The 2004/2005 *NBA Talk* thread

[Tadpole]

Dirk isn't going to go out and be a cocky asshole and say, 'I am the most dominate defender in the league and I can do everything'. Almost every player will try not to talk about their performance and how they compare to others in the league.

[Jirig]

Dirk is a force to be reckoned with for true.

Until you put him up against a 5-star defender like Bruce Bowen.























... I couldn't resist. ;p

[vonkaar]

And he'll still score 40 on you...

You don't put a 6'7" SF on a 7'0 PF with Dirk's range... Pop never puts Bowen on Dirk - Dirk would have a 50 point night. Timmie gets Dirk, and Bowen gets Finley.

There has never been a single 'person' that can stop Dirk... the past 3 years. Seriously, the ONLY time he has off nights are from COLLECTIVE TEAM EFFORTS (to stop Dirk), health-problems, or when Dirk simply has a bad night. Meaning... if he scored 12 against 5-21 Atlanta last year, it's not because they defend so well...

My whole complaint with his argument isn't 'just' that he said it. It's just an overall THEME that we see up here ALL THE TIME. He's humble to a fault. We don't want to see him talk like Starbury or be an arrogant "can't-stop-me" cockmeister like Barkley, but it'd be nice if he'd OCCASIONALLY ask for a little more respect!

[Jirig]

He'd have to do no more than bat his long, german eyelashes at me and I'd give him all the respect he could ask for~

[vonkaar]

Stupid trade of the season...

[vonkaar]

Three months after claiming the Mavs conspired to keep him from playing in the NBA, forward Tariq Abdul-Wahad attended practice for the first time this season on Monday. A virtual non-entity in the team's plans for the past two seasons, Abdul-Wahad has passed the necessary physicals needed to resume on-court activity.

The Mavs had hoped to buy out the remaining three years on Abdul-Wahad's contract. Only half of his $7.3 million salary for next season is guaranteed. The guarantee is 25 percent on $7.9 for the following season.

The Mavs are interested in moving Abdul-Wahad. Though it's unlikely a team would gamble on his playing, a trading partner could be interested in the financial benefits of dealing for Abdul-Wahad. Though his salary cap figure is $15.2 million for the next two years, only $5.6 million has to be paid.

As for the claims Abdul-Wahad made against the team and coach Don Nelson on his French-language Web site in October, Mavs owner Mark Cuban said: "You have to ask him."

Abdul-Wahad declined comment after practice.

rofl

[Malluas]

yea didn't Omar Cook say something like that when he didn't make it in the NBA?

Stupid frenchie


and what was a stupid trade? heh

BTW kings defense looks a 1000 times better now after the trade. Cuttino can stay in front of his man heh. Held Magette to 4/13 and 2/17 shooting. And he looks like the new co-leader of the Kings. Chris and Christie were before, hehe he might surpass Chris soon if he keeps doing what he has last 2 games

[Kitao]

Suns get depth, a little. And I am excited.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1972196

[vonkaar]

Too bad we lost the game...

but, holy fucking shit...

Erick Dampier just exploded:

14 points
26 rebounds
4 assists
6 blocks
2 steals
0 turnovers

Good lord

[Malluas]

lots of rumors about Peja for Paul Pierce 3 team deal

which means bobby jackson after this year is on his way out.. if they get Pierce

I think he is on his way out anyways. But we shall see

[Arlos]

Boy, I'm glad I had Dampier active for the fantasy league tonight.

-Arlos

[vonkaar]

Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard return to the Mavs lineup for the first time since the beginning of the season... we've now swept Miami for the season...

the 'other than San Antonio' argument keeps getting cloudier and cloudier...

[Malluas]

and when the lakers beat the kings in that 7 game series .. they were 2-10 against the 4 worst teams in the NBA

did that cloud their championship? hehe

Dallas has no chance neither do the kings.. or the suns, or the sonics.

Now best chance to make it a series.. probably the kings dallas and the suns (regular season means nothing) look at the kings and mavs the last few seasons.

[vonkaar]

You aren't hearing me...

"other than the Spurs."

#1 is as obvious as it's been since 97 probably.

#2 through #6 can be argued any which way, depending on who you talk to.

[Malluas]

ah .. read it wrong.

well seein as how the kings have cutino kinda hurt, webber sittin out and peja also.. gonna be all messed up in rankings.

a healthy kings as the team roster is now.. would have a SLIM chance of beatin the spurs in a series.. if that

[vonkaar]

Shaq's a softie, but don't call Mavs that

12:33 AM CST on Wednesday, February 2, 2005




The biggest man in the NBA looks down on the bald 9-year-old and smiles.

"What's up, baby?"

A few seconds is all it takes. Asks a few questions, signs the kid's shoe, tells him to stay away from the girls.

Shaquille O'Neal already knew James Faulkinbury's story because his agent told him about the cancer.

Shaq's got a soft spot for kids. Used to have one for the Mavericks, too, when they were just as soft.

Not anymore, they're not. Not with Erick Dampier's forearms in Shaq's kidneys.

Not with Damp under his skin.

"Dampier is soft," Shaq said, defiantly. "Quote it, underline it, tape it, send it to him."

You think maybe Shaq's read where Dampier rates himself the second-best center in the NBA?

"Don't ask me about that guy ever again," Shaq said.

Mavericks/NBA
Mavericks 109, Heat 104

Mavericks rally past Heat, 109-104

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Tell us: Why are the Mavericks better defensively?

Sherrington: Shaq's a softie, but don't call Mavs that

Moore: Howard revs up Mavs

Dampier provides a boost

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Never?

"You guys try to compare us and match up," he said, "but their defense is the same."

Hardly. A second victory over Miami, this one, 109-104, reveals that this isn't your usual Mavs' defense or offense.

And deep down, Shaq knows it. He knows the difference when Dampier is in the game as opposed to Shawn Bradley.

"Against Bradley," Shaq said, "every time I'm trying to dunk, dunk, dunk."

And against Dampier? He's holding his own.

Shaq had 25 points and 13 rebounds, but Dampier, still limping on a bum left knee, had 15 and 14.

Even better, he harassed Shaq in the game's closing minutes. Shaq got the ball twice and couldn't get close enough to do anything with it.

"Even though he had 25 points," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said, "I thought they did a pretty good job on Shaquille."

No question about it. Shaq got his points, but he didn't have his way with the Mavs, and neither did the talented Heat.

Nice to see after the last few efforts, in which Avery Johnson questioned the club's mental approach, especially by its marquee players.

"I've kicked them," AJ said. "I've kicked myself. You should kick yourself around.

"And if you don't, that's a problem."

But that's what you got with the old Mavs. And that's the reason I wrote last summer that they needed to trade whatever they could to get Shaq.

He makes a difference immediately. Ask Mitch Kupchak, who kept Kobe Bryant and traded Shaq.

And how has that played out so far? Miami's the beast of the East, and Rudy Tomjanovich is thinking about quitting the Lakers.

Kupchak wasn't going to trade Shaq to the Mavs, and who can blame him? Who wants that monster looming over you in the same conference, ready to take it out on you before you're ankle deep in the playoffs?

Shaq wanted to play here. His wife wanted him to play here.

Mark Cuban did, too. But it didn't happen, and that's too bad.

Not that you don't like what's happening with the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki's better, Josh Howard's better and Dampier's better than any three-headed center the Mavs have thrown out there.

Good enough to beat the Heat twice. But are they good enough to beat the Spurs?

Not from the looks of it right now. The West is a milder place without Shaq, but you still have to go through Tim Duncan, and that's no bargain.

Not if you don't have Shaq to barge your way through.

Here's some perspective for you: Did you see where Goodyear is paying Rip Hamilton to style his hair after one of their tire treads?

Peterbilt could get the Diesel to model one of its cabs.

He's still an unstoppable force, but the Mavericks worried him, no matter what he says.

And that's all anyone can really expect against the most dominant center of our generation.

One of the game's biggest sweethearts, too. Other agents heard the story of James Faulkinbury's cancer, but they made it hard for James' uncle, Chuck Cole, to arrange a meeting with their superstars.

"Not this guy," Cole said, nodding toward Shaq before the game. "Whatever you want. Whatever I can do."

Hey, Chuck: Ever wish Shaq was a Maverick?

"Oh, yeah," he said, almost shocked by the question.

"Don't you?"

Yes, Chuck, I do. But I don't miss him as much as I thought I would, and that's not something I figured to be writing anytime soon.

[vonkaar]

More sports articles

Howard revs up Mavs

Forward returns from injury layoff with usual energetic effort


12:33 AM CST on Wednesday, February 2, 2005




The biggest play of the evening wasn't Dwyane Wade's spectacular, back-to-the-basket slam on a lob pass. It didn't come from Miami's Shaquille O'Neal or the Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki.

It belonged to Josh Howard.

The Mavericks' second most important player couldn't match Wade point-for-point. That's not his game. His contributions are more subtle.

And every bit as significant.

On a night when Nowitzki "looked like a wet vegetable" – acting coach Avery Johnson's words, not ours – because of a sinus infection, the Mavericks needed a team effort to get past Miami. That's just what they got in this hard-fought 109-104 win.

Howard, as he has done so many times this season, led the way. He flew down the lane, went up in traffic and tipped in a miss by Erick Dampier with 1:30 left to give the Mavericks a three-point lead and the breathing room they needed to ease the pressure.

"Just staying aggressive," Howard said.

Wade scored 29 points. But Howard will tell you with pride that the Heat's leading scorer managed just three baskets against him: two jumpers and a layup.

The Miami guard started strong but was just 2-of-6 from the field in the final period. Wade launched two airballs in the final three minutes with Howard in his grille.

It's no coincidence that the Mavericks are 2-4 when the second-year forward doesn't play. Does Howard like to think that stat shows his importance?

"Just a little bit," Howard said before letting loose a big smile.

"I don't want to take full credit for that. But I know I love to play the game and I love to be around these guys."

The Mavericks missed this the previous three games when Howard sat with back spasms. He's the player that has pulled this team together on the offensive and defensive ends.

"Defensively, you can put him on the best player," Johnson said. "At the same time, you don't have to run plays for him. He still ends up scoring. That's a good situation to be in.

"You look up on the board, and he has 14 points and eight rebounds or 16 points and seven rebounds, and you didn't even really run a play for him."

You looked up on the board Tuesday and saw Howard finished with 11 points and five rebounds.

Again, stats tell only part of the story. It's not just what Howard does. It's what he allows Nowitzki to do. He's the rare small forward who complements the sport's most unusual power forward.

"The main thing is, he's a guy who doesn't need to take Dirk's space on the perimeter," Johnson said. "Most power forwards are inside players, so you're small forward has to be on the perimeter.

"Josh is just the opposite. He's a slasher, an inside player. Because of that, Dirk is free to roam a lot more on the perimeter.

"If Josh was an outside player, it wouldn't work. If Josh was a jump shooter, it wouldn't work. His skills really complement Dirk because they are total opposites."

Tuesday marked the first time since Dec. 14 that Howard, Marquis Daniels, Jerry Stackhouse and Michael Finley were available for the same game. Johnson praised the energy Howard and Daniels provided and said it helped keep Stackhouse fresh for a strong fourth quarter.

"This is good for us," Howard said. "Guys are coming back. It was good to have Marquis back.

"It was good to have me back."

The Mavericks wouldn't have won this game without him.

He's one of my favorite professional athletes.

[vonkaar]

MAYBE DALLAS WILL GET SOME FUCKING RESPECT NOW?

4 Game winning streak on the road vs Sac, Seattle, Golden State (a weakness for Dallas) and now the FORMERLY league-leading Phoenix Suns.

We just did that WITHOUT Stackhous, Dampier and Marquis Daniels... Dirk was hardly a factor. Deepest team in the league *should* stay on our shoulders god damnit...

I like what Barkley said in the pregame... (paraphrased)

"Dallas can beat Phoenix, Sacramento and Seattle in the playoffs... nobody will be surprised... but they won't beat San Antonio. HOWEVER, I wouldn't be THAT surprised if San Antonio choked on one of those three and Dallas escaped that bullet and made it to the finals eventually. And I don't need to mention that Dallas already swept Miami this year."

That made me smile... So... yeah... Dallas is lookin good right now... This is going to be a great All-Star weekend ^_^.

[Malluas]

barkley also thinks he knows how to win a NBA championship.... but since he never won one.. kinda hard to kno... he also said the kings would lose 4-0 to the lakers the year of the 7 games series.

he also said a couple Xmas's ago kings had no chance against the lakers.. and the kings kicked their ass in LA.

Barkley's opinions mean shit.

I think any team in the west can beat the spurs.. its possible. Will they .. no

Must have been a great game tonight tho.

Just remember kings beat the T Wolves (lost 6 straight to) and Houston with Webber, Peja and Cuttino out.

I would say Dallas' bench is pretty deep. I still think without nash they are stuck in the playoffs. Kings are dead in the playoffs cause of their lack of athleticism, can't get rebounds on the defensive end.

i am still not sold on the Suns either.. yea great they can score a million points.. but wasn't there a team that was scoring a crap load and then lost 2 of 3 series and it took a injury to the best player on the other team to win the 3rd one?

There is also that little stat no team that leads the NBA in scoring has won a championship (i think its none ever have it might be like 2% have i can't remember exactly)

so throw the Suns out.. Seattle dallas and the kings (if they EVER get healthy) are the only teams with a chance (barring injuries) to beat the spurs. And like i ahve been saying Kings match up better (line up wise.. will they win no but just talkin about line up) . Spurs and kings aren't very athletic like seattle and dallas are.

I might be starting to think Miami might win now tho. they are lookin pretty good

[vonkaar]

Bragging about beating Minnesota undermanned is something that Portland does Malluas... not Sacramento .

The way I see it... Phoenix wants to finish #1... BAD. Because... #2 or 3 gives them the #6 or 7 seed for the first round which would likely be either Houston or Memphis, two teams that they struggle against. If they won the conf, they would get the Lakers, Clippers or Minnesota, whoever scraps for that final spot... and they'd have no problem with them. San Antonio will have no problem with any of those teams.

One way or another... it looks like it's gonna be Dallas and Sacramento in round one again ... unless Seattle starts tanking, that is...

[Malluas]

i don't mind that either.. at least the last 2 years every game was close (i think minus 2 the 1st.. 2 years ago and the last game 7.. 2 years ago).

Its always a great series. Too bad none of the other series will be as entertaining , unless its Dallas Suns, Kings Suns, Seattle Suns

seattle could tank and still get the #3 seed hehe.

btw know why the suns struggle against those teams.. they play defense ...

Too bad the clips don't have a very good PG. if they did they would be a formidable opponent in the playoffs. Brand can out play any PF in the west. if Corey is on he is a scoring machine.

[vonkaar]

Yeah... last year was stupid, but...

it was 7 game series year before that, and before that, and 6 games before that...

I would LOVE to see the Clips go... that would rock.

[xaoshaen]

Brand can out play any PF in the west.

Duncan
Garnett
Nowitzki

Brand might be able to outplay one of them on any given night, but over a series, he won't stack up well.

[vonkaar]

I'd add Webber and Marion to that list.

Brand is a stud... but Webber and Marion's teammates allow them to excel where Brand is a solo star.

[Rzail]

Brian Grant and Dale Davis too!