I was rooting for the Mavs (obviously), but Kobe definitely got fouled on that last inbound play where he hit the deck. If you watch the replay again, check out Kidd clinging to Kobe's waist from behind as Kobe is trying to break free for the inbound. I like the way that Kidd was being aggressive and I'm glad it wasn't called, but it was definitely as much of a foul as the one that put the Mavs ahead on their inbound play.
I think a lot of real fans are pulling for a Mav series win over the Lakers and then would probably like to see the Grizzlies or Thunder beat the Mavs and represent the west. Despite Lebron having the #1 selling jersey, I suspect most people would still like to see the Heat get taken out by Zebo or Durant's team in the finals.....if either of them do survive some ref calls in the WCF ...if the Lakers get in.
That would be the ultimate for the fans. But, Stern's been working on a Kobe-LeBron Finals for several years now, and this year he's closer than ever to achieving that goal. Rose is hurt, and Atlanta won't make it past the ECF. Lakers are still a lock to win the west IMO. This next game is a must-win for Dallas.
Z-Who? Nowitzki dropped 24 & 7 on the Lakers on 9/16 shooting and the Mavs buried the champs in a 0-2 hole! If they actually do beat the Lakers, there's no stopping them until the Finals. How vindicating would it be for Dirk to meet the Heat again in the Finals and beat them this time.
I'd take that bet. If Dallas gets past LA (they could still lose both at home this weekend), I'd wager that the winner of the other bracket sends them home.
You're on. The bet begins at WCF if Dallas beats LA. If Dallas fails at WCF, I'll change my avatar to whatever you pick until the end of 2011. What's your offer?
I would not be at all surprised if the Lakers win this series. Not because it's the Lakers, but because it's the Mavs.
That would be great....Dirk's Mavs couldn't beat Wade, Shaq and the refs, but they comeback and beat Wade, Lebron and Bosh...
The Lakers defense would have to over come the Artest suspension... If they lose game 3 because of the Artest incident and don't recover, guess who won't be a Laker next season....,
What perimeter players does Dallas have that LA would need Artest to "lock down"? Terry? Kidd? Barea? They don't have anyone noteworthy out there hurting the Lakers. Artest's good defensive play is not of great benefit to LA in this series.
It would be hard for Barea, Kidd and Terry to defend if Lakers play their HUGE lineup in Kobe, Artest, Odom, Gasol and Bynum. And it would lead less minutes for the so far awful Fisher, Barnes and Blake. Atleast that's what they said in Simmons latest podcast so I guess it has to be true.
Their problem was that Barea created a mismatch that they were too big to handle. That was fun to watch.
They don't have a de-facto go-to guy on the perimeter, but someone steps up each game. It was Peja and Terry in game 1, and Marion in game 2. With Artest out, these guys will have an easier time out on the perimeter. Which means more operating room for Dirk and Barea. Peja: Game1: 4/8 FG, 2/3 3pt, 10 pts Game2: 2/9 FG, 0/5 3pt, 4 pts Terry: Game1: 6/10 FG, 1/4 3pt, 15 pts Game2: 3/12 FG, 1/1 2pt, 9 pts Marion: Game1: 5/13 FG, 0/0 3pt, 10 pts Game2: 5/10 FG, 0/0 3pt, 14 pts I didn't include Barea, because Artest can't guard him. He can hurt him, but not guard him.
I think the coach gets credit for establishing the mood for the current group. Only recently Coach Hollins had to deal with an aging superstar who was beginning to disrupt the chemistry of his team. He didn't like his role and started affecting others on the team. The coach took him aside and told him how it was going to be. Soon the Superstar vanished and the tone was set. I think players saw and respected that move to the point they've evolved to where they are now. Lionel Hollins is underrated IMHO...
Teams up 3-0 in NBA playoff series are 98-0. To the Dallas Mavs...hello 99-0. Could Artest have made a difference?? Who knows? He was there in the first two games and the Lakers still loss the game in the 4th qtr. What will the LA locals say tomorrow? Kobe didn't take enough shots? D Fish had two bad plays in the end. Gasoft was just that again....If Artest had been there ..... The Lakers will have four chances to get Phil the quadruple triple. but don't see it happening. The Mavs need to complete the sweep, before Sterns goons get involved and try to flip the script for ratings purposes.
