I think that 2004 Pistons team was one of the best defensive teams ever. They should have swept the Lakers. I don't think the Lakers had a chance against that team. The Spurs actually might have matched up better against the Pistons, but i don't know if the final series result would've been any better. I'd rate the following as the best Defensive teams in NBA history
1989-90 Pistons
1999 Spurs
2003 Spurs
2004 Pistons
2008 Celtics
You are 0-every year you try to predict the NBA champion. Do I need to bump some of your cavs sucking threads from the past two years to remind you?I correctly predicted the 'Bama national le. I'm 1/1 this year.
and Phil Ivey? Since when is he prestigious enough to be used in that context?
Just don't let me down luva. I'm already thinking Celts/Lakers now that we made it. This needs to happen.
No, but you can bump this thread after the Celtics win.
lol stewart scott just all over jon barry
ing jon barry
Sons, If the Refs dont call ticky tack fouls on Ron Ron, then that series wont be half as tough as 2008. LMAO at VladRad & Luke Walton guarding Pierce in his prime.
Congratulations Rajon Rondo on your 2010 Finals MVP.
Some things are done out of duty. This is one of them.The All Gone Fishing Team fans had united as the Boston fans
Celtics = NBA champions
Ghazi = WSOP* Champion
* P as in pokemon, not poker.
I dominate both, son
The Lakers were favorites in the 2004 Finals. Everyone knows it. I can't recall any big time national media outlets picking the Pistons to that series back in 2004. It was a chokejob. I know it's hard for some fans of certain teams to admit defeat and admit that their team isn't invincible but it's true. And yes, I already know that the Mavs choked in 2006 and 2007 and other years.
I'm not quite seeing the logic. The media, as it turns out, does not control reality.It was a chokejob.
Dominating 5nl is nothing to brag about tbh.
Son anytime anywhere on the virtual felts!
Son anytime anywhere on the virtual felts!I'm down. Name? Stakes? I play on Stars.
i only play on ftp/cereus sons...
whats your game of choice?
Thank you come again.
I play NLHE. I've been thinking about stating to play some Omaha though since supposedly the games are pretty soft.
I disagree with ghazi about 90% times but this time I have to cosign it. Lakers were the Champs last year so the Championship are predestined for the eastern qualifier, which is the Boston Celtics. Stern ain't letting one conference retain the O'Brien Trophy, which has been the rule since Spurs ended Lakers triple-championships run.
It's all about matchups.
The matchup situation in '08 was vastly different than what it will be now in '10.
Assuming the Lakers get past the Suns, you can pretty much throw away all of the advantages the Celtics enjoyed in '08.
-No more HCA
-No more Radmanovich/Walton guarding Pierce. We now have Ron Artest who will make Pierce work hard for his points
-No more Posey on Kobe. Now you have the Allen brothers, who aren't nearly as intimidating
-KG is not the same '08 KG
-Bynum can counter Perkins in the paint
-Boston's bench is significantly worse and undersized compared to '08
The only positive difference I see is the improved play of Rajon Rondo. Will it be enough to offset all of the areas they got worse? I don't think so.
1. Home-court advantage in the Finals is OVERRATED with the 2-3-2 format.
2. I think the MAJOR difference between last year's LA le team and this years LA team is that Ariza was a better fit for LA than Artest is. Ariza played his ass off on D, and made most, if not all of his wide open 3-point attempts during last years playoffs..something Artest hasnt been able to do this year.
3. True the C's do not have Posey to throw on Kobe, but you have to remember they used Pierce on Kobe for a good amount of time during that series as well, and he did a pretty damn good job.
4. True about KG not being the same, but then again...he wasnt a force to be reckoned with in that 08' Finals series to begin with anyway...he mostly roamed out on the perimeter by the FT line shooting jumpers anyway...Pierce was the Finals MVP, not KG.
5. Bynum might as well be on the bench again like he was in 08', because he has been pretty damn bad in these Playoffs anyway. The guy clearly isnt healthy, and occasionally he will have a good game..but he wont be THAT much of a difference maker this time around...
6. Boston's bench may not be as good as it was in 08', but Boston and LA's bench are somewhat even in this series. Boston has Sheed, T. Allen, Davis, and perhaps even Nate coming off the bench now. The Lakers have Odom, Farmar/Brown, and occasionally Walton and Vujacic....not the greatest bench in the world either...
And who's going to score for the Lakers? Lost in the excitation about L.A.'s improved defense and the Perkins-stopper Bynum is the fact that their offensive efficiency has slipped dramatically over the past few years. It in fact is not "all about matchups," because Boston plays team defense very well. So no matter how bad a defender you believe Ray Allen to be, Bryant will not be scoring 40 points a game against Boston. Gasol's ability to focus is questionable. And the rest of the Lakers are the definition of unreliability.
As for the benches, Rasheed Wallace, Glen Davis, Tony Allen, and Nate Robinson do not compare unfavorably to James Posey, Leon Powe, Sam Cassell, and PJ Brown. Meanwhile the '08 Lakers trotted out Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic/Vlad Rad/Luke Walton, and Jordan Farmar; now they have Odom, Shannon Brown, and Farmar receiving almost all the bench minutes. I'm not seeing any bad matchups for the Celtics.
I'll agree with you about KG, and furthermore that Gasol is not the same as '08 Gasol, but all you have to do is be better than your opponent. The Lakers front line is big, but it's weak and it's soft. We'll see how they respond to Eastern Conference basketball.
The Celtics will beat the Lakers in the Finals because the Celtics have been the best team in the playoffs this year. They dominated the Heat, Cavs, and Magic. The Lakers could have lost to the Thunder in round and could lose to the Suns in the WCF.
The Celtics' dominance in the playoffs this year will be an advantage for them against the Lakers.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
