Lakers News and Commentary : Golden State Warriors

Bynum Return Still Up in the Air

Scott Mitchell — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:35:00 GMT

In mid-January, Andrew Bynum - the Laker's only true big man - went down with an injury that was scheduled to keep him off the hardwood for eight weeks. Well, eight weeks have come and went, and still no Bynum. A couple of days ago, Phil Jackson was quoted as saying that Bynum wouldn't be back until the playoffs. Now there's word that he'll be worked back into the rotation the last week or two of the regular season. Whatever the case may be, it's going to be hard to get Bynum back into playing shape and back into the flow of LA's offense. Unfortunately, I think that a healthy and productive Bynum is a necessity in order to win 4 out of 7 against teams with traditional and offensively-talented big men, such as Utah and San Antonio.

Pau Gasol, towering at seven feet, is certainly a big, but he plays like a shooting forward, preferring to take jump shots or slash down the lane for backdoor layups. Gasol plays too far out and is too soft to collect any rebound that doesn't happen to fall right in his hands, and his size and strength are a liability against a true big with post up moves. Without Bynum, I see the Lakers akin to the Phoenix Suns in years past - a quick, rapid fire team with a lot of offensive threats. A team that can burn you in a fast-paced, full court game. But put them in a slowed down, half court set against a team that pounds the ball inside, yet still has reliable outside shooters and all bets are off.

Of course all bets are off in the Western Conference playoffs this year, with so many hot teams. Coaching and player experience are important in every postseason, but I think that these attributes will be doubly important this year with the high level of talent. While teams like the Hornets and Rockets have strong records and great players, I wouldn't be surprised to see both fall by the wayside in the first round in the face of older, better coached competition from teams like the Lakers, Spurs, Jazz, and Suns.

As I write this, four games separate the best team in the West (the Lakers and Hornets with 46-21 records) and the eighth seed Golden State Warriors with a 42-25 record. Amazing. There are seven teams in the West with either 44, 45, or 46 wins. This year's playoffs are going to be amazing. Maybe Mark Cuban was right - maybe this is the best NBA season ever.

Midway Through the First Round...

Scott — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 19:18:00 GMT

We're nearing the midway point of the first round of the NBA playoffs... let's see how my predictions are faring.

Let's start with the East...

I picked Detroit to sweep Orlando, and they did that this afternoon.
I predicted that the Cavs would sweep the Wizards, and they are playing right now with the Cavs looking to go up 3-0 in the series and well on track for a four game sweep.
My Miami-Chicago series pick put the Bulls winning in 7, although with their current 3-0 series lead and Miami's lucklaster play, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Heat swept. Nor would I be surprised if they won Game 4 only to lose back in Chicago in Game 5. Of course, technically the series is not yet over, but I find it hard to imagine that this Heat team has the resolve to battle back from a three game deficit.
Finally, the Nets-Raptors are keeping it interesting, as I suspected. The Nets currently hold a 2-1 lead after dispatching a thorough butt-kicking last night. I still like the Nets in 6.

Moving to the Western Conference...

Despite the Mavs having lost all three regular season games against the Warriors, and casting aside the Warriors's strong end to the regular season, I picked the Mavs in 4. After last night's W, the Warriors lead the series 2-1. Whoops. I honestly expected the Mavs to play better ball, to not get out-run by the Warriors. I still do think the Mavs will win as they're the better team and the Warriors's style of play is usual inconsistent. Regardless, this is going to be a series the Mavs are going to have to work hard for.
I picked Houston beating the Jazz in five, and I'll stick with that prediction. The Rockets currently lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 tonight in Utah.
I predicted that the Suns would best the Lakers in five, as well. After a rather improbible win on Thursday, the Lakers trail the Suns two games to one with Game 4 in LA on Sunday. I expect the Suns to resume their dominant form tomorrow and win comfortably, then return to Phoenix and close the series out.
Lastly, I picked the Spurs in 6. This series is the slowest moving of the eight, with only two games played in total thus far (although they do play later tonight). The series is knotted at one game apiece and heading to Denver. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Spurs take Game 3, then Nuggets Game 4, and then the Spurs Games 5 and 6.

2006-2007 Playoff Predictions

Scott — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:55:00 GMT

Each year I post my playoff predictions before the start of the playoffs, from the first round through the Finals. In last year's predictions I mistakenly picked the Pistons besting the Heat and the Spurs beating the Mavs, resulting in a Spurs-Pistons rematch with the Spurs taking the title again. Whoops.

Let's get started with this year's picks! I've put the winning team name from each series in bold.

Eastern Conference

Round 1
(1) Detroit beats (8) Orlando - Orlando has lost all four games to Detroit this season, which does not bode well for them in the playoffs. Also, Detroit is a much deeper and experienced team. Detroit in 4.

(4) Miami loses to (5) Chicago - While a lot of analysts are picking Miami to make it back to the Finals, I think they are going to have a hard time with D-Wade's injured shoulder and an older and slower Shaq. Last year the Bulls gave the Heat a fit in the playoffs, and that was before picking up big Ben Wallace. The Heat clearly have the experience, but I'll go with the younger, hungrier team in a fiercely fought series. Bulls in 7.

(2) Cleveland beats (7) Washington - No Caron Butler and no Gilbert Arenas makes this series as exciting as watching paint dry. The Wizard's record in April is 3 wins to 11 loses. Cavs in 4.

(3) Toronto loses to (6) New Jersey - Toronto has a promising future, but at this stage in the game they are too young and inexperienced to beat a veteran team in a best of seven series. There will be some close and exciting games, but in the end the Nets will clinch this series in 6.

Conference Semi-Finals (Round 2)
(1) Detroit beats (6) New Jersey - two teams with experienced, veteran teams promises to make this series an exciting one. If, by excitement, you mean watching games where the cumulative score fails to break 160. Regardless, many of these games will come down to final defensive stands. It will be a good series, but the Pistons will take it in 6.

(2) Cleveland beats (5) Chicago - after having a the equivalent of a week off in playing the depleted Wizards, the Cavs will be rested and out-play the Bulls on both ends of the court. However, the Bulls will stay in this series and make it interesting, taking it to a dramatic game 7.

Conference Finals (Round 3)
(1) Detroit beats (2) Cleveland - this game will bring back the ECSF excitement from last year, when the Cavs took the Pistons to Game 7, and I see this series going the distance, as well. And just like last year's series, I expect Game 7 to be a ho-hum experience with the Pistons controlling the game. Pistons in 7.

Western Conference

Round 1
(1) Dallas beats (8) Golden State - Yeah, the Warriors have a 3-0 regular season record against the Mavs, but I expect the real Mavs to show up and play with a vengence. The Mavs have had a sole goal this year - to get back to and win the Finals. I assure you that the Warriors will not hinder their quest. Dallas in 4.

(4) Utah loses to (5) Houston - the Rockets are rolling and Yao and T-Mac are healthy and are ready to silence their critics. Of course, winning this series wins you an invitation to get stomped by Dallas. Houston in 5.

(3) San Antonio beats (6) Denver - the West is home to the three best teams in the League, with the Spurs being one of them. They are well-coached, experienced, and have a strong front court and back court with better than average role players. Despite Denver's dynamic duo of Iverson and Anthony, the Spurs will win this series in six and the series won't be as close as some might expect.

(2) Phoenix beats (7) Los Angeles Lakers - while the Lakers/Suns series from last year went 7 and was full of exciting moments, don't expect this year's matchup to be nearly as exciting. The Suns are stronger this year with a healthy Amare, and are motivated to get to the Finals in as few games as possible. Also, the Lakers are entering the playoffs with a pretty miserable final month and are lucky to hold on to the 7 seed. While Kobe's raw talent may lead the Lakers to a victory (or two), the Suns will make mincemeat of the Lakers this postseason. Suns in 5.

Western Conference Semi-Finals (Round 2)
(1) Dallas beats (5) Houston - another brick in the wall for Dallas on their way to the NBA Finals. Dallas in 5 in a one-sided series.

(2) Phoenix beats (3) San Antonio - except for the WCF, this will be the best series of the entire playoffs. The games will be tight, competitive, and high-scoring. Nash will dazzle with his passes, Amare will explode to the basket, and Duncan will hit big shot after big shot, showing little to no emotion. This will be a roller coaster series with the Suns winning at home in Game 7.

Western Conference Finals (Round 3)
(1) Dallas beats (2) Phoenix - this will be a series for the ages, one where you will want to watch every game. And in the end, the depth of the Mavs bench will be the deciding factor, as the Suns run out of gas late down the stretch. Mavs in 7.

NBA Finals
Dallas beats Detroit - Dallas is the best team in the League this year and will rightfully win the title. The series will have its share of blowout games, but will also have one or two exciting ones. I see the Mavs winning in 5, capped by Mark Cuban running onto the court and acting like an excited fan rather than a stiff owner, which is appreciated by this blogger.

Fisher to the Warriors

Scott — Fri, 16 Jul 2004 16:13:00 GMT

Fisher - as many other Lakers from the early 2000s - was a free agent this year. I assumed, perhaps naively, that there was a decent chance he'd resign with the Lakers. This doesn't really make sense for him in the end since G.P.'s staying in town and will likely be the starting point again. So, it makes sense for Fish to hit the road. Today it was announced that he'll be heading to the Golden State Warriors, set to collect $36 million over six years.

Best of luck, Fish. I wish you would have chosen a better team, though. Fisher would have been a good fit in Miami or Houston, both of which were teams courting Mr. 0.4 Seconds. But I imagine the Warriors were able to offer the best deal, fiscally.

So what will the Lakers lineup next year look like? There may be some more trades or free agents coming, but right now it's looking like:

Center: Brian Grant (maybe Ho Grant, don't know if he's still planning on playing)
PF: Malone(?), Butler, Walton, Cook
SF: Odom, George, Fox(?)
SG: Bryant, Rush
PG: Payton