Poll: Fluke or the Real Thing?

[Supergirl]

All three of these teams have been playing hot right now. Odds are, they won't all be hot come May. Which one do you think will be most likely to still be hot?

[tlongII]

Actually we've cooled off, but hopefully we'll be hot again come May.

[Hemotivo]

Lakers

[Slinkyman]

hornets are a complete team that plays as a team, the lakers are still kobe and junk. the junk has just improved a little.

[FlukeDynasty]

Blazers: Fluke
Lakers: Fluke
Hornets: Not Fluke

[m33p0]

Lakers coz they have something the other 2 teams don't have. experience in the playoffs.

well, okay. they also have kobe.

[m33p0]

hornets are a complete team that plays as a team, the lakers are still kobe and junk. the junk has just improved a little.
not complete. though they have an impressive starting five, they don't have much of a bench.

[DazedAndConfused]

The Lakers are definitely for real.

They have one of the best benches in the league and arguably the best player/coach in the game on their team. Their success hinges on Bynum continuing his development into a top 3 center in the NBA. You pair Kobe with an elite center and magical things happen. 4 Finals appearances in 5 years kind of magic.

Based on what I've seen from Bynum thus far I believe its only a matter of time before he gets to that next level. When he develops his base and fills out even more nobody will be able to stop him on the block. He's already a handful as it is. Being only 20 years old and getting 1-1 tutelage by KAJ doesn't hurt either.

Lots will disagree here, but before Bynum went down the Lakers were straight up clobbering teams left and right. They whooped NOH's ass by 30 points on the road.

[Texas_Ranger]

LAL & NOH will be still hot.

[Supergirl]

I see the Hornets cooling off and really struggling, but still barely making it into the playoffs. I see the Lakers making it in as no less than the #5 seed. #3 if they can stay on top of the Suns.

[Avitus1]

Gotta say Lakers.

[Xylus]

I think the Hornets are a bigger threat to the powers in the West (Mavs, Suns, Spurs) than the Lakers will be, with Bynum or without. Chris Paul is my early pick for MVP, and his team has blazed through the league's better teams at various points in the season. They've played consistently well, and have shown no signs of slowing down. They're talented at several positions. Tyson Chandler is playing above expectations.

The Lakers have talent, but I still don't think Bynum is the second coming of Shaq like some fans will tell you, especially not this year. Now, if they manage to score a point guard with real talent (like Jason Kidd), then I'll definitely be worried.

Also, I think Bynum's injury will definitely stunt the progress of this team. They might be a real contender next year, but I think they'll be one-and-done in the playoffs this year--and that's assuming Utah doesn't usurp their seed.

[DazedAndConfused]

The triangle offense has never demanded an All-Star PG. The Lakers need to pickup a true 2-way PF/SF player to make that next step.

[Xylus]

The triangle offense has never demanded an All-Star PG. The Lakers need to pickup a true 2-way PF/SF player to make that next step.
Regardless of who they need, we can agree that the Lakers haven't taken that next step.

[genomefreak13]

I think the hornets will still be hot on may. After they beat the spurs in the last game, they had me convinced, that they're a legitimate contender. The lost is hard to swallow, but any team that can beat that spurs that way has to be doing something right. If they keep this up, we might as well get ready for them in the finals.

[ancestron]

Conference Finals is what you meant, right?

[41times]

All 3 of those teams will be watching the May/June Playoffs from their living room.