NBA Finals

[BillD1984]

2. Were you a little dissapointated that there was no Lakers/Celtics rubber match in 1986?

Yes, very much so. Because there was NO WAY the Celtics were gonna be denied in '86. They were a JUGGERNAUT!!!

Unfortunately, the rubber match was in '87 and the Lakers won.

BTW, that's obviously "rubber match" for the '80's. Celtics are 9-2 all-time in the Finals against the Lakers.

 

[SabresRule]

When it comes to Finals rematches, another thing to look at is how close we came to seeing certain matchups at different times:

Basketball fans remember Bird and Magic's maiden voyage in the NBA Finals, the legendary 1984 clash. But they could have an earlier battle- in fact, had the C's won game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals against Philadelphia, Bird/Magic I would have occured two years early. Of course, those 76ers were no slouch in the superstar department themselves with Dr. J.

Also, last year's Lakers/Celtics series was a dream match- we almost had that in 2002 had Boston beaten the Nets- and on NBC, no less!

The Bulls and Jazz had those two great series in 1997 and 1998- they could have met in two previous Finals. Utah almost got there in 1992 but ran into Portland, and came within one game of doing so in 1996. Had they won game 7 of the 1996 West Finals in Seattle (and came back from a 3-1 deficit to force that game!), we could have had three straight Bulls/Jazz Finals.

Speaking of Portland, the Blazers and the Bulls came close to meeting in three straight Finals as well. If the Bulls won game 7 of the 1990 East Finals in Detroit or if the Blazers had won the 1991 West Finals instead of losing in six games to the Lakers in what turned out to be the last hurrah for the 'Showtime' team of the 1980s.

As for those Lakers- if the Bulls beat Detroit in 1989, Jordan/Magic would have occured two years earlier.

Another great series- Bulls/Suns 1993- almost took place in back-to-back years. Chicago and Phoenix lost in back-to-back conference finals in 1989 and 1990.


Salsa, you covered the Bulls in the 1990s. You covered Finals games at L.A.'s Forum, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, and Utah. Hard to believe that you almost could have made a second trip to each of those places had those games gone the other way.

 

[SabresRule]

Oh, and in answer to my own question, I never have been to a Finals games.

(However, had the Bucks won game 7 of the 2001 East Finals against the 76ers- who knows?)

 

[HD MM]

How many of you guys have ever been to an NBA Finals game?

...Raises hand.

I went to one of the Spurs/Cavs games in 2007

 

[SabresRule]

...Raises hand.

I went to one of the Spurs/Cavs games in 2007

Given how those two games in Cleveland went down to the wire, I honestly wish that Cleveland been matched up against Phoenix, Dallas, or Utah in 2007. Had they faced either one of them, I think they could have won it all.

One of those two Finals games in Cleveland was very low-scoring; I would have loved to see LeBron against those high-tempo Suns/Mavericks.

 

[SabresRule]

There are some things about the NBA Finals that have changed over time:

1. No tape delay. In the 1970s and 1980s, some games were not shown in primetime, but rather shown much later in tape delay. That's hard to believe these days. (Believe it or not, Magic Johnson's now-legendary 42-point game in game 6 of the 1980 Finals was on tape delay. Imagine the uproar if one of Jordan's finest performances was on a tape-delayed game!)

Bill, you're old enough to remember when 4 of the 6 games in the Celtics/Rockets 1981 series were shown on tape delay. It's hard to believe that the NBA was viewed with such low regard.

2. No more Friday night Finals games. As someone who loved the ABC 'TGIF' lineup, especially 'Step By Step,' it was very frustrating to have to channel surf back-and-forth between the show and the game. Thank goodness for the new Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule!

3. A lack of afternoon Finals games. Bill, you said you were at the clinching Finals game for the 1986 Celtics juggernaut. According to an old schedule I dug up from DBSForums, that was an afternoon game- Sunday, 1 Eastern. (Do you wish the NBA Finals went back to showing some afternoon games, or is all-primetime not a problem- we had a big debate over day vs. night for the World Series) It's hard to believe there are none of those anymore.

 

[anders5189]

There are some things about the NBA Finals that have changed over time:

1. No tape delay. In the 1970s and 1980s, some games were not shown in primetime, but rather shown much later in tape delay. That's hard to believe these days. (Believe it or not, Magic Johnson's now-legendary 42-point game in game 6 of the 1980 Finals was on tape delay. Imagine the uproar if one of Jordan's finest performances was on a tape-delayed game!)

Bill, you're old enough to remember when 4 of the 6 games in the Celtics/Rockets 1981 series were shown on tape delay. It's hard to believe that the NBA was viewed with such low regard.

The NBA wasn't so amazing back then. CBS had hits like Dallas, back when network primetime shows were hits, that they didn't want to pre-empt for games with uncertain outcomes. The Washington-Seattle matchups in 78 and 79 made this decision easier. Plus the Finals were played in May back then, when networks need to get big ratings, not June when shows are in re-runs.

2. No more Friday night Finals games. As someone who loved the ABC 'TGIF' lineup, especially 'Step By Step,' it was very frustrating to have to channel surf back-and-forth between the show and the game. Thank goodness for the new Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule!

Step by Step or basketball? I don't know what to say about that.

3. A lack of afternoon Finals games. Bill, you said you were at the clinching Finals game for the 1986 Celtics juggernaut. According to an old schedule I dug up from DBSForums, that was an afternoon game- Sunday, 1 Eastern. (Do you wish the NBA Finals went back to showing some afternoon games, or is all-primetime not a problem- we had a big debate over day vs. night for the World Series) It's hard to believe there are none of those anymore.

It shouldn't be hard to believe. Afternoon audiences are 1/10th of what they are in primetime. Maybe they could play in the afternoon if PBS had the rights to the Finals with a telethon at halftime. What's hard to believe is that even in the height of the NBA's popularity in the 80's CBS was still televising Finals games in the afternoon BEFORE meaningless golf tournaments.

 

[CharlesO]

How many of you guys have ever been to an NBA Finals game?

Suns/Bulls in '93....Games 1,2 and 6...all in Phoenix.

The best games in that series were in Chicago, especially game 3.

 

[Ramy]

Lakers are in for a battle, but I still think they will win.

 

[HD MM]

Given how those two games in Cleveland went down to the wire, I honestly wish that Cleveland been matched up against Phoenix, Dallas, or Utah in 2007. Had they faced either one of them, I think they could have won it all.

One of those two Finals games in Cleveland was very low-scoring; I would have loved to see LeBron against those high-tempo Suns/Mavericks.

In all honesty, we were playing with house money in 2007. No one expected that team to make it to the Finals that year. I was way more disappointed in this years team than the '07 team.

 

[vurbano]

Orlando....faced with being the underdog for the 3rd straight series will win it's 1st NBA title. Don't know and don't care in how many games...but I think they will.

:up

 

[HD MM]

Comparison for the Ages...

I was thinking about Dwight Howard and how dominating he's become in the post. He's a physical freak. Standing next to LeBron, Howard makes #23 look thin. Howard is a massive heap of muscle, he's the current defensive player of the year, he blocks shots and scores in the paint at will.

Critics love comparisons to players of the past. One comparison I've yet to hear is one between Howard and Shaquille O'Neil. It wasn't too long ago that Shaq was with Howard's former team, the Orlando Magic. It was even more recent that he was with the Magic's current opponent in the LA Lakers. Both have gone by the moniker, "Superman."

Remember how dominant Shaq was in his hey-day? Shaq still has 2" and 60lbs on Howard, but Howard has the endurance and lean strength that could possibly counter that. Does anyone else yearn for the dream matchup of these two big-men in their prime? As the Magic/Lakers meet tonight, I can't help but wonder, what if Shaq was still in his prime as he was when the Lakers won 3 titles? Throughout his career, Shaq never really had another big man that could counter him on the defensive end. He was the most dominating big man of an era.

What if, somehow we could go to an alternate universe where we could see Shaq in his prime banging with Howard down low? I'd love to see the two men go at it. Kind of the way Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin used to go against one another. Now that would be a real treat!

 

[SandraC]

Orlando....faced with being the underdog for the 3rd straight series will win it's 1st NBA title. Don't know and don't care in how many games...but I think they will.

I don't know about the Magic being the underdog against Boston. If Kevin Garnett was playing, for sure. Since the Celtics didn't have Garnett, it wasn't an upset at all.


Sandra

 

[pro96]

Los Angeles is feeling the NBA FINALS all over. Flags and banners everywhere.
May the best team win. Perfect weather too.. thunderstorms and in the 70's

 

[HD MM]

The LeBron Talk Rages on For Yet Another Day...

This time, the first national media member has his back. Bill Simmons chimes in...

When you caused a controversy by storming off the court after Game 6 and refusing to attend your press conference, you did something even better: You brought us back to the days when "rivals" didn't hug each other like Red and Andy after every game, when NBA stars actually took losing personally and treated their peers like enemies instead of friends. I loved it. That was an old-school move. And as reader Brian Naftaly points out, you accomplished something even better: You made your teammates cover you in the postgame press conference, marking the first time all series they did something or helped you in any way. That was genius. Hold your head up high, LeBron James. You could not have done more with the possible exception of coaching the team … and really, that might not have been a bad idea.

(Now, please spend the summer working on a low-post game and come back with at least two moves. If you care about cracking the top six of all time — and I think you do — then you should have a reliable jump hook, a drop step and an MJ-like fallaway by November. Period.)

[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090603&sportCat=nba"]Bill Simmons: NBA Finals preview for Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic - ESPN[/ame]
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[HD MM]

Guide For Orlando Bandwagoneer's

Too funny...

Today, the Orlando Sentinel published a "guide" on how to be a fan of the team. This is for all the new found love for the bandwagon Orlando Magic fans. LMAO!!!

New to the Orlando Magic bandwagon? Here's a guide for new fans -- OrlandoSentinel.com

 

[meStevo]

News so slow the morning radio show was highlighting Kobe's usage of the word 'hoopla' in a recent interview.

 

[pro96]

The heat is on ... NBA 2009 FINALS are here.

 

[pro96]

Lakers 53 - Orlando 43 @ the Half.​

 

[meStevo]

I love the Lakers branding and stuff, but that center court championship trophy decal is just god awful.

Whenever they call the big guys 'bigs' I think of the movie Role Models.