Official NBA Playoffs Thread

[WHarris1]

Dikembe was a f***ing beast last night.

 

His impact in the paint was much much greater than Yao's last night.

[WHarris1]

Celtics getting spanked in game 7 on their home court.

[WHarris1]

Fred Jones en fuego, 18 point game, under 9:30 to play.

[Brian]

I love it, especially since that jagbag, Ricky Davis, said they were gonna sweep after Game 1.

[greasywheels121]

“I think Reggie might have just played his last game in his building.” - Antoine Walker

 

Whoops.

[Brian]

“I think Reggie might have just played his last game in his building.” - Antoine Walker

 

Whoops.

 

f*** Antoine Walker. Probably one of the most overrated players in the NBA. No defense, horrible shot selection, cries, etc.

[WHarris1]

Oh s*** how f***ing cool is it the Bucket Boys are doing the halftime show in Dallas?

 

The staple of a United Cneter time out...Wow they have hit it big time.

 

-Every Bulls home game

-NBA All Star game last year

-Dallas Game 7 halftime

[The Bones]

Another blowout in Game 7 of the Dallas-Houston series. Steve Nash will get to play his former team in the Conference Semifinals.

[whitesoxfan99]

Another blowout in Game 7 of the Dallas-Houston series. Steve Nash will get to play his former team in the Conference Semifinals.

 

McGrady had a down game tonight, but he and Yao have combined for 58 pts on 23-48 shooting. The rest of the Rockets, 16 pts on 5-29 shooting. Thats quite a job by the supporting cast.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Those were argubly the two worst game seven's i've ever seen in my life. Total domination by the Pacers and Mavs. You can't help but be impressed with Indiana. All the s*** they've gone through this year and here they are in the second round of the playoffs. I would give them a legitimate shot at beating the Pistons with Artest, but unfortunately, he's an idiot.

 

I'm really looking forward to the Mavs/Suns second round series. You're gonna see plenty of scoring, that's for sure. I'm taking the Suns in 6.

[backman]

I like the 1st game or at least the first half of the pacers game.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Heat with a 19 point win over the Pizzards. Man, the more I see of the Heat, the more i'm impressed. I keep waiting for Shaq to explode, but at this point, they don't need him to. They've got a very well rounded team over there. I can't f***ing wait for that Pistons/Heat showdown in the conference finals.

[WHarris1]

Heat with a domation of Washington.

 

Now Seattle is getting flat out raped by SA.

[backman]

who ever wins pistons, pacers is headed to the finals!

[Jordan4life_2007]

who ever wins pistons, pacers is headed to the finals!

 

I think the Heat will seriously have something to say about that.

[Rowand44]

who ever wins pistons, pacers is headed to the finals!

So the pistons are going then?? They mine as well just skip these conference semi's and put Detroit and Miami in the conference finals.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Spurs with an impressive victory against the Sonics. Sucks that Ray and Vlad got hurt. The Spurs are just insanely deep. What tremendous moves by their management by not only trading for Nazr Mohammad, but adding a potent scorer such as Glen Robinson, who had 16 big points off the bench tonight.

[backman]

I think that the pistons and Indiana will beat the heat, but it depends on if Indiana can beat the pistons. I rather see it pistons heat. The west series are just blowouts, San Antonio vs. phoenix. Heat vs. Phoenix (offense vs. offense) or spurs vs. Detroit (defense vs. defense)

[whitesoxfan99]

I think that the pistons and Indiana will beat the heat, but it depends on if Indiana can beat the pistons. I rather see it pistons heat. The west series are just blowouts, San Antonio vs. phoenix. Heat vs. Phoenix (offense vs. offense) or spurs vs. Detroit (defense vs. defense)

 

Indiana wouldn't have a chance against Miami and it doesn't matter because the Pistons will win that series easily.

[Spiff]

Amare travels as much as anyone I've ever seen. He just palms the ball and takes four huge steps down the lane.

[Jordan4life_2007]

The Suns are so fun to watch. They push the ball on every possession. If you don't get back on them, they'll absolutely destroy you. Everybody keeps talking about how their style of play doesn't work in the playoffs. They averaged about 113 ppg against a good defensive minded Grizzlies team in a clean sweep. Then they throw 127 on a much improved Mavs defense.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

The Suns are so fun to watch.  They push the ball on every possession.  If you don't get back on them,  they'll absolutely destroy you.  Everybody keeps talking about how their style of play doesn't work in the playoffs.  They averaged about 113 ppg against a good defensive minded Grizzlies team in a clean sweep.  Then they throw 127 on a much improved Mavs defense.

 

I agree.

 

They're great to watch. How many offenses have looked this good recenty?

[Jordan4life_2007]

I agree.

 

They're great to watch.  How many offenses have looked this good recenty?

 

 

I have to go back to the early 90's to find one. Some say that defense is too good now a days to score that many points. The Suns have more than proven that's simply a myth.

[qwerty]

I have to go back to the early 90's to find one.  Some say that defense is too good now a days to score that many points.  The Suns have more than proven that's simply a myth.

 

What do the two best offenses in NBA history have in common?

 

Here's a hint: He was born in South Africa, raised in Canada, has a $60 million contract, and a $5 haircut.

 

The man is Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns' point guard who has become an unlikely MVP candidate by energizing their offense and leading them to this year's best record. Nash could become only the second foreign-born player to win MVP honors, not to mention the first to do it while wearing a Neil Young wig (hey, it's a Canadian thing).

 

But many might not appreciate just how good the Suns' offense has been, and that this is nothing new for Nash. The Suns' 110.5 points-per-game scoring average towers over the league average of 97.2. But considering the Suns' frenetic pace -- led by Nash, of course -- we should expect his team to play high-scoring games because each team gets more possessions than usual.

 

One way to more precisely measure teams' offenses is with a statistic called Offensive Efficiency, which tracks how many points a team scores for each 100 possessions it uses.

 

 

Try as he might, Marbury (right) cannot wrest "best offensive point guard" honors from Nash.

 

The Suns are also No. 1 in this category, and their advantage is large. The Suns average 112.1 points per 100 possessions, easily outpacing the second-place Miami Heat's 108.3. Compared to the league average of 103.1, the Suns are well ahead of the curve, topping the average by 9.0 points. Since the average Suns game had nearly 100 possessions for each team (98.1 to be exact), that means their offense provides a mammoth advantage of nearly nine points every night compared to the output from an average team.

 

And that nine-point edge relative to the league is among the best in "modern" basketball history. Offensive Efficiency stats are only available dating to 1973-74, when the league started keeping track of turnovers. But in the 32 seasons since, only one team has put up a better Offensive Efficiency than this year's Suns.

 

Believe it or not, it was last year's Mavericks – led by Steve Nash.

 

That's right, the team Nash quarterbacked so successfully in Dallas was quite possibly the greatest offense in history. The Mavs averaged 110.1 points per 100 possessions a year ago, while the league average was 100.8. The Mavs' advantage of 9.3 points above the norm was even better than the 2004-05 Suns' mark of +9.0.

 

Nash's accomplishments don't end there. Check out the chart showing the other greatest offenses in history, and you'll notice two things.

 

First, the No. 6 team was Nash's Mavs of 2002-03, earning him three spots in the top six. Second, check out the difference between the past two seasons and every other team on the list. Nash's Mavs and Suns teams didn't just scrape by the previous record, they blasted it out of the water. No team had even been +7.5 relative to the league before two years ago, but Nash's teams averaged better than +9.

 

Top Offenses Since 1973-74

Team Year Off. Eff. NBA Avg. Difference

Dallas Mavericks 2003-04 110.1 100.8 9.3

Phoenix Suns 2004-05 112.1 103.1 9.0

Denver Nuggets 1981-82 111.7 104.2 7.5

Boston Celtics 1987-88 112.4 105.0 7.4

Chicago Bulls 1991-92 112.3 105.0 7.3

Dallas Mavericks 2002-03 108.7 101.4 7.3

 

While both of Nash's teams played helter-skelter, the real key to the offensive success of each was turnover avoidance. Last year, Nash's Mavs committed just 11.8 turnovers per game, setting a new NBA record. Thanks to their mistake-free play, the Mavs took 519 shots more than any other team, which made it pretty easy for them to pile up the points.

 

Similarly, this year's Suns are also experts at avoiding the miscue. The Suns turn the ball over on 13.8 percent of their possessions, second only to the Sacramento Kings for the league's best rate. Without Nash last year, they were at 15.5 percent, so Nash is getting them two extra possessions a game. In contrast, the Mavs' rate sans Nash of 14.1 percent is a big reason they've gone from great to merely good, ranking fifth in Offensive Efficiency this year.

 

Of course, Nash had some help. In both Phoenix and Dallas, he could tag-team with a superb finisher at small forward and a devastatingly effective big man. Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison all made this year's All-Star game, reflecting the outstanding offensive talent that surrounded Nash in both cities.

 

However, Nash is arguably the best offensive player of the bunch. Based on my Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which measures each player's per-minute statistical production, Nash is well down the leaderboard. However, that's mostly because of his inability to rebound or defend. If we zero out those numbers for everyone and just look at "Offensive PER," Nash takes his rightful place among the elites.

 

Offensive PER leaders 04-05

Player Team Off. PER

Amare Stoudemire Phoenix Suns 19.81

Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 19.62

Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 19.45

LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 19.44

Stephon Marbury New York Knicks 19.32

 

While Nash ranks a close third, the news item here is that Stoudemire and Nowitzki are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Looking at the chart, some might wonder how Nash can be labeled the best offensive player in the game if his current and former teammate are both better.

 

The evidence is clear from Nash's previous two seasons. They show that he has consistently been among the game's top offensive performers, while 2004-05 has been a career year for both Stoudemire and Nowitzki. For instance, only one name makes a repeat appearance in the 2003-04 leaders in Offensive PER:

 

Offensive PER leaders 03-04

Player Team Off. PER

Tracy McGrady Orlando Magic 20.39

Sam Cassell Minnesota Timberwolves 20.28

Kevin Garnett Minnesota Timberwolves 18.84

Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 18.75

Steve Nash Dallas Mavericks 18.01

 

And, as you might have surmised, Nash was in the top five in 2002-03 as well, although Nowitzki wasn't far behind:

 

Offensive PER leaders 02-03

Player Team Off. PER

Tracy McGrady Orlando Magic 24.72

Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers 21.04

Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 20.52

Steve Nash Dallas Mavericks 19.86

Sam Cassell Milwaukee Bucks 19.34

Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 19.34

 

So, who deserves the title of the game's best offensive player?

 

Consider these three factors:

 

1) The margin among the top five players in Offensive PER this season is razor-thin;

 

2) Nash was much better than the others each of the previous two seasons; and

 

3) Nash conducted the two best offenses in "modern" NBA history.

 

While it's hard to imagine the game's most dominant offensive player being a 6-foot-3 guard who played four years in a second-tier college conference, the results speak for themselves.

 

If Nowitzki, Stoudemire and LeBron James perform at their current levels again next season, then we'll have to re-examine the issue. But for now, the title has to go to Nash. Not bad for a guy who looks like a roadie for Crazy Horse, eh?

[backman]

Indiana wouldn't have a chance against Miami and it doesn't matter because the Pistons will win that series easily.

 

Indiana has owned the heat recently.