Predict Final Standings (West only)

[boutons_deux]

http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/group/2

Due to the clusters of Ls at seeds 2 to 4, and seeds 5 to "10", predictions are fun, but useless.

[clambake]

roddy can't help if coach won't play him.

[DesignatedT]

1st round:
1.Spurs vs 8.Jazz (Spurs in 5)
2.Mavs vs 7.Blazers (Mavs in 5)
3.Lakers vs 6.Hornets (Lakers in 6)
4.OKC vs 5.Nuggets (DEN in 7)

Semis:
1.Spurs vs 5.Nuggets (Spurs in 6)
2.Mavs vs 3.Lakers (Mavs in 6)

WCF:
1.Spurs vs 2.Mavs (Spurs in 7)

This assuming Melo stays put. I think Denver turns it up after all these rumors are over.

[LongtimeSpursFan]

1. Spurs
2. Mavs
3. OKC
4. Lakers
5. Blazers
6. Phoenix
7. Nuggets
8. Hornets

[Phillip]

last year after the butler trade we went on a 12-game win streak, so i think chemistry wasn't the problem against the spurs. it was our lack of players who can create something off the dribble. the spurs know how to contain our shooters better than any team in the league. they will let dirk do his thing and make the others beat them. but most of them can't because we are still a 90% jump shooting team, the spurs will just stand on their feet. roddy is our only hope in a series against the spurs...RODDY, a player who missed 75% of the entire season.

so you think chemistry was so fantastic, that it made sense for carlisle to have no idea what the to do with his rotation, and how to use Butler, how to motivate Haywood to actually box out for a ing rebound, how to keep Marion from being pissed off, to play Roddy in favor of Terry who was useless? come on now. chemistry was a massive issue, and they were fortunate to pull off that win streak, and pretty much did so solely because the team was so talented.

its one thing to not be wanting to get your hopes up, which is fine for mavs fans. personally, i feel that there is more reason to be optimistic about this team than pessimistic. but the whole "being unreasonably pessimistic makes me a realistic fan!" bit is pretty damn stupid.

[Axe Murderer]

1 San Antonio
2 Dallas
3 LA
4 OKC
5 Denver
6 New Orleans
7 Portland
8 Memphis

First round

1 SA vs 8 Memphis (SA in 4)
2 Dal vs 7 Por (Dal in 6)
3 LA vs 6 NO (LA in 7)
4 OKC vs Den (OKC in 6)

Second Round

1 SA vs 4 OKC (OKC in 6)
2 Dal vs 3 LA (LA in 5)

3rd round

3 LA vs 4 OKC (LA in 6)

[nkdlunch]

all I am hoping for is Mavs @ Spurs game 7 WCF

payback

[Axe Murderer]

all I am hoping for is Mavs @ Spurs game 7 WCF

payback

I'd take that too but for some reason I just can't see it happening. This reminds me of 2007 when the Mavs-Spurs were supposedly on a collision course and it just seemed inevitable. For some reason I see either Dallas or SA getting knocked out before they play the Lakers giving them another easy path to the Finals and giving us a ty WCF like OKC-LA kind of like in 07 when SA just walked over Utah instead of the epic 7 game series we all thought would happen

[badfish22]

Losing to a team when you are up 2-0 in the Finals with homecourt advantage is choking.

A number one seed losing to an 8th seed is choking.

A number two seed losing to a 7th seed in six games is choking.

So that means losing to the defending champs = choking? Got it.
Go back upstairs.

[badfish22]

1 San Antonio
2 Dallas
3 LA
4 OKC
5 Denver
6 New Orleans
7 Portland
8 Memphis

First round

1 SA vs 8 Memphis (SA in 4)
2 Dal vs 7 Por (Dal in 6)
3 LA vs 6 NO (LA in 7)
4 OKC vs Den (OKC in 6)

Second Round

1 SA vs 4 OKC (OKC in 6)
2 Dal vs 3 LA (LA in 5)

3rd round

3 LA vs 4 OKC (LA in 6)

No way OKC beats SA. I could see LA and maybe Dallas beating them, but OKC doesn't have a chance in my mind.

[dbestpro]

1. Spurs
2. Mavs
3. OKC
4. Lakers
5. Blazers
6. Phoenix
7. Nuggets
8. Hornets

This means the Spurs would have to go through the Hornets, Lakers and Mavs to get to the finals. Ouch.

[badfish22]

roddy can't help if coach won't play him.

It seems like those days are over. Carlisle is praising the out of Roddy lately, saying hes matured a bunch since last year and said his bbiq is one of the best on the team.
"But of all the guys on our team, if you were to quiz everybody on what we have put in and what guys at each position do, he would know as much or more as anybody on the team. He’d be right up there with Kidd because he really studies it and has a great grasp of it.”

[clambake]

It seems like those days are over. Carlisle is praising the out of Roddy lately, saying hes matured a bunch since last year and said his bbiq is one of the best on the team.

time will tell. we'll see how coach responds after a little pressure is applied.

[Axe Murderer]

He’d be right up there with Kidd because he really studies it and has a great grasp of it.”

probly all talk, tbh but as long as Carlisle is tossing his salad that means atleast he'll be playing

[MavFan6488]

so you think chemistry was so fantastic, that it made sense for carlisle to have no idea what the to do with his rotation, and how to use Butler, how to motivate Haywood to actually box out for a ing rebound, how to keep Marion from being pissed off, to play Roddy in favor of Terry who was useless? come on now. chemistry was a massive issue, and they were fortunate to pull off that win streak, and pretty much did so solely because the team was so talented.

its one thing to not be wanting to get your hopes up, which is fine for mavs fans. personally, i feel that there is more reason to be optimistic about this team than pessimistic. but the whole "being unreasonably pessimistic makes me a realistic fan!" bit is pretty damn stupid.

the chemistry obviously wasn't fantastic in this series, because everybody realized the lack of penetration is a problem we couldn't overcome. carlisle desperately tried to find the answer against the spurs defense but could'nt. the entire series it seemed like we were playing against a wall.

and i don't think that i'm unreasonably pessimistic when i say we have a 30% chance of beating a far improved spurs team without homecourt after what they did to us last year. the offense was our big problem and compared to last year we haven't improved offensively in my opinion. sure, if terry starts draining jumpers all of a sudden it's a different story, but i doubt that will happen. again, roddy could be the key factor in a series against the spurs, but as long as terry is on our team, i don't see him getting more than 20 minutes a game.

[Bito Corleone]

1. San Antonio
2. Dallas
3. LA
4. OKC
5. Portland
6. Denver
7. New Orleans
8. Memphis

Round 1
Home court holds

Round 2
SA vs OKC (SA in 6)
Dal vs LA (Dal in 6)

WCF
SA vs Dal (SA in 7)

[jjktkk]

time will tell. we'll see how coach responds after a little pressure is applied.

Alot of similarities between Beaubois and The Spurs George Hill a couple of years ago, as far as Carlisle and Pop deeming them ready for more playing time. Pop still gets trashed upstairs for not playing Hill two years ago in the playoffs, and going with Jacque Vaughn instead, even though Hill was playing pretty well for a rookie that year.

[endrity]

Alot of similarities between Beaubois and The Spurs George Hill a couple of years ago, as far as Carlisle and Pop deeming them ready for more playing time. Pop still gets trashed upstairs for not playing Hill two years ago in the playoffs, and going with Jacque Vaughn instead, even though Hill was playing pretty well for a rookie that year.

Then let's hope Roddy can turn around the series like Hill was able to last year.

[TampaDude]

No way OKC beats SA. I could see LA and maybe Dallas beating them, but OKC doesn't have a chance in my mind.

OKC has no interior defense...it would be a layup drill for TP and Manu. Spurs in 5, maybe 6. The two teams in the West that I worry about are the Mavs and the Lakers, in that order.