Record: 0-0, 0.00 units
2* SA -2
Be afraid of San Antonio. Be very afraid. Thay are athletic, hungry and have a point to prove in the Staples on tuesday. Thay wanna play the role of spoilers and put tham self in the spotlight early in the season. I mean thay know that the only way to get to the finals is threw the Lakers. And if you cant beat Shaq less Lakers, what does that seas about your chances of beating tham when he does comes back ?
If you wanna talk about teams being effected by thear best player not playing, you have to put the Lakers on top of your list. Not only cose Shaq is the best. But especialy cose he is by far the most dominant player in the game. Someone who makes things happen. With Sahq, Lakers are a monster calibar team up front. Without him, thay are soft. Lets fase it, Horry who will be playing most minutes at PF is more of a small forward and Wakler is actualy a power forward. So its a consearn.
Being soft early in the season Lakers would obviously wanna avoid teams that are strong up front. And who would be on top of that list ? Ofcourse - San Antonio. I know that Robinson is a bit down right now, but he is still a great player. But Duncan and Rose are playing best basketball of thear lives and are very pumped up for this season and perticulary this game. Presure will be on Horry and Walker to keep things together at C and PF in order for the Lakers to win the game on other positions. Lakers know thay cant win this matchup. Now now. Thay cant even have it tied. The key would be not being blown away at this positions witch would alowe Lakers to win the game by playing better on other positions. Perticulary OG with Bryant haveing considerable advantage on anyone thay put up on him.
For the season I like the idea of playing rotation of Shaq, Horry and Wakler at PF and C with Samake geting those minutes behind Shaq when we play bigger teams. But with Shaq out, both Horry and Walker will have dificult time cose he makes things so mutch easyer for tham. Defensive players concetrate so mutch on him that Horry and Walker get a lot of space on offence witch eables tham to look better than thay actualy are. And obviously someone will have to step up from the bench. Someone who is not a PF cose both Horry and Walker are PF ( sorry Madsen ). Both Slava and Samake have bean very pleasent suprises in the preseason and will both get playing time. Playing Spurs that are so big Samake`s role and probebly playing time would be so mutch important.
Should Samake start ? ( sldough we have reports that he will ). Aparently yes. And here is explenation why: All teams are better coaches and play smarter basketball early in both halfs. Thay use mismatches better. Thats why oposing coaches like to match size with size early in both halfs and go with better players as time goes by.
With Shaq out, Kobe would clearly have to take over. Now have in mind that takeing over midseason when averyone is in the flow is mutch easyer to takeing over on day 1. So Kobe is gonna struggle. Atleast a little bit. And with Shaq out, averyone would concetrate on now just stoping Kobe but phisicly punishing him. Its my gut feeling that he would have to score 30 for Lakers to win.
Who will fill in for suspended Fox ? George spent the entire last season prectecing for this role and now he will get his chance. I honestly think that what happend Vs Kings can realy damage Fox carear cose he can lost his starting place permenantly. As far as rotations are consearned, a lot of people would exspect to se Murrey get some minutes. But I feel that Rush would realy get good minutes and change for a quick start of his NBA carear. I honestly believe that he was the only reason that trade happend. Not Murry. Not Hunter. Lakers were after him cose thay saw greatness in him.
Big question for me is what kind of presure would Fisher be eable to put on Parker. When your running and gunning you cant realy presure the point. But when you play set up offence, you can realy cose your opponent problems by presuring its point. Not nececeraly geting a steal but geting tham out of thear set playes and running shot clock down.
I dont wanna be pesimistic or anything but I think Spurs have great chances of winning this game. Better chances than the Lakers have.
Sorry for the long post, but there was so many things to sey.
2* SA -2
Be afraid of San Antonio. Be very afraid. Thay are athletic, hungry and have a point to prove in the Staples on tuesday. Thay wanna play the role of spoilers and put tham self in the spotlight early in the season. I mean thay know that the only way to get to the finals is threw the Lakers. And if you cant beat Shaq less Lakers, what does that seas about your chances of beating tham when he does comes back ?
If you wanna talk about teams being effected by thear best player not playing, you have to put the Lakers on top of your list. Not only cose Shaq is the best. But especialy cose he is by far the most dominant player in the game. Someone who makes things happen. With Sahq, Lakers are a monster calibar team up front. Without him, thay are soft. Lets fase it, Horry who will be playing most minutes at PF is more of a small forward and Wakler is actualy a power forward. So its a consearn.
Being soft early in the season Lakers would obviously wanna avoid teams that are strong up front. And who would be on top of that list ? Ofcourse - San Antonio. I know that Robinson is a bit down right now, but he is still a great player. But Duncan and Rose are playing best basketball of thear lives and are very pumped up for this season and perticulary this game. Presure will be on Horry and Walker to keep things together at C and PF in order for the Lakers to win the game on other positions. Lakers know thay cant win this matchup. Now now. Thay cant even have it tied. The key would be not being blown away at this positions witch would alowe Lakers to win the game by playing better on other positions. Perticulary OG with Bryant haveing considerable advantage on anyone thay put up on him.
For the season I like the idea of playing rotation of Shaq, Horry and Wakler at PF and C with Samake geting those minutes behind Shaq when we play bigger teams. But with Shaq out, both Horry and Walker will have dificult time cose he makes things so mutch easyer for tham. Defensive players concetrate so mutch on him that Horry and Walker get a lot of space on offence witch eables tham to look better than thay actualy are. And obviously someone will have to step up from the bench. Someone who is not a PF cose both Horry and Walker are PF ( sorry Madsen ). Both Slava and Samake have bean very pleasent suprises in the preseason and will both get playing time. Playing Spurs that are so big Samake`s role and probebly playing time would be so mutch important.
Should Samake start ? ( sldough we have reports that he will ). Aparently yes. And here is explenation why: All teams are better coaches and play smarter basketball early in both halfs. Thay use mismatches better. Thats why oposing coaches like to match size with size early in both halfs and go with better players as time goes by.
With Shaq out, Kobe would clearly have to take over. Now have in mind that takeing over midseason when averyone is in the flow is mutch easyer to takeing over on day 1. So Kobe is gonna struggle. Atleast a little bit. And with Shaq out, averyone would concetrate on now just stoping Kobe but phisicly punishing him. Its my gut feeling that he would have to score 30 for Lakers to win.
Who will fill in for suspended Fox ? George spent the entire last season prectecing for this role and now he will get his chance. I honestly think that what happend Vs Kings can realy damage Fox carear cose he can lost his starting place permenantly. As far as rotations are consearned, a lot of people would exspect to se Murrey get some minutes. But I feel that Rush would realy get good minutes and change for a quick start of his NBA carear. I honestly believe that he was the only reason that trade happend. Not Murry. Not Hunter. Lakers were after him cose thay saw greatness in him.
Big question for me is what kind of presure would Fisher be eable to put on Parker. When your running and gunning you cant realy presure the point. But when you play set up offence, you can realy cose your opponent problems by presuring its point. Not nececeraly geting a steal but geting tham out of thear set playes and running shot clock down.
I dont wanna be pesimistic or anything but I think Spurs have great chances of winning this game. Better chances than the Lakers have.
Sorry for the long post, but there was so many things to sey.
