West

[Portmanteau]

If any team remaining can replace their best player, it's Sacta.

 

[jod23]

I dont know about anyone else but I get this horrible gut feeling that the Lakers are now a lock for their fourth straight title. They rout San Antonio and with George back in the fray, they are almost full strength. The Spurs could roll over, game 4 is so important, they must show some character as they are now the only thing that stands between LA and a fourth title.

With Webber going down, the Kings are all but gone. They have covered injuries to Peja, Bibby, Webber and Jackson all year so they know how to handle injuries but C-Webb is their best player and to lose him at the most important time of the season is a huge blow. I believe they can still get by the Mavericks but even if they do they will run into the Spurs or Lakers and without Webber their title charge is about over.

I feel really bad for Webber as this really was his huge chance at a ring. The Lakers were on the ropes and the Kings were looking very good, he must be absolutely devastated.

The Webber injury completely changes the outlook in the West. Now instead of waiting to see who makes it to the Western Conference Finals, it's all about who wins the Spurs/Lakers series. If the Mavs get by the Webberless Kings then they will be cannon fodder for the Spurs/Lakers and even if the Kings limp by the Mavs, you wouldnt think they would be strong enough without their best player to make it to the Finals.

Im annoyed and shocked. Lakers were so close to losing, now it seems like their destiny to win it all again....

I had all my hopes on the Kings, knowing that they could handle the Lakers helped me sleep at night but now without Webber I must pin my hopes on the Spurs....for the love of god San Antonio, show some balls!

 

[jerry springer]

Disgraceful effort by the Spurs.Tommorows game is the make or break game.Jackson and Parker have been pathetic which means hopefully they can break out and start hitting open jumpers.They need to go out in a defensive mode and grind it out on the lakers homecourt.

 

[jerry springer]

Originally posted by jod23
I dont know about anyone else but I get this horrible gut feeling that the Lakers are now a lock for their fourth straight title.

I have that same pit in my stomach Jod,im getting nervous,the only positive is that the Spurs have homecourt advantage.

terrible luck to Webber,with all this haoppening in the West,does this give New Jersey a Sniff?

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by jod23
....for the love of god San Antonio, show some balls!

Indeed.

 

[mattyc2422]

Sacramento and Dallas' Game 3 was remarkable. Went to double overtime and Dallas just pulled it out in the end.

Bibby fouling out hurt Sac-Town alot.

Nick Van Exel is playing some great playoff basketball.

 

[Showbag]

Van Exel is killing the Kings!!

Dallas win back home court advantage. I don't see the Kings coming back from here, they threw everything at us tonight and lost in double overtime.

Just waiting for someone, anyone to take Dallas seriously?

Vlade has been such a non-factor (injured?).

I like the all-Texas WCF. Nowitzki v. Duncan would be sweet.

Just beat those damn Lakers!!!



(I don't think we can!)

 

[thehardaway]

Dallas' PG combo of NVE and Nash combine for 71 pts, 18 assists, 11 treys, 2 steals and a mere 2 turnovers. With a night like that, you'd expect a victory

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by thehardaway
Dallas' PG combo of NVE and Nash combine for 71 pts, 18 assists, 11 treys, 2 steals and a mere 2 turnovers. With a night like that, you'd expect a victory

Don't forget Avery Johnson. He had a grin on the bench - it's worth something!

 

[Dingster]

Big big loss to the Kings. They really had a chance to pull out a backs to the wall win and put the pressure back on the Mavs. They`re in trouble now.

 

[Portmanteau]

Yup, yup, yup.

Stojakovic can only do so much. Bibby, Vlade, BJax and Keon Clark need to step up!

 

[mattyc2422]

As a Spurs man, why do I do this to myself every year?

I still believe we can eliminate the Lakers, but today's game was nothing short of a farce on our part.

 

[Showbag]

I honestly believe the Spurs will go all the way this year. They are the only team that really has a reason to win. Nothing would reward the Admiral better than a championship in his last game. If they can just keep kobe shooting, they're more than halfway there. If they let fat boy get it too often, they're toast.

 

[Dingster]

Originally posted by Showbag
I honestly believe the Spurs will go all the way this year. They are the only team that really has a reason to win.

Mate, that`s pushing the friendship a bit...but I do agree that it would be great to see the Admiral finish in style.

 

[Showbag]

Yeah, maybe getting a little ahead of myself. But it would be good just the same.

 

[mattyc2422]

We need a big poster above the Spurs Lockers saying
This could be David's second last game. Win it!

If that is not motivationg, I don't know what is.

The refs in this series have been appalling. The affect of the home court on the refs is bound to be there, but to the state of it has been so far...a bit of a joke..

 

[Dingster]

Disappointing not to steal game 4 Matty, but the equation remains the same...just hold serve!

 

[jod23]

Been away a couple of days...a few comments.

First on the Mavs/Kings series. Without Webber I though game 3 would be huge, as it turned out it was. Nick Van Exel was insane and the scoring was again ridiculously high, went double OT and the Kings threw everything at them and still lost. After that game I thought the Kings were just about done but what do they do...hold the Mavs under 100 points and cruise to a game 4 victory to knot the series at 2 all. Game 5 will be huge but seriously can the Kings really beat the Mavericks without Chris Webber????

Lakers/Spurs....I was happy with game 4. Not happy about the result but happy about the effort the Spurs put in. Numerous times they hit huge three's, particularly Manu and Jackson to put them in front but the Lakers always found an answer. The Spurs could probably take some confidence away from game 4 but the bottom line is that they went to LA with a 2-0 lead and with no pressure on them whatsoever and they couldnt get either game.

Now the series really tightens up, game 5 in San Antonio is, simply put, a must win. Lose and they are as good as gone. You must make the Lakers face elimination. If the Spurs dont then the Lakers will surely close the series out in LA. The Spurs MUST be victorious in game 6.

GO SPURS!
GO KINGS!

 

[thehardaway]

Dallas win Game 5

 

[thehardaway]

Spurs currently have a huge lead 52-30

 

[Showbag]

The Spurs were lucky not to blow a huge lead. Horry's trey almost stole it.

This is going to be one hell of a series to win, I just hope the Spurs do it in LA, I don't like the Spurs chances in a decider.

The Mavs, well, they got the job done as you would expect. She-Webb being gone helps us, but the fact is our bench won it for is tonight.

Bell 6 of 7
La Frentz 6 of 9

 

[Dingster]

The Spurs give their fans a scare, but it doesn`t matter whether you win by 2 or 20. The pressure goes back on the Lakers.

 

[jod23]

The Kings wilted in that third quarter. Now we will really see what the Sacramento Kings are made of, can they tie up the series in an elimination game and send it to a 7th and deciding game? If they can I wouldnt put it past them to win game 7. They have a lot more experience.

Scary thing with Dallas though....no lead is safe. Their offensive fire power is damn right scary. When they go with LaFrentz, Nowitzki, Finley, Van Exel and Nash....every player on the floor can knock down the three with immense ease.

In two of the Kings losses they have had 15/16 point leads that are gobbled up in around 3 or 4 minutes. Just scary.

Hope the Kings can get up in game 6 and force a decider. Being a cracker of a series, one that I think would be over by now had a certian player not gone down with an injury. Webber is that stabiliser for the Kings, he is pretty good defensively, cleans the glass, can score almost at will in the post and is a big game player. He is definitely missed.

When the Kings were without Webber, Bibby, Divac, Jackson etc during the season everybody spoke about how easily they covered their losses and just kept on winning. Whilst it was impressive, in the season you are not up against a Dallas team every night. One night it is NY, the next it's Memphis, then Denver or Houston....games that are winnable without a guy like Webber. But once he goes out and you have to play top shelf teams night in, night out, you realise how important he is to their chances.

 

[jod23]

Now onto those Spurs.....jesus christ...

How they can turn a 22 point lead into 16 in the space of 30 or so seconds ..... and then squander that 16 point lead in the fourth to almost lose on an oh so close 3 pointer by Horry on the buzzer ..... is beyond me.

The Spurs need to talk to Jordan or Pippen or a guy like Peirce (a proven 4th quarter performer). Guys that know how to close out games because the Spurs have no idea. San Antonio dominated the first 3 quarters and were in complete control of the game until 30 seconds left in the 3rd. From their until the end of the game, they rode on sheer luck. And god bless them, they got just enough of that to make LA face elimination!

Bowen did a great job on Kobe for 3 quarters and the whole team did a great job on limiting Shaq's impact. Robinson really played well after a bad performance in game 4. The Spurs will win if they continue to get contributions from everyone on the floor. Bowen, Parker, Robinson, Manu, Speedy, Jackson...all helping Duncan out.

Game 6 obviously will be huge, back in LA with the Los Angeles Lakers facing elimination and their long tenure as NBA champions on the line. All the pressure is on LA, so the Spurs just have to come in and play, have fun, and make LA earn it. If they can get some sort of lead like they did in game 5 I doubt the Lakers will have it in them to come back. Go Spurs!

Oh and a quick side note. Every time I have seen a Spurs game this season I have seen Duncan and Robinson run the High-Low play at least twice a game, sometimes more. And almost every time it works and the Spurs get an easy bucket. Ive sworn at the TV telling them to run the damn play but not once during the Lakers series have I seen it....until Game 5. They did it once when they were under barrage in the 4th quarter. They got an easy bucket and they should run that play more often.

 

[mattyc2422]

Originally posted by Dingster
The Spurs give their fans a scare

Try a nervous breakdown.

Anyway, we should have never got to the point where a shot could have lost us the game.

But, regardless of that, the series is 3-2 and we are going to the Lakers building to potentially win the series in 6. Alternatively, LA has to win to force a game 7, which would be at the SBC Center, where the Lakers are 0-5.

WE have to remember, no matter how poorly we played in that last quarter - we have the advantage in this series and have to go at it attackingly.

I know I'm the eternal optimist when it comes to my Spurs, but Tony Parker was back, for 3 quarters at least. Speedy showed his worth and Duncan showed up. Robinson and Rose had an influence, and Manu and Jackson, well - they are not at their best, but are getting there.

Now, can somebody please guard the big white guy with the soft touch wearing Medvedenko's jersey? Sure, the guy can shoot it a bit, but he went nuts. Why? Because we left him wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open.

Jod mate, I've noticed the High-Low game too. When Tim first came into the league, we were great at doing it, but now we have seemed to reduce the amount of times we do it. I always ask...WHY? David is still mobile of the offense and Timmy is Timmy. Both are exceptional passers and if the two defensive big guys come out to Timmy - RUN HIGH-LOW! It works.

Now, seeing David complete 2 alley oop passers against the Lakers. That was sick! David is still giving me memories, even on his last legs.

Come on Spurs. Game 6 beckons. Possibly a spot in the WCF. Don't let it slip. I don't want to face the Lakers in any Game 7 situation. They LOVE that kind of pressure.