Yep, Mem took Thabeet the pick right before Harden that year. I knew that kid was gonna be good. Coming outta college I likened his game to Pierce, but he has superior size and being a lefty can't hurt.

I liked Harden to but I'd be lying if I thought he'd be this good, this quick. It's amazing how lefties ALWAYS manage to go left. Harden and Ginobili go left to the rim and it seems unstoppable

i think pierce is overdue for a strong night. I know he's gotten some 20 point performances but i wanna see him get 35. He's going to need to go to the line a lot if boston wants to keep the pace under control, miami is gonna come out blazing.

He has been kept in check because LBJ guards him yo.

yeah thats true

I have a link you can watch games streaming pm me if you would like whomever. For instance the Heat Celtics game tonight.

not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven

^ The most overblown thing that has ever happened in the history of life


Disgusting and embarrassing EFFORT tonight from the Heat. Terrible coaching as usual, and just no sense of urgency or will to win. They had it the first 10 minutes and a little bit at the end, but there wasn't nearly enough energy of effort by the Heat. I guess you gotta credit Boston for the win, but it felt more like a Heat loss than a Boston win to me. Boston didn't play well. Heat got up and took the foot off the pedal, then kept playing not to lose instead of to win, refusing to run and having no idea what offense they were running. Where have I seen that before?? Goodbye Spoelstra, Miami isn't winning in Boston.

If you watched the Thunder the other night and watched the Heat, it's amazing the difference. You can tell who really wants it. Totally different atmospheres.

Thunder by 7 tomorrow night and they are going to murder whoever they get in the Finals, looks like the Celts.

All Miami needs to do is come up with one big boy win in Boston and they're right back to where they wanna be.

Last night was a VERY winnable game. If they can get 3 quarters out of Wade instead of one they wouldn't have to grind it out.


I dont know why Wade, a poor 3 point shooter, takes an isolation for the last play. Drive and kick it out to miller, chalmers, battier or lebron. Spoelstra doesn't seem to have any playbook

Spoelstra has no playbook at all. Every game the Heat have at least a quarters worth of offense where they don't run anything. LeBron or Wade just stand there with the ball with nobody moving or setting screens and then they try to bail the offense out with a tough shot. In year 2 at this point in the season it's inexcusable. Heat should have won game 4 but didn't even run a play on their 2 game-winning chances.

And last game, everyone was scared to shoot. Heat go possessions where they over pass and then take a tough shot with a few seconds on the shot clock. I know Spoelstra's a defensive minded guy and their defense had been great but cmon, you gotta have something ready on offense to run. You notice Boston scores after every timeout. Doc is so good at drawing up plays. You don't see Boston with possessions where they don't know what they are doing or who should be getting the ball.

The way Pierce and Rondo played last night, Heat shoulda won by 20. They had the energy and had a big lead, then lost their energy and quit playing their style. I really have little confidence for them next game.

Know what was really telling? It was the 3rd or 4th quarter and the Heat were moving the ball around on this one possession, and Wade got the ball on the wing for a wide open 3 pointer. Defensive breakdown for Boston, but he took a dribble in and then pump faked. Still, nobody came to guard him. He looked to pass and then finally decided to shoot (and make) the open jumper. Though he made it, when I was watching the game I just felt like a star player shouldn't be afraid to shoot the ball like that. They were playing not to lose instead of to win and they deserved that loss.

hey what a shock, FWB thinks Boston didn't win, the Heat lost.

Its ****ing unreal. They could cure cancer and you'd say it wasn't a serious illness.

That's because I watched the game. Boston didn't play well and Heat should of had that game in the bag. In no way did Boston play like the Thunder did when they were on the road for Game 5. Garnett played well, Pietrus play pretty well for what's expected of him. Pierce and Rondo were terrible. Overall they just didn't play a good game. If they had, I'd have no problem giving them credit for it. It was more about Miami's incompetence

Rondo didn't shoot well but you can't complain about 14 assists, one of them being a crazy tip ball to pietrice in the corner for 3.

Pierce made a clutch shot, something he does consistently, something miami has yet to do.

The tip pass was nice and Pierce hit a big 3 at the end there, but overall they weren't great games by any stretch for either of them. It shouldn't have even come down to the last few minutes, it shoulda been a double digit lead but Miami just played poorly. I thought both teams played bad and Boston hit clutch shots at the end and Miami didn't. And that pretty much sums up game 5 IMO

The Heat have no idea what to do at the end of a close game after two years. That's on Spo and to a lesser extent their stars (conversely Boston had this shit figured out in their first year of being together).

I watched the game as well, and on the road to close a game 3 and the series pull ahead as old as the Celtics are - I thought they played very well. And if you're going to say Rondo played badly this game, you need to say he was the love child of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird last game.

You, specifically, have to.

I'd say rondo is the love child of tim hardaway and john stockton, don't see a lot of mj in his game except they both share the eye of the tiger and the fire within to win it all no matter the odds cuz thats true championship basketball

Rondo might run the team on the court as a point guard but KG is the emotional leader and Pierce is the closer. Rondo is a top 5 point guard but I do think he is over rated at times. He has no Jordan or Bird in his game whatsoever.

A win is a win, but if you watched the game I don't know how you can possibly think they played a great game

san antonio couldn't get a break from the refs tonight

they got a few bad calls, overall i didnt think it was bad. It was in OKC's building so it's to be a bit expected. I'd probably care more if the Spurs weren't the biggest flopping team of the past decade.

Thunder to the Finals... Very exciting, what a fun team to watch. Gonna be a hell of a matchup for Boston/Miami

If boston had bradley and were healthy i think they could match okc pretty good


but they're not, they would have to pull a rabbit out the hat

Bradley is nice and would give them more defense but I don't think he's THAT big of a game changer. OKC just has everything covered. 3 elite scorers, post defense, shot blocking, an elite perimeter defender (sefolosha), and guys who arent afraid of the moment of big shots (Fisher, Durant). And so ridiculously young. Could be watching a dynasty forming if they resign Harden after next year. I hope so cause I'm just a fan of the game and I appreciate great historic teams

who wins tonight?

I'm going miami, not because they improve at all defensively, but i think chris bosh gives them the extra 15 points they need and wade has a strong game

I'll say Miami. I hate doing this, and it's one of the few instances I will do it, but I'm making this pick just purely out of hope. As a fan I can't take for granted the chance of a thunder-heat finals. But I really can't even argue for Miami in this game.

They have looked god awful the last few games. Role players losing confidence. Either bricking open 3s or afraid to even take the shot. Wade has been a no-show every 1st half. No clue what they are running on offense at any time. Spo is doing a pathetic job coaching, the silver lining of their season ending tonight (if it does) will be no more Spoelstra. Boston feeling confident, alwyas knows what they are doing, more good players who can knock down shots, and at home which is huge.

All I will say about the Heat is that LeBron's and Wade's greatness can alwyas trump anything Boston does. Their greatness, if present tonight, can trump Spo's coaching. Bosh is a gigantic addition too, even if he doesn't score. Boston rightfully has zero respect for guys like Haslem and Anthony setting pick and rolls and its really hurt Wade.

Like I said, inexcusable effort in Game 5 from Miami and also inexcusable that Bosh didn't even play in the 4th quarter. Spo said "it wouldn't be fair to him" and I don't even know what that means. He's a perennial all star and should be playing in the mos timportant game.

This is totally speculation and isn't based on any good reasoning

But i don't think wade or lebron are great leaders. I remember watching dwayne wade throw the ball(it was a pass still but threw it hard) at mario chalmers after he made a mistake once.

Both of their demeanor's say they are more focused on protecting their career/identity than winning team basketball. They get good enough stats where you can't blame them for the loss, but don't do any intangibles (hustle on 50/50 balls, extra offensive boards etc) at all.

I see KG literally grabbing people into the huddle, forcing them to participate and be engaged. Dwayne wade just gives his teammates dirty looks, like "be grateful for playing with us"

Hmm well i think they were both BETTER leaders before they were on the same team. I think when you have two alphas on the same team, problems are bound to happen. Remember Shaq and Kobe's falling out and feuds that resulted in Shaq getting pushed out of LA. Of course they won 3 titles because they were so talented, but the alpha personalities don't mix well. Can't have two captains of the ship.

Kobe yells and throws **** constantly and everyone loves his leadership. I think every great player ultimately gets compared to Jordan when it comes to anything, which is obviously unfair since nobody will ever be better than MJ. I'm not really sure what else LBJ and Wade can do.

On the court, LeBron has basically been carrying this team throughout the playoffs. But I know if they lose they haters will be out for him again.

i thought the way kobe threw pau under the bus was bs, personally.

I dont get why wade and bron don't drive in the 4th quarter the way they do in the first 3. KG is all bust exhausted by that point, don't opt for jump shots.

I'll give spoelstra flac but you can't blame him when wade and bron settle for shots instead of driving, and you can't blame him for other guys not making 3's when it's the only thing they're being asked to do

Someone will surpass Jordan, but who knows if we will be alive to see it.

I don't think Wade or LBJ are great leaders either. They just don't have it in them. What's worse is they have so little confidence in their coach, so where is guidance going to come from?

LBJ has done everything for this team (Spo plays him too many minutes).

If Wade plays well, they will win(he's hurt). He's had 1 good game this series? I'll take Boston.

I thought it was BS too. Kobe can basically do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and never receive any crticism. Because he's always had an attitude with the media and they are intimidated by him. Now that Phil Jackson is gone, there's nobody with more clout than him. He can literally do whatever he wants and nobody will say a thing which irritates me. He is an all-time elite player, don't get me twisted but when he is jacking up ridiculously tough baseline fadeaways and demanding the ball every possession, he doesn't hae room to criticize guys for not doing enough. Hard to make plays when Kobe has the ball the entire shot clock and you live and die with his fadeaways.

I don't blame Spo for the missed 3's, but I blame him for never having any plays called. Most of the threes come from a great drive and kick. Haters gonna hate on leBron, but he made two great passes in the late 4th that led to wide open 3s that were missed. One was the one in the corner from Battier (I think) and the other was a drive where he threw it to the corner and then it got passed right to the wing and Chalmers bricked one.

Here's how I give the blame: I give LeBron and Wade the blame for when they stop running. Every game, they get a lead and stop trying to get out in transition. They slow it up and run their garbage half court offense. That's on them. But I can only blame them so much for not driving more. When KG doesn't have to respect Haslem or Anthony on the pick and roll, they are basically running into a double team every time. I did notice though LeBron doesn't go up and over people like he used to. He just takes the foul every time, which might be a smart thing since if he goes airborn a foul is coming anyways, but I wanna see Cavs LeBron teabag people, but I think that LBJ is gone. remember this???



I don't think MJ will ever be surpassed. Maybe, but only after we are dead and nobody alive had seen Jordan ever play and his accomplishments keep fading deeper into history. I think Miami needs a coach like a Phil Jackson, someone that demands respect. But there is only one Phil, it's a players league and not many coaches get their star players respect anymore.

How do you guys think Bosh plays tonight? I think he plays a lot, and goes for 18 and 10 boards

A huge factor of this series has been how many easy points Boston has been able to get because of Miami's awful transition D. That's inexcusable. Boston couldn't score on Chicago or Philly, but now are exploding against Miami, lolwut?



This can't be a good sign, he's already making excuses for tonight's loss:
Spo needs a title to save his job.

^^^Take anything LeBron says and turn it into something arrogant and terrible. Haven't seen that before.

He clearly implies it's the fault of Spo, I don't know how you could read it any other way.

He probably got asked about the play of the guys at the center position and gave a generic but honest answer without going too far. Hell what do you want him to say?

Yeah, we've had instability and I love it!

One of the all-time great performances by LeBron tonight. I won't go on my usual rant, his game tonight was too good for my words. Just incredible.

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/11...eer_medium.gif
http://i.minus.com/iX53uu8It2KQj.gif

Stay classy Boston.

I laughed so hard when I saw wades head get hit. Had to rewind and see it again. Or the other night when rondo bounced it inbounds off wades back. Priceless.

i cant really tell what happened in the top one, somebody threw something at lebron?

A celtics fan dumped his drink on him as he went to locker room. Not uncommon really.

It was the first time I've seen it. LeBron handled it excellently.

I know we still have a game 7 to excited about, and it should be some good fun.

But.
Can either Miami or Boston play as a team and win against OKC in the Finals??