LAKERS or 76ers

[tupacboy]

Who do you support?
I love my LAKERS
LAKERS WILL WIN!!!

[Tuvi]

yeah, they'll win cuz the game is fixed. sixers are so much more hardcore than the lakers will ever be, whether they win or lose.

[Loki]

I love the Lakers but I always love to see an underdog come and sweep it up. But I still am loyal to LA.

[eSDee]

I'm hoping that Sixers will win although I am usually a Lakers fan. I too am a sucker for the underdog.

[tupacboy]

Originally posted by Tuvi
yeah, they'll win cuz the game is fixed. sixers are so much more hardcore than the lakers will ever be, whether they win or lose.

i highly doubt it's fixed...

[topane]

Sixers, baby! They may not win the series, but at least they're playing L.A. tight.

[Jihforce]

The game is rigged. Those who deny it are either too naive or Laker fans.
All coaches, players and front office know it, its all about the money. NBA cannot make money if a small market like Milwaukee plays in the finals. Also, Lakers could have swept the finals, but they didn't because the NBA does not profit from 4 games series since they barely break even when games go to 5.

[Tuvi]

Originally posted by Jihforce
The game is rigged. Those who deny it are either too naive or Laker fans.
All coaches, players and front office know it, its all about the money. NBA cannot make money if a small market like Milwaukee plays in the finals. Also, Lakers could have swept the finals, but they didn't because the NBA does not profit from 4 games series since they barely break even when games go to 5.
exactly. its completely evident from the calls the refs are making anyway.

[zenbooty]

I despise the Lakers. While I can respect Kobe, and grudgingly respect Jackson (he's a good coach, but he's always worked with a stacked deck, plus he wears his Buddhist philosophy on his sleeve, which I find to be very un-Buddhist of him), I cannot stand Shaq. The man is just a goon on steroids. He has no skills other than being huge and fast for his size. He's got no game at all. If he weren't 300+ lbs. he would be a janitor somewhere. Off the court, the guy is a loudmouthed, boorish buffoon who can barely speak english, and that's his first language. And yet, the league sucks up to him, and most of the fans love him, because they are idiots who know dick about the game and are only interested in spectacle.

So there. Hmmph.

Oh, also Brian Shaw is a punk who dissed my Celtics years ago, and Rick Fox has become a little punk-ass bitch who needs to be smacked around.

[Jihforce]

Heehee, even though I hate the Lakers, I do recognize talent when I see it. Haahaa. I de prefer Vince Carter over Kobe though. In any case, Kobe has game, even though I think he's arrogant and immature. I don't have as much of a problem with Shaq simply because he's huge and even thought what you said about him is true, he's one of the few big mean at this size and weight that can still move pretty fast. That I think its pretty unique. Most other seven footers can't move as fast as Shaq can. Now if he could shoot free throws, that would make him unstoppable.
As for Phil, I think he's just an opportunist. I'd like to see him coach the Grizzlies or something. Then we'll see if he's winning record stays above .500 The Bulls didn't need his Buddhist philosophy to win, Jordan did all the playing and all the coaching for him. People didn't respect Phil, they respected Jordan. That's why they won. Now, watching Phil such up to Kobe just makes me sick. What's this, "Kobe is a more complete player than Jordan" crap?? Why doesn't he just ask Kobe to bend over so he can kiss his @$$.
Anyway, LA's bench is not worth mentioning. Almost any other team in the NBA has a better bench than LA. They are just riding behind Kobe and Shaq and into the Finals. Except for Horance Grant. I like the man, even if he's old and slow as molasses. Haahaa.
Oh yeah and Tuvi, I TOTALLY understand what you mean about the officiating...FOR ONCE, they fouled out Shaq on Sunday. He should be fouling out every game! Sure, we can't blame him for being huge, but we sure can blame him for elbowing his way to the hoop. Oh did I mention parking himself in the key? The list goes on...

[zenbooty]

If you want to see Shaq's game exposed for what it is, best to look back to the 2 years the Rockets won. Shaq was still with Orlando then, and Hakim Olajawon was in his prime. Needless to say, Olajawon in his prime could eat Shaq's lunch on the court any day of the week. I firmly believe this would still be true today, if Hakim was anywhere near his peak.

[johnnymk]

Since I live only twenty minutes from Philly, I guess I should be rooting for the Sixers(and I am). It would be nice to have a winning team in Philly for a change.

[SpeedRacer]

Originally posted by zenbooty
If you want to see Shaq's game exposed for what it is, best to look back to the 2 years the Rockets won. Shaq was still with Orlando then, and Hakim Olajawon was in his prime. Needless to say, Olajawon in his prime could eat Shaq's lunch on the court any day of the week. I firmly believe this would still be true today, if Hakim was anywhere near his peak.

i like both the sixers and the lakers so i don't really care which team wins the championship. you can't really compare today's shaq with the shaq that battled olajuwon. shaq's game was pretty one-dimensional when he first came into the league (dunks ...) but i think he's improved so much through the years. true he scores because of his size ... but can you blame him for using it to his advantage? would you expect him to go out and shoot jumpers all day?

kobe is a phenomenal player. it's amazing to know that he's only 22yrs old. he already has a better jumpshot (at 22) than MJ. he's arrogant but i think that's a plus. to truly succeed and rise above others you need to have the mental toughness as well as a solid game.

iverson, what more can you say about him. he's so fast he can't be stopped. if you say that shaq is all size, then a person can just as easily say that iverson is nothing but speed ... which is certainly not true. that guy gets pounded to the floor every single game. he's literally playing with about 20 or so injuries. but he still gets up and gives 110% in every game. if that doesn't signify heart and guts, nothing does.

[tupacboy]

if all these games were "rigged" why would they let the lakers sweep all the way to the finals... everyone knows that the western conference is better... and therefore western conference playoff games should be better... if it was rigged they would make the lakers lose a few to get a higher audience... it's no fun for non-laker fans to watch them sweep...

[Thunder]

what can I say?...I love Los Angeles

[SpeedRacer]

Originally posted by tupacboy
if all these games were "rigged" why would they let the lakers sweep all the way to the finals... everyone knows that the western conference is better... and therefore western conference playoff games should be better... if it was rigged they would make the lakers lose a few to get a higher audience... it's no fun for non-laker fans to watch them sweep...

totally agree with you. if there was a conspiracy i'm pretty sure the blazers, kings, and spurs (3 50+ win teams) would've at least won a game or two. the bucks just bitched too much to get the calls. true the refs might miss some calls here and there but there's no conspiracy in the nba. i used to like the bucks before they played the sixers ... but now they just seem like a bunch of little kids crying about some noncalls. they should've just played the game ...

[Jihforce]

The one thing I hate more than watching Ewing say he still can play is people comparing MJ with Kobe. Any speculation of him being better than MJ or being better than MJ at 22 is premature because you cannot judge a player just by what he's accomplished now, (which is 1 ring). When Kobe matures and proves to be a leader and has enough rings and stats to match that of MJ, then you can start drawing comparisons.
For Tupacboy. You have valid points. However, its not as simple as making the Lakers lose. Look at how much hype the Lakers got for going undefeated. Now people want to watch because they want to see the Lakers lose. Imagine, Friday's ratings were highest since 1998. Why? Because people wanted to watch the Lakers lose again. Because Philly 'proved' that they weren't invincible. Now people will be watching more than ever because they want to see if the Lakers will really win or not. Whatever the league does, its shady. Specially the NBA lottery. Now THAT is rigged. Officiating is far too inconsistant and they have like 3 referees on the court at the same time. Its always been a mystery to me as to how all THREE could see the same bad call. There is a reason why Utah didn't get pass Dallas, there's a reason why Toronto got past NY,etc...
And why are there clock issues in almost every game now? I can go on and on. These are, of course, my theories (which many players, coaches and fans share), but I also feel that there is sufficient evidence to prove this theory to be true.

[tupacboy]

jiforce... they would have made more money if they rigged the western conference... better teams... better competition...

[zenbooty]

Originally posted by SpeedRacer
You can't really compare today's shaq with the shaq that battled olajuwon. shaq's game was pretty one-dimensional when he first came into the league (dunks ...) but i think he's improved so much through the years. true he scores because of his size ... but can you blame him for using it to his advantage? would you expect him to go out and shoot jumpers all day?

Shaq's game is still one dimensional, I'm afraid. I don't blame him for using his size advantage. I'm just saying that without his size advantage, he'd have nothing. He'd be a janitor. He has no professional level basketball skills, except maybe his passing has improved some. He can't score down low without his size to barrel over everyone else around him.


if you say that shaq is all size, then a person can just as easily say that iverson is nothing but speed.

Not true at all. Iverson can drive it into the hole and pick up layups and fouls. He can hit the outside jumper. He can duck, bob, and weave and create open looks for himself. He uses his ability to draw defenders to set up his teamates down low. Oh and he knows how to play the press tenaciously on defense. He brings the whole game with him, whereas Shaq can basically sit like a mountain in the lane, catch, turn, and dunk. Occasionally he'll make a short jumper, but not often, and his accuracy is still a joke.

[Jihforce]

Shaq's game is predictable. You always expect him to overpower people in the lowpost. Put him beyond 8 feet from the rim and he'll be lying enough bricks to build a house.
Iverson has more versatility. What's more impressive about Iverson is that he's 6'0 and he's got an arsenal of moves. That's what makes me respect him, he's tiny and and can play big.

[tupacboy]

i won't deny that iverson has skills... i honestly doubted him... but watching him play is amazing... but i know he needs to improve... he has fairly poor shot selection... just because you are close to the rim doens't mean you have to shoot... as for shaq... he has mad skills... size does give him a advantage... but he's really quick... and has lots of moves... if size was the only thing... then why don't players like macallough (sp? on the 76's) use their size the same way... those fools don't even come close to shaq...

[topane]

Originally posted by tupacboy
if size was the only thing... then why don't players like macallough (sp? on the 76's) use their size the same way... those fools don't even come close to shaq... You're comparing free safeties to offensive linemen. They may be as tall, but only half as wide. Shaq outweighs Mutombo by at least 50-60 lbs. and probably MacCullough by as much. I'm sure they would use that weight if they had it.

Originally posted by Tuvi

Originally posted by Jihforce
The game is rigged. Those who deny it are either too naive or Laker fans.
All coaches, players and front office know it, its all about the money. NBA cannot make money if a small market like Milwaukee plays in the finals. Also, Lakers could have swept the finals, but they didn't because the NBA does not profit from 4 games series since they barely break even when games go to 5.
exactly. its completely evident from the calls the refs are making anyway. Or the ones they're not making. They're talking about some rules changes for next year, but I'd rather see them enforce the rules they have. I'm tired of superstar players getting "respect" calls or being able to take liberties with the rules. Shaq does nothing but push people around (I thought you weren't supposed to do that), and guys like Kobe and Iverson can take about 15 steps with the ball and not be whistled for travelling.

[tupacboy]

gosh why isn't it wednesday already!?!?!?!?
:)

[Y2J]

I am a clipper fan first, and then a laker fan. The only team I'd like to see the lakers lose to would be the clips. But seeing they are playing the hated 76ers (notice how their uniform just says Sixers now, not 76ers) I have to root for the lake show. And shaq and fisher will take over. I cant stand Kid Skills Kobe, but without him, we wouldnt be in the finals, no bones aboot it.

[tupacboy]

i support the clippers too... except when they play the lakers... if the clippers can hold on to their team right now... get a better coach... man they will be scary...

[Jihforce]

Now, if only we could fix that nasty clips uniform, we would have a team that everyone would love. Haahaa.

[tupacboy]

game time!!!

[TheLoneGunman]

Did the 76'ers get the date right?

I think they thought it was a scrimmage. They must have forgot that it was a real game.

[att]

i dont think there's any point in discussing it any further. the lakers made philly look like washington tonite.
they might as well hand over the trophy.

[OC]

Does it matter? No really, does it matter?

-OC

[TheLoneGunman]

Interesting that my theory about sports being fixed based on TV ratings and stadium sales (in my case referring to the XFL) has now returned.

[OC]

Originally posted by TheLoneGunman
Interesting that my theory about sports being fixed based on TV ratings and stadium sales (in my case referring to the XFL) has now returned.

Ok - does this support my premise that pro sports suck?

Please visit:
http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=21785

Just curious.

-OC

[topane]

Jeez, that was ugly -- now we see that Philly desperately needs someone else who can score.

[Jihforce]

I wonder how much of an advantage the new rule changes will give the lakers next year.

[sputnik]

Just so you know, we are DYING here in Philly. Dying, I tell you.

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by sputnik
Just so you know, we are DYING here in Philly. Dying, I tell you.

Were you actually expecting an upset?

[topane]

Originally posted by Jihforce

Originally posted by sputnik
Just so you know, we are DYING here in Philly. Dying, I tell you.

Were you actually expecting an upset? Deep down, no, but a true fan always hopes. Until last night's game, the Sixers really looked like they had a chance.