Exactly! I haven't seen a good feud in the NBA since the Heat/Knicks feud back a few years. Everybody ALWAYS looked forward to the games, because they knew both teams hated each other & that each game would be VERY physical. I think the same thing is going to happen this year with the Kings/Lakers. Only question is, can Sacramento find an answer for Shaq, or will they complain again this summer about getting beat by L.A.?

I don't think that there is an answer for Shaq. They could clone Wilt Chamberlain, but I still don't think that would be enough.

[/QUOTE]I don't think that there is an answer for Shaq. They could clone Wilt Chamberlain, but I still don't think that would be enough.[/QUOTE]

I can easily see Sacramento losing sight of the real prize and not taking advantage of the opportunity early in the season. Shaq is out for a while, and now Fox is out for 6 games. I can see them complaining about the Lakers getting the calls and losing to them again this year.

As much as I love the Lakers, I was watching some highlights on ESPN last night and those Sacramento Kings sure play a nice game of team basketball.

I didn't know this until recenly, but the Kings got Keon Clark who is a pretty dangerous player. I think if he gets some PT, then the Kings can do some damage on L.A.

The Lakers didn't really make any significant off-season acquisitions. The rest of the league is getting better, and the Lakers are staying the same. What Suckramento needs to be careful of is focusing all of their attention on beating the Lakers. They could still easily lose to the Spurs or the Mavericks.

I agree with you to an extent. I don't think the Spurs will be beating anybody this year. Everyone says that the Spurs will win their division, but I'm calling Dallas. The Mavericks have the offense, but what they need to do is start playing some defense (I think they were ranked last last year in the league for defense). If they can have defense as good as their offense is, I think that they can beat the Lakers then!

Hey I gotta question for everyone. I'm watching the Wizards/Raptors game on ESPN and they just showed highlights (during halftime of the Wiz/Rap game)of the New Jersey Nets. They showed them playing & raising their Eastern Conference Banner from last year. Well, my question is, did the Nets get anything for second place last year? We all know the champions get championship rings, but I think my brother told me years ago, that 2nd place gets the 2nd place ring. Is this true? Does 2nd place get anything? If so, what is it?

I know that the Nets were presented with a trophy after beating the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. They don't get any kind of second place award or ring. However, any team can make rings if they want to. If they feel like it, the Nets can make Eastern Conference Championship rings, but I don't know how special those would be.

I saw those highlights on ESPN as well, and I kinda laughed to myself. Growing up in Southern California and being a Laker fan, I always thought that NBA Championship banners and retired jerseys would be the only things teams would hang. But I remember the Charlotte Hornets used to have banners for leading the league in attendance.

For a franchise that was a woeful as the Nets used to be, winning the East was a big deal, and they wish to commemorate that. But for storied franchises like the Celtics and the Lakers, and more recently the Bulls, league championships are the only things worthy of getting banners and rings.

I'll agree with you on this. The Mavericks' two best players (Nowitzki and Finley) are poor defenders. One would expect more out of a team that starts a front line of two 7 footers (Nowitzki and LaFrentz) and a 7'6" guy (Shawn Bradley). Like many of the European players, Nowitzki can shoot the lights out but is not as well-schooled on defense. Bradley was a monster shotblocker during his one year at BYU, but in the NBA he's been pushed around by other post players who are stronger than he is.

I heard the New Orleans Hornets are going to retire "Pistol" Pete's jersey. He didn't play for the Hornets, but I think they're doing it because he played for the New Orleans Jazz and played college ball at LSU.

Grazie again Don Corpuzzi for the info. Did you see the Wizards/Raptors game? I did, and man that was one of the fastest games I've ever seen on TV. I think it lasted only 2 and a hour hours (1 hour each half, and then halftime for about 30 mins). Anways, the Wizards played like TOTAL garbage! I think Jordan ended up with only 8 points, and didn't score a basket in the 2nd half. It was a sloppy & poor performance on their part. I hope they put on a better show tomorrow against Botson!

I heard that too. I think it's a nice tribute to a hometown hero like Maravich was. It's interesting that franchises are starting to align themselves with the city as well as the franchise. The Hornets retiring Pete's number is roughly similar to the Ravens honoring all of those former Baltimore Colts, even though it's an entirely different franchise.

I heard that Coach Doug Collins plans on limiting MJ to just 25 minutes a game until the All-Star break. I don't see MJ continuing in his role as the 6th man if the team continues to perform poorly. He'll eventually get restless and demand to be put in the starting lineup playing his customary 38 minutes a game (if his body can hold up).

Although a lot of people are saying that MJ should retire and that he's ruining his legacy, I think that he's doing a very noble thing. He could easily be retired and playing with his piles of cash, but instead he's still playing and serving as a mentor to young players who will hopefully be torchbearers for the NBA in the years ahead.

Yeah I think Jordan only played 25 minutes last night, but he could have shot a lot better. I agree with you totally about Mike doing a noble thing. Sure, me like everyone else would have LOVED to have seen him go out with that game winning shot in the 1998 NBA Finals to win his 6th Title! But he didn't, and I'm just happy & privledged enough to see the man play again. I absolultely love the feeling of knowing that almost every night there's a Wizards game on, and I can STILL see the man play. I can't get enough of seeing him play live (even if he's 39). I hope his body holds up because 10 years ago, he would have posterized that ball last night, instead of missing the dunk!

I never heard of second place rings, but I was at the NETS game last nite, and the raising of the Eastern Conference Championship Banner was awesome. No bull -- as a long suffering Nets fan it literally almost brought tears to my eyes. I was really choked up!!

BTW, because of my offer he couldn't refuse to Don Corpuzzi earlier in this thread to get him a ticket to game 7 of the NBA finals if its Lakers vs. Nets AND the game is in New Jersey...

Don Corpuzzi--the Nets were awesome last night. I looked over the schedule, and I'm predicting a record of 60-22. With Shaq loafing for half the year with his toe, that should be good enough for home court advantage throughout the playoffs. See you in New Jersey in June -- that's IF the Lakers make the finals and IF they manage to take my Nets to 7 games!!!

plawrence - I admire your faith in the Nets. They are a great team and fun to watch. Hopefully the voters will give Kidd his MVP this year. I'm praying for that Lakers-Nets showdown!

Heck yeah! I'm praying 4 that one. They did him wrong last year. But I don't want them to "make it up to him" this year. If he wins it this year, I want him to earn it! I can't stand when guys get things just because they got screwed eariler (it throws everything else off, because the year they won it, someone was more deserving!)

Did anyone watch the Wizards/Celtics last night? Jordan and Stackhouse were great, and the young kid, Kwame Brown did a great job. Although I think the Nets are the team to beat in the east, maybe Michael will perform moreof his magic and make it a real race. The Celtics looked like a tired and complacent team already, and it's only the 2nd game.

I saw the final score of the game (I didn't watch it because I was watching WWF's Smackdown!). What ticks me off is that if Washington would have played like they did last night, the night before against Toronto, they'd be 2-0 right now. Every game counts, espeically for them! I'm surprised not only that Washington won, but that they BLEW them out by 45 points! Mike was his usual, like 21 points in like 22 mins!

Another team to watch out for is the Pistons. They are no joke this year Hamilton is going to excel with this team. He's got more of a leadership role. Ben Wallace is a monster hopefully he'll score a little bit more. And the bench scoring on that team is great.

I just read that because Michael Jordan is coming off the bench in Washington, it has led Scottie Pippen to accept a similar role being Bonzi Wells' backup. Geez, they're not even teammates and Scottie still can't do anything without first getting the go-ahead from Michael. I think that Pippen was a very good player, but one of the most overrated in history.

Na, I think Scottie was never underated. At one point in his career, I thought he was the best all around player in the game (not of all time, but in the league at that time). Scottie did it all & was a GREAT player. He was just handicaped so much in Houston, that it was the beginning of his downfall!

I don't understand why everyone is pumping up the Pistons so much this year? I think they're goind to be worse than last year, because they lost Stackhouse. I've got nothing against Hamilton, but when you loss Jerry Stackhouse for Rip Hamilton, how can you expect to be better?

I will agree that Scottie was a great player at one point, but he relied too much on MJ. I think that Scottie should NOT have been one of the 50 greatest players. There were a number of people who did not make that list that were better than Scottie, they just didn't happen to play alongside a certain #23.

If there was a second fiddle hall of fame, Scottie would definitely make it on the first ballot, as would Kevin McHale.

I think the people that selected the 50 top players put a lot of emphasis of chmpionships and it is really hard to leave someone with 6 of them off the list. He was a intricate part of those teams, he, MJ, and Phil Jackson being the common factor on all the teams. He did invent the "point forward" position as the offense may have gone through MJ, but it started with Pippen.

To go against my championship theory on inclusion on the list is Dennis Rodman. The man has 5 rings and isn't on the list.

You're right Don Marco, the top 50 did rely much on titles. However, players like Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King and Bob McAdoo should have made the list. I'm sure they will make a top 75 or top 100 in the future.

They probably won't make a top 75 team until the NBA's 75th anniversary, and by then, there will be another 30 or 40 great players what will bump some of the original 50 off.

You're right Don Corpuzzi. It would be nice to think that they will remember some of those guys who were left of the 50, but it probably won't happen. This could be another good conversation starter, if you could add guys to the list who are currently playing, who would you pick. Now remember, Shaq (already on the list) was criticized for being named to the top 50, but it turned out to be a good choice.

As for guys who could be added there's a lot of them! Carter, Garnett, Duncan, Kidd, T-Mac just to name a few. Kobe wasn't named was he? If not, then you could add him.