| |
|
|
Reputation:93
Level:All-Star
Since:Aug 27, 2006
|
Not to question your impartiality or anything Freeman, but can you explain why when the Cavs play ugly ball it's considered "elegant" and "gritty", but when the Celtics do it it's considered bad basketball?
Neither team is shooting well in this series, and each has alternated out hustling the other in the series. You could have flipped this story completely around in Game 5 and nobody would have noticed the difference. It's been a physical, defensive series between two top notch defensive teams. Just because the defense is spotty at best in the West with scores in the 100's doesn't make it better basketball.
As a matter of fact the last time I remember hearing all this talk about ugly series' was in 2005 when everyone decreed that the Pistons/Pacers series set basketball back 20 years and that the winner had no shot against the "flashier" Lakers in the Finals. Remind me how that worked out?
If you think the West representative in the Finals is going to be scoring in the 100's in the Finals, keep dreaming. The games in the Finals will be just as "ugly" as the games we're seeing in this series and the games you'll see in the East Finals.
|
|
|
Reputation:79
Level:Pro
Since:Nov 1, 2006
|
because the Celtics..the pre-ordained champs...won 66 and the cavs won 45. People were so quick to hand Boston the title in the PRE-SEASON! People are just appalled by their playoff performance and are finally jumping off the bandwagon as hard as they jumped on it.
Meanwhile the cavs...45 wins warts and all...are still the defending eastern conference champs, at least til sunday. There's a certain elegance in that.
Going 7 games with teams that won 21 and 29 games less than you is in fact ugly.
|
|
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Sep 11, 2006
|
|
The Pistons must be salivating. Sure, both teams are playing good D, but both teams are also missing a ton of wide open jumpers and making way too many stupid turnovers.
|
|
|
Reputation:92
Level:All-Star
Since:Sep 5, 2007
|
Call it ugly if you want, but this is just hard-nosed defensive basketball. Sure, both teams are missing shots, but neither team is getting a lot of open looks. LBJ is missing at an alarming rate, but he's being harassed into bad shots by the Celtics' defense. On the other side, the Celtics' big 3 have been less than stellar (and Rondo disappeared altogether), but the Cavs' defense has had a lot to do with it. Holding any team--and especially that team--to 69 points is amazing.
So no, I don't think the Pistons have a reason to "salivate," and I don't think any of the remaining 3 teams in the East will be easy pickings for the West rep in the finals.
Gritty defense wins. Showboat offense is nice in the regular season, but you can't win a championship with it. Ask Denver. Or Dallas. Or Phoenix. Having a sweet run-n-gun game, but sitting at home watching gritty teams win? Now that's ugly.
|
|
|
Reputation:68
Level:Pro
Since:Jun 20, 2007
|
|
And when James gets gritty and once again goes to the foul line, yet when Pierce and Garnett are mugged and no call is made, especially in Cleveland, what do you call that?? Oh, right, David Stern does love 7 game series...
|
|
|
Level:Amateur
Since:May 17, 2008
|
|
sure James gets calls, and if you don't think Garnett and Pierce get calls, you've got a very selective memory. Did you not see Garnett spin to face up Wallace in the first half and catch Wallace, who was in great defensive position, with an elbow in the chin that knocked him down, but Wallace get';s the foul? It was also a curious call when Joe Smith got called for a block on Pierce when he was stringing him out on a Boston pick. Pierce was running into the sideline and nowhere to go...it was a bailout call...and the refs weren;t calling that a foul all day. And don't mention that on two consecutive drives in the third quarter, Sasha Pavlovic was hammered driving to the hoop, with no call either time.
It's amazing how we use excuses when we lay an egg in a great opportunity. Your a championship caliber team...win the game...the refs didbn't put you in that spot, so don't blame them. We didn't cry about the refs in game 5...we just blew the game.
|
|
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Jul 8, 2007
|
yes, everyone gets calls, but lebron gets more calls than entire teams. well, at least he gets to the line more than other teams!!
|
|
|
Reputation:98
Level:Superstar
Since:Oct 17, 2006
|
As a Spurs fan I gotta love this...
...you mean low scoring defensive basketball games aren't ugly, boring, and intolerable to watch?
|
|
|
Reputation:92
Level:All-Star
Since:Nov 11, 2007
|
As for the childish referee conversation, I think the comments are ridiculous. Do star players get calls? Of course--always have. Do both team's stars get calls? YES. Watch the series and try not to be biased here. I know I watch Lebron and sometimes I simply smirk at the missed calls; however, I freak out when those same calls go to the Celtics. Just remember they go both ways.
As for Ynitsuga, yes your team is one of the most boring teams I've ever watched in my life. However, I will take boring for four rings so kudos to your squad. I do agree that he's calling the Cavs grittiness "elegant" because they are the underdog. In general, underdogs build pressure on the favorites by playing very physical and tough, which often leads to low scoring games. It's rare to see underdogs who run and gun, as our media usually puts a lot of stock into flashy squads like the Suns, Patriots, etc.
I do worry about the next round, as the Pistons pay well when they come to play. If the Cavs do advance, the Pistons will have every reason to show up. And unless Lebron gets his shot back, we do not have a chance to beat them with 30% shooting nights. Go Cavs!
|
|
|
Reputation:95
Level:Superstar
Since:Oct 24, 2006
|
|
