General Chat / Official NBA Playoff Predictions/Discussion Thread

aero I'm not a Lakers fan. In fact if there were ever a Laker hater it's me. But shut the fuck up, because I know that's coming straight from the Kings part of your heart. If it's true, you're mad because you know it's true, and if it's just lame propaganda excuses, which it probably is, then you're being an idiot. So please, let's just watch the Lakers lose in unity.

BTW the Spurs came back from a 16 point deficit to take that lead on Duncan's miracle so what you're saying makes no sense whatsoever.

WHAT A GAME!!! My heart was thumping. And my sister laughed in my face. I deserved it. Oh well. She's only a Laker fan because of loyalties to her little boyfriend. (Okay, he's 27, but I can take him.) She will be converted like all San Diegans

Sorry Horry, but Laker history now has a new THE SHOT. That was simply THE BEST Laker playoff game I have ever seen, strictly because of its ending. We blew it. Make no mistake about it, we blew it. We were up 16 and collapsed. The Spurs played freezing defense, Parker started to get hot, and Duncan made one of the most incredible shots in playoff history (and probably Spurs history). 0.4 seconds left, game is over. But there's a reason I always watch until the last second. I love the ends of quarters and the ends of games, because there's no telling when you'll see a buzzer beater.

Tonight was a great game, and I said that before D-Fish made his miracle. I was resigned to have the Lakers come home down 3-2, but I recognized that tonight was a classic.

Fisher's shot, beating the buzzer by like 0.05 seconds, made it even better.

Die-hard Laker fan or not, I'll admit it: we very nearly fucked up, and if we had lost, we would have basically deserved to have not advance. But that's the thing about the Lakers: when they play in unity and do their thing, they're unbeatable. When they don't... they blow big leads.


Aero, you can gripe about your "bad call this" and "bad call that" but the fact is we scrapped back to just barely win. If anything, I should be complaining about "bad calls" that allowed the Spurs to come back, but I'm not. Why? There weren't bad calls. Playoff basketball is different, first of all; you're not going to get fouls that are normally called during the regular season. Secondly, go focus on your Wolves before you start talking trash about the Lake Show. I have the Kings winning, but that doesn't mean I can't be wrong.




I'll beat the horse to death: what a playoffs this has been. Yes, I love this game.

I will defend myself in only one way.. I HATE THE LAKERS!!!! I think they are the Yankees of the NBA. I didn't watch the game, nor did I care to. Honestly, as a Kings fan I would love to get LA in the finals (assuming we get past Min.) only for the fact that if any team is going to kick the Lakers ass I want it to be my Kings. I don't see how the Spurs can recover from this, but you never know until the games are played.

Silly Kings fan! Titles are for real teams!

I hope you beat Minnesota so we can break your hearts again (assuming we get past San Antonio).

(assuming we get past San Antonio)

To assume is to make an ass of u and me.

And assuming is making an ass out of u and some guy named Ming.

Well, Aero, we held up to our end of the bargain... it's your turn, but thanks for giving us more rest with your win today!

Meanwhile, Nets lost, so I still may go 4-0 on this round and 12-0 overall on my predictions (excluding the number of games)! Go Pistons and Kings and Pacers!

Pistons, bitch.

thanks for giving us more rest with your win today!

you will need it no matter which one of us you get. But don't worry, resting doesn't always translate to playing well. Honestly I think either the Kings or Wolves can beat the Lakers, mainly because of the transition game both of them play. Lakers have shown that they can't cover slashing gaurds (example; Parker and Nash) so we will see what happens with Bibby or a healthy Cassel.

Bye..Kings...

Hello Minnesota.

It's gonna be one helluva series between the Lakers and the Wolves.

Funny, Aero, I though the Lakers shut down Parker pretty well in games 3 through 6.

But don't worry, Vlade can flop all he wants from now till training camp... FLOP ON THE COUCH THAT IS!!!!

Yeah that was horrible, but hey! Kings blow a game seven again!

Yeah, in the first couple of games people were talking about Parker being a future hall of famer...but he barely scored any in the games after that.

He is a superstar in the making, but he's not quite there. Remember, he's still only 21. He was not used to being the focal point of the defense. He'll learn. Withing a couple of years, he will be the best point guard in the league.

The Pistons are fucking dominating.

Cork, who do the Lakers have that can defend Kevin Garnett? will it be Mailman? shaq? i wouldn't feel so safe. And the slam on Vlade was weak, he's retireing anyways. trade rumors are already starting, Bobby Jackson, Peja, and Gerald Wallace for Tracy McGrady. Make it happen.

Nobody can stop Garnett or Shaq. The series will be about what everyone else will be doing.

That slam wasn't meant to be strong. You're right, it was weak.... WEAK AS THE QUEENS!!!

Just playin'.


Anyway, I was going to post this this morning. These predictions held up before the game, though I'm ecstatic the Lakers won tonight.


WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(1) Minnesota Timberwolves VS (2) Los Angeles Lakers
Prediction: Lakers in 6 games.
Lakers win games 1, 2, 4, 6. Wolves win 3, 5.
Analysis: The Lakers will be favorites this time. After making that war against San Antonio end in a rout and watching the Wolves put away the Kings in a grueling series, the Lakers are clicking on all cylinders. The defense, which was the X-factor last series, finally came together, and if it holds up, the Lakers will not lose another series this year. The wolves come in hurting, with Hudson out and Cassel aching. KG will be spectacular, but will the others? The Lakers are looking really good right now, and only their own lack of effort can defeat them now. The Wolves must hope for either some sort of lapse or for a combined miracle team effort for four games.
Lakers X-factor: Once again, it's the defense. If it's as tight as it was against the Spurs during their wins, the Lakers will win. For the Lakers, more than basically any team, defense leads to offense and points. Minnesota is a great defensive team, but if the Laker D can shut down two of their big three, it will put pressure on their thin supporting cast, which has yet to really come through.
Wolves X-factor: Though there are many nominees, it will rest on the shoulders, or rather back, of Sam Cassell. He needs to be the slashy, clutch player that he's proven himself to be. The team's defense can keep games close, and his gritty determination late in the game may very well prove to be the deciding factor. Coming in second place would be Sprewell, who will have to pick up the slack big time if Cassell proves too hurt.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(1) Indiana Pacers VS (3) Detroit Pistons
Prediction: Pistons in 7 games.
Pacers win games 1, 4, 5. Pistons win games 2, 3, 6, 7.
Analysis: They gave me a brief scare against the Nets, but they came through. The Pistons have been my pick to reach the Finals from the East. They're the only team with the big men to match the western powerhouses. Both teams are great, definitely the two best in the conference, and both teams feature stifling defenses and potentially dazzling offenses when they click. The Pistons, however, have proven that they can beat Indiana. Their slightly superior defense and their interior presence will make the difference. Still, I don't expect to see a shotfest. It will be an ugly defensive series... think Houston Rockets vs... Themselves. Don't be surprised if you see scores in the sixties more than once. Still, the Pistons are more powerful and will take it in this war.
Pistons X-factor: Rasheed Wallace. O'Neal and Ben can neutralize each other, but Rasheed needs to take advantage of his offensive superiority over Foster. Rasheed can take it outside or post up, giving the Pistons a solid advantage in variety of attacks.
Pacers X-factor: Reggie Miller. What? That old bag? But Miller has the experience, and he'll need to hold the team together mentally. His clutch play could also make the difference for these admittedly very evenly matched teams. If Miller can provide a good 15 points each game, it will force Detroit to shift their attention on him, allowing O'Neal and Artest better chances.

Very nice analyzing Cork, but the Wolves will win.

Oh, and you forgot to change the "x-factors."

Thanks for the correction, Micool. But the Wolves are still going down.