Doesn't Wade usually struggle in Chicago? I'm rooting for Chicago, just because of all the douchebaggery of the Heat. Does anyone else feel like the ECFs are really The Finals? I don't see how Dallas/OKC/Memphis can take either Chicago or Miami in a 7 game series. Of course I thought the Lakers were going to waltz through the WC, so I've definitely been wrong before.
I noticed some interesting plus/minus statistics earlier while joyriding about NBA.com. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's some fun stuff to think about on a lazy Friday afternoon. I'll put it in spoilers to spare you from my sabermetric babble. Spoiler 1. Aside from the usual suspects of Heat & Celtic combinations, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng had the highest plus/minus of any 2-man combo during the regular season, for the entire league. It's worth noting that they also had the most minutes played together of any such combination by a wide margin, so that could be a factor. Unfortunately, NBA.com conveniently left the Plus/Minus Per Minute column blank, and I'm too lazy to look for my calculator. 2. Right below Rose/Deng was Nowitzki/Terry. Those 2 pairs are also currently #1 and #2, respectively, for the playoffs. 3. Judging from the previous link, Joel Anthony seems to be the common denominator in the Heat's playoff success. Anthony, Mario Chalmers, and James Jones have the three highest individual plus/minus stats for the Heat for this postseason. 4. Nowitzki/Kidd/Terry have the highest 3-man plus/minus for the playoffs, despite having a lot fewer minutes played together than most of the other top-producing playoff trios. 5. In the East, Rose/Deng/Boozer have a higher differential than James/Wade/Bosh, even though the minutes played together are very similar. That could be interesting to watch in the upcoming series. 6. Kyle Korver's +/- during the playoffs is just as good as LeBron's, even though he's played less than half the minutes that James has.
I think the bulls will handle the Heat, provided bosh doesn't go off. Home court, better coaching and waaaay more depth. Lebron and Wade will get theirs, and thatll get them at least 2 games. I've got chicago in 6.
Dallas vs. OKC it is. That shit wasn't even close. Maybe they can make some moves in the off-season and get better. Weird how they got so far with their best player on the bench.
Holy offensive rebounding, Batman. That shit wasn't even close. My best friend made this observation as we were waiting for the game to start: "Chicago has a much better chance to win because of their bench. Miami has nobody behind their star players. At least the Bulls have Gibson and Brewer to keep things close when Rose or Deng need to rest." Before the game, I said Bulls in 7. If they dominate Miami the way they did tonight, they might make it 5 or 6. I'm assuming you're talking about the Grizzlies? In which case, who are you referring to? Rudy Gay? Don't get me wrong, I like the guy. But that is Zach's team. Gay has yet to dominate games the way Z-Bo has, going back to his Portland days.
Eh, I can't talk about the Grizzlies, but Rudy Gay was the "star" and he's on the bench. Miami just received a Boomraping by the Bulls wearing a sandpaper condom. Shit wasn't even close. The Bulls Bench isn't even that good. Bulls in 6 for sure. Fuck, maybe even in 5. Bulls have no problem closing shit out on the road. For an example of Boomrape (always with a capital B) see below.
Heh, season-ending injuries tend to do that. Even still, I'd defy a healthy Rudy Gay to play with the same level of dominance that Zach Randolph did against OKC. There's also plenty of evidence to suggest that he might not be that valuable to Memphis.
Taj Gibson to Dwyane Wade, borrowing a line from Shaq: "How's my dick taste?" Seriously though, that was as thorough a recorded beating as I've seen since I watched Rodney King vs. the LAPD. I didn't get to watch the game until it was something like 55 - 55. The play that defined the game to me was when Wade tried to take Noah (who I admit I am NOT fond of) off the dribble, pulled up, and Noah sent his shit to half court. The shot blocking, shot challenging, and defense of the Bulls was hands down awesome. Sure, Bosh went 12 - 18, but Bosh getting his doesn't matter. He finishes, he doesn't create. I always appreciated Thibs when he was with the Celtics, and it's like watching his defense with a 10 year younger Celtics team. I'm going to call it right now: If Noah keeps working and Thibs keeps coaching him, Noah will be Defensive Player of the Year in the next 2 or 3 years. As much as I think he's a doofus, he will bust his ass on D. I remember a coach I had back in high school saying "If you win the rebounding battle and work hard on D, we will win every game." There ya go, Bulls.
Clearly, Dirk is a MoreCowbell fan, as he supported him by pouring in 48 points on 15 damn shots. That doesn't really make any sense.
Be nice to Dirk, it's tough being a direct descendent of Sasquatch. Funny though, Dirk has the best game of his life, and it was a 5 point game with 3 minutes left. Of course, Durant had a pretty nice game too (40 points on 10 of 19 and a shitload of FTs, too), so you wonder what it would be like if Durant hadn't gone off. Looking forward to Chicago - Miami tonight. I hope the Bulls beat dat azz again.
I'd like to see Chicago go all the way. They may be young but they have talent and a decent bench. If they don't win this year, watch the fuck out next year.
As much as I'd like to see this happen, I doubt it will. The reason Game 1 against the Heat went the way it did is this, Derek Rose got his, Luol Deng played a great 2nd option role (20ish points, rebounds and assists) and the Bulls got a tonne of second chance opportunities. Now they also played great defence, but that is a given for them in the way their team is structured. However in regards to whoever progresses from the Western Conf. Finals both teams have genuine rim protectors and rebounders which will be very detrimental to the Bull's offensive capabilities. This is due to the sheer amount of points they gain from second chance opportunities and until either Deng/Boozer stands up in multiple games in a row to be a a legitimate second option for the Bulls, I can't see them beating either of the Western Conference teams left. And next year's championship is OKC's and Heat's to lose. All the Heat need is either a solid C and/or PG role player and the championship is theirs to lose and OKC are only going one way in regards to improving as a team.
Wow, I cannot believe the amount of travelling going on by LeBron in this game. It's absolutely astonishing and disgusting. He's picked up his dribble and dribbled again at least 4 times also, he just gets touched and no one says anything. And with all this, the Bulls are hanging in.
Let me know when you're gonna pass the cheese to go with all this whine. Just keep reminding yourself that Chris Bosh just bukkaked 34pts all over the Bulls front line. And wait for the fine Noah is going to get for calling a fan in the stands a faggot. Not smart.