Nothing to do with how I feel. Statistically speaking, Kobe has no bearing on whether the Lakers win or lose. Isn't that odd from an alleged all time great?
So that makes it Lakers - GSW (playing for 6th), SAS (playing for 1st), HOU (playing for 6th?) Utah - MIN (playing for the lottery), MIN (playing for the lottery), MEM (playing to not get injuries)
My bad. Had a brain fart there; don't know how to delete my post. Anyway, if these teams were in the East, they would be playoff caliber.
Yes and no. Hard to say because we don't know the teams motivations and what the seeding will look like come game-time. Does Pop even care about getting 1st vs OKC? Will they still be tied going into that game (OKC has GS and Portland over the next 2 days). GS and Hou should both care about #6, but neither team is good on the road. If Memphis is still fighting for the #3 seed or HC vs the Clippers then they may not rest players.
Does OKC have tiebreaker against the Spurs if they have the same record? If so then we're perfect where we're at right now. Vs the Spurs
Do not get the 6th seed. Repeat, do not get the 6th seed. ! We have a much better chance with Spurs than Nuggets.
Wow they lucked into a bad schedule there. Three playoff teams, but three team that still need seeding and probably won't be resting their stars.
I'm glad you're seeing the light. But seriously, "worthless" is a bit harsh since IIRC the Lakers do about 5% better with him in the lineup. The casual fan looks at a game like yesterday's and sees Kobe's stats and thinks there is no way they win without his superhuman effort. I say that not only do they win, but they win handily. If Kobe doesn't play, Pau and Dwight get more shots. These guys were 20/26 from the field! No one on Portland had a chance of guarding them. But because the Lakers again played Kobe ball, they were marginlized. Moreover, the bigger a role bigs get in the offense, the more apt they are to play defense, which is really the Lakers' problem. BTW, Pau said as much himself: Asked about Bryant's offensive performance, Gasol returned to a years-old theme: "I think it's spectacular and very impressive. ... On the other hand, I'm a player that -- I like to see a little more ball movement and better balance. That's just how I perceive this game." Knowing how nonconfrontational Pau is, this is pretty telling stuff. But it's also common sense. Between the FGA and FTA, Kobe took 36 shots last night; the rest of the Lakers took 39 combined! That is a very guardable offense and one that any competent team can defend, which is why Pau is complaining. People love great individual statlines because they play into the savior/messiah role we've grown up with in folklore, but in team sports they aren't always a good thing. But, as usual, you and the other casual fans will just assume I'm hating on Kobe for being Kobe and not for how he plays the game.
are you trying to say the Lakers would have won all those championships if Shaq didn't have Kobe or if Pau didn't have Kobe? Last time I checked, Shaq didn't win any championships before joining up with Kobe and Pau did not win a single play off series before joining Kobe.
