RealGM

yes..that's right ladies and gentlemen, Heat is making a thread in enemy territory..

anyways, with a Spurs-Lakers game coming up, and assuming both teams take care of the games they're supposed to win down the stretch, do any of you guys see either team tanking a game or two at the end, IF it could result in a possible 1st round series vs. the Rockets? or will it be too risky out West to do anything like that?..

this also depends on what the Jazz and Suns do of course, but hypothetically speaking here..

I see it like this, if you can't beat any of the teams in the west then no way in hell you can beat Boston. Its pointless other than stupid accolades like going past first round by beating some half arse injured team like houston.

I definitely agree that you should feel like you can beat ANY team and not to fear any team, I've said it many times..but of course if you get an opportunity to play a team that every other playoff team feels like they can beat, wouldn't you take it?..

also, you mention Boston..they're going to virtually have a 1st round bye by playing Atlanta, so that's an advantage they will have..obviously playing a weaker Rockets team(compared to the other playoff teams IMO) would be good for the top teams..

Houston despite having injuries is a team i wouldn't want to face because they still play defense and I can see ALston going off on our point guards again.

Suns I want to face them for entertainment value. There is a chance them getting eliminated by others, might as well have it be us and fulfill what the fans want.

Denver, we have swept them but i wouldn't take a risk with Melo and AI. Obviously, its going to become fast paced game and im afraid our team will fall for their tempo and chuck shots. Similar case for Golden state.

I would take a pass on Jazz cuz they play well at home and might take it to 7 games.

Out of all of this it comes down to Dallas. We have been playing well against them with almost any kind of line up., so they'd be another choice, although most of them have come down to the wire.

I suppose home-court advantage over the entire conference is much more important than playing in the 1st round against injured teams.

this thread reeks of the General Boards high and mighty/high horse ridding/laugh at them there but here/no homers allowed attitude. can we get a "not another Lakers thread" post too?



just kidding



I don't think either team will tank, although I think the Mavs might tank their last game against the Hornets.

HarlemHeat37 wrote:I definitely agree that you should feel like you can beat ANY team and not to fear any team,

..

I don't agree with this at all.

Basketball is a game of matchups. Inside of a game coaches look for mismatches.

I bet Dallas could have beaten all the other WC teams except for Golden State.

Every team has a kryptonite. Lakers have problems with Portland, San Antonio. Spurs are having problems this year with NO getting blasted by double digits twice this year.

The problem for the Spurs with the Hornets is Paul is just good enough to score but he has Peja and West to spread the floor and it leaves Parker on an island. Parker can't stop Paul. The Spurs can't load up their defense on one guy like they do against the Lakers or the Cav's........

i doubt either team will tank

karma is at stake

hermes wrote:i doubt either team will tank

karma is at stake

you mean like when the Spurs tanked to get Duncan and ended up winning 4 championship and Karma said "yeah, but you will never win one back to back".

ya thats what i meant

snaquille oatmeal wrote:
I don't think either team will tank, although I think the Mavs might tank their last game against the Hornets.

If anything I think the Mavs learned it the hard way last year to not tank a game.

snaquille oatmeal wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

you mean like when the Spurs tanked to get Duncan and ended up winning 4 championship and Karma said "yeah, but you will never win one back to back".

well played, haha.

I usually wouldn't worry about matchups if we were going into the playoffs completely healthy, but this year with Bynum coming back, you gotta think it would be easier to ease him into the lineup against the Rockets. With that said, the Rockets won't be a complete cake walk either, we'd still have to take them very seriously.

If the seeding holds up, and the Lakers and Spurs end up with the 2nd and 3rd seed, they'd play each other in the 2nd round, I believe. I don't know why either team would tank when home court in the 2nd round is at stake.

I want no part of the spurs in the second round.

CITYOFANGELSX3 wrote:I want no part of the spurs in the second round.

if we have a healthy bynum,i say bring them on. if bynum can come back on sunday and play the remainder of the games he should be soild for the second round. the lakers can exploit the spurs age,and if our guys are hitting shots(sasha,farmar,fisher)then we should win in five or six games.

Lakers don't tank games period never have and never will. These are the playoffs man you suppose to beat who ever is in front of you if you want to become champions. This new era of fans expect the easy way to a title. "Let's play them so we don't have to play them", that's weak straight up weak.

For the first time ever every West team in the playoffs may or will have 50 plus wins, and in my 30 plus years of watching the NBA I've never seen that period. Nobody is going to be a cake walk this playoffs.