The Association

Thoughts on the Draft Day Trades

By Craig Kwasniewski

I'm not really up on all the players drafted yesterday since the only NCAA hoops I watched all year was from the Las Vegas Hilton on the first weekend of March Maddness... Basically my knowledge on the college scene falls somewhere between Stu Scott and Rick Kamla (or Vanilla Scott as I like to call him).

So here are my thoughts on the trades from the past 48-hours:

1 - Shaq to Cleveland:  Props to the NBA media for not overreacting and proclaiming the Cavs the 2010 NBA Champs. Props to Danny Ferry for going "all in" and taking a chance on Shaq, hoping to convince LeBron to re-sign in 2010.  And props for Donald T. Sterling 2.0 for completely ruining one of the NBA's greatest franchises and killing Steve Nash's final years as a player.  This trade has way more questions than answers. 

Will Shaq play second fiddle to the league's biggest alpha dog?  He thinks Kobe was bad but LeBron runs EVERYTHING in Cleveland.  His teammates, his gags, his front office... this is LeBron's team.  From Penny to Kobe to Wade... all three All-Stars were young and didn't have the locker room pull that LeBron has.  Kobe was stubborn and always battling Shaq to be THE number one, but Shaq always had the Lakers roster and coaching staff on his side.  Shaq is clearly the outsider in Cleveland, will his ego accept being a number #2?

And don't tell me that he settled in with Phoenix as the #2!  Just one season in, the Suns were slowing things down and dumping to Shaq just like all the previous teams he played for.  Now we're hearing that Nash requested the Suns trade away Shaq.  He's 37 years old and he's never changed his demeanor as a player.  Why would he change now?

Will Shaq have patience for Mike Brown, the guy who was thoroughly out-coached by Mr. Master of Panic Stan Van Gundy?  As the Eastern Conference Finals showed us (and as I've been literally screaming for years!), the Cavs have one play in their offensive playbook.  Just one!  High screen and roll for LeBron where his options are: 1) step back for a three, 2) drive down the lane, 3) pass to the corner for a three, 4) hit the rolling big man to the hoop.  That's it!  But LeBron is so damn talented that he normally overcomes defenses (well expect when playing the Lakers, Orlando or Boston, but NOBODY seemed to remember this during the regular season DESPITE THE LAKERS SWEEPING THEM!!!)  Anyway, Mike Brown is CLEARLY the worst head coach that Shaquille O'Neal has played for (and yes that includes Terry Porter and Del Harris).

The Cavs now have their first low-post option since a pre-lockout Shawn Kemp in 1998.  Will Mike Brown add a second page to his offensive playbook and post up Shaq?  What happens when they face Orlando during a regular season game and start trailing?  Will Shaq DEMAND the ball during timeouts or will Mike Brown freeze up (like in the ECF's) and just ask LeBron to save them?  How soon before Shaq realizes the huge gap in ability between Mike Brown and Stan Van Gundy?

Does this trade make LeBron Tom Hagen?  Or is he Connie?  One of Shaq's best quotes was his comparison of his superstar teammates to the Corleone Family.  Penny Hardaway was Fredo (hilarious), Kobe was Sonny (temperamentally very true) and Dwyane Wade was Michael (maybe).  There's really only two left, Connie and the adopted Tom Hagen.  The way I see it, Steve Nash and LeBron is Tom Hagen who was one of the smarter and more appearance-savvy members of the Corleone Family... much like LeBron.  Nash as Connie totally makes sense considering Connie was the least valuable sibling in the Corleone family (BTW - Nash and Shaq combined for ONE playoff victory)... HOWEVER her actions did lead to Sonny’s death. And Nash did eliminate Kobe twice in the playoffs.

2 - Vince Carter to Orlando:  The Magic gave up virtually nothing and got a former All-Star to add depth to the defending Eastern Conference Champ AND/OR a quality back-up plan in case Hedo leaves.  A brilliant deal!  If Orlando gets 80% of Vince Carter from his All-Star days AND they re-sign Hedo you're looking at the favorites in the Eastern Conference.  They added scoring and athletic depth and another player that will force defenses to spread out and give Howard even more space to score from down low.  If Howard expands his low-post game (which he will), the look out, this might be the next NBA Champs.

If Hedo leaves, they are still one of the top contenders.  With Carter they'll get a player like Hedo who can clear out defenses and iso during crunch time.  But I think Hedo will stay in Orlando.  Now all of this depends on Carter's motivation... which should be high now that he's closer to a NBA title than ever before.

Here's my question... With Cleveland and Orlando making major moves, will Boston try to counter?

3 - Richard Jefferson to San Antonio:  Spurs get Richard Jefferson for left-over garbage (Bowen, Oberto and Thomas).  I guess Popovich is no longer complaining that the league needs a trade czar because this is almost as one-sided as the Gasol trade last year. In fact, one could argue that the Grizzlies got more because of Marc Gasol... a promising big.  The Spurs trade old size and defense and get a proven athletic scorer in Jefferson.  This trade gets the Spurs back in the second round of the playoffs but it doesn't counter the Lakers size.

Now if the Spurs can somehow find a way to sign Rasheed Wallace, then they become the odds on favorite in the West. 

4 - Jamal Crawford to Atlanta:  Wow another high-scoring player with ZERO basketball IQ!  Just when you though the Hawks were the dumbest team in the NBA, they just found a new level of supid-itude (a way of saying suckitude except with stupid).  I really can't find a proper word for how dumb this team is... but what do you expect from a team whose head coach's game face is the "who farted??" look!  Such a MEH trade!

5 - Amare to Golden State:  This isn't official until July 8th (or until EVERY Phoenix Suns season ticket holder skips town) but it looks like a done deal.  So in two seasons the Suns go from the SSOL, high-scoring, high-impact, fun to watch and with several All-Stars and a major contender to NOTHING.  What a shame!  Robert Sarver IS Donald T. Sterling 2.0 make no mistake about it.  

Initial trade rumors have the Warrior sending Curry over with Biedrins, but now I hear they're keeping Curry.  So why give up a relatively young annual All-Star with a very exciting game for absolutely nothing? 

Knock on the Clippers all you want but since they moved into Staples Center they've at least tried to assemble a team with talent.  Mis-guided efforts aside, every season Clippers fans at least have a small glint of hope when they look at their roster (Barron Davis, Marcus Camby, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin... these are players with talent!).  But teams like Phoenix, Memphis, Sacramento and Charlotte don't even try... they're a lottery team BEFORE October!  Why plunk down hard earned $$ to even watch this crap.

Watching Phoenix dissolve into this garbage is sad.... Screw you Sarver!

Monday Morning Point Guard

By Craig Kwasniewski 

March Madness eat your heart out! One weekend down and there were several upsets, a few stinkers and a couple expected results. As much as I love the whole one and done March Madness thing, you don't get the physical play, the adjustments and strategy that a 7-game series offers. Here are a few thoughts with one game down in each series: 

Boston vs. Chicago - Is there room on the Derrick Rose bandwagon? The Bulls were the one team I regret not seeing in person this year. Anyone with an eye for hoops can appreciate the full range this rookie brings to the Bulls but what I didn't notice until Saturday is Rose's quick and explosive LAST step. Most players have that quick first step to blow by defenders but Rose explodes right at the rim at his last step. Also, his extremely calm nature works well with the youthful Bulls. Game 1 against the defending champs and he has the heart rate of a librarian and it's contagious as the Bulls weren't phased at all. I still think Boston wins, but the Bulls should make Rose the GM, coach and owner and build around him for the next 12 years. 

Cleveland vs. Detroit - Are we done yet? Are we done yet? Are we done yet? SWEEP! 

San Antonio vs. Dallas - One quarter in, Duncan had springy legs and looked very 2007, I was on the brink of writing a "Mavs should have kept Maquis Daniels instead of Josh Howard" piece and Nowitzki was in foul trouble... basically it didn't look good for Dallas. I left home, went out thinking the Spurs would win easily and I caught the last few seconds at a bar as Dallas... PULLED AWAY FOR A W??? What the hell happened? Suddenly Dallas looks like a very legit Western Conference finalist and San Antonio looks old.    

Portland vs. Houston - This really looks like a match-up problem for Portland more than anything else. Maybe their inexperience cost them a W as they didn't have that fifth gear or maybe they're just happy to be there.  All I know is Yao played the best playoff game of his life and showed EVERYONE that the problem was always T-MAC. 

Los Angeles vs. Utah - No Okur, no chance for Utah... it's just that simple. But the real story is the referees killing the entire second half of the game. It's no surprise that Joey Crawford was the lead ref in the worst called game of the weekend. Does the NBA pay him by the fouls? Does he really think the fans pay to see him ref? Is he out to single-handedly ruin professional hoops?  There were SIXTEEN fouls in the 3rd quarter alone and a free-flowing game became a possession-by-possession freethrow festival. Terrible! 

Orlando vs. Philadelphia - I've said this all year, Orlando doesn't have the go to guy necessary to make a deep run in the playoffs. C-Webb pretty much blew a gasket ripping on the Magic not riding Dwight Howard all game. But does Superman really want to be "that guy" with the Magic or is he content with monster numbers, monster dunks and showmanship? NBA Champions all have the definitive alpha dog and an understood chain of command. The Celtics heart lies with KG but crunchtime went Pierce first and Sugar Ray second. The early 00's Lakers had Shaq for 3 1/2 quarters with Kobe as the closer... what about Orlando? 

Atlanta vs. Miami - The Hawks put together a Special Edition Double-DVD set of highlights on the Heat on Sunday. Instead of 2006 Kobe and the Lakers with their near upset of the #2 seeded Phoenix Suns, the Heat resembled the 2007 edition and the very one-sided 4-1 loss to Phoenix. But we'll see what kind of road playoff team Atlanta is in games 3 & 4. 

Denver vs. New Orleans - Denver put together a sick 21-0 run late in the 3rd early in the 4th to put away what was a close and very physical game. Chauncey Billups went retro looking like a 2005 version going 8 of 9 from three on his way to 36 points. NOLA basically gave up at the end of the 3rd quarter so this blowout doesn't really mean the Nuggets will sweep. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if NOLA steals game 2. This really feels like a very bitter and very physical seven game series.

Holocaust Survivors Might be Offended by the Christmas Day Logos

by Craig Kwasniewski

Where Holocaust Survivors are offended happens...

The NBA needs to strongly reconsider those Christmas Day logos worn by the players yesterday. I'll let the photos speak for themselves but you might want to mix in an extra point on those NBA snowflakes because they look exactly like those Star of David badges worn my Jews in 1940's Europe.

Spurs Need a Career Game from Parker to Get a W

By Craig Kwasniewski

How the mighty have fallen.... The Spurs need a thrice-in-a-lifetime effort from Tony Parker just to beat a very average Timberwolves team. Look I'm not taking anything away from Parker's 50 and 10 last night at all. If anything it reinforces just how talented of a player he is as he joins MJ and Oscar Robertson as the only players to have 50 points and 10 assists in the same game.

But did anyone bother to see the boxscore? Take away Tim Duncan's typical numbers and you have a roster that the 1999 Clippers (who opened 0-19) could dominate. In double overtime the other three starters couldn't sniff double figures (a COMBINED six points!!!!)... which makes Parker's 10 assists even more impressive.

So the Spurs NEED dominant games from both Parker and Duncan just to stay afloat until Ginobili returns. That's a lot to ask for from Duncan, who normally coasts until All Star break and with a ton of miles on his body, will he have the energy for a playoff run? Mix in a very old Bruce Bowen and a very ancient Michael Finley and you have a Spurs team
that looks more like an eight seed rather than a championship contender.

So kudos to a brilliant game from Tony P, the Spurs needed it.

Phil Jackson Owns Greg Popovich

By Craig Kwasniewski

The battle of the two best coaches is the NBA is so one sided it's time to throw in the towel. Fact: Phil Jackson owns Greg Popovich and it's not even close. Going head-to-head in the playoffs, Jackson is 4-1 against Popovich's Spurs (18-8 if you count all the games).

Beyond the obvious. let's look at two key adjustments (as Greg Anthony revealed on ESPN) Jackson made for Game 5. First, with the Triangle Offence being well-defended by the Spurs in the first half, Jackson went to a high screen and roll with Kobe and Gasol. What this did was bring Tim Duncan away from the hoop giving Kobe an easier path to the rim. The Lakers ran this play the entire 4th quarter and Kobe capitalized with 17 points, closing out the Spurs in the process. True, Kobe is the best closer in the NBA, but a lot had to do with Jackson opening up the lane with this adjustment.

On defense, the Lakers focused on shutting down Manu Ginobili by forcing him to his right and rotating over if he broke freee from his defender. Ginolibli mught have been hurt, but the difference between good and great players is their ability to make a difference in the game DESPITE injuries (like Kobe's back spasms in the Utah series). I think it's safe to say that Manu's good but not great and the Lakers defense had a lot to do with that.

So while the Lakers wait for Boston to eliminate Detroit (sorry Pistons, but you're too broken to advance), Lakers fans can take solace that there are no coaching peers in the NBA for Phil Jackson. Nine NBA titles, 11 NBA Finals appearances... scoreboard!

Last Second "Controversy" Hides the Spurs Choking at the Buzzer

By Craig Kwasniewski

Regarding the last second controversial no-call at the buzzer...

Here's the biggest question of them all: Does the anti-Lakers faction (the NBA is rigged!) out-weigh the anti-Spurs faction (they're a very boring group of thugs!)?

Anyway, as the Spurs even say, the game wasn’t lost by the no-call. Is anyone willing to criticize the horrible play-calling and execution for that last-second shot? Of course not, because the NBA is rigged! (I find this high-larious! A team that benefited from Robert Horry’s thuggery and some very bullshit rules the last two seasons is suddenly “screwed” by the refs.) Here’s a bigger question; why is the Spurs season falling into the hands of a guy who was released by the Seattle Redneck Sonics two months ago? Where was Tony Parker, one of the alleged top-five point guards in the NBA? Where was Manu Ginobili, the NBA’s sixth man? Where was Big Shot Bob (who was standing in the background clapping for the ball from Barry, you can see him on the replay)?

The Spurs choked with 2.3 seconds on the clock and their fans wanted/needed/prayed for the refs to bail them out. The Spurs picked the wrong time to pull a Clippers (who are historically bad in the clutch) and now their “dynasty” (though I have a hard time calling a team that’s incapable of going back-to-back a dynasty, but alas), their “dynasty” is at death’s door.

And by the way, if we're calling out the refs for that no-call, the lets point put that Kobe Bryant attempted ZERO freethrows in the game. You mean to tell me that a guy that averaged 9.1 freethrow attempts during the regular season had zero chances last night??? BTW - the last time he attempted zero freethrows in a playoff game? The 0.4 game... SCOREBOARD!

Lakers 3, Spurs 1: Contact? Sure. Foul? Absolutely Not.

by Brett Edwards

Here's the video of the (somehow) controversial play at the end of Game 4. You can read my full take at FanHouse, but basically, that's not a foul that should ever be called to decide a game, period. Popovich and Barry said so themselves, so let it go, Spurs fans.

Wcf
by bsap11

Turns Out the Lakers CAN Get Blown Out

By Craig Kwasniewski

Turns out Manu Ginobili isn't really injured.... just inconsistent. Still, I was expecting this type of offensive explosion in Game 2. But he clearly was the difference maker tonight as the Spurs thoroughly kicked the Lakers ass 103-84. So is it the magical healing of home court? Did he finally get a manicure? Or is it a very clutch shot of cortisone? Or is Manu protected by the media because as I've said before he's very inconsistent.

Turns out the Spurs aren't dead... in fact the defending champs are very much alive. But they were ripe for the picking at the start of the game. In the first 6 minutes the Spurs looked very unsure of themselves but the Lakers failed to take over early. Kobe tried to carry the load early on hoping to inject some energy into his teammates but they didn't bother to show up tonight. And the game was over as soon as Manu got hot halfway through the second quarter.

Turns out Lamar Odom isn't injured either... just VERY VERY inconsistent. Three games into the Western Conference Finals and Lamar has only showed up once. So was Game 2 an aberration? The Spurs are willing to get literally nothing on the offensive side from Robert Horry's rotting corpse because of his superb defensive job on Odom. He's frustrating the versatile forward, keeping him from getting to the hoop for any dunks. And that frustration is affecting his rebounding (he's the Lakers best defensive rebounder) and freethrow shooting (5-12 combined in Games 1 & 3). The Lakers can't beat San Antonio without Odom.

Turns out Derek Fisher is still in Utah. Is Tony Parker's speed getting to D-Fish? Is the long season taking a toll on the veteran guard? Is his leg injury slowing him down? Whatever it is the Lakers can't win if they continue to get single digits COMBINED from Odom and Fisher.

Turns out the Lakers can't come back from every big deficit. Game 1 set a dangerous precedent. Maybe the Lakers felt they could take a half off and come back every time.

Turns out the Pistons aren't the only team to not show up with a close-out opportunity. Outside of Farmar and Bryant there's no excuse for the Lakers lack of effort tonight. As I mentioned, the Spurs opened flat and were ripe for the kill. All the Lakers had to do was bring the same effort as Game 6 against Utah, silence the crowd and this series would end in a sweep. Instead, they didn't have any energy tonight. Kobe tried to force the issue but nobody bought into it. Suddenly Manu Ginobili blows up in the second quarter and the Spurs followed and it was over by halftime.

Turns out the Lakers CAN get blown out. I was wrong to think that these Lakers weren't capable of being blown out. Usually, as in Game 1, Kobe would find a way to inject energy in the team and they'd go down swinging. This loss was thoroughly disappointing because they let the Spurs back into the series.

Turns out the defending champs rose to the occasion. Spurs fans unite, your team finally showed up to the Western Conference Finals. And with such a dominant victory tonight, it tells me that we're headed for a very special Game 7.

Turns out this is a series. Better buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Memo to Spurs: The Lakers Ain't NOLA

By Craig Kwasniewski

Getting blown out the 2008 playoffs is familiar territory to the Spurs. The Suns rolled them in Game 4 by 19 but the Spurs still advanced. The Hornets rolled them in Games 1, 2 and 5 by an average of 19.7 points but the Spurs still advanced in Game 7 *AT* New Orleans. So after getting their asses handed to them by the Lakers last night 101-71, we should expect a similar turnaround... right?

WRONG! The Lakers aren't Hornets!

The Lakers aren't coached by Byron Scott. The guy ran one single solitary play (the screen and roll at the top of the key with Chandler and CP3) and made zero adjustments throughout the series. The best stat of the playoffs? Phil Jackson is 40-0 when his teams win Game 1. Call it an inflated stat because he had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe but wouldn't there be at least one upset elimination if PJ was an average coach? As I've said before, Popovich and Jackson are the two best coaches in the NBA!

The Lakers don't depend emotion for W's. New Orleans rode the energy of their fans to those huge victories. The problem with emotional teams is that they get thrown off their games really easily when things get tough (2002 Sacramento Kings anyone?). The biggest (and most overrated) storyline of the Conference Semifinals was the 22-3 record for home teams. The better stat was 2-3, which was the combined record of the Pistons and Lakers on the road in the Semis. Both of those teams are comprised of players like Kobe, Chauncey, Rip, D-Fish, and Tayshaun who seem to lower their pulses in the playoffs. Phil Jackson spends an entire season preparing his team to win without relying on emotion.

There won't be any Robert Horry incident. The Spurs won't be able to throw their hitman at the Lakers. Horry won three titles in LA. His most famous career moment happened with the Lakers in 2002. He's still very much a legend and despite playing for the hated Spurs, he still draws a smattering of applause when he enters the game. His conscious won't allow it to happen. But if it does, read above about emotional teams. Unlike the Suns and Hornets, the Lakers won't get distracted by thuggery. Look back at the Jackson era in Chicago, the Knicks and Pistons both tried to throw off the Bulls with physical antics. Instead of punching back, the Bulls laughed it off and just played smarter. Expect the same with the Lakers.

The Lakers don't get blown out (unless Kobe wants them to). Discounting the infamous Game 7 from 2006, the Kobe-led Lakers simply don't get blown out. Down 20 with 16 minutes left, the Lakers rallied and won. Equally, down 18 with 16 minutes left, the Spurs cleared their bench and quit. While the Celtics, Spurs, and Hornets have has several blow-out losses, the Lakers have lost by 5 and 8 (BTW - in OT). The Spurs will need a full 48 minute effort to beat the Lakers.

The Spurs respect the Lakers. Look at the body language of the Spurs at the end of Game 2 and during the postgame interviews. They don't seem to exude that "wait till we get home" type of confidence like in the Hornets series. They realize that they blew a great chance in Game 1 and that the Lakers are gaining momentum as the series moves along.

The Spurs are gassed. The Hornets series took a toll on the Spurs. Pop even said that last night's loss had a lot to do with their fatigue. So Pop cleared the bench to rest his guys, but that also allowed the Lakers starters to rest up and get Trevor Ariza (out since January) some much-needed PT. The Conference Finals go every other day so where do they find the time for rest? They're loaded with 30-somethings, where are they going to find the energy?

Manu Ginobili is broken. The biggest reason why the Spurs won't have a similar Hornets-series rebound is that Manu Ginobili is obviously hurt. I was expecting to see a very aggressive Manu slash to the hole in Game 2, but instead he camped out behind the three point arc. Obviously the Lakers knew of the injury because they put Radmanovic (who plays no defense) on Ginobili. The Spurs don't have the depth to beat the Lakers if Manu is a non-factor.

So the big question is, can the Spurs win 4-of-5 against the Lakers?

Reasons Why the Lakers Favor Playing the Spurs Over NOLA

By Craig Kwasniewski

Yesterday I was called out by frequent commenter and Spurs fan Dave why as a Lakers fan I was favoring a Spurs match-up over New Orleans:

I've always wanted to know. What's it like to be so stupid?

I've given it some thought and I realize I was too harsh, you're not that stupid. I've actually been surprised lately by the heaping of praise you've ladled on the Spurs organization. I just don't understand why you, as a Lakers fan would favor a match up with the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs.

Why you ask? Well allow me to explain...

1. Maybe the reason why I'm heaping more praise on the Spurs is because I see them near then end of their brilliant run. So I'm more or less paying homage to their ability to stay relevant for so long.

2. Despite being very soft compared to other bigs in the NBA, Pau Gasol helps in the fact that he takes pressure of the Lakers real difference-maker, Lamar Odom. LO was never comfortable in the No. 2 role. Now with defenses appropriately focusing on Kobe and Pau, Odom can "sneak in" for his now-typical 18 and 14. He's by far the Lakers best rebounder and very good on defense. His quickness and length will be a problem for Ducan. Not to the point of shutting him down, but to the comfort level where I see the Lakers passing on doubling him.

3. Lost in the NOLA and Celtics love-fest during the playoffs has been the exceptional play of the Lakers. How many times have they been blown out in losses? Ummm ZERO! They're a difficult team to beat simply because of Kobe's competitive nature. Also, the Lakers offense is more explosive and efficient than the Three-Peat era. How can you explain them constantly dropping 100+ on the defensive-oriented call-every-play-on-offense-to-slow-it-down Utah Jazz? Gone are the days of slowing down the game and watching Kobe carry the Lakers.

4. As I've said before, they just beat Spurs-lite in the Utah Jazz. What new wrinkle will they see that they didn't just face in the last 10-days?

5. Spurs fans can claim Manu Ginobili as their postseason savior but as he's continually proven in his playoff career, he's still very inconsistent. He'll kill the Lakers for a few W's, but not for an entire 7-game series.

6. The Spurs are old! How do you explain those three very embarrassing blow-out losses? Granted, Duncan was ill for Game 1, but how can a championship caliber team roll over so easily? So bring on Horry's corpse, Finley's corpse, Barry corpse... the Hornets go six deep and they exposed the Spurs lack of depth.

7. Looking at the Lakers weakness X's and O's wise... The Lakers had problems against the zone defense, but they found the proper countermeasure against Utah. They put someone in the mid-range post and slipped a weakside offensive player under the basket. This causes the middle defender to choose between double-teaming Pau, Kobe or Odom in the post or rotating over to guard the weakside player. Pau got a lot one-on-one looks on Friday.

On defense, the Spurs backbreaker against the Lakers has been the corner three. The Laker chose to close out the lane on penetrations from Parker and Ginobili leaving the corner exposed. In the past BOTH Finley and Bowen have killed the Lakers by hitting those WIDE OPEN shots. They haven't shown me that they're consistent from those spots this year.

8. The way I see it, this series really comes down to the Lakers defense versus the Spurs offense. The Lakers are easily the worst defensive team left in the playoffs but the Spurs offense has been very Jeff Van Gundy-esque. Since the Gasol trade/steal, the Lakers have been an offensive machine so it's not their scoring ability that worries me. The Lakers need to continue the same defensive effort as they did against the Jazz.

Will the Lakers win? I suck at predicting outcomes this postseason so I'll pass on any predictions. But it's great to see the REAL rivalry out west renewed... Bring on the Spurs!