Mavs/Lakers

[OUEngineer]

I knoiw there is another thread about the series, but wanted to make a point which people keep ignoring, either out of deluded homerism or outright bias.

THIS SERIES HAS BECOME MORE ABOUT WHAT'S RIGHT ABOUT THE MAVS THAN A COMMENTARY ON WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE LAKERS.

There, I said it. Feel better, now.

The media has done their damndest to twist this into a 'what the hell is wrong w/the Lakers' story, but that seems so unfair to me. I know, I know -- life ain't fair.

Has anyone thought of the possibility that maybe, just maybe, the Mavs are actually a better team? I realize a couple Lakers -- cough, Gasol, cough -- have looked lost at times during the series, but c'mon. Not all of the Mavericks have been the picture of perfection during this series, either. Terry and Peja played like **** in Game 2 and you didn't see anyone crying on the Mavs' behalf. No, I'm not saying Gasol and Terry/Peja are on the same level, although I feel Gasol has been overrated to the nth degree. My point is only that Jet is the Mavs' 2nd leading scorer, just as Gasol is considered a 2nd option for L.A.

The fact of the matter is that Dallas is better. Their top player has played better. Their bench is better. And dare I say it -- their coach has been better, too?

 

[hornpharmd]

The reason you are hearing people ask what is wrong with LA is b/c we all know their potential as 2 time defending champs. Dallas has clearly played better to this point. Thus are they a better team right now? Yes.

 

[OUEngineer]

I hear ya', hornpharmd, but when this is the only storyline being put out there, it completely and undeservedly minimizes how great the Mavs have been in the series. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the Lakers have played stellar ball, because that's clearly not true, but no one is even giving the remote possibility that the Mavs have had something to do with the Lakers poor play. It's as if people think the Lakers were unbeatable and anything that seems to poke holes in that precious theory has to boil down to their poor play, rather than the Mavs great play.

Lame.

 

[Third Coast]

The Mavericks are playing better, especially down the stretch. It's really that simple.

I am an open minded person, but I try not to get hung up on what others say, or do and focus on what I know and believe. Kind of like what the serenity prayer exemplifies.

 

[Horn69]

Mark this as fact: In the NBA and NHL, the best teams win. The reason is obvious. You're not limited to one game where flukes occur. Occasionally you'll have a 7-game series and the game comes down to the final seconds, but by and large over 4-7 games the best team wins.

Lakers don't match up well with the Mavs who have been playing great and the discrepancy shows. However, I saw Mavs lose a 3-0 lead over Portland one year and it took the 7th game before they won another.

Hook'em!!!

 

[wadster]

It's very difficult to beat a good team 4 times in a row. I think it will be hard for the Mavs to win today, but if the Lakers win today, it's still very hard for them to win the series. It's not just game 6. It will be difficult to win game 5 and/or game 7 as well.

 

[PhantomHorn]

Mavs are playing great at halftime and the Lakers have rolled over and quit. So far the Mavs bench has scored 40 and the Lakers have 39 total.

 

[Third Coast]

Terry is on fiya

 

[wadster]

Can the Lakers have less class? Odom gets tossed for a body shot to Dirk in the open court for absolutely no reason.

Before I can hit enter, Bynum takes Barera down on the worst crap I have ever seen. If I'm Barera I'm filing assault charges and get Bynum back here for a court case. He should go to jail for 30 days for that crap.

 

[Third Coast]

When facing extreme adversity, a person's true character is exposed. lol

 

[wadster]

If the Lakers hit a 3, they'll probably celebrate like aggy against OU.

That foul by Bynum was about as Bush league as you'll ever see. I'm guessing 150K and 2 game suspension to start the year. It should be more, but Stern has to do something or there is nothing to protect players in a blowout.

 

[hornpharmd]

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[Third Coast]

The Lakers definitely rolled over today, but there certainly is no fluke in this outcome. The Mavs' bench is a lot better than I thought.

 

[Olehornfan]

Third flagarant two in three games. Totally classless and represents why I hate that team. Thugs and rapists.

 

[buckhorn]

The Lakers looked good enough to beat the Mavs for most of Game 1 and then never again, really. They don't have the bench to finish and the starters are old and, in the case of Kobe and Gasol, fractious.

It was a good run. Time to dismantle and move on.

The Mavs, who are no spring chickens, are a deep team with length, offensive ability, and, at least against the Lakes, real toughness that their organization is ironically known for lacking come playoff time. Kudos to them.

When you win 4-0, starting on the other team's home court, you are the better team. Even if Gasol plays notably better the Lakes were going to be hard pressed to win this series because they don't have a bench and their outside shooting is dreck.

Congrats to the Mavs.

 

[wadster]

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[orangecat1]

I saw that. should be at least a 10 game suspension imo, + a huge fine, the max.

if there is a way, Kupchack should cut Bynum tomorrow; what an embarrassment to the Lakers, past and present.

 

[hornpharmd]

Exactly orangecat1. The call for assaul charges and 30 day jail time was a ridiculous comment. Really man, it was just an elbow to the chest. And you are telling me that was the worst you have seen? It wasn't a punch or an elbow to the head and I have seen plenty of those.

 

[Horn69]

If any team did that you'd think it would be some perennial loser. Instead it's a team that is the 2-time defending champion. Hey, when you lose fair and square, you just need to tip your hat to the other guy. The Lakers just weren't classy enough to do that. They are ******** thru and thru.

Hook'em!!!

 

[wadster]

Trouble is there is nothing the Mav players can do because they can't afford to be suspended for games in the next series. If Bynum does that to another center, I have less of a problem, but still a POS. But damn, pick on someone your own size. What a chicken **** thing to do.

Oh, and yea, if someone 100 lbs bigger then me hit me like that as I walked down the street you can be damn sure I'd be calling the cops.Game was over. Make a play for the ball, or get out of the way. If he got 2 games before, this one is going to be significant.

 

[Third Coast]

I think he should get an additional suspension and fine for taking his jersey off while he was still on the court.

 

[wadster]

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[naphan]

Mavs were the better team in this series. They closed every game better than the Lakers. Congrats to them and their fans.

Lots of denial around here though. The lakers haven't played well since their 17-1 run came to an end. Lots of bad teams have been making the Lakers look pedestrian down the stretch. La didn't play well in this series, but dallas did and dallas won.

I don't see why that upsets so many people. What's the benefit in pretending that dallas beat a lakers squad that was at the top of their game?

 

[Olehornfan]

Bynam threw a deliberate blow to the chest. Not his first. Considering his past I consider 20 games lenient. Yea, itt was to the chest. Was he aiming for the chest? What it could have been should be considered. He could have put Barea our for the rest of the season.

 

[OUEngineer]

hornpharmd,

It wasn't as bad as it looked? Actually, it was worse. It wasn't so much that the contact was absurdly excessive (blow to the head), but his reaction to the foul showed a complete lack of remorse or concern for the well-being of Barea. For him to commit the foul in the heat of the moment out of frustration can somewhat be understood, but to rip his jersey off around mid-court -- like some kind of assclown -- is the epitome of douchebaggery.

Barea was in no position to protect himself on that play. Bynum is very fortunate that Barea wasn't injured or he would be looking at a potentially long suspension to begin 2011-12. As it is, he's going to get around a 10-game suspension, which seems fair, given his past history (Wallace, Beasley).

I'm glad our guys didn't do anything stupid in retaliation. I saw the guys holding Tyson back as Bynum went by the bench area. Dude was pissed.

As a lifelong Mavs fanboy, I kind of feel bad for Phil Jackson. He's probably the greatest (or one of) coach in basketball history -- hell, sports history -- and to see his career end in such embarrassment is a little unfortunate. It'd be one thing to simply get blown out in the final game of a sweep, but to have your guys act like total thugs, definitely makes it a little harder to accept, I'm sure.

 

[hornpharmd]

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[hornpharmd]

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[Third Coast]

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[naphan]

I missed the game. was there more "thuggery" than bynum's antics? Otherwise, why is everyone referring to the lakers organization as a bunch of thugs?

 

[wadster]

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