I was driving to get some lunch and heard the most bizzarre statements coming from Laker fans on sports talk radio shows. They were discussing how many wins the Lakers would end up with and the win totals varied from 55 to 70 wins. Then the discussion focused on whether or not the Lakers could actually win 70 games this year and this is when the lunacy took place. Several Laker fans called in saying it would be bad to win 70 games. Why? Because it means they would have to play hard every night. This was their train of thought, and it wasn't just one caller it was five or six straight who had this point of view. My point of view, shouldn't these guys play hard every night? The Lakers had a complancency issue last season and we lost a lot of games we should have won against lesser opponents. Having won those games we probably would have had a better chance at homecourt advantage in the Finals. I think the team needs to play hard every night because we can continue crushing teams and allowing our starters to rest during the 4th quarter. Is winning 70 games a bad thing? Thoughts.
Why does 70 come up so often though? It is like hoping to be 15-1 during the NFL regular season... Might as well aim for 73-82 wins. :]
Well I think that train of though of it being a bad thing is that the team could be burnt out or not getting properly ready to go for the real prize. It has happened to some teams where they just exert themselves so much in the regular season (of whatever sport) that they have nothing left in the tank come playoffs. All that said I disagree it can happen to the Lakers for two reasons. 1. We are deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep...Real deep. This team isnt gonna be tired come playoff time no matter where they finish. 2. Phil Jackson. This guy ONLY cares about the playoffs. He ALMOST treats the regular season like the preseason for the playoffs. He will leave lineups out there to help them learn for the future instead of playing for just that game. Phil has lost the Lakers probably 3 games a year with his unorthodox substitution patterns but come playoff time thats when it pays off.
70+ would be fantastic. That shows motivation for the entire season if you can break 70+, and it shows that you don't take games off either. The only issue with 70+ wins is that you'd have a HUGE target on your back come playoff time. However, I don't know if that'd be a bad thing. It might motivate us even more if we know every team is out to get us. Personally, I'd love to win 70+ and just continue to obliterate every opponent that comes in our way. Do I think we can? I don't see why not. We have more talent than any team in the league, and if the first two games are any hint of how good we are, I think we could do it. The defense and offense have each looked great, and if we can continue to play that well on both ends, I don't see any team that has the firepower to stop us.
82 games are 82 games. I mean, I think there's no difference in the fatigue aspect, if you either lose or win. So, saying more wins will hurt is BS.
I think that the more games you win during the regular season, the more confidenced you'll be in the Playoffs. So let's go for 82 !
Exactly. If the Lakers are putting teams away early and the starters aren't logging as many minutes it should all balance itself out after 82 games. Currently the only two players logging 30+ minutes a game are Kobe (32:06) & Gasol (35:53) Kobe averaged 39MPG last season, so it's good to see his minutes have been reduced.
