NBA Playoffs Thread: March 3, 2011. A date which will live in infamy.

[Cail]

oh ron...

Metta World Peace has no interest in making a bury-the-hatchet peace gesture with Oklahoma City's James Harden at the onset of the Los Angeles Lakers' Western Conference semifinals series against the Thunder.

"I don't shake substitutes' hands," World Peace said after contributing 15 points, five rebounds and four steals in the Lakers' 96-87 Game 7 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in his first appearance since serving a seven-game suspension for his elbow to Harden's head last month.

Harden is not just any substitute of course, he's the Sixth Man of the Year who suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Lakers' 114-106 double-overtime win over the Thunder on April 22 after World Peace's elbow following a dunk dropped him to the floor.

World Peace issued a statement of apology following the incident and told reporters in his first public comments about the suspension nearly two weeks ago that he reached out to check on Harden's health through a third party.

However, World Peace has yet to contact Harden directly and said that he has no plans to even acknowledge the Thunder's versatile wing player on the court before Game 1 on Monday.

[Tyche]

These are the people I have to deal with every college basketball season.

http://kentuckypreps.rivals.com/show...3855284&Page=2

who cares at least he doesn't hit another guy in the privates. That is the worst thing a guy can do to another guy. Plus Paul didn't go to Kentucky and Paul sucks at defense. Rondo has outplayed Paul in the playoffs hands down. Its more about Bledsoe than Paul anyway, Paul needs to learn to play some defense.
5/13 2:39 AM | IP: Logged

[Demosthenes11]

well rondo > paul, so he's right there

[Moss]

well rondo > paul, so he's right there

No.

Paul hits zbo in the face twice, freaks out when zbo hits him back. Fuck chris paul.

[Dimmauk]

Brutal game to watch. Are the Spurs supposed to be worried with these poor playing teams?

[Demosthenes11]

No.

Paul hits zbo in the face twice, freaks out when zbo hits him back. Fuck chris paul.

not a math guy?

[Moss]

Why the fuck is haddadi on the floor

[ORO]

Why the fuck is haddadi on the floor

Trying to improve on the Iranian-US relationship.

[Moss]

Fuck the playoffs so far

[Chun Liroy]

GO CLIPS AND OKC.

[Chun Liroy]

Did I just doom those teams...

[Gredival]

Damn it Pacers

[kisada]

well that was fun. time to get swept by the spurs, weeee

[Dimmauk]

LOL @the big market teams getting back to back home games this weekend. Thunder play @ LA Friday and Saturday, and Spurs play in LA Saturday and Sunday.

[kisada]

ya i don't get that. might have something to do with the kings being in the playoffs too

[TummieGaruda]

ya i don't get that. might have something to do with the kings being in the playoffs too

Yeah it does. Kinda sucks when 3 LA sports teams share the same building.

[Dimmauk]

Bosh out indefinitely! Strained abdominal.

[Valisk]

Bosh out indefinitely! Strained abdominal.

Who?

[TummieGaruda]

Stern addressing flopping

It's award season in the NBA but commissioner David Stern is concerned his league may be veering too close to handing out Oscars.

During Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal opener between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, Stern was asked what he thought about comments made by Pacers coach Frank Vogel in regards to what Vogel considered the Heat's tendency to flop.

"(Vogel) didn't have a beef; he was just manipulating the refereeing or trying to," Stern said. "I would have fined him much more than our office did."

While Stern chastised Vogel for on Thursday calling the Heat "the biggest flopping team in the NBA," he did intimate that he sees merit in the sentiment.

"I think it's time to look at (flopping) in a more serious way," Stern said, "because it's only designed to fool the referee. It's not a legitimate play in my judgment. I recognize if there's contact (you) move a little bit, but some of this is acting. We should give out Oscars rather than MVP trophies."

Vogel is not the only person in the playoffs to call out an opponent for embellishing contact.

On Friday, Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph called his team's first round opponents -- the Los Angeles Clippers -- the league's biggest floppers "by far," while being interviewed on ESPN Radio's "The Doug Gottlieb Show."

Randolph went so far as to single out Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

"It starts with Chris Paul, because Blake didn't really used to flop like that, you know, last year," Randolph said. "Reggie (Evans) flops, Reggie always flops. I think it started when Chris got (to the Clippers)."

While Stern didn't call out any specific teams, he did say he has personally attempted to curb the flopping in the past.

"Some years ago I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping, and then suspending. And I think they almost threw me out of the room (saying), 'No, let it be.' "

Floppers may not receive any punishment but those that point the finger do, as Vogel had to enter his team's second-round series with the Heat $15,000 lighter.

I'd love to see some fines imposed or a technical foul, but I could see how that could get out of hand.

Also, who are the Top 5 All-Time floppers? Vlade Divac is at the top of my list. I think he was the one that started this years ago.

[Dimmauk]

Floppy divac was the best. The Heat and Clippers have ruined the exquisite art of the flop. Anytime I see Lebron's receding hairline jackknife like he got snipered, it's a flop. The dude is like 250 pounds and he flailing around like a plastic bag in the wind.