Man, I can't remember a season where almost every series has been as non-competetive as what we're seeing this year. Three out of four of the second round series were sweeps and, unless the Suns discover some major home cooking, it looks as though both conference finals will be sweeps. So many blow out wins and no seven game series....blah. Seems to me that these results are killing the league financially and should be a dagger for those who argue that the playoffs are rigged.
Its Delonte West fault! I'm hearing rumors now that he slept with Dwight Howards mom also. Which is the reason for Orlando poor play.
The NBA is unwatchable anymore. I don't care if it's rigged or not (it may not be blatantly rigged, but is most certainly influenced by league directives), there's just little reason to watch a league where the biggest douchebags get all of the adoration and success.
I hadn't really thought of it, but you're right. The Atlanta vs. Milwaukee series was really the only one that was interesting.
It's been unwatchable for a long time now. But since Portland is out, as long as the Lakers and their fans suffer through a repeat of 2008, I'm ok with the Celtics winning their 18th.
QFT I haven't watched a whole game since the Blazers were ousted. Dallas, Miami, Denver and Portland all surprised me in the first round by not showing up. It's just gone down hill since then...
Yeah, I gotta agree here. This year's playoffs has been real quiet. No small fights, no physicality, no heart. Most teams just gave up when it got hard. (Cavs, Magic, for example) The only series that I thought were interesting were LAL-OKC and CLE-BOS. Hopefully the finals between Lakers and Celtics can make up this boring playoffs.
I don't think it's blatantly rigged with some man behind the screen pulling all the strings; but it's obvious certain players get special treatment. I would love to see all fouls called based on the actual play. Rookies should get the same treatment as MVP players.
The twisted side of me has kind of enjoyed these playoffs, they are so unusual we haven't seen anything like it before. You can watch the humiliation and devastation of the losers and enjoy their pain. I don't waist so much time watching games. It has brought something unpredictable and different this year so I'm enjoying the slaughter.
I thought about posting a similar thread a few days ago. No OT games. Mostly sweeps. That said, there have been moments: * Brandon Roy coming back 8 days after knee surgery to inspire the Blazers to tie their series at 2-2. * The Thunder completely crushing the Lakers in Game 4 of their first round series. * Paul Pierce's buzzer beating shot in Game 3 vs Miami. * The Suns' 41 point turnaround against us in Game 5. It sucked for Blazers fans but it was very impressive. * Game 3- Utah vs Lakers. Final seconds- Kobe hits a three to tie. DWill hits a shot to take a 2 pt lead. Fish hits a three to take the lead back. DWill misses a three and Wesley Matthew's tip just barely misses. Easily the most dramatic finish of the playoffs. * Goran Dragic's history making 26 points in 13 minutes in Game 3 in San Antonio. Similarly, the Suns finally getting over the hump against San Antonio. * Cleveland's history making blowout of the Celtics in Game 3 in Boston. * Rondo's monster triple double in Game 4, stats that hadn't been achieved in a single playoff game since Wilt Chamberlain. * Game 6- Cleveland vs Boston- was one of the most thrilling sporting events of the year. The awakened champions against the nearly unanimous MVP. No one knew who would win and it was the biggest pendulum swing of not only who would win the championship but where about 6-8 key free agents may end up playing next fall. * Orlando's history making sweep of the Hawks. Never has a team been more dominated in a 4 game playoff series. * And finally, The Play. Rondo races down the court, dives onto the floor, grabs the ball from Jason Williams, jumps to his feet, and scores. That will be replayed for years to come. Finally, it is looking like a Lakers-Celtics series could wind up being one of the greatest Finals of all-time. Both teams clearly want it really badly. It's hard to believe either of them will go down without a serious fight.
I've been enjoying watching Boston's resurgence and inspiring TEAM defense again--so fun to watch actual defense. Despite how much I hate KG its still fun to see.
ABC makes their advertising money on network TV in the Finals. A Boston/LA match-up in prime-time on ABC will more than make up for a few missed games on TNT or ESPN.
I am different then a lot of fans on here. We have talked about this before. I am a fan of the game of basketball, not just the Blazers. I have had the LeaguePass for the past 7 seasons and will watch a regular season Utah vs Golden State game or an Atlanta vs Miami game in a heartbeat. That said, this years playoffs have been brutal. The matchups have been horrible and I can't remember the last season I can say that about. Oh well, let's hope the finals kick ass!
We got spoiled a few years back when almost all the series went the full distance. The Western Conference was much better back then. It was so tough even the Clippers were tough in the playoffs.
I enjoyed watching the Suns demolish the Spurs but that was more due to the historical implications then to the games themselves. Though Goranacolypse was fucking amazing.