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Yeah...Fakers in 5...Utah can't win on the road to save their ing lives...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Lakers-Utah: Who has the edge?
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
Comments 2 | Recommend 3
CENTER
Is it possible the Lakers will actually miss Kwame Brown? Coach Phil Jackson liked having Brown's post defense against Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer; Jackson would then have his power forward chase Mehmet Okur, Utah's perimeter-oriented center. Okur took a team-high 294 3-point attempts for Utah, and his 38.8 percent success rate was better than Kobe Bryant's (36.1). The Lakers are 26-5 with Pau Gasol, who delivered big in the first round: 22.3 points (per game), nine rebounds, five assists, 2.8 blocks. Okur is physical but limited defensively.
Edge: LAKERS
POWER FORWARD
The Lakers' defense will benefit from Gasol, frail but a shot-blocking presence, inside on Boozer at times. (Houston center Dikembe Mutombo guarded Boozer last round.) Lamar Odom isn't altogether comfortable pounding inside, and Boozer (21.1 ppg, 18th in the NBA) is an outstanding post scorer who can hook with both hands. Odom (10.6 rpg) and Boozer (10.4) were among the NBA's top eight rebounders. Odom shot 41.9 percent from the field and 55 percent from the foul line last round.
Edge: JAZZ
SMALL FORWARD
Andrei Kirilenko has declined since his 2004 All-Star appearance, and he asked for a trade before the season. A skilled defender, he stayed and led Utah with 1.5 blocks per game; he can contest Bryant's jumper well. Vladimir Radmanovic shot just 31.6 percent last round and is always prone to fouls and errors, but he's a potent 3-point threat who will get chances when "AK-47" roams. Radmanovic often gets fired up for head-to-head matchups with top foreign players.
Edge: JAZZ
SHOOTING GUARD
Ronnie Brewer's defense was one reason Bryant shot 4 for 16 in an October exhibition at Honda Center; Bryant's interest in being traded was another reason. Brewer, 23, led the NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.85) and fares well with mostly in-paint shooting (55.8 field-goal percentage). His approach against Bryant is to bring early intensity and stay close. Bryant was compared to Michael Jordan earlier this season by Utah coach Jerry Sloan, who has been most impressed by Bryant's recommitment to defense.
Edge: LAKERS
POINT GUARD
Deron Williams and Derek Fisher became good friends in Utah last season, with Fisher playing ahead of Brewer as the top Jazz perimeter defender. Fisher is an acclaimed postseason performer but has a torn tendon in his right foot and will be challenged by Williams and his potent crossover dribble. Williams' 212 assists in March were the most in an NBA month since John Stockton's 215 in January 1992. Watch how patient Williams is with Utah's countless ball-screens.
Edge: JAZZ
BENCH
Ronny Turiaf, who filled in for Gasol when the Lakers won in Utah in March, will guard Boozer plenty but hardly played last round because of tonsillitis. Luke Walton is healthy, on fire and another capable post defender for Boozer. Trevor Ariza (foot) might return soon and bother Kyle Korver, who can fire as well as Sasha Vujacic. Jordan Farmar is far more potent than Ronnie Price. Matt Harpring will try to use his guile, force and fouls against Bryant. Paul Millsap offers Utah good interior energy.
Edge: LAKERS
COACH
Jackson and Jerry Sloan run precise offenses that are basically the same as when Jackson's Bulls beat Sloan's Jazz in the 1997 and '98 NBA Finals. Sloan went 8-1 those years against the Lakers in the West playoffs. Sloan is a disciplinarian with a fiery temper and is still hunting a championship in his 20th head-coaching season. Jackson has the highest playoff winning percentage in NBA history and is tied with Red Auerbach with nine NBA coaching les.
Edge: LAKERS
PREDICTION: LAKERS, 4-1.
From a point-differential-per-game standpoint, the NBA's top four regular-season teams were Boston, Detroit, the Lakers and Utah. The Jazz, however, did little of that damage on the road, where they went 17-24. To win this series, Utah has to win at Staples Center, which is unlikely. If Utah can get hot from 3-point range and dominate the boards, the series could go the distance. If not, the Lakers will get more defensive stops and have Bryant to bring them home.
Yeah...Fakers in 5...Utah can't win on the road to save their ing lives...
Don't care who wins, but I would like to see 7 tough, physical games. Whoever we get next needs to be worn down, so the Spurs can make quick work of it.
Utah in 6. Boozer and Williams will wreck havoc.
Utah has no chance.
Okay, we'll see
LA in 6... maybe 5.
We will.
Okay, we'll see
Jazz struggle with a severely beat-up Rockets team. Kobe ain't havin' that.
Lakers are hot, and play like a team. This will be a great series. Naturally, I will pick LA, in either 5 or 6 games.
Lakers in 5.
LA in 6.
It'll be closer than everyone thinks. D Will is playing really well right now and no one on the Lakers can guard him.
Really?
Lakers are overrated. I think it'll go 6 games.
So the Lakers are overrated if the series goes 6 games? They'd be overrated if they lost.....not if they won in 6.
Lakers. Utah has too many white guys to win anything. I say that as a white man, but that is my first analysis when it comes to basketball
Sounds about right. Lakers in 5 or 6. I don't see Utah winning at Staples. The only reason they won in Houston was because Rafer Alston and Yao were both out. Their (Utahs) road record sucks, and the Lakers have shown that they can go into Utah and beat them there.
Were you the guy who came up with the phrase " happens" when Boston won those championships in the 80's?
ever since the evolution of the basketball shoe in the 80s the African American basketball player only lengthened their advantage of white players. These shoes were made to help you run faster and jump higher, but ask yourself this: "do white guys- who are known to only hustle on defense and shoot 3s- take an advantage from this new form of technology? heck no they don't. The African American has evolved into superior basketball players while the whites are still stuck just hustling, grabbing rebounds and jacking up 3's. I mean look at this list:
Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul
Matt Bonner, Luke Walton, Matt Harpring, Adam Morrison, Shawn Bradley
who wins in a pickup game?
Lakers in 7.
Talk about cherry picking to make your point! Sure, Lebron, Kobe etc. would probably beat any 5 "white" players in a pick-up game, but guys like Nash, Manu, and Dirk would at least make it compe ive.
it'll be a tough series
Lakers in 6
The Jazz did beat and I mean barely our Rockets squad with injuries to Battier, Alston, Yao, Francis, T-Mac, and Landry. We gave it our best shot but I figured out why the Jazz have a good record at home. It's because Sea-Level teams struggle to play the Jazz at al ude. But the Lakers have enough weapons to beat this Jazz team and they are healthy except for Bynum and they have home court advantage. No way the Lakers lose at home. They will take one game in Utah.
yeah but Manu is spanish and Nash is Canadian so they don't count
Manu is Spanish?? Wow....
C'mon choose 5 white players that matter. And why limit yourself to American white players? I would take Dirk, Kirelinko, Nash, Ginobili, and Calderon and play that squad you picked.
Lol yeah Bonner, Luke Walton, Matt Harpring, Adam Morrison, Shawn Bradley is a totally suck squad.
whatever...he speaks it, and Nash speaks CanadianManu is Spanish?? Wow....
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