Real Deal

Deron is really too crafty for Ron Artest. Kobe needs to defend him.

TIME: 3:30 PM EST TV: ABC

TIME: 1:00 PM EST TV: ABC

Yeah, but Collison needed to get back to the rim. There was no need for him to even move towards Bryant if he didn't even help contest that shot Kobe took in the first place, and helping Ibaka box out a guy who has pulled down 18 boards is just as important. I disagree with the Thunder playing bad down the stretch. They didn't do so bad, they just didn't close it out. The third quarter hurt them the most, but that was due to Bryant's aggressiveness. Had Kobe been given the first six minutes of the fourth, or given the ball within the first 2-3 minutes of his return to the floor (I think just two shots in the fourth), I believe the Lakers would've been in a better situation down the road, and this game would've never required a game-winning putback...but hey, that's Phil Jackson for you.

That LeBron is not a better shooter than Kobe, and I agree. I've seen LeBron catch fire, but an excellent defensive player would have no problem stopping LeBron's shooting. The drive is the biggest problem, and that ability to get to the rim anytime he wants is what makes him so damn good. James still doesn't have a post game, and part of that is due to the inability to hit highly-contested shots against good defensive players (the other part being lack of footwork).

Best player, hands down. A player's teammates shouldn't have a positive or a negative effect on his value. I worked with three other people at my last job, and they were terrible. That didn't mean I was less valuable, and a future employer wouldn't look at who I worked with and judge me based on their performances as well.

TIME: 8:00 PM EST TV: TNT

Debate fail. Just look at the cool pictures, I guess.

So, again, in other words...a player's value is heavily affected by his teammates? It's a league-wide award. Basically, if that's true, the MVP award means much less than it did when Jordan, Magic and Bird were winning it.

You misunderstood what I was saying. Bosh could just walk, but if he waits and a team pursues him via sign-and-trade, he can decide to accept it, giving back to Toronto. If he wanted to leave Toronto and not give them anything, well, he could. He's not restricted. But say one of the teams interested has offered a few players to the Raptors, and Bosh has that team on his radar with another of which he could just take a paycheck from. Instead of leaving Toronto with nothing...maybe he'll do the opposite.

LOL, yes, I want Durant to win it because I just despise LeBron James so much, and it kills me to say he deserves it. I said he deserves it, and I said he would win it. He did, and I don't even care. But Durant needs a lot of consideration as well. The MVP should ALWAYS be given to the best player in the game, because the best player is obviously the most valuable. This BS about who does what without who, or how many all-star teammates he has, or how many wins...it's pretty lame...but again, it's been that way for years, and the award will always change definition, no matter how anyone spins it.

Yep, anyone can join, even if they skipped out on previous rounds. The Suns/Spurs and Lakers/Jazz prediction threads are up.

Fill in the following. Ten points for each correct answer, minus ten for each missed (which includes extending the series over the correct amount of games). If you feel the series will extend past four games, continue to add an answer to each game you think the series will play to. +10 bonus for the correct series winner, +15 for a perfect series. For example, if you believe the Suns will win the series 4-2, you should fill in six winners. Phoenix has home court advantage.

Fill in the following. Ten points for each correct answer, minus ten for each missed (which includes extending the series over the correct amount of games). If you feel the series will extend past four games, continue to add an answer to each game you think the series will play to. +10 bonus for the correct series winner, +15 for a perfect series. For example, if you believe the Lakers will win the series 4-2, you should fill in six winners. Los Angeles has home court advantage.

What the hell? Only half of what I wrote posted. Anyway, good job on a very strong season by OKC. Durant struggled, but his teammates did step up big. Props to Westbrook for dominating our weak PG's and knowing when to attack, and a massive round of applause to Serge Ibaka, who will be a very good player in the league someday (and he's pretty good already, to be honest).

Good game, happy to win, but I don't like a lot of things that Phil did. 1) He pulled Kobe out when he was on fire, and didn't even play him until six minutes into the fourth, which was a HUGE mistake. 2) He pulled Shannon out when he was on fire, and acted as if he was in trouble, for some reason. 3) He stuck Fisher back on Westbrook ONLY because the Thunder were screening Kobe off of Russell. So what? That gave Westbrook the green light to attack, and he did. Shannon hit shots, but his defense absolutely sucked, and he kept making bad decisions when he actually had the ball in his hands over five seconds, one a costly turnover that led to him being put on a poster. Gasol's offensive board and putback locked it up, and 18 rebounds were fantastic. He has to be more effective in the offense, though. Ron's defense was good, and he actually didn't do so bad offensively for a while, until he took a few long-range shots that were contested and unnecessary (one near the end of the game, where Kobe went nuts and threw up his hands). Bynum found his way into Phil's doghouse again, with his pathetic defense and his three-second calls. Fisher didn't do too bad. Odom could've given us more. Kobe's 16 in the third was key, though. If he had played most of the fourth, and actually had the ball in his hands for the first two minutes after he returned, we would've maintained that seven-point lead. 32 points, nearly 50% FG, seven boards...just a strong game from Kobe in a crucial Game 6.

Kenyon Martin and JR Smith are just ignorant. The series was meaningless to me, but I'm happy to see those two lose. Too much Boozer. Good thing for the Lakers, though. He's averaged around 40-42% FG against us since Gasol put on a Lakers jersey, so it should be a fun series.

Westbrook called Kobe out on his defense. What a dumb thing to do after Kobe locked him up. The one player that loves taking things personal, and loves challenges...just a dumb move by Westbrook.

Maybe, if the Suns beat the Spurs, because Westbrook would go ballistic on Nash, and there really isn't anyone on the Suns' roster that can defend Durant, not even Grant Hill.

Damn, I figured I'd get at least one person in here who thinks it should be banned. WHERE ARE YOU?

Well-deserved. I should've posted this topic in October.

Wow, that's insane.

Brooks may help Houston out even more by coming off the bench, but Lowry's numbers don't necessarily mean he's ready for a starting role because those numbers are coming against other bench players. Houston does need a point that can run the offense, though, and Brooks is definitely no playmaker. Bringing him off the bench, in a role similar to Crawford's, or Terry's, is a good idea...but because there's no McGrady, and both Martin and Ariza are incapable of playing a point-forward slot, the Rockets probably need to bring in a proven point guard before experimenting. You could start Lowry a few games, and see how he does...but that's a risk, because if he doesn't pan out, you may shoot down all of Brooks' confidence as a starter.

TIME: 9:30 PM EST TV: ESPN

TIME: 7:00 PM EST TV: ESPN