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The Spurs are the least of their worries. The Lakers have proven they can beat that team 6 ways from Sunday.[/QUOTE]
Tell that to Kobe Bryant who recently admitted the Spurs are our rivals!!
At least he knows.....
San Antonio needed everything they had to beat LA by one point (on a miracle 3 point play in their own building). The Lakers beat their ass in LA w/o breaking a sweat. San Antonio is once again a compe ive, tough squad, but they don't have the guns or the numbers to beat LA 4 times in 7 games. Like DrHouse said, the only team that can beat the Lakers is the Lakers
The Spurs are the least of their worries. The Lakers have proven they can beat that team 6 ways from Sunday.[/QUOTE]
Tell that to Kobe Bryant who recently admitted the Spurs are our rivals!!
At least he knows.....
Give the "under the radar" schtick a rest, would ya? We're fans, it doesn't matter how we perceive them. Phil Jackson and the Lakers don't overlook playoff opponents. They'll be focused if they meet in the playoffs, and give the Spurs another beating they so richly deserve
Here we go again.....
Lakers beat Boston by one point in Boston. If I'm going to the Lakers credit for that win....then the Spurs deserve credit for their win in Jan.
Now....if those games were reversed and the Lakers won by one point over the Spurs in L.A. those same Lakers fans would post they deserved credit for that win.
I can't wait until the playoffs...so all of this can be settled. I want both teams to be fully healthy at that time.
What do you expect Kobe to say? That the Spurs suck ass and he doesn't give two s about them?
The Lakers offense is so good they can afford to play pack-it-in defense and force the opposing team to beat them from the perimeter. The opposing team has to shoot hot for 4 games out of 7 and even that doesn't guarantee a win as the Lakers have shown they can be compe ive no matter how good the opposing team is shooting.
Until I see a team that can legitimately slow down the Laker offense I'm not too worried. Last season BOS, SAS, and even CLE showed they could slow down the Lakers. This season.....not so much. The fact that the Lakers are capable of playing good defense when they need to is just icing on the cake. Having Bynum available for the playoff run is just another bonus for the team. The way things are shaping up all WC contenders are cashing in their chips and going for broke in 2010. They know the Lakers are the team to beat this season.
Easy now - Spurs needed everything they had to hold on to a huge lead - that says a lot about our defense that day. I love the excuse that y'all didn't have farmar and sasha - how have they been doing since they've been back? yes, farmar had a good game against SA in game two, but he really hasn't done much since. Who's to say that he wouldn't have two good games against SA? By the way, we don't need "guns" to beat LA or any other team for that matter - we've never had the "guns" - we have Timmy, Manu and Tony. The rest are role players that fit in a great system. You be UNLV and we'll be Duke - I like our chances.
That goes w/o saying...
Of course the Lakers won't overlook their opponents. The Lakers know the Spurs and the Spurs know the Lakers.
Even Kobe admitted the Spurs are their rivals....
Let's get to April and May and let it be settled!!!
Right now Lakers are the favorite. No doubt. But its still a long way to go.
Of course not, DrHouse!What do you expect Kobe to say? That the Spurs suck ass and he doesn't give two s about them?
The Lakers offense is so good they can afford to play pack-it-in defense and force the opposing team to beat them from the perimeter. The opposing team has to shoot hot for 4 games out of 7 and even that doesn't guarantee a win as the Lakers have shown they can be compe ive no matter how good the opposing team is shooting.
Until I see a team that can legitimately slow down the Laker offense I'm not too worried. Last season BOS, SAS, and even CLE showed they could slow down the Lakers. This season.....not so much. The fact that the Lakers are capable of playing good defense when they need to is just icing on the cake. Having Bynum available for the playoff run is just another bonus for the team. The way things are shaping up all WC contenders are cashing in their chips and going for broke in 2010. They know the Lakers are the team to beat this season.
But Kobe is media savvy enough to say something about an opponent and his non-answer would reveal if he respects that opponent or not.
You know better than that!!
Riiiight. If we meet in the playoffs again I'll bet you $100 (w/ 2-1 odds cause i'm such a nice guy--and THAT confident) that LA takes them again. This bet is on with or w/o Bynum if you're game.
BTW, I have never made an excuse about not having sasha or farmar. In fact I'm rather pissed w/ Sasha's play this year...he's not hitting the open shots.
No doubt you guys are our rivals (a rivalry in which we have the upper hand, but a rivalry nonetheless). Still, better you guys than those whiny Kings of the early decade
You guys do deserve credit for that win...My point is that there's a huge difference between being able to muster up a great game vs a great series. Spurs would need to play beyond themselves while LA would need to forget how to play basketball for you guys to win 4 of 7Here we go again.....
Lakers beat Boston by one point in Boston. If I'm going to the Lakers credit for that win....then the Spurs deserve credit for their win in Jan.
Now....if those games were reversed and the Lakers won by one point over the Spurs in L.A. those same Lakers fans would post they deserved credit for that win.
I can't wait until the playoffs...so all of this can be settled. I want both teams to be fully healthy at that time.
It really isn't a schtick at all - it's happened almost every year since Duncan arrived. It has a lot to do with how the Spurs progress each year with different lineups/role players finding their niche. Teams play them earlier in the year (and sometimes even towards the end of the year) and they don't get the same product as they do in the playoffs (i.e. the Hornets last year.) I'm not saying the Lakers are underestimating the Spurs at all - you're right they're professionals and they respect their opponents. That said, there's a certain amount of confidence that is gained by players through regular season games and that is directly related to why Pop (and I'm sure Jackson too) doesn't do things in the regular season that he'll do in the playoffs.
I guess here's where I don't understand - what is dramatically different in the Lakers lineup this year vs. last year in the playoffs against the Spurs?
We would actually need to get better defensively, which we've been routinely doing for the past 8+ years...
To be honest, I would love to kick the Lakers out in the first round, just to get it over with. Alas, the rest of the west kind of suck ATM, so we'll have to wait a little longer.
Let me get you my address where to mail that benjamin to:
Fair enough about sasha and farmar - your buddy "tv show username" made that excuse and I just accepted it as a general Laker excuse - yours is the "fluke" shot and I'm ok with that. Fisher's .04 could be considered a "fluke" shot, but unfortunately for us "fluke" shots do count.
It's not personnel so much as it is cohesion. Gasol's had a full season in the system, LO is playing with purpose, Ariza is healthy and giving us huge minutes (and excellent defense), Farmar has improved immensely, and hopefully Bynum comes back because he was playing lights out before he went down. This team is confident and they play pissed and with a purpose--almost as if Jackson shows them film of Game 6 of the Finals before each game. They're on a mission and they rarely have a "bad" game. Honestly, they've only been worked over in 2 games this (Detroit and @sacto).
i didnt call it a fluke..it was a miracle 3-point play and you guys won the game fair and square...I'm just saying the Spurs are gonna need that kinda effort 4 times in 7 games coupled w/ an LA meltdown to win that series. SA is overmatched.
Do you understand the parameters of the bet?
We are a team built to beat the Suns. Beating the eastern conference opponent is a given.
The Gasol trade changed everything and effectively put an end to the Spurs championship era.
I don't watch enough Lakers games to have an accurate "opinion" of Farmar, but his stats don't show that much improvement (yes, I know he was hurt.) I guess my point is that I think ultimately, the Spurs will have a better roster this year vs last year thanks to Mason and Hill. That said, I don't see a dramatic enough difference in the Lakers via improved performance to substantiate an automatic series win vs the Spurs. I'd also venture that a healthy Manu and an unhealthy Bynum would play a huge role as well.
aww crap - we're done; maybe we'll try harder next year or maybe we'll get those pieces necessary to beat the Lakers
well, they're both unhealthy right now so that's a moot point. Even w/ 2 weeks rest it's not like his ankle/foot is gonna get stronger playing 40 minutes a night on it. Injuries aside, let's just agree to disagree. You're not gonna be swayed by what I say and you won't sway me with what you say. At least you've been civil about it though, so best of luck to you guys and I hope we meet in the WCF again--wouldn't have it any other way
I think a healthy Hornets team have an equal chance with the Spurs to beat the Lakers. Why? I really don't know other than we have CP3 and anything is possible with him. They actually play the Lakers tougher in LA than any other team in the West. If we could just find a way to stay compe ive with them on our own home floor
If the Hornets can catch the Lakers WITHOUT BYNUM they definitely have a shot at taking them out. Moreso than SAS or any other WC team IMHO.
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