All purpose NBA thread 07/08

Well, it's official.
The Lakers beat Sacramento 124-101 tonight, thus securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. I also think that it should secure the MVP award for Kobe Bryant, especially when you consider Andrew Bynum played just 35 games this season and Pau Gasol missed two weeks with the Lakers with a sprained ankle (not to mention Bryant's own injury with the pinkie finger on his shooting hand).

As a Lakers fan, it was a real pleasure watching not only the Lakers' young players grow up this season and take responsibility for their game, but watching Bryant grow up and treat his teammates with the respect they had earned. Once he saw they were willing to work as hard as he does, I think he jumped on the bandwagon head first and embraced the situation.

I also think Derek Fisher coming in can't be overstated. Before this season, there was the veteran Kobe Bryant and a bunch of kids who thought Kobe was a hardass and likely didn't wanna listen to him because of his sometimes abrasive attitude. Fisher coming in likely gave Kobe someone he could vent to, and the younger players someone who they probably felt was more approachable. He helped bridge the gap between the two sides.

I can't wait for the playoffs.

 

Agree with everything you write, Tripp. Except the last line.

I can wait for the playoffs.

I can't say which team will beat the Lakers, but I'll believe they're a Finals team when they reach the finals. Hell, for maximum irritation maybe the Suns will pull it off again, even if a team with Shaq will have trouble in a long series.

 

You know, I agreed with you for the longest time. I wasn't a believer, mainly due to Bynum's injury.
But then I realized that Bynum only played 35 games this season. So, the Lakers won the West, considered the best conference in a long, long time, with basically this same team. If they're good enough to win the West, then I feel they're good enough to go to the Finals (not sure they're good enough to beat the Celtics, but we'll hopefully cross that bridge if/when we get there).

But, you're right. If there's one team I would like to avoid, it's Phoenix because Shaq is the devil and he'll beat the Lakers just to make my life miserable.

 

As a Lakers fan myself, I wouldn't mind seeing Phoenix. I wouldn't mind the Suns getting that 4 or 5 seed tonight and meeting the Lakers in round two. I just think this L.A. team matches up very well with Phoenix and the Lakers, who have a much, much deeper bench than Phoenix, could wear down this team. Amare is awful defensively and Shaq can't guard the pick-and-roll with Bryant and Gasol.
Maybe I'm just hoping to see the Lakers finally get one-up on Phoenix and Shaq as well.
Either way, the playoffs should be amazing. This season has been incredible on all fronts and this is the best time of the year for me.

 

Yes, we will see how good of a coach Rivers is come playoff time. One crucial mistake and almost all of his good work in the regular season would be forgotten.

But I really do think the Celtics have a well-balanced roster from top to bottom and I was on record as saying this was one of the weakest bench teams at the beginning of the season. Now I'd put them somewhere in the Top 5. Of course you have the superstars in Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. But you also have the young, talented PG in Rondo, who will probably be an All Star in two or three years and has improved in every area by leaps and bounds since being drafted. You have a steady defensive presence at center in Perkins, as well as a few bangers inside with the underrated and surprisingly productive Leon Powe and veteran P.J. Brown. Glen Davis is a better rookie than anyone expected and memorably nearly singlehandedly beat the Pistons earlier this season.

James Posey is the X-factor of the team. His experience, leadership, defense, and hustle makes him the most unsung player on the team. Eddie House is a nice 6th man, brings instant offense with this 3-point shooting ability, and ran the point decently before Cassell came over. Cassell had a rough time adjusting to the system in the beginning, but shined in the last few regular season games when he received extended PT. He has loads of experience, so if Rondo struggles bigtime in a game, they have an option. Plus, he can make clutch shots when it counts and can help further Rondo's development. Tony Allen has been streaky and hasn't been the same since coming back from that devastating injury he suffered last season IMO. Probably the only disappointment on the roster. A lot of basketball people love Gabe Pruitt, the young PG who won't see anytime in the playoffs but has a future in the NBA. And there are even some token white guys (Scalabrine, Pollard) who will be inactive on the bench and awkwardly cheering the team on.