NBA Chatter Thread

[Texas Ace]

It's kind of wait and see with Wade. I thought he was finally back to his old self after the strong Game 7 performance against the Pacers but he's been pretty average in the Finals. If he can put up two more performances like this San Antonio doesn't stand a chance.

I was very surprised to see Bosh actually operating in the paint last night. I think that caught everyone by surprise.

Also, on San Antonio's side of the ball, they've got to get something from Manu Ginobili. Ginobili has been nothing but FAIL in this series. I wonder if Pop is considering cutting his minutes.

Ginobili is old and injured. His days as a difference maker are over, IMO.

I don't think Pop is going to cut his minutes just yet. I think he left in that blowout in hopes that he could get into a rhythm for the next game. I think that if he fails to perform in that game as well, then you'll see his playing time decrease.

The extra day of rest benefits the Spurs because they are the older team and it gives Popovich an extra day of preparation. The Spurs need game 5 more than Miami do, so we'll see what Pop comes up with to counter what happened last night.

 

[1bigfan13]

Ginobili is old and injured. His days as a difference maker are over, IMO.

I don't think Pop is going to cut his minutes just yet. I think he left in that blowout in hopes that he could get into a rhythm for the next game. I think that if he fails to perform in that game as well, then you'll see his playing time decrease.

The extra day of rest benefits the Spurs because they are the older team and it gives Popovich an extra day of preparation. The Spurs need game 5 more than Miami do, so we'll see what Pop comes up with to counter what happened last night.

I know one area that should be addressed between now and Sunday is ball security.

San Antonio loves to throw those long cross-court passes to shooters on the other side of the floor. Miami intercepted a ton of those passes.

If San Antonio cuts down on those types of high-risk passes that will help some.

 

[Smitty]

Celtics in trade talks to send Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett to Clippers

The Boston Celtics are deep in discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers on a blockbuster deal to send coach Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The final hurdle of a deal centers on the Clippers' willingness to include guard Eric Bledsoe into a trade package with Boston, sources said.

The Celtics would like to land Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe. (USA Today Sports)Boston and Los Angeles are discussing a package that will send DeAndre Jordan and two first-round picks to the Celtics for Garnett and the right to hire Rivers as coach, sources said.

Garnett will waive his no-trade clause to go to the Clippers, where he'll be reunited with Rivers. Celtics assistant Ty Lue also will likely join them in Los Angeles, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling is prepared to pay Rivers in the neighborhood of the $7 million annual salary he currently holds with the Celtics, front office sources said. Rivers has three years and $21 million left on his Boston deal.

If a deal is agreed upon, Rivers will likely speak to Chris Paul immediately on his willingness to re-signing with Los Angeles, sources said.

Rivers can't be part of a player transaction, but the inclusion of the draft picks – and perhaps Bledsoe – would allow Boston to free him of his contractual obligations.

The Celtics and Rivers want a finality to these talks, and there's pressure to complete a deal in the next two days or walk away completely, sources said.

 

[Deuce]

Stephen A Smith mentioned this the day after the Clips were eliminated as a possibility. I'm all for it.

 

[Carp]

That would be terrible for the Clippers. Doc was suffering from burnout last year and this year...now he will all of a sudden be committed again? Feh.

 

[Carl]

Stephen A Smith mentioned this the day after the Clips were eliminated as a possibility. I'm all for it.

Me too, though not a fan of Jordan. Doc is overrated as a coach.

I'd try to trade Rondo as well and tank 2013 hoping for a top three pick (Wiggins please) in the loaded 2014 draft.

 

[Carl]

Mind you it is hard to imagine the cheapskate Sterling paying a coach $7M per.

 

[Deuce]

Me too, though not a fan of Jordan. Doc is overrated as a coach.

I'd try to trade Rondo as well and tank 2013 hoping for a top three pick (Wiggins please) in the loaded 2014 draft.

I've been pro-trade Rondo for a long time, but seeing how the team functions without him made me change my mind. That said, I'd love to get Wiggins and a Rondo/Bledsoe backcourt is good enough to avoid him. So I say trade him to a team starved for a PG and let the rebuilding begin.

 

[Texas Ace]

That would be terrible for the Clippers. Doc was suffering from burnout last year and this year...now he will all of a sudden be committed again? Feh.

Not only that, but did the Clippers not see how old Pierce and Garnett looked in these playoffs? Especially Pierce?

Sounds like a very bad idea to me.

 

[Deuce]

Not only that, but did the Clippers not see how old Pierce and Garnett looked in these playoffs? Especially Pierce?

Sounds like a very bad idea to me.

Pierce isn't part of the deal. My guess is he'll never be traded. He'll retire a Celtic and have his jersey retired opening day of next season.

 

[Texas Ace]

Ginobili has 7 early points. Spurs need him to show up tonight in order to win.

 

[1bigfan13]

Ginobili has 7 early points. Spurs need him to show up tonight in order to win.

Magic Johnson actually made an excellent point on why Ginobili's been so effective tonight.

Ginobili was inserted into the starting lineup so he's playing with more talented players and he actually gets some one on one match ups. Whereas when he was coming off the bench he was forced to be the focal point of the offense for the 2nd unit so the Heat defense keyed in on him.

 

[Deuce]

Schmidty has to be pissed that Danny Green never could've played like this at UNC.

 

[Smitty]

Schmidty has to be pissed that Danny Green never could've played like this at UNC.

Says who? Green was a starter on our National Championship team and he was a deadly 3 point shooter all the way. He never ran up the points because Hansbrough, Lawson, and Ellington ate them all up.

But Danny Green was great at Carolina and an integral part of that team.

Is he the NBA Finals MVP right now? I think at this point you'd say yes.

 

[Simpleton]

Yes I think it has to be Green if they win, which I still doubt.

 

[Smitty]

Yes I think it has to be Green if they win, which I still doubt.

Miami is going to take Game 6, you can bet on that.

At which point I'd say probably 60-40 in favor of Miami for Game 7. But tonite was a must-win for the Spurs to even have a chance. If they went back to Miami for 2 games down 3-2, it was over for them.

 

[Texas Ace]

I'm leaning towards Miami because this is exactly the type of situation they've responded to all postseason long.

Get down, backs against the wall, come out with urgency and win the game comfortably. But what if they're playing with fire? There's only so much they can keep winning with this approach, right?

I can totally see San Antonio winning the next game in the same way Dallas did when they saw the chance to close it out. Popovich will certainly have the Spurs prepared for this opportunity.

I'm going to pick Miami in a close one, but I really think San Antonio has an excellent chance to finish them off in game 6.

 

[Simpleton]

I don't see the Spurs winning a game 7 so they better finish it off here.

I'm still going with Miami though, the series has gone exactly as I thought it would so far with a split of the first 2, the Spurs taking 2 of 3 at home, and now I think Miami wins game 6 then you have to give Miami the edge in a game 7.

 

[Carl]

Which game does Joey Crawford referee?

 

[Carl]

the series has gone exactly as I thought it would

You are so fucking smart.