Will the Lakers lose a game on the way to the Finals? I can't see it. (On the other hand, here's hoping that counts against them, as the death matches amongst Cleveland, Boston and Orlando will give them wills forged in steel to vanquish the whiney Angelinos.) Suns? They've got to be a flash in the pan. An OLD flash in the pan. Spurs? They're typically slow-starting, but they're riding Tim Duncan too much and Ginobili's body doesn't look like it'll hold up. Mavs? They really seem to be Jekyll and Hyde. They have beaten the Lakers, which might be a sign they match up well. They might be a dark horse. Rockets? Plucky. Scrappy. And other faint praise. Denver? Hmm. Possibly. Anthony's playing well. Maybe they're up there with the Mavs. But they don't seem to match up well with the Lakers, and Artest probably matches up better with Carmelo than Ariza did. Jazz? Looking better, but a notch below Denver.
The Nuggs, but they are a distant 2nd. If the Mavs can get Howard healthy for the playoffs, they could be very dangerous.
You have an outside chance of seeing this matchup in the first round. Either that or Portland gets the worst pick in the lottery.
The only way LA doesn't cakewalk to the finals is if Kobe, Bynum, or Gasol goes down. And even if Bynum or Gasol goes down, they probably still make it (although maybe not in cakewalk fashion) I don't see anybody from the East either. Cleveland has taken a step back. Boston will do what they did last year - hot start then the old guys will get tired/hurt in the 2nd half of the season. Orlando . . . they might be the closest thing to a touch match-up for the Lakers. If they played a 7-game series today, I still don't think it would go more than 5 games though. They Lakers are playing at an unreal level. The Artest signing looks brilliant - it's allowing Kobe to not have to guard the best wing every night, so he's always fresh. Evidence? He's shooting .492% from the field, his previous high was .467%. They could seriously make a run at 72 wins if they stay healthy. Not likely, but possible.
Bynum can go down and they won't miss a beat. He did jack in the playoffs last year anyway. Gasol is vital. But perhaps even more vital is Odom. Not recently. The Shaq signing was dodgy and could still sink them. They need just to save him for Orlando games. But picking up Parker was gold. We shall see. A lot does indeed depend on health. But right now they're white hot. Really? What's changed since the Lakers handled them pretty easily in the finals? I don't see Carter being a big improvement on Hedo. Kobe wasn't doing that last year either - that was Ariza's job. Artest can't guard anyone quick. He's turned into Anthony Mason without anyone noticing. Kobe's increased fg% has less to do with being fresh and more to do with posting up a lot more. He's shooting fewer threes by far, isn't he? What could hamper the Lakers eventually is comparative lack of depth. But at the moment their scrubs are getting plenty of burn because they're crushing people. Let's see them do a few long road trips though.
Defensively the Lakers are better than ever. Artest is shutting down people, he's defended Durant, Melo, Joe Johnson, etc., pretty well. Kobe had to guard Melo and Billups in last year's Conference Finals. Ariza got torched by Melo in Game one. Bryant had all the perimeter responsibilities that year.
Artest has been huge for Kobe. 1. Dont have to guard the premier players that are bigger than Kobe (Pierce, Lebron, Carmelo) 2. Ron is a more legitimate outside threat than Ariza 3. Kobe has somebody who is just as hungry as he is to keep teammates focused 4. If an opponent starts shit with Kobe, Artest will finish it 5. Added a year or two to Kobes career by helping him with several of Kobe's normal responsibilities
OKC HOU DEN GS Lost to Denver on 2nd night of back to back where Lakers got to their hotel around 5am for the game that day after a 2.5hr plane ride and hour bus ride to hotel...and we had no Pau Phil Jacksons quote before the game was even played" Sometimes the league just schedules you a loss."
Ariza hardly guarded the better player last year. He's never been a great man-to-man, more of a weakside defender. He always got caught off screens and wasnt always aware of when to pick up the ball handler.
