The Quarter Stretch: How Do We Finish ?

[DEEP3CL]

OK fam here it is the last quarter of the season, we have 25 games left with one monster road trip that will give us our real indicator of where we stand. How much we improve will be told on that trip that starts on March 6th against all playoff teams. Our record currently stands at 38-19, our pace suggest we'll only win maybe 55 games meaning we'll finish 17-8 out of that 25.

Now a helluva pipe dream would have us winning 20 of 25 down the stretch, that's helluva momentum and it strikes fear into to the West opponents. But we know damn well that ain't happening, I say if we can win 17-19 we good.

For all the bitching and moaning we've done all season about getting the 1 seed and winning 60+ games and whatever, it's moot anyway. Because over the last 10 years or so 3 teams with the best overall record has won the title anyway. We don't need the 1 seed in the west, I still say we can beat San Antonio without it. People I'll burn this stat in the ground until I'm black and blue in the face, but when you've won 18 of the last 26 playoff games against a team the media and average Joe fan loves to say will knock us off.......it holds weight period.

When your coach comes out and mentions that his team "needs the 1 seed", that gives me reason to think your team has a mental block and uncertainty about beating the Lakers. Further evidence was the lucky ass tip in 3 weeks ago, did you see how those guys ran around the court ? They act as if they won Game 7 or something. Look I respect them, but I'll repeat it I don't fear them period.

That said we have to correct some of the main issues that have plagued us.....defense, ball movement, spotty rebounding. These 3 elements have been the main reasons for losses, they were the main issues coming out of camp that never got corrected. When we've won we've did these things like they're suppose to be done.

It's time for the bigs to take care of the boards, time for the guards to make sure the ball moves, and the whole squad has to be responsible for the defense. My prediction is we go 18-7 to finish 56-26 with the 2 seed and face Memphis in round 1.

[The Skyhook]

I feel that this team will pick up a little life after the All Star break but still struggle with consistency issues from time to time. Once Matt Barnes gets back I think he will be a huge spark for us and the guys will play harder. I'm thinking that we go something around 15W - 10 L in our last 25 games.

[crimsonkb24]

Dallas and OKC both have an extremely easy schedule the rest of the way. If we keep playing how we are playing right now, we've got the 4th seed. Better man up and start playing some basketball

[NoseBleedLakers]

To be honest, I'm totally unsure how this team will finish the final 25 games of the season. I mean I hope that they'll finally get their damn act together, but who really knows. I've been completely dumbfounded by this team so far this season, so I wouldn't be surprised if the stupidity continues.

I'm kinda sad that All-Star weekend is coming to a close. I was getting kinda used to this break from watching a bunch of failure.

[TruSkool]

my prediction is 55-27, good enough for the 3rd seed and going up against either Utah, Memphis, or New Orleans in the 1st round...which would be our only series with home court advantage.

as the season progresses, i dont see any vast improvements within the team, besides the fact that some our players might be injury free when the time comes.

a bright note to this season is that this is probably the longest stretch in the last 3 or so years that we have had andrew bynum at 100% and ready to go during the playoffs, so thats a big plus for us.


as for our matchups, theres only one team that can dethrone us and that's the celtics and I know they feel the same about us. When it matters most, there are 2 tiers. Tier 1 which consists of the lakers and celtics and Tier 2 which conists of the other 28 team. thats it. No other team can beat us if the lakers play like champions are suppose to play.

the west is very winnable for LA. If we lose, its not because of talent. its because of the focus.

[MaliBrah]

lakers have to come up big this last stretch of the season, facing the eastern conference champ without homecourt is tough.. homecourt was a blessing last year int he finals . game 6 and game 7 at home came up big. Lakers also had trouble winning games away in the playoffs except for the utah series. lakers must come up big these last 20 or so games

[LAKESHOW]

its clear to me, from watching the all-star game, that having both lebron and wade on one team is problematic for kobe. they will both guard him. they will both take turns. they will both lean and wear him down. so playing THAT team, we will need alternative planning to counter what they have in both of those guys defensively vs. kobe.

against orlando or the celtics, we will need bynum and pau to play big to defeat those 2 teams. now that takes care of the finals . . . i.e. miami, orlando, celtics.(i think chicago is still a year off)

now as the western conference is concerned, we need speed and more speed. sorry, kobe aint gonna provide that night in night out. blake wont, he aint got it. fish, pleeeeze. MATT BARNES is going to have to be that answer. what other teams are doing in the western conference is speeding up the pace of the game and we simply do not have any answer for that. but barnes will be a bit of a help in that area. what choice do we have?

i think KOBE is going to have to defer. sorry, but i really do. he is getting older and cannot do the same things WITH CONSISTENCY and ENERGY as he did 4 or 5 years ago with boundless energy. he will give intermittent pulses of power. but in the 2nd half goin into the playoffs, he needs to keep his energy fresh by offloading much responsibility and point gathering to the others. by doing so, it will open up other opportunities for him in which he can shoot freely. instead of being chased endlessly and shooting over doubles or triples.

[semi-sentient]

I think we'll finish the season 19-6 and end up at 57-25, which is good enough for the 3rd seed behind San Antonio and Dallas.

OKC's schedule isn't that easy. They still have to play us twice, Spurs, Magic, Heat, and a few other playoff caliber teams (7 on the road).

...

Regarding LeBron/Wade, they can't guard Kobe. I have never seen them effectively guard him. It'll require a team effort, just like it'll take a team effort to contain them. Besides that, it benefits us if one of them is glued to Kobe at all times because their ability to roam and help out is what makes them so good defensively. None of that matters though because they aren't going to beat the Celtics or Bulls, so I wouldn't worry about it.

[DEEP3CL]

I think we'll finish the season 19-6 and end up at 57-25, which is good enough for the 3rd seed behind San Antonio and Dallas.

OKC's schedule isn't that easy. They still have to play us twice, Spurs, Magic, Heat, and a few other playoff caliber teams (7 on the road).

...

Regarding LeBron/Wade, they can't guard Kobe. I have never seen them effectively guard him. It'll require a team effort, just like it'll take a team effort to contain them. Besides that, it benefits us if one of them is glued to Kobe at all times because their ability to roam and help out is what makes them so good defensively. None of that matters though because they aren't going to beat the Celtics or Bulls, so I wouldn't worry about it.

We'll be the 2 seed....book it, Dallas will falter like always. We still have 2 match ups with them, and they only have us by 3 games. Not that big of a challenge.

[That Nicka]

strong finish

[Magz50]

We don't need the 1 seed in the west, I still say we can beat San Antonio without it. .

[Wavy Q]

We don't need the 1 seed in the west, I still say we can beat San Antonio without it. .

**** off annoying troll.


anyway, im hoping for at least 55 wins.

[DEEP3CL]

Jay don't sweat it, the Spur fans are the most insecure on here. Especially the fool who posted the gif image. Bottom line is they're scared as hell to face us in a series, and if they say they're not then they're lying through their damn teeth.

[Magz50]

Calm down, jeez. I was just playing with ya.

Right now, I want nothing more than the Spurs to face the Lakers in the playoffs. I'm a Spurs fan first, but also an old school NBA fan second, and for me watching the best go at it in the playoffs is what it's all about to me, With all the new Super cheat teams around, and the west getting much weaker with the recent trades. I think a Spurs VS Lakers series is really the only potentially exciting series for the West this year. The Lakers have clearly lost a step, and the Spurs are finally healthy for the most part, so this year is the first time in years we'll get to see two teams without injuries playing each other potentially.

[Edrees]

I'm not so optimistic right now. I think we can definitely do it but I don't want to set my hopes up too high, too much of a roller coaster ride with these lakers. I'll set up my hopes up high once the playoffs start, I think we can win it all, but I don't have much high hopes for finishing with anything above the 3rd or 4th seed.

[Boognish]

I'm not as concerned with our final record as much as our form heading into the playoffs. The Lakers will not have home court in the finals, so that chase is moot, and their only real roadblock in the West is the Spurs. The road to the finals just got smoother with Melo and Deron going East, and tho it's not a forgone conclusion, I'd take the Lakers over the Spurs, with or without home court.

Not to say that record is irrelevant, but if the Lakers can get firing on all cylinders, they can make another finals appearance, regardless of seed. Not sure how they'd fare without homecourt against Boston or Miami...

Drew looked great last night against the Hawks, hopefully he, and the rest of the team, can stay healthy and maintain a high level of play heading into the playoffs