Mitch Cumsteen
250+ Posts
A lot of you are underestimating Gasol. Historically, he gives Duncan a lot of problems on offense -- a very effective post up player who can also take you out on the wing to shoot or put it on the floor. Now that he has Kobe, he can get to his spots a little easier. His length also bothers Duncan on defense. You folks like this matchup a lot better than I do. Saying that he's going to fold because he's European is ridiculous and prejudiced. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers decide to double Duncan. NO did almost every time he got the ball and dared them to beat them from the perimeter. Jackson typically hates to double in the post, so we will see if Duncan can take Gasol.
The Lakers are going to have a terrible time matching up with Parker... Fisher has no chance against him. Maybe they stick Bryant on him and let Fisher cover Bowen? Maybe we see a lot of Jordan Farmar?
Odom could potentially hurt the Spurs, but he shrinks in the biggest moments (way worse historically than Gasol) and he is useless with his right hand. The more looks the Spurs get against him in a 7 game series, the less effective he will be.
At the end of the day, though, there are two things that favor the Spurs: 1. Experience, as cliche as it is, against a team that has really only been together for a couple of months and 2. The Lakers don't play championship defense for 48 minutes. The Spurs just grind it out and grind it out and grind it out. I don't know if the Lakers are tough enough to overcome that. They are going to get their points, but can they get the key stops when they really need them? You could try to outscore Denver or Utah and win a series, but that **** just isn't going to fly against the Spurs.
The Lakers are going to have a terrible time matching up with Parker... Fisher has no chance against him. Maybe they stick Bryant on him and let Fisher cover Bowen? Maybe we see a lot of Jordan Farmar?
Odom could potentially hurt the Spurs, but he shrinks in the biggest moments (way worse historically than Gasol) and he is useless with his right hand. The more looks the Spurs get against him in a 7 game series, the less effective he will be.
At the end of the day, though, there are two things that favor the Spurs: 1. Experience, as cliche as it is, against a team that has really only been together for a couple of months and 2. The Lakers don't play championship defense for 48 minutes. The Spurs just grind it out and grind it out and grind it out. I don't know if the Lakers are tough enough to overcome that. They are going to get their points, but can they get the key stops when they really need them? You could try to outscore Denver or Utah and win a series, but that **** just isn't going to fly against the Spurs.
