kingfish Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 West teams face long odds against LakersBy Johnny Ludden Kobe Bryant’s pass hung in the air for a moment, and then it was gone, disappearing into Andrew Bynum’s giant hands just long enough for him to viciously flush the ball through the rim. The Phoenix Suns’ center, Channing Frye, had raked Bynum with a foul, but no matter. On this night, Frye, like all of the Suns, could only stare hopelessly up at the Los Angeles Lakers. The rest of the West knows the feeling. These days, the Lakers are playing above everyone’s heads. The Suns brought the conference’s second-best record into Staples Center Sunday night, and were dismissed with a thorough 108-88 beating. It was the Lakers’ ninth consecutive victory, and afterward one question bore asking: Did the Lakers ever look this dominant last season? “We’ve played the other teams,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said, “and I think they’re by far the best team.” By “other” Gentry meant the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, the East’s power triumvirate. Nearly a quarter of the schedule is gone, and the West has so far produced only the Denver Nuggets as legitimate challengers to the NBA’s defending champions. The Portland Trail Blazers just lost Greg Oden(notes) for the season. The San Antonio Spurs are hibernating again, only this winter no one knows if they’ll awake. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted December 8, 2009 Owner Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Not worried about the Nuggets. We didn't have our full roster when we played them. You stick Bynum and Gasol both out on the court, and we pick them apart in a seven-game series once again, probably another 4-2 victory, or better. If Manu isn't healthy, the Spurs aren't a problem, either. Otherwise, they would be on top of my list of West teams that could potentially cause us some trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Truth Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Just shows the dominance LA has over other teams. So many squads have good, talented players, but they lack size. The Lakers have a two-headed monster down there with Gasol and Bynum. That frontcourt is just better than the rest. When you combine that with the veteran leadership of Fisher, the defensive tenacity of Artest, and the overall greatness of Kobe Bryant, they're gonna be the favorites. I don't see any team touching the Lakers this year unless they suffer major injuries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted December 8, 2009 Owner Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 I read somewhere that the Lakers' Bryant, Bynum and Gasol are three of the top five players in the NBA in points in the paint. What the hell...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Truth Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 I could believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted December 8, 2009 Owner Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 It has a lot to do with Gasol being out, though...just thought about it for a minute and figured it out. Kobe was in the post quite a bit, dipped into the paint and scored quite a bit. He'll eventually drop out of that top five by the end of the year, with Bynum and Gasol filling the post positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Truth Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 It's also because Fisher and Artest aren't really scorers. I'd guess Kobe and Gasol probably score like 70% of the starter's points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravenewworld Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Artest is a scorer (having only averaged less then 17 once in 8 years) he just does not need to do as much on this team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Truth Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 That's what I meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N4S Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Obvious thread. Power is in the East bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Depth is in the east, but the best team in the league is in the west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Depth is in the east, but the best team in the league is in the west. Yup, we should have an easy road all the way down to the finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Obvious thread. Power is in the East bro. We were 4-0 combined against the Celtics and Cavs last year, and beat the Magic in 5 games. Those teams are overrated, and certainly not on the Lakers level. The West is better, trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Well to be fair the Celts werent healthy last season, and they have way more depth this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Well to be fair the Celts werent healthy last season, and they have way more depth this season.They were healthy both times we played them, so no excuses there. Im not really worried about the east teams, even though they are our biggest threat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Celtics or Magic are matched as evenly with the Lakers on paper as anyone. I still personally don't take the Magic seriously against the Lakers, I can't really explain why lol, if I had to pin any team against the Lakers it would have to be the Celtics. They have the talent, the veteran savvy and they have done it once so I'm sure they would love another crack at it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celtics3420 Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Celtics or Magic are matched as evenly with the Lakers on paper as anyone. I still personally don't take the Magic seriously against the Lakers, I can't really explain why lol, if I had to pin any team against the Lakers it would have to be the Celtics. They have the talent, the veteran savvy and they have done it once so I'm sure they would love another crack at it. Co-Sign. We(Boston) are the only team in the east, and maybe league that can beat LA in a 7 game series. It's almost as if we're re-living the 80's or something lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravenewworld Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Co-Sign. We(Boston) are the only team in the east, and maybe league that can beat LA in a 7 game series. It's almost as if we're re-living the 80's or something lol. How exactly are the Celtics the only team in the east that can beat LA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted December 10, 2009 Owner Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 I'm getting less and less worried about Boston every game they play. They came out looking good, but I'm starting to see Sheed is just terrible, Garnett's rebounding is down, and the Celtics are having to rely on Perkins a lot more than I expected, and that's going to be a problem when Bynum and Gasol are playing the center positions. Yeah, Boston beat us in 2008. That was without an all-star center in Bynum and a very good defender and spot-up shooter in Ariza. I'm definitely not going to bite my nails over the Celtics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland's Finest Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Well the Nuggets did beat them and I think they've only played once so the Nuggets certainly can face them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 The Rockets can hahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Well the Nuggets did beat them and I think they've only played once so the Nuggets certainly can face them. We lost in Denver on the 2nd of a back to back, without Gasol, and Kobes hamstring was sore. It was a 2 point game at halftime, until we ran out of gas. The Nuggets are NOT a threat, not at all imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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