Why we're gonna beat the Lakers for #18

[MyInsatiableOne]

I still want to see what WiltKarAndrew JaBynum-Chamberlain is doing come March or April before I make any predictions regarding their chances vs the C's and their defense...even with Gasol next to him, Bynum is the lone tower since Gasol is softer than a roll of rain-soaked toilet paper...

[TonyMontana]

I still want to see what WiltKarAndrew JaBynum-Chamberlain is doing come March or April before I make any predictions regarding their chances vs the C's and their defense...even with Gasol next to him, Bynum is the lone tower since Gasol is softer than a roll of rain-soaked toilet paper...

Okay....... Your going overbaord with Gasol....... Our defense has greatly improved since Bynum and Ariza have returned, and Gasol has taken a lesser role in defense and has became our second option allowing Bynum to be the force in the middle when it comes to blocks and rebounding.

[MyInsatiableOne]

^^The Lakers D is indeed better, but no thanks to Pau. He's a very good offensive player but a total cupcake in the physicality department...

[DEEP3CL]

Bynum is the lone tower since Gasol is softer than a roll of rain-soaked toilet paper...

Hey you know when it dries out it's hard and stiff right ! Maybe that'll help him absorb some contact just a tad !

[Dr Aki]

^^The Lakers D is indeed better, but no thanks to Pau. He's a very good offensive player but a total cupcake in the physicality department...

pau might be an average defender, but he still knows he's 7 feet tall and he knows how to use that to his advantage on both ends of the floor

at the very least, he knows how to get hit in the face, its amazing how many fouls his face draws...

[sam_I_am]

I haven't seen enough of the Lakers to know for sure, but when you see a team winning by 13 ppg then you know they are playing defense. Total ppg doesn't really tell the story which is why Pete's point about pace is so true. Last year we led the league in ppg differential and the year before it was San Antonio.

There is no denying that the Lakers got a lot better on paper since Finals. There is no denying that at least on paper we added no significant players and lost 2 key ones in Posey and PJ.

When we play each other we will see which is stronger - our defense or their offense - and that will determine who is better. The Lakers defense is probably good enough versus our offense right now. Can we stop them like we did last year? Will Ariza guarding Pierce change the dynamics of this matchup?

[BillessuR6]

I watched the lakers game against Phoenix and while their defense is better than last year it is not even close to the defense we play. Or the cavs for that matter. They are still winning with their offense, IMO.

And I agree with Sam. LA is better than last year, they added Bynum and Ariza. We OTOH lost Posey and PJ. We were clearly better last year, I expected a win in the finals, this season it is much closer. But I am sure Danny will improve this team by the time playoffs start, so we will see how we look then.