NBA Basketball

[Jedi Master Carr]

The two best teams, so far, played tonight, and it wasn't the Kings and Lakers. It was the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers won in a high scoring game 110-98. The Pacers mainly dominated inside with Jermaine O'neal and Brad Miller plus Ron Artest was brilliant defensively. Indiana is 15-2, and actually have had little contribution from Reggie Miller (he was been hurt for the first 15 games). Just to let you know I am a Pacer fan so I am a little bias. On the Mavericks they do look very good, the Pacers did a good job on them but Dirk Nwiroski(sp) had a very poor shooting night which didn't help them. They are defintely a great scoring team and their defense is getting better. If they keep that up they could win it all, I wouldn't mind that Don Nelson is a great coach and has had a tough time with Cancer and all. I still don't like Mark Cuban he reminds me of another Dallas owner :rolleyes. Still the season is early and Shaq has just got back so I would never count out the Lakers either, plus the Kings will be there in the west as well. In the east well, Indiana, Detriot and New Jersey look like the best three teams. Indiana has the most talent but are still very young (average age 24) so it will be interesting to see how it plays out the rest of the season.

[JMK]

I'm very dissapointed to see the Mavs fall one short of tying the record for the best start ever. I actually like Mark Cuban, I find his attitude towards the game & fans refreshing and I like the fact that he's not such a button-up kind of guy. I would never discount the Lakers with Shaq in the lineup. Not until they finish the season in 9th place in the western conference. Even if they squeaked into the playoffs they be one of the teams to beat.

When are Malone & Stockton going to retire? It's pretty obvious that they're not going to win a title. Ever.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I know its insane they should just retire it stupid. Its the same with Jordan he is going down like Unitas playing on a crappy team at the end of his career. About Cuban, well I just don't like seeing him on the sidelines and he has made some bonehead statements too maybe he is not a bad guy or anything I don't know. I have to admit he has really turned around that franchise.

[JMK]

I admit that I do have a bit of a problem with owners down on the court or sidelines (read: Jerry Jones). It interferes with the coach's reign on the team for the 48 minutes (or 60, or 9 innings).

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think if he watched the games from the owners box then I wouldn't have a problem with at all.

[Taylor Millard]

Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
I still don't like Mark Cuban he reminds me of another Dallas owner :rolleyes.

Oh he does not...Jerry wears $800 suits. Cuban is smart enough to just be a fan and let Nellie do the coaching and the GMing.

Is he vocal? Sure...but that's not a bad thing.

But I'm biased...I grew up in Dallas and I'm posting from there now...:lol

Has Cuban made a lot of people mad? Yeah...but it's for questioning of officials, luxury tax (which if I understand him correctly I agree with him too), and being a real vocal fan.

Jerry hasn't decided if he wants to own the team or coach it.

ANd a comment about the watching from sidelines.

Norm Sonju (former GM of the Mavs) had behind the basket tickets in the old Reunion Arena. I've got no problem with him sitting there. I've got no problem with Cuban sitting behind the bench as long as he's not interfering with Nellie's job.

So far...Cuban hasn't.

Which is far from what Jerry does with the Cowboys.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well maybe he is not that bad, I don't watch a lot of Mav games so I can't comment to much, my opinion was based more on the impression I get from stuff like Sportscenter which could be a bad thing.

[Taylor Millard]

Oh ESPN loves Cuban.

How great would it be to see Commissioner Stern hand the NBA Trophy to Cuban.

Better than a Dairy Queen Blizzard on a hot day!

:D

[JMK]

Running a Dairy Queen is alot harder than he thinks! We challenge Mark Cuban to come down and run it for a day if he's so smart!

So what does he do? He goes down and runs it wearing a name tag that says Tony! He's great!

[JonathanLB]

I really like the Dallas Mavericks, they are incredibly fun to watch and they are just explosive. I'm very impressed with them. Very clearly the league's best team so far. 15-1, just an off-night when they played the Pacers, which is a tough time to have an off-night when you want to tie a record and are playing the league's 2nd best team.

The Lakers, no offense, SUCK. They have Shaq back, they have Kobe, they still suck. They cannot hardly even beat the MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES. Lakers are one of the worst 15 teams in the league, maybe among the worst 10. They won't make the playoffs at this rate. If they do, they won't have any home court against anyone.

This is not their year, for once. I think other teams are finally going to crash through the gates and over the walls and end their tyrannical rule.

I also really like Mark Cuban. I think people who don't like him, mostly (not to generalize), must be stuck-up "proper" people who don't like owners to be so vocal. Well, I DO like owners to be vocal. Maybe some of you don't appreciate what it means to have an owner who cares, but here in Portland we have that IDIOT Paul Allen, who doesn't even live in our STATE, let alone our city, trying to run our basketball team and doing a lousy job of it. He throws money at it, sure, but he won't fire Bob Whitsit, the biggest idiot basketball has ever known. Mark Cuban at least cares about his team, about the fans, and he's clearly in it for the love of the game, not the money. He has plenty of money, he doesn't need more. He does, however, want to see a winning team and he brings that attitude to his franchise. He is there for the games, he speaks out for the team, even when getting fined absolutely ridiculous amounts for no good reason whatsoever, and is just generally a good sort of controversial guy. The league needs his controversy. His team is better for it.

The Mavs have turned things around a lot. They were good last year, but their defense sucked. This year, their defense is among the best in the league, all things considered. For instance, I don't consider that some teams have an 84 ppg average they allow because they also have lousy ppg averages in scoring. OBVIOUSLY if you don't score as much and have trouble putting the ball through the basket, you are having troubles on the offensive end and are therefore using more time off the clock, which prevents the opponent from scoring as much, even if they do easily beat you. The Mavs, on the other hand, give up more shot opportunities in a game, I am almost positive, because their fast-paced offense gears towards taking shots on the breakaway and pulling up for quick jumpers. It's a lot faster strike, and therefore the defense naturally allows more points because there are more opportunities. All in all, though, I think the Mavs defense is very good, unlike last year where it was nothing short of AWFUL.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The Lakers aren't that bad I am sure they will turn it around, they will be dangerous in the playoffs, also the Mavs have nobody to stop Shaq, I don't think that toothpick Bradley can stop him. The team that could is Indiana with their tag team center combo of Brad Miller and Jermaine O'Neal that is one combo that can match Shaq. Indiana looks legit too, they are easily the best team in the East and they did beat the best team in the west. I am hoping they run the table and do it this year, I would love to see Miller get a championship (I figure he will retire if he got one). Still its a long way to go.

[Jedieb]

The Lakers lost again the other night, even with Shaq back. They're struggling and they're not going to be anywhere near the top in the West once the season ends. I expect them to get better, but they're going to have to make this title run on the road.

From what I've seen of Malone and Stockton, Malone is the one who's turning to stone right in front of our eyes. Stockton is actually doing quite well whenever he's on the floor.

[JonathanLB]

I hate Malone, but I still mostly like Stockton. He's a great player, a true warrior. Malone is just dirty, I don't like the guy. I give him praise as a player but he's still a dirty player. I can't stand the guy, just a dumb trucker, no class whatsoever. He is nothing like a Michael Jordan or even a lesser known player like a Clyde Drexler, a guy who had real class.

The Mavs would beat the Lakers through superior defense and superior shooting. The Lakers simply cannot outscore the Mavs, that's their problem, and with the defense that the Mavs are showing this season, if they keep it up that is, they will have no problem absolutely toasting the very vulnerable Lakers.

History should view the Lakers' 3rd championship as a sham, because that's what it was. The Kings were the best team, they proved they were the best team by winning in 5 games, 4-1, and somehow the refs managed to make the Lakers win 4-3, it's just an incredible bunch of nonsense. I feel like I'm watching boxing, not basketball. I thought this didn't happen in the NBA, but I was wrong, and in the same year you had the Patriots steal the Super Bowl after a horrible call that should have been the opposite and should have resulted, again, in the team not even making the championship games (game in this case). Then in college, Oregon got shafted and should have been playing for the National Championship. 2002 was a terrible year for sports, probably the worst ever, unless you consider a strike year the worst. Then the Giants lost the Series, which is really idiotic, I can't say I cared for a single sport during 2002, just a pitiful display of bad officiating, crookedness, and general ineptitude all around. I hope for a better year in 2003.

The Lakers are horrid this year, they won't be able to beat the Kings, the Mavericks, or probably even the Spurs to be honest. Even the Blazers are better than the Lakers, lol, my god.

[JMK]

I still think that IF the Lakers make the playoffs, they will be the top dog. I don't care how well the Mavs or Kings do in the regular season, the Lakers have too much playoff experience and they turn it up a notch. I hope I'm wrong, but we'll have to see.

[Taylor Millard]

Oh and Carr...Shawn Bradley's not a toothpick...

He's a preying mantis. Haven't you seen him wave his arms around? :lol :lol

[Jedi Master Carr]

LOL Well in the Indiana game the Pacer players seemed to have their way with him. He is not very big, all he he is good for his blocking shots and maybe some hook shots, other centers can just push him over.

[JMK]

He looks alot like a wet noodle in a jersey. :p