The Official Playoffs Thread

[jerrod]

i'd just like to point out that mo has still played better playoff games than bogut. i know you guys are having a great time with this, but keep that in mind.

There's no way you can take satisfaction in that, right?

the only satisfaction i get is from the people who said mo could never be a starter on a playoff team

i think it's actually kind of annoying that a player that was drafted in the 2nd round, is now on his 3rd team and was traded for LUKE F****** RIDNOUR has played better playoff games than our number 1 pick, 12 million dollar a year center.

not mad at bogut, just annoyed at the whole situation

[blueedwards]

i like that for them. randolph would bring inside scoring, and if he was hurting the team, someone at nike would probably just him killed and then the cavs would probably get some kind of exemption

I agree. That is the type of home run move they need to make and the only one that might be available to them. For the Clippers though, what do they do with Z man? They'd probably need to send him to a third team (Dallas?)

if the clippers were set on keeping kaman, i'd think dallas would be interested in z. i'm having trouble figuring out what kind of value z might bring. he's still a useful player but it has to be for the right style of team. if o'neal moves on from miami, i'd think the heat could be a decent spot for him.

Only way I see Dallas wanting Z is for pennies on the dollar. Other wise I see them going after Chandler to help that team clear cap cause they need it.

[europa]

i'd just like to point out that mo has still played better playoff games than bogut. i know you guys are having a great time with this, but keep that in mind.

There's no way you can take satisfaction in that, right?

the only satisfaction i get is from the people who said mo could never be a starter on a playoff team

You must not get much satisfaction then because I don't recall very many people who made that argument. I believe xTitan did but I can't think of anyone else off the top of my head.

[Ayt]

The Lakers could have matchup problems with Orlando. If you go with Bynum/Gasol up front, Gasol is going to have to guard Lewis. If you go with Gasol/Odom, Gasol is going to have to try to guard Howard. Either way, that is a big advantage game in and game out for Orlando.

With Howard in the lane and with the Orlando D overall being a very organize unit, Kobe could also be turned into a jumpshooter again with Pietrus and Lee both being solid defenders. Does the 40% Finals Kobe show up or does the Kobe that has seemingly had his jumper in every game so far in the playoffs show up?

Homecourt could be the deciding fact in favor of the Lakers, but Orlando matches up really well against them, IMO. If Orlando shoots like they did against Cleveland, they could take it.

[dogswithbeesintheirmouths]

Last night it was obvious that Lebron was dead set on throwing his body into Dwight Howard trying to draw fouls on him. He was doing it all game, and it even worked a couple of times, but for the most part it led to him needlessly throwing up junk trying to get the call instead of just trying to play through whatever contact there was and finish. It was straight out of the Richard Jefferson playbook.

The refs weren't going for it, but he kept doing it. Mike Brown should've told him to knock it off and just play, but Lebron's current babysitter isn't going to pull that. COY, ok, whatever. He'll be gone a year from now. He's the Ray Rhodes of basketball.

The Cavs need to make some moves. Point guard isn't where they need to do it, though. They were playing the corpses of Szczerbiak and Ben Wallace. Z is too slow to match up with a center with any kind of quickness and Verejao isn't big enough to play against fives. They couldn't match up with Turkoglu and Lewis at the same time, one of them was able to shoot right over his man standing still or blow right by him at all times.

[europa]

Bynum or Gasol will have trouble with Lewis/Hedo but Odom gives them a better option. That's something the Cavs didn't have. I think the Lakers' best lineup for this series is starting Gasol at C and Odom at PF. Odom can match up on Lewis or Hedo with Ariza taking the other one. Bynum can then come in off the bench. I doubt Jackson goes that route to start games but I think it's worth considering.

The other significant difference is the Lakers aren't likely to remove Gasol from their offense the way the Cavs did with Z. I think Cleveland made things so much easier for Orlando by not utilizing Ilgauskas more. That isn't going to happen with the Lakers, at least not consistently. I think they're smart enough to understand Gasol needs to get his touches in the post and force the Magic to defend him. Plus, he's a terrific passer so running offense through him consistently is smart on two counts.

That's really where the Lakers have the edge over every team in my opinion except for a healthy Boston team with Garnett. Their frontcourt talent, versatility and depth is so good.

[Ayt]

I love Pau, but Howard is a seriously tough matchup for him on both ends. The Lakers don't have a lot of options though unless they want to watch Pau chase Lewis around the court.

[europa]

I love Pau, but Howard is a seriously tough matchup for him on both ends. The Lakers don't have a lot of options though unless they want to watch Pau chase Lewis around the court.

I agree. But the difference is Gasol presents a challenge for Howard defensively. The Cavs barely tried to challenge Howard in the post with Ilgauskas or at the high post with pick and rolls. I think that was a huge mistake and one of the reasons why they lost the series. I don't see the Lakers making the same mistake.

The Lakers can put Gasol on Howard (not a good matchup but it keeps him in the post defensively) and use Odom and Ariza to chase Hedo and Lewis on the perimeter. I think they match up much better in that regard than the Cavs did.

[MikeIsGood]

I agree with both of you. I'm anxious to see this series; I think it could be really good. I'm hoping that it isn't ruined by reffing.

[Ayt]

I love Pau, but Howard is a seriously tough matchup for him on both ends. The Lakers don't have a lot of options though unless they want to watch Pau chase Lewis around the court.

I agree. But the difference is Gasol presents a challenge for Howard defensively. The Cavs barely tried to challenge Howard in the post with Ilgauskas or at the high post with pick and rolls. I think that was a huge mistake and one of the reasons why they lost the series. I don't see the Lakers making the same mistake.

The Lakers can put Gasol on Howard (not a good matchup but it keeps him in the post defensively) and use Odom and Ariza to chase Hedo and Lewis on the perimeter. I think they match up much better in that regard than the Cavs did.

The Lakers clearly matchup much better than the Cavs. Its really not even close.

Basically, where I'm going with this is that we are going to see a lot of Gasol on Howard with Howard very possibly going off on him unless they constantly double. If they have to constantly double the value in their matchups on that end is lessened because they'll all be scrambling to cover open shooters. If they don't double a lot, I don't think Pau can handle Howard because he's really not built to deal with a guy like him at the center position.

Going into the series at least, the most important thing to see is how the Lakers guard Howard. If Gasol can do a passable job, that is huge for them. If he can't, things could get interesting. Pau could also get into foul trouble if he has to try to guard Howard a lot, which would have a very big impact on the Lakers in all facets.

[europa]

I agree the Lakers have no one who can defend Howard and he's capable of stopping both Gasol and Bynum. However, the Lakers can at least attack Howard with Gasol and maybe even Bynum. The Cavs only wanted to attack Howard with LeBron. That worked very well until the refs actually officiated properly in Game 6 but it also was a glaring mistake in my opinion. I think the Lakers have more intelligence to attack Howard in a variety of ways and we know he'll get in foul trouble so this enhances that possibility.

The key to the Magic winning the series in my opinion is keeping Howard on the court. I believe the Lakers are much smarter than the Cavs and far more skilled in the frontcourt in order to effectively challenge him.

[blueedwards]

Only way Howard is stopped is if the Refs favor LA. I could see alot of bogus calls in the finals helping LA.

[Sigra]

Orlando will become new champions IF their shooters are brave enough to be calm with NBA trophy on their mind. Gasol is too soft to defend Dwight and if you play Gasol at PF then he just can't stay with Rashard (as Ayt said).

I can't see team wining championship with their best big being Pau Gasol. He is just too soft for that. The bigs who won championships in last 10 years: Shaq, Duncan, Wallace brothers, Garnett. Next: Dwight Howard (if his supporting cast keep hiting open shoots)

[rilamann]

So...anyone seen L&H?

I heard he's in bed getting some rest trying to heal his sore chest.Those 8 months of pounding on it has really taken a toll on him.

Crow is nature's medicine to heal a sore chest though so hopefully he's eating plenty of crow unless Mo already ate it all.

Get well soon L&H.

[Ayt]

Orlando will become new champions IF their shooters are brave enough to be calm with NBA trophy on their mind. Gasol is too soft to defend Dwight and if you play Gasol at PF then he just can't stay with Rashard (as Ayt said).

I can't see team wining championship with their best big being Pau Gasol. He is just too soft for that. The bigs who won championships in last 10 years: Shaq, Duncan, Wallace brothers, Garnett. Next: Dwight Howard (if his supporting cast keep hiting open shoots)

You definitely could be right.

I also don't think people should gloss over how the Lakers offense will work against the Orlando D. Kobe is going to have a much harder time than he did against Denver. We could very easily see another Finals from Kobe where he takes a lot of pullup J's and shoots in the low 40's.

[Fight the Tank]

LOL at Lebron wearing a Yankees hat in his day after postgame interview.

[europa]

if you play Gasol at PF then he just can't stay with Rashard (as Ayt said).

Which is why I'd strongly consider going with Gasol at C and Odom at PF and bringing Bynum off the bench. Not only are the Lakers now better equipped from a defensive perspective but they can also apply offensive pressure on the Magic and force Lewis (or Hedo) to defend because Odom's on the court and he has the ability to play both inside and outside.

Odom could very well be the X Factor in this series.

[RideEmCowboy24]

i cannot believe hedo turkoglu is a good NBA player...look at the guy

that said howard will crush pau's pussy @ss and the magic win in 6

[ReasonablySober]

So did anyone here care that LeBron skipped the presser? Does anyone know a Cleveland fan that did? Tirico is hammering him for it, saying he owes it to the fans and those that stuck by him while he was winning. My question is do fans even care if their team's best players stick around to chat with the media and give cookie cutter answers we've all heard before?

The closest parallel I could draw would be when the Packers lost at Lambeau in the NFC Championship game. Had Favre never showed up after the game it wouldn't have made an ounce of difference to me. The Packers lost, the season was over, they wouldn't be going to the SB. End of story. Who gives a damn about anything else.

[Nebula1]

This in Andrew Bynum's big moment. Can't wait to see what he brings. Going to be a very, very tough go for the Lakers.