WTF, no Mavs-Lakers thread?

[ShoogarBear]

Some good games tonight.

[ShoogarBear]

Mav Fan waiting until they're up by 35 with less than 2 minutes left before he dares to post?

[Findog]

No, don't want to jinx anything. Lakers are flat coming out of the half

[ShoogarBear]

Mav Fan thinks Devin Harris is the Mavs' MVP?

[Findog]

but of course they have Kobe so it's never over until the final buzzer

/cliche

[Findog]

Mav Fan thinks Devin Harris is the Mavs' MVP?


A significant portion of our fanbase is made up of 14 year old girls who think Devin is HAWT.

[ShoogarBear]

14 year old girls must not like chins.

[Findog]

Seriously, if you ever go to a game at the AAC, you'll see lots of pre-teen girls in pink #41 jerseys.

[Findog]

"Dirk's jersey might as well be pink because he's a pussy choker."

/Spur fan

[ShoogarBear]

Of course, just as I make fun of Devin he scores his first two baskets of the game.

[Armando]

Yawn

[Findog]

Is that Radmanovic out there, #18? He looks like the Geico Caveman with that haircut.

[Findog]

Of course, just as I make fun of Devin he scores his first two baskets of the game.

He's so CUTE!

[ShoogarBear]

Is that Radmanovic out there, #18? He looks like the Geico Caveman with that haircut.Uh, lots of candidates for that in this game. :lol

[Udrihlooms]

Seriously, if you ever go to a game at the AAC, you'll see lots of pre-teen girls in pink #41 jerseys.


If serious fans think that Harris is your MVP, then your fans must think that our MVP must be Oberto... :D

[Findog]

You cannot stop Devin Harris!

[ShoogarBear]

Kwame with the assist for the Mavs!

[Findog]

Good thing Howard got it back, but you might want to hustle back on d Devin instead of standing there like dumbstruck that they didn't give you the call.

[Udrihlooms]

Kwame with the assist for the Mavs!


Kwame's always the MVP of the opposing team...

Was there a bigger bust than Kwame in the history of NBA? :reading

[Findog]

Was there a bigger bust than Kwame in the history of NBA? :reading

Darko? LaRue Martin? Steve Stipanovich? The Kandi Man? Plenty of room on that bus.

[Armando]

Darko? LaRue Martin? Steve Stipanovich? The Kandi Man? Plenty of room on that bus.


At least Darko can show off his ring that he got before Wade,LeBron and Marshmelo.

[ShoogarBear]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/03/11/fashion/11nba190.3.jpg http://www.nndb.com/people/489/000025414/mvp2.jpeg

[Udrihlooms]

At least Darko can show off his ring that he got before Wade,LeBron and Marshmelo.


Then he must be the bus driver...

[ShoogarBear]

Darko? LaRue Martin? Steve Stipanovich? The Kandi Man? Plenty of room on that bus.Stipanovich was a decent player who was just drafted too high and then got injured.

Kent Benson belongs on that list.

[Findog]

Not that he did anything to earn it. On the other hand, I got a nice t-shirt out of the deal:

http://flickr.com/photos/tags/freedarko/

[Findog]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/03/11/fashion/11nba190.3.jpg http://www.nndb.com/people/489/000025414/mvp2.jpeg

Is that Mario Van Pebbles?

[Udrihlooms]

Seriously, without Bynum, LA will not probably make the playoffs, west is just too difficult for a mediocre team (which LA is w/o Bynum).

[Findog]

If they can play .500 ball until he gets back, they'll be 14 games over .500....Bynum's injury just clinches the pacific for the Suns.

[ShoogarBear]

Is that Mario Van Pebbles?Ja.

[Findog]

What is up with Kobe? Why does he keep giving up his body like that? Should've just let Hassell have the breakaway

[ShoogarBear]

Holy crap. That's the THIRD time Kobe has crashed to earth tonight.

[Medvedenko]

Kobe's the only one who's giving it his all.....fucking trade Walton, Brown and odom...now....

[Findog]

Say what you will about Kobe, he's a Warrior. Metaphorically speaking of course.

[Findog]

Mavs are breaking this one open.

[Findog]

Mbenga sighting!

[Udrihlooms]

Kobe's the only one who's giving it his all.....fucking trade Walton, Brown and odom...now....

For whom? Brown is practically worthless... Odom is just too risky, inconsistent, and weak to have anything of good value, and Walton is...just Walton... So, trade for whom?

[Medvedenko]

Seriously, I've been saying this all season..get Odom out of LA....yes he's talented, but he's a fucking mental midget on the court. Constant dumb plays, constant mental breakdowns. He doesn't know how to call his own #. I'm sick of his play, plus he doesn't know how to tie a guy up going for a layup...

[Udrihlooms]

This game is over! I thought it would have been a little closer than this!


not yet... Dallas always loses big lead in the last quarter recently...

[Findog]

Don't jinx this! Kobe can get hot at anytime.

[ShoogarBear]

The jello's jiggling . . .

[ShoogarBear]

Oh, my bad.


If the Lakers come back to win, my most sincere apologies.

[Armando]

Good win by the Mavs..and the Lakers look pathetic once again


Unless this is the 4th quarter don't count Kobe out yet. If is a close game down in the 4th combine Kobe's clutch play in the 4th with Dirk's houdini act the Lakers have a chance to win.

[Findog]

That might be the best way to 'guard' Kobe if you don't have a Bowen on your roster, let 4 or 5 guys take turns on him throughout the game, give him different looks.

[Medvedenko]

I don't care who....when we had Ariza at least he could sub in for Walton when he started to suck. We also don't have Radman to open the floor up. It's basically Kobe out there and he's deferring too much for my liking. However, they will stay .500 from now on and still be on pace to be a 50 game winner. They just need to hang in there. They have a pretty tough schedule though.

[DazedAndConfused]

If anyone here questions how much Bynum means to the Lakers again they deserve to be shot.

He is the reason we are elite, without him we are a middling .500 ball club. This game would have been ours if we had Bynum.

[Findog]

Unless this is the 4th quarter don't count Kobe out yet. If is a close game down in the 4th combine Kobe's clutch play in the 4th with Dirk's houdini act the Lakers have a chance to win.

Did a Phoenix Suns fan just accuse Dirk of not being clutch?
:lol :lol :lol :lol

[Tippecanoe]

Seriously, I've been saying this all season..get Odom out of LA....yes he's talented, but he's a fucking mental midget on the court. Constant dumb plays, constant mental breakdowns. He doesn't know how to call his own #. I'm sick of his play, plus he doesn't know how to tie a guy up going for a layup...

easier said than done. i dont know if any team would be interested in trading for odom.

[ludda]

It aint over till its over! Dont get too confident...

[Medvedenko]

Oh, and the lakers don't play for the reg season.....

[sribb43]

Kobe's the only one who's giving it his all.....fucking trade Walton, Brown and odom...now....

:lol

[Findog]

Great pass by the Geico Caveman!

[sribb43]

easier said than done. i dont know if any team would be interested in trading for odom.

maybe the suns bc thats the only team he kills

[Armando]

Did a Phoenix Suns fan just accuse Dirk of not being clutch?
:lol :lol :lol :lol


Laugh if you want. The Suns were not the ones to blow a 2-0 lead on Miami in the Finals or lose to an 8th seed in the 1st round.

[Udrihlooms]

Oh, and the lakers don't play for the reg season.....


How long has Shaq been gone? Yeah, right...

[sribb43]

Laugh if you want. The Suns were not the ones to blow a 2-0 lead on Miami in the Finals or lose to an 8th seed in the 1st round.

and the suns are the ones not to make the finals, enjoy your pacific divison titles

[ShoogarBear]

The butter's getting ha . . oops.

[Findog]

Laugh if you want. The Suns were not the ones to blow a 2-0 lead on Miami in the Finals or lose to an 8th seed in the 1st round.

That's right because the Suns weren't good enough to get there. Maybe my memory is faulty because I thought Dirk dropped 50 on your asses in the conference Finals to turn the series around. Then there was the buzzer beater over Marion last year.

As for the Warrior series, look what he's done to them this year when he's not hobbled by bone spurs.

[DazedAndConfused]

Neither the Suns or the Mavs are winning a title this year.

My money is on SAS or NOH coming out of the WC. The Lakers have an outside shot if they can get Bynum back and healthy.

[sribb43]

Neither the Suns or the Mavs are winning a title this year.

My money is on SAS or NOH coming out of the WC. The Lakers have an outside shot if they can get Bynum back and healthy.

ah yes, the same hornets who havent won a playoff series since being in Charlotte

[DazedAndConfused]

The Mavericks are not a team I am scared of. When we have Bynum we win easy.

[ShoogarBear]

Bass has decent range.

[DazedAndConfused]

OMG Mavs might blow this one. They are so soft.

If we can just stay competitive with a team like the Mavs despite missing our 2nd best player and our 2nd best defender I'm confident in our team.

[Findog]

Lakers D is tightening up. 4 points in 6 minutes. Ouch!

[Armando]

I don't know what to think about the West. There is no team I see that you can say for sure they are heavy favorites. The Spurs,Suns are playing .500 ball sort of just there. The Mavs you don't know what to expect come playoff time. It won't surprise me if the East wins this year. The West playoffs will be a WWE cage match this season. How much will the West team have left for the Finals vs Detroit or Boston?

[Medvedenko]

guess what...odom, brown, walton sit....we go on a run....

[DazedAndConfused]

OMG Mavs are so weak. Clear path foul. Morons.

[ShoogarBear]

The eggs are cooling.

[DazedAndConfused]

I'm sorry the Mavs are not a championship team. When you go up 17 to the 4th you don't blow those leads at home. If we have Bynum this game is ours.

[Udrihlooms]

Dallas always play only 3 quarters, much like the spurs nowadays. The big difference is dallas forgets that there's a 4th, while the spurs forgets that there's always a 1st.

[DazedAndConfused]

Mavs get bailed out by the refs. Horrible no-call.

[Medvedenko]

homecooking refs

[ShoogarBear]

Mbenga even hits the foul shot!

[Armando]

homecooking refs


Same calls that Lakers get at home.

[DazedAndConfused]

If the Lakers pull out a win, it shows me that with Bynum we can beat anyone in the WC.

[ShoogarBear]

Farmar :pctoss

[DazedAndConfused]

That's game

[ShoogarBear]

Oh, crap. Ball hits an old guy in a wheelchair.

[Udrihlooms]

Now it's over. Dallas woke up in the nick of time, thanks to Farmar.

[DazedAndConfused]

Dallas is one of the worst 4th quarter executing teams I've ever seen. Nobody on that team has an mental toughness.

[Armando]

Dallas is one of the worst 4th quarter executing teams I've ever seen. Nobody on that team has an mental toughness.


DWade agrees with you

[Tippecanoe]

man, these lakers dont go away. great game.

[DazedAndConfused]

If you want to know the difference between a championship team and a pretender, watch what SAS did to the Lakers the other night as they started to make a run in the 4th after a horrible 3rd quarter.

[Findog]

They really tightened up their D. 15 fourth quarter points.

[DazedAndConfused]

man, these lakers dont go away. great game.

If we have Bynum, we win. I'm happy we can compete in these kind of games.

[Findog]

Nice play Devin. That might seal it.

[ShoogarBear]

cuuuuute!

[Tippecanoe]

devin harris = mvp

[monosylab1k]

DWade agrees with you
I love the mental toughness Phoenix shows in the playoffs. Amare & Diaw were shining beacons of mental fortitude at the end of Game 4 last year, right?

[Findog]

Good night Lakers.

[Findog]

Cute!


:lol

[DazedAndConfused]

Good game Mav fans. Can't wait to play you again when we get our team back!

[Tippecanoe]

that three was the nail on the coffin. good win dallas.

[Armando]

I love the mental toughness Phoenix shows in the playoffs. Amare & Diaw were shining beacons of mental fortitude at the end of Game 4 last year, right?


Yeah I am sure Dirk was watching from home.

[Udrihlooms]

If you want to know the difference between a championship team and a pretender, watch what SAS did to the Lakers the other night as they started to make a run in the 4th after a horrible 3rd quarter.


What are you? A Laker fan, a Hornet fan? a Boston fan? or a Spurs fan?

Man, you're really confused! aren't you?

[Findog]

I love the mental toughness Phoenix shows in the playoffs. Amare & Diaw were shining beacons of mental fortitude at the end of Game 4 last year, right?


Who the fuck are Suns fans to talk about playoff success and being clutch?

[monosylab1k]

Yeah I am sure Dirk was watching from home.
Hey remember that time Steve Nash played in the NBA Finals? Oh, right...

[Armando]

Who the fuck are Suns fans to talk about playoff success and being clutch?


Like the Mavs fans have anything to brag about.

[ShoogarBear]

This thread = Mission Accomplished.

:stirpot:

[Findog]

Hey remember that time Steve Nash played in the NBA Finals? Oh, right...


How can anyone ever forget that Horry hipcheck? They've only bitched and whined about it incessantly for the past 8 months

[monosylab1k]

Like the Mavs fans have anything to brag about.
The only team in 3 years to beat the Spurs in the playoffs. How does Phoenix do against them? Oh, right...

[DazedAndConfused]

Until you win an NBA Championship your team is not "clutch".

[Armando]

Hey remember that time Steve Nash played in the NBA Finals? Oh, right...


And going to the Finals and losing to the Heat after having a 2-0 lead is nothing to brag about. Yeah a trip to the Finals is nice but no one remembers the losers.

[monosylab1k]

How can anyone ever forget that Horry hipcheck? They've only bitched and whined about it incessantly for the past 8 months
LOL the Suns let some old piece of crap player bitch slap them out of the playoffs last year. Anybody remember what Horry did in the Dallas-SA series? Oh, right...

[Findog]

Like the Mavs fans have anything to brag about.

We're not talking shit. Suns fans really need to learn some modesty. Yeah, you have all the national writers slurping your team's cock, along with the January 25th Best Team at Quickens Loans Arena Championship. Big Fucking Deal.

[monosylab1k]

Yeah a trip to the Finals is nice
Sure beats getting owned like bitches by the Spurs year after year.

[ludda]

If we have Bynum, we win. I'm happy we can compete in these kind of games.

Yeah with Bynum Lakers are 82-0 :rolleyes
Find a new excuse. But I will give you that Lakers with Bynum is dangerous but stop spamming every thread with that same shit like you did when you guys played us.

[Findog]

Until you win an NBA Championship your team is not "clutch".

29 teams aren't clutch then. Let's go with that definition.

[Armando]

How can anyone ever forget that Horry hipcheck? They've only bitched and whined about it incessantly for the past 8 months


I have not even mention that. They lost the series over I got over that quickly.

[ShoogarBear]

29 teams aren't clutch then. Let's go with that definition.Works for me. :toast

[monosylab1k]

Until you win an NBA Championship your team is not "clutch".
How's Buffalo Wild Wings treatin you these days? Were you able to get a job pretty quick after being fired by Josh Daniels?

[Findog]

LOL the Suns let some old piece of crap player bitch slap them out of the playoffs last year. Anybody remember what Horry did in the Dallas-SA series? Oh, right...

Hey, don't hate on the Suns. They have the ratings championship, and they're the reigning Pacific Division Champs. Hate the game, not the playa.

[DazedAndConfused]

Guys all you need to know is this.

Mavs = 0 rings
Suns = 0 rings

Both franchises are perennial losers and chokers, Dallas being the bigger offender IMHO. Neither franchise has players that know what it takes to win rings and thus will probably never win one.

[Findog]

Works for me. :toast

Works for me too. Because then "clutch" loses all meaning.

[ludda]

Good game, that said Mavs can't hold onto a lead for shit. Every team makes a run but they can't let them go on a tear in the 4th. If they don't sharpen that up, another 1st round exit!

[Findog]

Guys all you need to know is this.

Mavs = 0 rings
Suns = 0 rings

Both franchises are perennial losers and chokers, Dallas being the bigger offender IMHO. Neither franchise has players that know what it takes to win rings and thus will probably never win one.

Guys all you need to know is this.

Jeff = 0 ladies bedded, 0 drumming gigs.

[monosylab1k]

Guys all you need to know is this.

Mavs = 0 rings
Suns = 0 rings

Both franchises are perennial losers and chokers, Dallas being the bigger offender IMHO. Neither franchise has players that know what it takes to win rings and thus will probably never win one.
Have you auditioned for any new bands? Honestly, I'd just suck it up and beg Josh Daniels for your job back. It beats working the fryer at BWW.

[Armando]

We're not talking shit. Suns fans really need to learn some modesty. Yeah, you have all the national writers slurping your team's cock, along with the January 25th Best Team at Quickens Loans Arena Championship. Big Fucking Deal.


Really? I guess you missed all the writers saying the Suns have been somewhat disappointing this season.

[ludda]

Devin Harris won the game for them. Dude is a flopper but he's gotten better from last I saw.

Kobe was amazing. Odom sucks.

[Findog]

Devin may not be the MVP of this team, I don't know what the fuck was up with that poll, but in many ways he's our most important player.

[DazedAndConfused]

Odom's statline in the 2nd half = 0pts, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

We aren't getting any production from Luke, Lamar, and Kwame and it's killing us. Right now our subs are playing flat out better and it's embarrassing. We aren't gonna win many games until these guys get out of this funk and start stepping up.

The good thing is next season Kwame will be gone, Ariza will start over Luke, and hopefully we can trade Lamar's pathetic ass.

[sribb43]

Mavs got owned in the 4th by the Lakers bench

[Armando]

Lamar was better in Miami.

[Findog]

Wow, Kobe played 44 minutes

[sribb43]

Mavs and Suns fans need to shut the fuck up until they win a championship

[Findog]

Odom with the worst +/- at -11, that's not surprising.

[ludda]

Odom's statline in the 2nd half = 0pts, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

We aren't getting any production from Luke, Lamar, and Kwame and it's killing us. Right now our subs are playing flat out better and it's embarrassing. We aren't gonna win many games until these guys get out of this funk and start stepping up.

The good thing is next season Kwame will be gone, Ariza will start over Luke, and hopefully we can trade Lamar's pathetic ass.

I thought Howard did a good job on Walton. Odom has always sucked, no surprise there. Kwame did OK. You guys have Sasha and Farmar who always seem to hit timely 3s.

Mavs need to learn to pull 4 full quarters. But wiht Kobe, you never know.

[ShoogarBear]

Odom's statline in the 2nd half = 0pts, 0 rebounds, 0 assistsYou're kidding.

[Findog]

Mavs and Suns fans need to shut the fuck up until they win a championship


Find me where Mavs fans are calling out anybody else in this thread, other than replying to a Suns troll coming in here and stirring shit up. I've been pretty damn modest about playoff expectations for our team.

[ShoogarBear]

Next time some kids see Kobe walking through a parking lot, they need to ask him about Lamar.

[sribb43]

i though odom was supposed to be the perfect compliment to kobe?

[monosylab1k]

Mavs and Suns fans need to shut the fuck up until they win a championship
or how bout we just do what the fuck we want.

[ludda]

Wasn't Odom supposed to be able to guard Dirk?
Mbenga did a good job. Mbenga>Odom.

[DazedAndConfused]

The Lakers will be an elite team the day Kwame Brown, Luke Walton, and Lamar Odom are no longer starting for them.

I was disappointed at how long it took Phil to realize that those 3 were costing us the game in the 3rd quarter. The same exact thing happened in SAS, you'd think Phil would learn. I really hate his "let the players figure it out" approach sometimes. The WC is so competitive you can't afford to just throw games away to teach lessons.

Still our bench has shown me that they are one of the best in the league, hands down. We have solid starters in Kobe, Fisher, and Bynum. If we can find a replacement PF for Odom and bring Ariza up to speed at the SF spot we will be a deadly team next season.

[Armando]

Maybe Kobe needs a hug? Where is Raja's mom when you need her?

[LakeShow]

Good game! My boys were competitive, right now that's all we can ask of them. No way we beat any of the top teams shorthanded.

[DazedAndConfused]

Kobe shot over 60% tonight and had 40 points. He played his heart out and the starters failed him.

[sribb43]

or how bout we just do what the fuck we want.

ok

[DazedAndConfused]

Well I was hoping we would steal at least one win on this road-trip, but you simply aren't going to beat the Mavs or the Spurs on the road short-handed. We had chances to win both games but really slipped up in the 3rd quarters. Hopefully this will be a good learning lesson for the team.

[Amarelooms]

Well I was hoping we would steal at least one win on this road-trip, but you simply aren't going to beat the Mavs or the Spurs on the road short-handed. We had chances to win both games but really slipped up in the 3rd quarters. Hopefully this will be a good learning lesson for the team.

Your name suits you......... :elephant

[monosylab1k]

Well I was hoping we would steal at least one win on this road-trip, but you simply aren't going to beat the Mavs or the Spurs on the road short-handed. We had chances to win both games but really slipped up in the 3rd quarters. Hopefully this will be a good learning lesson for the team.
Have you learned the full menu at Buffalo Wild Wings yet? Work hard and you could be manager!

[Findog]

This was game was such a microcosm of the Mavs and the season for this team. There's a lot to like and simultaneously be concerned over.

[DazedAndConfused]

Odom and Puke - 8 points 6 Reb

[LakeShow]

Well I was hoping we would steal at least one win on this road-trip, but you simply aren't going to beat the Mavs or the Spurs on the road short-handed. We had chances to win both games but really slipped up in the 3rd quarters. Hopefully this will be a good learning lesson for the team.

True, as long as they're not getting blown out, im happy. I was hoping to steal one too. Damn shame they're playing all of the top teams on the road at this time.
:madrun

[DazedAndConfused]

This was game was such a microcosm of the Mavs and the season for this team. There's a lot to like and simultaneously be concerned over.

When the Mavs get hot from the field my god it's incredible to watch. It's like a domino effect out there.

[Armando]

This was game was such a microcosm of the Mavs and the season for this team. There's a lot to like and simultaneously be concerned over.


Well every team has concerns. The Suns have rebounding and defense in particular the center position. The Mavs have concerns about mental toughness fair or not. The Spurs have to be concern that maybe the on and off switch will go out this season. The Pistons and Celts also have flaws.

[Findog]

It seems like the biggest problem is the complacency and lack of focus when they get up by a lot. The Lakers held them to 4 points through the first six minutes of the fourth. We were up 17 at the start of the fourth, if we just trade baskets for awhile, it would've been impossible for them to make a run to get back into it. On the plus side, Mavs got enough stops in the fourth quarter. Lakers never got closer than five.

[DazedAndConfused]

Well every team has concerns. The Suns have rebounding and defense in particular the center position. The Mavs have concerns about mental toughness fair or not. The Spurs have to be concern that maybe the on and off switch will go out this season. The Pistons and Celts also have flaws.

That's why I think it's very possible for a sleeper team to come out of the WC this year. My money is still on SAS, unless the injuries keep coming, but I can easily see a team like NOH making it.

[monosylab1k]

When the Mavs get hot from the field my god it's incredible to watch. It's like a domino effect out there.
nice job trying to hide your identity. just say what you want to really say - "the Mavs just shoot some BS shots that go in cuz the refs make the shots they shoot go in"

[ludda]

That one play when Harris lost it and it bounced off Dampier and then Harris threw up that crazy shot late in the 4th was pretty sick.

[Findog]

Well every team has concerns. The Suns have rebounding and defense in particular the center position. The Mavs have concerns about mental toughness fair or not. The Spurs have to be concern that maybe the on and off switch will go out this season. The Pistons and Celts also have flaws.

Potentially fatal flaws:

Spurs: Horry, Finley, Vaughn, Bowen, Barry, Olson, Bonner, Oberto. They need positive contributions from ALL of these guys to win a title, since that's a collectoin of old guys or spares.

Suns: Can't rebound or defend the interior, which is usually fatal for the postseason. At the very worst, however, they will be a tough out for whomever they play. If they can somehow avoid San Antonio....

Mavs: Haven't been a good road team. Haven't defended as well as they did last year, which is a problem because they too often slip back into being a pure jumpshooting team, and they got away with it last year because their defense was good enough to bail them out on nights when they shot less than 45% from the floor. It hasn't been the case this season.

Celtics: Haven't been together very long. No point guard depth. They look a lot like Dallas did last year, in that they came out playing every game at playoff intensity and running circles around other teams. They seem to have cooled off a little bit. But they are an elite contender because they're talented, they play defense, and they have good team chemistry, just like the Spurs.

Pistons: They get a pass for their playoff flameouts because they won a title back in 2004. But like the Mavs, they have a tendency to play down to their competition and get taken out by inferior teams (Miami in 06, Cleveland last year). Plus, their coach is Flip Saunders.

Lakers: If they can get Bynum back healthy, this team could surprise. They have the game's best closer and Bynum gives them a legitimate low-post threat. They play good defense and they are definitely well-coached. But it might be asking too much for that team to win four series in a row.

Hornets: Paul is playing like an MVP and makes his teammates better. But they're an up and coming team like the Lakers and generally teams don't just come out of nowhere to win four straight series, Detroit took their lumps against New Jersey, Miami initially lost to Detroit, the Spurs were taken out by the Lakers twice before finally making it. It's asking too much for them to go from the lottery one year to the champs the next.

Everybody else: You don't matter.

[DazedAndConfused]

I'm a Laker fan and I'll tell you the Lakers aren't winning a ring this season. We are still missing a piece or two, but we are definitely close to being an elite team.

Moves we need to make = trade Lamar Odom, move Walton to the bench, cut Kwame.

[TheNextGen]

Odom is a potential triple double that never gets it lol.

Get rid of kwame to a team that wants to throw away contracts, trade odom and walton for anything.

[DazedAndConfused]

Odom is a potential triple double that never gets it lol.

Get rid of kwame to a team that wants to throw away contracts, trade odom and walton for anything.

If we can move Walton to the bench it won't matter so much. I've never seen him play this bad before to be honest.

But Odom definitely needs to go, he is about as worthless as they come. Apparently he was talking shit to Brandon Bass during the game saying, "Nigga you ain't gonna make that shot" as Bass hit like 3 or 4 jumpers in his grill.

[ludda]

If we can move Walton to the bench it won't matter so much. I've never seen him play this bad before to be honest.

But Odom definitely needs to go, he is about as worthless as they come. Apparently he was talking shit to Brandon Bass during the game saying, "Nigga you ain't gonna make that shot" as Bass hit like 3 or 4 jumpers in his grill.

:lol Bass>>Odom. Mbenga>Odom.

[Findog]

Well, this isn't good as far as the "Dirk needs to be more of a leader" meme goes:


Dallas broke the game open with an 11-0 run to open the second half. The Lakers, who led much of the first half, never got back ahead.

Mavs coach Avery Johnson said the spark came from a halftime speech from Nowitzki. However, Howard and Harris were oblivious.

"I wasn't even paying attention," Howard said, insisting he really didn't know what reporters were talking about.

"I was getting retaped," Harris said, trying to offer a plausible excuse.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

:lol that's beyond hilarious

[Findog]

:lol that's beyond hilarious

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/012608dnspomavslede.5b431628.html

Jet has Dirk's back:


"Oh, man, he let us have it," said Jason Terry. "He lit a fire under us, and we responded."

Nowitzki, of course, downplayed his discussion at the half, joking that "I gave a tremendous speech. I said, 'Let's win the game.' "

By all accounts, it was a bit more heartfelt than that.

"I'm not talking about it," he said. "There's nothing to talk about. It was nothing special."

[TheNextGen]

Damn...odom has no D whatsoever

[DazedAndConfused]

Damn...odom has no D whatsoever

The remarkable thing is that even with Odom, Kwame, and Walton starting for our team we are still able to find ways to compete. Odom+Walton combined for 8 points tonight, Odom went scoreless the entire 2nd half to go long with 0 rebounds and 0 assists. Truly mind-numbing stats from a guy who is being paid $14 million. I think Walton shot the ball twice the entire game.

This is why Bynum is such a big piece of the puzzle. He will give you a constant 13/10 every night, in fact before he went down he was consistently putting up 20+ pt games with 3-4 blocks and 10+ boards. He is the 2nd option Odom will never be on our team. When you slide LO to the 3rd option he becomes a far more effective player for us, but when you put that pressure on him to score he just folds like napkin.

[endrity]

Well every team has concerns. The Suns have rebounding and defense in particular the center position. The Mavs have concerns about mental toughness fair or not. The Spurs have to be concern that maybe the on and off switch will go out this season. The Pistons and Celts also have flaws.
No, mental toughness is not an issue for a team that went to the Finals. It's what national media guys use as something to say for a team when they really don't know what's going on. Mavs have issues in their offense, because it gets stagnant at times, with too little ball movement and passing. They get by because they have very good one on one players. And they have issues at the 2 position on defense. Starting Jet and Harris has been costly in the playoffs as they are too small to guard big backcourts. Yet we don't have a realiable 2 guy yet and I still don't know what we are going to do in the playoffs. And this issue has been around for 2 years and the only solution the FO comes up with is to sign veterans on the decline that never end up playing in the playoffs. We gave up on Marquis Daniels too quickly.
Those are the issues of the Mavs, and those are the issues that cost them in the playoffs and the rings they should have by this point. I hope people like us that really follow the NBA should know better than using arguments such as 'mental toughness' or my favourite 'chemacterillity' (Bill Simmons' creation).

[Findog]

Simmons is such a tool. It takes mental toughness and discipline to eliminate a team like the Spurs. Throw in Damp's torn rotator cuff, Dirk's bone spurs, and the fact that this team peaked around February, along with the worst possible matchup against the Warriors w/ J-Rich, and there you go.

There's a sliver and a grain of truth to the "Mavs and especially Dirk lack mental toughness" meme, but it's been blown way out of proportion. The media just repeats certain themes over and over again in lieu of real analysis. They say he's not a leader, but they only define leadership as a fiery guy who will get up in the locker room and make Knute Rockne speeches. If the Mavs need Dirk to do that to get themselves motivated, then they have bigger problems than we thought. That's one facet and component of leadership, and the Mavs have plenty of people who can perform that particular function.

[sribb43]

Well, this isn't good as far as the "Dirk needs to be more of a leader" meme goes:

ya i saw the interview on the postgame on TXA-21 and when the reporter asked J-ho about the speech, he said " Who coach's speech?" and the reporter said "No Dirk's", J-Ho had a look of WTF are you talking about.... :lol

[ShoogarBear]

:lol That's some funny shit. Maybe Howard and Harris heard about the MVP poll and didn't want Dirk to get more votes.