What do the Lakers have more than us ?

[ginobili fan]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/11/24/blogtable-sizzling-spurs/

I know they are the champions but honestly when you look at the team this year ... Am I the only one who doesn't fear them ?
I mean Kobe is 32 he's got awful FG percentage more than usual, Lamar is not a superstar and he is old too...they have a dinausor if not a fossile at PG spot, a very sexy bench with blake,walton, ratliff and vujabitch... The only guy I respect in this team is Gasol.
I know they're 13-2 or something but I think it's because everyone in this league and the other teams respect them too much.
Besides I'm tired of this entire media bullshiters and the league always sucking them balls.
Honestly I fear more Dallas or Boston than these fakers.

[jestersmash]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/11/24/blogtable-sizzling-spurs/

I know they are the champions but honestly when you look at the team this year ... Am I the only one who doesn't fear them ?
I mean Kobe is 32 he's got awful FG percentage more than usual, Lamar is not a superstar and he is old too...they have a dinausor if not a fossile at PG spot, a very sexy bench with blake,walton, ratliff and vujabitch... The only guy I respect in this team is Gasol.
I know they're 13-2 or something but I think it's because everyone in this league and the other teams respect them too much.
Besides I'm tired of this entire media bullshiters and the league always sucking them balls.
Honestly I fear more Dallas or Boston than these fakers.

I suppose so.

[ChuckD]

If they don't crash and burn this year, they will when Phil retires afterwards. He's Merlin to Kobe's Arthur. I'm really glad we extended our core players.

[daslicer]

I don't think this Lakers team is legendary in the sense of the showtime lakers or even the earlier decade laker title teams. I would even say that they no longer have the youth advantage over the spurs since now all their core players are all in their 30's and above except for Bynum. The problem is their damn frontline in the sense that they have a huge advantage on the boards that allows them to get too many second chance points. Very few teams have a frontline to stop theres from getting too many second chance points. Last year Boston had the frontline to do it and was clearly frustrating the Lakers with their size but then Perkins got hurt and again the Lakers were able to use their advantage which was clear in game 7 when they got I think around 20 plus offensive rebounds. Their frontline when it comes to rebounding is the edge they have on the spurs.

[Obstructed_View]

The Lakers have a coach that will capitalize on his team's size. The Spurs will play Splitter and Duncan separately and counter size with three guard lineups and lots of three point shooting.

[dunkman]

They perhaps can defend the perimeter better. Their 3 bigs are better then the Spurs best 3 bigs. Kobe can log more minutes than Manu and could be said is better. Barnes has more length than Neal / Anderson.

The Spurs have much better PG's, much more versatile bigs (3 skilled near 7 footers, 3P shooter PF, strong energy guy), Jefferson is better than Artest.

[BlairForceDejuan]

If you think they are winning because teams respect them too much...I have really bad news for you all.


There is no denying Pop turns into a complete mental midget when facing Phil Douchebag Jackson. Fact.

[HarlemHeat37]

The Lakers main advantage over the rest of the NBA is their size, obviously..

If Bynum isn't playing, the Lakers aren't nearly as scary, from an overall standpoint..they're currently 23rd in the NBA in points allowed in the paint, compared to #10 last year..their defensive rebounding also goes down by a significant margin when Bynum is out..

They're longer and bigger than any other team, Portland and maybe Boston are the only teams that can match their size up front..their frontcourt is also versatile, with Gasol and Odom being able to work in various ways on the floor..

Obviously they're a great overall team..Kobe is clearly on the decline, but he's still a top 5-10 player and he has killed the Spurs in the past..Artest is still a great defender, Fisher is Fisher, they have a good bench now(particularly due to the emergence of Shannon Brown)..they have one of the best coaches ever, if not the best..

While they have all that, Gasol/Odom/Bynum are the main reason they are a tier above any other team in the West..if Bynum is out, they're even with every other team, so we'll have to hope that gets hurt, like he usually does, since Pop seems focused on keeping Bonner as a main contributor..

It also doesn't help that Pop neuters himself when he goes up against Jackson, like BlairForceDejuan said..

[dunkman]

- In 2000 the Lakers would have swept the Spurs without Duncan.
- In 2001 the Spurs didn't have the mandatory defensive stopper every contender had. Also, Derek Anderson our #2 option went down and an undersized combo guard had to guard Kobe.
- In 2002 the Lakers won but it was contested, the Spurs had too old vets and a rookie running the point.
- In 2003 the Lakers had superior talent, no one gave the Spurs chances. It ended in tears for the Lakers.
- In 2004 the Lakers had very clear superiority in talent, the Spurs pushed the Lakers to the pivotal game 5. Phil needed an 0.4 s shot to save the series.
- In 2006 and 2007 the Lakers, Phil would got swept or defeated convincingly from the Spurs. The Spurs don't have a 2005-2006-2007 three-peat mostly because of Crawford (who who knows got paid by Cuban or instructed by Stern to take the Spurs out).
- In 2008 the Lakers have built a team to matchup well with the Spurs and had comparable talent. Pop was to win Phil anyway, but the Lakers got the upper hand in talent with the Gasol "trade". Still the Spurs were a no-call from sending to OT to tie 2:2 the series.
- In 2009 the Lakers would have swept the Spurs without Manu.
- In 2010 watching the regular season games it was clear the series would have been contested.

In 2005 the Spurs with less talent than the Lakers in 2004 won the Pistons team that almost swept the Lakers in the finals.

I wouldn't call Pop a mental midget against Phil. He always worked with less talent.

[lil'mo]

If they don't crash and burn this year, they will when Phil retires afterwards. He's Merlin to Kobe's Arthur. I'm really glad we extended our core players.

Merlin to kobes Arthur?? :lol oohhhhhohhohohoK!

[spurs2112]

They don't have Bonner playing center. :p:

[TD 21]

It's obvious what the Lakers have over the Spurs and the rest of the league for that matter, when healthy.

But I tend to agree with the sentiment. Every time they're on top, they're the greatest thing ever. Every time the Spurs are on top, they're vulnerable.

I'm so sick of the incessant slobbering over the Lakers. Clearly, they're the favorites. They deserve the respect that comes with being a two time defending champion. But let's not pretend this is some unbeatable juggernaut.

If healthy (and if Pop plays the rotation necessary to beat them), I expect the Spurs to, at minimum, give the Lakers their toughest test in the West since they "traded" for Gasol.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Yeah, good for Phil Fuckbag Jackson, Kobe Rapist, and the rest of the Lakers. They can suck it for all I care. The main thing is a size advantage for the Lakers, and always being healthy. But now that Bynum is out, Lakers have been looking a little weaker recently. I am much more afraid of Boston or Dallas like another user said.

[rmt]

If Love/Darko coached by Rambis did whatever they wanted against the Spurs' big men, I shudder to think what Gasol/Bynum/Odom coached by Phil Jackson will.

Popovich needs to play Splitter as much as possible and play him with Duncan so that they can try to counter the size and length of Gasol/Bynum. Phil Jackson will pack the lane to neutralize Parker and Manu and dare the 3 pt shooters to beat them.

Bonner will then shrivel up and RJ will start missing to bring his 3pt % back to his career avg. The jury is still out on Neal. No way are Bonner, RJ, and Neal the clutch shooters that Stephen Jackson, Horry and Barry were.

LA is younger, faster and stronger (in other words - better) at every position except PG. They are better coached and have better (total - outside the big 3) team chemistry.

[Sean Cagney]

They are good, do not get it twisted there. They can easily go through the West again, will they? I have no clue if they will win it again, but they will be a HELL of an out.

[HarlemHeat37]

The Lakers aren't younger or faster..they are actually pretty slow, unathletic and old..they are the 2nd oldest team in the NBA..Fisher, Kobe and Artest might be the slowest 1/2/3 in the NBA..

The Love/Darko example is poor..in case you didn't notice, Darko and Love ate up the Lakers too..these are meaningless games that the top teams don't really come out to play for..Darko and Love were making a lot of fluky shots, too..

I agree with the premise though..I'm confident Duncan can somewhat hold his own against Gasol, but I'm sure Bynum/Odom will eat up the secondary big, unless Splitter gets PT and becomes comfortable in the NBA(he did look good against Odom in the Summer, although that's obviously a different game), which I wouldn't count on for this year..

I highly doubt the Spurs can beat LA if Bynum is playing, unless Bonner has a Godly series, which I would bet my life against..

Anyways, it's all premature anyways..a lot can happen between now and then..maybe Duncan or Kobe have season-ending injuries..

[Booharv]

Its pretty common knowledge that the Lakers have the best bigs in the league. Plus based on how they've both played this year, Gasol is significantly better than Duncan atm. Tim may get better as the season goes on though. Odom is also way better than the Spurs second best big. Plus even though the Spurs have more depth, that's better for the regular season, in the playoffs everyone shortens their rotations. That's how the Lakers have been able to make the Finals three years in a row with a shitty bench besides Odom.

[kaji157]

Well, they have an extra 25 millions well invested in payrolls.
People here seem to think that paying more doesn´t equal a better team, but just because you think of the Knicks or the Mavs, think about an Spur like organization having an extra 25 millions to spend in players who fit their style, and there you have a big difference.

Spurs Payroll is at near 70 millions, while Lakers´s is at over 95 millions.
Oh, and they are not the Knicks.

[rmt]

The Lakers aren't younger or faster..they are actually pretty slow, unathletic and old..they are the 2nd oldest team in the NBA..Fisher, Kobe and Artest might be the slowest 1/2/3 in the NBA..

Artest is stronger and 7 months older than RJ. I'd call them about even with RJ better offensively and Artest better defensively. I thought that Artest was the player of game 7 (NBA Finals).

Manu is older and slower than Kobe. Parker is the only advantageous position for the Spurs.

[cutewizard]

- In 2000 the Lakers would have swept the Spurs without Duncan.
- In 2001 the Spurs didn't have the mandatory defensive stopper every contender had. Also, Derek Anderson our #2 option went down and an undersized combo guard had to guard Kobe.
- In 2002 the Lakers won but it was contested, the Spurs had too old vets and a rookie running the point.
- In 2003 the Lakers had superior talent, no one gave the Spurs chances. It ended in tears for the Lakers.
- In 2004 the Lakers had very clear superiority in talent, the Spurs pushed the Lakers to the pivotal game 5. Phil needed an 0.4 s shot to save the series.
- In 2006 and 2007 the Lakers, Phil would got swept or defeated convincingly from the Spurs. The Spurs don't have a 2005-2006-2007 three-peat mostly because of Crawford (who who knows got paid by Cuban or instructed by Stern to take the Spurs out).
- In 2008 the Lakers have built a team to matchup well with the Spurs and had comparable talent. Pop was to win Phil anyway, but the Lakers got the upper hand in talent with the Gasol "trade". Still the Spurs were a no-call from sending to OT to tie 2:2 the series.
- In 2009 the Lakers would have swept the Spurs without Manu.
- In 2010 watching the regular season games it was clear the series would have been contested.

In 2005 the Spurs with less talent than the Lakers in 2004 won the Pistons team that almost swept the Lakers in the finals.

I wouldn't call Pop a mental midget against Phil. He always worked with less talent.



Completely agree.

[mingus]

i don't fear the Lakers because i don't know what to expect. it's been a long, long time (regular season or playoff) since these two teams have played eachother healthy and at full force. either someone on LA is injured (Bynum usually) or SA (Manu or TP), so it's hard to gauge. there's not much recent history to go by. if and when LA beats the Spurs by a large margin, then i'll be able to judge.

[mingus]

i think the biggest keys for the Spurs against LA is that Duncan needs to match Gasol's output and Splitter needs to negate Odom. you could say that if that happens, it'd be a matter of who plays better b/w Kobe, Artest, Bynum and Manu, TP, RJ, which i think is a lot closer than a lot of people are willing to admit, esp. with the way those three guys on the Spurs are playing. those are the "big five" for both of the teams, and i would have to say that though LA has more talent, the Spurs have enough talent to beat them.

[NRHector]

more bandwagoners

[poop]

the lakers only have the best front court in the league by far AS WELL AS the best wing player in the world AND solid role players in every other key position, other than that....:rolleyes

[Capt Bringdown]

The Lakers present a fundamental basketball attack. I admire them for that, last year it seemed they were the only team not playing some lame gimmick card (example:small ball). They can run, hit from outside, post up, take it too the rim, etc. In the course of a 7 game series, they have more options to beat you, and will inevitably figure out and counter whatever you throw at them.

Whatever weaknesses they have (Fisher, for example), Kobe and the bigs more than make up for it.

[Man In Black]

The Lakers present a fundamental basketball attack. I admire them for that, last year it seemed they were the only team not playing some lame gimmick card (example:small ball). They can run, hit from outside, post up, take it too the rim, etc. In the course of a 7 game series, they have more options to beat you, and will inevitably figure out and counter whatever you throw at them.

Whatever weaknesses they have (Fisher, for example), Kobe and the bigs more than make up for it.

They looked so DOMINATING against the Celtics...NOT! If you punch them in the mouth, they'll go into a shell. Had Perkins not injured his knee, that shit would have tilted GREEN. LALbandwagon won't tell you that but they know that if a team plays physical ball with them, that winning won't be as easy as they hope it will be. This was the 1 thing that Bruce NEVER wavered on. Play hard as you can, until you hear a whistle. :fight

[xellos88330]

I know the answer to this!


RESPECT!

I don't know why, but they have a ton more than the Spurs do.

[SplitterHook]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/11/24/blogtable-sizzling-spurs/

I know they are the champions but honestly when you look at the team this year ... Am I the only one who doesn't fear them ?
I mean Kobe is 32 he's got awful FG percentage more than usual


Kobe's season has been great, despite his fg %, he started the season shooting bricks but is getting better. Also, using the per36 we can see that he's putting some of the best stats of his career... While spurs' superstar is putting the worse numbers of his career (per36)...

So... don't go that route...


, Lamar is not a superstar and he is old too...Lamar is also having his best season since he joined the lakers. He's attempting more FTs, making more FG, shotting at 57% (50% from the 3) and grabbing 11rpg, with 3,2 ORPG which is his career high...




they have a dinosaur if not a fossile at PG spot, a very sexy bench with blake,walton, ratliff and vujabitch... The only guy I respect in this team is Gasol.That dinosaur will show up in the playoffs, blake is stupendous improvement over jordan farmar (who couldn't learn the triangle after 500 years there), Brown is running for the MIP and the 6men of the year, barnes is a great improvement over walton(also having the best season of his career -per36), and once bynum comes back odom will come from the bench...

Walton, Sasha and Ratliff aren't even playing meaningful minutes... I dunno why you're mentioning them...



I know they're 13-2 or something but I think it's because everyone in this league and the other teams respect them too much.
Besides I'm tired of this entire media bullshiters and the league always sucking them balls.
Honestly I fear more Dallas or Boston than these fakers.

Sorry but if you fear dallas more than the lakers you're just dumb. Boston would beat us just like the lakers...

We can't win with a blair+duncan or bonner+duncan front court against Shaq/Perkins + Garnett nor against Gasol+Bynum or Odom + Gasol.

[HarlemHeat37]

Kobe's season has been great, despite his fg %, he started the season shooting bricks but is getting better. Also, using the per36 we can see that he's putting some of the best stats of his career... While spurs' superstar is putting the worse numbers of his career (per36)...

Kobe has the 2nd highest usage % of his career, which is why his raw numbers look good..it's pretty much impossible not to put up those kind of numbers with a 34% usage rate..his efficiency has been very poor, other than his FTs, which isn't a guarantee every night..he is also playing arguably and probably the worst defense of his career..

Your "shooting bricks, getting better" point is also false..there hasn't been any difference..

[DeadlyDynasty]

I guess what they say is true...ignorance is bliss.
:rollin

[yavozerb]

Lakers have Kobe...When its all said and done that is the one major difference, the Lakers have the best closer in the NBA..

[temujin]

A market of 10 millions households.

[sefant77]

The Lakers have a nice system and the good to great players to fill in every role of this system perfectly.

Thats it.

The system is the reason why stupid ppl throwing Gasol even in MVP considerations

[mike20spurs]

It's all about match-ups. Last year, I think we could have done better against the Lakers than the suns did despite losing to the Suns. The Suns' style killed us but could do nothing against the Lakers' height. I think we at least would have pushed it to 6-7 games. Its the same this year. We can play with them and we can win most if not all the games against them if the Spurs are focused and ready on game day.

[DJ Mbenga]

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/11/24/blogtable-sizzling-spurs/

I know they are the champions but honestly when you look at the team this year ... Am I the only one who doesn't fear them ?
I mean Kobe is 32 he's got awful FG percentage more than usual, Lamar is not a superstar and he is old too...they have a dinausor if not a fossile at PG spot, a very sexy bench with blake,walton, ratliff and vujabitch... The only guy I respect in this team is Gasol.
I know they're 13-2 or something but I think it's because everyone in this league and the other teams respect them too much.
Besides I'm tired of this entire media bullshiters and the league always sucking them balls.
Honestly I fear more Dallas or Boston than these fakers.

the only thing we have that you dont are injuries

[21_Blessings]

The Lakers have the better offense, better defense, better franchise player, better closer, better big men, better p&R D, better coach..

I could go on.

[duncan_21]

Kobe's season has been great, despite his fg %, he started the season shooting bricks but is getting better. Also, using the per36 we can see that he's putting some of the best stats of his career... While spurs' superstar is putting the worse numbers of his career (per36)...

So... don't go that route...
Lamar is also having his best season since he joined the lakers. He's attempting more FTs, making more FG, shotting at 57% (50% from the 3) and grabbing 11rpg, with 3,2 ORPG which is his career high...


That dinosaur will show up in the playoffs, blake is stupendous improvement over jordan farmar (who couldn't learn the triangle after 500 years there), Brown is running for the MIP and the 6men of the year, barnes is a great improvement over walton(also having the best season of his career -per36), and once bynum comes back odom will come from the bench...

Walton, Sasha and Ratliff aren't even playing meaningful minutes... I dunno why you're mentioning them...



Sorry but if you fear dallas more than the lakers you're just dumb. Boston would beat us just like the lakers...

We can't win with a blair+duncan or bonner+duncan front court against Shaq/Perkins + Garnett nor against Gasol+Bynum or Odom + Gasol.

Best post of the thread. Only way the spurs win a 7 game series assuming both teams are healthy is if the spurs get home court advantage and splitter gets 30+mpg giving the spurs some d and 7+rpg. Even then I'd say it's somewhere around a coin flip who wins the series at best.

[Nathan89]

The Lakers are stacked. Much better than last year.

They have two players in the top 10 and that is conservative.

Spurs will need to play their best and the Lakers will have to under perform, for us to beat them.

This really is a bullshit question.

[TD 21]

Anyone who thinks there's a massive disparity between the Lakers and the Spurs is going to be in a for a surprise if/when these two teams meet in the playoffs. If the Spurs are healthy and Pop plays the rotation required to have a legit chance to beat the Lakers, this will probably be a seven game series.

The Spurs have won something like 32 out of their last 41 regular season games (I might be off slightly on that), with either the first or second best point differential in that span. This is no longer a good streak, this is clearly an elite team again. One that just so happens to have a lot of pieces necessary to challenge the Lakers.

[rascal]

The Lakers have the better offense, better defense, better franchise player, better closer, better big men, better p&R D, better coach..

I could go on.

The lakers have the better front office so they put a better team on the floor. They get their top star players through trades and free agency and get the best coach in the game. San Antonio drafts better that is it.

[Mr.Robinson]

Lakers have Kobe...When its all said and done that is the one major difference, the Lakers have the best closer in the NBA..

Manu plays for the Lakers?

[Cry Havoc]

The Lakers have a younger big man. That's about it.

The Spurs as presently constructed with a Tim Duncan in his prime or near it would have the potential to be one of the best teams in NBA history.

[Obstructed_View]

Manu plays for the Lakers?

I think he's talking about Derek Fisher.