Don Nelson is the man

[kepdawg]

Golden State ends its 12 year playoff drought.

Warriors will sweep Mavs. :(

[DU_stud04]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Golden State ends its 12 year playoff drought.

Warriors will sweep Mavs. :( :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Golden State ends its 12 year playoff drought.

Warriors will sweep Mavs. :(

they'll take it in Six... :( damn the warriors...

[big daddy russ]

I hope the Mavs win. I'm looking forward to a Dallas/SA series in the Western Conference Finals. Apologies to Phoenix, but the two best teams in the NBA finally get to meet up at the right place.

[Phil C]

I am sure Adidas is very worried indeed. :(

[Macarthur]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Golden State ends its 12 year playoff drought.

Warriors will sweep Mavs. :(

I'll have some of what you are smoking...

Golden State will be lucky to win 2 games. It's not the regular season anymore.

[DU_stud04]

Originally posted by Macarthur
I'll have some of what you are smoking...

Golden State will be lucky to win 2 games. It's not the regular season anymore. so they must have been really lucky to win the first 3 huh? :D

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Golden State ends its 12 year playoff drought.

Warriors will sweep Mavs. :(
.
kep, no way does the Warriors sweep the Mavs. They'll win in 5. :D
j/k
I think the Mavs will win the series in 6 or 7 and quite possibly become a much better team for it. I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Nelson is a good coach but Avery is much much better.:nerd:

[SintonFan]

Playoff Matchups Determined in Both Conferences
By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer
Posted Apr 19 2007 1:52AM
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Secaucus, New Jersey, April 18, 2007--Vince Carter is returning to Toronto, and the Golden State Warriors are headed back to the postseason.

The Warriors clinched their first playoff spot since 1994 by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 120-98 on Wednesday night. Golden State (42-40) beat out the Clippers to grab the No. 8 seed and will open against league-best Dallas in a matchup of coach Don Nelson against his former team.

The Dallas fans probably won't be as rough on Nellie as the Toronto ones will on Carter.

The New Jersey Nets beat the Chicago Bulls 106-97, clinching the No. 6 seed in the East and preventing Chicago from finishing second.

New Jersey will open the postseason against the Atlantic Division champion Raptors in Toronto, where Carter is likely to hear boos every time he touches the ball. He starred for the Raptors for more than six seasons before his unhappiness forced Toronto to trade Carter to the Nets in December 2004.

"That matchup, I welcome it. I'm sure that he wants to play here. I don't mind seeing him, either,'' said Toronto's Chris Bosh, a former teammate. "It's a turning part for this organization. Who better to play than the guy who helped build this place up?''

A Chicago victory would have set up a Bulls-Nets series in the first round. Instead, the Bulls fell to the No. 5 seed and will open the postseason against the defending champion Heat.

Miami took the first step toward its title last year by beating Chicago in six games in the first round. But the Bulls had the better overall record, so they get the extra home game this time.

"Chicago feels that they can beat us,'' Heat guard Dwyane Wade said as he watched the final minutes of the Bulls' loss at the Nets. "Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out.''

Cleveland capitalized on Chicago's loss to vault into the No. 2 spot after beating Milwaukee 109-96 earlier Wednesday. That means the Cavs will face No. 7 Washington, minus injured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, in the first round.

"They're a team that gave us trouble last time we played them,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Eddie Jordan is an experienced coach with an experienced team. They've been to the playoffs the last three, four years, so we have to make sure we have the right mind-frame, the right mental focus, physical focus and try to get a win against that team.''

The bottom two spots out West were finalized late Wednesday. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Sacramento 117-106, earning a rematch with the Phoenix Suns in the first round. The Suns beat the Lakers in seven games last year, also in a No. 2 vs. No. 7 series.

Also, Washington's victory in Indiana sent Orlando to the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round series against Detroit, which swept the season series.

"It's going to be a challenge for us,'' Magic guard Jameer Nelson said. "But like I kept saying all season: We accept all challenges, and I think we can beat anybody in a seven-game series.''

The only series that had already been determined entering Wednesday were No. 3 San Antonio against No. 6 Denver, and fourth-seeded Utah against No. 5 Houston. The Rockets will have home-court advantage because of a better record.

The Spurs and Nuggets didn't learn anything from each other in their game at San Antonio on Wednesday night. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all sat out for San Antonio, while Denver rested Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby and Nene.

The Rockets and Jazz also met Wednesday night. Houston kept Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming on the bench.

The playoffs open Saturday.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I hope the Mavs win. I'm looking forward to a Dallas/SA series in the Western Conference Finals. Apologies to Phoenix, but the two best teams in the NBA finally get to meet up at the right place. Two things about the Rockets:

IF they stay healthy and
IF they hit their 3s

then they will be a force in the playoffs. Nobody can stop Yao Ming down low without triple teaming him, which opens up shooters.

I really think the west is up for grabs.

[3afan]

Originally posted by JasperDog94
..... the west is up for grabs.


yes it is



go MAVS!

[Macarthur]

Originally posted by DU_stud04
so they must have been really lucky to win the first 3 huh? :D

Pretty much.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by Phil C
I am sure Adidas is very worried indeed. :(

Not too worried...here's how I see the West playing out

Quarters
Dallas 4
Golden State 1...maybe 2

Houston 4
Utah 2...maybe 3

San Antonio 4
Denver 1...maybe 2

Phoenix 4
LA Lakers 1...maybe 2

Semis
Dallas 4
Houston 1...maybe 2

San Antonio 4
Phoenix 2...maybe 3

Finals
Dallas 4
San Antonio 2...maybe 3

NOTE...if Phoenix beats San Antonio then I think they have a much better chance to beat the Mavs.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Not too worried...here's how I see the West playing out

Quarters
Dallas 4
Golden State 1...maybe 2

Houston 4
Utah 2...maybe 3

San Antonio 4
Denver 1...maybe 2

Phoenix 4
LA Lakers 1...maybe 2

Semis
Dallas 4
Houston 1...maybe 2

San Antonio 4
Phoenix 2...maybe 3

Finals
Dallas 4
San Antonio 2...maybe 3

NOTE...if Phoenix beats San Antonio then I think they have a much better chance to beat the Mavs.
.
If Phoenix were to play the Mavs, Dallas would b##@! slap them in 5.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by JasperDog94
Two things about the Rockets:

IF they stay healthy and
IF they hit their 3s

then they will be a force in the playoffs. Nobody can stop Yao Ming down low without triple teaming him, which opens up shooters.

I really think the west is up for grabs.
I actually think the Rockets are the third-best team in the West. I don't think Phoenix is built for a playoff run. They remind me too much of the old Mavs, Kings, etc.

I really like the Rockets if both Yao and McGrady are healthy. If Bonzi shows up and brings some offensive punch, I like them quite a bit more.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
If Phoenix were to play the Mavs, Dallas would b##@! slap them in 5.
I would love to think so...but the Suns shoot A LOT better against the Mavs than against anybody else. I'll pull up those #'s later when I have a few minutes. Oh...and some guy with a chip on his shoulder plays the point for the Suns :(

[Macarthur]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
I would love to think so...but the Suns shoot A LOT better against the Mavs than against anybody else. I'll pull up those #'s later when I have a few minutes. Oh...and some guy with a chip on his shoulder plays the point for the Suns :(

I have decades of NBA history on my side when I say the Suns will not win the West. They are awful at defense and rebounding. In case you forgot, that's what playoff basketball is all about. Things change when you have to play a team in a 7 game series.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by big daddy russ

I really like the Rockets if both Yao and McGrady are healthy. If Bonzi shows up and brings some offensive punch, I like them quite a bit more. Bonzi is done as a Rocket. He decided a week or so ago that he would just not show up for a game. He stayed in his hotel room.

He looked like crap the previous two games anyway.

Bonzi has been a failed experiment in Houston. I hope he gets his head straight somewhere else, but it won't be as a Rocket.

[DU_stud04]

i think the best1st round matchup is in the east....chicago and miami. im picking chicago in 6.

[Gobbla2001]

I still with my comments from earlier this year, the three best teams in the NBA, not just the west, are the three teams from Texas... the Texas Three Step...

[DU_stud04]

Originally posted by Gobbla2001
I still with my comments from earlier this year, the three best teams in the NBA, not just the west, are the three teams from Texas... the Texas Three Step... agreed

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by Macarthur
I have decades of NBA history on my side when I say the Suns will not win the West. They are awful at defense and rebounding. In case you forgot, that's what playoff basketball is all about. Things change when you have to play a team in a 7 game series.
Here are the numbers that worry me:

This season...
41-75 (54.7%) FG and 11-21 (52.4%) 3PT...Mavs win 119-112
37-72 (51.4%) FG and 9-14 (64.3%) 3PT...Mavs win 101-99
49-88 (55.7%) FG and 7-17 (41.2%) 3PT...Suns win 129-127
46-71 (64.8%) FG and 12-21 (57.1%) 3PT...Suns win 126-104

Overall...the Suns have shot 56.5% FG and 53.4% 3PT against the Mavs. Against everybody else, they shot 49.1% FG and 39.4% 3PT. To me...that's a pretty significant difference. For comparison purposes, they shot 48.8% FG and 39.8% 3PT against the Mavs in the conference finals last year.

Those numbers alone show why I would rather play the Spurs than the Suns...

[Gobbla2001]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Here are the numbers that worry me:

This season...
41-75 (54.7%) FG and 11-21 (52.4%) 3PT...Mavs win 119-112
37-72 (51.4%) FG and 9-14 (64.3%) 3PT...Mavs win 101-99
49-88 (55.7%) FG and 7-17 (41.2%) 3PT...Suns win 129-127
46-71 (64.8%) FG and 12-21 (57.1%) 3PT...Suns win 126-104

Overall...the Suns have shot 56.5% FG and 53.4% 3PT against the Mavs. Against everybody else, they shot 49.1% FG and 39.4% 3PT. To me...that's a pretty significant difference. For comparison purposes, they shot 48.8% FG and 39.8% 3PT against the Mavs in the conference finals last year.

Those numbers alone show why I would rather play the Spurs than the Suns...

Look at the Kings from a while back... they were putting up crazy FG%-age and crazy scores... whlt matters is in a 7 game series...

[Fotbol]

Originally posted by JasperDog94
Two things about the Rockets:

IF they stay healthy and
IF they hit their 3s

then they will be a force in the playoffs. Nobody can stop Yao Ming down low without triple teaming him, which opens up shooters.

I really think the west is up for grabs. LET'S GO ROCKETS, Now u r talking texas hoops!

[Macarthur]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Here are the numbers that worry me:

This season...
41-75 (54.7%) FG and 11-21 (52.4%) 3PT...Mavs win 119-112
37-72 (51.4%) FG and 9-14 (64.3%) 3PT...Mavs win 101-99
49-88 (55.7%) FG and 7-17 (41.2%) 3PT...Suns win 129-127
46-71 (64.8%) FG and 12-21 (57.1%) 3PT...Suns win 126-104

Overall...the Suns have shot 56.5% FG and 53.4% 3PT against the Mavs. Against everybody else, they shot 49.1% FG and 39.4% 3PT. To me...that's a pretty significant difference. For comparison purposes, they shot 48.8% FG and 39.8% 3PT against the Mavs in the conference finals last year.

Those numbers alone show why I would rather play the Spurs than the Suns...

gobbla is right.

When you play 7 game series oppoent FG% is most important and Dallas is much better in that area, as well as rebounding. History tells us that teams just do not keep than kind of a pace during a 7 game series.

[kepdawg]

I was wrong. The Warriors won't sweep the Mavs. :(

[injuredinmelee]

Originally posted by kepdawg
I was wrong. The Warriors won't sweep the Mavs. :(

but you were right they will bounce the mavs out of the playoffs.

Did Avery screw up biogtime by sitting everyone agaisnt the Warriors the last week of the season after knowing how his team had struggled against them to try and keep them out of the playoffs? Was he trying to play mind games against his mentor?

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by injuredinmelee
but you were right they will bounce the mavs out of the playoffs.

Did Avery screw up biogtime by sitting everyone agaisnt the Warriors the last week of the season after knowing how his team had struggled against them to try and keep them out of the playoffs? Was he trying to play mind games against his mentor?

I think Avery preferred taking his chances in a playoff series against whoever rather than going all out in the regular season game and coming up short. If that would have happened the Mavs confidence in their ability to beat Golden State would have been completely shot. Everyone had been saying it would be different in the playoffs anyway, so Avery didn't have too much too worry about anyway, right?