Comments on: NBA Playoffs: If the Lakers are inevitable, do you want them early or late?

By: svt

svt — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:44:37 +0000

Spoke too soon huh?

By: Heath

Heath — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:09:32 +0000

I don’t think it matters. I think that the Lakers may lose in the 1st, or 2nd round, and never have a shot at the west finals. I don’t think it matters what team faces tham (OKC is), because I think that the Lakers are done. Even if they make it to the finals, which I doubt, I cannot see them winning another ring. Cleveland has already went to the jeweler and had their rings sized.

By: Suga Shane

Suga Shane — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:04:29 +0000

I don’t totally agree with you. I do think earlier is better, but not that early.
No championship contender is going to lose in the first round (sorry, Dallas). It’s just not going to happen. That’s embarrassing and no champion likes to get embarrassed. Besides how many legit title contenders have lost in the first round (sans Dallas).
I know the competition has never really been this close and evenly spread, but still.
Also, top teams Like the Lakers won’t lose in the Conference Finals. They have come to far and are too close to the finals to give in at that point. Plus all the other reasons you listed.
I think the best time to get a team like the Lakers is the second round. Look at the Celtics last year. There was no way in hell they were losing to the Bulls, no matter how much fire power the Bulls threw at them. We all knew the Cs would just find a way.
But it wore them out and the Magic were waiting. The Celtics shouldn’t have lost that series (they were leading the series 3-2 if i recall correctly) but they weren’t close enough to the finals to push through the injuries, the boredom, or the fatigue. and they weren’t in an embarrassing situation to try and save face.
Like-wise, the Lakers handled the first round. Yet it took a long grueling series vs the Rockets for the Lakers to finally convince themselves that the fruit was worth the labor. After barely edging a lowly and dwindled roster of nobodies, the Lakers handled a much stiffer Denver Nuggets in 6 games. Had they faced the Nuggets in round two, who knows what the outcome would have been.
Two years ago, the Hornets finished a hair behind the top seed in the west. They lost the top seed when they lost their final regular season game to the lakers. The lakers went on to make the finals, the hornets… well know one really remembers. They didn’t make the WCFs. They got bounced in the second round in a long hard fought series with the Spurs and that was the end of that.
It’s happened time and again and will continue to happen. People say its a long season and teams get bored. It’s also a long playoffs and teams tend to lose focus, especially when they hit that middle ground.
The Western Conference Semifinals. That’s going to be any teams best chance to beat the Lakers.

By: beezer

beezer — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:51:57 +0000

i agree with pop, hustle for reward, not for failure. no one wants LA 1st round. NO ONE!! period. what if or not. i dont see any games goin to 7 for the lakeshow. yeah im biased–but so what? their starting 5 is THE best in the league–better than clevelands. now their bench? not so much. im confident their starting 5 can win every series when put to the test, every last one of them. only thing that concerns me is, the lakeshow has a worse road record this year than theyve had the previous two seasons. bynum isnt even a factor–they can play well without him and have played well in the past. i hope hes back and can be efficient, but we will see.

By: Rod

Rod — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:47:30 +0000

I also say that the youngsters on this Blazer team need to learn a hatred for the Lakers. The kind of loathing that comes from them knocking you out of the playoffs. If they can’t get past them this year, at least build the anger for future years.

By: Rod

Rod — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:46:17 +0000

I also say that the youngsters on this Blazer team need to learn a hatred for the Blazers. The kind of loathing that comes from them knocking you out of the playoffs. If they can’t get past them this year, at least build the anger for future years.

By: Darius

Darius — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:50:16 +0000

Matt, I’m biased but I disagree with your third point regarding the Lakers not responding well to adversity. I think it’s the opposite – they respond well to adversity. They responded in the Houston series; they responded in the Denver series. The major issue with this Lakers team is how frequently #2 on your list pops up. They allow adversity to set in based off the fact that they don’t always bring their best game to the party. That leads to them getting into situations that they must fight out of, and pretty much for the past three seasons (save being able to beat a very good Celtics team in the Finals) they responded and won. So, sure, they may drop a game that they shouldn’t and look uninspired in doing so. But when it’s time to respond in the next game,they do.
I do agree with what you’re saying about getting the Lakers early, because if you get them later in the playoffs the avalanche may be too overwhelming to overcome. So, see if you can steal some games early in the playoffs and take your chances in game 6 or 7 and see if you can steal the series.