RealGM

I think the big three on each team are pretty evenly matched in aggregate.

The difference in this series will be the point guard position, and this heavily favors us.

Rondo will defecate (discharge feces from his bowels) all over fisher's head.

Interesting commentary. I think I've seen similar opinions from Marv Alberts!

Thanks for the definition.

Rondo is part of the big three, however.

Fisher is smart and a great shooter. He'll try whatever he can to get Rondo into foul trouble. Rondo just needs to be relentless on both ends of the floor to tire out the older Fisher.

Fisher is the same players as Delonte West. Hopefully Rondo learned a lot from that matchup. Neither are playmakers but both can kill you as a shooter if you try to cheat off them and stop penetration from Kobe/Lebron. Fisher is probably actually a better shooter than West, but I think West is a better defender, especially when matched up against an old teammate in Rondo. West had serious motivation in the Cleveland series to prove us wrong and step up to beat Rondo. Fisher will play with energy but nowhere near the type that a guy like West, who was traded away from the team he was playing.

CelticsWhat! wrote:Fisher is smart and a great shooter. He'll try whatever he can to get Rondo into foul trouble. Rondo just needs to be relentless on both ends of the floor to tire out the older Fisher.

This matchup isn't even close!

grantlongforpresident wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



This matchup isn't even close!

You are quite right....at this point Fisher is the better player

- Shut down Deron Williams (for most of the time)
- Championship experience
- Clutch player

It isnt close

What an education these playoffs have been for Rondo.

It's like going for a PhD at MIT and an MBA and JD at Harvard all in one year: If it doesn't kill him and he can process a third of it, he'll be in good shape!

John from Hemet wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



You are quite right....at this point Fisher is the better player

- Shut down Deron Williams (for most of the time)
- Championship experience
- Clutch player

It isnt close

He's so good, in fact, that every point guard in the NBA reaches career marks against the Lakers.

Well this will be the key to the series. We usually will need to win this matchup to win the series.

Rondo played horrible in the ECF. He never stood in front of his man, he constantly gambled on defense and lost leaving people wide open [look at the end of game 7 and watch the piston brick open threes then notice they were wide open because Rondo gambled and failed] and Rondo's shooting have been non-exsistent then when he does shoot it it's not going in often enough.

The on the offensive end the other team gets a free man to double team any of the stars. Kobe may demand double team off shooters, Rondo gives the Lakers free double teams off bricks or passing with 2 seconds left so someone else has to shoot under duress.

Rondo reallllllllly needs to pick it up and win this matchup for us to do well. We can't have crappy Rondo in this series because we don't have a back-up to make up for it (


Fisher is okay, he'd do fine as our PG but he's just steady nothing spectacular [this is what Cassell was suppose to be for us]

Man you are underestimating DFisher big time my friend. He is the oil that makes the Lakers machine work. He is a tireless worker, he is the smartest player on the court, he is tough, he can reign huge jumpers. Then we got Farmar the overachiever, and Sasha...All three are the hardest working players on the team not named KB24. We have been thru a reign of terror at the 1 position...AI, DWill, TPark we have survived all three, now we have Rondo.

I like Rondo, watched him in college, he's a hustler and has adapted well, plays better D than everyone but DWill of those three, but Rondo is a big dropoff. I think that is one big key to the series. It is where the Lakers FINALLY have an advantage after going thru that PG gauntlet.

I think you are denying yourself that we have a clear advantage in the backcourt. You guys have a nice frontline especially defensively, but you have to deal with all offensive players Gasol, Vlad Rad, Lamar. That's about even IMO, if not an advantage to the C's. But you have no cake walks vs. any of our three they are gonna make your guys work. However, in the backcourt it's a clear advantage IMO in the Lakers favor.

Can't wait until Thursday.

Anyone who thinks the Cs have an advantage in the backcourt is foolish. Even if you think Fisher and Rondo are a wash, Kobe will torch Ray Allen. Ray will have several 20 point nights but nothing to make up for what Kobe will do.

Luckily, I think the plan is to actually let Kobe torch Allen. Let him become the volume shooter. If he is taking 25-28 shots a game, AI style, I like our odds a lot. That means he is not getting his teammates involved, and nobody on that team, except MAYBE Gasol, is a guy who calls for the ball on his own. Kobe, like LBJ, needs to set them up for success, either with cuts to the hoop (Odom, Turiaf)or kickouts for jumpers (Vujacic, Fisher). If Kobe has only 3 APG like he did vs. Boston in the regular season, LAL will have the same success against the Celtics as they did then- none.

rondo is not way better than fish.
i'm not sure he's even better than fish.
some days he's way better, some days he's way worse. he's just way more inconsistent. fisher is a vet who runs the show there pretty well.

we definitely have a disadvantage in the backcourt. hopefully we can hold our own there, because our frontcourt is way better.

Gomes3PC wrote:Fisher is the same players as Delonte West. Hopefully Rondo learned a lot from that matchup. Neither are playmakers but both can kill you as a shooter if you try to cheat off them and stop penetration from Kobe/Lebron. Fisher is probably actually a better shooter than West, but I think West is a better defender, especially when matched up against an old teammate in Rondo. West had serious motivation in the Cleveland series to prove us wrong and step up to beat Rondo. Fisher will play with energy but nowhere near the type that a guy like West, who was traded away from the team he was playing.

Yes there games a very similar, but Delonte West just isn't as clutch or has the veteran presence Derek Fisher has and Fisher is still a little bit better, plus all that finals experience hes going to eat rondo and spit him out like a bad peice of ****.

Meh. Fisher has a man's body - D. West is built like a boy. Also Fisher can dribble a basketball. I am sorry but not every single "unpure" PG is just like Delonte West.

I think the key to defeating the Lakers is to make them feel they are playing for Kobe's glory and it's not a team effort. I don't get the feeling all those guys are in it together.

Pete

I just don't get all this anomosity, neither Rondo nor Fish are centerpieces of an offense.

You ran through the guantlet of PGs and you did well, great. Now you don't have to worry because we're not looking for Rondo to beat you. Neither are you really looking for Fish to beat us.

It's just important roleplayers. Fish will step up, Rondo will be inconsistent from good to very bad offensively. But like Fish he isn't really a huge creator or put in a postion where turnovers are likely to happen...

Rondo isn't a huge creator? How about all the dimes he was dropping against Atlanta, the last time we faced a mediocre defense like LAs? He might not be a scorer, but he can certainly make plays for other guys.

My point is that though the C's MIGHT have a slight advantage in the frontcourt, we have a clear strong advange in the backcourt.

Fisher gave Deron Williams all sorts of trouble and I think most people would agree Williams is ahead of Rondo.

Fisher is strong, smart, and experienced. And the number of momentum breaker/dagger type shots he hits in pretty incredible.

It will be a good conest, particularly if Rondo finds some consistency.

James Worthy as well as Billie King Sixers GM both said the key to the series is the KG/LO matchup. I hate to, and i don't think that that is the key to the series, because if it came down to that we are in trouble.

I think its our backcourt, our bench, our staff vs. a tough guard in Pierce and home court advantage. I'm completely confident LO will bring it as well as Gasol, and with the exception of Kobe, Radmon has been the best shooter on the Lakers.