fair enough.i guess youre right the kings did have their chances. i guess its the same situation as the nitwits who think the oakland raiders would have beaten the new england patriots were it not for one little call. but then, oakland raider fans are supposed to be idiots
the magic wont climb higher than the 8th spot. they arent even a lock for the playoff at all. philly will not be higher than the fifth spot. king mavs and spurs will not be lower than the top three and the lakers wont be in the top five. those are the safest bets
i dont think that Sac will choke this year...they've had plenty of big game experience...i expect that if the Lakers play the Kings this year...that it will be close games all the way through without either team suffering major letdowns or 'choking' i don't think the Mavs have wut it takes yet to be a champion...key word being YET...they're awesome though...but no their defense will not shut down Kobe...you gotta be kidding me haha...someone else already said it..their defense can't shut down anyone...and that couldn't be more true... indeed i think the team with the best shot of beating the Lakers may be the spurs...but Parker and Ginobili both hafta be on their game with stephen jackson doing his thing...the problem for the spurs becomes...who's gonna close out games for them? Duncan is plenty good to ride for 46 minutes of a game...but who's gonna get it done in the last 2? i don't think they have someone ready to take that on yet...maybe Parker next year... why are the lakers still the favorite to win it all this year? because the 1-2 man show that every laker hater criticizes is still the most effective combination in basketball...the strategy is very simple...they ride Shaq hard to carry them to the end of the games...and Kobe closes them out...thats why kobe consistently will have 14 pts or so with a number of assists going into the 4th quarter during the playoffs and finish the game in the high 20's to low 30's in points...hes supposed to turn it on in the 4th to close out games that Shaq and company have kept tight for him...
kobe isnt even the best 4th quarter player. that title belongs to "mr. 4th quarter" himself paul pierce. yes shaq and kobe are the best combo in the league but that only takes them so far. the thing that puts them over the edge has been the performance of their other players. Shaq isnt quite as dominating as he has been in the past and thats just enough to put them on a level equal or slightly lower than the other powers in the west. it doesnt matter what kobe does. other teams willl either let shaq do his dmage knowing he cant fdo quite as much any more and double and tripple team kobe rendering all but a non factor or theyll focusing on shutting down shaq thinking they have a better chance to this year and let kobe score whatever he wants like in the past. it doesnt matter. the fate of the team rests on shaq. the mavs kings and spurs are just too deep too talented and too strong to be beaten by a second tier team like the lakers this year
i can tell you who it doesnt belong to, shareef, he misses to many wide open shots and layups in the clutch
i like shareef hell keep a team in a game and his still improving but hes not the best at the end. kenyon msrtin is also among hte most gutless but he doesnt have the talent shareef does either. mobley, cassell and (still)) michael jordan are up there behind pierce for the best clutch performers.
Depth isn't really a factor in the playoffs. Most rotations are cut from 9 to 10 players to 6 to 7 players. Dallas will not beat the Lakers because: 1. Their defense is horrible. 2. They don't have the physical play to last in a long series. Imagine how broke down Bradley & Raef will be guarding Shaq for back to back games. 3. They live and die with outside shooting and in the playoffs that type of style just doesn't get it done. Spurs will not beat the Lakers because: 1. Duncan is scared and intimidated by Shaq. With Robinson hurting their chances are even slimmer. 2. They have no one to match up with Kobe. Kobe kills Bowen, Jackson, or Manu. 3. The Bench Mob has really improved for the Lakers this year because of the extra playing time. Devean George & Mark Madsen have a lot more confidence this year, and it's going to payoff in the post-season. Kings will not beat the Lakers because: 1. They have the best chance because they are a great passing team and have proven they can find open looks no matter how intense the Laker defense is turned up. However, I don't think Bibby is going to have the same playoff run he did last season, and the Kings don't have their bruisers this year. Pollard & Funderburke are both playing injured. 2. The Kings best chance is making this a 5 game series. Anything more and the physical style LA plays will just wear them down. The Lakers are one of the most well-conditioned teams. 3. If Bibby can't close out games like last season, who will step up? Webber is not a finisher, neither is Vlade, Christie, or Peja.
wow. this is awfully presumptious of you. not only saying you think they wont beat the lakers but saying they cant and that the lakers already have another championhsip in the bag? it sounds a little silly. plus your theorys are flawed. Dalla isnt Sacramento on D but they arent as bad as they were. horrible is competely innacurate. They play a much more physical defense and will sufficate kobe if they double team him as they should. Id also be more wrried about shaq wearing down than the Mavs as Shaq has been battling injurys all year. the mavs have outside sohoting as a weapon but dont rely on it. The boston celtics rely on outside shooting and it almost took them to the finals last year. Duncan is intimidated by no one. Hes a touhg player and will be out for revenge and to prove that the torch is being passed to a new dominating big man. he may not do it but dont think for a minute hes incapable. Bowen has done major jobs on some of the toughest to defend in the league. If they double him hell have even more trouble. The Bench mob has had moments but is still unproven and like you said will et even less playing time ni the playoffs because of smaller rotations. All of these teams will have better all around rotations than the lakers. bruisers? Chris Webber is more aggressive than ever and Keon Clark is a force off the bench. Bibby will be fine in the playoffs. thats his time. again, the lakers arent as well conditioned as you say. shaq and kobe have bnoth missed time with injuries and having to compete with a much deeper sacramento team ownt help. even if the kings better players get hurt theres always a turk or a jackson or clark to step in. the lakers dont have that and will be worn down having to focus on gaurding so many weapons
kobe may very well be the best 4th quarter playing the game now. jordan was better in his prime closing out games than Kobe is now...but not anymore, even though Jordan is still a helluva player in crunch time... agreed paul pierce does put in nice 4th quarter performances on a regular basis...and last year Pierce had the highest 4th quarter scoring average in the league...that doesn't make him clutch, nor does that mean he's the best 4th quarter player in the league...Kobe does it when it counts...if you asked the Spurs or the Blazers or the Kings who the best 4th quarter player in the game is...i can almost guarantee you that they'd say its Kobe... but to say that pierce is the most clutch player in the league is not justified in my opinion, nor is saying mobley and cassell are more 'clutch' than Kobe...jordan...ok i'll give u that one he's still clutch...i think kobe is better now but jordan was better then...so thats a wash and i won't argue on that one...
kobe wins a game or two at the end but he just isnt the best when it really matters.. he is a ballhog in thsoe times and always hoists up a shot no matter how well advised it is or not. when the games on the line theres just a lot of players youd rather take the shot. heck robert horry is better in the clutch than kobe
What do injuries have to do with the conditioning of the Lakers? Shaq will be fine in the playoffs and turn it up a notch as usual. Duncan is capable, but he has always been scared of Shaq. Him and Robinson can't handle O'neal. Just watch when they play the Lakers. Duncan is intimidated by Shaq, Mailman, and Sheed. Kobe destroys Bowen. Bowen is a good defender, but he cannot handle Kobe. He's never shut Kobe down, and never will. Double team Kobe and you have Shaq 1 on 1. Double team Shaq and you have Kobe 1 on 1. So go ahead and choose your poison. Yeah bench mob won't play as much, which is why I only mentioned George & Madsen. Clark is good, but he doesn't have the strength or bulk to bang with Shaq. Turk has been off this season and has taken a backseat to Jim Jackson. Is Chris Webber going to guard Shaq? Nope. So what's his aggression have anything to do with stopping Shaq. Last year he tried to guard Shaq down the stretch and was backed down easily and knocked on his ass. Did you see how bruised Divac's chest was after 2 games? And this year they don't have beefy guys to absorb some of those blows. I think Bobby Jackson is great at taking it fearlessly against the Lakers. I think if any King is the wildcard, it is Bobby. Dallas plays a zone defense, it's not physical at all. Are you kidding me? Najera is the only player on the team who bodies up. I would say Popeye can be tough, but for some reason he's in the Dallas doghouse. Boston plays in the East, and their team was hot from outside, but once the shots stopped falling they had nothing to fall back on. Just like Dallas. If Dallas can stay hot then of course they have the offense to take out anyone. But that style simply isn't as effective in a long series.
Playoffs start in on April 19th. Less then a month away. NCAA tourny now and then a bit after its dont the NBA playoffs. 8)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Alley-oop":</div><div class="quote_post">Playoffs start in on April 19th. Less then a month away. NCAA tourny now and then a bit after its dont the NBA playoffs. 8)</div> Nice avi. where you get it from
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Alley-oop":</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks, I found it on some site. But something is wrong with it right now. :?</div> wrong with what the site or the avi?????
The avi was messed up but i fixed it. It was a box with a red X in it for some reason then I fixed it.
