Official NBA 2006-2007 season thread

[Sanz]

this season, his rebounding numbers(9.5) has improved over his career average, so has his assists(3.2)....he can score in the paint with his height but how many 7-footers have you seen score so consistently from beyond the arc? he is above 40% for the season in 3-pt shooting, as usual nearly 90% in free-throw shooting and most importantly their go-to guy in crunch moments and so a proven clutch player....add in the 25 points per game he has been scoring this season at over 50% shooting and you have an exceptionally efficient player who is pivotal to his teams' chances to win the west and a championship....that's why i said he is playing at mvp level....

First of all Dallas Mavericks are contenders only because teams like Lakers, Kings, Twolves and even Spurs have gotten worse from what they were few years ago and Dirk obviously being their main player is going to be pivotal just like AI used to be for 76ers and KG for Twolves. Yes he can shoot from 3 point range, so ? It just means he is versatile offensively.

KG used to put up those no.s years after year, yet managed mvp only once where he really was a monster on the court both offensively and defensively whereas Dirk is no match defensively Just for comparison, the year KG won MVP - his fg% 49.9, rpg 13.9, apg 5, spg 1.5 , bpg 2.2, ppg 24.2. Shaq had 50% shooting for almost all his career, in the year he won MVP - his fg% was 57, rpg 13.6, apg 3.8, bpg 3.0, ppg 29.7.

The only reason he is even considered an MVP is because Dallas is a contender, otherwise it is Gibert Arenas who should be the MVP on pure stats.

As fas as him being a clutch player, I dont think he is. Not yet atleast. You have to do that year after year in important games to be called a clutch player.

 

[Anil]

First of all Dallas Mavericks are contenders only because teams like Lakers, Kings, Twolves and even Spurs have gotten worse from what they were few years ago and Dirk obviously being their main player is going to be pivotal just like AI used to be for 76ers and KG for Twolves. Yes he can shoot from 3 point range, so ? It just means he is versatile offensively.

KG used to put up those no.s years after year, yet managed mvp only once where he really was a monster on the court both offensively and defensively whereas Dirk is no match defensively Just for comparison, the year KG won MVP - his fg% 49.9, rpg 13.9, apg 5, spg 1.5 , bpg 2.2, ppg 24.2. Shaq had 50% shooting for almost all his career, in the year he won MVP - his fg% was 57, rpg 13.6, apg 3.8, bpg 3.0, ppg 29.7.

The only reason he is even considered an MVP is because Dallas is a contender, otherwise it is Gibert Arenas who should be the MVP on pure stats.

As fas as him being a clutch player, I dont think he is. Not yet atleast. You have to do that year after year in important games to be called a clutch player.

why are you comparing him to kg and shaq? did i ever say that he was better than shaq or more versatile than kg career-wise(by the way he is certainly better than them this season even with kg's 34 double doubles)?...and what's the point in saying that the mavs are in this position only because the other teams are getting worse? you could as well say that the lakers(and the spurs) were dominant because the other teams in the west were not good enough and it would not be true....this is the nba, team compositions are in flux all the time, they become strong(er), weak(er) over the course of a season, over the years, the fact is the mavs have been the best team in the nba thus far as we approach the half-way stage of the regular season....and yes, the team's position plays an important role in determining the mvp and that's one of the main reasons why he would be considered, and arenas is not the only contender on stats, there are quite a few others, even now, in many minds, nash is one of the front-runners for an incredible third consecutive mvp, i would think on stats, james(the cavs lead the east right now and lebron is obviously the main reason for that), arenas, wade from the east come to mind, kobe is having a great season(in spite of his injuries).....

another thing, the mavs are just not an up-and-down team anymore, they have really improved on defense under avery johnson and have won several close/tight games these last couple of seasons against tough opponents they normally lose to in such situations...and what in the world do you mean, nowitzki is not a clutch player? why then do they go to him in almost every single tight game-ending moment? because he makes those kind of shots again and again....i have seen him do it enough times....

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Phoenix are right up there with the Mavs as the best team in the league.

I went to NBA.com and cast my All-Star vote:

East

Chris Bosh
Lebron James
Gilbert Arenas
Dwayne Wade
Dwight Howard

West

Kevin Garnett
Dirk Nowitzki
Kobe Bryant
Steve Nash
Amare Stoudemire

 

[Sanz]

why are you comparing him to kg and shaq? did i ever say that he was better than shaq or more versatile than kg career-wise(by the way he is certainly better than them this season even with kg's 34 double doubles)?...and what's the point in saying that the mavs are in this position only because the other teams are getting worse? you could as well say that the lakers(and the spurs) were dominant because the other teams in the west were not good enough and it would not be true....this is the nba, team compositions are in flux all the time, they become strong(er), weak(er) over the course of a season, over the years, the fact is the mavs have been the best team in the nba thus far as we approach the half-way stage of the regular season....and yes, the team's position plays an important role in determining the mvp and that's one of the main reasons why he would be considered, and arenas is not the only contender on stats, there are quite a few others, even now, in many minds, nash is one of the front-runners for an incredible third consecutive mvp, i would think on stats, james(the cavs lead the east right now and lebron is obviously the main reason for that), arenas, wade from the east come to mind, kobe is having a great season(in spite of his injuries).....

I am not comparing Dirk with KG/Shaq. I am comparing his this season's figure(which you think are mvp like) with mvp figures of KG/Shaq. Dirk may be better than the KG of 2006-07 but no where near the kg of 2003-04. Btw Kobe/Wade/James had put up identical(if not better) stats last year, still didn't get MVP awards and remember HEAT were one of the best teams in the nba last season.

another thing, the mavs are just not an up-and-down team anymore, they have really improved on defense under avery johnson and have won several close/tight games these last couple of seasons against tough opponents they normally lose to in such situations...and what in the world do you mean, nowitzki is not a clutch player? why then do they go to him in almost every single tight game-ending moment? because he makes those kind of shots again and again....i have seen him do it enough times....

You have got to be kidding me if you want me to believe that the west coast of 1999-2003/4 wasn't much stronger than the current one. Blazers, Kings, Twolves, Spurs, Lakers, Dallas all were very competitive and If I am not wrong Dallas was top seed in western conf in 2002 or 2003. But what happened ?

And hitting couple of last minute shots doesn't mean much except that he is a good shooter , something even a Steve kerr or Robert Horry was. Clutch player is someone who can rise in playoffs and lead his team in need again and again in tough situation against good teams, something he failed last time I watched him in the NBA Finals against a team which I considered a lot weeker than Dallas.

Dirk has not done that yet, at least not consistently enough to be considered a great clutch player. I am not arguing that he is not good player, He is, but only offensively, on the other side of the court he is plain ordinary.

 

[Anil]

I am not comparing Dirk with KG/Shaq. I am comparing his this season's figure(which you think are mvp like) with mvp figures of KG/Shaq. Dirk may be better than the KG of 2006-07 but no where near the kg of 2003-04. Btw Kobe/Wade/James had put up identical(if not better) stats last year, still didn't get MVP awards and remember HEAT were one of the best teams in the nba last season.

yeah so nash looks like he has a better chance right now of another mvp award...but as i said, several other players all over the league have that kind of stats and nowitzki is one of them, the fact that the mavs are currently the best team in the league serves to make his case a little bit stronger than some of the others....

You have got to be kidding me if you want me to believe that the west coast of 1999-2003/4 wasn't much stronger than the current one. Blazers, Kings, Twolves, Spurs, Lakers, Dallas all were very competitive and If I am not wrong Dallas was top seed in western conf in 2002 or 2003. But what happened ?

And hitting couple of last minute shots doesn't mean much except that he is a good shooter , something even a Steve kerr or Robert Horry was. Clutch player is someone who can rise in playoffs and lead his team in need again and again in tough situation against good teams, something he failed last time I watched him in the NBA Finals against a team which I considered a lot weeker than Dallas.

Dirk has not done that yet, at least not consistently enough to be considered a great clutch player. I am not arguing that he is not good player, He is, but only offensively, on the other side of the court he is plain ordinary.

you seriously comparing him to robert horry? the man has 6 rings and he has made some big shots but do you even think he is in nowitzki's league as a player? he has risen to the occasion in the playoffs in clutch situations(eg: the great semifinals last season with the spurs), where he clearly had a downer was in the finals....

 

[Fusion]

Mavs win against the Heat! Re-match of last year's Finals. The Heat never lead in the game but made a furious comeback at the end. I was getting nightmares from last year all over again. However, Wade misses a good look from the 3 point range at the end that would've tied it, and Mavs get the win. Awsome stuff.

 

[Fusion]

You have got to be kidding me if you want me to believe that the west coast of 1999-2003/4 wasn't much stronger than the current one. Blazers, Kings, Twolves, Spurs, Lakers, Dallas all were very competitive and If I am not wrong Dallas was top seed in western conf in 2002 or 2003. But what happened ?

You make it sound like the Spurs are nothing to worry about these days. They are struggling, but still an elite team in the West. In fact, the top 4 teams in the NBA might be Dallas, Suns, Spurs, and Rockets. All from the West. Along with them, you have strong teams like the Jazz, Lakers, and Timberwolves. You seem to be implying that the only reason that Dallas is a contendor is because they have no competition. I just can't see how you can come to that conclusion if you watch the West with any regularity. Give the Mavs their due. They are the deepest team in the NBA which plays just as well on the road as it does at home.

 

[Dravid]

The Nets retake the Atlantic, and are now a .500 team. Sorry Turbinator but Raptors aren't better than the nets

 

[Sanz]

you seriously comparing him to robert horry? the man has 6 rings and he has made some big shots but do you even think he is in nowitzki's league as a player? he has risen to the occasion in the playoffs in clutch situations(eg: the great semifinals last season with the spurs), where he clearly had a downer was in the finals....

They are two different types of players role-wise. I am not saying that Horry is a better over all player but defensively there is no match period neither on clutch shot, Horry hands down . I watched him play for pretty much all his NBA finals except with Rockets and IMO Horry earned his 6 rings, it didn't come for free, unlike John Sally's rings.

 

[Sanz]

You make it sound like the Spurs are nothing to worry about these days. They are struggling, but still an elite team in the West. In fact, the top 4 teams in the NBA might be Dallas, Suns, Spurs, and Rockets. All from the West. Along with them, you have strong teams like the Jazz, Lakers, and Timberwolves. You seem to be implying that the only reason that Dallas is a contendor is because they have no competition. I just can't see how you can come to that conclusion if you watch the West with any regularity. Give the Mavs their due. They are the deepest team in the NBA which plays just as well on the road as it does at home.

They are elite only because Western Conf. standard has gone down. These spurs of 2006-7 are no match for the 1999-2003 Spurs, Lakers are obviously nowhere close, Jazz No (unless you want to compare today's Jazz to Malone/Stockton led Jazz) Twolves are in laughable shape compared to 99-03 (dude they won 30 games last season), Rockets didn't even make playoff last season. Only team that has improved by leaps and bounds is Phoenix and they dont have much defence either.

I am not saying that Mavs dont deserve their position in the NBA, they do, but IMO they aren't any better than the Dallas team which had Dirk/Nash/Finley as it is made out to be. If Lakers/Spurs of 2000 were like this, Dallas, then, would probably have won a championship.

And really the overall season record doesn't mean much, except that you get home field advantage. Dallas had home field advantage last year, didn't they ? You can blame the refs all you want, but refs dont make you lose 4 games out of 7.

 

[Sanz]

Mavs win against the Heat! Re-match of last year's Finals. The Heat never lead in the game but made a furious comeback at the end. I was getting nightmares from last year all over again. However, Wade misses a good look from the 3 point range at the end that would've tied it, and Mavs get the win. Awsome stuff.

I wached the game, just to see if Mavs have gotten any better from last season and I am sorry to say that, they have not. Miami are without their coach, without Shaq and I could see Dallas running away from Dwade. If they are to meet full strength Miami(i.e. with Shaq) in a 7 match series, I am pretty sure they will lost it again. Jason Terry was wired up tonight and It was funny to hear how much they fear Wade. Thank God for Stackhouse who is the only player in this Dallas team to play well when chips are down.

 

[Fusion]

I am not saying that Mavs dont deserve their position in the NBA, they do, but IMO they aren't any better than the Dallas team which had Dirk/Nash/Finley as it is made out to be. If Lakers/Spurs of 2000 were like this, Dallas, then, would probably have won a championship.

And really the overall season record doesn't mean much, except that you get home field advantage. Dallas had home field advantage last year, didn't they ? You can blame the refs all you want, but refs dont make you lose 4 games out of 7.

You said before you haven't watched much of the NBA this season, and the Mavs/Heat game was the first Mavericks game you watched. I think that goes to explain why you think the Mavs aren't better. Under Avery, they have improved each year as a defensive team. If you think the Don Nelson led "Dirk/Nash/Finley" Mavericks were as good as this Avery Johnson led unit, you seriously don't give any importance to defense. The Nelson Mavs were built for the regular season. They put up impressive regular season records only to be dismantled by the Spurs in the playoffs year after year. This team is not only better defensively, but is better all-around offensively, because they don't just settle for the jump shot anymore. Lastly, I have beef with the refs but I never blamed them for the loss in the Finals. The Mavs chocked plain and simple. I'm looking forward to them hopefully making it back to the Finals and erasing that image.

I wached the game, just to see if Mavs have gotten any better from last season and I am sorry to say that, they have not. Miami are without their coach, without Shaq and I could see Dallas running away from Dwade. If they are to meet full strength Miami(i.e. with Shaq) in a 7 match series, I am pretty sure they will lost it again. Jason Terry was wired up tonight and It was funny to hear how much they fear Wade. Thank God for Stackhouse who is the only player in this Dallas team to play well when chips are down.

So you watched one regular season game and were able to determine that the Heat are better and can win a 7 game series? Could the Mavs not dominating this game be due to the emotional baggage they brought along? And why wouldn't they be scared of Wade? He single-handedly took the championship away from us. As far as Shaq goes, he would obviously make the Heat better but his best days are behind him. I don't fear him at all. I still fear Wade.

 

[Turbinator]

The Nets retake the Atlantic, and are now a .500 team. Sorry Turbinator but Raptors aren't better than the nets

Don't worry dawg, there's still about half the season remaining. This is only the intermission, go buy your popcorn and samosas..... .

 

[Sanz]

So you watched one regular season game and were able to determine that the Heat are better and can win a 7 game series? Could the Mavs not dominating this game be due to the emotional baggage they brought along? And why wouldn't they be scared of Wade? He single-handedly took the championship away from us. As far as Shaq goes, he would obviously make the Heat better but his best days are behind him. I don't fear him at all. I still fear Wade.

Yes I haven't watched NBA this season, dont have much time. But since we were having a debate on this and there was a game on ABC on Sunday afternoon when kids are asleep I got an opportunity to watch the game and trust me I didn't see any difference from last June. I felt like I was watching match 8 of NBA finals, where Wade was everywhere beating them single handedly especially in the 4th Quarter.

And please let's not talk about excuses like emotional baggage etc...it just doesn't matter.
May be Shaq's best days are behind him, but he was a major factor in last year's championship win, beside he is always going to be a force.

 

[Sanz]

You said before you haven't watched much of the NBA this season, and the Mavs/Heat game was the first Mavericks game you watched. I think that goes to explain why you think the Mavs aren't better. Under Avery, they have improved each year as a defensive team. If you think the Don Nelson led "Dirk/Nash/Finley" Mavericks were as good as this Avery Johnson led unit, you seriously don't give any importance to defense. The Nelson Mavs were built for the regular season. They put up impressive regular season records only to be dismantled by the Spurs in the playoffs year after year. This team is not only better defensively, but is better all-around offensively, because they don't just settle for the jump shot anymore.

First of all - between 2000-2004, Mavs lost to Kings twice and twice to Spurs, So its incorrect to say that they lost to Spurs in playoffs year after year.

Secondly, The 1999-2003 Spurs were much better team than they are today and although I have no way of proving this, but I have no doubt in my mind that the current Dallas team would not have fared any better against them than the Dallas teams of 2000-2004. Avery Johnson has definately worked on the defence, but when your main guys are poor defenders (Dirk/Howard) then you cant do much. And I am pretty sure that the Dallas team of 2000-2004 was much better offensively than the current one.

 

[Dravid]

I wached the game, just to see if Mavs have gotten any better from last season and I am sorry to say that, they have not. Miami are without their coach, without Shaq and I could see Dallas running away from Dwade. If they are to meet full strength Miami(i.e. with Shaq) in a 7 match series, I am pretty sure they will lost it again. Jason Terry was wired up tonight and It was funny to hear how much they fear Wade. Thank God for Stackhouse who is the only player in this Dallas team to play well when chips are down.

I just hate it how you compared the Mavs to the heat in one game.

 

[Dravid]

Sanz I have to agree with what Anil said. The teams record plays a MAJOR role along with their stats. You are talking about Gilbert Arenas getting it on pure stats, that isn't how it goes. This is basically how it works. Say if Arenas has 35 ppg and shooting 60% for the year. But the wizards are barely over .500. Dirk has 26 ppg and 9 rebounds and shooting around 50-55% for the year, but the Mavs are like a .700-.800 team, Dirk would get it over Arenas anyday. MVP award is supposed to be for a player who lead their team into a history making year. Arenas can have all the points he want, but he isn't going to get it with a team record of just over .500.

Thats the main reason J Kidd isn't ahead of Dirk or Nash. J Kidd has more triple doubles than the rest of the NBA, but his team is still only on .500 right now. If Nets had the same number of wins as the suns or the mavs, there is no doubt in my mind that J Kidd would be # 1 for MVP

 

[Dravid]

People remember free NBA LP preview this week on TV. Don't miss it! All the LP channels will be available to everyone. Going to check out the Cavs and Lakers game my self tonight

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Well, there's no criteria for awarding the MVP, but generally speaking a player like Arenas won't get it unless the Wizards win 55 or more games. When Iverson won it in 2001, Philly went 56-26 -- not the best record in the league, but nine other teams had 50 or more wins & the West was bunched -- that helped Iverson, whereas the Mavs and Suns streaking won't help Arenas at all. The MVP will likely be Nowitzki or Nash... The voters may hesitate to award Nash a third straight MVP award, but if they go on a really big run or overtake Dallas, he may get it. Personally I think he deserves it.

Nowitzki does have something to prove in the playoffs, but the playoffs are months away. Dallas are a good team -- they've been a good team since 2001 when they first made the playoffs -- the past two seasons they've verged on being a great team. You have to credit Dallas and Nowitzki with continuing to improve. The West has declined and the NBA is in a strange flux, but just look at the Kings for a team that missed their window of opportunity to win an NBA title.

 

[Buddhmaster]

Anywho....

After all that, Melo and AI worked quite well together. Denver lookin strong.