Leaderboard

With Yao Ming out for the season, and Rick Adelman wanting nothing to do with a recuperating Tracy McGrady, it’s a wonder how the Houston Rockets win any games at all. In their 98-93 victory over the miserable New Jersey Nets, the Rockets struggled to put away the worst team in the NBA for many reasons. The Rockets missed no less than 15 layups (15!) with Trevor Ariza (4), Kyle Lowry (3), Chuck Hayes (2), Carl Landry (2), Luis Scola (2), and Aaron Brooks (2) being the culprits.Aside from bricking four layups, Ariza never found the stroke on his jumper—1-8 3FG—was timid around the basket, and didn’t show a world-class handle. He isn’t talented enough to be a go-to scorer on a great team.Brooks forced at least a half dozen shots and drives, while Lowry also jacked up a number of too-quick shot attempts.Lowry couldn’t find the basket with a map—1-9 FG, 7 PTS.Houston had difficulty with Brook Lopez’ size and strength around the hoop.Landry, Scola, and David Andersen were repeatedly beaten off the dribble by Yi Jianlian.Because the Rockets rarely sell out their weak-side help to avoid going into rotations, Yi’s drives, and several Nets screen/rolls resulted in layups.Included in Andersen’s horrible defensive lowlight reel was allowing the offensively challenged Josh Boone to drop a right hook over him.Luis Scola can score in the post, but he needs sufficient space and multiple spin moves to do so.Houston gave up too many open looks from downtown late that the Nets couldn’t capitalize on.Shane Battier was beaten backdoor by Courtney Lee three times, resulting in five points.Houston had trouble completing one-on-one offensive moves, as evidenced by their missed layups. Most of Houston’s success came off of execution of sets. If a team can choke off those sets, Houston becomes vulnerable offensively. So how possibly are the Rockets winning? Carl Landry—9-14 FG, 8-11 FT—is a big time scorer in the post. He has explosive feet, brute strength, and never backs away from physicality, as evidenced by the dental work he’s needed after losing so many teeth in collisions. When Houston needed a basket, Landry was the guy they turned to.Battier knocked down two of his patented corner triples, came up with a key block on a Devin Harris fast break, and didn’t get in the way.Luis Scola was automatic with his mid-range jumper, knocking down five J’s in six attempts.Aaron Brooks—5-13 FG, 17 PTS—can scoot anywhere he wants, and shoot over anybody.Even if he had a bad game, Lowry is as tough as iron.David Andersen has legit three-point range—2-3 3FG.The Rockets spaced the floor well and took advantage of New Jersey’s overreacting on ball penetrations. Whenever Ariza isolated on the baseline and a big man dropped down to show help, a pass to the top of the key would result in open shots for Scola and Andersen.Andersen and the Rockets took advantage of the Nets fronting Landry by clearing out the weak side, and having Andersen flash to the free throw line where he made a nifty entry pass to Landry for a basket.If Ariza couldn’t find the range, his teammates responded from downtown. Houston went 8-19 from downtown, but not including Ariza, that number jumps to 7-11.Houston’s unselfishness and execution is evidenced by their high assist ratios—25 assists, 34 field goals, 10 turnovers, excellent numbers.Houston’s effort level is best displayed by their rebounding totals, 51 to 39. More impressively, Houston grabbed 16 offensive rebounds while holding New Jersey to six offensive retrievals.For the most part, Houston can defend straight up without going into scramble mode. This makes it easier for them to defend the perimeter, and New Jersey only shot 4-16 from downtown. And when opponents do shoot, every shot is contested. In other words, because Houston prepares diligently, concedes nothing, focuses on executing, and plays smart basketball, they maximize the talent level and get the most out of themselves. In that case, Houston is winning because of some combination of Rick Adelman’s coaching, Landry’s unheralded pivot game, Battier’s leadership, and a collective maturity in order to play tough, smart basketball. While it’s unclear if Houston can simply work their way to a playoff series victory, they’re an example of how much a collection of individuals can succeed if they trust each other and do their homework. Or to put it more succinctly, they’re the embodiment of why no team is allowed to make excuses.

No way Boston beats Golden State in GS. GSW will win by 13.

Yes. From what I can make out from the video in this thread, Mo threw a hard one-handed pass and wasn't in complete balance. He was sort of taking a side step as Kobe ran into him. So he only had one leg entirely on the floor in mid step. And Kobe was in near full speed heading past half court - maybe 75% or something, the camera angle doesn't show - then slowed down just before heading into Mo. Either way, Mo was in an awkward position plus being blindsided, and Kobe ran directly into him at a descend speed and force enough to make Mo fall to the ground the way he did. Clearly not a flop.

So when do player abilities factor in? Because Michael Cooper has as many rings as Magic as well, so does that make him a greater Laker than Kobe Bryant? The Devean George strawman. You have to lead the team and win, not just win. I think Fisher is the worst starting point guard in the league and has been for some time yet he has four rings. Player abilities factor in when discussing who is the greatest overall player for the Lakers. Then and only then Kobe wins. But that's not the question, it's greatest Laker. btw Magic Minions (props for that) are fewer in number than the Kult. Magic has one more ring than Bryant, Precisely, which makes him a more valuable and greater Laker. How can you possibly put someone ahead of Magic who has less rings? You can't. It's absurd. The greatest contribution to the franchise is rings. Magic has more and he was the leader of those teams. with a far superior team over a course of a full decade of basketball. That's it. Earvin was a Laker for 13 seasons, Bryant at 14. Kobe has had the greater performances, and he's the better overall player (this you agree with). Superior team in a different era when it was possible to build a super team, but they also faced superior opponents. Bird Celtics, Doc Sixers and the Bad Boys would wipe the floor with the Laker Threepeat finals opponents. The Lakers were far superior but so were their finals opponents, can't cherry pick one side of it while ignoring the other half of the equation. So other than championship rings, which Magic has only one-upped on Bryant...what else has Johnson done for the LAKERS that Kobe hasn't? Three more finals appearances. Made the franchise immensely valuable which allowed Staples to happen etc. Kobe has certainly played a role in expanding the value of the franchise as well, but Magic's task was more difficult, he entered a league in trouble and when he left the league was transformed. That gets swept under the table a lot. It shouldn't. The Magic/Bird/Jordan trio is what changed basketball in the 80's, not just Magic himself...and the truth is, it was Jordan who brought the interest back to the playgrounds, with kids wanting to be like him, and it was he who raked in deals with the likes of Nike, McDonald's, and many others that significantly helped the NBA turn into a media giant, but even then, that wasn't just for the Lakers, Celtics or Bulls, that was for the league. Magic's style of basketball brought fans and media back to the game. Finals on tape delay. Unthinkable now. Magic vs. Bird was the foundation. Magic's joy for the game was infectious. Find a fan who wasn't fond of Showtime, how basketball should be played. Magic was the engine, Bird was the rival. Jordan came after Magic and Bird had already brought the league back from the drug era. What Jordan did was pioneer athlete as pitchman and usher in a generation that saw a shift from team only to player first. Magic and Bird brought the game back. Jordan introduced the star-driven NBA business model. The impact isn't shown today because the NBA is already global. Is there any doubt that Kobe could've done the same thing, assuming he came into the league with someone like LeBron at a time when the NBA needed that extra boost? Kobe's talent would be the same, his charisma, not so much. The greatest Laker should be the greatest player to play in a Lakers jersey. Being the better overall player has a lot to do with that, or else Cooper trumps Bryant, and that's just ridiculous, to say the least. The greatest Laker should be the leader who delivered the most rings and had the most impact on the franchise. The best overall player is a different argument. It's player vs. player. Greatest Laker means most value to the Lakers. That's undeniably Magic. By the way, I think it's close enough to be a tie, in my opinion...but there's only one choice available for each member, so yeah... Can't be a tie in my eyes. Magic has more rings and more impact for the franchise. Kobe may well surpass Magic, but he will have to get at least five rings before it can be debated. So we can revisit this in June. Until then the greatest Laker is Magic Johnson.