29 replies to this topic

[UKUGA]

Whipping the Hornets is nice; but to be fair, they only won a single play-off series last year, and we beat the team that they lost to, in 5 games.

Yes, the Hornet are good, but right at the moment, they are still working through some things. Just 7 days ago, the Hawks beat them on this very same court.

I see three key teams that we need to step up and play our best against this season:


Utah
Boston
Cleveland


I was tempted to throw Phoenix in there, but I'm mixed on them at the moment. I expect us to handle them, but I am somewhat wary of them, only because we know they can score, and the fact that Shaq is there, always keeps the drama alive.


Anyway, Utah is the 2nd best team in the West. They have a ton of pieces, and can really cause us fits. We did well to beat them as quickly as we did last year, and to close them out on the road. But, just like us, they continue to mature, and they have probably the toughest home venue we will have to deal with. We play them on my birthday (January 2nd)

Boston - no explanation needed. Can't wait 'til Christmas!

Cleveland - we always seem to find a way to lose this team. Games go down to the wire, Kobe misses a shot at the buzzer, Lebron walks off the court a winner, and we have to read about it non-stop for 2 days.
This may well be the team we face in the Finals. Clevelan has gotten better, while Boston has gotten worse.
If we allow Cleveland to continue to own us in the regular season, they will have a huge psychological edge on us going into the Finals. (We play them in Staples on MLK day).

Edited by UKUGA, November 12, 2008 - 07:15 PM.

[LD2k]

Remember though - Utah just lost to the WIZARDS tonight. That was a surprise no matter how you look at it,

[Michaelyumm]

add hawks in there

[ファイナルファンタジ]

We still got to figure out a way to beat the Bobcats.

[phifedogg76]

only 1 unbeaten now

[magicmoment]

phoenix is kinda dragging right now. but i wouldnt count them out completely really.

[lyk13]

We still got to figure out a way to beat the Bobcats.

And Hornets. We ain't getting it done with today's subpar showing at least in my expectations.

[phifedogg76]

And Hornets. We ain't getting it done with today's subpar showing at least in my expectations.

werent we winning the entire game though?

[lyk13]

werent we winning the entire game though?

Only to let up 34pts in the 4th? I'd say no. Yes our lead is as big as 23, 21 at halftime, but we didn't close out effectively as we should in past games. We seemingly disappear abit until Kobe drilled that 3.

We still got alot of work to do.

Dun let up, be consistent, play hard, play good D, and we will be parading in June.

[magicmoment]

Only to let up 34pts in the 4th? I'd say no. Yes our lead is as big as 23, 21 at halftime, but we didn't close out effectively as we should in past games. We seemingly disappear abit until Kobe drilled that 3.

We still got alot of work to do.

Dun let up, be consistent, play hard, play good D, and we will be parading in June.

but if it doesnt happen consistently like that, i'll give them the benefit of the doubt and just say that we got tired from the back-to-back

[lyk13]

but if it doesnt happen consistently like that, i'll give them the benefit of the doubt and just say that we got tired from the back-to-back

Yah that's what I am trying to make believe now. It IS a back to back with travelling and the game being so early....I miss the 7.30 games :lol:

But imo, we shouldn't let up the D in that 4th qtr, that's what makes us so potent the past few games and pulling out with a W. This time, we are holding down for the W...not something I would expect.

Am I expecting too much?

[phifedogg76]

not too much LOL, but yeah, all those other symptoms could have came into effect so thats why im not too hard on them for now, though if it were to happen again at home on a NON back to back , then i would fully agree

[lyk13]

Hmm, I just looked at the schedule, this is our first true back to back on the road....we have 1 more early december and a back to back with back to back before xmas showdown. Last game before xmas is NOH again....

[daco_inc]

wish I had read your post sooner. I'm already too excited.

[Jeremy]

phoenix is kinda dragging right now. but i wouldnt count them out completely really.

yea you cant leave them out they are the best shooting team in the Nba
and they always play a little better when they play us

[ReaListik]

I'll reserve judgment for Phoenix until around All-Star Break, but just from early observations, it looks like they need D'Antoni back asap. They're lost offensively right now, most of their 2nd and 3rd string players are NBDL quality, and you know you're in trouble when a 36 year old Shaq is your leading scorer in the beginning of the season.

Atlanta's come out surprisingly well, as well as Utah. To me, it's going to be a very tough game against either Utah or Boston.

[fido]

What cracks me up is fans trying to find an excuse to not get excited about this team.

"They haven't played a strong team yet."

"They haven't played a long road trip yet."

"They haven't faced adversity yet."

The list just keeps growing while the Lakers have so far passed every "test" they've supposedly been given. At some point people are going to have to face facts that this team is dang good.

The fact is that every team they play will step their game up several notches. No matter what the team, the Lakers will be facing their full effort night in and night out.

It's O.K. to accept the fact that this team is kicking butt right now.

It's O.K. to be an excited / positive fan.

Trust me, you'll have more fun with the game of basketball in general when you are.

[last stand 2.0]

^^^^ i have always had a superstition that when fans get overconfident in their team bad things happen

the important thing is enjoy each laker game individually and stay humble

looking ahead or behind IMO ruins a season for a particular fan at least it used to for me

so now i enjoy each game as its own and i have enjoyed laker seasons much more that way

[lyk13]

I believe modesty will deliver better in situations than overconfidence.

[Saber]

Stay humble, but don't get all pessimistic...

And I don't think the "one man show Cavs" can do us any harm. Boston and Utah are our main concerns.