(1) Lakers Vs. (3) Suns

[Lamrock]

The Lakers won the season series, have a 5-10 point ref advantage, and have a pair of bigs that should give Phoenix trouble. I would love to see a Suns/Magic finals, but with the NBA as is, the Lakers are making the finals whether they are better or not. I think Phoenix wins a couple with their unstoppable offense, but I think LA wins this in 6.

[Andrew]

As always, I'm tempted by the joke options but opted to vote seriously.

(Are you ready, Lakers fans?)

I'd also love to see a Suns/Magic Finals but doubt that the Suns will be able to overcome the Lakers, so I too am going with the Lakers in six. I'd be surprised if they got swept, not to mention disappointed as that'd be a very anti-climactic Conference Finals, but taking the series seems too tall an order. I could see them perhaps forcing a seventh game in LA where the Lakers would almost certainly prevail, but more likely it's over in six.

And, just to really test their immunity...quote me in June.

[shadowgrin]

Douchebags, but they will still win the series even if I also want the Suns to win it.

[Dee.]

Suns in 6.

[dare]

I'm a hater so Suns in 5

[NovU]

I'm a sane hater, so Lakers in 6.

[Sauru]

i rather see the team die than win another ring so i am praying the suns win.....of course they wont. they go down in 5 or 6 and my hopes of a suns/celtics finals are out the window

[shadowgrin]

Wouldn't it be better for a Lakers-Celtics Finals to push through, for rivalry and history's sake? Or are you afraid that the Lakers will use the Celtics in mopping the TD Garden?

[jonthefon]

Waiting for benji to show up in order to ask this random question I pose: how does this Suns offense compare to the 2002-2003 Dallas Mavericks? Just curious, since both seem to have reached the stage where they can basically look really bad shooting the ball for large chunks of a game, and end up with 100 anyway. And y'know, Steve Nash.
Yes, I will turn everything I say into something about the Mavs, because I'm an attention whore.

Go Suns though, but I can't imagine them winning unless they really get the jump on LA and won the first two games on the road.

[Andrew]

i rather see the team die than win another ring so i am praying the suns win.....of course they wont. they go down in 5 or 6 and my hopes of a suns/celtics finals are out the window

Along with another triple overtime thriller, a la 1976?

[Fresh8]

Lakers in 4.

Was talking to The X today at the pub and we were both talking about how the Thunder seem to have woken up the Lakers. Pau Gasol is playing brilliantly and Kobe Bryant averaged 30 points in the second round.

As shadowgrin said, would be good to see Boston-LA matchup in Finals. All hinges on Game 5 of Boston-Cavs... I think Boston can win their series in 6 if they win Game 5.

[Sauru]

game 1 still killing me in the celts series but anyway.

no shadow i dont think the lakers would destroy the celtics, i think the celtics are as good as any team in the league right now. i just dont want to see the lakers in the finals,ever. on top of that the suns really deserve to make one and then quickly lose to my celts or destroy the cavs one of the 2

[shadowgrin]

Spoken like a true fan.
I also think the Celtics are more than capable of advancing, they do have the best PG in the postseason playing for them.
There I said it, Nash fans.

[Oznogrd]

Rondo is the best PG in the playoffs currently, no denying

But Steve Nash is ridiculous while wearing an eye patch

So...


So Rondo is only slightly > Steve The Pirate...Nash

[Jackal]

Lakers in 5.

[Andrew]

Possibly some good news for the Suns: Long rest could make Suns’ Lopez available

[rise]

Every single player on the Lakers is a total douchebag

That's why I voted Suns in 6.

No really. Suns in 6. If Nash, Amare, Grant Hill, J-Rich, and Fry can really play hard next week, we're in for one HELL of a series!

J-Rich>Kobe
no really, played this matchup last week. Fantasy team I have Richardson (i was bobcats) and somehow the Lakers still pick Kobe! When I played them, J-Rich had like fifty points and Kobe didn't even hit 30. J-Rich has the potential to blow the Lakers out of here, but he just needs to be consistant

[Dee.]

Fantasy leagues are for lifeless jerks.

[Sauru]

Fantasy leagues are for lifeless jerks.

so are online forums, mmo games, comic books, facebook and twitter, and blogs

[Dee.]

I Wouldn't say that about forums.
everything else is pretty true.

[Andrew]

I think Sauru's point was that you can look down on any activity and dismiss it with the tired rhetoric that it's a pursuit for the socially inept and friendless. It's too convenient an ad hominem online.

[Axel The Great]

12 douchebags will advance to the NBA Finals in 5 games.

[Sauru]

I think Sauru's point was that you can look down on any activity and dismiss it with the tired rhetoric that it's a pursuit for the socially inept and friendless. It's too convenient an ad hominem online.

[Rip32]

I'm actually really excited for this series. The Kwame Brown Laker teams had some great battles with the Suns earlier in the decade and we can only hope that same type of excitement comes with this series.

At glance it's an interesting match-up as well:

Nash-Fisher ... Fisher may have an easier time on offense, but Nash is going to run him ragged I think.

Richardson-Kobe ... ESPN has told me 12456 times that Richardson is the Suns' key ingredient to winning. Kobe should just worry about shutting him totally down and getting his in the least amount of shots (I don't see him doing the latter every game).

Hill-Artest ... Whoever shoots better wins.

Gasol-Amare ... I don't know what to make of this. Pau is a really solid defender, but Amare has such a powerful/diverse game that I don't know if he's going to be slowed down. I don't think Gasol will be slowed on the other side either though.

Frye-Bynum ... Defensively and inside it's Bynum-Bynum-Bynum and when Channing Frye sits on the perimeter it removes all that defense and rebounding.

I can't wait

[atlwarrior]

I'm actually really excited for this series. The Kwame Brown Laker teams had some great battles with the Suns earlier in the decade and we can only hope that same type of excitement comes with this series.

At glance it's an interesting match-up as well:

Nash-Fisher ... Fisher may have an easier time on offense, but Nash is going to run him ragged I think.

Richardson-Kobe ... ESPN has told me 12456 times that Richardson is the Suns' key ingredient to winning. Kobe should just worry about shutting him totally down and getting his in the least amount of shots (I don't see him doing the latter every game).

Hill-Artest ... Whoever shoots better wins.

Gasol-Amare ... I don't know what to make of this. Pau is a really solid defender, but Amare has such a powerful/diverse game that I don't know if he's going to be slowed down. I don't think Gasol will be slowed on the other side either though.

Frye-Bynum ... Defensively and inside it's Bynum-Bynum-Bynum and when Channing Frye sits on the perimeter it removes all that defense and rebounding.

I can't wait

Bro the Suns are not going to matchup Channing Frye against Bynum if they know what's good for them. Theyre most likely going to start Jarron Collins like theyve been doing. Its too bad they dont have Robin Lopez right now. Its better him than either of the two.