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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New York City

    Boozer's Big Night/NBA Playoffs

    After a subpar first game, last night Carlos erupted for 41 points (17-30 shooting) and 12 rebounds. He did a lot of his scoring while going up against the 7'5" Yao and one of the best defensive teams in the league. When you have a game like that in the playoffs you are really making a statement and I think that Carlos is proving now that he is going to be an elite level (all nba first second or third team) player for many years to come. As long as the Jazz remain a top team in the West, he will also be an MVP candidate for years to come.

    I remember when he was in college I used to argue with my Duke friends about his pro prospects. I always said that he could be a Karl Malone type player and his game reminded me a lot of the Mailman's. Many of my friends thought I was crazy but he is closely approaching that level now.

    Even though the Jazz are down 2-0, I still think they have a chance in the series but they need two things if they are going to be able to win a game in Houston -- 1) Deron needs to be more aggressive and take more control of the pace of the game; 2) they need consistent contributions from either Okur or Kirilenko. Speaking of Kirilenko, how has he fallen so far so fast? It can't just be injuries, can it? What happened to those days when he'd put up a line like 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 5 steals? With the old Kirilenko, I think the Jazz could compete with the Suns, Spurs and Mavs in the West.

    Speaking of which, I think the Mavs could be in real trouble against the Warriors. After losing game 1, they have now lost six games in a row (I think) to GS and they are facing a team that is really firing on all cylinders after having to really turn it on at the end of the regular season to make the playoffs. Baron Davis went off in game 1 and when healthy he could be the most talented player in the league (he's like Dwyane Wade with an outside shot when healthy). Golden State has nothing to lose, they have a great coach who just happens to be the previous Dallas coach and they obviously have a lot of confidence against the Mavs. On the other hand, Dallas is coming off of a tremendous regular season and their mind frame is that only a championship will do this year, especially after the hugely disappointing loss in last year's finals. There is a lot of pressure on Dallas. I am very curious to see what happens in game 2 - whether Dallas was just rusty in game one due to essentially taking the last week and a half of the regular season off, or whether GS truly has their number.

    Interestingly, I could see both the Dallas - GS and SA - Denver series going seven games, which would be huge for the Suns, who I see beating the Lakes in 4 or 5. The Lakers are a complete mess - and unless Kobe goes beserk, they are dead (and even a few 50 point games from him might not be enough). The first two halves of game 1 demonstrate exactly where LA is right now.

    Is anyone really interested in what's going on in the Eastern conference? I'd like to see the Bulls advance to the finals because I think it could be a coming out party for Luol (people forget that Deng was the #2 player in LeBron's class coming out of high school - and many said that Luol was a clear #2) and an opportunity for him to take the step to superstar level. The Bulls are mildly entertaining and the Raptors are fun to watch but I really don't have much interest in watching any of the games in the East.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Boozer is making all the teams who passed on him in the first round look very stupid. I think he was a huge victim of the mindset Duke players don't do well in the NBA, and he's doing a huge job proving that idea wrong.

    Jazz-Rockets is really a win-win in my book, we either get Shane or Carlos in to cheer for in the 2nd round (and the Bulls to take the East of course).

  3. #3
    too much to read, but all i got to say is that houston is to much for utah
    Last edited by JBDuke; 04-24-2007 at 06:27 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC
    I still can't quite get used to the sight of this:



    One more thing, is it just me or do these two look like they were just playing against Lute and AZ a couple nights ago? They look like they haven't aged a day.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by DankeShane View Post
    I still can't quite get used to the sight of this:



    One more thing, is it just me or do these two look like they were just playing against Lute and AZ a couple nights ago? They look like they haven't aged a day.
    You know, I watched that game and never saw Lute in uniform or dribble or rebound or shoot. I must have missed something.

  6. #6
    Carlos = beast.

    I have to say, I never expected 41 points in an NBA playoff game, but...

    I think Los actually looks a bit older, to tell the truth. Shane = The Same (i.e. awesome.)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Btw, what was with the lack of respect for Shane on some of the foul calls? I only watched a small portion of the game (I'm on the West coast, and it was already more than half over before I got home from work), but I saw a couple plays where Shane looked like he was jobbed. On one of them the Jazz made an awful pass back towards half court, and Deron Williams jumped hard into Shane. Shane received the foul, partially because Deron bounced off of him? Shane didn't look like he was moving all that much, and had as much of a right to the ball as Deron. I forget the other foul, but it wasn't good. I haven't watched a ton of the playoffs, but the officiating has been awful. Also notable was the call against Jordan Farmar in the Suns-Lakers game, where Farmar was standing in the lane as Amare came through. Farmar didn't move, just ended up getting pushed back 7-8 feet as Amare refused to stop and Farmar held his arms up to show that he was just standing there. Farmar received the foul, which put him on the bench and led to the Suns run that gave them the game. Farmar had been guarding Barbosa, who torched Smush (Farmar's replacement). Seriously, what are the refs watching?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New York City

    The reffing is awful.

    I completely agree on the quality of the officiating in the NBA. It was horrible all season and was equally atrocious last regular season and the playoffs. All the talk about Wade getting so many calls in the Finals hasn't helped what is increasingly a major problem for the league.

    The fact that the Crawford - Duncan fiasco was one of the headline stories as the regular season certainly doesn't help the fact that this could become THE major storyline of the playoffs because I have a feeling that many games are going to be decided in the last minute on foul calls.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, D.C.

    Is this new?

    I haven't paid much attention to the NBA in recent years, but hasn't the officiating been bad for a long time? And doesn't it get worse as the playoffs progress, with the stars getting a predominance of the calls? I still remember Jordan's last championship series against Utah. Jeff Hornacek couldn't buy a call.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    I consider the NBA to be "basketball entertainment" much the way pro wrestling is considered "sports entertainment". I'm not saying the outcomes are predetermined, but much of what goes on in the NBA regarding officiating doesn't in any way resemble basketball. Just watch the Bulls/Heat series if you want some examples.

    That said, I am enjoying the playoffs because I get to see the grown-up Devils such as Carlos, Shane, Du, and the emerging monster Deng play on the big stage. It really is fun to see how far they've come.

    At an basketball camp I once went to, the Central Michigan coach was extolling the virtues of Dan Majerle, whom he described as a "bona fide NBA a-- kicker." after Majerle gave Drexler and Magic fits in the playoffs one year.

    That's Carlos now. A Bona-Fide NBA A-- kicker. No debate.

    dukemsu

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