2008/2009 NBA Playoffs

Kulgan

Hmmm If I remember the play I'm pretty sure they were merely saying the refs were right to show a little restraint in calling a technical on Odom since the players should be allowed to show some emotion, I think it was an isolated incident not like Odom was reacting like this on every call. In the earlier rounds the refs were very quick to hand out tech fouls.

And I don't think theyre pro Lakers well maybe Mark Jackson is! Sure Van Gundy's brother is coaching the Magic

jimmay

Hmmmm how interesting would it be now that the finals are in the 2-3-2 format for the Magic to take the next 2 at home. That would be sweet but yeah I don't see that happening!

kmart6

Liam O wrote: »

The Espn commentators are so in love with the Lakers and it's pissing me off. Every time there's a foul called they say it's a bad call and everytime Kobe gets the ball they procalim how brilliant he is.

You forgetting where there was fouls given to Bryant that weren't which they pointed out!

Liam O wrote: »

Odom just fouls Howard and then goes bouncing around complaining about the call and the comentators say that that's what he should be doing

He shoud be doing it cause it's the NBA Finals,players should be showing their emotions...not because it wasn't a foul,they never said it wasn't a foul!!!

Sea Devils

Poor Dwight Howard:(

jimmay

:eek: Poor Orlando!

metaoblivia

Still hurting from last night's game... Orlando should have won that! We choked at the end. Howard's missed FTs and Van Gundy's stupid, stupid decision not to foul the Lakers with 10 seconds left in the 4th really did us in. Not to mention the ref's horrible decision not to call Kobe's elbow to the face with about 30 seconds left in OT, allowing the 3 pointer that sealed the fate.
What burns is that this series could easily have been 3-1 the other way, if the Magic were a more experienced team. If the Lakers were steamrolling us in every game like they did the first, it would be one thing. But it hasn't been like that. I think the Magic have proved they have great talent. They're just young and raw and aren't used to handling this kind of pressure.
I'm hoping they pull out Game 5. It's not over til someone wins 4.

x in the city

surely that was a foul near the end when kobe smacked yer man in the gob for the 3 pointer?

Im not a basketball nut at all but was geeing on orlando, the bloke who missed the free throws cost the game, if he popped over even 1 magic would have needed more than 3 to win and not enough time

ouch

x in the city

metaoblivia wrote: »

Still hurting from last night's game... Orlando should have won that! We choked at the end. Howard's missed FTs and Van Gundy's stupid, stupid decision not to foul the Lakers with 10 seconds left in the 4th really did us in. Not to mention the ref's horrible decision not to call Kobe's elbow to the face with about 30 seconds left in OT, allowing the 3 pointer that sealed the fate.
What burns is that this series could easily have been 3-1 the other way, if the Magic were a more experienced team. If the Lakers were steamrolling us in every game like they did the first, it would be one thing. But it hasn't been like that. I think the Magic have proved they have great talent. They're just young and raw and aren't used to handling this kind of pressure.
I'm hoping they pull out Game 5. It's not over til someone wins 4.

ya, thats the points i was making...

bah !

eagle eye

metaoblivia wrote: »

Still hurting from last night's game... Orlando should have won that! We choked at the end. Howard's missed FTs and Van Gundy's stupid, stupid decision not to foul the Lakers with 10 seconds left in the 4th really did us in. Not to mention the ref's horrible decision not to call Kobe's elbow to the face with about 30 seconds left in OT, allowing the 3 pointer that sealed the fate.
What burns is that this series could easily have been 3-1 the other way, if the Magic were a more experienced team. If the Lakers were steamrolling us in every game like they did the first, it would be one thing. But it hasn't been like that. I think the Magic have proved they have great talent. They're just young and raw and aren't used to handling this kind of pressure.
I'm hoping they pull out Game 5. It's not over til someone wins 4.

Ok I watched this game also. Now you are mentioning a horrible decision by the referee. Orlando got an awful lot of favourable calls last night especially in the first half so its unfair to be calling one call by the officials a bad one and not looking at the overall affect of decisions made in the game by the officials. The Magic definitely gained an advantage through favourable calls last night.
I've said all along that I think they are too young and they are not getting back into this one now. I have to say that Turkoglu missing free throws late in the game shocked me last night, maybe he was feeling the pinch at the end there but he did score a very nice basket just after that.
Overall though the reason the Magic did not win it in the end was the amount of missed free throws. And blaming Van Gundy is just so bad, the guy is a great coach. FFS his coaching is the reason that they are in the finals.

Sea Devils

metaoblivia wrote: »

. I think the Magic have proved they have great talent. They're just young and raw and aren't used to handling this kind of pressure.
.

Well, regardless of what the outcome of this series is, you can at least take solace in the fact that you guys are gonna be Finals contenders for a LONG time with D12 patrolling the paint.

Tim131

I have been in Orlando for the last two weeks (went to game 6 of the ECF) and have been watching the finals and all the ESPN/ABC pre-programming, sports center etc, and I have to say they all have it in for Orlando, you think now that they've made it to the finals, a little bit of respect is earned but no... EVERYONE on american National (no local obviously) TV is saying how the lakers will destroy them (the very same thing was said for teh cleveland lebrons) it's getting very annoying, and I feel so sorry for the magic, as they really are a fantastic team, but I think their problem is consitencty, one quarter they will have 80% on the 3 pointers, the next they will get none, this is something they need to work on, and if they could iron this crease they would be pretty much near impossible to beat.

Such a heartbreaking game for magic fans on thurs though, that really was desperate, they should have called kobe on elbowing!

To be honest, I prefer ESPN going crazy head over heels for Kobe than LeBron, as Kobe is the better player, he (unlike LeBron) deserves every bit of praise given, (this coming from a celtics fan, and lakers hater )

Sea Devils

x in the city wrote: »

surely that was a foul near the end when kobe smacked yer man in the gob for the 3 pointer?

Eagle Eye wrote:

Orlando got an awful lot of favourable calls last night especially in the first half so its unfair to be calling one call by the officials a bad one and not looking at the overall affect of decisions made in the game by the officials. The Magic definitely gained an advantage through favourable calls last night.

metaoblivia wrote:

Not to mention the ref's horrible decision not to call Kobe's elbow to the face with about 30 seconds left in OT.

Eagle Eye is absolutely right on this one. The Lakers didn't get a single Free Throw attempt in the 4th quarter and were outshot 17-0 from the Line so it's a bit much saying blaming the Refs for missing one call when there was such a huge disparity at the Free Throw line.

Orlando got one foul called in the 4th with 1.14 remaining and at that point the Lakers had 10 fouls at that point in the quarter, including some fantastic calls 25 feet from the hoop on Odom & Ariza and a moving screen on Gasol that is exactly what Howard does on every screen he sets.

So the fact remains. The Magic got most of the calls after all:rolleyes:

metaoblivia

If you had actually read my rant, you would see that I blamed the loss of the game on several factors, including the FTs, and then went on to say that I thought the Magic were just too young overall and succumbing to the pressure. I can call Van Gundy on a bad choice if I want to, and I think his decision in the final seconds of the 4th quarter was a bad choice. I'm not the only one who feels this way. He has done a lot of good things for the Magic, but that doesn't mean he's above criticism.
In regards to the blatant offensive foul committed by Byrant in OT - again, never did I say the Magic were more fouled, or the Lakers were more fouled. But again - I'm not allowed to complain about a bad call that ended up being the turning in OT, leading to a Laker win? I have a feeling if the tables were turned here, you wouldn't be too happy either. I don't deserve that little roll eyes, Sea Devils. It's disrespectful and again, you're using it to reference an argument I never made.
But again, to summarize: I didn't blame the Magic loss on one thing - I blamed it on several, including the FT and their youth. I even said, "We choked at the end!" because that's ultimately what happened. To pull out a few of my points out of context and argue and make me feel badly, is, well, kind of petty, especially when I admitted that my team choked.
You can go ahead and reply to this, but I won't be reading or posting on this forum anymore. I just don't feel welcomed.

Sea Devils

I read your post but my overall point was you can't say the Refs missed one bad call when the statistics at the FT line and the calls that I saw tended to favour the Magic. I know very well that you said there were several factors that can be blamed for the Orlando loss but apologies if my previous post made it look like you didn't

But FFS it's only a bit of debate and to not post on this forum because of the use of an emoticon or the fact that you don't feel welcomed is petty

Lirange

metaoblivia wrote: »

But again - I'm not allowed to complain about a bad call that ended up being the turning in OT, leading to a Laker win?

You're entitled to your opinion. But I disagree. Unless a player swings his arms side to side to clear space on a double team the refs won't call that. Replica of that play in the Orlando-Sixers series when Hedo's elbow met the chin of Andre Miller on the double team. No call. If a player crowds another on the double team and gets contact while the other is in the process of making a natural move the refs will not call a foul. Watch the replay and that's clearly what happened here. The refs have been consistent.

Believe me I'm not exactly predisposed to Kobe either. :pac:

metaoblivia wrote: »

You can go ahead and reply to this, but I won't be reading or posting on this forum anymore. I just don't feel welcomed.

You're being a bit dramatic.

It's evident you have more emotional interest invested here than anyone else. They being your home town team. That's fine and you make valid points. But that was mostly fluff from SeaDevils as far as internet forum sports debates go. I can't imagine you'd last long on Boards if you normally took such grave offence to a smiley. So I'll put it down to the exuberance of the moment on account of your hometown pride.

eagle eye

metaoblivia wrote: »

I have a feeling if the tables were turned here, you wouldn't be too happy either.

Just to clarify, I'm a Celtics fan and I don't particularly like the Lakers. I admire them for how successful they've been but I'd much prefer to see the Magic win. I don't see it happening though and never did, but I'm surprised that they've been so close to the Lakers in a couple of games.
Like Sea Devils I too believe that we are seeing the dawn of a new superpower in the NBA if the Magic can keep this group together.

kmart6

Tim131 wrote: »

EVERYONE on american National (no local obviously) TV is saying how the lakers will destroy them

Well it is 3-1 in fairness!

Tim131

kmart6 wrote: »

Well it is 3-1 in fairness!

They were saying it before game 1, and lets face it two of the games the lakers won could have gone easily the other way.

I remember readin somewhere one of the ESPN commentators said, there was no way they would get pass the celtics, and if this miracle did happen the cavs would destroy them. hah how wrong could he have been!

eagle eye

Tim131 wrote: »

They were saying it before game 1, and lets face it two of the games the lakers won could have gone easily the other way.

I remember readin somewhere one of the ESPN commentators said, there was no way they would get pass the celtics, and if this miracle did happen the cavs would destroy them. hah how wrong could he have been!

I'm sure that commentator was talking about a Celtics squad with KG in it. Would have been a whole different proposition.
Van Gundy deserves so much credit for how they have performed.

On the finals, yes two of the games could have went the other way, they got serious help from the officials in the last game to aid them in that but they still didn't get it done. The finals are a whole different ball game and some players make mistakes(Turkoglu two missed free throws stands out), and thats the difference imo and why I called the Lakers winning it handy against the Magic, whereas against the other teams that were left I called it tight. The Magic don't have a former winner in their team, their coach has never won a ring. Van Gundy is a quick learner though and he will take everything out of this finals regardless of how it ends up and be ready the next time they are there. I'm not castigating anybody, its all about experience for the Magic at this stage, they have a young team with so much potential. Hold on to them all and their coach(imo the mvp in the organisation) and they will win Championships(plural on purpose).

kmart6

Tim131 wrote: »

They were saying it before game 1, and lets face it two of the games the lakers won could have gone easily the other way.

I remember readin somewhere one of the ESPN commentators said, there was no way they would get pass the celtics, and if this miracle did happen the cavs would destroy them. hah how wrong could he have been!

Fact is they didn't though! Lakers have had the experience to get through 2 OT's!

x in the city

Magic look ****ed anyway..

pity

:mad:

Kobe and that lanky guy with the hair are the main men for LA

Kinetic^

x in the city wrote: »

Kobe and that lanky guy with the hair are the main men for LA

Pau Gasol. He's Spanish.

Sea Devils

x in the city wrote: »

Kobe and that lanky guy with the hair are the main men for LA

I'd actually argue that Ariza and Odom have done more:). Gasol hasn't gotten as many touches as he should have.

eagle eye

I just have a funny feeling that this ain't just done yet. I don't know why I think that.

Sea Devils

eagle eye wrote: »

I just have a funny feeling that this ain't just done yet. I don't know why I think that.

It's done.

x in the city

eagle eye wrote: »

I just have a funny feeling that this ain't just done yet. I don't know why I think that.

Done and dusted at half time I reckon.

LA wayyy too good, Magic had no real leaders.

eagle eye

Very impressive from the Lakers tonight and Kobe really turned it on tonight. They all played very well tonight. On the other side, well they didn't turn up at all imo. Anyways Phil gets his record which depresses me a bit as Red Auerbach is a legend and really six of those with the Bulls, well imo any coach would have gotten the last three with the Bulls and the three with that all star Lakers team.

Cremated

Sorry for sorta going OT here, been on these forums for years but never really posted,

but came across this thread just now,

I'm a Celtics fan but thought the game tonight was very good, the Lakers played very well and experience got them through some bad patches,

love to watch Kobe play,

anyways well done to the Lakers...

Sea Devils

Good job Magic. Congrats LA.

09/10 is going to be one very entertaining year...with KG back in the mix, rumours of Shaq heading to Cleveland...Orlando will be a much better team....looking good.

As far as Phil Jackson's 10 titles are concerned this one is by far his best imo

Cremated

Sea Devils wrote: »

Good job Magic. Congrats LA.

09/10 is going to be one very entertaining year...with KG back in the mix, rumours of Shaq heading to Cleveland...Orlando will be a much better team....looking good.

As far as Phil Jackson's 10 titles are concerned this one is by far his best imo

KG leaving the Celtics?, or back in the mix as in?, :eek:,

Shaq with Lebron sounds good,


will Wade stay put down with the Heat, while I was in the States people were saying that he could leave at the end of the season...