All-NBA Teams

[HarlemHeat37]

- Parker was easily the best and most valuable player on the best team in the NBA..he led a team with similar talent to the Lakers, without Ginobili for a large chunk of the season, to the best record in the West..he was also more durable than Kobe..

I can see the argument against him, but I don't see the problem with having him on the first team..

- Blake Griffin absolutely deserves All-NBA..his team was significantly better with him on the floor, and he put up great and efficient numbers on a top 5 team..

- Aldridge has no business being on an All-NBA team..players that play for a non-playoff team only make it if they had a standout season, which he did not..

- Again, Kevin Garnett should be on every team, he was easily better than Chandler, Gasol or any of the other bigs that were mentioned..

[LkrFan]

Kobe has never been able to guard Parker, going all the way back to '03. And I don't expect Parker to drop 30 every game against the Lakers, but you soon forget that Parker has evolved his game to become a pretty damn good facilitator now, so all the Spurs need from him is a solid 18-22 points a game while keeping everyone else involved. I'm not worried about him getting his. My main concern in a matchup with the Lakers is getting killed on the offensive glass and giving the Lakers a dozen or more second chance shots.

The above is true. So is the fact that the Spurs haven't had anyone to guard Kobe - even when y'all had Bruce Lee. Parker going off on the Lakers won't be the reason why y'all win - unless he averages 30/10 which won't happen.

I fully expect the Lakers to win the battle of the boards. This negates any 3/14 MWP shooting nights by making you guys play more extended defense and gives us a ton of extra possessions. That's how we survived Kobe's 6-24 night against Boston in 2010 Finals.

Your team is absolute at stopping the pick 'n roll and keeping fast guards out of the lane. And that won't change just because you say it will. The Lakers are fundamentally deficient in that area.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm just saying that the days of getting absolutely torched won't happen all the time. Westbrick is an example. In the previous game he had 36. The next game he shot 3/22. Look at Lawson. Killed us in a few games and was giving us the business in game 7. 13 points in the 3rd quarter. He was rolling. Then Kobe shut his ass down in the 4th quarter. Lawson is probably faster than TP - so it gives me reason to believe that we can shut TP down if we need to.

If the series does happen, the Lakers will win it if they shut down Duncan, control the boards, and keep the Spurs from lighting it up from downtown, which they are much better equipped to do than stopping Parker. In fact, if Parker goes off and averages big numbers, that's actually worse for the Spurs because it means the Lakers will have forced him into being primarily a scorer, neutralizing his playmaking.

That last game Duncan had was a MF'n fluke. We saw what happened last year. He shot like . After getting embarassed 30 to 2, to his credit, he came out shooting his ass off in the next two games. Do you really think he can sustain that type of effort? Maybe, but the likelihood is low - especially since we can throw Hill at him when Bynum or Gasol aren't on him. Duncan at this stage can't dial in like that too much.

And hate to break it to you, but the Lakers at their full potential doesn't make them a superior team to OKC. OKC's A game is better than the Lakers' A game. You guys will have to overachieve something fierce to win that series.

I believe the Denver series was a good tuneup for the Thunder. Their top 3 players are perimeter oriented. Our top 3 players can go on the perimeter, but also can post up. I expect us to make their big 3 defend us down low which will take from their offensive games over the course of a 7-game series. Rebounding will be huge too. If they can't rebound, they can't get out and run. BTW, how is Porkins' hip?

[DMC]

In order to put Griffin on a team, you have to remove some PF. LMA was the better player throughout the year. He wasn't more exciting, didn't have more points, but he was the better player. If you were building a team

The fact that the team won game 7 on the road with Griffin on the bench in the 4th tells me all I need to know about their position in the standings and what role BG really played it that.

In the next couple of years, you will see people fleeing the Church of Blake Griffin like rats from a sinking ship.

[midnightpulp]

The above is true. So is the fact that the Spurs haven't had anyone to guard Kobe - even when y'all had Bruce Lee. Parker going off on the Lakers won't be the reason why y'all win - unless he averages 30/10 which won't happen.

I fully expect the Lakers to win the battle of the boards. This negates any 3/14 MWP shooting nights by making you guys play more extended defense and gives us a ton of extra possessions. That's how we survived Kobe's 6-24 night against Boston in 2010 Finals.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm just saying that the days of getting absolutely torched won't happen all the time. Westbrick is an example. In the previous game he had 36. The next game he shot 3/22. Look at Lawson. Killed us in a few games and was giving us the business in game 7. 13 points in the 3rd quarter. He was rolling. Then Kobe shut his ass down in the 4th quarter. Lawson is probably faster than TP - so it gives me reason to believe that we can shut TP down if we need to.

That last game Duncan had was a MF'n fluke. We saw what happened last year. He shot like . After getting embarassed 30 to 2, to his credit, he came out shooting his ass off in the next two games. Do you really think he can sustain that type of effort? Maybe, but the likelihood is low - especially since we can throw Hill at him when Bynum or Gasol aren't on him. Duncan at this stage can't dial in like that too much.



I believe the Denver series was a good tuneup for the Thunder. Their top 3 players are perimeter oriented. Our top 3 players can go on the perimeter, but also can post up. I expect us to make their big 3 defend us down low which will take from their offensive games over the course of a 7-game series. Rebounding will be huge too. If they can't rebound, they can't get out and run. BTW, how is Porkins' hip?

Don't disagree with your assessment of how the Spurs matchup with the Lakers. Out of all the remaining playoff teams, the Lakers still matchup best with the Spurs.

But you're being beyond optimistic thinking the Lakers can somehow turn the matchup with the Thunder in their favor. The fact that Westbrook shot 3-22 and the Lakers barely beat the Thunder without Harden for the majority of the game, a game in which they found themselves down 18 in the 4th quarter at home, should concern you.

For the Lakers to beat the Thunder, Blake and Barnes are going to have to play the series of their careers and Artest just can't simply contain Durant, he'll need to lock him down, keep him under 20 points a game. Gasol, Bynum, and Kobe, who I expect to play well, won't produce enough to offset the Thunder's depth. Furthermore, you can't expect the Lakers to dominate the boards against the Thunder since they are an above average rebounding team who were 6th overall this year in total rebounds. To win this game through rebounding, the Lakers would have to literally crush the Thunder on the glass, like having a 3 to 1 offensive rebounding advantage each game. Something I don't see happening. Very possible against the Spurs, but improbable against the Thunder.

OKC is not a good matchup for the Lakers. At all.