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she must have assaulted delonte's heart. SMH. The boy didn't do anything wrong except fall in love with her.
OFFICIAL 2010-2011 NBA PLAYOFFS THREAD : VOL. MOST. ANTICIPATED. PLAYOFFS. EVER?
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by bigmike23,
- Start date
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Not sure why this is news. She's just sloppy. I'm sure we all had that friend whose mother was a bit too loud, and got a bit too drunk at social functions.
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I said this a couple of pages back.
I think they will take that spot with the way Dallas is playing. OKC has to play Denver and LAL though. I don't expect them to beat Denver twice within a couple of days and I'm sure LAL doesn't want to continue to play the way they've been playing lately.
On the other hand, Dallas has LAC (who has been playing pretty good), PHX, @HOU and New Orleans (who will probably still be fighting for seeding). This will definitely be an interesting 6 days coming up.
The 3rd and 4th seed isn't set nor is 6th-8th.
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^ I'm not to sure we actually want the 3rd seed
facing LA in the 2nd round is a bigger concern to me than getting to play NO in the first (which is still up in the air as to who gets that 6th seed)
facing LA in the 2nd round is a bigger concern to me than getting to play NO in the first (which is still up in the air as to who gets that 6th seed)
Didn't she kick the window outta a squad car a few years back? No matter how much money she got, she the type of girl to be swiggin a 5th of E&J out of a brown bag in her spare time.
You say that like it's a bad thing
And to the dude a couple pages back who said Denver should go after Z-Bo, wouldn't it be better for them to use that money on Nene?
D
Deleted member 38182
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Originally Posted by NobleKane
Originally Posted by rck2sactown
This post is more for the old folks, like straight OG status NTers.... Like ZoDogg (was he even an OG?) or SKA, I really can't think of anyone else thats been around for that long.... Gunna? Mez? Dre? heck these guys I'm thinking of don't even post in here
Sooo I was thinking..... Since I started lurking around 2004 and joined in 2005...I was like JPZx's age back then
I wasn't around S&T for when the Kings were somewhat contenders and good...... How many (bandwagon or real) Kings fans were there?? I was browsing thru our Kings Season Thread and there is like 5 of us now
Makes me sad. Especially with the Sacramento era coming to an endThere had to have been some good Lulz between Lakers and Kings fans back then
ehhh ive been here since 1999. back in the first 3 peat of the lakers and heated kings/lakers rivalry. there was a good amount because there were no warriors fans. there were kings fans instead
looking back now the homerism of laker and kings fans was disgusting. i think i even got banned for fighting with a pacer fan lol
trolling was not as bad because there werent as many members as there are now.
i think that time is when people on this board started really hating laker fans because the laker fans back then were 10x more obnoxious and arrogant as they are now. You still have the notorious 858's and salvioutlaws currently but back then you had 20 of those types of dudes to go along with 20 zodoggs. so yea it was laughs for days
and alot of people can hate on laker 4 life all they want but he really was the original darth denzy. alot of you guys just dont get when someone is just messing around.
i think samshox is the only kings fan still active on this board. all the rest moved on to other teams or hate on the lakers from the rafters
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Watching the replay of the Bulls v. Celtics 2009 1st round series on NBATV made me appreciate how good that series was.
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Most Improved Player article.
And now it's time for my most and least favorite award … the Most Improved Player award.
Least favorite because conceptually I think giving a trophy for most improved is kind of silly and random; this is the only sport that does such a thing. Most favorite, because it allows me to review all of the players who made major strides this year and give them a big pat on the back.
Thus, today's piece -- my All-Improved team for 2010-11. I looked first at each player's PER difference from last season, but I considered everything -- defense, playing time, even all that touchy-feely subjective stuff.
Before we get started, note that I was looking mostly at peak-to-peak improvement, as opposed to "rebound" years from players who previously had played at or near this level. So, I say to Kevin Martin, Tony Parker, Elton Brand, Ramon Sessions, Chris Andersen, Marcin Gortat. .J. Augustin and Nick Young -- good for you for your play this season, but I'm not putting you on this team.
That still leaves 16 players for me to commend for their progress, which I've neatly organized into three teams of five before getting to my award pick at the bottom. I've also put the players' PER improvement from a year ago in parentheses.
[h3]Third team[/h3]
Conley
Point guard: Mike Conley, Memphis (plus-2.10). Conley has played well enough to kinda sorta justify the extension the Grizzlies optimistically handed him before the season, improving his assist rate, getting to the line more and proving considerably less flammable defensively than in previous campaigns. But on a Grizzlies team with marginal backups at the position, his best stat is the "78" next to games played. Despite a slim build, Conley has missed just two games over the past three years.
Matthews
Shooting guard: Wesley Matthews, Portland (plus-3.02). Another player whose contract was questioned until the games started, Matthews more or less saved Portland's season when Brandon Roy had his knee problems, taking over as the defensive stopper and showing more shot-creating ability than anticipated. Nobody expected he'd score nearly a point every two minutes (18.7 per 40, to be exact) for a playoff team, let alone start a "3-Goggle" craze that swept the nation in the NCAA tournament.
Harden
Small forward: James Harden, Oklahoma City (plus-2.24). I'm cheating here by playing Harden at the 3, but it was a weak year for small forwards in terms of All-Improved candidates. Harden's numbers are up from last season, but what really stands out is how much he's improved during the season. Harden was unspeakably awful in the opening weeks of the season and not a whole lot better for the following two months, but since Jeff Green was traded, he's been the league's best sixth man, averaging 22.4 points per 40 minutes and drawing free throws by the bushel. The numbers would be even better, but he's been in a cold snap from the 3-point line at just 33.3 percent since the break.
Humphries
Power forward: Kris Humphries, New Jersey (plus-2.79). While Humphries' off-court improvement has also earned him plenty of attention (now that Marko Jaric is out of the league, only Dallas' J.J. Barea can match Humphries as an overachiever in this respect), it's his on-court play that earns plaudits here. Humphries finally figured out how to play basketball at the age of 26, ditching the selfish offensive streak that plagued him in previous stops and focusing on his talent for rebounding. Humphries improved greatly as a defender, too, all of which should earn him a big payday this summer.
Howard
Center: Dwight Howard, Orlando (plus-2.0. It's truly impressive when a superstar-level player can still take his game to another level, and Howard did that this season by developing what had been a rudimentary post-up game. By adding a face-up jumper off the window and getting more comfortable taking a couple of short dribbles for a hook shot, he's become more than just a physically dominant dunker -- he added 3.3 points to his 40-minute average with virtually no loss in efficiency.
[h3]Second team[/h3]
Westbrook
Point guard: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City (plus-5.34). OK, here's the thing: Based solely on statistical improvement, Westbrook should win Most Improved Player. Subjectively? I can't help but wonder if he's stymied his team a bit in the process. As I've noted before, Westbrook and Derrick Rose are birds of a feather by the numbers, and visually too -- each is capable of spectacular plays, but each can be hard on the eyes as ball-dominating, somewhat dribble-blind scoring point guards who rely heavily on their freakish athleticism.
The difference is that Rose isn't taking food off a dominant scorer's plate. In Westbrook's case, it's hurt Kevin Durant and possibly derailed what was expected to be an MVP season for him. (I'd also argue that playing with Rose has hurt Carlos Boozer, but he's not a player of Durant's caliber). Durant has a dramatically higher true shooting percentage (TS%) each of the past two years and obviously is capable of creating his own shot; for Westbrook to use more possessions than Durant, as he's done this year, is madness.
The fact that Durant led the league in scoring this year while playing with Westbrook should be the first bullet point on his Hall of Fame plaque. Don't get me wrong -- Westbrook is a fantastic player and a star by any measure, but there's also some weird, weird mojo here, and I have to wonder if this year's improvement came at the expense of the bigger picture.
Allen
Shooting guard: Tony Allen, Memphis (plus-4.35). Allen had a year in Boston in which he played nearly this well, but that was several years ago, prior to a serious knee injury. This year he came all the way back from that level and then some, taking over as the league's most dominant defensive player over the second half of the season while also providing an unexpected offensive kick. Allen shot 50.9 percent, had the lowest turnover rate of his career and averaged a phenomenal 3.51 steals per 40 minutes. He's also become a cult hero in Memphis and helped revive fan enthusiasm in a dormant NBA market, as I believe the nation will see when the Griz host two playoff games two weeks from now.
Gay
Small forward: Rudy Gay, Memphis (plus-1.63). My spies in Memphis tell me playing for Team USA had a huge impact on Gay, and you could see it not so much in his skill level as in how he approached the game. Gay used to just go one-on-one for long jumpers; this season he dramatically improved his assist rate. Gay used to loaf through games on defense; as I noted Wednesday, he put in a more consistent effort at that end this year. It's a shame a shoulder injury knocked him out before he could get to the payoff this postseason, but his transformation from a scorer to a basketball player was notable.
Odom
Power forward: Lamar Odom, Lakers (plus-3.57). The likely Sixth Man Award winner had his best season at age 31, alternating between starter and sub and providing a hellacious matchup problem at either spot. Odom's shooting numbers were amazing -- 53.4 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3, both of which were career highs. While those figures may be a tad fluky, his continued underrated excellence as a defender, rebounder and passer were not. He took on a greater offensive role this year, too, adding more than four points to his 40-minute scoring average, so the fact he increased his efficiency while doing so is impressive.
Aldridge
Center: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland (plus-3.31). I'm fiddling a little with Aldridge at center, but he played there extensively this year and it was arguably his best position. With the decline of Brandon Roy, Aldridge took on a much greater offensive role about a third of the way through the season and was lights out until the past few weeks. Overall he's added three points to his 40-minute scoring average with no decline in his percentages, but wipe out the slow start and his numbers look even better: he's scoring in the mid-20s, shooting in the low 50s and has a vastly improved free throw rate since mid-December.
[h3]Starting five[/h3]
Rose
Point guard: Derrick Rose, Chicago (plus-4.92). I've always felt that Rose's case is much stronger for MIP than MVP. The shooting improvement? Legit, and impressive. Rose is up to 33.2 percent on 3s after rarely making them (or even taking them) in his first two seasons, and after shooting in the high 70s from the stripe in his first two seasons, he's at 85.5 percent this year. Rose has also improved defensively, albeit from a low starting point, and has managed to keep his percentages up despite the league's second-highest usage rate.
Gordon
Shooting guard: Eric Gordon, Clippers (plus-4.71). It's no surprise the Clippers tanked when Gordon went out of the lineup, as his scoring ability on the wing rose to an elite level. Gordon scored 24 points per 40 minutes with a 57.0 TS%; it's extremely difficult to score so often and yet misfire so rarely. He boosted his free throw rate and made the rest of his game a bit less one-dimensional, though there is still plenty of room to grow on that count. Moreover, he actually struggled a bit on 3s (a career-low 36.7 percent); with his stroke, that's likely to rebound quickly.
Young
Small forward: Thaddeus Young, Sixers (plus-4.30). I'm still not sure where his best position lies, but Young is clearly one of the game's top sixth men and likely will be starting soon. His 54.3 percent mark from the field is the biggest standout stat this year, but Young also improved his rebound rate, developed his formerly ornamental right hand and made the wise decision to stop shooting 3s. Now he needs to work on drawing some fouls; for somebody who gets to the rim so easily, averaging only two free throws a game is ridiculous.
Love
Power forward: Kevin Love, Minnesota (plus-3.70). My MIP pick before the season, Love may indeed end up winning, as a huge boost in playing time combined with a PER jump produced some pretty impressive shifts in his per-game stats -- most notably his running away with the league rebounding title. The improvement that stood out to me, however, was his 3-point game. Love is now a premier floor-spacing big man, hitting 41.7 percent of his triples this year, and the fact he hung out on the perimeter so much made his spectacular rebounding numbers even more amazing.
Chandler
Center: Tyson Chandler, Dallas (plus-5.91). Chandler's PER improvement comes with a bit of an asterisk, as he had seasons in New Orleans that were nearly as effective as this past one. Nonetheless, I give Chandler major props for two reasons. First, he bounced back from major physical problems to put together the best season of his career. Second, he clearly put in a TON of work on his shooting. Chandler's range used to end at the charge circle, but this year he's making open midrange shots; he's also improved to a respectable 73.9 percent from the line. Add those two elements and Chandler is scoring both more often (14.9 points per 40 minutes) and more effectively (a league-leading 69.2 TS%) than anyone in Dallas could have imagined.
[h3]2011 Most Improved Player[/h3]
Arthur
Darrell Arthur, Memphis. (plus-5.34). Who?!?!?! OK, I know Arthur is not a household name, but he's been a big part of the Grizzlies' story this year, and a rather unexpected one at that.
A year ago Memphis had the worst bench in basketball, hands down, and Arthur looked like a wasted late-first-round pick as he struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness. This season, he's been a rock-solid team defender, a money midrange jump shooter and the primary reason the Grizzlies haven't fallen apart when the second unit checks in. Arthur improved to 82.2 percent from the line after hitting 63.3 percent his first two seasons, added nearly 10 points to his TS% and six to his 40-minute scoring rate. We generally like our MIP picks to be a bit more prominent in terms of stardom, but if it's improvement you're after, this is the guy.
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I hate to bring up the Grizzlies again, but damn Hollinger gave them a bunch of love in that article.
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Hollinger making some of you look like fools.
Funniest thing was during the deadline when the Bulls were trying to get OJ and they wanted Arthur. Someone told me they would never pick Arthur over Gibson.
I get too much flack on here for being a homer at the beginning of the seasons to not get credit at the end.
Funniest thing was during the deadline when the Bulls were trying to get OJ and they wanted Arthur. Someone told me they would never pick Arthur over Gibson.
I get too much flack on here for being a homer at the beginning of the seasons to not get credit at the end.
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I'm sorry but what are guys like Dwight and Lamar doing on Most Improved players awards lists?
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The center position is weak and Dwight really rounded out his offensive game this year, he is deserving of a mention imo.
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Why are there three teams?
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Yawn.
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Darell Arthur, dude is going to end up being the best player from that Kansas squad
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these last 3 games should have been wins for the lakers but instead they are losses. if you win these 3 easier games on your schedule and you can think about resting your guys without blinking.
now if you are thinking about finishing ahead of miami and boston you have to try and win 3 tough games in spurs, thunder, and blazers... plus you have the kings in possibly the last game to ever be played against los angeles and sacramento.
if the lakers would have won all 3 games like they were supposed to and the bulls won tonight the lakers would have had a 4 game gap between boston and miami in the loss column.
but that didnt happen...
if the lakers go 1-3 in these last games and thunder and mavs win out all their games is it possible to drop to 4th in the west?
people saying homecourt dont matter. uh yes it does. they have had it the last two years. with last year barely squeaking out a win in game 7. this team is even older now. they ned allthe advantage they can get.
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And I don't expect OKC to get the 3 seed, considering the next three games shouldn't be a problem (yet we've lost four straight, so who knows?)
And then we have New Orleans, but OKC has a tougher finish.
And then we have New Orleans, but OKC has a tougher finish.
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I'm watching NBA TV's flashback of Chicago/Boston 2009 first round with a couple thoughts
And last, but certainly not least...
(Yeah I know it's the wrong series, but still
)
- This will always be Ray Allen's "moment"
- Ben Gordon was ballin'.
- When D-Rose blocked Rondo's shot.
And last, but certainly not least...
(Yeah I know it's the wrong series, but still
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@Joe, best moment to me was Noah's steal and outracing Pierce for a dunk in game 6
big j 33
Supporter
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That moment made me a Noah fan
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Just watching Rose then and now, he's completely changed, now he knows he can't be stopped back then he looked unsure if he wanted to take the shots.
