Who will be the next NBA champion?
- Thread starter kingkung
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i don't care what people say, i like mark cuban. i think he's a crackup. he may not be the most intelligent basketball fan/owner out there, but he's passionate, and he's got a great sense of humor. he's good for the nba. he's a billionaire, and he clearly has no qualms with taking the hits to his income every time he opens his mouth. he's a bit out there, and he may be irreverant and obnoxious, but at least he's honest.
oh, and before i forget...
GO MAVS!!!
i actually am rooting for the mavs. i've been very impressed with the way they've kept their energy level high the entire season. i'd love to see the rookie head coach avery johnson get a ring right off the bat. riley's a seasoned vet who's been there many times before. i'd love to see johnson outsmart and outcoach riley, as the teams are fairly evenly matched.
GO MAVS!!!
i actually am rooting for the mavs. i've been very impressed with the way they've kept their energy level high the entire season. i'd love to see the rookie head coach avery johnson get a ring right off the bat. riley's a seasoned vet who's been there many times before. i'd love to see johnson outsmart and outcoach riley, as the teams are fairly evenly matched.
VF21 said:
Yeah there's just something so loveable about big RICH jerks who say whatever they please because they know they can just throw money at the league and nothing else will happen.
no pistons no spurs...no basketball destructions....no grab/hold half-court game with semi-talented players (except one or two) where are all plays are called strictly from the bench.......this series will be a way more interesting then the one from last year.....exceptional offensive players such as dirk and wade are fun to watch plus jwill, shaq and jterry...also off court atmosphere won't be sterile like last year because of shaq and cuban
Gotta agree with VF21's sentiments on this one about Cuban. I don't want to see the Mavs win specifically because of that big idiot. He's obnoxious and egotistical enough now, can you imagine how much more obnoxious he will behave if they win it all? He will probably expect the whole world to stop everything and bow down to him. He will become an even bigger embarrassment to the league. And if hopefully the Heat win it all, Cuban will be whining and crying about how they were cheated, the refs screwed up, etc.
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Good for the league? I would argue that ... forever. He's been good for the Mavericks and their fans. Talk about myopia.
He's loud and obnoxious, he breaks NBA rules at the drop of a hat, because he just has to grab his checkbook to cover his boorish behavior, he has taken WHINING to the league office to such an extreme it's an embarrassment to anyone who truly loves this game, AND he thinks it's all fine because he can just throw more money at the league and continue to do whatever he pleases.
Loveable? Not by any definition I can think of.
Your team's success doesn't excuse your owner's lack of respect for the league, other teams, the officials or anyone else.
With you, it's all obviously only about the results. That's fine. You're the Mavericks fan and I most certainly am not. But please, don't expect me to suddenly embrace Mark Cuban as anything other than what he is.
He's loud and obnoxious, he breaks NBA rules at the drop of a hat, because he just has to grab his checkbook to cover his boorish behavior, he has taken WHINING to the league office to such an extreme it's an embarrassment to anyone who truly loves this game, AND he thinks it's all fine because he can just throw more money at the league and continue to do whatever he pleases.
Loveable? Not by any definition I can think of.
Your team's success doesn't excuse your owner's lack of respect for the league, other teams, the officials or anyone else.
With you, it's all obviously only about the results. That's fine. You're the Mavericks fan and I most certainly am not. But please, don't expect me to suddenly embrace Mark Cuban as anything other than what he is.
VF21 said:
Yeah there's just something so loveable about big RICH jerks who say whatever they please because they know they can just throw money at the league and nothing else will happen.
point is, just because mark cuban is much more vocal and obnoxious than owners like the maloofs, it doesn't make him any more or any less of a jerk than guys who keep their mouths shut to the media. i'm not claiming to know any of these guys personally, but all we're talking about is perception anyways. mark cuban is perceived to be a bigger jerk than most owners, and why? because he claims other teams cheat? because he claims the fix is in with the refs, and its always against his team? because he's vocal at whatever arena the mavs are playing in? because he's passionate about his team (all things the maloofs have done in the past as well)? i don't blame the man. i'm not calling him a saint or scholar...i'm just saying i dig his style. he's not button-down or conservative like the majority of the league, and i think that kind of inherent desire to go against the grain is awesome. i'm not saying you have to change your opinion of the man, cuz he probably is just like you said, a big fat jerk, but the guy doesn't have to be loveable to be liked. some of my favorite characters in literature and cinema have been the irreverant ones who speak their mind because they don't believe in posturing, sugarcoating, or ***-kissing [down with political correctness, i say]. cuban is no work of modern literature, but he's an interesting guy.
and the nba may or may not "need" guys like mark cuban, but i think its great for the league. keeping mark cuban in line helps with the accountability on both ends of the owner-league relationship.
Well the question was who WOULD be the next champ, not who would you LIKE to be the next champ. And actually I would think Dallas would be favored -- better team all year.
But in any case, Shaq and Cuban more or less cancel each other out on the obnoxious self absorption scale, so then its a whole bunch of vanilla in Dallas (maybe a slight negative tic for a guy like Stackhouse, although think he's matured) and a +/- in Miami for whether I want to see them win or not. Wade = yes. Payton = no. Williams = yes. Walker = no. Riley = yes. Zo =...yes? Er... Slight edge, Heat. But I have nothing against the Mavs beyond the tool that owns them. Just nothing to root for either.
Padrino - You're completely entitled to your opinons of Mark Cuban. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. People keep asking me why I hate him, so I tell them. And then they (meaning mavsman primarily) want to argue or discuss it. I'm not changing my opinion of him either. I'm sure he's not going to lose any sleep over it.
I hate and detest the Yorks, who own the 49ers, too. But at least with Cuban, he is passionate about wanting the best for his team. So, I guess he ranks one level above them. But that's about it.
I will NOT root for his team no matter who they play in the playoffs. I personally cannot even stomach the idea of seeing him if his team wins it all.
Sirius - Shaq insulting Sacramento is nothing new. People have insulted Sacramento - if you can even really insult a city - for a very long time. I don't care. I know what Sacramento is all about. I've lived in or around Sacramento my entire life. I am currently almost two hours away, which is the furthest I have gone. Shaq has NEVER acted in Arco the way Cuban has. To me, there's a substantive difference.
GO HEAT!!!
I hate and detest the Yorks, who own the 49ers, too. But at least with Cuban, he is passionate about wanting the best for his team. So, I guess he ranks one level above them. But that's about it.
I will NOT root for his team no matter who they play in the playoffs. I personally cannot even stomach the idea of seeing him if his team wins it all.
Sirius - Shaq insulting Sacramento is nothing new. People have insulted Sacramento - if you can even really insult a city - for a very long time. I don't care. I know what Sacramento is all about. I've lived in or around Sacramento my entire life. I am currently almost two hours away, which is the furthest I have gone. Shaq has NEVER acted in Arco the way Cuban has. To me, there's a substantive difference.
GO HEAT!!!
i typically enjoy rooting for the perceived "underdog" in any playoff series that doesn't involve the kings. and while the heat and mavs are pretty evenly matched, avery johnson is a pup of an nba head coach and pat riley is a seasoned veteran who's now lead three entirely unique and different teams to the nba finals. to me, avery johnson makes it worth rooting for the mavs. i'd love to see him outcoach the wily old veteran, though i have nothing against riley in the least.
My problem is I cannot force myself to cheer for Shaq's team but I also cannot imagine a world where Mark Cuban's team wins a championship!!!! I do like Avery Johnson, so I guess I am leaning more towards the Mavs, but I keep seeing Cuban and can barely stomach the tought! Is it possible for BOTH teams to lose?
I think the Mavs will win it all. Avery Johnson is just a newbie NBA coach, but I think he has proved that he is a good playoff coach who can make game to game adjustments. Since the Mavs are a deeper team, even though Riley has more experience I am still going to give the edge to the Mavs. Also..Cuban aside and with a bad taste in my mouth I have to root for the Mavs and I cannot root for any team with Shaq on it.
You know, in all honesty, I don't even see myself watching the NBA finals. I've tried to participate in these discussions because it is BASKETBALL, but I've only been fooling myself. I honestly do not give a rat's patoot about this year's big show. I don't want either team to win. I'd rather watch Texas No-Limit Hold-Em Poker. And I probably will.
VF21 said:
You know, in all honesty, I don't even see myself watching the NBA finals. I've tried to participate in these discussions because it is BASKETBALL, but I've only been fooling myself. I honestly do not give a rat's patoot about this year's big show. I don't want either team to win. I'd rather watch Texas No-Limit Hold-Em Poker. And I probably will.
I disagree. I think you can pick up some valuable tips/tricks from watching how the pros play the game. And I think one game is nothing like the next. I especially like watching the WSP tournaments. Guys like the Unabomber, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer, Eric Lingvold, Gus Hansen, Mike the Mouth, Phil Helmuth, Phil Gordon, Greg Raymer, and others are so different in style that watching each of them is different.