# Who would U rather play in finals?



## Cloud786 (Mar 18, 2005)

Heat or Pistons (assuming we beat Phoenix)? I'm not so sure because I feel the Heat would be an easier opponent, but I'd love to knock off the defending champs? Pistons do give us matchup probs and the heat have shaq and dwade. So who do U want the Spurs to face in the finals?


----------



## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

Heat. Pistons play great defense.


----------



## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Hey, if Shaq is playing on a gimpy leg, I'd like to beat Shaq. I know he hates losing to San Antonio, so that would be awesome to send him home for the summer without a title. As for Detroit, they are the team I'd personally rather play, because it would top it off if not only you win a championship, but you knocked out the defending champs yourselves. Plus, I can deal with Detroit winning another championship if the Spurs happen to not win the title, but I wouldn't be able to take knowing that Shaq has 4 titles and Duncan has 2, plus I wouldn't be able to take Shaq running his mouth about our team.



I'm not really rooting for either team really. I want to see the better team win, and Detroit has looked like the better team through 2 games.


----------



## XxMia_9xX (Oct 5, 2002)

before i'm like i want to play the pistons. they're so much easier than the heat 'cuz of wade and shaq. they seemed really good. now i'm not sure. the pistons are doing pretty well. they look like a really good team. their defense looks really good too.... now i dont really know and i dont really care 'cuz i think the spurs can win either way.

i asked my bro-in-law, who's like a huge laker and kobe fan, if the heat and the spurs play in the finals, who will he root for and he just laughed. laker fans are gonna hate that series soo much.


----------



## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

I would rather play Miami b/c I think they are the easier team for us to match-up against, especially if Shaq is still gimpy.


----------



## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Either one, really. I think both teams will give us trouble in different ways. So yeah, I'll go with KoKo's answer, I'd like the Spurs to play the best team. I think it's the Pistons.


----------



## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

I think San Antonio vs Detroit is kind of a dream match up. Who's defense is better, so to speak? I actually picked this match up right before the playoffs started. With Spurs winning in 6. Altho I picked Indiana-San Antonio before the season started, but with Pacers winning in 6 or 7. Then the brawl happened which screwed up that ever happening. I woulda still made a prediction before playoffs though even if they were at full strength. Depending on how either team was playing at the time too. But the Pistons go in too many lapses on offense. Despite their D being great. They can do that against East teams. But Spurs have just as good as an offensive as their own defense. Pistons then having to deal with Parker/Ginobli. Then seeing is either Wallace can stop Timmy. Or if they leave open Nazr beating them. Bowen on Rip or Prince? It's all an intriguing match up to want to see.





I had my Suns eliminated in 7 by Mavs, BTW. Yes, pessimism.


----------



## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

Ill switch this around for me since I'm a heat fan. If i could play Suns or Spurs, I want spurs. I like the challenge, and I think we would be overlooked against you guys. The guard game would be amazing! Manu and Tony Vs. Wade and DJ, o man. A lot of you guys are over-looking our depth. Dooling and Zo have been amazing off the bench this year in the playoffs and our starters are even beeing overlooked(i.e. Eddie and Udonis) But any chance to see Shaq and Tim on the same court at the same time, I would love to see it. But anyway, is the game tonight? I probably won't be able to catch it sadly.


----------



## texan (Jul 10, 2003)

> and I think we would be overlooked against you guys.


This team doesn't overlook anyone. Especially a team with Shaq and Wade. Pop keeps this team humbled, so I don't think you would have any advantage of being underestimated by us. If you were talking about the media overlooking y'all then I guess I could see it.


----------



## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

texan said:


> This team doesn't overlook anyone. Especially a team with Shaq and Wade. Pop keeps this team humbled, so I don't think you would have any advantage of being underestimated by us. *If you were talking about the media overlooking y'all then I guess I could see it*.



Sorry, I ment the media, and them type of people. Unless its espn, cause they flip-flop. Before our series(heat series) they had the heat losing, after game 1 they had us losing, after game 2 oops, they have going deep and maybe winning. But i really, really hope we play you guys in the finals. I want to say my team beat out Duncan for the title :biggrin:


----------



## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

texan said:


> This team doesn't overlook anyone. Especially a team with Shaq and Wade. Pop keeps this team humbled, so I don't think you would have any advantage of being underestimated by us. If you were talking about the media overlooking y'all then I guess I could see it.


I dont know what the Media is like out were you live, but it's not at all forgetting about the heat in L.A. Might be the whole Kobe and Shaq, Buss and Shaq Drama.. But every time I turn on ESPN, or watch sports center I see wade being preached as the next coming of Jordon. (Which might just be a little premature, I like the kid.. But Im a Laker fan that doesnt see Kobe as the next coming of Jordon, and I really dont see that with wade yet either, although he could change my mind, but one good game agisnt detroit, and good games agisnt two pathetic playoff teams like the Wizards and NJ who wouldnt even have come close to making the playoffs here in the west? Im not offically on the bandwagon of Wade is "god" yet. If he can man handle Detroit for the rest of the series, and do the same agisnt the Spurs I'll be the first to give him god status, or second coming status. But I dont see that happening.

I'll say this much, Maimi has to be the most hyped team on the planet right now. All season long Ive heard how they are going to win it all this year. And they do posses the depth, and talent that its possible. Although I think even if they get past detroit, the Spurs also have the depth and the defense to beat them. The spurs have shown they can not only play amazing defense, but when they have to do the big scoring games, can easily hang in there as well. Call me crazy, but I just have a deep feeling this is going to be the year of the Spurs.


----------



## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

Go DJ! said:


> Sorry, I ment the media, and them type of people. Unless its espn, cause they flip-flop. Before our series(heat series) they had the heat losing, after game 1 they had us losing, after game 2 oops, they have going deep and maybe winning. But i really, really hope we play you guys in the finals. I want to say my team beat out Duncan for the title :biggrin:



ESPN seems pretty divided to me. Depends on who you ask there. I think most of them agree that if Wade is going to keep going off on scoring and they don't shut him down, than him and Shaq have a legitimate chance of winning the series. The problem is, they dont think Shaq is 100 percent. They dont think wade is going to drop another 40 points. But they might be wrong. They might be right? I don't think detroit is the same detroit of last year. They dont look as solid defensively as they did last year. So I think the series could go either way. Its going to come down to role players more than stars in my opinion.


----------



## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Heat

The Pistons have the defensive players to mark up with our players whilst the Heat don't have defenders at the 2-4 which is vital, as we have Ginobili and Parker and Brown


----------



## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

I think we are pretty solid 2-4 on D. You cant forget that we have Eddie at the 3 and Udonis is very, very strong on the glass at 4. But if we play each other, I think our guards will have to stop tony and manu, because when they penetrate a defense, it ends up with a circus shot layup that goes in, or a crazy pass to Duncan. In a possible Heat/Spurs series I think people like Horry and Eddie will be more key then TD, Manu, Tony or Wade and Shaq.

PS-Theo! great albums in rotation, mostly Nas and Common.


----------



## Kirk20 (Dec 13, 2004)

Heat ... Pistons D is just too good, although I think we can still win, it would be a much harder series vs. Pistons


----------



## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Another thing to add onto this: I don't know if you guys have heard all of the speculation, but supposedly this will be Larry Brown's last year coaching, and it might be his last year with the Pistons organization. What does that have to do with anything? Well, let's say the Spurs and Pistons meet in the Finals. I can see the Detroit players having extra motivation to have Larry Brown go out as a winner, so that obviously wouldn't help out the Spurs. Just an extra thought.


----------



## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Another thing to add onto this: I don't know if you guys have heard all of the speculation, but supposedly this will be Larry Brown's last year coaching, and it might be his last year with the Pistons organization. What does that have to do with anything? Well, let's say the Spurs and Pistons meet in the Finals. I can see the Detroit players having extra motivation to have Larry Brown go out as a winner, so that obviously wouldn't help out the Spurs. Just an extra thought.



I was thinking along those lines as well... But I changed my mind after tonights game.. Detroit didn't at all look like the detroit of last year. There superior defense was anything but, until the last minute and forty seconds of the game. They couldn't do anything agaisnt wade. The problem with detroit is if they play less than stellar defense, the dont normally win. They are not scoring machines like some of the other teams in the leauge, or even left int he playoffs. The Heat are much better offensively, the Suns to, and of course the spurs. Detroit needs there defense to be the best, because without it they don't really have much of anything. It's shown here in the detroit Maimi series so far. When Wade and Shaq are scoring, detroit is not stepping up to match those points. 

However, I think Spurs will not only make the stops, but match the points when they dont. I expect the Spurs to win. It wont be easy I think, but I think this is the Spurs year to shine.


----------



## sheefo13 (Jul 13, 2002)

The heat. One thing I hate seeing teams win 2 times in a row and spurs just have the better chance at beating the heat. Bowen can guard wade. Jones would get torched by parker. Nazr mohhammed/ horry would kill haslem on the offensive end. And well it would be a field day if haslem guarded duncan. The heat also arent that deep. The pistons can play great defense. Prince would own ginobli. Wel shut him down at least. Well everyone on the pistons can defend. And really, they can score too. The heat will just be like the suns IMO. GO SPURS!


----------



## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

sheefo13 said:


> The heat. One thing I hate seeing teams win 2 times in a row and spurs just have the better chance at beating the heat. Bowen can guard wade. Jones would get torched by parker. Nazr mohhammed/ horry would kill haslem on the offensive end. And well it would be a field day if haslem guarded duncan. The heat also arent that deep. The pistons can play great defense. Prince would own ginobli. Wel shut him down at least. Well everyone on the pistons can defend. And really, they can score too. The heat will just be like the suns IMO. GO SPURS!



Although I share your opion that the Heat will go down when playing the spurs, I dont think it will be as team roller like it was/is with the suns. The Suns play almost no defense, and they ended up playing a team with good offense and good defense. They got it handed to em.

Maimi isn't a defensive machine, but they are night and day better on Defense than the Suns are. And now that Snaq looks like he is feeling better, you can believe he is going to be working hard in the paint to defense the low post. I think Duncan can handle him, but it's going to cut down on a lot of drives to the basket by other players. 

Bowen can and will do great agisnt wade. better than the pistons have in my opinion. But Wade hands down is faster than Bowen. Much faster, and he is bound to get by on more than one ocasion. 

I believe for Spurs to win all they will have to do is play the great team ball, and make sure to limit wade and shaq to under 30 PPG. Wade getting 30 plus points a night like Pistons are letting him do, is not going to cut it. 

All and all, I'd get my best three point shooters and clutch shooters ready for either time. I got a feeling there will be some down to the wire games, and clutch and experiance that the Spurs have is going to give them the advantage.


----------



## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

CDRacingZX6R said:


> I was thinking along those lines as well... But I changed my mind after tonights game.. Detroit didn't at all look like the detroit of last year. There superior defense was anything but, until the last minute and forty seconds of the game. They couldn't do anything agaisnt wade. The problem with detroit is if they play less than stellar defense, the dont normally win. They are not scoring machines like some of the other teams in the leauge, or even left int he playoffs. The Heat are much better offensively, the Suns to, and of course the spurs. Detroit needs there defense to be the best, because without it they don't really have much of anything. It's shown here in the detroit Maimi series so far. When Wade and Shaq are scoring, detroit is not stepping up to match those points.
> 
> However, I think Spurs will not only make the stops, but match the points when they dont. I expect the Spurs to win. It wont be easy I think, but I think this is the Spurs year to shine.




Detroit is giving mized signs, which isn't a good thing. That's now 2 out of 3 games where they haven't looked very good at all, and while Miami hasn't played bad these past two games, they haven't played great either. Miami scares me a little though when Wade is hitting jumpers like he has been. How do you defend the guy when he's hitting those mid range jumpers?


I think Detroit will take Game 4 and the series will be knotted at 2.


----------



## DWadeistheTruth (Apr 25, 2005)

Theo! said:


> Heat
> 
> The Pistons have the defensive players to mark up with our players whilst the Heat don't have defenders at the 2-4 which is vital, as we have Ginobili and Parker and Brown


San Antonio is as solid team as they get, but Duncan in the pass years, has had alot of problems guarding Shaq, the game this season, that we played the Spurs at home, Bruce Bowen a extremely good defender, did not defend Wade, like he usually defends other players, D Wade is as quick as a cat, Duncan will be covered, throw Zo in the Mix, biggest mistmatch, is Tony Parker in your side, Manu is a extremely hard cover, but we got Eddie on him, pretty underated defender. Good series, but Shaq, gives you problems, that no other guy gives you, and Wade is quite amazing, it be a extremely good series, the think that you have a the edge, is your maturity, your team, you take care of business any day, lets finish the Piston's, and this is going to be a fun series to watch.


----------



## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

DWadeistheTruth said:


> San Antonio is as solid team as they get, but Duncan in the pass years, has had alot of problems guarding Shaq, the game this season, that we played the Spurs at home, Bruce Bowen a extremely good defender, did not defend Wade, like he usually defends other players, D Wade is as quick as a cat, Duncan will be covered, throw Zo in the Mix, biggest mistmatch, is Tony Parker in your side, Manu is a extremely hard cover, but we got Eddie on him, pretty underated defender. Good series, but Shaq, gives you problems, that no other guy gives you, and Wade is quite amazing, it be a extremely good series, the think that you have a the edge, is your maturity, your team, you take care of business any day, lets finish the Piston's, and this is going to be a fun series to watch.



In the past years everyone in the leauge had problems guarding Shaq. This isn't the same Shaq, although I do agree he is one of the best in the leauge, he isnt... At least so far.. the 30 plus point scoring machine we have seen in past playoffs. He has been kicking the ball out more often than nomral, mainly because his injury looks to he limiting his inside game. If detroit can drag this out to a game 6 or so, than it's going to be harsh on Shaq. I think Duncan has done just fine with Shaq in the past, and this time around Duncans youth and health will be on his side (I believe a if they sweap the Suns, that bit of rest will be the perfect amount for Tims ankle to fully recover).

Wade is sick no doubt. And the Spurs are gong to stop him, but they will limit him. Bowen didn't really stop kobe bryant, but he did limit the crap out of him. And thats all you can ask for when you got someone like Wade out there dominating.

The good thing for the Spurs is they have there own wade, in Manu. I'm not even saying that Manu is better than wade, although there are some that might argue that, But I would say that Manu and wade are both damn good at running the lane and drawing the fouls and going to the line. That will be KEY. Mark my words, in a Maimi vs SA series, the games will be decided by free throw line. Manu and Wade will both be hitting the line like gang busters. Similar to how Wade has been at the line so often durning the detroit series, except this time it wont be as one sided.

I think all the advantages really lie with the Spurs to win the series, although I'm someone who takes Wade very seriously. If shaq can muster 25-30 points a game, I wont be surprised.. But if he's dong that and wade is droping another 40 points on better than 50 percnet shooting, and going perfect from the chariety strike.. Its going to be a tough series.


----------



## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

im not going to even think about the finals intill we win this series and thats if we win this series. i will give my full breakdown of it.


----------



## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Game 5 tonight guys. Whoever wins this game wins the series IMO.


----------



## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Game 5 tonight guys. Whoever wins this game wins the series IMO.


i dont no if pistons lose tonight then win at home its a gm 7 but i agree with if the heat lose tonight they probaly lose the series.

i still dont know what team we match up better against im leaning towards pistons but i think we can beat both teams


----------



## 4ever_bball_fan (Aug 5, 2004)

Well, let's just hope that the Heat and Pistons wear each other out through a seven game series and we can get a quick jump on whomever survives it in the Championship Finals.

Either team left in the East will be a worthy opponent. The Finals will be a war.


----------

