1st game was actually a close game. The Jazz missed many open jumpers in 4th qtr - by Krover, Harping & Brewer. OW, it's a down a the wire game. Expect this series to go distance.
I am just not impressed by the Jazz, they foul, the play hard, but they are not that good. Outside of Williams and possibly Boozer, they are just an average team. The Lakers will crush them. DD
But to me it doesn't because we were missing 2 rotation players at PG...in Rafer and Francis and the best center in the NBA. We would have crushed them 4-1 if Yao was healthy. DD
Thats so true, but im just so tired of "ifs" with the rockets...when does it become our time...im just so tired of getting to emotionally invested in the rockets then getting heart broken....but i guess thats what being a fan is about
These Lakers are long, athletic and with a lot of shooters and scorers. That's how PJ likes to build a team.
It should also tell you how far ahead Lakers are. Lakers are missing their starting Center, Bynum who played at a really high level before he got injured. They are missing Ariza who is their Shane Battier. They are also missing Chris Mihm. They are missing some of their key pieces and still handling Jazz.
It's the Gasol trade that put the Lakers over the top. Bynum is not as good or skillful as Gasol yet.
Eventually he will be, maybe even starting next year. If Bynum had not gone down with injury, he was on pace to win MIP award this year. A full healthy Lakers team is easily the best in the league and their young pieces are still improving.
He is their 5 option on offense, and they replaced him with a better player in Gasol. But with Gasol they don't need an Ariza. Who? Just kidding he would be a nice backup Center for us in Houston. Missing their 5th and 8th best player is not the same as missing your first and whatever the others you want to call ...player. We were in much worse shape. DD
You guys are overrating Yao. Are we talking about the same Yao that could not beat Okur one on one in playoffs? Or the same one that had to be spoonfed against the Mavs in playoffs? Yao has yet to show that he can dominate in playoffs. I am not even going to touch your "missing Steve Francis" theory....
The Lakers were handed Pau Gasol on a platter by the sorry Grizzlies. Without that sham of a trade, they probably don't even make the playoffs (much less the 2nd round). The entire balance of the Western Conference was thrown off. If the Rockets had been handed Pau for virtually nothing, we would have "handled" the Jazz too. He would have replaced Yao just like he has replaced Bynum on the Lakers. Also, saying Ariza is their "Battier" is complete nonsense. He played a total of 24 games for them as a reserve player. I dare you to argue the Bynum-less Lakers (without Pau) are "far ahead" of the Yao-less Rockets. You can't. The sole difference is Pau.
