NBA Playoffs

• CCRolly

  

  If Chicago and Toronto finish with the same record, who owns the tie-breaker?
• cview

  devil1197 wrote: The Spurs are just a little older than what the Lakers are, plus Kobe is looking like an old veteran with his play and numerous injuries.
  
  PG: Parker 27 vs. Fisher 35
  SG: Manu 32 vs. Kobe 31
  SF: Jefferson 29 vs. Artest 30
  PF: Duncan 33 vs. Odom 30
  C: McDyess 35 vs. Gasol 29
  
  Average starting lineup age: 31.2 SAS and 31.0 LAL
  
  Both teams have young guys that come off the bench (Hill, Blair, Farmar, Brown etc). Bynum may be mentioned but he is as fragile as a 70 year old man.

  I guess I meant more "broken down" than "old." The Spurs are not nearly athletic or big enough to give the Lakers a ton of trouble IMO. The reason they won championships was because of Tim Duncan and he isn't the same Tim Duncan as he once was.
• devil1197

  cview wrote:

  devil1197 wrote: The Spurs are just a little older than what the Lakers are, plus Kobe is looking like an old veteran with his play and numerous injuries.
  
  PG: Parker 27 vs. Fisher 35
  SG: Manu 32 vs. Kobe 31
  SF: Jefferson 29 vs. Artest 30
  PF: Duncan 33 vs. Odom 30
  C: McDyess 35 vs. Gasol 29
  
  Average starting lineup age: 31.2 SAS and 31.0 LAL
  
  Both teams have young guys that come off the bench (Hill, Blair, Farmar, Brown etc). Bynum may be mentioned but he is as fragile as a 70 year old man.

  I guess I meant more "broken down" than "old." The Spurs are not nearly athletic or big enough to give the Lakers a ton of trouble IMO. The reason they won championships was because of Tim Duncan and he isn't the same Tim Duncan as he once was.

  I don't want Kobe fans to jump on me, this isn't bashing.
  
  But unless he totally does a 180 by Saturday, this isn't the same Kobe. Some rest may work, but he has been banged up a ton this year and its starting to finally take its toll imo. He has shot 30% from the field (20+ shots per game also) in his last 3 outings.
  
  In a physical series, pay attention to Kobe and how well he holds up. I see a couple cold nights of 30-35% from the field coming up unless the LAL training staff has done some wonders.
  
  And let's face it, unless there is another total 180, LAL made a mistake by ditching Ariza for Artest.
• cview

  I can totally agree with both of those statements. I just think that clearly LA with a Kobe that isn't quite vintage Kobe is much better than SA with Tim Duncan, who we know without a doubt isn't the same Tim Duncan and hasn't been for awhile. Obviously Kobe isn't the same but I still think he is the second best player in the world. The Lakers have been good defensively all year and when playoff games tighten up and the pace slows down he is one of only a handful of guys in the NBA that can get a good look basically whenever he wants and puts a huge strain on a defense. Of the contenders, I think only Cleveland, LA, and Denver have a legit reason to be optimistic that they can get good look after good look in a tight game. And that is because LBJ, Kobe, and Melo can basically get to the spot they want and get the shot they want regardless of who is defending them. Not saying they'll all necessarily make it or win every tight game but all three can put pressure on the defense as opposed to the other way around.
• sleeper

  

  CCRolly wrote: If Chicago and Toronto finish with the same record, who owns the tie-breaker?

  Toronto.
  
  But a Toronto without Chris Bosh is no Toronto at all.
  
  Anyways, I think the Lakers will take care of OKC but it won't be a sweep. I think they would have rather nabbed a Roy-less Portland, but the Spurs would have possibly knocked out the Lakers. OKC has the 2nd best player in the league(sorry Kobe), but they don't have the depth to beat a team like the Lakers.
• jpake1

  

  Big amounts of adversity will either bring out the best in LA, or it'll be the reason they crumble. Are they untouchable like many thought before the year? Not even close. This is still an elite team. Maybe when their backs are against the wall is when they'll fight the hardest. We shall see...
• SQ_Crazies

  

  I won't under estimate Timmy. And it's not just about him, they're going to get Parker back, Hill is playing well and Manu has been awesome the last month or so. They're bringing it together at the right time like they always do, they still have a HOF coach and experience. I'd much rather play the Thunder if I were the Lakers. We've seen what happens to teams with little to no playoff experience, especially when playing the top seed. SA would have been a MUCH higher seed if not for injuries this year, they're legit.
• wildcats20

  

  Marissa Miller being interviewed during the Bulls/C's....YES
• Footwedge

  Atlanta wins the third seed tonight with Boston falling to 4. I'm still hoping that Toronto beats the Knicks at home and Charlotte knocks off the Bulls at home.
• hoops23

  

  LA would have no problems with SA imo.. LA has owned SA psychologically for a while now.
  
  Not only that, but the Thunder are young, athletic, and lengthy. They have DISTINCT advantages at two of the key positions (PG/SF).. IbLOCKA has the ability to make Gasol really work for his points as well.
  
  I'll say LA in 6, but it's going to be a tough series imo..
• jpake1

  

  Yea I think the Thunder match up better with LA than San Antonio does. I think it'll be a real fun series to watch.
• Hb31187

  

  They just ran through the Western Conference potential seeds with what could happen tonight...It made my head hurt haha
• jpake1

  

  Yeah, a lot is still up for grabs. I think it's safe to safe the playoffs will warrant the "where amazing happens" commercials. I havn't been this pumped for the playoffs for a couple years.
• wildcats20

  

  The Magic are crushing Philly right now. With that win, they will be locked into the #2 "overall seed." Which means they will have homecourt in the Finals if they make it.
• devil1197

  Without anything crazy, the Bulls are looking good for the 8th seed.
  
  TOR will win tonight and the Bulls are up 10 going into the 4th.
• wildcats20

  

  Yeah as long as Chicago wins, the Toronto game means nothing.
• SQ_Crazies

  

  Sucks, I was hoping we could get Toronto and just make it easier.
• goldengonzo

  Cleveland won't have much of a problem with Chicago, but at least the Bulls are a much more entertaining opponent than the Raptors.
• wildcats20

  

  wildcats20 wrote: The Magic are crushing Philly right now. With that win, they will be locked into the #2 "overall seed." Which means they will have homecourt in the Finals if they make it.

  By the way....I don't agree with this at all. You give a team who finished 2nd in their conference home court over a team who won their conference. Doesn't make sense to me....Overall record should only be used to determine home court within each conference IMO.
• SQ_Crazies

  

  I can agree with that.
• wildcats20

  

  I mean I can get it, I just don't like/agree with it.
• cview

  I just don't like the 2-3-2 format the Finals goes to. It seems stupid to switch from the 2-2-1-1-1 format they have for the conference playoff series'. I can understand the travel argument. Given that it is damn near impossible for the team with the lesser record to win all three at home, they really get put behind the 8 ball. For the road team to realistically have a shot in the Finals they have to split on the road for the duration of the series. It's obviously the same amount of home/road games, but I think I heard only only two teams in the last 20 years or so (04 Pistons, 06 Heat) have been able to win all 3 at home in the Finals format.
• devil1197

  OKC fans getting a beat LAL chant going lol.
• Cleveland Buck

  

  I don't like seeing the Bulls in round 1. The Cavs have lost 4 straight to end the season. I doubt any championship team has ever done that. The Bulls are playing their best ball of the year, and they always play the Cavs tough. I absolutely do not feel good about it.
• Footwedge

  I don't either.