NBA Playoff discussion

[J.R.]

The only two basketball teams that matter this spring:

http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/2005/0425_large.jpg

The Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat both have 1-0 series leads. I haven't watched their games live, but they sure look good on the SportsCentre highlights. Hopefully they'll matchup in the Association Final, then I may actually watch some professional basketball.

[leaferfan87]

Vince is back at his usual self. He was being interviewed by Ahmad Rashad yesterday and he said that when he was in Toronto sometimes the team would come off a win thinking they'd been blown out. Then he says he was there 100% mentally, but not physically. What a hypocrite, in February he said WASN'T there 100% mentally in Toronto and how can you be mentally stable when you feel as if you've been blown out coming off a win.

I am tired of this guy and I hope the Heat incinerate the Nets back to where they belong.

[Canucklehead]

Anyone watching the Rockets-Mavs series? I used to be a Mavs fan but I'm loving seeing them collapse without Nash.


I am tired of this guy and I hope the Heat incinerate the Nets back to where they belong.

:thumb:

[Mel]

I don't follow hoops but this story sure did grab my attention:

Van Gundy fined $100,000

DALLAS ? Yao Ming's initial response to the record fine assessed to his coach was to offer to pay half of it.

If only our first major flap of these playoffs had such a tidy solution.

Turns out that it won't be terribly easy to make Jeff Van Gundy's troubles vanish ? and that has nothing to do with the 3-2 deficit that suddenly confronts Van Gundy's Houston Rockets in their first-round series against Dallas. Van Gundy is looking at a serious quandary even if the Rockets win the next two games, and even if they win 12 more after that.

For starters, league rules prevent Yao from paying one cent of the $100,000 punishment meted out Monday to Van Gundy. The fine stems from Van Gundy's statements Sunday night that he was recently told by an unnamed referee that playoff refs are "looking harder at Yao" because of complaints to the league office from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Yet far more disconcerting than the amount is the rest of the story.

On top of the six figures that will be subtracted from a future paycheck, when the Rockets' season ends Van Gundy faces further sanctions from the man in charge of the rule book.

NBA commissioner David Stern, coincidentally making a scheduled stop in Dallas on the same day he levied the steepest fine on a coach in league history, made it clear that the docked pay is just "an intermediate step." The league's investigation into Van Gundy's comments will resume as soon as the Rockets' season ends.

"I just want to announce that it's not over," Stern said.

Uh-oh.

Apprised of the depth of Stern's dismay after the loss, Van Gundy stood by his initial comments by saying: "It is what it is. I'll let everyone evaluate it, what I said. And if it's that bad, I guess it's up to [Stern] and [NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson] to determine. I don't see anything wrong with what I said ? [Stern] obviously differs."

He doesn't just differ. Stern calls Van Gundy the first NBA "perpetrator" he could remember who did not cooperate with a league investigation, and he likewise put no boundaries on the next round of penalties Van Gundy could face if he doesn't answer the league's questions.

Long-term suspension?

Something longer?

"I don't want to restrict any options that I have," Stern said.

So...

So much for the notion that a Rockets victory ? or at least Yao getting to the fourth quarter without foul trouble ? could make Van Gundy's expensive outburst worth it.

Houston wound up getting only half of that recipe anyway. Yao was effective and even forceful in Game 5, throwing down a follow dunk with particular vigor in the final minute of regulation as the Rockets came within another Tracy McGrady triple of forcing overtime. Yao made it to the final buzzer with only four fouls and would have been the Rockets' hero if not for his six misses in 16 attempts at the line, five in the fourth quarter, to spoil a 30-point outburst.

The game details, though, are fairly insignificant in terms of Van Gundy Gate. The mess wouldn't have been worth this much trouble for Van Gundy even if the Rockets had won Monday, especially when you consider that the mess probably wouldn't have been this deep if Van Gundy had simply deleted the mystery ref from his argument.

Knowing Stern as we do, and knowing how livid he is with what he describes as "a new low" in coach manipulation of referees through the media, Yao's boss is likely facing one of three outcomes from here:

Van Gundy reveals the name of the referee who allegedly told him of a league directive to its playoff referees to be stricter when assessing Yao's movements. In that case, Van Gundy would probably avoid further punishment ? but almost certainly would cost his source his day job as an NBA ref.

Van Gundy tells league officials that he made up the story. If that's what happened, or if that's simply what Van Gundy admits to, bet on him getting hit with a suspension of some severity to start next season. Stern dropped enough hints Monday to suggest that he won't stop at a hefty fine if Van Gundy concocted (or says he concocted) the ref tale to add drama to the argument. This is not the sort of drama Stern likes.

Van Gundy maintains his refusal to tell Stern's investigators anything. He joked before Monday's tip-off that he "felt like I was in Watergate or something" when pressed to reveal his sources, but you can surmise that the penalty stemming from this scenario wouldn't generate much laughter from the Rockets.

In this What Next Series, predictions have been virtually worthless. Dallas' 103-100 triumph in Game 5 marked the first time the home team has won. So we won't attempt to predict which of those three courses Van Gundy is apt to follow.

Here's what we do know for sure:

? All teams complain to the league about the way games are officiated, not just Cuban's Mavs. This happens even more than usual in the playoffs, and the league is fine with it. Stern would much rather receive complaints than read about them in the papers.

? Cuban's chief complaint to the league is that Yao is guilty of moving screens. Screen-setting, moving or otherwise, is not what has saddled Yao with crippling foul trouble in three of the five games so far. So Van Gundy's accusations don't line up with what really bothers him ? his belief that Yao is "not refereed appropriately." He attributes that in this series to Cuban "calling and calling" the league, but that has actually been a season-long complaint from the Rockets. Van Gundy even said as much before Game 5 when he conceded that his stance does not stem from a couple of playoff games. "This is how I feel," he said.

? Yao was legitimately touched by Van Gundy trying to stand up for him and was sincere when he volunteered to chip in 50 grand. Sincere, too, when Yao said: "Coach did everything he could. Now we've got to do something for him."

Problem is, only Van Gundy can extricate himself now from this spill of Texas crude.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2051994

[J.R.]

Van Gundy must have been livid after last night's loss. From what I heard the refs were really making some bad calls against Houston. But because of the $100k fine, he knew enough to keep his yap shut.

Miami and Phoenix both swept their series on Sunday! That's eight more wins each and then we get a worthy final matchup.

[Canucklehead]

Miami and Phoenix both swept their series on Sunday! That's eight more wins each and then we get a worthy final matchup.

Definitley would love to see that final. The two most exciting teams with the two top players this year. I'd be glued to my TV for that series.

[J.R.]

A couple of the worst game sevens ever tonight.

Dallas blew past Houston at home 116-76 and Indiana eliminated Boston 97-70.

Both games go down in the record books as a couple of the most lobsided victories in NBA history. Hopefully round two will be better than this crap.

Match-ups:
(1) Miami Heat V (5) Washington Wizards.
(2) Detroit Pistons V (6) Indiana Pacers.
(1) Phoenix Suns V (4) Dallas Mavericks.
(2) San Antonio Spurs V (3) Seattle Supersonics.

I expect both East series to be over in four. In the West, I see both the higher seeds moving on in five.

[J.R.]

MVP Steve Nash and his Phoenix Suns gave a nice beat down on his former team last night in game one. They beat Dallas 127 - 1-zero-2. Stoudemire had 40 points and led the way with the help of Nash's assists.

Great basketball. :thumb:

In the east, it's crap.

[Canucklehead]

Phoenix is in trouble now. Down 0-2 to San Antonio. Anyone see the tonights game? :curse:Man, I hate Horry.

[J.R.]

He's clutch. That's for sure.

Would it kill the Suns to play a little defence in the last five minutes? Okay, they tried to just play a shootout, but even then they couldn't put the ball in the basketball when it counted. Very frustrating to watch.

[Canucklehead]

I'm always astonished at how truly bad the Suns defense can be. As soon as an opposing guard blows by the weak defense of Nash or Richardson you know it's over. Quite often the lane just seems to part when someone like Ginobli is driving and the big guys still have time to step up and make a play. Or maybe Richardson will try one of his patented flops that work about 2% of the time. Richardson is of course, currently the only thing worse then the Suns D. Made the most 3 pointers this year, shot about twice as many as anybody else as well. And a nice technical foul on a call that wasn't even that bad :curse: . But enough of the bad. I still have faith :thumb: GO SUNS!!!!!

[J.R.]

Phoenix finally played some defence when they needed it tonight. A huge block by Stoudemire with under a minute to play allowed the Suns to hold onto their lead to avoid the sweep at San Antonio. With the one-eleven, one-ZERO-six victory, Phoenix heads home for game five, trying to get back into the series trailing 1-3. Out east, Miami won game three last night by a score of one-thirteen, one-ZERO-four, so they take a 2-1 series lead.

[Canucklehead]

Suns are making a comeback. We've seen the Sox comeback on the Yanks 0-3. Liverpool come back from 3-nil. Why not the Suns as well? Did anyone see Stoudamire's block on Duncan at the end? That is one of the best blocks you'll ever see!

Keepin' the faith. GO SUNS!!!!!! :thumb:

[J.R.]

One, two, three - GO Suns!
So it hasn't been done before - that's old hat for these guys

Jun. 1, 2005 12:00 AM

They say no NBA team has ever come back in a playoff after losing the first two games at home.

They say no NBA team has ever won a series trailing 0-3.

You just can't win four straight against a team as experienced, efficient and talented as the San Antonio Spurs.
http://www.azcentral.com/imgs/clear.gif

It's too deep a hole.

Hmmm.

The Phoenix Suns know about big holes.

How about the Phoenix Suns of a year ago, winners of just 29 games?

A team that seemed always to be rebuilding, "going in a new direction." With a revolving door of coaches - Danny Ainge, Scott Skiles, Frank Johnson, Mike D'Antoni.

A team forever recasting itself with a new set of stars - Michael Finley, Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway, then Antonio McDyess, then Stephon Marbury.

A stable franchise with an unstable recent history.

With a declining fan base, smaller TV audience, a boring product in a sports-saturated market.

That was more than a hole. That was a grand canyon.

And yet, the Phoenix Suns, your Phoenix Suns, these Phoenix Suns, rebounded with the best record in the NBA regular season, the third-largest turnaround in NBA history, an exciting style and likable players.

A deep hole?

How about a coach, fired from the Denver Nuggets with a 14-36 record? A nice guy, knowledgeable guy, but an interim coach who had gone 20-41?

That was Mike D'Antoni.

That was a deep hole.

And now, he's coach of the year.

And tonight, the Suns return to America West Arena, down 1-3.

It's an impossible task before them. They must win three games straight, one on the road, against the daunting and experienced San Antonio Spurs. With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and . . . that Suns assassin, Robert Horry.

Things look pretty bleak. But this is a team that knows something about overcoming doubts and doubters.

Just remember where they were a year ago. And remember where you thought they were headed.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0601wed1-01.html

I like it. The Boston Red Sox attitude.

[Canucklehead]

:cry: :curse: I guess it's time to change the avatar.

[J.R.]

"There goes my hero." :(

Oustanding season, PHX.

They should remain strong for a few more seasons to come.

[Canucklehead]

For anyone still watching, I've decided I'm going to keep a tally of how many times the phrase "He's got a wide open shot" is uttered, followed by "late pressure caused that miss."

*sigh*

[J.R.]

I can't wait until the Association lockout begins in the fall.