<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LightsOut @ Jan 7 2007, 11:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>No. You do realize Shaq is coming back? Both the Pistons and a healthy Heat team can take the Cavs out. LeBron's supporting cast still isn't good enough to lead the team to the finals.</div>No. You do realize Shaq is a scrub, and Posey, Walker, Williams, and Payton aren't getting better and are only getting older. LeBron doesn't have enough around him to make the finals and I believe that either the Chicago Bulls or the Detroit Pistons will be in the finals this season.
^ You're exactly right, Shaq's a scrub. Great point.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Jan 7 2007, 04:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Do you realize that the Cavs almost beat the Pistons last year when they had Ben Wallace? And as for the Heat, you dont know that Shaq will be healthy come playoff time.....And we already know that he is going to be alot worse. He has been sitting for a long time, and I think that is really going to do a number on Shaq. He is going to be very rusty, and I their are ALOT of question marks come playoff time for the Heat. Wade cant do it alone....</div>Yes, I realize the Cavs almost beat the Pistons when they had Ben Wallace, but guess who actually beat them...No, we don't know if Shaq will be healthy, but like I said IF we're healthy, we can beat anyone. Shaq may be a little rusty at first when he returns, but he has a WHOLE half a season to shake it off.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LightsOut @ Jan 7 2007, 05:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yes, I realize the Cavs almost beat the Pistons when they had Ben Wallace, but guess who actually beat them...No, we don't know if Shaq will be healthy, but like I said IF we're healthy, we can beat anyone. Shaq may be a little rusty at first when he returns, but he has a WHOLE half a season to shake it off.</div>I dont care if they actually beat them. It was a 7 game series where Cleveland was actually ahead of them at one point in the series 3-2, and now, the Pistons dont have their main inside defensive presence. They are obviously a worse team, and the Cavs didnt get worse what so ever.Yeah your right, the Heat can beat anybody if your fully healthy. But look at the Heat's team this season. Name one game where they had everybody healthy on their roster. Shaq is getting old, and he is deteriorating every game. When he comes back, I expect him to be even worse than he was earlier this season. I will admit that with Shaq in the lineup period will help alot, but I still think its possible for the Cavs to beat them in a series. Its not like the Heat are that much better than them what so ever.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Jan 7 2007, 04:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont care if they actually beat them. It was a 7 game series where Cleveland was actually ahead of them at one point in the series 3-2, and now, the Pistons dont have their main inside defensive presence. They are obviously a worse team, and the Cavs didnt get worse what so ever.Yeah your right, the Heat can beat anybody if your fully healthy. But look at the Heat's team this season. Name one game where they had everybody healthy on their roster. Shaq is getting old, and he is deteriorating every game. When he comes back, I expect him to be even worse than he was earlier this season. I will admit that with Shaq in the lineup period will help alot, but I still think its possible for the Cavs to beat them in a series. Its not like the Heat are that much better than them what so ever.</div>That was exactly my point before...we havnt been fully healthy once this season. However, once we are, I feel we can take out any team in the East. I never said, we're that much better than anyone. Cavs are a good team and it'd probably be a pretty tight series, but I still think we have the advatage over them with our experience and Shaq/Wade combo.
I don't think Shaq will help much at all. He is declining and after the knee surgery he will only put up worse numbers. The only thing that it would help to have Shaq on your team would be that presence inside, but Mourning is getting 3 blocks a game so they already have that inside. Shaq won't make a difference and if the game turns into an up-tempo one he will be useless.Edit: The fact that you haven't been healthy all season means that it is pretty unlikely that you guys will be healthy by the end of the season...again, a 330-pound 34-35 year old that had knee surgery and a roster full of ancient and overweight players doesn't look very good....
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Jan 7 2007, 05:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Edit: The fact that you haven't been healthy all season means that it is pretty unlikely that you guys will be healthy by the end of the season...again, a 330-pound 34-35 year old that had knee surgery and a roster full of ancient and overweight players doesn't look very good....</div>Thankyou ASUfan! That is what I was saying when I stated that the Heat havent had a fully healthy team all season. I highly doubt that they will be fully healthy come playoff time as well. And when Shaq comes back, he isn't going to be able to play as much, and when he does play, I think teams will be able to get away with just putting one guy on him because he is going to be that much worse.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RashadzMcCantz @ Jan 7 2007, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>LeBron doesn't have enough around him to make the finals and I believe that either the Chicago Bulls or the Detroit Pistons will be in the finals this season.</div>I disagree.Larry Hughes is a great fit for the Cavaliers. He can play some great D, he is starting to get his J down. And soon enough when his ankle is really 100% he will start driving. Drew Gooden has been a beast in the last 2 games and if he keeps it up, I don't see us losing many ball games. Also, Z, he is starting to get going. This team is starting to click, if any one has not been watching. But I think we will start to get people to know, Cleveland is for real as we take over the East. :dribble:
No the Pistons or Heat will make the finals. The cavs aren't as good as either team. The Heat should have no problem making the playoffs with how weak the east is.
I didn't read the whole thread, so here is my two cents on the subject:Can he make the Finals this year? Yes, it's possible, but it won't be as easy of a road as some of you seem to think it will be, and the way I see it, he isn't even guaranteed to make the ECF this year. Who knows what will happen from now until the playoffs? Injuries... chemistry... locker-room issues, etc., can all make or break one team's season, and it all really depends on who gets on a hot streak at the right time. Look at last season... Miami only won one game against division leaders throughout the regular season, and then got hot towards the end of the season and that momentum carried them to the title in the playoffs.In my opinion, these are the teams that stand in Cleveland's way of making the Finals (meaning I believe each of these teams are capable of beating Cleveland in a seven-game series)etroit PistonsChicago BullsMiami HeatNew Jersey NetsDetroit lost Ben Wallace, but they are still the team to beat in the East until Shaq and Wade return for Miami. Once they do, Miami will start to pick it up, or at least they should. Sure, Shaq won't dominate like he used to, and he may very well have a worse season statistically than he did last year because of his age and the fact that he's coming off of knee surgery, but his presence alone will make Miami a better and more dangerous team, especially in the "weak" Eastern Conference.New Jersey struggles early in the season all the time, but the past few seasons they have always gone on hot streaks after the All-Star Game and towards the end of the season. What's to say they can't do it again this year? Obviously it isn't guaranteed, but even without Nenad Krstic they are dangerous, especially if Boone can come in and produce when he is 100%. Any team with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson is dangerous... they might not be legitimate threats for the NBA Championship, or even the Eastern Conference crown for that matter, but they still have what it takes to send LeBron home.Chicago... well, let's just say that they are playing great right now, and they will just continue to get better. They are a very, very good defensive team, and have more than enough offensive weapons to give any team trouble in a seven-game series.Do I think LeBron will make it to the ECF? I do... but the road isn't as easy as some of you are making it seem to be, so don't be surprised if Cleveland is out in the second round once again.
My prediction is that he takes the Cavs to the ECF and loses to Detroit or Chicago. Orlando is a pretty solid team too so they might give them some trouble. Even though the East is weaker than I have ever seen right now the playoffs should still be pretty interesting.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LightsOut @ Jan 7 2007, 04:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah buddy, just like they've done the last couple playoffs. </div><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS">Though the Nets haven't been playing marvelous ball as of late, the Heat have been horrible. I hope the Nets can face the Heat and take them down in 5-6 games or so. I'd be happy as hell becuase the Nets have lost to the Heat in the Playoffs for the past two seasons in a row.</span>
