Lakers could beat the Suns fair and square. LeBron and Davis at their top level are better than Durant and Booker at their top level. The difference being the insane defense of Davis and the type of impact it could have in do-or-die game regardless if he's scoring or not. And the Lakers are a deep, good team with two high-impact players that plays hard. The Suns duo is killing it on offense, but the team is not as talented, inconsistent, and still not healthy. But we'll see some referee and magnet shenanigans just to make sure the Lakers advance.
Some team gonna score 200 points in regulation.. Having a defensive minded HC is a waste of money today..
Not a waste if it works. If teams used to scoring 130pts.game are held to 100pts, then that is something. The Rockets are still figuring it out. Once they do, then the litmus tests will come in the form outlined above.
I thought the Knicks Bucks game was about to end by glancing at the score and clock. Nope. 3rd quarter was just ending. Weren't most of the recent NBA champions coached by defensive minded coaches? Mike Malone, Lue, Budenholzer, Vogel, Nurse are all defensive minded. Kerr is a major exception because he's won 4 recently, that's true, but at their best, the Warriors have been really good defensive teams. It's probably more important nowadays because scoring is so easy. Nobody needs an offensive genius when players are so talented offensively. They do need someone to teach defense and be able to hold the rest of the league down at least a little more than the average coach. EDIT: Some runner-ups have been coached by defensive coaches like Spolestra and Udoka.
Boy do the NBA want the Lakers to advance. This entire game has been a horrendously obvious Lakers' whistle. It's astonishing people somehow convince themselves LeBron doesn't get enough calls.
Another example of refs being terrible at the highest level of basketball. The ball is nowhere near anyone’s hands and all over the floor Ok lebron you can have a timeout lol
Lakers needed help from referres and Nurkic-Eubanks duo to win the games. I can't understand Lakers mentality. They can't be champion, they have no pick left, Le Baby is getting old. Another Wizards-like team, just needs refs help and some rivals mismanagement (see Udoka) to win games.
That's true. Suns also need a point guard. Booker can't do it under duress. Whether it be in high pressure games or against physical players. He went against both tonight and failed miserably. The Lakers are a good team. LeBron and Davis are playing great. Reaves is back. They are treating this tournament like their championship so they're all playing hard. They'll always have the refs. They'll win it. I don't know about championship unless their yearly stimulus package is something like DeRozan and Caruso for Russell and Hachimura. And that could happen.
