NBA Playoffs Day 37

Welcome Back, Mr Big Shot. Again Billups didn't played that good but he put the nail in the coufin and now the Pistons are back on track. Just remember that I called a game 5 victory for the Pistons..just remember it.

Since game 2 of the Western Conference Finals every game is a "critical" game for the Spurs. They need both games at San Antonio to make this a competitive series after blowing away game 1. They need as much as Manu as the can get. If the Spurs eventually can win this series they would have comeback twice from a 0- 2 hole. I know that obvious right now but what If this guys pull it of. This Spurs. I mean everybody is burrying this guys and handing them a cane in the first chance they have. How many experts had the Spurs in the Finals. How many experts have the Spurs in Conference Finals. That's why I love this 2008 Spurs. They just keep coming at you
(I know, I know that myself give up on them in the New Orleans Hornets but I read too much Hollinger. My mind is weak. Sorry).

Pd: If you add those two paragraphs together you'll realized that I'm also rooting for a Pistons - Spurs Finals.

Overview: Hornets vs Spurs

Everything I was expecting from the Spurs - Suns series I got it from this series. By a mile the best series so far this year. Despite of the Spurs improbable victory in game 7 at New Orleans the lasting image for which we are going to remember this series is the arrival of Chris Paul to the mainstream media. I know he already was a MVP candidate a the average NBA fan kinda know he was pretty good. For now on Chris Paul is a household name and next season tons of kids are going to follow him and trying be like him at that, ladies and gentleman, is one of the best it could happen to us. (Pretty corny, right?)

The Hornets pushed the champs to the max. David West and Tyson Chandler played spectacular the game they did win. The same tren was followed by San Antonio' big three. The onyl thing that separated this teams was game 7. Experience. Poise. The good ol' know-how-to was the defining qualities that game this series to San Antonio (Memo to John Hollinger: Dude, this things matter. Just 'cause it can't be measured by some formula it doesn't mean they don't affect the course of a series)

The Spurs continue to be "a hated" team. People call them floppers, dirty team, boring, lucky. As long as they keep winning more people are going to hate them. Maybe that's a requirement to be champions. Get to be hated in at least 5 cities.

Whose fault is it? Probably the low point of the Hornets were their bench. A little production for the likes of Bonzi and Pargo and they'd be facing the Lakers in a couple of hours.

Staying put

14 total trades. 4 Blockbusters. 24 teams adquired new players somehow. Yeap, there were lots of movement around the league. For a more complete analysis go read Holllinger's piece about all those 14 trades.

There's always the other side of the coin. Those teams that didn't make any real moves, those players that didn't get a fresh start and that all are looking for next summer to a needed "shake up". Here are some of those teams and players




Mike Miller:Heat, Spurs, Rockets, Hornets, Magic, etc. They all were trying to get Miller. He's a great shooter, can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot and has a decent contract. As we all know Memphis is cutting lose of every contract they can but they were asking for high draft picks and most of the teams looking to get Miller were contenders, hence, low draft picks.


Ron Artest: Apparently the trade to Denver didn't went through 'cause the Nuggets didn't want to give Linas Kleiza. Why would Denver go after Artest? What's the point? The guy is crazy. He really is out there. Any team the appreciates locker room peace and chemistry and stuff like that should stay apart of Artest. For real. You know what, I'd really like to see Artest on New York. Don't know why. It would be fun.


Sam Cassell: Trade him! Buy him out! Do something with this guy. Why would the Clippers keep him? They could easily get at least a draft pick. They maybe holding him for next year when Livingston and Brand get back, but it will be far cheaper for them to sign a cheap back up for Livingston that having Cassell around.


Vince Carter: Are the Nets in rebuilding mode 'cause they traded their franchise player? I don't think so, Kidd wanted out all year long and one of the reason was Vince Carter. When the guy is not motivated (Because millions of dollars doesn't motivate him) he can really be a pain to his team and teammates. This is the reason why the Nets are trying to trade him to anywhere. Rumored deals to New York and Indiana never got rolling.


Jermaine O'neal: It is me or JO have like 2 more seasons in the tank. Seriously, since the brawl neither Jermaine nor the Pacers have been the same. Any team trading for O'neal have to had a Boston-Celtics-win-now approach.


Al Harrington and Mickael Pietrus: Both of this poor souls are in Don Nelson's doghouse since his comeback to Golden State. They are good players and should be quite effective in the right scheme. Harrington was linked to Chicago, Cleveland and New Jersey among other. Pietrus was courted by San Antonio, the Lakers, Rockets and Mavs.


New York Knicks: They had to do something. They needed to separte Randolph and Curry. They needed to get a real point guard. They needed to decide what to do with Quentin Richardson. Isiah Thomas is pretty sure that if they "keep working hard" everything would be a'right and the championship would surely follow them


Orlando Magic: They still need a enforcer to play alongside Howard and a veteran point guard never hurts. JJ Redick have been crying for a while to get traded and he could be useful for a team that actually plays him.


Toronto Raptors: Perhaps the biggest looser of the trading frenzy. They practically did nothing and their closer competitor, Lebron, got lot's of help. The team doesn't look hungry enough to make some real noice

Aging Champions

I hate to brag, but my grandpa was a total badass. He was awarded the Bronze Star in World War II for staying up for three straight days during a major battle. He also rode a motorcycle well into his 70s. But a few years ago, we were walking through a grocery store together and suddenly I realized my grandpa was gone. I turned around and saw him sitting down on a nacho cheese display, trying really hard to catch his breath. That was the moment I realized that, damn, my grandpa is old. I had that same moment this week with the Spurs. And if there's a chink in their championship armor, that's it.

--Basketbawful

Maybe that's because the Spurs are lying in the weeds, like they've often done, and busily preparing their annual February surge. Or maybe something is truly different this year. Based on how the Spurs have played over the past month and a half, we shouldn't dismiss that possibility too rapidly

-- John Hollinger

I think we'all have been thinking this for a couple of months. All the signs have been there: the injuries, the poor shootings, the bad losses, the close wins that shouldn't been that close. I think is official, the Spurs are old, slow and beatable. It hurts me to write this because I'm a sick fan of Duncan, Manu and the some other Spurs players. I like that team. I don't need to sit here and tell you how good were Buford and Popovich building each championship team. I also love that they are rock solid from bottom to top.

After last season championship I thought that this team could get one more ring and, if retooled wisely, the could get a seventh championsip from Duncan. Now, the look more than a second tier contender than a championshop team.

Sometimes I like to be wrong 'cause I'm a very negative person. I'd love to see another parade on the Riverwalk that proves me that I don't know what the hell I'm writting about.

Ps: According to the God's predictions the Spurs get into the playoffs as a fourth seed with 54 wins. Utah, their more recent defeat, ends up moping their fortunes as a 9th seed 47 win team