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Yeah
With Lamar Odom returning, does that make the Lakers the team to beat going into next season? How much defensively do you think the Lakers will improve with Artest and a healthy Bynum?
The only weakness this team has is at the PG position even though the Lakers have a bunch of guards, Fisher still is going to be starting and be that guy in the 4th quarter but the Lakers better decide on a replacement (Farmar/Brown) soon and establish a stable rotation.
Buy/Sell, for the Spurs and Celtics this year is their last chance to compete for a championship with the roster they have now?
Yeah
Yes
They're the defending champs, of course. The defending champs are always "The team to beat." Is this thread necessary?
Who are your dark horse from both conference next season?
i just think they had an easy road to the finals with all the injures to the elite teams.
Yarp.tends to make you that.
Yes, but only because they are defending champions. I think Boston, if they can be healthy for the playoffs, actually have the best shot.Yarp.
In the east, yes. I (personally) think that the Spurs (given good health as well) stand just as much of a chance in the West as the Lakeshow. It's just hard to make speculation this early with such an active off-season, all we have to go off of is the season before. By that logic Lakers have to be the team to beat.
better than "i just had a baby" threads
Yeah i think if the Spurs were colluded Pao Gasol for Oberto, owned the refs in any and all close playoff games and had opponents back up to give us a clearer wide open jump shot should any playoff series changing game come down to the wire....
and had our *away* games at the At&t Center vs the San Antonio Clippers.
Oh wait, we'd still have Popped.
And had Phil Jackson as coach.
Yeah, we would be the "team to beat".
Trust fund baby Lamer fans....
Yes, they are the champions.
Yes...The LA Lickers are the team to beat!
Yes
The Defending Champion is always the team to beat.
No. I think it'll be whichever other team is in the finals.
Were the Bulls the team to beat in 98-99?
Anyway, yes, the Lakers are the team to beat. Because their team is really, really good.
Lakers is definitely team to beat.they are defending champion anyway. They keep everybody on their team except Ariza but they got better replacement with Artest. Artest can score better than Ariza and got more experienced in defending other team best scorer. The thread is unnecessary..Lakers is the team that Spurs try to beat this year, it will be great battle...
Isn't your next opponent the "team to beat"? If you can beat your next opponent, you win.
The Lakers aren't hungry anymore. Artest just got paid, Odom just got paid, Bynum got paid last year, and Bryant will sign a ridiculous extension.
They're all fat and happy right now, so they'll spend all year praying that theSpurs' top players get hurt.
The Lakers have the best player on the planet plus an all-star frontcourt. A deadly combination, similar to the Jordan & Pippen plus a bunch of stiffs combo that made such a huge impact on NBA history.
It's going to take something extraordinary to knock them off. It wouldn't surprise me if they run off a string of les.
They do have weak points, but so did the Bulls. It's the combination of greatest player in the NBA plus all-star caliber teammates plus adequate role players that's so hard to beat.
I think this is how the Spurs won their les, however Duncan is not the best player in the world anymore.
That team follows the temperament of Phil and Kobe and with the faults they have - getting fat and lazy and not bringing what it takes to repeat isn't one of them.
Not specifically the Lakers
We'll have to beat 4 teams in the playoffs to win it all.
Let's if those 4 teams, whoever they are, can challenge a healthy and retooled Spurs team
The Lakers are beatable. A great defensive team can frustrate them and take them out. They went through the playoffs without playing a great defensive team last season. The only good one was Houston, and Houston gave them lots of trouble.
Excellent point
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