Virgin Islands...Timmy

[BWJACKETS]

Better defense? Remember that the Spurs punked out the Suns whose offense punked your Cavs in the regular season.

Hey clown, you are comparing common opponents when direct matchups are what determines games. First, Phoenix could beat alot of teams just by the way they get up and down the court, it makes them a bad matchup for any team. Second, don't flatter yourself, San Antonio got through that series as soon as the suspensions were handed down, it wasn't because they shut down the Suns offense.

[Soul_Patch]

Of course they will put bowen on lebron. I also think you will see a lot more traps (Jwill last series) to get him to pick up his dribble and pass the ball. We are also very good about closing out on the threepoint line (ask phoenix) so dont expect that all your players will be able to just stand around out on the perimeter and get open looks. That doesn't happen often against the spurs.

The spurs are a very very talented defensive team. I know you guys are high on the fact that lebron torched detroit, but detroit played D league defense for the majority of the last series. Don't expect even close to that this series. I expect lebron to get his 20 to 30 pts a game. He is a great player and i think the spurs expect it too. I DONT expect many other people to be there to contribute though, the spurs defense will lock up the other options fairly tightly, and put lebron to the test to deliver...Once again, i dont see 1 player beating a very talented spurs team.

[virginislandCAVS]

EAST EAST EAST

Many of you have an East complex. ANY team in ANY sports, and year, that makes to the champioship series or game IS legitimate and CAN beat the other team.

[BWJACKETS]

Cav's fans. You truly are failing to realise one very very VERY important factor.


YOU PLAY BASKETBALL IN THE EAST


It is like the JV league. There really isnt any compe ion there, im sorry to break it to you. Regardless of how much the media wants this to be the show of the century, lebron against the world..etc...you just really aren't in the same league.


What is going to happen come thursday, when your team gets put back down to earth with a blow out 110 to 84 or something along those lines...

Im curious what the excuses might be.

Hey clown, the East won it all last season, not the West. Enough said.

[Soul_Patch]

Hey clown, you are comparing common opponents when direct matchups are what determines games. First, Phoenix could beat alot of teams just by the way they get up and down the court, it makes them a bad matchup for any team. Second, don't flatter yourself, San Antonio got through that series as soon as the suspensions were handed down, it wasn't because they shut down the Suns offense.

hey...just fyi, cause i know you are new to the playoffs, but a team has to win 4 games to advance.


If i remember correctly, the suspensions were only 1 game. And correct me if im wrong here, but i think the spurs allowed phoenix over 100pts a game, and still out scored them...

pigeonhole it all you want if it makes you feel better though.

[easjer]

In your opinion, do you think the Spurs will put Bowen on Lebron?

Yes. Bowen will be on LeBron. Finley will split some time on him as well.

Will Bruce stop LeBron? No. Will he frustrate him and irritate him? Yes. If things go very well for Bruce, then he will harass LeBron out of his favorite spots and urge him inside where the help defense can rotate more easily.

Regardless, I can guarantee that there won't be people standing under the basket watching Bruce chase LeBron and then watching LeBron make an easy uncontested layup. Pop won't stand for it.

Again - the Spurs play team defense. No one person will shut down LeBron, but there will be enough people actively involved to make him earn his points. And we can shut down the rest of the team.

[BWJACKETS]

Many of you have an East complex. ANY team in ANY sports, and year, that makes to the champioship series or game IS legitimate and CAN beat the other team.

Yeah, any time they hear what they dont want to hear, they just block it all out like an ostrich sticking it's head in the sand. It's their magic word, "EAST! EAST! EAST!" LOL

[Soul_Patch]

Hey clown, the East won it all last season, not the West. Enough said.

rofl...i call a "championship" team who got sweeped out of hte first round the following year...a fluke...thats just me though.


good luck...ill be here waiting for your excuse after a game 1 blow out.

[O-Factor]

Its pretty unanamous down here in Texas the series is going 4, maybe 5 games and 4th le for the spurs

[hater]

Many of you have an East complex. ANY team in ANY sports, and year, that makes to the champioship series or game IS legitimate and CAN beat the other team.

anything is possible but odds are heavily on Spurs side
Vegas odds:
Spurs win 1/4

Cleveland win 4/1

[virginislandCAVS]

Of course they will put bowen on lebron. I also think you will see a lot more traps (Jwill last series) to get him to pick up his dribble and pass the ball. We are also very good about closing out on the threepoint line (ask phoenix) so dont expect that all your players will be able to just stand around out on the perimeter and get open looks. That doesn't happen often against the spurs.

The spurs are a very very talented defensive team. I know you guys are high on the fact that lebron torched detroit, but detroit played D league defense for the majority of the last series. Don't expect even close to that this series. I expect lebron to get his 20 to 30 pts a game. He is a great player and i think the spurs expect it too. I DONT expect many other people to be there to contribute though, the spurs defense will lock up the other options fairly tightly, and put lebron to the test to deliver...Once again, i dont see 1 player beating a very talented spurs team.

And we don't play D, And Z and Gooden won't hit any jumpers, we won't get any of the offensive rebounds that we're tops in the league for and.....and....and...and...and oberto is not going to get eaten alive by whoever he guards.

[hater]

And we don't play D, And Z and Gooden won't hit any jumpers, we won't get any of the offensive rebounds that we're tops in the league for and.....and....and...and...and oberto is not going to get eaten alive by whoever he guards.

Oberto is pretty good Defender. I guarantee he will not get eaten alive, unless he guard Lebron.

[easjer]

Many of you have an East complex. ANY team in ANY sports, and year, that makes to the champioship series or game IS legitimate and CAN beat the other team.

Sure.

But the conference that you play in is . You cut your teeth on piss poor opponets.

Any team out of the Western playoffs would have won your conference.

The point is that you had 1 bye series, 1 meh series in which you performed like and 1 series in which LeBron played very well for 3 games and the entirety of the opposing team played like .

To pretend that this is somehow preparation for one of the best teams in the league (and many people are saying this group is the best variation of the Spurs championship incarnations) is hopeful at best.

The Spurs regularly played much more difficult teams and ended with a better record. We played much more difficult series (and whatever you want to say about Pheonix, we still beat them 3 other times and they were incapable of forcing a 7th game, so let it go) and are playing the most cohesive ball they've played in 2 seasons.

[Soul_Patch]

It'll be great to see all of you cav's fans fall back down to earth friday morning.

I hope it is at least a compe ion though. Blowout games are boring.

[BWJACKETS]

rofl...i call a "championship" team who got sweeped out of hte first round the following year...a fluke...thats just me though.


good luck...ill be here waiting for your excuse after a game 1 blow out.

Oh, it was a fluke huh? What about the Pistons beating the Lakers? If I'm not mistaken, there were "flukes" two out of the last three years then? The East may have been dominated in the Post-Jordan Era however let's not make any mistakes about it, two of the last three series' were dominated by Eastern Conference teams who were given little to no shot of taking home the hardware, and the one series win by San Antonio came down to the bounce of the ball in that one, it was that close.

I'm not one for making up excuses, I'm just going to say right now that game 1 is one game, not seven. And in any event, the Spurs will not win any game via blowout, sorry it just isn't going to happen. Cavs came back from down 2-0 so you can't count them out under any cir stances. SA will not win any games in Cleveland in this series so hopefully you win all your home games.

[Soul_Patch]

SA will not win any games in Cleveland in this series so hopefully you win all your home games.

[easjer]

I'm not one for making up excuses, I'm just going to say right now that game 1 is one game, not seven. And in any event, the Spurs will not win any game via blowout, sorry it just isn't going to happen. Cavs came back from down 2-0 so you can't count them out under any cir stances. SA will not win any games in Cleveland in this series so hopefully you win all your home games.

Well, see, that is where you are wrong. If we can win in Denver, Pheonix and ing Utah, we sure as flying can win in Cleveland.

[J.T.]

Hey, last time I checked, wasn't last season's NBA Champion an Eastern Conference team??

Yes, last season's NBA Champion was from the Eastern Conference, but only by virtue of Stern gangraping the Spurs in the conference semis.

2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat*

*Spurs screwed by refs in games 2,3,4 of wcsf (coincidentally all mavs wins, hmmm), Bavetta + Nowitzki = <3, Javie + Cuban = <3, Ginobili is stupid, no-call on the Duncan putback at the game 7 regulation buzzer

Really, I could put 30 asterisks on the Miami Heat's trophy last year. The fact that they won doesn't make East team's like the Cavs any better.

[BWJACKETS]

Well, see, that is where you are wrong. If we can win in Denver, Pheonix and ing Utah, we sure as flying can win in Cleveland.

Well, see, that is where you are wrong. Cavs have lost once at home in the playoffs, they aren't going to lose at home. Also, on a side note, if your team ever was to win in Cleveland (not likely), we would have an angry mob outside the arena ready to mug your whole team.

[virginislandCAVS]

Its pretty unanamous down here in Texas the series is going 4, maybe 5 games and 4th le for the spurs

I would laugh any of my friends into the ground that called out sweep championship series, whether they were talking about the home team or not. This East vs. West stuff is B.S. anyways. The real line drwan nowadays is run and gun teams vs. defensive teams. All the hype during the regular season is the run and gun teams, but who is usually left? The half-court, defensive teams. S.A., Utah, Detroit, and Cleveland.

[MadDog73]

Well, see, that is where you are wrong. Cavs have lost once at home in the playoffs, they aren't going to lose at home. Also, on a side note, if your team ever was to win in Cleveland (not likely), we would have an angry mob outside the arena ready to mug your whole team.

Classy. Threatening to harm people always scores you points.

BTW, we don't really need to win in Cleveland to win the series, but we won in Denver twice, Pheonix twice, and Utah once. I don't think the Spurs are scared of playing in Cleveland.

[BWJACKETS]

Yes, last season's NBA Champion was from the Eastern Conference, but only by virtue of Stern gangraping the Spurs in the conference semis.

2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat*

*Spurs screwed by refs in games 2,3,4 of wcsf (coincidentally all mavs wins, hmmm), Bavetta + Nowitzki = <3, Javie + Cuban = <3, Ginobili is stupid, no-call on the Duncan putback at the game 7 regulation buzzer

Really, I could put 30 asterisks on the Miami Heat's trophy last year. The fact that they won doesn't make East team's like the Cavs any better.

OHHHHH HAHAHA....so there it is. For a second there, I thought Spurs fans were above all of the complaining about the refs. Sorry but if Dallas had made it to play you guys the Spurs wouldn't even be in the Finals.

Last time I checked, last season and two out of the last three years the best from the East has beaten the best from the West. So you can shut your mouth.

[easjer]

Well, see, that is where you are wrong. Cavs have lost once at home in the playoffs, they aren't going to lose at home. Also, on a side note, if your team ever was to win in Cleveland (not likely), we would have an angry mob outside the arena ready to mug your whole team.

Funny. Jazz had a perfect home record in the playoffs.


Worked out well for them.

And mugging our team?

First, VERY mature. Second, it's not like Pheonix and Utah weren't throwing at our team and calling bomb threats into the hotel. It's classless to do and equally classless to threaten.

[Soul_Patch]

I would laugh any of my friends into the ground that called out sweep championship series, whether they were talking about the home team or not. This East vs. West stuff is B.S. anyways. The real line drwan nowadays is run and gun teams vs. defensive teams. All the hype during the regular season is the run and gun teams, but who is usually left? The half-court, defensive teams. S.A., Utah, Detroit, and Cleveland.

I would normally laugh my friends into the ground as well. But this is the cleveland cavaliers we are talking about here. C'mon, its not really that unlikely is it?

[sandman]

Better defense? Remember that the Spurs punked out the Suns whose offense punked your Cavs in the regular season.

Defense is always going to be tighter during the playoffs which results in lower scores and FG%. The three teams the Spurs played scored 9 points below their regular season average during the playoffs. The Cavs opponents scored 8.2 points below. Both groups of opponents had a FG% that was 2.5% lower than the regular season. It would seem that any defensive comparisons would be a wash.

What I find interesting (considering that scoring is down in the playoffs) is that the Spurs' points per game and FG% have been fairly consistent with the regular season (down .6 points and 1.1%, respectively), but the Cavs' points per game and FG% are down (down 5.9 points and 2%, respectively).

It is also interesting to note that the 3-pt FG% for the Spurs has improved in the playoffs, whereas the Cavs 3-pt FG% has decreased.

This series may not be about defense at all, but rather about which team can still execute their offense without improvisations or miracles.