Hey! This Isn't About the Lakers!

You wanted it, you got it! Here it is the Western Conference Playoff rundown. I'll exclude the Lakers and Thunder for the moment because there will be a much more detailed article about that in the days to come. I can hear you shaking with glee.

I've been looking over the teams and the series match up and I've got to say this is going to be one tough playoff run for every team involved. It's going to be tricky to predict the winners here, but hey, I'll give it a go.

Denver and Utah will play each other in the first round. Two power houses that have no love loss between each other. This promises to be a gritty series with Denver using its muscle to try and deal with Utah but that doesn't mean Utah are weak, they will give as good as they get. What will be especially interesting will be the battle of the point guards, Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups. Deron has really shown himself this season and runs the offense with precision as well as being a scoring threat himself. Chauncey has come to Denver in a seamless transition and has demonstrated his maestro ability orchestrating the team. The keys for Utah will be tempo, they will have to push on the offensive end and slow Denver down on defense. Denver will have to use it's size and athletic ability down low. These two teams are very similar so it could really go any way. I'm going to go with Denver just because they have a slightly better interior game, with the likes of Nene and Andersen however we will see how well they do with their coach struggling with throat cancer, it could prove to be a distraction or an inspiration, we shall see.
Denver 4-3

Phoenix will take on Portland in this series. Again two teams that are not at all dissimilar both like a faster tempo, small lineup. I think Phoenix will be able to edge Portland slightly out of their game because they are a much faster, high scoring team. I just don't think Portland's defense will be able to stop the quick scoring pace of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Brandon Roy will continue to be a thorn in their side and it will be on his shoulders that Portland will win and he is more than capable of doing just that. Portland will have to take care of the ball, prevent turn overs and hustle back on transition defense, easier said than done. Phoenix will have to keep Amare moving on offense and not fall into the trap of focusing too much of their defense on Brandon Roy. I'm going to give this one to Phoenix because of the fluid offense they are able to produce.
Phoenix 4-2

Finally we have Dallas and San Antonio. This one is interesting because we just don't know what San Antonio team will show up. Will they be solid reliable vets using their potent basketball knowledge or will they be the slow old men staying up past their bed time. Dirk Nowitzki is going to provide a lot of problems for the Spurs spreading the floor where San Antonio would prefer to remain in zone defense. Tony Parker is going to have to go to his quickness to out pace Jason Kidd and Ginnobli will have to have his scoring hat on to provide the spark on offense. If those two get on a roll it will be extremely difficult for Dallas to keep up. Let's not forget Mr. Duncan whose post game will be very lucrative against the slack defense of Dirk. So, that job will probably fall to Haywood who is going to have to show all of his defensive prowess in dealing with Tim. Dallas will have to pick up its defensive intensity to contain and dishearten the Spurs, they are extremely vulnerable when they don't get into a rhythm. San Antonio will have to make sure their offense is oiled up and ready to go. In my opinion they should let Dirk do all of Dallas' work on offense and keep players like Caron Butler and Jason Kidd quiet. This will allow San Antonio to control the pace something that will help establish their rhythm. I'm going to go with Dallas, it was very close and I nearly went with San Antonio but I think the energy that Dallas will have will be the final victor.
Dallas 4-2

Lambs to the Slaughter

The Lakers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. This is the first time The Thunder have made post season and I am sure they're eager to show what they can do. However, it's not always fun when th first team you have to play are the defending champions with eyes on repeating. On paper The Lakers should brush these youngins aside without too much difficulty but these kids have proven to be feisty. The Lakers' job is simple use their size and Oklahoma will surely crumble.

If the Lakers win against the Clippers and the Magic lose against Philadelphia then The Lakers will regain home court advantage over Orlando if they meet again in the Finals, which is not out of the realms of possibility.

Before the playoffs start I will give you a complete rundown of the Western Conference and maybe the Eastern one if they're lucky! Aswell as a position by position break down of the Lakers and Thunder. I know you're excited and brimming with anticipation but you're just going to have to wait!

Cheerio Laker fans!

Thou Art Blessed

The NBA world remains a balanced and harmonious place as the Lakers rightfully clinched the Western Conference number one seed. It is the third year in a row they have done so. This is excellent news and it is cause for much merriment!

We may have lost in Denver but that is ok, because we were without Mr. Bryant. Who, is being rested because of a swollen knee and his injured index finger is sore. We have nine days to rest him since the next few games this season don't matter to us at all. Very good news, because a well rested, healed Kobe is a very potent thing indeed. It's like sharpening our finest sword in anticipation for the battle ahead. It's going to be gritty but the Lakers will be ready.

Now we will just kick back and wait to see who will be the first up in the playoffs, could it be the Spurs or will it be Portland. My money is on the Spurs but who knows what will happen.

I dismiss thee to go be fruitful and celebrate!

Who Is This Guy?

That's it, that's all you need.

Now I'm Not One To Worry But...

Stressed? Yeah, a little bit. Worried? Very much so. The Lakers were pounded on by the Spurs recently adding to grey hairs amassing on all Lakers fans' heads from this season. I don't know what to do, the Lakers it seems are refusing to lay down the law. They are procrastinating to the point where it seems they will never establish dominance once and for all.

Are they just going to flip a switch in the post season and everything will be alright? Is it what PJ said that they have not been able to establish a rhythm in the season but will have a better chance when they are against a team for a seven game series? Well, there are no real answers at the moment we will just have to take each game as it comes and hope there is a fire burning some where deep inside our Lakers.

I'm Sorry Mr. Bryant, Did You Have Other Plans?

It's official, number 24 is keeping his rightful place amongst the Purple and Gold. Kobe Bryant has just signed a three year contract with the Lakers, it's not surprising but it is always nice to have that ink drying on the paper. I don't know about you but I can sleep better at night knowing that the legend is staying exactly where his destiny demands.

On another note the Lakers beat the Jazz who before losing this game were tied with two other teams for the second seed in the Western Conference, crazy huh? It is highly possible that the Lakers will play the Jazz during the playoff run and tonight we sent a message to all Western Conference teams by soundly beating Utah. The Lakers started strong but then conceded ground in the second and third quarter bringing the score line to just a four point difference. However in the fourth quarter Lamar happened and within minutes the Lakers had a nineteen point lead. The Jazz just couldn't compete with the long limbs of Gasol and Odom despite some inspired play making by Deron Williams. Seriously, the dude has laser precision passing. The Lakers played as a team and showed that when they set their defense up the offense just comes naturally.

It's good to see the Lakers executing on both ends of the floor something that plagued them on their recent road trip. Next up is San Antonio who are another playoff team looking to secure their position. I say bring them on, bring on everybody, come on NBA let's see what you've got!

Remember Me?

Hey Everybody! I know I'm sorry it's been a while in fact it has been over a week. I'm sorry I've been a little busy and I've had some internet issues, apparently if you don't pay them they cut you off! Who knew?

Unfortunately my blogging has been about as good as the Lakers recently. A five game road trip has once again ended in tears. The whole trip just seemed flat footed, we got a couple of wins but let's be honest we should have been aiming to win them all, especially at this point of the season. I've said it a few times already and I find myself once again repeating myself (I'm not even drunk yet), the Lakers need to start taking this seriously. Playoffs are too close for this amateur hour we can't just sit around and hope we repeat the championship we need to actually step forward and do it.

It's not all doom and gloom let's take a look at a few bright spots. The major thing I noticed was Phil's tinkering and adjusting of the rotation. Phil was keeping the bench playing a lot longer than he normally does and at points down the stretch the bench definitely stayed on the court longer than usual. Is this Phil feeling out the team from all angles while the games aren't really important? I think so, the playoff spot is secured and we are in a strong position for the number one seed. The more Phil can utilize all the players on the team the better he can coach them. We are a stronger team when the coach is aware of all aspects of the team and you can only find that out by trying different mixtures. A rut can be a very dangerous problem indeed, you know Denver are studying the tapes!

So let's hope that Phil knows what he was doing, I just don't know if ten championships is enough experience. I think we will just to have to hold our collective breath and wait and see.