Photo. adidasAs good as this past NBA regular season was, Day 1 of the playoffs topped everything by giving us the best single game we’ve seen all year on any level. We don’t care who you love or who you hate, Spurs/Suns was an amazing display of ball that included a virtuoso performance from one of the greatest to ever do it … That man, of course, would be Tim Duncan, who posted 40 points, 15 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks in San Antonio’s double-overtime win. When his team was getting almost 20-pieced in the first half, Duncan was the only one keeping them within striking distance, getting Shaq in early foul trouble and continually beasting Amare. He scored 20 in the first half and kept it up in the second half and the overtime periods, giving anyone put in front of him buckets on an array of post moves, hooks, mid-range jumpers and — one of the most memorable shots of the year — a three-pointer that forced the second overtime … The first 24 minutes wasn’t looking good for the home team. Even when Gregg Popovich went with a defense-heavy lineup, putting Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka on the floor at the same time alongside Timmy, San Antonio was getting picked apart by Steve Nash (25 pts, 13 asts) and Amare (33 pts) … The second half comeback was sparked by Tony Parker (26 pts) and Manu (24 pts) finally finding their offensive rhythm, and the Suns’ inability, especially from their bigs, to guard the pick-and-roll … Mike Finley hit a three to tie it up for the first time with about 3:50 left in the fourth, and the Spurs took their first lead when Duncan hit a wide open Kurt Thomas under the basket with 2:30 left. (One of our readers implied the other day that Thomas wasn’t that good. Well, if you watched the game yesterday you saw the truth. Thomas only scored four points, but his defense, rebounding, chasing down loose balls and screen-setting was absolutely vital.) … With just over a minute left in regulation, Phoenix was up by one when Manu drove and was blocked by Shaq (11 pts, 5 rebs, 4 blks), who got all-ball but also a lot of body. Leandro Barbosa sprinted down and got a layup on the other end, and after San Antonio couldn’t score on the ensuing possession, they needed a defensive stop to stay alive. Choosing not to foul, they forced a 24-second violation — arguably the biggest sequence of the game. Spurs ball, and Finley ran off two screens along the baseline to stick a three-pointer that forced overtime … Before the Duncan trey in overtime, the Spurs again were down three and needed a stop. This time Amare was called for a charge, his sixth foul. Thomas and Parker fouled out early into the second OT, so Pop had to put Manu at the point, which turned out to look like a genius move when Manu took to abusing Raja Bell. (Note to Raja for next time: HE’S GOING LEFT!) Nash hit a ridiculous three in the corner while fading to his left to tie it up in the final seconds, but then Manu went 1-on-1 on Raja and scored on an off-balance layup that was the game-winner … During the broadcast Jeff Van Gundy publicly endorsed Mark Jackson for the Knicks job, saying it was a “one-horse race” … Is it just us or are Pop and Duncan starting to look and talk more alike every year? Pop’s interview right before the fourth quarter was about six words long … One more memorable moment: During a timeout late in the second overtime, Duncan was sitting on the bench while the rest of the Spurs kind of milled around. Duncan then put his arms out and made the “Bring it in” motion, and within about 0.3 seconds you saw EVERYONE — from the starters to the guys who don’t play to the coaches to the freakin’ ballboys — gather ’round and listen intently to what he was saying. That’s a leader … With all the smack-talking buildup and DeShawn Stevenson being set up for inevitable failure, Cavs/Wizards came down to simply how the two best players on either team would perform in the final two minutes. And while Gilbert Arenas forced — and bricked — shot after shot, LeBron James got to where he wanted and got his buckets how he wanted. (And yes, he blew past DeShawn each time.) LeBron’s 32 points paved the way for Cleveland’s win … What can you say about that alley-oop finish ‘Bron had in the first half? The haters need to put down their axes and just appreciate what they’re watching, because once LeBron gets older and (presumably) can’t get chest-level with the rim anymore, you might not see anyone with so many athletic blessings ever again … Arenas dropped 24 off the bench (watch, he’ll be starting by Game 2), including ending the first quarter on a shot that he nailed from Toledo … The Wizards were hammering LeBron throughout the game, to the point where he retaliated by clocking Andray Blatche with an elbow one time and got up in Brendan Haywood’s face another time when Brendan didn’t seem to want any parts of him. Said Mike Brown afterwards: “He doesn’t play for the Browns.” Said LeBron: “I’m built for this. I’m not 6-9, 260 pounds just to be shooting jumpers all night.” … The announcers tried to explain the whole Jay-Z/Soulja Boy thing, but it wasn’t really working … For the first half of Hornets/Mavericks, it looked like the series would play out just like we thought; the more-experienced Mavs would hand the postseason-rookie Hornets their lumps. Jason Kidd (11 pts, 9 rebs, 9 asts) was locking Chris Paul down, and Kidd and Josh Howard hit back-to-back threes to put Dallas up by a dozen at the half … But then CP went to a dark place and dominated in the second half. All of a sudden Kidd couldn’t stop the kid from getting into the lane, and neither could Jason Terry, and neither could Devean George when Avery Johnson dusted him off. Where’s Rolando Blackman when you need him? Scoring at will and whipping passes to the always-open David West (23 pts), Paul led the Hornets comeback while putting up 35 points, 10 dimes and 4 steals, and had just one turnover in the win … Dirk dropped 31 points in the loss, but you can’t really blame him for what went wrong. It was a defensive thing for the Mavs, as they simply couldn’t figure out CP, then let Peja get open for a few daggers late in the fourth … The Jazz were the only road team to get a win on Saturday, going into Houston’s gym and generally outplaying them in every facet of the game. Deron Williams was un-eff-wittable (that’s an old Ant Banks line); neither Bobby Jackson or Aaron Brooks could hold him. And you can’t really say Rafer Alston would have been able to stop Deron (20 pts, 10 asts) either, seeing as Skip is skinnier than his backups. Should the Rockets consider doing like the Spurs do with Nash and have Shane Battier guard Deron? But then someone needs to guard AK-47, whose 21-point effort shows he still needs to be accounted for … This was one of those games where T-Mac would have to strap the Rockets on his back and score 35-40 points for them to win, but still wearing that shoulder brace (not that he’d use it as an excuse, but it has to throw off your rhythm), McGrady was just 7-for-21, scoring 20 points and getting shut out in the fourth quarter … A lot of the Dime crew actually missed the Hornets/Mavs and Jazz/Rockets games, as we were at Madison Square Garden for the Jordan Brand All-American Classic, the last major event for the Class of ‘08 seniors. Before the main event, the undercard featured the International Game (players from Europe, Africa and Australia) and the Regional Game (players from the New York area). Keep your ears peeled over the next few Drafts for Serbian guard Petar Lambic (20 pts, 14 rebs), Turkish forward Enes Kanter (22 pts, 17 rebs, 4 blks) and Spanish point guard Jonas Creus (18 pts). In the regional game, Christ the King H.S. (Queens) forward Ryan Pearson, who’s headed to George Mason, put up 36 points and 15 boards while CTK teammate Erving Walker (Florida) had 20 points and 11 dimes. We also had appearances by Dime “What’s My Name?” alumni Bilal Dixon (Providence), Patrick Jackson (Rutgers), Kevin Jones (West Virginia), undecided Sean Kilpatrick and Kansas-bound twins Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris … The national game was defined by defense, something you rarely see in these kind of settings. While the final score was 124-114, we also saw guys playing chest-to-chest on the perimeter, challenging passes, trying to block shots and showing hard on pick-and-rolls. Of course some of the crowd didn’t appreciate the effort, since they’d come to see a dunk contest, but we’re not gonna get mad at kids for going hard on both ends of the floor. And as it turns out, before the game Michael Jordan talked to the kids about playing a complete game and not slacking off … Like we predicted days beforehand, Brandon Jennings (10 pts, 14 asts) and Tyreke Evans (23 pts, 7 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls) copped the co-MVPs; Jennings for the winning Blue team and ‘Reke for the White team. As usual, those two dominated the ball, and therefore, the tempo. Every time we’ve seen the Arizona-bound Jennings play in an all-star game he sets a goal to break the assist record, which he got this time. Tyreke (Memphis), meanwhile, is just a natural-born bucketeer. We’ll have a full recap on Monday … We’re out like Manu going right …
April 20th, 2008 at 4:13 am
Damon says:
# 1
April 20th, 2008 at 4:23 am
QQ says:
New Orleans won.
Told you so, fools!
April 20th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Damon says:
what a start,
bad loss for the suns, if you don’t make the right decisions in the clutch you wont beat the champs( and how bad is amare defensively? he doesn’t give effort of the ball and just pretends to do so when td has the ball)
cavs wizards was also great, with gilbert just doing too much in the end. you can clearly see hes not at 100 from his drives to the basket, just not that quick
April 20th, 2008 at 4:49 am
kobeef says:
@Dime
WWCB do?
Meaning, what would Charles Barkely do in a playoff game against the Suns yesterday? Get destroyed by Shaq and Amare that’s what. TD is a monster. That was one of the most amazing performances in NBA history.
Speaking of monsters, who says you can’t single handedly carry a team to playoff success? Lebron was again a one man wrecking crew. Wiz gave the rest of the Cavs all the wanted but Washington had nothing to match Lebron. He is simple unstoppable.
Speaking of Tyreke, apparently he measures 6′ 5″ 1/2 and has a 6′11″ wingspan? Why is he listed at 6′3 or 6′4 everywhere? At nearly 6′6 he has great size to play SG in the NBA…especially with those wings.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Damon says:
yes, TD played great, there are not a lot players who can stop him( sheed being one), even hitting tough shots against shaq(and eeeeeeaaasy ones against amare). but he doesn’t score that way against other teams, just because of the defense by the phoenix bigs?ers
still hope the spurs lose to the suns or the jazz or the lakers.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Leandro says:
LeBron’s alleyoop-dunk was not human!
http://www.squidoo.com/LeBronJamesDunk
April 20th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Ian says:
damon
duncan cant score like that lol
he does it to everyone in the playoffs WHERE IT COUNTS
but u know u cant get 40 evn playin highschool kids
sheed
u can say all u want about the suns but how many fowards do that to them
sheed hahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaha
99 playoffs
05 finals
sure
so shaq said he was gonna solve the suns duncan problem
yeah right
timmeh is old timmeh is declining lol puh please
best player in the league since jordan and proves it when it counts
April 20th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Ian says:
so dallas traded devin harris for this?
April 20th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Suciniac says:
Spurs/Suns.Man WHAT A BATTLE!!!!!That’s what you call a battle not that Regular season BS that everyone keeps hyping up.Everybody knew it was going to be a tough series but DOUBLE OVERTIME in the 1st game is just off the hook.I know it’s just one game but can’t help telling,”I told you so” about Thomas.Having said that the Suns let this game slip.I almost had a seizure when Duncan nailed that three.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:26 am
YOUNGFED says:
@QQ
I think everyone already knew NO would win bruh. SMH
QUICK HITTERS
Deshawn got flat out embarrassed dude should never be allowed to speak again even though they should mic him for the playoffs. I just wanna hear him begging for mercy.
If Timmy embarrased Amare then Amare did the same to Tim.
WTF Gilbert scores just as many pts. as minutes played and you don’t start him. “Kill Yo Self!!!” - 3-6 Mafia
Soulja Boy says he’s gonna fuk Lebron up.
TMAC should call it quits and rest his shoulder till Yao returns.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:30 am
GayforRudy says:
Just want to point out to everyone that if Detroit wins we will be sure to see loudmouth all over the board tomorrow. If it goes the other way though… guy will be out like Casper. And yeah that’s directed at you Youngfed you fucking douche bag!
April 20th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Suciniac says:
@Damon
Count the rings son.Duncan has been doing his thing for a decade now.There’s nobody in the league better at backing his man down low and hitting tough contested shots.He takes the best the defense has to offer and still hits his shots thats why it looks like his not dominating but the scoreboard keeps ticking anyway.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:08 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Austin B
“The Sonics are leaving Seattle. The only question remaining is when: this year or 2010? NBA owners gave Sonics Chairman Clay Bennett their overwhelming approval in a 28-2 vote at Friday’s Board of Governors meeting, with Portland owner Paul Allen joining Dallas’ Mark Cuban as the only dissenters. Seattle’s team will move to Oklahoma City for the start of the next season, pending the resolution of a federal lawsuit by the city of Seattle that aims to keep the Sonics here at least until their KeyArena lease expires in 2010.” - SI.com
Damn the whole league saying fuk Seattle I know it hurts dawg. Take in slooooowwly. lol. Just fukin’ wit you atleast yall may get 1 more season.
@Faggot ass Gay4Rudy
Fuka a HOMO!! Whats with all the negativity, what you didn’t get your fudge pack last nite. lmao. I’ll be here tommorow cause I gotta work. However it don’t matter cause it’s DETROIT ALLDAY.
PS.
“KILL YO SELF!” - 3-6 Mafia
April 20th, 2008 at 6:10 am
QQ says:
I don’t think so Fed. Many so-called ‘analysts’ (cough, SI, cough) are taking the Mavs over New Orleans because of their ‘postseason experience’. And just about two days ago, people are giving them Hornets crap in these forums because they didn’t get the top seed.
Fools, if you have Chris Paul in your team, it won’t matter a shit if you’re not no.1 or your first round opponents have the experience ‘advantage’.
New Orleans in 5.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:21 am
YOUNGFED says:
Anybody who thought NO wouldn’t win hasn’t been watching this season. Also QQ What Experience do the Mavs have beside knowing how to get eliminated early. lol
April 20th, 2008 at 6:27 am
eric says:
Blast ! Missed suns v spurs. Timmy d for 3. Wtf!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Damon says:
c’mon, i know duncan is great, it just seems hes scoring alot more against the suns, thats all i said. i repeat, he is GREAT and should be seen as the best player in the last decade.
btw, i hate rasheed wallace, but he is always defending him very well. your example of the 05 finals? if i remember right TD scored 20 pts per game on 40% shooting, which is well under his averages. so lets say he controlled him, stopping would be too much.
p.s., TD is great
April 20th, 2008 at 6:42 am
João says:
Well, Shaq play with foul trouble, Amare fouled out, GH only score 5, the Spurs made ridiculous shots, Duncan score 40, and the Suns only lost by 2 in the 2 OT ? I will say that, if and thats a BIG IF, the Suns win game 2, they will win 4-1 this series ,,,
April 20th, 2008 at 7:27 am
aj says:
“If Timmy embarrased Amare then Amare did the same to Tim.”
If y’all haven’t noticed, that’s how the Spurs beat the Suns. Let Amare do his thing, the more he gets on O, the worse he plays overall. How many times you see Amare go for 30+ and the Suns still get smoked? Whole lot more frequently than anyone else in the league, except maybe Gilbert….
April 20th, 2008 at 7:46 am
rangerjohn says:
“If Timmy embarrased Amare then Amare did the same to Tim.”
really, you have to be kidding me. 1st duncan doent guard amare much so thomas and oberto would be embarrased? i think not. 2nd amare only had 7 boards, and ZERO assists, the man gets the ball and he shoots NO MATER WHAT. amare also had SIX turnovers to go with that goose egg on assists, makes for an UGLY assist to turn over ratio lmao.
amare will get his but the spurs will roll them up. so for the guy who things the suns win 4-1, spurs sweep so there lmao (actually i have the spurs in 6 but you know, cant let him get that in)
as for the sonics vote, cuban voted against the sonics move for 1 reason, money. OKC is not a long drive from dallas and he thinks the sonics moving there will take fans out of HIS stands. the people of oklahoma have always been dallas fans for every sport so cuban is losing a huge cash cow if they move to okc.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:52 am
ERIC says:
Dallas’ postseason experience is mainly 2006 getting past the spurs in 7 and the suns in 6 while getting to the Finals (where they choked).
But they did constantly get to the second round plenty. Dirk, Eddie Jones, Devean George (with the 3-peat Lakers), JTerry, JKIDD all have major playoff experience.
HOWEVER - CP3 is a freak of nature - lebron got to the 2nd round in his first postseason.
Don’t forget that Peja and Bonzi all have major intense playoff experience under their belt. Not to mention Byron Scott who has done it all has a player himself, and taken the Nets to the Finals TWICE as a coach. They know their stuff and are ready.
Gonna be a great series.
April 20th, 2008 at 8:24 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Eric
Um this is not lebrons 1st post season. Maybe you meant CP3
@RangerJ
We’ll see how much ish you tawkin’ come monday yall only won by 2pts. in a game yall should’ve lost.
Nuff said
April 20th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Dave says:
Do you think Cuban might rethink the JKidd trade when Dallas gets bounced by NO?
April 20th, 2008 at 8:46 am
for real says:
sorry Gee. Houston up? Nah. H-Town down.
Spurs/Suns was RIDICULOUS. I hope every game goes to OT.
like I said two days ago - Spurs let Amare get his and take care of the rest. Yesterday was lucky as hell though!
April 20th, 2008 at 8:59 am
YOUNGFED says:
@for real
I Think Gee is in hiding, wiping his tears away. Scream Calgon Take He Away! lol
Hey Gee where’s that 20 something win streak now. Damn yall ain’t even get a trophy for that shit and it don’t look like yall gettin’ one now.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Jim says:
I’m glad Dime noticed that Tim Duncan huddle in the TO, that was cool as hell…I’ve never seen anything like that before.
Amare really came on strong late, because he was not doing well for most of the game, in the 4th he had 24 point on 21 shots…not too efficient, or embarrassing for the other team’s big who isn’t guarding him.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Jim says:
Also, I think this situation right here is where Shaq helps the Suns. A bad locker room could turn really bad after a game like that, but Shaq has experience coming back from bad losses and can probably lend some confidence to his teammates.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Amar says:
Jazz get nothing from Okur, and Booz+’Sap had foul trouble and Deke goes in the time machine — yet the jazz win on the road. I thought the jazz were a bad road team? I guess those wins in NO, Bos, Phx, Den, etc weren’t flukes after all . . .
April 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
red alert says:
duncan travelled on that three. check the replay. but i guess no ref is gonna call that at that point in the game.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
doc says:
Tim Duncan is a fuckin monster.Whoever can say the Spurs are boring need to just watch And 1 or Slamball.The King embarrassed Deshawn,like we didnt see that coming.CP3 for MVP for me.Deron dicked Houston but who cares we all know Houston aint shit they in the fuckin way taking G-State spot.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:57 am
YOUNGFED says:
@post#25
Amare 13-26, 33pts
Timmy D 16-24, 40pts
Not that big of a difference. looks like they both shot fairly well.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:20 am
rangerjohn says:
man young you do realize there are more then points and shooting % right? how about the 15 rebounds to 7, and the 5 assists to ZERO, oh and dont forget the 3 TD fouls to the 6 AS fouls! looks pretty lopsided to me!
and you are right, the spurs where not supposed to win that game, but htey did, coming back from 16 down with about 5-6 minutes left in the 2nd, BUT THEY DID WIN! spurs showed exactly why they win titles, and why the suns dont, why they have 4 and the pistons have 1 (in the last 15 yrs or so) why the mavs cant get over the hump, the spurs dont give up when it counts, they fight through what ever it takes. i think rudy t said it best in 1995, “never underestimate the heart of a champion!”
keep talkin shit, cause the more you talk the more it shows HOW LITTLE YOU REALLY KNOW!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:32 am
YOUNGFED says:
@rangerjohn
What I don’t know I lookup it’s called research. Plus I never said I was some basketball GURU, I’m merely just an average FAN. Also I definetly wouldn’t be trash talking after a 2pt. WIN. I don’t expect the Spurs to get past the Suns because Shaqs bad game isn’t going to happen alot in this Series. However it dosen’t matter because the Spurs can’t beat the Lakers, Celtics, or Pistons.
NUFF SAID (x)2
April 20th, 2008 at 10:39 am
mister sun says:
duncan is overrated, he always bullies himself to the basket and commits offensiv fouls, hes just about power.
i like amare more, hes got some finesse and post moves to his game
suns in 4
April 20th, 2008 at 10:39 am
ERIC says:
@ YOUNGFED
My comment above referenced that no one should discount CP3 bc it is his first postseason. LeBron, in his first post-season a few years back, advanced to the 2nd round.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Bone says:
Mad props to Duncan for that game yesterday. Dude is officially the best to ever man the 4 spot in my opinion. However, I do not think this is gloom and doom for the Suns. Look at EVERYTHING that the Spurs had to have go right:
- Shaq in first half foul trouble
- Phoenix getting a shot clock violation
- 86 year old Mike Finley hitting a clutch three
- Amare fouling out
- TD hitting his first three of the year!
- Manu hitting a game winner with no time left
Did the Spurs excute when they had to? Absolutely, and mad props to them. However, it took essentially five or six events to create the perfect storm for them to come back. That won’t happen again.
I am sticking with my prediction of Phoenix in six.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Beantown, son! says:
ANT BANKS!! YEA!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:48 am
YOUNGFED says:
Um Mister sorry but the Suns can’t do it in 4 maybe you meant 5. Thats a better number.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am
mister sun says:
yes i meant in 5, hope the overrated boring guy gets beat.
amare owns him, he would shut him down if dantoni wouldn’t put diaw and bell on duncan all the time. amare should defend him since he is already beasting him with his great moves.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am
daquest?on says:
get ready 4 the first upset of the play offs DENVER OVER LAKERS YEAAA!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 10:55 am
daquest?on says:
Tim duncan needs a hair cut fast in this pic, he looks like a cave man
April 20th, 2008 at 11:23 am
rangerjohn says:
@ mister sun
LMFAO, you have got to be the most un-nba-educated person i have heard yet!!!! duncan is over rated and amare has more post moves? what heroin induced mental haze are you living in?
when did the suns put bell on duncan again? (maybe on a switch from a pick and roll?)
amare has been trying to guard duncan for what 4 yrs now? how is that working out so far? ummm rings, no rings, ring, no rings i say it isnt working so well.
and @ bone, your 6 “had to have go right” points,
1)shaq has ALWAYS been in foul trouble, it is part of his carreer!
2)shot clock violation is part of good defense, spurs play good defense
3)finley has been hitting big shots his whole carreer, that is why he is there
4)amare fouled out because he is one of the most foul prone players in the league, comes from not being able to play defense
5)td hitting a three, ok i will give you that one, lucky shot but then he hit the half court on his 1st try at the allstar game
6)manu hitting the game winner, that is what he does, that is why he in the top 3 players in the clutch according to 82games.com look it up.
thse things are all by design, well except duncans lucky three
April 20th, 2008 at 11:25 am
rangerjohn says:
oh and youngfed, you are always telling everyone how you know more then everyone, with quotes like “come on test me, i will challenge anyone to test my basketball knowledge” (or something along those lines)
relax man, we all know you dont know as much as you think, we wil see who wins what, but i can tell you this much, pistons will win their couple of series but will not get past the celtics PERIOD
April 20th, 2008 at 11:31 am
YOUNGFED says:
Ranger what are you the Spurs spokesperson or something. I totally agree with mister and bone.
April 20th, 2008 at 11:38 am
snook says:
note to everyone: do not look at antawn jamison straight in the eyes.. he will take your soul.
April 20th, 2008 at 11:53 am
alex says:
ranger: you know better than to argue with and about youngfed’s comments. you know that he doesn’t usually know what he’s talking about so just leave it.
Amare is only good as long as Nash is on the floor at the same time. He doesn’t move well without the ball, doesn’t box out, doesn’t get rebounds, only moves in a straight line towards the basket, cannot pass the ball, cannot play positional defense. His midrange jumper has improved dramatically which would be useful if Shaq’s also there for the offensive rbs. All being said, Spurs still got the W and it was TD who brought them back from the dead.
Pop totally outclassed Mike D with subtle adjustments the whole game.
April 20th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Sam Boobie says:
It’s always funny how, this time of year, Dime begins to act as if they’ve been telling everyone all year how great LeBron is — begins to act as if they aren’t one of the principal voices amongst the “haters” they so hypocritically call out in this piece. How Dime can do this, in light of their deep-set instituional bias against LeBron, amazes me.
Dime Magazine owes LeBron James an apology and they owe him one now. When will the national media take note of the bias at play here?
April 20th, 2008 at 11:56 am
YOUNGFED says:
why is it that when some ones opinion is different they don’t know what tey’re talking about. (SMH) Agree to disagree.
BTW - WHO THE FUK IS ALEX (Must be a Spurs Fan)
April 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
K Dizzle says:
lol calm down, spurs fan. all these things were by design?
that’s comedy.Spurs down 3 end of regulation and down three end of 1st overtime is planned? Amare foulin out on the OFFENSIVE END was planned? LMAO
Game 1 reminds me of Lakers-Bulls on MJ’s first championship when the lakers won the first game, but everything went their way and you knew Mike wasn’t havin it, so Bulls in 5.
What happened was the Suns using the spurs strategy on em. Let duncan get his, but don’t leave the 3 point shooters. For all you stat kings, yesterday’s game was the first game that Tim got 40 in the playoffs that resulted in a win. Teams don’t worry about Tim cuz he can’t be stopped and not even contained. A bad game for Duncan is like 20, 12 and 3 so if you limit Parker and Ginobili, it’s usually a win. All the junk about Steve Nash being a garbage defender was tossed out the window last night. All the speed parker has and nash stayed in front of him all day. It took pick and rolls and lazy Phx bigs for TP to get to the bucket.Check your tivos. I thought Amare’s spin and dunk on Oberto set the tone. This series is gon be money.Yesterday was like Christmas, but spurs fans, if you actually confident about a 2 point win in double overtime with TD and Fin hittin undeniably huge shots, then game 2 might be a rude awakening cuz with shaq in that locker room, that team is gonna be pissed.
Point 2 : Chris Paul - screw experience. Dude can ball and if the Mavs thought they had some kinda edge at point, they don’t. Dude is the best point in the league and I doubt if he’ll be left off the olympic team if he keeps doin what he been doin
Austin
I said Thomas and the rest of the spurs bench couldn’t compare to the lakers bench, wasn’t talkin about Phoenix’s bench and if smart and crafty and all that stuff I hear about Thomas means how many times can a man flop when he gets touched, then the dude is the smartest man in ball. It didn’t help him that Van Gundy and Jackson coached and played with dude so they broke it down everytime he flopped but I’ll give him his props for bringin it when his team was drownin
KB24 - MVP
April 20th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Dr. J says:
Lebron just showed why Deshawn Stevenson should just shut his trap and play ball for his team.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Get’em K-DIZZLE
April 20th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
for real says:
…and another thing, now you know why the Spurs got rid of Barbosa.
He BarBlowsa.
And Amare Stouemire needs to find his D.
Spurs in six, then dismiss the Hornets in 5 and the Lakers in 7.
April 20th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Celts Fan says:
Note to all announcers, if you don’t know who the guys you’re talking about are, just don’t bring it up. All you do is look foolish. Listening to these guys attempt to explain the Jay-Z/Soulja Boy thing was painful. Just leave it for someone that’s under 50, ok fellas? Next time Mike Miller and Kyle Korver start beefing and Mike compares it to Celine Dion answering Kelly Clarkson, we’ll call you. Til then, just let it be…
KANSAS-bound Morris twins? They must not be centers, or they’d already be committed to Stanford.
I guess yesterday showed what they meant in the TD/Shaq, legacy discussion on Sportscenter. Shaq could make his legacy even more ridiculous (first person to the Finals w/ 4 teams, getting another ring after pretty much everyone’s written him off as done, etc.) but Timmy keeps showing why he should be regarded as the best player of the era. I’m guessing they meant they’re battling each other for the championship of each other (to borrow the hyperbole from Ali-Frasier III) because historically, whoever wins the next ring (or, if neither wins another one, probably whoever wins this series) goes down as the better of these two all time great players…
There aren’t many things that surprise you about SA anymore. They calmly and casually dismantle you, typically without doing anything that’ll be a Sportscenter top play (which sparks the “boring” comments,) but watching Timmy stick a 3 with the game on the line in OT, you knew watching it is one of those, “He can even do THIS!” type highlights you’ll see in every highlight package of him forever. Don’t be surprised when they show that in Springfield 5 years after whenever he retires. Jesus, just when you start to doubt if SA still has enough, Tim Duncan of all people hits a 3. If that doesn’t crush Phoenix’s confidence/momentum, I don’t know what will. How pumped do you think they were when they forced TD to shoot that 3? Game over, right? Umm, not so fast… bla ba ba ba Timmm-ay!
April 20th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
for real says:
has anyone ever lied to a girl to get some ass?
to me, a flop is the same thing. The end justifies the means.
Now, if Ginobili and Kurt Thomas ever run into each other covering a pick and roll, you’ll see two dudes from the same team laying out cold on the floor.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
QQ says:
Oooohh.. Can’t wait for LA-Denver series. Kobe versus Carm… Uh, nevermind that bitchass. But it’s gonne be a great series, with 24 owning Anthony’s ass.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
rangerjohn says:
“Spurs down 3 end of regulation and down three end of 1st overtime is planned? Amare foulin out on the OFFENSIVE END was planned? LMAO”
yeah the “being down” part is NOBODIES DESIGN, but then that leads to the things that pop draws up and teachs/coaches, poise, confidence, no fear, keep calm cool and collected. the playes all came out like they where drawn, the defense did its job, finley did his job, manu did his typical thing, duncan knocked down the criticle shot it just happened to be about 5 feet farther away from the cup then he is known for.
youngfed, come on make an intelegent comment ON YOUR OWN no steraling from others, or riding coat tails.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Bone says:
Rangerjon:
My point was not of surprise that all of those things happen, because yes, independetly, they are not a suprise. My point was, for ALL of those things to happen in the SAME game was the shock. I gave the Spurs props for coming through and making plays and winning the game. The whole point was it took them doing all of that to win by 2 in double OT. What happens if one or two of those things does not happen?
April 20th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
SAS Sizzle says:
“amare is overrated, he always bullies himself to the basket and commits offensiv fouls, hes just about power.
i like duncan more, hes got some finesse and post moves to his game
spurs in 4″
good one mister sun!
YOUNGFED we all know you a spurs hater cuz they took out yer squad in 2005 which was a classic series regardless of the outcome. i will say this, your boy Sheed plays Duncan better than anyone in the league imho, they cannot really stop each other in the post, meaning he gives as much as he gets. that goes all the way back to college. so theres some props for ya.
so i was wondering what the suns excuse would be, looks like they are blaming it on the floppers, hooookay, i saw the charge calls going both ways. shaq is not the sharpest tool in the shed anywayz. they just have to look in the mirror on this one, excuses are FUTILE. i wouldn’t even say the suns choked in this one, they also never stopped clawing away, this one just came down to who had the ball last and could execute. GINOOOO-BILIIII!!!
red alert: i saw that tim shuffled his stance on the three but I don’t think he actually picked his right foot up off the ground, he just kind of dug it in from what I could tell. anywayz, it was a huuuuge shot, one that will go down in playoff history as one of the great clutch shots.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Austin Burton says:
@K Dizzle — Do you really think all Kurt Thomas did yesterday was flop? You missed the rebounding (10 rebs), boxing out, playing D in the post, getting to loose balls, setting picks, effectively using his fouls, etc.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
for real says:
Raps/Magic game:
would they keep showing the guy who won the Masters if those Double-D’s weren’t behind him???
I think not.
April 20th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Austin Burton says:
Exactly.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
daquest?on says:
all kurt thomas did was flop… the spurs are the number one flopping team in the league, oberto ginobili and kurt thomas could pick up acting after they retire from the nba
April 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
daquest?on says:
is kurt thmas from seattle??
April 20th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
rangerjohn says:
SAS sizzle
i read yesterday that the suns “let it leak” that nash was “bed ridden with the flu all day friday”
and so the excuses begin!
and bone, i understand your point, but the way they are presented, only 1 of those things was not the norm for the spurs (the three from td), everything else have been the complete norm for what the spurs do, play excelent defense, knock down threes on screen and rolls/kickouts, and take the ball to the cup for big shots from manu and parker.
those are all things they practice day in and day out. all those things you named are completely part of the spurs game, and have been since pop got there.
the duncan shot was luck i give that, but then the suns had to hit some of their own lucky shots (ie nash falling out of bounds for a game tieing three) it goes both ways, like thomas fouling out, parker fouling out, did the suns draw those up?
it was just a mater of time before amare fouled out, it was just a mater of time for shaq to get those fouls, and thomas took the charge with 5 fouls, shaq GOT OUT OF EVERYONES WAY WITH HIS 5. thomas and amare both had 5 fouls, “someones going home for the night” and remember thomas played with amare last season, you think he doesnt know what he is going to do? he knew what was coming and did a good job.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Austin Burton says:
If you still think all Thomas did was flop you obviously didn’t watch the game. I don’t know what else to tell you.
FYI: The Nuggets/Lakers game isn’t being shown in New York because the Pope is holding a Mass at Yankee Stadium and every major network is showing it.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Ian says:
mister
lol
wtf
duncan is about power and amare finess
hahhahahahah
u got it the other way around lol
younfed
please take off your detroit goggles and watch a game
loopsided even on the stupid stats u showed
timmy 67% compared to 50% is loopsided and got abused in every other stats
that crap is not research is just bullshit
let me know the day the pistons can beat the spurs
duncans shot wasnt look it was a WIDE open shot
it would be lucky if he was aiming at the other rim and made it
and what is this crap about timmy shufflin pleaseeeeeeee
did barkley get called for that crap he was doin with the ball when he hit the game winner on david robinson
nooooo so shut the fuck up suns fans
April 20th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
K Dizzle says:
Austin
like I said, he brought his team back when they were drownin so I gave him his props. But of course I’m gonna rip on his floppin when everytime anybody touched him, he went down. Dude is like 6′9 240. That’s all I kept hearin from Van Gundy and jackson and they would know better than anybody. It actually got funny that whenever Manu, Thomas and Bell were in the same location, all three guys went down like they got shot.
It’s cool, tho. Suns jumped on them, spurs got back in, then got some luck (Duncan’s 3 wasn’t even the set play, but you all heard tim say that on the post-game) and bad fouls by amare to win it. NoOw let’s see if it carries over to game 2
April 20th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Ian says:
this is good
Shaquille O’Neal has changed the Suns. Now they complain more than they used to. “The floppers prevailed,” Shaq said. That’s Shaq. He’s from the Phil Jackson school of spin, where an analysis of officiating is required after every playoff loss. “Hopefully, those guys will compete,” he said of the Spurs, “rather than just fall down.” The Spurs fell down — usually after bouncing off of Shaq after another successful layup. The Spurs scored a remarkable 72 points in the paint, similar to past playoff series against Phoenix, and that defines how Shaq has changed the Suns. Now there’s a 325-pound, sweaty, bald man watching as the Spurs score.
and all that crap from a man that always whines himself out of the teams hes on
and only plays when he thinks his team can win
shaq is a bitch
April 20th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Austin Burton says:
It wasn’t a designed play, but that’s on Shaq for deciding not to guard Duncan.
April 20th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
daquest?on says:
LIKE I SAID GET READY 4 THE UPSETTT ..DENVER ALL THE WAY!!!… and austin ur right about its on shaq
April 20th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
daquest?on says:
shaq barely played so u cant say shaq is a bitch.. he was in foul trouble and even so the suns almost won
April 20th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Austin Burton says:
Why is Shaq talking about flopping when his second foul came on a play where he hit the deck trying to take a charge from Duncan?
April 20th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
for real says:
Ian, niiiiiiiice. Post 66. Brought up that Barkley shit from 1994. Last game in Hemisfair arena. I remember watching that game.
Right after Barkley hits the shot, David Robinson gets his shot blocked by Oliver Miller. Game over. Oliver freakin’ Miller. sad.
Let Shaq cry. He’ll probably be playing for Memphis next year
April 20th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
girllybballluver says:
No mention of Dirk gettin’ punked by D West? That hand in the face was way funny. Gotta love Inside the NBA for their comical analysis of the situation, and for playing the Shaq v Barkley fight.
April 20th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ post 70
…………..
That is all
April 20th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
mister sun says:
denver again couldn’t guard anyone, really surprises me since they have some great defenders like anthony. if everybody played the way hes plays defensively, they would’ve won.
April 20th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Jim says:
Mister Sun you are insane. Every comment you leave is nonsense.
April 20th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Boyez says:
HAHAHA Mister Sun youre so naive
April 20th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
daquest?on says:
mr sun u are my hero.. whats next the sixers are gonna win cuz the pistons cant defend??
April 20th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
daquest?on says:
but on the real if denver made their free throws they might have won so the lakers should be afraid
April 20th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
mister sun says:
really? so are my thoughts that strange? melo is widely regarded as one of the top defenders in the league.
you guys should check out some games earlier this year where he shut down kobe, tmac or roy
so you are making nonsense comments
April 20th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Austin Burton says:
Mister Sun is just trying to say crazy stuff and get responses. It’s some kind of Internet masochism thing.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
for real says:
Mister Sun, or is it Mr. Son - it’s opposite day in the land of Mrs. Sun.
That fool is flipped.
The last time Melo locked anyone down, well…..you know…..
76ers lookin’ sharp right now
April 20th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
daquest?on says:
yea they are..upset alert
April 20th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Dennis Castro says:
Still a lot of time left.
Reggie Evans just hit 2 free throws!!! Maybe it’s a sign, ahahah
April 20th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Dennis Castro says:
REGGIE EVANS!!!! The Nut Grabber!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
daquest?on says:
LOOK AT JOE DUMARS FACE LMFAO AAJAJAJAJAJJAJJAAJAJA PRICELESS
April 20th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
tealish says:
Shaq’s whinning is pathetic. I knew he was bad before, but it seems like he’s taken it up a notch with his new coach. I mean, D’Antoni really looks as if someone took out his mother sometimes…
April 20th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Austin Burton says:
I missed it. What did Dumars look like?
April 20th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’m kinda upset no one got the title of Smack today.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
daquest?on says:
it was kinda like this http://digitaltirade.com/Rants/archives/shocked.jpg
April 20th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
daquest?on says:
yea i was gonna ask what that meant
April 20th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
daquest?on says:
my ex favorite team won good 4 them
April 20th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Suckacockhova says:
Youngfed sux some cox!
90
86
April 20th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
daquest?on says:
damn it feels weird watching the hawks in the playoffs
April 20th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Dennis Castro says:
LET’S GO SIX-ERS!!!!!
It’s only one game, but DAMN! And Iguodala had a bad game…
April 20th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
rangerjohn says:
so how long before youngfederline shows up? i say after the pistons FINALLY win a game in the playoffs, he is NOT gonna show for this one LMFAO!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
daquest?on says:
i have a question.. did dominique wilkins play 4 the celtics??
April 20th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
SOUSS says:
apparently he did…
on a side note, how good has RRondo become!?
April 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
nbaroundtable says:
Dominique played for the Celtics in 94-95 scoring 18 a night. Nearer the end of his career.
Atlanta have done themselves pround to stay within single digits at the half. They don’t have a chance against Boston.
April 20th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
daquest?on says:
thanx… damn i thought i knew a lot about basketball but u took the cake again thanx
April 20th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
word says:
100 again. well all i got to say is I hate the spurs I hate Manu and Duncan and I fully have faith that my team will win the series, but I will admit that was the best playoff game I’ve ever seen (I’m young), even though I don’t enjoy watching the spurs. It might go to 7, but I believe in the suns. By the way, the 6ers are officially a problem.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
word says:
by the way I blame Skinner for missing those damn free throws, I mean come on if he only hit 2 more we woulda tied or if he hit all 4 we woulda won. It was a damn shame. That game still has me mighty salty.
April 20th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
rangerjohn says:
suns are done, spurs are in their head. thinbk about it, suns gave it everything they had and where up by 16 and yet the spurs didnt do go nuts, they did what they have done every year, beat you to death and they came back and won.
the suns need to PRAY shaq has some good advice lmao
the big jackass better pull something out of his jack ass
April 20th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
K Dizzle says:
word
you can’t blame a dude who shouldn’t even be in da game
you gotta put that loss on Amare. Even with shaq’s foul trouble, he still played 30 minutes. Barbosa didn’t show up and tell me you didn’t jump outta your seat when Nash set up Amare with an open 12 footer and he decides to drive into the d. Offensive. Sit down. That ish was grade school. This series will go down as one of the best ever tho.
About the Sixers game, that was all heart.Andre Miller has stepped it up, probably got sick of all the Billups talk; my man was all business
April 20th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
daquest?on says:
is this a record for most posts on an article??
April 20th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
hotdog says:
suns should have fouled when they lead by 3 on two separate ocassions. they have nash, sure he missed one last night, but the could have won that game on the ft line.
Told you all lebron would kill the wizards. Deshwan you suck!
April 20th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
K Dizzle says:
post 106
I think Vince Carter to the Hall of fame got more posts
or whenever Austin B asks why people don’t like the spurs get a gang o posts
hotdog
I feel that strategy. Twice they coulda fouled the spurs and got the inbounds in to Nash to wrap it up, and twice they let Fin and TD get loose for 3’s. I was watchin the game with the boys sayin the game was all kinda shades of Kansas-Memphis. I don’t know why a coach wouldn’t do that when you got the best free throw shooter in the league to bail you out. Shoot, spurs went to haq-a-shaq with like 8 minutes left in da half
April 20th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Austin Burton says:
Dirk, Vince and T-Mac got 100+ comments on their Hall of Fame watch posts.
The 1-on-1 tournament posts have hit 100+ a few times, and one of the ones where Brandon Roy’s fans made their voices heard hit 200+ posts.
And yeah, the Spurs posts get a lot of comments.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:03 am
Nick Barnes says:
LOL at Suns fans grasping at straws. Brian Skinner’s fault? Come on, bruh. It wasn’t Skinner’s fault Phoenix blew that big lead in the first place or left Duncan wide open or didn’t know Manu was going left.
April 21st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
daquest?on says:
yea but i still think some of those posts for b roy where phony