June 12, 200917 yr Gasol was trying to put a stamp on the game, the series and the season. That's fine by me. :thumb: I loved it. I was up in the bed screaming for him to throw it down when I saw he was going to get the opportunity. I got what I wanted. A split in Games 3 and 4. Kobe choked it away in Game three with a big TO and 5 missed FT's and Orlando returned the favor last night. FWIW, what you saw last night from the Magic is why people like me didn't expect them to ever reach the finals. I didn't expect them to be so clutch at the end of games...and up until the last couple of game vs. Boston, they'd never really shown they were capable. I give them credit for that. NBA officiating is a complete and total disaster, IMO. They should be ashamed.
June 12, 200917 yr Anyone else think Dwight Howard should be working more on free throws and less on half-court underhanded shots? I think there's a lot in Elijah's to work on that would rate above underhanded half-courters. Free throw shooting is definitely one...although he has made some real progress there. He really needs to work on polishing his offensive game. A face-up jump shot would be huge. In addition, he needs to keep polishing his back-to-the basket game...his only decent move is the half-hook and even it could be better. A turnaround jumper? A fadeaway? And, other post moves. Also, I think he needs to learn to be patient sometimes...improve his passing and his basketball IQ. But, he's got the potential to be one of the best big men to ever play the game. And, he will be if he's willing to put the work in and develop his offensive game. Nobody currently can come close to matching his athleticism at the 5 spot. Add his size to it and you've got something special in the makings.
June 12, 200917 yr I loved it. I was up in the bed screaming for him to throw it down when I saw he was going to get the opportunity. Quite frankly, that says a lot about you as a sportsman. The game was over. OVER. There was no need. Absolutely none whatsoever. I said it in the update thread, what Gasol did was no excuse for Pietrus doing what he did. He showed a tremendous lack of class himself in clubbing Gasol in the back on the dunk. I know that's part of the codes of these pro leagues, that if a guy shows you up you check him, but Pietrus shouldn't have done it. Gasol shouldn't have either.
June 12, 200917 yr BTW, Howard is one of the worst post players for his size I've ever seen. He is a freak of nature, a complete freak. But he gets used and abused in the post. I would give anything to see Shaq in his prime against Howard.
June 12, 200917 yr Author Quite frankly, that says a lot about you as a sportsman. The game was over. OVER. There was no need. Absolutely none whatsoever. I said it in the update thread, what Gasol did was no excuse for Pietrus doing what he did. He showed a tremendous lack of class himself in clubbing Gasol in the back on the dunk. I know that's part of the codes of these pro leagues, that if a guy shows you up you check him, but Pietrus shouldn't have done it. Gasol shouldn't have either. :thumb:
June 12, 200917 yr Fisher was 2-7 on treys last night. Incredible. That's why Phil Jackson is a HOF coach and I'm posting on BGP. But, seriously, I want Fisher playing the point down the stretch...last 7-8 minutes of the fourth at least. I just feel like Shannon Brown and/or Jordan Farmar should get a little more PT prior to that. They can do some things and provide some energy that Fisher can't at this point in his career. But, Fisher is smart and clutch. He's the guy when the game is on the line. Plus, he'd be fresher if he sat a little more early in the game.
June 12, 200917 yr Quite frankly, that says a lot about you as a sportsman. The game was over. OVER. There was no need. Absolutely none whatsoever. I said it in the update thread, what Gasol did was no excuse for Pietrus doing what he did. He showed a tremendous lack of class himself in clubbing Gasol in the back on the dunk. I know that's part of the codes of these pro leagues, that if a guy shows you up you check him, but Pietrus shouldn't have done it. Gasol shouldn't have either. :cry::cry::cry: Gasol, like me, was more than just a little irritated by the insane lack of calls he got last night. He was venting a little with that dunk. I hear the world's smallest violin playing just for DragonFire and the Orlando Magic. God forbid somebody get offended at a professional athlete for doing his job. Oh, please no...you might hurt Orlando's feelings. It's just like the argument when people cry about running the score up. You can't expect a guy to quit playing just because he knows you can't beat him. They're paid to stop him...do your job.
June 12, 200917 yr BTW, Howard is one of the worst post players for his size I've ever seen. He is a freak of nature, a complete freak. But he gets used and abused in the post. I would give anything to see Shaq in his prime against Howard. Offensively he is raw. Shaq would abuse him, but who wouldn't the Diesel just cream in the paint? Sadly, like mentioned in the Sky-hook thread post play is a dying breed. I credit a few things to that. 1. Kevin Garnett- changed the game by adding athleticism to the post position. He is extremely skilled, but to me young big men wanted to emulate the parts of his game that were a bonus for Garnett, but not the only part of his game. 2. Taller swingmen- Now if you're 6-10, you are just as likely to be a 3 rather than a 4 or 5. NBA players seem to fit molds. You have your superstars, you defensive wings or big men, shooting wings or big men, either quick PG's or unathletic but smart. Only in a minimum number of stars do NBA players actually have more than one or two skill sets. Even a star like Howard goes into the mold. He is an athletic, defensive big man with little to no offensive game if you can match his strength. Actually only LeBron, Kobe, DWade, Chris Paul and a few others are really more than one or two trick ponies. Big men are brought up as either defensive monsters or agile, finesse scorers. 3. Added athleticism- players, like Howard, Stoudemire, and other can get by in this league and be high draft picks based only on strength and jumping ability. Why would you add moves to your arsenal when you have always been unstoppable? Those player take longer to develop in the fundamental department because they've never needed them before the NBA. And a few more, but that's just off the top of my head. What are your guys thoughts on that?
June 12, 200917 yr :cry::cry::cry: Gasol, like me, was more than just a little irritated by the insane lack of calls he got last night. He was venting a little with that dunk. I hear the world's smallest violin playing just for DragonFire and the Orlando Magic. God forbid somebody get offended at a professional athlete for doing his job. Oh, please no...you might hurt Orlando's feelings. It's just like the argument when people cry about running the score up. You can't expect a guy to quit playing just because he knows you can't beat him. They're paid to stop him...do your job. True. While I don't blame Gasol for the dunk, I don't think we should be shocked at what Pietrus did either.
June 12, 200917 yr :cry::cry::cry: Gasol, like me, was more than just a little irritated by the insane lack of calls he got last night. He was venting a little with that dunk. I hear the world's smallest violin playing just for DragonFire and the Orlando Magic. God forbid somebody get offended at a professional athlete for doing his job. Oh, please no...you might hurt Orlando's feelings. It's just like the argument when people cry about running the score up. You can't expect a guy to quit playing just because he knows you can't beat him. They're paid to stop him...do your job. So what I hear is, it's OK for Gasol to vent about the perceived lack of calls, but it's not OK for Pietrus to then respond. Which, again, I don't defend Pietrus's decision, but to me, the two go hand in hand. Gasol wasn't venting, he was showing them up, and you know it. As for the running up the score argument, I don't feel like a team should stop trying in general, but there was like three freaking seconds on the clock. It's not the same as say Game 1 when the Lakers continued to score. I quite frankly do expect him to quit, and I've seen numerous times where the players just turn to the outside and dribble out the clock. I think that's what Kobe would've done, because he knew the damage was done. As for the smallest violin crack, I'm no Magic fan, I'm a sportsman. I don't like crap like what Gasol did, and I never will. I'd have said the same thing if it were Dwight Howard throwing it down.
June 12, 200917 yr So what I hear is, it's OK for Gasol to vent about the perceived lack of calls, but it's not OK for Pietrus to then respond. Which, again, I don't defend Pietrus's decision, but to me, the two go hand in hand. Gasol wasn't venting, he was showing them up, and you know it. As for the running up the score argument, I don't feel like a team should stop trying in general, but there was like three freaking seconds on the clock. It's not the same as say Game 1 when the Lakers continued to score. I quite frankly do expect him to quit, and I've seen numerous times where the players just turn to the outside and dribble out the clock. I think that's what Kobe would've done, because he knew the damage was done. As for the smallest violin crack, I'm no Magic fan, I'm a sportsman. I don't recall complaining about Pietrus. However, the difference in the plays is significant. All Gasol's dunk could do was damage their apparently fragile psyches. Pietrus could have actually injured Gasol. I guess I just don't fully buy into our politically correct society. And, my definition of sportsmanship is different. I think it's playing hard for 48 minutes and then shaking your opponents hand after the game (something Lebron James apparently couldn't bring himself to do). I think it's playing hard and physical without playing dirty. For example, a good hard foul on a layup when you're going for the ball is a part of basketball...but a blatant shove in the back or a trip like Dahntay Jones isn't acceptable. So, were the elbows Howard threw earlier in the playoffs good sportsmanship? Was Lebron walking off without shaking hands good sportsmanship? I think these guys need to man up instead of acting like a bunch of girls that got their feelings hurt. Gasol had an open dunk to extend the lead to 7 at the end of an OT game. I'd have done the same thing, of course, because I'm a poor sportsman. :thumb: I think Gasol was frustrated because he got numerous garbage fouls called on him on the defensive end, and then got clubbed like a baby seal on the other end with no whistle. He was putting an exclamation point on the win because he was frustrated. If you think that's showing them up, fine. But, certainly, he meant to throw it down to add a little emphasis. And, no, I have no problem whatsoever with that. Nor would I have cried and had my feelings hurt had someone from Orlando done the same thing.
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