[llperez]

figured i would start a thread. Games at 7:30(10:30est). What are your predictions and thoughts?

[llperez]

Im nervous for the lakers. All series I felt confident it was just a matter of the lakers winning when they stepped up. But game 6 denver was on fire and was just flat out the better team that game. If they continue to shoot the way they did in that game, it might not matter if the lakers play hard or not, denver might be the better squad. They certainly get out and run more and have more guys who are capable of making plays off the bench.

For the Lakers, I just hope they leave it all out there. Ron artest is finally back and hopefully he can be a difference maker. He was playing great the last 5-6 weeks of the regular season and devin ebanks has been non existant since game 1 of this series. He isnt making shots or playing good d on gallinari.

Game 7’s are always fun. The last game 7 for the lakers was in the 2009 playoffs vs the houston rockets where the lakers were coming off a blowout loss in game 6 and came back to dominate game 7 so im hoping this goes somehting like that although these are obviously different teams.

If the lakers lose, I think evryone will point fingers at the bigs and maybe rightfully so. But the biggest issue is perimter shooting. blake, sessions, barnes, ebanks are all playing big minutes. That puts a lot of pressure on the bigs to play through double teams.

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

Yeah, Game 7’s are always fun for the Lakers, who haven’t lost a Game 7 since 1969. Literally.

That, among other reasons, is why I hope Denver wins. It’s hard for me to see how anyone who isn’t from LA or a Kobe worshiper could be rooting for the Lakers. They have the most blatantly immature player in the league in Bynum. Metta World Peace is returning today from a suspension resulting from one of the most vicious elbowings I’ve ever seen. Jordan Hill isn’t there cuz he hit his girlfriend or something. Magic Johnson says Mike Brown will be fired if the Lakers lose, after one lockout-shortened season winning 62% of his games. 

Meanwhile, on the other end, you have an incredibly driven, tough young Nuggets team that’s as balanced and humble in terms of division of star power as any team in the league. They’re led by speedy and underrated PG Ty Lawson, the gritty Afflalo, sweet-shooting Gallinari and, of course, THE MANIMAL, Kenneth Faried. They endured the Melo fallout with great nobility and they’re stronger because of it.

Right now the Lakers just look like a bunch of spoiled drama-seekers and the Nuggets are a tough young team. Not making a prediction but I really hope the Lakers lose. 

 

 

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

I think the Lakers will finally snap back into things and figure out that they are a much more talented team, rather than play down to the competition.

I feel bad for Devin Ebanks too! He actually does a DECENT job on Gallinari, but give him a break, this is his first real playing time in the playoffs, so I leave Mike Brown to blame for not seasoning him. He gets alotta deflections too and runs the lane and cuts to the basket well, just hasn’t got use to the NBA speed yet.

World Peace will be good for L.A. tonight as he will slow Gallinari a little bit and also match some of Faried’s energy.

Bynum will PROBABLY bring it on offense along with Pau. Ramon Sessions has gotta play Ty Lawson a little tougher, and exploit him on offense. I’d like to see Kobe and Sessions pick and roll in order to get the switch and have Bryant covered by Lawson. Teams often kill the Lakers with this same tactit and they should dish out a dose of this same medicine, especially when Andre Miller enters the game with Lawson.

Kobe is going to be Kobe, whether that be shooting too many shots or absolutely closing out the Nuggets! 

[What The DevilParticipant]

 I can’t help but to cheer the Nuggets on…no offense to the Lakers but I just like the Underdog story….and I don’t like Bynum and how damn immature he is….so it’s a double win for me

[aamir543Participant]

I initially picked the Nuggets in 6, mainly because A) I felt the Nuggets would outlast teh Lakers and just have more energy and depth, and B) I couldn’t see Kobe losing a game 7 on his own floor.

Now I think the Nuggets will win, they’re clicking on all cylinders, the Lakers’ help defense is atrocious, they can’t stop Lawson at all, the only way is if they put Artest on Lawson, I don’t think Artest makes as much of a difference as we all think, at least offensively, I expect 8-10 points, but defensivly I expect him to help the Lakers, but that still doesn’t sove the problem that their periemter defense of Lawson is terrible, and that their pick and roll defense is no good either, and once you get in the lane the Nuggets are really good at scoring, and when the help does come late you have shooters open on the outside, the only way I see the Lakers winning is if they take advantage of their size, because as we noticed last game in game 6, even if they got blown out, one adjustment I liked from Mike Brown was putting a bigger defender on Andre Miller. This closed driving lanes and turned him into a passer instead, but he still hurt them with his passing.

The Lakers MUST slow down the Nuggets in transition, or else this game is over, the Lakers are gassed, they’re tired, and the Nuggets defense has been somewhat respectable these past two games, in fact great. as long as the Nuggets continue to be aggresive, push the ball in the break, and close out shooters on D and bring the help, they should have this one. But the one factor is Kobe, and there isn’t anything you could do about this man when he is on. If he’s on, and Gasol and Bynum combine for even 35 points, Artest gives them a couple baskets, and Blake, Sessions, and Barnes knock down their threes, the Lakers will win, gonna be a great game.

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 there are reasons there are so many Laker haters!

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m rooting for the Nuggets simply because I love this underdog story and the scrappiness they bring whereas the Lakers (Bynum and Gasol, especially) believed they would simply cruise right by them without giving much effort.

I think Kobe and Bynum will drop 30+pts each though, and the Lakers win by 10

[SupParticipant]

1st quarter blowout Lakers win.

[HaleParticipant]

Kobe’s playing awesome without scoring.

[llperez]

Steve Blake stepping up big . Gonna come down to the wire

[llperez]

Wow, pau is holding the ball all by himself and the nuggets call a to and get it? Huge missed call

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