This article had my pissing myself

[Johnsyounger]

http://www.fanzooloo.com/wordpress/t...-nba-playoffs/

As a Heat fan I thank my lucky stars every day that 1) the Lakers did not hire Phil Jackson after firing Mike Brown, and 2) Kobe Bryant was injured before the playoffs began. Jackson/D’Antoni debate aside, Kobe single-handedly willed this Lakers team to stay in Playoff contention all season despite an embarrassment of injuries to himself as well as his teammates. With Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol looking how everybody expected them to look at the start of the season, a healthy Kobe could have been the final piece to a championship puzzle that was finally beginning to take shape for the Lakers. In fact, the Lakers proficiency in the low post on offense has me rooting for the Spurs to win this series. Manu Ginobili hasn’t been the same player for the last few seasons, Tony Parker has confirmed he has several lingering injuries that he will have to wait to deal with until the offseason, and Tim Duncan is going to start showing his age eventually…I hope. The Spurs are too broken down for Heat fans to fear a potential showdown in the Finals. And while San Antonio does feature a set of capable post scorers in Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter, the Spurs would have to go through three grueling Western Conference series just to reach the quicker, more athletic Heat in the Finals. Any team reaching the Finals will surely have silenced numerous skeptics along the way, and while Kobe’s absence does make the Lakers considerably less intimidating, Heat fans should ultimately be rooting for the Spurs, as they will likely have no gas left in the tank come June.

[SupremeGuy]