NBA

[Guest Unanimous]

We definitely cant underestimate the Magics. They are a good team, that plays well together with numerous good players.

It all comes down to who wants it more, and whose supporting cast wont choke.

I look forward to this series. This year's playoff is so bittersweet.

So many hardworking teams that have a story of their own - how they got to the playoffs, how special it would be if they had made it all the way.

[xkrndreamer]

it's not going to be easy, but the lakers learned a lesson last year.

they aren't going to make the same mistake twice.

[Guest Jinkst]

Bynum- The new Kwame Brown

I really dont think its the 3pt shooters are the worst problem for the Lakers. It comes down to transition plays and controling the paint. There is no doubt the lakers have good players and had other players step up atime. I dont see anyone though that can at least contain D-Howard.The Magic team plays the game inside-out. Skip always lookin for sluggish defenders to drive it on for either the easy lay-up or Howard to clean it up. Hideo driving with his lanky body for easy fouls or a kick out. And If Nelson does come back add in someone with a burst of of energy with the cleaniest pull-up.

And whom ever can adjust and tweak there gameplay as well control the boards will win. Magic showed how much of a joke the coach of the year is. He could not make the right adjustments to contain Howard and relying on Lebrons presence to give them a shoot for baskets. I think this is why Lebron was so frustrated cause Orlando never change there gameplan they just executed and dominated.

So.. Running.. Transition plays.. Control the paint.. Adjustments. So magic in 6 to win. Imma be there for game 3 and 4 !!! go magic !!!

[RiderKamen]

I think Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and the bench is going to be key for the lakers.

If Howard gets to a fast start (let a lone be a factor in all quarters), and Turk shows up almost every game (can't say every game), and every player hustles, its going to be vital for their success

Depending on how the game is played, I"m guessing its going to be late 3rd quarters/early 4ths that will determine the winner.

Game 6 for Lakers

Game 7 for Magic

[Guest SurpriseSex]

I think Howard will be bothered by the versatility of Gasol and his arsenal of post moves. I can see him getting into early foul trouble trying to defend an actual low post threat. Up until now, he's been against absolute jokes of low post presences in Ilgauskas, Varajeo, Wallace, Dalembert and Perkins. All are pretty solid players, but none are going to be much of a threat offensively. And he still got into plenty of foul trouble. With Gasol, Odom, and Bynum being the bonafide offensive talents that they are manning the high and low posts, Howard will have his work cut out for him defensively. I don't think the footwork is there.

[Guest GO!zilla]

Bynum- The new Kwame Brown

okay jon barry.

[Guest YSK]

Bynum- The new Kwame Brown

I really dont think its the 3pt shooters are the worst problem for the Lakers. It comes down to transition plays and controling the paint. There is no doubt the lakers have good players and had other players step up atime. I dont see anyone though that can at least contain D-Howard.The Magic team plays the game inside-out. Skip always lookin for sluggish defenders to drive it on for either the easy lay-up or Howard to clean it up. Hideo driving with his lanky body for easy fouls or a kick out. And If Nelson does come back add in someone with a burst of of energy with the cleaniest pull-up.

And whom ever can adjust and tweak there gameplay as well control the boards will win. Magic showed how much of a joke the coach of the year is. He could not make the right adjustments to contain Howard and relying on Lebrons presence to give them a shoot for baskets. I think this is why Lebron was so frustrated cause Orlando never change there gameplan they just executed and dominated.

So.. Running.. Transition plays.. Control the paint.. Adjustments. So magic in 6 to win. Imma be there for game 3 and 4 !!! go magic !!!

Oh Lord, Bynum= new Kwame brown. C'mon thats a low blow...I dont remember Kwame ever scoring 42....

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Interesting read:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ar6g...o&type=lgns

[Guest asdfjkl;fdsajkl;]

Laker fans think it's a guaranteed win for them but I think MANY Cav fans thought the same thing and look what happened?? I really hope Magic wins I mean the last time they were in the finals was back in 95 and they lost to the Rockets. I think Orlando wants this championship more than LA and unlike the Lakers I think Magic have been pretty consistent during the playoffs. Let's go Magic! Superman needs his ring.

lakers fan are DEFINATELY not underestimating the magic. if anything, we're overestimating them. personally, im confident that that the lakers will make the right decisions and plays after going through a grueling playoffs. im not saying they are guaranteed to win the championship cuz they most certainly aren't BUT i do believe that the lakers team that has been to the finals and has come out of the denver series knows what it will take to win the championship. the lakers team we saw at the end of the nuggets series is a different lakers team at the start of the playoffs. i think it finally hit them that this is playoff basketball and they need to bring IT. like george karl said, "I saw little cracks in the Lakers and somehow we’ve cemented those cracks back up, and I think they’re the best team right now in the NBA" (omg...i cant believe i just used a quote on soompi). position by position, magic has the edge but as a team, i think lakers have the edge.

and btw the magic most certainly dont want the championship more the lakers. the city? maybe, maybe not. but the team? HALE no. we're talking about a lakers team who went to the finals last year only to end in a devastating 40 point blowout or a magic team who has a go at the championship for the first time in their lives? yea, lakers WANT IT.... BADDDDDD

i'm just glad jameer nelson is out, he did the most damage in both games.

although he could be back....but i seriously doubt it

[Guest SurpriseSex]

People keep pointing to the matchup problems the Magic pose for the Lakers. I say: what matchup problems?

Let's run down the lineup.

Rafer Alston will be covered by Derek Fisher. Rafer Alston, for all his middling talent, is a dumb basketball player. Derek Fisher, for all his physical shortcomings, is an intelligent basketball player. We can go with a tie here, no?

Courtney Lee. Kobe Bryant. Case closed.

Hedo Turkoglu will be covered by Trevor Ariza. Ariza is incredibly long and quick, just the type of player who can give a slow perimeter player such as Turkoglu trouble. Turkoglu can shoot the lights out, but he can barely finish a layup. Ariza can do both and he does not give up as much height as Delonte West.

Rashard Lewis will be covered by Pau Gasol. Gasol is quick and savvy with very underrated perimeter defense. Mehmet Okur can attest to this. When Lewis drives, his lack of handles and propensity to only go right will do him in. And it's not like Gasol is a poor interior defender, either.

Howard will be covered by Bynum. While Bynum is not on top of his game at the moment, he is still more than capable of banging inside with Howard. And in the past few seasons, he has had a some good games against him. At the very least, he can provide 6 fouls with which to send Howard to the line with. Any coach will live with a 60% free throw percentage rather than a 95% dunk.

And let us not forget that once Odom comes off the bench and Gasol switches to the 5, Howard will have even more trouble as I mentioned in my previous post.

The Magic have great three-point shooting, but the Lakers have the third best three-point defense, not to mention their own top-rated offense.

If Dwight Howard gets into foul trouble early and often, as I predict will happen, four or five games is definitely not an outrageous prediction. But to give some room for error, I'll go with Lakers in five or six, instead.

[Guest melo.breeze]

although he could be back....but i seriously doubt it

sorry to cut your post. but yeh, i really doubt jameer nelson will come off the bench any time soon.

just as boston didn't play KG who could have made a possible comeback, i don't think orlando will play nelson.

[Guest mofo]

i don't think rafer alston is a dumb pg. if he was he wouldn't be in the league as a STARTER for as long as he has. if he was a dumb player he would have ruined impeded orlando's success in the playoffs. but he hasn't. he's not exactly a game changer, but i would say he's pretty consistent and doing what is asked of him.

i think dwight howard will get into a lot of foul trouble...hedo turkoglu will have to step it up and be a leader. i don't see rashard lewis doing anything but hitting some open jumpers once in a while. mickael pietrus was pretty good. he's a good role player. the magic have good role players.

i hope the magic win

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Well, he starts because the next best option is Anthony Johnson.

[Guest kuku]

Lmao SurpriseSex is downplaying the Magics so much.

You haven't bashed Pietrus yet. I'm surprised since he gets quite a bit as well.

I'm sure Lakers will win the championship this year, but I know Magics will put up a good fight. Magics play more of a well rounded game. They pass the ball more and give more players a chance to shoot. I love how it's like 4 people at 3 point line, and 1 Dwight Howard in the middle. That's their style since they have so many 3 pointers. I agree on your view on Turkoglu though. He's really not that good. He can't drive to the net. He misses so many shots. AND I know he'll have many turn overs if he's guarded by Ariza.

Lakers play a more tighter defense but rely on Kobe too much. Also, I did some researching and found online, when Kobe shoots averaging around 20, they have a MUCH higher chance to win than when Kobe has 30+ shots. This goes to show that when his team plays more, they win more. I mean, you could say he's carrying the team. But it's like watching the Cavs. James drives to net, foul, free throw, rinse and repeat. So much fouling just ruins the game overall. Seroiusly, that night where he had 41 points. He shot 24 free throws. wtfomgbbq... so much lol

[Guest SurpriseSex]

Lakers play a more tighter defense but rely on Kobe too much. Also, I did some researching and found online, when Kobe shoots averaging around 20, they have a MUCH higher chance to win than when Kobe has 30+ shots. This goes to show that when his team plays more, they win more. I mean, you could say he's carrying the team. But it's like watching the Cavs. James drives to net, foul, free throw, rinse and repeat. So much fouling just ruins the game overall. Seroiusly, that night where he had 41 points. He shot 24 free throws. wtfomgbbq... so much lol

You should read this: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont...n?urn=nba,86015

And about Pietrus. He is a solid player off the bench, a decent defender. He should see plenty of minutes guarding Kobe. However, I've watched him since he came into the league with Golden State. He cannot dribble for the life of him. It seems like every time he puts the ball on the floor, a turnover happens. It's a shame that someone of his athletic ability can't find his own shot.

[Guest TerioN]

LAKERS WILL WIN!! haha, for sure. too bad cavs got out though, i wanted to see an epic match between kobe and lebron, then prove to everyone kobe is better when lakers own

[1love]

Jameer Nelson said he is going to play in the finals. I think it's a mistake, he should just wait until he is 100%. Magics will be contenders for years to come, no reason to jeopardize your health when you have more chances to win a ring later on.

If he plays I hope he burns Fisher again and make Fisher realize he needs to retire.

[Guest SurpriseSex]

He only burned Fisher in those two games because the Lakers did not have a backup point guard at the time, forcing Fisher to play major minutes. Farmar was injured for both games and the Lakers had not yet traded for Shannon Brown.

[Guest michellek]

I think you mean game 3, but here it is. I think jr smith's t-rex dance after the 3 was funnier though.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2hfuxj5.jpg

Thank you

Alright, totally psyched for Thursday, which is also my last day of school btw haha.

Being an LA-er of course I'm all Lakers ftw and hoping for a 4-0 sweep, but that's gonna be difficult since the Lakers have lost to orlando before. Excited to see Dwight Howard play too, actually o_o However in the end, (not being bias here) I think the Lakers have a margin over the Magic to win this. With nearly a week to prepare since eliminating Denver i'm hoping the Lakers will do amazing in the finals!!!

[Guest DOVAHKIIN]

And it's not like Gasol is a poor interior defender, either.

And let us not forget that once Odom comes off the bench and Gasol switches to the 5, Howard will have even more trouble as I mentioned in my previous post.

Gasol's a talented star, but a legit challenge for Howard? Can't see that.