I think most people are forgetting how different we are this year compared to last. Obviously, Amare is back but I believe that another big difference is the fact Kurt Thomas is healthy and beginning to find his shot along with great defense against the likes of Tim Duncan. Plus with Diaw's random aggressive surge... What do you guys think a possible sweep?
Just a question, what do you Sun fans think about our current Laker squad? Do we pose any threats? Or are we just going to be a walk in the park?
<div class="quote_poster">Brian Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Just a question, what do you Sun fans think about our current Laker squad? Do we pose any threats? Or are we just going to be a walk in the park?</div> I'm not responding as a Suns fan, but as an NBA enthusiast. I don't think the Lakers have an answer for the Suns. They are not very healthy with Odom, Brown, and Walton still not completely back, and because of it they have become one-dimensional. If today's game is any indication, Kobe would have to do waaaaay too much for the Lakers to even win a game. I'm talking anything short of 82 points and the Lakers won't win.
<div class="quote_poster">Legacy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think the Suns will win this series in either 5 or 6 games.</div> I Agree. I thought today would have been one of the lakers wins.
<div class="quote_poster">NewYorkBalla33 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I Agree. I thought today would have been one of the lakers wins.</div> Me too, especially afetr there stellar 1st half, but as usual they did there routin 2nd half shutdown. The Lakers are relying too much on Kobe and Kobe's putting too much burden on himself, he has to be a facilitator and when the shots don't fall for his teammates that's when he should go on, if that fails too, then we're pretty much dead.
I didn't get a chance to post before Game 1, but I've been talking to people about the series and how everybody thinks it'll be as great as last year's, and I mentioned how the Suns are completely different. Yes Amare is back, that is the biggest addition, but as Scotch mentioned Thomas is also heathly, giving us 2 big bodies we didn't have last year plus it moves Diaw to the bench, making our bench that much better. Something the media wasn't talking about though was the development of Barbosa. LB was just starting to come out of his shell at the end of last year, this whole year he's been the best 6th man in the NBA, so this LB is something the Suns couldn't count on last year but as you saw in Game 1 is going to be a huge factor. I don't think the Lakers have much of a chance to be frank. I think the series will be over in 5 games. If Kobe can turn it on and score like he was in the first half of Game 1 & the Lakers can play 48 minutes of defense, then they have a shot at making a run. But D'Antonio is far too good of a coach to let that happen, look at what he did in the 2nd half of Game 1: he started the 3rd quarter by feeding Amare, he played Barbosa most of the half, and he doubled and tripled Kobe. Kwame is no match for Amare, Farmar and Parker can't guard Nash (and they aren't much on the offensive end to wear Nash down on that side), Walton is a good all-around player but he seems to disappear for stretches in the game. The Lakers need to get Odom going, he always has career games against the Suns, in their win this year against Phoenix he had 34 points and 13 rebounds, in the 2 loses he had 10/14 and 16/13. He averaged 20 pts & 12 rebs during games 1-6 of last year's playoffs against the Suns (he had 12 pts, 5 rebs in the Game 7 blowout) so I've always felt he was the key to the Lakers success against Phoenix. Marion usually guards bigger players and does really well, but Odom is big and athletic so I think that's why Marion struggles to defend him. The Lakers only went to the free throw line 11 times, and the most fouls a Suns player had was 3, something I'm sure Jackson is focusing on. Also had they contained Barbosa, they'd probably have won the game, so they would have some high hopes for future games if it weren't the fact the Suns shot so poorly (43% FG, 26% 3P, 71% FT) and Bell & LB missed so many wide-open 3 point shots... something that won't happen too often.
