Read It and Weep: 15 Reasons Why Lakers Still Beat the Spurs in the Playoffs

[Koolaid_Man]

koolaids biggest fans always quick to show up.

SourCandy do you like Lemon Heads & Gummy Bears?

[buttsR4rebounding]

This is the consensus view around the country at this time and in some corners of SA as well. There's only one sentence in this article I vehemently disagree with... the statement was made to no doubt soften the blow to Spur fan ego...but other than that the article is spot on..


Have a good weekend folks - and just know that I will....


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5...n-the-playoffs

You must have not actually read the article. Let's look at the errors in logic:

14. Lakers will be able to rest starters at the end of the year and the Spurs won't. The Spurs play their starters less than any other team. The Lakers need to rest their guys because they are playing so many minutes. Gasol is in the top 3 in the league in minutes played. Who's more likely to rest--the team that has locked up the top seed or the one fighting for 2, 3 or 4 seed?

13. Duncan won't be healthy, but Bynum and Gasol will. Duncan is playing 28 minutes a game. Anyone who states Bynum is will be healthy at season's end just hasn't watched the Lakers over the past 3 years. Maybe this is the year he doesn't get hurt, but he has been injury prone.

12. Potential Dynasty: an observation, not a reason.

11. Kobe, Bynum,Gasol better than Duncan, Parker and Manu...that will remain to be seen. The Lakers haven't played a healthy Spurs team since 2007.

10. The Lakers have played together more. The Spurs have 1 guy currently giving significant minutes that wasn't here last year.

9. The reason the Spurs haven't won another ring in the past 3 years is simple: HEALTH. If they are healthy going in I guarantee you the Lakers will be worried. Especially if the Spurs have HCA.

8. It would be Bryant's 6th ring: an observation, not a reason.

7. Jackson only has 3 peated in the past: an observation, not a reason.

6. Parker's divorce is a distraction. There hasn't been hardly any coverage of this since the first week. Obviously written by someone who does not follow the Spurs at all.

5. Lakers have a deeper bench. Barnes coming back from knee surgery, Blake has underacheived to say the least. I will say Odom is a stud off the bench, but the Spurs get contributions from Hill, Bonner, McDyess, Neal, and Anderson was playing very well before his injury and is scheduled to come back very soon.

4. Jackson is a better coach than Pop. Pop is considered the best game time coach in the league.

3. Lakers have more experience. Maybe slightly, but not a significant factor.

2. They do have more size. I will give you that one, but the Spurs have superior perimeter players and don't have a glaring weakness on defense in Fisher.

1. Kobe is the best closer. I would agree, but Manu is generally considered the 2nd best closer in the league when healthy.

It is going to be all about health. If the Spurs are healthy a 7 game series probably goes to the team with HCA.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

nice analysis butts you pretty much posted what I was going to. I'd add a couple of things:

1) If anything Tony's divorce has been a positive for his oncourt performance. Not to say I don't feel bad for the guy but his team has supported him, no media leaks or shenanigans, and he's taken refuge in what he's good at -- basketball.

2) A lot of this is just made up, as you observed. The Spurs are a regular season team? The Lakers' bench is deeper? The Lakers are resting their starters more? Someone hasn't been watching. I mean there are things you can argue about but these aren't those. If someone throws this kind of garbage out there, they are highly suspect.

3) In general this kind of take is just stupid and pointless. The Lakers and Spurs are both elite teams when healthy, and it's freakin' January, and no one has any idea what's going to happen over the next 3 months and into the playoffs. All kinds of events can occur over that time. Everything else being equal, I would expect the playoffs to be highly compe ive. Look at last year: the Thunder came "that close" to knocking out the Lakers. If the Spurs and Lakers do meet, it'll be a close and hard fought series between two elite, veteran teams with great coaching and proud histories of winning. No one knows more than that right now.

[Spur_Fanatic]

Ok... now I know for sure Koolaid is surely trolling,
because no one can actually be this stupid...

[jestersmash]

Yeah I don't give a about what some blue collar no-name "I'm just trying to make it" failure as a writer has to say about anything, basketball withstanding.