2011 NBA Playoffs

[Sguse1]

One thing for certain is that today marks an interesting day in basketball as the post-Michael Jordan era officially comes to an end on 5/11/11. NBA Finals will be without Kobe, Shaq or Timmy for 1st time since 1998. Personally, I would love to see Durant start a new Dynasty in OKC and am hoping for a OKC/MIA final. I think it would be the icing on the cake for the whole Lebron situation and provide the ultimate good guy vs. bad guy series, a very good thing for the NBA.

[Lights Out]

Big win for the Heat tonight. I don't see the Bulls or Hawks coming even close to beating them, and whoever comes out of the West is gonna have one helluva time topping them as well. I'm pulling for a Heat Mavericks final so that the story line is Lebron going for his first to shut up all the jealous haters and Dirk trying to get revenge for 06.

I'm not really taking sides, but it should probably be mentioned that the Bulls swept the season series against the Heat.

True, but the way that both teams have been playing as of now I just think the Heat are playing so much stronger than the Bulls. Miami has seemed to really turn it on as of late and I know both Lebron and Wade will be pretty determined to pull it off.

If there really is such a thing as "an extra gear" in the playoffs, Miami seems to be the only team that has found it so far.

I'd argue that Dallas has turned it on just as much as Miami. The Mavs were playing out of their minds in that Lakers series. I think they have a good chance of winning it all.

[Still MIGHTY]

"I couldn't do it by myself" - LeBron James

Happy to see he finally sees that.

I hope the Heat meet a painful, terrible end.

[Billy B]

It would be great to see the Bulls take down the Heat with Derrick Rose humbly walking off the court after the game like he's been there before. Hopefully the Bulls can just take care of business tonight because you never know what you're going to get from the Hawks if it comes down to a Game 7.

[NJTank]

One thing for certain is that today marks an interesting day in basketball as the post-Michael Jordan era officially comes to an end on 5/11/11. NBA Finals will be without Kobe, Shaq or Timmy for 1st time since 1998. Personally, I would love to see Durant start a new Dynasty in OKC and am hoping for a OKC/MIA final. I think it would be the icing on the cake for the whole Lebron situation and provide the ultimate good guy vs. bad guy series, a very good thing for the NBA.

Lets go back further

This will be the first finals since 1981 that does not include one of these 7 players

Magic Johnson

Hakeem Olajuwon

Dennis Rodman

Michael Jordan

Tim Duncan

Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O'Neal

[CubsFanBudMan]

Big win for the Heat tonight. I don't see the Bulls or Hawks coming even close to beating them, and whoever comes out of the West is gonna have one helluva time topping them as well. I'm pulling for a Heat Mavericks final so that the story line is Lebron going for his first to shut up all the jealous haters and Dirk trying to get revenge for 06.

I'm not really taking sides, but it should probably be mentioned that the Bulls swept the season series against the Heat.

True, but the way that both teams have been playing as of now I just think the Heat are playing so much stronger than the Bulls. Miami has seemed to really turn it on as of late and I know both Lebron and Wade will be pretty determined to pull it off.

And that was when Boozer still had talent. The Bulls played harder in the regular season and now their flaws have been exposed even more than Miami has been. Talent tends to win out in a series and Miami has a bit more talent playing more minutes. The ECF could be:

Bulls v. Heat: Rose against James/Wade/Bosh

Hawks v. Heat: Undisciplined offensive team who can be rattled easily on defense against James/Wade/Bosh

Boozer has been great the last two games, but I have to wonder how you can discredit the entire team instantly. The Bulls have played to the level of their competition all year. Yes, they beat up on the bottom feeders throughout the season, but there were way too many close games. Thats just how they play, they dont usually blow out teams, but they win. I expect more of this in the ECF, assuming they get past the Hawks.

This sums up the Bulls perfectly. Just because they won 62 games and are the No. 1 seed, people suddenly expected their game to change and the blowouts to ensue. Against playoff teams? I don't get it. It's a grind, but they handle their business and consistently win. I agree that the Heat are more dangerous as Wade's playoff team than they were as LeBron's regular season team, but they still haven't beaten the Bulls. Until -- and if -- they play and I see how the teams matchup, I'll reserve judgment.

[CS85]

"I couldn't do it by myself" - LeBron James

Happy to see he finally sees that.

I hope the Heat meet a painful, terrible end.

There is no bigger tool in the NBA. Kneeling after the game like he had actually earned something.

Real big accomplishment dude, you couldn't do it by yourself so you abandoned your founding franchise and sold out to join a couple other olympian basketball stars. Yeah, you sure earned it.

As far as the Bulls go, I feel they're still a player away, but to win anything at all this year would be icing on the cake. There's a lot of times they can't buy a bucket or a rebound and they look lost defensively. Part of that has to do with the fact that Boozer pretty much can't move and has a crappy attitude, the other with that they don't really have much interior size and rely on outside shooting too much when Rose can't drive the lane.

[Sport]

My timeline has exploded with anti-Lebron tweets and facebook statuses (I do live in Ohio). I hate Lebron as much as the next guy, but it's almost gotten to the point where I want the Heat to win the Gold basketball trashcan just to irritate these people even more.

Since Lebron came into the league he's been the only reason why I have even a slight interest in basketball, and because of all the hate, I like the guy even more and want even more for him to succeed. I understand that what he did last summer showed little tact, but was it really such an awful thing that he's now the most hated player in the eyes of many NBA fans? He's the biggest thing in the league right now and the hype was built so enormously around him that it's hard not to expect some extra attention. So he had an ESPN special to announce he was getting out of the sports pisshole that is Cleveland and going somewhere where he actually had a chance of winning and was much warmer. It doesn't make him an awful person because he actually wanted to progress with his NBA life. What about a guy like Ron Artest who jumped into the stands and physically assaulted fans? Or even Kobe, who's A MILLION TIMES more of a douche on every level in one day than Lebron has been/will ever be?

Cleveland fans should feel lucky he gave them all he did. They didn't deserve an ounce of the good he brought them and I hope that Lebron lifts that trophy above his head many times in his career as the ultimate F you to Cleveland.

I never trusted or liked Lebron before he left. My Cavs fan friends always thought that was weird, but his antics the last few seasons rubbed me the wrong way. The powder thing (which he ripped from a bunch of players), the pre-game choreography, the dancing on the bench DURING a game. It all pointed to his immaturity, but all my friends were too blinded by "CLEVELAND CHAMPIONSHIP DREAMS" to notice.

When he left I was not surprised, but my dislike for the guy grew and my Cavs fan friends joined me.

That said, there are a few facebook friends of mine that I would love to watch endure a Heat championship. It would make my week.

[The_Admiral]

I'm glad I like the team with the best record in the East and can therefore root heartily against LeBron James without finding myself in a labyrinth of Cleveland butthurt, racial implications, and so on.

[infrared41]

If there really is such a thing as "an extra gear" in the playoffs, Miami seems to be the only team that has found it so far.

I'd argue that Dallas has turned it on just as much as Miami. The Mavs were playing out of their minds in that Lakers series. I think they have a good chance of winning it all.

And you would be right. I didn't think about Dallas when I wrote that.

[Lights Out]

"I couldn't do it by myself" - LeBron James

Happy to see he finally sees that.

I hope the Heat meet a painful, terrible end.

NOBODY'S done it by themselves in the NBA. For all the whining about "glorifying the individual," it's still a team sport.

[WJMorris3]

Here's the thing. I don't care if you're at the high school, college, professional level. You always calmly walk off the court like you've been there before. You don't do like Lebron did.

[The_Admiral]

"I couldn't do it by myself" - LeBron James

Happy to see he finally sees that.

I hope the Heat meet a painful, terrible end.

NOBODY'S done it by themselves in the NBA. For all the whining about "glorifying the individual," it's still a team sport.

Iverson on the '01 Sixers came as close as anyone to doing it himself and still came up well short.

[knnhrvy16]

I usually, for whatever reason, really dislike championship rematches in all sports. However, part of me wants to see Dallas/Miami again. If any team is to potentially meet Miami in the finals and beat them, I want it to be Dallas, so Dirk can get "revenge", so to speak. How great of a story would that be? On one hand, you've got the star studded, basically-team-USA Heat looking to silence the critics (complete with Jester James aiming for his first ring), and on the other hand you have one of the classiest legends of the game in Dirk Nowitzki with a shot at redemption and his first ring.

To me personally, and this is just me, the most fitting end to a playoffs this good would be something like Dallas taking out Miami, with Dirk finally getting his ring. Honestly, how awesome would that be?

[DEAD!]

I usually, for whatever reason, really dislike championship rematches in all sports. However, part of me wants to see Dallas/Miami again. If any team is to potentially meet Miami in the finals and beat them, I want it to be Dallas, so Dirk can get "revenge", so to speak. How great of a story would that be? On one hand, you've got the star studded, basically-team-USA Heat looking to silence the critics (complete with Jester James aiming for his first ring), and on the other hand you have one of the classiest legends of the game in Dirk Nowitzki with a shot at redemption and his first ring.

To me personally, and this is just me, the most fitting end to a playoffs this good would be something like Dallas taking out Miami, with Dirk finally getting his ring. Honestly, how awesome would that be?

Better yet, Dallas winning would mean Stern handing the trophy to Mark Cuban...

[NJTank]

I usually, for whatever reason, really dislike championship rematches in all sports. However, part of me wants to see Dallas/Miami again. If any team is to potentially meet Miami in the finals and beat them, I want it to be Dallas, so Dirk can get "revenge", so to speak. How great of a story would that be? On one hand, you've got the star studded, basically-team-USA Heat looking to silence the critics (complete with Jester James aiming for his first ring), and on the other hand you have one of the classiest legends of the game in Dirk Nowitzki with a shot at redemption and his first ring.

To me personally, and this is just me, the most fitting end to a playoffs this good would be something like Dallas taking out Miami, with Dirk finally getting his ring. Honestly, how awesome would that be?

Better yet, Dallas winning would mean Stern handing the trophy to Mark Cuban...

THat is why the Mavs winning would be so delicious.

[Saintsfan]

One thing for certain is that today marks an interesting day in basketball as the post-Michael Jordan era officially comes to an end on 5/11/11. NBA Finals will be without Kobe, Shaq or Timmy for 1st time since 1998. Personally, I would love to see Durant start a new Dynasty in OKC and am hoping for a OKC/MIA final. I think it would be the icing on the cake for the whole Lebron situation and provide the ultimate good guy vs. bad guy series, a very good thing for the NBA.

Lets go back further

This will be the first finals since 1981 that does not include one of these 7 players

Magic Johnson

Hakeem Olajuwon

Dennis Rodman

Michael Jordan

Tim Duncan

Kobe Bryant

Shaquille O'Neal

It may not be an individuals league, but I would say it's a players league rather than a team league. A team of good players will always struggle to beat a collection of great players, however much of a well coached team the good team might be.

[cameroncrazie07]

I usually, for whatever reason, really dislike championship rematches in all sports. However, part of me wants to see Dallas/Miami again. If any team is to potentially meet Miami in the finals and beat them, I want it to be Dallas, so Dirk can get "revenge", so to speak. How great of a story would that be? On one hand, you've got the star studded, basically-team-USA Heat looking to silence the critics (complete with Jester James aiming for his first ring), and on the other hand you have one of the classiest legends of the game in Dirk Nowitzki with a shot at redemption and his first ring.

To me personally, and this is just me, the most fitting end to a playoffs this good would be something like Dallas taking out Miami, with Dirk finally getting his ring. Honestly, how awesome would that be?

Better yet, Dallas winning would mean Stern handing the trophy to Mark Cuban...

Even better yet, LeBron will have to get another year to first ring. Just remember his quote: "not 5, not 6, but 7 championships". That was the moment that I went from disliking him for what he did, to full-blown hating him. And yes, if anyone's going to beat the Heat, I hope it's the Mavericks.

[Lights Out]

I think it's hilarious how people are STILL butthurt over what amounts to a TV show and a rally from almost a year ago. Good trolling, LeBron.

[cameroncrazie07]

I think it's hilarious how people are STILL butthurt over what amounts to a TV show and a rally from almost a year ago. Good trolling, LeBron.

At least me and LeBron have something in common.