Let's keep the Finals talk in this thread.

I like the Spurs, but with all the talk all season about western conference dominance, I would like to see the Cavs take it to them and I will root for the James Gang. If the Spurs sweep the Cavs, then it would proved that we were just overated to start with.

Besides, who wants to hear them say the Spurs have won their 4th championship in 9 years....??

That's what I was saying in the other thread, Dre. I've always liked the Spurs, but at this point I'm just fed up with them and want them to go away. I'd like to see the Cavs win it.

See the thing with me, is that Pop and the Spurs play the way we played in '04.

I'm sure everyone here has thought at least once during the last two years that if this team was playing like they did in '04, they wouldn't have lost to Miami or Cleveland.

I'm living vicariously through the Spurs right now. They are my '04 Pistons.

I hope they slaughter the Cavs.

Spurs in five. Bruce Bowen is going to get into LeBron's head. Boobie will actually encounter perimeter defense. Tony's too quick for anyone Cleveland has, and the frizzy-haired Brasilian is going to be guarding Tim Duncan.

I'am routing for the Spurs on this one, and not just because they have a Dutch player on the roster.

Cloudwalker is right about the Spurs, they play in a way we all hoped the Pistons would play this postseason; like the championshipPistons.

Sweep the Cavs. I can't stand LeHype anymore.

I hope for a sweep.. but am expecting the spurs to go up3-0 and the cavs take game 4 to lose in 5

Three-stripes v.s. Swosh. My perspective.

I'm thinking Spurs in 5. One game where Lebron gets a Wade treatment, and they win.

If the Cavs get embarrassed, we look bad, but i don't really care. I think if anything it shows that we have problems w/ eachother and that's why we suck as a team not the Cavs being this "great" team. Yea, I'm bitter.

It's funny how yet again the 2 best defensive teams in the NBA are in the finals. For the life of me i will never understand what anybody was thinking when they thought it was a good to change the philosophy of the team that had been to 2 straight NBA finals and regress. There is no new NBA. Joe D was fooled.

Spurs please. Normally I like to see the team who beat us win, because it means we lost to the champ, but I loathe LeBron James so much, and I already respect the Spurs fans for all of the King James crap they will be subjected to for the next couple weeks.

See the thing with me, is that Pop and the Spurs play the way we played in '04.

I'm sure everyone here has thought at least once during the last two years that if this team was playing like they did in '04, they wouldn't have lost to Miami or Cleveland.

I'm living vicariously through the Spurs right now. They are my '04 Pistons.

I hope they slaughter the Cavs.
Spurs please. Normally I like to see the team who beat us win, because it means we lost to the champ, but I loathe LeBron James so much, and I already respect the Spurs fans for all of the King James crap they will be subjected to for the next couple weeks.Put these two posts together and that represents my feelings.

I'd rather deal with the 4 championships in 9 years by a great team that I respect, than have to hear even more about Lebron than I already do.

GO SPURS!!!

Did I mention the Spurs is my 2nd fav team of the NBA.

Too many 'individual' thing in the Cavs team. Always prefer a 'TEAM' winning it all. We did it in '04.

GO SPURS!

Did I mention the Spurs is my 2nd fav team of the NBA.

Too many 'individual' thing in the Cavs team. Always prefer a 'TEAM' winning it all. We did it in '04.

GO SPURS!

Spurs will be the last championship team after Duncan gets out of his prime. It will be great for flaky fans, but true fans will be pissed.

Gotta root for the Spurs. Only because all the headlines I saw mentioned the King. We got beat by poor shooting, and some kid named Boobie........I guess you can't list boobie as your headline.

Gotta root for the Spurs. Only because all the headlines I saw mentioned the King. We got beat by poor shooting, and some kid named Boobie........I guess you can't list boobie as your headline.

Well, detnews seemed to do a pretty good job, declaring that the Pistons fell into a "Boobie trap". :)

For the life of me i will never understand what anybody was thinking when they thought it was a good to change the philosophy of the team that had been to 2 straight NBA finals and regress. There is no new NBA. Joe D was fooled.

I couldn't agree more. I would love to see the Spurs win this one convincingly in a low scoring series. Show the League that No Free Chili is still the rule.

Spurs will win 4-1.

The Cav`s will be in awe just being in the Finals until they are down 2-0 or 3-0. Then they will find out the Spurs aren`t the Pistons........

Thing that pisses me off in these situations is that the Gibsons and Drew Goodens who beat you usually fold in the next series leaving me wondering "Why couldn't you play like that in our series".

Just watch. "Boobie" is not going to make the big outside shots, Gooden is not going to get his baseline jumper to fall and the Cavs will come back down to reality.

The Cavs beat us fair and square but I just don't see their role players carrying it over into the next series.

Spurs in 5. And the ratings will suck.

I do not like the Spurs but I will root for them. They represent the old style ball that is rapidly going away. After the Spurs, I expect only teams with Le Brons and Wades to make the finals.

I think you will see that the Cavs are not really ready nor that good. Spurs weakness is the drive and that is the Cavs only hope. Spurs in 6 only because of the 2-3-2 format. Otherwise, in five.

Lets see if the Cav defense can stop the Spurs...

Thing that pisses me off in these situations is that the Gibsons and Drew Goodens who beat you usually fold in the next series leaving me wondering "Why couldn't you play like that in our series".

Just watch. "Boobie" is not going to make the big outside shots, Gooden is not going to get his baseline jumper to fall and the Cavs will come back down to reality.

The Cavs beat us fair and square but I just don't see their role players carrying it over into the next series.

Spurs in 5. And the ratings will suck.

It's easy to make those shots when no one's guarding you. We let the Cav's role players get into a groove. The Spurs won't make the same mistake.

Spurs in 5. And the ratings will suck.

Stern certainly hopes not. With King James front and center!

It would be disasterous for the ratings not to be higher than the last couple of years.

Spurs in 5 and I want it to be a stomping. David Stern's nightmare is that the Bruce Bowen tricks he overlooked in earlier series end up hurting LeBron James.

Spurs in 5 and I want it to be a stomping. David Stern's nightmare is that the Bruce Bowen tricks he overlooked in earlier series end up hurting LeBron James.


It may not be that easy. I think the Cavs length and size upfront will create some matchup problems. Timmy will get banged around in the low-post.

It's easy to make those shots when no one's guarding you. We let the Cav's role players get into a groove. The Spurs won't make the same mistake.

If Bowen can handle LeBron then Boobie won't be big in this series. If they have to collapse on LeBron ....the the Cavs might milk Boobie for some more points.

If Bowen can handle LeBron then Boobie won't be big in this series. If they have to collapse on LeBron ....the the Cavs might milk Boobie for some more points.

Having a baby in the house, I nearly sprayed my monitor reading that. :)

Having a baby in the house, I nearly sprayed my monitor reading that. :):tape: :tape:

bills...you ARE 'The King' of innuendo! :rofl:

For anyone watching the Finals, we'll be opening the chat for the games. I'll post a heads-up here once the chat opens just before the games.

I think I'll definitely be more relaxed during the games this year. I despised the Heat and couldn't believe the refs handed the series to them last year, but I'm not particularly against either of the teams in it now.

I dont know but I do look for the league and Stern to put the fix in big time in this series. I see the Cavs splitting the 1st 2 games. Then I see the Spurs taking 2 out of 3 in Cleveland. The refs will be in full control in game 6 and hand it over to the Cavs to get everyone riled up in anticipation of the upset. Game 7 will be close up until the late 3rd and where the Spurs take the title for the 4th time in 9 years. If this comes to pass I may refuse to watch the NBA for the rest of my life. Stern has gotta get the ratings up, what a %%%%ing shame.

Stern isn't exactly one of my favorite people, but if he wanted to fix things that badly just for ratings purposes, I think his actions in the Phoenix-SA series would have been somewhat different.

Stern isn't exactly one of my favorite people, but if he wanted to fix things that badly just for ratings purposes, I think his actions in the Phoenix-SA series would have been somewhat different.

No not reallly everyone anticipated that the league would practice "a no-tolerance policy" in that circumstance. So for the NBA to backtrack on their policy would have been a big no no. Everyone knew the NBA was gonna stand by thier policy no mater what to protect their integrity as a league.

I'm expecting a sweep.

No not reallly everyone anticipated that the league would practice "a no-tolerance policy" in that circumstance. So for the NBA to backtrack on their policy would have been a big no no. Everyone knew the NBA was gonna stand by thier policy no mater what to protect their integrity as a league.

Even at the expense of sacrificing the almighty ratings?

LeBron, Boobie and the refs cannot take down the Spurs. Spurs in 6, but look for a Cavs' victory in SA in one of the first two games.

My present plan is to tape the Finals games and only watch any game(s) that the Cavs win. It will be a drag to do so, because I am so crazy about basketball. But I really can't bear watching the Dastardly Spurs win.

On an intellectual basis only, I do admire their team and their coach. There's alot to like about their game. But on an emotional level I can't stand them. Way more than I dislike the Heat. I watched every single Spurs playoff game closely. I would be very very very shocked if the Cavs can get 2 games out of them even with the "treatment" by the refs. But there are so many reasons for me to dislike the Spurs and I can't find it in my heart to be neutral with my feelings for them even when considering that they may be the last real team to ever win an NBA title with the way things are going in the NBA.

I mean it's too much for one season. I had to watch them be happy over beating the Nuggets. I like a lot of those Nugget players. Especially AI and Nene and Camby. It was sad. Then I had to watch them beat the Suns. I like all of those Suns players and their coach too. Especially Steve Nash and Amare and Marion. And Barbosa. Then I had to watch them take apart the Jazz. I like alot of those Jazz players, their coach and especially Deron Williams. Enough is enough. I just can't bear any more shots of The Big Fundamental, The Big Floparoo and The Big Dirty Player happily celebrating a win sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter. We all have our limits. No more Spurs Victory games for me this year.

My only consolation for us not making it out of the ECF is that I won't have to add beating the Pistons to the above list of agonizing experiences.

P.S. Okay I do kind of like Fabricio Oberto and Michael Finley. But that's it!

P.P.S. Also, I sure as hell wish we could trade Flip Sr. for Pop. In a heartbeat. To get equal value we'd have to add all our assistant coaches and Arnie too.

Only thing that really bothers be about the Spurs is knowing Eva Logoria is a super spur fan. Someting about that side show irritated me when we played them. "did you see her, what was she wearing... ".

I went to every game that series.

Only thing that really bothers be about the Spurs is knowing Eva Logoria is a super spur fan. Someting about that side show irritated me when we played them. "did you see her, what was she wearing... ".

I went to every game that series.I don't blame you :D

Aurora,

I don't like the Spurs and I picked them to face us. But I don't feel that Le Bron and the Cavs really belong there---we will see.

A Spurs win at least is a minor blow to Stern. The Spurs are the last of a dying breed. Our Pistons were the other team left of that breed and we are now out of the finals for two years.

The NBA is heading to the permanent Le Bron, Wade and star show brought to you by Stern and his sponsors.

Even at the expense of sacrificing the almighty ratings?

I actually think Stern loves his "rules" as much as the ratings.

Spurs please. Normally I like to see the team who beat us win, because it means we lost to the champ, but I loathe LeBron James so much, and I already respect the Spurs fans for all of the King James crap they will be subjected to for the next couple weeks.
Hello all you forum guys, just now able to bring myself up to post after the Piston loss, totally broke my heart. I know the love you all have for your Pistons, and I feel your pain, Pistons were the only team that could match the Spurs. I have been looking 2 years for rematch, and this was my last chance to see it.

As far as Cavs go, folks in SA never heard of LBJ, so he will have to go back home to get his love. He is playing his "my mom was a single mom" card right now, but we have a lot of Spurs who had the same hand dealt so it will be hard to explain to them how his mom got a "loan" to buy her high schooler an $80,000.00 Hummer that he wanted. What a sense of entitlement that kid has.

I know the Pistons will come thru in a few more years, and I know you guys will still be around to cheer them on.

I doubt I will be posting anymore, but I really love you guys, I feel like I know you. Yes, Aurora, you sound like a honey, Warthogs on the spot recaps give me a feeling for being there. Army Girl, I really appreciate what you all are doing for our country. Himat, I am still impressed by your b-ball knowledge, and know that at some time you are going to do something great in sports. I have love for HQ and have him on my favorite list. The Low has fantastic music that helped me thru a rough time, but since I got my new computer it didnt come with that sound thing and I havent had a chance to go to store, but when I do, he will be the first I listen to. I can go on an on, you are all good people, and a special thanks to you Roscoe for putting this together and keeping such great members.

Yeah, I hope to hell we beat Cavs, and I offer my wins to the Pistons, who should be here in the first place. So, lots of love from San Antonio,:grouphug:

Hey Barb...


GO SPURS!!!

Even at the expense of sacrificing the almighty ratings?

No, I think the league has to maintain some sense of integrity even at the expense of the almighty ratings. The league is bad but they arent the WWE, lmao.

Aurora,

I don't like the Spurs and I picked them to face us. But I don't feel that Le Bron and the Cavs really belong there---we will see.

A Spurs win at least is a minor blow to Stern. The Spurs are the last of a dying breed. Our Pistons were the other team left of that breed and we are now out of the finals for two years.

The NBA is heading to the permanent Le Bron, Wade and star show brought to you by Stern and his sponsors.

Cosigned @exp

BSA, I will be cheering for the Spurs, and even Tiny Tim too.

I hope you stay around and post now and then. You've got a lot of friends here.

I'll be rooting for the Spurs for the following reasons:

1) They play defense, which is unpopular and has been legislated against with the rules changes, and their win would be a poke in the leauge's eye.
2) I don't care to see a manufactured MJ win the title. I don't want to be a witness I guess.
3) It will help me in the bracket pool.
4) The Spurs players are humble, low key, hard working, good guys.

Go Spurs!

I doubt I will be posting anymore...



Barb, there is absolutely no reason for you not to post. If you are concerned that there will be sour grapes and that people will feel you are gloating, I can assure you that isn't the case. We know you better than that and you know us better than that.

The Pistons absolutely do not belong in the finals or we would be there.

Go Spurs (except Bowen and Horry). :MusicBigGrin: Crush the Lebronites!

Spurs will win 4-1.

The Cav`s will be in awe just being in the Finals until they are down 2-0 or 3-0. Then they will find out the Spurs aren`t the Pistons........

I totally agreed with everything you wrote. The whole purpose of the Cavs was "Beat Detroit" in the Piston's series. They don't know what awaits them from the West. So what the Cavs swept the Spurs in the regular season. That doesn't mean anything in the conference finals or the Finals.

This is the first time ever that I am rooting for the Spurs so that I can see the LeBron hype machine dies a quick and painful death pretty much like his career if he stays in Cleveland.

Barb,

I remember reading a post about your situation a while back. My prayers and love go out to you and your family. I have truly enjoyed reading your posts over the last year of so, and I can't think of a nicer "enemy" :) out there! God Bless you.

I hope the Spurs just crush the Cavaliers, and I hope you are able to enjoy every minute of it.

Gee all of sudden all of these Cavs haters in this forum. I think back a couple of years ago when everyone hated the Spurs. I know we all respect the Spurs, but IMO I think everyone has bitter pill in their mouths about how the Cavs beat us and and all of a sudden we want to see them get crushed!!!

I can understand hatin on the heat last year because of the arrogance of Riles, Shaq and Zo and the refs treatment of Wade but the Cavs??? Other than the antics of Sideshow Bob, and the sly grin of Boobie, they beat us.....I know on paper the Pistons were better, but give them credit for never allowing us to get a decent lead that we could extend and hold on to.

The Spurs will probably win, because of two things we didn't have: Tim Duncan to stop any King James penetration from layup/dunks and then the offensive penetration from Genobli and Parker, something we never have despite our successes. However I wouldn't mind seeing the Cavs win just to offset the so called the experts who say the east is the least.

Dre, no one wants to see James get coronated as a champion. Between him and Wade, we will have to start stockpiling picks for 2018.

Dre, no one wants to see James get coronated as a champion. Between him and Wade, we will have to start stockpiling picks for 2018.


Agree, but as you can see, Billups and Wade both got there won and failed to win again. Even if the Cavs win this year, by fluke, I doubt if they can even repeat or even get back to the finals with the emergence of the Bulls and Raptors and the possible rebuilding of the Pistons and Heat. If the Spurs don't win, we may be in the era of one and done for a few years with so many good teams in the west all with a shot.

Hey Barb

You are one of the best! Not many people have the courage to step into a foreign territory without being hostile or defensive, much less have the ability to garner the respect and admiration of the foreigners. You are a great example for all of us on this forum to follow. You are part of the PF family.

I'm thinking about you...love, prayers, and hope. :)


and GO SPURS!!!

Chat's open for Game 1:

http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat

Chat's open for Game 1:

http://www.pistonsforum.com/misc.php?do=flashchat


Im here...whwere r u?

Cavs have really gotten it handed to them in the second half of this game. Doesn't look like this series is going past Game 5 at the latest.

Spurs able to do what we failed to do get a double digit lead, not leave Boobie open and penetrate in the paint at will. Darn you Flip:messer:

It's the defense. Damn this team is nowhere near the defensive team it used to be. Sorry Flip, but leave man.

It's the defense. Damn this team is nowhere near the defensive team it used to be. Sorry Flip, but leave man.


Yeah how come Flip can't be a man and just step down?:MusicBigGrin:

Cavs somehow scrambled back and almost cut it to 5, but the Spurs will still put it away...thanks to the BIG LEAD they were able to amass before LeBron and company finally started hitting some shots.

Cavs somehow scrambled back and almost cut it to 5, but the Spurs will still put it away...thanks to the BIG LEAD they were able to amass before LeBron and company finally started hitting some shots.


Obviously Gibson is the star of the team and should be taking the most shots 7-9 shooting to lead them with 16 pts, but no FT's. Didn't he hit 30 of 30 from the FT line against us???

The difference between Spurs and Pistons

1)Spurs are tougher inside because of Duncan. Z had trouble. We missed Ben and we should have played Sheed at center.

2)Spurs have Parker who can drive

3) Spurs have a playoff coach and an offense.

4)Spurs are better on rotations

The game was remarkably similar to the Piston games. Notice Pop begged Le Bron to shoot in the 1st quarter. The Spurs are not much better than the Pistons. That leaves me wondering about our strategy and system.

The difference between Spurs and Pistons



2)Spurs have Parker who can drive


Parker 16 of the Spurs 44 points in the paint. None of our guards EVER had double digit poits in the paint. In fact Cwebb was probably the only Piston that had double digit points in the paint. Duncan had 12 of his points is the paint too.

They had Genobli coming off the bench...we had an off and on Dice....

Dre,

The first game really points out what we lacked--a penetrator and a playoff tested coach. What has our management been thinking????

Cleveland actually played fairly well. The Spurs are not much better than us and we should be there playing them.

Let's see if Le Bron can get loose in later games as he did with us.

Barb we don't get too many other fans around here so that does make you a valuable member and I hope you post more.

Its hard watching this series and not wondering how the Pistons could have played the Cavs differently. I happen to think that the Spurs did not have much on the Pistons and that the Pistons could have beaten the Cavs - if only.

But the Cavs won and they are there. In watching game 1 I did find myself gravitation more to the Spurs. That does not mean that the Cavs cannot make a series of this, if they do I only hope its because they deserved it and not because the zebras helped them out.

I still can't believe we lost to a guy called Boobie. That cat needs to serously think about squashing that nick.

We'll see how it goes with free throws as well. Cavs only got 15 in the first game. I bet it only grows from here.

Dre,

The first game really points out what we lacked--a penetrator and a playoff tested coach. What has our management been thinking????

Cleveland actually played fairly well. The Spurs are not much better than us and we should be there playing them.

Let's see if Le Bron can get loose in later games as he did with us.

It's so obvious which makes it painful to watch. I really feel like with a different (defensive) tougher coach, we're right there w/ the Spurs. We match up much better against them than the Cavs do. It just sucks it turned out like this.

It's so obvious which makes it painful to watch. I really feel like with a different (defensive) tougher coach, we're right there w/ the Spurs. We match up much better against them than the Cavs do. It just sucks it turned out like this.

The post-season started out great. If the Pistons had played as well as they did in the Orlando series Clev would have went down in 5 or 6.

Pistons used to get better as the rounds went on and now they are getting worse. This has to be something looked at and if they are intent on keeping Flip then Flip has to find a way to figure it out.

I just woke up this morning and read a great piece of news. Game 1 score is San Antonio 85, Cleveland 76.

Points
Tony Parker, SA 27
Daniel Gibson, CLE 16

Rebounds
Tim Duncan, SA 13
LeBron James, CLE 7

Assists
Tony Parker, SA 7
Daniel Gibson, CLE 4

I guess Billups was right when he said the Piston is a far superior team than the Cavs. I hope the Piston is playing this tape over and over during the summer to see what they need to do next season.



HAHAHAHAHAHAH......Cleveland lost.

I guess Billups was right when he said the Piston is a far superior team than the Cavs.




I don't like that he said that. Sounds like the Lakers in 04 when they said that they lost, the Pistons didn't win.

I don't like that he said that. Sounds like the Lakers in 04 when they said that they lost, the Pistons didn't win.

Come on, Chauncey is the team leader. What else was everyone expected him to say? He could have said the team sucks or Flip f'ed up in public but he didn't. The Lakers and the Piston are not at all the same. The Lakers was a one man army because of Kobe and the Piston is a unified unit. The Piston must have blamed each other for the lost but they didn't do it in public. The Piston in my book still have class.

The game was remarkably similar to the Piston games. Notice Pop begged Le Bron to shoot in the 1st quarter. The Spurs are not much better than the Pistons. That leaves me wondering about our strategy and system.

Flip's strategy and system is keep shooting the ball, do not worry about the Defense. You hit all your shots, we will win. Just keep shooting.

I just woke up this morning and read a great piece of news. Game 1 score is San Antonio 85, Cleveland 76.

Points
Tony Parker, SA 27
Daniel Gibson, CLE 16

Rebounds
Tim Duncan, SA 13
LeBron James, CLE 7

Assists
Tony Parker, SA 7
Daniel Gibson, CLE 4

I guess Billups was right when he said the Piston is a far superior team than the Cavs. I hope the Piston is playing this tape over and over during the summer to see what they need to do next season.



HAHAHAHAHAHAH......Cleveland lost.

If you push Gibson's minutes up to Parker's, he comes out with 22 points and 6 assists. Not too shabby for a fourteen year old. Why do I have the feeling Larry Hughes could be on the block sometime soon?

I only got to watch the first half last night after spending about six hours trying to get out of Chicago yesterday, but the Cavs were playing pretty well. They took a big Spurs hit and then came back only to see the Spurs go on another run.

Still hard to imagine they can win more than one.

Did not watch the game much cuz I got to work (sucks!). However, looking at the boxscores I was wondering this: -

Spurs starting backcourt consist of Parker, Finley and Bowen. Other than Parker, both Finley and Bowen is way past 30 years of age. How can they be faster than our CBill, Rip and Prince when CBill is the only guy who just touch 30 years old? If their backcourt can play DEFENSE and stop both James and Boobie, I see no reason why our backcourt can't do that. In addition, only Bowen played 40 minutes.

Yet the Spurs were like toying with the Cavs all game and we struggled to hold a 5 point lead.

Could go on and on but I'm too frustrated after watching the Spurs beat the Cavs so easily. In summary, I still think our loss in the ECF 80% coaches (FLIP) and 20% players.

San Antonio would probably have dismantled us.

Did not watch the game much cuz I got to work (sucks!). However, looking at the boxscores I was wondering this: -

Spurs starting backcourt consist of Parker, Finley and Bowen. Other than Parker, both Finley and Bowen is way past 30 years of age. How can they be faster than our CBill, Rip and Prince when CBill is the only guy who just touch 30 years old? If their backcourt can play DEFENSE and stop both James and Boobie, I see no reason why our backcourt can't do that. In addition, only Bowen played 40 minutes.

Yet the Spurs were like toying with the Cavs all game and we struggled to hold a 5 point lead.

Could go on and on but I'm too frustrated after watching the Spurs beat the Cavs so easily. In summary, I still think our loss in the ECF 80% coaches (FLIP) and 20% players.

You answered your own question. CS played 43.8 mins and Prince 44 in the Conf finals

On the other hand, there were only 15 PF called against SA... similar to the first game in the ECF and once again, the Cavs scored 76 points.

Let's see how SA fares when 35 fouls are called against them.

Let's see how SA fares when 35 fouls are called against them.

Is that a prediction or a prophecy? LOL............

Isn't the picture cute? it is on the NBA mainpage

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q221/hlbimage/DB.jpg

I knew there was something about those two.

Why can't Rasheed be a little bit sensitive toward Rip? If he did the Piston would have won it all.

Is that a prediction or a prophecy? LOL............

Isn't the picture cute? it is on the NBA mainpage

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q221/hlbimage/DB.jpg

I knew there was something about those two.

Why can't Rasheed be a little bit sensitive toward Rip? If he did the Piston would have won it all.

:pound:

Is that a prediction or a prophecy? LOL............

Isn't the picture cute? it is on the NBA mainpage

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q221/hlbimage/DB.jpg

I knew there was something about those two.

Why can't Rasheed be a little bit sensitive toward Rip? If he did the Piston would have won it all.


I saw at least two instances of Sheed yelling at Rip after misses on the offensive end. In the OT of game 5 when Rip did a couple of fakes at the basket and missed on a short jumper. On the other end after a time out, I reran my DVR and turned up the sound and Sheed yelled at Rip "stop all that fakin and just shoot the damn ball". Needless to say Sheed wanted to win and was upset at his team mates.. Rip just shrugged it off and walked away...yeah we lost ...

Didn't see the full game, Spurs contained LBJ with a great help side defense. Bowen + Duncan/Umberto. Ben would have been exactly what we needed in the Cavs series as he would not allowed LBJ open looks to pass the ball or drive without being fouled.

This series is going about the way I thought. Spurs suffocating them just like the Pistons should have. Too bad the Pistons slopjawed there way out of the playoffs, been a better series.

I'm sick of seeing "King" James and all his fingernail eating.

San Antonio would probably have dismantled us.

They will dismantle the Cav`s instead.

I have a feeling if this series was a fight, they would stop it after game 3.............

To me, the most enjoyable thing about watching the Spurs is Tony Parker's ability to get to the hoop. It's like watching plinko on the Price is Right. He just sort of zigs and zags until he's right there.

If he had Chauncey's outside shot, he'd be Steve Nash caliber.

And Nash's court vision, free throw shooting.

Jschen,

Exactly. The Spurs are not that young at many positions either. Why are they able to guard the Cavs? (Duncan outrebounding Z, Bowen, better rotations, coaching).

Maybe the cavs will get back into this series. If they can stop Parker, they can compete.

But right now, the result puts a big knock on our coach and style of play, etc.

It also points to the fact that with minor additions from last year, we would be in the finals and competing well.

What was striking about game one was that despite our terrible play, we are not that far off from the top. But at another level, if we don't add pieces at least, the upcoming teams will continue to knock us off as well as the re-tooling Heat.

i heard this is the lowest rating all time for a finals game :)

So much for LBJ's massive popularity. I guess nobody wants to be a witness.

i heard this is the lowest rating all time for a finals game :)

So much for LBJ's massive popularity. I guess nobody wants to be a witness.

hahahahah, glad to hear. Maybe they got beaten by that FOX show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader" which was on at the same time.

We should only witness when he is against an average team. That is, if you want to see him dunk, dunk, hit crazy 3 pointer, dunk, dunk, 3 pointer, dunk, dunk, dunk, middle range shot.

OR

You can witness him fail with flying colors..like against the spurs- Miss, Miss, Block, turnover, dunk, miss, miss, passes to teamate who misses, dunk, miss, miss, dunk.

Wouldn't the NBA make more money for a 6 or 7 game series of Spurs vs Pistons, than a 4 or 5 game series of Spurs vs Cavs?

i heard this is the lowest rating all time for a finals game :)

So much for LBJ's massive popularity. I guess nobody wants to be a witness.

Why does this make me happy?

I think the #s are misleading. There are more channels, more programming and more competition (eg. internet) for television viewers than there was 10 years ago.

Does anyone know if the #s include people TiVo'ing the games?

I think the NBA is still expanding, even during the playoffs (just a hunch) but it is occurring on different fronts than television and particularly domestic television.

I think it is too complicated metric a to simply say, "with a star, everyone will watch".

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/319179_nban09.html (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/319179_nban09.html)

NBA Notebook: Finals Game 1 ratings are lowest ever in prime time

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- Game 1 of the NBA Finals drew the lowest rating ever for an opening game in prime time, dropping 19 percent from last year.
The Spurs' 85-76 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night earned a 6.3 rating and 11 share on ABC. The previous low was a 6.4/11 in 2003. Last year's Game 1 between Miami and Dallas earned a 7.8 rating and 14 share.

The rating is the percentage watching a telecast among all homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned in to a broadcast among those households with televisions on at the time. A ratings point represents 1,114,000 households.

----------------

Not sure if that means Tivo as well?

Tivo? Scoe...that's gotta be the lamest counterpoint you've ever made :D

I don't think it's a lame point, just perhaps a weaker possibility.

You have to look at what has changed in the last 15 years, and what is changing year to year.

One of those things is the penetration of new entertainment technologies to the marketplace. I would imagine more people have TiVo now than they did last year, or the year before. Likewise, there are probably more channels, more people playing Nintendo Wii and more people surfing online.

I don't doubt that the NBA's brand share on TV is diluting, I'm just not sold on the TV rating being the most accurate determinant of total media/entertainment share.

i heard this is the lowest rating all time for a finals game :)

So much for LBJ's massive popularity. I guess nobody wants to be a witness.

Good news.

It's one of those situations where the Spurs were crowned champions as soon as the Pistons went down, so nobody cared to watch. Spurs are not a top draw anyway, so ABC has to show at least one Eva Longoria showing each quarter.

If the ratings continue to drop, she will be either replace Jon Barry on the broadcast team or Mike Wilbon on the pregame and halftime shows. :graduate:

She is more annoying than Jon Barry, but certainly easier on the eyes than Mike Wilbon. :)

hahahahah, glad to hear. Maybe they got beaten by that FOX show "Are you smarter than a fifth grader" which was on at the same time.

They did actually :pound:

shows that did better
So You Think You Can Dance?
CSI
Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
and Shark ? whatever that is

On Sunday, they compete w/ the Sopranos finale :)

They did actually :pound:

shows that did better
So You Think You Can Dance?
CSI
Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
and Shark ? whatever that is

On Sunday, they compete w/ the Sopranos finale :)

LeBron James has made around 200 million dollars with endorsement deals and salary, yet he still comes in behind the 5th graders and the Shark (?).

Man, those 5th graders are gettin' jobbed.

Man, those 5th graders are gettin' jobbed.

You try and answer some of those fifth grade questions.............:ohwell: :confused:

I was great in the third, fifth and 11th grades. The rest, not so much. :ohwell:

I was great in the third, fifth and 11th grades. The rest, not so much. :ohwell:

That`s very good. It`s the odd # grades that are tough. They introduce new concepts and skills. The even # grades reinforce those skills and concepts.

At least that`s what some teacher friends tell me.

My mom says I am a good boy. :D

On the question of Tivo/DVR as they relate to TV ratings, one of my friends said he recently participated in a ratings survey for a week, and he was told to include stuff they were TiVo-ing to watch later. So it seems that factor does get taken into account.

You try and answer some of those fifth grade questions.............:ohwell: :confused:

I'm not saying the questions aren't hard. I'm saying if the kids (and the shark) are pulling in more viewers than LeBron, then those kids need to get better agents, because I haven't seen any interviews with any of them where they state "my goal is to become the first 5th grade zillionaire".

I'm not saying the questions aren't hard. I'm saying if the kids (and the shark) are pulling in more viewers than LeBron, then those kids need to get better agents, because I haven't seen any interviews with any of them where they state "my goal is to become the first 5th grade zillionaire".

:pound::pound::pound:You're killin' me Linwood.

Chat's open for Game 2.

Just watched my local news sport section where they said it is half time now and the score is Spurs 58 - Cavs 33. Cavs are a bunch of losers. I guess this is the perfect situation where people really want to see the Piston plays because we all know they can always get out of that hole in the 3rd quarter.

Cavs are a bunch of losers.

And the Pistons lost to those stupid losers.

I used to say "I'm sorry Flip you have done a great job here, but I want a new coach in here".

F that. Here is what I really think "You suck Flip. You couldn't win for 10 years in Minnesota. First I thought KG was the one not living up to the hype, but now I think you are the reason that he has never won a ring in his career. You have done nothing here in Detroit. Yeah everyone should of expected the Pistons to be a little bit worse in coaching after losing LB, but not this much of a drop off. You do the same thing with the bench, let them rot on the sideline. You make no adjustments and you are to scared to get in these players faces. Get out of here before you make this team have no defense. Just leave.":swear2::rant2:

And the Pistons lost to those stupid losers.

I used to say "I'm sorry Flip you have done a great job here, but I want a new coach in here".

F that. Here is what I really think "You suck Flip. You couldn't win for 10 years in Minnesota.

I totally agree himat, but Flip shouldn't get all the blame. I think it says a lot about the players on the team too.

They always have an excuse whether it's the coach, tired legs, the refs, the rules, you name it. It's embarrassing that Cleveland crushed us and in turn they are getting humiliated by the Spurs.

They always have an excuse whether it's the coach, tired legs, the refs, the rules, you name it.

In my eyes it's the coaches job to not allow that to happen. Get some damn discipline in their. I know a lot of the high school coaches for every sport in our high school. Only about 1 or 2 of those coaches would allow the team to say crap like that whether it be basketball, football, hockey, soccer, or freaking track.

Don't know how the Spurs collapsed so badly for most of the 4th quarter. LeBron had a shot to get them within 6 with about 4 minutes left, but he missed, and they never got any closer than 8 after that. But I still don't think this one's going to last beyond Game 5 at the most.

In my eyes it's the coaches job to not allow that to happen. Get some damn discipline in their. I know a lot of the high school coaches for every sport in our high school. Only about 1 or 2 of those coaches would allow the team to say crap like that whether it be basketball, football, hockey, soccer, or freaking track.

Exactly. If he knew he would be playing them 40+ mins then he should have been having them doing wind sprints getting them in shape. Either that or play the stupid bench that you supposidly gave up reg seasons wins to develope.

Cavs are getting exposed.

If someone gets a hold of the ratings then please post them.

The thing about this game that really made my blood boil was the last few minutes when Lebron got the ball at the top of the key, he was doubled. If he got it back, they doubled him again to get it out of his hands.

A simple defensive strategy that our stupid coach couldn't figure out that not only cost us Game 5, but ultimately the series.

He's such a gimmick coach, it's ridiculous.

go spurs.

To me, game 2 highlighted the Stern rules and how it is damaging the greatest game in the world.

First, there is a team, the Cavs, who are a product of the rules (Le Bron). Le Bron's game needs the penetration fouls to excel. So Stern got the team (the Cavs) in place of the Pistons and obviously, be careful what you wish for. Notice Le Bron is far from polished when he can't get to the hoop constantly and not a great shooter consistently.

Early, Le Bron does a 360 as Ginoble backs away (I seen Tay do this). Foul.

Z misses a bunny near the hoop. So he falls around Duncan. Foul. The replay showed that Duncan had BACKED AWAY.

But here's the kicker. Just when the Cavs are back in it, Parker walks in to the hoop for a key score. I mean he walks, step after step. The replay showed about 6-7 steps. Amazing what you can do when you don't have to dribble.

This is not to take the Pistons off the hook. No offense. No adjustment coaching. Poor additions the last 2 years by management.

But hey, Sheed was trying to tell us something and I actually applaud him for it. He used the work "cheating." It isn't cheating, it is written in the rules.

Pop made some interesting comments on NBA tv about the rules. He questions how a guy can get a call driving into the lane with little or no chance to make a basket simply by throwing himself at the defender. That is the crux of the problem. The only thing you can do is try and take one of those phoney charges. Either way, it makes a mockery of the game.

Wade perfected the flying backward routine last year.

That play in game 5 late where Le Bron fell backward was a huge call. It only takes a few calls like those to put the entire defense on its toes.

Of course, our defensive plan allowed Le Bron to do the rest.

Pop made some interesting comments on NBA tv about the rules. He questions how a guy can get a call driving into the lane with little or no chance to make a basket simply by throwing himself at the defender.

LA, you make some excellent points. Your point about Bron's game not being polished yet is right on the mark, even if the NBC announcers are unwilling to say it.

Regarding Pop's remarks about the anomaly in today's rules, I think the analogue to this is the pass interference call in football. If the ball isn't catchable, the offensive team does not get the call even if there was impermissible contact.

In my eyes it's the coaches job to not allow that to happen. Get some damn discipline in their.I'm with ya. IMO the talent Pops has is no better than the Pistons, but he has their respect...something Flip has not earned from his players over the course of 2 seasons.

"Joe!...Cut the anchor loose!"

sigh

What you have to ask yourself is will things change if Flip stays. The answer is clear. Things won't change. Flip has to many flaws in his coaching. When he fixes one thing then another one of those flaws will be seen.

Lets see how this Pistons team has done under Flip

Offense

LB: B+ I don't care if the Pistons scored in the 80's. They scored when it was needed.

Flip: B- He has us scoring more points, but their is nothing inside. Jumpers don't tend to go down in the playoffs buddy.

Defense:

LB: A The Pistons were the best defensive team in the league under LB

Flip: C- Huge drop off. No boards, easily penetrated, getting beat by one man teams. The list goes on.

Respect:

LB: A He had these guys listening to every word he says

Flip: D+ He had these guys on board early, but yet again his methods failed come playoff time.

Winning:

LB: A+: This Pistons team overachieved in 04 and almost won back to back in 05.

Flip: D: This Pistons team has underachieved for the last 2 seasons. Regular season means nothing Flip

Playing all Players: (This is the one thing I expected to improve)

LB: C-: He had a small rotation. At least it got the job done.

Flip D+: You didn't do it your first year and you lose, so you do the same thing again??

Overall:

LB=: B+, A, A, A+, C-

Overall: A-

Flip=: B-, C-, D+, D, D+

Overall: C-

He did worse in everything. EVERYTHING.

Himat, I can't disagree with the grades you have given to Flip and Larry. I think that it was unrealistic for Joe D. to think that an offensive-minded coach who had never succeeded in the playoffs was the right coach to succeed Larry.

On another subject, I thought that Van Gundy really rubbed it in last night on the broadcast when he said (and I am paraphasing), "The Cavs have to realize that this isn't Detroit they are playing."

Biggest difference so far is that the Spurs stars i.e. Manu, Duncan and Parker are playing at a high level. CB and Tay pretty much went AWOL. can't have 2 starters MIA the way the Pistons are constructed.

During the post game, John Hollinger kept trying to get the Cavs to say something about how the Pistons were lesser opponents than the Spurs.

Neither Mike Brown nor LeBron took the bait.

The interesting thing is that (with the exception of Ben and LB), the Pistons and the Spurs have the same core they had two years ago when the two teams squared off in a very close championship series. Is it overly simplistic to conclude that the loss of Ben and LB is the major reason we are not playing SA again this year?

Flip: B- He has us scoring more points, but their is nothing inside. Jumpers don't tend to go down in the playoffs buddy.


But does he have us scoring more points on an inflation adjusted basis? The whole league is scoring more points because of the rules.

One thing that I know is that the Pistons scored more points per possession under Flip Saunders when Ben Wallace was with the team... when we were forced to play 4 on 5.

The interesting thing is that (with the exception of Ben and LB), the Pistons and the Spurs have the same core they had two years ago when the two teams squared off in a very close championship series. Is it overly simplistic to conclude that the loss of Ben and LB is the major reason we are not playing SA again this year?

While I think LB could have gotten them to the Finals, I don't think the Pistons would have won. The big difference is that SA have the best big man in the game and a shoo in for the HOF. The team was built around Duncan.

This series is getting harder and harder to watch, just seeing how easy it is to beat the Cavs. And knowing it was also this easy last week.

I'm not sure the Pistons would have beaten the Spurs, but they would have made it competitive.

But does he have us scoring more points on an inflation adjusted basis? The whole league is scoring more points because of the rules.

One thing that I know is that the Pistons scored more points per possession under Flip Saunders when Ben Wallace was with the team... when we were forced to play 4 on 5.

So Flip is even a worse coach than I thought. That's great.:hoops:

While I think LB could have gotten them to the Finals, I don't think the Pistons would have won. The big difference is that SA have the best big man in the game and a shoo in for the HOF. The team was built around Duncan.

You make a great case for getting Garnett. This team needs an offensive star (although some have argued that Garnett does not really play near the basket anymore or never did, which I concede) that demands double teams consistently and plays near the basket. Tay doesn't count when he's getting double teams. He gets doubled too far from the hoop.

I'm not sure the Pistons would have beaten the Spurs, but they would have made it competitive.

Two more games to go and this nightmare will be gone forever. I can't believe the Piston lost to a team like the Cavs the way they played last night that I read about.

The Spurs attack inside on the offensive end, unlike Flip's Pistons. We only shoot jumpers after jumpers...

The Spurs attack inside on the offensive end, unlike Flip's Pistons. We only shoot jumpers after jumpers...

True dat, jz. I watch Bill Laimbeer's Shock team yesterday. This team attacked the paint, I felt. It was not always pretty but BL understands something called the "interior pass." I thought Webber would bring that dimension and he did in the regular season, but not the playoffs.

Pistonloyalist,

Used to be, the ref. would not bail out a guy who went in wildly into the lane. You just wouldn't get the call. No way, no how. The greats were seperated from the ordinary because they could finish, they could get in position to get a call.

Nowadays, it takes little skill to fly in wildly and throw your body at someone. The Cavs coach told his team after Sheed's 7 blocks in game one that you need to throw your body at him to make the refs make a call. This is circus ball and is detrimental to the game.

The Spurs move the ball around. They shoot a lot of jump shots but with guys in their spots after receiving a pass. The Pistons offense is just dump the ball to someone and let them go one on one. Easy to defend.

The interesting thing is that (with the exception of Ben and LB), the Pistons and the Spurs have the same core they had two years ago when the two teams squared off in a very close championship series. Is it overly simplistic to conclude that the loss of Ben and LB is the major reason we are not playing SA again this year?
It's not as simple as that- LBJ got much better and got some better teammates too. Besides, the Pistons have stagnated, not gotten worse- while the Spurs improved slightly in all areas and on a constant basis.
Also, the Spurs fit the Pistons way of playing better than the Cavs. Sheed's probably the best player in the NBA to defend Duncan.

The Spurs move the ball around. They shoot a lot of jump shots but with guys in their spots after receiving a pass. The Pistons offense is just dump the ball to someone and let them go one on one. Easy to defend.

Exactly, which makes Flip even worse since he was hired to "invigorate" the offense.

Our offense was better under Larry Brown.

I'm so upset Joe D said he's staying.

You make a great case for getting Garnett. This team needs an offensive star (although some have argued that Garnett does not really play near the basket anymore or never did, which I concede) that demands double teams consistently and plays near the basket. Tay doesn't count when he's getting double teams. He gets doubled too far from the hoop.

Isn't he talking about Duncan not Garnett though? KG has not won a ring yet.

KG is not a post up PF like Duncan. He'll be shooting 14 foot jumpers ala Drew Gooden but from the high block.

At what he costs, I think he's one of the worst deals on the market.

KG is not a post up PF like Duncan. He'll be shooting 14 foot jumpers ala Drew Gooden but from the high block.

At what he costs, I think he's one of the worst deals on the market.

I agree.

However, surrounded by the right players, he would be worth it.

Now, who and where those players are is the great mystery......

I remember somebody ask to post the ratings for Game 2

http://http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070611/SPORTS13/70611051/1048/SPORTS

NEW YORK — Game 2 of the NBA finals took a hit in the TV ratings, and the series finale of “The Sopranos” was the prime suspect.

The San Antonio Spurs’ 103-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night drew a 6.9 overnight rating on ABC, down 24 percent from last year’s 9.1 for Game 2 between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

Ratings for “The Sopranos” finale on HBO were not immediately available.
Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest television markets in the United States, and each overnight rating point represents about 735,000 households.

National ratings were expected Tuesday.

The ratings for Game 2 were better than Game 1. The opener of the Spurs-Cavaliers series, drew a 6.3 overnight rating. It was the worst-rated opening-game of the NBA Finals in prime time.

---------------------------

The second half ratings must have really fallen off the table.

The San Antonio Spurs’ 103-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night drew a 6.9 overnight rating on ABC, down 24 percent from last year’s 9.1 for Game 2 between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

My call for boycotting worked. Those are really pathetic numbers. I'm betting the advertisers are pulling their ads now. People might see their local insurance companies, jewelry or water bottles ads now.

Not many witnesses, eh?

We are all Witnesses.

If this were Pistons vs. Spurs and the series was getting these exact same ratings, would they be making a bigger deal about it?

The NBA needs to go for long term ratings improvement, not short term. Get rid of the flop reward system.

What they need to do is market the game all year. What happened to "I love this game?"

So what happends if it stays the lowest rated and the Spurs sweep?

The amt of money lost would be staggering.

Everyone was writing on how the league needed to get LBJ in the Finals. How could they be so wrong?

Maybe the common fan is not buying the hype and really does not like LBJ or feel that he was too young and un-accomplished to call the King. Not to mention how it insults every other superstar in the game. The kind of superstars that dedicated fans adore.

What they need to do is market the game all year. What happened to "I love this game?"

Been replaced by "right-now" with the Eva Lagoria clone.

Nobody wants to see blowouts and once the game gets into the second qtr, that is what is happening and the channels are turned. No one is Tivo-ing them either. The league does not really want a sweep either, so I expect a few homecooked calls tonight. The question is can the Cavs take advantage of them or will they still fall by the wayside?? yeah probably.

The other question is IF, the Cavs possibly win tonights' game, it will force a game 5 on Fathers Day Sunday. Labron's girl friend is due to deliver their second child on Sunday.....does he play in the game or sit at the hospital...do they induce labor for a Friday or Saturday delivery or set up a delivery room on Sunday at the Quicken Loans arena?:)

If the rumours about the Cavs organization are true with regards to how they kow-tow and acquiecse to LBJ's every whim and sideways glance, I'd put money on the franchise doing whatever it is LBJ wants.

Been replaced by "right-now" with the Eva Lagoria clone.

You know, now that I am not watching NBA anymore the reward would be I don't have to hear that stupid annoying P.u.s.s.y.cats Doll song any more. That song was so annoying.

If this were Pistons vs. Spurs and the series was getting these exact same ratings, would they be making a bigger deal about it?

The NBA needs to go for long term ratings improvement, not short term. Get rid of the flop reward system.

Of course. Every sports article would talk about how the Spurs/Pistons are MURDERING basketball, and how great it would've been to have LBJ in the finals :p

Honestly, the only "superstar" i'm interested in watching is Kobe. I don't hate or love him, but i'll watch Kobe. There's no denying that he is the most talented player in the game right now. Put Kobe in the finals, and i think Stern would get the ratings he's looking for.

LBJ doesn't do it for me. He's not really clutch, doesn't/can't ? take over the game. He looks good against bad defense, but that's about it. I just don't see that killer instinct or competiveness in him that all the greats have. He's young though so we'll see.

Of course. Every sports article would talk about how the Spurs/Pistons are MURDERING basketball, and how great it would've been to have LBJ in the finals :p
Good point. This gets us off the hook as ratings killers. :rofl:

You know, now that I am not watching NBA anymore the reward would be I don't have to hear that stupid annoying P.u.s.s.y.cats Doll song any more. That song was so annoying.

I agree. I hate that. They so overdid it. Add in that annoying Mike Breen guy and its hard to watch.

I think ABC is part of the reason for the low ratings. ABC should just contract it out to TNT.

Of course. Every sports article would talk about how the Spurs/Pistons are MURDERING basketball, and how great it would've been to have LBJ in the finals :p

Good point. This gets us off the hook as ratings killers. :rofl:

Actually, I was thinking about this the other day: the real measure here of how much LeBron helps or (doesn't help) the ratings is not by comparing this year's ratings to last years, as some reports have been doing, but by comparing it to the 2005 Finals. Spurs/Pistons two years ago, Spurs/LeBron now. A comparison of the ratings between those two series would be the most reasonable way to measure a "LeBron Effect" in the Finals. Does anyone know a handy resource for looking up the ratings from previous years' playoffs?

I didn't find a site that listed all the ratings but i did find this.

http://http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/25/AR2005062500134.html


NEW YORK San Antonio's Game 7 win over Detroit was the highest-rated of the NBA Finals, though the average for the series was down 29 percent from last year.

ABC got an 11.9 rating with a 22 share for the Spurs' title-clinching win Thursday night. It was the highest-rated show on television for the evening and was the second-highest rated clinching game since 2000.


------------------

Ok for some reason the rest of my long post got deleted ? so i'll just write out the numbers quick instead.

The Spurs/Pistons series (in the above article) averaged an 8.2 and a 15 share.

Game 1 of the Spurs/Cavs drew a 6.3 and an 11 share; the previous low was was 6.4/11 in 2003 (IIRC Spurs/NJ) so SAS/DET game 1 was higher (bu how much i don't know)

Game 2 of the Spurs/Cavs got a 5.6 and 10 share

So unless this goes more than 5, and interest seriously picks us, the 2005 finals would be higher.

Thanks for finding that, lpgrl. Although the link got garbled--this one (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/25/AR2005062500134.html) will work.

Chat's open for Game 3.

:MusicBigGrin::MusicBigGrin::MusicBigGrin:

2nd lowest scoring game in Finals history...yikes. It looked like both teams wanted to lose down the stretch, with missed shots and turnovers all over the place. Spurs hit just enough shots earlier in the fourth quarter to pull it out, as LeBron missed a 3 to tie it in the final seconds. Weirdest play of the game was in the first half, when LeBron got fouled on a breakaway, so the Cavs got 2 FTs and the ball, but the refs somehow allowed Boobie to shoot the FTs before they remembered that LeBron had to take them. He missed one, which ended up being big at the end, as Dre mentioned in chat. Looks like the sweep will be complete on Thursday.

I was listening on the radio and hoping, nay, praying that Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow, Boobie, Sideshow Boobie and that goofball Drew Gooden were not going to win and have a chance at a championship.

Btw, that sounded like the ugliest basketball game of all time.

Well the Cavs put up a big fight at home but Boobie came back down to earth and was a no show. The Cavs did their usual 3rd qtr disappearing act only scoring 12 points. Spurs were only a tad better scoring only 15 themselves but always hit a three ball to keep the cavs at bay.

The Cavs had a shot, but allowed the Spurs to close out the first half on a 10-0 run with La Bron and Duncan watching from the bench during the last five minutes of the second. Then with about 5 mins left in the game, the Cavs missed out on four conscecutive attempts down the floor to score after stopping the Spurs on the defensive end for times.

Genobli was 0-7 from the field but made the last three points, the difference in the game at the FT line.

The big difference in the game was at the three point line where the Cavs were 3-19 and the Spurs were 10-19.

Boobie was a bust shooting 1-10 and and 0-5 from beyond the arc. Why didn't he shoot that way 10 days ago?

Break out the brooms:sweeping:La Bron conceded the series during his post game comments by not aknowledging the supposed foul on the last play of the game.

Of course. Every sports article would talk about how the Spurs/Pistons are MURDERING basketball, and how great it would've been to have LBJ in the finals :p

Honestly, the only "superstar" i'm interested in watching is Kobe. I don't hate or love him, but i'll watch Kobe. There's no denying that he is the most talented player in the game right now. Put Kobe in the finals, and i think Stern would get the ratings he's looking for.

LBJ doesn't do it for me. He's not really clutch, doesn't/can't ? take over the game. He looks good against bad defense, but that's about it. I just don't see that killer instinct or competiveness in him that all the greats have. He's young though so we'll see.

I agree with that Kobe statement. Kobe is fun to watch. I like Kobe alot though so I'm partially biased.

Btw, that sounded like the ugliest basketball game of all time.

It wasn't pretty, to put it mildly, but I've definitely seen uglier. As fondly as we remember our '04 ship-winning team, let's not forget some of those games like the 69-65 ECF clincher over Indy. For anyone who wasn't a fan of either team, that game must have been excruciatingly unwatchable.

No one convince me after this series, our defensive schemes on LBJ weren't the problem. The Spur's defense on him was flawless for the most part.

Although at the end it looked like Bowen was trying to foul him when he shot that 3. I guess the refs are so used to him clutching, grabbing, etc., they've become immune to it.

As fondly as we remember our '04 ship-winning team, let's not forget some of those games like the 69-65 ECF clincher over Indy. For anyone who wasn't a fan of either team, that game must have been excruciatingly unwatchable.

I loved that game. One of top 10 of all time!

It wasn't pretty, to put it mildly, but I've definitely seen uglier. As fondly as we remember our '04 ship-winning team, let's not forget some of those games like the 69-65 ECF clincher over Indy. For anyone who wasn't a fan of either team, that game must have been excruciatingly unwatchable.

Back in 88 there was that ugly 79-78 Celtic win over the Pistons on Memorial Day that up to that point was one of the ugliest games ever. I think if I remember, McHale ended it on a 3 pointer when the Pistons failed to foul him when everyone in the Silverdome knew he was going to shoot the 3. The Pistons won the next two games and the series (ECF) 4 games to 2, so all was not lost until they were robbed in game 6 of the finals at the fabulous forum on the phantom call by some celebrity awed ref after a magnificant 43 point game by Zeke.

Stern's Cavs: the worst team to play in the finals. Here is the irony: the Cavs are purely a defensive team. They stopped up the Spurs just as they stopped us up.

So how did they get there? Le Bron can drive and the rules allow him to do just enough to put them over the top with their defense. So they beat us. When Le Bron is stopped, the Cavs are nothing. Just defense.

How Le Bron went off on us...I can't figure....He is not a very good shooter at all.

Stern's Cavs: the worst team to play in the finals. Here is the irony: the Cavs are purely a defensive team. They stopped up the Spurs just as they stopped us up.

So how did they get there? Le Bron can drive and the rules allow him to do just enough to put them over the top with their defense. So they beat us. When Le Bron is stopped, the Cavs are nothing. Just defense.

How Le Bron went off on us...I can't figure....He is not a very good shooter at all.

He was in a zone in game five as it relates to his jump shots and our guys just got out of the way of his drives getting caught up in the spectacle of it.

How Le Bron went off on us...I can't figure....He is not a very good shooter at all.

The Pistons have lost all their "defensive principles" thats how.

How Le Bron went off on us...I can't figure....He is not a very good shooter at all.

I've been saying that LeBron is not that good of a player and I was right from what I read today about his only second mistake that cost them a crucial game. Instead of shooting or dunking it he bring it outside to an incompetant player in what would have give the team a chance to win. Oh well. LeBron will go down in history as a "One Hit Wonder". I thought the Cavs would at least win one game. I'm eating my word and say that I am wrong. Looks like the Spurs is the NBA champions this year.

Thinking more about it, that last attempted foul by Bowen that wasn't called probably could have been called continuation, which would given LeBron 3 FTs and a chance to tie the game. Of course, he probably would have missed one of them.

He shot the ball with almost 5 seconds on the clock. The Bowen thing was incidental contact and didn't affect the shot.

I'll say one thing, LeBron gets more continuation calls than DWade.

He was in a zone in game five as it relates to his jump shots and our guys just got out of the way of his drives getting caught up in the spectacle of it.

I think LeBron got into our players' heads in game five. They began to see him as unstoppable, and were afraid to foul him on any of his drives to the basket out of a fear that he would make the basket and make the ensuing free throw.

For all the people that love the low ratings :)


NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA finals continue to draw far fewer viewers than last year.

The San Antonio Spurs' 75-72 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night received a 6.4 national rating and an 11 share on ABC, down 20 percent from the 8.0/14 for last year's Game 3 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.
The Game 3 drop follows a 30 percent plunge for Game 2 and a 19 percent decline for Game 1.

The rating is the percentage watching a telecast among all homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned in to a broadcast among those households with televisions on at the time. A ratings point represents 1,114,000 households.


---------------

Long live LeBron!

"If anything, the NBA was due for some bad luck and worse timing. It coasted for so many years back in the 1980s and 90's with big market powerhouses and perfect soap opera storylines.
If anything, David Stern's constant tinkering with the league's competitive rules – in part to end all the conspiracy theories about big market favors (which, ironically, continue anyway) – has worked too well".



Diminishing returns - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aikli434svvUNBXALPOvw3E5nYcB?slug=dw-playoffs061307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

Nice to hear about the low ratings. Even Jim Rome was pleading for the Spurs to finish this off so he would not have to watch a game 5.

Something is wrong with the what the league thinks is going to be popular. They were so certain that everyone would be tuning into see Lebran.

Final draw - fans want to see a competitive series.

Well folks, hope we can finish this fiasco tonight. The AT&T center is open and sold out waiting for the sweep and start the championship celebration. I would have thought Cavs would have really pushed for a game 3 win, but they didn't even try. Now, all the hype is they are really going for 4 games starting tonight. Man, these guys are really in denial. They are in denial that they are a really bad team. It makes me so mad that they beat Pistons. The Pistons were so un-Piston like the last few games, it fooled the Cavs into thinking they were invincible. I think they got into the Pistons heads. They tried it on the Spurs, but Spurs didn't bite. These finals are about mental toughness, focus and desire to win. That comes with experience. That's what hurt about the Pistons. We should be playing them now.

Well folks, hope we can finish this fiasco tonight. The AT&T center is open and sold out waiting for the sweep and start the championship celebration. I would have thought Cavs would have really pushed for a game 3 win, but they didn't even try. Now, all the hype is they are really going for 4 games starting tonight. Man, these guys are really in denial. They are in denial that they are a really bad team. It makes me so mad that they beat Pistons. The Pistons were so un-Piston like the last few games, it fooled the Cavs into thinking they were invincible. I think they got into the Pistons heads. They tried it on the Spurs, but Spurs didn't bite. These finals are about mental toughness, focus and desire to win. That comes with experience. That's what hurt about the Pistons. We should be playing them now.
Barb being a Piston loyalist I appreciate you coming in and providing your comments. The way the Spurs are playing, we may have taken it to 6 or 7 but you guys probably I hate to say would have won as we probably still would have had issues stopping both Duncan and Parkers penetration.

Hopefully TP gets the MVP tonight after the sweep is complete. I thnk he was the dominate player in this series having played great in games 1 & 2 and hitting the key three pointer in the crunch time on Tuesday. Plus when Duncan was in foul trouble sitting on the bench in that second qtr, it was Tony who led the 10-0 run to close out the qtr. If Duncan gets the MVP, then that would be the only fix I see...unless he scores 40 tonight:) Congrats in advance:winner_first_h4h: :cheers:

Every cloud has a silver lining. If the Pistons would have made it we would be hearing about how they are ruining the game and how much better it would have been with a young superstar like Lebran.

This is going to be the lowest rated series ever and at least they can't tag it on us.

Chat's open, if anyone wants to shoot the breeze while The Witness goes down.

Congrats to the Spurs. Best team in the NBA by a large margin. Of all the teams in the league not named the Pistons, they are the only team I don't mind seeing win it all. Watching Miami win last year was brutal.

Did anyone else notice David Robinson moving to the front of the podium to try to get interviewed by Dan Patrick on national TV? LOL. Let it go, Admiral. Especially with that felonious pink shirt on.

Congrats to the Spurs. Best team in the NBA by a large margin.

Once again the best team at the end of the season when it counted and a team that knew what the ultimate :cheerlie-GOAL: was.

The 2007 San Antonio Spurs.....The Dynasty in motion to the overmatched overhyped WTF we doing here Cavs??

Although the Suns could disagree that they were better if it had not been for Robert (7 ringer) Horry's antics.

Best team during the regular season Mavs peaked to soon...Well there is all ways next season...just ask last years best team Pistons...:yellowprison:


Give the Spurs the credit and MVP Tony Parker all the allocades...... for keeping Eva for more than 2 years......:)


Congratulations to you and your Spurs, Barb!!!we love ya girl

Did anyone else notice David Robinson moving to the front of the podium to try to get interviewed by Dan Patrick on national TV? LOL. Let it go, Admiral. Especially with that felonious pink shirt on.


Yeah you think he had scored the winning hoop...:)

If someone had told me at the beginning, middle and end of the regular season that the Spurs would win the championship this year, I would not have thought if possible. It goes to show what a young fan (in NBA playoff experience fanwise) I really am. The Suns were so great to watch, Dallas very inspiring with all those win streaks, the Pistons had their moments post Chris Webber acquisition, Utah had a fantastic start and the Bulls were showing speed and savvy beyond their own experience level. All that fun and who ends up with the prize? The same old same old Spurs. Devastating loss IMO for the future of the NBA.

Next year, I've decided I'm just following the regular season. Nuts to the post-season and the championship. The last four teams were all predictable, dull and played ugly. Enough. Well except for Utah. Well even them except for Deron Williams. The rest...including the Pistons...dreadfully dull playoff series.

I guess I just don't like playoff basketball. Call me a regular season bandwagon azz cat from now on.

2008! Goal: 82 wins, Coach of the Year Flip Saunders:yellowprison:

Was Lebron around to congratulate the Spurs or did he storm off like he did with the Pistons last year?

Was Lebron around to congratulate the Spurs or did he storm off like he did with the Pistons last year?

Good Question?

Great job by the Spurs. I felt like they did the job that the Pistons could not do.

4 titles in 9 years is a Dynasty. And they were always one of the last teams the league wanted to see in there. Something is basically wrong with that.

Parker was the MVP. Had some help being guarded by Boob Gibson. Makes me sick that Billups could not have taken advantage of that.

Am I the only that was glad that the Spurs celebrated the championship on the Cavs' court? Man that was sweet to see on the morning sport report. I guess there will be no game five now. Not even a single game win for the Cavs in the Finals. Poor baby.

Look what I found..

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/9887/clevelandsuckszw4.jpg


LOL

Well, i'm glad that thing is over. I wonder how the Piston players feel watching this at home ?

Watching a team that beat them get DOMINATED by a team that they nearly beat in the 05 finals . . .

Manu MVP?

First bullet point on the post.

ESPN - TrueHoop (http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-25-64/Friday-Bullets.html)

Thanks guys for the support and fun it's been the last 2 years. I dont expect Spurs to win next year simply that it is rare for teams to win back to back 'ships and it seems true for us...03-05-07 then maybe 2009? I know spurs will be making changes, but who knows? One of the intangibles of having a winning team is that good players, vets, make the decisions to move and come with Spurs. When Dallas let Michael Finley go (ha, and they are still paying him) a lot of big teams wanted him but he very quietly met with Pop and joined the Spurs. These guys want to play with a team that is legitimate contender and pop lets them know they will have to learn to fit into his game. So the Spurs were soooooo happy to see Findly get his ring, Fabricio (who already had international recognition) waited 2 years working on his game and he gets his ring, then there is Jacques Vaughn, the Red Rocket, Francisco Elsin and really, all the guys.

I know the Pistons will most likely make some changes and I hope you get some really good deals, I think our ways of playing will be around a little bit longer, Sterns "experiment" of super star over dinosaurs didnt work out. Can you believe that guy? When presenting the trophy he went right into his spiel about how wonderful the Cavs were, what wonderful host, and King james, etc. then sort of just as an afterthought
kinda passed the trophy over to spurs owner, not sure he even congratulated spurs.

So, I dont think its imagined that Sterns doesnt like Spur and Pistons. He did take care of what could have been a real problem ...Joey Crawford! Tim knew Joey had it in for him and couldnt understand why he hated him so, so it worked out good that Joey didnt ref.

Fans started honking and yelling last night at 10PM and lasted till 3AM all about 1 block from me. Best of all to you folks, and I will still be popping in checking on the news.

Congrats BSA. I'm very happy for you. And I have started to like Timmy now that I have discovered that we have some things in common.

Apparently Tim is a big Dungeons and Dragons fan, and he wanted his nickname to be "Merlin" when he came into the league. I was an old school pen and paper gamer. Nerds stick together.

And I have started to like Timmy now that I have discovered that we have some things in common.



I didn't know Tim Duncan was a cross dresser! :gossip:

Pistons looke plain scared. That's why Joe was mentioning being so upset during one of the interviews.

Barbara, with the coaching and those three core players of Duncan, Parker and Manu, your team is always a threat to be there when the trophy is hoisted. So any team in the west> Suns, Mavs, Rockets, Nuggs, or Jazz have to know that WC Championship still has to go through San Antonio as long as those three are healthy the next 2-3 years.

We look forward to sparring with you next year if not on the court at least here in print:) Congrats again!

some French guy(Tony Parker) is the MVP of the Finals? What's next? LeBron James is the most improved player for next season?

Lowest rated finals EVER.

:cheerleader: