NBA 2011-12 Season Thread

[King Nud]

I'm not beating around the bush any more

I mean the Pacers on their day are capable of beating Miami/Chicago, but they are stuck in that #3 seed this year, way too far behind..

[jukeness]

You might think the Heat are looking worn out, but come playoff time I bet they really step it up big time and show you how good they really are.

[Scipio Afracanis]

Interesting game between the Knicks and Bulls........

[King Nud]

What a ball game! Would love to see Bulls-Knicks round 1!

Tell you one thing: Rose for his first game back exploded in the second half, raining in threes. Will tell you this: NO WAY the Bulls lose another one like this, no way they lose by missing FTs like that again! FOUR IN A ROW in the final minute!

Still love the idea of these two in round 1, some great playoff games ahead in both conferences!

[Hambone]

rose has a serious free-throw problem.

[NaptownKnight]

I didn't say they would get it, especially now loosing to Boston, but Miami needs to keep playing hard and not let up. The East is no longer a two horse race. Miami, Chicago, Boston and Indiana are all capable of taking the East.

Also, the Orlando Magic would be able too, I just don't see them doing anything with all the distractions.
Skip to 1:04

rose has a serious free-throw problem.

He has a history of not converting from the free throw line in big, close games.


Skip to 1:04 Note that prior to that he had made 13 straight. Is it just a coincidence that streak ended in winning time? I think not. Reggie and Jordan would never do that. Rose needs to seriously work on his free throws, I don't think he takes them as seriously as the rest of his game. Obviously that is a mistake, especially being that he's the PG he is going to have the ball a lot late in close games. Why not play him harder, foul him hard? He's probably not converting from the line. Miami did this in the ECF and it won them the series.

You might think the Heat are looking worn out, but come playoff time I bet they really step it up big time and show you how good they really are.

I do kind of get the feeling they are coasting right now. That team plays scary defense in the playoffs, they will be tough to beat.

[RZZZA]

A lot of players occasionally miss clutch shots, are you sure you aren't singling Rose out because his misses are fresh in your memory and he's gained a bit of a reputation? Nobody remembers his makes, after all.

I'm gonna cut him some slack, this was a terribly unlucky time for him to come back fresh from injury. He hadn't played in a game in a month, remember. And he got a NY Knicks teams fighting for their playoff lives instead of an easier opponent. The Bulls as a team have a free throw problem, I'm not gonna single out Derrick.

[RZZZA]

Hell, I definitely remember Wade and Lebron missing clutch free throws in the last game of the finals last year. That's the NBA finals, a lot more important than a college championship game. And nobody calls Wade or Lebron free throw chokers, now do they?

[Hambone]

Hell, I definitely remember Wade and Lebron missing clutch free throws in the last game of the finals last year. That's the NBA finals, a lot more important than a college championship game. And nobody calls Wade or Lebron free throw chokers, now do they?

Uhhhh, people call lebron a choker all the time.

And people give wade alot of slack (that they shouldn't) because he won a championship and supposedly proved his "clutchness".

and if I recall correctly rose missed some key freethrows some time in the ecf, also earlier in the season if I recall correctly.

I dunno, I have no data on whether or not rose misses more freethrows than anyone else in the clutch; but it just seems like I've seen him miss big free-throws every-time I've seen him play.

I'm not calling him a choker now, so don't get mad. I'm just making an observation.

[Scipio Afracanis]

The bigger they build you the faster they want to tear you down. Show a crack and they will chisel away in an attempt to be the 1st to say "See _______ can't ______ !"

Choker/Choke/Not Clutch are meaningless words to me. Its just something people say to bash someone who never won a ring. Great/HOF players who never won a championship have to be chokers right? Stupid.

Once you win 1 then your clutch forever!

[mrmouth]

The Bulls do have obvious issues with late game free throws. Deng is also culpable. If they make one out of the four, they win. That's the definition of choke.

And NY needs to pump the brakes. How can you possibly feel good about blowing a 21 point lead to a team with an intact starting lineup for I believe just the 11th time all season, and the #1 scoring options returning after 12 games with a groin. Rose is still missing a step. Likely two.

A well oiled Bulls team runs the Knicks out of their own building.

And Thib's going to Rose is a movie we've seen before. The Knicks did exactly what the Heat did in the ECF, and even the result was the same - air ball. Yeah, he is your #1 - he is also 6'3", maybe. Even Paxson got some of those looks with the GOAT on his team. Deng, Korver - someone else.

And did they even run a play in the last 3 minutes of the 4th? If they did, Rose wasn't following the plan.

[Vir Triumphalis]

Great game at the garden. Guess I'll be putting Melo back at #3 in my SF ranking. Clutch shots.

[King Nud]

Yeah I don't know what was going on with the Bulls' plays during the final few minutes, something wasn't quite right there.

The Bulls would beat the Knicks in 5 should they meet in the playoffs, there's no way the Knicks offense can beat the Bulls defense 4 times out of 7!

[RZZZA]

Yes, Thibs shows a severe lack of creaitivity in late game situations and relies way too much on hero ball. Call a play! Run something.

3 times in a row he called for a Rose iso, and 3 times in a row it failed. The dude hasnt played for a month and youre playing him 40+ minutes and calling for him to hit a buzzer beater, a bit optimistic don't you think?

[King Nud]

Not necessarily Thibs play-calling, I suspect Rose ignored the play a couple of times judging by how he got stuck between defenders quite often, that doesn't happen on late-game plays that have been drawn up.

And as for hitting a buzzer-beater: With the game tied and having the last shot, the Bulls called the right play. I don't care if Rose was out for 12 games before yesterday, he was one fire in the second half and there's no-one else on the team I'd want taking that shot. Yes, he missed, but he got a good look and the worst that happened was OT

The game was lost when the Bulls A) missed four straight FTs and B) Allowed the Knicks three offensive rebounds leading to Anthony's eventual game-winner.

[mrmouth]

Yeah, I think it is pretty obvious that Rose ignored the call upon watching it again - and did for subsequent 2-3 possessions. Last (very last) play was possibly supposed to go Deng, dependent on matuchup>drive>foul. Last of the two I was actually hoping for a Noah drive>foul. Wtf does that say?

[RZZZA]

Rose ignoring a call? I can't imagine that would sit well with Thibs.

[King Nud]

Top players do it a lot, pretty sure Thibs will have talked about it post-game and will be okay

[classical_hero]

It is frustrating being a Suns Supporter, since they are flirting with the playoffs this year, I would rather they be definite either way, not in this nearly mode. Just when the seem to get close they lose can go away from the top 8. So frustrating.

[jukeness]

Not as bad as the Wolves going from a team that probably would have made the playoffs to a team that really isnt good at all anymore.