NBA Playoffs thread

[sandiego17]

And anyone who doesn't enjoy basketball is just crazy. And I agree with OIP about Hockey and Soccer too... I just don't have time to follow them, honestly. I will cheer for the USA at the World Cup this summer...and I enjoy watching the European Cup too (which is held 2 years after the world cup).

Actually...the sport I've lost the most interest in is baseball. I used to watch it quite a bit in the spring and summer. Now, I pretty much just catch some highlights...and hear about it, and that's enough for me. Of course, I'm a Cubs fan...so there's that.

I really enjoy following soccer, great game. Not the MLS so much (although I really hope SD gets a team), but the European Leagues and cannot wait for the WC. I'm with you on baseball. In fact, its the one fantasy league I care about because if I didn't do fantasy baseball I fear I would stop following baseball altogether. Having played my entire life and grown up with Jerry Coleman and Tony Gwynn, I want to continue to follow baseball, at least a little bit. NBA is great. Bolts rule them all, the rest are way below.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

The franchise bit is what makes this a bit murky, but I have a real problem with any individual being stripped of an asset because of their thoughts, no matter how disgusting. I think that addresses your first sentence, and not the second paragraph. I get all the arguments pro NBA action and against Stern, but still, tend to side with individual property rights.

As far as Sterling goes, obviously he will fight this, and I believe he fights the suspension as well. From everything I've ever read about him, I would be shocked if he didn't fight this.

Yes, under most circumstances I would side with property rights. In this one I do not.

He will undoubtedly fight a bitter, losing battle. At the end of the day, however, the NBA holds all of the cards. They can take steps to diminish the value of the team. The players will do likewise. Sterling's presence assures it.

[Savage Lizard]

And anyone who doesn't enjoy basketball is just crazy.

Color me crazy then!

Every basketball game just looks like every other basketball game. You can go to the bathroom and miss 10 baskets, but so what? There is going to be a whole bunch more! Too much scoring is the same thing as not enough scoring. Baskets are cheap, so who gives a shit? The game doesn't even really start until the end, when it becomes a marathon of fouls, free throws, and time outs. Why the fuck do they need so damned many time outs anyway? Don't they cover anything at practice? I've always joked that if I only have two minutes to live, I want it to be the last two minutes of a basketball game. And the preferred strategy for getting back into a game at the end is to deliberately break the rules and commit fouls. I won't ever be sold on basketball, it ranks higher than only NASCAR on my list.

[sandiego17]

He will undoubtedly fight a bitter, losing battle. At the end of the day, however, the NBA holds all of the cards. They can take steps to diminish the value of the team. The players will do likewise. Sterling's presence assures it.

He will have some major issues with sponsors and will have to overpay to sign anyone. Worst thing for the franchise would be if the courts placed an injunction on the NBA until the matter is settled.

[oneinchpunch]

He will have some major issues with sponsors and will have to overpay to sign anyone. Worst thing for the franchise would be if the courts placed an injunction on the NBA until the matter is settled.

He could drag this on forever if he wants. Even filing for divorce to delay it even longer. Based on the level of scumbag he is I could see him fighting this until he dies.

[sandiego17]

He could drag this on forever if he wants. Even filing for divorce to delay it even longer. Based on the level of scumbag he is I could see him fighting this until he dies.

I know it's pretty easy right now to be anti-Sterling in all regards and he's definitely a scumbag, but can't say I fault him for defending his right to his asset to the full extent of the law.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

I know it's pretty easy right now to be anti-Sterling in all regards and he's definitely a scumbag, but can't say I fault him for defending his right to his asset to the full extent of the law.

His asset that he only recently began to give two shits about and for all the wrong reasons.

[oneinchpunch]

Lousy 2nd round

[sandiego17]

His asset that he only recently began to give two shits about and for all the wrong reasons.

True, but his nonetheless. I understand why it's unpopular, but I'm with Cuban and his slippery slope opinion.

[Millionaire Wussy]

Color me crazy then!

Every basketball game just looks like every other basketball game. You can go to the bathroom and miss 10 baskets, but so what? There is going to be a whole bunch more! Too much scoring is the same thing as not enough scoring. Baskets are cheap, so who gives a shit? The game doesn't even really start until the end, when it becomes a marathon of fouls, free throws, and time outs. Why the fuck do they need so damned many time outs anyway? Don't they cover anything at practice? I've always joked that if I only have two minutes to live, I want it to be the last two minutes of a basketball game. And the preferred strategy for getting back into a game at the end is to deliberately break the rules and commit fouls. I won't ever be sold on basketball, it ranks higher than only NASCAR on my list.

Yep. Make the players shorter or make the basket much higher. It IS boring to watch. The last two minutes of the game are when it gets good but before then it is a snooze-fest.

Yeah, the timeouts are a bit much. Good point. I used to really enjoy watching Earvin Johnson lead the show-time Lakers back in the day but there's no more Earvin Johnson's.

[Millionaire Wussy]

Anyone see Kevin Durant's speech where he tearfully lauded his teammates (Westbrook) for his success? That was beautiful. The NBA needs more of that.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

True, but his nonetheless. I understand why it's unpopular, but I'm with Cuban and his slippery slope opinion.

As I said, I tend to side with property rights. I also understand Cuban's concern, but this isnt just any situation. This is an egregious and ongoing one. This isnt just about what was said. This is about a mode of behavior that goes back 30 years and spans more than racism. It includes moving the team after promising he wouldn't, firing trainers for using too much athletic tape, forcing his teams to practice in HS gyms, fielding one of the worst teams in pro sports while making no effort to be competitive and consequently abusing two fanbases, failing to renew contracts of players and basketball ops people until after they expired so he wouldnt have to pay them over the summer (Neil Olshey worked without a contract for awhile...so they had a month to month GM last year), hurling abuse at his own players during games, failing to pay out contracts to coaches and assistant coaches he fired and forcing them to go to court to try to collect (Bill Fitch, Bob Weiss, Mike Dunleavy-- Fitch was countersued by Sterling for not 'looking hard enough to find another job'-- you cant make this shit up) and thats before all of the weird version of racism he employs even comes to the surface...or any of his shitty dealings outside of basketball.

So this isnt just about being a racist. Its a pattern of behavior that devalues the NBA brand and makes the Clippers a hostile workplace. Sterling will threaten lawsuits and maybe even file. But at the end of the process he will be gone and should. These will be tactical lawsuits. He's not being stripped of his team. In the end he'll be persuaded or bought off to sell. It's only a slippery slope if you have other owners that have repugnant 30 year histories. This is the culmination of a lot of BS. The poor guy will have to take a beating on his $12.5m investment.