Comments on: Mishegaas and the NBA Finals

By: sterling

sterling — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Come on…Darko Milicic was holding Shaq’s arm?

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Nope it was Okur….Going Fishing….So, how about that I Robot!

By: Jeff Larkins

Jeff Larkins — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

These finals to me have been absolutely ridiculous. The officiating is repulsive. How can the LA Lakers shoot comparitively so many less free throws than the Pistons?? The Pistons should have more fouls called on them resulting in more Laker free throws. And Rasheed Wallace hasn’t been ejected either. This whole finals is a farce to me. And It seems that the upper management of the NBA payed off the refs to help lift the Pistons onto the throne as NBA champions.

By: Kedar

Kedar — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

There is going to be lot of discussion on how and Why Laker’s lost in finals between Laker’s fans like me.
Some interesting points,
1) Before series started Lakers are hot fav for media but nobody considers that pistons dont have a single star player as other teams had .(Dunkan, Garnet) So they dont have any role for Malone rather than rebounding for which you need to be active enough.
2) Ben wallace always got help from either willamsan( not sure of name) or other wallace or okur etc. Shaq never had any help. Makvendanko was the most useless player throughout the playoffs. He could not defend right neither can rebound properly (unless ball falls in his hands). His shooting was very poor. Payton does not owe fault. His size is so small I wonder how is survived in league for these many yrs. I need to look at his old matches to see how he was supported. Kobe and Shaq tried to carry load but it was too much. They should have involved more team mates from start.
3) Billups 3 were killing lakers in middle of game and never i saw rush got a open shot for 3 in same phase. Sometime he was not on floor or sometime they will pass ball to him without making him open. No screen set for him.
4) I think lakers lost momentum after game 3. With spurs they worked hard to get out of error spots but with Pistons they never shown adjustments they might have made in free time.
5) Another big reason was Shaq. I think he never played with intensity beside game 4 and 5. He was trying to prove same point in game 3 as Kobe was trying to prove in game vs. kings.

But for me its all ok. I am a Laker fan but not stringant to lakers. Next season if I see Kobe on different team than Shaq, it is going to be more interesting for me to watch NBA. I know for sure that Pistons are not deserving team if Spurs of Timberwovles could make it this yr to finals then it surely was Western Conference dominance because they can hit jump shots. At least one team (Timberwolves, Spurs Or Lakers ) need adjustments next yr. And we are champions next yr. I am sure that Mavs can not do this as they dont have that strong team right now.
For anybody who says that Pistons are more deserving once, watch their matches against NJ and you will find how bad they play. Cuban is talking about making open shots and Pistons did not do that all season beside Rick. It just that Billups got good shots in first game and then carried momentum bcoz he was defended by Payton or some short guy. Otherwise we can clearly see that when Kobe went on him for defense he passed that shot to Rick to who was defended by someone else. Lakers needed some energy in play from someone beside Shaq and Kobe ( I am saying energy and not the scores) but beside Luke in game 2 nobody stepped up. George( For all playoffs) and Fisher(for finals) could not bring it.
Hope other teams will get good players from this team and we will have better matches again.

By: Kedar

Kedar — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

one more thing, I did not talk about fouls which was a big factor in series and cost much of mindset to lakers but i think NBA commisoner has some role in this.
I really think so. Kind of fixing the matches. Same ref will call the same sort of fouls against lakers and will not call against pistons but finally lakers could have manage the win with this trouble if they manage things mentioned above.

Thanks to Mark for letting me post these comments and lakers fan please let me know if we have any forum.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

I am right there with you on the not being able to wait until you do not have to check the race ethnicity box. Here’s an example . . . Last week I took one of my many Education Certification Exams while filling out all the basic bio info. I fell onto the normal race question here were my “race options”
African American
Asian American
Hispanic American
Pacific Islander
Native American
Caucasion
Other
Me, being the smart A$$ that I am marked other and wrote in Texan. For the record I am a white 20 year old female, but I too am American and it pisses me off to know end that this even has to be a question and Caucasion is the only “category” without the American suffix. So I am a Texan born and raised.
Well now thats off my chest GO MAVS!

By: toni

toni — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Dude…Marv Albert got fired by MSG. I can hear it now…

Nash for 3…”YES!”

By: Steven

Steven — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Detroit did it. They won the NBA title without what meny consider a “superstar.” My question is, why are they so surprised. Didn’t the Memphis Grizzlies do the exact same thing this year. An incredible improvement and a playoff berth without as much as anything close to an NBA superstar. It shows that more than Detroit are giving this a try and succeeding. Congrats Detroit and hopefully for those of us in Memphis we will follow close behind.

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Since we can’t comment on the Pistons Win! post, I’ll comment here.

“Up to the final series, the same people who talked about how defense wins championship praised the lakers defense, in the championship series, they condemned the lack of defense? So can you get to the Conf Finals not playing defense? The same people now condemning the Lakers, couldn’t praise their Hall of Fame lineup enough from the start to completion of the season.”

The media has to write about something. My girlfriend recently asked me “how is there SO much stuff to write about that SI can come out weekly?” I should just point her to this comment from Mark.

The media reacts to what’s happening. Now every team is going to go remake their teams in the Piston’s image. And next year when a superstar-led team wins the whole thing, we’ll be back where we are.

Defense wins Championships, offense hangs conference banners?

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 11:00:09 +0000

Oh and about the foul disparity:

Is it any wonder that athletic NJ beat the Pistons in fouls? They got in front of the Pistons and didn’t have to pull as many ’stunts.’ The Lakers are the old mens. Malone, Payton – they couldn’t guard anyone so is it any wonder they are reaching? And as far as the Piston’s fouls being down against the Lakers, you don’t have to reach at what can’t go by you! Payton didn’t exactly blow by Billups for any reach fouls. *laughing*

Oh well. Go Mavs!