Official 2012-2013 NBA Playoffs Thread

[Miramonti]

Wow Nate Robinson.. what has gotten into him? Is it the coaching? How is he not turning the ball over every other possession? You might even say he's "clutch".. :O

Leadership and great coaching imo. Thibs is a lot like Pops imo. Pain in the @ss to pay for, but he makes players better. There's an excellent commitment to teammates between each other as well, which makes it a very unselfish team.

But nate is still nate, fairly inconsistent on offense. He's had a number of 'superstar' games, but not too many (if any) back to back.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Leadership and great coaching imo. Thibs is a lot like Pops imo. Pain in the @ss to pay for, but he makes players better. There's an excellent commitment to teammates between each other as well, which makes it a very unselfish team.

But nate is still nate, fairly inconsistent on offense. He's had a number of 'superstar' games, but not too many (if any) back to back.

This year is his FIRST chance

I just hope Bulls keep him and pay up! He is worth it IMO. We already know we can't always count on Rose.....

But Chances of Nate staying are slim. Teams will put out big money for him and he will NOT want to play in the shadow of Rose (from a career perspective).

 

[Miramonti]

This year is his FIRST chance

I just hope Bulls keep him and pay up! He is worth it IMO. We already know we can't always count on Rose.....

But Chances of Nate staying are slim. Teams will put out big money for him and he will NOT want to play in the shadow of Rose (from a career perspective).

Whether he can be a bull next year is definitely going to be tough. You'd think someone will offer him a multiyear contract, and he would be 3rd string and not get many minutes behind rose and hinrich (altho can be a 2 sometimes.) It will probably come down to money, and the bulls aren't generally ones to pay over the cap for bench players.

 

[vi edit]

I'm trying to find the stat again, but Chicago had something like 19 points off of 10 offensive boards. That's making a lot out 2nd chance opportunities. That was the #1 bullet point for Miami going into the game. You'll see them hit the defensive glass harder in game 2.

 

[Miramonti]

Spo got his @ss kicked yesterday, but that's not suggesting it will happen again on Wednesday. They will make adjustments and I fully expect them to have a different imprint tomorrow...hitting the boards, attacking the rim, and changing things to disrupt the bulls offense more. It will be a very tough game for the bulls to win.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I might stop watching basketball all together the day the Manu, Timmy, and Tony retire.

 

[DesiPower]

I have been preparing myself for a couple of years now... every time I watch basketball I remind myself there are many players out there, enjoy the game, new batch of players are so awesome... there is more to basketball than the Spurs' big there... it has been a difficult journey but I think I am getting there... only time will tell...
I never watched basketball before 2003, that's when I moved to San Antonio and fell in love with Spurs and Basketball, I don't know anything outside of the big three... I hope I can survive...

 

[DesiPower]

Spo got his @ss kicked yesterday, but that's not suggesting it will happen again on Wednesday. They will make adjustments and I fully expect them to have a different imprint tomorrow...hitting the boards, attacking the rim, and changing things to disrupt the bulls offense more. It will be a very tough game for the bulls to win.

Plus, there is no way David is going to take any chances, Heat will play with 8 players, specially during 3rd quarter if it comes to that...

 

[Miramonti]

 

[dougp]

Not from any Playoff games, but I thought this was cool ...

 

[dbk]

Knicks came out hot but Pacers have slowly come back.. It's going to be a grind in the 2nd half, methinks

 

[HendrixFan]

So yeah...was totally not expecting that outcome from Chicago. Curious if the resident Thibs hater (*cough* HendrixFan *cough ) still has the same attitude about him being a hack of a coach.

I've seen a Thibs style coach up close for years at UT in Rick Barnes. He is all defense and rebounding and requires 110% effort all the time. You don't do those you don't play. If you struggle on offense, it isn't as big of a deal.

Like Thibs, the biggest problem with Barnes is that he can take a group of scrubs and nobodies and play for a conference championship but you give him elite guys and he can't win it all.

I sat second row center court for a few years at Texas basketball games and could see and hear most everything from the players, coaches and refs. It was a crash course up close and personal in basketball. I was 6 feet away from players checking in, this was back when Paul Pierce and Hinrich were at Kansas. I watched a young CP3 destroy our defense yet we still hung on to win.

Thibs will get 60 guys to play like 80. He can't get 80 guys to play like 100. Until he takes a long view with his team and players you will see the Bulls keep sputtering out of the playoffs. I haven't seen anything start to change and after a few years of the same problem I would guess that means he won't change it.

Deng led the league in minutes played. His backup, Butler just played 3 straight games at 48 minutes. Each of those statements is a black eye on Thibs' coaching but collectively it is purely comical. Why is Deng playing so many minutes if Butler is so capable and sitting behind him? C'mon. If Thibs ever starts to see more than 2 minutes ahead he can be a good coach. Until then he will push scrubs to overachieve and keep studs from achieving.

I can't stand the fact that he has a Mike Brown-ish impact on DRose, only he seems to have suckered people into believing he is any different.

 

[dbk]

wow was i wrong on that knicks/pacers game or what?

 

[Miramonti]

Perhaps if you sat close enough to hear the bulls front lines for the last few years and not some college games, you'd have a better grasp. Sounds like your take of Thibs comes from absorbing the simple metaphors the press sums him up as. He does ride his best defensive, most disciplined players for minutes, this is true. But the suggestion offense is not a priority is quite misguided. He's the last person that's satisfied with a reliance on hero ball. Surprising you would say that after a bunch of "3rd stringers" ripped one of the best d's apart last night with sound ball movement and off-the-ball movement and screens.

If Thibs ever starts to see more than 2 minutes ahead he can be a good coach. Until then he will push scrubs to overachieve and keep studs from achieving.

It must just be a coincidence that Deng and Noah became all stars after Thibs arrived. And that Rose became an mvp during the same span. No thibs, no mvp and no "allstar" supporting cast. However 'scrubs overachieving' is correct, and that's one sign of a great coach, certainly not a bad thing by any stretch.

I hope you're not suggesting Spoelstra is an offensive genius by the way he uses Lebron, Wade, and Bosh, with his plethora of outside shooters. Remove any two of those guys and he still has a better offensive roster than Thibs has now.

/edit: and no need to hit below the belt referencing Mike Brown in this conversation, that's just indignant, lol.

 

[HendrixFan]

I hate seeing someone like Thibs, who looks to be sticking around, ruin what will be the prime of DRose's career. The Bulls will not win with Thibs. They may get some more "regular season" championships as one seeds but they won't sniff a Finals trophy.

A competent coach could take their roster (when healthy) further. The guy should be coaching a mid major team, not an NBA team. I understand his strengths. I don't care what he can do with scrubs. His weaknesses are fatal.

The Rose MVP was purely the result of anti-Decision backlash. I still have a few of those Bulls/Heat games and watch them regularly. The MVP in that series had absolutely no help from his coach, short of running all his supporting cast into the ground for 90+ games leading up to that.

Thibs refuses to lose any possessions, and because of that he sacrifices games. He is more concerned with winning each little battle instead of the war. Because of that they win games they shouldn't but also lose games they shouldn't.

Guess which postseason averages are which for Noah:

10pts 13rbs
15pts 13rbs
9pts 10rbs
15pts 9rbs
12pts 10rbs

Can't tell them apart can you? They are remarkably similar and his most productive was without Thibs and least productive was with him.

Noah was a third year player when Thibs came in. He was a top 10 pick who had already displayed great ability and snagged a high dollar contract. Just because he came in at that point in his career, doesn't mean Thibs gets credit for Noah. As those stats above show Thibs' impact on Noah hasn't been too profound. The potential and numbers were already there.

I fell head over heels for the Bulls during their first round series exit against the Celtics during Rose's rookie season. I watch those games with some regularity during the long, bitter, basketball-less wasteland of summer. They had so much potential and I'm watching it be squandered by a coach good enough to keep his job but not great enough to actually win it all.

I've seen this movie before, I've watched it for a decade with Texas basketball.

 

[HendrixFan]

Durant is posting a 36-11-9 en route to a home loss. If he keep this up he will put himself in good company with Cavs era Lebron in doing everything he could in dragging a corpse of a team on his back. Hopefully he keeps this mindset when Westbrook comes back and keeps him in check.

 

[Miramonti]

Lebron prepared to guard Nate Robinson late in games

LOL!

Robinson's range is anywhere from 26' to the basket. He will still get his shot off anytime. James had success against Rose but he won't against robinson, who's a water bug with the ball. Most likely Robinson will have an easier time setting up others, and it also keeps lebron further away from the boards.

 

[HendrixFan]

Lebron prepared to guard Nate Robinson late in games

LOL!

Robinson's range is anywhere from 26' to the basket. He will still get his shot off anytime. James had success against Rose but he won't against robinson, who's a water bug with the ball. Most likely Robinson will have an easier time setting up others, and it also keeps lebron further away from the boards.

Ball denial will be key. Just like Tony Allen did last series against the Clippers.

 

[DesiPower]

Another good night for nba! This is turning out to be One of the best second round playoffs ever!!

 

[Miramonti]

Ball denial will be key. Just like Tony Allen did last series against the Clippers.

Robinson is going to be tough to chase thru all those screens. If they commit that kind of 'resources' to stopping Robinson, then they are losing the head game battle imo. He's no rose (for reliability) and doesn't do what he did all that often. However if he gets pushed around (or head stomped/rolled on), he can get fired up and take over, which doesn't have to involve scoring.

/edit: I'd love for it to happen...would be fun to see James get his ankles broken.

 

[Miramonti]

Another good night for nba! This is turning out to be One of the best second round playoffs ever!!

Conley was a rock late in the game (as opposed to Durant, who was a brick.) Great to see him perform.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Now that the Lakers are out, im going for a Memphis vs. Bulls/Knicks final.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Now that the Lakers are out, im going for a Memphis vs. Bulls/Knicks final.

I'm assuming you mean "rooting for" and not "expecting." Because neither the Bulls nor the Knicks is beating Miami.

 

[Miramonti]

Heat is favored by 12. That's just crazy, especially since game 1 Heat was favored by 12.5 points. Is it legal to bet this online and if so, any sites one would suggest? (assuming no one here wants some )

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I'm assuming you mean "rooting for" and not "expecting." Because neither the Bulls nor the Knicks is beating Miami.

Yup rooting.