Chaplin said:
LA Sports radio is pretty terrible. Vic the Brick Jacobs is the largest homer on the planet (though I find him amusing..)
Since when did this become a toss-up series?
- Thread starter fordronken
- Start date
LA Sports radio is pretty terrible. Vic the Brick Jacobs is the largest homer on the planet (though I find him amusing..)
nowagimp
Registered User
D-Dogg said:
Sounds like he's trying to kiss up, make ammends. Maybe he feels guilty for all the hateful things he's said about the lakers. Remember, he also tabbed Desagna Diop as MIP in the NBA. I wonder if he owes the MAVS anything.
nowagimp
Registered User
D-Dogg said:
I find it interesting how anyone can be called a Kobe stopper. Only Kobe can stop kobe. Now stopping the lakers is another matter.
nowagimp said:
I dunno...I can't stand Simmons. He's mildly entertaining, but I rarely read him as I can't stand his Laker hating in every column. Abomb might know, as I think he wants to have Simmons' children.
Perhaps Bill admires Cuban?
It isn't a toss up. The Suns are heavily favored to win this by the people whose opinions actually count for something...bookies.
Editorialists will say whatever to make a story, mostly because Jimmy the Fish doesn't come looking for them if they screw up.
Editorialists will say whatever to make a story, mostly because Jimmy the Fish doesn't come looking for them if they screw up.
Also along those lines, it is easier to pick an upset. People don't remember you being wrong on an upset pick....but people always remember you being correct on an upset pick.
I wouldn't be concerned. The Lakers may win two games in this series because of Kobe, but in reality they are the worst basketball TEAM in the playoffs.
I wouldn't be concerned. The Lakers may win two games in this series because of Kobe, but in reality they are the worst basketball TEAM in the playoffs.
Chaplin
Better off silent
Chris_Sanders said:
Are you serious? You think they are worse than all the Eastern teams?
Part of the Laker hype is their 5 game winning streak. Lets look at who they beat in that time.
Tanking Clippers
Lottery Warriors
Lottery Portland
No Nash/Bell Suns
Lottery Hornets
Not one quality win, (Clip and Suns wins carry the dreaded *) looking at their record the last western conference playoff team they beat was March 22nd vs the Kings.
The Suns had that bad patch in early April when Nash was hurting. The Suns have still had wins against Lakers, Kings, Mavs, prior to resting the starters.
It is a hype machine, the Lakers are the fair haired children with Kobe and thus garner more respect as a team than warranted.
Should the Lakers not win, look for the pundits to again credit what the Lakers did not do, rather than what the Suns did do.
Kobe will not bear the brunt of any Lakers losses, it will continually be pointed out how he carried the team and he needs better teammates.
I think I have covered it and I should be writing for a mainstream sports site, Charley Rosen, watch your back.
Tanking Clippers
Lottery Warriors
Lottery Portland
No Nash/Bell Suns
Lottery Hornets
Not one quality win, (Clip and Suns wins carry the dreaded *) looking at their record the last western conference playoff team they beat was March 22nd vs the Kings.
The Suns had that bad patch in early April when Nash was hurting. The Suns have still had wins against Lakers, Kings, Mavs, prior to resting the starters.
It is a hype machine, the Lakers are the fair haired children with Kobe and thus garner more respect as a team than warranted.
Should the Lakers not win, look for the pundits to again credit what the Lakers did not do, rather than what the Suns did do.
Kobe will not bear the brunt of any Lakers losses, it will continually be pointed out how he carried the team and he needs better teammates.
I think I have covered it and I should be writing for a mainstream sports site, Charley Rosen, watch your back.
Chaplin said:
They have 1 incredible player
1 "solid player"
and several players who wouldn't sniff a playoff rotation on any other team. Yes they are the worst TEAM in playoff basketball.
Are they better than Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, Indiana, or Washington. No and it isn't even close.
The only team in the playoffs with as little talent on their roster is Chicago but they play better team ball.
Chaplin
Better off silent
abomb said:
Even for a guy that is hired to write with humor, that has to be the absolutely dumbest reason for liking a guy that a national writer could possibly have.
abomb said:
In the neighborhood of a dozen.
Your roster is full of NBDL caliber players. You're delusional to think otherwise.
Chaplin
Better off silent
Chris_Sanders said:
Cleveland is a decent team but not much better than the Lakers. Washington is not better than them, either. Indiana and Chicago also.
If anything, the Lakers are equal with those Eastern teams, but in reality, they are a better team just by virtue of their record, since they play in a much tougher conference.
Chaplin said:
It wasnt the only reason, but what I'm getting at is that BS finally checked his KB hate at the door and KB had the best individual season with minimal talent in the past 20+ years. At least, that is the impression I got from an interview with BS on nba.com regarding his league win.
A-Bomb
Chaplin said:
We disagree on many of those (especially on Indiana), but again we are debating the value of the Lakers versus bottom feeding Eastern teams.
Any rational basketball fan can look at the Lakers and see that they are one poor shooting game from one player from being obliterated by any decent playoff caliber team.
Interesting that simmons initials are BS.
Chris_Sanders said:
You are going to be a sad, sad boy when that NBDL team beats your Suns.
D-Dogg said:
Well fortunately I have at least a year before I will be a "sad, sad boy".
Chaplin
Better off silent
Chris_Sanders said:
But that's not the issue--the issue is whether the Lakers are the worst team in the entire playoffs, and that simply is not a provable assertion, especially when they're not even an 8 seed in the Western Conference.
reader said:
Lakers are the only team this year to beat the Mavs (twice), Spurs, Heat and Pistons (oh, and the Suns, tho meaningless).
When playing well, the Lakers are a very tough matchup for anyone.
Chris_Sanders said:
Chickens, eggs and counting them.
Chaplin said:
Yes that 1 game lead over the Kings makes all the difference.
I can make whatever assertion I wish, as it is my opinion and I don't need to "prove it". Nor do you need to prove yours. That's why I tried to say "Well we disagree" and leave it at that.
Why I defend you to the other mods escapes me at times.
elindholm
edited for content
One thing to remember about Simmons: He's a gambler, and a bad one at that. I love his writing and I think he'd be fun to hang out with, but in terms of thinking rationally about sports, he's a mess.
When you read his NFL playoff predictions, it's all about him trying to follow his "rules," realizing that they are in contradiction, then blaming himself for going against the wrong rule at the wrong time.
Bryant is a polarizing figure -- that much is clear. He's one of the least approachable, and least teammate-friendly, superstars in this or any league. He's also one of the most talented and accomplished. Faced with such a strong "love him or hate him" character, Simmons can't find a middle ground. So first he hated Bryant, and now he loves him. That's the gambler in him, trying to find a simple answer to a complicated question.
The Lakers might upset the Suns. A seven-game series requires only four upsets, the Suns haven't been playing all that well recently, and -- most important of all -- the Suns know that, as presently constituted, they can't achieve their real goal for the season, which was a title. Aside from the humiliation, what does it really matter if the Suns get eliminated in the first round? Not much. They're still a good team that wasn't ready this year, and they'll still be a good team next year, hoping that their health will be more favorable.
But the idea that the Lakers might win this year's title is utterly laughable. Anyone who would put money on them at even 100:1 is simply not thinking clearly, if they are thinking at all. Simmons is in a haze created by his strong emotions for Bryant, and that's caused him to lose any objectivity.
When you read his NFL playoff predictions, it's all about him trying to follow his "rules," realizing that they are in contradiction, then blaming himself for going against the wrong rule at the wrong time.
Bryant is a polarizing figure -- that much is clear. He's one of the least approachable, and least teammate-friendly, superstars in this or any league. He's also one of the most talented and accomplished. Faced with such a strong "love him or hate him" character, Simmons can't find a middle ground. So first he hated Bryant, and now he loves him. That's the gambler in him, trying to find a simple answer to a complicated question.
The Lakers might upset the Suns. A seven-game series requires only four upsets, the Suns haven't been playing all that well recently, and -- most important of all -- the Suns know that, as presently constituted, they can't achieve their real goal for the season, which was a title. Aside from the humiliation, what does it really matter if the Suns get eliminated in the first round? Not much. They're still a good team that wasn't ready this year, and they'll still be a good team next year, hoping that their health will be more favorable.
But the idea that the Lakers might win this year's title is utterly laughable. Anyone who would put money on them at even 100:1 is simply not thinking clearly, if they are thinking at all. Simmons is in a haze created by his strong emotions for Bryant, and that's caused him to lose any objectivity.
D-Dogg said:
I don't count either thank you. If I felt the Lakers were the better team, I would say so. For instance, if we were playing Dallas or San Antonio, I would think that the Suns would almost certainly lose...but there was a chance they could pull an upset.
That is how I feel about the Lakers. It is called objectivity.
