I'm pretty sure he's talking about PER with Bron, which has gone down a bit compared to the first couple of months. It has still been noticeably high and his per-minute numbers are the most impressive ever in his short career; but that wasn't his point.
I really do need to start looking at the PER stats more since it seems like the "in" thing to do now..........I feel like the kid at school who doesn't know the latest gossip, lol..........................
Pace is what people want to take into account these days, PER will live on, volume stats are screwed. :]
No, he hasn't, not even close. Look it up: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics Celtics have more depth and are proven. A title and them beating the Cavs last season is the reality. I think the Cavs could conceivably beat them, but no one is afraid of the Cavs' depth. It's LeBron they're afraid of. All exaggerations from a guy that doesn't watch the Lakers much. Fact is the Lakers' bench depth smacks around the Celtics or Cavs' depth. Not even a question. Don't know what you're going on about here. Odom hasn't even been the best bench player this season, that's Ariza. . Lakers beat the Spurs in 5 last season, so most likely Mason and Bonner don't make enough of a difference to matter especially since the Lakers added a much better player in Bynum. And Bynum is still getting his legs under him, isn't even playing as well as he was last season before the injury. And despite that the Lakers are still on pace for 68 wins. They'll handle them; they've beaten the Spurs in the postseason and lead the Hornets 2-1 in the regular season so far needing 40 from David West to win that one game. If they meet again, based on what we know as of January 10th, they'll win against those 2 Western teams. It's less certain against the Celtics and Cavs, but based on records, depth, and potential, it's the Lakers.
CLE LA BOS/ORL Are my top 4. As they are playing right now, you def. gotta put orlando ahead of boston at #3. But overall and come playoff time, I think Boston is the better team, and would take them in a 7 game series. I can DEFINITELY see Cavs > Lakers in the NBA finals.
yeah I didn't know you were talking about PER...but I think Bron can keep it up with the way Cleveland runs its offense They have Eddie House (good shooter), Powe (undersized big man), Big Baby (undersized big man), Tony Allen (not as good as Posey), Scalebrine (lol)........Cavs have Gibson (solid shooter), Varejo (who is better than anything Boston has to offer off their bench), Hickson, Wally, and Palvovic.....Mo Williams adds another dimension to the Cavs that they didn't have last season. The Cavs lost to them by a few points in an elimination game 7 in Boston with a team that was just put together after the allstar break......The Celtics have not gotten better since that point, because they no longer have P.J. Brown and Posey (who were the key pieces to that bench) and the Cavs got a whole lot better since they added Mo Williams I watch the Lakers plenty....Odom is inconsistent and soft, Sasha hasn't been that hot this year and he can't play defense, Farmar is inconsistent and can't play D, Ariza is a solid defender but he can't shoot, Luke is...well he's Luke, Powell is okay from what I've seen............I think you're reaching when you say "smacks" around..... exactly....I think Odom has to step up and be the best player off that bench like he can and should be..... Mason, Bonner, Manu (who appears to be healthy now), and George Hill are all nice additions by the Spurs....I actually think they have some of the better depth in the NBA.........I didn't think I'd be saying that this year, but Mason and Hill have been pleasant surprises for them. Most importantly the Spurs play defense. Lakers have a great chance of getting out the west, but you're kidding yourself if you don't think they'll be challenged.......Lakers still have question marks a.) outside of Kobe and Fisher are they tough enough physically and mentally? b.) will they ever learn how to play defense? c.) will Odom and Bynum play to their potential? from what I've seen I have the Cavs coming out the east and the Lakers or Spurs coming out the west.
Lakers are coming out of the west, no team will beat us in a seven game series. Beyond that Celtics or Cavs are a very tough matchup, the series can go either way. Lamar is pretty much trash for the most part. The myth that the Lakers do not play any defense is absolutely false. They'll D up when they have to, but most of these games the Lakers play half assed. Cavs win against the Celtics doesn't impress me. Lakers beat them on Christmas when they were at their peak. Cavs beat the Celtics who lost 5 of their last 7 games to teams like Golden State. They weren't facing a 100% focused Celtics squad.
it's not really a myth, lol. I believe they do have the tools to be a great defensive team, but they just don't bring defensive intensity every night.........
Yeah because they play half assed most games. Including Kobe who doesn't show up defensively unless we face top teams (for the most part). When we were motivated at the beginning of the season, we played great defense. Then things started slipping because we stopped focusing. We're not on the level of Cavs/Celtics but saying the Lakers can't play defense is false.
The Lakers aren't as good as the Cavs or Celtics defensively, but they are still the 4th best defensive team in the league.
All true, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see the Cavs beat the Celtics. But first they have to do it. The stats support my claim, the Lakers' bench is tops in the league among the elite teams. It really isn't terribly close. No bench is without flaws, btw, so your points don't really apply that much. Ariza has been fantastic, as has LO for the most part. Lakers beat the Spurs in 5 last season, without Bynum and Ariza. Bynum and Ariza clearly outweigh any added advantage from Mason and Hill on the Spurs. The record and numbers support said idea, especially if last year is any indication.
a-hem.. it's JANUARY people.. prespective... what has teams performance in January ever told you about the playoffs??? Zilch, Zero, Nadda ftw!!
^^^not always the case.....teams go through their highs and lows, but I evaluate matchups and formulate my opinion from their........
Lakers can lock down a team just as well as Boston or Cleveland. They aren't doing it consistently during the regular season, but I expect them to crank up the defensive intensity during the post season. PJax has been using more zone sets to take advantage of the teams length. Still a lot of basketball to be played and we can't rule out mid-season trades being made. Cleveland has Wally's expiring contract, Boston is shopping for a backup big or another shooter, and the Lakers are actively pursuing trade avenues.
