duncan228
03-29-2011, 04:13 PM
Lakers informal poll reveals their belief Portland and Memphis would give them biggest challenge in first round (http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/03/lakers-informal-poll-reveals-theyre-most-concerned-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html?cid=6a00d8341c506253ef014e870ed272970d)
Mark Medina
LA Times
The question left some players squirming, politely declining to answer no matter if I quoted them publicly or protected their thoughts in anonymity. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson immediately expressed his disinterest in the topic saying, "We've talked about this before and I've said no. I'm not going to talk about that." And then some players immediately shifted from cliches to honest assessments when I told them their names wouldn't be attached to the answer.
We're not really dealing with state secrets here, but it may as well be in the world of sports. I simply wondered which potential first-round opponent would the Lakers consider most dangerous. Of course, some refused to participate, mentioning how the they're more worried about how the rest of the regular season shapes up than worrying about who they face in the first round of the playoffs. But Laker fans surely do.
Fortunately, some provided answers. Based on the four players who were willing to trade their honesty in exchange for anonymity, three of them equally expressed concern about Portland and Memphis, while one other believed the Grizzlies would be the toughest opponent. Meanwhile, Lakers executive Magic Johnson spoke pretty frankly before the Lakers' 102-84 victory Sunday over New Orleans about which potential first-round opponent would give the Lakers the most trouble: Portland, because of the "hate factor," he said.
"They don't like us and we don't like them," Johnson said Sunday, walking in a corridor underneath Staples Center. "That would be a very physical and tough series, even though we would win and we're better overall. But they really know how to play us; they're well-coached and they're tenacious."
There's plenty that can happen before any of those scenarios come to fruition. The Lakers (53-20) suddenly find themselves with a chance to grab the top spot in the Western Conference with nine games remaining. The Lakers currently sit 3 1/2 games behind San Antonio (57-17), which dropped their fourth consecutive game in a loss to Portland (43-31). The Lakers enter Thursday's matchup with Dallas (52-21) with a one-game edge over the Mavericks for the second spot in the West, surely making the outcome instrumental in seeding even if the Mavericks' possible regular-season edge wouldn't be enough to trump the Lakers' Pacific Division title in tie-breaking scenarios.
Meanwhile, the current pecking order in Denver (44-29), Portland (43-31), New Orleans (42-32) and Memphis (41-23) round out the bottom half of the Western Conference, but the records show very little margin for error in securing the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.
Still, it's always OK for the media and fans to look ahead. Considering some of the Lakers are most concerned about Memphis and Portland, below the jump I'll break down the challenges each team presents.
Keep reading... (http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/03/lakers-informal-poll-reveals-theyre-most-concerned-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html?cid=6a00d8341c506253ef014e870ed272970d)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/03/lakers-informal-poll-reveals-theyre-most-concerned-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html?cid=6a00d8341c506253ef014e870ed272970d
Mark Medina
LA Times
The question left some players squirming, politely declining to answer no matter if I quoted them publicly or protected their thoughts in anonymity. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson immediately expressed his disinterest in the topic saying, "We've talked about this before and I've said no. I'm not going to talk about that." And then some players immediately shifted from cliches to honest assessments when I told them their names wouldn't be attached to the answer.
We're not really dealing with state secrets here, but it may as well be in the world of sports. I simply wondered which potential first-round opponent would the Lakers consider most dangerous. Of course, some refused to participate, mentioning how the they're more worried about how the rest of the regular season shapes up than worrying about who they face in the first round of the playoffs. But Laker fans surely do.
Fortunately, some provided answers. Based on the four players who were willing to trade their honesty in exchange for anonymity, three of them equally expressed concern about Portland and Memphis, while one other believed the Grizzlies would be the toughest opponent. Meanwhile, Lakers executive Magic Johnson spoke pretty frankly before the Lakers' 102-84 victory Sunday over New Orleans about which potential first-round opponent would give the Lakers the most trouble: Portland, because of the "hate factor," he said.
"They don't like us and we don't like them," Johnson said Sunday, walking in a corridor underneath Staples Center. "That would be a very physical and tough series, even though we would win and we're better overall. But they really know how to play us; they're well-coached and they're tenacious."
There's plenty that can happen before any of those scenarios come to fruition. The Lakers (53-20) suddenly find themselves with a chance to grab the top spot in the Western Conference with nine games remaining. The Lakers currently sit 3 1/2 games behind San Antonio (57-17), which dropped their fourth consecutive game in a loss to Portland (43-31). The Lakers enter Thursday's matchup with Dallas (52-21) with a one-game edge over the Mavericks for the second spot in the West, surely making the outcome instrumental in seeding even if the Mavericks' possible regular-season edge wouldn't be enough to trump the Lakers' Pacific Division title in tie-breaking scenarios.
Meanwhile, the current pecking order in Denver (44-29), Portland (43-31), New Orleans (42-32) and Memphis (41-23) round out the bottom half of the Western Conference, but the records show very little margin for error in securing the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds.
Still, it's always OK for the media and fans to look ahead. Considering some of the Lakers are most concerned about Memphis and Portland, below the jump I'll break down the challenges each team presents.
Keep reading... (http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/03/lakers-informal-poll-reveals-theyre-most-concerned-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html?cid=6a00d8341c506253ef014e870ed272970d)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/03/lakers-informal-poll-reveals-theyre-most-concerned-with-portland-or-memphis-in-first-round.html?cid=6a00d8341c506253ef014e870ed272970d