Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Was the Western Conference Final the Championship or does New Jersey have a chance of upsetting the Lakers. IMO...the Lakers in 6. The Nets don't have the scoring or have anyone to stop Shaq or Kobe. The Lakers haven't really put together 4 great games which is why I think the Nets can win a couple. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crazy Dan Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Well I think that the Lakers will take it all. I do think that the Nets will take a game or two. They have talent, the best point guard in the game, and they play a tough 2-3 zone which has been driving their opponents crazy. An effective zone can be a great equalizer, especially when you have two of the best palyers in the game. The Nets love to run, and this might tire the Lakers down. In the end the Lakers will hoist the trophy in the air, but the Nets will play them tough. Also throw in the fact that the Lakers have not been dominating, like they were last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alfdogg Report post Posted June 3, 2002 It's obvious after game 6 of the Sac series the Lakers will have officiating on their side too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Beating somebody four times is hard to do if the other team is superior to you. While the Nets may not have anyone to guard Kobe or Shaq, the Lakers don't have anyone to guard Kidd. Derek Fisher couldn't handle Bibby this year or Iverson last year, Kidd should not be any different. The Nets have a small chance because they have plenty of players who can knock down shots and will take the shots. The Kings were all afraid to shoot the ball at the ned of Game 7. Right now, I would rather have the outside shooting of the Nets than the outside shooting of the Lakers. The Lakers don't really have anyone who is hot from outside right now and Devon George is a liability in my opinion. Fisher might get hot, but if he has to guard Kidd, he might have to come out of the game in key situations just as he did against the Kings. We'll se what happens on Wednesday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Their is a Final?? Why not just give it too the Lakers. I'm pretty sure the Nba isn't gonna let the Nets win. Unless their going for that whole underdog thang. But that never happens. Nba needs the big name team to win an sure as hell they will try their hardest to do so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Man in Blak Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Lakers in four. MVP = David Stern. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest midnight_burn Report post Posted June 3, 2002 It's hard to see the Lakers losing this series. The Nets may take a game or two, but in the end the Lakers, especially Shaq, should be to much for NJ. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Who really cares? The league got their marketing monsters, Kobe and Shaq, in the finals. Like I had posted earlier the Lenny Kravitz ads for the playoffs fortold who the NBA wants in the finals. Notice it's Kobe shining the trophy at the end of the ads? But it'll be Lakers in 4 or 5. What a boring series that'll be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ripper Report post Posted June 3, 2002 "Nobody on that team can guard me.. I'll be able to get what I want on the court." -Paul Pierce, before the series. Anyone want to ask him and Antione Walker how unstoppable they are now?? The Nets just left a series where all they had to do was stop 2 big scorers and they would win the game...sounds familier. Not saying that stopping Pierce and Walker will be the same as stopping Shaq and Kobe(well, actually, I think Pierce is more of a offensive threat than Kobe, you have to play that guy the second he steps across half court) but these guys play a very underated defense and a very underated offense(Van Horn hasn't played great, but he has been CLUTCH). The Lakers number one weapon(besides refs and Shaq) is thier offensive rebounding and the Nets are a great on the boards(defensive particularly). Its gonna be a hell of a series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Their is a Final?? Why not just give it too the Lakers. I'm pretty sure the Nba isn't gonna let the Nets win. Unless their going for that whole underdog thang. But that never happens. Nba needs the big name team to win an sure as hell they will try their hardest to do so. No the Nets aren't gonna win the serious because there not has good as the Lakers. It won't be officiating, it won't be league wide conspiracy. It will because the Lakers are the better team, and know how to win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted June 3, 2002 Exactly right, Vern. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ripper Report post Posted June 3, 2002 And the Lakers just happen to be the second best team out of the west that got handed a game seven(which no doubt they stepped up and won). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 3, 2002 I think Ripper said it all. I don't recall having seen anything really, really, fishy except game 6. To the Lakers credit they outplayed the Kings in game 7. Unfortunately I don't see them back to the conference finals next year. The Mavericks are ready to step up and the Spurs are riding the Admiral farewell tour. I don't see the league getting behind what they percieve as a cow town anyway. NBE-It's fantastic! Like Foley said, the real world is faker than wrestling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted June 4, 2002 The Nets are my favourite team and everyone has doubted them all year long so maybe they can pull off another one. GO NETS GO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bravesfan Report post Posted June 4, 2002 Not that I'm saying that the Lakers didn't get preferential treatment in the series against the Kings, but why wouldn't Stern give assistance to high profile teams in the East? OR teams that would recreate a great rivalry (Lakers/Celtics obviously). Who in the blue hell thinks Todd MacCulloch deserves ANOTHER NBA Final appearance? And well, if you don't see the Lakers in the Finals for the next 5 years, be surprised. A dynasty is what the NBA wants, and it's what they're gonna damn sure attempt to get. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 4, 2002 You are right Bravesfan. The NBA wants a dynasty and that's what they are manufacturing right now. As far as Stern getting behind a team like the Nets. Well, New Jersey is counted sort of as New York area and so that is one of the top markets besides Chicago and LA. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted June 4, 2002 I don't think it's fair to say that the NBA wants another dynasty. Maybe the NBA wanted a Western Conference game seven and a lot of games that came down to the final shot in these playoffs, but you can't fairly say that the league wanted the Lakers to beat the Kings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 4, 2002 I'll direct you to my post down below titled The Lakers will beat the Kings in game 7- and this from a Kings fan. That will give you some of my opinions as to why I think the NBA wants LA there in the finals and winning championships. I'll agree the NBA doesn't just give it to the Lakers outright because they won game 7 fair and square. But they did help them out to a game 7.(game 6 comes to mind) You can read my points in the post and respond there, pinnaceofallthingsmighty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted June 4, 2002 The NBA probably does want Dynasties. But, they aren't conspiring against teams like the Jazz, or the Pacers. The truth is the NBA Finals is the the least likely of the 4 major sports to have an upset. The NHL can have a hot goalie, MLB can have 1 or 2 dominate pitchers like last year's Arizona team, and the NFL is one game. Since 1980 only one team favored to lose the finals won... the '95 Rockets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted June 5, 2002 A dynasty is what the NBA wants, and it's what they're gonna damn sure attempt to get. Why? Give me one good reason why the NBA wants a dynasty. Financially, it would hurt the league... so what other reason could it be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ErekT2k Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Spicy's got a point. Why would the NBA want a dynasty when it could have better marketing if the underdog won? Alot of people have Laker jerseys right now but don't you think that if the Nets won, the people would throw the jerseys out and go buy a Nets jersey? More money right there. And didn't one of you give a theory about how the NBA wants more money? If they want more money, why the dynasty? It won't sell as much as a new Champ. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Wrong, it won't sell as much as a new champ. LA has 14 million people in it and lets say about 5 million will watch Laker games. Hell, even lower it to around 2-3 million. The Kings had better ratings for game 7 than the super bowl in the Sac area and that only accounts for about 7-8 hundred thousand. Plus the Lakers have more of a following nationwide than the Kings or just about anyone not named Michael Jordan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ErekT2k Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Lakers may have fans nationwide but the majority of them were Bulls fans back in the day when MJ dominated. They are not loyal. When there's a new Champ coming around, you can be damn sure that they will pack up and leave. There's a reason Sac had better ratings there than the Super Bowl. It's because the Kings are just about the only sort of Sports entertainment they've got. If I was living in Sac, I would of course watch the Kings game rather than watch the local TV shows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dangerous A Report post Posted June 5, 2002 My point exactly. Sac can get a max of about a million fans and most of them around the Sac area. LA already has double or triple the amount of fans just in LA not counting the outside fanbase they already have. The NBA wants dynasties buillt around big markets such as LA, Chicago, Boston, etc. Sac is just too small a market for anyone outside of the city to give a shit about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Then why weren't the Lakers winning championships before and how come the Knicks last won a championship in the 70's? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ErekT2k Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Pinnacle asks a great question. Why weren't the Lakers winning before then? They've only won 5 in the 80s and although the number may be good, that team wasn't a dynasty. They also won only 1 or 2 in the 70s when LA overran Chicago as the second leading market in the nation. Why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Human Fly Report post Posted June 5, 2002 I don't think that the NBA fixes games. But the fact that LA and the Nets (who are really close to NYC if I'm not mistaken) doesn't bother them. I don't think the league would mind a dynasty either. The merchandise they move would be a lot better if a dynasty is around. Man, I saw a Luc Longely Bulls jersey the other day! If the Bulls weren't the powerhouse they were no way that thing would've been made, much less still being worn. I've already started to see Fox jerseys here and there. The more recognizeable a team is, the more people rocognize players, the more jerseys they can sell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ErekT2k Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Luc Longley jerseys?! Man, for some apparent reason, that just made me want to go buy a Mike Bibby jersey and go to the Lakers game. Booyah! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Report post Posted June 5, 2002 New Jersey doesn't quite count as NY. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted June 5, 2002 Wouldn't the NBA want the series to go 7 games. It seems like the longer a series goes the better the ratings are. If the Lakers win in 5 than the NBA would be hurt more than if the Nets win in 7. So I think the NBA is rooting for a 7 game series, more than the Lakers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
