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They don't have the best record in the West. They don't even have the best record in their division.
They have the best record in the West. Kobe is playing pretty good. They're not as good as the Suns, Mavs, or the Spurs, but last year they went 7 games with the Suns (W/O Amare). Although the Suns have won like 14 straight and seem to get better every game it should still be a good matchup.
My question: How much damage will a healthy Lakers team do in the playoffs?
They don't have the best record in the West. They don't even have the best record in their division.
pwned
they have had a relatively soft schedule in the early going with a ton of home games. they have some impressive wins... but i don't think they're elite just yet.
Lakers have player 16 HOME games and 7 ROAD games!!!!! not to mention 1 road game was @ Clippers
I fully expect their winning % to drop bigtime come february....
Phoenix is 16-6 and LA is 16-7, huge disparity there. I still thought LA had the best record as they did a couple of days ago, my bad..........
There aren't that many good teams to play in the NBA, there are 17 teams hovering at .500 or below it, some WAY below. The rest of the leauge except for a couple of teams are at .500 or above by a minimal amount. Around 8 teams, 2 in the East and 6 in the West have established themselves as the best in the leauge and I think the Lakers are one of them.
BTW the Lakers are 5-2 against the best teams in the West (Utha, SA, Phoenix, Housten, Dallas)
The Spurs are 18-6, how do the Lakers have a better record?
16 of their games have been played at home anyway.
If you go back a couple of days the Lakers had the best record in the L, I still thought they did and I made that assumption in my initial post.
I'm pretty sure they didn't. Until yesterday I think it was the Jazz.
LA is tied with Dallas for the third best record and Dallas wins the tiebreaker so really the lakers are 4th.
E20, you're a moron - the Lakers haven't had the "best record in the West" at all this year. It's been the Jazz, who lost the le to the Spurs when Sacramento beat them by 1 last night. I guess you were reading Steve Kerr's power rankings that had the Lakers at #1, but that didn't mean they were the best in the West. How can you post something today and base your assumption on "well, a few days ago..." in this NBA where the top teams are changing all the time.
You're also a re - LA and Dallas do not have the 3rd best record because the Suns do, so the Mavs and Lakers are 4th and 5th, respectively.
1. San Antonio 18-6 .750
2. Utah 17-6 .739
3. Phoenix 16-6 .727
4. Dallas 16-7 .696 (tiebreak)
5. LA Lakers 16-7 .696
ppl started drinkin early this saturday
duuhhhhh, doesn't Memphis have the best record in the West?
anyway, i have been impressed with the lakeshow. they deserve a lot of credit as does phil jackson. regardless of whether you hate the lakers and phil or not, and i do, they are doing very well considering.
Ok, we've established that the Lakers never had the best record in the league at this point, now to the root of your post,
The Lakers may not be as good as the Suns, Mavs or Spurs BUT, they have the opportunity to surpass those teams in the near future. Those teams are better because they have experience in the post season and have played together for awhile, where as the Lakers are in their second season under Phil, still learning to play with each other and blending in a couple of rookies. If the Lakers continue to improve, and they will, the sky will be the limit. I've always pegged 2007 as the year of the laker, and the beginning of a new dynasty but the Lakers have improved so much, I'm not counting out this season as a possible beginning. Those teams that you mentioned are at the top of their games and will not change.
Phoenix will never play defense, Dallas will always be weak in the middle, and the Spurs will never be successful playing small ball. This lakers team is deep and will create problems for all of those teams. They can matchup to any lineup (when healthy) and will be hard to matchup with. Odom is the X factor. None of those teams has an answer for him. Like Dirk and the mavs the Lakers create matchup problems for other teams. Having a 6'10" powerforward that can rebound, play solid D, score from anywhere and rebound and lead the team in a break is something not too many teams, if any have.
The Lakers have assembled a nice group and they will only get better, Kwame and Bynum will be better in the Post as the season goes and those shots that they are missing will soon be automatic. They have been able to get off shots with not much resistence. The point guard position is a question mark. I'm not sure that I would have stuck with Smush this season after he choked in the playoffs last season but Famar has been a big surprise for the Lakers and just maybe a Smush/Famar combination will be enough.
This team is loaded and We hope that teams continue to underestimate this Lakers team. That will be their downfall. Recognize!
Lakers?
The Fakers have had an easy schedule so far with all those home games. They're an above average team, at best.
Lakers will lose a lot more games with Odom out. Plus they actually have to go on the road soon.
Ehhh, if Odom gets healthy and starts where he left off and Kobe continues his new "team play" and Bynum and Walton and the other role players do their thing, they can make a little noise in the playoffs, probably a 2nd round exit if they can pull it off.
I'm still not sold on Smush Parker and Kwame Brown. Lakers are super soft in the middle, their PG spot (starting and backup) is weak, and their defense goes through dry periods. They're still a piece or two away from being legit, I think.
The Lakers have enjoyed a lot of early home games, so their record is misleading. Realistically, they are a 48-50 win team.
Yeah, at best they're above average.
I'm not worried about them too much. Their WIN percentage should decline a little as the season moves along. They're still a little iffy when it comes to certain players. They're a young, scrappy team that can cause problems but they're not there yet. They have a lot of potential though.
Lakeshow1, you make some decent points, but 2007 is a little early I think. Kwame and Bynum need another couple of years, and as you said, you need to find a PG.
I love Odom though. Wish he was a Spur.
1. i think it is a little silly the way some of the posters here are dismissing the lakers cause they have played most of their games at home....they are pretty good
2. but, they are not good enough to get out of the west as long as the Spurs are healthy, so it really doesn't matter...if you think you are winning a le anytime soon, that is
Of course the Lakers are losing the one night I want them to win.
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