I'm curious who is to blame for this loss. Considering the Lakers have more talent, I'm guessing Phil Jackson is a bad coach. Or maybe this will open some peoples eyes that Dallas runs a very difficult pick and roll to stop. I saw the two-time defending world champions have the same problems Portland had.
Agreed. And the margin of the win would have been greater if Dirk had been given all of the superstar calls in the 4th that he got against the Blazers.
I can specifically think of two calls in the 4th quarter he didn't get, that he got against Portland. The last call he got was typical of the calls he got in the Portland series.
You expect "Assclown" bashers to use rationale? I've given up on them years ago. They live in their own little world.
although yes, dallas is good, they arent that freaking good. we should have beat them, at least we should have beat them every game in portland. fucking a.
Mavs are good. Tyson Chandler is the difference. He gives them size and defense. Slows down Aldridge and Pau and Bynum. Mavs may win this whole thing.
I think the Lakers will make some key adjustments that will win them the series. Mainly, I think they will isolate Odom on Dirk out on the perimeter and either let him go 1 on 1 or get him mixed up in a pick and roll. Aldridge couldn't take advantage of him that way. Take away the 9 games Dirk missed due to injury and this is a 60 win team, yet people are outraged we couldn't beat them in a series where they had home-court.
I'm not outraged we lost. I'm disappointed we couldn't put up more of a struggle before the usual defeat. Carlisle won't last 8 years with one team if he loses every year. Why can't we try a new coach?
Define struggle for me? You think it should have gone 7 instead of 6? You think having leads in the 2nd half of every game wasn't good enough? This team didn't finish because they didn't have the best player on the court and they didn't have the deeper team. I remember when we fired Rick Adleman to try a new coach. Same with Mike Dunleavy. I don't think people realize that Portland isn't the type of team great coaches will want to go to. Portland is a small market team, with shaky decision making at the ownership level, that will always have a very difficult time landing the top level free agents it takes to win. Nate is far from the perfect coach, but I can't see us getting anyone better.
Who said the Lakers have more talent? Kobe is past his prime. Pau and Odom are second tier players. Bynum is inconsistent. Artest is horrible. The rest are scrubs. Dallas has a Dirk in his prime, one of the best PGs of all time in Kidd, a guy who has been the top fantasy player for a few years in a row (about 6-7 years ago) in Shawn Marion, one of the best shooters of all time in Peja Stojokovic, a top 3 defensive player of the year candidate in Tyson Chandler, and a sixth man of the year winner in Jason Terry. The Mavericks are LOADED, easily the most talented roster in the Western Conference.
Not sure why everyone in here wanted to play the Mavs. They were the toughest matchup for us of the 4 teams we could've played.
I clearly didn't want to face them either. People thought I was crazy for wanting the Lakers in the first round.
I think they have more talent. Kobe > Dirk Gasol => Kidd Bynum => Chandler Odom > Terry Artest = Marion