Lakers advance to the WCF

Yeah! This is a great feeling! The last time we did this was in 03-04 when we beat the Wolves and went on to play the Pistons. Hopefully, our ending is better !

i know, pretty pretty pretty...pretty exciting. sadly i shall be leaving for a two week camping trip on thursday. ill miss a great western conference finals...im sure of that. its ok ill be here for the series that matters.

i honestly dont think it matters which team we play...but i do have to say that id rather play san antonio. they struggle to put up points and i think we have too much offense for them to really lock us down. hornets put up lots of points, which scares me because if one dude like stojakovic (sp?) gets hot they could steal a game. but either way kobe is going to be hungry and get us to the finals. has anyone else noticed how intense and focused that guy has been lookin?

I think we match up better against San Antonio, however they've been in the trenches so much that they know what it takes, they won't rush shots, they're so meticulous in what they do to win, that's what scares me. I sort of prefer NO because I feel if we get Chandler in foul troble, then you're looking at their lob play being done for and that makes it hard for them to put up points and I really feel that they can't stop us.

I actually think that we can beat the Hornets easier and we match up better. Bruce guarding Kobe? hmm. I'm shaky on that. I wouldn't want that. Who would guard Kobe if we played the Hornets? Mo Pete? Hell yeah. Then Kobe will average more than 40 ppg.

Also, Kobe's been here. Chris Paul hasn't. (Not sure if the rest haven't made it to the WCF). Kobe knows what it takes.

Odom can take Peja to the hole anytime he wants to.

Just a little fact for you guys. PJ hasn't lost in the WCF with the Lakers. (4-0). It'll soon be 5-0.

Big matchup difference between the Hornets and Spurs, they are both a handful. Chris Paul is the real key to the Hornets, he makes that team go. We may likely see a lot more of Farmar and Sasha guarding him, he is so fast Fisher is going to have a hard time. I don't remember any of the games we played with them this year, so I don't have a lot to go on.

The Spurs will be the same old thing, defense, Duncan in the paint, Parker handling the ball, Bruce on Kobe. If you want exitement, Lakers vs Hornets is going to be the wild one.

And, buy the way, I am so Jazzed we are into the 3rd round Western Finals! And we have the team to go all the way - what a switch from the summer of moaning and groaning and way the season started.

now that the lakers are in the western conference finals i can puff my chest a bit since i did call this back on july 26th of last year.

http://lakers.newssurge.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=49815&highlight=#49815

a few were shocked someone could something like that. i forget who it was but someone placed a bet on the lakers to win it all early in the season and they too got lots of crap about wasting money. funny how now if the lakers dont win the championship people will be upset...what an epic season this has been already. drama galore. you couldnt write something this good. we had great highs of bynum being a beast, acquiring pau, winning the west, and seeing some amazing basketball. we had lows of bynum going down, kobe getting hurt, several other injuries to just about every player on our team, losing to two crap teams at home...back to back, and a staples center booing our center. truly an unforgettable season...looking forward therell be some great times ahead for the purple and gold. so cheers to everyone and lets enjoy this western conference finals. then lets disassemble the eastern champs so kobe and his buddies can feel that champagne burning their eyes. im thankful i grew up in la so i could worship this wonderful team that is the lakers. we have a special team and always will...

lets go lakers!

Hey I put 100 bucks to win it all at 25-1 in Novemeber or so. It is all annotated here. You might be the sage, but I will be the sage with 2600 bucks!

LOL I remember that deal. I called you an idiot for that but I'm totally wrong now! Anything can happen!

You notice that when the Lakers started playing well poppintags left...

haha i hadnt until you pointed it out. suddenly things make a lot more sense...

Lakers4life21, you put some memories up in me. Where is poppintags??? I used to love his posts, i know he was an extraordinary thinker, but he often had great points, too.

RockyRaccoon: Of course people gave whoever crap about the Lakers winning it all with the roster they had. That would be only natural to be skeptical since Big Drew still seemed like a project and no second option. The roster added Pau Gasol, which makes a huge difference, no way that the person would have received the same backlash if Pau was on the roster before the season started. So I think it's a little unfair to start beating your cest with your fists and say look at us now. I'm one of the few that did think the Lakers were going to win about 54 games this year, but the post I started was that Lamar and Kobe would, I never would have thought Pau would have landed in our laps like he did.

noname24: You brought up some valid points about the matchup, however I was thinking along the lines of Kobe posting up Bowen like he did with players in the Utah series, I think that's where he gains a good advantage over Bowen. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the Spurs not being as fast as us and them having slower defensive rotations due to the age. WHen I thought about it more and more, I think NO would have favored us a lot more.

i agree about the fact that pau landing in our laps certainly changed the outlook of our team. but i just had a feeling about the team this year...we showed that we had the ability to go up 3-1 on the suns. yea we lost but that showed potential and also helped teach the players nothing is over until its over. then once we were matched up with the suns again they tore us apart and it was apparent that we lacked a big man and point guard. i really felt that our team from last....

Stingy Defense.

Keep Spurs guard out of the paint.

Tough Perimeter Defense.

Ball movement.

Thats the four keys for beating the Spurs.

I hate to say I told you so but I predicted the WCF before the season started. http://lakers.newssurge.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=5378&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

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Good call! Probably 10% of us fans thought we were going to go far before the season started. Experts and writers thought that we weren't even going to make the playoffs!

earL

Although any season where LA does not win the title it is a disappoint to us fans. Yet for some reason if the Lakers lose in the WCF or NBA finals, I just do not feel it will be disappointing. Before the season began we were happy that Kobe was still in uniform and Bynum actually knew how to play.

Then we get Gasol and everyone raised their expectations. To me the season has been a success because LA is in the WCF and based on the talent level and age of the team we are in the position to contend deep into the playoffs for the 5-6 seasons and beyond.

Now don't get me wrong if LA does not win the title I will be upset like everyone else, but at least now we have something to be hopeful about. Prior to this season we had Kwame, Cook, and the hope that J-Crit would be the next Chris Paul. Now the worse player, for example, maybe DJ Mbenga is already better than Kwame.

Either way I am excited that LA may be embarking on a run like the 80's.

Those of us here at Topbuzz who endured this summer of discontent after the 1st round exit against Phoneix, viewing the Kobe parking lot confession, the Kobe trade demands, the resultant fan & Topbuzz battles & discord, the magical Fish pickup, the so-phony re-harmony starting the season, Bynum's emergence and breakout, then tragic exit, the Gasol answer to our prayers, the road to the playoffs since, and now in the 3rd round of the playoffs 3-1 against the Spurs, how can this season be anything but a gain? It can't, but it can be even better if we win the West, then take the East --- only a dream last summer, this years reality if only we can snare it.