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we should be worried more about the mavs than the lal imho we have beaten lal 2-0 and mavs 2-1 but those 2 are w/o dirk, for me mavs are more of a threat than lakers
Mavs I am convinced are going to seriously kick their asses in the playoffs in the 2nd round and then TX will have a nice post superbowl showdown. Seeing Kidd knock down that 3 pointer on a broken play to beat the Celtics. shows that like the Spurs the Mavs are just finding ways to win when it counts after surviving their injury woes for a few weeks.
Although it would have been nice for the Spurs to have had the chance to take out the Lakers it looks like the Mavs will roll over that over-hyped team first - living on the fumes and over-hyped memories of a some recent runs through the West - however, these runs occured when neither TX power (SAS or the Mavs) was revived and/or as deep/talented and motivated as they seem to be now
Those who wrote off the Mavs are wrong- they are a damm good team, well coached, have a legit superstar and a savy/older top 5 all time PG, size and depth, and play their best against the top teams. They also are getting a promising player back in Roddy Beaubosis who will just run around Fisher with impunity and between those slow aging trees other out in Hollywood (other than the young man Bynum - who by that time will surely be affected by another little boo boo anyway.)
The only thing that will stop this scenario is if the Lakers continue to drop in the standings WHEN THEY FINALLY HAVE TO PLAY A TOUGH SCHEDULE (relatively = least back to backs in the league and those two pseudo road games vs. the Clips) then some other Western conference team will just have to do the dirty work instead of the Mavs in the 2nd round. That may well be the Spurs that get the honor of sending Kobe crying again - that is if the Lakers do not get beat in the first round = which the way that team is playing these days = may well happen. They really do not want to play either the Hornets or the Thunder in the first round but if they drop just a few more games and one of those teams go on a run - LAL is likely facing that scenario. [Current seeding are below and 1-8 winner will play the winner of the 4-5 in 2nd round while 2-3 should meet.]
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/matchups
Last edited by Rummpd; 02-05-2011 at 07:21 AM.
we should be worried more about the mavs than the lal imho we have beaten lal 2-0 and mavs 2-1 but those 2 are w/o dirk, for me mavs are more of a threat than lakers
Mavs have an interesting team. They could have gone in the gutter when Butler went down for the year and Dirk missed some time. They have been resilient all year. I think they can give either the Lakers or Spurs a run come playoff time.
I still say that the Lakers are the team to beat. The Spurs beat us pretty good in SA and got lucky against us in LA. It will be interesting to see games 3 and 4. Don't count the champs out just yet...
No one can seriously count out the Lakers but if Mavs healthy and playing as they are this prediction stands. The LAL have a dismal record against the teams they get up for and although they believe they can turn the switch off and on - LAL is a beatable team by either the Mavs or SAS is either play well. Moreover the worst nightmare for LAL is playing the Thunder again in the first round, especially if the Thunder had home court.
Agree the Mavs right now are a bigger threat and for all the hype about the LAL pullilng a potential trade Cuban is even more likely to go out and grab someone to help them now - no matter what the cost.
Honestly if it was not for that pussy Terry = I would actually hope the Mavs win the le if the Spurs do not.
Lkrfan I am certainly not counting the lakers out but the way the mavs played against the celtics, and the 2-0 we have against you and the great basketball we showed against SAC, I mean spurs and mavs are the teams to beat imho
agreed, dirk deserves to win abut his teamates....
The Mavs matched up really well against the Celtics and against most teams in the league. They will have to do better than JJ Barea at the SG position though. Even at 36 I like how Kidd can control a game. Dirk is still a potent scorer. They still need a legit 2nd option to make some real noise IMO.
agree, but the lakers now need a consistent bench player
mavs just doin good in da regula season, and always turn out chokers come playoffs, while da spurs are always da team to beat in the postseason. unless dem make a move to get rid of JET & trashes alike, they ain't going nowhere further than 1st round imho.
Kidd is 38! Unbelievable isn't it? Simmons was right about careers becoming longer nowadays.
The guard play in Dallas is their achilles heel.
Having Chandler drop into their laps saved their season.
Down side to this - contract year for Chandler. Gotta pay up soon.
I still say that the Lakers are the team to beat. The Spurs beat us pretty good in SA and got lucky against us in LA. It will be interesting to see games 3 and 4. Don't count the champs out just yet...[/QUOTE]
Inability to box out the Spurs on FOUR different possessions in crunch time is absolutely NOT luck, that's just piss-poor defense.
I wouldn't put too much stock into the 4th matchup this year, it's in April, and if both teams keep at their current pace, the Spurs will have the #1 seed locked up before then.
You are out of your mind. The Mavs blow at defense. I watched a good amount of that Boston/Dallas game last night and even though the Mavs won (on a game winning Kidd 3), their defense was literally the worse I've ever seen in professional play during times. LOL they were letting that Turkish dude dominate 3 or 4 Mavs at once down in the paint while the rest of the Celts were on the perimeter.
Mavs are not beating the Lakers or Spurs.
Tyson Chandler is playing great, he's having a career year, he fits well with the team, and he's a good complimentary player to Dirk.
Inability to box out the Spurs on FOUR different possessions in crunch time is absolutely NOT luck, that's just piss-poor defense.
Spurs outplayed the Lakers 95% of the game even playing like dogs themselves and the Lakers would have been the lucky ones to pull this one of their ass. Right not the Lakers are the most over-rated former champs heading into the playoffs fully healthy unless they show something more - they just do not look or act like the same team and unless they make a trade they will not come out of the West or start playing again as a cohesive and motivated unit. Sure they got a of lot of talent but they also have some growing deficiencies including team speed and a bench that right now other than Odom is flat pittiful.
I wouldn't put too much stock into the 4th matchup this year, it's in April, and if both teams keep at their current pace, the Spurs will have the #1 seed locked up before then.[/QUOTE]
All though you can rag on the Mavs they only flat choked the year they won 67 games and lost to the Warriors. They also got flat screwed by the refs in their series vs. Miami in a key game something LAL fan never have to worry about because despite the moaning on lakersground and the like the LAL always seem to get the nebulous calls in the playoffs - if it had been the playoffs I am sure the refs would have either flat waived off a legal goal by Dice or put some time on the clock so that Fisher or Bryant could try another shot that is physiologically impossible with the time frame and if they made it - count it anyway and flat screw another team ala the O.4 screw job by the refs with Fisher on the Spurs.
They are right there with LAL and SAS as serious contenders and not sure right now if LAL should even be there. Even with Odom playing at a great level they still suck against great teams and Bynum is not being used right at all. LAL again is on paper the most talented team but the gap is not large as both SAS and Mavs (even with Caron down) still have deeper squads and have superstars and stars on their teams as well.
If Mavs meet LAL and especially if they have home court; they will be hard for LAL to beat period.
Mavs, 6th in PPG allowed and 10th in defensive FG%, clearly they suck at defense. Have been a top defensive team all year. Stick to the club bro.
I never read that article, did he theorize why that's the case? IMO it's because basketball IQ has gone down the toilet in the past decade, and the older players are just so much smarter as players that it helps their longevity.
tbh he needs to avoid the club too, all he does is post ty takes on the godawful music and movies he likes. Maybe the political forum should be where he carves out a niche. Everybody there is re ed and full of themselves, he'll fit in perfectly.
Mavs do not suck at defense they especially play well with that zone that gives somethings up to the offense but makes it very hard to get it inside on the paint. God these LAL fans are stretching the more their team gets beat the more they run down legit threats based on the waning memories of past greatness that was over-hyped to begin with (without a tip in by Gasol they would have been down 2-3 vs the Thunder) and had several other close series and beat the Celtics with their starting center hurt - the Lakers again never had to face a team as good as either the Mavs or the Spurs in the West the last few years; and both of the two fully are capable of knocking out LAL and playing stonger team basketball right now- if a team like the Thunder or Hornets don't get that glory first!
LAL's only hopes are a trade or for Artest and Gasol to start playing superbly again - otherwise they are definetely going down.
Kidd keeps himself in great shape and always relied on savyness and strength as much as quickness -he has lost a step but shoots better and is still a pretty fine PG
+1. Haven't seen a NBA team run a better zone than Dallas this year.
IQ is lacking in todays game, but pro athletes train year around now as well and alot of players have their own nutritionist/personal chef, etc....
These are my thoughts about the mavs. They are a very good team and they always get up to play against the Spurs. So, it would be a great series as usual. But against LA, it is a different story. LA intimidates the crap out of dallas. When was the last time they won in LA? Chandler would be in foul trouble guarding bynum and gasol, so he won't make the difference against them.
Phil would whine about something to the media about the refs babying dirk and they will stop with the treatment. I would take the lakers in 6 over them. It would go 7 with the Spurs. I for once would like to see them play each other for a change. I still like the Spurs over them both especially if the outside jumper is automatic.
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