Philly fans get too passionate about their teams, and causes many of them to be giant douches. Not all obviously. Just like not all New Yorkers are delusional about their teams. But go to any Jets, Nets, or Knicks forum, especially TGG and RealGM and all you can do is laugh. One of my best friends is from New York and a Knicks fan. I refuse to discuss basketball with him because apparently I'm just a "hater" if I say anything negative about the Knicks, as if 1 playoff win in 11 years is all in my mind or something. Same with LA/Boston fans. And then of course other fanbases like Miami's, are just fickle. Every fanbase has their problems.
This pretty much sums it up. Some of the most flabbergasting things I have ever heard have come out of the mouths of NY fans. And they are bipolar. If the team even looks halfway decent they are a budding dynasty. The. We they hit the skids they are the worst team ever and a complete debacle. Then after an offseason to forget they are back to a budding dynasty even if no changes have been made.
Jet fans are not NYers, theyre not even human. Theyre a species that is indecipherable to scientists everywhere
The Miami Heat fanbase is a special bunch. They are flat out bipolar. They are either crapping their pants and completely nervous, or flat out arrogant and cocky. For the most part, they really like to complain, and I mean they like to complain when the Heat is on 14 game win streaks or up 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Funny story from this last year: It is now 10 minutes after the Heat has defeated the Celtics in game 7, and I am at a watch party, when a friend of mine shows up who is a huge Heat fan. He walks through the door, and we share a hug and a toast with our drinks, and the first words out of his mouth were: "Not starting Chris Bosh when he was healthy and playing him longer minutes almost cost us this series." That then launched a 40 minute discussion among a dozen Heat fans about whether it was a mistake to hold out Bosh so long, when he was insisting that he was ready. Made me damn near depressed. First mention of the NBA finals was almost 2 hours later.
See thats exactly what would happen on talk radio here in NY. Me, Id just leave that group of people alone and go hang with people who were just happy to make the finals and drink to that. Who has time to hang around a bunch of whiners like that?
BTW here are my predictions for the upcoming season: Eastern Conference Finals: Miami over Boston Western Conference Finals: LAL over OKC Finals: LAL over Miami MVP: Lebron James (Even if he has a very good season by his standards the NBA will just hand it to him anyway) DPOY: Dwight Howard (He was steamed he didnt get it last year) Most Improved/Breakout Player: Klay Thompson Comeback Player: Ray Felton (I think 15/8 is in the cards. He's better then what he showed last year). Steph Curry could also challenge if hes healthy. ROY: Damian Lilliard Scoring Leader: Carmelo Anthony (I actually think it will be by necessity because the rest of the team just doesnt score much and Stoudemire doesnt fit) Rebounding Leader: Howard Blocks Leader: Ibaka Assists Leader: Rondo
Yes. And this time it will happen because I said so. Ill ban Lebron...yeah as Chief Mod I can do that. I thought about putting him there instead of Klay but actually hes fourth on my list behind Klay Thompson, Jrue Holliday, and Michael Beasley. Holliday I think will make the jump from 13 and 6 (roughly) to a 17 and 8 type elite PG. Beasley should thrive in Phoenix since tehre arent many people there to take shots and could be a surprise 20PPG player who finds himself. I truly think that Klay Thompson though is about to become the next real stud sharpshooter and should hit for 20PPG while hitting 43-45% from 3. He finished last year averaging about 17PPG as a starter. I think Tristan Thompson could be a guy who puts up around 11 and 7 this year and then breaks out next year as a 18 and 9 type player.
The Lakers wouldn't win more than 1 game in a series vs. Miami. The slowest team in basketball going against the fastest. Yep..that always ends well.
The Heat would really struggle rebounding and defending the Lakers. Plus I think few if any control tempo the way Nash does.
then why do the Heat play so well against the Lakers these last two years? BTW, I am willing to bet real $$$ that the Lakers get swept by Miami this year. Lakers are 0-3 vs. the Big Three so far. (their one win came with Bosh and others out) 0-5?....maybe.
Different cast of charatcers. You mean to tell me that adding Howard and Nash doesnt represent two upgrades from Fisher/Blake/Sessions and Bynum? The Nash upgrade is huge. Howard, especially a motivated one is better Bynum by a healthy margin. Bynum is probably more well rounded but thats going to be a PnR offense that has Kobe and Artest knocking down J's on the wing. Its a serious problem when you cant send a double at Howard or Kobe. A big 4 > a big 3 imo. IMO its a 3 team race in the entire league..everyone else is just playing out the string: LAL, Miami, OKC. Those are the 3 best teams in order imo. MAYBE Boston can creep in the mix because I think getting Terry is a big upgrade on Ray Allen at this point in their careers. Getting Courtney Lee and Jared Sulliger will make them younger and deeper. Getting Jeff Green back healthy makes them that much harder to deal with. Theyre probably the 4th best team in the league but they imo need 1 more piece....
Ray Allen was the #1 3 pt. shooter in basketball, while Terry shot 38% from the field..and you think that was an upgrade? The Heat didn't double D12 for the last 3 years while limiting him several games. The very best PNR defending team in basketball is Miami, while Kobe has NEVER played in such an offense. You reduce Kobe to a bystander who the Heat can hide defenders on, whenever Nash runs the PNR. We don't need to double Kobe when he goes hero ball either. Wade owns his ***, while statistically, the very best defender of Kobe Bryant is on the Heat as well (Battier). They will be painfully slow AND OLD. Going against a Young and fast core that HAS PLAYED WITH EACH OTHER NOW. I fail to see how the Lakers have ANY HOPE at beating Miami in a 7 game series. They are severely overmatched. I mean, old, slow, and the worst perimeter defending team in the league going against young, fast, and the best perimeter oriented team in the league? One team will likely be the best 3 point shooting team in the league, the other the worst.... well, maybe if they ban the shot clock....
There is a reason that 29 NBA GM's pick the Heat to repeat. it's our time, the rest of you just got to shut up and take it. Get back to us in a couple of years.
Lakers aren't beating the Thunder in a 7 game series. The Lakers are going to be a disaster defending the perimeter this year. In the EC, there is no clear #2 team. There are a number of teams with an equal chance of making the ECF, all with the same likelihood of a quick losing effort vs. the Heat. If the Lakers make the Finals vs the Heat, Heat in 4 maybe 5. If OKC makes the Finals, game goes to 6 or 7 with slight advantage for the Heat.
Different teams and different situations regarding Howard, Terry and Allen. You cant talk about efficiency ranking then dismiss Nash like its nothing when his efficiency rankings are extremely similar to what they were during his MVP years and any decline in them can easily be attributed to a decline in supporting cast which was plainly evident in Phoenix the last few years when they lost Amare, J-Rich was washed up, and Marion left. You mean to tell me anyone on the Heat is defending D12 1-1? Thats cute. Only a Heat fan would say that or even think that. And if by some stretch of the imagination you do manage that then who is defending Gasol? Haslem? Not happening. Wade may have a good history vs Kobe but circumstances have changed. No more fickle Bynum or injured Bynum to deal with. No more slow *** Derek Fisher. No, now who on the Heat is defending Nash? Chalmers? Again, thats cute. The history vs some of these guys is out the window because never before have you had to defend Kobe/Nash/Gasol/D12 all at once. And then if you manage all that guys like Artest and Jordan Hill add a toughness to the LAL so that Howard doesnt have to fight his own battles for a change. Thats going to allow Howard to play his game. Im not a Howard fan but i have Howard as a darkhorse for MVP...that is if anyone other then Lebron gets it this year, it might be him. I expect huge things. Im not dismissing OKC as a possibility, just as I think Boston could easily come out of the east, as I don't have to remind you that I correctly predicted OKC in the Finals from the start last year even if I did pick the wrong winner of that series. People laughed then too and said OKC was too young. This year OKC aren't too young, there's just a better team in town. I think its LAL and Miami and LAL is going to be holding the Finals Trophy in 5.
Just like I don't have to remind you that I picked Miami over OKC in 6 before the season started. On the rest of it, now you are just being insulting. Again...the Heat is too fast for those old people. Howard defends himself with his FT shooting. Who defends Gasol? same guy that has killed him the last two years. Bosh. As for Nash, again..he defends himself as well because he makes Kobe irrelevant. Slow Old people don't beat fast young people Boik. Your prediction reeks of wishful thinking. Had you picked OKC, I would have no problem. There is at least a case to be made there. But Lakers in 5 over Miami? That's just trolling.
BTW, on the current Lakers roster...they have exactly ONE guy in the top 50 defenders in the NBA, and 2 in the top 100. THAT is what is gonna defend the Heat's offense according to Boik. (Heat BTW, have 4 in the top 50 and 7 in the top 100)
BTW, can you imagine the Spurs motion offense slicing and dicing the Lakers defense? Denvers? Guarding the Clipper pick and roll? nevermind OKC's perimeter prowess.
Howard doesnt have to be the crunchtime scorer for the first time in his career, Gasol, Nash and Kobe all hit FT's at a high rate. So that alleviates that problem. Gasol has had huge playoff series before, now he doesnt even draw the opposing teams best big? You are severely underestimating with an attitude that dismissive. Kobe is the devil you know in this circumstance; Nash is the devil you do not. Nash is going to be running a layup line on most nights. Watch. If slow old people cant defend fast young players then explain how Boston brought you to 7 games last year and Dallas beat you in 2010? It can be done, it shall be done. BTW, whatever site you are using for those rankings, find a new one. Howard, Artest, and Kobe are solid defenders, top 50 by any sane person's rankings. Gasol will contributes in blocks. And lucky for LAL, all Chalmers is capable of doing is draining 3's so Nash just has to hang by the 3 point line and defend that. The Heat do have a good defensive team but my God, you act like they dont have holes. They do.
Boston brought them to 7 games because the Heat's third best player (Bosh) missed 4 games and only played extended minutes in the last two games. The Heat the last 2 years is 19-4 versus the Eastern conference in the playoffs with Chris Bosh in the lineup. Think about that. Dallas beat Miami because the Heat's best player was terrible and even then, the Heat blew 2 leads that would have won them the series in a sweep. The efficiency ratings that have held up for decades, suggest that last year's Heat team is on par with the 1984, 1986 Celtics and the closest overall is the 1991 and 1992 Chicago Bulls. (Those teams rank among the best of all-time) So yes, I am suggesting that they don't have holes. Remember when people said that all you have to do is pound the Heat down low? Then they proceeded to be top 3 the last two years in defending the rim. BTW, ask OKC if all that Chalmers does is chuck threes.
Oh and Howard has never been asked to be the "crunchtime" scorer on any of his teams. Orlando actively went away from him late in games to avoid him taking trips to the line.
If you think the Heat dont have holes then theres no point in continuing this discussion. They 100% have holes and if Heat fans dont want to see that then keep wearing the black and red blinders. You won a chip last year so youre entitled to that. But unequivocally, Miami has holes and can be beat in a 7 game series. Yeah the problem is NONE of those teams had 3 proven HOF players who could do it. It frequently fell back on D12. On this team, no. Nash is tremendously efficient. Gasol and Kobe can certainly make plays when it matters. Never had that level of skill in Orlando.
The only evidence there is that somebody can beat the Heat in a seven game series came from one team being extremely fortunate while having the best player in the league play poorly. even then, the Heat was BOUNCES, away from sweeping the Mavs. It gets better though. With Bosh in the starting lineup, NO team has won more than 1 game in a series vs. the Heat, save for those Mavs. If Miami has "holes", I am sure you can tell me which ones they are. Go ahead. I don't see one. and 29 NBA GM's don't either. (BTW, holes implies "plural", which actually blows my mind)
All this Laker doubting is suspect... That is gonna be a hard team to beat in 7 games assuming they are healthy. Are they better than Miami?? Not right now they aren't, but to pretend they aren't even a threat is flat out naive.
So what are your predictions for LA this year? Not a threat means 3-4 seed and a 2nd round playoff exit?
I have the Lakers as a #2 seed, and losing to Denver in the 2nd round or making it to the WCF's and losing to OKC in 6 games. They can hop a time machine back to 1997 and win it all though.
because I have that as their ceiling. I think a second round matchup with a fast perimeter team like Denver could spell doom for them.
Did anyone see what happened to Lebron yesterday? He drove hard down the lane, got fouled, and then a ref called a technical on him. Really weird.
