L.O., Dey Know
L.O. (photo. Tadder)The Mavericks know they’re in a battle just to make the playoffs. That’s why Dirk Nowitzki is even playing right now on a sore knee and a sore ankle instead of resting like he would’ve done if this were a year ago and Dallas was knocking on 65-70 wins. So being in that position, they have to be especially frustrated after letting a winnable game get away from them last night … In the second quarter against the Lakers, Dallas went on a 14-0 run and looked to have control, with J-Kidd (10 pts, 7 rebs, 8 asts, 3 stls) and Josh Howard (23 pts) showing some Brady/Moss chemistry and Dirk (27 pts) giving everyone jumpers … That lasted until the start of the fourth quarter, when the Lakers bench ignited a run to get L.A. back in it, and then Lamar Odom (31 pts, 10 rebs, 5 asts), Pau Gasol (25 pts, 7 asts) and Kobe (25 pts, 10 rebs) took over. Odom in particular was killing down the stretch, driving to the cup and either finishing or hitting Gasol was some nice passes. Dirk fought off the Lakers as best he could with some ice-water buckets, but the Mavs were hurt when Josh Howard (whose jumper was broken in crunch-time) lost his cool and get T’d up for spiking his headband after a no-call, and the fact that they just couldn’t stop L.A.’s bigs … We know it’s the new NBA trend to chant “M-V-P!” for your team’s star player when he’s at the free throw line, but usually this is done in the fourth quarter. Last night, L.A. fans started with the chants for Kobe in the first quarter … There was one sequence where Kobe drove past Kidd and missed a layup over Dirk, but believing he was fouled (or just working the refs), Kobe threw a mid-play fit. On L.A.’s next possession, Sasha Vujacic threw a bad pass to Kobe that Kidd easily picked off and took off on a fast break. Kobe threw his hands up at Sasha in frustration during the play, and when Sasha hit the deck after fouling to stop the easy bucket, Kobe helped him up but with a look on his face like, “You’re a moron.” Sasha made up for it with a huge steal on Dirk in the final minute, though … The block/foul Dirk had on Odom that drew blood wasn’t a bad play at all. But you know if that was Ron Artest delivering the blow on L.O., the refs and/or League office would overreact … Announcer Jon Barry: “My brother Brent stole all my hops.” … Jazz/Spurs was close for a half, but everything after Carlos Boozer‘s halftime-buzzer-beating jumper was downhill for San Antonio. Playing in the League’s toughest arena, the Spurs got mollywhopped in the second half. The Jazz went up by 20 early in the fourth and the Spurs gave up shortly thereafter — Duncan, Manu and Parker spent the rest of the night on the bench seeing who could look more sad … Deron Williams (16 pts, 11 asts) was dealing nasty stuff, like a pitcher who was hitting all the corners. Squeezing bounce passes into small spaces, tossing perfect alley-oops and making crisp dimes to set up shooters, it was all working for Deron. And, of course, the pick-and-roll dishes to Booz (16 pts) were on-point … Continuing the “M-V-P!” chanting trend, the Jazz fans were doing it for Deron in the fourth quarter. Now we love Deron over here, and we recognize that he’s the real straw stirring the drink even if Boozer gets the All-Star love, but MVP? And do fans do this at Bucks’ games for Michael Redd? At Bulls’ games for Ben Gordon? … Once it hit garbage time, Jacque Vaughn turned awful. He was jacking up ill-fated jumpers early into the shot clock, dribbling the ball off his leg while trying to go 1-on-3, and was just generally bad. Jacque also traveled one time before taking another bad jumper, only the refs just wanted to go home at that point and didn’t call it … And speaking of garbage time, why on Earth were Boozer, Deron and Memo still on the court with two and a half minutes left? We know Jerry Sloan isn’t a stat-padder, and it would help the Jazz to keep those guys as fresh as possible for what will undoubtedly be a brutal postseason … Bobby Jones got some clock for San Antonio. He’s on his NBA-record fifth team this year, and also holds the record for the most numbers entered into one NBA player’s cell phone during one season. You know with the constant nice-to-meet-yous, followed by the see-ya-arounds, Jones is getting pretty popular … The Hornets are officially going to the playoffs. Chris Paul (33 pts, 15 asts) ripped apart the Knicks again, just like we saw him do live at MSG a while back, and again N.O. let N.Y. hang around well into the fourth quarter before pulling away … The Sixers are in, clinching a playoff berth by knocking off the Hawks on the road. Andre Iguodala scored 30, had 10 assists and had a vicious block on Josh Childress that could have hurt someone. Earlier in the day we looked at Philly’s chances of actually advancing a round in the postseason. Could the Sixers take down LeBron in Round 1? It’s not such a crazy idea … Play of the game from Atlanta’s standpoint: Josh Smith soaring over Willie Green and Al Horford for a follow dunk where he was almost looking down into the rim … The third team that clinched last night was the Wizards, who had the easiest job of all: beating Miami at home. Ricky Buckets made it interesting by nailing 9 threes (33 pts), but the Wiz weren’t letting this one slip away to Team D-League. Gilbert Arenas had 13 points, 8 dimes and 5 boards in just 20 minutes off the bench … E-mail from Austin: “I was gonna write this post on the site today about how Kevin Durant has been 10 times more efficient over the last month or so — he shot over 50% in March and had his best month as a pro by far — but got busy doing other stuff. So I was gonna just post it on Monday, then I turn on the Sonics/Rockets game and KD goes 1-for-10 in the first quarter.” Durant finished the night 2-for-17, Jeff Green went 1-for-8 (with some truly ugly bricks), and the Sonics got handled by T-Mac (25 pts) and crew … After Donyell Marshall got a steal and somehow beat everyone down the floor for a dunk, Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro said, “You just saw the first flat-foot dunk in the history of the game.” The replay angle from behind Donyell was just a mess of jiggle … All the Raptors had to do to clinch a playoff spot was beat the Bobcats. In Toronto. So naturally they struggled trying to stop Charlotte — J-Rich lit up Anthony Parker for 27 points while Ray Felton dropped 21 on the Ford/Calderon duo — and the Raps couldn’t score when they needed to down the stretch. Down one with just under a minute to go, T.J. got ripped clean by Earl Boykins, who darted downcourt and took the contact before converting the and-one. After that the ‘Cats just stuck their free throws and walked out with a win … On one play J-Rich lost Parker on a crossover, then threw a BANGER on Rasho. Richardson’s been so busy behind the three-point line this year (he leads the League in attempts and makes) you forget he’ll give you a fitted hat in a quick second … Three things from the Pacers/Bucks game: (1) If they ever make The Travis Diener Story, Brad Pitt could definitely play Travis; (2) Can someone on the Pacers spring for a full-length mirror to put in the locker room? There’s no way Marquis Daniels could take a good look at himself before going out for tip-off and say, “Yeah, that looks good.”; (3) After getting crowned by a mask-wearing, primitive-screaming Andrew Bogut, poor Troy Murphy now knows what it’s like to get dunked on by Marv from Sin City … It says a lot about Vince Carter‘s career and reputation when you see him sitting out last night’s game in Detroit and your first thought is that the Nets must have been officially eliminated and VC (ankle) is officially packing it in … We’re out like the Raptors making it easy on themselves …
-->
April 5th, 2008 at 4:44 am
Damon says:
first
April 5th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Str8baller says:
PRIMERO…….
April 5th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Str8baller says:
Damon… you dog… Took too long reading the whole thing… 2nd and 3rd
April 5th, 2008 at 4:54 am
shoot the j says:
Lakers look dangerous. L.O. is the X-factor to their potential success. I loved that pass fake lay-up he pulled on the break at the end of the game. That’s my favorite weapon on a 2-on-1 break (it’s suprising how often it works).
Bobby Jones is a baller; solid defender,athletic hustler, overall good dude/teammate. He seems like a Spurs-type of guy.
Go Bruins!
April 5th, 2008 at 5:13 am
G-Force says:
And what about Stromile Swift’s tip-dunk?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8SGzQycZ5Wg
play # 3
http://www.squidoo.com/StromileSwift
April 5th, 2008 at 5:31 am
YOUNGFED says:
Questtion of of the DAY:
Shouldn’t Igoudala be getting in on the MVP race by now? I mean come’on his team is worst than all the others and still going to the playoffs.
Stucky for ROY. Sorry Durant.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:07 am
kobeef says:
Bibby single-handedly killed the Hawks last night going 1-11. When his shot is off it gets really ugly. If the Pacers bump Atlanta and get into the playoffs they should check Mike’s bank statements for a check from Larry Legend.
@youngfed
‘Dre Miller has as much or more to do with the team-effort we see in Philly than Iggy. Kast night was a great game for Iggy but you’d have a tough time proving he is the difference maker….the stupid part is you can tell he thinks he is the difference and will expect to get paid for it.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:22 am
YOUNGFED says:
Kobeef Come’on dude Dre-Miller the difference maker since when dude has never been a difference maker but he can ball everytime I see Philly play all I see is Iggs killin’ people.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:31 am
kobeef says:
@Youngfed
Miller makes the difference in Philly because when he arrived we started to see guys like Dalembert and Iggy play team ball. Dre Milller is not CP3 but he has the same effect on Philly – imagine ‘Chandler or West without CP3 setting them up.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:32 am
miamiVIS3 says:
Well looking @ how well L.O. and caron butler have done that Shaq trade is looking really bad. Yeah we got a ‘chip but i would imagine having L.O., Caron ,D-wade and Boobie or Farmar @ point could eventually get u a ring
April 5th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Amar says:
well now, I guess dime will HAVE to put Utah higher than 9 or whatever garbage respect you’ve been giving them. HELD THE SPURS DOWN TO 64 POINTS! lakers don’t do that. hornets don’t do that. heck, even my hometown pistons don’t do that.
and this was with our best on the ball defender injured.
Everyone talks about how the celtics have beaten every team in the L. well, no one talks about how the jazz have done the same as well.
35-4 at home bitches.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:13 am
K Dizzle says:
Raptors’ll be alright…well, at least they’re in but if the opponent is Det or Boston, then it’s all about next season. Where is Calderon? Gettin ridiculous to disappear like this.
Great stretch since the all-star break by L.O.
Once again wanna tell all the fake ass Laker fans sayin trade him for Kidd to please turn in your fan memberships cuz guess what? Dallas ain’t really better with Kidd and next year, they’ll be wishing they still had D Harris
R.I.P., MLK
April 5th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Borgs says:
Come on, Dime – as if ANYBODY on the Bucks or Bulls are entitled to M-V-P chants as much as arguably the equal-best PG on a potential home court playoff seed.
I’d like to believe that if you’re an All-NBA (second team I would think this season) player on a potential champion, isn’t some MVP consideration and a little parochial crowd support the least of what someone like D-Will is due?
Props for your recognition of his greater value to Utah’s cause, though.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Denise Huxtable says:
…after I finished Theo’s shirt, I made a custom suit for Andre Aldridge, which he wore last night.
Didn’t you just love it ???
April 5th, 2008 at 7:36 am
sans says:
i hate the front office of the Cavs more than anything on this planet, but I am so glad they got rid of the big giggle in Donyell. Thank God for the small things in life.
And yeah…all white people look like at least five other white people, just like Kutcher and Korver. Apparently, I look like some guy from incubus, Dave grohl, steve nash, some guy from scrubs, and smoking aces–and none of these people look even vaguely a like. Might be a dumb joke, but true.
Just call Kosta “the next Bird” in the 09 draft.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:39 am
sans says:
I’d be shocked if Deron made NBA 2nd team this season. CP. Nash. Deron/Chauncey, and that third one is gonna be a battle with voters.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Utes Fan says:
Why would it be a stretch for D-Will to get some MVP consideration. The Chris Paul bandwagon is in full swing. So lets compare CP3 to Sweet D-Will.
Hornets record 53-22
Chris Paul, 21.6 PPG, 11.5 APG on a team with one two All Stars.
Jazz Record 51-26
Deron Williams 19.2 PPG 10.5 APG on a team with one All Star.
I agree that Chris Paul is an MVP candidate, but lets give D-Will his due! Comparing him to Michael Redd, or Ben Gordon is turrible.
Charles Barkley is rolling over in his grave after reading that.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Borgs says:
I know UF, the Paul bandwagon is a colossal machine, to the point that Chris Paul has been touted in some quarters as this season’s Defensive Player of the Year. As all – Utah fans included – acknowledge, Paul is a great player, but it’s interesting that the average numbers of his and Deron’s opposing PGs’ in ’07/08 suggest that Deron’s the superior individual stopper. Funnily enough, no DPOY discussion for Williams, either. Not that there really should be. Kevin Garnett holds my counts-for-nothing vote.
Essentially, all of these official, NBA-endorsed, individual accolades are a joke. It’s nice for the player concerned – perhaps a potential few more hundred-thousand on the next contract – but it’s all about which team is champion, and that should be the end of the story.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:28 am
YOUNGFED says:
Ditto that Utes:
April 5th, 2008 at 8:44 am
doc says:
Youngfed Dre Miller is our MVP.Dallas kept making Dampier chase Kobe way out past the 3 point line and leaving Dirk guarding 2 people and he was getting worked out.
April 5th, 2008 at 8:47 am
miamiVIS3 says:
I feel sans on all white people look like other people i get told i look like 20 other people who dont even look alike
April 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Utes Fan says:
Interesting stat I just came across here in my boring morning at the office. Williams and Paul both have 50 double-doubles on the year. They are tied for third in the league with Boozer. The leader is Dwight Howard with 64 then Al Jefferson with 51 then the three way tie, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer with 50. I am surprised that Paul and Deron have as many double-dubs as Booze
April 5th, 2008 at 9:03 am
YOUNGFED says:
GTFOH Doc,
Every game, and I mean EVERYGAME! I see Iggs is the one murdering people out there. Don’t get me wrong Miller contibutes but MVP (SMH….and yes thats “Shaking My Head”). The should have titled this article “DEY KNOW WHO GETTIN’ THAT MAX MONEY NEXT YEAR”, cause its gonna be Dre Dala soon to be known as “DRE DOLLARS” lol.
Good points Kobeef no arguement there. However its a good point gaurds job to make the team run smoother its the 2 gaurds job to put up NUMBA’S and thats what Dre Dala does.
Nuff Said.
April 5th, 2008 at 9:10 am
YOUNGFED says:
Also I really wish People would stop with this Garnett for MVP mess. YOU DON’T GET MVP WHEN YOUR ON A TEAM THAT HAS 3 FUKIN’ HALL OF FAMERS!!!!
NUFF SAID(x)2
April 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Bron42 says:
deron isn’t gettin the same mvp love as paul simply because people expected the jazz to be nice. meanwhile everyone thought the hornets were one injury away from bein out the playoffs just like every year. meanwhile paul is puttin up crazy numbers and the teams been in first place on and off, so hes automatically ahead of deron. Besides, this years mvp race is gonna be so retarded because people are basing it on different things once again. Is the the player on the team with the most wins? KG? is the star player on the most surprising team? Chris Paul? Is it the guy puttin up crazy numbers on a crappy team? lebron? I mean if we go off the “nash/dirk” rules of mvp than KG wins simply because his team is in first and the numbers dont matter. If we go old school and its based on which team would suddenly suck wihtout their star player, than its kobe or tmac. so who knows. All i kno is none of the knicks players have to worry about gettin stressed over it.
April 5th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Bron42 says:
and um..youngfed, didn’t nash get 2 mvps with 2 other potential hall of famers on his team in amare and marion? and his team wasn’t even as dominant as the celtics AND didn’t go for worst team to best team within one summer. so much for that theory.
April 5th, 2008 at 9:28 am
YOUNGFED says:
Bron42 I’m not racist but everyone knows why he got 2MVPS. It’s called the ever present nba search for the “Great White Hope”. K-HOVA should’ve won it both of them years. However that knicks joke was funny as hell. lol.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:19 am
T-Bone says:
“Could the Sixers take down LeBron in Round 1? It’s not such a crazy idea”
Absolutely not, and yes, it IS such a crazy idea. This will never happen this year. Strictly impossible. Lebron will not allow it. He will score 60 a game if he needs to but the SIXERS WILL NOT BE BEATING CLEVELAND IN THE FIRST ROUND
April 5th, 2008 at 10:42 am
jz_smoove says:
whooaaaaaa!!! @ youngfed. ‘dre dollars’ kinda makes sense, it sorta does. i’ll give you props for that son.
i believe kb24 will get his due this year, just wait and see. i personally do not want to give him MVP so as not to boost his large enough ego, but yeah he’ll finally get his.
And VC, packing it in again dude? whats new right? if you havent carried my Raps on your shoulders for a few years i would bash you too. superstar ability absolutely yes. superstar, definitely no.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:57 am
YOUNGFED says:
It gotta be K-HOVA’s year they owe him for like the past 4 years JZ. I only do the nickname Ish to mess wit dime readers cause alot of them be Dik ridin’ dime. Also JZ, K-Hova makes sense to when you consider who the God Body in Basketball is.
April 5th, 2008 at 11:26 am
bron42 says:
ya i agree about the nash thing but i’m just sayin. people change the mvp standards every year just so their pick gets it. Like i said before, at NO point last year did i watch a mavs game and go “wow, dirk is the best player in the nba” yet he won it simply cuz his team had the best record and hes their headliner (even though its questionable if hes thier best player) so by those standards or the nash standards than KG automatically wins it. Kobes knock is pretty much the same as tmacs supposedly is. crazy numbers on a average team and gets knocked out in the first round (post shaq era). is he still more valuable than dirk was last year? ya but people will just use that excuse.
and ya, the sixers could beat the cavs, lets not gas up lebron too much once again like he has jordan syndrome.
April 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am
spindlest says:
I think I saw Suge Knight at the Wizards game last night.
April 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am
YOUNGFED says:
Good Synopsisv Bron42
April 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
h says:
how the fuck do you get off comparing Ben Gordon or Michael Redd to Deron Williams? what the fuck is this? you honestly think these guys are competing on the same plane? holy fucking shit.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Celts Fan says:
Amar, they mentioned in Smack (or another post) at some point this week that Utah had beaten every team, so while most people only give that cred to the Celtics, Dime’s all over it…
Youngfed – agreed that Nash was questionable for his MVP’s and his skin color probably definitely helped (yes I’m white, but still, fuck Canada!) IMO, the first year Nash won was CLEARLY Shaq’s, and the 2nd year, I think Nash and Kobe were pretty even for Nash’s 2nd MVP (remember, Kobe was in full-fledged dickhead/ballhog mode, which made him kind of unlikeable and a tough choice to some voters, and his ability to mature as he got older is one reason why my respect for him has gone well beyond his amazing skills.)
Having said all of that, MVP this year:
1. Kobe (and it’s not even close! I saw the Kobe thing with Sasha last night too. It was hilarious. Being a good teammate and helping him up, all while shaking his head and giving him that look on national TV. Kobe’s hilarious…)
2. CP3 (I hear the Deron argument and think DWill’s a top 10-15 player in the entire league, but if you watch both teams play, just watching them, CP3 tends to stand out more and be more important to his team’s success. Deron’s a victim of being on a better team with more talent, but he’s also in a better position to win a ring, so I think he’s ok with it!)
3. KG (I don’t think he should win the MVP, but the argument for him is clearly about his INCREDIBLE impact on the team, the mindset, the defense, the intensity, not to mention the win-loss record and the fact I still think they’d have to be the favorite to win it all right now in Vegas, regardless of your personal opinions of how everything will shake out – mine is actually, assuming Bynum comes back and can just do simple things like rebound and protect the rim, that it’s LAL over Boston in 7)
sorry Youngfed, Stuckey’s had a nice rookie year, but he’s not getting above 3rd. If you’re not gonna give the ROY to Durant (he’s shooting back to a close race w/ Horford, not that I think the guys voting for it will notice.) Not that it matters anyway, the Pistons are clearly a taem all about team, and STuckey’s gonna be a vital piece for them for the next 10 years. That was a great pickup…
Dime, no mention of Okur pulling a Duncan on Duncan? He was amazing last night, and STILL looked completely uncoordinated and clumsy the entire time. High comedy…
I’m starting to really like Jon Barry. Between some of his stories and the ability to laugh at himself (brent stole my hops, that’s great) he keeps my attention, throws out a few good stories a game, hits you with some good Xs and Os stuff throughout, doesn’t try to over-take the game (I like him, but Bill Walton’s the worst at this, but every time he does, there’s always an “acid flashback” joke from one of my buddies, so I still tend to enjoy him!) and never has you thinking about how horrible the announcing is. Isn’t this all we’re asking for? (looking at you CBS/Billy Packer!)
Andre Miller has a better case for MVP than Iguodala (not that it matters, cuz at best, either one would finish no higher than 6th – behind my top 3, LeBron, then DWill.) Iggy had pretty comparable numbers last year, but the Sixers SUCKED. Now, they;ve got a good PG (with a year of playing w/ them to actually know their games) and they’re in the Playoffs and Dalembert and REggie Evans have been affective. PGs like Miller make everyone better, so he has a built-in advantage. Anyone here even think they’d get more than 25 wins? I sure as hell didn’t!
April 5th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
rtl says:
since it seems you guys at dime don’t watch every laker game, kobe gets mvp chants in EVERY quarter not just the 4th, and check it out, L.A/staples was the place that started with MVP chants, and everyone around the league started copying them.
BTW, you guy love to bash on kobe all the time, he has not being throwwing fits in a long time, what he can say anything now?
for a mag that has kobe on their cover a LOT, you sure, don’t show any respect for kobe.
it seems you go all the way in praising others and overlook their faults. and before u guys used to be fair, wonder what happened?
April 5th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
YOUNGFED says:
I was with you all the way until that miller comment. Damn’ ya let me down man.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Post#37 @ Celts
April 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Celts Fan says:
The Sixers are not beating the Cavs. I think they’d get swept personally, but there’s no way they beat them in a series. LeBron just won’t let it happen. He’s developing that MJ/Kobe 4th quarter mentality where you know he just won’t let his team lose (there’s no way he’s still only 23. Can we check his birth certificates?) And as the sacred cow of the league, the refs won’t exactly be making it harder for him. I respect the hell out of how hard he’s worked (as recently as last year, he was a gunner that took too many awful shots, took too many shots in general, couldn’t play D worth a damn, and was a below average shooter. This year: he’s a hell of a shooter, not forcing as many shots, looking to set up his teammates (about time Ferry got him some guys that can make a jumper!) an above-average defender (great jump in 1 year, you can tell by the time he’s 26, he’ll be locking up the other team’s best player and officially ending the “Who’s the best player?” argument, which is a one-man discussion -Kobe- for people that remember the game’s played on both ends.) LeBron may’ve taken a few years to really develop that killer instinct/work ethic (can you blame him. In HS, he oculd’ve dropped 50 without breaking a sweat) but now that he’s got it, look out! It’s not quite yet time to gte a ring, but he’s got plenty of time and his day’s coming soon…
April 5th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
h says:
I apologize for my language, i’m sorry. i do agree that williams isn’t even close to mvp this year.. anger management i need, god kill me
April 5th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Celts Fan says:
sorry Youngfed, that’s just how I feel. Good PG’s and bigs get a natural advantage in stats (dimes or boards) and overall impact on a game (games run through them) over wings whose primary job is to score. PG’s have the ball in their hands every play (typically.) To use a football analogy, A wing is the WR, but as long as his QB (the PG) has a monster year the QB gets the MVP love. That’s why Brady won it this year in a runaway even though you could make a GREAT case that Moss was more important along the same lines as the one I made for Miller over Iguodala. It doesn’t matter one way or another though. They’re both close, they’re both damn good, and they’re both not winning shit. I lived in Philly for a while and saw Iggy on a day to day basis in his early Philly days. I love what the kid does, I just think Miller helping to turn the Dalembeast and Reggie Evans into vital cogs on a playoff team (reread that a few times and let it sink in) is a little more impressive. Not hating on Iggy at all. I’m extremely impressed by their whole season and love both of those guys as players (btw, Mo Cheeks COY, no question now that the Rockets have fallen off, right?)
April 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Celts Fan says:
*in the football analogy, I meant make a great case that Miller was more an MVP candidate than Iggy, but the point of the analogy is that neither one is a great candidate without the other and that they’re both right there…
April 5th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Amar says:
hey, I didn’t know that Dime mentioned the jazz’ ability to win a game against anyone. (and well, let’s be honest, lose to anyone)
April 5th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
word says:
mollywhopped what the fuck dime? lol
michael redd mvp chants yes, deron yes, but BEN Gordon??? haha lets get real chicago fans are not happy and mad frustrated with this season they would not be chanting shit right now for selfish contract playing fools like gordon. i hope paxson has a plan for this summer cuz if he doesn’t get shit together he has to be fired, he should’ve been fired already damn.
speaking of suge, his reality show looks fucked.. have yall seen that preview, goddamn
and lmao@ the raptors, such trash
April 5th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Celts Fan says:
word, you’re damn right. When it became clear that 5 years of building for the chance to get a guy like, oh I don’t know, KOBE (or Pau, KG, etc.) netted them nothing but Larry Hughes (ugh) and Drew Gooden (who’s actually playing well there, but still) that his long-term plan involved being too much of a puss to pull the trigger on a deal. I know lots of you guys bash Bill Simmons’ opinions on the NBA (and I tend to agree sometimes, though he’s always entertaining) but in this case, No Balls Association indeed. Really, Luol Deng’s untouchable for Kobe? Hope you enjoy your next gig for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants
April 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
godfreyallstar says:
amar
realize that the jazz are terrible on the road. and the fact that they will probably be lower than the 4 seed, meaning that they probably wont get out of the first round unless they can find a way to beat a west team at least once on the road.
April 5th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
godfreyallstar says:
a team like new orleans, san antonio, lakers, rockets. they may get out of the second round if they have home advantage against the rockets, but i dont see them gettin any further than the 2nd
April 5th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
bron42 says:
youngfed, i’ma iduodala fan myself but most of his success this year goes to andre miller setting him up and leading that team. 90% of the league owners said iggy was crazy for turning down last years contract offer simply because hes not that good. Will he get paid? ya probably but its not like hes on melo/wade level. Miller gets the credit similar to the way jason kidd would. Sure carter and jefferson would get the highlights but kidd used to be the one settin them up. So iggy is similar to jefferson in that matter, he gets the shine but miller usually makes him better.
and celts, the cavs arent that good and neither is lebron. its not like hes soooo dominant where they never lose games. Sure if he gets hot he can put up 50 but hes still streaky. the sixers have enough bodies to hopefully throw at him ala jordan rules style. I mean he beat a bad wizards team and got lucky against the pistons last year but people make it like hes never lost a game.
April 5th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
godfreyallstar says:
utes fan, you are right when you say that the hornets got two all stars. however that part of your argument is pretty much fucked because chris paul happens to be one of those two all stars. lol. they both have one all star, but look at the improvement of the hornets without much addition to the roster. if you remember chris paul was hurt a lot last year, and the hornets struggled and just missed the playoffs. this year, he has stepped his game up to an elite level. all you have to do is watch a hornets game and you will know that he is so vital to that team. meanwhile, d will is a great player but his impact is not as great as pauls, and thats why paul is gettin the mvp love and deron aint
April 5th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
I’m watching the college dunk contest rerun and was drew nitzel spitting game 2 meg bulger?
April 5th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’m not comparing to Deron to Gordon and Redd, but his chances of actually winning MVP this year are zero, just like those two. He’ll get votes, sure, but the trophy is going to either Kobe, LeBron, KG or Paul.
April 5th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
In my opinion MVP should be based on stats and stats alone so in that case heres the list:
1.Lebron: scoring leader he also edges kobe in rebounds, assits, blocks and fg%
2.Chris Paul: averages a double double and only loses to Kobe in points & rebounds
3.Kobe: Best player in the league but not the most valuable also above reasons
4.Dwight Howard: no one talks about him any more but he averages a ridiculous 21 and 14 and is the main reason (the other reason is Hedo) the magic went from 8th to 3rd
April 5th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
What is this!? says:
Man Dallas better be careful…if they lose to the Suns on Sunday, it could possible be a wrap for their playoff hopes. That J-Kidd trade isn’t looking to nice right about now…all that glitters ain’t gold. They should have just stuck with their original line up of Devin Harris.
And I like Iggy, but there is no way in hell someone should be mentioned as an MVP on a team that is 1 or 2 games above .500 in the Eastern conferense. Same goes for Andre Miller. If thats the case then you might as well throw in Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison for MVP consideration as well. I think Andre Miller has been able to be more successful in Philly then in Denver because there is no pressure for him. Because there are no superstars on the Sixers anymore, other then Sixer fans, no one is really paying attention…when he was in Denver with Melo, he had pressure to preform everynight (at least thats what the Nuggets fans say).
And Iggy is just developing into what I always thought he would be…he doesn’t deserve max money though, i’m sure he thinks he does, but he’s not that type of dude. Just because a team is overachieving, does’nt mean someone should be considered for MVP. And I don’t think Philly would get swept by the Cavs…but I don’t think they would win a series though, they better make sure they stay out that 7th and 8th spot though…or they will get swept.
April 5th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
sans says:
Why’s everyone missing the joke? Dime’s making fun of fans chanting stupid shit about their star players. Kobe, Deron, Lebron, Paul, McGrady, and KG get the M V P chant every night, but regardless the fans will still chant stupid shit for their boys. Unless they’re in NYC, then its “Fire Isiah! Fire Isiah” I’m out like Brandon Roy for M-V-P…
April 5th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
looking @ my MVP list i noticed 3 guys i have didnt go to college makes u think about that mndatory one year rule even though i like that rule u have to wonder
April 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
also KG didn’t go 2 college
April 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Bron42 says:
ya they didnt go to college but most of them werent studs right out of high school either..hell jermaine oneal sat the bench for 4 years in portland, kobe would of sucked as a rookie (he wasnt even 6th man with the lakers) if shaq and them werent already established. tMac was pretty much gerald green but in toronto etc…outside of maybe amare and lebron, no ones come out of high school and straight owned and even lebron couldnt make the playoffs the first couple years.
and what is this…they can’t base it soley on stats cuz guys who put up stats on crappy teams would be winning it. suddenly al jefferson is a mvp candidate. like ya lebron puts up stats but his team is still barely 4th best in the east. you have to add some wins into the occasion or you owe tons of guys mvps, thats why we having the scoring title seperate or else someone owes tmac a mvp when he was in orlando or kobe a mvp just cuz he put up 81 etc..
April 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Bron42 says:
oh ya, just google the names of guys who came from high school and DIDNT make it, that list is alot longer than the guys who turned into stars….need we forget the lenny cookes or ndu ebi or deangelo collins or robert swift etc..let alone guys like travis outlaw and eddy curry who took 6 years just to become average.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
good points bron42 and yaeh its pretty much u got a Kobe or Lebron for every 20 some bassys (who is the main reason il ove the college rule) I was really just trying 2 show how well the players that skip college can do.
April 5th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Ian says:
sans
again he doesnt look like kutcher he looks like harnett
April 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Utes Fan says:
Godfreyallstar-
I hear you, Chris Paul is one of the All Stars and definitely deserving. I know he has a huge impact on the Hornets. All I’m saying is that Deron has just as huge of an impact on the Jazz. Look at Utah’s record in 04-05, (the year before Deron) 26-56, then his rookie year where he played half time because of Coach Sloan 41-41. Last year, his first as a full time starter 51-31 and this year to date 51-26.
If New Orleans gets the top seed in the west, give it to Paul hands down. But give some credit where it is due and it seems a lot of people are ignoring Deron this year.
Deron and Chris are the top two pgs in the NBA for sure. Baron Davis is too much of a chucker and Nash is still great but Deron and Chris have passed him.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
sans says:
ian…and at least fifteen skateboarders, Topher Grace, one of the gay guys from will & grace, and, if really drunk, wilmer valderama….
April 5th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Amar says:
godfreyallstar — check utah’s record vs. playoff teams. the jazz have a sucky road record because they don’t get up for games vs. crappy teams that they’re not going to see in the playoffs. case in point: losses to the bobcats, knicks, bulls, nets, heat and twolves (twice) this season on the road. they’ve won road games vs. current playoff opponents this season.
and well, they *DID* win a game 7 on the road in the playoffs last season, and they *DID* win game 4 at Oracle last season to close out that series at home.
Utah’s not a bad road team, they are a very young team with no really good vet guys. last season they had fish, and they were a good road team. this season their locker room vets are jarron collins and matt harpring. look at their record on the road this season. see any difference?
utah is a very solid team that has a very young core. with such a young core lapses on the road vs. shitty teams is a severe possiblity. and in the case of the 0708 jazz, a reality.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Dave says:
Nobody can argue that the Jazz are capable of beating anyone on any floor except for the Spurs.
Here’s a breakdown of the teams they could face:
boston- split, won at Boston big, fell apart late and lost to C’s at home.
Detroit- swept the Pistons for the 3rd straight season
Lakers- Jazz have historically owned the Lakers in the playoffs.
Spurs – This is the team to fear for the Jazz
Suns- Own, blew them out twice this year, once at PHX
Warriors – swept
Rockets – beat in game 7 at their place, can you say our bitches?
Hornets- D Will will answer the who’s better question once and for all when they play in the playoffs (if NO can get out of the first round…..nobody can say they will because they NEVER have.) D-Will has outplayed Paul consistently head to head, would LOVE to see the Jazz play NO.
Thuggets – best drama of this would be how long it would take one of the Thuggs to take a swing at Harpring….he messes with their heads by just checking into the game.
Mavs – a team has to mentally tough to beat the Jazz, this immediately disqualifies Dallas.