West threats to Lakers are merely mirages

[duncan228]

From the Laker's Beat Writer. Just the Spurs, hit the link for the whole piece.

West threats to Lakers are merely mirages
Kevin Ding
The Orange County Register

...The Lakers just beat Oklahoma City in the teams' first meeting of this season. They visit Dallas for the first time this season Wednesday night. Next week, there's the Lakers' first home game against Utah, which has moved past Dallas in the West standings. The week after brings the Lakers' first home game of the season against San Antonio.

Do the Thunder, Mavericks, Jazz or Spurs stand as a real threat to the Lakers?

Not yet, they don't.


...The Spurs have definitely looked like more of a threat, but they're also viewing the regular season far differently than usual after a terrible start to last season. Both Dallas and San Antonio came in motivated to show their stuff early despite the age on their rosters – and the Spurs have been buoyed by the uncommon health that Oklahoma City enjoyed all last season. San Antonio has been able to play the same starters every game this season. (Oklahoma City missed just six Nenad Krstic games last season from its starting lineup.)

The Spurs' five-game lead on the Lakers is impressive but not convincing. Ultimately, neither sore-kneed Tim Duncan, no matter how great he has always been, nor undersized DeJuan Blair, no matter how hard he worked in the second half on Dec. 28 against the Lakers, is daunting inside against the Lakers.

"I watch a lot of their games that are on late," Golden State power forward David Lee said of the Lakers last week. "There is not one team in the league that has the same size, except Boston when they're healthy."

Boston is in the East. So are Miami and Orlando. Even Chicago and Atlanta.

That's still where the fear should lie for Lakers fans.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/lak...ason-game.html

[VI_Massive]

He's right on a couple things: SA has been very fortunate with health, though you could say we're "due" for a healthy season with our stars after the past 2 seasons. Also we're not as big as LA, but I think we have enough size to not get killed by LA's bigs, and our overall guard rotation is superior to LA's and can help us win a series. We can hold our own or get slightly beaten by their bigs but our guards and wings are our advantage. That's why I think we have a good chance to beat LA.

And as far as Blair's lack of size, if he isn't performing the way he did in the last LA game, he won't see much time in a playoff series against them. The bulk of the minutes alongside TD will be Dice's, unless Bonner is hot and/or Splitter shows an ability to contribute.

[justinandimcool]

He's right, haven't proven yet.

Keep the hits coming though. It's best to win under the radar anyways.

[TD 21]

Only the Spurs could have half the losses of the Lakers at the midway point of the season, have bludgeoned them in their lone meeting and get no respect. Despite having a championship proven core. It's not like this is the Thunder, then I would understand the hesitation in anointing them legit contenders.

Their size is an advantage, no question, but this notion that it's the be all end all, is ridiculous. Did anyone say every single season from 97-03, "no one is a serious threat to the Spurs because no one has two big men the caliber of Duncan and Robinson"? No. So why are we supposed to pretend as if their size guarantees them victory? I don't get it.

It can be overcome. It's not about matching up with them inch for inch so much as it is having quality talent to throw at them and being able to exploit them in other ways. Fortunately for the Spurs, they possess both things. When I say quality talent, I'm talking specifically about the bigs. The Spurs didn't have trouble with them in '08 and '09 because they were smaller, it was moreso the fact that they didn't have enough talent amongst their bigs, in addition to being smaller. Now, they have quality talent. Not to the extent of the Lakers bigs, but enough that, in addition to their other strengths (which coincide with some of the Lakers biggest weaknesses), they should be capable of beating them.

And I'm tired of hearing about the Spurs "good fortune" and seeing Spurs fans apologizing for it. Did anyone give a when this team had "bad fortune" for a few seasons? No. Instead, they called them old and washed up. We heard little about the Thunder's "good fortune" until after the season last season. We never hear about the Lakers "good fortune". Something they've received more of than any team in the history of North American professional sports. Look no further than their '09 path to the championship, where virtually every other team with even a slight chance of beating them had arguably their best player injured. Yet every damn day all I hear about is the Spurs "good fortune". It's just another way to disrespect them and not give them the credit that they're due.

[awktalk]

What a poorly led article...

[howbouthemspurs]

From the Laker's Beat Writer. Just the Spurs, hit the link for the whole piece.



http://www.ocregister.com/sports/lak...ason-game.html

He's as right as my left nut hanging higher than my right. Doesn't really mean anything......only the fact that hes trying to sweep laker fan's fear under the rug by simply dismissing the ailing truths. The Spurs are a scary team and they are coming to take that championship from you like Cartman tricking that kid into eating his murdered family. ...dont know what that analogy means exactly but that was a funny episode!

[jestersmash]

What an uninspired, unoriginal, and frankly speaking boring analysis.

Of all the variables that factor into predicting championship success, he (perhaps not surprisingly) chooses the single one where the Lakers have a clear advantage - inside presence.

That's about as trite as me arbitrarily using the spurs record as the single variable in an analysis and proclaiming that of all teams that have started 35-6 or better the majority have gone on to win the championship.

If I had to pick a single variable to hedge championship predictions on, the correct one to use is scoring margin, and the Spurs lead the league in that department up through the first half of the season. That's obviously more than enough to warrant being called a "threat" to the Lakers. In reality, that's good enough to proclaim that the Spurs are the strongest championship contenders of all teams in the league, let alone mere "threats" to L.A.

[TDMVPDPOY]

LOL DAVID LEE? does his opinion matter, dude sounds sour from riding RJs gonads

[birdy219]

I hope the lakers feel this way also. It could be another Saints vs. Seahawks scenario. Goodness, laker fans(writers) are obnoxiously y as well. I guess all teams should stop trying to play and just bow down to the greatness of the masters.


Anyway, I believe.

[DMC]

Stupid article. Teams don't come out to lose. If a team can just decide to win and it happens, why aren't all teams doing it? Why didn't the Lakers do it? It seems like ignorance to declare that a team has a great record only because they care, as if other teams don't care. If that's the secret, fire all these overpaid GMs and coaches right now.

[SenorSpur]

I'm going to be honest, the Fakers frontline size has ALWAYS worried me - even though the two teams haven't met in the postsesons sinc 2008. Any knowledgeable Spurs fan would have that worry, without needing to read this article.

That said, it's obvious that Duncan cannot be expected to shoulder the load against this group. That's why I believe the integration of Splitter, and any production the Spurs can get from him, will be crucial towards any potential success the Spurs can have against that frontline.

[DesignatedT]

Pretty stupid read tbh. Everyone knows the Lakers frontline is big and worrisome... but that doesn't translate into automatic wins.

What about how much deeper off the bench we are? Or how much better we are from behind the arc... They all have the same importance come playoff time.


Also, to say we aren't a "threat" is ing re ed btw. Call the Lakers the better team or still the favorites (they are the defending champs and all) but to call the spurs a mirage of a threat is stupid, we are definitely a "threat" to them.

[silverblk mystix]

When the spurs beat the lakers again-it will be three blowouts in a row..

then maybe you will see the frontrunning bandwaggoners start to really worry about their overrated lakers...

[ChuckD]

I called Ian Thomsen (cnnsi) out on this same "old roster" about a week ago, via email.

Spurs: 9 under 30/4 over 30 - under 30 rotationals: TP,GHill,Gary,DB
Lakers: 4 under 30/10 over 30 - under 30 rotationals: Bynum,Brown

[DeadlyDynasty]

When the spurs beat the lakers again-it will be three blowouts in a row..

then maybe you will see the frontrunning bandwaggoners start to really worry about their overrated lakers...

Calling a 2-time defending champion overrated

Spurfan idiocy knows no bounds.

[DPG21920]

Calling a 2-time defending champion overrated

Spurfan idiocy knows no bounds.

Guy, you do realize you are a Laker fan? A part of the fan base that gets C's in calculus WITH a tutor.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Guy, you do realize you are a Laker fan? A part of the fan base that gets C's in calculus WITH a tutor.

you're a little salty today

[callo1]

The Lakers better view the Spurs as a REAL threat. The Spurs saw something in the Thunder's 7 game series with the Lakers last season. The Lakers are slow as in the backcourt and if you run at them, they don't handle the pressure well.

Fisher is DONE and has been for years, and blake has no chance of guarding Hill, Manu, or Parker. With all of the rest that Timmy and Dice are getting, and the way Bonner is shooting the three ball, the Lakers size can easily get negated by the Spurs pace.

There is still much ball to be played, and injury can strike at any time, but the Spurs are a threat to any team they face.

Artest has shown nothing this year, Fisher is slow as a sloth and Bynum's health is as much in question as any of the "old" Spurs, if not more so.

Watching the Lakers / Thunder game last night, the only reason the Thunder could not close that game out and get a win or force overtime is because they had no inside presence. I can assure you that TD can and will have breakout games in the playoffs if he remains healthy. By the way, have you noticed Timmy becoming much more proficient on this 15 footer?

Kobe has to actually guard someone now on defense...no playing of his man like he did when Bruce was here, so in a series, Kobe will slow down, much like he did last year. Turn Kobe into a volume shooter and it is anyones game.

With the increased quality of defense the Spurs are playing, coupled with their higher scoring offense, the Spurs are a very dangerous team.

I fully expect Splitter to be a more confident and better player come playoff time, and it isn't like Gasol overpowers his man with strength on the block, so you can toss Splitter on him and even if outclassed, Splitter can take something away from Gasol.

Bynum if healthy provides the hardest matchup for the Spurs, but again, if Bonner continues to shoot the three the way he has, that either makes the Lakers play smaller, or draws a big out of the lane.

The Spurs three guard lineup with Hill, Manu and Neal has been fantastic when used.

Blair is still a force on the boards and he is getting better offensively...oh yeah, and Anderson will get some D-League time to get conditioning back and rejoin the team.

Bottom line: This is a very different Spurs team than the Lakers have faced in the past, and while it is far too early to make any predictions about who will win if they face one another, it is not premature to say the Spurs will be a much more difficult out for any team this year.

[DeadlyDynasty]

The Lakers better view the Spurs as a REAL threat. The Spurs saw something in the Thunder's 7 game series with the Lakers last season. The Lakers are slow as in the backcourt and if you run at them, they don't handle the pressure well.

Fisher is DONE and has been for years, and blake has no chance of guarding Hill, Manu, or Parker. With all of the rest that Timmy and Dice are getting, and the way Bonner is shooting the three ball, the Lakers size can easily get negated by the Spurs pace.

There is still much ball to be played, and injury can strike at any time, but the Spurs are a threat to any team they face.

Artest has shown nothing this year, Fisher is slow as a sloth and Bynum's health is as much in question as any of the "old" Spurs, if not more so.

Watching the Lakers / Thunder game last night, the only reason the Thunder could not close that game out and get a win or force overtime is because they had no inside presence. I can assure you that TD can and will have breakout games in the playoffs if he remains healthy. By the way, have you noticed Timmy becoming much more proficient on this 15 footer?

Kobe has to actually guard someone now on defense...no playing of his man like he did when Bruce was here, so in a series, Kobe will slow down, much like he did last year. Turn Kobe into a volume shooter and it is anyones game.

With the increased quality of defense the Spurs are playing, coupled with their higher scoring offense, the Spurs are a very dangerous team.

I fully expect Splitter to be a more confident and better player come playoff time, and it isn't like Gasol overpowers his man with strength on the block, so you can toss Splitter on him and even if outclassed, Splitter can take something away from Gasol.

Bynum if healthy provides the hardest matchup for the Spurs, but again, if Bonner continues to shoot the three the way he has, that either makes the Lakers play smaller, or draws a big out of the lane.

The Spurs three guard lineup with Hill, Manu and Neal has been fantastic when used.

Blair is still a force on the boards and he is getting better offensively...oh yeah, and Anderson will get some D-League time to get conditioning back and rejoin the team.

Bottom line: This is a very different Spurs team than the Lakers have faced in the past, and while it is far too early to make any predictions about who will win if they face one another, it is not premature to say the Spurs will be a much more difficult out for any team this year.

It only went to 6 games. Before people come back with the predictable "but you won it on the last second" reply, don't forget that LAL had a huge lead in Game 6 and fell asleep in the 4th.

[ElNono]

I wonder why he left out the look at the Lakers themselves... This Laker team has no bench outside of Odom. Their guards are leaking defensively like a sieve, putting a ton of pressure on the bigs. Gasol either looks disinterested or worn out (I guess we'll find out which one it is later on).

This Laker team has taken advantage of the weakest schedule by far in the league. Played only 11 teams over .500 midway through the season, and have a record of 6-5 against them... they dropped more games against sub .500 teams than the Spurs lost total so far in the season. They're also not blowing out any team not named Cleveland, and they've been handed pretty big losses, even at home. Every team seem to have a shot at Staples these days.

Do they have room for improvement? Sure.
Do you give their vets the benefit of the doubt? Okay.
But things like the bench are alarming, imo. And they were a problem even before Barnes went down. They're even more noticeable now.

By the looks of Right Now, this Lakers team is simply not the same as the last couple of seasons, and they don't give an impression of being insurmountable anymore.

[midnightpulp]

What do you guys expect?

Just another hack job analysis from a Southern California sports writer. Growing up reading this type of bull is yet another reason why I despise that franchise and the majority of their fanbase.

[ElNono]

What do you guys expect?

Just another hack job analysis from a Southern California sports writer. Growing up reading this type of bull is yet another reason why I despise that franchise and the majority of their fanbase.

I'm sure it works well for insecure Lakerfans lurking in Spurs forums, tbh

[Waps1980]

What about the spurs big advantage at the point is than not worth mentioning it must some what level the scales a bit.

[Werdsniper2]

What a poorly led article...

Was thinking the same thing. Looks awful.

[Capt Bringdown]

That said, it's obvious that Duncan cannot be expected to shoulder the load against this group. That's why I believe the integration of Splitter, and any production the Spurs can get from him, will be crucial towards any potential success the Spurs can have against that frontline.

Agreed. Even if Splitter is not where we think he should be, integrating him into the lineup is our best bet.
Bonner, Blair and Dice simply won't work.

The playoffs isn't called the second season for nothing. The Lakers are built for the playoffs. In a 7 game series, their front line advantage becomes even more deadly.
Beating them would require every option we have.