do you think that the nets will have the same power and abillity like last years playoffs? i think that they won 8 games in a row last playoffs. do you think they will be that strong like last year?
It was a 10 game winning streak last year. And no I dont think the Nets will breeze thru the playoffs like that this year. But Iam confident they can 3-peat as the Eastern Conference champs. We have the best pure point guard in the league in kidd. One of the best power forwards in the east in k-mart. A breakout star in Richard Jefferson. And our shooters & role players(Rogers, Harris, Kittles) have regained their shooting touch. And most of all we have the experience to know what it takes to be the top dog in the East.granted we havent been in any series like the kings/lakers in 2002, but over our championship run we have been thru our fare share of tests. The Pacers in 2002, the Celtics in 2002, Bucks last year, they all put us to the test.And we passed with flying colors. We have proven that we can raise our game to another level in the Playoffs, something the Pacers/Pistons have not yet proven. That gives the Nets an edge. Until someone proves they can raise their game up higher enuff to beat the Nets in the playoffs the Nets are the top dog. So no the Nets wont be breezing thru the playoffs this year. They will have to go thru a few 6 or 7 game series inorder to get out of the east.But Iam pretty sure they will be back balling in late May/early June for the NBA finals.
we also passed the pistons test,in 4games, last year when most people said they were better than us in the east finals. injuries will absolutly play a roll in these playoffs, if we were 100% then we could still maybe get a sweep here or there, but our guys wont be able to play 48min b/c of the injuries. this is going to be our toughest postseason cause if everything spills out how people are saying it will,then we would meet det in the 2nd rd then play pacers in the finals. thats two very qualified teams that we would have to beat just to get to the finals. in the past two years, there was really no big threat in the east, yea det last year was best in east by like 1game or 2, but i thought they kind of overachieved and couldnt figure out how they got that good w/o a low post game. now they got sheed, so i basically see nets vs pistons in the 2nd rd as the east conf finals. im not sold at all about the pacers. just b/c they have a good/great reg season really means jack. they are just like the t'wolves. im not sold on them either. not b/c they have close to 60wins and are playing good, but they havent done anything in the playoffs. maybe if the pacers made the 2nd or 3rd rd last yr,then i would say they would be the best in the east. but bottom line the pistons and nets are legit champ contenders b/c everyone knows what the two teams can do. nets got to finals 2yrs in a row, pistons made it to the east finals last yr, w/o sheed so you know they improved. i bet if the knicks played the pacers, the knicks would upset the pacers in the first round. marbury would own that series, but celtics playing the pacers means that there is no way the pacers are going to be upsetted the first rd. so it looks like the pacers will finally get out of rd 1. i hope there are no upsets b/c it will make for a great 2nd and 3rd rd. see ya in the playoffs!
I believe so, regardless of the nagging injuries on Kidd and K-Mart, you have the rising star RJ, as well as workhorses like A-Train and Scalebrine. Plus even your worst players like Rodney Rodgers are playing better with the new better rotation, not to mention the awesome coach in Lawrence Frank.
I don't really see them 3peating. Detroit and Indiana has vastly improved and they both have shots at winning the whole thing. Nets are still the champs, but I really think them not playing for Bryon Scott is really gonna haunt them. <font size="8"><font color="whitegrey">BOO!</font></font>
i wouldnt say that they didnt play for byron, cause they obviously bought into his preaching while taking us to two nba finals. i think it was the combo of injuries early in the year and guys just gettin frustrated. some guys didn't play all out every game and that hurt us. guys wanted someone else to make something happen and not make something happen themselves. plus the kidd vs byron stuff that was going on, eventhough both deny it. even when byron went to abc sports, they asked him in the nets quit on him and he said no. everyone said that indy and det were good last year. nets havent been picked to come out in the passed two years, so why should anyone pick the nets now when det and indy are playing good? bottom line is nets and detroit are the only proven teams in the east.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting throwback:</div><div class="quote_post">i wouldnt say that they didnt play for byron, cause they obviously bought into his preaching while taking us to two nba finals. i think it was the combo of injuries early in the year and guys just gettin frustrated. some guys didn't play all out every game and that hurt us. guys wanted someone else to make something happen and not make something happen themselves. plus the kidd vs byron stuff that was going on, eventhough both deny it. even when byron went to abc sports, they asked him in the nets quit on him and he said no. everyone said that indy and det were good last year. nets havent been picked to come out in the passed two years, so why should anyone pick the nets now when det and indy are playing good? bottom line is nets and detroit are the only proven teams in the east.</div> Once kidd stop beleiving in B.Scott after last years finals, I think the rest of the team stop believing in him as well. They tried to make it work. Kidd & B.Scott had meeting during the offseason. But the early season injuries just put an end to that. K-mart ,our emotionial leader, missed games early. We didnt have Rodney or Harris to start the season. And it just all compounded to the firing of B.Scott. He couldnt find away to motivate the roster anymore. Sometimes a team needs a fresh voice in the leadership & coaching position. And I think thats what this Nets team needed. So as of right now it has worked out perfect. We got a fresh voice with a few new ideas in coach Franks. But he still knew the in & outs of the princeton offense that B.Scott used so effectively. The main defference between coach Scott & coach Franks, is their rotation. I think Franks player rotation is much more effective compared to B.Scott. B.Scott had a tendency to sit players to long.
Players basically tuned Scott out. If they had a reality show on them while Byron was there, it would probaly look like Da Band. They always try to denie that there was any problems. Oh and the Nets weren't picked to come out last year either. I thought they were expected to come out. But on the real, if Jersey gets to the finals again, I'll give them their props because the Pacers and Pistons is really gonna be hard to get by this year. I don't dislike the Nets and was rooting for them to win the championship. But still, I can't see them being in the finals again. If they do, they would be like the Buffalo Bills. Get there 3 times, and get beat 3 times. Unless all the Key players from the West get injured, they're definitely not winning the championship. They say anything can happen, but what was the last upset team to win a championship? Even when the Rockets won their 2nd championship with only 48 wins that season, it wasn't unexpected. Or the time the Knicks made the finals in 99 being an 8th seed. They were suppose to be better then they played that season. New Jersey, I don't think so this year.
you gotta be In It to Win It. so i don't care if we go 5up,5down. as long as we get a chance to win it, thats all you can ask for.
They lost their faith and respect in Scott. You very well know that it will show in the games. No, the Nets are definitely not that strong anymore. But still, they have what it takes to win it all in the East. But competition will be stiffer than before. They have the talent to hang around games and keep it close during the first three quarters and they have the leadership of Kidd and the tenacity of KMart to win the ballgames for them. Injury will play a part though. But still, signs are all pointing that they're ok except for what happened to Kidd in the Sixers game but he seems to be fine.
The Pistons and Pacers are definitley better than they were last year. It's gonna be hard for the Nets to get back to the Finals.
the nets wont get to the finals. they are injury prone and the pistons and oacers are to good to be stopped by the likes of them.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting ReRun:</div><div class="quote_post">the nets wont get to the finals. they are injury prone and the pistons and oacers are to good to be stopped by the likes of them.</div> That was the case last year as well. But they choked. I know there's been coaching changes but the Nets know how to get the job done in the playoffs.
as good as new coach lawrence frank is the team hasnt been together the whole end of the season, but we'll see...
I think if you compare the teams, the Nets come up short this year, unlike years past. With the Pacers, the 2 and 5 are neutral, but the Pacers have the edge at the 3 and 4, whereas the Nets only have an edge at the 1 spot. That's enough that the Pacers should be able to win, especially with a bench about as strong as the Nets' bench. With Detroit, the Pistons win easily at the 5, are only slightly weaker at the 4, 3 and 2, and have another strong advantage at the 2, plus their bench is much stronger than New Jersey's bench. So they have a clear cut advantage this year. Basically, before the season I predicted New Jersey, but at this point I just can't over either team. I think Detroit will end up winning the East and make a trip to the NBA Finals to play the Sacramento Kings, who will win it in 5. I predict a second round loss to Detroit for New Jersey, assuming that the Nets actually beat the Knicks.
I say that the Nets will make it back. Granted, that the Pistons and Pacers are better than last year, but Kidd and K-Mart are getting healthy again and they have the experience when facing tough teams. It won't be as breezy as last year, but I'm confident they will make it.
kings vs det? det i can see making it, but the kings are a complete mess. i dont see how someone could say the kings could make it to the finals over the nets. the nets would have fewer tough opponents than the kings. the kings are worse at this moment than the nets. they are healthy and really have no reason for being as confused as they are now. assuming the kings get passed the mavs, which people are saying they wont. if kings go out 1st rd, sac fans are going to have webbers head on a stick
