2009 NBA Playoffs

[Steve]

Oh damn oh damn oh damn that game had me on the edge of the chair.....

NBA Playoff basketball at its finest folks!

[Dark Flame]

Fuck shit fuck shit fuck shit oh damn.

Down 3-1, after playing probably our best game of this series. Fuck. I think we can safely say any more games are must wins now.

[Steve]

Except for Game 3's free throw fest thanks to that hack Crawford and his band of misfits this Magic-Cav series has been fucking awesome. Clutch play after clutch play after clutch play.

And it ain't over yet!

[Argosh]

Hmm, Cleveland is 0:3 in those games where James has shot 40+ points, in this series.
Orlando vs Cleveland 116:114, 3:1.

[Dark Flame]

Over on the Fear the Sword blog (it's a Cavs site) there's some moron saying that the Magic have dominated the series!! Bwahahaha! I realize we're not playing well, but when 3 games are decided by one possession each, you can't say either team is dominating. But don't let things like box scores and stats get in the way of subjective domination..

It's great fun to see him get ripped apart.

One response to his idiocy said

show us the history, don’t just proclaim it as truth.

And he says

LOL. read your own history, im not going to help you there. if you dont know that then nevermind. it is truth unless otherwise proven wrong.

Oh well, it all comes down to tomorrow night. And I'm pretty worried. Also, that last free throw in requlation that LeBron made. As it sat on the rim Varejao was right there to tip in a miss and get 2 for the lead. It falls in, and eventually one factor that leads to a loss is a MADE free throw. How often does that happen....

[Argosh]

Los Angeles vs Denver 103:94, 3:2.

[Steve]

Neither team has really dominated the other. It's been a case of LeBron's pure skill versus the Magic offense, Dwight Howard, and matchup advantages. And, many fans would claim, LeBron's ability to have any lane drive saved by the referee whistle. Thanks to Tim Donaghy the conspiracy machine regarding officiating and the NBA trying to fix games has a lot of weight to its arguments that it didn't have ten years ago.

[Steve]

Tonight's game is an interesting flip. The Cavs are the ones sinking 60% of their treys while the Magic came back usually via drives to the hoop and mid-range jumpers.

Games like this happen. A team gets hot or good shots (usually both), unconscious muscle memory permits players to use just the right amount of energy and angle when shooting the ball that it keeps going in, and so they shoot way above the statistical curve. We had it in Game 4, they had it tonight. Overall it was a good game in what has been a great NBA postseason.

I would like to remark, Flame, that from my own perusing of the ESPN comment board for various Magic-Cav contests, well, I think one poster broke it down as such: 40% Laker/Kobe fans, 40% Celtic fans, 19% Cav/LeBron fans, 1% actual Magic fans. So don't think stupidity like this is entirely us. Aside from supremely overconfident fans the idea of us "dominating" a 66 win team, no matter how well we match up against them, is ludicrous.

[Dark Flame]

Haha, I expect a lot of stupidity from the Kobe wankers. Oh well... I've been called a LeBron wanker, so maybe I don't have room to talk. Even though I had some sweet stats to back up my points.

Anyways, finally a good finish to a game!! Woot!! It's not over!! While only like 4% of teams down 3-1 end up winning, around 30% of teams down 3-2 with home court advantage end up winning. Not great odds, but markedly better. I'm excited to see how we come out on Saturday in Orlando.

[Argosh]

Cleveland vs Orlando 112:102, 2:3.

[Argosh]

While only like 4% of teams down 3-1 end up winning, around 30% of teams down 3-2 with home court advantage end up winning. Not great odds, but markedly better. I'm excited to see how we come out on Saturday in Orlando.

Is there a site with these odds somewhere? I've tried to find one but no luck so far.

[Argosh]

Lakers advance to the finals.
Denver vs Los Angeles 92:119, 2:4.

[Dark Flame]

While only like 4% of teams down 3-1 end up winning, around 30% of teams down 3-2 with home court advantage end up winning. Not great odds, but markedly better. I'm excited to see how we come out on Saturday in Orlando.

Is there a site with these odds somewhere? I've tried to find one but no luck so far.

I read them on the blog at Fear the Sword. I didn't think to check them, though.

Tonight I have to be at a wedding reception, but hopefully I can find a TV or something.. I'm gonna need to see this game!

[Steve]

Good series, Cavs!

[Steve]

Well, there were some idiot Cav fans (not you, Dark) talking, now we have to endure the Laker fanatics predicting a sweep or five game series.

Maybe, maybe not. I think Orlando can beat LA. But I don't know that for a fact and refuse to get hyped up with any anticipation for anything but a tight series.

[Argosh]

Orlando advances to the finals.
Orlando vs Cleveland 103:90, 4:2.

[Dark Flame]

Thanks, Steve. I managed to watch a lot of the game, and I got updates on the rest, but I kinda wish I hadn't. Oh well, there's always next year.

Congrats to the Magic and their fans, it was a good, competitive series. For the record, I'm rooting for Orlando because I can't stand the Lakers. If they win it will be the third year in a row that we've been knocked out by the eventual champs, and that's not too bad!

[Argosh]

Los Angeles vs Orlando 100:75, 1:0.

[Dark Flame]

I'm rooting for Magic in 6. They need Game 2 now.

I was really hoping it would be a bit more competitive so far. It's just been the Kobe show so far.

[Steve]

I didn't watch the game as much - the competition of Burn Notice Season 3's opening and the premiere of Royal Pains was too great - but from what I did catch of the first half the game was mostly competitive until the second half, at which time the Magic went Arctic-cold. One of those occasional statistical nadirs that any team will go through when it comes to shooting the basketball (I imagine that from a "physics" POV the margin of error with angle and energy in taking shots is extremely thin).

This is what irritates me about analysts who talk about teams "living and dying" by jump shots. News flash: all basketball teams live and die by their ability to score! I don't care how good your god damned defense is, you cannot win if you're not sinking an appreciable amount of your shots. And sometimes teams go through bad streaks where everything from threes to layups simply refuse to go into the basket.

A good defense can make it hard for players to take comfortable, accurate shots. But basketball is ultimately about which team sinks more jump shots. Unless you're playing Bill Laimbeer Combat Basketball, then it's about how hard the hits you can deliver are.

[Argosh]

Game 2 with OT.
Los Angeles vs Orlando 101:96, 2:0.

[Dark Flame]

I only saw the last minute or so of OT. I heard the Magic had a chance for a tip-in to win in regulation. Oh well.

I was really hoping for them to steal one in LA, but now they have to win both in Orlando just to pull even. Good luck to 'em, that's gonna be tough.

And I'm sticking with Magic in 6.

[Phantasee]

Man, I'm late to this thread. I'm saying fuck Orlando, Lakers in 5 or 6. First quarter of this game was disappointing from both sides, though.

[Argosh]

Orlando vs Los Angeles 108:104, 1:2.

[Argosh]

Oh-oh, Orlando.
Orlando vs Los Angeles 91:99, 1:3.