8 out of 8 ESPN experts pick the Lakers

"Ken Cheng" <kencheng.RemoveThis@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7c8bcdbb-0066-4a80-b199-d13548b2e0a3@s21g2000prm.googlegroups.com...
On May 31, 3:48 pm, "Skeptic" <bcs0....RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
> "Miguel MB" <P....RemoveThis@yaho.com> wrote in message
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> news:Iej0k.164$%54.54@newsfe06.lga...
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>
>
>
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> > Skeptic wrote:
> >> "Ron" <BigELil....RemoveThis@msn.com> wrote in message
> >>news:0095c5a9-ffba-4755-810c-aa7c0e023ae2@a1g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
>
> >>>On May 31, 3:35 pm, "Skeptic" <bcs0....RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >>>>"Don Tiberone" <s_knig....RemoveThis@my-deja.com> wrote in message
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> >>>>news:38417e66-9536-4ba5-a7b3-4c620ada421b@b5g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
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> >>>>>I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign.
>
> >>>>>http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/series?series=lalbos
>
> >>>>Really? Wow. 8 out of 8 is VERY surprising. Recognizing my being fan
> >>>>may
> >>>>obscure my view, at the ver worse I could see them splitting 4-4 or
> >>>>5-3
> >>>>in
> >>>>either direction. If I were betting on the series (and would thus be
> >>>>very
> >>>>objective), I'd bet on the Celtics. If I had to pick how many games,
> >>>>I'd
> >>>>say in 6 games. They'll win the first 2. Take one in LA. Win the
> >>>>first
> >>>>game back home.
>
> >>>1 word why the Lakers win - Kobe
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> >>>I don't care for the guy, but he is the MJ of today.
>
> >> MJ comparisons are old and dead. The reason? He never lived up to them
> >> and never will. Jordan was an offensive juggernaut, moreso than Kobe.
>
> > What's your definition of "offensive juggernaut"? I take it the ability
> > to drop 55 in a half, 30-point quarters, go on 3-point sprees, outscore
> > the opponent single-handedly, and score in about a hundred different
> > ways
> > have nothing to do with it?
>
> Oh, let' see....
>
> Out of Kobe's 12 seasons, he has averaged more than Jordan's CAREER
> AVERAGE
> only twice. How's that for starters? But hey, any time you want to look
> over the actual stats for yourself, they're readily available on NBA.com.

Very selective and misleading use of stats.

Michael Jordan was not buried on the bench for the first two years of
his NBA playing career the way Kobe was by Del Harris.

Moreover, Jordan was never required to take a backseat to a 7'1", 300-
lbs. beast of an MVP center who constantly demanded the ball, and
would pout and malinger if the coaching staff didn't concede to his
wishes to be "The Man."

A better comparison would be to look at Kobe's stats from the period
after those two limiting conditions were limited.

***********************

Shaq actually got the ball less then he deserved in some of his prime years
with the Lakers since the less efficient Kobe often shot too much. This
doesn't mean Shaq was perfect and didn't have issues and an ego.

Kobe in his first two years in the nba was a player with great potential who
hurt the Lakers in the playoffs as often as he helped them. If it was based
upon level of play and not potential, he would have gotten LESS time on the
court not more. Harris took the fall for Kobe's growing pains and for the
Lakers management putting some of the wrong types of players around Shaq.
NVE was a very good player to have on a less talented team but not a good
fit for those Shaq led teams. I still remember Utah daring Kobe to shoot
and Kobe throwing up bricks. Nevertheless, those years shouldn't be used
against Kobe but Skeptic's use of stats ignores those years since he is
talking about Kobe's best years vs Jordan's -- not Kobe's -- career
averages. Jordan's averages doesn't include a few prime years in which he
was playing baseball but does include his years as a 40 year old with
Washington.

Just look at what Kobe has done in the NBA finals and compare it to Jordan.
Kobe was very near his prime in 3 of his 4 nba finals appearances. In his
first Finals appearance, I believe Kobe was older then Magic was in 1980.
Jordan was actually past his prime in my estimation for his last 3 finals
appearances and he still dominanted and won Finals MVP those 3 years to add
to his 3 other Finals MVP when he was close to his prime. Jordan early in
his career put up a season in which he averaged 35 ppg on offense while
shooting 53.5% from the field but also averaged 1.6 blocks and 3.2 steals.
Ridiculous numbers considering Jordan didn't have a developed Pippen back
then and was facing a ridiculous amount of double teams. And Jordan wasn't
benefitting from today's rules that tend to favor perimeter players.

So, Jordan's career average includes his years with the Wizards and doesn't
include what would have been a couple of prime years from him either 1)
being bored with dominanting basketball after the first 3 peat and/or 2)
Stern silently penalizing him for too much gambling.

Put a young Jordan on those Lakers team with Shaq in place of Kobe and the
Lakers would have won 75+ regular season games with ease. Yes, Jordan may
have scored less points with the luxury of Shaq but his FG% would have gone
up. And he would have had even more energy to concentrate on D.

Kobe has a legit claim to being considered the second best SG of all time
but to call him on the same level of Jordan is absurd.

"brink" <brinknospam.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:6adqllF36si99U1@mid.individual.net...
>
> "Don Tiberone" <s_knight8.RemoveThis@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:38417e66-9536-4ba5-a7b3-4c620ada421b@b5g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign.
>>
>> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/series?series=lalbos
>
> Can't be a good thing. Up until now, I've thought the Lakers were kind of the underdogs in this postseason... though I guess in
> each series a majority of "experts" was picking them. Strange that they're somehow got the consensus now against a 66-win team
> with HCA.

if you think about it, its a 66 win team that had serious problems against a
young athletic time like the atlanta hawks... the lakers are like the atlanta
hawks except better almost at every position...

the celtics have serious problems with great one on one players who can get
in the paint ala lebron and joe johnson... the lakers have the ultra uber in
the paint getter: kobe bryant... the reason the pistons were easier for the
celtics is because they didnt have a guy breaking them down off the dribble...
the celtics are terrible when it comes to help defense, the lakers are the best
in the league at making you pay once your defense falls apart...

i thought everybody figured that one out by now... not only do the lakers have
kobe getting in the paint, but they will run garnett's ass ragged as well with
odom taking him from the top of the key down into the paint...

what the pistons should have done was to use that kid stuckey more, he was
the only player on their team that could get in the paint consistently... billups
was to hurt and that really isnt rips game...

another thing is the celtics arent great at stopping you from running either...
again i cant figure out if its going to be 4-1 or 4-0...