2005 NBA Playoffs thread / contest

-All members may enter the contest once. Pick a team (your favorite or who you think will win it all). If your team wins the round, you win $200cpf minus $20cpf per loss. If your team loses the round, you get $20cpf per win and are eliminated from the contest. If you enter while a round is still in progress then your winnings will start the next round. The winnings will be paid out immediately after the round is over so that you can use that money to place bets in the bookie system if you wish.

Bonuses if your team wins the championship:
$1000cpf if you enter before the First Round deadline
$500cpf if you enter before the Conference Semi-Final deadline
$250cpf if you enter before the Conference Final deadline
$100cpf if you enter before the NBA Finals deadline

The odds in the bookie will be halved at the end of each round, so the sooner you bet the more you will win.

Unlike last year's contest, there are ways to end up not making any money as well as losing it (getting swept in the 1st Round, winning $ then losing it all in the bookie, etc)

WESTERN CONFERENCE


vs
1 Phoenix Suns
8 Memphis Grizzlies
SUN, APRIL 24 -- MEMPHIS AT PHOENIX 10:30 (TNT)
WED, APRIL 27 -- MEMPHIS AT PHOENIX 10:30 (TNT)
FRI, APRIL 29 -- PHOENIX AT MEMPHIS 9:00 (ESPN2)
SUN, MAY 1 -- PHOENIX AT MEMPHIS 8:00 (TNT)
TUE, MAY 3 -- MEMPHIS AT PHOENIX TBA (X)
THU, MAY 5 -- PHOENIX AT MEMPHIS TBA (X)
SAT, MAY 7 -- MEMPHIS AT PHOENIX TBA (X)

vs
4 Dallas Mavericks
5 Houston Rockets
SAT, APRIL 23 -- HOUSTON AT DALLAS 5:30 (ESPN)
MON, APRIL 25 -- HOUSTON AT DALLAS 9:30 (TNT)
THU, APRIL 28 -- DALLAS AT HOUSTON 9:30 (TNT)
SAT, APRIL 30 -- DALLAS AT HOUSTON 5:30 (TNT)
MON, MAY 2 -- HOUSTON AT DALLAS TBA (X)
THU, MAY 5 -- DALLAS AT HOUSTON TBA (X)
SAT, MAY 7 -- HOUSTON AT DALLAS TBA (X)

vs
2 San Antonio Spurs
7 Denver Nuggets
SUN, APRIL 24 -- DENVER AT SAN ANTONIO 8:00 (TNT)
WED, APRIL 27 -- DENVER AT SAN ANTONIO 8:00 (TNT)
SAT, APRIL 30 -- SAN ANTONIO AT DENVER 10:30 (ESPN)
MON, MAY 2 -- SAN ANTONIO AT DENVER TBA
WED, MAY 4 -- DENVER AT SAN ANTONIO TBA (X)
FRI, MAY 6 -- SAN ANTONIO AT DENVER TBA (X)
SUN, MAY 8 -- DENVER AT SAN ANTONIO TBA (X)

vs
3 Seattle SuperSonics
6 Sacramento Kings
SAT, APRIL 23 -- SACRAMENTO AT SEATTLE 10:30 (ESPN)
TUE, APRIL 26 -- SACRAMENTO AT SEATTLE 10:30 (TNT)
FRI, APRIL 29 -- SEATTLE AT SACRAMENTO 10:30 (ESPN)
SUN, MAY 1 -- SEATTLE AT SACRAMENTO 10:30 (TNT)
TUE, MAY 3 -- SACRAMENTO AT SEATTLE TBA (X)
FRI, MAY 6 -- SEATTLE AT SACRAMENTO TBA (X)
SUN, MAY 8 -- SACRAMENTO AT SEATTLE TBA (X)

EASTERN CONFERENCE


vs
1 Miami Heat
8 NJ/Cleveland
SUN, APRIL 24 -- NEW JERSEY AT MIAMI 3:00 (ABC)
TUE, APRIL 26 -- NEW JERSEY AT MIAMI 8:00 (TNT)
THU, APRIL 28 -- MIAMI AT NEW JERSEY 7:00 (TNT)
SUN, MAY 1 -- MIAMI AT NEW JERSEY 3:30 (ABC)
WED, MAY 4 -- NEW JERSEY AT MIAMI TBA (X)
FRI, MAY 6 -- MIAMI AT NEW JERSEY TBA (X)
SUN, MAY 8 -- NEW JERSEY AT MIAMI TBA (X)

vs
4 Chicago Bulls
5 Washington Wizards
SUN, APRIL 24 -- WASHINGTON AT CHICAGO 5:30 (TNT)
WED, APRIL 27 -- WASHINGTON AT CHICAGO 8:30 (NBATV)
SAT, APRIL 30 -- CHICAGO AT WASHINGTON 3:00 (TNT)
MON, MAY 2 -- CHICAGO AT WASHINGTON TBA
WED, MAY 4 -- WASHINGTON AT CHICAGO TBA (X)
FRI, MAY 6 -- CHICAGO AT WASHINGTON TBA (X)
SUN, MAY 8 -- WASHINGTON AT CHICAGO TBA (X)

vs
2 Detroit Pistons
7 Philadelphia 76ers
SAT, APRIL 23 -- PHILADELPHIA AT DETROIT 3:00 (ABC)
TUE, APRIL 26 -- PHILADELPHIA AT DETROIT 7:30 (NBATV)
FRI, APRIL 29 -- DETROIT AT PHILADELPHIA 8:00 (ESPN)
SUN, MAY 1 -- DETROIT AT PHILADELPHIA 1:00 (ESPN)
TUE, MAY 3 -- PHILADELPHIA AT DETROIT TBA (X)
THU, MAY 5 -- DETROIT AT PHILADELPHIA TBA (X)
SAT, MAY 7 -- PHILADELPHIA AT DETROIT TBA (X)

vs
3 Boston Celtics
6 Indiana Pacers
SAT, APRIL 23 -- INDIANA AT BOSTON 8:00 (ESPN)
MON, APRIL 25 -- INDIANA AT BOSTON 7:00 (TNT)
THU, APRIL 28 -- BOSTON AT INDIANA 7:30 (NBATV)
SAT, APRIL 30 -- BOSTON AT INDIANA 8:00 (ESPN)
TUE, MAY 3 -- INDIANA AT BOSTON TBA (X)
THU, MAY 5 -- BOSTON AT INDIANA TBA (X)
SAT, MAY 7 -- INDIANA AT BOSTON TBA (X)

-Key Dates
Changing your pick after a deadline will disqualify you.

April 23: NBA Playoffs 2005 begin
-1st Round deadline: 4/23 @ 12PM CST
May 7: Latest possible end date for First Round

May 8: NBA Conference Semifinals begin
-Conference Semifinal deadline: 5/8 @ 12PM CST
May 23: Latest possible end date for Conference Semifinals

May ??: NBA Conference Finals begin
-Conference Final deadline: 5/22 @ 12PM CST
June ??: Latest possible end date for Conference Finals

June 9: NBA Finals start date (possible move-up to June 7)
-NBA Finals deadline: 6/9 @ 6PM CST
June 28: NBA Finals latest possible end date

---

› See More: 2005 NBA Playoffs thread / contest

Gman- Phoenix, 4/29, 2nd Round
tmac184- Houston, 4/29, 2nd Round
Kreiness- Miami, 5/6, 2nd Round
leonlai- Dallas, 5/11, 3rd Round
DionteST- Detroit, 5/20, 3rd Round
cito48- San Antonio, 6/1, Finals

Hey, what's goin' on here... I never posted 'cause I thought this was being worked on... looks like we've all missed the first deadline now?

Detroit and Phoenix look strong overall... I guess I'll have to wait for the next round now... I'll pick Phoenix overall.

^ I assumed there weren't any fans

this isnt strictly a contest its also a discussion thread as well

rockets will take it!

Phoenix, Dallas, San Anton(e), Seattle, Miami, The Windy City, Mo-town, Indiana... first round.

ugh the Grizzlies are worthless. do they ever do ANYTHING in the playoffs??

I'm still wonderin' why a team from Memphis would decide to be the grizzlies... seems like there are a few other more appropriate mascots there... like the Elvis' or something...

I think the "Memphis Flying Elvises" would fit them very well

Much better!

Van Gundy fined $100,000 for comments about refs, Cuban

By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
May 2, 2005
DALLAS (AP) -- The NBA fined Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy $100,000 -- the largest amount ever for a coach -- on Monday, a day after accusing officials of targeting center Yao Ming this postseason and saying Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is to blame.

Speaking to three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas on Sunday night, Van Gundy said a referee not working the playoffs called him and warned that officials ``were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints'' to the league office. He said that Cuban ``has been hard on them,'' and ``he's gotten the benefit.''

``I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has,'' Van Gundy said, declining to identify the official he spoke to.

At a shootaround Monday before Game 5 of the series, Van Gundy said: ``I stand by what I said. I believe it. I know what was told to me, and I've seen how it played out.''

That was hours before the fine was announced. At the time, Van Gundy said he'd only been told not to say anything more about it.

``I didn't expect them to come out and say it was true, though,'' Van Gundy said.

The series was tied at two games each going into Monday's fifth game, which was to be attended by NBA commissioner David Stern.

Van Gundy said he got a call from his friend who is an official after Houston took a 2-0 lead. The coach said he was told the targeting of Yao was mentioned in an online evaluation from supervisor of officials Ronnie Nunn.

``No such directive was given to the officials regarding Yao Ming or any other player or team in the playoffs,'' NBA vice president Stu Jackson said in a statement released late Sunday to reporters from KRIV-TV, The New York Times and the Houston Chronicle, the three media outlets present when Van Gundy made his comments.

Cuban, who has been fined more than $1 million since buying the team five years ago, said in an e-mail that the accusations were ``crazy'' and ``an insult to officials.'' He also noted that Dallas center Erick Dampier has picked up quick fouls in every game in this series.

``They don't officiate individual players differently,'' Cuban wrote.

Cuban said the team sent the league a list of plays it thought should've been called moving screens on Yao and backup Dikembe Mutombo. He said the league responded that ``nine were actually moving screens and should have been called but were not.''

``So if anything, he has it completely backward,'' Cuban said.

Yao fouled out of Game 1 in 20 minutes. He had four fouls in Game 2, when he made 13 of 14 shots and scored 33 points, then had five fouls in each of the last two games.

Dampier fouled out of Game 4 in 18 minutes. He had five fouls in 19 minutes of Game 3.

Both coaches in this series have been fined. Dallas' Avery Johnson was penalized $10,000 for his postgame confrontation with official Joey Crawford following Game 1.


well its safe to say we're f*cked

so Yao FINALLY gets in the face of an official

about godamn time

...of course that's not the exactly the easiest thing for Yao to do. *ahem*

Not that I needed a Round One sweep to tell me, but I'm putting all the marbles on the Heat this year. Big Daddy is just too dominant.

ya, its kinda easy when the refs let ya take 7 steps and jack people in the face wit ur elbows all day