The NBA, the Eastern Conference and the Lakers

[primetime]

i think it's about that time to introduce a NBA thread. i am a diehard football fan, but i like basketball as well. the NBA season is underway and here are a few opinions.

did anyone really care about the new ball? i mean, us fans? i know i didnt.

What do people think of Allen Iverson in Denver? can he and Carmelo co-exist? we will wait and see..

the Eastern Conference is a complete joke. it starts with the defending champs and once and for all, will people finally admit Shaq is OLD, FAT and LAZY? he's done. looks like Jerry Buss made the right move and traded him instead of paying this lazy slug 30 million dollars a year and being fat. everyone knows Dwyane Wade is THE reason the Heat won last year, not Shaq. Shaq had nothing to do with the title win over Dallas. Alonzo Mourning made more of an impact than fatboy. if the Heat repeat, rest assured, the reason is Wade, not "Snack" O'neal....

the Western Conference is stacked. damn, how many good teams do they have? Dallas is a beast and really, they are the favorites to win it all this year after choking last year. San Antonio is good. Utah is good. Houston is good. Denver will be improved. Phoenix is really good. which leads me to....

the LA Lakers. if i was Jerry Buss, i would immediately sign Phil Jackson to a lifetime contract. what Phil has done is nothing short of remarkable. Kobe Bryant is showing why he is the best damn player in the NBA. Lamar Odom has made great strides and Kwame "bust" Brown is actually getting better and better. the best part? this team is DEEP. the Lakers will be a dangerous team. if they dont win the title this year, they may be THE favorite to win it next year.

speaking of Kobe. will people finally give him his due or will people still hate the guy and call him "ballhog" and "selfish"? if you have watched any Laker games this year, you WILL KNOW, that those adjectives no longer apply to Kobe. he has been a hell of a leader and a hell of a teammate. now, if he can win the title, it will be the sweetest thing.

anyone have opinions?

 

[german]

Leave Snack alone.....lol....sorry I just had to say it. I don't mind basketball, I do watch every Lakers game shown (which is around 1 every 2 weeks Australian ESPN is crap).

I got all the respect for Kobe, what he does on the court should be the only thing people judge him on, funny everyone will jump on him for scoring 40 and winning them the game but they will neglect to mention when he leads them in assist and still win them the game - there will always be Kobe haters thats a fact of life.

I just think that maybe the Lakers need another "big name" for them to be a heavy title contender.

Priest

 

[tickletoy3]

Ah my good buddy Prime. We've been down this road many a time my friend. Yes, call him fat, call him lazy, call him old. Call him NBA Champion. And everyone contributed to the title last year. Wade was the main man, rest assured and is without a doubt the main man in Miami. Everyone knows that. Even Shaq will tell you that. Despite the media's attempts to ignite internal disruption, the Miami Heat played as a team and won the NBA title. Maybe the Dallas Mavericks will learn to actually win 4 games before planning a victory parade route.

As far as Kobe, heck I'm all for him doing well! I have a wager placed at the season's start that LA would win over 43 games. The more wins the merrier 🙂.

 

[natural tickler]

well, well, back to calling Shaq names again huh?? well, Kobe is passing now, finally but with the team he has, he has no choice but to get them involved. THE favorite for next year?? Man what crack are you smoking???

Right now it seems to me they are only the 6th best team in the West right now. Look, I know you love Kone Kool-Aid, but stop drinking for a minute and get real. They are at least two years away from serious title contention.

The "Snack" reference, I'll admit was funny as hell, but despite what you think, he has four rings, Kobe has three. He proved he can win a title without Kobe. It will be light years before Kobe wins another title, or if they move the Lakers to the East

 

[primetime]

oh please, Snack had nothing to do with that title last year. he was a NON FACTOR in the NBA finals. hell, he was a NON FACTOR in the Eastern Conference finals. Shaq is DONE. i guarantee that had Wade got hurt, Snack would still be stuck on 3 rings.

as for Kobe "finally" passing. give me a break. go back and look at his Lajer career and you will see several years where he lead the team in assists? how could this possibly happen if he was a complete ball hog?

the Lakers are a lot better than you think. this team has depth. this team knows how to run the triangle offense. this team has THE best basketball player in the NBA (yeah, he's better than Dwyane Wade). the Lakers will be a favorite to win the title by next season. in fact, when the Lakers DO win the title, i am going to send you a championship t-shirt and hat. also, would you like to come to the parade?

 

[Mitchell]

In the Eastern Conference, the Southeast and Central Divisions are decent, but the Atlantic Division is pathtetic. The "leader" of that division, the Raptors, are 4 games under 500. Imagine a division champ "under 500". One could well have the seven other playoff teams in the East come from other divisions, if those records stay consistent.
As for the Lakers, they are having a really nice year. Kobe is probably the best player in the NBA, even if we cant stand his personality. The Lakers should win 50+ games, and make some noise in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if they can stand up to teams like the Suns or Mavericks, come, say, conference semi finals or conference finals time, but I think they will do very well. Perhaps they can well win the title next year. Phil Jackson is a master.

Mitch

 

[Mitchell]

This is hard to believe, but, if the season ended today, despite the Lakers fine 24-13 record, they would finish sixth in the Western Conference, and not have home court advantage in any playoff round. The West is such a tough conference, that you have so many teams ahead of the Lakers, and several 30 win teams. The East is nowhere near as difficult.
It is very conceivable that, if teams keep playing at the pace they are, the West could end up with several 60 win teams. The Lakers would need to go 26-19 to hit 50 wins, which would seem very possible, considering the fact that their next win will be their 25th, and we arent even at season's midpoint yet. The only bugaboo for the Lakers will come in two weeks, when they start a killer eight game, eight city, two week road trip. If they can split that trip, and go 4-4, then I'd say that getting to 50 wins is likely. If however, they go 1-7, or 2-6, that could keep them from the 50 win mark. The Lakers are fortunate, because, late in the season their schedule eases, with a five game homestand in late March and April, and another game "at" the Clippers, which as we all know is like a home game for them, because the teams share the same home building. I think they will hit 50 wins.

Mitch

 

[Angel_2]

I have been a knicks fan for a long time and its truely a shame that even with as bad a record they have that they are only a game or 2 out of first place.

I like that the NBA went back to the old ball b/c the players had done better with it then the new one, I don't really care about the ball all that much.

As for can Melo and AI make it work? I think so untill come playoff time b/c when the game is on the line both of them will want the ball. We will have to wait and see

 

[Angel_2]

I am so fucking pissed right now with my knicks, we are 1 game behind NJ and Tor and we lost to the Wizards I love my knicks but sometimes they are truely too much to watch