NBA Playoffs 09 - Page 81

On May 15 2009 14:58 eStoniaNBoY wrote:
Ah,

Glad to see Houston backing my argument. Lakers are not mentally Championship team. They are a GOOD team nevertheless.

About that Cavs- Lakers game I`m talking about that 105-88 or something game when Lebron sat out later because they were down by so much.

On May 15 2009 07:04 Xeris wrote:


by the way, there's nothing wrong with being a fan of a team. in fact, and this may seem like a novel concept to a troll like you, but it is actually possible to talk objectively about basketball while you are a fan of a team. just because I'm rooting for the lakers doesn't mean I think they are perfect or that I'm a "fanboy". quote anything I said that's totally wrong or biased in favor of LA, I think you'll be hard pressed to find it.

just because I think people are over-hyping Clevland a shitload and think the Lakers still have a good chance at winning doesn't make me a fanboy.

On May 15 2009 07:37 XaI)CyRiC wrote:


Well let's see what evidence we have before us:

1. The Lakers finished with the best record in the Western Conference this regular season by a sizable margin, 11 more wins than the Nuggets, who tied with the Spurs and Blazers for second. The Lakers finished the regular season with higher offensive and defensive efficiency ratings than the Nuggets.

2. The Lakers went 3-1 against the Nuggets, the last win coming about a week before the playoffs started and with the Nuggets in the midst of an 8-game winning streak. KMart didn't play, but it was Bynum's first game back after missing 30 games. The Lakers won by 14 points.

3. Kobe has consistently lit up the Nuggets in the past few seasons (or more), and continued to do so this season. The Nuggets have no one who can guard Kobe. Melo struggled against the Lakers in the first three games (partly because of an injured elbow), but woke up in the last game against them where he scored 23 pts on 16 FGA. Both are playing fantastically in the playoffs.

4. Both Billups (22.1 ppg, 7.3 apg, 3.3 3pg at 54%) and Gasol (18.7 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.9 bpg) have been having great postseasons and turned their respective teams into contenders when they joined them.

4. The Lakers went 15-5 in their last 20 games of the regular season, Denver went 14-6 for theirs.

5. The Lakers have faced the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, and the Rockets in the second round. The Nuggets have faced the Hornets in the first round and the Mavs in the second round.

6. The Lakers made it to the Finals last season, and arguably have a better team than they did last year (this will definitely be true if Farmar continues to play well and Sasha remembers how to shoot). The Nuggets got eliminated in the first round last season, and undeniably have a MUCH better team than they did last year.

Feel free to add additional facts, but these seem to make the Lakers out to be the logical favorites in a playoff matchup.

i might be wrong but haven't you posted twice in this topic that kobe can defend lebron and that somehow its a semi-even matchup? you'd have to be pretty biased to believe that imo, lebrons got like 3inches, 50lbs, quickness, speed and athleticism over kobe as well as a decent threat of a jumpshot AND shooters surrounding him who you can't leave open. and kobe's slipped a bit this yr, maybe because of the olympics maybe because of age but he doesn't have the endurance of intensity he has shown in years past. he's just not capable of taking over like lebron anymore.

the MAJOR thing that i'm basing my opinion on the nuggets, and what everyone else is thinking of who likes the nuggets vs the lakers is that they are in rhythm and the lakers aren't. it's as simple (and as complex) as that. nuggets have confidence, great morale, and look great. also the nuggets have bruisers like nene and kmart and energy guys like birdman, the kind of guys who's stock rises when the games count, and scorers like billups and melo who have proven to be clutch. jr smith, klieza, carter are all good bench guys

the lakers remind me of the following poem:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good,
She was very, very good
But when she was bad she was horrid.

that's the lakers, yeah if they get their act together they should handle the nuggets no probs. but they've been beaten by the depleted rockets TWICE now, and the scary thing is they looked amazing in game 5. but they came out in g6, played crap defense,

kobe took some bad shots and the morale of the team just stunk the entire game. kobe's attitude can be so malignant sometimes, hes looked pissed, and played like he's pissed this series, i believe the psychological pressure his attitude places on his teammates contributes to their inconsistency