L.A. Lakers NOT a top 5 team!!

[jdz101]

Not the greatest pre-season ive ever seen thats for sure.

[LarBrd33]

They could win 73 games.  Preseason means nothing.  They are ridiculous on paper.  Just sickeningly good.

#1 - They have a top 4 player... the best big man in the world in Dwight Howard.  A defensive beast

#2 - I have Pau Gasol as a top 3 or 4 big man in the game behind Dwight... maybe Kevin Love.  Pau is supremely underrated. 

#3 - Prob still the #1 or #2 SG in the world in Kobe

#4 - Top 3 distributor and probably the best shooter in the world in Nash

... + some extra pests in Jamison and Peace.

Biggest weakness is their coaching.  They probably could have won last year if used their massive size advantage.

[CelticsFan9]

Not the greatest pre-season ive ever seen thats for sure.

I hate to bring this up, but they went winless during the '09 and '10 preseasons (I think).

Just saying.

[jdz101]

Not the greatest pre-season ive ever seen thats for sure.

I hate to bring this up, but they went winless during the '09 and '10 preseasons (I think).

Just saying.

I know its not an indicator of what the overall result is going to be but everyone looked pretty disinterested in preseason for them which will probably mean a slow start.

We had a slow start last year and almost made the finals.

[Who]

They could win 73 games.  Preseason means nothing.  They are ridiculous on paper.  Just sickeningly good.

I don't think LA could post a big W-L record in the regular season with such a weak supporting cast. Better built for the playoffs than the regular season.

Too much reliance on four guys to play at a high level every night (plus play big minutes almost every night) to rack up regular season wins at a high clip. Need better depth.

I thought their 2009 team had a legitimate shot at 70+ wins. Came up short though.

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Edit: I think they'll be hard pressed to win 60 games with that supporting cast. 

I'd expect the Lakers to be more in the mid to high 50s win range.

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, the Lakers need to get Kobe healthy first....

[Kuberski1]

Sorry, but just can't judge anything by pre-season.

Lakers have a load of talent, and ton of experience.  Yes, they are relatively old....but so were Pierce and KG last year, and they along with Rondo almost got us to the Finals.  If healthy, I think the Lakers will be very good this year (as much as it pains me to say it...).

[CelticSooner]

I don't see LA finishing any better than a 4th seed in the West. The two biggest reasons being their horrid bench which will cost them leads and their head coach. Mike Brown doesn't know how to run a proper offense.

[CelticSooner]

Not the greatest pre-season ive ever seen thats for sure.

I hate to bring this up, but they went winless during the '09 and '10 preseasons (I think).

Just saying.

That's not true.

[PaulPierce34G]

Pre-season means nothing really.  It's a time for the vets to get back into their groove, rookies to get the feel of full-fledged, real deal NBA talent (not just summer league scraps), and guys trying to make the team an honest chance to showcase themselves. The vets aren't going at 100 mph either during these games.  They're just trying to get themselves back in order so they can be ready to go for the season.

LAL will be a good team this season, there's no way around it.  Whether they win it all or not?  Nobody can say for sure, but they have a good shot.  Just have to be realistic about things.  They will more than likely finish with a top 4 seed, if not a top 3 and they will probably at the very least make the conference finals if I had to make a guess. The playoffs are a funny beast, you can't fully predict who is going to win this round, who is going to win that round. 

All I know is, the Lakers will make some noise this year, you can't say they wont, they'll be one of the last few teams standing, even if we are obligated to hate them just because we are Celtics fans.   

Of course, this is all barring some catastrophe like DH killing his back, Kobe or Nash having a season ending injury.  If they have the bulk of their roster and their main guys intact come playoff time, they will be a serious threat. 

This is just my 2 cents and obviously only time will tell to see how everything truly plays out.

[hpantazo]

The lakers are easily a top 5 team. Regardless of their injuries, preseason record means nothing

[MJohnnyboy]

They could win 73 games.  Preseason means nothing.  They are ridiculous on paper.  Just sickeningly good.

Nobody is winning 70+ games again. Atleast not until the league goes through another stretch of weak talent like it did in the mid to late 90s. The only reason why the Bulls were able to do it was because the league was just that weak. I'm not condoning anything I think the 96 Bulls are one of the best teams of all time, but they were aided by the lack of talent the league had. Considering how many talented teams there are now compared to 1996, I think 70 is out of reach for anyone.

60+ is a more realistic target. The 2008 Celtics did as well as they did because they had one of the best defenses the league had seen in years.

[BASS_THUMPER]

on paper

i see a big man with back problems
a ball hog
and steve hash brown


why yall think this team is that team?

[Birdman]

I know its just one game but got to say I TOLD YOU SO!!!!  But seriously, this is what u going to get. Howard with foul trouble, Artest out of it, Nash is old, Kobe body is breaking down, and no bench. I be surprise they win 55-60 games

[celticinorlando]

it is going to take them some time to figure out how to play together...you have 3 alpha males who are used to being the man...Throw in an alpha female in gasol...things will be tough