jopatmc, for you to still say the Lakers are better than last season is delusional. My goodness, you've gone off the deep end this time. Two years ago OKC gave the Lakers all they could handle despite the points you just made. Now, it's clear they are better. Mavericks didn't have a post game and they swept the Lakers. But you are entitled to be wrong and stay wrong.
depth is important but not as important as the ability to post up in playoff series. 1. In the playoffs, the games are all separated by at least 1 day of rest, giving your starters and top 7-8 guys the chance to recooperate while they play close to 40 minutes per game. 2. In the playoffs, half-court play dominates. Games are played at a slower pace and possessions are more valuable. This naturally favors your starters. 7-8 players is all you need to win a championship in the NBA once you get to the playoffs provided the luck of health is on your side. Oh, health. You can't win a championship without health either. It is more important than depth.
If only the Lakers had 7-8 players. The problem is they have 3 + trash which makes depth a huge issue. None of the arguments you make favor the Lakers coming out of the West or being better than last season. Why? Look what happened last season and how the Lakers have changed since then. The current OKC team is the Lakers biggest playoff nightmare.
Mmmmmmmm.....yeah, I would agree with that. Quite a contrast there in youth and athleticism for sure. I'd say the current Lakers and Spurs teams are the Thunder's biggest playoff nightmare as well.
Mavs did have a post up game my friend. One of the backbone components to their offense is Dirk with his back to the basket posting up and making a play. He's a tremendous post-up player.
I think people underestimate how important JJ Barea was to beating the Lakers last year. The Lakers are going to lose in the playoffs because they can be beaten off the dribble at will, but it probably won't be by the Mavs unless Roddy Beaubois is awoken from the dead.
The Mavs didn't beat the Lakers with Dirk posting up: They beat them with superior perimeter play. Terry, Barea and Dirk KILLED them from outside. Marion and Kidd were solid. Dirk is no more an interior post player like Bynum/Pau than KD is. Dirk posts from the outside and shoots fade-away jumpers. How many times did he back anyone down for "easy" baskets? Almost never. Who's he going to back down? Bynum? No. Pau? No. His advantage over Pau is foot speed because Pau can't guard him outside. This season, KD posts up about the same amount Dirk did in last year's playoffs. WB is also posting up more. What you completely ignore is beating people off the dribble. KD, WB and Harden draw tons of FTs getting to the rim. FTs are better than post ups. Outside jumpers and using speed to get easy shots was how the Mavs beat the Lakers last year. OKC has that formula this year. The Lakers were as slow as potatoes last season and are worse now.
Mavericks in Series vs Lakers Bench Pts Diff.....Pts on 3-pt FG diff Game 4 +49......+45 Game 3 +27......+27 Game 2 +18......+18 Game 1 +15......+12 http://espn.go.com/nba/recap/_/id/310508006/boxscore?gameId=310508006 the Lakers were 5th in Points in The Paint in 2010-2011 the mavericks were 29th out of 30 http://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/points-in-paint-per-game?date=2011-06-12
I am not ignoring beating people off the dribble. You are attempting to pick apart my statements. What is being ignored is the importance of a back to the basket post up offense. You are saying KD posts up as much as Dirk. I say he is getting there. He has obviously copied Dirks step back jump shot. So, he's getting there. And the Thunder are still improving. But they're not there in a 7-game series. The Mavs had a superior perimeter. They had a superior perimeter and a post up threat and great interior D with rebounding superiority. That's the winning combination. You gotta have all 3.
I'm picking where you are wrong. Do you still believe the Lakers are better than last year? Last year, the Lakers vaunted post game got them swept in the 2nd round. Not beaten, swept. OKC would have beaten LA if they played last year. Two years ago when OKC was totally green, they gave the Lakers all they could handle. Beating LA doesn't mean OKC would win a championship. I have little doubt they would handle the Lakers but the Heat are still the best team in the NBA. A healthy Bulls team is probably 2nd best.
I never said the Lakers had great perimeter play. I'm a realist. Their PG play stinks. I've never been wrong about that. Yes, I still believe they are better than last season. Yes, they are a year older on the perimeter. But I was never viewing their situation in light of just the perimeter. It is the overall situation is better. They're not even playing close to their best right now. Kobe is overshooting. They are severely underutilizing Bynum and Gasol. And Barnes and Artest are just loafing around. But the playoffs are a different animal. And the perimeter problems they have can be fixed with one simple trade using their TPE without removing a single component. Now, I do think they are most likely going to break it up and either move Gasol or move both Bynum and Gasol in a monster Dwight trade. And that will radically change everything. But I didn't make my original comments based on that. I made my comments based on this current group. It's a 66-game season and then the playoffs, not a 33 game sprint. I think they are better this year when it comes to competing in the playoffs. I have said over and over again that because of the compressed schedule, I do not expect them or most other teams to outperform their 2010-11 regular season records. But that is not an indicator of where they ultimately wind up. I don't think I'll ever be able to prove my point because I do expect the Lakers to move Pau and/or Bynum. However, if they do not move Pau or Bynum and they simply add ancillary pieces to this current team, this team is a better team than last season. They haven't proven it yet and I understand all the doubts but in the endgame (playoffs) they are a better team.
I don't buy Bulls being the 2nd best team in the NBA, I don't even know why to be honest but there is something that makes me hesitant about them. They play great team defense and can rebound so they will always have a chance but the problem is, can they score enough points? Who is your CLEAR 2nd option. It was supposed to be Boozer and he has played much better but he is not that post up thread you can give the ball to and expect to score 20/10 every night. He can go off and give you 25+ but you can't rely on it. Deng? Sure he can play and deserves to be an All Star but he doesn't really have post up moves or polish offensive game. As Boozer he can occasionally get hot but that's it. They still have hopes Rip can become that offensive firepower they need but can he even stay on the court healthly? And how much does he have left? I like their team, I like their mindset and defense but against a team like Miami I don't see them having a chance no matter how well they play in the regular season. Barkley is right on that one, the Bulls can only hope Rose becomes that impossible to stop player in the playoffs because they rely on him so much, maybe even too much. I would say OKC is better than Chicago.
aging. star. Like most championship teams, LA was winning when they had a dude who was, or was playing like, the best player on the court. They no longer have that. LOL at Dirk being a post-up player last year. Occassional post-ups, usually ending with jumpers, doesn't mean you are a post player. Neither the Heat or Mavs had legit post options last season. Both of those teams were perimiter based. I agree that the Lakers have a inside advantage over Dallas and most teams. The question is will they ever exploit it with a SG taking more shots than any other player in basketball. When I watched the Dal/LA series last year the biggest difference to me was Dirk was able to take over and Kobe wasn't. That and team depth and speed. But generally in the playoffs if teams are evenly matched the one with the best player wins. I think that boat has sailed for #24.
With all this talk about post-play, none of the final 4 teams last year had much, if any, of it. Post-play didn't prevent the Lakers from struggling with the Hornets and getting killed by the Mavs. This year, they are missing a superman producing off the bench (Odom), have an inferior coach and a more aged creakier backcourt. And they are better? Don't think so.
The Lakers making a trade will actually bail you out. Their current team has little chance of making the Finals. 4 players + trash wasn't good enough last year. 3 + trash with an inferior coach isn't enough this time around.
too many outs by the OP. where's the big time roll they were about to go on? they have stayed healthy all season long. you've been saying all along they would make a trade, don't back out now.
Well that's because the league doesn't have very many post players, and the ones they do have aren't surrounded by great teams. I think a post option surrounded by a good team could absolutely contend. Give Howard quality help. The Grizz almost made the WCF's and they don't have any studs on the perimiter (not last year). But similar to last year, none of the true post dudes have enough of a supporting cast. I would think differently if LA had more depth or if Kobe were the Kobe of old.
Teams that win big without significant back to the basket post up play are extremely rare. You can argue all day long that Dirk wasn't a post up player. You are wrong. Dirk plays with his back to the basket all the time friends.
