Good Lord people I thought you guys liked basketball? Come on someone but me talk in this thread. Anyways, the Lakers are going to make the NBA Finals again this year as we have the triple play of Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. Meanwhile Bostin fans are complaining because they dont have Garnett. Newsflash, if you suck so much because you lost one player then maybe you are not that good a team. The Lakers have lost Bynum TWICE and still managed to win consistently and play well. And he is prolly one of our best defenders. Anyways, someone talk, the NBA Thread is alive.
2008-09 NBA Thread
- Thread starter A.J.
- Start date
- Status
I'll throw my 2 cents n here. I'll start with the west. From everything that I've seen this season from the west no one is going to get in the way of the Lakers. I almost think that the Lakers will lose only 1-2 games on their way to the finals. Even though I think the playoff teams in the west are overall tougher I don't think that any of them are up to the challenge of the Lakers. Any series that doesn't involve the Lakers is going to be fun to watch, but I do not see anything but the Lakers in the finals.
I see the east as very similar but in different ways. I do not think that as many of the playoff teams in the east have any chance of making it far. But I also think that the series in the east that don't have anything to do with my Cavs are going to be great. I mean so far we have the number 2 and 3 seeds with a home loss already. The east will be very exciting.
This is how I think the playoffs are going to go:
1st Round
West
Lakers vs Jazz - Lakers in 4
Blazers vs Rockets - Rockets in 5
Spurs vs Mavs - Spurs in 7
Nuggets vs Hornets - Nuggets in 5
East
Cavs vs Pistons - Cavs in 4
Hawks vs Heat - Hawks in 5
Magic vs Sixers - Magic in 6
Celtics vs Bulls - Celtics in 7
2nd Round
West
Lakers vs Rockets - Lakers in 4
Spurs vs Nuggets - Spurs in 6
East
Cavs vs Hawks - Cavs in 5
Magic vs Celtics - Celtics in 6
Conference Finals
West
Lakers vs Spurs - Lakers in 5
East
Cavs vs Celtics - Cavs in 6
Finals
Cavs vs Lakers - Cavs in 7
I hope so.
I see the east as very similar but in different ways. I do not think that as many of the playoff teams in the east have any chance of making it far. But I also think that the series in the east that don't have anything to do with my Cavs are going to be great. I mean so far we have the number 2 and 3 seeds with a home loss already. The east will be very exciting.
This is how I think the playoffs are going to go:
1st Round
West
Lakers vs Jazz - Lakers in 4
Blazers vs Rockets - Rockets in 5
Spurs vs Mavs - Spurs in 7
Nuggets vs Hornets - Nuggets in 5
East
Cavs vs Pistons - Cavs in 4
Hawks vs Heat - Hawks in 5
Magic vs Sixers - Magic in 6
Celtics vs Bulls - Celtics in 7
2nd Round
West
Lakers vs Rockets - Lakers in 4
Spurs vs Nuggets - Spurs in 6
East
Cavs vs Hawks - Cavs in 5
Magic vs Celtics - Celtics in 6
Conference Finals
West
Lakers vs Spurs - Lakers in 5
East
Cavs vs Celtics - Cavs in 6
Finals
Cavs vs Lakers - Cavs in 7
I hope so.
It's going to be the Lakers and the Cavs in the finals. With Garnett out for the playoffs there is no one in the East that can stop Cleveland. If Detroit would have gotten the 7 seed then they probably would have made it to the East Finals again. That's how weak the East is with Garnett being injured. The Lakers have a tougher road, but nothing too overwhelming. Kobe vs Lebron will be a great finals and I see Kobe and the Lakers winning here.
Dude, please, please, please tell me your are not comparing Bynum to Garnett. That is absolutely rediculous. Us loosing Garnett is like the Lakers losing Kobe, and how good would be if that happened? We do not suck without Garnett. We are good, just not the best. Not having him drastically changes things. We lost him for a while and still won 60 plus games. We are upset, because we lost a great player. You would feel the same way.
FromTheSouth
You don't want it with me.
You won 60 games because you're in the east. IN the west, the Celtics without Garnett finish right behind the Suns, out of the playoffs.
And let's get the discussion going. Who does everyone think has been the most impressive team so far? I am going with Chicago. I know, you guys expect me to me pick Houston, but I have them second. Chicago's win in game one, and close loss in Game 2, both in Boston impressed me. I didn't give them a chance, but Boston is so weak without Garnett, that I think the Bulls can win.
And let's get the discussion going. Who does everyone think has been the most impressive team so far? I am going with Chicago. I know, you guys expect me to me pick Houston, but I have them second. Chicago's win in game one, and close loss in Game 2, both in Boston impressed me. I didn't give them a chance, but Boston is so weak without Garnett, that I think the Bulls can win.
We are not weak. We are still trying to get used to playing against good teams without Garnett. We look weak because our defense suffers now. But Chicago is a tough matchup, they have bunch of good players. We could lose to them or end up in East Finals. They may be a tougher test than Orlando. I'm not worried yet. The Celtics have 2 great players and future HOF's. So they have a shot against anybody. I'd feel a lot better if Marbury became the 20 pt a game scorer he has in the past.
Yeah I didn't really want to double post.
No he RBH has a good point, a very good point. Why cant you guys play without Garnett? You guys have Pierce, Allen and Rando, then you guys still have playres that can make an impact with Eddie House and Perkins.
You cannot compare Garnett to Kobe if we can not compare Bynum to Garnett. Lets see Kobe plays everything better than Garnett expect defense ( in the stats collum), which is ok because Kobe is a smaller player and shouldn't be getting 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals because he has Lamar, Gasol and Bynum to do that. If we lost Kobe our team would look vunerable but we would still be top 3 in the league. Instead of Kobe getting his 28 points we could feed Gasol them buckets and then depending on who takes Kobe spot ( Probably Shannon Brown) we could let them run wild. Shannon Brown is so underrated, he can play defense excellent, he can shoot consitent and he is very athletic and that alone would get him 8-12 unanswered points.
Celtics complain about how unfair it is because of Garnett, well what about when Lakers lost Kobe in 2001-2002 season and the 2000-2001 one season? We still got a championship ring from losing him but the Celts cant do that.
Hip2bsquare
Pre-Show Stalwart
Sorry Pip, but if the Lakers were to lose Kobe there is no way they would be a top 3 team in the league still. Kobe is one of, if not the best player in the leage and if the Lakers didnt have him there is no way they would be close to the team they are. With Gasol, Odom, Bynum, Fisher they would still be a playoff team imo, but not better than Cleveland, Boston (if Garnett is fit of course) , San Antonio (with every one fit) and there are few teams you could debate for that would be better than a Kobeless LA.
Well the Lakers were able to lose Kobe for a while with injuries during these seasons as they had this small bloke who played centre, Shaquille O'Neal I htink his name was. Yeah thats him pretty good player I believe. In 2000-2001 they had a rotation that included Horace Grant, Rider, Fisher, Rick Fox, George (when he was ok), Ron Harper. In 2001-2002 it was Fthey had guys like Fisher, Richmond, Horry, Fox, George behind Shaq and Kobe. Would they have won the titles without Kobe for the whole year? Probably not. But with Shaq they had a dominant player playing with a good supporting cast to keep them afloat while Kobe was out. Wiothout the 1-2 punch of Kobe and Shaq I dont htink the Lakers win the title in those years, I htink the Kings go back to back.
Garnett is a huge loss for the Celtics. His passion, drive and defence is so important to them and losing him is a massive whole that cant be replaced. Look at how they have been leaking points since he lft, losing Powe also hurts when Garnett is also sitting. Just shows that the big 3 Allen, Pierce and Garnett are the basis of success for the Celtics as apart from Rondo and Perkins there really isnt much to get too excited about. Lose one of the Big 3 and Boston are nothing more than a good-ordianry side, instead of a great side. I think the Bulls will bounce them.
I couldn't have said it better, except for the last sentence lol. I think they will still beat Chicago. I fully expect them to make the Eastern Conference finals.
Umm yes I can. As far as an onerall player, and impact player, yes I can. Kobe better than KG? Offensively yes, but they are playing 2 different positions and games. Bynum is not ANYWHERE near the player Garnett is. Kobe is not that much better, especially if you take into consideration defense and attitude. As far as winning without Kobe, when was this? I'm pretty sure he played in those Finals, so you have no arguement. You guys did have an amazing cast on those teams, plus Shaq, who u couldn't defend period. So you did have Kobe when it counted. Plus that Nets team was not that great either.
And did you say you'd still be top 3 team in NBA without Kobe? That may be the funniest thing I've read in a long time.
Of course Bynum is nowhere as great as Garnett (yet). But Bynum is freakin 22 years old and Garnett is basically an established veteran. That might just be one reason why the situation is as it is. But my initial point was that Bynum is one of our top 3 scorers and defenders and even tho he was out twice, Lakers still managed to win games. Hell if he played in the Finals last year, Lakers win series 4-2 but now we will never know just like we will never know what will happen this year as I doubt there will be a rematch.
Um yeah I am pretty sure the Lakers still got 67-15 wins in the regular season without Kobe. He sat out for the first 14 games or something and during that season we went 16-1 in our first 17 games. So as far as us not having Kobe and you guys not having Garnett, what changed?
The only reason why Shaq was so dominate back then was because the rules have defently changed back then. I will even post a video if you like. The rules have changed so much over the last 5 years but yet Kobe as been increasing his scoring average ( well the first 3 years anyways). I can say without a doubt in my mind that Kobe is way better than Garnett. I mean look at Garnetts team (2004 I think it was) compared to our 2000/2001/2002 was pretty equal. Bu8t Kobe came through with his team and Garnett didn't come through. Sure Kobe had Shaq but who else did he have? Fisher or Fox? Haha please. Where as the whole of the Wolves starting line up helped Garnett out alot. I am not saying Rice/Horry/Grant/Fisher/Harper didn't but the Wolves had more talent. So I must say Kobe has more impact that Garnett does to any team.
Oh and what is wrong with the Lakers team without Kobe? Seriously if Gasol can carry the whole Memphis team to the playoffs by himself then why cant Gasol help carry the Lakers team to the Championship with Fisher/Odom/Ariza/Bynum/ and even having Sasha,DJ,Farmer and Brown come of the bench.
Umm, I'm pretty sure we still won 65 or 66 games this year, and don't forget, besides Garnett, we also lost Tony Allen, Scalabrine, Powe, and Big baby, and all at the same time.
You act like Shaq is not a big deal. Garnetts team was better than Kobe's? Really? You had Kobe and Shaq, thats all you need. Shaq is a once in a generation player, one of the most dominent players ever in his prime, and he was a beast. Some consider him the 3rd greatest big man ever, and hes one of the 50 greatesty players in NBA history. Tell me what player Garnett had to play with that was even close to that? Sprewell and Cassell? Yeah right. Wally? No thanks. You give Garnett Shaq, they win every year. To win a title, you need at least 2 great players. Kobe and Shaq, Garnett and......? I mean since Shaq left, he won another, and wasnt nearly as good as he was then. How many has Kobe had since then? Don't forget the defensive presence Garnett brings either, thats what hurts us the most.
Lets put it this way, if the Cavs win it all, I will be totally wrong, because theres only 1 great player on that team. But right now I say you need 2, and Garnett never had that in Minnesota.
Hip2bsquare
Pre-Show Stalwart
Anyone cath the Ben Gordon three to send the Bulls and Celts to double overtime? Clutch shot that one for sure. Also think its great to see that most of the series are close and still could go either way. Except of course for the Pistons and Cavs where King James and the Cavs smacked them off the court in all four games.
Do Lakers fans still compare Bynum to Garnett seeing as though Bynum has been benched in favour of Odom?
Do Lakers fans still compare Bynum to Garnett seeing as though Bynum has been benched in favour of Odom?
Shaq was great. He did alot for our team, but he can not make a 30-40 game turnaround by himself now can he ( I am saying this because Kobe only won like 37 games when he was by himself, sure Fisher and Fox werent around but we had Odom, Bulter for a short time, Parker was good at times). Shaq is great in the post and is a great defensive presence but him and Kobe alone doesn't beat the T-wolves in 04. Cassel was a good on shooting but was a bit slopy on defense, but you guys had troy hudson to back him up. Sprewell was good, I believe he was kinda underrated even tho people believed he was very overrated. He had a good shot, he might not have been they greatest player on defense but he is better than go ben Gordon, which many people think highly of. You guys had a solid bench with Wally leading the way as well. I am sure your team was better than the Lakers, but Lakers just knew how to use there team were as Wolves didn't.
Hip2bsquare
Pre-Show Stalwart
Well I will come out and admit I was wrong. I htought that the Bulls would knock the Celtics out, giving me much joy and happy times. But the Clets squeaked past them in a hell of a series.
Now the next round is here and in the East we have Cavs agaisnt the Hawks, and the Cletics backing up against the Magic. I predict that both the Cavs and Magic will win and meet in the Eastern COnference Finals.
On the other hand we have the Lakers against the Rockets and the Nuggets against the Mavs. I believe LA will win a hard fough series and go on to meet the Nuggets in the WCF.
Now the next round is here and in the East we have Cavs agaisnt the Hawks, and the Cletics backing up against the Magic. I predict that both the Cavs and Magic will win and meet in the Eastern COnference Finals.
On the other hand we have the Lakers against the Rockets and the Nuggets against the Mavs. I believe LA will win a hard fough series and go on to meet the Nuggets in the WCF.
wwffan7385
Dark Match Jobber
My 2nd Round Choices:
Dallas/Denver -- I won't make a prediction cause it started already, but I think Denver is too good of a team for Dallas. But thanks to the Mavs, we don't have to deal with the Spurs anymore
Los Angeles/Houston -- How do you think Tracy McGrady feels right about now? Kobe and the Lakers make the Rockets explode in 5.
Boston/Orlando -- Now this could be really good, because I would think Boston is really tired from the fun series they had against Chicago. I think this is the Magic's year to make a deep deep run as the Magic dethrone the champs in 6.
Cleveland/Atlanta -- And speaking of good runs, we have the Atlanta Hawks, who are breaking out by winning the "this doesn't feel like a 7-game series" series against Miami. But Cleveland's too good for the Hawks to go on any longer. LeBron puts on a clinic as the Cavs take the series in 5.
Dallas/Denver -- I won't make a prediction cause it started already, but I think Denver is too good of a team for Dallas. But thanks to the Mavs, we don't have to deal with the Spurs anymore
Los Angeles/Houston -- How do you think Tracy McGrady feels right about now? Kobe and the Lakers make the Rockets explode in 5.
Boston/Orlando -- Now this could be really good, because I would think Boston is really tired from the fun series they had against Chicago. I think this is the Magic's year to make a deep deep run as the Magic dethrone the champs in 6.
Cleveland/Atlanta -- And speaking of good runs, we have the Atlanta Hawks, who are breaking out by winning the "this doesn't feel like a 7-game series" series against Miami. But Cleveland's too good for the Hawks to go on any longer. LeBron puts on a clinic as the Cavs take the series in 5.
The NBA finals are set. It will be the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Orlando Magic.
The Lakers will and should be the favorites in this series, however the Orlando Magic are on fire right now and they provide some match up problems for the Lakers. With Rashard Lewis playing power forward the Lakers will have have two options. Number one would be to start Lamar Odom at the 4 and have him guard Lewis, but that would leave Pau Gasol to try and guard Dwight Howard. The second option would be to keep starting Bynum at center because he could handle Howard better, but that would leave Gasol to try and chase Lewis out on the perimeter. You obviously can't take Gasol out of the starting lineup because next to Kobe he is their best offensive player.
Even with the match up problems the Magic provide I still believe that the Lakers will win the series. The Lakers really impressed me against Denver and I think the home court advantage will help them against the Magic. I predict the Lakers will win it in 7.
The Lakers will and should be the favorites in this series, however the Orlando Magic are on fire right now and they provide some match up problems for the Lakers. With Rashard Lewis playing power forward the Lakers will have have two options. Number one would be to start Lamar Odom at the 4 and have him guard Lewis, but that would leave Pau Gasol to try and guard Dwight Howard. The second option would be to keep starting Bynum at center because he could handle Howard better, but that would leave Gasol to try and chase Lewis out on the perimeter. You obviously can't take Gasol out of the starting lineup because next to Kobe he is their best offensive player.
Even with the match up problems the Magic provide I still believe that the Lakers will win the series. The Lakers really impressed me against Denver and I think the home court advantage will help them against the Magic. I predict the Lakers will win it in 7.
The Bearded One
Love is not admissable evidence.
Besides the obvious fact that I'm a Magic fan, I still think the Magic will win. Orlando won both games against the Lakers during the regular season, so there is no reason to think this will be any different. People said we couldn't beat Boston, then they said we couldn't beat Cleveland, I hope they keep on doubting. I'm taking the Magic in 7.
I'm gonna take the Magic in either 6 or 7 not just cause I hate the Lakers with passion(my girlfriend hates it when I bash the Lakers), but cause the Magic have a great overall team, they have been on fire since Game 6 against the Celtics, they've beaten the Lakers both times they've played against them in the regular season & guys like Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkolu & possibly Rafer Alston & Courtney Lee all post matchup problems for Kobe Bryant & will make it as difficult for him to have a great game as possible.
I say homecourt advantage will not help the Lakers mainly due to it not helping the Cavaliers. Like I said before i'm taking the Magic in 6 or 7 games.
I say homecourt advantage will not help the Lakers mainly due to it not helping the Cavaliers. Like I said before i'm taking the Magic in 6 or 7 games.
I'm taking Orlando, but the opinion is biased.
There is no organization I hate more than the Los Angeles Lakers. I've hated them since I was in middle school, and the hate shall never leave me. The only way I could hate them more is if that big, ******ed douche Shaq was still on their team. But Fisher and Phil Jackson still being there (I don't mind Kobe too much)..... I wish nothing but losses for these assholes
And as far as Orlando is concerned, I'm a big fan of Hedo Turkoglu and I hope he can consistently play well in this series and go on to win Finals MVP. Stan Van Gundy is pretty awesome, and I like Dwight Howard and Rashad Lewis, too. Rafer Alston was a big bitch for the Eddie House situation, and Mickaël Piétrus comes off smug as fuck every time he makes a shot, but there's nothing really about the team I truly dislike.
Anyway, the key to winning for Orlando is simple: Continue to make threes. That's all they have to do. Pound it into Dwight, and let him take over. If they double team him, pass it out and make your shots. It's that simple. Defensively, Piétrus showed himself be a great defender against LeBron, so I think he'll do a good job against Kobe (granted, LeBron had tremendous numbers, but they would've been much better against someone else, and the fact is... Kobe isn't nearly as big and powerful as LeBron is, so Piétrus should be able to keep him out of the lane). They'll probably start Lamar Odom over Bynum to match Orlando's smaller squad, so that will leave a Dwight/Gasol match-up, and I don't see how Pau Gasol wins that battle at either end of the court.
But yeah.. the only way Orlando loses this series is if they go cold, which is possible. But I'm hoping otherwise. The Lakers do not deserve another championship...
There is no organization I hate more than the Los Angeles Lakers. I've hated them since I was in middle school, and the hate shall never leave me. The only way I could hate them more is if that big, ******ed douche Shaq was still on their team. But Fisher and Phil Jackson still being there (I don't mind Kobe too much)..... I wish nothing but losses for these assholes
And as far as Orlando is concerned, I'm a big fan of Hedo Turkoglu and I hope he can consistently play well in this series and go on to win Finals MVP. Stan Van Gundy is pretty awesome, and I like Dwight Howard and Rashad Lewis, too. Rafer Alston was a big bitch for the Eddie House situation, and Mickaël Piétrus comes off smug as fuck every time he makes a shot, but there's nothing really about the team I truly dislike.
Anyway, the key to winning for Orlando is simple: Continue to make threes. That's all they have to do. Pound it into Dwight, and let him take over. If they double team him, pass it out and make your shots. It's that simple. Defensively, Piétrus showed himself be a great defender against LeBron, so I think he'll do a good job against Kobe (granted, LeBron had tremendous numbers, but they would've been much better against someone else, and the fact is... Kobe isn't nearly as big and powerful as LeBron is, so Piétrus should be able to keep him out of the lane). They'll probably start Lamar Odom over Bynum to match Orlando's smaller squad, so that will leave a Dwight/Gasol match-up, and I don't see how Pau Gasol wins that battle at either end of the court.
But yeah.. the only way Orlando loses this series is if they go cold, which is possible. But I'm hoping otherwise. The Lakers do not deserve another championship...
The Magic are playing great, but so are the Lakers. And LA also had a much tougher road to the Finals then Orlando did, so they are battle tested.
What happened in the regular season isn't all that relevant. Both teams are a lot different now.
Lewis is playing power forward so he won't be guarding Kobe. Turkoglu doesn't have the speed to stay with Kobe (that was evident when Turkoglu tried to guard Lebron). Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston would have no chance at guarding Kobe. The only guy Orlando has that could possibly slow down Kobe would be Pietrus.
The Lakers are a much better team then the Cavaliers.
.
I wouldn't really say the Lakers had a tougher road to the finals than the Magic did. I would say that their paths to the finals have been pretty much similar to eachother
While that statement may be true, LA was pretty much at full strength when they played against Orlando in the regular season.
I don't know. Chauncey Billups is a point guard like Alston is & Billups guarded Kobe well so maybe Alston can guard Kobe, but your right. Pietrus has the best chance to guard Kobe.
I can't argue with that, but that's only cause Kobe has Pau Gasol on his team. The Lakers would be shit if Gasol wasn't on the team.
Utah is a much better team then Philly. Boston and Houston cancel each other out because they were both banged up. Denver is better then Cleveland.
Playoff basketball is a lot different then a regular season game.
Chauncey Billups is one of the best defenders in the NBA for his position. As much as I like Rafer Alston he is no where near the defender that Billups is.
Maybe, but the fact is they do have Gasol and they will be a lot tougher to beat then Cleveland was.
Defensively Denver beats out Cleveland by miles, but in my opinion Cleveland is a better offensive team than Denver is. I will aree with you on the Houston & Boston though.
Again I agree with that
You're correct on Billups being a way better defender than Alston is, but Alston ain't that bad as a defender though & it is possible that Alston might do a good job on defending Kobe if that opportunity comes to fruition
They do have Gasol, but I don't think that the rest of the Lakers supporting cast is up to par with how good Gasol is.
I like the Magic, but I just find it hard to pick them to beat the Lakers.
The Lakers are the deeper team if guys like Vujacic, Farmar, and Walton show up to play. Vujacic is a streaky guy, but when he is on boy is he on. Farmar can play well and if he gives quality minutes in replacing Fisher then the Lakers second unit can keep the Lakers in the game or increase the lead as they have done so throughout the season. Lets not even forget Shannon Brown who has shown he run the team and play some solid defense as he is much bigger than Rafer. Odom is the key though as if he play well and defends well on either Hedo or Lewis, Kobe will be guarding the other, then the Lakers should win this series in no more than six games.
Now Orlando did win both regular season meetings this year and that is huge for the Magic's psyche, but if they do not hit their three's then they wont winthe series simple as that. I know its been said to death, but when you live by the three you either win or lose by three. Magic hit their three's and they very could win this series, but that's a tall task as the Lakers have more forwards/guards that can defend the three in Ariza, Odom, and Bryant. Oh yea lets not forget Howard as the man has to stay out of foul trouble as when does that he is a walking 30-20 and beast at the rim.
Should a fun and intriguing series, but its the Lakers to lose and I just don't seem them losing.
The Lakers are the deeper team if guys like Vujacic, Farmar, and Walton show up to play. Vujacic is a streaky guy, but when he is on boy is he on. Farmar can play well and if he gives quality minutes in replacing Fisher then the Lakers second unit can keep the Lakers in the game or increase the lead as they have done so throughout the season. Lets not even forget Shannon Brown who has shown he run the team and play some solid defense as he is much bigger than Rafer. Odom is the key though as if he play well and defends well on either Hedo or Lewis, Kobe will be guarding the other, then the Lakers should win this series in no more than six games.
Now Orlando did win both regular season meetings this year and that is huge for the Magic's psyche, but if they do not hit their three's then they wont winthe series simple as that. I know its been said to death, but when you live by the three you either win or lose by three. Magic hit their three's and they very could win this series, but that's a tall task as the Lakers have more forwards/guards that can defend the three in Ariza, Odom, and Bryant. Oh yea lets not forget Howard as the man has to stay out of foul trouble as when does that he is a walking 30-20 and beast at the rim.
Should a fun and intriguing series, but its the Lakers to lose and I just don't seem them losing.
- Status