NBA Playoff Thread

Leave it to the T-Wolves to fall from second to fourth in a draft that is only three players deep.

 

lol @ the notion of Fisher doing anything on the defensive end. The only thing Fisher is good for at this point is hitting the occasional big shot.

 

I noted on the other post, but I do think Artest is a huge difference between 08, when Pierce manhandled the Lakers' small forwards. He's not going to do that to Artest. Whatever Bynum gives them - and granted it might not be much - will be more than he gave in 08.

Kobe and Gasol right now are far and away the toughest tandem in the league. That alone would keep them competitive in most games. But obviously they have a lot more. In 08, the Celtics hammered the Lakers twice in the regular season; it really was a preview to their series. I know we're kind of throwing out both regular seasons for the Lakers and Celtics, but this year the Lakers beat them in Boston and lost late, without Kobe.

And they would have homecourt advantage this year, again, unlike 08.

The Celtics look great right now - but the Lakers have looked nearly as good the last 7 games (and they only got blown out of one game in OKC; the other, they were in control of all the way until midway through the fourth). And to bring up 08 one more time, how the teams enter the Finals has nothing to do with how it plays out. The Lakers were much better leading up to those Finals, but they lost Game 1 in the second half, had the Leon Powe experience in Game 2, the meltdown in Game 4, etc., and that was that.

I know Rondo's a different player now, but the Lakers have always defended him well, with Kobe taking him and usually playing way off.

I think it'd be a hell of a battle. I can see Celtics fans thinking it would be a repeat of 08. Just like Celtics fans thought 1985 would be a repeat of 1984, when they were sure they'd bully and beat up the weak-minded Lakers.

 

This is true. I keep reading articles lately that talks about how deep this draft is after reading during the college season how weak it will be. Guess as it gets closer it's getting hyped. I don't see this being a very good class at all.

 

STG, that was excellent analysis. I am not sure it is analysis I agree with, but it is a coherent and well-argued set of opinions.
I am more of a macro guy, And my opinion is the Celtics have proven themselves far tougher than the Lakers until the Lakers prove otherwise.
Could LA win? Sure. But that's not how I'm betting.

 

I'm confident because I just watched Game 3 on the 1985 NBA FInals DVD set (sidenote, why doesn't the NBA release things like that for every season?). Okay, a series played 24 years ago might not have much to do with a potential series this year. But still. And it got my Celtic hatred brewing, listening to Tommy Heinsohn pretending to be an impartial broadcaster and watching McHale grab that god damn towel every time he got fouled.

With this year's team, I think the Lakers have answered the toughness questions that were certainly there after the Game 6 debacle in 2008. The two big wins over the Celtics in the regular season last year, the title and now seemingly ontrack again. I guess Gasol might still have the soft label, but I think it's a criticism that is, for the most part, no longer accurate (although I still don't want him shooting free throws in a crucial situation with less than a minute left). And the Celtics have shown they're still capable of looking horrid - Game 3 of the Cleveland series.

 

Let's wait and see what happens tonight before advancing the Lakers to the Finals, shall we?

 

Cosmo,
Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Jeff Hornacek are not walking through that door.

No, I do agree. Still a long ways to go. But Suns have lots of matchup problems.

 

Cosmo, I don't mean to dis the Suns. They are an outstanding team. But....

 

I'm not taking it personally. They looked awful the other night. And I think the series is over if the Suns don't win tonight, because I doubt they'll take Game 5 or 7 in L.A. But the series changes an awful lot if Phoenix can sneak one out tonight.

 

Not unless he brings a baseball bat. Fisher's still a great clutch shooter, but defending quickness has been his biggest weakness for years now, and the problem's been particularly glaring this year. I think Rondo will eat Fisher up. But it won't be enough, Lakers will still win the series.

 

I'm not saying Fisher is the greatest defender in the world. I'm not stupid. But he's got the experience to find ways to limit Rondo. Not saying he will; just that it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Rondo has a bad series -- should it end up Lakers v Celtics.

I'm already getting cised for Lakers v Celtics. Even more so if the Lakers take care of bidness tonight. Stinkin 9 p.m. games pummel me.