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Yet the Heat have 4 more losses than the Celtics, and have been beaten TWICE by the Celtics. They have been beaten TWICE by the Mavs, including once a few nights ago. Those are the two teams, besides the Spurs, who have played the best basketball in the league so far this season. The Celtics have championship experience, a lot more depth than the Heat, a better halfcourt offense, and IMO a better defense. You can't convince me that the Heat will be able to beat them in a 7-game series RIGHT NOW. Maybe a few months from now, but right now the answer is no. The Celtics have won 14 of their last 15 as well, with 8 double digit victories. That is without Perkins, Jermaine O'Neal, Rondo (arguably their best player) for a few games, and Shaq for a few games (who some analysts have said should be an all-star). The Heat are NOT the best defensive team in the league. Unlike the Celtics, the Heat have GLARING defensive weaknesses. The Celtics do not. Most of the time, the Heat are able to counter this by lockin up the other positions on the floor by supreme help defense and talent. Against a team like Boston, this will be a lot harder because they have GREAT team passing, a PG who will get into the paint at will, and players who are able to move off-ball. The teams that the Heat have had trouble defending are teams that have PG's who can penetrate, and supporting players who move well off-ball and pass well such as Boston and Utah. Boston shot 46% and 54% against the Heat in their two meetings. Utah shot 48% and 51% in their two meetings. Wade and James, as great as they are defensively, get burned by players who can create offense by moving off-ball. Ray Allen absolutely smoked Wade their last few meetings because Allen has such a quick shot release that Wade can't recover as well as he does against most players when he gambles. Also, if the Heat are playing teams with big men that move well off-ball, then Z has fits, and Joel is too small to alter shots if they get the ball near the rim. No. Doc is a supreme motivator, has years of experience on Spoelstra, is a better X's and O's guy on offense, and unike Spo he makes adjustments on the fly. Spo's rotations and sets are robotic, and in close games he gets exposed...that has been seen multiple times this season. He also tends to favor certain players to the point where it KILLS the team...aka Joel starting for the first 10 games, Arroyo playing 20+ minutes, playing Bosh at Center in order to keep Haslem on the floor, etc...

To say the game meant nothing to the Lakers is a lie..you can play it off all you want but you know all of them wanted to win this game. Yes, it was a regular season game, yes, we did get beat by Cleveland last year under the same circumstances...but give Miami some damn props. They completely dominated us today..from start to finish. They are a scary team right now, those early season struggles really helped them become a much better team.

First of all they're both having a great season so far, a MVP season indeed. Statistically they're very close, but it's important to consider that Amaré's playing in D'Antoni's system which is the best system to have great stats... While Dirk is playing in more defensive minded team. Also it's easier to have great stats when you have less good teammates and Dirk's teammates are clerly better than Stoudemire's this year, this has also to be taken in consideration. And that is why I would give the edge to Dirk here. Might I add that Dirk's FG%, for a player who shoots that often from mid range and long range, is absolutely outstanding. Defensively, well Dirk is not and will never be a great defender but he at least improved in that area since the Avery Johnson days. While Amaré just has no defense at all... Advantage Dirk there too. And in terms of leadership and clutchness there is no doubt that Dirk is the better player there too. There is no one in the league that is more clutch than Dirk right now, except Kobe. Dirk is also better on the free throw line and a better passer than Amaré. Finally Dirk is right now the favorite for the MVP as he's clearly the best player among the three best teams in the league right now. So I don't see how a case can be made against Dirk here.

I don't know how many of you guys actually caught this.."Imma [expletive]ing champ" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbP2aDxhXVg LOL

^Is that Earl Boykins photoshopped?

Well I'm not like some of you Laker fans on this site, I take this lose to heart. Yeah sure we got killed, and have done the killing on Christmas the last couple seasons, and we've won the NBA Championship regardless. I know for a fact that Phil and Kobe wil be ready come playoff time, but there are certainly alot of things to be concerned about. The Heat exposed our pick and roll defense today. LeBron and Wade got to the rack at will, and if that didnt happen they were willing passers which resulted in open looks for other guys. The Lakers defense was running around with our heads chopped the entire game. We literally couldn't figure it out the entire game. It's nice to see that Pau is back to being a [expletive]. He didn't finish around the rim, he rarely contest any damn shot, and on top of that he was getting blown by by guys like Juwan Howard. Just a complete lack of effort and willingness to be physical. As I said earlier Bynum was two times that player he was tonight. I don't know if it's only me, but Ron Artest's play this season has been infuriating. What I would give for an guy like Batum......The lack of an athletic wing player is really hurting us. Ron got to the rim a couple times but his fat [expletive] simply just couldn't dunk it, and on top he cant shot a open shot to save his life. This game was simply painful to watch. Laker fans can say that this game doesn't mean [expletive], but I can bet you that this win is going to do wonders from Miami's morale. At this point the Lakers are the third best team in the West let alone the league.

Lol, the mighty excuse train has arrived. Let me just get the good ones out of the way here before they start: 1. Its just a regular season game 2. The Lakers don't try until the playoffs 3. Bynum isn't healthy yet Merry Christmas everyone .

Something retards have, Soulja Boy has it, so I am guessing that is what it means.

I also don't get paid a retarded amount of money to kick balls.

Well I'm watching it online. Here : http://atdhe.net/31374/watch-phoenix-suns-vs-los-angeles-clippers. Why you're asking ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ff46b58Hk All the scenes with Joe Pesci in this movie are just incredible

All we have to go by with the Heat is the regular season. The Celtics are proven champs, and very possibly could have won last season has Perkins not gone down to injury. Since the Big 3 was formed they've only lost one series with all 3 playing, and that was to the champs in an epic 7-game series. Now the Celtics are even better, healthier and deeper. They've beaten the Heat twice in two tries. What have the Heat PROVEN to say they can beat them in a 7-game series? Who cares if they've crushed bad teams? The Heat will not be judged by what they do against bad teams. It's how they play against good teams, and they've shown nothing this season to tell me they play well enough in those games to currently beat the Celtics in a 7-game series. Last season the Magic were statistically a better defensive team than the Celtics. When they matched up in the post-season, the Magic's defensive weaknesses were exposed (specifically Pierce tearing Carter up), while the Celtics simply locked the Magic down. Also, statistically, according to Drtg (an encompassing defensive stat), the Celtics are currently best in the league. Basically, when you are comparing the two best defensive teams in the league, regular season stats from a 30 game sample don't mean much. At that point, you have to compare them head-to-head, and the difference is the Celtics don't have glaring defensive weaknesses like the Heat do. No, you didn't. It doesn't work like that. Now that KG is healthy, and considering he rapes Bosh in head-to-head matchups, I'd have to give the Celtics the edge there. Rondo is absolutely lightyears ahead of Arroyo or Chalmers, and on your stupid scale he is much closder to a 9 than a 7. Shaq and Perkins are better players than any of the Heat's Centers, and if JO gets healthy he is comparable as well. The Heat and Celtics are clearly superior at two seperate positions, and comparable in one (PF spot, both the starters and back-ups). The difference is the gap between James/Wade and Pierce/Allen is a lot closer than the gap between Rondo/Shaq and Arroyo/Z. The Celtics are deeper. They have invaluable championship experience. They have no glaring weaknesses. They are the better team, currently. Huh? Where do you get this stuff? I gave you SPECIFIC examples and reasons that show why he is not a better coach than Doc. There is not a single area of the game where Spo is currently a better coach.

But maybe a healthy Bulls team can

Well..after realizing a few things about it..all is not lost. I feel better now :glasses:

Swag is a mental disorder that prevents the sufferer from speaking proper English. They often ramble on about stuff that makes no sense. Example: Person A: Hey man, how's your swag going? Person B: SHAWTY BE SHAKIN [expletive] Person A: Yeah, cool. Umm, I need to go... Person B: You can't see me cash [expletive].

Bosh needs more love, ever since he struggled the first couple of games he's been getting 20/10 on a daily basis and is by far the most consistent player on the team. Not to mention the great defense on Gasol in some stretches. Strange that he's gone so unnoticed.

Daamn, you scored to day my man. Good [expletive].

ESPN's gonna have buttsex with LeBron over this for the rest of the season.

The Kobe/Shaq Lakers did the same thing during the three peat years... It happens when you make it to the Finals and play into June the last three years straight. As for the team as a whole, obviously there are issues. Pau played terrible basketball, as did pretty much the whole team. But I expect them to step up when it counts. The Lakers were dominated by Cleveland in similar fashion last year on Christmas. The Lakers lost 7 of their last 11 games heading into the playoffs last year. The Thunder came out of nowhere and made LA look foolish in the first round. The same people proclaiming LA done and not championship material last year are probably the same people doing it now. Regular season means nothing when you've won 2 straight championships. Now I am not guaranteeing that LA pulls off a three peat, or that we are that much better than Miami/Boston/San Antonio. I just know that there is an extra gear that this team turns on when it actually matters, and they definitely will play much better when postseason starts. As for whether or not they are going to win the championship? Nobody can know that, but when the Lakers are playing their A game, they are right up top with the best in the league. That is basically all Lkr is trying state. And if you think this reasoning is BS then all you have to do is look back to last season and see the evidence to back up our claims.

The Lakers are notorious for losing to [expletive]ty teams. Have fun predicting the doom of the Lakers though, Cleveland's Finest shall fill you in on the details from his plan.

Lakers are the team that the players want to beat, Heat are the team that everyone wants to see fail miserably. And I believe there is a difference.

Heat dominated the game, props to them. Game means little to the Lakers, as already stated. The same people who put meaning into this game are probably the same people counting us out last year when Cleveland owned us on Christmas. That being said, Miami is going to be a forced to be reckoned with, especially when Mike Miller and UD get healthy. As for the Lakers, there are obviously issues that need to be addressed. Pau's play today was absolutely embarrassing. Hopefully Drew recovers quick because we definitely needed him out there tonight. And Ron Artest cannot make a layup to save his life.

Go talk to Cleveland's Finest. He'll tell you all about winning in the regular season and how important beating the Lakers in LA on Christmas is.

I was hoping it was implied. Losses only matter to teams that aren't established because you never know how good they CAN be. We have seen how good the Heat CAN be, so at this point, a loss doesn't even matter for the Heat in the regular season. You have to realize that a lot of people that were talking [expletive] about the Heat were just saying it because they wanted it to be true. The only team that Miami has looked weak against is Boston. We already know they can dominate LA, Orlando, etc. LA has the same core as the past few years, and we know they can dominate.

The Heat aren't even the best team in the east, by no means will they be the favorites.

losses don't mean anything in the regular season

Kobe has no doubters....the Heat havwe doubters. Kobe doesn't have much more to prove.

http://www.wakeskating.com/forum/files/popped-collars-.jpg Popped collars gonna pop.

Great comeback for the Magic. They didn't give up and it payed off. Give a lot of credits to Dwight Howard. He had a horrible night but made huge free throws and defensive stops down the stretch to finally get the win. PIERCE COULD GO SIT DOWN! Merry Christmas Orlando

I wore Acqua Di Gio in like 8th grade, haha. (Not making fun, don't get mad... Just recollecting!) Some of y'all are mega spoiled, lmao!

This is hilarious and everyone is getting their panties in a bunch about it, LeBron ftmfw

I agree that it would be awesome for everyone besides the fans of the teams they wipe off the map. The issue is money...there is simply too much money for the league to make via expansion. Sure, the league may generate more buzz and higher ratings with a few less teams, but they'd be losing a crazy amount of money by doing so. Still, it would be awesome if they cut off some of the league's dead weight, and the rich get richer (not Lakers/Celtics/Heat necessarily, but all those mid-level teams like the Bulls, Knicks, Thunder, etc...) It would lead to a better, more exciting product.

Terrible artist is terrible, terrible songs are terrible

Kobe taking 3-4 less jumpers per game (which accounts for the roughly 15% difference between he and LeBron/Wade, assuming he takes between 20-22 shot attempts) has NOTHING to do with him developing a consistent jumper through practice and hard work. If Kobe had better shot selection, in his prime he would have been at least a 48-50% shooter from the field, and his 3pt % would have likely also seen an increase because he'd be picking his spots better. As he aged and started losing his legs, he'd be the same player he has been the last 2-3 years. And not a very interesting one, lol.

Haha wow you can really turn ANYTHING that is an indisputably bad part of Kobe's game and make it positive, can't you? Kobe's shot selection has always been bad. He's a good enough shooter and shot-creator that it's allowed him to be modestly efficient throughout his career, but he's always robbed himself of being as effective as he possibly could with his shot selection, something that all the skill in the world won't fix. Are we seriously talking about Kobe's swollen hand?

LeBron hasn't had any real injuries so you can't judge that.

The most LeBron has missed in a season was 7 games, so that doesn't make sense.