Who are the 2006 NBA Champions?

[llabb]

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However, the C's have a great future.
I think they'll win the Atlantic this year though.

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Yes, the Celts have a great future IF they trade Pierce. See my post in the mock draft thread. Trading Pierce for the #3 pick and enough cap space to nab a different All-Star would make the Celts contenders in '08.

Winning the Atlantic is meaningless. Just means you'd get a 3 seed you don't deserve and would lose in the first round anyway to the up-and-coming Bulls or Wiz.



So any Shaq fans want to defend him? How are you throwing around bogus claims that the Heat will win it all next year? Miami is overrated, D-Wade is not. You figure out the other part of that equation.

[Phoenix1010]

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However, the C's have a great future.
I think they'll win the Atlantic this year though.

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Yes, the Celts have a great future IF they trade Pierce. See my post in the mock draft thread. Trading Pierce for the #3 pick and enough cap space to nab a different All-Star would make the Celts contenders in '08.

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This is interesting. I don't think Pierce gets enough credit, really. Don't forget that the C's went to the Eastern finals a few years ago and gave the Nets all they could handle. I say get rid of Doc Rivers and that albatross they call Walker, bring in a strong head coach who can motivate Pierce and develop the young talent, and you have a finals contender in a few years.

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So any Shaq fans want to defend him? How are you throwing around bogus claims that the Heat will win it all next year? Miami is overrated, D-Wade is not. You figure out the other part of that equation.

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What on Earth makes these claims bogus, or the Heat overrated? Miami won 59 games this year, dominated the Eastern teams during the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs, and were one pulled rib away from going to the finals. They were unquestionably one of the four best teams in the league this year on results alone, and they'll be the same team next year if not stronger. It's hardly possible to rate them any higher than they actually are.

[tbach24]

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This is interesting. I don't think Pierce gets enough credit, really. Don't forget that the C's went to the Eastern finals a few years ago and gave the Nets all they could handle. I say get rid of Doc Rivers and that albatross they call Walker, bring in a strong head coach who can motivate Pierce and develop the young talent, and you have a finals contender in a few years.

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I will be very upset if Walker gets re=signed. Also, I think Doc did a fine job until the Pacers series when he didn't use the young guys enough. I don't know why Pierce always takes as much heat as he does, he's a great basketball player. It seems whenever anyone talks about the C's though it's always about dealing Pierce.

[llabb]

Yes, the Celts had a great season several years ago, predicated primarily on Jim O'Brien's defensive schemes combined with a very weak Eastern conference. I agree that they have a good team now and will be a division contender. I just do not think that means much, and they will not be a championship contender with Pierce.

In several years, just when their young talent is maturing, Pierce will be past his prime. However, trading him now could yield a #3 pick which will be as good as Pierce or better, maturing at the same time as the rest of the team, PLUS cap space for another All-Star. Obviously, this all depends on good execution by management, plus continued development of the young talent. But 2 potential All-Stars > Pierce. Worth the risk, since the cannot win a title with the team as presently constructed.

I am not saying that I think Pierce sucks. He is an ideal 2nd superstar, or the central figure on a well-rounded team like Det. But he does not fit with the current direction of the Celts' team, because their future is in the young guys, and Pierce will just be too old by the time all the others are ready. So I think Celtic fans should put their hope in a trade and the future instead of the current team, that's all.


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On the Miami-front, I am not saying they are not a good team. What I am saying is that current-day Shaq is overrated. He is past his prime, rapidly declining, and will never again be completely healthy through both the regular season and playoffs.

D-Wade is awesome, but with Shaq declining and being unreliable, Miami cannot beat Det, Indy, SA, or Pho without signing a 3rd star. Which means that they may still compile a great regular season record, but will not win it all next year as presently constructed. If someone can argue against that, I would be interested in that discussion.

[jakethebake]

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Can we please have hockey back now?

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Only if you promise to take to Canada where it belongs, and keep it there.

[oneeye13]

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Can we please have hockey back now?

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Please no.

Seems like of all the guys in the league, Shaq is still the only one who will always score if he gets it on the circle. That makes it harder to help and the other players' shots get easier.

[Phoenix1010]

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Yes, the Celts had a great season several years ago, predicated primarily on Jim O'Brien's defensive schemes combined with a very weak Eastern conference. I agree that they have a good team now and will be a division contender. I just do not think that means much, and they will not be a championship contender with Pierce.

In several years, just when their young talent is maturing, Pierce will be past his prime. However, trading him now could yield a #3 pick which will be as good as Pierce or better, maturing at the same time as the rest of the team, PLUS cap space for another All-Star. Obviously, this all depends on good execution by management, plus continued development of the young talent. But 2 potential All-Stars > Pierce. Worth the risk, since the cannot win a title with the team as presently constructed.

I am not saying that I think Pierce sucks. He is an ideal 2nd superstar, or the central figure on a well-rounded team like Det. But he does not fit with the current direction of the Celts' team, because their future is in the young guys, and Pierce will just be too old by the time all the others are ready. So I think Celtic fans should put their hope in a trade and the future instead of the current team, that's all.


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On the Miami-front, I am not saying they are not a good team. What I am saying is that current-day Shaq is overrated. He is past his prime, rapidly declining, and will never again be completely healthy through both the regular season and playoffs.

D-Wade is awesome, but with Shaq declining and being unreliable, Miami cannot beat Det, Indy, SA, or Pho without signing a 3rd star. Which means that they may still compile a great regular season record, but will not win it all next year as presently constructed. If someone can argue against that, I would be interested in that discussion.

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Ok, I agree with pretty much everything you've said here.

I really hope that Pierce realizes that he's really meant to be the greatest second banana of all time, and take a pay cut and go to a contender. He is the missing piece to someone's championship team.

Of the teams you listed, the only team the Heat can't beat for sure is San Antonio. I think they've proven that they can hang with the best teams in the East, and I have no idea what would happen in matchup with Phoenix (not that it matters, I say again that there's no way Phoenix is getting by San Antonio by their own actions). Shaq's health and production will of course be a concern, but there is no indication that there will be a significant dropoff in his abilities from this year to next year. I think it's safe to assume that he will continue to be a dominant force in the league for at least two more seasons, and besides that, it's Wade's team now anyway.

I do however agree that it's silly to predict that Miami will win the title next year, although I do think they have a good shot at making the finals. I do not think they have what it takes to unseat San Antonio. However, with a player as special as Dwyane Wade on the team, anything is possible.

[Clarkmeister]

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do however agree that it's silly to predict that Miami will win the title next year, although I do think they have a good shot at making the finals. I do not think they have what it takes to unseat San Antonio

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I don't know. While they have a short window due to Shaq's health, to me it seemed pretty clear that this year San Antonio, Detroit and Miami were all pretty equal and any of them were capable of winning this year. Of those teams, I think Miami has the most room to move forward next year as health (at least with Wade) and chemistry can only improve.

The team that really needs to take a huge step forward next year is Houston. If they don't at least get out of the first round, it's time to reevaluate their plan and make some changes.

[llabb]

Good thoughts here, guys. Can't argue against D-Wade, he's a stud. It's Shaq that I was really talking about. His numbers have been falling a fair amount, but people haven't recognized it yet; instead, he is still considered "the most dominant" in the game.

Last year he averaged 7 fewer points and 3 fewer rebounds than when he really was dominant, in the Lakers first championship run with him in the '00 season. His points have fallen greatly in just the last 2 years, and last year was his lowest scoring average ever, other than previous year when he had fewer shots due to 4 Hall-of-Famers playing together. His rebounds last year were the lowest ever. And that is in the East, which should be easier than ever for him since it is undersized compared to the West. With these drops, he could conceivably average less than 20 pts, 10 rebs next year, which plenty of guys get.

He is nowhere near the most dominant in the game, and it is laughable that he was up for MVP last year, when D-Wade is clearly the MVP of that team.

Anyway, Miami is still a good team, just not a contender. As is, they will NOT win next year, D-Wade's improvement notwithstanding.

[llabb]

I agree on Houston needing to step up, but don't know if it'll happen. I think a number of teams have a better shot than them, even some surprise teams like Denver may get out of the first round before Houston does.