Can any Western Conference team takeout the Lakers

[celticmaestro]

Man, even Celtics fans are on the Laker bandwagon? And you'd think it was them that dismantled us in the Finals.

Who are you pointing that out to. I've been a fan of the Lakers my whole life. Mostly because my favorite player is on that team. I live in MA and was born here.

I'm not pointing it out to anyone, just an observation.

As for you, make up your mind:

I'm not bragging, I was just stating. I know C's vs Lakers is best rivalry in basketball. Both those teams our my favorite, Celtics coming first, as im from and currently live in MA.

[eddietours]

wait a minute is November right last year the cowgirls beat the giants twice in the regular season !!!

[zerophase]

they keep saying lakers will win 70 games... thats crap.

[nickagneta]

I know it's early and a long season but due to early season injuries, new coaching, age, poor chemistry or what, I just don't think the Western Conference is as good as most think it is. Last year this conference went 9 deep with 50 wins. I just don't see more than 5 being there this year.

Obviously the top is loaded and I love the Lakers, Utah, New Orleans and Phoenix but the Mavs, Spurs, Warriors and Nuggets may just not have what they had last year. And don't get me started with Houston, they're a first round exit waiting to happen.

But as for teams that will have what I believe it will take to knock off the Lakers before they get to the Finals it would be San Antonio, Phoenix, New Orleans and Utah. And I'm pretty sure the only team that will knock off the Lakers is the Celtics.

You will have to beat the inside people of the Lakers up physically, especially Odom, Radmanovic, and Gasol, drive like crazy on Vujacic and Radmanovic to get them in foul trouble and out of the game, pack it in and shadow Kobe like crazy and force him to beat you from outside. That's my formula to beat the Lakers and I think only the Celtics have the personnel and attitude to be able to do it in a seven game series(although a healthy San Antonio with some added bench help might as well).

[Who]

The best hope for Western playoff teams is for LA to perform very poorly in a playoff series or to pick up an injury. Short of that I struggle to see anyone in the West beating the Lakers.

There's only one team in the West that I think is good enough to beat the Lakers on a good day, and that's Houston. They're the only one. Clearly the Rockets have a lot of hurdles to pass before they beat LA, nevermind staying healthy - heck, getting healthy, Tracy doesn't look like he should even be on the court right now - What's the odds of Houston being there by the end of the season? Not good .... but they're the only one's capable of taking LA down.

New Orleans, Utah, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver - none of these guys are beating the Lakers when the Lakers perform at a solid level. None of these teams can match them offensively, defensively, their three big men, and contain Kobe, and limit their role players. None of them, they just can't do it. Each can do some of the things they need to do to beat LA, but not all of them. All these teams here are too flawed to beat the Lakers.

I'm not ruling out Portland. I don't think they can beat LA in a seven game series right now .... but by the end the season? Maybe. It's too early to say, but possibly if things go right. If they mature (mainly Oden + incorporating Oden) well enough they can do battle with LA, they could have a decent shot at beating LA. To have a better than decent shot they'd need one of their wings to turn into a stopper, which is a bit of a long shot, best candidate to do so is Martell Webster.

[drza44]

I think that a fully healthy, in sync Spurs team could do it.  In fact, before the season began I expected them to.  Now, I have doubt that they'll have it together in time.  Maybe next year, after some retooling in the offseason.

Actually, I think the team with the best shot to do it this year is the Suns.  The Lakers have several things that make them great...the outstanding and versatile size up front, elite offensive talents, playoff tested role players that are built for the triangle, and a championship swagger that comes from playing with Kobe and for Phil.  With Shaq, Amare, and crazy hair Lopez the Suns have the size and talent to bang with the Lakers up front and win the battle of the paint.  With Nash, the Suns have one thing the Lakers aren't built to stop...a penetrating PG that can score and distribute.  The Suns also have a squad full of playoff-tested role players, especially on the wings, to throw at Kobe and make him work.  And in the playoffs, a team of fossils like the Suns should have the time play big minutes each game then recover in between.

Most importantly, though, Shaq gives the Suns that championship swagger that only Duncan and the Spurs could match when dealing with Kobe.  Plus, these teams have history.  Shaq and Kobe don't like each other at all.  The Suns eliminated the Lakers two straight years before last season.  Neither Raja Bell nor Kobe have forgotten Bell clotheslining him and Kobe inviting him into the Octagon.  Shaq has to be itching to prove that Bynum isn't in his league.  This would, IMO, be a very compelling series that I really hope happens.

Side note: if I could find a prop bet in Vegas on either the Celtics or the Lakers winning 70 this year, I would take it.  I wouldn't be surprised if both do, actually.  I've long been of the opinion that the Celts could have won 70 last year, but they wanted to save it for the playoffs.  The Lakers have a massive chip on their shoulders this year and they're young, so I could see them making a push for 70.  And if they do, it could pull the Cs into following suit in the hopes of getting HCA should they meet.  I just think that the Lakers and Celtics are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, especially in the regular season, and as such if they focus I don't think either will lose many games this year.

[Scribbles]

I think that a fully healthy, in sync Spurs team could do it.  In fact, before the season began I expected them to.  Now, I have doubt that they'll have it together in time.  Maybe next year, after some retooling in the offseason.

Actually, I think the team with the best shot to do it this year is the Suns.  The Lakers have several things that make them great...the outstanding and versatile size up front, elite offensive talents, playoff tested role players that are built for the triangle, and a championship swagger that comes from playing with Kobe and for Phil.  With Shaq, Amare, and crazy hair Lopez the Suns have the size and talent to bang with the Lakers up front and win the battle of the paint.  With Nash, the Suns have one thing the Lakers aren't built to stop...a penetrating PG that can score and distribute.  The Suns also have a squad full of playoff-tested role players, especially on the wings, to throw at Kobe and make him work.  And in the playoffs, a team of fossils like the Suns should have the time play big minutes each game then recover in between.

Most importantly, though, Shaq gives the Suns that championship swagger that only Duncan and the Spurs could match when dealing with Kobe.  Plus, these teams have history.  Shaq and Kobe don't like each other at all.  The Suns eliminated the Lakers two straight years before last season.  Neither Raja Bell nor Kobe have forgotten Bell clotheslining him and Kobe inviting him into the Octagon.  Shaq has to be itching to prove that Bynum isn't in his league.  This would, IMO, be a very compelling series that I really hope happens.

Side note: if I could find a prop bet in Vegas on either the Celtics or the Lakers winning 70 this year, I would take it.  I wouldn't be surprised if both do, actually.  I've long been of the opinion that the Celts could have won 70 last year, but they wanted to save it for the playoffs.  The Lakers have a massive chip on their shoulders this year and they're young, so I could see them making a push for 70.  And if they do, it could pull the Cs into following suit in the hopes of getting HCA should they meet.  I just think that the Lakers and Celtics are head and shoulders above the rest of the league, especially in the regular season, and as such if they focus I don't think either will lose many games this year.

You nailed it with the Suns vs Lakers.  Nothing would please Shaq more than to prove Bynum isn't in his class and to knock Kobe out of the playoff's.  Plus they have Nash, and even though he's old none of the Lakers PG's can cover him. 

Also JR Giddens, what gives man, Laker's haven't done jack yet!  Stop writing them off as NBA Champs for 09 already!  It isn't happening! 

[indeedproceed]

I think that Houston can take them in 7 games if they stay healthy (or get healthy at the right time).

Yao>Bynum
Scola~Gasol (scola is solid...enough to make gasol merely above average)
Artest/Battier>Ariza/Odom/Walton
McGrady<<Kobe
Alson~Fisher

I think the best part of the matchup will be Artest or Battier guarding Kobe, while McGrady can rest on Ariza or Walton. The lakers get the better when Odom plays the 3, because McGrady won't be able to stop him.

[Who]

Houston are the only team in the West capable of doing something comparable to what the Celtics did to LA.

• They have two marquee defenders to put on Kobe, and Shane Battier in particular does a fantastic job. They can contain Kobe and force his teammates to beat them, and as the Lakers proved in the Finals their second scorer isn't aggressive enough to counter that well. San Antonio showed LA up the same way.
• They're one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA and I think they were leading the rebound differential category before Yao got injured last season.
• They have the only defense in the league that was, somewhat, comparable to the Celtics defense last season.
• They're physical and like to knock people around. They have two legit 7 footers in Yao Ming and Deke which is important to stopping Bynum/Gasol. They also have two very good role players at PF who give them near All-Star production between the two of them
• Ron Artest is the only top top small forward on any contender in the Western Conference. He's the only player capable of punishing of Vladimir Radmanovic. Next best in line is Peja Stojakovic
• The Rockets have three go-to scorers that can get 25-30 points. A healthy Tracy McGrady can match a slowed down (Battier) Kobe Bryant's contribution.
• Battier, Deke, Landry, Brooks are good enough to compete with LA's second unit. Leave Tracy out there for some offense and make it a grind it game while the second units are in there. They also have more depth with Chuck Hayes and Brent Barry.

To beat LA, I think a team will have to be able at a minimum

• Better them defensively (elite defense)
• Match their offense (elite offense, can be hampered by tough D)
• Match their rebounding (elite rebounding team)
• Contain their Big Men (three big men a notch below All-Star quality)
• Contain Kobe Bryant
• Limit their role players (a huge key to their offense - Boston did it in the Finals, San An in the Conference Finals)
• Be deep enough to compete with LA's second unit. If a team's bench isn't top notch, LA will build a lead and change the momentum of the game every game in the series. It'll be incredibly difficult to work around.

Some teams in the West can do one or three of those things, but there's one team that I think can cover all/enough of the bases - the Houston Rockets.

[Edgar]

I have faith in NO too.

[Cman]

(1) Still a ways to go in the season before we crown the Lakers champs.
(2) Houston, NO, SA, Phoenix could all give the Lakers trouble.
(3) Most importantly, the Lakers could give the Lakers trouble.....  if I could bet on one team self-imploding because of infighting it would be the Lakers.  Hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't mean it wont.

[Edgar]

(1) Still a ways to go in the season before we crown the Lakers champs.

hey wait wait wait
we are talking western conference

eastern conference lists laker owners.

[celticmaestro]

(2) Houston, NO, SA, Phoenix could all give the Lakers trouble.

And Utah.

[Cman]

(2) Houston, NO, SA, Phoenix could all give the Lakers trouble.

And Utah.

Thankfully -- it was Detroit that took 'em down a peg tonight.

Boy, Vujacic is such a little punk.

But, to the Laker's credit, they battled in the last few minutes, which the Cs didn't do tonight against the Nuggets.

[QuinielaBox]

I agree with "Who" on what it would take to beat the Lakers and the Celtics got the job done last June, particularly in that Game 4 comeback from 45-21 down in the 2nd and throughout the Game 6 clincher.

Right now there are several possibilities for the Lakers to not make the 2009 Finals -

Houston can Dee-up with anyone. My concern is that is Yao going to be physical enough with Bynum. Artest will dog Kobe to no end and so will T-Mac and Battier. Scola can beat on Gasol. I like Houston's bench over the Lakers bench.

Phoenix isn't playing well but they have a 7-3 record. Terry Porter will instill a defense first mentality.

San Antonio needs to get healthy before I can fairly evaluate them - But a hidden benefit could be the development of their bench and that can pay dividends down the road.

Denver - The acquisition of Billups was a good thing for Denver.

Utah - Always a solid team capable of beating anyone, anywhere.

New Orleans - They got Posey and I hear they might add PJ Brown. They still have CP and David West.

Portland - The development of Greg Oden will make this a complete team and I believe they will win a championship by 2012 and help Boston stay ahead of the Lakers in the banner count.