2013 NBA Playoffs

[Burkell007]

See as a celtics fan I know what ails the lakers it's as clear as day:

BENCH

after the starting 5 there is nothing, can't win with out help. Oh the celtics just canceled game 4 they said %#! It. I doubt they show up its a pattern game one don't show up for the 4th quarter, game 2 only play first half, game 3? Y not just play one quarter, so they might as well cancel game 4, cause they ain't showing up! Rondo is back when?

[NJTank]

If you ask me Dwight Howard has been exposed as a fraud. If there were any real centers Howard would be an after thought.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I see it different. Howard started the season expecting the rest of the team would carry him. It wasn't until after the All-Star break that he actually started trying.

I didn't see the last game, but whatever happened is kind of irrelevant. Whatever chances they had to steal a single game from the Spurs (which, again, was their definition of success this post-season) went down with -- just so you know how dire their situation was -- Steve f'n Blake's knee.

They barely have a team to scrimmage with, let along play playoff games.

[Kramerica Industries]

I don't think I've ever seen a team get ravaged so badly by injuries, wire-to-wire, than this year's Lakers team. These problems literally began in game #2 with Nash, and every single one of their starters and key rotation player has suffered a debilitating injury that has either kept them off the court for extended periods of time, or seen them play through those painful injuries.

This was never meant to be the Lakers year. Winning 45 games and being a #7 seed? That's really an excellent accomplishment.

[Nyk33]

I don't think I've ever seen a team get ravaged so badly by injuries, wire-to-wire, than this year's Lakers team. These problems literally began in game #2 with Nash, and every single one of their starters and key rotation player has suffered a debilitating injury that has either kept them off the court for extended periods of time, or seen them play through those painful injuries.

This was never meant to be the Lakers year. Winning 45 games and being a #7 seed? That's really an excellent accomplishment.

I have to disagree with that statement. After all the hype during the preseason and the beginning of the season this is nothing more than an epic fail for them. Even before the injuries they were massively underachieving so that should not be an excuse.

If the Miami Heat had the same kind of season as the Lakers had everyone would be all over them and rightfully so.

[Kramerica Industries]

That was more of a retrospective comment, not a revisionist historian one.

Of course there was hype. My point is that, between the early chemistry issues and then the immediately-once-season-began injury issues rose to the surface, the Lakers were doomed for a poor season, by their standards. The Lakers, injuries et al, were 28-13 over the 2nd half of the season, a 56 win pace. But it's hard to compete for a championship when every key player misses significant time during the season.

[Nyk33]

That was more of a retrospective comment, not a revisionist historian one.

Of course there was hype. My point is that, between the early chemistry issues and then the immediately-once-season-began injury issues rose to the surface, the Lakers were doomed for a poor season, by their standards. The Lakers, injuries et al, were 28-13 over the 2nd half of the season, a 56 win pace. But it's hard to compete for a championship when every key player misses significant time during the season.

I can see where you are coming from. However I would not call getting a lower seed and getting swept a great accomplishment by any stretch.

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Btw can someone explain to me how Jason Terry flopping on a JR Smith elbow that just grazes him gets Smith ejected but Nate Robinson and CJ Watson can have a wrestling match on the sidelines and no one leaves the game.

In both situations I would not want guys getting ejected but just a little common sense and consistency would be appreciated.

[dbadefense1990]

This was never meant to be the Lakers year. Winning 45 games and being a #7 seed? That's really an excellent accomplishment.

Except it wasn't. Any other team would be glad to taking a horrifically injury-riddled roster to 45 wins and a #7 seed, but so much attention and hype was given because, well, these are the Lakers. Too much hype was given to this team because of the names on the back of the jerseys, and not because of Nash's or Gasol's age, or Howard coming off back surgery, or Kobe logging up minutes in his 17th season. I know some fans are feeling sorry for what this Lakers season eventually became, but others (especially the media here) are expressing anger, frustration and bitter resentment of their performance throughout the season (note that all the media folks had a Kobe-centric point of view coming into this season).

That being said, I kind of felt sorry for the team performance last night, but I couldn't anymore for a 31 point home loss. The least I expected was the bench to show some heart and pride, but they, instead, curled up into a fetal ball and just opened the floodgates to San Antonio's points in the paint. And after the game, the media got all over the team, and, in paraphrasing terms, said that "the Lakers have disappointed the city, the franchise, and more importantly, Kobe."

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Superfans are the worst.

[dbadefense1990]

Superfans are the worst.

This is basically the driven point home of this Lakers season. LA got a way past-prime Nash, a Howard who didn't play the last 1/3rd of last season because of season-ending surgery, and a 32-year old Gasol who always comes up as trade bait, along with a defensive-minded coach (Mike Brown) and a failure to bolster the bench. But it was all to appease the legion of Kobe fanboys who don't care how they get it, but see fit that he gets a championship. The SoCal media is especially guilty of this; they didn't wish Laker fans well, nor they called it another title run for the ownership, nor even a first run for Nash and Howard. Nope, all about "going for it all for Kobe, for Kobe to get his 6th ring, to pass Michael Jordan." And I also chuckle at our media's propaganda of wanting Phil Jackson back, as if this team tanked on purpose for the Kobe fans to want management to fire Brown (actually happened) and fire D'Antoni (could happen).

I really do not want to know what would these fanboys do should Kobe decide to retire...

[pmoehrin]

So the Bulls and Nets are playing one of the greatest games in NBA history.

[Nyk33]

What a game for Nate Robinson

And what a pitiful defensive sequence by Chicago at the end if OT

[zpqmaowl]

Going to a third OT at the United Center.

[pmoehrin]

I'm not one to complain about officals, but two huge calls against Chicago.

The charge against Robinson where Williams didn't have his feet set and Johnson holding Noah's arm as he was trying to shoot the ball in the final seconds of the game. Granted you typically have to suplex someone to get a foul called in that spot, but still that was pretty blatant.

[Billy B]

The Bulls are in some serious foul trouble right now and Nate Robinson is already out. This has been one of the best games I've ever seen so far though.

[Lights Out]

Clippers/Grizzlies is mere seconds away from halftime and this Bulls/Nets game is STILL going. Which would be fine, except for the fact that they aren't showing Clips/Grizz on TBS or TruTV, so nobody outside of LA or Memphis can watch the game.

[Nyk33]

If he would have made this dunk the Nets would have won in regulation.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Clippers/Grizzlies is mere seconds away from halftime and this Bulls/Nets game is STILL going. Which would be fine, except for the fact that they aren't showing Clips/Grizz on TBS or TruTV, so nobody outside of LA or Memphis can watch the game.

Some of us are in the First Row no matter where we are...

EDIT: I missed the ending of the Bulls/Nets game, so no comment on that other than there's your one great Nate Robinson game of the season.

Just one more note on the 2012-2013 Lakers: while they had a ton of hype, you also have to remember the hype was based in part on the big trade of Bynum for Howard (effectively). If they don't make that trade, they miss the playoffs altogether. That's not excusing their terrible first half, just saying that it could have been a lot worse.

[dbadefense1990]

Clippers/Grizzlies is mere seconds away from halftime and this Bulls/Nets game is STILL going. Which would be fine, except for the fact that they aren't showing Clips/Grizz on TBS or TruTV, so nobody outside of LA or Memphis can watch the game.

This is what bootleg streaming websites are for.

[pmoehrin]

Clippers/Grizzlies is mere seconds away from halftime and this Bulls/Nets game is STILL going. Which would be fine, except for the fact that they aren't showing Clips/Grizz on TBS or TruTV, so nobody outside of LA or Memphis can watch the game.

This is what bootleg streaming websites are for.

On one hand yeah, there are other options out there.

But on the other, sports and comedy central are the only two reasons at this point that I still have cable. Take that out and there's no reason for me to have it and I do believe in this day and age fans should have the right to be their own producer. I don't see why you want to see Clippers/Grizzlies over the Bulls/Nets game unless you were a fan of either team, but if that's your choice and your paying top dollar for cable, why shouldn't you be able to?

It didn't effect me any, because I was watching the Bulls/Nets game until the end regardless of what else was on, but for anyone that wanted to see the other game and couldn't, they have a point, because that game was advertised as a national game and for the entire first half it wasn't.

As for the playoffs themselves, not sure why so many people thought the Clippers were just going to steamroll the Grizzlies. I predicted Memphis would win the series in much easier fashion then people thought they would. That hasn't happened, but this has been a tough series for both teams. Its especially big now with Westbrook being out because that changes the whole dynamic of the West. They're having a tough time with Houston and both Memphis and the Clippers are much better then the Rockets are and I think San Antonio is better then both of them. With the exception of Houston and the Lakers I really think anyone is capable of taking the West now with Westbrook out of the picture.

Atlanta finally showed up. If they can win Monday they might be able to make a series out of it yet. Still think Indiana will come out on top, but for the first two games Atlanta was just rolling over. Chicago took control of their series. If Derrick Rose does not come back against Miami assuming the Bulls take the series, that's when I think a lot of people who have been supporting Rose are going to start turning on him because it will be a year a plus since he tore his ACL and that's not a year plus injury. Its bad injury, but to not even attempt to give it a go for these games, I would say something about it if I were in the Bulls locker room.

Tomorrow may also mark the last game for Dwight Howard as a Laker. Still hasn't resigned with the team and given what happened last year I wouldn't trust this guy one bit as far as what he says he's going to do unless its in writing. I still think he's going to try to get to Brooklyn even despite all of their cap problems, nearly happened last year. We'll see what happens. I do think he'll ultimately resign with the Lakers, but that's far from a given and I wouldn't be willing to put money on it either.