Okay so I might have been wrong with my last post a bit, or at least a little pre-mature in dismissing my Lakers. Now I'm not saying that this crop of knuckleheads will win the Championship, but they at least look poised to fight. Last nights game was great, it was awesome to see the TEAM show up for a change. I felt with Kobe having to carry the burden game in and game out was seriously a dangerous tactic going deeper and deeper into the playoffs. For a change, having Gasol and Odom doing damage down low kept the defense of the Nuggets honest. I still believe this series is going to go 7, I doubt the desperate Lakers will show up tomorrow, so with this tactic, a 7th game seems most likely inevitable. Does this fair well now?, Yes. But come the finals, a match up with Cleveland wont be so favorable, not having home court advantage could prove dreadful against the LeBron juggernauts. So like most Lakers fans, I will be watching game 6 between Cleveland and Orlando very closely. A win for Orlando and LA gets home court in the finals and a very solid chance at the title. A Cleveland win almost certainly gives a LeBron vs Kobe finals, a match up I desire to see, but also fear. Cleveland will NOT lose a game 7 vs Orlando and a home court advantage against LA puts them in quite the driver seat.
Go Orlando Go!!!!
Oh and another point, I caught the last quarter of today's game and saw what has to be the worst offence ever. How predictable is Cleveland's offensive scheme? Really? Give the ball to Bron and watch him massage it at the top of the 3 point line as he either barrels his way to hoop for a foul or dishes it to one of his teammates as the opposing team tries to collapse on his drive attempt. Really? This makes him the most amazing player in the world? His game is so pedestrian and boring and predictable. I tend to view his game as a big bully beating up the other guys. I mean yes the guy has freaking talent and yes he is amazing, he can do almost anything, but come on what a boring team to watch. If I was one of his teammates I'd be bored and mad playing with him. There's a reason why he receives so many assists, the guy dominates the ball like a guard. Fuck if Kobe did that he'd average 9 assists just like LeBron. LeBron's very similar to Iverson in his play, it's either his way or no way, the man has been doing this same offensive scheme forever, since his high school days. It works no doubt, but it ain't fun to watch. Mo Williams may play the point, but he isn't their point guard, LeBron is. He dominates everything, as he should.
I guess my point here is, why does he never receive flak for doing it? Why does Kobe get chewed up for taking 28 shots to help his team win, while LeBron does the exact same, more to some extent and not receive any criticism. I don't get it!!!
LeBron better than Kobe? Fuck that shit.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I just don't see it ever happening...
I've seen hundreds, even thousands of NBA games over the years. I can spot a good player, great team, chemistry to even the subtleties of a players attitude a mile away. Yes in a way I'd say I'm an expert NBA observer. And if you've ever read this blog or even spent anytime with me you'd know that most of those have been Laker games. With all this wealth of knowledge having been absorbed in my head, I have found a quite puzzling and rather sad fact concerning my current Lakers squad. I hate saying this but I am going to write that I would put an 80% chance that this current Lakers squad will not and never win an NBA Championship.
For years I've defended Kobe and his team, watched them grow and suffer from a downright awful bunch way back in 05, to a respectable team that almost knocked off the surging Suns in 06' to last years almost Cinderella affair to this seasons juggernaut dominator. However, through all of this I've noticed one glaring weakness with this squad that I'd hoped had been rectified after last seasons drumming at the hands of Celtics and that is their toughness. Kobe has mentioned it many times before saying that "We need to be tougher to win" but even with his repeated statements I've had trouble buying this seasons chase for a title. As it stands this moment, this Lakers squad is down 1-0 to a surging and vastly confident Houston Rockets team. Last nights game added to my long growing fear that LA is just not tough enough and mentally strong enough to win a championship. As I watch LeBron and his Cavaliers destroy all teams in their way I'm beginning to believe that this Lakers team is in no way strong enough to cope with a team with a will, hunger and home court advantage that Cleveland possesses.
Do I believe in Kobe? For sure, the man is the best and can win games single handedly. But when it comes to titles well he needs help, tough help and well I just don't see it coming from his current sidekicks. While Kobe was doing his best to keep LA in the game last night, I witnessed Pau Gasol sink under the toughness of Yao, Carl Landry and Luis Scola. I saw Sasha, Derek and Trevor all miss easy (make able) open 3's at home. I witnessed how young and inexperienced Andrew Bynum truly is. I witnessed how unreliable Lamar Odom for the millionth time is ( 1 for 6 from the line, oh how I envision him bricking a freebie when the game is on the line this series). I witnessed how shitty and small the bench really is when you have guys like Josh Powell and Shannon Brown playing crunch time minutes. I realized that yes this team is talented and can win most games but when the going gets tough, they lack the true killer defensive instincts that championship winning teams posses.
Does Kobe have that killer in him? Yes, yes and yes. He's fucking ruthless, but what about everyone else? Just as how I felt last seasons crop of Gasol, Radmanovic, Walton and Odom screamed doom for the Lakers I find myself feeling the same way with this years crop. Yes they are older and more experienced but in the end an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. Kobe's and apple, a full blooded killer who rises to the occasion when the stakes get high, he's a franchise superstar, a game changer. But who else possesses some of these qualities on this current Lakers squad? Who's their banger? Who's their experienced vet off the bench? Who's their clutch wide open shooter? Who's their X factor? They have their killer but they need more, he can't do it alone.
Am I throwing in the towel? No, not in the slightest, but like many Laker fans I measure this team by championships, not just winning Rounds 1, 2 or even 3. Beating Houston isn't going to satisfy me or them. I said it after last seasons loss that LA needed 2 things, a rebounder/banger in the Paul Millsap/Anderson Varejao vein who can energize and bang with any player. Dennis Rodman mastered this role in Chicago. And the other being a savvy vet who can come in off the bench and make his mark felt in 15 minutes or less. A player who can lead a team when Kobe is on the pine, a player like Ron Harper or like last seasons PJ Brown. LA may be good, talented and at times supremely dominant, but like most who've seen them play this post season they look far from championship caliber. I may be jumping the gun on this one and they may rebound nicely from last nights loss and regain that swagger they've demonstrated all season long. But do they have it in them to beating Cleveland?, whom I predict will win this years title (OOh that hurts). I just see it, I hate to say it, especially since winning the title will only strengthen most critics biases of LeBron being better than Kobe, but Cleveland looks just too good. They play as a team, they have fun and they play defense. They're the only team who can answer all the questions I posed above.
But what troubles me the most is if the Lakers do make it out of the West, I see them not having home court versus Cleveland really hurting them, just as bad as it did last season versus Boston.
These are just my thoughts...I just hope I'm wrong.
I doubt it.
For years I've defended Kobe and his team, watched them grow and suffer from a downright awful bunch way back in 05, to a respectable team that almost knocked off the surging Suns in 06' to last years almost Cinderella affair to this seasons juggernaut dominator. However, through all of this I've noticed one glaring weakness with this squad that I'd hoped had been rectified after last seasons drumming at the hands of Celtics and that is their toughness. Kobe has mentioned it many times before saying that "We need to be tougher to win" but even with his repeated statements I've had trouble buying this seasons chase for a title. As it stands this moment, this Lakers squad is down 1-0 to a surging and vastly confident Houston Rockets team. Last nights game added to my long growing fear that LA is just not tough enough and mentally strong enough to win a championship. As I watch LeBron and his Cavaliers destroy all teams in their way I'm beginning to believe that this Lakers team is in no way strong enough to cope with a team with a will, hunger and home court advantage that Cleveland possesses.
Do I believe in Kobe? For sure, the man is the best and can win games single handedly. But when it comes to titles well he needs help, tough help and well I just don't see it coming from his current sidekicks. While Kobe was doing his best to keep LA in the game last night, I witnessed Pau Gasol sink under the toughness of Yao, Carl Landry and Luis Scola. I saw Sasha, Derek and Trevor all miss easy (make able) open 3's at home. I witnessed how young and inexperienced Andrew Bynum truly is. I witnessed how unreliable Lamar Odom for the millionth time is ( 1 for 6 from the line, oh how I envision him bricking a freebie when the game is on the line this series). I witnessed how shitty and small the bench really is when you have guys like Josh Powell and Shannon Brown playing crunch time minutes. I realized that yes this team is talented and can win most games but when the going gets tough, they lack the true killer defensive instincts that championship winning teams posses.
Does Kobe have that killer in him? Yes, yes and yes. He's fucking ruthless, but what about everyone else? Just as how I felt last seasons crop of Gasol, Radmanovic, Walton and Odom screamed doom for the Lakers I find myself feeling the same way with this years crop. Yes they are older and more experienced but in the end an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. Kobe's and apple, a full blooded killer who rises to the occasion when the stakes get high, he's a franchise superstar, a game changer. But who else possesses some of these qualities on this current Lakers squad? Who's their banger? Who's their experienced vet off the bench? Who's their clutch wide open shooter? Who's their X factor? They have their killer but they need more, he can't do it alone.
Am I throwing in the towel? No, not in the slightest, but like many Laker fans I measure this team by championships, not just winning Rounds 1, 2 or even 3. Beating Houston isn't going to satisfy me or them. I said it after last seasons loss that LA needed 2 things, a rebounder/banger in the Paul Millsap/Anderson Varejao vein who can energize and bang with any player. Dennis Rodman mastered this role in Chicago. And the other being a savvy vet who can come in off the bench and make his mark felt in 15 minutes or less. A player who can lead a team when Kobe is on the pine, a player like Ron Harper or like last seasons PJ Brown. LA may be good, talented and at times supremely dominant, but like most who've seen them play this post season they look far from championship caliber. I may be jumping the gun on this one and they may rebound nicely from last nights loss and regain that swagger they've demonstrated all season long. But do they have it in them to beating Cleveland?, whom I predict will win this years title (OOh that hurts). I just see it, I hate to say it, especially since winning the title will only strengthen most critics biases of LeBron being better than Kobe, but Cleveland looks just too good. They play as a team, they have fun and they play defense. They're the only team who can answer all the questions I posed above.
But what troubles me the most is if the Lakers do make it out of the West, I see them not having home court versus Cleveland really hurting them, just as bad as it did last season versus Boston.
These are just my thoughts...I just hope I'm wrong.
I doubt it.
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