Crazy Predictions: Suns v Lakers
Apparently 5 of 16 ESPN experts, including Bill Simmons and Scoop Jackson, have picked the Lakers to beat the Suns in the most likely 1st round upset of this year's playoffs. I like Bill Simmons' column and interviews, but he, along with other EPSN "insiders" must have been smoking too much of something while listening to Pearl Jam .The Lakers lost 3 of 4 against the Suns this year, and all 4 games last year, each loss over 10 points. The one game they did win, Steve Nash didn't play and neither did Raja Bell, who has averaged almost 15 points a game for the Suns this year and is one of the team's lead defenders. Sure, Kobe will probably be able to score 40 or even 50 points in a game or two, but that's very unlikely to beat the Suns who average 108.4 points per game this season. Will Kobe shock the Suns by engaging the rest of his team and thus thwarting the Suns' strategy of putting 5 defenders on him to shut the team down? Not in a million years. That scenario is just as likely as Steve Nash deciding to play center.
For my prediction sources, I'd rather trust ESPN's more impartial and rational Scouting Inc. report which picks Phoenix Suns in five games.
My one diagreement with that report: it matches each of the Suns' starters against each of the Lakers'. Really, it should just match up each Suns starter against Kobe, because that's what the game will really be like: Kobe v 5 Defenders. And that's how Kobe likes it. Lets see how fast he'll choke. Suns in 5 games? I foresee Suns in 4.
posted by TeamPlayer at 2:11 AM
7 Comments:
I see you've been drinking the Nash Kool-Aid. You must be so upset the Kobe is a three time NBA world champion and Nash is a perenial LOSER. Nash the MVP couldn't even win a single game at home against the San Antonio Spurs in last year's conference finals. Go Lakers!
11:45 AM
Oh yes, I'm in love with Steve Nash. No, I'm just not blind and am giving credit where credit is due.
Kobe is a three time NBA world champion as a sidekick to Shaq. Without Shaq, Kobe's Lakers did not make the playoffs last year and are scraping the bottom of the Western Conference playoffs this year.
Steve Nash, on the other hand, took a team that was 29-53 in the 2003-04 season to 62-20 last year and 54-28 this year, and that's without Amare.
Hmmm, I'll take going to the Western Conference finals over not making the playoffs any day.
Why don't you get back to me when Kobe wins a championship without Shaq.
1:24 PM
Think about these stats.
The highest scoring team for the last 5 years has been led by Steve Nash. I'm not saying he's the greatest or anything close to it. He is what we like to call a leader and a team player. He makes the rest of the team better. (Marion choked in last years' playoffs.)
I'm not going to lie. I am a Kobe Hater. He is amazing and can get the ball in the hoop when triple covered. Would I pick him to be on my team? Not in a million years. He's one of the most selfish and egotistical players out there and when we're talking about whiny NBA players that's saying something.
How about this for a stat.
Kwame, Mihm and Odom all have had more double-doubles than Kobe this year (7,7 and 29). This year Kobe has had mearly 4 double-doubles. Sure he can score but can he play the rest of the game? Kobe has no heart he's in it for the image and wants to look like the best. 81 points in one game draws some attention and makes the bandwagon riders like him but no one can say he is the best out there or even close.
8:51 PM
Kobe put on yet another pathetic playoff performance, in a career that is plaqued with lousy play in the playoffs. I'm sure laker fans can pick out two or three top games he had in the playoffs, but to the greatest player, michael jordan, and other players his performances were average at best. Kobe is just plain pathetic. After the game he said something to the effect of that he needs one shot to get hot. Hmmmm, what a paradox that statement. Especially when he made only 7 of his 21 shots. In this league and this kind of team, Jordan would of scored 81 easily! Oh snap, im taking a swipe at kobe's 81. By the way if anyone hasn't noticed no one plays defense anymore, and the league has put rules in to order that forbide physical play, and yet Kobe shoots 45%(i think the league pads his stats cause they wanna make him good, there have been so many nights where he shot something like 30% or lower). What did jordan shoot when he was with the bulls, and in an era where defense was at its pinnacle, jordan shot 50% for his career as a bull. While with the wizards, and as an old man in b-ball standards jordan shot roughly around 47 % which is still way better than kobe. I don't know how laker fans can argue with that besides doing the usual 'you just jealous and hating on kobe.'hmm, Lebron is only 21 and he just put up a performance that is better than any other performance put on in the playoffs by far. If there is any air apparent, it's Lebron. I'm chicago, and i enjoy Lebron. I'm scared of lebron, becuase he isn't a glory hunter like kobe. when it is all said an done Lebron and jordan will the greatest players of all-time. Period. Kobe is just the next dominique wilkins, except kobe is overrated in terms of dunking.
12:17 AM
Oops, just some minor errors in what i just posted, I'm not scared of Lebron. and im from chicago, iam not chicago.
12:20 AM
Heres something else, some people said jordan had pippen, while kobe had shaq. But here comes the difference, i know this was a while ago, but when pippen first came in the League he wasn't all that good. Jordan taught pippen how to play. Pippen wasn't like shaq and carried the team like shaq did for kobe. So give all the credit for jordan to win those championships, jordan saw the potential in pippen and made pippen into the great player he was. Kobe got shaq kicked out of laker town. A**hole!
12:25 AM
Kobe to Jordan? Please! Last time I checked the stat book kobe only had higher numbers than pippen in one category over his first 11 years. Points! alot of those after shaq left (2 2000 point seasons first 8 years 3 in the last 4 without shaq) on a bad team. As to the first round the lakers could upset the suns but their not likely to. if they do kobes stat line must be 52% shooting 30Pts 8 Ass 7 Reb 3 Stl 1 Blk 1 or less TO every game! more importantly gasols must be similar. "not likely" but it could happen.
3:32 PM
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