NBA

 

i agree.

 

i'm picking the suns to win it all, but i really don't like how the refs are calling (or not calling) these games.  if you just look at duncan funny you get called for a foul, but bruce bowen and co. are practically mugging nash and he has to take a shot to the shoulder to get a flagrant.

 

and the bad thing about that is phoenix will probably end up losing key players next game, whereas s.a. will lose horry which is not such a big deal.

 

but anyway, ya gotta like detroit's chances cuz even though phoenix stole that game last night, s.a.'s defence, which is at the same level as detroit's, clearly shut them down, so much so that phoenix had to pull off a herculean effort to win.

 

and that herculean effort basically came from nash.  y'know, i wouldn't be surprised at all if somebody on s.a. came out and really unloaded on nash to injure him (or at least get him suspended) and take him out of the series.  cuz if he's gone, phoenix will disappear.

 

i honestly believe that that was horry's intention.  i don't think it was frustration as some of the commentators said.  it was an attempt to take nash out, either by injury or provoking him to do something (which he almost did) to get suspended.

 

oh, and as far as the other teams on the list above, they don't have a chance.

 

the s.a.-phx series IS the west final.  the winner of that series will represent the west in the championship and detroit will represent the east.  nobody else in the east can beat them in a 7-game series.

 

i think the main message of the playoffs this year is basically that the era of the 1-man, or 2-man team is over.  you just gotta have at least 4 scorers in your starting lineup now to win.  all the west teams that are still alive in the playoffs are like that now.  in the east, the only team like that is detroit and that's why they'll be in the championship. 

 

just having 1 or 2 scorers in the lineup is no longer good enough. the defenses have evolved and they are just too good for that now. 

 

and i think that's great for the game.  just look at these 2 series now in the west.  every game has been good.  i was basically a dallas fan and when they lost i figured i wasn't gonna be watching any more games, but, man, every game has been great and almost all of them went down to the wire!  i don't recall the games in the post-season in the past being as good as the ones we are seeing now (in the west).