bknets beat the heat 4times in a season

[celtic -_- pride]

watching that gif file i've come to the conclusion that if lebron simply went up for a fundamental left hand layup the heat probably would of won the game. no chance plums would of got to him or the ball without fouling

[Mr Green]

A defender putting their left hand on the offensive player's chest isn't a foul. For example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQHTwWUyCXo

Also, the rationale for the hand being part of the ball rule is to protect the offensive player. If a defender slaps the ball out of bounds no foul is called, but the offense keeps possession.

Plum's block on LeBron was clean and there was no foul.

[Endless Paradise]

Now I also want the NYKs to make it, they will probably be swept by Mia but at least on paper they should be able to make it tougher on Mia than the Hawks will. I don't know how the brackets go but if Mia has to go through a group of NYK, BKN, and Ind. I don't see them coming out healthy enough to bang with a team that will come out of the West... like if SA comes out, that's gonna be killer to Mia. They can beat OKC again b.c they are too finesse but if they play any of SA, Mem, Hous, or the Clipps I just don't see Mia winning, especially if they have to beat 4 grinding tough teams, they won't have the health (maybe) or the energy (hopefully).

Not even a foregone conclusion that Miami will get the 1 seed now - Indiana's back on top.

On the flip side, I also said New York would be fine... and they aren't exactly fine.  They are still 1.5 games out of the playoffs.  Still time for them to get in, though.

1.5 games out understates the Knicks dire situation.

The Hawks magic number is a mere 3 with 5 Hawks games and 4 Knicks games left. So The Knicks would need to go 4-0 and have the Hawks go 2-3 for the Knicks to capture the 8 seed.

Here's the even more important thing about what you mentioned: the Knicks' final four games are @ Toronto, vs. Chicago, @ Brooklyn, and vs. Toronto.  Those are all four playoff teams.  Brooklyn's locked into the fifth seed, but they're most certainly going to be looking for revenge after getting blown out by the Knicks last week.  Toronto and Chicago, on the other hand, are tied and have the same number of games remaining, so I don't think either team will rest players until possibly their final games if they both manage to go 3-0, as they'll be fighting for seeding.  Atlanta's schedule isn't much better (@ Brooklyn, vs. Miami, vs. Charlotte, @ Milwaukee), but considering they've already got the lead and the tiebreaker, it's a lot more likely they'll win just enough games to make the playoffs than the Knicks, who've got to play perfectly from here on out.

[Moranis]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

[Endless Paradise]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

A two-game sweep against a team in the opposite conference is quite clearly different from a four-game sweep against a team in the same conference, three of the games being decided by a single point.  The former happens all of the time; the latter has literally never happened in the NBA before the Nets' last win.  This doesn't mean that the Nets will beat the Heat in the playoffs (see the Bulls in 2011), but the difference here is that the Nets have three people who've got experiencing planning and winning against LeBron James-led teams: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.  While it's silly to say that the Nets will eliminate the Heat, it's also equally silly to simply dismiss these wins as "nothing."  The Nets obviously know how to make the right plays down the stretch against the Heat to win close games.

[MISSERY]

pacers are back on 1st seed, hhmm maybe pacers vs nets 2nd round playoffs
actually i can see a beast hibbert goerge bynum west stephenson come playoffs

[D.o.s.]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

A two-game sweep against a team in the opposite conference is quite clearly different from a four-game sweep against a team in the same conference, three of the games being decided by a single point.  The former happens all of the time; the latter has literally never happened in the NBA before the Nets' last win.  This doesn't mean that the Nets will beat the Heat in the playoffs (see the Bulls in 2011), but the difference here is that the Nets have three people who've got experiencing planning and winning against LeBron James-led teams: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.  While it's silly to say that the Nets will eliminate the Heat, it's also equally silly to simply dismiss these wins as "nothing."  The Nets obviously know how to make the right plays down the stretch against the Heat to win close games.

Nothing makes me trust a team's late-game decision making more than someone like Andre Blatche playing big minutes.

[Moranis]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

A two-game sweep against a team in the opposite conference is quite clearly different from a four-game sweep against a team in the same conference, three of the games being decided by a single point.  The former happens all of the time; the latter has literally never happened in the NBA before the Nets' last win.  This doesn't mean that the Nets will beat the Heat in the playoffs (see the Bulls in 2011), but the difference here is that the Nets have three people who've got experiencing planning and winning against LeBron James-led teams: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.  While it's silly to say that the Nets will eliminate the Heat, it's also equally silly to simply dismiss these wins as "nothing."  The Nets obviously know how to make the right plays down the stretch against the Heat to win close games.

How many of those games did Dwyane Wade play in? 

So you don't have to look it up, he played in 2, the first one Brooklyn had Mr. Lopez manning the center.

Games are meaningless.  If by some chance they are matched up, I would predict a Miami win in 5 games (unless Wade is out, then a Miami win in 6 or 7).  Miami is in cruising mode and has been all season long.  None of these games matter. 

[Endless Paradise]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

A two-game sweep against a team in the opposite conference is quite clearly different from a four-game sweep against a team in the same conference, three of the games being decided by a single point.  The former happens all of the time; the latter has literally never happened in the NBA before the Nets' last win.  This doesn't mean that the Nets will beat the Heat in the playoffs (see the Bulls in 2011), but the difference here is that the Nets have three people who've got experiencing planning and winning against LeBron James-led teams: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.  While it's silly to say that the Nets will eliminate the Heat, it's also equally silly to simply dismiss these wins as "nothing."  The Nets obviously know how to make the right plays down the stretch against the Heat to win close games.

How many of those games did Dwyane Wade play in? 

So you don't have to look it up, he played in 2, the first one Brooklyn had Mr. Lopez manning the center.

Games are meaningless.  If by some chance they are matched up, I would predict a Miami win in 5 games (unless Wade is out, then a Miami win in 6 or 7).  Miami is in cruising mode and has been all season long.  None of these games matter.

I don't get your point.  They beat them twice without Wade and they beat them twice with Wade.  Wade hasn't made much of a difference either way.

And Miami is not "cruising" with four games to go.  That excuse works for a meaningless game against a lottery-bound Utah in the middle of January.  Not in the final stretch leading up to the playoffs when they're fighting for home court - a game against a team they very well might see in the playoffs, to boot.  Not when there are tangible stats proving that this is the weakest Heat team of the Big 3 era.  Their defense is down, their role players are underperforming, and they have a hobbled Wade.  They're trying to win, but they're struggling at that.

This isn't the same Miami team we've seen in the past; they're not nearly as dominant as before.  They're still elite, but they're not some unstoppable juggernaut, and they've already shown vulnerabilities throughout the past four years that are on full display this year.

[Moranis]

Cavs beat the Spurs both times they played in 06-07 and then were swept in the NBA Finals.  The regular season means nothing.

A two-game sweep against a team in the opposite conference is quite clearly different from a four-game sweep against a team in the same conference, three of the games being decided by a single point.  The former happens all of the time; the latter has literally never happened in the NBA before the Nets' last win.  This doesn't mean that the Nets will beat the Heat in the playoffs (see the Bulls in 2011), but the difference here is that the Nets have three people who've got experiencing planning and winning against LeBron James-led teams: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Kidd.  While it's silly to say that the Nets will eliminate the Heat, it's also equally silly to simply dismiss these wins as "nothing."  The Nets obviously know how to make the right plays down the stretch against the Heat to win close games.

How many of those games did Dwyane Wade play in? 

So you don't have to look it up, he played in 2, the first one Brooklyn had Mr. Lopez manning the center.

Games are meaningless.  If by some chance they are matched up, I would predict a Miami win in 5 games (unless Wade is out, then a Miami win in 6 or 7).  Miami is in cruising mode and has been all season long.  None of these games matter.

I don't get your point.  They beat them twice without Wade and they beat them twice with Wade.  Wade hasn't made much of a difference either way.

And Miami is not "cruising" with four games to go.  That excuse works for a meaningless game against a lottery-bound Utah in the middle of January.  Not in the final stretch leading up to the playoffs when they're fighting for home court - a game against a team they very well might see in the playoffs, to boot.  Not when there are tangible stats proving that this is the weakest Heat team of the Big 3 era.  Their defense is down, their role players are underperforming, and they have a hobbled Wade.  They're trying to win, but they're struggling at that.

This isn't the same Miami team we've seen in the past; they're not nearly as dominant as before.  They're still elite, but they're not some unstoppable juggernaut, and they've already shown vulnerabilities throughout the past four years that are on full display this year.

I never said they were an unstoppable juggernaut, in fact I expect them to lose in the NBA Finals and wouldn't be overly surprised if Indiana beat them in the ECF.  Brooklyn will not beat Miami in a best of 7 series though.  It just isn't going to happen.

[Endless Paradise]

So you have no real basis for your position other than "it's just not going to happen." Gotcha.

[MISSERY]

loosing mike miller, which allows lebron to move to pg, where mike miller plays SF
not sure on greg oden, but the nets can't even have a blow out, 1 point win, overtime etc;
and again vs. pacers collins is useless, i just don't know how kg will man handle hibbert and plumlee not getting 4 fouls in just half of a quarter, plus a bigman blatche who has no defense and average rebounder

[Celtics18]

If I could get to see The Captain and KG (even wearing their new, rented jerseys) knock off the Miami Lebrons in the playoffs, it would go a long, long, long way towards making this season a lot better for me.

[Ogaju]

I liked how lebron cried like a baby and threw his hands up to get attention from the refs when he had a chance to intentionally foul and try to salvage the game. What a joke. This just reflects how much protection he had from the refs when he plays. Stern is no longer here, no more free baskets for you Lebrickie.

Its really a disgrace to the game to see him whine and complain like a little school girl after a play like that. And then to even come out in an interview after and simply say "it was a foul, that's what I think about that." And he won't get any consequence from the league for criticizing officials for making the right call. Read the rule book bro, hands part of the ball.

Hand is part of the ball? Is that true?

Certainly looked like a foul to me.

Nah look at the replay again from the backboard camera, he got ball first with his pinky and finger beside it then hand of course but ball first

He got some body too but not nearly enough to warrant a foul call.  EDIT: Although looking at this it looks like Plumlee also puts his left hand on LeBron's chest.  Still not the sort of thing that gets called.

Closest thing to a foul by the book was Joe Johnson slapping LeBron on the midsection just after he caught the ball, but they don't call that at any point in the game, let alone crunch time.

Here's a .gif BTW.  Love the filename - think it's a disgruntled Heat fan.




EDIT EDIT:  Hahaha, just noticed LeBron also two-steps his jumpstop and therefore travels.

I don't think he traveled and I think the no-call on the foul was probably the right call.

[SparzWizard]

Pacers are imploding. Miami's nightmare is facing any team with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in it together. Chicago won't get far without a true postseason point-guard. The rest of the whippersnappers either are mediocre or have not tasted the playoffs in many years.