[ORL/LAL] 2009 NBA Champions - Magic or Lakers?

Who will win and in how many games?


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#62
Wow. They shot 29.9% from the field :eek:. The Magic just look too green right now. Dwight and their three point shooters got neutralized, and the Lakers' defense (for once) actually looked stellar. I'm beginning to think that the Magic have matchup problems with the Lakers.
 
#63
ORL collapsed starting in the second half of the second quarter.

They reminded me of watching the Kings from a few years ago - opponent goes in the paint and scores. Kings get the ball and chuck up a hopeless 3 ptr in response. Repeat ad nauseum.
 
#64
For what it's worth, I've decided life is too short to watch an NBA finals where it's actually just a Lakers love fest. Even JVG cannot find a way to keep from fawning about the Lakers? It's his freaking brother coaching the Magic...

Speaking of Magic, the "interview" with Kobe was about as sacchrin a piece of sports journalism as I've ever seen - and I've watched a lot of drivel in my many years as a fan of the NBA.

I'm not watching any longer. I'm going to put my time to better use and watch Burn Notice and Royal Pains.

And when do the freaking Lakers have to start wearing white at home like every other NBA team????? ...

Blech.

Have your fun, Laker fans. I cannot even summon enough interest to argue about anything any longer. Your team - with the soon to be annointed "best center ever" Andrew Bynum - may win a trophy but I'm not going to subject myself to having to watch.

double blech...
I can't help but agree with every word of your post. When I saw that Jackson, JVG and that other guy were doing the broadcast I knew it was going to be bad. I watched the entire 1st quarter and had to mute it after the first 5 minutes because of all the Laker love being spewed from the mouths of not just one, but all 3 commentators.

Unless Orlando can make this a series I will not watch any longer, especially when all I'm gonna hear is how Kobe brought the Lakers out of the pits of despair and overcame so much turmoil and adversity to get the Lakers to where they are today. I'm sorry...I must go throw up now.
 
#65
I only got to see the first half thankfully, but I'm not through with Orlando yet. I believe they will come out in Game 2 strong and focused, and I do think if they can get just 1 in LA - they can win this series.

They were bound to have one cold shooting night these playoffs, hopefully they got it out of their systems and move on from here.
 
#66
What a debacle, what happened Magic? Lets hope SVG has something up his sleeves. That attack they used to destroy the Cavs clearly isn't going to work against the Lakers. The Magic NEED to hit their 3 pointers, they have no other lethal weapon. Howard is just learning to dominate as we speak and he isn't doing it well enough yet, I wish Nelson wasn't injured.
 

VF21

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#67
I wish the Magic all the luck in the world. I just cannot stomach the network prejudice any longer. I'm not asking that they be totally neutral but it sure would be nice if they could keep from drooling all over themselves at every juncture with undisguised glee aboit the Lakers. It has truly sucked the joy out of the game for me. I'd rather watch paint dry ... or a rousing match of curling. And that's just another reason I hate the Lakers. They're taking away the joy I've had for over 40 years in watching this game.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#68
What a debacle, what happened Magic? Lets hope SVG has something up his sleeves. That attack they used to destroy the Cavs clearly isn't going to work against the Lakers. The Magic NEED to hit their 3 pointers, they have no other lethal weapon. Howard is just learning to dominate as we speak and he isn't doing it well enough yet, I wish Nelson wasn't injured.
Before I changed the station, Nelson was playing. Did he get injured again?????

:eek:
 
#69
no he was just suffering from basketball rust :D if he didnt get injured he would own the lakers for sure...

the 3 wasnt falling.. thats just it.. and poor rotation for courtney lee on the defensive end
 
#70
I love Orlando, but I honestly can't see this being much of a series. I know it's only one game, but still.

And I agree about the Lakers not wearing white at home. That shouldn't be allowed
 
#74
I wish the Magic all the luck in the world. I just cannot stomach the network prejudice any longer. I'm not asking that they be totally neutral but it sure would be nice if they could keep from drooling all over themselves at every juncture with undisguised glee aboit the Lakers. It has truly sucked the joy out of the game for me. I'd rather watch paint dry ... or a rousing match of curling. And that's just another reason I hate the Lakers. They're taking away the joy I've had for over 40 years in watching this game.
Yeah I'm done watching as well. DIdn't watch the 2nd half of this one b/c my cousin graduated and I'm disgusted by the laker love fest. JVG is a sellout, his own brother is coaching the other team and he can't get himself off of the lakers' jock for 2 seconds. Mark Jackson and Breen are plain old annoying. I'm sick of the laker prejudice in the studio. Not watching ESPN anymore either. I might as well go do something productive with my time and go get some exersize rather than watch the network cream themselves over hollywood's team.

And I'm sorry but when 2 teams play in like 65% of a league's final series(boston and la over the history of the NBA), and have half of the titles, the league just isn't doing a good job making things fair for the other 28 teams but that's a different topic I guess. Just another reason I really like the NFL a whole lot better than the NBA, despite loving to play basketball a whole lot more than football.
 
#75
i havent heard a sentence with out the word Kobe.. and best player in the planet

can you give him any more reasons to put that "arrogant cant guard me face"?

im sick and tired of the game.... only reason i watch is cause of the kings and some actually good teams.. guys like kobe, lebron, wade, have utterly sucked the team play and its about me play... wish the league would focus on team play rather than star play
 
#76
im sick and tired of the game.... only reason i watch is cause of the kings and some actually good teams.. guys like kobe, lebron, wade, have utterly sucked the team play and its about me play... wish the league would focus on team play rather than star play
Geez I'm sure they're sorry they are as talented as they are. Yeah team play, like our very own Sacramento Kings! We don't have Kobe or Lebron or Wade. Hell team play! woot. I'd much rather watch our suckfests than them sucking out team play:rolleyes:
 
#77
im not bashing on talent im just saying that id rather see good team play succeed than a one man team...

im tired of the lakers etc.. so muchn really.. that kobe doin work thing? great way of kissing up to kobe spike :rolleyes:
 
#78
Usually good team play has to come from one star within the team in order to win. That's just how the game goes... it's 5 on 5 but within that it's 1 on 1 (without double coverage and such). If you want team basketball such as passing and getting people open and stuff you need somebody to force the defence to collapse. Simply passing the ball around isn't going to lead to open shots. I get what you mean, but well the aim of the game is to win and if you've got one guy who's torching the other team you have no choice but to go to him.
 
#79
i just dont like how the sterns running the league...pisses me off every time i see him hand out any kind of award. well be seeing him again this june... argh i just hate him :mad:
 
#81
I know that Kobe is selfish and all but he does get a fair number of assists too so if you don't mind I'm gonna say that he's a team player in the sense that he will get them involved when he wants to, and that isn't that rare an occasion these days.
 
#82
Wait, back up... LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are not team players? :confused:
Slim is right. Lebron and Wade are team players (Lebron to a fault). I would love to see Wade in a Kings Jersey though. That would be sweet! Besides, these playoffs are showing us that teams without a Kobe, Dwight, Lebron, etc... are just bowling pins.
 
#83
Only because if I remember correctly they have to wear white at home in Staples on Sundays.

Seriously, hoopsie...why should they continue to get preferential treatment?
obviously, it's because they are the best team in the league, with the best player in kobe bryant and the most dominantest center ever in andrew bynum. come on, i thought we all knew that!
 
#84
im not bashing on talent im just saying that id rather see good team play succeed than a one man team...
You should focus on coaches putting Miles/Brewer, D Jones, and Courtney Lee on Kobe single coverage for long stretches. They evidently either don't respect his ability to eviscerate those guys or they subscribe to the "let Kobe get his" notion, which has become an outdated strategy the last couple years (because LA is NO LONGER a 1 man team).

These teams are rolling out the red carpet.
 
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#86
Only because if I remember correctly they have to wear white at home in Staples on Sundays.

Seriously, hoopsie...why should they continue to get preferential treatment?
According to Laker jersey history link:

"Although NBA regulations have long stipulated that home uniforms are to be
white (a leftover from the days when doing laundry on the road was a dicey
proposition and no one wanted an all-gray league), the Lakers' "gold" uniforms
were grandfathered as exempt."

I tried to find the exact year that the official rule of home whites was inacted, but I couldn't find it. It seems to me that the Lakers, (and perhaps other teams), had other than white home jerseys, but requested to be "grandfathered" in with the gold. Could other teams have done the same?...I'm guessing they could have.
I've unofficially heard that the whote jerseys were in tribute to Chick Hearn in the season following his death and are for home Sunday games and special occasions...like the game on "Chick Hearn Night" in November, on the game closest to his birthday.

That's all I could find on it.
 
#87
And I'm sorry but when 2 teams play in like 65% of a league's final series(boston and la over the history of the NBA), and have half of the titles, the league just isn't doing a good job making things fair for the other 28 teams but that's a different topic I guess. Just another reason I really like the NFL a whole lot better than the NBA, despite loving to play basketball a whole lot more than football.
Auerbach, Sharman/West, Buss. That's the bottom line difference between those teams and the rest: refs, market size, weather, nightlife, soul food restaurants, etc etc are less significant. Knowledge, talent, expertise and connections in the FOs of Boston and LA have stockpiled over their long histories while most other teams struggle to gain them on the fly. It's like poor people having no clue what rich people know about making money. Name any HOFer either team has had and the way they landed them will come down to shrewdness, duping those "other" franchises, or blind luck. Magic, Worthy, Bird, and McHale (w/ Parish as a throw in) were all gotten by other teams giving up unprotected 1st rounders that they had no idea would turn into what they did. It's amazing when you go over each of those deals how the chips invariably fell in Boston's and LA's favor, truly "truth stranger than fiction" odds.

This sport is not like the others, only 12 players, superstars dominate by the nature of the game itself, individual talent gap has a bigger effect here than it does in football or baseball. Barry Bonds vs his counterpart compared to MJ vs Ehlo.

hoops, you and VF would remember this better than me, but GS, Indy, and Clev all had gold home jerseys for a time in the 70s and early 80s. I think all the gold jerseys were ditched by around 84-85. I think GS was wearing gold back when the Lakers were still wearing white, aamof.
 
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#88
im not bashing on talent im just saying that id rather see good team play succeed than a one man team...

im tired of the lakers etc.. so muchn really.. that kobe doin work thing? great way of kissing up to kobe spike :rolleyes:
The Lakers are playing good team play and they're succeeding. Just as the Magic did with the Cavs. The Cavs prove that one man can't do it by himself. It's still a team sport.

Kobe is the star on a winning team and should be the highlight (just like any other sport) but still it takes a team effort to win a championship.
 
#89
yah, anyone would have to agree there. hard to be a one-man team with gasol and odom backing you up.

why can't someone drop a gasol-caliber player in our laps?!
I may be misinterpreting Aena's use of the term, maybe s/he thinks that they don't compare to the 2002 Kings or Showtime in terms of "team play", at least not every night. That would be a fair enough assessment. But like you suggest, even if they aren't, Gasol sure as hell ain't Kwame. Kobe and Gasol alone are good enough to win at a 700 clip.

I think you'll be back eventually and LA could suck again by that time, so keep your chin up.
 
#90
hoops, you and VF would remember this better than me, but GS, Indy, and Clev all had gold home jerseys for a time in the 70s and early 80s. I think all the gold jerseys were ditched by around 84-85. I think GS was wearing gold back when the Lakers were still wearing white, aamof.
That's right Gargy..I remember the GS's "the City" jerseys...and I know Indy had gold also. I don't personally remember the Cavs ones except when they wore them as throwbacks.
 
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