Mavs beat the Spurs in OT

[Irish Envy]

Man, just watched the game and that was a joy. Good basketball, good playmaking... Spurs got way too many fouls called for them and they still couldn't pull it off at home.

 

[Fitzgerald]

Thank God. The NBA, however good this particular postseason has been, has the worst playoff. It's all chalk. LA got up 3-1 on Phoenix, but of course Phoenix won. Cleveland, of course, blew it against Detroit. The Bulls looked like they would give Miami a series, then promptly folded. The Clippers blew a series they should have won. Fate just seems to conspire to keep upsets out of this league.

So, good for Dallas. And I like Dirk and Mark Cuban, so good for them. They're the only team left I can root for.

 

[jiggafini19]

Dirk and Nash are on teams that are still playing?

Hmm. Interesting.

 

[maison bleu]

Thank God. The NBA, however good this particular postseason has been, has the worst playoff. It's all chalk. LA got up 3-1 on Phoenix, but of course Phoenix won. Cleveland, of course, blew it against Detroit. The Bulls looked like they would give Miami a series, then promptly folded. The Clippers blew a series they should have won. Fate just seems to conspire to keep upsets out of this league.

One of the things I like about the NBA playoffs is that there are few upsets: the best team usually wins.

Meritocracy. What a concept.

 

[Grrrrrr]

I absolutely HATE the NBA. Too much showmanship and traveling, not enough hard ball. The Pistons I do like, and I'll cheer for Steve Nash's hair.

 

[Fitzgerald]

One of the things I like about the NBA playoffs is that there are few upsets: the best team usually wins.

Meritocracy. What a concept.

Boredom. What a concept.

And the best team wins in every league's playoff. If they weren't the best team, they wouldn't win. It's all meritocracy, because if you lose to somebody in the playoffs, yea, they were better than you.

 

[jiggafini19]

I would not call these playoffs "boredom" at all.

But they seed this thing a bit weird. The Spurs and Mavs should have played in the conference finals, not the semis. And after seeing what the Heat did to the Nets, I have no doubt the Bulls could have taken the Nets in a 7 game series.

Professional sports insist on having leagues with 40 teams and splitting everything up into 6 or 8 "divisions". THAT is boredom. If they insist on watering it down, at least seed it right.

 

[maison bleu]

Boredom. What a concept.

And the best team wins in every league's playoff. If they weren't the best team, they wouldn't win. It's all meritocracy, because if you lose to somebody in the playoffs, yea, they were better than you.

So in the NCAA tourny, you'd say a 14 or 15 seed that knocks off a 2 or 3 seed is a "better team?" By your logic, there's no such thing as an upset, if the team that wins is by definition better.

And when the mighty Oregon State Beavers knock off the Irish in bowl games, they're the better team? You really believe that? I'd say they were the better team that day...

 

[Fitzgerald]

Yes, the two Oregon State teams that beat ND were better than the two ND teams they beat. That's not even in question. As to your NCAA tourney question, well, it's sort of the exception that proves the rule; if a 15 ups its game that much, and a 2 lowers its game that much, in a tourney game, and the 15 beats the 2, well, the 15 was better. I mean how are teams proven better or worse? Not on paper, but on the field or court.

And no, after the fact, there is no such thing as an upset. Upsets are the result of expectations. After the season, looking back, none of George Mason's wins are upsets, because they were a Final Four team that year, and none of the teams they beat were - so of course they won.

Also, the NBA playoffs, as I said, are enjoying a rare year; but rare as it is, it's still got a 1, and two 2's remaining out of four teams, and narrowly missed being Spurs vs Pistons (a snooze fest) again. Chalk is boring; many years the NBA could just skip their two month playoff season and have their number 1's play. We're a long way from the 95 Rockets.

 

[Domer95]

Ever since the NBA had the flood of underclassmen and those from overseas, coupled w/ the rise of that network in CT's highlight show, the NBA has gone downhill and fast. Don't get me wrong, Lebron, Paul, Dirk, Manu, TonyParker, Yao and Co. have skeelz, but they are the exception rather than the rule. The art of the jumpshot is gone, it's all dunks and 3pters done by OVERPAID, lazy, out of shape, primma donnas with bad 'tudes. Unfortunately, that's what the market will bear, right now, anyway. Attendance is down and ticket prices are very high and Isiah Thomas is trying his best to DESTROY TWO LEAGUES in ONE LIFETIME, now that is an accomplishment.

That all being said, these playoffs have been an UNEXPECTED joy to watch, unlike the NHL playoffs, where I think 10 people are tuning in....

 

[Fitzgerald]

The NHL playoffs are always a joy to watch, this year included. That people don't watch doesn't make the games any less good.