LAKERS

[gerryv]

1- Kobe,Nash,Howard and Gasol vs Durant,Westbrook,Ibaka and Harden.

2- Kobe has played 1,100 games,Nash will be 39 and Howard has had back surgery

3- OKC Has Nick Collison,Eric Maynor will be back to help the bck crt ,and Thabo Selolosha all help their bench.

4- Lakers have Blake,Jordan Hill,and Jamison...i'm missing someone ( help!)

5- Mike Brown coaches the Lakers vs Scotty brooks who coaches the Thunder. Who do you like better?

6- Howard was #1 pts per poss as the roll man in pick & roll calls...he now has Steve Nash.

7- Howard can stay on the floor if OKC goes "small ball" he's mobile enough.

Who has the edge?

[Kibner]

1- I give an edge on offense to the Lakers due to Howard being more productive than Ibaka. The only players who play quality defense on either team are Howard and Westbrook. Ibaka gambles on blocks too much and struggles against post up threats. Howard also has more of an impact on the defensive end than anyone else on either team.

2- Age and injury will be an issue for the Lakers. If they go into the playoffs a bit injured, their chances nose dive.

3- Nothing special, but better than the Lakers bench.

4- You mentioned the only players that are not garbage. They have Ebanks and Goudelock but they are bad players.

5- Mike Brown cannot design an offense to save his life. Brooks, either. They both rely on their best playmakers to go iso far too much. Brown is a better defensive coach and has slightly better adjustments. Brooks is able to get his team to listen to him. I don't like either coach, but Brown may be a smidgen better.

6- And don't forget Pau who, as the second best passer on the team, can also run the PnR well.

7- Maybe, but he is worse at FT than anyone the Thunder would throw out in a small ball lineup. Could be a liability late in close games.

I would favor the Lakers if healthy and if Kobe has learned to play with another ball-handler who is better at running the offense than him. Series should go at least 6 either way.

[Pelicans78]

I see the Lakers running out of gas in the playoffs. They're built to be very good in the regular season, but I see Kobe and Nash getting worn down. Kobe struggled in the 4th quarter against OKC. He's past his prime. They're not built to win in the playoffs. I like OkC in a 7 game series.

[BallSoHard]

Joadie Meeks and Matt barnes on the Lakers as well.

[BallSoHard]

I see the Lakers running out of gas in the playoffs. They're built to be very good in the regular season, but I see Kobe and Nash getting worn down. Kobe struggled in the 4th quarter against OKC. He's past his prime. They're not built to win in the playoffs. I like OkC in a 7 game series.

Please explain what you think it takes to win in the playoffs? Because typically jump shooting teams do not win in the playoffs, and that's exactly what OKC is.

[Kibner]

Please explain what you think it takes to win in the playoffs? Because typically jump shooting teams do not win in the playoffs, and that's exactly what OKC is.

No, OKC is a team that penetrates the lane and draws fouls and parlays that into having more relatively open shots on the perimeter. They are a team of superb athletes that also have sound techniques. They do tend to have shoddy shot selection at times, which I blame more on the coach than anything.

[BallSoHard]

1- Kobe,Nash,Howard and Gasol vs Durant,Westbrook,Ibaka and Harden.
Lakers did well in this series without Nash or Howard, tend to give the Lakers the edge.


2- Kobe has played 1,100 games,Nash will be 39 and Howard has had back surgery
Think Nash makes the regular season grind a little easier for all and I think all the surrounding talent makes it easier for Nash, still though, clear advantage for OKC on legs and injuries.


3- OKC Has Nick Collison,Eric Maynor will be back to help the bck crt ,and Thabo Selolosha all help their bench.
Collison is a decent defender that can somewhat bother Gasol, Maynor is coming off of serious injury, but Selolosaha is coming off of very improved season in which he could make an open bucket. I tend to give the bench advantage over the Lakers unless we're saying Harden is "bench help" (despite playing 30+ mins). Jamison has always been a great scorer, Jordan Hill is a monster on the boards, Matt Barnes has always been pesky and s treaky shooter, Joadie Meeks can fill that Shannon Brown role the Lakers used to have to get Kobe a lot more rest (underrated signing) and blake brings a ton of experience ad 3 point shooting ability.

4- Lakers have Blake,Jordan Hill,and Jamison...i'm missing someone ( help!)
See above.

5- Mike Brown coaches the Lakers vs Scotty brooks who coaches the Thunder. Who do you like better?
Scott Brooks, much much better.


6- Howard was #1 pts per poss as the roll man in pick & roll calls...he now has Steve Nash.
Lots of shots to distribute. I wouldn't be surprosed to see howard at the mid 60% mark this season on FG% but his points down a bit. Same with Kobe, I think he has a 50% make rate of jump shots when left open and I think steve Nash really helps mitigate the Kobe taking forced shots at the end of the shot clock.

7- Howard can stay on the floor if OKC goes "small ball" he's mobile enough.
The big deal here is finally the Lakers may FINALLY be able to defend the pick and roll, and although OKC doesn't thrive off of that, it does matter. The Lakers can interchange Gasol and Howard for small ball lineups which they didn't have the ability to before because Andrew Bynum was just so heavy legged.


Who has the edge?:confused
Hard to say, OKC has played together for a long long time and now it's the Lakers who have to jell, I think it's even quite honestly, a 7 game series that goes the distance and the home team wins, but that's a coward answer, so i'll give you my pick. I think the Lakers have a slight slight edge.

[Trell]

People are really underestimating OKC when it comes down to driving in the lane. Westbrook is one of the best guards when it comes down to getting to the rim, Harden is one of the best with finishing with the foul in the paint. Plus Perry Jones added, and Ibaka when her realize what he can do in the post.

All in all, I say OKC could drive, but there so young so they settle for jump shots. If it comes down to OKC Vs. Lakers, no doubt they are going to attack the basket.

[BallSoHard]

Actually Kibner is right, I looked at the advanced stats OKC doesnt shoot near as many shots outside as i thought, Maybe the finals just brainwashed me about them.

[Kibner]

Actually Kibner is right, I looked at the advanced stats OKC doesnt shoot near as many shots outside as i thought, Maybe the finals just brainwashed me about them.

They are the most infuriating team for me to watch, and I spent (too much) time trying to put my finger on exactly why so I know more about them than most other teams. When they aren't hero ball chucking long 2s and heat check 3s, they are one of the more efficient offensive teams due to their ability to draw fouls.

They are similar to the Heat in that they are so athletic, they get the benefit of the doubt on foul calls more than other teams. They are at their best attacking the basket, which is why I don't understand the point of them playing an injured Perkins so much in the Finals. Who in the hell is he going to guard on the Heat because he sure isn't giving you anything on the offensive end.

Westbrook once had his Twitter description read "Some people ask why. I ask why not?". That describes his play perfectly.

e: if you want to look at a team that relied solely on their jump shooting mid-range game, take a look at Philly

[gerryv]

Good points guys:

OKC was #1 in the NBA last season in FT RATE 33.4-they were relentless attacking in the open floor going right at defenders and attacking off the dribble( pass, catch and attack)

OKC was also #11 in OFF REB RATE

#15 SHOT ATT's @ The Rim... ( keep in mind their drive and kick game setup their jump shooting game= open looks. ) The att's at the rim may seem middle of the pack , but their offensive actions attacking created lots of space.. * see next stat.

OKC was #2 in OFF EFF ! And #1 TRUE SHOOTING % at 57( which weighs the 3 ball and ft's into the regular fg %.

Some impressive offensive numbers.

The West will indeed be a battle .

v

[Kibner]

I think that shot attempts @ rim stat would be higher if it counted attempts they were fouled on.

e: But yeah, the Thunder play offensively to be as efficient as they can. Most of the good teams in the league are also moving to this style of play. The mid-range game has disappeared because it isn't as effective anymore. Drawing FTs and hitting corner 3s are the way to have the "best" offense in the game; it just isn't as fun for me to watch.

[gerryv]

@the rim stat also tell you about the open floor game and how often and efficient a team is in their half crt ( offensive actions etc) The mid-range game is coming back,as it doesn't have to result in a score ,but creating an offensive situation where you forced the defense to converge on the ball = kickout for the THREE......YOU MUST BE ABLE TO MAKE THE THREE IN THE NBA AND THE HORNETS GREATLY LACKED THIS ELEMENT ( ranked last in attempts.

Stats are multi layered and can and will reveal the truth.

Fun stuff!

[BallSoHard]

@the rim stat also tell you about the open floor game and how often and efficient a team is in their half crt ( offensive actions etc) The mid-range game is coming back,as it doesn't have to result in a score ,but creating an offensive situation where you forced the defense to converge on the ball = kickout for the THREE......YOU MUST BE ABLE TO MAKE THE THREE IN THE NBA AND THE HORNETS GREATLY LACKED THIS ELEMENT ( ranked last in attempts.

Stats are multi layered and can and will reveal the truth.

Fun stuff!

But it's important to also evaluate with your eyes because stats don't tell everything.

[gerryv]

Good point "as sometimes the art work is all that is needed"..appreciate the picture...the action..

Also depends how dep do you what to go with stats etc.....I like to "deep dive" at times..other times i simply enjoy the action and the flow and of course a nice beer to go with it.

[AD23forMVP]

Stats are dangerous. That's all I'll say on that subject...

[Kibner]

I want to see them using Pau as the first option after Nash sets up the play. Pau is a really, really good playmaker at the pivot. Just not as athletic as he used to be which limits him now. So fun to watch when he can run an offense with capable players around him.

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