i loved watching pj brown step up today - he is a major reason they held on and won that game. for all the talk about the big 3, the celtics have had some pretty important contributions during the playoffs, including big baby in game 6, and he didnt even play a minute today, i dont think. rondo looks like he has a good future in the league, but he needs to get that jump shot in order.

i still think boston makes it to the championship series. i am sure that they are glad they dont have to deal with lebron anymore. and while they havent been successful on the road, nor has anyone been successful against them in the garden.

Rondo is already a very good PG. If he gets a consistent jumper he will be one of the top 5 PGs in the league. He's as good as Tony Parker at pushing the ball and getting in the paint.

The Detroit series will be great to watch. I cant wait for it.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

True, but in this case you still traded a sure fire hall of famer for someone who has yet to make an All-Star team. It's definately more than the Grizzlies got.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Not even comparable. Im going as far as to say it was a good trade for the Wolves. Maybe they could have gotten more, Jefferson is like 10 years younger and will be a perennial all star.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

After watching today's game, there is nothing Lebron James could have done in games 1 or 2 to change the result. There was no way that Cleveland was going to be able to win a game in Boston.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Are you kidding? Look at all the progress he has made in one year. The three all stars have really boosted his confidence and helped develop him as a player. He's great on defense, is one of the quickest players in the NBA, can get into the paint better than any PG in the league except Paul and Parker, and hes not far behind Parker. He's a great rebounding PG, and creates very well off the pick and roll and went pushing the ball in transition. He's a pretty lousy shooter, so he's gonna need to develop a consistent shot, but I can see him being a future All Star for sure.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

rondo had several really big games for the celts this year, and several more in the playoffs. game 6 against the cavs really showed his potential. he was driving to the hole and floating in those teardrops with accuracy, and his defense has been very, very good.

when he is hitting his jumper, he can fill it up pretty good. granted, a lot of the time the defense is collapsing and allowing him the shot, but if they do try to deny it, he seems to have the quickness to drive in and float it in. i really like this guy a lot.

Where's Baron Davis

ESPN.com, this booth- they keep making references to how that trade "changed the face of the franchise". I'm guessing if you asked 100 people, exactly 100 would tell you LeBron is the face of the franchise. They just shuffled around bad contracts and probably ended up slightly worse. If it changed the face of the franchise that much they might have won the series. Rant over, just sicking of all the announcers saying that...

I've always been pretty much neutral as far as my like/dislike of LeBron goes, but I'm kind of souring on him after these last few press conferences

All the talking in 3rd person- "A LeBron James team is never desperate", comparing himself to Dominique. I dunno, just seems a bit off-putting to me now

I can speak for myself, thank you though.

1. Chris Paul
2. Deron Williams
3. Baron Davis
4. Chauncey Billups
5. Tony Parker

Rondo isnt really close, but he's only played one full season. Give him a couple years. Calderon is very close, and if you dont agree, well I dont know what to tell you.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

It's hard to tell what Rondo's ceiling is, but he's already a better defender than Parker.

_________________
"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

i never said rondo was chris paul, i just believe that he is a keeper. his jump shot is the weak spot, and if he can fix it, i dont think it is that big of a stretch to say he could be a top 5 at some point. back when he was a rookie with the celtics, i dont think too many people thought billups was going to be the player he was. it takes time, and rondo has made real strides.

i am impressed with how involved he is with the offense, even with the star-power they have. he is more than a distributer, he is pretty offensive-minded, and he cuts inside pretty much whenever he can. i like his aggressiveness.

Billups was a top 5 pick. I think the expectations were very high for him. Too bad Rick Pitino was his coach.

_________________
"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

true enough.

The best thing, and sometimes worst thing, about Rondo is he really believes he is the best player on the floor. Unfortunately, he doesnt really have the skill set yet to be able to take over games, but he isnt far away from that either. Like I said, if he develops a consistent jumper, he will be a top 5 PG. Unfortunately hes not really even close to that yet. I already consider him a top 5 defensive PG.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Anyone who talks in the third person is annoying, but in general I dont get how anyone can have anything critical to say about Bron after yesterday. If Pierce doesnt have the game of his life the Cavs would have upset a team that won 66 games. Bron stepped up on one of the biggest stages of his career. His supporting cast is absolutely dreadful. He played fantastic yesterday.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Both teams looked jittery coming out of the gates but are playing well. West's back is fine. The Spurs have been played great defense to start but the Hornets are finding holes and hitting tough shots. Spurs need to stay in this thing early.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

The role players for the Spurs are playing better than the Hornets role players right now. Thats pretty much the 5 point difference.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

The Hornets are gonna need to adjust their defensive scheme. They are so terrified of Duncan killing them they routinely leave a guy open for three, and usually two guys. Its killing them in this game so far.

Edit: First possession of the 3rd quarter they did just this. The Power of the Board...

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

this BLOWS...come on hornets jesus.

I can understand people not liking the Spurs cuz they win alot, but I love watching this team play.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Fixed. I love fundamental basketball and I'd love to embrace Tim Duncan more because of it but I have a hard time watching them bitch after every call. They don't seem to be doing it in this game though.

I'd rather have the Spurs over the Lakers.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

They dont bitch any more than any other team in the league. Maybe you just see it more since they are on more, due to advancing more than any other team.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I disagree. Tim Duncan and Ginobili normally complain after every time they don't get a call. They are better on the road but at home it gets very annoying. I'm not the first person on this site to make that observation.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

No you arent, but I still disagree. To me thats an example of "you cant please everybody". I know they have that rep, but I think its because they win alot and nobody likes a perennial winner unless its their team. They play the most fundamental basketball by far of anyone in the league. Every single player on their team is at least a decent defender and decent passer. They do all the little things right, especially in the playoffs. I think if they won one title in the last 10 years instead of 4, they wouldnt have that rep, but because theres nothing you can say bad about them, its "oh they whine too much", which is true, but not any truer than any other team in the league. And dont even get me started on the "they are boring to watch" shit. Anyone who says that shouldnt even watch the game of basketball.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

There are many other teams I dislike much more than the Spurs. I don't think it would be fair to lump me together with the Spurs haters. I'll be rooting for a Hornets/Spurs vs. Celtics finals matchup.

I still get annoyed with the Tim Duncan face after he doesn't get a foul called or if one is called on him. Don't get me started on Ginobili. That one is fairly obvious to everyone.

As for them being boring to watch, it is partly true. It's fine for people that enjoy the intricacies of the sport but an average fan doesn't really care that Tim Duncan has great teamwork or that the Spurs distribute the ball very well. They want to see Lebron James and Paul Pierce put on an offensive clinic.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I wasnt lumping you in with the Spurs haters, its just that thats one of the most annoying groups of haters out there.

As for the boring part, I hate that. Its not boring basketball at all. Parker and Ginobli are easily one of the most exciting guard tandems in the NBA and Duncan is arguably the best Power Forward ever. Like I said, if you(meaning in general, not you specifically) cant appreciate how they move the ball, shift on defense, and run the pick n roll, go watch baseball or something.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

oh fuck, kill me now satan, I must root for Detroit and LA, whats next,a year long lease in Newark.

Give the Spurs credit. What a 10 year run they've had.

Actually, it's more like an 19 year run. They got David Robinson in 1989 and have been a solid team ever since then.

They won their first title in 1999. Now, they are going for their 5th.