Who wins NBA championship 07-08?

[PurpleHaze]

Mavs
Spurs
Suns
Rockets
Celtics
Cavs
Pistons
Heat
Bulls
Other

 

[tyrant]

i think the kings get it.

1. we will see the 2002 bibby this year
2. kevin martin has gotten better. my pick for this years MVP
3. our team defense will be better this year

ps. the suns are garbage. no way will you win a title if your point guard is the worst defender in the league

 

[VF21]

Oh, please tyrant. Some things aren't even funny.



EDIT: I really wish this was a public poll... Since it isn't and it cannot be changed after the fact, I'll note that I voted for Houston. I think they just might be able to surprise everyone - and the ultimate prize will finally go to Rick Adelman.

 

[Warhawk]

I'll note that I voted for Houston. I think they just might be able to surprise everyone - and the ultimate prize will finally go to Rick Adelman.

I agree with the sentiment. Doubt they will do it his first year there, though....

 

[kupman]

Oh, please tyrant. Some things aren't even funny.



.

...not so fast VF. The Mirage has the odds of us winning it all at 50:1. The odds of the Rockies making the WS was placed at 200:1 at one point in the season.

......I like our chances.

 

[tyrant]

...not so fast VF. The Mirage has the odds of us winning it all at 50:1. The odds of the Rockies making the WS was placed at 200:1 at one point in the season.

......I like our chances.

bravo. i never doubt. always believe anything is possible

 

[DocHolliday]

Oh, please tyrant. Some things aren't even funny.



EDIT: I really wish this was a public poll... Since it isn't and it cannot be changed after the fact, I'll note that I voted for Houston. I think they just might be able to surprise everyone - and the ultimate prize will finally go to Rick Adelman.

I'm not sure any Rick Adelman team will every win the prize. He's a great NBA mind, but he doesn't push hard enough and doesn't have the killer instinct.

Phil Jackson...killer instinct. Pop....killer instinct. Pat Riley...killer instinct. Adelman.....players coach. Phil, Pop, and Riley will not hesitate to get in a players face and put him in his place. They push, they don't just ask for more, they demand it. They all have the swagger. The swagger is confidence, with confidence comes strong defined leadership.

I remember Adelman sometime after leaving the Kings eluding to the fact that when the Kings had the best record in the league, and Webber came back to early and pretty much ruined it, he had no choice, it was Chris Webber. Not those words, so don't try to bust me here on a technicality. He ELUDED to that fact.

If you are a true leader you say Chris, remember who the coach is, that's me. I decide when you come back. Not you or anyone else. Let him pout and throw a tantrum if he wants to, that's ok. But you decide, not the players.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I almost made it a public poll, but I thought more people might chime in with thoughts if it was private. Like which two teams they predict make the finals or even who gets the 8 spots in both conferences. I'll say Suns and Celts with Phoenix winning it all. I almost included Magic and Nuggets in the poll but there wasn't room. Not that they have that big a chance to make it all the way to the finals. As always, so much is in flux at the beginning, not knowing about injuries, trades, etc.

Here's going further out on a limb to predict playoff spots:

EAST

1. Boston
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Cleveland
5. Orlando
6. New Jersey
7. Atlanta
8. Miami

WEST

1. San Antonio
2. Phoenix
3. Houston
4. Dallas
5. Denver
6. Utah
7. Golden State
8. Sacramento

 

[VF21]

...not so fast VF. The Mirage has the odds of us winning it all at 50:1. The odds of the Rockies making the WS was placed at 200:1 at one point in the season.

......I like our chances.

Oops. Sorry. I should have clarified. My was over the Steve Nash comment.

 

[VF21]

I'm not sure any Rick Adelman team will every win the prize. He's a great NBA mind, but he doesn't push hard enough and doesn't have the killer instinct.

Phil Jackson...killer instinct. Pop....killer instinct. Pat Riley...killer instinct. Adelman.....players coach. Phil, Pop, and Riley will not hesitate to get in a players face and put him in his place. They push, they don't just ask for more, they demand it. They all have the swagger. The swagger is confidence, with confidence comes strong defined leadership.

I remember Adelman sometime after leaving the Kings eluding to the fact that when the Kings had the best record in the league, and Webber came back to early and pretty much ruined it, he had no choice, it was Chris Webber. Not those words, so don't try to bust me here on a technicality. He ELUDED to that fact.

If you are a true leader you say Chris, remember who the coach is, that's me. I decide when you come back. Not you or anyone else. Let him pout and throw a tantrum if he wants to, that's ok. But you decide, not the players.

Not gonna debate the Adelman-Webber thing because it's irrelevant to the current situation.

As far as Adelman being able to coach a winning team, we could have/should have won it all in 2002. The fact we didn't isn't something you can lay solely at the feet of the coach. And, in 2003, had Webber not crumpled to the floor in Dallas and shattered our dreams, we might have done it again.

So to say that Adelman just doesn't have the killer instinct is pure opinion not really supported by fact.

So who did you pick?

 

[uolj]

I remember Adelman sometime after leaving the Kings eluding to the fact that when the Kings had the best record in the league, and Webber came back to early and pretty much ruined it, he had no choice, it was Chris Webber. Not those words, so don't try to bust me here on a technicality. He ELUDED to that fact.

If you are a true leader you say Chris, remember who the coach is, that's me. I decide when you come back. Not you or anyone else. Let him pout and throw a tantrum if he wants to, that's ok. But you decide, not the players.

When he eluded to "having no choice" I think he meant he had no choice if the Kings wanted to have a chance to win. Many people here, including myself, felt that way as well.

I don't think Adelman can win a championship this year with the Rockets, although I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it happen.

I think it might just be like two years ago. The Spurs don't make it to the finals, and an eastern conference team ends up winning. But I can't pick an eastern conference team I like the best, so I'll vote Spurs. They have the highest likelihood in my mind.

 

[VF21]

When he eluded to "having no choice" I think he meant he had no choice if the Kings wanted to have a chance to win. Many people here, including myself, felt that way as well...

Although I cannot put my hands on the article at the moment, you're exactly right. Adelman firmly believed he had to get Webber back onto the court BEFORE the playoffs were we to do anything after mid-April. He never blamed Webber or made any kind of comment that would have made it seem he blamed Webber.

 

[Bricklayer]

I'm not sure any Rick Adelman team will every win the prize. He's a great NBA mind, but he doesn't push hard enough and doesn't have the killer instinct.

Phil Jackson...killer instinct. Pop....killer instinct. Pat Riley...killer instinct. Adelman.....players coach. Phil, Pop, and Riley will not hesitate to get in a players face and put him in his place. They push, they don't just ask for more, they demand it. They all have the swagger. The swagger is confidence, with confidence comes strong defined leadership.

I remember Adelman sometime after leaving the Kings eluding to the fact that when the Kings had the best record in the league, and Webber came back to early and pretty much ruined it, he had no choice, it was Chris Webber. Not those words, so don't try to bust me here on a technicality. He ELUDED to that fact.

If you are a true leader you say Chris, remember who the coach is, that's me. I decide when you come back. Not you or anyone else. Let him pout and throw a tantrum if he wants to, that's ok. But you decide, not the players.

1) alluded

2) Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sure make it a lot easier to have a killer instinct. If being a fan's wet dream badass earned you titles, Jerry Sloan would have handfuls. Meanwhile Rudy T -- well known hard ass? Chuck Daly -- hardass? K.C. Jones -- hardass? Nor do the Riley/PJ/Pop trio share any particular approach.

3) and no its not ok if he pouts and throws a tantrum. Its disaster. Same way it was disaster when significant chunks of the team did the same when Webb returned.

 

[chrisnu]

I believe that this is the year the Spurs finally go back to back.

Playoff seeds:

Eastern Conference

1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Chicago
4. Orlando
5. Cleveland
6. Toronto
7. Miami
8. Washington

Western Conference

1. Phoenix
2. Dallas
3. San Antonio
4. Utah
5. Houston
6. Denver
7. Golden State
8. L.A. Lakers

 

[LPKingsFan]

Suns finally pull it off, over Boston in the finals.

 

[chrisnu]

PurpleHaze: the combinations of Detroit/Chicago/Cleveland in the East and San Antonio/Houston/Dallas in the West, all in the top 4, cannot happen. Each of those teams are in the same division. Each division leader is guaranteed a top 4 seed, so the 3rd team in those divisions would automatically fall to at least the fifth seed.

 

[Bricklayer]

As for the poll...geesh. Hate to be betting this year.

Don't think any East team but the Celts has the star power to beat a top West team. But am not at all sure the C's will even make it out of the East. The Rockets are like the Cs in being perfectly positioned and hungry, but also like the C's suffering because its damn near impossible to go from never having won a playoff series together to suddenly winning a title all in one year. Meanwhile the Spurs are just completely ancient -- Parker aside the entire bleeping team is 30+. The Suns are just what they are and Nash will slow one of these year. The Mavs are damaged goods..

 

[Superman]

I went with the Suns. I think Amare will dominate in the playoffs on both sides of the ball, Marion will play big, and Nash will be Nash. I'm not a Suns supporter like a lot of people are, but I think they should have matured a lot after last season's let down. My problem with the Suns is that they always seemed to have a sense of entitlement, as if, since NBA fans and analysts all fell in love with them over the past three years, they deserved to win the championship. (Just my opinion, by the way.) I think that, this season, they should be able to block out everything that isn't happening on the court or in the locker room and play. I think guys like Stoudemire, Diaw, Barbosa and Bell have been given an opportunity to grow up a lot in the past 5 months, and it should pay off come playoff time.

Like Brick said, the Mavs are fragile (of course, that could work the other way and they become ravenous beasts and just shred everyone in their way), the Spurs are getting old and possibly complacent from having won so much, and the Rockets have yet to win a collective playoff series (can't think of a single player on the team that has a playoff series win under his belt). Suns are my preseason pick.

 

[Superman]

I'm not sure any Rick Adelman team will every win the prize. He's a great NBA mind, but he doesn't push hard enough and doesn't have the killer instinct.

All Rick Adelman needs is for the Kings to have made one more free throw in regulation of Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, and he'd have won a championship.

Killer instinct is over-rated. Ask Tony Dungy.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Superman: I agree. Plus don't forget X-factor of adding an apparently healthy Grant Hill to all that deep fire-power Phoenix displays.

 

[KingsFan93]

Gotta be the Spurs... they never repeated, so here's their chance for that

Plus they kept their nucleous intact, Fabricio Oberto has posted a solid NBA season, and he should even be better this year; the rest of the supporting cast of Barry/Elson/Finley/Bonner/Horry should be able to give their Big 5 a breather, heck even Beno Udrih and Ime Udoka could contribute, that's what I call a deep team.

The Mavs and Suns haven't improved their teams and only the Rockets really polished their lineup, but they're still too green to face the mighty Spurs.

 

[AriesMar27]

i hate to be a bandwagonner but the celtics ae gonna go all the way... i just cant see how the pistons or cavs could get past kg with all the help he'll have... short of an ijury or suspension, sorry amare.... i cant see them losing a series in the east.... maybe they'll lose to the spurs but thats probably the only team that will stop them... unless a team like the wizards pull a golden state....

 

[PurpleHaze]

The Mavs and Suns haven't improved their teams and only the Rockets really polished their lineup, but they're still too green to face the mighty Spurs.

I think adding Grant Hill to the Suns starting line-up improves them quite a bit - assuming he remains healthy. Having Amare S. healthy all the way into the playoffs - more reason for Suns supporters to smile. I'm not a Phoenix fan, but they're loaded!

 

[Superman]

I think adding Grant Hill to the Suns starting line-up improves them quite a bit - assuming he remains healthy. Having Amare S. healthy all the way into the playoffs - more reason for Suns supporters to smile. I'm not a Phoenix fan, but they're loaded!

I don't think Grant Hill will hurt, but I hadn't even taken him into consideration.

They are already a great offensive team, no doubt about it. They didn't need any help there, aside from Amare asserting himself in the post instead of on the perimeter, and he showed that nobody can stop him from scoring in the playoffs last year. I think he'll put the team on his back in the postseason - Steve Nash will do his thing, but it will be Amare's domination that gets them to the top - and the Spurs won't have enough to keep them in check. Dallas can't stop them, and the Rockets, as much as I love the team they have and the coach they have, aren't ready to contend yet.

I'm not a Suns fan either, and actively rooted against them last year, but I think they'll pull it together this season and make a deep run to the Finals.

 

[KingsFan93]

I think adding Grant Hill to the Suns starting line-up improves them quite a bit - assuming he remains healthy. Having Amare S. healthy all the way into the playoffs - more reason for Suns supporters to smile. I'm not a Phoenix fan, but they're loaded!

Well, comparing both 07 & 08 rosters with their 8-man rotation:

S.Marion
B.Diaw
A.Stoudemire/K.Thomas
S.Nash/M.Banks
R.Bell/L.Barbosa

--------------

G.Hill
S.Marion/B.Diaw
A.Stoudemire
S.Nash/M.Banks
R.Bell/L.Barbosa


....the main change is replacing Kurt Thomas with Hill, yes it does provide them with a different game approach, an extra player who can handle the ball and score inside and out but I seriously doubt they could overcome the current Spurs team. The loss of Kurt Thomas will also be felt, unless Sean Marks could fill the boots.

 

[SpursIndonesia]

Gotta be the Spurs... they never repeated, so here's their chance for that

Plus they kept their nucleous intact, Fabricio Oberto has posted a solid NBA season, and he should even be better this year; the rest of the supporting cast of Barry/Elson/Finley/Bonner/Horry should be able to give their Big 5 a breather, heck even Beno Udrih and Ime Udoka could contribute, that's what I call a deep team.

The Mavs and Suns haven't improved their teams and only the Rockets really polished their lineup, but they're still too green to face the mighty Spurs.

While i have to thank you for your flattering reply, first & foremost, Beno Udrih sucks, and thankfully he's not our problem anymore -just traded for Minny for a (sure to be highly) protected 2nd rounder. He's waived right away.

I sure hope the Spurs can repeat this year. Dynasty talk doesn't really bother me, but repeat is the only thing that's not written in the Spurs book of history. Duncan deserves this.

 

[treewoman]

I think the Celtics are going to knock our socks off and go all the way.

 

[Kingzrool]

Suns over Celts

But only if another team takes out the Spurs, the Suns will have a hard time beating the Spurs in a series.

 

[Peja]

I think the Celtics are going to knock our socks off and go all the way.

I agree pretty much.If they stay focused in every game and don't ruin chemistry between 3 best players they will have every chance to win the ring.I am also excited to see New Orleans this season.They have 2-0 so far and if I can't see Kings in the playoffs,I'd like to see at least Peja.

 

[SpursIndonesia]

I'd certainly love to see the BIG three battle beetween the Spurs & the Celtics in the final, should be very entertaining. But if the Pistons vets are truly focused and their young players develop well, they might get back to the final again.