Official: Western Conference Finals Lakers vs. Suns thread (LAL 1-0)

i cant wait til monday! ill be sitting section 210
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Phil Jackson starting the head games already..

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[h2]Jackson fires salvo: Nash carries ball[/h2]EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- When the Los Angeles Lakers clinched a berth in the Western Conference finals on Monday, Lakers coach Phil Jackson had nothing but praise for his team's upcoming opponent, the Phoenix Suns, saying that the Suns are playing their best basketball of the season.
On Friday, Jackson retreated from praise and started posturing when asked if it was difficult to simulate the Suns and their star point guard Steve Nash in practice during the long layoff before Game 1.

"Yeah, because you can't carry the ball like he does in practice," Jackson said, smiling as he moved his arm and turned over his palm, the symbol for an illegal carry in the unofficial sign language of basketball. "You can't pick that ball up and run with it."

The 36-year-old Nash is averaging 17.8 points and 9.0 assists per game in the postseason after averaging 13.8 points and 9.0 assists in four regular-season games against L.A.

Jackson called Nash the Suns' "provocateur" in their offense and said the point guard was an equal threat as both a scorer and a distributor, so the Lakers' defense would have to "balance out," stopping both aspects of the 14-year veteran's game.

"He's a great passer, great penetrator and he's a great shooter," Kobe Bryant said. "You put those things all in one player and now you're in a situation where you have to pick your poison. They surrounded him with great shooters and finishers so it makes things very challenging."

Before the playoffs began, Jackson was fined $35,000 by the league for comments made about Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, after he said, "As far as the calls that he gets on the floor, I think a lot of the referees are treating him like a superstar; he gets to the line easy and often."

At the time, it was the second instance that Jackson was fined by the league in two weeks after he called out veteran referee Bennett Salvatore by name after a late-season game against San Antonio.

NBA commissioner David Stern addressed Jackson's fines prior to Game 3 of the Lakers-Thunder first-round series.

"I wish I had it to do all over again, and starting 20 years ago, I'd be suspending Phil and Pat Riley for all the games they play in the media, because you guys know that our referees go out there and they knock themselves out and do the best job they can. We have coaches who will do whatever it takes to try to work them publicly," Stern said. "What that does is erode fan confidence, and then we get some of the situations that we have. So, our coaches should be quiet because this is a good business that makes them good livings and supports a lot of families, and if they don't like, they should go get a job someplace else."

Jackson made comments about the officials the very next day, suggesting some of the referees' calls might have been swayed by the raucous home crowd at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, but the 10-time championship-winning coach did not receive any further fine or suspension by the league.

Stern addressed the media again prior to Game 4 of the second round between the Lakers and Jazz in Utah. He justified that further discipline toward Jackson wasn't necessary because, "As you may have noticed, the rhetoric has declined."

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com





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Robin Lopez has a lot of potential but at the moment I he is not better than Bynum. But also lets not give Bynum too much credit now dude isn't exactly a factor majority of the time
 
Originally Posted by DARTH DNZY

Originally Posted by Nash

Originally Posted by Jerome in the House

 Lopez > Bynum 
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--I agree with Jerome in the House.
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Bynum is an extremely effective low post presence...when our offense is run correctly he gets easy putbacks and boards which is exactly what a center in the triangle offense is supposed to do.  Dude was like one of the Monstarrs in the last series haha
 
this will be a good series, anxious for the first game to get a glimpse of how both teams are gonna stack up vs. eachother.
 
I would say that Bynum is generally a little bit overhyped and Robin Lopez is slightly underrated. However, due to Lopez's injury and the fact that he hasn't played a game in months means that Bynum has this advantage going for him hands down.

If Lopez can somehow return to his form rather quickly it would be a huge lift for the Suns in this series. Like people have said, he is the best interior defender on the Suns by a mile, Amare has improved (but is still mostly bad) on D but Lopez actually makes a difference. Lopez would be on Gasol is my bet, leaving Amare on Bynum. I don't mind those matchups.

Look, it's easy to see the Lakers are going to get their points. They have too many mismatches. But the Suns can play the matchup game too. I think Channing Frye is more important to this series than a lot of people realize because if he can make 3's and stretch the Laker defense then it should open things up for Amare inside.
 
I am a Laker fan and I don't think the Lopez and Bynum comparison is outlandish. Bynum has dissapointed me. I don't think bynum or lopez are great or allstar players...just decent fill the void type of players.

GASOL ODOM BRYANT...the access of scoring.
 
As someone who is not a fan of either team I'm just hoping for a competitive series...

with that being said Suns in 6.
 
FU Stern its Saturday afternoon, I should be watching Basketball. Theres no damn sports on right now. Golf and #!!*!@ Poker.

Anyways..any word on if Sasha will be back?
 
Yep...this is what I really want to hear before the WCF

[h2]Bynum Says Knee Injury Is Getting Worse[/h2]
May 16, 2010 9:45 AM EST

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Lakers center Andrew Bynum sat out practice this week to rest his injured right knee.

However, the time off hasn't done him much good.

He participated in practice on Saturday and the center said the knee hasn't cooperated.

"It's just worse. A little worse, but I'm still able to play through it so I'm going to keep pushing ahead," Bynum said.

He will receive treatment and play when the Lakers open the Western Conference Finals Monday night at Staples Center against the Suns.

Bynum suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee against the Thunder on April 30th.

"[The problem is] keeping more swelling [out]. Not like the structure, but it's creating more swelling because I'm playing with an injured limb," he said.

"It's just something that I'm just going to continue to treat, continue to try and pump the swelling out, milk it, and take it from there."


Read more: [URL]http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap/#ixzz0o6Mhas2M[/url]

Can this man stay healthy? Is it possible? Lord....
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 Well at least he'll try to play through it. Just hope he isn't a big invisible stiff out there like he was the last 2 games of the Jazz series. Cause if he's not able to do anything, one of our major advantages in this series goes out the window. Defending just Pau is a lot easier than having to defend both Pau and Drew on the inside when they are effective.

We should have just cut our losses at the trade deadline and tried to move this guy, he's NEVER going to be fully healthy, knee injury after knee injury.
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Originally Posted by Mamba MVP


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 Well at least he'll try to play through it. Just hope he isn't a big invisible stiff out there like he was the last 2 games of the Jazz series. Cause if he's not able to do anything, one of our major advantages in this series goes out the window. Defending just Pau is a lot easier than having to defend both Pau and Drew on the inside when they are effective.

We should have just cut our losses at the trade deadline and tried to move this guy, he's NEVER going to be fully healthy, knee injury after knee injury.
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I hate to say it becasue I like the kid but I agree. While I was gone I kept hearing that maybe we could swing bosh for bynum. While Bosh is just as soft as Pau, he still is a big body. Dah well. I will give him credit for trying to play through it but can I get one full season without an injury?
  
 
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