NBA 07-08 season thread

[Jono]

Yeah I've seen some worse odds than that so far this series and found it absolutely baffling. Especially when things are like 1.18 to win and the line is only 6 points or something. I figured I just don't understand basketball and kept my money.

Yeah I should start doing that, but the explanations I was getting from my mates who follow NBA were unsatisfactory, and it was just so absurd that it was pissing me off.

Because L.A. won.

Quiet you

Boston came close though.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

The reality is that it should've been 2-2 & possibly 3-2 in the Lakers favour heading back to Boston... Boston haven't been a great road team in the playoffs & they're not particularly clutch. They're limping to the title with injuries to two of their starters and Paul Pierce is heavily banged up. They'll probably win Game 6 at home and take the title, but you might fancy a bet on the Lakers.

 

[duffer]

Lakers just don't have the same intensity as the Celts do on D. Van Gundy was spot on yet again on comentary when he remarked that every time a Laker moved into the paint there were Celtics putting their bodies on the line trying to take a charge but whenever the C's went to the bucket the Lakers players wouldn't do the same and instead went for weak ass attempts at shot blocking.

They need to change this if they're to have any chance of winning one let alone two games away from home. However I agree with OJ's analysis above and think Boston will limp over the line in 6. Hope I'm wrong though.

 

[Anil]

The Jordan comparisons.

ok....may be in temporary abeyance but i don't think they have been shattered or anything...

 

[ohtani's jacket]

Well, so much for the Celtics limping to the title. What an asskicking.

 

[duffer]

Ouch, that must've hurt Kobe's ego. Really happy for KG, that interview at the end where he went nuts was awesome. One of the nice guys of the league and happy he's got himself a ring.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

The poor JSports girl had such a hard time translating Garnett's interview into Japanese.

Jackson & Kobe's rep took a major hit in this series. Shaq must be loving this.

 

[duffer]

Yeah, plenty of Lakers fans must be needing some humble pie too after they turned on Shaq so viciously once he left to Miami.

 

[Sanz]

I would be interested in the NBA Finals TV rating. To me it seemed like one of the least watched finals ever despite the Lakers-Celtics historical matchups.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

It was averaging 8.8 through four games. Game 3 had a 9.2 rating. Far better than last year's 6.2, but I imagine ABC were hoping it would top the 10 threshold.

 

[duffer]

It rated pretty well but I think they were being optimistic hoping for 10+. Most sports just don't rate as well in today's television climate. Unless they can somehow get the Knicks there I don't see this changing.

But yeah, draft next Thursday looking forward to seeing it. Although it is a 2-man draft there are still some pretty good players hanging around. Just hoping the Sixers can get a good big and the Nuggets draft a guard who isn't a midget.

A list of mock drafts

 

[ohtani's jacket]

The Knicks actually caused a significant drop in ratings both times they made the Finals in the 90s, though Jordan's retirements and small market teams like Houston and San Antonio may have contributed to that. NBA Finals have a well documented "Lakers Effect." The 2004 Finals against Detroit averaged 11.5. Nevertheless, ABC racked up $340 million for Game 6, so I doubt they're crying.

Edit: Final average for the series was 9.3, up 50 percent over last year. Game 6 had a 10.7 rating.

 

[Anil]

congrats to garnett, allen and pierce! so happy that k.g finally got his ring, there is no one who deserved it more...the lakers should be even better next year with bynum back in the lineup...they do need to toughen up a little though...ironically their backcourt(bryant, fisher) is the tough part, the center, forwards positions need to be tougher against good defenses like the spurs, the pistons and the celtics...

 

[duffer]

Shaq must be loving this.

Yep, just knew he wouldn't let this lie Shaq disses Kobe

 

[Agent TBY]

Chicago have the first draft pick, don't they? Who do you think they'll go for, Beasley or Rose? Been playing a bit of NBA Live recently, and Hinrich's contract is very hard to get rid of, so I think the Bulls are better off drafting Beasley and offloading Gooden or a couple of other guys, even if Hinrich looked positively horrible last season.

Of course, I don't mind seeing Rose/Wade at all.

 

[duffer]

Chicago have the first draft pick, don't they? Who do you think they'll go for, Beasley or Rose? Been playing a bit of NBA Live recently, and Hinrich's contract is very hard to get rid of, so I think the Bulls are better off drafting Beasley and offloading Gooden or a couple of other guys, even if Hinrich looked positively horrible last season.

Of course, I don't mind seeing Rose/Wade at all.

They both would prefer Rose. Beasley is an awesome prospect, an absolute Melo clone and NBA ready. But Rose is unique, any time you get a potential top 3 point guard you don't want to turn him down.

Seeing as though he's a Chicago local as well the Bulls would take him in a flash and offload Hinrich (contract ok for the level of player he is) who's a very sought after player. A big lockdown point guard with well above average scoring abilities is gold in the NBA.

As you said a Rose/Wade backcourt is a pretty sick proposition, and add to that accomodating Beasley and Marion in their front court might give them size issues, but if he's the one available at that point they can't turn him down, but I think Rose is going Chicago unless they've got some massive trade in the pipeline involving Beasley.

 

[duffer]

Derrick Rose! Woo, suits them down to the ground. He'll get their shooters so many good looks it's not funny.

 

[duffer]

The draft as it happened.
1st Round

1.Bulls- Derrick Rose
2.Heat -Michael Beasley
3.T'Wolves - OJ Mayo
4.Sonics - Russel Westbrook
5.Grizzlies - Kevin Love
6.Knicks - Danilo Gallinari (got a lot of boos from the NY crowd). Euroleague's best young player and they're not satisfied? Interesting that D'Antoni played with his dad.
7.Clippers - Eric Gordon
8.Bucks - Joe Alexander (they passed on Lopez!?)
9.Bobcats - DJ Augustin (Lopez in tears as another team passes on him)
10.Nets - Brook Lopez (first center coming in at 10). Nets trade RJ for Simmons and Yi from the Bucks. Yi and Lopez could be good pieces for them in their rebuild. Nets got a lot of talent and will have heaps of cap space when Le Bron becomes a free agent in 2010.
11.Pacers - Jerryd Bayless. Predcited to go top 6 but ends up 11.
12.Kings - Jason Thompson
13.Blazers - Brandon Rush
14.Warriors - Anthony Randolph
15.Suns - Robin Lopez. Good player, very Varejao for mine. Actually wants to D up.
16.Sixers - Marreese Speights. Another Gator, good talent has to be an upgrade on Dalembert. But every draft had us taking Arthur.
17.Raptors - Roy Hibbert. Might be going to Indiana as part of the Jermaine O'Neal trade.
18.Wizards - JaVale McGee
19.Cavs- JJ Hickson (wow more teams passing up on Arthur and Koufos
Jarret Jack,Josh McRoberts and Brandon Rush to Indiana for Ike Diogu and Bayless. Woah, trade helps both of them I guess. Bayless and Roy will be a good duo at guard.
20.Bobcats- Alexis Ajinca. Another Frenchman in the league.
21.Nets- Ryan Anderson
22.Magic- Courtney Lee
23.Jazz- Kosta Koufos. Good pick but picking a big when they have no depth in the backcourt? He's basically a young Okur.
24.Sonics- Serge Ibaka. Thought he wanted to stay in Spain for a few years?
25.Rockets- Nicolas Batum. 2nd Frenchman this time draft. All Star in Europe, I've heard people call him the French Rudy Gay.
26.Spurs- George Hill. Another no-name but will probably be good for them, their scouting department is something.
27.Hornets- Darrell Arthur. Finally drafted but going to Portland.
28.Grizzlies- Donte Green
29.Pistons- D.J White
30.Celtics- JR Giddens

Wow, Round 1 done, hopefully Aussie Nathan Jawai will get picked up in Round 2. He's a beat down under, they call him Baby Shaq. Would like to see more Aussies in the league and that'd be the first Indigenous Aussie to make it big.

 

[duffer]

Awesome, Nathan Jawai drafted at 41 by Indiana but rights being traded to Toronto presumably in the JO trade. Two Aussies in the League next year, they might even show some Raptors games now.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

It rated pretty well but I think they were being optimistic hoping for 10+. Most sports just don't rate as well in today's television climate. Unless they can somehow get the Knicks there I don't see this changing.

They ended up rating pretty well -- "ABC’s coverage of this year’s NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers accounted for the six top-rated programs for the month of June thus far." STERN wins.