[LAL/BOS]Battle of the top seeds!!

[Bricklayer]

I hope these mj Kobe comparisons get flushed down the toilet already. And it goes to show you how good lebron really is

While I have often insisted that LeBron is right there with Kobe at this point -- shooting is the weakness, but the rest of the game is even better -- I must admit to being a little nonplused how this has all translated to LeBron being better? Am I the only one who remembers what the C's defense did to LeBron in those first two games? The Celtics are just reaffiriming the ultimate cliche that defense wins cahmpionships. They can be compeltely stifling.

It may highlight the MJ gap though -- cannot off the top of my head remember ANY team ever truly shutting him down to the point he looked flustered and without answers.

 

[Bricklayer]

he already has a far better supporting cast than Jordan IMO and still cant compete.....

Well now...Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman would like to have a word about that.

 

[PejaFanatic]

Pierce for MVP

Pierce for MVP

Pierce for MVP

 

[Kingzrool]

OH YEAH!

(said just like the big koolaid pitcher dude)

lakers will not win two in a row at The Garden, even if they win the next game.

Does anybody know when the last time that a team that did not make the playoffs won the Title the next year?

 

[Bricklayer]

Does anybody know when the last time that a team that did not make the playoffs won the Title the next year?

That would be a rare event indeed. My guess = the 70s. Possibly Portland. Just running through all the champs back until the early 80s I can't think of any. Don't remember how Houston did the year before they won their first, but think they finished it strong at least. KNow that the Spurs, Heat, Pistons, Lakers, Bulls all had been there before getting over the hump. Ditto the Lakers and Celtics of the 80s obviously, and the Bad Boys. The 82 Sixers...don't recall how they were the year before they won it. Some similarity to the Celtics there as they made a massive pickup in the offseason to suddenly catapult them as well (Moses Malone in his MVP prime).

 

[VF21]

And my fiendishly clever diabolical scheme is one step closer to fruition.

 

[HighFlyingMonkey]

Pierce for MVP

Pierce for MVP

Pierce for MVP

With all due respect... Without Ray Allen, this would be a Laker sweep by now.

 

[creative one]

With all due respect... Without Ray Allen, this would be a Laker sweep by now.

True. Ray's shot has been $$ since he started wearing that sleeve on his left arm. After taking that "beating" from the media (remember when they started referring to Boston as "The Big Two"?), it's nice to see him bounce back in a big way.

I would be remiss if I didn't add this:

LOL @ the Fakers!

 

[Larry89]

Kobe Bryant will never be on par with Jordan. Jordan was just amazing, some of the stuff he did was spectacular, and he was clutch... reallllllly clutch.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=74Evzj9f3jc

 

[steelevt]

jeesh just change the name of the forum to Celticsfans.com already.

i think we'd be fine with AnyNBAteamexcepttheLakersfans.com. i dont thinks we've all become celtics fans, just seeing the lakers lose to anyone is a guilty pleasure every kings fan has.

i dont agree though with the trashing of kobe. id take him on this team any day. no lead under 5 points late in the fourth ever seems like enough with kobe on the other team. i hate the lakers, and i hate kobe in a lakers jersey, but i respect his game.

but man this was a really good game from a non lakers fan point of view. a great comeback, a close game in the end of the fourth, and great plays defensively and offensively

 

[PurpleHaze]

Does anybody know when the last time that a team that did not make the playoffs won the Title the next year?

The answer is... GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS. I went to several games during those days... contests at Oakland Arena and Cow Palace. Wow, that was a long time ago. But some fond memories as an old Warriors fan way back then, before the Kings of Sacramento.

Info below from sportsecylopedia.com on Golden State Warriors History:

1973/74: Despite a solid 44-38 record which had them in contention for a Division Title all season the Warriors fail to make the playoffs.

1974/75: After four seasons of second-place finishes, changes were needed. Nate Thurmond was traded to Chicago for Clifford Ray, a young defensive center, and Golden State drafted Keith Wilkes , a graceful 6-61/2 forward whose game was as smooth as his nickname "Silk". Cazzie Russell had played out his option and joined the Lakers, leaving Rick Barry as the team's undisputed leader. Coach Al Attles used this to his advantage, installing a team-oriented system that drew on the contributions of as many as 10 players during a game, while emphasizing pressure defense, hustle, and passing. With Barry playing the staring role scoring 30.6 ppg the Warriors captured the Pacific Division title with a 48-34 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would get to the Western Conference Finals by beating the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games. In the Western Finals the Warriors looked like they were about to be done in by a former teammate again trailing Nate Thurmond and the Chicago Bulls 3 games to 2. However the Warriors rallied to win Game in Chicago and took the series with a hard fought 83-79 Game 7 win in Oakland. In the NBA Finals the Warriors were in tight battles all series facing the Washington Bullets. However, they would win each game taking the series in 4 straight including 1 point wins in Games 2 and 4. Rick Barry would be named the series MVP.

 

[C Diddy]

And my fiendishly clever diabolical scheme is one step closer to fruition.

HEY! I'm taking credit for this.I sent lots of reverse karma/jinx their way when I predicted them to sweep.

 

[sauce-26]

http://i28.tinypic.com/1zxmj53.gif


If this doesnt play, let me know. Thought this was funny.

 

[RKid]

i think we'd be fine with AnyNBAteamexcepttheLakersfans.com. i dont thinks we've all become celtics fans, just seeing the lakers lose to anyone is a guilty pleasure every kings fan has.

i dont agree though with the trashing of kobe. id take him on this team any day. no lead under 5 points late in the fourth ever seems like enough with kobe on the other team. i hate the lakers, and i hate kobe in a lakers jersey, but i respect his game.

but man this was a really good game from a non lakers fan point of view. a great comeback, a close game in the end of the fourth, and great plays defensively and offensively

ha ha ha that was good.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Yup. Would you kings fans consider swaping Artest for Lamar? Win-Win

Personally there is no way I'd do that if I were the lakers, they have problems with the celtics now, that's for sure, but most if not all of those problems will be solved with the presence of Bynum. Celtics will more than likely win this year, but that's the end of their title run barring the lakers aren't missing any of their core players come playoff time.

 

[Vlade4GM]

While I have often insisted that LeBron is right there with Kobe at this point -- shooting is the weakness, but the rest of the game is even better -- I must admit to being a little nonplused how this has all translated to LeBron being better? Am I the only one who remembers what the C's defense did to LeBron in those first two games? The Celtics are just reaffiriming the ultimate cliche that defense wins cahmpionships. They can be compeltely stifling.

It may highlight the MJ gap though -- cannot off the top of my head remember ANY team ever truly shutting him down to the point he looked flustered and without answers.

Not a fair comparison. Defenses were very different back then. The celtics defense would be completely illegal in Jordan's era.

 

[tradepeja]

Not a fair comparison. Defenses were very different back then. The celtics defense would be completely illegal in Jordan's era.

lol what? are you referring to zone? the celts rarely zone. i hope you don't mean the physicality of the game has changed, because its really the exact opposite

You could do ten times as much touching/bumping/etc. in Jordan's era than today. That's why the Kobe/Jordan comparisons are always so silly. If Jordan was to play in today's tame defenses, he'd average 100 ppg.

edit: also did anyone see Vujabitch's little temper tantrum? that capped the whole thing off for me

 

[4cwebb]

edit: also did anyone see Vujabitch's little temper tantrum? that capped the whole thing off for me

That was awesome. I'm not a huge Ray Allen fan, but I was for that play as I'm not a fan of the Machine. And imho it seemed as if the Machine wanted to blame someone for Allen getting that easy layup, but he knew there was no one to blame but himself (especially for letting Ray go right and just blow by him as if his feet were in concrete at the free throw line). For that play alone (and if the Celtics end up winning the Finals), I think Sasha has to relinquish his little nickname. While I'm at it, Black Mamba will be dead as well (or should be) if the Lakers can't bring home the trophy.

 

[DocHolliday]

Did anyone see Vujabitch's little temper tantrum? that capped the whole thing off for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FghxweP_HYg

 

[Jerryaki]

Defenses were very different back then. The celtics defense would be completely illegal in Jordan's era.

how so? i didn't watch basketball back in that era.

 

[bozzwell]

Well now...Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman would like to have a word about that.

Somewhat related: If Celts close Lakers out, Kobe's new legacy will be "The Next/Another Scottie Pippen". Sure he is top 50 player of all time (as is Scottie) but he'll have one big goose egg without his Batman/Shaq.

 

[Bricklayer]

how so? i didn't watch basketball back in that era.

Zones were not allowed until about 2001 or 2002 or so, but as was mentioned by somebody else, the Celts play a smothering man to man far more than zone, and teams in the old days could be (and were) MUCH more physical on perimeter players. Have generally been impressed by the physicality and all out hustle in this series and the fact there are generally letting them play. But it used to be like that all the time in Jordan's day. Hand checking, even body checking, was an art form.

 

[coolhandluke]

What the Lakers learnt...

Here is your moment of Zen (sponsored by Phil Jackson):

Momentum is a typical Hollywood girl -- one moment you think you have a better half and the next moment you don't have half of yours.

No wonder, Kobe needs a beer.

 

[vladetomiller]

This settles it. Lebron > Kobe right now, no doubt about it.

Celtics 2008 NBA Champs.

Yes and Joe Johnson is better than Kobe too

 

[Vlade4GM]

Not just the zone defenses, but there are better defenders in the league now than there was then too.

 

[Bibby_10]

Yup. Would you kings fans consider swaping Artest for Lamar? Win-Win

Crazy > Lazy hence Artest > Odumb

 

[Bibby_10]

Not just the zone defenses, but there are better defenders in the league now than there was then too.

Right, because current teams are much better defenders than the Bad Boy Pistons of yesteryear. Bowen is a cupcake compared to Bill Laimbeer.

Replace Kobe with a 29 year old Jordan and there is no way in hell Lakers lose game 4. The black mamba was more like a garden snake against the Celtic defense.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I don't think Kobe is better than Jordan but the NBA was weaker during Jordan's championship years. Jordan never got past the Bad Boy Pistons in their prime, nor did he beat the last Celtic dynasty or the Lakers in their primes. The league was very watered down due to the major expansion that took place and save for a few teams most just weren't very good. It was a good era for superstar type players, but not for great teams. Things didn't balance out until skilled Euros came into the league at the end of the decade.

 

[AriesMar27]

ugh.... do you know how many hall of fame players didnt get their rings because of jordan? kobe is going to let 3 get a ring at the same time.... the best player that kobe (the lakers) stopped was iverson....

 

[Vlade4GM]

The defenders Jordan faced were weaker than the ones Kobe has faced. Kobe entered into a league that gotten stronger defensively in response to Jordan. I'm not trying to say Kobe is better than Jordan, I'm saying you can't just compare the two straight up because there are different circumstances. I do think Kobe is definitely in Jordan's league though. As a Kobe fan, I'm disappointed that he hasn't been able to pick up the load of his teammates quite as well as he's capable of. However I don't think he's playing that bad, just not as good as he could be. The series isn't over yet, he can still show what he's got; I doubt it will end in a series win though at this point.