Real Deal

Haha, I was wondering how long the topic could go without his name. Four posts.

Nikola Pekovic is a strong candidate.

Weird... http://www.nba.com/magic/video/2012/04/05/040512svghowardfiredreportsm4v-2057675/index.html

There are a few guys posting it on Twitter...and I can only assume that quote is accurate, seeing that it's coming from SVG.

You FINALLY repeat what we have been saying for a long time! Oh, the irony. --------------- Anyway...yeah, both teams played their best, and both have been playing their best all season long, or else they wouldn't be holding the best records in the NBA.

Plus, franchise players are those you CAN build around and contend with (not necessarily win it all, but contend). Danny Granger is no franchise player. The Pacers made the attempt to make him one, but he isn't. It would ring true for Westbrook, also.

There were reports of it earlier, but Howard denied them. I guess SVG just grew sick of it, and decided to come out with the truth. Orlando is a mess, and it all starts (and will eventually end) with Dwight.

Nah, the Thunder take a lot of nights off. I've actually watched every game they have played this season, so I can vouch for that. They just run through the motions, and will turn it up in the playoffs.

Really, I doubt the Thunder played hard tonight. They didn't seem to when they lost to the Grizzlies on Monday, so you could have expected a loss against another halfway decent team (such as the Pacers) had they played them...just seems like Durant and Westbrook take a lot of jumpers, rather than trying to get to the line 20 times a night, like they would do in the playoffs last year. If they played hard, I'm sure they would have won big.

If that's not an over-the-back call, I don't know what is. I usually never take up for Gasol, but he had position, clearly. And the second dunk, which was just as wicked, should have been called an offensive foul as well, but Griffin has been elbowing people (and pushing with his off-hand) most of the season. Gasol did flop a bit both times, made them look a bit worse. Griffin was my favorite PF to start the season...but now, I'm not even sure if I like watching him anymore.

I knew you were a closet DeShawn fan...biggest on the board, I believe. ^_^ ------ Topic isn't about the DPOY, but to clarify, I wasn't saying LeBron didn't deserve consideration...just that the nine turnovers by Durant weren't all due to James, and that shouldn't propel him into the lead for the award anyway.

Yeah, just realized he didn't score much in that second half. Sure the hell seemed like it...I was still steaming over what he was doing earlier. Still think it was absolutely foolish to switch on nearly every single screen the Clippers set. You can get away with that against the lesser-talented guards, but CP3 will eat bigs alive. The Lakers should know better. I noticed on the last two, Ron didn't make the switch...did his best to stay with CP3, and while Paul dropped that easy bucket on him near the end, I was far more comfortable seeing Ron on him, rather than Drew and Gasol being pulled away from the rim. I'm going to guess that's all on Mike Brown, though, because he used to do that in Cleveland, with Big Z and Varejao.

Durant tore into his ass the first meeting (and Durant caused him more trouble than almost anyone else on the other end of the court, also)...one game doesn't justify him winning the award. LeBron had eight turnovers against DeShawn Stevenson and the Nets back in January...are you considering DeShawn?

If the Thunder end up with the better record (over Miami), Durant should get it. Don't break tradition. I'd throw Rose in the mix again, but Chicago has been pretty damn good without him. There's no way Kobe will get it, doesn't matter what is done, so I'm not going to consider him. Same with Dwight Howard. Kevin Love has no shot because of his team (Minnesota has to win 40 games - equivalent of a traditional 50-win season - for him to be considered...and they are at 25 wins as we speak, losing record). Parker is playing well, but not on the level of anyone I've named (aside from Love, which is debatable, depends on how you look at it).

Nope. He can be a second option on a championship team, but I can't say Westbrook is a primary scoring option on a contender. He struggles against zones when Durant is on the bench, and I could see him turning the ball over far too much, trying to create for all of his teammates.

The second unit is just pathetic. Brown's rotations aren't that great, either. Mike said he was going to try and get Kobe rest from now up until the end of the regular season, so a lot of the Lakers fans expected this tonight. I guess Caron gets credit for keeping them in the game, for most of it. He was hitting heavily-defended shots, and open shots, all game long...didn't matter who was on him, he was catching fire.

Kobe has been a beast shooting clutch shots these last three games. Lakers still running LA.

Clips just had an 8-0 run, Kobe on the bench. Damn man, I hate our second unit.

LBJ misses a fadeaway on Westbrook, but then Durant tries a Kobe three to tie the game, poor decisions. Oh well.

Wow, color me surprised. I need the Thunder to lose for LA's sake, but not losing like this.

Moving screens and a few shoulder blocks not being called. I hated when Boston did that shit.

Why was he even playing in the fourth quarters of those games, then, if the Heat already gave up? You're telling me the Heat were done with those games by the time the fourth quarter hit? What great player acts like the game is over 12 minutes early? If you're going to bring up Wade being out of the lineup, bring up Iguodala not defending LeBron in the fourth. You have trouble doing that, though. Because we're used to you saying, "Oh gosh guys, LeBron can't close in the fourth, herp derp." If you would only get over the fact that people said that earlier in the season, none of us would be saying anything to you...but, yes, you're going to have trouble understanding that as well, I suppose.

:o Hilarious, though. I'm not really shocked. I saw Dajuan Wagner score 100 in a high school game, averaged 43. I understand this isn't in high school, but the level of play is not what we see here, either.

He probably would have had trouble, if Iggy was actually in there...but yeah, again, you're obsessed with it. Did you post something about LeBron taking just two shots and scoring three points in the seven minutes of the 4th he played against the Celtics? I'm assuming he just figured that him, his superstar teammate, and his all-star teammate couldn't overcome the big deficit. Did you post anything about his one shot attempt (and two points) in the fourth against the Raptors the other night? Ah...how about LeBron's 1-3 shooting in the fourth quarter against the Pacers, in a loss, just last Monday? How about LeBron's six second-half points against the Thunder, in a loss, the night before the Pacers game? -------- You should stop. I'll go ahead and stop at that Thunder game, for your sake.

Just watched the show (Raw), by the way (not just the highlights). I haven't seen a non-PPV like that in almost a decade...and honestly, I'm not sure if I've heard the crowd louder at a PPV, aside from this last WM, in just as long. That was amazing.