MexSoxFan#1

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 19, 2012 -> 08:13 PM) Healthy Bulls beat the Heat. Rose and Rip looked damn good together when they were, Boozer and Noah are gelling, and Deng is the glue. Get the bench back into form when Rose returns and things will be good. We kind of forget that Rose had a bum ankle from the Pacers series and it slowed him down, Noah was nowhere the player he was before he was injured so hopefully they'll be healthy this time, it will make a big difference. The biggest concern for me is if we have enough outside shooting to get over the hump vs Miami, the Mavs were able to beat Miami because their shots were falling (Terry, Barea, Kidd). Deng, Hamilton and (ugh) Korver will have to make Miami pay when they pack the paint and draw all their focus on Rose, the shots will be there, just gotta make them (Korver missed a bunch of open looks last year and frankly I'm not too confident he'll step it up this time either, hope I'm wrong).

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 19, 2012 -> 05:05 PM) Oh my goodness. Will somebody please come up with a realistic scenario in which the Bulls can beat Miami 4 times in May? It's scary how much better Miami is this year compared to last. We can go Tanya Harding on LBJ's knee. Seriously though, I agree with those who think a healthy Bulls team can compete, Miami should be favorites because they beat Chicago last year but nothing is guaranteed...

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 19, 2012 -> 04:14 PM) That post didn't really have to do anything with the Bulls. That's just a stunning stat for a 2-guard over a 12-game stretch. Merge that with LeBron and his X-box-like efficiency and the opposing team has big problems. Not to take away from LBJ's great season but both he and Wade feast on a lot of layups and dunks... They won't get those in the playoffs, especially in the 4th qtr.

8 pts for Howard vs Miami in the 3rd, and this guy is the premier center in the league.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 19, 2012 -> 03:38 PM) Just saw a pretty disgusting statistic over at realgm. Since Wade's 4/16 s***-fest against the Bulls last month, he's shooting 58.2% (102/175) from the field. And this does not include the 8/11 so far today. meh, a bunch of his hoops are layups and dunks...as long as he plays like garbage like he has recently against the Bulls, I couldn't care less what he does against everyone else.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 19, 2012 -> 02:31 PM) So, I'm trying not to be the hater here, but I'm watching this Knicks/Mavs game, and this Knicks team just isn't scaring me. They've made some runs here, but just from picturing that Miami/Chicago playoff series last year, I feel like you put this Knicks offense up against a legit defense and they're going to be dismantled. Both the big runs that I saw the Knicks make were keyed by Dallas obviously backing off on the defensive pressure. They started giving space to both Lin and their shooters, and suddenly both Novak and JR SMith were making big, open shots that just should never have been that open. I know that generating space for open shots is what D'Antoni's offense is supposed to do, but it wasn't off of either penetration or off of a lot of movement in a lot of cases, it seemed like it kept being just blatant miscues by the Mavs on rotation. Novak and JR Smith shouldn't be shooting 7/14 from 3 unless they're getting really open shots. And then on top of that, there's Lin hitting 3's that really aren't smart shots, he's making the kind of shots we get annoyed when Rose takes them. When the Mavs pressure him and force the ball out front, he takes a shot I wouldn't want Rose taking, and hits it. Over a bigger guy than him, 2-3 feet behidn the 3 line with the time running down is not a good shot. This is driving me nuts. Dallas is one of the top defensive FG %age teams out there, but they're not putting together anything that I'd say is a quality defensive game here. They've put together quality defensive bursts, but way too many breakdowns and stretches where the effort drops off. And when they're putting together those defensive bursts, Lin winds up making a ridiculous shot that can't be a high-percentage look by any stretch of the imagination. You put this team against the defense the Heat put against the Bulls last year and I feel like they'd struggle to score 70 just like the Bulls did. Yet they just pulled out a win over the Mavs, the Mavs beat that same Heat team, and I just don't know how to react to this. Is D'Antoni's system just this good at creating open shots that they're able to break down the Mavs and make the Mavs look like amateurs? You take what the defense gives you? Next week we'll see how the Knicks fare against Miami, but it seems we are trying to downplay what the Lin led Knicks offense has done by saying "they haven't faced a real D yet", but the Knicks just beat the champs and Lin had a nice game except for the 7 TOs...28 pts, +50% fg, 14 asts, 4 rebs... I'm not saying it will happen but if Lin plays well against Miami, you might have people saying, "I bet he wouldn't do that vs the 1989 Detroit Pistons team"... I think we are seeing a backlash on all the Lin hype but the kid keeps proving the naysayers wrong...I think he's legit, will he regress?I think he will because he's putting up All Star stats and that can't continue, can it?

I know you can't win every game but at the least you gotta be ready to play, these guys get paid too much money to half-ass it, I know it's nit picking since they've been tremendous so far considering all the injuries they've had but it's not fair to the folks who pay to watch a game.

Wow, Korver and Brewer miss some gimmes that would have cut the lead to 6 with a minute and a half.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 04:55 PM) what has happened to ronnie brewers offensive game? I didn't know he had one

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 04:39 PM) Time to turn this game off. Bulls didn't come to play today They're just getting out-hustled, I think the Bulls will make a run and probably make a game of it, at least I hope so.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 04:13 PM) I really don't think that was the argument, although it was implied that Jordan wouldn't be very unique today. There really were 2 MJs. Pre-baseball and post-baseball. The former he was as athletic as anyone who ever played, the latter, he wasn't quite as athletic (although still extremely so), but still was the most dominant player. It was a ridiculous statement from an obvious Jordan hater. SS2K5 was singing the praises of Hakeem a little while back and righfully so, but if he were consistent with his MJ thought, he would think Hakeem in his prime is really no better than Joakim Noah which is also ridiculous. The Wade=Jordan comment was sheer madness, I have never heard a serious basketball analyst even attempt to make that case.Even with the closest player to MJ, Bryant, nobody really thinks he's on #23's level, the stats and accomplishments don't back it up.

ok, thnx

QUOTE (daa84 @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 03:46 PM) john lucas may be a better scorer, but mike james is a much better PG This may sound like sacrilege but if we need roster room, cut Scalabrine. I don't the point in keeping White Mamba when he's basically at the end of the bench, both Lucas and James can be serviceable.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 01:58 PM) No word on Rose yet. He's not playing, I'd rather they shut him down until after the AS break. Sloppy start by the Bulls, down 19-3...where's Stacy?

I found that offensive and I'm not even Asian. Someone at ESPN thought they were being cute, hope his ass get's fired.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 10:02 AM) Is someone seriously arguing that 23 was weak on "Athleticism"? Seriously, the next time the 1991 championship series is on ESPN classic, just watch. Jordan's lightning. It's like watching Rose except taller and better. No Balta, what ss2K5 was arguing is that in today's NBA there are more players physically similar to Jordan, so he would have defenders able to stay in front of him, making him a decent player, not the great player he was. I think that's garbage and you make a good point with the Rose/Jordan comparison.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 18, 2012 -> 08:42 AM) This post is pure comedy. Maybe someday it will change, but an in his prime MJ is still the best player of any era. He was as athletic and competitive as anyone in the game today and he was a basketball player. Too many people get caught up in athleticism as the end all. If it was, Tyrus Thomas would be considered far better than Larry Bird or Magic Johnson for that matter. THIS Athleticism IMO is overrated, give me elite skills and fundamentals with above average athleticism (Bird, Duncan, Magic) over elite athleticism and above average skills and funfamentals, MJ killed because he was elite in all 3, and to boot, had one of the highest competitive drives ever in sports and mentally he was an assassin. LBJ, one of the greatest physical specimens, has so far shown not to have the competitive drive nor the mental make up to devestate like MJ did...I think LBJ will win a title based on his physical gifts but no way do I see him racking 4, 5 titles. Like I've said before, gimme a Larry Bird over a Dwight Howard or really anybody in the league today.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 08:16 PM) Jeremy Lin with 8 turnovers at halftime. He makes Russell Westbrook look like a supremely good decision-maker. He needs to work on his TOs, he giving it up more than a drunk nympho at a frat party.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 08:49 PM) The only problem with this statement is the fact that Melo isn't playing tonight. Oops, my bad.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 07:55 PM) Man, there are some insane arguments in this thread. There is more to athleticism then just jumping but Jordan has the highest vertical officially recorded for a NBA player at 48 inches, 4 f***in feet people, id say he'd be athletically superior to todays NBA as well. Oh and Drexler's vetical..44 in, Wade's...36. Point J4L. Yea, like this guy would have trouble in today's NBA. Kids today...

I think it would be funny as hell if the Knicks lose tonight on Melo's first game back.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 05:46 PM) Howard has a 7.5 foot wingspan. He would jump those guys out of the gym. Come on now. After Howard, who's the next best C, Bynum? Why isn't he killing Shaq style in an era of garbage Cs? Put Howard up against 80s and 90s big men and he ain't all that.

At the risk of coming off as a MJ fan boy, how many people here really think a MJ led team going up against a LBJ led team, with teams being equal, that LBJ would win a 7 game series? MJ was a ruthless SOB, he would get in LBJ's head (not hard to do if Terry could do it) and he would humiliate him, book it.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 05:38 PM) He'd score 40 ppg, I do truly believe that. He'd probably average 20 free throws. Those would be some long games. He scored 37 ppg on 50+% in the era of handchecking, no flagrants and quality bigs, he gets 40+ easily today.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 17, 2012 -> 05:23 PM) Jordan wasn't 6'7" first off. And second , no, he wouldn't be superior to other people in today's game. He NEVER went against guys like Lebron, Wade or Howard.EVER. I'm not suggesting he'd become Steve Kerr in today's game, but this idea that he was some physical powerhouse is just not true. Hell, he wasn't that in his prime. He was always a finesse player much more than he was a physical player. And yes, his midrange game and post up game made him the greatest. I agree with you there. WRONG MJ would take a s*** on Wade. Shaq>>>>>>Howard MJ would mindfvck the mentally weak LBJ MJ maybe was finesse early in career but after the beatings he took against Detroit, he bulked up, lost a little of his quickness but would dish out as much as he took, watch the Knicks/Bulls 90s playoffs, he was no pushover.