Jesus is clutch again.

_________________

Yeah that was a very bad call. Gotta swallow your whistle there.

_________________

i like the thunder in this one

_________________

+1 trillion

_________________

There is already a thread for those thoughts.

_________________

knicks bigger draw i am guessing

_________________

Series Update:

Celtics lead 1-0

A true Eastern Conference slugfest is taking shape in this series. If Carmelo played even close to his caliber, the Knicks would have easily won the first game. Chauncey Billups having a gimpy knee from here on out is a serious problem for the Knicks as he was already playing the last 2 years with one leg (Hey Hey!). The Celtics still don't even look close to a cohesive unit yet, and if they advance past this round their chemistry issues will be exposed.

Key Players:

Ray Allen (BOS): 24pts, 3-5 3PT

Paul Pierce (BOS): 18pts, 4reb, 4ast

Kevin Garnett (BOS): 15pts, 13reb, 3stl

Amar'e Stoudamire (NYK): 28pts, 11reb

Carmelo Anthony (NYK): 15pts, 5reb, 4 ast

_________________

Agreed. You can't blow the whistle when there is about 15-20 seconds left and two guys are just battling for position. And Pierce over-sold the contact as well. Terrible.

The 3 was nice by Ray, but that last posession was just awful for the Knicks. You can't just walk up the floor and throw up a long 3. Deng wouldn't do that...

_________________

d'antoni is the real problem, amare was killin it all game..so what do the knicks do the last 8 or 9 possesions? he did not touch the ball one single time.

_________________

I never buy into this stuff. It's the same reason I laughed at Simmons when he was "pencilling in" Durant for 34-35 ppg for the next couple years.

There's a reason noone recently has put those numbers up consistently(32-13). Cuz it's realy damn hard to do! As good as Amare is, he's not better than any post player we've seen recently, healthy or not. Not even close.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

_________________

I don't like hypotheticals that much either, but in D'Antoni's system, with a refined NBA post game, Amar'e would have no problem putting up those numbers. There would be debate, like there always is with up tempo teams, about how bloated the stats are. Shaq has put up those numbers. I don't think it's unreasonable. Who would've stopped Amar'e? Dwight Howard a couple times a season? That's about it.

_________________

Give me 5 post players who were better than him this year.

_________________

Amare might be the most talented offensive post player in the league, but he is by no means unguardable. Kevin Garnett still does a very good job on him. You mentioned Dwight. He's not the most dominant, or really even close, player of this generation. He is just a very talented offensive player who hopefully will get what it takes to have a game well rounded enough to win titles.

You see Rose's defensive plays, especially in the 4th quarter yesterday? He's only in his third season. Usually if players dont start making a commitment to defense halfway through their careers, it wont ever happen. There are exceptions to this(Ray Allen, Chauncey Billups).

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Dwight Howard was easily better. Dirk was better. Kevin Love was better. I don't know if Pau Gasol was better this season, but he is a better player. You could argue Blake was better although I'd say they were similar.

I'm not trying to hate on Amare. He exceeded my expectations so far in NY, and you can see it's a natural fit there for him. But untill he starts rebounding and playing defense at an All star/superstar caliber pace, I wont put him on the superstar level. You and others can if you want.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Idk man. You said it wasn't even close. I think it's very close. Amar'e could be the 2nd best post player in , and would have had more if the Knicks just stayed calm and consistent on offense down the stretch. KG used to be my fav player, but these are the twilight years for him. Without Perkins down low, the Celtics are not even close to the defensive team they were.

_________________

I'll give you Dwight and Dirk qualifies even though he loves being planted outside the 3 point line most of the time. Pau had an extremely up and down season. Griffin has no post moves (Very similar offensive game to Stoudemire, i.e. Dunk ball). I'm a K-Love fan, but I don't think anyone is picking him over Amar'e.

I'm not gonna hate too much man. It's good to have as many NBA heads on here as possible, regardless of opinion. Welcome Back.

_________________

Are you serious? NY is what, the 2nd best offensive team in the league. Maybe the best?

They scored all of 34 points in the 2nd half yesterday. If you dont think this Boston team is still GREAT on defense, and or if you doubt their mental toughness, just watch the next month or two. I'm not even predicting them to get to the ECF but I do think they are the mentally toughest team in the league and I'd much rather see Miami as a Bulls fan.

As for Amare, you really have to be watching the games to be able to see his deficiencies, but they sure are glaring. Like I said before, he is not close to being the best all around post player in the league. He probably already is the best offensively. There's a whole lot more to do it then that. Thats what I especially loved about Rose's performance yesterday/ The defense and intangibles. Thats gonna get you out of May and into June.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

28pts 11reb 2blks? How is that not all around? I understand the arguments about Stoudemire. They are the same arguments I heard when he played in Phoenix, but the guy is super talented.

I don't buy the Boston thing. Rondo and Perkins were tight, and supposedly since the trade, the locker room has been a nightmare. They may have some of the mentally toughest players in the league, but as a whole they aren't playing nearly as well as they should be.

_________________

I watched at the very least 2 or 3 games from every NBA playoff team this regular season. Watched a lot of bad teams get stomped too. And even some Bulls BBall when I had the chance.

_________________

Overall Amare played well but remember guys like JJ Hickson and Cousins outrebounded him this season. I already agreed he's very talented offensively, maybe the best out of any big guy in the league, but his lack of defense, rebounding, touchness, etc, etc is the reason that he wont win titles in my opinion.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Amar'e has a 3 or 4 year window left to win a ring IMO.

Good debate. Maybe he'll end up on the Celtics when his prime is close to over. Like KG. And trust me, I know he's not KG.

_________________

Game 2

45-44 Knicks

Halftime

Amar'e has back spasms. Probably not coming back. Melo or bust.

_________________

50-49 Knicks

9 minutes in 3rd quarter.

_________________

Fucking Joey Crawford calling a technical on a serious flop by Ray Allen.

NBA Officiating. Where amazing happens.

_________________

60-59 Boston

5 minutes in 3rd quarter.

_________________

Just got home. Probably 3 or 4 though.

_________________

Knicks lack of depth is on full display.

_________________

67-61 Boston

3 minutes in 3rd

Melo: 24pts 14reb

_________________

He's out there... 2pts 3reb at this point.

_________________