Big leadblown

[Guest]

That is why no team has a chance to beat LA in

the playoffs.Dallas showed why they aren't a

championship team.

[Traceman]

LA had them psyched out before but now its even worse. I just can't see Dallas beating them in the playoffs. Sacramento has a better chance. No way in [censored] SAC would have blown that big of a lead against LA. Dallas still has a long way to go before I will consider them a championship caliber team. Van Exel and Nash showed a lot of heart but where did Nowitzki, Finley and LaFrentz go?

[Guest]

I thought Van Exel played out of control in that

4th...He bounced the ball off his leg,threw up

bad shots and he threw a bad pass to Bradley

was it?NVE played terrible in the 4th.

[Traceman]

plus he stayed aggressive. Yes, he made a couple of mistakes but they were mistakes of comission and not omission. Finley, Nowitzki and LaFrentz simply disappeared. They were not aggressive on either end of the floor.

[Guest]

If you watched the first have - NVE was forcing shots, taking poor shots - but they were falling, each and every one of them. Most of Dallas was guilty of this, but I recall several occurences in particular where I was thinking "what is he doing"...but the shot fell.

Then, come crunch time, those poorly advised shots wouldn't fall, and we saw the result. I think the collapse has two causes: a) Dallas is still learning how to really play in crunch time against a team is fears

b) more proof of what happens when you're strictly a jumpshooting team. When the other team clamps down on D and is decent/ above average at it, esp. with someone big in the middle to take away the lane on cuts, it becomes extremely difficult to produce points. In short - Dallas has absolutely no halfcourt game. None. It's part of why they struggle in the post season. It's fun to watch - but to really go far, they've got to establish something. Maybe the return of Popeye and LaFrentz to health will give them "a little" added muscle on the inside...we'll see.

[Diesel]

1. Sactown. Yep, Sactown knows that it can beat LA. NO doubt. They had LA beat last yr that's after being swept by LA 2 yrs ago. If Sactown met LA and everyone is healthy, Sactown wins.

2. New Jersey. No team in the NBA is playing more confidently than NJ. They know that they have a killer defense and a really good offense. The conference finals for the East should be a very hot ticket.

3. Indiana. Another Eastern team has risen from Mediocrity. Unfortunately they might not beat NJ in a best of 7.

There are other teams that are game for the challenge. I seriously expect better from Dallas. However, these three teams do one thing which will beat the Lakers. They are all good at controlling the tempo. The question is will this be the yr that LA meets Utah in a playoff series? If so??

[BlackHawkDown]

I think Indy will beat NJ this year they nearly knocked them of last season with less team chemistry - 3 new players ( Miller, Mercer & Artest) and a rookie PG Tinsley. Also ONeal was having a breakout season. This year they are more mature and have a much better chance taking the East. Boston & Orlando may be threats in the east also.

[cyman3]

when it counts, at least.

the kings have the best chance against the LAKERS... with a call or two their way, they could have beaten the lakers last year.

The NETS??? haha, the same team that lost 4 straight to the lakers have a chance of beating them this year? NO WAY! i mean, u might be able to convince me that this year they'll play to a game 5 or 6... but they CANNOT beat the lakers.

the PACERS? i dont think so... better chance than the nets? sure, b/c of REGGIE MILLER. when it comes to crunch time, he does not fail!

- any given day, those 3 teams do have a chance to beat the lakers... heck even MEMPHIS could beat the lakers on any given day... but on a serious, championship level?? SACRAMENTO has the best chance.

[Diesel]

In reply to:

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The NETS??? haha, the same team that lost 4 straight to the lakers have a chance of beating them this year? NO WAY! i mean, u might be able to convince me that this year they'll play to a game 5 or 6... but they CANNOT beat the lakers.

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Actually, Different team. Everyone is better. They have MORE chemistry. The big difference is that now there's Jefferson and no Van Horn. Van Horn is not a bad player, but he's a player that made NJ focus on the 3. Jefferson exemplifies what NJ does best. Run and Score. Not to mention that NJ is supremely confident now. Even with Deke out for about 4 months, I expect to see Collins step up and continue that whole idea of a running team. When Deke gets back, he'll be in time for a meeting with Shaq.

Another team that I didn't mention was Philly. Philly has a chance. However, health plays an important role.

But the major question is will ShaqKobe run into Utah in the first round? Teams that know how to control the tempo give Shaq and Co. problems. Utah does this better than anyone. They are a hard team for the Lakers if they have a homecourt advantage. Sacramento just learned how to control the tempo. Dallas doesn't know how yet. Portland never had that ability. Right now, the Lakers are hoping that they don't see Utah or Minn in the first and they don't want another showdown with the Kings.

If they make it to the finals, they can't have any confidence playing Indy or NJ. Both of those teams are exponentiallly better than Last yr. They better hope for the Celts or the Hornets.