Bonn1997 wrote:VCoug wrote:Bonn1997 wrote:With less? They have three hall-of-famers and about 6 more excellent role players. Their 10th man is probably better than Miami's 4th man.
This. At this point in his career, Tim Duncan is only the third best player on that team while Parker was an MVP candidate. Also, the players on the Spurs fit much better than on the Heat.
This is the difference between building through the draft and free agency. Both can work if you get the right players but SA got their big 3 each at around age 20 and had many years to build a supporting cast. Miami got their 3 past the midway point of their prime years. OKC is in the best long-term shape of any team in the league.
Good post Bonn. In a perfect world yea you would prefer to follow the SA/OKC model but its not always a necessity. Look at the Lakers, Mavs, celtics & pistons who acquired billups, big ben, gasol, odom, tyson, kidd, pierce, garnett, allen all in there prime or in some cases on the wrong side of their prime
gunsnewing wrote:Bonn1997 wrote:VCoug wrote:Bonn1997 wrote:With less? They have three hall-of-famers and about 6 more excellent role players. Their 10th man is probably better than Miami's 4th man.
This. At this point in his career, Tim Duncan is only the third best player on that team while Parker was an MVP candidate. Also, the players on the Spurs fit much better than on the Heat.
This is the difference between building through the draft and free agency. Both can work if you get the right players but SA got their big 3 each at around age 20 and had many years to build a supporting cast. Miami got their 3 past the midway point of their prime years. OKC is in the best long-term shape of any team in the league.
Good post Bonn. In a perfect world yea you would prefer to follow the SA/OKC model but its not always a necessity. Look at the Lakers, Mavs, celtics & pistons who acquired billups, big ben, gasol, odom, tyson, kidd, pierce, garnett, allen all in there prime or in some cases on the wrong side of their prime
Those teams all did a combination of drafting and FA signngs. I doubt it would have worked if they had done solely FA signings and had none of the stars they drafted.
No doubt about it. Luck was never on our side to land a top 3 draft pick. During the dismal years of layden/isiah we would get the 7 or 8th pick then either trade it for broken down stars or pick the wrong guy because their was no interest in developing players. See Nene & Frye over Bynum. Even in the season we finished with the 4th worst record our luck got us pick 8. In a perfect word we wouldve kept all our picks and sucked until we got Lebron or Durant or Howard but it wasnt in the cards for the cursed ny knicks
gunsnewing wrote:No doubt about it. Luck was never on our side to land a top 3 draft pick. During the dismal years of layden/isiah we would get the 7 or 8th pick then either trade it for broken down stars or pick the wrong guy because their was no interest in developing players. See Nene & Frye over Bynum. Even in the season we finished with the 4th worst record our luck got us pick 8. In a perfect word we wouldve kept all our picks and sucked until we got Lebron or Durant or Howard but it wasnt in the cards for the cursed ny knicks
the horriBulls drafted for a decade and it yielded nothing. Eddie Curry, Tyson Chandler, Fizer.. they didnt do anything crazy, mostly I would say they drafted the best player available, but it simply didnt work.
Worst case scenario is you draft for a long time and have almost as bad a decade as we had!
Well, tonight is potentially a celebratory event. The night Miami (again) doesn't win a championship!
It is almost like NY winning in feeling
If Miami is eliminated, then what does that say about them progressing as a unit? Next year is a first round exit? That's got to hurt.
franco12 wrote:If Miami is eliminated, then what does that say about them progressing as a unit? Next year is a first round exit? That's got to hurt.
It would probably mean that Coach Spo gets fired. It would also continue to prove what a poor job Pat Riley has done getting solid role players for that team. Everyone they've brought in since the decision has either sucked (Mike Miller) or is washed up (Shane Battier). Honestly, outside of their big 3 I don't know that I would want anyone on that team to play for us.
earthmansurfer wrote:Well, tonight is potentially a celebratory event. The night Miami (again) doesn't win a championship!
It is almost like NY winning in feeling
Let's go Celtics!!!!! Just against the Heat though. The Celts can go screw themselves after this series. 
Who is a better matchup for OKC to win the championship?
I think the Celtics are - they may be a little tougher but OKC will wear them out.
Im almost getting tired of this Lebron-Centric existance and might find the Heats failure and dealing with all the noise that comes with that.
Maybe it just be better for them to win it and be done with it.
Its like when Boston finally won a world series. Once done anything else they did was not significant.
I still prefer they "wait until next year"!
Lebron doese not even bother me anymore as he is not clowning anymore.
ABB (Anybody But Boston). I'm sorry, I've been hating the Celtics way before the Heat existed. I cannot root for Boston under any circumstances....
VCoug wrote:franco12 wrote:If Miami is eliminated, then what does that say about them progressing as a unit? Next year is a first round exit? That's got to hurt.
It would probably mean that Coach Spo gets fired. It would also continue to prove what a poor job Pat Riley has done getting solid role players for that team. Everyone they've brought in since the decision has either sucked (Mike Miller) or is washed up (Shane Battier). Honestly, outside of their big 3 I don't know that I would want anyone on that team to play for us.
Agreed. If Lebron and Wade don't combine for 70+ or near to it, the Heat will lose. After Lebron and Wade, Bosh who only played 14mins had the next highest point total when he chipped in with 9. The Celts are too good to allow Wade and Lebron to go off like the Pacers did. Those role players aren't doing much of anything with the exception of an occasional Chalmers jumper.
Coach Spo isn't helping the cause either. Those small units are getting killed by Garnett and in turn he can roam around on defense because Turiaf and Haslem aren't scoring threats at all. Cant believe Bosh didn't play a single minute of the 4th quarter with the game on the line and Garnett shooting over smallish defenders. Why bother to activate him is he's not allowed to make an impact on the game? And why set a time limit of 25 mins for him and only allow him to play 14 mins? Spo will pay with his job and he deserves it.....
Who would have thought that a Paul Pierce dagger 3pointer would feel this good? I cannot believe I am rooting for Celts, but in this series I just can't help myself. Elimination game, and I am excited. Yes, next series I will root for OKC big time, but for now, go Celtics.
ramtour420 wrote:Who would have thought that a Paul Pierce dagger 3pointer would feel this good? I cannot believe I am rooting for Celts, but in this series I just can't help myself. Elimination game, and I am excited. Yes, next series I will root for OKC big time, but for now, go Celtics.
Us Knicks fans have seen plenty of pierce daggers so that one in game 5 was the first one i was actually happy about
