Can Anyone Beat the Lakers?

[cch5432]

IMO, 50% of the time the Spurs would win a 7-game series.

 

:p:p:p :lol:

 

Can anyone left beat the Lakers? No.

[5wide]

Im pretty sure it will be Pierce. He got the assignment to guard Lebron James. I will say that Pierce don't have the reputation of Bruce Bowen, but he has played great defense throughout the playoffs on whoever he has faced.

 

If the Pistons were to win, Kobe Bryant would face the one guy who has done the best job of anyone against him in a series. That is Tayshawn Prince 4 years ago I believe. He did an amazing job on Bryant in that series!! That being said, Bryant has improved since then and became a more complete player.

 

I'm almost certain Pierce will be guarding Kobe...but, I was talking about the opposite. Will Phil put Kobe on Allen or Pierce? I expect Kobe to be guarding Pierce for the most part, but I'm not sure that's a foregone conclusion. My guess is Kobe will be on Pierce primarily, but will switch off on Allen if he gets off.

[bigblueinsanity]

If the C's win the East, I'll take them in 7.

[5wide]

I think Detroit matches up better with LA.

 

Looking at a potential Lakers vs. Celtics matchup...

 

First, I think the Lakers length will bother the Celtics like it has every team they've played thus far. Probably not as much as it did the Spurs, but it will bother them. Also, unlike the Spurs series, LA is going to have the experience advantage with Bryant and Fisher having won three titles together in their backcourt. Also, it gets repetitive, but they have Kobe Bryant. That is huge. He's the best player on the court. His presence and his ability to deliver in big moments is a huge plus for LA, not only for the obvious reason, but also because it allows the rest of the team to relax and play with confidence in big moments because they know they have a guy who won't let them lose.

 

Looking at individual matchups, I like the Lakers chances.

 

Rondo vs. Fisher - Advantage Fisher...he's a veteran, clutch player. He plays very good defense and can make big shots if left open. Rondo is an up-and-comer, but he's still inexperienced and he's not a consistent threat to hurt you with jumpers. I think this is a big plus for LA.

 

Allen vs. Kobe - Advantage Kobe...definitely. While Allen is a great shooter, he's not in Kobe's league.

 

Odom vs. Pierce - Even...Pierce is Boston's best clutch player. He's their best scorer and a solid defender, but he can struggle at times. Odom is just a guy who does whatever is needed and gives the Lakers a lot of versatility. He isn't a huge scorer, but he can put the ball in the basket. He's a very good rebounder, a solid passer and just a smart player. He's a tough matchup for a lot of opponents because of his size and versatility.

 

KG vs. Radmanovic - Advantage KG...big time. Perhaps the biggest mismatch when comparing the starting lineups. Garnett is one of the 5 to 10 best players in the league who can pretty much do it all. Radmanovic is a decent player, but not close to Garnett...he can give the Lakers some scoring and is a threat to knock down open threes. He can also give them some solid rebounding at times.

 

Perkins vs. Gasol - Advantage Gasol...another mismatch, IMO. Gasol is a very versatile post man. He's very skilled in the post, he can score, but just as important, he's a great passer. He's also a very good rebounder and solid defender. His length really helps him in that regard. Perkins is more comparable to Radmanovic in that he can give the Celtics a big plus, but he can't be counted on consistently. He's not going to hit threes like Radmanovic, but his contribution is inside with his energy, rebounding and defense. When he plays like this, his points can start to add up to by hustling and getting easy baskets on putbacks, or by getting open and letting KG or someone else find him.

 

Bench - I think the Lakers bench is a big plus for them vs. Boston.

 

Overall - A few things to point out that I didn't mention above. The makeup of the Lakers team makes it much more unlikely that they'll go through long scoring droughts. First, they have the premiere offensive player in the league in Kobe Bryant. Second, they have two of the best passing big men in the league in Gasol and Odom, and consequently, the Lakers are the best passing team in the league. And, finally, they have multiple guys who can spot up and knock down the open three (Fisher, Radmanovic, Vujacic). Those three are very good shooters. In addition, Walton and Farmar knock down open shots as well. And, they have Kobe to draw defense and create open shots for them, along with great passing bigs like Gasol and Odom.

 

Boston, on the other hand, doesn't have that balanced makeup, IMO. They rely heavily on their defense and when they score a lot it's mainly because the defense is creating easy opportunities. I expect those chances will be limited against the Lakers. Rondo isn't going to scare anyone shooting jumpers. Ray Allen must be accounted for. He seems to have woke up finally, but he's been down for the most of the playoffs. Pierce is definitely their best scorer and creator, but he can be a streaky shooter and he isn't nearly as dynamic as Kobe in any regard. KG can do it all and he'll need to if they want to beat LA. Perkins can hit open shots, but he isn't a guy who scares you. I think Boston is in much the same boat as the Spurs in a series against Los Angeles. They're going to have to get big production from their big three guys because there really isn't another place they can look to for consistent points. Ginobli's struggles doomed the Spurs...the Celts won't be able to overcome subpar play from Allen or Pierce.

[SvFan4life]

I think Detroit matches up better with LA.

 

Looking at a potential Lakers vs. Celtics matchup...

 

First, I think the Lakers length will bother the Celtics like it has every team they've played thus far. Probably not as much as it did the Spurs, but it will bother them. Also, unlike the Spurs series, LA is going to have the experience advantage with Bryant and Fisher having won three titles together in their backcourt. Also, it gets repetitive, but they have Kobe Bryant. That is huge. He's the best player on the court. His presence and his ability to deliver in big moments is a huge plus for LA, not only for the obvious reason, but also because it allows the rest of the team to relax and play with confidence in big moments because they know they have a guy who won't let them lose.

 

Looking at individual matchups, I like the Lakers chances.

 

Rondo vs. Fisher - Advantage Fisher...he's a veteran, clutch player. He plays very good defense and can make big shots if left open. Rondo is an up-and-comer, but he's still inexperienced and he's not a consistent threat to hurt you with jumpers. I think this is a big plus for LA.

 

Allen vs. Kobe - Advantage Kobe...definitely. While Allen is a great shooter, he's not in Kobe's league.

 

Odom vs. Pierce - Even...Pierce is Boston's best clutch player. He's their best scorer and a solid defender, but he can struggle at times. Odom is just a guy who does whatever is needed and gives the Lakers a lot of versatility. He isn't a huge scorer, but he can put the ball in the basket. He's a very good rebounder, a solid passer and just a smart player. He's a tough matchup for a lot of opponents because of his size and versatility.

 

KG vs. Radmanovic - Advantage KG...big time. Perhaps the biggest mismatch when comparing the starting lineups. Garnett is one of the 5 to 10 best players in the league who can pretty much do it all. Radmanovic is a decent player, but not close to Garnett...he can give the Lakers some scoring and is a threat to knock down open threes. He can also give them some solid rebounding at times.

 

Perkins vs. Gasol - Advantage Gasol...another mismatch, IMO. Gasol is a very versatile post man. He's very skilled in the post, he can score, but just as important, he's a great passer. He's also a very good rebounder and solid defender. His length really helps him in that regard. Perkins is more comparable to Radmanovic in that he can give the Celtics a big plus, but he can't be counted on consistently. He's not going to hit threes like Radmanovic, but his contribution is inside with his energy, rebounding and defense. When he plays like this, his points can start to add up to by hustling and getting easy baskets on putbacks, or by getting open and letting KG or someone else find him.

 

Bench - I think the Lakers bench is a big plus for them vs. Boston.

 

Overall - A few things to point out that I didn't mention above. The makeup of the Lakers team makes it much more unlikely that they'll go through long scoring droughts. First, they have the premiere offensive player in the league in Kobe Bryant. Second, they have two of the best passing big men in the league in Gasol and Odom, and consequently, the Lakers are the best passing team in the league. And, finally, they have multiple guys who can spot up and knock down the open three (Fisher, Radmanovic, Vujacic). Those three are very good shooters. In addition, Walton and Farmar knock down open shots as well. And, they have Kobe to draw defense and create open shots for them, along with great passing bigs like Gasol and Odom.

 

Boston, on the other hand, doesn't have that balanced makeup, IMO. They rely heavily on their defense and when they score a lot it's mainly because the defense is creating easy opportunities. I expect those chances will be limited against the Lakers. Rondo isn't going to scare anyone shooting jumpers. Ray Allen must be accounted for. He seems to have woke up finally, but he's been down for the most of the playoffs. Pierce is definitely their best scorer and creator, but he can be a streaky shooter and he isn't nearly as dynamic as Kobe in any regard. KG can do it all and he'll need to if they want to beat LA. Perkins can hit open shots, but he isn't a guy who scares you. I think Boston is in much the same boat as the Spurs in a series against Los Angeles. They're going to have to get big production from their big three guys because there really isn't another place they can look to for consistent points. Ginobli's struggles doomed the Spurs...the Celts won't be able to overcome subpar play from Allen or Pierce.

 

 

While that's a pretty good analysis I believe it is a little off.

 

I believe that Farmar will end up getting more PT than Fisher at this point. Farmar has shown that he can handle the court and the quicker PG. Fisher on the other hand has had foul trouble in every game in the Western Finals, as a result of him not being able to really keep up. Now all of this is just my opinion but I think they'll have Farmar on Rondo because of how quick Rondo is.

 

 

One thing that helps Boston is homecourt advantage.

[Log Mountain Boy]

While that's a pretty good analysis I believe it is a little off.

 

I believe that Farmar will end up getting more PT than Fisher at this point. Farmar has shown that he can handle the court and the quicker PG. Fisher on the other hand has had foul trouble in every game in the Western Finals, as a result of him not being able to really keep up. Now all of this is just my opinion but I think they'll have Farmar on Rondo because of how quick Rondo is.

 

One thing that helps Boston is homecourt advantage.[/QUOTE]

 

That will help. Also, I believe that the Celtics can control the boards against the Lakers. Perkins has been doing a great job rebounding and we all know Garnett is a beast on the board. Also Rondo is a very good rebounding guard. Lakers is a good rebounding team too, but I think the Celtics has the advantage there.

Like I said though, Ray Allen is a big key.

[SvFan4life]

While that's a pretty good analysis I believe it is a little off.

 

I believe that Farmar will end up getting more PT than Fisher at this point. Farmar has shown that he can handle the court and the quicker PG. Fisher on the other hand has had foul trouble in every game in the Western Finals, as a result of him not being able to really keep up. Now all of this is just my opinion but I think they'll have Farmar on Rondo because of how quick Rondo is.

 

One thing that helps Boston is homecourt advantage.

 

That will help. Also, I believe that the Celtics can control the boards against the Lakers. Perkins has been doing a great job rebounding and we all know Garnett is a beast on the board. Also Rondo is a very good rebounding guard. Lakers is a good rebounding team too, but I think the Celtics has the advantage there.

Like I said though, Ray Allen is a big key.

 

Allen will be a big key. I mean which one will show up the one that hit 5 three's against the Pistons or the one that couldn't get a shot against the Cavs?

 

I think that Pierce will be guarding Kobe, his defense has really stepped up this playoffs (most likely because of how much he really wants a ring).

[woodsrider]

Can anyone beat them?

 

107-94

110-91

 

I would guess that Boston can.

[5wide]

Can anyone beat them?

 

107-94

110-91

 

I would guess that Boston can.

 

Boston or Detroit can beat the Lakers. Will they is a better question?

 

How much stock should we put into two games played before 2008? Before Gasol was a Laker? Before the Lakers really hit their stride and while Boston was playing nearly unbeatable basketball? (See post #13)

 

It is a fact that they beat them by double digits in their only two games this season.

 

It's also a fact that the Lakers have basically blown through a brutal western conference that didn't have a playoff team under 50 wins with only 3 losses in the post-season, while the Celtics have struggled against inferior competition going 7 games in their first two series. The western conference had 9 teams with a better record than Cleveland.

 

So, should we put more stock in a couple of victories early in the season vs. a Gasol-less Laker team? Or, does recent performance bear more weight?

 

I wouldn't count Boston or Detroit out against anyone, but if you look at how the Lakers have played in the post-season and since they got Gasol, they should and will be favored against either of them.

 

Personally, I'm hoping for a Lakers/Celtics matchup, but getting revenge on Detroit for 2004 would be OK too.

[h-dothework-c]

Will and can is a big difference. I think it is possible for the celtics to beat the Lakers, but they won't. Kobe, Gasol, and Odom will be too much. Just think if they had Bynum also, this team has a bright present and future.

[Da champ]

A guy with a Kentucky Wildcat background will have a lot to say, when it comes to the crowning of the 2008 NBA Champion

[ScarHeel]

A guy with a Kentucky Wildcat background will have a lot to say, when it comes to the crowning of the 2008 NBA Champion

 

So you think the Eastern Conference representative will win the NBA Title?