something they lacked, and have gotten over the hump of beating the spurs. Avery is already showing that hes a very very good coach, and will only improve after this experience. they have also clearly improved the team through FA. The spurs have not improved their team in any ways. they got a couple centers that havent really done much in the NBA, and no one other than stupid homer spurs fans expect them to be much better than Rasho and Nazr. then they already have an old team, that is only getting older. the only young talent they have is Parker, but his improvement alone isnt going to be enough to match the improvement of Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Dirk, and Diop.

i have nothing but respect for the actual spurs organization. they have been great, and have kept this team at the top of the league for years, and constantly ahead of the Mavericks. however, all good things come to an end, and yall need to accept that the spurs dominance is ending. they have had an incredible run, and won 3 titles while doing so. but this has happened to all great teams in all sports, and in the NBA, its the spurs turn next.


Oh shut the fuck up you prick of a mavericks fan. My goodness you didnt even win the fucking championship and you sit here running your mouth off like their the defending champs or something. You wanna throw the "should of ended alot sooner" bullshit around...IF Dirk didnt get away with that bullshit call in game 4 you can pretty much say the same exact thing . Bullshit that you have respect for the spurs organization cuz if you did you wouldnt say retarded statements like "the spurs are an easy 5 game series now". I guess the only young guy Miami had was Wade and he kicked your teams ass all over the place pretty much by himself. :rolleyes :rolleyes We have 4-5 years of seriously contending for a ring yet your dumbass thinks the entire team is old outside of Parker.

[SpurForLife]

Oh shut the fuck up you prick of a mavericks fan. My goodness you didnt even win the fucking championship and you sit here running your mouth off like their the defending champs or something. You wanna throw the "should of ended alot sooner" bullshit around...IF Dirk didnt get away with that bullshit call in game 4 you can pretty much say the same exact thing . Bullshit that you have respect for the spurs organization cuz if you did you wouldnt say retarded statements like "the spurs are an easy 5 game series now". I guess the only young guy Miami had was Wade and he kicked your teams ass all over the place pretty much by himself. :rolleyes :rolleyes We have 4-5 years of seriously contending for a ring yet your dumbass thinks the entire team is old outside of Parker.


:clap

[Obstructed_View]

would you care to explain why the spurs lost to the mavericks? without using an excuse as pathetic as officiating?
Small Ball. Won't ever happen again. Enjoy your one Finals embarassment, because your team is never getting back there again.

It is interesting that Mavs fans cry about the officiating in the Finals at every turn but won't tolerate the Spurs fans daring to breathe a word about the calls the Mavericks might have gotten.

[Obstructed_View]

Proof that Louis is a Mavericks fan: Zero votes for the Rockets.

[George Gervin's Afro]

Has everyone heard the Mavs are younger and deeper this year?

:rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes :rolleyes

[cornbread]

well, i agree that the one where dirk stepped on duncans foot was pretty bad as well, although that was a little more excusable, because there were several players around, and there still was some contact. the one where Parker grabbed his jersey is pretty obvious and blatant.

would you care to explain why the spurs lost to the mavericks? without using an excuse as pathetic as officiating?

You agree with me about Dirk stepping on Duncan's foot? I don't remember mentioning that in the first place.

Look, I didn't say the Spurs lost because of officiating so don't put words in my mouth. The officiating was some of the worst I've ever seen but it went both ways. I didn't say it decided the series. The Spurs had their chances to finish the series and didn't. The Mavs had their chances and did. That's how the Spurs lost.

You refer to me making "pathetic excuses" right after you complain about some no call on Parker, for the second time?! You might want to save a little bit of that whining for the season. Oh, and thank you for the ironic and hypocritical moment. It made me laugh.

[RC's Boss]

Centers can't guard Dirk. The sooner you realize this the better. You have to play Duncan at center against the mavs and the spurs don't have a worthy power forward to guard Dirk still.
Uhhh, if you check Tim's stats you would see no one was able to contain him either. That's why they're called SUPERSTARS! Speech should come from your mouth, not your ass.... ASS :smokin

[slayermin]

Not that I'm a violent person but it wouldn't suck if TD decided to give Nowitzness a fat lip.

[stretch]

Oh shut the fuck up you prick of a mavericks fan. My goodness you didnt even win the fucking championship and you sit here running your mouth off like their the defending champs or something. You wanna throw the "should of ended alot sooner" bullshit around...IF Dirk didnt get away with that bullshit call in game 4 you can pretty much say the same exact thing . Bullshit that you have respect for the spurs organization cuz if you did you wouldnt say retarded statements like "the spurs are an easy 5 game series now". I guess the only young guy Miami had was Wade and he kicked your teams ass all over the place pretty much by himself. :rolleyes :rolleyes We have 4-5 years of seriously contending for a ring yet your dumbass thinks the entire team is old outside of Parker.
blow it out your ass. dont waste my time with your brainless nonsense. talk like a normal human being, and actually read what i type, then we can debate.

[stretch]

Small Ball. Won't ever happen again. Enjoy your one Finals embarassment, because your team is never getting back there again.

It is interesting that Mavs fans cry about the officiating in the Finals at every turn but won't tolerate the Spurs fans daring to breathe a word about the calls the Mavericks might have gotten.
actually, i havent cried about the finals officiating once. i never even mentioned it. the fact is, the mavs didnt make the plays they needed to put away the Heat, and thats ultimately what cost them the series, not the officiating. ive said that at least 10 times on this forum. some mavs fans do cry about the officiating, but im not one of them.

[stretch]

You agree with me about Dirk stepping on Duncan's foot? I don't remember mentioning that in the first place.

Look, I didn't say the Spurs lost because of officiating so don't put words in my mouth. The officiating was some of the worst I've ever seen but it went both ways. I didn't say it decided the series. The Spurs had their chances to finish the series and didn't. The Mavs had their chances and did. That's how the Spurs lost.

You refer to me making "pathetic excuses" right after you complain about some no call on Parker, for the second time?! You might want to save a little bit of that whining for the season. Oh, and thank you for the ironic and hypocritical moment. It made me laugh.
actually, if you read what i said, i never said i agree with you. i just said i agree that the officiating was poor, especially on that particular call, which i simply used as an example, since so many people on this forum are so familiar with it.

and again, i never said you said anything about the spurs losing by officiating. i simply asked to explain why they lost, but not to use poor officiating as an excuse. that is not putting words in your mouth whatsoever.

if spurs fans want to make the shitty excuse about Duncan's foot fouling Dirk, then i can use the excuse about Parker grabbing Dirk. the fact is, officiating was poor both ways at different times, but it wasnt one sided the way so many spurs fans want to see it. the fact is, like you said, the spurs had their chances to win, and the mavs had their chances as well. the mavs took advantage of those opportunities, and the spurs did not, and they lost.

i never ONCE have blamed anything on the officials for Mavericks losses, because officiating is not an excuse. was officiating poor in the Mavs-Spurs series? absolutely. was officiating poor in the Mavs-Heat series? anyone that knows a damn about basketball knows it was. all you have to do is watch a game from the World Championships, and you can see that. however, was officiating the reason that the Spurs lost their series, and the Mavs lost theirs? not one bit.

[Emily Rose]

blow it out your ass. dont waste my time with your brainless nonsense. talk like a normal human being, and actually read what i type, then we can debate.

:lol You just contradicted yourself you idiot. You sit here and say "Spurs are an easy 5 game series" which in reality shows stupidity and arrogance on your part then saying that I use "brainless nonsense". You are also a dumbass if you say we are done contending for a title. I guess the same should be said for the Mavs who lost the Finals in the worst possible way by CHOKING! Who knows if they will even recover from that. This is a SPURS message board so if you dont like our "stupid homer" opinions then get the fuck out of here and dont post.

[mavs>spurs2]

:lol You just contradicted yourself you idiot. You sit here and say "Spurs are an easy 5 game series" which in reality shows stupidity and arrogance on your part then saying that I use "brainless nonsense". You are also a dumbass if you say we are done contending for a title. I guess the same should be said for the Mavs who lost the Finals in the worst possible way by CHOKING! Who knows if they will even recover from that. This is a SPURS message board so if you dont like our "stupid homer" opinions then get the fuck out of here and dont post.

Mavericks CHOKED? OMG this is news to me where did you hear this shit?

[ScoobyDoo]

da bulls.

[iceman44]

The Spurs barring injuries. I question Dallas will repeat as conference champions.

[AFBlue]

Dallas is deeper, but being deeper doesn't make you better. You can only put 5 on the floor, 12 in uniform, and most of the time you play 7-10...so that's not an advantage. Still, they're top 3.

My other two are the Spurs, with TD healthy they're a given top 3 nominee, and the Heat. I just skimmed over the responses, but I didn't see the Heat get mentioned once. Are people down on the defending champs? They seemed pretty convincingly good taking care of the Mavs in 4 straight.

Just outside the top three are the Suns and Pistons. I write off the Suns as a gimmick team until they prove me otherwise...not saying they wont. And the Pistons losing Big Ben was huge, but their replacement isn't horrible.

I honestly think it'll be tight, which is great, but affiliation puts me over the top...Spurs '07 Champs.

[cornbread]

[QUOTE=stretch]

i never ONCE have blamed anything on the officials for Mavericks losses, because officiating is not an excuse.

Quote Stretch, "Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner."

:lol

[stretch]

:lol You just contradicted yourself you idiot. You sit here and say "Spurs are an easy 5 game series" which in reality shows stupidity and arrogance on your part then saying that I use "brainless nonsense". You are also a dumbass if you say we are done contending for a title. I guess the same should be said for the Mavs who lost the Finals in the worst possible way by CHOKING! Who knows if they will even recover from that. This is a SPURS message board so if you dont like our "stupid homer" opinions then get the fuck out of here and dont post.
i never said the Spurs are an easy 5 game series. i think it will be a very tough 5 game series, but the Mavericks have more playmakers, and are younger and have more stamina, and will close the series in 5. i never said the Spurs are done contending for a title either. i think their window to win a title has pretty much shut, because they are getting old, and lack talent compared to teams like the Mavericks and Suns, but they are still a title contending team. They have Tim Duncan, and thats all a team needs to be a title contender. but being a title contender doesnt win you a title.

now, do you still care to misquote me and twist my words further than you already have, and prove yourself to be even more ignorant than you have already shown?

[stretch]

[QUOTE=stretch]

i never ONCE have blamed anything on the officials for Mavericks losses, because officiating is not an excuse.

Quote Stretch, "Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner."

:lol

way to take it out of context, dumbshit. go play in traffic.

[cornbread]

way to take it out of context, dumbshit. go play in traffic.

You can't really consider it "taken out of context" when it's from the same thread and dealing with the same subject.

I have to laugh when people on these boards say things like, "go play in traffic." Did you pick that one up from the mean kid on the playground? It's probably easier to just admit you were wrong.

[stretch]

You can't really consider it "taken out of context" when it's from the same thread and dealing with the same subject.

I have to laugh when people on these boards say things like, "go play in traffic." Did you pick that one up from the mean kid on the playground? It's probably easier to just admit you were wrong.

your ongoing ignorance amazes me. your unsurpassed stupidity is a disgrace to all stupid people.

[jn77]

Stretch,

I will conceed that the Spurs and mavs had bad officiating. We had it go against us in The Mavs Series, I think you guys got hosed in the finals. Worst officiated playoffs I ave ever seen. Good that is out of the way! The Mavs and Spurs both had chances to close out and the Mavs capitalized. Your team should be commended, they played a hell of a series and came out on top. the one thing you can't deny is that the Spurs also played a hell of a series and came up short. To say the Spurs window for a title run has shut may be jumping the gun a little. We needed Some improvement inside and we got it. What you are forgetting is that the Spurs didn't need a major overhaul, just a little work. Don't expect to see small ball this season from the Spurs. The Mavs do have a few Playmakers, but the only clutch players you have are Dirk and ocassionaly Stackhouse. To think a Spurs/Mavs rematch would go less than six games is Homerism. I am hoping for another Seven Game Series. where because of my association I will have to say Spurs in Seven, in the last two minutes!

[cornbread]

your ongoing ignorance amazes me. your unsurpassed stupidity is a disgrace to all stupid people.

Hey man, I'm didn't mean to make you feel disgraced. It is pretty impressive that you speak for all stupid people though. Every group needs a leader.

[ambchang]

Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner. either way, im not going to get into detail any more about the officiating since spurs fans refuse to think that the spurs EVER get away with any calls, and that the mavs get away with more calls than any team in the history of the NBA. ill just say this... there were bad calls both ways, for and against both teams. but it came down to execution, and the mavs executed better than the spurs did.

Come on man! Don't blame the refs. To be honest I still can't get over the call on Bowen at the end of Game 4, and to me, a phantom call is much more difficult to swallow than a non-call. It is also easy for Spurs fan to point to the imbalance in calls, when Dirk Nowitzki, a largely perimeter player, broke the record for free throws. Don't get me wrong, I do agree with you that there were bad calls both ways, and that the Mavs won the series based on aggressive play and better execution, not refs.


you have got to be nuts to say the spurs seriously made some positive additions. Elson and Butler MAYBE an improvement over Rasho and Nazr, but not very significant. however, Greg Buckner, Deaven George, Austin Croshere, Maurice Ager, and Anthony Johnson are CLEARLY an upgrade over Marquis Daniels, Adrian Griffin, and Darrell Armstrong. to add to it, the mavs still have growing youthful talent, in Harris, Howard, Dirk, and Diop. and so far, reports have been very good on Maurice Ager, and he could make some nice contributions this year as well. also the mavericks are now playoff tested, have had a few years under avery's system and have had time to gel, and have a much larger hunger to win than the Spurs.

Elson and Butler are not improvements over Rasho and Nazr, I will have to concede, but I will take Marquis Daniels and Darrell Armstrong over ANY of your new additions. Deaven George and Austin Croshere got bloated contracts, Anthony Johnson is slower than a tortoise on a snail, Buckner is good defensively, but Daniels is better all around, I don't know anything about Maurice Ager.
The improvement of Harris, Howard could happen, but it's not a given. Howard has improved slightly over the last two seasons, Devin Harris improved statistically based on more minutes, and Diop has not improved at all in 5 years, I don't know where that came from. Dirk is already pretty damned good, so I am not sure what kind of improvements you are looking for.
I am not saying that the Mavs will not win it, but I will say that it is a stretch to dismiss the Spurs and saying that the Mavs can win in 5 games (that's saying they will win 4 out of 5 games, or 80% of the games in a playoff series). To put that in perspective, out of the 15 series last year, only 4 of them ended in 5 games or less. Do you actually feel that the 2007 Mavs is better than the 2007 Spurs by as much as:
Heat over the Nets
Pistons over the Bucks
Clippers over a chaotic Nuggets
Mavs over the Grizzles in last year's playoffs? Come to think of this, 3 of the 4 series were 1st round series, which indicates quite a large gap in talent.
To answer the original questions, it will be either the Spurs or the Mavs, with me choosing the Spurs of course, because the Spurs didn't play with a full bill of health last year, and still stretched the Mavs to 7 games, and contrary to your opinion, I actually thought the two teams stayed relatively unchanged over the post season.

[milkyway21]

i think the Spurs will have a great year to win another title this yr.

I don't usually vote for the East but my crystal ball says if the Spurs can't make it on finals the dark horse will be the best defensive team in the league today-Chicago Bulls(Nocioni, Ben Wallace, PJ Brown :wow), not because Wade is not good enough to lead his team to repeat but ShaQ is now a yr older and Z is not good enough to back LeBron to win a title.

who really won titles in the last 8 yrs? besides Tim & Shaq, Detroit was only survivor.

1999-Duncan
2000-ShaQ
2001-ShaQ
2002-ShaQ
2003-Duncan

2004-Detroit

2005-Duncan
2006-ShaQ

2007-? :angel

[stretch]

Stretch,

I will conceed that the Spurs and mavs had bad officiating. We had it go against us in The Mavs Series, I think you guys got hosed in the finals. Worst officiated playoffs I ave ever seen. Good that is out of the way! The Mavs and Spurs both had chances to close out and the Mavs capitalized. Your team should be commended, they played a hell of a series and came out on top. the one thing you can't deny is that the Spurs also played a hell of a series and came up short. To say the Spurs window for a title run has shut may be jumping the gun a little. We needed Some improvement inside and we got it. What you are forgetting is that the Spurs didn't need a major overhaul, just a little work. Don't expect to see small ball this season from the Spurs. The Mavs do have a few Playmakers, but the only clutch players you have are Dirk and ocassionaly Stackhouse. To think a Spurs/Mavs rematch would go less than six games is Homerism. I am hoping for another Seven Game Series. where because of my association I will have to say Spurs in Seven, in the last two minutes!

i agree that the Spurs played a hell of a series. but IMO, they are getting old, and losing talent, while other teams, such as the mavericks, are maturing and gaining talent. thats why i think their window is closing, and perhaps has already closed. and to say that the only clutch players are Dirk and occasionally stack is nuts. ever heard of a guy named Jason Terry?

IMO, the Mavs will have much more going their way the next time they meet. they finally are playoff tested and know what it takes to win a series, especially against a tough team like the spurs. they have more maturity and development in their young players. they have improved in areas that they lacked (shooting, defense, veteran leadership). they also now have another year to gel, and get used to Avery's system.

what did the spurs gain since last season? they did not improve in much in any way. the C position is still lacking majorly. their depth at PG is also a concern. and their bench has several old guys past their prime. the team is still a very poor FT shooting team. im sorry, but i cannot see this team getting much better than they are, and as good as they are, they showed they are not invincible, and have weaknesses, like any other team does.

however, i do appreciate your respect shown in your post, as opposed to some of these other twats that dont know what the hell they are talking about.

[stretch]

Come on man! Don't blame the refs. To be honest I still can't get over the call on Bowen at the end of Game 4, and to me, a phantom call is much more difficult to swallow than a non-call. It is also easy for Spurs fan to point to the imbalance in calls, when Dirk Nowitzki, a largely perimeter player, broke the record for free throws. Don't get me wrong, I do agree with you that there were bad calls both ways, and that the Mavs won the series based on aggressive play and better execution, not refs.



Elson and Butler are not improvements over Rasho and Nazr, I will have to concede, but I will take Marquis Daniels and Darrell Armstrong over ANY of your new additions. Deaven George and Austin Croshere got bloated contracts, Anthony Johnson is slower than a tortoise on a snail, Buckner is good defensively, but Daniels is better all around, I don't know anything about Maurice Ager.
The improvement of Harris, Howard could happen, but it's not a given. Howard has improved slightly over the last two seasons, Devin Harris improved statistically based on more minutes, and Diop has not improved at all in 5 years, I don't know where that came from. Dirk is already pretty damned good, so I am not sure what kind of improvements you are looking for.
I am not saying that the Mavs will not win it, but I will say that it is a stretch to dismiss the Spurs and saying that the Mavs can win in 5 games (that's saying they will win 4 out of 5 games, or 80% of the games in a playoff series). To put that in perspective, out of the 15 series last year, only 4 of them ended in 5 games or less. Do you actually feel that the 2007 Mavs is better than the 2007 Spurs by as much as:
Heat over the Nets
Pistons over the Bucks
Clippers over a chaotic Nuggets
Mavs over the Grizzles in last year's playoffs? Come to think of this, 3 of the 4 series were 1st round series, which indicates quite a large gap in talent.
To answer the original questions, it will be either the Spurs or the Mavs, with me choosing the Spurs of course, because the Spurs didn't play with a full bill of health last year, and still stretched the Mavs to 7 games, and contrary to your opinion, I actually thought the two teams stayed relatively unchanged over the post season.

if you read my other posts, i was not blaming the refs at all. that was an example of a lame excuse i could have easily used, just the way the other spurs fan used a lame excuse for why the mavs beat the spurs. however, i dont believe in blaming officiating one bit though.

and while Daniels and Armstrong may be better players than some of our new additions, they didnt fit into our system. we needed defense, toughness, perimiter shooting, and mature, controlled play. those guys give us just that. Daniels is very talented, and i hate that we lost him, but he did not fit into our system much. he made too many dumb mistakes, blew defensive assignments, and couldnt shoot.

and dont make health as an excuse. the mavs werent perfectly healthy either. Stack, Harris, Howard, had all just got back from injury. Dirk i believe also got hurt in the series as well. dont use injuries as an excuse. if the player doesnt miss the game, injuries cannot be an excuse.

[jn77]

I agree that the Spurs did not Improve much, but they didn't really need to. The depth at point guard is a concern, but I think Beno will improve more with more minutes. Van Exel was a bust last year and Beno sat on the bench way too much, look for him improve this season. Robert Horry has a season left in him, Bruce Bowen is still one of the top defenders in the leauge, and Brent Barry has some juice left, be it not alot. The spurs have lots of Playoff experiance. They are finals tested, and proven. The Mavs showed inexperiance in the finals. They collapsed. It was not what I expected, I thought they had a chance to take Miami. give em another play off run to get some Big Game experiance. One big game dosen't win a championship Four do. The Mavs weren't ready for the pressure of the finals. That is their youth showing. They are maturing and will be a force to be reckoned with, but If it comes down to San Antonio/ Dallas for the conferance Championship, I will go with experiance everytime.

I too appreciate your respect durring your reply. I wanna talk basketball, not take part in complete homerism. I love the rivalry and the passion it brings out, but cussing someone out because they have a different opinion, is just stupid. :madrun

[mavs>spurs2]

I think you should all go kill yourselves for still obsessing on something that has been over with for a while and still finding ways to argue and bring old shit back up. New season is about to start up then you can talk all the trash you want.

[RC's Boss]

i agree that the Spurs played a hell of a series. but IMO, they are getting old, and losing talent, while other teams, such as the mavericks, are maturing and gaining talent. thats why i think their window is closing, and perhaps has already closed. and to say that the only clutch players are Dirk and occasionally stack is nuts. ever heard of a guy named Jason Terry?

IMO, the Mavs will have much more going their way the next time they meet. they finally are playoff tested and know what it takes to win a series, especially against a tough team like the spurs. they have more maturity and development in their young players. they have improved in areas that they lacked (shooting, defense, veteran leadership). they also now have another year to gel, and get used to Avery's system.

what did the spurs gain since last season? they did not improve in much in any way. the C position is still lacking majorly. their depth at PG is also a concern. and their bench has several old guys past their prime. the team is still a very poor FT shooting team. im sorry, but i cannot see this team getting much better than they are, and as good as they are, they showed they are not invincible, and have weaknesses, like any other team does.

however, i do appreciate your respect shown in your post, as opposed to some of these other twats that dont know what the hell they are talking about.
Our center position is lacking majorly???? :rolleyes I guess Wilt Chamberlin plays center for the Mavs considering the amount you pay for yours (oh forgot he's a backup now)! Yeah, Croshere and George are like 23 years old?!?!?!

[stretch]

I agree that the Spurs did not Improve much, but they didn't really need to. The depth at point guard is a concern, but I think Beno will improve more with more minutes. Van Exel was a bust last year and Beno sat on the bench way too much, look for him improve this season. Robert Horry has a season left in him, Bruce Bowen is still one of the top defenders in the leauge, and Brent Barry has some juice left, be it not alot. The spurs have lots of Playoff experiance. They are finals tested, and proven. The Mavs showed inexperiance in the finals. They collapsed. It was not what I expected, I thought they had a chance to take Miami. give em another play off run to get some Big Game experiance. One big game dosen't win a championship Four do. The Mavs weren't ready for the pressure of the finals. That is their youth showing. They are maturing and will be a force to be reckoned with, but If it comes down to San Antonio/ Dallas for the conferance Championship, I will go with experiance everytime.

I too appreciate your respect durring your reply. I wanna talk basketball, not take part in complete homerism. I love the rivalry and the passion it brings out, but cussing someone out because they have a different opinion, is just stupid. :madrun
well, Dallas and San Antonio did meet, and the Mavericks had far less experience this past year... and they won. just food for thought.

[stretch]

Our center position is lacking majorly???? :rolleyes I guess Wilt Chamberlin plays center for the Mavs considering the amount you pay for yours (oh forgot he's a backup now)! Yeah, Croshere and George are like 23 years old?!?!?!
we arent talking about the Mavericks C position. however, id take Diop, Dampier, and Mbenga over Elson, Butler, and Oberto in a heartbeat. pretty much anyone that knows a thing about b-ball would too.

[mavs>spurs2]

we arent talking about the Mavericks C position. however, id take Diop, Dampier, and Mbenga over Elson, Butler, and Oberto in a heartbeat. pretty much anyone that knows a thing about b-ball would too.

Yea I agree but why are we still arguing about last year's shit again? Mavs are gonna wipe the floor with them this year, that's all that matters.

[NorCal510]

Homer Site

[THE SIXTH MAN]

I think you should all go kill yourselves for still obsessing on something that has been over with for a while and still finding ways to argue and bring old shit back up. New season is about to start up then you can talk all the trash you want.
:smokin Thats what Im talking about! Shit as much as last season sucked ass its time TO MOVE ON!

[jn77]

well, Dallas and San Antonio did meet, and the Mavericks had far less experience this past year... and they won. just food for thought.


Point taken, but now the spurs aren't only experianced, they have something to prove. They have to prove that they are still a championship caliber team. Look for the fire you didn't see in overtime of game seven to be there this season for the Spurs. I look forward to a great season series between the Mavs/Spurs and maybe another playoff match up.

[ambchang]

if you read my other posts, i was not blaming the refs at all. that was an example of a lame excuse i could have easily used, just the way the other spurs fan used a lame excuse for why the mavs beat the spurs. however, i dont believe in blaming officiating one bit though.

I did read your other posts in the thread, and it does sound like you were blaming the refs for extending the series. And it is just as lame for the Spurs fan to blame the loss on the refs, as you are blaming the series went longer because of a non-call. I don’t know how else you can explain your post #30. You directly came up with


Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner. either way, im not going to get into detail any more about the officiating since spurs fans refuse to think that the spurs EVER get away with any calls, and that the mavs get away with more calls than any team in the history of the NBA. ill just say this... there were bad calls both ways, for and against both teams. but it came down to execution, and the mavs executed better than the spurs did..

In direct response to:

The Spurs and the Mavs will almost certainly meet again, and it will probably be as close a series as it was - and it was as close as any series can be. Come on - had Manu not fouled on the final play, the Mavs wouldn't have even made it to the Finals. It came down to LITERALLY one little misstep, one little miscalculation. These teams are very evenly matched, as they are again this year. Neither team lost a single player who contributed to their success in the playoffs last year, and both teams have made some positive additions. No reason to think they won't both be back in the West Finals next year.


and while Daniels and Armstrong may be better players than some of our new additions, they didnt fit into our system. we needed defense, toughness, perimiter shooting, and mature, controlled play. those guys give us just that. Daniels is very talented, and i hate that we lost him, but he did not fit into our system much. he made too many dumb mistakes, blew defensive assignments, and couldnt shoot.
Again, this may be true, this may not be true, the new guys could fit the system, they could not fit the system. Brent Barry was supposed to fit the Spurs system well, look what happened, he didn’t!


and dont make health as an excuse. the mavs werent perfectly healthy either. Stack, Harris, Howard, had all just got back from injury. Dirk i believe also got hurt in the series as well. dont use injuries as an excuse. if the player doesnt miss the game, injuries cannot be an excuse.
It’s ironic about your continuous plea for others to read your posts carefully, while you haven’t demonstrated you have done the same for other people’s post.
I said the Spurs, despite being injured, still stretched the Mavs to 7 games, and I like their chances this year because they are healthy, I didn’t say they lost to the Mavs because of injuries. Those are two different things. I am not the one to predict how the series would have turned out if the Spurs were totally, or relatively healthy throughout the season, I believe there wouldn’t be too much of a difference. And even if the player misses a game, it cannot be used as an excuse, it’s part of the game.

Just to clarify, you DID directly say the following:

Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner.

Besides, I would still like to see how you could explain your 5 game prediction. Not that I am saying it’s not going to happen, because Detroit beat the Lakers in 5 games in 2004, Spurs beat the Suns in 5 games in 2005, none of those were expected, but it’s quite a bold statement to make this early in the season.

[stretch]

if you cant sense sarcasm, then dont respond to my posts. the guy said the spurs lost the series on one play. thats not true at all. the spurs lost the series because the mavericks won 4 games out of a 7 game series. they outplayed the spurs, plain and simple. you cant take back what was already done. whats done is done. the mavericks won. he shouldnt keep making stupid excuses for why the spurs lost. if i wanted to actually use a lame excuse, i could use the Parker grab. but the fact is, they did not lose that game because of a no-call. they lost because they didnt execute when they needed to.

and Brent Barry didnt fit into the system much because he was never a good fit to begin with. they needed a pure shooter. hes a solid shooter, but is too old, and far too inconsistent for what they needed.

so what if the spurs had injuries? my point is that the mavs did too. therefore, your whole injury arguement is completely pointless. maybe if the Mavs were healthy all season, they too could have done better. they could have won 65 games and gotten HCA over the spurs. who knows? the fact is, they didnt. injuries are part of the game. the best teams can battle through little injuries. but injuries cannot be used as an excuse in any way.

and yea, i did say that statement. but you obviously proved that you are too ignorant to understand simple sarcasm.

i already explained why i think they would win the series in 5. i never said they would dominate or anything. i think it will be 5 hard-fought games. but i think the mavericks have more playmakers, a better team, and will have HCA. they beat the spurs this past season when no one thought they could. now, they proved they can beat them, gained valuable playoff experience, a great hunger to prove that they can get back and win a title finally, and have improved their team in several ways, while the spurs have not improved their team. they have only gotten older.

[cornbread]

[QUOTE=ambchang]I did read your other posts in the thread, and it does sound like you were blaming the refs for extending the series. And it is just as lame for the Spurs fan to blame the loss on the refs, as you are blaming the series went longer because of a non-call. I don’t know how else you can explain your post #30. You directly came up with



[QUOTE=ambchang]It’s ironic about your continuous plea for others to read your posts carefully, while you haven’t demonstrated you have done the same for other people’s post.
I said the Spurs, despite being injured, still stretched the Mavs to 7 games, and I like their chances this year because they are healthy, I didn’t say they lost to the Mavs because of injuries. Those are two different things. I am not the one to predict how the series would have turned out if the Spurs were totally, or relatively healthy throughout the season, I believe there wouldn’t be too much of a difference. And even if the player misses a game, it cannot be used as an excuse, it’s part of the game.



Great stuff ambchang! I enjoyed the irony too. But when I pointed it out (post #52) I was told that post #30 was taken out of context and was subsequently called a poopie-head...or maybe it was dumbshit. I'll have to review the post to be certain. That's the great thing about these boards. When one makes excuses and whines, it's put in writing and it doesn't go away.

You are right about injuries too. Injuries can't be used as an excuse. Spurs won in 05 when Duncan was crippled with ankle injuries. Willis Reed could barely walk in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals but still played and won. Isiah Thomas scored 25 points in one quarter, on foot in the 1980 Finals. Who could forget Jordan's flu game in the Finals.

[cornbread]

[QUOTE=cornbread]Isiah Thomas scored 25 points in one quarter, on foot in the 1980 Finals.



My bad. 1988 Finals.

[David Stern]

Heat/Suns/Cavs/Lakers :elephant :elephant

[ambchang]

if you cant sense sarcasm, then dont respond to my posts. the guy said the spurs lost the series on one play. thats not true at all. the spurs lost the series because the mavericks won 4 games out of a 7 game series. they outplayed the spurs, plain and simple. you cant take back what was already done. whats done is done. the mavericks won. he shouldnt keep making stupid excuses for why the spurs lost. if i wanted to actually use a lame excuse, i could use the Parker grab. but the fact is, they did not lose that game because of a no-call. they lost because they didnt execute when they needed to.

Why would be the onus be on me to sense your "sarcasm"? Who made you the authority to say who can and cannot respond to your post on a public forum? If you cannot make yourself clear, then don't expect people to "sense" what you want to say, I am not a psychic.
And if I were a betting man, I would have thought that a person with the handle Supergirl is a she, not a he. It's not important point, I just felt like I would like to know who I am sarcastic to when I make sarcastic statements.
And now that you have explained what you originally meant, I understand, no need to go around and order and instruct me when to and when not to post.


and Brent Barry didnt fit into the system much because he was never a good fit to begin with. they needed a pure shooter. hes a solid shooter, but is too old, and far too inconsistent for what they needed.

Brent Barry was as solid as a 3 point shooter with the Sonics before he joined the Spurs. He averaged over 10 points a game, shooting 45%, 50% and 83% from 3pt range, FG, and the line. If that is not a good shooter, I don't know what is.
He was around 33 yo when he joined? That was in no way "too old" in NBA terms.


so what if the spurs had injuries? my point is that the mavs did too. therefore, your whole injury arguement is completely pointless. maybe if the Mavs were healthy all season, they too could have done better. they could have won 65 games and gotten HCA over the spurs. who knows? the fact is, they didnt. injuries are part of the game. the best teams can battle through little injuries. but injuries cannot be used as an excuse in any way.

That is my point, it happened, and with the track history of the Spurs, I expect the major players to be healthy this season. What is wrong with that?


and yea, i did say that statement. but you obviously proved that you are too ignorant to understand simple sarcasm.

Why is it my ignorance to misunderstand your subpar communication skills? You expect me to sense tone of voice through typed words?


Come on - had the refs simply called it when Parker clearly and blatantly grabbed Dirk's jersey, the series could have been over much sooner. either way, im not going to get into detail any more about the officiating since spurs fans refuse to think that the spurs EVER get away with any calls, and that the mavs get away with more calls than any team in the history of the NBA. ill just say this... there were bad calls both ways, for and against both teams. but it came down to execution, and the mavs executed better than the spurs did..

Explain to me how a person can easily sense that sarcasm was in it?
And Mr. emotional police, I can just as easily claim that you are idiotic beyond believe to expect people to sense what you feel through the web, but I am not going to, because that would be ignorant.


i already explained why i think they would win the series in 5. i never said they would dominate or anything. i think it will be 5 hard-fought games. but i think the mavericks have more playmakers, a better team, and will have HCA. they beat the spurs this past season when no one thought they could. now, they proved they can beat them, gained valuable playoff experience, a great hunger to prove that they can get back and win a title finally, and have improved their team in several ways, while the spurs have not improved their team. they have only gotten older.

Beating a team in 5 games IS dominance. I cannot understand how winning 80% of the games in a playoff series is not dominance. I have statistically shown that a team beating another team in 5 games have an immense edge over them, using last year's playoffs.

And what's with the Spurs are old thing?
The Mavs Roster:
Maurice Ager - 22, Greg Buckner - 30, Austin Croshere - 31, Erick Dampier - 31, DeSagana Diop - 24, Devean Geroge - 29, Devin Harris - 23, Josh Howard - 26, Anthony Johnson - 32, Dirk Nowitzki - 28, Jerry Stackhouse - 32, Jason Terry - 29, Average age - 28.1

The Spurs Roster:
Brent Barry - 35, Matt Bonner - 26, Bruce Bowen - 35, Jackie Butler - 21, Tim Duncan - 30, Fancisco Elson - 30, Michael Finley - 33, Manu Ginobili - 29, Robert Horry - 36, Tony Parker - 24, Beno Udrih - 24, Jacque Vaughn - 31, Average age 29.5

I wouldn't call a difference of 1.4 to be THAT significant now, would you?