As a long time Knick former hater, I can't blame you, but I really don't like Noah and I wish Boozer wasn't on that team other wise I'm with you in cheering for the Bulls over certain other teams. But miracle run means making it to the finals, because no way can I see this team winning it all. I'd probably rather Boston come out than Chicago or Miami at this point. Please just no Lakers vs. Heat - that would really suck unless non-lethal meteor hit the court and forced both teams to forfeit.
I'm not yet ready for my playoff predictions. But here are my preferences - East Bulls (duh) Hawks Philly (as if) The others can burn. West I'm fine with any of 'em except for the L.A. teams, they can burn too. I have a soft spot for Memphis and OKC is the most fun to watch, so I guess those are my preferences.
I cannot stand Noah (only because he brutalized my UCLA Bruins {I am former Bruin} a few times), but I hate the others even more. Go Bulls. Second bold - it is inevitable. It is David Stern's dream match up. You might as well go to Costco and stock up on some ibuprofen to relieve your migraine.
He would drive me crazy if he played for anybody but the Bulls, I would boo him nonstop. As is, I boo him about half the games. Whereas I have a mancrush for Booz. He's not even terribly good, and he's very silly, but who said lust is logical?
if Novak got hot in a 7 game series, he could do major damage. the problem is that the Knicks do not have a strong PG to penetrate and dish. that reduces Novak's effectiveness, IMO. if Chandler steps it up just a little, that would make some difference. in their win against the Bucks, Chandler scored 19 on 6/6 shooting and 7/7 from the line. but Milwaukee doesn't have a center. neither does Miami, but they don't need one. Chandler won't score more than 10 against the Heat, on average.
Why? I'd love to see that matchup- was hoping to see it last season, in fact. That, too. Frankly, I like seeing the interest that big teams generate when they're making a playoff run.
Maybe that's true but Novak is just a shooter thats it. He doesn't do anything else, hell he doesn't even shoot for 2 pointers. He a catch a shoot guy 3 point guy. And yeah he can do major damage when on a roll. Yesterday he was good in that aspect. But even if he has a good penetrate and dish PG you're never sure if he's going to go on a roll. JR Smith was great last night, 21 points. But maybe the next game he goes 3-16 shooting. True but if your're the Knicks you're not relying on Chandler for offense. YOu need to come before a game with the mentality that Chandler will get lots of boards and play great defense but he won't score a lot. If he does it's a bonus. Yep.
JR Smith is nowhere near as consistent as Terry who was a 6th player of the year winner. Plus Dallas had Marion who is a great defender and a great goal scorer. The Knicks don't have a player like that. And the Mavs had a backup PG in Barea who was a pest and could penetrate and score 18 or more off the bench any given night. He gave the Lakers and the Heat problems. If Lin were fit I think the comparison could possibly hold.
I see the Knicks-Dallas comparison. Truth is, Dallas last year wasn't really any better than the Knicks are now. But Terry and Barea went nuts in the playoffs, plus there was a window of opportunity for Dallas. The old guard (L.A., Boston) was fading, and the new guard (OKC, Miami) wasn't yet ready. Dallas filled the gap. Sure the Knicks could do a Dallas. As long as a couple of their guys go off like Terry and Barea did.
But the point is Knicks don't have players like Barea or Terry. Who in the Knicks is like Barea? With Terry there are closer comparisons but the Knicks don't have a back up PG at this point. I mean a real one. Bibby is there but Bibby is wayyy past it and has been mediocre for the Knicks. Shumpert can play there and he's a great defender but he's not going to give you the penetration and complete harassment Barea gave top teams last year in the offense. And the Knicks don't have a Marion.
Barea wasn't like Barea before last year's playoffs. I just meant in general, the Knicks need a couple of 6th man types to play like All Stars. Doesn't need to be a little penetrating PG. Just a couple of guys to play way over their heads. Probably won't happen of course.
Wow - I'm shocked by this statement because if y'all don't win a title in the next 5 years, I'll think one of the biggest reasons is that Boozer contract. I think you'd be a better team with Tyson Chandler. I guess I could cheer for the Heat in that situation, but any scenario where the Lakers go out early is preferable for me. (Apologies to Stilton and Playboy). For me, the neutral entertainment factor is highest with OKC vs. Miami. I don't agree that Dallas is the same as the Knicks - Melo is very good, but he's not unguardable in the way that Dirk was, and that Mavs team had a lot of intangibles - balance, chemistry, familiarity, etc. - that this Knicks team doesn't, including a hall of fame point guard who was shooting great from 3. I'd be pretty shocked if the Knicks can win a series and just can't believe they could get through the East and then take the West champion. I do think Baron can be a drive and kick guy if he's healthy though and that Iman Shumpert may be on the verge of a next level growth spurt.
For sure. Tyson is awesome. But Boozer's game is kinda fun. The post thing is a mirage. He makes up for that with a great midrange rainbow jumper, terrific passing, and playing within the system. He's a very team-oriented guy on offense. And he's super upbeat, one of those guys who always cheers for the bench even if he had a terrible game and if Taj his replacement is playing lights out. Oh and he hasn't missed a game this year. Not Booz's fault the Bulls overpaid for him. I can't blame him for that.
Interesting - cause I thought you spent more time cursing him so he's won you over this season His numbers seem a little down from previous years too so maybe he's on the decline a little? I'll check in with you during the playoffs - he was pretty bad last year I thought.
His scoring is down because his minutes are down. Boozer can be a terribly frustrating player in that his defensive instincts are awful, especially in contrast to all of the Bulls other front line players. And he shows no remorse when he pulls the olé defense and let's an opponent waltz right by him. But he provides elements that the team sorely needs, like a mid-range scoring option and someone who's comfortable operating at the high post. His passing is under-appreciated and he's an adequate defensive rebounder. Chandler is too similar to Noah to add much value to the Bulls. Don't get me wrong, I like him as a player. But Boozer fits their current needs much better than Tyson does.
What Joe said ... Booz's per-minute numbers are in line with his historic output, only he's playing less because Taj is so good. And he's shooting a little bit less often when he's on the floor, because the Bulls don't rely on him all that much. It's very much a team offense. On Taj, a friend showed me a website that purports to show the "Adjusted +/- Score" for each player. Don't ask me how it is computed. Anyway, Taj Gibson is the highest scoring player in the NBA by that measure. It's almost unfair when Taj and Asik come into the game. They're a bitch to score against even for good players, and they don't face good players, they face the other team's bench. That's when the Bulls do their real damage, the end of the 1st and early in the 2nd when those two guys are shutting down the paint. Yesterday's game was typical. Asik joined Gibson on the floor with 1 minute left in the 1st quarter, the Pacers promptly stopped scoring, getting just 3 points in the next 7 minutes, and the game was effectively over. So I also like Boozer because I know that when he leaves the court, the Bulls will start kicking butt!
Haters... I'd almost support a Lakers-Celtics final every other season, just because of the tradition there. I see OKC and Chicago as the up/coming future of NBA Finals rivalries. I expect these two to meet up more than once over the next decade or so.
Hope so. So far, it's been disappointing. Last year their two games were early in the season, when the Bulls were a .500 squad figuring out how to play for a new coach. The Bulls did win 1 of the 2 games but they weren't the real Bulls. And this year, the one game was a Roseless blowout win for OKC. So whereas the Bulls have played 12 high-quality, close games against the Heat over the past 2 years, they have played none against OKC.
Before the playoffs Barea still had quite a few high scoring nights off the bench. A few 20+ games. I remember a spanking he gave the Spurs where Pop compared him to Tony Parker. Anyway, the Knicks don't have any PG's who can do that right now. Hell the Knicks do not have a PG who can score off the bench period. Yeah I get that. Knicks have players who can score off the bench. They just aren't very consistent and one of them, Novak, is handicapped in everything but shooting 3's. He reminds me of Kerr.
I don't totally agree with this - Chandler may not complement Noah, but in the playoffs you need a 7footer like Chandler who shoots 600, doesn't need the ball, plays all out on defense, blocks and changes shots, etc. You can't tell me that doesn't add value to the Bulls. But they could have signed Chandler, and then moved Noah for a more complementary piece - I'd rather have Chandler than Noah in the playoffs. Besides the on the court stuff he's a huge locker room guy. And your argument for Boozer I get, but these are regular season arguments. In the playoffs you need size and post moves from your big men. I would like to argue that his shooting percentage will take a big drop like it did last year in the playoffs, but he has had some good runs in the playoffs, but I'm not sure he will have the time and space or ability to get that shot off when covered more tightly. I'm also not sure how the Bulls can win a championship without either a big man who can score in the paint and rebound and defend with the best of them, and/or another elite player like Rose. Boozer hurts on all of these counts with that contract and his undersized power forward play (BTW - he has a 7'2" wingspan?). It's Bosh-Lite. Although wacky short season may be the time and place to prove me wrong. This strikes me also as a regular season thing - starters play more and more minutes in the playoffs.
Not so much the Bulls. Plus, Thibs's fetish for defense is even greater in the playoffs than in the regular season (which is saying a lot).
I just think the advantage of a good second team going against worse players may see some diminishing returns in the playoffs, although that may be wrong since the Dallas bench was so important to their title.