Are the lakers gonna throw that last game against Utah?

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Thomas86

The Lakers are setting themselves up just like the 06-07 Mavs by being over confident, I might be the only Mavs fan that's not scared of the Lakers, the Lakers don't jump on teams with there defense like the Celtics do, they can't hold be leads because they get bored with it and nobody knows how andrew bynum is gonna be when he comes back.

I'm not saying the Mavs are gonna beat the Lakers in the playoffs but we a smart Coach in Rick Carlisle who is very good with match up's and didn't give his defensive schemes away in the season, were gonna have alot of defenders to throw at Kobe in Howard(if he's not hurt) Wright, Singelton and Jason Kidd, remember Josh has not played in any of the games when we played the Lakers this season and the Lakers only beat us by 7 point every game.


As for the Lakers and Jazz game if the Lakers do decided to throw the game they would still be the Jazz because the Jazz just suck on the road, I would like to play the Denver Thuggets in the playoffs or the Blazers but the odds of us playing the Blazers are slim.

You would rather play the Nuggets (who swpt the Mavs) than a Giniboli less Spurs team that has lost lots of games at home this year?

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by Bayliss

A sweep of the Mavs is much more likely than a sweep of the Jazz.

If it wasn't clear from my previous post, I completely disagree with this.

[tcat075]

Originally Posted by LonghornDub

If it wasn't clear from my previous post, I completely disagree with this.

I agree with your disagreement.

[NYMAVGUY]

Besides the Lakers trying to catch the Cavs, the Lakers need to work Andrew Bynum. He's gonna have to play every game hard leading to the playoffs. And the rest of the team will need to be on the floor while the chemistry is found.

[Flacolaco]

I think you guys are trying to divine the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of one Phil Zenmaster Jackson.

So, good luck with that. I wouldn't presume to know what that man is thinking (besides how "easy" it is to coach teams to titles that conveniently have top 5 all-time NBA players on them...)

[alby]

They are currently .5 games behind Cleveland, I'm pretty sure they are going to put an impotence on their last game vs. Utah.

[cinemablend]

I almost don't care. I think the Mavs have an equally bad shot against either the Lakers and Denver. I don't know what it is about Denver, but the Mavs just can't handle them.

The only way playoff position matters is if they can somehow get into 6th. The Mavs can take the third seed. 7 or 8 though, it makes no difference.

[Dirkadirkastan]

That sweep was as fluky as one can get.

Chauncey's game-winning kick erased Dirk's 44 points in one game, and the Joshless-Kiddless Mavs lost to the Nugs by two points in another game. Losing a playoff series to them is a likely possibility, but they don't "own" us or anything.

[Five-ofan]

i think we are a more dangerous opponent than the jazz are for them. Dirk is capable of OWNING gasol. Kobe can match up against williams and make it so that the lakers are better at every individual position. Dirk is the only player in the west other than chris paul capable of coming close to matching kobe in a series.

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I think you guys are trying to divine the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of one Phil Zenmaster Jackson.

So, good luck with that. I wouldn't presume to know what that man is thinking (besides how "easy" it is to coach teams to titles that conveniently have top 5 all-time NBA players on them...)

if he wins one this year he wont have a top 5 all time player on it.

[mmmfast]

I just heard on LA radio that Phil is not even making the trip to Portland.
Airwaves are all abuzz here about the Lakers ongoing slump playing in Portland.

[Sportstudi]

Originally Posted by mmmfast

I just heard on LA radio that Phil is not even making the trip to Portland.
Airwaves are all abuzz here about the Lakers ongoing slump playing in Portland.

I read he's not making it because of his foot?

[mmmfast]

Not sure of any injury or illness but talking heads were making fun of him.

[TheMaverick]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

if he wins one this year he wont have a top 5 all time player on it.

He's not winning this year

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by TheMaverick

He's not winning this year

i really hope not but despite the cavs record, the lakers are immensly more talented around kobe than the cavs are around lebron.

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

I wouldnt say immensly. I would say Mo Williams is only slightly under Gasol. And that Cavs team got to an NBA Finals -Mo Williams. Without Gasol the Lakers couldnt get out of the 1st round. I may give Lakers the slight edge overall but not by much

[StrikerV]

The Mavericks have always played terrible against the lakers at home... remember the big collapse several years ago?

[Five-ofan]

Originally Posted by MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs

I wouldnt say immensly. I would say Mo Williams is only slightly under Gasol. And that Cavs team got to an NBA Finals -Mo Williams. Without Gasol the Lakers couldnt get out of the 1st round. I may give Lakers the slight edge overall but not by much

mo williams is basically jason terry. gasol is alot better than him. Then they have odom and bynum.

[MavericksFan5912]

I don't see the Lakers throwing a game... but I do think that they'll sit their starters for the entire second half. To be honest though, the way Utah is playing... the Lakers bench could probably beat the Utah starting five (as long as the game isn't @ Utah)

[tcat075]

They won't, not now.

We're hot, Utah's not.

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Five-ofan

mo williams is basically jason terry. gasol is alot better than him. Then they have odom and bynum.

Not really, two different players, MO williams penetrates a lot more than JET.

[horse900703]

um.maybe~ so we better win the last 3 games!

[alby]

At this rate, Utah may end up throwing that last game to rest their guys...

[Blackspider972]

Well with Utah losing to Golden State, they are looking more and more like they will get that 8 seed.

[ty]

Will Phil rest the starters tonight?

[Mavsfan4ever]

I'm sure Phil will rest the starters for at least the second half heck maybe even the entire game.

[alby]

Yes he is.

[vinylstar]

From SI.com

Jazz (48-33) at Lakers (64-17)

What's at stake: Utah would clinch the No. 8 seed with a loss.
Skinny: Utah has lost six of eight and owns only one road victory against a Western Conference playoff team (at New Orleans on April 5). The Jazz need a win at Los Angeles to avoid, at least for the moment, a first-round matchup with the top-seeded Lakers, who eliminated Utah in the conference semifinals last season. Utah, which trails Dallas and New Orleans by one game but holds the tiebreaker over both teams, can still climb as high as No. 6 with a victory and losses by the Mavericks (vs. Houston) and Hornets (at San Antonio) in their season finales Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Lakers' bid for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs ended Monday when Cleveland beat Indiana. Nevertheless, coach Phil Jackson plans to play his starters in a game in which the Lakers can help determine their first-round opponent.
"I wouldn't think of sitting players," Jackson told Los Angeles reporters. "I don't think that's the right thing to do when people buy season tickets, special-game tickets and things like that. The league has asked us not to do that, so we have to [respect] that."

[MX425]

I agree. I think he will play the starters. Probably tell them to go out there and put this one away early and let the reserves close the game. I really doubt he would let this team win in LA when they have no idea of they might have to play this team again on Sat or Sun. Why give any team confidence.

[mavs777]

who cares? Mavs are going to beat the Rockets handily at home

[Blackspider972]

Originally Posted by mavs777

who cares? Mavs are going to beat the Rockets handily at home

I also thought they would beat the lowly T-Wolves bad yesterday. Who knows what team will show up tomorrow.

[Underdog]

.

[SMC0007]

on earth, and in the entire space-time continuum.

[MavericksFan5912]

Originally Posted by Thomas86

The Lakers are setting themselves up just like the 06-07 Mavs by being over confident, I might be the only Mavs fan that's not scared of the Lakers, the Lakers don't jump on teams with there defense like the Celtics do, they can't hold be leads because they get bored with it and nobody knows how andrew bynum is gonna be when he comes back.

I don't know if you've been watching... but the Lakers literally don't have any weaknesses. At all. Short of Kobe contracting AIDS and Gasol breaking his foot in ten places between now and next week, the Mavs don't have a shot at beating the Lakers in a seven game series.

I hate to be the bearer of the bad news...

/flameon

[Dirkadirkastan]

Originally Posted by MavericksFan5912

I don't know if you've been watching... but the Lakers literally don't have any weaknesses. At all. Short of Kobe contracting AIDS and Gasol breaking his foot in ten places between now and next week, the Mavs don't have a shot at beating the Lakers in a seven game series.

I hate to be the bearer of the bad news...

/flameon

Besides, even if the unthinkable began to take place, keep in mind that this would be:

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol*, and the Showtime Lakers

vs.

Mark Cuban racking up fines.

He probably wouldn't need it, but Stern has a backup plan just in case. (Hint: 8 on 5.)

[nowhereman]

Did a little hunting and i found this

http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/...4.4393810.html

Lakers won't pull punches

It'll be business as usual against Utah, a possible first-round opponent


EL SEGUNDO - Just because tonight's regular-season finale against Utah could be a first-round playoff preview doesn't mean the Lakers are especially concerned about revealing any secrets.

They won't rest any starters, alter their rotation or run a vanilla offensive scheme, holding back only a seldom-seen set or matchup advantage they might want to exploit in a potential playoff series.

"I don't think there's anything that teams haven't seen from each other that all of a sudden you can pull out to make a huge impact on a series," point guard Derek Fisher said. "Particularly if it's Utah, we've played them it seems like 20 times in the past 18 months. I don't think there are any secrets at all."

It's still not a certainty the Jazz will be the Lakers' first-round opponent, but that appears to be the most likely outcome. If the Lakers beat Utah tonight, the Jazz will return this weekend to open the playoffs. If Utah wins tonight, there are three possible first-round opponents for the Lakers -- Utah, Dallas and New Orleans -- depending what happens Wednesday.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson insists he doesn't have a preference between facing Dallas or Utah, not that he'd reveal it if he did. And even if he'd rather avoid a potentially physically draining series with the Jazz, Jackson insists that ethically he wouldn't feel comfortable trying to lose on purpose to increase Utah's chances of moving up to the No. 7 seed.

"You have to play the game the right way," he said. "Otherwise too many things can happen."

Any tangible significance to tonight's game for the Lakers evaporated Monday night when Cleveland defeated Indiana to clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Securing the NBA's best record was a goal the Lakers set for themselves before the season, but they were already speaking about it in the past tense after practice Monday afternoon.

"In the unlikely event that we are so lucky to get to the Finals, then that's going to be taken care of then," Jackson said. "It's not ultimately something that we're going to mourn right now or rue the fact we're not there right now. We've had a great season. We've put a good run on. They did better than we did."

One thing the Lakers are determined to avoid is a spirit-lifting Utah victory that would raise the Jazz's confidence entering a playoff series. Utah is 1-1 against the Lakers this season, both teams winning on their home courts.

"I think you can send a message," Pau Gasol said. "You definitely want to make sure they know we're a team they're not going to beat."

[mavs777]

Originally Posted by Blackspider972

I also thought they would beat the lowly T-Wolves bad yesterday. Who knows what team will show up tomorrow.

they did

[MavsWiLLHaVeRinGs]

Kobe already has AIDS.

[LonghornDub]

Lakers are playing their guys.

[Fidel]

But they don´t look sharp.