2004-05 NBA thread

dont think i havent noticed my SUNS are the hottest team in the league - if richardson ever starts shooting and voskuhl/outlaw ever starts boarding... look out - maybe add a veteran bench scorer and they are a legit title contender

of course, one wrong injury could also throw a wrench in the machine

 

NJ plays at Denver tonight. I predict Kenyon Martin getting 30 points and 15 rebounds, and if I were a Nets player, I'd let him do it. NJ currently only has one guard playing from last season and that guy was a rookie learning English. Nets will be lucky to average 80 points a game until Jason Kidd comes back (and then gets traded).

Mavericks are hurt: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1929502
Dirk Nowitzki out a week or so, and he's not the only one.

Phoenix has done an excellent job of revamping the team after last year's disappointment. Either that or it's because they traded Marbury. Maybe the Knicks should trade him...

My last post had a few bits about the fracas, the rest was about the various other teams, yet it was still moved.

 

The Kings have now won SIX in a row, sending Yao, T-Mac and the Rockets packing tonight 102-96.

Now the Lakers await Friday. And for the first time, the Kings will likely come to Staples Center favored to win. But IMO, I still see this next game as a serious test.

It would be great to go into Sunday's showdown with Minnesota with SEVEN straight wins, but I don't think anyone's overlooking L.A.

 

Sacramento is definitely playing much better than at the beginning of the season. Bobby Jackson was lights out last night. It will be interesting to see how Friday night's game goes for the Kings. Webber struggled last night, but I do not see that as a consistent problem for the Kings. I still think they will be a 5-6 seed in the playoffs.

 

That's not gonna happen. He isn't "ALONE" on this team. His 9 assists per game is proof of that.

 

Who isn't alone? Marbury? When he was with the Suns he was playing with Amare, Marion and JJ and averaged about 8 assists with them. Steve Nash is now playing with them and he's averaging almost 12 assists a game while shooting 57% and scoring 17 a game.

 

I'm referring to his Jersey days when he wrote All Alone on his sneakers.

 

And they just now finished that eastern trip with a 5-1 record.

I don't think they're this good, either. Their rebounding has vastly improved, however, and that's making a huge difference.

When the season started, I would have guessed 30 wins. I'm now thinking more like 45-48 (they'd only have to go 34-35 to finish with 45 wins, at this point).

Of course, this is all contingent on Ray Allen staying healthy.

 

The Sonics looked more confident and aggressive this season than last year. That made a huge difference

 

Well, well, well, the Bulls finally won a game. Gordon is starting to come around and with the play of Hinrich and Deng the Bulls got a hufe win in Salt Lake CIty. I am quite happy with it as you can all imagine.
On the other hand, the Jazz are having some problems. They have lost two in a row at home to the two teams that were winless. What is going on. While I do have a bias toward Keith McLeod as I have Bowling Green connecxtions, it seems that since he came out of the lineup and out of the rotation all together, the JAzz have become a slow, half-court team and they are not the same team they were the first two weeks of the season. While I do think Arroyo is a good player, I do not think Eisley is good for this team. This is a team that needs to get up and down the floor. Not like the Suns, but they have the athletes and such to play a faster paced game. Since McLeod has been given a permananet seat on the bench, I have seen a dull and boring Jazz team that is losing and even when they do win, it is a very close game. Perhaps McLeod is not the only reason, but I think him not playing has something to do with this slump. He was playing well and dishing the ball getting th team up and down the court. Has anyone else noticed this trend of the jazz to play half court all the time?
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up. Makes sense now.

 

I'm so glad the Spurs signed Rasho instead of Kandi Man.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1931929

 

Tonight's Kings-Lakers game has been like many played in recent years; a flat-out nailbiter, generally well-played.

But in the end, the Lakers and the Staples crowd couldn't deny the Kings their SEVENTH straight win. Still, I fully expect the Lakers-Kings rivalry to remain intense even without some of the people who drove that rivalry on the SoCal end... Shaq, Phil Jackson and Rick Fox.

Minnesota has the best chance of ruining the Sactown win streak on Sunday; the Wolves have a great track record of winning at Arco Arena. But if the Kings play as well as they did in spurts this evening, Garnett & Co. will need their A-game to earn the win.

 

Can someone tell me what is going with the Jazz right now? I brought up there struggling ways on Thankgiving, but in watching tonight, it was brutal. Since the first two weeks of the season, they have hit the wall. Since Arroyo has come back, the Jazz have been bad. Not Bulls bad, but close.
Speaking of the Bulls, they were brutal tonight. Once again, no inside presence. Curry and CHandler once again did their best houdinhi acts and were nowhere to be found. Disappointing is one way to describe my thoughts after tonights game. The Lakers and Heat are coming to Chicago this week, so it is not looking good for the Bulls.

 

A month in for the Lakers and they are proving everyone wrong.They are in every game they play. Everyone before the year(Not everyone but, the "experts") was saying the Lakers might not even make the playoffs. So ok the Lakers have started out slow but, they have a deep team which will only do good come March April.What they dont have anyone besides Kobe? WRONG. Lamar Odom is doing the business on the boards.Caron Butler is playing valuable minutes. Divac is still a good passer and can still score his 10-12 points a game. Cook can step in hit a couple of 3's now and then. Atkins is doing well also. The Lakers are not a one man team just because they lost one great player does not mean they suck. They lost one great player and got 2 good players and one OK player(Grant,Butler,Odom).

 

The Lakers are one gsme over .500. Settle down. In the west being one game over .500 will not get you in the playoffs. I think the Lakers will make it, but some work and improvement is needed.

 

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Two notes here...

Is Lakerfan geeked about the man they anointed "Floppy" during the last few years? Seriously? Personally I'd be a bit more optimistic about Chris Mihm.

The current Lakers certainly don't HAVE to be a one-man team. They have a lot of talent. But the reality is, in the second half, in crunch time, it IS a one-man team. Kobe Bryant is calling the plays, and the rest of the team will get their shots only if he feels they need them. It's apparent Kobe's got what Sacramento Kings fans call "Chris Webber disease" - symptoms include a swelled head and a need to hog the ball.

 

Yea the are only 1 game over but, soon to be a good 4 or 5 games over.Their scehdule is weak very weak the next 5 or so games you got the Bulls,Hornets,Bucks,Suns(Good team),Warriors,Clippers.Its true about how Kobe calls the plays in the 4th qtr and they need to fix that and get some other players in the play thats what cost them the game against the Kings.

 

I guess the Wolves DID bring their A-game... 'cause the streak is over.

It was a close one until the clocks malfunctioned at Arco with 2:52 to go in the game... unfortunately it was at that point that the Kings' offense and defense chose to malfunction as well.

KG just went off tonight. He was unstoppable.

 

One man show? The Lakers have a good TEAM. The Lakers have 3 scoring options(Bryant,Butler,and Odom). If you have 3 scoring options and a good suporting team you can get far into the playoffs.The Lakers can easily get a 4 seed. The T-Wolves Spurs and Kings are better than the Lakers but, after that the West is wide open with the Rockets,Lakers,Sonics,Suns,Jazz,Nuggets,Mavs.

 

I will bet you all the money in the world the Lakers do not get the 4 seed in the Western Conference. You up for it? The Suns are clearly better than you think, the Mavericks are pretty good, the Jazz, while struggling right now, could get it together and with Yao and McGrady, the Rockets could have a chance. Don't tell me or others it will be easy to get the 4 seed. You are dreaming.

 

Well this was my where the hell have you been moment today...

I have become so fixated on the soccer scene that today I was reading the Times and decided to see how my Spurs were doing in the Midwest Confrence......to my amazment that Confrence no loger exists there are now 3 sub confrences in the West!!! I must not have gotten that memo..at least they were still in first place.

 

Also factor in the play of the Sonics, which could well last, and you forgot the team that will probably win the whole conference: the Spurs. Also the Kings arent as bad as everyone says, nor are the Clippers. A safer bet would be to say that the Lakers will make the playoffs, considering the Grizz and even the Blazers could turn it around.