Lakers vs Celtics

[cougjunkie]

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.

Not that I dont think LA can come back and win the series. But I have been saying all along that Boston matches up with LA better than anybody and it was on full display last night. A look at the matchups:

Boston Defenisively, Lakers offensively:

C- Pau Gasol: The Celtics have primarily used Perkins, Kendrick is not a great defender but he is a big body, and he likes contact, something Pau shys away from. Pau is going to get his points but Perkins will keep him from exploding and keep Pau in the 16-20 range.

PF- Lamar Odom- The Celtics can throw KG, James Posey, Leon Powe, and even at times Paul Pierce at Odom, Lamar creates one of the biggest mismatches in the NBA and the Spurs found this out first hand, however the Celtics have the bodies and athleticism to defend his size and speed.

SF- Vladimir Radmanovic- Spot up shooter, that doesnt draw fouls or put the ball on the floor, this allows the C's to rest a defender or to keep someone out of foul trouble.

SG- Kobe- virtually unguardable, but Ray Allen has done a decent job staying with him and making him work for his shots, but Kobe is going to get his, you just cant let Kobe score 35 on one of his 11-15 nights with 10 made free throws. The Spurs did have a great game plan, make him shoot the ball and dont foul him, 28 points on 27 shots is good defense.

PG- Fisher- Rondo can guard Fisher but I think this is the matchup LA needs to exploit, Fisher is a lot stronger and more physically I think he would needs to get in the post once in a while against Rondo.

The big thing that Boston does better than anybody in the NBA is play team defense, they switch as good as anybody and everyone on the floor can guard at least 3 positions.

Boston on Offense, Lakers on Defense:

Kendrick Perkins- gets garbage points and boards, a nice player but not a go to guy, Gasol has done a good job on him.

KG- This is a bad matchup for LA, they started Odom on him but Lamar got in quick foul trouble, so they immediately moved Gasol to KG, which is a huge mismatch. If Odom gets in foul trouble that hurts the Lakers immensely on the defensive end.

Paul Pierce- This is the biggest mismatch in the series, the Lakers have primarily used Radmanovic and late in games they have used Kobe. Radmanovic is no match for Pierce, the problem is he cant guard anyone else either, if Odom moves over on Pierce then you have KG on Vlad, the Cs are doing a good job of creating mismatches. If Kobe is on PP, then Ray Allen will most likely have Vujacic which is another mismatch for the Cs.

Ray Allen- Kobe has guarded him, and when Kobe moves to Pierce, Vujacic comes in and guards him, which is nice for Ray who reminds me a lot of AI the way he comes off screens and looks for his shot, Ray has been getting plenty of open looks in this series.

Rajon Rondo- Fisher is not quick enough to guard him, however Farmar has done a decent job, but with Farmar in the game you lose a little offensively.

Overall the Celtics matchup a lot better, and the Lakers need to keep Odom out of foul trouble because he is the most versatile defender and he will dictate whether or not they win this series.

Also Doc Rivers is the worst coach in the NBA, way to let LA go on a 31-9 run and cut it within 2 before you call a timeout.

[SoCalCoug]

Next year, throw Bynum into the mix, and I think it's a whole different thing.

That's the scary thing - the Lakers are without their starting center. Or their backup center (Chris Mihm).

I don't think there's anyone who will match up well with them next year.

[cougjunkie]

Originally Posted by SoCalCoug

Next year, throw Bynum into the mix, and I think it's a whole different thing.

That's the scary thing - the Lakers are without their starting center. Or their backup center (Chris Mihm).

I don't think there's anyone who will match up well with them next year.

I agree Bynum changes the whole complexity of the series. However Bynum scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards for 15 games and he is being dubbed the next big thing. I would like to see more production before I crown this Lakers team a dynasty.

[TheSizzle36]

Originally Posted by cougjunkie

I agree Bynum changes the whole complexity of the series. However Bynum scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards for 15 games and he is being dubbed the next big thing. I would like to see more production before I crown this Lakers team a dynasty.

Plus he is coming off of major knee surgery, that has taken MUCH longer than expected to heal. Originally he was supposed to be back for the beginning of the playoffs. It's 2 months later and he's still not healthy. Right now, anything you get from Bynum will be icing on the cake, but if it were me, I'd be wary of hanging my hat on him being the next Kareem.

[Mars]

The gotta laugh at all the media members who called the Lakers in 5, based on such logic as "the Lakers have Kobe" and "L.A. is a bigger city!".

[Surfah]

The Lakers sucked tonight. But I'll take it. Thank goodness KG and Pierce stunk it up too.

[Spaz]

Originally Posted by surfah33

The Lakers sucked tonight. But I'll take it. Thank goodness KG and Pierce stunk it up too.

I didn't get to see any of the game. Outside of Kobe & Sasha, the box score doesn't look very good.

The Lakers had better start scoring 95+ if they want to have a chance to win this series. Kobe will likely score 35+ at home, but they need to have better games from the other starters to have a chance.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by SoCalCoug

Next year, throw Bynum into the mix, and I think it's a whole different thing.

That's the scary thing - the Lakers are without their starting center. Or their backup center (Chris Mihm).

I don't think there's anyone who will match up well with them next year.

As a non-Laker follower, how does Gasol affect the Bynum situation? Are they going to be able to use them both in the starting line-up or is someone going to be coming off the bench? Is Gasol a long-term deal or is he one-and-done this year?

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

As a non-Laker follower, how does Gasol affect the Bynum situation? Are they going to be able to use them both in the starting line-up or is someone going to be coming off the bench? Is Gasol a long-term deal or is he one-and-done this year?

gasol is a power forward, not a center. He is only filling in at the 5...and doing a pretty nice job, given the Lakers W-L record since he arrived. When Bynum comes, the lineup should look like this:

5 - Bynum
4 - Gasol
3 - Odom
2 - Bryant
1 - Fisher

[TheSizzle36]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

gasol is a power forward, not a center. He is only filling in at the 5...and doing a pretty nice job, given the Lakers W-L record since he arrived. When Bynum comes, the lineup should look like this:

5 - Bynum
4 - Gasol
3 - Odom
2 - Bryant
1 - Fisher

IMO, I think pigeon holing players into positions like that is a bit antiquated considering the way the game has evolved. It is almost like now you look at it as having 2 bigs, 2 wings and a ball handler. Yes, there are some teams where the delineation between those buckets is a bit more blurred, but in general it makes more sense than trying to say "I need a 5, 4, 3, 2 and a 1".