We’re predicting scores now?? FML!
I think it will be a fairly low scoring game with quite a bit physicality.
I think Lakers win by no more than 5, I’ll go with 86 to 82. Never been good at predicting scores tho, so many factors to consider, it just hurts my brain.
[quote]gregron wrote:
^I like your prediction but I dont think the Lakers win a close out game in Boston… so I say either in 5 or in 7 (more than likely 7)
.greg.[/quote]
What are you talking about? The finals is always a 2 - 3 - 2 format. Game 6 will be at the Staples center. Games 3 through 5 are at the Boston Garden.
[quote]randman wrote:
[quote]gregron wrote:
^I like your prediction but I dont think the Lakers win a close out game in Boston… so I say either in 5 or in 7 (more than likely 7)
.greg.[/quote]
What are you talking about? The finals is always a 2 - 3 - 2 format. Game 6 will be at the Staples center. Games 3 through 5 are at the Boston Garden.[/quote]
boston garden??? what year am I in?
I’ll always refer to it as the Boston Garden. WTF up with TD Garden? Can’t do it. 
I am retarded… I just started going to college again and had been doing homework all day lol. Ok I say game 6.
.greg.
Lakers win game 1 93-87.
And the Finals should really be in a 2-2-1-1-1 format just like the rest of the playoffs.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Lakers win game 1 93-87.
And the Finals should really be in a 2-2-1-1-1 format just like the rest of the playoffs.[/quote]
agreed on the format. probably a pretty accurate score too… I think it’ll be a little bigger margin of victory for the Lake Show though
.greg.
[quote]gregron wrote:
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Lakers win game 1 93-87.
And the Finals should really be in a 2-2-1-1-1 format just like the rest of the playoffs.[/quote]
agreed on the format. probably a pretty accurate score too… I think it’ll be a little bigger margin of victory for the Lake Show though
.greg.[/quote]
I hear ya. I think it’ll come down to FT’s at the end of the game, and the Lakers pull it out.
Where are you going to school at?
anybody betting money like am?? 200 smakers is alot… im getting paranoid already.
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
[quote]gregron wrote:
[quote]tmoney1 wrote:
Lakers win game 1 93-87.
And the Finals should really be in a 2-2-1-1-1 format just like the rest of the playoffs.[/quote]
agreed on the format. probably a pretty accurate score too… I think it’ll be a little bigger margin of victory for the Lake Show though
.greg.[/quote]
I hear ya. I think it’ll come down to FT’s at the end of the game, and the Lakers pull it out.
Where are you going to school at?[/quote]
going to school down here in SD. Just got out of the navy 6 weeks ago and its time to get a real job lol.
.greg.
big game tonight… FML! I wont be able to watch it live. If some retard in my class tonight spoils the outcome for me I might have da creatine rage on them!!!
.greg.
I have to admit I’m quite nervous for this series. I keep flip flopping on potential outcomes. There is a lot riding here for the Lakers. I will admit I will be devastated if the Lakers don’t win this series. Devastated.
[quote]red04 wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
He puts up some killer numbers but he’s the most overhyped player in pro sports history.[/quote]
C’mon now you know that’s not true. You are trying to push the scale so far in the other direction at this point. You want overhyped, maybe you should start with players that were actually full on busts first, and then move on to people that are revered in their respective sports despite minimal accomplishment.
Joe Namath? The Bos? Ryan Leaf?
You people are so stuck on this it’s retarded, it’s not even about being a LeBron ‘lover.’ You can’t even think the dude is a good basketball player in this thread anymore without catching shit for it. But inevitably, there will be another post bringing this shit back up in a page or 2 because Kobe goes for 30 and hits a good shot, because it’s impossible for more than 1 player in the league to be good, that person has to be stealing Kobe’s thunder.
I don’t want to say I’m rooting against the Lakers, because I actually love Kobe, and root for greatness to happen at any and all times in my life(the more the better, so far I’ve got Jordan, Rice, maybe Woods and Manning or Brady depending how their careers flesh out); however I would find it fucking HILARIOUS if the Lakers lost this series. The best thing about it is, you’ve raised Kobe up so high in this thread that he is now to everyone else what you were so mad about LeBron being: a constant lose lose scenario. If he wins, well he fucking better have he’s Kobe mother fucking Bryant, you’ve already slung all the ammo you have on that one.
But if he loses? Oh well we better not talk about that…[/quote]
Red, obviously I was being hyperbolic. The guy’s an amazing talent, I just don’t think he’s “earned” the praise bestowd upon him. And, I don’t care who does what, those who understand the game know NO ONE is gonna steal Kobe’s thunder.
[quote]randman wrote:
I have to admit I’m quite nervous for this series. I keep flip flopping on potential outcomes. There is a lot riding here for the Lakers. I will admit I will be devastated if the Lakers don’t win this series. Devastated.[/quote]
I hate to admit it, but I’m in the same boat. The Celtics are playing balls out basketball right now, and the Lakers still have some of the same questions from '08 hanging over them. Sticking by my Lakers in 6 prediction, but that’s more with my heart than anything else. How they play tonight SHOULD answer a lot of those questions. God this is gonna be an awesome finals.
what if MJ and Kobe were on the same team???
I haven’t been this excited for an nba finals since the bulls era. I feel like a kid again!!!
Some random thoughts of mine regarding these Finals:
– Boston is 12-5 in the post-season, while LA is 12-4. (In 2008, Boston was 12-8 while LA was 12-3 heading into the Finals).
– Boston’s road to the Finals has clearly been tougher than LA’s. Boston has defeated two opponents that are at least comparable to LA, while LA has not played anybody comparable to Boston this post-season.
– Looking more closely, 3 of Boston’s losses have occurred after they took 3-0 leads. Excluding all games after taking 3-0 leads, Boston is 10-2 and LA is 11-4.
– In closeout games, Boston is 0-2 on the road, and 3-1 at home, 3-3 overall. LA is 3-0 on the road and overall.
– LA has closed out 5 straight series on the road. 8 of their last 10 series victories were closed out on the road. 7 of Boston’s 8 series victories since '08 were closed out at home.
– The 2-3-2 format is a wacky format that gives an edge to the road team IF IF IF they can take Games 1 or 2. If they can’t, it gives a big edge to the home team. 2-2-1-1-1 is more “path-neutral”, in that holding serve at home doesn’t earn either team much additional benefit.
In 2-2-1-1-1, the road team just has to win 1 on the road, and it really doesn’t matter which road game they win. In 2-3-2, the road team really needs to win Games 1 or 2 or they’re backed into a corner.
– IMO, Boston’s top-to-bottom roster was better in '08, but they’re starting 5 are playing better in '10. LA’s top-to-bottom roster and their starting 5 are about the same in '10 as they were in '08, again IMO.
While the '08 Finals were not particularly close, that difference could easily be made up by the decline in Boston’s bench and the change in HCA.
– Garnett has regressed noticeably since '08, especially on the offensive end. Rondo has improved exponentially offensively since '08. Even if the emergence of Rondo perfectly replaces the decline of Garnett, it changes Boston’s dynamic into a more perimeter-based team.
– For the first-time this post-season, LA does not have their opponent defeated based on roster alone. LA’s personnel gave them a dominating advantage in the paint against OKC, Utah, and PHX. As long as LA didn’t stink up the joint, they were NOT going to lose 4 out of 7 to those opponents. That advantage does not exist against Boston; they’re going to have to out-play Boston in order to beat them. Obviously, the reverse is true as well.
– Phil Jackson is going to have to earn his keep in this series. Boston has 3 major offensive threats on the perimeter (Allen, Pierce, and Rondo), while LA only has 2 strong perimeter defenders (Bryant and Artest). Jackson is going to have to rotate matchups to try and play whack-a-mole for his perimeter defense.
– Anybody that holds out “Kobe is out for revenge after '08” as an argument for LA is a retard. What, did Kobe not play hard in '08? Is Boston just happy to be here this year? Please.
– These two team are about as evenly matched as possible. I’ll guess Lakers in 7, mainly because of HCA.
[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
Some random thoughts of mine regarding these Finals:
– Boston is 12-5 in the post-season, while LA is 12-4. (In 2008, Boston was 12-8 while LA was 12-3 heading into the Finals).
– Boston’s road to the Finals has clearly been tougher than LA’s. Boston has defeated two opponents that are at least comparable to LA, while LA has not played anybody comparable to Boston this post-season.
[/quote]
Neither of those teams (Cleveland or Orlando) is comparable to the Lakers roster. They each had one superstar and a bunch or role players. The Lakers have a dynamic duo (Kobe and Gasol) and a much more talented 3 through 6 players than either Cleveland or Orlando. Oklahoma and the Suns were much tougher opponents than people give them credit for. That being said, I still give the tougher road to Boston, but not by much.
Ok.
Agreed.
I agree with you for Boston in 08. People have to remember that Boston’s 08 team had the best statistical defense in the playoffs of all time. They were monsters. They are still very good defensively but they are NOT the 08 team.
As for the Lakers roster, I couldn’t disagree with you more. Pau Gasol was just into a half a season of basketball with the Lakers and didn’t know what it meant to play tough, nose-to-the-grindstone Celtics style basketball. The 08 Lakers almost arrived to the finals before they were ready. Gasol is much tougher and polished now. Artest is the cornerstone of a hard nose defense that the Lakers also bring to the table that they didn’t have in 08. Those two changes alone make this team much better prepared to face this Celtics team.
Not that close? If Lakers don’t blow game 4, we could have had a different champion. It was closer than you are leading on. Game 4 gave the Celtics the confidence to close it out in game 6 on their home floor. Lakers win game 4 and quite possibly we would have had a different champion that year.
Agreed.
Good points. Agreed for the most part. I actually think LA still has the more talented roster but that’s not going to matter against Boston. It’s going to be whose going to stick to their game plan better, whose going to be tougher for longer, and who wants it more.
Another good point. Agreed.
No, not at all. It’s not just revenge from Kobe, it’s revenge for Gasol, Odom, etc. These guys know what it’s like to lose to the Celtics in the finals. They have that experience now. Revenge is a motivating factor as well as the sting of defeat in a similar circumstance by a similar team just 2 years ago. You can’t discount this factor.
Kobe didn’t perform well in 08 because he was smothered defensively by the best defensive playoff team of all time and didn’t have a tough enough supporting cast to help him. Where do you think the term “Gasoft” came from? It’s a little bit different this time around and if the Celtics decide to smother Kobe he could be looking at 10+ assist games like he had against Phoenix. Pick your poison.
[quote]
– These two team are about as evenly matched as possible. I’ll guess Lakers in 7, mainly because of HCA.[/quote]
I like your prediction. I hope your wrong on the number of games however it will take. I’d much prefer 6 or less ;0
[quote]nomorewar wrote:
I haven’t been this excited for an nba finals since the bulls era. I feel like a kid again!!! [/quote]
I think I’m with you on this one. Going through my head of past championships, I can’t remember the matchup starting in game 1 being this up in the air, not since Jazz/Bulls '98.
I really think the 2-3-2 format kills Boston, they just cannot closeout teams on the road. They couldn’t in 08 either but they had the best record so it didn’t matter because they could go home and win series there. If it were 2-2-1-1-1 I might call Boston in 6, but it’s so hard to win that 3 in a row @ home that I think Lakers take it in 7(Boston wins 1/2 in LA, 2/3 at home, LA wins 6+7 to win title, something like that).
[quote]red04 wrote:
[quote]nomorewar wrote:
I haven’t been this excited for an nba finals since the bulls era. I feel like a kid again!!! [/quote]
I think I’m with you on this one. Going through my head of past championships, I can’t remember the matchup starting in game 1 being this up in the air, not since Jazz/Bulls '98.
I really think the 2-3-2 format kills Boston, they just cannot closeout teams on the road. They couldn’t in 08 either but they had the best record so it didn’t matter because they could go home and win series there. If it were 2-2-1-1-1 I might call Boston in 6, but it’s so hard to win that 3 in a row @ home that I think Lakers take it in 7(Boston wins 1/2 in LA, 2/3 at home, LA wins 6+7 to win title, something like that).[/quote]
Tip-off’s right around the corner and I’m actually getting nervous, haha. Even if this is a 4-game sweep going either way I’ll still love every minute.