[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
Here’s a clip of the video I was talking about. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lebron quickly states that this video is the driving force behind his decision to leave.
People need to watch this video. Please.
Alright, it’s been since the OKC series since I’ve seen this. I
starting to get annoyed with the Lakers again. They look bored and are playing uninspired. This is what got em in trouble the last time.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]nomorewar wrote:
Suns will make a statement tonight and dominate the Lakers. [/quote]
You can put a cat in the oven, but that don’t make it a biscuit.[/quote]
I gotta clean up my oven tomorrow.
Im not watching anymore games until the Lakers and celtics meet… The suns and magic are fucking pathetic.
I think I just saw the Suns give the Lakers their best shot and although it was more competitive it simply wasn’t enough. The Lakers size is just too much for them. The Suns small lineup without Side Show Bob is their best lineup for the Suns to have a chance to win a game or two in this series.
I don’t like the lack of focus in some parts of the game for the Lakers. They can’t afford to do that playing the Celtics in the finals or it may end up a similar result as 08.
And whoever said earlier in this thread that Stoudemire is greater than Gasol could not be more off. Lamar follows a 19 and 19 with another lucky game of 17 and 11. And Kobe has a career playoff high of 14 assists (I think). Artest was great offensively tonight and Fisher and Farmar both contributed. Too many weapons to deal with.
I only caught the last quarter of the game, was activated by the military and working 12 hr days thru the finals =(, but I was really impressed with the ball movement and teamwork the lakers displayed. They finally seam to be all on the same page which is great. By the way they’re looking even without Bynum we can definitely beat Boston.
A few of my fellow basketball loving coworkers seem to think Boston will be too much for the Lakers. I disagree, Orlando is being dominated because Dwight Howard is too one dimensional and the Magic can’t stop the celtic offense. The laker defense is more than capable of shutting down the celtic offense and the Laker players have the skill to play them one on one. I am getting really antsy for these finals though, I really can’t wait for the gold vs green epic battle.
PS: why is this thread on the second page???
So I don’t think there’s a person on this thread that doesn’t think it’s going to Lakers and Celtics in the finals at this point. I definitely knew the Lakers were going to be there but was surprised it was the Celtics as opposed to Orlando and to a lesser extent Cleveland.
Maybe I’m just a schizophrenic Lakers fan but now I have two concerns with the rematch. The first has to do with the stability of Andrew Bynum’s knee. I feel like we don’t have to play him at all during the Suns series and would rather rest him but even if Phil does do that, how stable is that knee going to be when going up against the bigger, stronger Perkins and Davis? Trust me, we’re going to need Bynum if we have are going to have a chance to beat the Celts in the rematch.
And second, the only “tough” competition we’ve had in this postseason was the first round OKC. And they weren’t even tough in the physical sense but in the athletic youth sense. The times the Lakers have won the championship in the past decade has been when we had tough Western conference finals opponents who have prepared us to destroy the competition when making the finals.
Here is an article quote that sums up my concern
"In the Phil Jackson era, the Lakers have won NBA titles after being challenged in conference finals, and blown them when they were not.
In 2001, Portland pushed them into pounding Indiana. The next year, San Antonio shoved them into dominating Philadelphia. Then Sacramento whacked them into walking over New Jersey.
When they weren’t challenged by Minnesota in 2004? They were leveled by Detroit. When they were barely scratched by a transitioning San Antonio team in 2008? They were kicked by Boston.
Last year Denver stretched them such that their Finals task against Orlando became a relatively harmless one, and maybe it’s all a coincidence, but certain things are not."
Any thoughts from the peeps on this thread? Particularly interested in Lakers fans feedback on this one.
Andrew, it looks like we posted at the same time. So according to you, the concerns I threw out there aren’t concerns for you it seems.
The fan in me said Phoenix, but logic said L.A. I believe Phoenix can at least extend this series though. I’m still with Orlando I think we will see a different team tonight, it just seems weird that they are so shitty. Nelson, Lewis, game 1 Howard. And Randman keep it short, no one is going to read your novel long posts.
[quote]drewh wrote:
The fan in me said Phoenix, but logic said L.A. I believe Phoenix can at least extend this series though. I’m still with Orlando I think we will see a different team tonight, it just seems weird that they are so shitty. Nelson, Lewis, game 1 Howard. And Randman keep it short, no one is going to read your novel long posts.[/quote]
You must dissect the Wall O Text!!! ;0
Lakers looked damn good last night. Took what looked to be a very solid shot from the Suns(they got production from a lot of people) and still came out with a convincing W. Gentry’s thoughts at the press conference about sums things up, paraphrasing, “We shut down one option and they just kill us with someone else, and it kept going like that all night.” Dunno how you beat them when they have a game like that, everyone that played made notable contributions on offense.
[quote]randman wrote:
"In the Phil Jackson era, the Lakers have won NBA titles after being challenged in conference finals, and blown them when they were not.
In 2001, Portland pushed them into pounding Indiana. The next year, San Antonio shoved them into dominating Philadelphia. Then Sacramento whacked them into walking over New Jersey.
When they weren’t challenged by Minnesota in 2004? They were leveled by Detroit. When they were barely scratched by a transitioning San Antonio team in 2008? They were kicked by Boston.
Last year Denver stretched them such that their Finals task against Orlando became a relatively harmless one, and maybe it’s all a coincidence, but certain things are not."
Any thoughts from the peeps on this thread? Particularly interested in Lakers fans feedback on this one. [/quote]
I’m on my phone right now posting so looking up facts is a bit difficult but if memory serves me correctly san antonio did not shove and whack us into dominating new jersey, wasn’t that series one of the few sweeps in lakers finals history?
But this does not necessarily worry me, the lakers are going to go in there looking for a fight. In 2008 we thought we could go in there and finnesse our way to victory, I don’t think any of the lakers now will make the mistake of thinking we can simply outplay them. We are going to have to bang with them. We may not have been tested yet in banging with big guys but we are prepared for it IMO. Gasol has gotten stronger and more confident, bynum has a bum knee but perkins has shoulder and knee issues himself. Lamar odom is a fairly tough guy, kobe is as tough as they come, fisher can bang with the best of em, and do I really need to make the case for artest. This lakers team is better than 2008’s team and this celtics team with an exception for rando and wallace (who’s finally contributing) is slower then they were to years ago.
Lakers aren’t being tested like celtics will test them, but on the flip side who have the celtics played that will test them the way the lakers have. They’ve played good teams but none with the size and defense, and ball movement that the lakers have.
Plus motivation is a big factor, I think kobe will stop nothing short of fkn stabbing someone on the court before he allows the team that embarrassed him to beat him again.
Your thoughts??
I think Orlando wins the series and beats LA in 7. Inconsistency isn’t new to them or coming from behind.
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
[quote]randman wrote:
"In the Phil Jackson era, the Lakers have won NBA titles after being challenged in conference finals, and blown them when they were not.
In 2001, Portland pushed them into pounding Indiana. The next year, San Antonio shoved them into dominating Philadelphia. Then Sacramento whacked them into walking over New Jersey.
When they weren’t challenged by Minnesota in 2004? They were leveled by Detroit. When they were barely scratched by a transitioning San Antonio team in 2008? They were kicked by Boston.
Last year Denver stretched them such that their Finals task against Orlando became a relatively harmless one, and maybe it’s all a coincidence, but certain things are not."
Any thoughts from the peeps on this thread? Particularly interested in Lakers fans feedback on this one. [/quote]
I’m on my phone right now posting so looking up facts is a bit difficult but if memory serves me correctly san antonio did not shove and whack us into dominating new jersey, wasn’t that series one of the few sweeps in lakers finals history?
But this does not necessarily worry me, the lakers are going to go in there looking for a fight. In 2008 we thought we could go in there and finnesse our way to victory, I don’t think any of the lakers now will make the mistake of thinking we can simply outplay them. We are going to have to bang with them. We may not have been tested yet in banging with big guys but we are prepared for it IMO. Gasol has gotten stronger and more confident, bynum has a bum knee but perkins has shoulder and knee issues himself. Lamar odom is a fairly tough guy, kobe is as tough as they come, fisher can bang with the best of em, and do I really need to make the case for artest. This lakers team is better than 2008’s team and this celtics team with an exception for rando and wallace (who’s finally contributing) is slower then they were to years ago.
Lakers aren’t being tested like celtics will test them, but on the flip side who have the celtics played that will test them the way the lakers have. They’ve played good teams but none with the size and defense, and ball movement that the lakers have.
Plus motivation is a big factor, I think kobe will stop nothing short of fkn stabbing someone on the court before he allows the team that embarrassed him to beat him again.
Your thoughts??[/quote]
Like I’ve been saying for the last two or so pages, the Lakers will meet the Celtics in the finals and put it on 'em. Bryant will have a monster series and the Lakers take it in 5. maybe 6.
[quote]drewh wrote:
I think Orlando wins the series and beats LA in 7. Inconsistency isn’t new to them or coming from behind.[/quote]
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
[quote]randman wrote:
"In the Phil Jackson era, the Lakers have won NBA titles after being challenged in conference finals, and blown them when they were not.
In 2001, Portland pushed them into pounding Indiana. The next year, San Antonio shoved them into dominating Philadelphia. Then Sacramento whacked them into walking over New Jersey.
When they weren’t challenged by Minnesota in 2004? They were leveled by Detroit. When they were barely scratched by a transitioning San Antonio team in 2008? They were kicked by Boston.
Last year Denver stretched them such that their Finals task against Orlando became a relatively harmless one, and maybe it’s all a coincidence, but certain things are not."
Any thoughts from the peeps on this thread? Particularly interested in Lakers fans feedback on this one. [/quote]
I’m on my phone right now posting so looking up facts is a bit difficult but if memory serves me correctly san antonio did not shove and whack us into dominating new jersey, wasn’t that series one of the few sweeps in lakers finals history?
But this does not necessarily worry me, the lakers are going to go in there looking for a fight. In 2008 we thought we could go in there and finnesse our way to victory, I don’t think any of the lakers now will make the mistake of thinking we can simply outplay them. We are going to have to bang with them. We may not have been tested yet in banging with big guys but we are prepared for it IMO. Gasol has gotten stronger and more confident, bynum has a bum knee but perkins has shoulder and knee issues himself. Lamar odom is a fairly tough guy, kobe is as tough as they come, fisher can bang with the best of em, and do I really need to make the case for artest. This lakers team is better than 2008’s team and this celtics team with an exception for rando and wallace (who’s finally contributing) is slower then they were to years ago.
Lakers aren’t being tested like celtics will test them, but on the flip side who have the celtics played that will test them the way the lakers have. They’ve played good teams but none with the size and defense, and ball movement that the lakers have.
Plus motivation is a big factor, I think kobe will stop nothing short of fkn stabbing someone on the court before he allows the team that embarrassed him to beat him again.
Your thoughts??[/quote]
Like I’ve been saying for the last two or so pages, the Lakers will meet the Celtics in the finals and put it on 'em. Bryant will have a monster series and the Lakers take it in 5. maybe 6.[/quote]
I say the celtics beat the lakers again…
wanna bet avatars???
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
This lakers team is better than 2008’s team and this celtics team with an exception for rando and wallace (who’s finally contributing) is slower then they were to years ago.
Your thoughts??[/quote]
I agree with everything you said except for half of above. Yes, the Lakers are a better team and it’s real good to have Artest for a series against the Celtics. Pau is tougher but it’s Bynum’s toughness and effectiveness I’m questioning with that knee.
Perkins hasn’t seem affected by his shoulder and has looked tough (along with Davis). My impression of Bynum is that he can’t deal with big, thick centers. He doesn’t seem to every play well against a 37 year old Shaq for example. I’m guessing he’s going to have similar problems against Perkins and Davis. That being said, I’m not caring too much about his offense but more about defense and rebounding. That’s where he can make the biggest impact.
To say the Celtics are slower? Yeah, I guess. But they are still really tough on defense and they play half court ball even more than we do so I’m not sure how a little slower is bad. Although as I say that, the Lakers have been running and being more successful than the Suns at their own game. So who knows.
But you are right about something else, I guess if you look at Cleveland or Orlando honestly, they haven’t really challenged them on the magnitude that the Lakers will so I guess the reverse is true as well.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Like I’ve been saying for the last two or so pages, the Lakers will meet the Celtics in the finals and put it on 'em. Bryant will have a monster series and the Lakers take it in 5. maybe 6.[/quote]
I really hope you are right cuz the whole Celtics team looks extremely focused this whole post season. They didn’t get their crap together until the Finals in 08. It’s funny how Cleveland and Orlando are both loose, happy go lucky teams that do funky dances before game time and get silly and do “over the top” celebrate when they have big leads.
And then there’s the Celtics, that rarely smile and are all business and they wipe the floor with those two teams. That’s why I said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d much rather have teammates that come off as dickheads more than goofy, happy go lucky players (i.e. Lebron, Howard, etc).
Bynum really doesn’t need to be a lock down defender perkins and davis aren’t putting up that many points anyways, I do agree with you in regards to his rebounding. But I like bynum in there for no other reason then the fact that him and gasol clogging the lane will make it very difficult for speedy lil rondo to get to the whole even if he loses Fisher. Even tho odom is having a great game he isn’t as physically imposing as bynum which we will need.
I think its funny that everyone is calling the celtics as the best team in the nba. They beat a one dimensional cavs with a lazy effort from lebron and they are beating a spoiled orlando team that wasn’t ready for a real battle. I think game one was a bit of a wake up call, game 2 was a better measure of how difficult orlando can be for them. Everyone is thinking celtics have it easy because they’re going home but they have had a remarkably poor at home season this year. Orlando beat boston twice on their home court already this season. Celtics perform better away, so the question is can they win at home??
[quote]nomorewar wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
[quote]randman wrote:
"In the Phil Jackson era, the Lakers have won NBA titles after being challenged in conference finals, and blown them when they were not.
In 2001, Portland pushed them into pounding Indiana. The next year, San Antonio shoved them into dominating Philadelphia. Then Sacramento whacked them into walking over New Jersey.
When they weren’t challenged by Minnesota in 2004? They were leveled by Detroit. When they were barely scratched by a transitioning San Antonio team in 2008? They were kicked by Boston.
Last year Denver stretched them such that their Finals task against Orlando became a relatively harmless one, and maybe it’s all a coincidence, but certain things are not."
Any thoughts from the peeps on this thread? Particularly interested in Lakers fans feedback on this one. [/quote]
I’m on my phone right now posting so looking up facts is a bit difficult but if memory serves me correctly san antonio did not shove and whack us into dominating new jersey, wasn’t that series one of the few sweeps in lakers finals history?
But this does not necessarily worry me, the lakers are going to go in there looking for a fight. In 2008 we thought we could go in there and finnesse our way to victory, I don’t think any of the lakers now will make the mistake of thinking we can simply outplay them. We are going to have to bang with them. We may not have been tested yet in banging with big guys but we are prepared for it IMO. Gasol has gotten stronger and more confident, bynum has a bum knee but perkins has shoulder and knee issues himself. Lamar odom is a fairly tough guy, kobe is as tough as they come, fisher can bang with the best of em, and do I really need to make the case for artest. This lakers team is better than 2008’s team and this celtics team with an exception for rando and wallace (who’s finally contributing) is slower then they were to years ago.
Lakers aren’t being tested like celtics will test them, but on the flip side who have the celtics played that will test them the way the lakers have. They’ve played good teams but none with the size and defense, and ball movement that the lakers have.
Plus motivation is a big factor, I think kobe will stop nothing short of fkn stabbing someone on the court before he allows the team that embarrassed him to beat him again.
Your thoughts??[/quote]
Like I’ve been saying for the last two or so pages, the Lakers will meet the Celtics in the finals and put it on 'em. Bryant will have a monster series and the Lakers take it in 5. maybe 6.[/quote]
I say the celtics beat the lakers again…
wanna bet avatars???
[/quote]
That’s a bet.