Still isn't going to be their year, no good inside presence will hamper them, same reason why OKC despite being very capable of beating the Lakers this year will lose to them, simply because Gasol will just dominate.

WGT-Baal

France3560 Posts

April 17 2010 15:54 GMT

#83

I actually think (and hope) the Lakers can repeat.

I ll watch the playoffs tomorrow night so i can have a better impression.

I think the Bobcats could be a good surprise becasue their style is pretty stable (like they dont have a lot of huge slumps during games).

As for this first round i d say

Clevland vs Chicago 4-2
Orlando vs Bobcats 3-4 (I really think the Bobcats can susrpize everyone there)
Atlanta vs Milwaukee 4-1
Miami vs Boston 2-4

Lakers vs OKC 4-1 (I d say 4-0 but OKC did couple nice games this season so who knows)
Dallas vs Spurs 4-2
Phoenix vs Portland 4-1
Denver vs Utah 4-3 (either way)

RowdierBob

Australia13526 Posts

April 17 2010 16:27 GMT

#84

On April 17 2010 02:54 OneOther wrote:

Show nested quote +

No way in hell Magic could have gotten to the Finals without Turk. He was a huge of their offense, and he doesn't suck, even though he hasn't been doing well this season after getting traded.

Turk was an average player in a good Magic team that made him look much better than he was (and he wasn't that good).

Now that he's at a team where he doesn't have the good players around him to make things easier for him, he's showing his true colours -- aka sucking balls.

XaI)CyRiC

United States4471 Posts

April 17 2010 17:32 GMT

#85

I'll agree that playing next to Howard made Turk seem better than he was (covered for his poor defense and poor rebounding), but Turk really did fit the Magic very well. That frontcourt of Turk, Shard, and Dwight gave other teams fits because of how unorthodox it was and how hard it was to match up against it. Turk was their best passer, particularly when it came to entry passes to Dwight, and was pretty clutch when it came to making 3s and FTs, even in late game situations. He wasn't an Allstar for them, but he was an essential cog in a team that made it to the Finals. In fact, it's hard to argue that he wasn't the second most important player on that team last year.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you have consider who the Magic got to replace him. Vince is not the playmaker or passer that Turk is, despite what his AST numbers in NJ may lead you to believe. While Carter has shown the ability to create offense for his teammates, it's more like how Kobe or AI do it, i.e. by being a dangerous scorer who kicks it out to teammates who are left open when they draw defenders. He can't run the pick and roll like a PG like Turk did, and he doesn't look to create for others before looking for his own shot. Further, in my opinion, Vince has never shown that he can be a leader or make clutch plays for a contender. Lastly, if you're going to take two aging players, do you really want to take the one who relies more on his athleticism or the guy who can be effective despite not jumping high or moving very fast? Turk can be effective without the ball as a spot-up shooter, Vince needs the ball to be effective and hasn't shown himself to be very effective as a spot-up shooter.

In the end, I don't blame the Magic though. Turk's performance in the playoffs last season inflated his value way too much and they couldn't afford to pay the money it would have taken to keep him (although they did severely overpay Shard...). Vince's numbers over in NJ were also very attractive, and he was a legitimate Allstar and one of the most dynamic scorers in the league. However, I think the trade-off made the Magic less of a matchup nightmare, and thus more orthodox, in the same way the Lakers do whenever they turn into a pick and roll team and stop using the triangle. Personally, I think that if ORL could have kept Turk for a reasonable amount of money, they should have kept him over taking Carter. He just fits with what they need so much better.

bellweather

United States404 Posts

April 17 2010 20:12 GMT

#86

Bulls getting absolutely crushed right now.

poor newb

United States1879 Posts

April 17 2010 20:27 GMT

#87

On April 18 2010 05:12 InsideTheBox wrote:
Bulls getting absolutely crushed right now.

i wouldnt be suprised if lebron is going to sit out the next 3 games

Ducci

United States588 Posts

April 17 2010 21:17 GMT

#88

the cleveland/chicago game is pretty bad

poor newb

United States1879 Posts

April 17 2010 22:00 GMT

#89

bucks without bogut are getting raped even harder

DN2perfectionGM

United States233 Posts

April 17 2010 22:08 GMT

#90

my nba playoff experience this year is so dependent on veetle!
i guess they don't feel the need to broadcast bogut-less bucks game :/

cHaNg-sTa

United States1058 Posts

April 17 2010 22:39 GMT

#91

On April 17 2010 20:15 icystorage wrote:

Show nested quote +

im a blazers fan even during the season, they wouldn't be an underdog if only roy wasn't injured

I think a lot of people would still pick Suns over Blazers even if Roy was healthy, especially if Lopez was healthy. Granted, Blazers won the regular season series 2-1 (with one of them without Roy). But the Suns really started picking up more and more as the season came to the end (where the Suns beat the Blazers in the most recent matchup).

Slow Motion

United States6960 Posts

April 17 2010 23:18 GMT

#92

Lakers regular season documentary that aired on ESPN:

+ Show Spoiler +

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56G_datoaE

Xeris

Iran17695 Posts

April 18 2010 02:07 GMT

#93

Miami is playing well O_ !

Judicator

United States7270 Posts

April 18 2010 02:12 GMT

#94

On April 18 2010 11:07 Xeris wrote:
Miami is playing well O_ !

Spoke too soon.

poor newb

United States1879 Posts

April 18 2010 02:42 GMT

#95

uh oh pierce got hurt, and kg almost broke out a fight

il0seonpurpose

Korea (South)5638 Posts

April 18 2010 03:14 GMT

#96

Grinded out a win, nice Boston! Bench played so well

d_so

Korea (South)3262 Posts

April 18 2010 03:18 GMT

#97

man i can't wait for durant to pull a jordan vs celtics against the lakers

Servolisk

United States5241 Posts

April 18 2010 03:31 GMT

#98

Ugh, 2nd half of Miami/Boston was ugly. Not sure I can watch another game of that series!! T_T Watching Miami's role players bumble and get beaten by a yawning Glen Davis is not fun to watch.