Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! As you guys may or may not have noticed, I have been gone for around 40 days now, grounded. Just got my computer back, and have a LOT of things to comment on, from the AI deal to the rise of new stars, so I'll compress it all into one topic.-Gilbert Arenas is really coming into his own. I wasn't sure if last season was a fluke or not, but this year he has been amazing. Slowly crawling into elite status. Another great scorer who moved up on my list, before the suspension of course, is Carmelo Anthony. I still don't think he is the best scorer in the league, but he is very efficient and effective. -Speaking of the Nuggets, I love the AI deal, although the uptempo style of play will suffer. With AI, you will get a very good playmaker, but one that needs the ball in his hands. The offense will be stagnant at many times, especially with Melo being a scorer who gets most of his points on isolations at the wing. At the same time, he will get many open looks for guys like JR Smith, open the court up for Melo, and will give the team leadership and great clutch play when they need it.-T-Mac is back!!! Not Tracy McGrady, the player we saw before Yao went down, but T-Mac, one of the most feared players in the league, is back. He is still the most valuable player to his team, and still has the talent and skill he had in Orlando and in 04-05. Unfortunately it took a Yao injury for him to show up, but this confidence he now has in himself will be huge for when Yao comes back and into the playoffs.-It is once again a 2 man race for MVP this year, between Kobe and Nash. Kobe has played fantastic ball without Odom, and keeping this team above .500, while Nash is playing the best ball of his career on arguably the best team in the league.Gonna be interesting.-NJ amazes me. Last year the starters did all the work, and they were lacking any bench performance. This year the bench has come together and played VERY well...and the starters now suck. With Krstic out, VC and RJ must step up. They need to trade for a big man.-The Spurs appear to be in the twilight of the recent dynasty. With all of these aging players, including Duncan, I don't think they will be at the top for much longer, 2-3 years tops.-After terrible starts, Phoenix and Dallas have really turned it up. I still predict Phoenix to win it all, as Amare has played really, really well since coming back, but Dallas is very impressive. Improved D, although they still can't stop superstar players (look what Kobe, Nash, Wade, Duncan and others have done to them in past season or so). Their bench is VERY deep as well.-Speaking of Amare, still any doubters?-Wade has also proven all the haters wrong. Without Shaq, he has carried the Heat to 11-9, and putting up 28/8/5 on 48% shooting. Showing that he can still be very efficient as a scorer, still get those assists despite crappy role players (outside of Zo, who has been great), and still be one of the best players in the league.-Speaking of the Heat, I still think they are easily the best team in the East once Shaq comes back. The best team right now, the Pistons, would be about a 7th seed in the West. Pathetic.-Great move by Stern on the ball change, although I got to feel the "new" ball at a Nets game for a brief moment (against Celtics, when Pierce hit the fadeaway buzzer beater) and while it is spongy, I didn't think it was that bad. Same spungy feeling as a small, microfiber composite ball I have made by Wilson. But if the players don't like it, change it. No need for the change in the first place.There ya go, over a month of thoughts into one list.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! With a post like that, idk how Illosphee is a Elite Member. Glad to have you back Nitro. Good post. Good touch up and good points. Thats cool you got to touch the new"old" ball at a Celtics game that Pierce hit a buzzer beater with
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As you guys may or may not have noticed, I have been gone for around 40 days now, grounded. -It is once again a 2 man race for MVP this year, between Kobe and Nash. Kobe has played fantastic ball without Odom, and keeping this team above .500, while Nash is playing the best ball of his career on arguably the best team in the league.Gonna be interesting.</div>What did you do to get grounded? Glad your back though.I disagree with the 2 man race. I think Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki are in the talks, and you cannot forget about Lebron James.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LAZY @ Jan 8 2007, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>With a post like that, idk how Illosphee is a Elite Member. Glad to have you back Nitro. Good post. Good touch up and good points. Thats cool you got to touch the new"old" ball at a Celtics game that Pierce hit a buzzer beater with</div>Yeah, how did you get to touch it? Did it go out of bounds and you were sitting right there and catched it?
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Jan 8 2007, 04:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What did you do to get grounded? Glad your back though.I disagree with the 2 man race. I think Gilbert Arenas and Dirk Nowitzki are in the talks, and you cannot forget about Lebron James.</div>Long story, basically a fight that ended in me calling my dad a PoS, pussy, scumbag, etc...GA won't have the kind of team record as LA or Phoenix, and Nowitzki's numbers are down and with the emergence of other players he isn't nearly as valuable as the other guys.JKidd-I was right behind the Nets bench, and after halftime the ballboy was bringing the rack of balls back towards the locker room. I was down by the railing in hopes of an autograph (got Bill Cartwright's autograph) and the ballboy stopped with the rack right in front of me. I was curious and touched it for a second or 2.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Improved D, although they still can't stop superstar players (look what Kobe, Nash, Wade, Duncan and others have done to them in past season or so).</div>This can be said for every team in the league. There superstars for a reason.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ Jan 8 2007, 04:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This can be said for every team in the league. There superstars for a reason.</div>Ok let me rephrase....hold them in check. You can't have Kobe going off for 63 in 3 quarters, Wade single handedly ripping you limb from limb in the Finals, Tim Duncan putting up over 30PPG in playoffs, Nash and Amare killing you everytime they face you, etc... As Wade showed in the Finals, if you can't hold a superstar in check, you can't win.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Ok let me rephrase....hold them in check. You can't have Kobe going off for 63 in 3 quarters, Wade single handedly ripping you limb from limb in the Finals, Tim Duncan putting up over 30PPG in playoffs, Nash and Amare killing you everytime they face you, etc... As Wade showed in the Finals, if you can't hold a superstar in check, you can't win.</div>Well besides the Finals, we beat the two other teams that had superstars. And also followed that Lakers game with a better defensive effort on Kobe. It's not like those teams were keeping Dirk in check.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! You BARELY beat the Spurs. That series could have gone either way, and ultimately probably came down to that bad foul by Ginobli. You beat the Suns in a close 6 games series, but without their 2nd best player in Amare (and they also didn't have a healthy Raja and Kurt Thomas). Beating the Lakers shouldn't be much of an accomplishment for an elite team like the Mavs, but Kobe put up over 40 in 2 of the 3 games vs the Mavs. Even this year he put up over 30 in a half vs the Mavs.I never said anything about Dirk or the offense, but the defense, while improved, still will have MAJOR difficulties, especially against teams like the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Nuggets, Suns, etc... that have 1 or more superstar.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ Jan 8 2007, 04:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This can be said for every team in the league. There superstars for a reason.</div>I agree, I don't see how you can say the Mavericks aren't going to win because the other teams stars step up against them, then pick the Suns to win it all. This is a team that lets other teams score points on them consistently, especially the other teams stars. Look at Gilbert Arenas going for 55 on the Suns, Nowitzki went for 28 a game and Howard went for nearly 19 a game against the Suns in last years playoffs. This is a team that allows other people to score against them much easier than the Dallas does. I think Dallas and San Antonio are easily more ready to win the title than the Suns are.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (valo35 @ Jan 8 2007, 04:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I agree, I don't see how you can say the Mavericks aren't going to win because the other teams stars step up against them, then pick the Suns to win it all. This is a team that lets other teams score points on them consistently, especially the other teams stars. Look at Gilbert Arenas going for 55 on the Suns, Nowitzki went for 28 a game and Howard went for nearly 19 a game against the Suns in last years playoffs. This is a team that allows other people to score against them much easier than the Dallas does. I think Dallas and San Antonio are easily more ready to win the title than the Suns are.</div>Unlike the Mavs, the Suns can score more points in far more varieties than any other team in the league, and that simply can't be stopped now they have low post presences, and even more weapons. In a 7 game series, as they showed in the 04-05 playoffs and in the game against each other about 2 weeks back, the Nash/Amare duo still rips them up, and if the Mavs were to win they'd have to slow down one of them.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>You BARELY beat the Spurs. That series could have gone either way, and ultimately probably came down to that bad foul by Ginobli. You beat the Suns in a close 6 games series, but without their 2nd best player in Amare (and they also didn't have a healthy Raja and Kurt Thomas). Beating the Lakers shouldn't be much of an accomplishment for an elite team like the Mavs, but Kobe put up over 40 in 2 of the 3 games vs the Mavs. Even this year he put up over 30 in a half vs the Mavs.</div>A win is a win nitro. We beat the Spurs and the Suns. Two teams you clearly stated has superstars in Nash and Duncan and if we are unable to confine them, we would lose. But yet we didn't. And I brought up the Kobe game because it shows that we can clamp down when the opportunity presents itself. But bottom line, even with those superstars getting there's, the Mavs were the ones in the Finals. Just like Dirk gets his. Stopping a superstar is not contingent on winning a title. In fact I believe it's the team's role players that play a more important factor. Superstars are known, it's how the role players perform that put a team over the top.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>In a 7 game series, as they showed in the 04-05 playoffs and in the game against each other about 2 weeks back, the Nash/Amare duo still rips them up, and if the Mavs were to win they'd have to slow down one of them.</div>And we won that game as far as I'm concerned. What's your point about it? That we can't stop them? They can have their points as long as we get the W.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Unlike the Mavs, the Suns can score more points in far more varieties than any other team in the league, and that simply can't be stopped now they have low post presences, and even more weapons. In a 7 game series, as they showed in the 04-05 playoffs and in the game against each other about 2 weeks back, the Nash/Amare duo still rips them up, and if the Mavs were to win they'd have to slow down one of them.</div>The same can be said in return, through two games the Suns are having a hard time stopping the Mavericks, evidenced by the Mavericks beating them twice in two games. They don't have anyone that can stop Dirk with his 31 points a game against the Suns this season, and Terry's 32 points per game against the Suns. The key thing to me, is that Dallas can play enough defense to limit the Suns in key stretchs meanwhile still being able to score against the Suns because of matchup problems. I think if they play again you will see the same results.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ Jan 8 2007, 05:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>A win is a win nitro. We beat the Spurs and the Suns. Two teams you clearly stated has superstars in Nash and Duncan and if we are unable to confine them, we would lose. But yet we didn't. And I brought up the Kobe game because it shows that we can clamp down when the opportunity presents itself. But bottom line, even with those superstars getting there's, the Mavs were the ones in the Finals. Just like Dirk gets his. Stopping a superstar is not contingent on winning a title. In fact I believe it's the team's role players that play a more important factor.</div>Again, the Spurs series could have easily gone either way. The Suns didn't have A-N-Y low post presence with Amare and Kurt out, and Raja, the team's best spot up shooter one of the best defenders, was hurt. Yet the Suns brought it to 6 games. Year before, when the Suns had Amare, the Suns won in 6.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Superstars are known, it's how the role players perform that put a team over the top.</div>Of all people it's funny you say this, after you witnessed first hand in Finals, with Shaq going for 14PPG, all role players outside of Walker down in stats....ONE player single handedly rip apart the Mavs en route to 4 straight victories, while putting up 40PPG in that stretch, a few game winning shots, etc... <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>And we won that game as far as I'm concerned. What's your point about it? That we can't stop them? They can have their points as long as we get the W.</div>You won by a buzzer beater. You know damn well the game could have gone either way. One miss and a Nash GW like he has done the past 2 years in playoffs to you guys and I could turn it around on you. In playoffs you will not see Marion go 4-12 with only 12pts and in playoffs Amare will be taking more than 16 shots. Judging by what Diaw did in playoffs to them last year I also don't expect him to score only 7pts.Valo-My point being is that the Mavs cannot stop the Suns, and with Amare getting healthier and healthier, they will face the same juggernaut they faced in 04-05 playoffs. The Suns have 2 good perimeter defenders in Bell and Marion (Bell was hurt last year in playoffs), and 2 good low post defenders in Amare and KT (both were out last year in playoffs). They are improved defensively, especially down low. It would be a close series just like the past 2 years, but I think the Suns have the edge.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! Nitro the Stoudemire fan is back! I disagree with you on a lot of things but as long as you are on the Amare-Suns bandwagon I love having you back!Oh man, wouldn't it be awesome to see valo and Nitro in a debate everyone?
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>-Gilbert Arenas is really coming into his own. I wasn't sure if last season was a fluke or not, but this year he has been amazing. Slowly crawling into elite status.</div>Ever since that road trip, Gil has really gone from Zero 2 Hero. Now you know last season wasn't a fluke, he is going to scare teams for years to come.
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! Nitro! Welcome back, bro. I was wondering where you went. Nice comeback post, although I don't think AI will cramp Denver's style to the extreme you did. New Jersey has been a major flop this year, I'm very surprised. I expected a much better season.How about that Atlantic Division altogether though? Isn't it wonderful?
Re: Since I've Been Gone!!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nitro1118 @ Jan 8 2007, 05:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Again, the Spurs series could have easily gone either way. The Suns didn't have A-N-Y low post presence with Amare and Kurt out, and Raja, the team's best spot up shooter one of the best defenders, was hurt. Yet the Suns brought it to 6 games. Year before, when the Suns had Amare, the Suns won in 6.Of all people it's funny you say this, after you witnessed first hand in Finals, with Shaq going for 14PPG, all role players outside of Walker down in stats....ONE player single handedly rip apart the Mavs en route to 4 straight victories, while putting up 40PPG in that stretch, a few game winning shots, etc... You won by a buzzer beater. You know damn well the game could have gone either way. One miss and a Nash GW like he has done the past 2 years in playoffs to you guys and I could turn it around on you. In playoffs you will not see Marion go 4-12 with only 12pts and in playoffs Amare will be taking more than 16 shots. Judging by what Diaw did in playoffs to them last year I also don't expect him to score only 7pts.Valo-My point being is that the Mavs cannot stop the Suns, and with Amare getting healthier and healthier, they will face the same juggernaut they faced in 04-05 playoffs. The Suns have 2 good perimeter defenders in Bell and Marion (Bell was hurt last year in playoffs), and 2 good low post defenders in Amare and KT (both were out last year in playoffs). They are improved defensively, especially down low. It would be a close series just like the past 2 years, but I think the Suns have the edge.</div>The year before that Mavericks team did not play anything like this Mavericks team does. They was still not as disciplined and as good of a team as they was last year and this year. Furthermore, that team that put out the Mavericks was completely different than the team this year is so that is a completely different set of circumstances.The Mavericks in my opinion can stop the Suns better than the Suns can stop the Mavericks, even with Amare getting healthy. I actually think in some area's that hurts them just a bit more, in specific with Shawn Marion. Now he is playing away from the basket more at the small forward spot, so he is not going to be grabbing the same type rebounds he grabbed last year against the Mavericks in the playoffs. I also don't see him being able to score very well against them in a different position, like last game showed. In the future I think you will see the same type of 4-12 performances against the Mavericks. Same with Diaw, he is going to be guarded by a different person that will be faster and able to keep up with Diaw more than what happened last year. Last year he Diaw had 5's like Diop and Dampier guarding him, meanwhile Marion had the four Dirk Nowitzki guarding him the most. That was a big reason for Diaw putting up that 23 or so points per game that That worked out in Marion and Diaw's favor because they was able to move around and beat their men alot more often. This year as I said, they are playing different positions and being guarded alot differently.Bell might be a good spot up shooter, but the Mavericks can disrupt his game also. Look at the way he only had 11 points against the Mavericks, and last year had a 7 point game against the Mavericks in the only game of the season that everyone for the Mavericks was healthy. When the Mavericks are healthy Bell never has a good game. They are improved on defense, but it is still not up to the same level as the Mavericks who can stop the players around Nash and Amare well, especially late in the game. Meanwhile the Mavericks can still score with just about anyone in the league, their defense just allows them to keep it close enough.
