2013 NBA Playoffs

[HedleyLamarr]

It's slightly above average.

I make up for it with enthusiasm and perseverance.....

[cshookemHORNS]

Okay, so about game 7 now...

[See Red]

Absolutely no clue. Typically I can get a feel for how a game 7 might go -- this game could be a blowout either way or it could be down to the wire. I think San Antonio is a better team with a better coach, but when you have the best player in the world on your side, who knows.

I just hope hope hope that it doesn't come down to blown calls. Which it will because it's the NBA.

[The Six]

[Sport]

I've never been to a major stadium that doesn't have a strict no re-entry policy. I'd imagine that's the norm until you get to low level minor league baseball.

Last year I stayed inside Great American Ballpark for a four hour rain delay. It was a sunday day game and I had free diamond club tickets that I wasn't about to give up and if I walked through the gate the ticket is voided unless the game was rained out. They ended up starting around 4:30 and I didn't get home until 9 pm. Joey Votto hit three home runs and a walkoff grand slam to beat Washington so the almost 9 hour day at the ballpark was worth it. I would've been very upset with myself if I had left the stadium and missed that.

[NJTank]

It usually even says no rentry on the ticket.

[vmd9]

Absolutely no clue. Typically I can get a feel for how a game 7 might go -- this game could be a blowout either way or it could be down to the wire. I think San Antonio is a better team with a better coach, but when you have the best player in the world on your side, who knows.

I just hope hope hope that it doesn't come down to blown calls. Which it will because it's the NBA.

I feel like luck has definitely been on the Heat's side this series. As much as I am rooting for the Spurs I just don't think they can win tonight. If the NBA really was "fixed" they would rather have the Spurs win. At least it would make more than 90% of America happy.

[MDGP]

Absolutely no clue. Typically I can get a feel for how a game 7 might go -- this game could be a blowout either way or it could be down to the wire. I think San Antonio is a better team with a better coach, but when you have the best player in the world on your side, who knows.

I just hope hope hope that it doesn't come down to blown calls. Which it will because it's the NBA.

I feel like luck has definitely been on the Heat's side this series. As much as I am rooting for the Spurs I just don't think they can win tonight. If the NBA really was "fixed" they would rather have the Spurs win. At least it would make more than 90% of America happy.

But LeBron makes the league so much more money!

For the record, I don't believe the NBA is rigged to determine winners, I'm just a guy who loves a good conspiracy theory, and boy, has David Stern helped create an atmosphere for conspiracy theory (He'd totally be the commissioner to rig games if any league decided to fix things). That being said, I wouldn't be totally surprised if some refs still aided things towards the spread, but that's just from previous incidents, and actually has some basis.

Also, in regards to the whole no-return thing, I've never been to a college or professional sporting event that let you go back in. Hell, even sports like women's volleyball and gymnastics aren't supposed to let you back inside at here at Penn State. I mean, isn't that the reason as to why they tear/scan tickets? I think the only place I've seen people let back in are at Portland Sea Dogs games, but they let people in for free after the 5th inning, anyways.

[IceCap]

http://www.sun-senti...0,5604940.story

Miami fans left early, then wanted back in after the Heat tied it.

This is the reason the rest of the country wants the Heat to lose.

Bruins fans did the exact same thing during their comeback against the Leafs, but I don't see anyone bashing their fanbase or hoping they lose because of it.

Boston's proven itself as a top tier NHL market. Their fans have earned the benefit of the doubt. Miami Heat fans have not earned that.

http://www.sun-senti...0,5604940.story

Miami fans left early, then wanted back in after the Heat tied it.

This is the reason the rest of the country wants the Heat to lose.

Bruins fans did the exact same thing during their comeback against the Leafs, but I don't see anyone bashing their fanbase or hoping they lose because of it.

Do you live in Miami?

Actually I think he lives somewhere in New England.

Between Lights Out and Cujo white knighting for the Heat, LeBron James, and the NBA in general and dbadefense1990 ranting about the Heat and yuppies being the Earthly vessel of Lucifer this thread's become border-line unreadable. I'm actually into this matchup, I think it's one of those "old guard vs new guard" matchups between two talented teams. So all of you hyperbolic pontificators can kindly shut it.

[Sport]

http://www.sun-senti...0,5604940.story

Miami fans left early, then wanted back in after the Heat tied it.

This is the reason the rest of the country wants the Heat to lose.

Bruins fans did the exact same thing during their comeback against the Leafs, but I don't see anyone bashing their fanbase or hoping they lose because of it.

Boston's proven itself as a top tier NHL market. Their fans have earned the benefit of the doubt. Miami Heat fans have not earned that.

http://www.sun-senti...0,5604940.story

Miami fans left early, then wanted back in after the Heat tied it.

This is the reason the rest of the country wants the Heat to lose.

Bruins fans did the exact same thing during their comeback against the Leafs, but I don't see anyone bashing their fanbase or hoping they lose because of it.

Do you live in Miami?

Actually I think he lives somewhere in New England.

Who knows? I know he doesn't live in Miami, which is why it's bizarre that he chose to defend some of the worst sports fans in the country. I know there's diehard Miami fans, but the overall culture there is to only support the teams when they're winning, and they bail the minute (literally) they're not winning. That city does not deserve this roster. Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Cleveland, etc deserve this team. Miami deserves the Bobcats.

[DG_YouKnowWhatThatMeans]

If I weren't in phone, I'd start a new topic about worst sports markets that have had the most success. Miami has to be at the very top, given recent championships by the Hurricanes, Marlins and Heat. In fact, they've had championship appearances by all of their teams since 1996, except for the Dolphins who are generally competitive every other year.

Miami sucks. Atlanta is probably number 2.

[IceCap]

Miami's also got that undefeated Dolphins team.[/makingitworse]

[Kramerica Industries]

If I weren't in phone, I'd start a new topic about worst sports markets that have had the most success. Miami has to be at the very top, given recent championships by the Hurricanes, Marlins and Heat. In fact, they've had championship appearances by all of their teams since 1996, except for the Dolphins who are generally competitive every other year.

Miami sucks. Atlanta is probably number 2.

Atlanta. Um...

In terms of titles, the Braves have one World Series, the Falcons have never won a Super Bowl, the Flames and Thrashers were both pretty awful, and have the Hawks ever won a championship since leaving St. Louis? Georgia Tech isn't exactly a powerhouse in the notable NCAA sports, either.

I mean, I know, the Braves winning 14 consecutive division titles and reaching the World Series five times is the focal point here. But, aside from 1995, the Braves and, to an equal extent, the Falcons are the classic examples of teams not being able to finish what they started.

--

Tampa/St. Pete is no great sports market at all, but the three teams here have only appeared in three championship games/series' in a combined 70 or so seasons, so there's not a whole ton of success here to begin with. More-or-less on par with Seattle, really.

[FiddySicks]

*cough*losangeles*cough*

[Still MIGHTY]

No.

[dbadefense1990]

*cough*losangeles*cough*

This is SoCal sports in a nutshell:

-11 Lakers championships, but have lost in the NBA Final series 14 times. This includes all those painful losses to the Celtics in the 1960s. And this includes all the bitter in-team drama (Chamberlain-Van Brenda Koff, Magic-Westphal, Magic-Riley, Van Excel-Harris, Kobe-Shaq-Jackson).

-5 Dodgers championships, but not one in the last 25 years (longest span between titles in team history). Since 1988, the Giants have had 4 NL pennants and two World Series titles, had the luxury of seeing Barry Bonds win NL MVP's and Tim Lincecum contending for Cy Young's, and have opened a breathtaking ballpark by the bay without the need of taxpayer money. As for the Dodgers, no pennants, painful NLCS losses to the Phillies, stupidly trading Mike Piazza and Paul Lo Duca and signing Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt, and the whole tandem of times we've saved the Red Sox's bacon, from Frank McCourt to overpaying for their players last July, which have buried LA in last place and have placed Boston in contention in the AL East.

-1 Stanley Cup championship last year, after 45 years of being the NHL's doormat. Despite the Plymouth Omega, Rogie and the "Triple Crown Line," the "Manchester Miracle," the summer of 1988, the entire 1993 postseason saga, the bankruptcy and AEG revival, there were no cups last year. But this is the prime of the franchise right now.

-1 Super Bowl title from the Raiders (beating the Redskins in SB XVIII). This in spite of choking in the 1982 playoffs against the Jets, and in 1985 against the Pats, and all those destructions from the Bills in the 1990s.

-1 pre-SB title from the Rams. This in spite of never beating the Vikings in the 1970s, never winning the NFC title game until 1980, losing a 4th quarter lead in SB XIV (played at the Rose Bowl of all places), wasting the talents of Eric Dickerson and submitting themselves to Georgia Frontierre.

-2 OC titles from the Angels and Ducks. While the Ducks have seen pain from how the 2003 SCF ended and from all those Red Wings battles (2009, 2013), the Angels have blown a 2-0 ALCS lead to the Brewers, a 3-1 lead to the Red Sox (one strike away, leading to Donnie Moore's suicide), a 12-game lead in the AL West in 1995, and all those subsequent losses in the postseason in the 2000s.

-4 Galaxy titles, this despite losing 3 of the first 6 MLS Cup games (twice in sudden death OT), losing a 3-goal aggregate lead in the second half of Game 2 of a 2003 series, and Donovan choking a penalty kick in 2009.

Now that I think about it, I've died a thousand deaths for all the painful moments listed.

[Still MIGHTY]

That's not a nutshell.

[cshookemHORNS]

That's not a nutshell.

More like a treeshell... Nobody? Okay...

[DG_YouKnowWhatThatMeans]

If your team has championships in the last decade, you can't say you've had a painful sports existence.

[dbadefense1990]

If the NBA really was "fixed" they would rather have the Spurs win. At least it would make more than 90% of America happy.

The NBA doesn't care about America's opinion. They only care about getting those fans to spend money on its product. The only interests they care about are those which will bring in revenue.

And did you say the only "fixing" would be for the Spurs? Yeah, I have a hard time believing the NBA would rig games to a team who have been proven over and over again to be ratings and revenue buzzkills.

Nice to know your interests in Game 7.