Game 6 Analysis

Gangsta D:

Yesterday the Great Waldini spake:

"Gentlemen, this is series is OVA (In Screamin A tone). I do expect 2nite's game to be close but I think the Spurs win a close one."
Well it appears the Great One was wronger than two left shoes. So what you gotta say about that HAMMER?!?!?

Waldini:

What can I say, even Magic and his Airness had bad games every now and then :-)
I actually stayed up to watch the entire game and have some post game analysis

- Manu Manu and Duncan Donuts blew it in the 4th qtr w/their turnovers and missed free throws. The rest of the team didn't help either with airballs, bad passing and inability to hit jumpers

- Sheed actually stepped up in the 4th last night with 7 huge points.

- Detroit still whines too much after each possesion BUT they did have some legitmate beef last night. I think the refs were making some bad calls last night

- The big question is how will San Antonio respond? It goes back to when TJ brought this up if the Spurs were pushed to a Game 7. They have never been in this position before and their confidence has to be shaken knowing they blew Game 6 on their homecourt.

I'm done predicting...I got lucky with the Spurs-Sonics, Heat-Pistons, Spurs-Suns, but for this one, I cant call it anymore. I will let my quarter decide tomorrow who wins. lol

Da Realist:

his airness had a bad game...??? (smile)

i think the spurs are in trouble. if they couldn't beat the pistons after they were begging to get knocked out in a second quarter meltdown, if they couldn't beat the pistons after getting quality minutes from brent barry and offensive production from bruce bowen, they are not going to beat them in game 7. game 7 is going to be physical, which means free throws are going to be very important. who's gonna be money at the line?

those wide open shots that were falling for bruce bowen won't fall tomorrow night. those aggresive moves by brent barry won't happen tomorrow night. tim is going to be his dominant self the first 3 quarters only to fade in the last. tony parker will disappear. the only person that could possibly lead them to the promised land (if the pistons are dumb enough to let him do it) is manu ginobli. if the pistons find a way to lock him up with an injured lindsey hunter, this game will be over quick.

the spurs are a good team...that's susceptible to pressure. they are at their worst when they are expected to win and the game is at home. no team has coughed up a 3-2 lead with 2 games at home. they are regarded as the better team. all the pressure will be on them to not "choke" away this series. how they handle this pressure will be key. i can only go by
their recent history in dealing with these types of situations and it ain't good.
regardless, whoever wins this next game will deserve the title.

Waldini:

I agree with the last comment (whoever wins deserves to win the title). I honestly do not know how this game will go as I am not as confident in San Antonio winning Game 7 as say I was in LA in '88, Houston in '94, etc. So many factors will decide this (will the Games 1-2 Manu show up, will Game 6 Rasheed show up, Will Games 3-4 Ben Wallace show up, will Game 6 Rip
Hamilton show up, will Game 5 Fresh Prince show up, etc).

Duncan definitely has faded in crunch time and I wonder if the panel experts would like to reevaluate his position as the best PF in the game. Of course, if the Spurs win, then he will be seen as that but if they lose, I wonder if their opinion will change. Keep in mind, since 2003, they have repeatedly said the Spurs have the pieces in place with Duncan, Parker, and
Ginobli to have a dynasty.

I do think both teams are good NOT great. I hesistate to put them in the great category b/c I always reflect on the old school teams like the 80s Lakes, Sixers, Celtics, Pistons, 90s Bulls, and believe that both of these teams would get the floor mopped up by ANY of these squads. BUT that doesnt mean they are not good enough to win titles. Bottom-line, they earned the right to be here and somebody's walkin away with the trophy

Da Realist:

i'm just glad that everybody can stop whining about how boring this series is. sure, the first four games were blowouts, but they can be used as a teaching tool to how these two teams deal with certain situations.

despite the lack of stars, the late start times and no marv albert, this has turned into the most intriguing (though not best played) finals since '94. just sit back and enjoy a potentially great game 7 and look forward to next year when the winner will defend the championship and the loser will look once again to defeat them. both of these teams will be back next year, strengthened by the struggle and better than ever. nba watch out.

Gangsta D:

What are you smoking? This hasn't been intriguing. OK, intriguing like I wonder how mold grows. But this hasn't been entertaining, interesting, or anything close. I will give you that it has been interesting watching Duncan gag in the 4th the last two games. That may be the most revealing thing in the whole series. And yes the series is still boring. One nail biter and one game decided by less than 10 points doesn't make up for the travesty that was the first 4 games. My opinion may change if game 7 is a double overtime classic decided by the last shot...but i doubt it.

Da Realist:

well, i don't think so. duncan gagging in the 4th quarter is anything BUT revealing when he did it over and over again against the lakers in big games. i've watched every game all the way through and have enjoyed it. i thought the last 2 games were very competitive and worth watching. even the first 4 games were providing a blue print for how these teams
react to certain situations.

it's too soon for you. you're used to the lakers being a dominant figure this late in the game with shaq's dominance, kobe's brilliance, phil's arrogance and everyone else's clutch shots. you've been on cloud nine the last few years and it's hard for you to appreciate two teams that are obviously not on that level. i can understand because it took me a long time to appreciate things after my bulls were broken up. a LONG time. after watching the lakers dominate, why would you get up for rip hamilton and manu ginobli? but for true basketball fans (not laker fans still smarting from not making the playoffs and definitely not "casual" fans) this was an interesting series.

Gansta D:

I don't think the Lakers not being in it has everything to do with it, although it does play a part. I just want to see great basketball. Maybe you're right I am used to teams executing at a high level on the highest stage. But I don't think these teams should be cut slack. All year they've been called the two best teams in the league. All right, now prove it. But they've failed miserably. Even the great teams in the 80's laid an occasional egg, but they didn't take turns in the seires. I think they should be held to a higher standard. Both these teams have won championships. Make a free throw! Hit clutch shots! Play defense! Not for just one game but for the entire series!

Da Realist:

it is my opinion that, in general, the quality of the nba goes down every year. and because of this, whoever wins the championship will have had to do less to win it than the previous year's champs, in general. what it takes to win a championship this year is less than what it took 5 years ago, 10 years ago...

to appreciate what you can get RIGHT NOW, you have to forget about the past. forget about how great those teams were and what obstacles they had to overcome to get to the top of the mountaintop. forget about it and appreciate what is going on right now or you will be regarded as an "old fogey" who can't seem to get out of the past.

on second thought, come join the party! we old fogeys are replaying the 1988 finals tonight at my crib. barbeque with some sides from the missus will help us reminisce about the good ole days!

Waldini:

I do not think it goes down every year but more over a time period (let's say every 2-3 yrs). Before the series kicked off, I was anticipating games like 5 and 6 every game b/c the teams were so evenly matched. However, both teams took a LOOONNNG time to adjust to each other's styles to make it a competitive series. Honestly the main reason I have been down on the series is the presentation. Long pre-game ramblings, longer intros, late start times, this is basketball...just play. Has nothing to do with the past. Who wants to see Kid Rock sing the National Anthem :-)

In terms of play, while I like Detroit;s heart and ability to hang in the series, their constant whining prevents me from truly rooting for them. They were designated as one of the teams that "plays basketball the right way." Well stop ur bitchin and keep playin then instead of running to half court after a call is made. I like San Antonio's ability to adapt to it's
opponents style but hate that they wilt under pressure (see Game 6). I don't know the unknown makes this a much better series than say when the Spurs met the Nets in 2003.