I hate to say this, But Lakers are favorites

[Nike D'Antoni]

I never had them as favorites all of last year. It was Clippers all along for me until game 7 vs Denver where I was shocked like many people by what was transpiring.

Yesterday after the Rockets, they put on a defensive show.


The main rivals

Brooklyn Nets - Crisis, clown coach. Steve Nash & DeAndre Jordan got to go. They got legit 5 - 6 players Durant/Irving/Allen/Levert/Harris but all the rest are shaky. Dinwiddie injury sucks too.
Clippers - Bench lacking & weak, I feel like jump-shooting team. Shots go in all great, but they lack scoring in the paint. Never feel like they are aggressive.
Bucks - Well, this team can win all games in the regular season. But everyone knows the formula to beat Giannis in the playoffs.
Warriors - Klay injury sucks, but if they pull a trade with that wolves pick + maybe Wiseman for some talent. They can get into the mix.

[Nike D'Antoni]

Three of those teams might need to sack their coaches to stop Lebron

By order who to be sacked first

Steve Nash
Tyronn Lue
Mike BundenHolzer - He has proven time and time again with Atlanta Hawks & Now Bucks he is regular season coach, but no playoffs.

[8Ball]

The only team I fear is Boston, but nobody on Boston can match AD and LeBron physically.

Lakers don't fear Ben Simmons in the playoffs and Embiid is capped at 30 points, dude doesn't explode for 40+ nor does he facilitate.

Clippers are on Boston level.

[Xiao Yao You]

All riding on on an old man


This season, the Lakers have a minus-2.5 rating in the 170 minutes without James — the only negative mark of any Lakers player (i.e. the Lakers still have a positive net rating whenever any other player is off the floor). Only one non-James lineup that has played more than 10 minutes has a positive net rating: Harrell, Davis, Kuzma, Horton-Tucker and Schröder (12.9 net rating in 11 minutes). (https://theathletic.com/2307041/2021/01/11/lakers-lebron-anthony-davis-analysis/?source=rss) That’s a lineup featuring the five best non-James scorers, though the lineup has actually been better defensively than offensively, in context.
– via Jovan Buha @ The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/2307041/2021/01/11/lakers-lebron-anthony-davis-analysis/?source=rss)

[Nike D'Antoni]

All riding on on an old man

It's a shame that all of us on this board know it, even 5-year old know that you have to Stop Lebron. Yet the 29 other genius coaches have no idea about it.

[Gudo]

The only team I fear is Boston, but nobody on Boston can match AD and LeBron physically.

Lakers don't fear Ben Simmons in the playoffs and Embiid is capped at 30 points, dude doesn't explode for 40+ nor does he facilitate.

Clippers are on Boston level.

I was hoping to see that matchup last year but the celtics lost to miami. I think the celtics will still have a harder time containing lebron than AD. Lebron can make plays for everyone so it doesnt end at stopping him from scoring.

I do agree that the lakers should still be the favorites to win this year. Solid and deep lineup, if not better than last year’s.

[8Ball]

Last year's Lakers were monstrous defensively. You knew it the whole season long. They started 24-3 or something ridiculous and basically stomped the league with their defence. They carried that through the entire playoffs.

Lakers half court offence was crappy in the playoffs. They won a lot of games off getting rebounds off misses and converting it into transition points, or stifling their opponents and causing turnovers. AD cherry picked a lot and got a ton of points off full court passes after misses.

This year they have a lot more offensive weapons and have taken a step back in defence. But they are still a top 5 defensive team.

[Nike D'Antoni]

Last year's Lakers were monstrous defensively. You knew it the whole season long. They started 24-3 or something ridiculous and basically stomped the league with their defence. They carried that through the entire playoffs.

Lakers half court offence was crappy in the playoffs. They won a lot of games off getting rebounds off misses and converting it into transition points, or stifling their opponents and causing turnovers. AD cherry picked a lot and got a ton of points off full court passes after misses.

This year they have a lot more offensive weapons and have taken a step back in defence. But they are still a top 5 defensive team.

Yesterday vs Houston, they showed their last year's defense level.

[InnerZen]

This is LeGOAT's annual plan of stacking the deck...and it never fails...well it's only worked 4/10 times but still :rockon:

[Uncle Drew]

It's a shame that all of us on this board know it, even 5-year old know that you have to Stop Lebron. Yet the 29 other genius coaches have no idea about it.

Somehow, someway, every time you hit that submit button the collective IQ, which was never high to begin with, drops a few points in these streets. Everyone and their mother knows the point is to stop LeBron, but that's exactly the problem. You can't. These posts are more suited for RealGM, Homer38.

[hold this L]

Of course the Lakers are the current favorites, who else could be?

[DoctorP]

No sixers? They're legit.
Heat need a trade to get back into the mix.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

If Durant was smart, he would of went to clippers and him with Kawhi would be clear favorites.

Now we have to rely on Paul George who has been playing at a championship level. If George keeps this up, clippers will win the title.

[Nike D'Antoni]

Somehow, someway, every time you hit that submit button the collective IQ, which was never high to begin with, drops a few points in these streets. Everyone and their mother knows the point is to stop LeBron, but that's exactly the problem. You can't. These posts are more suited for RealGM, Homer38.

This post hurt my feelings. I take the internet at times seriously. You could have put things in a nicer fashion.

[Nike D'Antoni]

They are doing it again. Suffocating defense. Houston with just 10 points in the first 7 minutes of the game.
In those last 2 games, the Lakers upped their defense.

[SATAN]

Lakers making it look easy