Reply With Quote
Thread should be renamed "the top 3 teams in the west that might take a game from the Lakers in a series."
From celtics17.com
http://mvn.com/celtics17/2009/03/top...he-lakers.html
The Lakers are slowly running away with the Western Conference. In fact, it seems very unlikely that a team will be able to knock them out of the playoffs before they reach they reach the NBA Finals.
However some teams, like the Spurs, Hornets, and now even the Jazz are contenders to knock off the feared Lakers. The Blazers, Rockets, and Nuggets aren't too far behind. And with a healthy Greg Oden, and a little bit of luck, Portland could be the team to do it.
Who are the top three teams that could knock the Lakers off in an upset? The teams above are certainly able, but only half of them will be mentioned. Could it be Portland with a healthy Oden? Or how about that up-and coming Utah team? Could the Spurs get hot and do it themselves? Time to debate!
3. Portland Trail Blazers (If Greg Oden is available) - The Blazers are a young team that acts like a group of veterans. They have a scary one-two punch with All-Star Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
With a healthy Greg Oden (I'm sure you've guessed by now that it is key for them to have Oden), the Blazers can abuse multiple teams down low with many different post options.
Brandon Roy is now considered one of the league's top three shooting guards, with his shooting touch, and his scrappy paint game. He also has very good passing skills, which he uses to his advantage when he plays lesser shooting guards.
If Oden can ever stay healthy, it's likely Rip City could see yet another Finals appearance.
3. New Orleans Hornets (if the Blazers don't have Oden) - The Hornets have been rising since the return of Tyson Chandler. They definitely have a big three of themselves with Chandler, David West, and top point guard Chris Paul.
Paul's current season is being compared with the likes of John Stockton and Magic Johnson. Pretty exclusive company if you ask me. David West is another All-Star on the star-studded Hornets, and is averaging 20 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season.
The Hornets have a great team this season, and ever since the return of Chandler, they've been playing like it.
2. Utah Jazz - Much to the dismay of other Western Conference teams, the Jazz are back again ever since the return of All-Star forward Carlos Boozer.
Now with their big four (Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko) back on track, the Jazz have won seven of their last 10 games. The Jazz are only 2.5 games out of second place in the conference, but with the West being a tight conference, they currently sit in the seventh spot, slightly ahead of the surging Mavericks.
If the Jazz head into the playoffs with the momentum they have now, along with being healthy, the Lakers could be getting a not so pleasant surprise.
1. San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs, who are currently holding on to a second place spot in the Western Conference, are still one of the top teams in the league, even after all four championships they've won.
Led by two All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, as well as a past All-Star (Manu Ginobili), the Spurs have a 45-23 record. San Antonio has the perfect recipe for a championship contender - experience, a few fresh legs, and a crazy coach. Sounds good to me!
Thread should be renamed "the top 3 teams in the west that might take a game from the Lakers in a series."
Those are four teams.
Any article that lists AK over Brewer isn't worth the read. RB is our x-factor. AK is just going through the motions again.
What he said.
LOL yea i was going to say that
Without Oden, He doesn't consider his team top 3.
Rockets/Spurs belong on there before those 3 teams. Even then, the Lakers are 5-1 against those two teams and 6-0 if not for a miracle Mason shot.
Lakers just seem too good for the West IMO, no team has shown the consistency or firepower necessary to knock off the Lakers. On top of the fact that Kobe/Gasol will play 5-6 more minutes per game in the playoffs, they probably have another gear of intensity to shift to.
And if Bynum comes back, oh my!
Ghazi knows his .
I actually think the Lakers will be worse come playoff time. Kobe's game will shift into a whole different gear, but I think the rest of the team will play worse. All these role players who are being glorified by Kobe will have to step up against actual playoff defense. Gasol won't put up the type of numbers he's been having once the playoffs roll around. It'll be interesting to see what happens, I still think the Lakers are the favorites though. Probably only Boston can beat them, and it will be a close series, but it IS a possibility that some West teams can give them a run for their money. I just wish the Mavs can somehow get out of the 8th seed, and a team that will give the Lakers more trouble will fall back to 8th.
complete
No way that Boston beats the Lakers this year. However, the Cavs would beat them if they had HCA. The Blazers are the only team in the West that can take them out.
At least they didn't state the "odd" year factor in there. We can almost forget about #1 now. The Spurs have been exposed to be old, slow, predictable. On top of that, they are plagued with injuries. It will take a major miracle for the Spurs to come out of the West.
the teams who could knock off the lakers in order:
1- Portland Blazers
2-Utah Jazz
3-San Antonio Spurs
None of those teams have a chance. They may win 2 at the most.
No team has a good chance to beat the Lakers. Not right now. They may win a game or two, but that's about it. Let's not kid ourselves.
No, the Hornets do. After all, you told me CP3 was the best player in the game, and is complimented by a top 5 center, ALL STAR PF David West, two GREAT shooters in Peja/Butler, YOUTHFUL energy with Hilt and Wright, HEADY VETERAN clutchness with Posey, and HEART with Bowen and Marks.
Oh and they won in Staples!!!11
I can sue you for lible. I never said any of those things.
Jannerooooo PARGOOOOO
olddddddddddddddddddddddd
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
