[hack]

Hard to know, but yeah -- nobody packs it in down 0-2 like the Lakers can. How fast the winners finish off their opponents could be a big factor in the WCF.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by hack

Hard to know, but yeah -- nobody packs it in down 0-2 like the Lakers can. How fast the winners finish off their opponents could be a big factor in the WCF.

btw, it should be 0-2 late tonight; so far it's only 0-1.

[detroitsportsfan]

The Lakers blow it in OKC. Had a chance but fall down 2-0 in the series. I still see that series going 6 or maybe 7. Don't count out LA.

After the Sixers get an impressive split in Boston, they fumble back home and lose to the Celtics. Boston leads 2-1 in that series. Can Boston seriously challenge Miami this year?

San Antonio, despite having the best regular season record and despite being there year after year after year (the best NBA team in the last decade...easy!), are under the radar. They don't get much respect (much like the Celtics) because they're older. They're supposed to be washed up. Don't count them out. Not only can they do damage this postseason, they can win it all.

The Miami Heat Can't Win!!!

[tin mad dog]

Originally Posted by detroitsportsfan

After the Sixers get an impressive split in Boston, they fumble back home and lose to the Celtics. Boston leads 2-1 in that series. Can Boston seriously challenge Miami this year?

Sure they can, especially if Bosh is out or hampered. Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf aren't real threats. KG will have a field day. Brandon Bass is better than either of those guys as well. Hell, Ryan Hollins is on par with them.

Miami will also have to decide if they are going to have LeBron check a big, Paul Pierce or Rondo. Wherever he goes, that's going to leave another area exposed.

Without Bosh to somewhat balance things out, Boston should be the favorite.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by tin mad dog

Sure they can, especially if Bosh is out or hampered. Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf aren't real threats. KG will have a field day. Brandon Bass is better than either of those guys as well. Hell, Ryan Hollins is on par with them.

Miami will also have to decide if they are going to have LeBron check a big, Paul Pierce or Rondo. Wherever he goes, that's going to leave another area exposed.

Without Bosh to somewhat balance things out, Boston should be the favorite.

I agree with all of this.

I would add that Indiana has now quite good chances, too. First, they have size and like to play inside out. Miami badly needs size. Second, they have already established they know how to play Miami. In the first game, they were in it through the beginning of the 4th, and even had some chances in the 4th, too. They won the second game. Third, their secondary players and shooters will make the open shots they were badly missing on the road. Finally, all of this on the top of Bosh's injury.

It's hard to bet against the team that was so dominating during the regular season. So, maybe it's but my "hate" speaking. But I'm going to make a bold prediction. The Pacers will win both games at home and will put some serious heat on Miami.

[Stefan S]

On another issue, the hole in which the Lakers now sit seems to me much deeper than usually 0-2 holes are.

In the last night game, the Lakers were winning 75-68 with 2:08 to go yet went down by 2. This sorts of defeats are psychologically devastating.

[hack]

I think another blowout, or a game in which the Thunder just controlled things, would have been even worse. At that point you start wondering if you even belong on the court with the team that's doing what it wants to you.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by hack

I think another blowout, or a game in which the Thunder just controlled things, would have been even worse. At that point you start wondering if you even belong on the court with the team that's doing what it wants to you.

Sure, but another blowout would mean there is an incredible disparity of talent, which is not the case. The Lakers have 3 fabulous players (provided that the Selfish Punk Jr. can control his selfishness). So, provided that the Lakers play with intensity and dedication, the blowout was not going to happen (in my humble opinion).

[Stefan S]

Magic about the defeat -- it's a radio show so they put the sound against the footage of some of his plays. Some of those passes are from another planet.

Magic on Clutch Plays - ESPN Video - ESPN

[hack]

I don't think a blowout by definition betrays a disparity of talent though. Likely but not required.

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by hack

I don't think a blowout by definition betrays a disparity of talent though. Likely but not required.

yeah, usually it shows that one team totally mailed it.
But in this case, the second total blowout in a row, what would it mean...?

[hack]

That the Lakers weren't prepared to work hard. But, last night, they worked hard. Played better defense than the Thunder over the course of the fourth, that's for sure. The Thunder's defense should be better than it is, given the individual defenders they have. Were I the Lakers, the lesson to take away from last night is that as long as you work on D and take care of the ball, you can win. Last night should not be demoralizing. Frustrating, sure, but a series doesn't start until somebody loses at home, right?

[Mainevent]

What the hell has gotten into KG? He's playing like the KG of 5 years ago and I don't think he's been this aggressive in the post since his Minny days. Pretty incredible to watch his resurrection.

[tin mad dog]

NBA Insider: No matter -- Heat's James to blame | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

[Jangul]

Originally Posted by hack

That the Lakers weren't prepared to work hard. But, last night, they worked hard. Played better defense than the Thunder over the course of the fourth, that's for sure. The Thunder's defense should be better than it is, given the individual defenders they have. Were I the Lakers, the lesson to take away from last night is that as long as you work on D and take care of the ball, you can win. Last night should not be demoralizing. Frustrating, sure, but a series doesn't start until somebody loses at home, right?

Yeah, but a series effectively ends when you're down 3-0, since nobody comes back from that. By blowing that game in OKC, the Lakers have put incredible pressure on themselves to win this next game. It's essentially an elimination game.

[Jeff Hause]

Pretty interesting watching Kobe lose his composure in the last two minutes...

[hack]

Yes, the Lakers have to win Game 3. So did a lot of other teams who won a series after coming home down 0-2. The home team winning both games to start a playoff series is not much of an indication of anything.

[Jangul]

EJ said the Lakers are 1-7 the last 8 times they've been put in that situation, so it's actually a pretty good historical indicator that they're probably about to lose this game and this series.

[hack]

As mentioned:

Hard to know, but yeah -- nobody packs it in down 0-2 like the Lakers can. How fast the winners finish off their opponents could be a big factor in the WCF.

I think OKC would need to play a perfect half and start the third on a run, and if they do that, the Lakers will fold for the season. But I don't think that's likely this time. The Lakers were playing pretty tough on D last night. This isn't, on paper, the type of Lakers team that wants to waltz to the Finals and is unprepared to outwork another team in the second round and gives up for that reason.

[Stefan S]

I think the Thunder are just better.

They should have been 3-0 during the regular season and they would have been if the Crazy Ron did not knock out Harden. They totally dominated the 1st playoff game. And they dominated the crunch time of the 2nd.

They will be 3-1 coming home (or, maybe, 4-0).

[Stefan S]

[Stefan S]

MIAMI -- The Heat weren't supposed to be this top-heavy.

The loss of Chris Bosh has ripped a gauze pad off Miami's hidden wound, exposing the Heat's thin depth behind the Big Three. In the Heat's first full playoff game without Bosh, the team's third-highest scorer tallied a putrid five points. According to STATS LLC, that's the first time in Heat franchise history that only two players scored more than five points in a game. According to our friends at ESPN Stats & Info, a team has never won a postseason game with that type of scoring distribution.

...

and so on and so forth, with the special emphasis on What happened to Haslem and Miller? - Heat Index Blog - ESPN

[Stefan S]

An analytic essay about the Spurs' motion O:
The San Antonio Spurs aren't boring - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN

[Stefan S]

Also, how a certain fan (from way upnorth) learned to love (not just appreciate, love) the team playing next door (to me): Black Coffee, Steely Dan, and the Bland, Refined Flavor of the San Antonio Spurs | Hardwood Paroxysm

[tin mad dog]

Originally Posted by Stefan S

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat - Recap - May 15, 2012 - ESPN


Indiana has now real chances. I hope they will take the next one and really put pressure on the Heat.
also, they really seem to have great attitude. There was no celebration. It will be a fun series.

There was some celebration and Collison had to be restrained and pulled away from yapping towards Miami (probably directed at Wade, who leveled him earlier and got in his face). You could plainly see David West motioning at his teammates and telling them "Get off the floor.". He's focused.

[tin mad dog]

As for tonight' game, Indy has come out red hot and Miami hasn't. All they have is a bucket from LeBron and 2 FT's from Anthony.

Miami tried Dexter Pitman at Center. That didn't work well at all.

[tin mad dog]

Chalmers steps up with 3 quick buckets and then LeBron runs his own fastbreak. Miami instantly cuts it to a 1 point defecit.

[hack]

Hey, it's Steely Dan Obsession Week over here...

[Stefan S]

Originally Posted by tin mad dog

There was some celebration and Collison had to be restrained and pulled away from yapping towards Miami (probably directed at Wade, who leveled him earlier and got in his face). You could plainly see David West motioning at his teammates and telling them "Get off the floor.". He's focused.

True! I did not notice it at the time of that post (celebrating myself a bit too much).

About today, Indiana stopped moving the rock and, immediately, Miami closed the gap to -1. You cannot beat them playing ISO and so on.
Also, Indiana must capitalize on their fast break ops.

[tin mad dog]

Wow, LeBron with 11 and Miami is now up 9.

[tin mad dog]

Miami ends the quarter on a 22-4 run and is up 9.

[Stefan S]

Indiana had them on the ropes, now they are on the ropes.

[tin mad dog]

Dante Jones is giving Wade major problems. He's 0-5 with 2 TO's. Jones just did the old Rick Mahorn on Wade and got him to travel.

LeBron is on the bench to start the 2nd. and Indy has cut it to 4 without him.

[tin mad dog]

Wade's 3rd TO leads to an Indy fastbreak. 28-26.

Maybe it was James Jones's bad pass. Not sure.

[tin mad dog]

Backed it up. It was Wade but the ESPN box score didn't add another TO.

[tin mad dog]

LeBron back in and he scores on a putback. 30-26.

[tin mad dog]

LeBron finds Turiaf on the break for a dunk. 33-26.

[tin mad dog]

Haslem blows a lay-up, Chalmers blows a lay-up and Indy scores both times.

[tin mad dog]

Granger plays good D on LeBron and he steps out of bounds. Hill hits back to back shots and Indy regains the lead.

[tin mad dog]

LeBron had a nice left-handed power dunk on a drive to tie it.

Miller and Battier both get good looks at a 3 at the end of the half but fail.

43-43.

Good halves by LeBron (16/6/2 and 2 steals), Chalmers (13/2/3) and Turiaf (5 points on 2-2 shooting, 3 rebs.) for Miami and good halves for Hibbert (12/10/2 blks) and Hill (9 points) for Indy.

Wade is scoreless.

They just said that this is only the 3rd time in 94 playoff games that Wade has done that in a half.

[tin mad dog]

Wade makes his first shot after missing 6. Now, he misses again. 1-8.

[tin mad dog]

West draws a foul and gets into it with Chalmers. T'ed up.

It wasn't much.

[tin mad dog]

2 more bricks from Wade. 1-10. Miami is 3 for 33 from 3 in the series.

[tin mad dog]

Indy hits a 3. 55-48. Timeout Miami.

[tin mad dog]

Wade and Spoulstra get into it a bit on the sidelines.

[tin mad dog]

Wade turns it over again.

Indy scores off the next play. 59-50.

[tin mad dog]

Wade's in hell. Another TO on an offensive foul.

[tin mad dog]

Miller makes a 3 to stop the bleeding. Granger scores over Wade. 66-55.

[tin mad dog]

Granger grabs LeBron after a breakaway steal and then gets in his face after LeBron puts his arm up. T on Granger.

They just showed a play that happened before where West elbowed LeBron in the chin.

Things are getting testy.

[tin mad dog]

Big Q for Indy. Terrible Q for Miami.

Battier is especially worthless.