Lakers Imploding
- Thread starter BigVirg
- Start date
I hate the Lakers.
They are pants on head stupid for the better part of a decade and still get to be relevant because Lebron decided he wanted to further his brand and the league bends over backwards for them. Then they get lucky; they had no business being in that game but threw up some miracle shots that went in.
They are pants on head stupid for the better part of a decade and still get to be relevant because Lebron decided he wanted to further his brand and the league bends over backwards for them. Then they get lucky; they had no business being in that game but threw up some miracle shots that went in.
It's funny that the Lakers might eek into the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed after signing freakin Lebron James and people won't act like that is a colossal disappointment despite the fact that they were spinning them as being top 3 in the west all summer.
The Lakers shouldn't be viewed as our primary competition as much as Utah and San Antonio and even the Blazers. These are the teams that we have in our sites over the next 2-3 seasons while we work towards becoming a top 3 threat ourselves. This year we're trying to make it into the 8, next year 4-6, and that goal doesn't change no matter where we finish this year.
The Lakers shouldn't be viewed as our primary competition as much as Utah and San Antonio and even the Blazers. These are the teams that we have in our sites over the next 2-3 seasons while we work towards becoming a top 3 threat ourselves. This year we're trying to make it into the 8, next year 4-6, and that goal doesn't change no matter where we finish this year.
I'm telling you, I was watching that game and I could see that ending coming a mile away. Every single break they could possibly get, they got. And they needed every single one of them. It was utterly ridiculous.
KCP flinches then double-pumps a corner 3 after being bothered by the defense -- but still swishes it even though he broke his shooting motion. Then LBJ tries to throw the ball off a Celtics defenders leg to avoid a game-ending turnover and it somehow finds it's way past 4 Celtics to the only Laker in the vicinity who gets it back to LBJ for another corner 3. Then the final play where not only did the blocked shot and loose ball find Rondo's hands in perfect stride for a shot, there was of course just enough time for him to get it off. If he has to reach down or gather in any way, time expires.
I swear, that franchise is the luckiest I've ever seen in sports. In fact, when in history have you ever heard of a marquee LA team getting screwed in a big game by a bad bounce, bad break or blown call by the officials? I've never seen it. But they sure have been on the positive side of shots with .3 remaining or even after the buzzer but overlooked by the officials more than a few times....
KCP flinches then double-pumps a corner 3 after being bothered by the defense -- but still swishes it even though he broke his shooting motion. Then LBJ tries to throw the ball off a Celtics defenders leg to avoid a game-ending turnover and it somehow finds it's way past 4 Celtics to the only Laker in the vicinity who gets it back to LBJ for another corner 3. Then the final play where not only did the blocked shot and loose ball find Rondo's hands in perfect stride for a shot, there was of course just enough time for him to get it off. If he has to reach down or gather in any way, time expires.
I swear, that franchise is the luckiest I've ever seen in sports. In fact, when in history have you ever heard of a marquee LA team getting screwed in a big game by a bad bounce, bad break or blown call by the officials? I've never seen it. But they sure have been on the positive side of shots with .3 remaining or even after the buzzer but overlooked by the officials more than a few times....
I'm not basing them making the playoffs off of one win. I am just saying LeBron is going to carry them there. They were playing well enough before his injury and were easily in the hunt. I'd still claim they'd make the playoffs even if they lost last night. I don't see any reason why his return isn't going to bring them back to relevance.
Overall, I think you could argue the Kings may have a better overall roster, but a mercurial player like LBJ can take control of a teams destiny. He's done it pretty much every year other than his time with the Heat when he had Bosh and Wade at his side.
Overall, I think you could argue the Kings may have a better overall roster, but a mercurial player like LBJ can take control of a teams destiny. He's done it pretty much every year other than his time with the Heat when he had Bosh and Wade at his side.
That's not how that works! You're talking like the gd lakers just took their 2017-18 roster and left it as it is, except for adding LeBron James: they replaced three rotation guys - one of which is currently averaging career highs across the board as the de facto #1 option in New Orleans, two of which were 33 percent or better from 3-point range - with three guys who can't shoot.
If they still had Randle and "Splash Mountain," instead of Stephenson and Beasley then, sure, I'd buy them being able to win 40 games without LeBron. The team as it is? No way.
If they still had Randle and "Splash Mountain," instead of Stephenson and Beasley then, sure, I'd buy them being able to win 40 games without LeBron. The team as it is? No way.
But every move they made was centered around acquiring LeBron. Either way, right now we're talking about the team projected to finish top 3 competing for the 8 spot against the team projected dead last? In the event that we finish 9 and the Lakers finish 8, I'm not going to cry defeat while letting them run around declaring victory.
I don't think it's safe to coronate the Lakers as a playoff team just yet. They got a good bounce-back win last night, but they had to score 129 points to do it, Rondo had to play like his vintage self, and the team had to shoot 52% from the field and 54% from three to walk away with a one-point victory. That's not sustainable.
Yes, Lebron carried some really mediocre Cavs teams all the way to the NBA Finals, but that was in an extraordinarily weak Eastern Conference. I don't like his odds nearly as much in the West with his current cast of characters, shaky internal chemistry, and a head coach on the hot seat.
That's not to say that the Lakers won't make the playoffs this year. He is Lebron James, he still plays like the league MVP when he's motivated, and this is the time of year he typically gets motivated. But the Kings remain primed to challenge for that 8th seed. Nothing's yet set in stone.
Yes, Lebron carried some really mediocre Cavs teams all the way to the NBA Finals, but that was in an extraordinarily weak Eastern Conference. I don't like his odds nearly as much in the West with his current cast of characters, shaky internal chemistry, and a head coach on the hot seat.
That's not to say that the Lakers won't make the playoffs this year. He is Lebron James, he still plays like the league MVP when he's motivated, and this is the time of year he typically gets motivated. But the Kings remain primed to challenge for that 8th seed. Nothing's yet set in stone.
Cry defeat? Declare victory? Did I skip over the post where somebody implied that Kings fans should do that? I just felt like pointing out that it was fairly obvious (to me) that the only reason why that team was projected to finish Top 3 is because their projections were predicated on the best player in the world, and a guy who never, ever gets hurt... not getting hurt. I mean, let's not pretend that they aren't still playing nearly .600 basketball, with James in the lineup.
I don't know anybody who thought that the gd lakers were still good enough to finish Top 3 after LeBron pulled his groin: in fact, TTBOMR, people were immediately saying that they could fall all the way out of the playoffs, when he got injured.
I don't know anybody who thought that the gd lakers were still good enough to finish Top 3 after LeBron pulled his groin: in fact, TTBOMR, people were immediately saying that they could fall all the way out of the playoffs, when he got injured.
The Lakers fans in my timeline seem to be quite content with an 8 seed. I just find that a pretty stunning thing to accept when they were hyping championship. Especially since they seem to be content to blow any chance of a future on a 3+ year window if they can acquire AD.
My main point in all of this though is we shouldn't be concerned with the Lakers, they aren't on our timeline, and as long as they have LeBron, they will be put in the top tier. We have been lotto for 12 years, we should be concerned about leapfrogging the teams that traditionally occupy 4-8 seeds but will never, ever, ever contend. Once we can lock in a 4-6 spot, we can work on the final puzzle pieces.
My main point in all of this though is we shouldn't be concerned with the Lakers, they aren't on our timeline, and as long as they have LeBron, they will be put in the top tier. We have been lotto for 12 years, we should be concerned about leapfrogging the teams that traditionally occupy 4-8 seeds but will never, ever, ever contend. Once we can lock in a 4-6 spot, we can work on the final puzzle pieces.