NBA 2008-2009 Season

[Akiyama]

I wasn't totally serious. Watching you two go back and forth sort of reminds me of my four year old nephews. One's an Auburn Tiger fan (He's my favorite) and one is an Alabama fan. So whatever. Keep at it!

[Akiyama]

Oh no. Danny Ainge had a heart attack. D: 100% clog in one of his arteries. They say he'll be okay, but sheesh.

[Deejay]

Half of me wants Lebron and the Cavs to tear Kobe a new one in the Finals, and the Knick fan in me wants the team to implode so he still has some incentive to move on to bigger and better things in New York.

[Yangsing]

Lakers vs Dallas...Lakers in 5. They'll take a game on Utah's court. Jazz are reeling. Losing to Warriors on their home floor last week.

Portland vs Houston. Portland in 7. Yeah, it took a miracle shot from Roy to win it on their home court but that was at the start of the season. Blazers are a different beast at the Rose Garden now. Home court matters alot in this series. Blazers are arguably playing the best basketball of any team going into the post season.

Spurs vs Dallas. Spurs in 6. Too bad Dallas doesn't have Devin Harris. Spurs know how to get it done in the playoffs. Although SA won't make it to the WCF this year due to injuries.

Denver vs Hornets. Hornets are hobbled and Denver is doing great this year after the addition of Billups. Thuggets in 6.

East...don't really care. Cavs will come out of the east especially if KG doesn't play.

[Man0warr]

Mavs are better with Kidd than Harris, they didn't need a scoring point guard.

[Tyche]

As someone who's watched like 1 NBA game in the last 6 months, I'm happy the season is finally starting and I feel completely obligated to give my very educated playoff picks...

Cleveland in 4
Heat in 6
Orlando in 5
Boston in 6

LA in 6
New Orleans in 7
Spurs in 7
Houston in 6

[Akiyama]

Cleveland in 5
Hawks in 7
Orlando in 6
Boston in 5

LA in 5
NO in 6
Spurs in 7
Portland in 7 (I refuse to pick Houston to win a series until they win a series.)

[Stee]

Houston would probably beat Portland in 6 games if they actually learned to pass the ball to Yao.

But I don't see that happening...thats sorta what you get for getting a young point guard and a guy like Artest who thinks he should be the 4th quarter weapon when he can't hit anything.

As much as Rick Adleman has been given a lot of credit about how good of a coach he is, he can't seem to control Artest or even how the offense flows.

[Deejay]

Yao is their leading scorer and takes the most FGA a game. What more do you want? He's also proven that he's a guy who will break down if you rely on him too much over the course of a season.

And besides, with any good team you need balance, and Artest gives them that balance by taking on some of the scoring pressure so Yao can rest on offense from time to time.

The rockets were smart in letting Yao kind of coast through the season so they can still have him for the playoffs.

[Stee]

Well that's understandable for the regular season, but what I'm saying is this shit can't fly during the playoffs.

Yao is the best offensive weapon you have out there, pretty much anyone else on the team is mediocre at best offensively. If Yao is easily gassed, Adleman needs to do a better job resting him before the 4th quarter.

There have been so many games this season without McGrady where Artest threw up brick after brick in the 4th quarter and what could have been a close game became a insurmountable lead. Artest isn't clutch and he seems to play even worse under pressure, so the Rockets need to find someone else on the team to take over in the 4th, which NEEDS to be Yao. The guy attracts double/triple teams and can score over any other center in the NBA easily.

[Dimmauk]

So which game will KG come out in a wheelchair, then by some divine miracle he will rise up and play again and dominate?

[Bratt]

None hopefully!

[Devia]

So which game will KG come out in a wheelchair, then by some divine miracle he will rise up and play again and dominate?

AHAHAHAHA

brb, cleaning the Pepsi off my keyboard ...

[Deejay]

Yao is the best offensive weapon you have out there, pretty much anyone else on the team is mediocre at best offensively. If Yao is easily gassed, Adleman needs to do a better job resting him before the 4th quarter.

It's not the fact that Yao get's tired, it's the fact that when you're that big your body is more prone to break down over the course of a 82 game season. Saving him was the smartest thing that Adleman could do. Meanwhile you're sitting here calling him an idiot when they've got Yao for the first time in the playoffs since god knows when.

And how do you know that the Rockets won't go to Yao more in the playoffs? At least let them play a game before you start going off on their coach for absolutely no reason.

[Stee]

Well that's understandable for the regular season, but what I'm saying is this shit can't fly during the playoffs.

and never said they wouldn't said if they did this they would win.

[Deejay]

and never said they wouldn't said if they did this they would win.

wut?

and

As much as Rick Adleman has been given a lot of credit about how good of a coach he is, he can't seem to control Artest or even how the offense flows.

sure sounds like you said adleman wasn't doing his job properly, but ok

[Stee]

I'm sorry has he controlled Artest in the 4th quarter? judging by the last regular season game for the Rockets no he didn't.

How many times have you seen Yao motioning for the ball with great post position and nobody has passed it to him?

Nothing you have said so far has even come close to telling me why Adleman allowing Artest to shoot brick shots in the 4th quarter and his team's point guards to ignore Yao's post presence makes him a great coach.

[Deejay]

How often do you see Centers get the ball in clutch situations? And besides Yoa just isn't the type of player that you constantly feed the rock and watch him do work. That's not to say that he's not a capable scorer, but he's simply not a guy who's going to carry your offense for 10 straight minutes. He prefers to score points within the flow of the game. He is who he is, which has nothing to do with coaching style.

And I never said he was a great coach. I'm simply saying that you can't blame him for every bone head move that some of the players make over the course of the regular season. You're going back and forth from saying that he's an idiot, to saying that he's not bad and that you'll wait for the playoffs. Make up your mind.

[Stee]

Umm what? Yao is the best offensive center in the league right now. He has no problem going man to man against the other guy in a half court setting.

I don't know where you got this idea where Yao hates it when his teammates feed him the ball in the post rather then set plays. Assuming he doesn't like it then its even a bigger coaching problem. The guy is getting paid millions, he has the ability to do it, there is no downside for him not do it and it will help the team, then as a coach you force him to do it.

I understand Yao gets gassed easily, but everytime he is in the game and is ASKING for the ball or your offense is stagnant then you pass him the ball. I don't see what the problem is.

[ghostfaced]

portland does a pretty good job against yao and i have a feeling we will deal with him fine in the series. our problem is we let role players like scola,wafer ect light us up, i still have faith in portland and we will do it in 6 imo. but we have held yao to 42% FG 16 Pts and 9 Rbds as a average when we have played him.

Yao Ming Stats, News, Photos - Houston Rockets - ESPN