I don't think there's that big of a difference between 2 and 3 days rest for the opponent. Especially if it's Houston due to the short trip.
I always hated the 1st round schedule finale usually on Wednesday and don't play again until Sunday and then again on Wednesday. This year with injuries to Parker, Manu, & Diaw it can't hurt then to have even more time to recover.
I don't think there's that big of a difference between 2 and 3 days rest for the opponent. Especially if it's Houston due to the short trip.
But lakers can! Lakers actually catch a pretty huge break with a kobe injury tbh
C'mon. If we can't beat a laker team w/o kobe then we have no business challenging okc. You're talking about a team whose role players are now going to be asked for starter-like contributions and whose emotional leader is gone.
Dwight - I'll take him any day over Bynum. He's a great center but will be shooting fts, he'll make some and he'll miss some. We took a 60% ft shooter to less than 50% so I'd say the strategy worked. Don't say the strategy didn't work just because we couldn't defend or score when we needed to.
Gasol - He's always been our weak point since he can play inside and outside but if he continues to play like the gasol of 2012-2013 it would be nice.
Artest - here's your x factor, you don't know what you'll get from him. He defended Kawai pretty well but he can also be a detriment on his team if he doesnt bring his D.
Blake - yeah he can be speedy for an injured parker, but he's not gonna have another 20 pt half, so where's the scoring going to come from?
Houston - Don't dismiss their last game, they don't want to play okc in the first anymore than lakers wan't to miss the POs.
No one's sweeping anyone here, but give Pop some credit, he practically owns Dantoni.
We lost a reg season game that required a 20 pt half from blake and it was still close. Blake is not gonna go superstar in the POs again, just like parker is not gonna go 1 of 10 again.
Losing to the lakers would suck big time even more worse then being upset by the Warrior or Houston. If the spurs lose to the lakers you would never hear the end of it from the media and their re ed fans. It would also hurt from a pride stand point Losing to the Lakers is like losing to your worst enemy. I just shudder at the thought of it. If the spurs win this series it will only be a pyrrhic victory in the sense that they will be too banged up to win the next series due to taking a toll on their bodies from the lakers dirty physical play. This is a series where we are really going to miss Jax considering he was the only guy Artest feared on our team now that is gone look for Artest to start taking cheap shots again at our perimeter players. We will also miss Diaw because due to his size Gasol has a hard time posting him up. I truly hate this match up.
All three teams would equate to winning rounds for us; people that are scared need to go to church.
LOL, some of you guys are pathetic. Scared of the Fakers? Really?!?!?!
This isn't the Lakers of 2004 or even 2009. These are the Fakers, the biggest joke in the NBA. WE WILL BURY THEM.
The league will allow the Lakers win the game, because its better the Lakers have a long series or pass to second round. OKC will sweep them easily, while the Spurs have injuries and aren't playing well.
The OKC vs Rockets matchup is also more marketable, as Harden was a Thunder last season.
who cares,
if the lakers win then all it means is that the tshirt fans can wear a koby jersey one more week until the get knocked out.
this is good news, nothing like a series against the lakers to get the big 3 fired up. would also love to see the spurs be the ones eliminating the lakers' $100 million team.
since neither houston nor the lakers want to face OKC in the first round, i expect both teams to go all out.
Parker could use the series against Nash to get him back into form. That'd be perfect. And Pop could use the series against Mike D to sharpen his coaching skills
Who the cares? At this point the lakers without kobe is probably our best matchup. Duncan did his thing against howard and gaysol. He almost beat them by himself. Do you think we'll keep shooting under 40% or head blake will ever play that well again?
Both have a Gasol.
Assuming the Spurs cant sweep Houston or consider that series an easy win, I want the Lakers.
Both teams are good, having said that I want the challenge, I want the Lakers.
As bad as the Spurs are playing to end the season I'm tired of the defeatist at ude. I'm ready for these playoffs to start and see them kick some butt.
You got me there.
Honestly, if SA can't beat LA without Kobe, then they don't ing deserve to win the le. Seriously, whoever they face in the 1st round, they have the obligation to beat them. All those bottom teams in the West (GS, Houston or LA) are not that good.
Still, they're much better than the bottom teams in the East!
Bruce Bowen has an opinion should the Spurs meet the Lakers in Round 1
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9182690
At the 25 minute mark.
I think the Lakers would be an easy out for San Antonio. With Kobe out, the Spurs should be able to knock them out in 5. SA played like crap on Sunday and were still in the game late in the 4th.
I'd prefer the Lakers over any other first round possiblity.
what more important for us to focus on his to hope Denver win tonight and get the third seed, we need to look at the second round also and to hope we don't get the Clippers who are the most dangerous and strong team to meet, should wish OKC get them!
I would rather play the clippers than Denver.
I've thought about it and actually think the Lakers minus Kobe is our best matchup, only because Houston has Harden who always kills us, and the Warriors have a bunch of players that turn into all stars against the Spurs. Oh yeah, and Stephen Curry. If Parker is anywhere near healthy he will run circles around Nash and Blake. Plus no Kobe to go HAM on us at the end of games? Bring that on! We've only ever eliminated them twice and we owe them one.
I'd say Lakers will be a better team without Kobe. They will be a team
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