To paraphrase Old Dirty Bastard:

Big Baby Davis in the house

The Lakers take another one in the teeth. And dear god, why every kid in America doesn't have Rondo on his wall is beyond me.

Yeah, living in CT there was much Boston influence. I would watch all the playoff games at work 2nd shift and Rondo grew on me a couple years back. He is so much better now. I have always been drawn to the undersized speedy athletes, and seeing his well spoken and intelligent interview sealed the deal for me.

it's because he isn't an explosive scorer(no jump shot). and for the most part i disagree with the idea of momentum carrying from game to game.

I really have no idea who's going to win game seven. The Perkins loss is probably a non-factor, because it's mitigated by Bynum's ineffectiveness and the fact that Boston has the perfect couple of guys to come in banging in the front court and collectively give you one great game. Lakers win easy if their bench shows up again, but then who the heck knows if Odom/Farmar/Brown/Vujacic can string two solid efforts together

perkins is a huge loss for boston. they have to downsize significantly with glen davis. they can't outrebound the lakers. and kobe isn't going to be denied. his play has been stellar for the majority of the playoffs. i bet lakers win by 10-15.

They don't have to downsize significantly w/o Perkins because Davis is just as big as him, rebounds at nearly the same rate and Wallace getting a bit more burn might be good for them, anyway. And this has been far from Kobe's best playoff series. At his absolute best (3rd quarter of game 5), he took everybody else out of the offense and the Lakers didn't cut even a sliver into the Celt's double digit lead. I say all that and yet, gun to my head, I'd still probably pick LA to win tonight

The Celtics are the better team in at least these two catagories: their bench, and road games.

Davis has been a rebound machine in the playoffs. He's muscled out guys better than almost anyone on either team. We'll be fine.

Edit: So you're a Colts and a Lakers fan? You own some Yankees and Devils jerseys too?

I give you the bench. It's not a road game for LA...

Shelden Williams is probably gonna get some more minutes and he hasn't looked good so far(has he ever?) Big Baby hasn't done much of anything the past two games. And I would be worried about Wallace jacking up too many 3's if I were a Celtics fan.

I like watching the best. And I didn't even start watching sports till I was in high school so it's not like I have a tradition ingrained in me.

Edit: if Lakers can do this again they win

did you notice how the lakers didn't play defense that game? boston shot 56% for the game. you can't win that way. and in the 3rd quarter, where he supposedly took the lakers out of sync? they scored their highest quarterly output from that particular game(26, didn't go over 21 any other quarter).

Boston was shooting lights out and LA probably had no chance at winning that game, but when I say Kobe took the rest of his team out of it, I mean on both ends. When you're just standing around watching on offense, you get out of rhythm on defense, too. You're right, though, in saying he probably had no other choice than try to take over since no other Laker was stepping up

I've never had a bigger hard on for basketball. Tonight will be great.

Ya me too, but I'm trying to lower expectations, because whenever I get this excited over a sporting event, it's almost guaranteed to be a blowout

i'm biased but i don't think it is gonna be close. i'm also hoping for blowout...

Whoever out rebounds the other team wins. Been like that all series, don't expect it to change. With Perkins out this probably won't be close.

i don't know why fantasy lebron acquisitions aren't getting more hype. what if lebron went to the lakers or spurs? if his goal is winning a championship i don't see why he wouldn't wanna be on one of those teams. richard jefferson just opted out of his 15mil contract with the spurs for next year... for a lakers acquisition to work they would probably need to do a sign and trade(maybe artest and bynum/odom?).

I think he is going to stay in Cleveland

i'm gonna be disappointed if he stays. its more fun for him to go somewhere else.

I agree, how are they doing financially? Do they have room for Wade or Bosch? Even Dirk would be pretty sweet.

they have one of the highest budgets in the NBA. pretty sure all they can do financially is resign Lebron.

I think DWade and Bosh are signing with Chicago and Lebron stays with Cavs? Any thoughts on where u guys think they will go? I can't believe JJ got $120mil and Stoudemire $100mil. They are way overpaid!! How can their teams have any $ left to sign role players? It looks like they were about $ and not winning!

most people are about money.

True, but Bosh,Wade,Lebron said it was about winning championships was their priority. If it was all about money, then just say so. Nothing worse than saying one thing and doing another. Hypocrites are the worse. We'll see if Bosh, Lebron, and Wade really meant it in the next few days.

Three days until they can sign. I expect LeBron to sign to Cleveland the 8th, ninth at the latest.

I am starting to get that feeling also. The 30mil difference is hard to pass up. They will have to get rid of quite a few players in order to win a title. Do you think he will convince Bosh to play with him in Cleveland?

Looks like Bosh has finally decided.

RealGM: Basketball Wiretap Archives:

Bosh and Wade both sign today in Miami. Looks like basketball in Canada is once again dead probably. Too bad nobody cares all that much considering the NBA coincides with the NHL's.

The Heat deserve him. Best of luck fellas. Nothing like a bunch of MVP's to **** up a squad.

I like the Heat to win the title not this year but next year. I love the guys they drafted in the second round this year. I think LBJ/CB4/Flash all take a small pay cut so they can all sign without any trades. Chalmers/Wade/LBJ/Beasley/Bosh. A running team with the talent to back it up. But that probably doesn't happen, it just makes too much sense.

Anyone see the message on the Cavs site?

Cavaliers: Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert

Ouch.

Yeah. Ouch is right. Beasley got unloaded for a second rounder, next year and a swapping of first round picks (Which is pretty much giving the Heat a lottery pick for what may as well be a second rounder). We'll see how that works out.

A decision was going to be made either way, on tv or not on tv, so I don't know why Cavs fans have been bitching about it. In truth the classless Cavs owner and fans weren't going to be happy unless they tied the yoke of their failure around Lebron's neck and let it drag him down to mediocrity.

Well thats an interesting position to take. Every Caveliers fan is classless and whiney?In all honesty, I feel really bad for Ohio. Their like the equally as punished, but less noticed brother of Louisiana. Hurricanes and Oil spills just make for better press. The whole state got rocked by the industrial decline post WW2, they've been the most screwed by NAFTA and I think the are the only state to have a major river catch fire in the post-modern America. Jobs are scare, people are poor, and I feel like there are few things you can turn to when thats the culture in your region of the world.

Sports is one of them.

To have a native, who I can only guess came from economically depressed areas (given that its Ohio) rise to such fame, and then, when he couldn't deliver a title, up and leaves for a better climate, it think its just demoralizing. When you read that letter from the Ownership, they aren't answering to how they feel, they're likely speaking for an entire population that it pretty wounded from this move. Its just another move in a series of depressing events. I hope the Heat don't even make it this year, and being me, I hope the Celtics are the reason.

Well, they had 7 years to build a successful team around LeBron and failed to do so. He had no obligations to stay there, despite what Cleveland fans will tell you. I think the reaction speaks for itself in showing LeBron truly did make the right decision.

I think Lebron should've gone to Chicago. He would've had a better team and it would be his team. He is now playing on Wade's team now. He still would've been vilified by Cleveland for leaving, but at least his perception or stature wouldn't have taken a hit by going to the Bulls.

Yeah Ohio just lost their two best basketball players, LeBreezon, and Evan Turner. They're going to have a handful of **** basketball teams next year.

Miami will be sick if they can get a few backing players, preferably someone who plays defense and maybe someone to handle the ball in the half court.

OSU usually has a good recruiting class...but yea. did you hear about how the heat did sign and trades for both lebron and bosh? they gave away like 2-4 1st round picks and 2-3 2nd rounders(1 2nd rounder from beasley trade). why would you waste all of that just so they can sign for 1 more year? it doesn't make good basketball sense. they also got mike miller 5/6 years for 30mil. as a lakers fan this team really scares me going forward(and OKC). if miami can sign some cheap and good players they could make a run next year. top contenders next year(in order): lakers, celtics, thunder, orlando and miami.

Nah. By next year with the draft and exceptions they'll be unstoppable.

NBA is a joke man.. thats all

Front office wants a trophy.

i'm thinkin heat will really take a year to fall into place as a top contender, though they'll still probably be very good next year. one thing i noticed about the NBA lately is that the best teams are getting better. there's like 4-5 great NBA teams and then a major drop off in good teams.