Author Topic: 2009 NBA Finals (Read 28525 times)

sardaukar · « **Reply #270 on:** May 31, 2009 at 07:03 PM »

Orlando just has to hope and pray nobody does a Nick Anderson.

Ashburndaride · « **Reply #271 on:** May 31, 2009 at 08:02 PM »

Quote from: phildo on May 31, 2009 at 05:08 PM

After the game ended, LeBron showed that he has NO class...this is someone the sports media is comparing all playoff long to Michael Jordan? Hey, Mo Williams I would understand, he has NO class, "Mayabang"...but, LeBron? They just left the court and no shaking of hands with Dwight Howard and Co...the only player from Cleveland I saw on TV shaking hands with the Magic was Delonte West...LeBron also skipped out on reporters after that loss...

Incidentally, I think LeBron still has 1 season with the Cavs...he have to wait for the 2009-2010 season to before he can make a decision...

hehe halatang nagpipigil umiyak e, sa locker room nalang daw

garee · « **Reply #272 on:** May 31, 2009 at 10:06 PM »

Lets Go! Lakers!

Champs in 5.

geckoph · « **Reply #273 on:** May 31, 2009 at 10:57 PM »

Quote from: Ashburndaride on May 31, 2009 at 08:02 PM

hehe halatang nagpipigil umiyak e, sa locker room nalang daw

Yup, he is a professional, he should have tried shaking hands with the players from Orlando...

As for the NBA Finals, may the best team win...I won't be cheering for either team...the Magic has eliminated the Cavs...and the team the Lakers is facing in the NBA Finals are not the Cavs...

darth_rye · « **Reply #274 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 02:00 PM »

My fearless forecast before the season even begins was my LA Lakers against Cavs in the NBA finals. I guess nobody thought Orlando will be the Eastern conference champs maybe except some die-hard Magic fans.

Lebron couldn't carry the Cavs all by himself Kobe was with the same situation after Shaq left L.A. and before Pau Gasol was acquired mid-season last year. Mo williams struggles in the series with Magic, he was playing All-star basketball around mid-february unfortuanately it wasn't post-season yet. Maybe he "Chokes" under pressure?

Still i'am 50% right with my prediction with the LA Lakers returning to the NBA finals!

Again another fearless forecast for me LA Lakers in 5 games!

pao625™ · « **Reply #275 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 02:22 PM »

yup! lets go lakers! go for a sweep!

mattia · « **Reply #276 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 03:50 PM »

It would be interesting how the Lakers will play the Magic. I think LA has the height and speed to guard Howard and his platoon of tall shooters. Coach Phil will definitely rotate his men well defensively. On the other hand, the Magic also has the personnel to match well with the Lakers. Tabla 'to.

LA's advantage is..you guessed it = KOBE! The Black Mamba is on a mission. He wants to prove he is the No.1 player today. Not Lebron. Not Wade. Not Dwight. Not anybody else but Kobe. He wants to cement his stature up there with MJ. Plus he wants to win a championship without Shaq, and he wants it real bad. If I were Kobe, my goal will be a back-to-back championship. This will put him on striking distance whether to be regarded as the the next MJ. And the time is NOW!

If LA plays the way it demolished Denver in Game 6 {with Kobe leading the charge with a double double} they have a good chance of winning.

retro12195 · « **Reply #277 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 04:16 PM »

LAKERS in 6

dobler · « **Reply #278 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 04:52 PM »

Quote from: mattia on Jun 01, 2009 at 03:50 PM

It would be interesting how the Lakers will play the Magic. I think LA has the height and speed to guard Howard and his platoon of tall shooters. Coach Phil will definitely rotate his men well defensively. On the other hand, the Magic also has the personnel to match well with the Lakers. Tabla 'to.

LA's advantage is..you guessed it = KOBE! The Black Mamba is on a mission. He wants to prove he is the No.1 player today. Not Lebron. Not Wade. Not Dwight. Not anybody else but Kobe. He wants to cement his stature up there with MJ. Plus he wants to win a championship without Shaq, and he wants it real bad. If I were Kobe, my goal will be a back-to-back championship. This will put him on striking distance whether to be regarded as the the next MJ. And the time is NOW!

If LA plays the way it demolished Denver in Game 6 {with Kobe leading the charge with a double double} they have a good chance of winning.

Yep. Defensive rotation is key, staying on top of Orlando's shooters. Plus, what are the chances of the Magic shooting a good percentage for four straight games? Hehe... At this point though, with the way they played against Denver, they seemed to have ARRIVED. It's their redemption tour... and they know it.

clea · « **Reply #279 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 06:46 PM »

Quote from: mattia on Jun 01, 2009 at 03:50 PM

LA's advantage is..you guessed it = KOBE! The Black Mamba is on a mission. He wants to prove he is the No.1 player today. Not Lebron. Not Wade. Not Dwight. Not anybody else but Kobe. He wants to cement his stature up there with MJ. Plus he wants to win a championship without Shaq, and he wants it real bad. If I were Kobe, my goal will be a back-to-back championship. This will put him on striking distance whether to be regarded as the the next MJ. And the time is NOW!

Phil Jackson is winning championships by set of 3s, 1st 2 with the Bulls and the next with the Lakers.

That is if they get to even win 1 again... they got their hands full with the Magic and the new Superman

DVD_Freak · « **Reply #280 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 07:18 PM »

I'm a little confused who I think would win. While LA seems to be the heavily favored team...I still recall that the Lakers steamrolled the West also last year on their way to the finals. Maybe around 99% of sportswriters were predicting a Lakers win. Some even mentioned LA sweeping Boston. But we all know what happened.

Orlando seems to be a more superior defensive team than the Lakers. And like the Celtics last year, I believe they are considered the underdogs.

anya618 · « **Reply #281 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 07:21 PM »

heavily favored din ang lakers when they were beaten by the pistons for the championship $:-\$

DVD_Freak · « **Reply #282 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 10:14 PM »

Quote from: dobler on Jun 01, 2009 at 04:52 PM

Yep. Defensive rotation is key, staying on top of Orlando's shooters. Plus, what are the chances of the Magic shooting a good percentage for four straight games? Hehe... At this point though, with the way they played against Denver, they seemed to have ARRIVED. It's their redemption tour... and they know it.

Maybe not 4 straight games. But so far the Magic have shot a good percentage in at least 4 games in their previous series. They have shown resiliency in the Cavs series. Probably they have learned their lesson from the collapses in the Philly & Boston series.

ruth2art · « **Reply #283 on:** Jun 01, 2009 at 11:21 PM »

The Lakers are the favorite to win. But I like the underdogs better.
The Magic defeated the defending champs (though weaker without KG) & the best team during the regular season.
The Magic in 6.

pao625™ · « **Reply #284 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 12:25 AM »

Quote from: sardaukar on May 31, 2009 at 07:03 PM

Orlando just has to hope and pray nobody does a Nick Anderson.

anu ngyari nun 1995? what did nick anderson do that caused them the title?

sardaukar · « **Reply #285 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 07:17 AM »

They were up by 3 I think with under a minute left. Nick had four free-throws to ice the game (2 separate trips to the line). He missed all four. The game went to overtime and they lost in overtime. That was game 1 and they never recovered. They were swept by the Rockets.

Clondalkin · « **Reply #286 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 07:36 AM »

So who is Tiger Woods rooting for deep in his heart?

ivannn · « **Reply #287 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 08:58 AM »

Quote from: sardaukar on Jun 02, 2009 at 07:17 AM

They were up by 3 I think with under a minute left. Nick had four free-throws to ice the game (2 separate trips to the line). He missed all four. The game went to overtime and they lost in overtime. That was game 1 and they never recovered. They were swept by the Rockets.

the nick anderson curse

hindi siya siguro nakatulog sa nangyari na yan...

Waxx · « **Reply #288 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 09:20 AM »

Quote from: ivannn on Jun 02, 2009 at 08:58 AM

the nick anderson curse hindi siya siguro nakatulog sa nangyari na yan...

and who would ever forget when he subconsciously challenged "the greatest ever" by saying that "number 45 isnt like number 23".. and guess who came back next conference wearing number 23 to kick them out of contention and gain the second 3peat?

thebat · « **Reply #289 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 03:37 PM »

LeBron is now being bashed for his un-sportsmanlike behavior after the loss. All NBA sports news are writing negatively on him. This incident should be a lesson to all god-like athletes.

Wiggum · « **Reply #290 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 04:06 PM »

From the Associated Press:

Capsule preview of the Lakers-Magic NBA finals

A capsule look at the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, which begins Thursday night (with playoff stats):

Starters

Lakers-C Andrew Bynum (6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.0 bpg), F Pau Gasol (18.2 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Trevor Ariza (11.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), G Kobe Bryant (29.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg), G Derek Fisher (7.1 ppg, 2.4 apg).

Magic-C Dwight Howard (21.7 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg), F Rashard Lewis (19.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 apg), F Hedo Turkoglu (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.1 apg), G Courtney Lee (8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg), G Rafer Alston (12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg).

Key Reserves

Lakers-F Lamar Odom (12.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg), G Shannon Brown (5.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg), G Sasha Vujacic (3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), F Luke Walton (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.5 apg), G Jordan Farmar (5.1 ppg, 2.1 apg), F Josh Powell (2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg).

Magic-G/F Mickael Pietrus (10.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg), G Anthony Johnson (4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg), G Marcin Gortat (3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg), F Tony Battie (2.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg), G J.J. Redick (6.2 ppg, 1.9 apg).

Season Series

Magic, 2-0. It's obvious why Orlando would love to have the injured Jameer Nelson back for the finals, since he averaged 27.5 points against the Lakers. He scored 27 in a 106-103 home victory on Dec. 20, then went for 28 in a 109-103 win at Los Angeles on Jan. 16. The Magic made 12 3-pointers in each game to overcome a pair of big performances from Kobe Bryant, who scored 41 points at Orlando and had 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the rematch. Dwight Howard had double-doubles in both games, including a 25-point, 20-rebound performance at Staples Center. Rashard Lewis chipped in 19 points per game.

Storyline

The Lakers are back in the finals for the second straight year, but not against any of the opponents they were expected to face-because the Magic eliminated both of them. Orlando ousted defending champion Boston in the second round, then ended hopes of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown by upsetting top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic are seeking their first title in just their second finals appearance, while the Lakers are here for the 30th time and are looking their 16th championship.

Key matchup I

Bynum vs. Howard. Howard scored a career playoff-high 40 points in Orlando's Game 6 clincher against Cleveland and seems to be unstoppable with just one player. The Lakers hope Bynum-who they didn't have in the finals last year-can stay out of foul trouble and at least contain him, because double-teaming Howard means leaving one of the Magic's 3-point shooting threats open.

Key matchup II

Odom vs. Pietrus. The sixth men both could play starters' minutes in the series-Odom to match up with either Lewis or Turkoglu, and Pietrus to defend Bryant. The Lakers forward surges into the finals after averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds in the last two games of the conference finals, while Pietrus has become much more than a defensive specialist, scoring in double figures in eight straight games.

X-factor

Fisher. The veteran point guard has struggled with his shot during most of the postseason, and he could find himself open if the Magic have to help on Bryant. That's what happened in the first meeting, and Fisher responded with 27 points, his best game of the season. He managed only nine on 3-of-11 shooting in the game at Los Angeles.

Prediction: Lakers in six.

DaSilva · « **Reply #291 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 05:14 PM »

Quote from: thebat on Jun 02, 2009 at 03:37 PM

LeBron is now being bashed for his un-sportsmanlike behavior after the loss. All NBA sports news are writing negatively on him. This incident should be a lesson to all god-like athletes.

It's also a good exhibit for how the media can blow something totally out of proportion, while searching for story lines before the Finals.

geckoph · « **Reply #292 on:** Jun 02, 2009 at 06:06 PM »

Quote from: DaSilva on Jun 02, 2009 at 05:14 PM

It's also a good exhibit for how the media can blow something totally out of proportion, while searching for story lines before the Finals.

Well, the truth hurts...

Wiggum · « **Reply #293 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 07:50 AM »

President Obama's prediction. Everybody's an expert.

brainwashed · « **Reply #294 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 09:53 AM »

everyone, well almost everyone

, seems to be forgetting that orlando is 2-0 against the lakers this season. wika nga ng mga matatanda, suki.

sure the lakers are the favorites, having the more popular players, but which is really the better team?
imho i think orlando is the better team but if the lakers play as a "team" and not as "kobe and the others" then the lakers would be the better team.

jeyps11_c · « **Reply #295 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 10:20 AM »

You also have to consider that Jameer Nelson was a big factor in both regular season wins. Plus its the regular season and we are talking about the finals. I think it will be a totally different ball game. Even if the Lakers were the ones up 2-0 in the regular season it'll be very hard to call that they own the finals.

Both teams have a very distinct advantage over the other. Starters and bench players are almost equal. Both had excellent games closing out their separate opponents. I am a Lakers fan but IMO it will be a very close and long series (6 or 7 games that can swing both ways).

One thing that is going on for the Lakers is the home court advantage. However, Orlando will have 3 games at home after games 1 and 2 in LA. So if they steal one game out of two, they have a very good chance of closing it out at home.

Since I am a Lakers/Kobe fan...I will go for Lakers in 6

blackie · « **Reply #296 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 10:33 AM »

Magic in 6

mattia · « **Reply #297 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 10:47 AM »

Quote from: DVD_Freak on Jun 01, 2009 at 07:18 PM

I'm a little confused who I think would win. While LA seems to be the heavily favored team...I still recall that the Lakers steamrolled the West also last year on their way to the finals. Maybe around 99% of sportswriters were predicting a Lakers win. Some even mentioned LA sweeping Boston. But we all know what happened.

Orlando seems to be a more superior defensive team than the Lakers. And like the Celtics last year, I believe they are considered the underdogs.

Agree on your first statement, that Orlando is a more defensive team than the Lakers. In the regular season, Orlando is holding down opponents to ( I think.. ) 91 pts per game while the Lakers are ( I think, again... ) averaging 96 pts for their opponents. Back in 2004, Detroit was leading in defense and they won the crown. Last year, Boston had an awesome defense and they won also. Seems like Defense wins Titles. So advantage goes to Orlando here.

However, I think Boston wasn't the underdog last year. If your team has 3 all stars = Garnett, Pierce & Allen you will always be the superior team. And remember last year, Lakers had no Bynum.

Battousai · « **Reply #298 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 08:43 PM »

Let me just say that the triangle, like any offensive play, is effective if done properly. It doesn't matter how long it's been (it's been around longer than 10 years AFAIK) around, but the fact that not all team use it is a testament to how difficult it is to run; but d@mn it looks good when done properly.

Oh, and what's this I hear that Orlando might let Jameer Nelson play in the Finals. Good for Jameer if he does get to play, but will he fcuk up the nice rhythm that Orlando has right now? I guess it's the fact that Nelson was the one torching the LAkers in their two regular season wins over LA that's pushing the Magic organization to activating their All Star guard.

jeyps11_c · « **Reply #299 on:** Jun 03, 2009 at 09:29 PM »

Quote from: gaylordbateman on Jun 03, 2009 at 05:16 PM

if magic can snatch 1 game at staples, they might close the series in game 6.....

They'll need to get 2 games in Staples to get in 6 and it won't be in Orlando. The Finals is 2-3-2 set up. So if you are assuming that they win once in Staples and it is done in 6 is not just possible. 1 game in Staples and in 5 is more like it