Real Deal

So you're telling me that, with all that you've seen of Nash, he can get his own shot off and still shoot that 45% from downtown, and 50% from the field, without his screens? Really? Because I seriously doubt that, not when he's drawing as much defensive attention as a top five player in the league.

79 points wouldn't cut it against a Nets team with Devin Harris. New Jersey was murdered on the glass, probably because they were missing Boone, a lot of Williams, and Yi was injured as well. Offensive-minded teams that don't play defense can still win 55-60 games, make the playoffs, get to the second round or WCF. Defensive-minded teams that can't score the ball (Charlotte) can't even tackle 45 wins in a weaker conference. You're going to have to score at least 90 a game to make the playoffs. The last team to score under 90 per game and STILL make the playoffs? The 2003-04 Rockets, who won 45 games and lost 4-1 against the Lakers in the first round. Charlotte is averaging 79.75 PPG in their first four, and they just finished shooting 19% in the first half of their game against a disabled Nets team. Charlotte's defense won't carry them very far, ever, until they learn how to score.

My eyes weren't fooling me. After watching it a few times, the clock stopped 4-5 times on that last possession for the Grizzlies (in the fourth), leaving six seconds on the clock instead of the one second that should've been left there. That was ridiculous. Memphis needed Iverson if all they were going to do was attack the rim, hoping to get a foul and not caring if the ball went in or not. That was pretty bad.

Impact on a team is completely different from overall game. Parker has the better overall game. Outside of Nash, the Suns have no point. Dragic doesn't even count, and Barbosa is a selfish point and a true two guard. I provided the stats that show Nash's numbers are heavily related to his teammates' production. He doesn't produce numbers for a duration of a season if he's the one expected to carry the load, scoring-wise. His shooting isn't as high, his points aren't as high. And Nash is almost the worst defensive starting point guard in the NBA. Combine the two, and you have a conclusion: Parker, Williams and Paul are better. Some will argue Billups. Some will argue Rose. But to say that Parker didn't do as much as Duncan and Manu in the Finals a few years back is insane.

This is you. This is all you ever do. Here's your description...you either: 1) Post something anti-religion, in a topic about it or about anything. 2) Post something anti-Lakers, especially after the Ron Artest signing. 3) Make racist comments to Mike (MainEv3nt). 4) Bait people and call them bandwagoners for not supporting the closest team to their hometown, which is the absolute dumbest thing I've ever read on this board. 5) Say, "My tv out..." Truth is, OTR sucks because I've let this trash go on for too long, and as much as I have been trying to pull this place out of the gutter since before the hack, it's looking less and less possible as we hit under 500 posts every single day, reaching under 400 here and there, under 200 in the offseason, and there's no way in hell I'll go down with this site.

Not as well as Deron, Paul or Parker.

OMFG, the Heat are undefeated. That means they are going to be 82-0 this season!

See, there are players that can't perform in certain offenses. That's the way it is in football as well. You guys know that. Do you think Allen Iverson would ever be a good fit in the triangle, even when he was in his prime? I could've switched Amare with anyone of his caliber, just an opposite player. Doesn't matter. The offense is what I'm pointing at. You stick Steve Nash in a half court set, all game and every game, with a less mobile center, and you're going to see different stats from Nash. Nash went four years off the radar, Dirk came to Dallas and the year Nowitzki became the primary option for Dallas, Nash jumped from single-digit scoring to almost 16 PPG, a career high, along with career highs in assists, in field goal percentage, rebounds, steals, and the following season, in three point percentage. Dirk's scoring dropped back down to less than 22 PPG in 2003-04, and ironically, so did Steve's, to his lowest since those first four seasons in the league. The following year, with just Marion, Nash averaged his second lowest scoring output since the first four years of his career. Amare returns, and Nash's scoring pops back up 4+ PPG. In 2008-09, Amare missing a lot, Shaq in the offense, Nash averages under 16 again, marking his third lowest since the first four seasons (first and second being those I mentioned above). No Shaq, Amare healthy, Hill playing well and Richardson scoring, and Nash is back up to almost 19 per game, as four other teammates are scoring 18+ PPG and all of them shooting 52% or better from the field (Richardson, Amare, Frye and Hill). Product of his offense. If he doesn't play in a get-up-and-go, seven-second or screen and roll-reliant offense, Nash doesn't show MVP numbers. He's not the scorer he can be if others aren't scoring around him...and that's what separates him from the other league MVP's, like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

His teammates are a part of his offense. They changed the offense when Shaq came in, ended up getting dropped from the playoffs in the first round when Tony Parker (surprise, surprise) crushed Nash and set some sort of a postseason record (with Tim) for most points scored in the paint in a series, or something like that. Remove Amare and give Nash a poor pick and roll teammate, take Marion out of that lineup and give him a talented shooter instead. Those screens become less effective, Nash gets off less threes from it, and he probably ends up averaging the same amount of assists, less points.

Haha, that's funny, because Ron scored 27 against them in Game 6 as a second option. I don't get impressed with single-game performances.

So you're willing to tell me that Shaq's screen and rolls in Phoenix were more effective than Amare's? Or as effective?

I'm sure it's pretty easy to shoot 50% against Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy in 13 consecutive playoff games.

If you take away the screens, Nash turns into the player he used to be in Dallas, a good 15-16 PPG scorer and someone who really can't go beyond that when needed. Hell, he was getting very generous screens in Dallas to get those points, also. The Steve Nash that I know without the screens were when he was in Phoenix to start out his career. If he's not getting a screen to hit a three, he's getting one to cause a mismatch. He's a product of the offense he plays in. With an excellent pick and roll guy in Amare, and a guy that tore up opposing wings and large power forwards in Marion, Nash racked up his assists and drew defensive attention away using that offense, just enough to get his shot off. And me saying Arenas is a top point is like me claiming Ariza is a top 10 player in the league based on his 24 PPG and 50% shooting (or whatever it is). We'll see how those stats look when the halfway point approaches, and players are tired from being that primary scoring option.

In Ariza's first three games with us (in 07-08), he shot 2-5, 2 PPG. A few games later, he followed up a 5-5 shooting performance against a defenseless Wolves team by shooting 1-6 against the Spurs. But let me just go through the 2008-09 season from last year. 1-3 FG @ DEN 2-6 FG vs. HOU 0-5 FG vs. CHI 2-6 FG vs. MIL 2-10 FG @ SAC 2-9 FG vs. PHX 2-6 FG @ ORL 1-4 FG @ MEM 1-3 FG vs. BOS 0-3 FG vs. POR 3-10 FG vs. NOH 1-4 FG vs. MIA 2-7 FG vs. ORL 0-6 FG @ LAC 0-1 FG vs. CHA 0-2 FG @ TOR 1-5 FG @ BOS 4-10 FG vs. ATL 2-5 FG vs. NOH 2-6 FG @ MIN 3-9 FG vs. PHX 0-6 FG @ DEN 3-8 FG @ PHX 0-6 FG vs. MEM 3-8 FG vs. MIN 1-4 FG @ POR (7-32 in those four above, all consecutive games) 3-11 FG @ ATL 2-9 FG @ CHA 1-6 FG vs. HOU 4-10 FG vs. LAC 1-8 FG vs. DEN 31 of Ariza's 82 games, he shot pathetic from the floor. I left out a few 42% shooting nights just because I took everything in the 30's or lower, maybe two 40% nights. And this is from an Ariza that was wide open almost all the time. Let's not overrate what Ariza did for us on offense last year. And as far as defense goes, after watching Melo, Turkoglu and others torch him after all of his gambling and his weak upper body getting thrashed down low, we aren't missing out.

I can't put Nash or Arenas in front of Tony Parker. TP has led the Spurs in the postseason and into the Finals, with a championship, and he's easily the better scoring point out of him and Nash, and he plays better defense (and most do over Nash). I'll stick Arenas somewhere into a top 10 list when he plays half a season.

If Chris isn't that great of a point guard, I guess nobody in the league at that position is...unless by great we're talking over a career, and then we bring in Jason Kidd. Paul and Deron are the two best point guards in the NBA, hands down, and Parker is behind them...but other than that, everyone else is trailing and eating their dust.

Yeah, but nobody on the Wolves can stop Eric Gordon, so it'll come down between who will be the bigger impact for his team out of Gordon and Al Jefferson. The Clippers are in Los Angeles, and Baron Davis' foot could be doing better.

The Twitter account already has someone on it (the other owner). The MySpace doesn't though, but I'll have to treat you like I do everyone else, give it some time and make sure you're active with us and willing to be dedicated to the site. I'm sure you are, but I have to play it fair for everyone else. Thanks for raising your hand for the MySpace account. We need it. I'll get in touch with you sometime this month, possibly near the end.

Come on now. Ariza is probably the better scorer today, but he's not a better rebounder, passer, or defender (and I know you'll say he's a better defensive player, but Ariza is a team defender, while Artest is a better physical man defender, and that shouldn't even be debated, especially if you watch how incredible he has been for us already).

Well, there's always reason to have confidence with Kobe on your team, but the problem is, Bryant will have his hands full defending Ginobili. Parker and Duncan are the other two guys we'd have to be concerned with, and Ron can't guard either of them.

Yeah, I think we can beat Orlando in a seven-gamer without Gasol. Bynum is a monster as long as he's healthy. But we'd lose to Boston without Pau, and same with the Spurs. Both teams have a frontcourt player that is way too versatile as a scorer and a defensive player. If Dwight Howard ever added more scoring abilities to his game, I'd change my stance as well. But Gasol will be fine soon, and so will the Lakers.

So unpredictable. Charlotte is on and off all the time. I should probably say if the Nets have Harris, the Bobcats win. If Harris is out, Charlotte loses? You'd think the opposite, but you never know, haha.

Evans is playing, right? This could be an interesting game. Memphis will have their hands full with Sacramento's backcourt (and vice-versa, haha), and I'm curious to see how well Sacramento can contain Marc Gasol, who acts like he's trying to win an MVP award or something.

The only thing that bothers me about people blaming our line and our receivers is that Russell throws passes 10 yards away from everyone half the time, something not even Flash Gordon could catch up to, and that's including plays out of the shotgun, even when our line is holding well. I know we don't have the best receivers, I know we don't have good receivers...and I know our line sucks quite a bit...but Russell's best passes are completed because of the receiver having to catch up to the ball, or change his route a bit for one of Russell's long "air it out" bombs.

Welcome to the best. Just curious, how old are you? I don't know anyone under 20 that likes Motley Crue as their favorite band (assuming that because you named them first).