NBA

[Guest your4everB]

I'm a lakers fan so I was disappointed for today. but my predictions are still lakers nuggets magic and cavs

lakers in 6

nuggets in 5

magic in 6

cavs in 4

[Guest epark1281]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?p...reeAgents-09-10

wow, you know, i know 2010 is going to be a great FA year, but teams have a real chance to build depth and find great role players THIS year.

[1love]

Yao: I'll see you at the club!

Lol funniest thing Yao have said since "Eat the head."

Awesome video by Rockets fans...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dVan4C88AM

[Guest DOVAHKIIN]

kobe bryant is flawless.

that's why he's kobe.

Flawless doesn't go 1 for 7 behind the arc. There is no such thing as flawless in the game. There's a line between confidence and delusion.

[Guest kimbomynizzo]

The Lakers will come back. one of these upcoming games Kobe will fly like a god and make 15 points in 3 mins.

[1love]

The Lakers will come back. one of these upcoming games Kobe will fly like a god and make 15 points in 3 mins.

If scoring 15 points in 3 mins make Kobe a God...

What does scoring 13 points in 33 seconds make Tracy McGrady?

Anyway the Lakers have a tough road to the finals. Even if they beat the Rockets, there is the Nuggets (assuming they will beat the Unicorns) who are playing better basketball than the Lakers. Yea, the Rockets is the 5th seed, but they easily would've been the 2nd seed. It all came down to one game to decide whose the 2nd seed.

The series against Houston and Nuggets have a high chance of being a 7 game series. While on the other hand, Cleveland have a high chance of a smooth sailing to the finals. If somehow the Lakers do make it to the final, I don't believe they will because of their inconsistency and defense (They make every PG look like an allstar). They always seem to blow huge leads in the 4th quarter leads. Well if they do make it, fatigue will take over and Cleveland might swept them.

Lets see if we can witness the Lakers greatness like game 6 Lakers vs. Kings in 2002

Oh and:

*SMH* at Kobe

[Guest SurpriseSex]

If scoring 15 points in 3 mins make Kobe a God...

What does scoring 13 points in 33 seconds make Tracy McGrady?

Anyway the Lakers have a tough road to the finals. Even if they beat the Rockets, there is the Nuggets (assuming they will beat the Unicorns) who are playing better basketball than the Lakers. Yea, the Rockets is the 5th seed, but they easily would've been the 2nd seed. It all came down to one game to decide whose the 2nd seed.

The series against Houston and Nuggets have a high chance of being a 7 game series. While on the other hand, Cleveland have a high chance of a smooth sailing to the finals. If somehow the Lakers do make it to the final, I don't believe they will because of their inconsistency and defense (They make every PG look like an allstar). They always seem to blow huge leads in the 4th quarter leads. Well if they do make it, fatigue will take over and Cleveland might swept them.

Lets see if we can witness the Lakers greatness like game 6 Lakers vs. Kings in 2002

You realize that even with this one loss, where they shot horribly and still came within a missed steal of winning the game, that the Lakers still should have no problem putting away the Rockets? And the Nuggets? You honestly think the Lakers are going to miss wide open shots all the time? They are among the league's best in shooting percentage, they'll bounce back. It's always been Phil Jackson's strategy to let the opposing point guard score big, that way, the rest of the team doesn't get involved. It worked against Deron Williams the last two years, it worked against Tony Parker and Allen Iverson last year, it worked against every team this season. That includes Mo Williams and the Cavs, at Cleveland, without Andrew Bynum, where they handed Cleveland their worst loss of the season. And you're trying to tell me that you don't think the Lakers will make the finals, much less win it?

[1love]

You realize that even with this one loss, where they shot horribly and still came within a missed steal of winning the game, that the Lakers still should have no problem putting away the Rockets? And the Nuggets? You honestly think the Lakers are going to miss wide open shots all the time? They are among the league's best in shooting percentage, they'll bounce back. It's always been Phil Jackson's strategy to let the opposing point guard score big, that way, the rest of the team doesn't get involved. It worked against Deron Williams the last two years, it worked against Tony Parker and Allen Iverson last year, it worked against every team this season. That includes Mo Williams and the Cavs, at Cleveland, without Andrew Bynum, where they handed Cleveland their worst loss of the season. And you're trying to tell me that you don't think the Lakers will make the finals, much less win it?

Yea because playoff games = regular season games? Players take it to the next level in the playoffs. One night they are hot and the next night they miss 10+ wide open shot, that's not a championship team. In case you don't know: DEFENSE wins championships. I don't matter if Kobe scores 100 points a game, if they can't get a stop on the other team Lakers will not win. Look at last year's Lakers and Celtics finals. Why did the Celtics win? DEFENSE. How many times did AB get a easy layup last night? And Phil Jackson's awesome: Let the players play it out and don't call a timeout is going to come back and screw the Lakers sooner or later.

The Nuggets are playing better basketball than the Lakers. I'm saying Lakers will have a tough time against the Nuggets if they beat the Rockets. Meanwhile Cleveland won't have as much trouble against the Hawks or Magic/Boston. If Lakers have back to back 7 game series against Rockets and Nuggets, fatigue will be a huge factor if they play against Cleveland in the finals.

Yes, the Lakers will not win the championship this year.

[Guest l3oosh]

Yes, the Lakers will not win the championship this year.

Agreed.

It was an amazing steal by Rockets last night; I did not see it coming. It really ups the chances of the Rockets winning against the Lakers, assuming the Lakers don't steal one of the Rockets' home games too (which may be quite likely )

You realize that even with this one loss, where they shot horribly and still came within a missed steal of winning the game, that the Lakers still should have no problem putting away the Rockets?

Yeah, I was a bit upset about that. Rockets were playing great defense and pretty good offense and still struggled to hold a considerable lead. I was really afraid that Kobe was going to go crazy in the fourth quarter like he so infamously does, but maybe the flu-like symptoms weighed him down (btw, 25 points on a night he felt sick...wtf )

In case you don't know: DEFENSE wins championships. I don't matter if Kobe scores 100 points a game, if they can't get a stop on the other team Lakers will not win. Look at last year's Lakers and Celtics finals. Why did the Celtics win? DEFENSE. How many times did AB get a easy layup last night? And Phil Jackson's awesome: Let the players play it out and don't call a timeout is going to come back and screw the Lakers sooner or later.

I agree that the Lakers need to build up their defense to win the championships. I too felt that their lack of a solid defense last year is what made them lose to the Celtics, but against the Rockets, I don't think they need a great defense. Rockets' offense is spotty and not dependably solid every single game; I think in the case of the Rockets, if they could get past their defense, Lakers could pull farther ahead. If the Lakers didn't miss all those crazy open shots last night (they made less 3 pointers than usual O.o) they would've had a win.

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Yea because playoff games = regular season games? Players take it to the next level in the playoffs. One night they are hot and the next night they miss 10+ wide open shot, that's not a championship team. In case you don't know: DEFENSE wins championships. I don't matter if Kobe scores 100 points a game, if they can't get a stop on the other team Lakers will not win. Look at last year's Lakers and Celtics finals. Why did the Celtics win? DEFENSE. How many times did AB get a easy layup last night? And Phil Jackson's awesome: Let the players play it out and don't call a timeout is going to come back and screw the Lakers sooner or later.

The Nuggets are playing better basketball than the Lakers. I'm saying Lakers will have a tough time against the Nuggets if they beat the Rockets. Meanwhile Cleveland won't have as much trouble against the Hawks or Magic/Boston. If Lakers have back to back 7 game series against Rockets and Nuggets, fatigue will be a huge factor if they play against Cleveland in the finals.

Yes, the Lakers will not win the championship this year.

In case you didn't know, the Lakers are among the league leaders in defensive efficiency AND offensive efficiency. You fail to realize that the Lakers defense is pretty darn good, on top of their top of the league offense.

If the Lakers can hang and almost beat a Rocket team at full force on an off night with a Kobe Bryant suffering from swine flu, what makes you think that the Lakers can't make it to the finals?

You act like the Lakers will shoot horribly every night. This is not the top offensive efficiency team without a reason, you know. File this Game 1 under the "fluke" section.

And furthermore, the regular season games give an excellent indicator of how games will be played in the playoffs. Take the Dallas-Golden State series from two years ago. The Warriors demolished the Mavs in the regular season and what happened in the playoffs? The same exact thing: they sent Dallas packing in five games. The Lakers lost both meetings against the Celtics last season, and in the finals, they lost in six games. Need more examples?

Phil Jackson has won 9 championships with his coaching technique. 9. More than any other coach, tied with Red Auerbach. I don't know about you, but perhaps he knows what he's doing. That's just a wild guess on my part.

Cleveland has a easier path to the finals because the teams they play against are worse, not because they are any better than the Lakers. If the Lakers had a steady diet of playing the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors or the Milwaukee Bucks or the New Jersey Nets or the Minnesota Timberwolves or the New York Knicks, who knows what their record would have been?

You act like the rest of the league steps it up in the playoffs and the Lakers don't. They're not the 1st seed without reason. They have seasoned veterans who know how to get the job done. They have Kobe with a killer instinct second to none. You think they don't step it up?

Denver has been playing good basketball because they've been playing against worst teams. A disoriented Hornets team with overfatigued starters and no bench is not much of a threat to anyone. Neither is a depleted Mavs team. Even the Warriors have good games against the Knicks. But when the Nuggets and Lakers met at the end of the season with essentially playoff lineups set, the Lakers dismantled them in a blowout.

Don't discount the Lakers, they are where they are for a reason, and that is because they are GOOD. Head and shoulders above the rest of the west. There's a reason why there was a double digit game difference between the Lakers' first seed and the rest of the pack. That's because they are GOOD.

[1love]

In case you didn't know, the Lakers are among the league leaders in defensive efficiency AND offensive efficiency. You fail to realize that the Lakers defense is pretty darn good, on top of their top of the league offense.

If the Lakers can hang and almost beat a Rocket team at full force on an off night with a Kobe Bryant suffering from swine flu, what makes you think that the Lakers can't make it to the finals?

You act like the Lakers will shoot horribly every night. This is not the top offensive efficiency team without a reason, you know. File this Game 1 under the "fluke" section.

And furthermore, the regular season games give an excellent indicator of how games will be played in the playoffs. Take the Dallas-Golden State series from two years ago. The Warriors demolished the Mavs in the regular season and what happened in the playoffs? The same exact thing: they sent Dallas packing in five games. The Lakers lost both meetings against the Celtics last season, and in the finals, they lost in six games. Need more examples?

Phil Jackson has won 9 championships with his coaching technique. 9. More than any other coach, tied with Red Auerbach. I don't know about you, but perhaps he knows what he's doing. That's just a wild guess on my part.

Cleveland has a easier path to the finals because the teams they play against are worse, not because they are any better than the Lakers. If the Lakers had a steady diet of playing the Chicago Bulls or Toronto Raptors or the Milwaukee Bucks or the New Jersey Nets or the Minnesota Timberwolves or the New York Knicks, who knows what their record would have been?

You act like the rest of the league steps it up in the playoffs and the Lakers don't. They're not the 1st seed without reason. They have seasoned veterans who know how to get the job done. They have Kobe with a killer instinct second to none. You think they don't step it up?

Denver has been playing good basketball because they've been playing against worst teams. A disoriented Hornets team with overfatigued starters and no bench is not much of a threat to anyone. Neither is a depleted Mavs team. Even the Warriors have good games against the Knicks. But when the Nuggets and Lakers met at the end of the season with essentially playoff lineups set, the Lakers dismantled them in a blowout.

Don't discount the Lakers, they are where they are for a reason, and that is because they are GOOD. Head and shoulders above the rest of the west. There's a reason why there was a double digit game difference between the Lakers' first seed and the rest of the pack. That's because they are GOOD.

Kobe have the swine flu? Super classless if he plays with the Swine flu in a arena with thousands of people.

Errr....No the Lakers are 7th in the league in terms of defense efficiency. That's not among the top, I'd say Top 5 is among the best. Houston is 4th and Denver is 2nd. Guess who is #1? Cleveland. The Lakers are going to have a hard time. I don't care if the Lakers is the top offense efficiency team in the league. Offense does not win championships!

Phil Jackson's rings: Michael Jordan and Pippen and Kobe and Shaq. Did he ever win one without superstars?

I'm not saying the Lakers aren't good. But they are not the best team this year.

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Kobe have the swine flu? Super classless if he plays with the Swine flu in a arena with thousands of people.

Errr....No the Lakers are 7th in the league in terms of defense efficiency. That's not among the top, I'd say Top 5 is among the best. Houston is 4th and Denver is 2nd. The Lakers are going to have a hard time. Guess who is #1? Cleveland. I don't care if the Lakers is the top offense efficiency team in the league. Offense does not win championships.

Phil Jackson's rings: Michael Jordan and Pippen and Kobe and Shaq. Did he ever win one without superstars? NOPE.

I'm not saying the Lakers aren't good. But they are not the best team this year.

Did any coach win any championships without superstars? Name a superstarless championship team other than the Detroit Pistons of 2004.

And just because a defense is not #1 does not mean it's bad. #7 is not bad at all, especially considering that their offense is so overpowering.

You're right, offense does not win championships. Neither does defense. Offense in conjunction with defense wins championships. The name of the game is still basketball. The object is still to put the ball in the basket. Defend all you want, if you can't score, you still don't win. A combination of both is what's needed.

And....that swine flu comment was obviously a joke.

[1love]

Jackson had MEGA superstars. He had Michael Jordan, who is considered the best of all time. Kobe Bryant, who is in the top 10 best of all time. And Shaq one of the best big man of all time.

Defense > Offense. Defense is the bigger factor, you can score 50 points a game and still win if your defense stops the other team. Meanwhile you can score 120+ and still lose because your defense cannot stop the other team. Look at the Warriors, they score 100+ like every single game and they won 29 games this year. I'll take the better defensive team over the better offensive team any day.

Looks like Cleveland is going to win today. Lakers fans can't use the "The team was rusty." excuse anymore, since Cleveland had more days off.

[xkrndreamer]

You realize that even with this one loss, where they shot horribly and still came within a missed steal of winning the game, that the Lakers still should have no problem putting away the Rockets? And the Nuggets? You honestly think the Lakers are going to miss wide open shots all the time? They are among the league's best in shooting percentage, they'll bounce back. It's always been Phil Jackson's strategy to let the opposing point guard score big, that way, the rest of the team doesn't get involved. It worked against Deron Williams the last two years, it worked against Tony Parker and Allen Iverson last year, it worked against every team this season. That includes Mo Williams and the Cavs, at Cleveland, without Andrew Bynum, where they handed Cleveland their worst loss of the season. And you're trying to tell me that you don't think the Lakers will make the finals, much less win it?

Good valid points. Laker haters are now saying the Lakers will lose this series or not make it to the playoffs after one loss. Why didn't they say it before the playoffs started? Go figure. Let's just see what happens in the next few games.

[1love]

I never said the Lakers lose the whole series because they lost last night. I said the Rockets will give the Lakers a challenge and if they do beat the Rockets then Nuggets is right around the corner (Again assuming they beat the Unicorns) . And it's obvious the Nuggets are playing better basketball than the Lakers atm. If you don't agree, then you just another typical delusional Lakers fan.

If the Lakers do make it to the finals by that time the Rockets and Nuggets would've already worn them out. Both Rockets and Nuggets have a good chance of taking the Lakers to game 7.

I knew the Lakers would make the playoffs this year. But I never believe Lakers would go all the way this year. I don't post about sports on this site much, thats why you never see me saying that before the playoffs.

Cleveland and Denver looks like they are on a mission to win the championship. Lakers hasn't shown me that fire yet, with so much talent, probably more than any other team in the league. Why do they have so much trouble getting their mentality together? They aren't just going to hand you the trophy like they did in 2002. I thought they would have learned that lesson last year, I guess not. And how the hell you blow 20 point leads in the 4th quarter? I'm sorry, this Lakers team is not on championship mindset. It's like a rollercoaster watching the Lakers play in the playoffs so far.

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Jackson had MEGA superstars. He had Michael Jordan, who is considered the best of all time. Kobe Bryant, who is in the top 10 best of all time. And Shaq one of the best big man of all time.

Defense > Offense. Defense is the bigger factor, you can score 50 points a game and still win if your defense stops the other team. Meanwhile you can score 120+ and still lose because your defense cannot stop the other team. Look at the Warriors, they score 100+ like every single game and they won 17 games this year. I'll take the better defensive team over the better offensive team any day.

Looks like Cleveland is going to win today. Lakers fans can't use the "The team was rusty." excuse anymore, since Cleveland had more days off.

Let's see.....Tim Duncan, perhaps the best power forward ever. The Heat had Shaq, you said yourself he was one of the best big men in the game, and Dwyane Wade, one of the best players in the league today. Rockets had Hakeem and Barkley and Clyde they year they won. Boston had the three-headed monster of Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. The Pistons of the 80s had Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, more players in the official top 50 of all time. Pat Riley had Kareem and Magic and Worthy, all megastars as well. So.....what's your point?

Again, the Lakers defense is not bad, definitely not bad enough to just write off as inconsequential. Their defense is very good, at stretches, the best in the league. How many times have we all seen them shut down teams for entire quarters on end over this past season? Again, I'll reiterate the fact that on top of their good defense, they have a KILLER offense. More than enough to overcome anything anyone throws at them, as we have seen time and time again this season.

Also, the Lakers have shown to be the best conditioned team in the league this year as well, as evidenced by their number one road record and their best record on the second of back to back games this season. In the playoffs there are no back to backs, every game is at least one two days apart, They'll be rested, they'll be ready. They won't have a problem with fatigue.

And no one used the "rusty" excuse. You just brought it up.

[1love]

^Lol not someone from here. But that was every Lakers' fans excuse on another NBA board I visit.

Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash, etc. are all superstars. But they have never won a championship. Phil Jackson's rings are all because of mega superstars who are hall of famers. And all dynasties are build because of hall of famers. How many championships did Jackson win after Shaq left? His decisions to let the team play it out when the opponents are on 10-0 runs is a stupid risk. Sure, it makes him look good when it works out, but when it does not work. It might just cause the Lakers the game.

Laker's defense in the stretches the best in the league? Where is the prove? I see the Lakers giving up 20 point leads in the 4th quarter, is that good defense? Balls don't lie. The Lakers defense is mediocre at best.

Oh and fatigue is always a problem.

[Guest DOVAHKIIN]

Did any coach win any championships without superstars? Name a superstarless championship team other than the Detroit Pistons of 2004.

And just because a defense is not #1 does not mean it's bad. #7 is not bad at all, especially considering that their offense is so overpowering.

You're right, offense does not win championships. Neither does defense. Offense in conjunction with defense wins championships. The name of the game is still basketball. The object is still to put the ball in the basket. Defend all you want, if you can't score, you still don't win. A combination of both is what's needed.

And....that swine flu comment was obviously a joke.

You don't necessarily need "superstars". Just stars and a loaded bench. The 2004 Pistons had 5 players who would later become all-stars (Billups, Wallace, Wallace, Rip, and Okur.) That's already stacked for any coach to take his team to the top.

The only exceptional defenders on the Lakers is Bryant and Ariza. Fisher is good but Bynum still needs to polish his game, Gasol is a flopper, and Lamar is weak on the post against buffer PF's.

What 1love is saying is, don't brush off the competition as inferior pushovers. Game 1 is always a giveaway for both teams to think of new plays and defensive schemes. Regular season match-ups aren't always useful for predictions. Given how the Celtics had two hectic series last year against the so-so Hawks & Cavs, I'd say whatever happened in the regular season was irrelevant. Yes, some teams will never be able to handle certain opponents, EVER. But that's just match-up problems. Like, Orlando can never stop Bosh or Wade, even Van Gundy admits it. Come playoff time, it's different.

[1love]

Regular season game decides whether or not your team is worthy of being in the playoffs. Playoff games are on a way different level.

Yes, we all know the Lakers have the talent and the capability to beat anyone. They should be decimating other teams, but they look lackluster, unmotivated, distracted and slow. The huge leads in the 4th quarter are gone withing minutes and they find themselves ahead by only 2 points, every game is a rollercoaster for the Lakers, that is not a championship pedigree, that is a recipe for disaster.

They better wake up and play with same intensity as Cleveland or Denver. Or they will go fishin' early again this year

[Guest epark1281]

The Lakers have some tough matchups ahead. Gasol's going to have a tough time with Scola and Ming. Kobe will have to work harder for every shot with Artest and Battier on him.

Should they move ahead, Kobe would most likely be pestered around by Chris Andersen and Gasol would have to deal with Nene.

Unless the Laker role players have great games, i don't see the lakers making it to the Finals.