Lakers vs Suns in a playoff series

Lakers have to be favored. They have played the Suns well all season, and the addition of gasol along with the subtraction of that bum kwame is only going to help them.

 

Get back to us with this question in April. It's too early to project anything for the Lakers given Gasol hasn't even played a game for them yet. Who's to say how much better he'll make them.

 

I like this thread. Honestly, I would have picked the Lakers before this trade so I certainly pick them now.

Phoenix is done. The window has closed on them. They can still win a lot of games in the regular season but I think they have been figured out in the playoffs. They will get killed by playoff teams with a post presence and a bit of athleticism at the wing positions.

Farmar, Ariza and of course Kobe have the athleticism to help slow the Suns fast break. Bynum and Gasol can flat out kill Phoenix inside.

 

Lakers in 6.

 

I realize the Suns needed cap space. But you can't trade Kurt Thomas like they did. It just doesn't make sense, not if their goal was a title. Now I look at Thomas on the worst team in the NBA yet he plays far more inspired basketball than Amare. They could really use Thomas against a team like LA.

 

I completely agree. When they traded KT I thought the move had to be the first step in a larger plan to upgrade talent/defense. Once I realized that it was not part of a bigger plan I heard a door slam. That door was Phoenix' chance at a title.

How do they expect to get past San Antonio when they trade the only guy who Duncan even notices when he catches the ball down low. Now the Lakers get rid of Kwame (who Phoenix makes look like an All Star) for Gasol so you have two teams who are a load down low AND have a great back court.

Phoenix should have mortgaged the farm for Garnett.

 

Even before the Gasol trade I had the Lakers beating the suns just because of the development of bynum and other lakers but now with the gasol trade i say they beat the suns in 5 if they met in the playoffs.

 

unless the lakers play a weak team in the first round, i dont see them winning a playoff series. id take san antonio, dallas, phoenix, houston and maybe utah and gstate over LA. these role players that they have are playing well, but i dont see them continuing it in the playoffs. jordan farmar and luke walton still suck, and kobe gets in his own way when he tries to win it by himself

 

I think the Lakers would win in 6-7 games. A difficult series.

But barring injuries, I think NOK/SA(if Parker gets back)/DAL would still give the Lakers fits. It's still kinda difficult for me to see LA come out of the Western Conference; then again, the same holds for like every Western team.

 

Lakers because they already lead the this year's series and could have won if Bynum was still with them in the last game. Add Gasol, and they could beat them with ease.

 

The Lakers would be favored to win the series and would take an early advantage, but for some odd reason I think Phoenix would win a serious playoff series.

I think that the Lakers have gotten better, even to point of possibly being better than the Suns, but I don't see LA having enough defense to slow down the Suns.....and depth even favors the Suns. For as good as Bynum has been over this season. I wouldn't call him a dominate big man, unlike other talking heads, fans, or media outlet. Maybe in future, but right now it remains to be seen.

Kobe is the best player in the league and I could beat just about any team with a capable supporting cast, but I still believe if you have good enough defender to slow him down. I believe you can pretty much beat the Lakers, even with their current cast.




P.S. I really don't like either team

 

I might have favored the Lakers even before the trade. But now ... I think they would be heavily favored, especially if they have home court advantage.

 

100% agree. The Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference when Bynum went down. With their full squad, the Lakers clobbered the Suns twice this season and it was apparent they had surpassed them. Adding Pau to the mix makes the advantage decisive.

The only thing that would stop the Lakers from a 5 game beat-down of the Suns is a lack of team chemistry because of adding Pau. If Pau finds his place and fits in, the Lakers are the Suns biggest nightmare.

 

The scary part is somebody like Odom that's clearly overrated as a #1 or even #2 option now becomes the default 3rd or 4th option. The idea of a versatile player like him roaming the court without receiving heavy attention is pretty scary. Basically, he's the new Andrei Kirilenko.....or Marion.