Well, if there was any doubt that a healthy Lakers team is the team to beat in the playoffs, that game last night erased it. In fact, the injuries actually benefitted the Lakers, because Medvedenko stepped up big time and has proven to be a solid role player. Also, Malone will be a little fresher for the playoffs, rather than have another whole season of wear and tear on him... Lakers over the Pacers in 7
man, i hate karl malone but chris webber is such a pansy. malone swats him in the mouth and he looks like he is about to cry and has to be taken out of the game. than he is sitting there acting like his mouth is bleeding. if it wasnt already common knowledge, now the whole league knows that he is a wuss. i dont think ive ever seen someone just stop playing while the clock is ticking. as good as they were doing w/ miller and vlade, webber should have voluntered to come off the bench rather than force all the starters to have to readjust to him. besides, he is just going to end up getting injured again so why disrupt chemistry? christina webber makes bill walton look like cal ripken. the kings had a real good thing going and now that christina is back it has spoiled their mojo. i do hate karl malone though...
Hate to mention it, because it was a great game, and proved that if the Lakers are healthy and not in prison, they will be scary; but the refs really let the aggressor have the game. Malone swats Webber in the mouth and twice in the stomach and gets no call. Webber IS a wuss, and I get tired of the faux-hood posturing, but I wonder how often Karla has had the refs over to his house for dinner.
speaking of webber...what is the kings record since he got back? i know they been lossing a lot recently.
I hear Karla tosses a mean salad! Webber is truly a wuss, and as much as I respect Adelman, I think the right call is to have him come off the bench, especially in the fourth quarter. Hope they get Jackson back in the rotation.
As much as I hate to say it, the Lakers are a different team with Malone in the lineup. He not just gives them toughness and a midrange shot, his passing is very valuable to them. On the other hand, the Kings probably need Bobby Jackson healthy more than they do Webber .
are you kidding me? if it ends up being the lakers v. pacers. FIVE AT MOST. how good do you think the pacers are? I'm real interested in how Foster matches up against shaq, how reggie matches up against Kobe, and how tinsley matches up against payton. well... i guess you'd have artest on kobe. but still, Indy doesn't have the players to win. or to advance. they won't beat detroit.
The Pacers DO have one of the best records in the NBA for a reason. Jermaine is faster than anybody the Lakers put on him, whether it's Shaq or Malone. True, Foster can't hold Shaq, but then again, nobody can hold Shaq, so it's a moot point. Artest can check Kobe, and Harrington is better than anything the Lakers have at small forward. Plus, the Pacers have a deeper bench and one of the most clutch players in NBA history in Reggie Miller. They could definitely take the Lakers to 7 games...
I don't think it's all about matchups. In the playoffs it's about have players that can take over. The Pacers don't have a dominant player, and that's not going to work in the playoffs.
Funny how you say that, yet your previous post was how Foster matches up against Shaq, how Reggie matches up against Kobe, and how Tinsley matches up against Payton...
well you shot down my match up argument didn't you? i still think it's pretty cool how you made it sound like the Pacers have the better of the matchups. anyway, if this MATCHUP ever happens, there's gonna be no Austin Croshere to come out of nowhere and save them again.
Who cares about the Finals? All I'm interested in is the Lakers dumping the Kings one more time so that they stop talking trash. The Lakers have the right to talk trash, they have 3 rings. Why the hell do the Kings ever open their mouthes? They've never won anything, and even if they take out the Lakers, I believe both the Pistons and Pacers can take them out in the Finals.
Lakers were all healthy at the start of the season, but they did not dominate everyone. I think Spurs is the one to beat.
What are you talking about? The King's rafters are groaning under the weight of that Pacific Division championship banner. If the Lakers do make it to the finals, I don't see the Pacers giving the Lakeshow much of a problem. The Laker just have some team's ticket, like the Pacers. Reggie is clutch, but Kobe replaced him as King clutch a couple of years ago. Also when Artest and Oneal get frustrated, they fall apart. I don't think they will be able to withstand the stress that the Lakers put on them. Detroit on the otherhand.....I would rather see the Lakers face anyone from the east than them.
Didn't dominate anyone? Didn't they have the best record in the league before injuries finally disrupted their flow? Anyways, for some reason the Kings annoy the hell out of me and I actually don't mind the Fakers beating them up.
