[Sports] The 2006-2007 NBA Season Discussion Thread

Wasn't McGrady injured with back problems for most of last year? Could be something relating to that, but hopefully it's not injury-related just rustiness.

Though I have to say that something is wrong, and that he does need to get out of whatever slump he's in in order for the Rockets to push on through the rest of the season and into the playoffs.

Yeah, he played in only 47 games last year, bothered by his bad back. It's been a chronic problem, and I recall McGrady admitting that he likely only has a few more years left of playing at an elite level.

Supposedly, he's healthy and pain-free right now. But there's an alarming amount of rust on his jumpshot. I've gotten so used to seeing him simply elevate over defenders and drain shot after shot -- the sight of him missing everything is shocking.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Read up on some NBA news and articles today ... this one is funny:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...117199,00.html

Goddamn, I love Cuban more every time he talks.

Cuban sure makes an interesting read and soundbite.

And speaking of headlines and such, Lang Whitaker does an annual piece for SI.com where he gathers the most interesting-but-often-falls-under-the-radar news bits. A lot of it is pretty funny.

Here's the 2005-2006 edition: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ies/index.html

And here's the 2004-2005 edition: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nks/index.html

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

And speaking of headlines and such, Lang Whitaker does an annual piece for SI.com where he gathers the most interesting-but-often-falls-under-the-radar news bits. A lot of it is pretty funny.

Here's the 2005-2006 edition: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ies/index.html

And here's the 2004-2005 edition: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nks/index.html

Nice finds man. Some very intriguing stuff in there.

And man, Philly is the only team left undefeated in the East. Whodathunkit? Last year they were a horrible mess.

Originally Posted by bishop743

And man, Philly is the only team left undefeated in the East. Whodathunkit? Last year they were a horrible mess.

Well, no longer ... they were soundly beaten by the Pacers tonight. I watched the entire game, and they just didn't bring it. Iverson himself had just 20 points and 3 assists.

I also watched the end of the Cleveland-Atlanta game. What a finish. Lebron missed a crucial freethrow near the end of regulation, allowing Lue to make the desperate game-tying layup to force Overtime. And Joe Johnson took over in OT, and the Hawks won. Cleveland had the game in the bag, but missed freethrows by them down the stretch essentially cost them the win.

And then I watched the Timberwolves-Lakers game. That kid Andrew Bynum ... he did very well (to get on the nerve of Timberwolves fans everywhere). He could be a force in this league. And I think it's time Randy Foye gets more minutes for the Timberwolves. For a rookie, he's very steady with the ball, and plays under control. He's also a good slasher, very aggressive to the rim.

Foye is ready to contribute big time -- the Timberwolves don't have time to wait around. I don't have much more patience with watching the Timberwolves lose because of Eddie Griffin jacking up stupid shots, or Marko Jaric coughing up the ball, or Troy Hudson always being way too trigger-happy. I can't stand how so often when Kevin Garnett goes to the bench for a breather, the Timberwolves fall to pieces.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Well, no longer ... they were soundly beaten by the Pacers tonight. I watched the entire game, and they just didn't bring it. Iverson himself had just 20 points and 3 assists.

Yeah, I probably jinxed them or something. They were playing great ball until I mentioned how well they were playing. Oh well, sucks for them.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I also watched the end of the Cleveland-Atlanta game. What a finish. Lebron missed a crucial freethrow near the end of regulation, allowing Lue to make the desperate game-tying layup to force Overtime. And Joe Johnson took over in OT, and the Hawks won. Cleveland had the game in the bag, but missed freethrows by them down the stretch essentially cost them the win.

I saw that game too. Everyone seems to want to compare LeBron to MJ but that's not the case. With the game on the line, Jordan would not have missed that free throw. As great as James is, he still has a LONG way to go before he can even think about approaching that level.

And the Hawks are 3-1, that's suprising considering that they started 0-9 last season. I don't think their success will hold up but they are forming a nice nucleus there for in the future.




The New Orleans Hornets are 4-0, and only one of two undefeated teams left in the Association (Utah Jazz). They've put together a great mix of young and veteran players. Chris Paul is just out of his mind right now. The guy's only in his sophmore year but he is already the unquestioned leader of that team. They can definitely make some noise in the West.

WOW, what a great night of NBA basketball last night -- FOUR game winners: Chris Bosh hit a long three over Chris Webber, Jamal Crawford hit a three off a scramble, Hedo Turkoglu hit a turnaround three with Rashard Lewis right on him, and Delonte West hit a long two at the buzzer.

Two supposedly powerhouse teams are surprisingly winless: Denver and Dallas. Let me post a picture of Mark Cuban from last night's 18-point loss against the Clippers -- he looks like he's about to kill someone:

Spoiler:

And Phoenix is also struggling at 1-4, with Amare being inconsistent. At times he looks very hesitant and not very explosive. He had some nice dunks last night in his first start of the season against San Antonio, but he was wide open for those dunks thanks to Steve Nash. The Suns play the Mavericks tonight -- both teams should be hungry for a win.

Originally Posted by bishop743

I saw that game too. Everyone seems to want to compare LeBron to MJ but that's not the case. With the game on the line, Jordan would not have missed that free throw. As great as James is, he still has a LONG way to go before he can even think about approaching that level.

I do recall MJ missing a freethrow or two during his career with a chance to seal the win. But once in overtime, MJ would always redeem himself and put the other team away with his killer instinct. You're right ... Lebron has a long way to go.

Originally Posted by bishop743

The New Orleans Hornets are 4-0, and only one of two undefeated teams left in the Association (Utah Jazz). They've put together a great mix of young and veteran players. Chris Paul is just out of his mind right now. The guy's only in his sophmore year but he is already the unquestioned leader of that team. They can definitely make some noise in the West.

Well, the Horntes are the only undefeated team now Good for them. I'm happy for Chris Paul and company.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I do recall MJ missing a freethrow or two during his career with a chance to seal the win. But once in overtime, MJ would always redeem himself and put the other team away with his killer instinct. You're right ... Lebron has a long way to go.

Yeah, a couple times during his ENTIRE career. LeBron is only in his 3rd season and I can think of about a handful of times where he has let this happen. He's a young guy, but still...

A lot of people are making a big deal about him walking off the court last night with 10 seconds to go against ATL. I don't think it's a big deal and it's not the same thing as Randy Moss walking off the field that time when he was with the Vikings. I mean, it was wrong to do but unlike Moss, LeBron has been a standup guy who has class and sportsmanship. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Originally Posted by bishop743

Yeah, a couple times during his ENTIRE career. LeBron is only in his 3rd season and I can think of about a handful of times where he has let this happen. He's a young guy, but still...

You're right ... Lebron is still developing. He's got the stats, but now he needs to prove that he's a winner. Last season, he showed us that he can be clutch. But missing key freethrows (he missed two last night in the final minute of regulation, and another one on overtime) just leaves a bad taste in fans' mouths.

Originally Posted by bishop743

A lot of people are making a big deal about him walking off the court last night with 10 seconds to go against ATL. I don't think it's a big deal and it's not the same thing as Randy Moss walking off the field that time when he was with the Vikings. I mean, it was wrong to do but unlike Moss, LeBron has been a standup guy who has class and sportsmanship. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.

What, I didn't know he walked off! Did he just quietly slip away, or did he storm out? I'm guessing he was just upset at himself because he essentially cost his team the game.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

What, I didn't know he walked off! Did he just quietly slip away, or did he storm out? I'm guessing he was just upset at himself because he essentially cost his team the game.

No, he didn't storm out or make a scene. I believe he, or someone else on the Cavs, took a shot. The shot was a brick, and when Atlanta grabbed the rebound, he calmly walked off the court. There was about 10 seconds left but the game was well out of reach by that time.

Like I said, I didn't really think it was that big of a deal. Maybe he shouldn't have done it but it was nothing to make a big fuss about, in my opinion.

Double Post:
Here's an article about the whole thing: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2655852

Originally Posted by ^

"I've seen Reggie Miller score eight points in nine seconds, so it has happened," he said.

And remember when T-mac did 13 points in 33 seconds? Legendary.

Man, 6 times in the last 2 weeks, I've fallen asleep on my couch to these games. Loving NBA League Pass.

Anyway, Mavs finally won in a shootout in Phoenix. So, yeah. Only the Nuggets are winless now. Who knew?! Oh, and no one's undefeated now.

Thanks for the article, bishop743

Originally Posted by nazpyro

And remember when T-mac did 13 points in 33 seconds? Legendary.

When healthy, Tracy McGrady is top 5 in this league. But he probably isn't even top 10 now, and he's admitting this in a stunningly candid article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nba/index.html

It is the rarest thing for a 27-year-old superstar to admit that he's no longer the elite player he once was. That's the kind of thing no player would even want to admit to himself, because you'd start believing it in. The article also makes an interesting point:

Quote:

McGrady is an interesting test case for the NBA. Personnel people are studying him, Kevin Garnett and other teenaged draft picks in hope of recalibrating the standard graph for NBA longevity. The traditional thinking has been that NBA players are at their peak between 28 to their early 30s, but that traditional model was based on rookies who used to enter the league in their early 20s after three or more years of college.

McGrady was drafted as a 17-year-old in 1997. When Larry Bird had played as many NBA games as McGrady -- 617 -- Bird was a 30-year-old whose body was already starting to break down, leading to his retirement five years later.

Of course, every player is different. T-Mac is a unique case in that he has a chronic back ailment. You look at Kobe and KG -- the latter has already logged on more minutes than the Celtic great who drafted him, Kevin McHale -- and they are still going strong despite nagging injuries that have piled up. But it does make you wonder, just how what Lebron's game and health will be like at age 30, which will be during his 12th NBA season.

As for T-Mac's 13 points in 35 seconds, it was one of the most amazing things in basketball I had ever seen. I remember watching the game while slumped in my couch -- thinking the game was essentially over -- with headphones on soft enough so that I could still hear Steve Kerr and Marv Albert call the game.

Then it happened. It unfolded shot by shot, and by the end I fell out of my couch. And my jaw was on the floor.

Okay, you know what -- I am going to upload this game for you guys. Y'all wait for it

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

When healthy, Tracy McGrady is top 5 in this league. But he probably isn't even top 10 now, and he's admitting this in a stunningly candid article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nba/index.html

It is the rarest thing for a 27-year-old superstar to admit that he's no longer the elite player he once was. That's the kind of thing no player would even want to admit to himself, because you'd start believing it in. The article also makes an interesting point:



Of course, every player is different. T-Mac is a unique case in that he has a chronic back ailment. You look at Kobe and KG -- the latter has already logged on more minutes than the Celtic great who drafted him, Kevin McHale -- and they are still going strong despite nagging injuries that have piled up. But it does make you wonder, just how what Lebron's game and health will be like at age 30, which will be during his 12th NBA season.

As for T-Mac's 13 points in 35 seconds, it was one of the most amazing things in basketball I had ever seen. I remember watching the game while slumped in my couch -- thinking the game was essentially over -- with headphones on soft enough so that I could still hear Steve Kerr and Marv Albert call the game.

Then it happened. It unfolded shot by shot, and by the end I fell out of my couch. And my jaw was on the floor.

Okay, you know what -- I am going to upload this game for you guys. Y'all wait for it

I'm very suprised to see him actually admit that he has diminished a bit as a player. Like you said, few people rarely even want to admit that to themselves, let alone to the world. I hope he has several good years ahead of him though. It'd be a shame if he went down the same path as his former teammate, Grant Hill, went.

Dude, it'd be awesome if you uploaded that game. Not since Reggie Miller's explosion in the Garden had I seen anything like that.

I'm upping the game as we speak. I'll have it ready for you guys either later tonight or tomorrow.


And uh, Mark Cuban was in Phoenix last night for the Mavericks' first win. He's is a big fan of David Stern -- as he constantly makes reference to the "David Stern University." And that shirt is priceless:

Spoiler:

EDIT:

Alright -- T-Mac's legendary 13 points in 35 seconds performance. Here is the entire game, broken into three .rar files. You'll need all three parts to extract.

Houston Rockets (8-11) vs. San Antonio Spurs (16-4) -- Thursday, December 9th, 2004 (Boxscore)

Part 1: http://www.sendspace.com/file/epjg4s
Part 2: http://www.sendspace.com/file/avf0e6
Part 3: http://www.sendspace.com/file/l9xkzu

T-Wolf, you're the man. Now, I can relive that unforgettable night anytime I want to. Thanks again.


Also, a couple things that stood out for me from last night's games:

1) The Nuggets finally got their first win of the season after beating Philly. Carmelo had a very nice game with 31 points.

2) The Lakers got straight UP beat DOWN by Pistons, and the Pistons didn't even have Rip in their lineup. Kobe Bryant had 19 points but it was a very quiet 19. The Lakers lost by 14, but going by the way they performed, they should have lost by 40. Maybe this is a sign that the Pistons are starting to return to form in the post-Ben Wallace era.

3) Even though Miami won last night over the Nets, they really look like a tired, aging team. They were out-played and out-hustled most of the night. Richard Jefferson's injury... and D-Wade's 34 points... is what got them over the hump. For Wade, it has been a long year. He's pretty much had no break at all with win the title and playing in the basketball championships. I hope he doesn't break down.

No problem -- enjoy the game

Yeah, the Lakers played poorly last night. Kobe had only 2 points entering the fourth quarter, and that's when he finally got aggressive. I don't understand how he thinks. So far, the players who are playing very well are Luke Walton and Andrew Bynum -- which doesn't say much about this team. Lamar Odom has essentially ducked back into his shell since Kobe's return. You also get the sense that if Jordan Farmar weren't a rookie, Phil Jackson would've already yanked Smush Parker from the starting lineup.

And how about those Atlanta Hawks! The