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Any basketball fans here?

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CanadianSteve

Guest
Sports Illustrated also did a ranking of all the players in the NBA from 1 to three hundred and something, based on last year's statistics. They rank rookies on their college stats, and injured players like Grant Hill on their stats from 2 years ago. If someone can find that ranking list and provide a link it would be of interest to some here I'm sure. (I'm not too skilled at that stuff.) Some highlights I recall: 1. Shaq 2. Tim Duncan 4. Vince Carter 5. Tracy McGrady 8. Kobe Bryant. If you were to break their rankings down by position it would also be interesting.
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
I thought I'd bring this to the top. Is anyone down there following the NBA this year? I know from the Sports U Hate thread who isn't following hoops, but who is?

I've been depressed because the Toronto Raptors are off to a terrible start. Currently on a 12 game losing skid, with the worst string of injuries I've seen in years in the NBA.
 
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Cronulla_Mania

Bench
Messages
4,446
Interesting to see that LA Lakers have hit the skids this year. Whats up with them Steve? Kobe and Shaq hit the wall? I don't get to watch any of it this year, as bloody ESPN have taken over the coverage and it doesn't get on Fox anymore (And i dont have ESPN on my cable)

Moffo
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
The Lakers got off to a slow start with Shaq being off injured. kobe has been scoring a lot, but the other players are not playing so well. Some think it burns them out going to the finals 3 years in a row - it's a lot of extra games and a shorter off-season rest when you win every year. Also the supporting players are a year older, and maybe tired of not getting much credit for the team's success. Shaq is back but was not at full mobility when he first came back. I saw them play Sacramento, arguably the best team right now, on Christmas day, and the lakers really wanted to win but faded in the 4th quarter and lost. Still, they will be tough in the playoffs as they get better. They may come in as a lower seed this year due to their poor record now. They'll be very tough if they come in as the 6 or 7 seed.
 
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Cronulla_Mania

Bench
Messages
4,446
Cheers for that mate. It would be hard getting up for it year after year, especially with the millions of dollars in sponsorship rolling in without even touching a ball!

Just another question, how many titles has Phil Jackson won? Admittedly, he has always had a good team, but the guy is a genius. Did it many times with Chicago and now he has pulled the same tricks with LA

Moffo
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
9championships altogether for Phil Jackson, 6 with Jordan and the Bulls, and now 3 with Shaq and Kobe. There are detractors who say they'd like to see what he'd do taking over an average team, but you can't deny the success he's had with super players.

It would be hard getting up for it year after year, especially with the millions of dollars in sponsorship rolling in without even touching a ball!
I fear this is a problem even with rich young players who've never won a championship. He has his off-court problems, but Allen Iverson always competes fiercely. I can't say the same for others, such as Vince Carter of my home team, the Toronto Raptors. Too often he seems to be just friendly and happy out there, without trying hard enough to win.
 
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dubopov

Guest
Canadian Steve...I'm a big fan of Basketball and watch as much as ESPN here shows(NBA,WNBA and College)as well as the Australian NBL and WNBL..I am a Phoenix Suns supporter and I'm pretty happy with their season so far..Mind you..if the Suns can't win I'm hoping for anyone but the Lakers !!...particularly the underdogs of the last 20 years who are now major contenders..eg.Sacramento,Dallas,New Jersey..The best news I've heard though is about the NBA All Star Ballot where Yao Ming is leading O'Neal in votes for centre..It's great !! The NBA worldwide ballot gets my vote !!
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
A few days ago Sacramento absolutely destroyed the Nets, in New Jersey. It looks like the gap between the best in the west and the east is still large.

Some commentators here were sceptical of Yao ming at first, but now some are saying he's already the second best center in the NBA.
 
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Marcus

Guest
Yao Ming is great. He is adding some excitement to the NBA. In fact I like watching him play, the rockets too are quite an exciting team. Its good to see Ming beating Shaq in All Star votes. I've enjoyed seeing the lakers lose this season - I hope they don't make the playoffs.

I've watched a number of college games too, and I think its quite exciting - the fans are definitely more passionate than those at NBA games.
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
I went to a Raptors game tonight, and they beat the Indiana Pacers who have the second-best record in the NBA. It's Vince Carter's 3rd game back after missing most of the season with knee injuries, and toronto has beaten Sacramento, lost to the New Orleans Hornets and now beaten the Pacers since his return. The Raptors are having a disastrous season, at 12-33 now. They have had more player games lost to injury so far than any team in a long time.

There was a fight in tonight's game, with Al Harrington of Indy and Mo Peterson of Toronto being ejected, along with Pacer coach Isiah Thomas. Earlier in the week Pacer Ron Artest was suspended for 4 games for getting in an altercation with Miami coach Pat Riley. There is a lot of talk that Isiah is trying to mold his team into a "Bad Boys" type team like his Detroit Pistons team of the late 80s.

I liked Isiah as a player, but many Toronto fans don't like him because of his tenure with the Raptors. He was booed at the start of the game tonight, and again when he was ejected.

http://www.nba.com/games/20030131/INDTOR/recap.html
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
To update the previous post, the Pacers hired Larry Bird this off-season as general manager, and a few weeks later he fired Isaiah as coach. They were old rivals from their playing days.

I'm sure we can expect a flood of basketball posts here soon, as the NBA teams head to training camps in October.
 
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bender

Guest
Are the LA Lakers still in contention this year?

Surely Kareem Abdul Jabbar has some type of coaching role there now doesnt he?

One of the biggest things i miss about the LWOS migration loss is that i rarely get kept up to date with some of the minor sports like Basketballanymore, so any updates on the playoffs etc would be greatlyappreciated.
 
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CanadianSteve

Guest
What do you mean 'minor' sports. Over here basketball is 1 of the big 4 major sports along with NFL football, baseball, and hockey.

Kareem got a job with the New York Knicks this season, not coaching but something in the front office.

The Lakers have gotten through the 2nd round, defeating defending champion San Antonio 4-2 after losing the first 2 games. Sacramento and Minnesota play game 7 of the other western series tonight, with the winner to meet the Lakers in the Western final. Last night Indiana eliminated Miami in the east, and the await the winner of New Jersey and Detroit for the Eastern final.
 
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bender

Guest
Over here basketball is very much a minor sport.

It has few spectators ( I would guess about 2000 maximum for each team). They used to get up to 10000 at some games, but they were mostly free tickets. And there really is very limited interest in the sport. Saying this, they are the most professionally run sport by a long shot and easily as well run as rugby league, AFL etc. This means they do get very good sponsorships, media coverage, tv sponsorships etc. They had their chance to become a mainstream player in the mid 80s but they have probably dropped right off now.I think this is due to mainstream society simply deciding that it is not all that exciting a game to watch. STill, with the way they are run, i do think they have the administration and finances to become a main player, if the major codes ever do drop the ball.

By the way, as a matter of interest Steve, how popular is nascar racing and dirt track speedway racing in Canada?
 
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