Are the Lakers going back to the Finals?
Moderators: bwgood77, zimpy27, infinite11285, Clav, Domejandro, ken6199, bisme37, Dirk, KingDavid, cupcakesnake
-
celticfan42487
- RealGM
- Posts: 27,524
- And1: 15,354
- Joined: Jul 22, 2005
- Location: Billerica, MA
-
-
ShowtimeFan
- Bench Warmer
- Posts: 1,467
- And1: 63
- Joined: Oct 07, 2007
- Location: Floor seats next to Jack
-
Das
- Senior
- Posts: 696
- And1: 56
- Joined: Jan 18, 2006
Veez wrote:man..some of you posters need to stop posting..all its doing is showing your true intelligence..which in your case is not benficial to you..comparing finley to odom..wtf is the matter with you..."odom is not a big 4 type" yea yea..let me go ahead and break this down for you using arithmetic:
when kobe and odom were together..odom was a 2nd option..so it was the BIG 2..then came bynum's emergence...which took pressure off of Odom..which made it the BIG 3..get ready for it now...THEN came Gasol..and hes already an established baller in this league..which..with Kobe AND Bynum AND odom..makes it the BIG 4...comprende?? you got that? wasnt that hard was it
Mathematics are not allowed in here.
-
kno
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 19,495
- And1: 24
- Joined: Nov 07, 2004
B-Scott wrote:Mitch should get GM of the last 3 years for building this team
Gasol, Farmar, Bynum, Turiaf, Sasha, Ariza
He's responisble for all of these players
Mitch wanted to take Geralnd Green with the pick. Lakers pretty much didnt give him that choice, thus, he's not responsible for drafting Bynum.
-
GregB
- RealGM
- Posts: 11,923
- And1: 2,999
- Joined: Sep 21, 2004
- Location: South Shore, MA
-
Veez wrote:man..some of you posters need to stop posting..all its doing is showing your true intelligence..which in your case is not benficial to you..comparing finley to odom..wtf is the matter with you..."odom is not a big 4 type" yea yea..let me go ahead and break this down for you using arithmetic:
when kobe and odom were together..odom was a 2nd option..so it was the BIG 2..then came bynum's emergence...which took pressure off of Odom..which made it the BIG 3..get ready for it now...THEN came Gasol..and hes already an established baller in this league..which..with Kobe AND Bynum AND odom..makes it the BIG 4...comprende?? you got that? wasnt that hard was it
Did you look in the mirror as you typed this??
-
EiRON
- Lead Assistant
- Posts: 5,656
- And1: 1
- Joined: Nov 24, 2006
- Location: Los Angeles Lakers Board
- Contact:
-
LakersSquad
- Analyst
- Posts: 3,152
- And1: 132
- Joined: Jun 07, 2005
KB 24 wrote:The Los Angeles Lakers has the best coach in Phil Jackson. They have the best basketball player in Kobe Bryant. A low-post threat in Andrew Bynum. A high-post threat in Pau Gasol. And a versatile Lamar Odom.
Can you spell C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.S.H.I.P?
they can win one but I just don't think it'll happen this year.
-
Triangle Theory
- Sixth Man
- Posts: 1,802
- And1: 0
- Joined: Feb 24, 2006
LakersSquad wrote:I don't expect the Lakers to make it past the west finals this year. We have to get used to having all of these guys on the floor at once. I believe next year is our year. As far as a Boston Lakers finals. Boston are having their own problems with Orlando.
Boston will blow by Orlando when it comes to the Playoffs. The C's will lock it down.
EDIT: The East
BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:Paul is the best player in the NBA. Nobody does it better at both ends.
-
JordansBulls
- RealGM
- Posts: 60,466
- And1: 5,345
- Joined: Jul 12, 2006
- Location: HCA (Homecourt Advantage)
People are putting too much pressure on them already. If they don't win the title it will make it a failure for them.
Think of these teams: San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers. Let's say they are the favorites to win it all, well only 1 team can win it all and whomever doesn't the season is a failure to them.
And then you have Dallas, Phoenix and Detroit of whom if they don't win the title the season is a failure to them as well.
Think of these teams: San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers. Let's say they are the favorites to win it all, well only 1 team can win it all and whomever doesn't the season is a failure to them.
And then you have Dallas, Phoenix and Detroit of whom if they don't win the title the season is a failure to them as well.
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
- Michael Jordan
-
Synciere
- General Manager
- Posts: 8,463
- And1: 5,584
- Joined: Jun 08, 2004
-
Just read all eleven pages and it seems there are a few recurring themes going on here. First my thoughts..
The Lakers are absofrigginlutely a contender. Which means they can win the championship THIS year... The problem is that though Gasol is a high IQ player, no one really knows how well he will mesh in the triangle. Honestly, Bynum being hurt is probably going to be a benefit to him as far as his learning curve with the offense. It will also be a detriment when Bynum comes back later this year and he has to adjust from having the block to himself to sharing the ball. Lakers in 6.
Basketball is a game of matchups, and the more talented you are, the more likely you are going to be able to create matchup problems against your opponents. In order for the Lakers to realistically get to the championship, we first have to analyze how they will do against the top teams in the West.
Phoenix: Without Gasol, Lakeshow has beaten the Suns twice, on the back of Bynum at that. People aren't looking at this team from a defensive standpoint, and that's where I think they will stand out the most. Gasol is no slouch defending 4's in this league, and it'll show when they have to go up against some of the best forwards in the game. Remember, Lamar is capable of guarding that position full-time also. With this team, I give the edge to the Lakers in a seven game series, based on performances in the playoffs in the last two years and the development of Bynum. Phoenix won't be able to stop L.A. enough, but I think L.A. will be able to slow Phx down some because there won't be nearly as much penetration in the lane, Phoenix does not have the ability to put two big bodies on the floor to guard both Gasol and Bynum down low without giving up their outside shooting, and L.A.'s bench is far superior. I also think PJ runs circles around D'Antoni in the coaching department. Steve Nash is wild card there, but Lakers prevail in that series. Lakers in 7.
San Antonio: This is hard to judge, because everytime you think SA is out, the playoffs come around, and they find a way to at least force teams to beat them. Problem is, teams have found a way to beat them in the past. Additionally, they haven't won back-to-back titles yet, and Parker hasn't been able to shake off the injury bug this year. They have an excellent defensive scheme, but they also have three bodies to throw at Duncan in Bynum, Gasol, and Turiaf. The Laker's also have perimeter defenders in Kobe and Ariza who I think could slow down Ginobili and TP. Most importantly though, I don't see them having homecourt advantage all the way through the playoffs with the way they're playing. This is more of an advantage to the Lakers or whoever they're playing than it is a deterrent to the Spurs. They seem to play just as well on the road in the playoffs. So Bowen guards Kobe, Duncan guards Gasol, now who the hell guards Odom for the Spurs? Match-ups all over again. Bynum also had a good post game developing along with some post moves. I think he could score on Elson and Oberto... Lakers in 6.
Mavs: Another hard one. Dirk has to go off. I mean OFF, to give the Mavs a chance to win. Who do you trust to go off more: Kobe or Dirk? Who do you think has the better supporting cast now? Gasol, Odom, Bynum, Fish vs. Howard, Harris, Stack, Terry. Edge goes to the Lakers there. Who has the better bench? Edge goes to the Lakers there, though this is close, because Terry comes off the bench and Bass has really stepped up. Actually, I'll give the edge to the Mavs there. Defensively, I take the Lakers there also. (I feel the need to say, very late at that, that this is all dependent on Bynum's FULL recovery. I'm making that assumption because with Gasol, the Lakers can afford to take their time and make sure he recovers well. Hopefully, he's back by late March and has time to integrate himself.) I have to say here, Lakers in 7.
Now if Gasol comes in and plays terribly and starts arguing with Kobe and Lamar can't guard a small forward to save his life, maybe this changes in my head.. I don't see this happening, and as such, I think this team is probably going to end up being a VERY good team this year, and a top 3 team next year.
Can they beat Boston? Yes. Will they even get the chance? Maybe, even probably if they're full-strength. If I'm laying odds now, the only team I'd give better odds to is Boston, because they've already shown how well they can mesh, something L.A. hasn't done yet. They also won't have to go through two, possibly three of the above teams just to get to the playoffs.
The Lakers are absofrigginlutely a contender. Which means they can win the championship THIS year... The problem is that though Gasol is a high IQ player, no one really knows how well he will mesh in the triangle. Honestly, Bynum being hurt is probably going to be a benefit to him as far as his learning curve with the offense. It will also be a detriment when Bynum comes back later this year and he has to adjust from having the block to himself to sharing the ball. Lakers in 6.
Basketball is a game of matchups, and the more talented you are, the more likely you are going to be able to create matchup problems against your opponents. In order for the Lakers to realistically get to the championship, we first have to analyze how they will do against the top teams in the West.
Phoenix: Without Gasol, Lakeshow has beaten the Suns twice, on the back of Bynum at that. People aren't looking at this team from a defensive standpoint, and that's where I think they will stand out the most. Gasol is no slouch defending 4's in this league, and it'll show when they have to go up against some of the best forwards in the game. Remember, Lamar is capable of guarding that position full-time also. With this team, I give the edge to the Lakers in a seven game series, based on performances in the playoffs in the last two years and the development of Bynum. Phoenix won't be able to stop L.A. enough, but I think L.A. will be able to slow Phx down some because there won't be nearly as much penetration in the lane, Phoenix does not have the ability to put two big bodies on the floor to guard both Gasol and Bynum down low without giving up their outside shooting, and L.A.'s bench is far superior. I also think PJ runs circles around D'Antoni in the coaching department. Steve Nash is wild card there, but Lakers prevail in that series. Lakers in 7.
San Antonio: This is hard to judge, because everytime you think SA is out, the playoffs come around, and they find a way to at least force teams to beat them. Problem is, teams have found a way to beat them in the past. Additionally, they haven't won back-to-back titles yet, and Parker hasn't been able to shake off the injury bug this year. They have an excellent defensive scheme, but they also have three bodies to throw at Duncan in Bynum, Gasol, and Turiaf. The Laker's also have perimeter defenders in Kobe and Ariza who I think could slow down Ginobili and TP. Most importantly though, I don't see them having homecourt advantage all the way through the playoffs with the way they're playing. This is more of an advantage to the Lakers or whoever they're playing than it is a deterrent to the Spurs. They seem to play just as well on the road in the playoffs. So Bowen guards Kobe, Duncan guards Gasol, now who the hell guards Odom for the Spurs? Match-ups all over again. Bynum also had a good post game developing along with some post moves. I think he could score on Elson and Oberto... Lakers in 6.
Mavs: Another hard one. Dirk has to go off. I mean OFF, to give the Mavs a chance to win. Who do you trust to go off more: Kobe or Dirk? Who do you think has the better supporting cast now? Gasol, Odom, Bynum, Fish vs. Howard, Harris, Stack, Terry. Edge goes to the Lakers there. Who has the better bench? Edge goes to the Lakers there, though this is close, because Terry comes off the bench and Bass has really stepped up. Actually, I'll give the edge to the Mavs there. Defensively, I take the Lakers there also. (I feel the need to say, very late at that, that this is all dependent on Bynum's FULL recovery. I'm making that assumption because with Gasol, the Lakers can afford to take their time and make sure he recovers well. Hopefully, he's back by late March and has time to integrate himself.) I have to say here, Lakers in 7.
Now if Gasol comes in and plays terribly and starts arguing with Kobe and Lamar can't guard a small forward to save his life, maybe this changes in my head.. I don't see this happening, and as such, I think this team is probably going to end up being a VERY good team this year, and a top 3 team next year.
Can they beat Boston? Yes. Will they even get the chance? Maybe, even probably if they're full-strength. If I'm laying odds now, the only team I'd give better odds to is Boston, because they've already shown how well they can mesh, something L.A. hasn't done yet. They also won't have to go through two, possibly three of the above teams just to get to the playoffs.
-
Triangle Theory
- Sixth Man
- Posts: 1,802
- And1: 0
- Joined: Feb 24, 2006
JordansBulls wrote:People are putting too much pressure on them already. If they don't win the title it will make it a failure for them.
Think of these teams: San Antonio, Boston and the Lakers. Let's say they are the favorites to win it all, well only 1 team can win it all and whomever doesn't the season is a failure to them.
And then you have Dallas, Phoenix and Detroit of whom if they don't win the title the season is a failure to them as well.
LA has 9 titles. People here just come to expect a title run when they have such team as talented and deep on PAPER as they do now. We do have to wait and let the gelling process begin, but man look at the paper again.
BRINGTHEPAIN wrote:Paul is the best player in the NBA. Nobody does it better at both ends.