NBA (Basketball)
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Thanks for your posts, specmvl and jackie17. I apologize, jackie17, for not seeing and responding to your post earlier. I don't know how I missed it. I have also been a huge NBA fan, ever since I can remember. I was one of the lucky few that were able to see the original Dream Team play, in person. Granted, I was only eight-years-old, but they definitely made an impression. I love the game, and agree that this has been one of the best regular seasons in a while; for the reasons jackie17 listed.
I am excited for the Playoffs, even if I don't have a horse in the race. Living in LA, I am sad to see Kobe get hurt. I have a tremendous amount of respect for his competitive spirit. I don't think the Lakers had a legitimate shot to make a run (I think MDA is one of the worst coaching choices they could have made; they need a defense-minded, half-court offensive coach), but it would have been good drama. I don't know where they will find the leadership/heart without Kobe, but you never know; teams typically rally together in times of adversity.
The Playoffs will be enjoyable, as always; but, truthfully, I think it's only a three team race: Miami, OKC, and San Antonio. I don't trust Denver or LAC's half-court offense, over seven games. The NYK are a legitimate #2, in the East, but they are still a level down from the Heat. Ultimately, I think the best matchup of the Playoffs is for the Western Conference Championship. I don't see anyone touching Miami in seven.
To circle back to the Kings/Sonics situation, I have been closely following this matter for years. My family had Sonics seasons tickets, and my heart was ripped out when they were stolen and moved to OKC. It took me years to enjoy the NBA, again. If anyone is curious as to what really happened, and how devastating the move was to their loyal fanbase, check out the documentary below:
Personally, I think the Kings are gone. Seattle has too much money behind it. Steve Ballmer can write a check for the $550 million (Seattle just raised the price $25 million, on Friday, just to flex their muscles), and not bat an eye. Sacramento is still scrambling for financing and their arena deal is rushed, at best. Now, please don't get me wrong, I don't think that Seattle taking Sacramento's team is fair, or justified. Two wrongs don't make a right. Stealing a team from a city, just like OKC did to us, doesn't make me feel any better. The NBA has a tremendous mess on their hands (which they created), and there is no perfect solution. I think this Sports Illustrated article articulates the current situation pretty well:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20130413/sacramento-kings-sale-david-stern-seattle/
Thanks, again, for responding. I appreciate opening up this discussion with people other than my fellow scorned Sonics fans. I will make a point to check back in on this thread more often, as the Playoffs unfold.
no need to apologize. its good to see people who follow the league on here. definitely a lot going on these days.
that was tough to see kobe go down but not shocking given how much he has played, especially lately. i agree with you on the d'antoni hiring. the importance of a good owner isn't always appreciated until things go bad. it is too bad for lakers fans, especially since they have been spoiled by one of the best owners in pro sports since the 70s.
i agree with you about denver and lac's half-court offense down the stretch not being strong enough to win the west. the thunder's offense has not looked good but their talent/athleticism will probably be enough to beat san antonio. agree with you that in the finals no one beats miami. i would like to see pop and the spurs earn the opportunity though.
i wish i had seen what you wrote regarding the sacramento to seattle move that is coming. you summed things up much better than i did
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Very insightful stuff, guys. Not too happy about the recent injuries. Kobes determination will surely be missed if they make the playoffs. Then again, that hasn´t helped the Lakers from getting clearly beaten in recent years (Thunder, Mavs etc.). And this season their transition defense was even worse.
The real bummer concerning the playoffs imo are the Nuggets´ injuries of Gallinari, Faried and Lawson. Not sure if they can be the legit dark horse if the athleticism is not at 100% (if Lawson and Faried will play). That´s kind of disappointing.
Recently heard an interesting prediction (can´t remember where I heard that). I´ll just repeat it so we can see if it made any sense in retrospective. The argument was the Heat could only be beat - if at all - by the Spurs because their superior passing game is the only key against Miami´s defense. For the same reason the Thunders skill set play into Miami´s hands - basically no chance to win it. At the same time the Thunder had a pretty good chance to win a series against the Spurs (tbh I can´t remember exactly why apart from: "Well, they have Kevin Durant.").
Anyway, looking forward to the playoffs, Clippers-Grizzlies and Celtics-Knicks is going to be fun from the start I guess.
Let´s make some predictions:
- Surprise team of the Playoffs (in a positive way)
- Conference Finals Predictions
- How many games will Miami have lost after the Conference Finals?
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-Warriors (Beat DEN - 7; Lose SA - 6)
Would be nice, always had a soft spot for GSW (don´t know why they were never on German television). Curry´s shooting is ridiculous, I just don´t trust their defense.
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^I agree that their defense leaves a lot to be desired, but so does Denver's. I'm a big fan of the Splash Brothers, too (Curry and Klay Thompson). With absolutely nothing on the line, they are a fun sleeper pick.
Regarding Memphis, I also think they are solid. Their matchup with LAC is my favorite of the first round. It should be very entertaining.
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Thunder up!
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i can see the lakers pushing the spurs to 6 or 7 games. dont think they will beat them but wouldn't shock me given the spurs' injuries. but i will go with the nuggets as the feel good team.
okc vs denver in western conference finals(okc in 6)
miami vs new york in east (miami in 6)miami will have 4 losses heading into finals
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Once again, Thunder up!
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Man, I'm not the shady oil man that boonsswaggled a coffee magnate. I'm just the dust bowl child whose biggest Heroes never played much after college. I know it was a huge sacrifice, and one that felt cloak and daggered, at best. But, as an okie, whose not Southern or yankee or south west or pacific, but whose identity is tied to Tom Joad and being "the Canada of Texas," you will never fully understand what this means to us. Thank you. Sincerely. From the bottom of our hearts. Thunder fans. PS. You're Seattle. The king of modern cool. You're the home of Nirvana and coffee shops. You have "IT" jobs and Facebook. You'll get another team, don't despair. And, when you do, go to their games, and cheer hard, and realize, that your scraps were fine dining for us "poor white trash." And, realize, that most of us, thank Gawd, you guys dumped them. We're the second husbands of an under appreciated divorcé. Don't hate us. Okay, hate us just a little. But, realize, we'll take good care of them. We'll treat them like they always believed they should be treated. Hopefully, next time around, you'll treat your second one the same way you should have treated your first. That's what living is. Learning and living and loving until it works. Good luck Seattle, we're pulling for you. Love, Joe, An Okie.
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Joe, I loved that comment so much – until the end. Everything you said was inspiring, but I just want to clear the air regarding Seattle's support of the Sonics. The Sonics dominated the city and were near the top in league attendance for decades. It wasn't until the final season, after Bennett purchased the team and gutted them, that attendance fell off dramatically. Also, the dynamics of their arena deal were complicated. The city had just given taxpayer dollars to build brand new, state-of-the-art football and baseball facilities. Key Arena, the Sonics' home, had also undergone extremely-costly renovations, only a decade prior. Howard Schultz (Starbucks owner and the man who sold the Sonics to Bennett) is just as much to blame as anyone. His refusal to spend any of his own millions on an arena for the city that made him hundreds of millions is deplorable. There isn't a single true Sonics fan I know who drinks Starbucks. Gross incompetence by our city council leaders are second to blame. Quite frankly, I don't think they thought it was possible to lose a team with the amount of money in the Seattle area. The animosity of our fanbase toward your franchise is because we feel lied to, cheated, and swindled by your state's investors (headed by Clay Bennett). We feel this way because we were lied to, cheated, and swindled. I have posted this previously, but I highly suggest watching this award-winning documentary detailing our perspective. It's a full-length feature, and I understand that you are a busy guy, but I feel like it should be mandatory viewing material for every Thunder fan:
We may get a team. In fact, I think the Kings are as good as gone. Stern is just stretching this thing out as long as possible to collect more money (their value is just continuing to rise). I also think he's waiting for Sacramento to stub their toe; allowing him to deflect all responsibility. However, we will never get what OKC took from us. You didn't just move the Sonics. You took our history with you. You should never have taken our trophy. Our 1979 World Championship is the only championship in the history of our city, and it happened before I was born. Imagine all of the disappointments from 40+ years of professional sports in our city; and the one pinnacle of American sporting accomplishment we earned is sitting in a city that has never had to endure a single miserable season.
I respect your cities' support of your team, but I wonder if it would be so feverish if you didn't have one of the best young teams the NBA has ever seen. Again, I appreciate your perspective, and really did enjoy your comment; but, please, don't believe the propaganda you've been fed regarding the city of Seattle's support for the Sonics. It's been the lead paint Bennett and Stern have painted over the mess they've created. The truth is the Sonics were the toughest ticket in town for as long as I can remember. I know this because I was a former season ticket holder (okay, my dad was, but I reaped the benefits).
Lastly, I understand how hypocritical this all sounds in relation to moving the Kings. Honestly, it is hypocritical. This entire situation just feels dirty. I don't like it, but the probability of expansion is slim to none. There are so many moving pieces in this that it's hard to grasp the larger picture. It really all began with Hurricane Katrina and the temporary move of the Hornets. Stern was in debt to Bennett and OKC for saving the team then, and he should have awarded you guys an expansion franchise. The constraints of the collective bargaining agreement at that time (and even now) made it difficult for owners to make money year-over-year. Consequently, they would have unanimously rejected expansion because they don't want to share their revenue with one more team.
Alright, I've written WAY more than I intended (on an iPhone, no less). Congratulations on your team's success. I commend and applaud the support your city has showcased. You are truly the shining example that franchises can thrive in small markets. I just hope you understand that this isn't nearly as cut and dry as, "they weren't supported, so they left." In fact, it's a complete lie.
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Sean,
I couldn't agree more with your statement. It's a raw deal. It's something, we Okies are pretty used to. I think it's why we are so rabid in our support. It's like a beautiful wedding cake after a big shit sandwich. I don't understand the way you feel and will never pretend to. You guys got PONED, for real. The end. The trophy should have never moved. It's like my alma matter's bowl appearances. Sucky. I empathize, weirdly so, and hope you guys get another team to rally around. For us it doesn't matter what city the sonics are in. It matters that their jersey has an "O" on it that stands for us. Please, keep cheering for them. Every game they win brings you honor, whether you realize that or not. Thunder up. Sonic up. Kings up. Small town kids up. City kids up. America up. World up.
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Joe, you are a good dude. I look forward to meeting you at the GORUCK competition. I will never be able to root for Bennett & Co., but your pride, perspective, and understanding does make me feel a little less hatred toward the organization – fans like you deserve a team to root for.
Back to the topic of the Playoffs, anyone else see what CP3 just did?
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CP3 is incredible. his greatness almost hurts the clippers in the long run because he pulls off plays like that(and all the plays he made the last 4 minutes) often enough to win games. i think it gives them a false sense of competence in their ability to close out games. the other 4 guys stand around and wait for chris to make a shot.
during a timeout last night, webber basically said no offense to del negro but anybody who knows what's going on with the clippers knows that cp3 and billups are the coaches. can anybody remember the last time a coach of such a successful, popular team was this widely viewed as a figurehead and punchline and lasted so long?
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^Do you live in LA? You are absolutely right on all fronts. I thought this was only obvious because I see them so much, but maybe it is obvious to everyone.
Their complete dependence on CP3 down the stretch will hurt them in the next round. The Thunder will double him and make other guys make plays. This will be very interesting. Clearly, Griffin doesn't want the ball at the end of games because he is scared to shoot free throws. Maybe Big Shot Billups still has some fuel in the late-game tank. I've always been a fan of Crawford. He was the greatest player I've ever seen at the high school level. I hope he is able to play well in the fourth quarter and make the next series a good one.
Having said that, I don't think this series is over. Game 2 has to sting for Memphis, but they are a mentally and physically tough team. If they take care of business at home, LAC is the type of front-running team that can crumble.
