NBA '08 Playoff Thread

hey, boobs, it's an opinion. if my opinion isn't the same as yours, tough shit.

 

Predictions for tonight's game? I see the Spurs bouncing back and getting back to square. I'll say, Spurs by five in another high 80s to low 90s game.

 

This post is for Starman.
I was watching the last half of the game last night with my daughter, who is not a basketball fan (baseball's her favorite). I said I was happy for Ray Allen that he broke his slump.
"He has a nice face," my daughter said. "I like that. So many basketball players look so pained and unhappy all the time."
"Look at him," she said, pointing to a closeup of another player shooting free throws. "That guy looks like he's always angry every day."
No second guesses as to who said player was allowed, or needed.

 

You saying your daughter doesn't have a "Need for 'Sheed?"
Sounds like you're raising a bright kid, keep up the good work!

 

Farmar all over the place right now for L.A. ... doing his best Tony Parker impression. I don't get to see too many Laker games, but whenever I do, I usually leave it more and more impressed with Farmar -- who was a guy coming out of school that I had my doubts about.
He's a serious player. A lot of teams would love to have him starting and running their show I'm sure.

 

As a fan of UCLA, I got to see Farmar firsthand many times and I was thrilled when the Lakers drafted him. At the time, besides Kobe, there weren't many others on the team who had BALLS. Farmar was always a kid, at least in college, who was willing to work hard and he wanted to take big shots. I knew the Lakers needed more players like him on the team.

His improvement, along with the improvement of Sasha Vujacic (and the mentorship that Derek Fisher has provided) can't be overstated.

 

After Game 1, all many of the TV pundits could do was make excuses as to why the Spurs had lost.
I wish I could see Skip "Crypt Keeper" Bayless on TV tomorrow, scrambling for more excuses. No one wanted to mention how impressive the Lakers' Game 1 win was when you consider how little production the team received from Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher.

I kinda figured those two would come out more aggressive Friday night and they did. I'm not going to say I predicted a 30-point victory, but I was leaning toward a Game 2 blowout win for L.A.
I think the Lakers are in a great position to win this series pretty easily, now, for three reasons.

No. 1 -- Ginobili is obviously not healthy. I think it's more his fingernail that's bothering him. Having that bandage on the middle finger of your shooting hand HAS to wreak havoc on your shot.

No. 2 -- Everyone wants to compare the Lakers with the Hornets and how the Spurs were able to figure the Hornets out in the end. The Lakers are a better defensive team than New Orleans is. Bryant can lock down pretty much anyone in the league not named LeBron James (if James decides he's gonna take it strong to the hole, forget it, no one is checking him). The rest of the team plays terrific team/help defense.

No. 3 -- The Lakers are deeper than the Hornets, and might be the deepest team in the league. You see the Lakers often open games up early in the second or late in the third/early fourth when the bench (Farmar, Turiaf, Walton, Vujacic, Ariza) get on the court because they can all put the ball in the hole, if needed. Turiaf, Vujacic and Ariza get after it defensively. Farmar and Vujacic knock down 3s at will. Meanwhile, the Spurs (and most other teams) either leave their starters in to get even more tired, or become overwhelmed because their bench can't match the Lakers' second unit.


I think Sunday's game in San Antonio is going to go down to the final seconds and I won't be surprised at a victory by either team. The Spurs are too experienced to go quietly, while the Lakers are starting to believe that they can go all the way.
Also, someone asked me if I thought the Lakers were the best team in the playoffs. I thought about it and, while I think they are, it's really hard for me to say it because of Andrew Bynum not being able to play. How can they be the best team when they could be so much better (I get light headed thinking about Fisher, Bryant, Odom, Gasol and Bynum starting together because of how Bynum and Gasol's strengths complement each other so well).
I'm still not 100 percent sure how the Lakers do against either the Pistons or Spurs, but I do think they will beat the Spurs. My prediction, before the series, was in five games and I'm sticking to it.

 

Jesus, Tripp, do you have two Kobe game jerseys so you can wear the second when the first is dirty?

Until you see how the Spurs play on their home floor, you cannot just wash a series away.

Granted, the Lakers still have a decent-sized advantage in the series, but the Spurs were able to get a 20-point lead on these guys.

 

Yeah, I'm a Bryant fan, but I mentioned him one time in that post (and it was about his defense).
I think the Spurs are a fine team. I just think the Lakers are a terrible matchup for them and I can see the Lakers winning one of the next two in San Antonio. The Lakers took both games in Denver and closed out Utah AT Utah (where they were supposedly unbeatable).
The Spurs did have a 20-point lead. Spurs fans can say they got tired. Lakers fans can say it took that long to shake the rust off because they had a week off, because they've been taking care of business so early, while the Spurs had to go seven against New Orleans.

You can call me a fanboi all ya want. We like to bust Bostonbred and Boobie's balls for being Celtic fanbois because they ARE knowledgable about their favorite team. I have an opinion about the Lakers, I'm gonna write it.

Besides, 93Devil, I'd give you one of my Kobe jerseys, but I know you'd never wear it cuz he never went to college.

 

Tripp, I would just caution you with an old playoff reminder. It's match play, not medal. With my own eyes, I have seen three NBA series where in one of Games 1-3 there were final scores of 148-114, 121-81, and 136-104. The losers of those routs wound up winning the series. (As a Laker fan, I'm sure you know two of them were '84 and '85 Finals.)
The Lakers have played the most consistent good ball of the four remaining playoff teams. But counting out the Spurs is imprudent.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd hardly be surprised if the series went seven games.
But, I don't think I'm going out on a limb thinking that the Lakers can win one of the next two games in San Antonio. And, if they come back to L.A. up 3-1, I think it's over.
Might I be wrong? Definitely. It's just my opinion of how I think the series could play out.
I just think right now everyone is gunshy to count out the Spurs because everyone did after the first two games of the New Orleans series. The only points I've tried to make are the Lakers are a better, deeper team than the Hornets were and Manu Ginobili is not even close to healthy, so the Lakers have an opportunity to close this series out earlier than expected.

 

People are gunshy to count out the Spurs because of the titles they have won.

If the Spurs win the next two, then the series evens out a lot.

I do agree though, that if the Spurs go down 3-0 or 3-1, they have essentially no chance of winning.