Official NBA Discussion Thread

[Soulpower]

lol, Lebron would of easily gotten Kobe's stats AND get rest in the 4th quarter.

Yeah, but he would have lost the game.

 

[exC.On]

hey I'm not going to front, thats true. But enough about LeBron, every time I hear his name my teeth literally cringe thinking about the series.
But um, I haven't seen the game stats yet but my take on why lakers won so easily (except for having Kobe) was because this was the first game of the finals and the nervousness kicked in for the Magic and not hitting shots including three's when they usually make them. I think game 2 will be much closer.

 

[gamebreaker]

Orlando played terrible last night.
Enough said.
Game 2 better be a better game.

 

[exC.On]

Whoa, did game 4 pick up at the end. Fishers 3 to take it to overtime and his clutch 3 in OT to take the lead was amazing. Lakers up 3-1

 

[gamebreaker]

Such a dramatic loss.
I felt like crying tbh.

 

[Qwake]

Magic should have won that game, that 3 that Fisher got to take the Lakers to overtime was so easy, it was like Nelson wanted him to get it. Magic were shooting their free throws badly, thats where the Lakers got them.

Magic better win the next game, even if they lose the series they should atleast make it an enjoyable one!

 

[Klide]

^magic should have won game 2 also i mean its not all lees fault they could have finished it during overtime also. Game 2= Game 4 in a way... hope fully Orlando gets next game... but what i noticed that Magic gets screwd every series. 2 in the Philly(1 iggy shot game winner), Celtics (big baby game winner),1 in the Cavs (lebron game winner) 2 in lakers (overtime stuff especially fisher)

 

[gamebreaker]

You've got a point.
Orlando is going into Game 5 pissed off.
It is the last game played at the Amway Arena I think, and they do not want to lose that game.

Wait, never mind. The new arena opens October 2010. But still...

 

[PeepShow]

OMG @ SHAQ BEING TRADED TO THE CAVS~!

 

[Enigma22]

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns are nearing agreement on a blockbuster trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland to team with LeBron James, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions.

The deal is more than "90 percent" complete, according to the sources, and is merely awaiting final approval from the team's owners.

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the future Hall of Famer.

The trade gives the Cavs a player they've coveted since February. With center Zydrunas Ilgauskas starting to break down, adding Shaq to the roster gives them a dominant force in the middle. The Cavs were obviously unhappy with their ability to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs and bringing Shaq into the fold should help.

For the Suns, the move is a straight salary dump. Pavlovic's $5 million dollar contract next season is only partially guaranteed for the amount of $1.5 million. Factor in the disparities in the contracts between Wallace, Pavlovic and Shaq and the team will save $4.5 milliion next season. However, when you factor in the savings they'll reap on the luxury tax, it will be closer to $10 million in savings. That savings can be amplified if Wallace decides to retire and the Suns buy him out of his contract for less than the $14 million he's owed next season.

The trade is a pretty strong admission by the Suns that they screwed up when they traded Shawn Marion for Shaq in February of 2007. Marion was a free agent this summer and, had they let him walk, their savings would've been $21 million not the $5.5 million they're saving in this deal.

When the Suns made the trade they had the best record in the Western Conference. This year they finished in the lottery. With Shaq gone, the question is ... are the Suns finally rebuilding?

Sources say that the team would still like to compete. They still have veterans Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa. They also have the 14th pick in the draft this year and second year player Robin Lopez.

Chris Broussard is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. NBA reporter Chad Ford contributed to this report.

DAMN RIGHT.

they had the best record in the league last year. who knows what they can do with the most dominant center ever.

 

[exC.On]

Hmm, good trade for the cavs, losing sasha and wallace isn't bad for shaq. I just want to see this cavs vs. magic showdown now cause we all know how shaq feels about Dwight.

 

[Enigma22]

Hmm, good trade for the cavs, losing sasha and wallace isn't bad for shaq. I just want to see this cavs vs. magic showdown now cause we all know how shaq feels about Dwight.

sasha barely played all year and wallace barely played at the end of the year and in the playoffs. they didnt really need either player. its an extremely good trade for the cavs.

 

[exC.On]

Yeah its good, don't get me wrong, but shaq is 37 and it was basically a desperation move to get someone on Howard and doesn't really help the team in the long run. The Cavs are also giving the 46 draft pick and some cash. But I'm almost sure they'll make it to the finals this year and its a good trade for now.

Anyone have any good nicknames for shaq in Cleveland? He was "The Big Cactus" in Phoenix

 

[Enigma22]

they only want him for one year tho so they can go after chris bosh or someone in the next offseason. so they improved their team this year instead of just keeping sasha and wallace for a year and not getting any better. it also makes lebron happy so he will stay in cleveland.

 

[gamebreaker]

V.C. headin' to Orlando!
So glad we got him but so sad we had to give up the prospect, Courtney Lee...