4. Thunder Vs. 5. Nuggets
Thunder in 7 (I'm really looking forward to this series)

i think the hornets can take 1 game from the lakers.

I think the Lakers are playing like shit, but this series is almost a bye for them. No David West, and Chris Paul's knee isn't healthy right now.

I agree. if the Hornets were healthy they might have won a game in the series. This might be the easiest first round matchup for any team in the playoffs.

This is why the NBA playoffs are upset free in the early rounds and top seeds typically move on. Heat +13 on FT attempts, Bulls were +15. Nothing new and it's not just this or that official. Just the way the NBA is and has been as long as anyone can recall.

This is why the NBA playoffs are upset free in the early rounds and top seeds typically move on. Heat +13 on FT attempts, Bulls were +15. Nothing new and it's not just this or that official. Just the way the NBA is and has been as long as anyone can recall.

You're citing two teams that consistently drive to the basket and get to the line. Rose, Lebron, and Wade don't settle for jump shots like other teams that are not as good. It has nothing to do with "getting calls".

I wouldn't call for an investigation or anything like that 2 games into the postseason, but the sketchiness of NBA referees (Like Joey "I Piss in my hotel ice bucket" Crawford) should not be discounted. It worked out in our favor today, I'm not complaining. Your points about driving to the lane are valid, but the Sixers and Pacers do a lot of work around the hoop as well.

Who are all these hot sluts in the stands behind the benches???? There's like 20 of them. They are (im)plants.

It takes a little more than just looking at the box score to just make accusations like this.

Total FT attempts today with all 4 teams playing equally hard: 71 (Miami/Chicago), 32 (Indy/Philly). That's embarrassing.

http://twitter.com/#!/sportsguy33/statu ... 8965910528

At the end of the 1st half, when Collison drove the lane and Rose grabbed him and instead of calling the foul on Rose, the ref called traveling on Collison. Pacers head coach couldn't take it any more, flat out called the refs out on their bias and got T'd up for it. Even the announcers wondered what was going on with that play. At one point in the 2nd half, Rose is driving the lane and the ref whistles a foul and makes the blocking motion BEFORE Rose even leaves the floor to shoot. Hibbert had position to take a charge, Rose acrobatically avoided the charge. Didn't matter, the ref was already running up to the scorer's table to call a blocking foul on Hibbert.

What's surprising is that this egregiously biased officiating is happening in the 1st games of the 1st round, to save a couple of top seeded teams from embarrassing early losses.



and that's from the guy who wrote the book on the NBA. Tho Simmons is an NBA hoops guy first, he's much less an NBA apologist than a Red Sox apologist (w/r/t Manny and Ortiz et al being PED'd to the max during the '04 run).


It's like if the top seeds in the NHL playoffs got an extra couple of PP's every game in the 1st round. Then the NHL top seeds would march right on as they do in the NBA. As it is, the NHL (*usually*) goes out of its way to even up PP chances, esp in the playoffs, and let the teams decide the game, not the officials. Which results in number 1 and 2 seeds in the NHL playoffs regularly getting bounced out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round.

I think the Lakers are playing like shit, but this series is almost a bye for them. No David West, and Chris Paul's knee isn't healthy right now.

Great weekend of games so far. This has already been better than that shit NCAA Tourney with only 2 days in.

I agree. Best opening weekend in NBA Playoffs Ive ever seen. Just about every game had last minute drama and exciting finishes