Perhaps the Spurs lost it more than the Mavs won it. Either way, it wouldn't take away from all Dirk did to put his team in position to win it.

P-iss is supposed to be in a bladder, dick, or the bowl, but look at all the places it goes. If it hit close to where it connects to the rim, then the net can have a little resistance involved.

Picking up Marbury hasn't hurt the Celtics at all this year. It won them a playoff game last night. Danny Ainge has done one hell of a job up there. Nobody thought Rondo was much of anything. Marbury was seen as a cancer and people said picking him up would hurt the chemistry. KG was given all the credit last year but the guys are showing that is was much more than KG. Even with Powe being out and with Posey gone from last year, these guys are playing some good ball. Davis was a solid draft choice. Powe was another solid pickup. Perkins is really underrated down there. Getting House was a steal. Ainge has done a hell of a job.

Good article from Hollinger with a reality check for Howard. Dude has obviously bought his own hype, calling himself a "dominant" offensive player. The worst part is most people are agreeing with Howard. Have they watched him play?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playof...PERDiem-090513

On that team, he is. It's not a matter of him being as dominant player as anyone else in the league but on that team, he is the team's best offensive weapon. Their offense has to work inside out. Rashard Lewis cannot create a shot for himself. Never has been able to. Turkoglu and Alston are best able to operate when the ball comes back out to them after going inside. When they take Howard out of their offense, they make it hard on themselves. Howard doesn't have to score all the time but has to at least get the ball and draw the double and kick it out to get the guys better shots. Also, he draws a lot of fouls and gets guys in foul trouble and gets his team in the penalty earlier. I don't think he's a dominant offensive player but he's their dominant inside player and he's got to get the ball.

Its pretty clear now they need J. Nelson's ability
to get into the lane and create opportunities. When
the Celtics really started playing D, Orlando folded.

Celtics are a very tough minded team compared to
Orlando. Even with Rajon Rondo, who cant hit a simple
jump shot to save his life. And for every good pass he
makes he follows it up with a bone head pass. Good thing
he is such a good athlete.

Maybe he's effective in the post against smaller teams, but against the Celtics, he can't score one-on-one against Perkins, and he's struggled against Big Baby as well. The Celtics also are not going to double him in the post, nor should they, so really, what the hell is he talking about? Maybe during the regular season against smaller post players he's imposing, but in this series he's been punked in the post over and over. So for him to blame an epic team choke on him not getting the ball in the post is total nonsense.

Also, you're wrong about Turkoglu and Lewis. They both can score off the dribble. It's not their calling cards, but they can do it, and they've both been way more successful off the dribble in this series than Howard's been in the post.

I don't think Lewis has created off the dribble in his entire life. Every analyst out there has said the same thing. The Orlando offense works best when it goes inside first and that creates the open spaces for the shooters. That's basketball 101. Even when your dominant player is a wing player like Cleveland or LA, it still opens up the floor to have an inside threat. Cleveland's offense is better when Ilgauskas is on the court. The Lakers offense is better when Bynum is doing his thing inside. When teams don't have to respect the inside game, they get up on the shooters and make it that much harder for them. Howard doesn't have to get the ball to get 20 shots a game but when the don't even go inside to him to even be a threat to score, they are going to struggle big time.

They were life and death with an erratic Bulls team and haven't won games in this series as much as another erratic Orlando team has lost them. They are winning but hardly playing good ball. With KG they beat the bulls in 5 and probably have already closed this one out too. Not to mention actually have a chance against Cleveland. They will be lucky to win a game the next round.

Lewis scored off the dribble like five times in the first half of last night's game alone, so you don't know what you're saying. And the "feed the post and create space" strategy only works if you have a big that can't be shut down one-on-one. Howard can't do a damn thing against Perkins one-one-one, so the Celtics can stay glued to the shooters.

Stop listening to what "analysts" say about the Magic and actually watch them. Howard has been a non-factor on offense this series, even when he's getting touches. Freaking Gortat has done a better job in the post.

He still has a limited offensive game. His footwork isnt great and his being a superior athlete is what makes him valuable, not his basketball ability. Calling out your coach after that choke job shows he isnt much of a leader either. If you want the ball superman get a freaking offensive rebound.

Boston never doubles Howard (they dont have to) and he is a bad free throw shooter. Not exactly the guy you want on the line at the end of the game.

Ilgauskus scores at least half of his points on jumpshots, not inside. Howard isnt a very good passer out of the post. The guys game on the offensive end is strictly power and rebounds. The real story shouldnt be if he is correct in his complaint or not. It is him acting selfish by going public instead of airing his gripes in private. There is a reason that during crunch time in the Olympics that Chris Bosh was on the floor and not Howard.

Lewis nor Turkeyglue have scored consistently off the dribble
when it really counts. The Celtics rarely double them off the dribble
outside. They want them to drive into traffic. They dont want wide
open jumpers (which apparently went south also when they were tired).

On the other hand you have Orlando double teaming Pierce and Allen
outside just to get the ball out of their hands. Aint happening the
other way around.

Agree with Howard. I think he is relatively weak lower body. He is easy to move on or tie up on the offensive boards. He is not getting easy standing putbacks. Howard is feeling body and he does not like it. Defensively he is a huge asset. Just stupid.

All of the above is of course... imo.

We agree. I know they don't consistently score off the dribble, but they're not totally incapable, and they've been more successful off the dribble this series than Howard has been in the post. It's not even close.

What you aren't getting is that the ONLY reason they can get anything is because of Howard's presence in the middle. It's the same thing that happened with the Lakers and Miami. When Shaq was with LA, everybody shot higher percentages and the team was among the league leaders in fg percentage. Miami was nowhere near the top. Once they traded Shaq to Miami, it totally switched around. The presence of an inside threat is going to open up the floor for the outside guys. It's been that way since the beginning of the game. Howard doesn't have to be a guy that can score 30 a night. He has to be a guy that the defense has to respect that his team can go to him inside and he can consistently get you 20 a night and on given nights go for 30+. When you don't even go inside to him and the defense has to pay no attention to him, then you get what you got last night. Guys running around throwing up airballs and trying to create off the dribble too much. Howard doesn't have to score but he is a threat to score and has to be respected when he gets the ball. By not giving him the ball at all, you are only hurting yourself.

I think Howard has done a poor
job of being physical and getting seals for easy
passes. He is standing straight up asking for the ball.
He is not working very hard to receive the
ball in good position, which for him is very close to the
basket.

He needs to get his damn butt into someones legs
elbow out and ask for the ball at the right time. Like after
the ball has moved around away from him and is on
its way back. He is totally relying on his athletic ability
and forgetting any sort of technique. Taking the lazy
route.

Holy God. You clearly haven't been watching this series. The guy can't score outside of three feet, and he's not strong enough to back down Perkins or even Davis. He's been completely exposed in this series, and comparing him to Shaq in his prime is so ridiculous I don't even know where to begin. If he can't score one-on-one and the Celtics are never going to double him, throwing the ball to him in the post every possession is a hindrance, not a necessity.

How low class are you when you have red lips tattooed high up on the side of your neck?

You are next on the list after he
beats up Mark Cuban.

Right under his ear. He can't even cover that for a funeral (not even with a turtleneck.)

They got enough Hyundai signage on that TNT show?

Charles' push-ups are so fake that Cybelle could fit under him.

I've never seen a team with less heart and killer instinct than these Lakers. I knew that Houston would take it to them and be physical but I didn't think the Lakers would fold like they have. No way in hell they should be doing what they've done in these last two wins. None. Not without Ming. Adelman is coaching his ass off once again and Jackson is showing that once again, when he has to actually coach a team, he can't. Most overrated coach in history in my opinion. Breen just said something interesting. The Lakers all season long had never lost a game where the opponent led start to finish and now they've done it twice in three games. What a wildly inconsistent team they are. Battier played the best defense on Bryant that I've seen in a long time. He was in his face on every shot. Great win for Houston. I wasn't a Rockets fan but I am now. I love a team that plays with the heart they have shown. Win or lose, they have earned my respect.

But I thought Battier can't guard him. He can't guard him. He can't guard him. He can't guard him.

not as well as delonte west.

He can't, noone in the league really can. Kobe can have an off night, but when he is on his game no chance anyone in the league stops him.

I know, I saw Kobe say it to him 25 billion times. It must be true.

The beginning of the second half for the lakers was good and bad. It was good in the sense that you got a glimpse of how truly dominant they can be when they play with intensity. A 16 point lead disappeared in like 4 four minutes. But then when it was time to put them away, nothing. It was the horse racing equivalent of breaking poorly, making a big run on the turn and then not passing the leader in the stretch...while being heavily favored.

The Lakers defense last night was terrible from the inside out. Their rotation was pathetic.

Phil was outcoached last night in that he didnt have a Plan B. Plan A which appeared to be to pound Houston inside, didnt work because Bynum and Gasol just werent playing well enough to hit 5 ft shots over a bunch of shorter players and on the other end they were too slow to close out on Houston's 3 point shooters or to stop their drives. At that point, it might have been wise to try going small. Regardless if it take Gasol and bynum out, you still have the best player in the game and you have to like that matchup against this houston team.

People say what they want about Ron Ron, but it starts with him. What a shame the guy is such a nut. He is a wonderful player and teams he is on seem to overachieve more times than not.

Reality is that Lakers need someone else besided Kobe to hit the outside shot - if they do then it opens it for Gasol/Bynum and for Kobe (and where the hell was Odom last night - he played with lead feet).

The Lakers live and die by this and last night (like other nights) they died!

They will probably win in LA - but playing like this - they won't get by Denver.

True - I forgot about his back!

Fisher plays 21 minutes and scores 2 pt :eek:

I have a hard time understanding why Dala is so gaga over the Lakers. They have two really good players, one good player who is hurting, a fair young guy (Bynum- who simply isnt in shape) and a bunch of bums who dont really have any idea of what they are doing and/or are afraid of getting yelled at by Kobe. Why anyone would think they have a prayer against Cleveland is beyond me. They will beat Houston at home because they cant expect Scola and Brooks to play that well again and Darth Stern will have the refs make sure it happens (and as bad as the refs have been no one will be able to tell the difference)

As good as Denver is playing they will beat LA a few times and i never thought that they could.

The other series is awful. Orlando played poorly, shot FT's horrifically and still closed out Boston last night. The funny thing about Boston is that they are totally dead yet are still in this series. The Bulls series while exciting showed that they are pretty well finished because honestly the Bulls arent very good.

Because Detroit gave up this year and Atlanta has always sucked d.ick. Plus I hate chalk.

I really hope the Rockets win Game 7.

They might. Vulvachick and Farmar can't hit the side of a barn. I wish they would both retire and free up some money for the team...or get sex changes and play for the Sparks.

......word.

Its interesting that delonte west is considered a "good nba player" and Trevor Ariza is a "bum". Or derek fisher is a "bum".

And, Kobe Bryant, is just a "really good nba player".

LOL. Objectivity is definitely a strong suit.;)