IF 2 + 2 = 4, THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE DEAD IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS...
By Kelso Sturgeon
It certainly is not my intent to rub salt in the wounds of those legions of suckers who took the Los Angeles Lakers at 1-2 to win the NBA Playoffs. Just call this move at the betting windows a classic example of denial.
Only the blind and those who bet with their hearts instead of their heads did not see this coming, this complete collapse of the most over-rated team in the recent history of the NBA playoffs.
It's all elementary and very basic.
Old players with bad knees, ankles and feet, and with warped egos driven by great admiration for that guy they see in the mirror when shaving each day, won't get it at this level of play. The trump card of young blue collar players with no egos will most always prevail.
So what do we have here as the Lakers head into Sunday's showdown in Detroit with the underdog Pistons who just beat them by 20 points in their last game?
The Pistons, who lead the best-of-seven championship round 2-1, and who should be up 3-0, are 1 1/2-point favorites to go up 3-1 with the next, and possibly final, game set for Tuesday in the Motor City.
As a bettor I have put my money on Detroit in each of the three games played thus far and stand 2-0-1 against the number. I have bet even more on the "under" in each contest and stand 2-1 in that category. Nothing will change when these teams take the court at The Palace Of Auburn Hills 22,076 of the most rabid fans in the NBA.
WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH THE LAKERS...
The blind are still asking what's happening, man. These are the Los Angeles Lakers. These are the champions-the best team the NBA has seen since the 1980s when The Bird and The Magic ruled the game with their respective teams-the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
They'll bounce back. They always do.
Wake up, my friend. Enter the world of reality.
Here is exactly what is happening.
For openers, Detroit coach Larry Brown is giving Lakers coach Phil Jackson the coaching lesson of a lifetime and Jackson hasn't yet figured that out. Brown has identified and isolated every single strength and weakness of the Lakers and has a game that literally destroys those strengths and exploits those weaknesses.
This is why Brown has decided to play center Shackle O'Neal, the dominate big man in the game, one-on-one, instead of the usual double and triple-teams others have thrown at him. Instead, Brown has focused on the guy Jackson selected to be the go-to guy for the Lakers, Kobie Bryant.
This is why the Lakers are still trying to get the ball to Bryant, who is double and triple-teamed every time it hits has hands. This has made Bryant shoot more quickly that he wants to and has for the most part kept him from ever getting into any rhythm.
You can bet going into Sundays game Jackson will have made a few changes himself, finally figuring out the obvious. Brown will be ready for that too and the youthful Pistons will just shift gears again.
And that is just the beginning.
It is obvious in breaking down the Lakers, Brown was successful in convincing his players it was the little things that count. If a Lakers player's favorite shot is from 12 feet out, the Piston defense is making him take that shot from 13 feet. If a Lakers player's best move is to the right, the Piston defense is making him go to the left.
The beat goes on and the chaos created by the little things has made Los Angeles look like a team of club-footed circus clowns playing a little playground basketball.
AGE IS A MAJOR FACTOR...
Another major factor in the inability of the Lakers to manhandle Detroit in the manner they have done some teams in the past is age.
The average age of the Los Angeles starting lineup is 32.0 years while the Pistons are a mere 25.8. Age and experience are always on a collision course in sports and it is the former that eventually trumps the latter.
For the record, here are the ages of each starting lineup in this series.
--At the forwards, the Lakers start Devean George(26) and Karl Malone (40). Detroit counters with Tayshawn Prince (24) and Rasheed Wallace (29).
--At the center spot, the Lakers have O'Neal (32) while the Pistons counter with Ben Wallace (29).
--At the guard spots, the Lakers have Bryant (26) and Gary Payton (36). For Detroit it is Richard Hamilton (26) and Chauney Billips (27).
The realities of age and the wear and tear that goes with it have made a major contribution to the ineffectiveness of Los Angeles.
Malone, warrior that he is, is playing with a knee so sore he could not even walk if it were not for the fact it is frequently drained, with much of the pain masked for at least a half by some rather harsh chemicals. Age 40.
Payton, warrior that he is, is trying to compete with the insteps on both his feet so sore the pain is unbearable. Sunday, he will play with specially fitted over-sized shoes to help him a bit. Age 36.
O'Neal, warrior that he is, plays with painful knee condition. Age 32.
With so many wheels compromised, one does not have to be a genius to figure out where this goes.
THE END RESULT IS SIMPLE...
When one factors into the equation the elements of coaching, age and injuries, 2 + 2 =4. Do the math and it is no longer a guess as to where this championship round is going.
Regardless of the Lakers individual talent (and the Lakers make certain everybody knows it is "individual") the better coached and younger Pistons are going to continue to dominate.
What you saw in that 20-point, 88-68, blowout Detroit win Thursday night is pretty much what you will see until the championship is won by the Pistons.
Detroit will continue to..
--Contest every single Lakers shot with an intense in-our-face defense.
--Win the battle of loose balls through the quickness and hustle of youth.
--Use ever trick in the business to keep the Lakers offense in complete chaos.
--Take advantage of a Lakers team that refuses to play defense for more than five minutes a game.
As I said, you do the math.
By Kelso Sturgeon
It certainly is not my intent to rub salt in the wounds of those legions of suckers who took the Los Angeles Lakers at 1-2 to win the NBA Playoffs. Just call this move at the betting windows a classic example of denial.
Only the blind and those who bet with their hearts instead of their heads did not see this coming, this complete collapse of the most over-rated team in the recent history of the NBA playoffs.
It's all elementary and very basic.
Old players with bad knees, ankles and feet, and with warped egos driven by great admiration for that guy they see in the mirror when shaving each day, won't get it at this level of play. The trump card of young blue collar players with no egos will most always prevail.
So what do we have here as the Lakers head into Sunday's showdown in Detroit with the underdog Pistons who just beat them by 20 points in their last game?
The Pistons, who lead the best-of-seven championship round 2-1, and who should be up 3-0, are 1 1/2-point favorites to go up 3-1 with the next, and possibly final, game set for Tuesday in the Motor City.
As a bettor I have put my money on Detroit in each of the three games played thus far and stand 2-0-1 against the number. I have bet even more on the "under" in each contest and stand 2-1 in that category. Nothing will change when these teams take the court at The Palace Of Auburn Hills 22,076 of the most rabid fans in the NBA.
WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH THE LAKERS...
The blind are still asking what's happening, man. These are the Los Angeles Lakers. These are the champions-the best team the NBA has seen since the 1980s when The Bird and The Magic ruled the game with their respective teams-the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.
They'll bounce back. They always do.
Wake up, my friend. Enter the world of reality.
Here is exactly what is happening.
For openers, Detroit coach Larry Brown is giving Lakers coach Phil Jackson the coaching lesson of a lifetime and Jackson hasn't yet figured that out. Brown has identified and isolated every single strength and weakness of the Lakers and has a game that literally destroys those strengths and exploits those weaknesses.
This is why Brown has decided to play center Shackle O'Neal, the dominate big man in the game, one-on-one, instead of the usual double and triple-teams others have thrown at him. Instead, Brown has focused on the guy Jackson selected to be the go-to guy for the Lakers, Kobie Bryant.
This is why the Lakers are still trying to get the ball to Bryant, who is double and triple-teamed every time it hits has hands. This has made Bryant shoot more quickly that he wants to and has for the most part kept him from ever getting into any rhythm.
You can bet going into Sundays game Jackson will have made a few changes himself, finally figuring out the obvious. Brown will be ready for that too and the youthful Pistons will just shift gears again.
And that is just the beginning.
It is obvious in breaking down the Lakers, Brown was successful in convincing his players it was the little things that count. If a Lakers player's favorite shot is from 12 feet out, the Piston defense is making him take that shot from 13 feet. If a Lakers player's best move is to the right, the Piston defense is making him go to the left.
The beat goes on and the chaos created by the little things has made Los Angeles look like a team of club-footed circus clowns playing a little playground basketball.
AGE IS A MAJOR FACTOR...
Another major factor in the inability of the Lakers to manhandle Detroit in the manner they have done some teams in the past is age.
The average age of the Los Angeles starting lineup is 32.0 years while the Pistons are a mere 25.8. Age and experience are always on a collision course in sports and it is the former that eventually trumps the latter.
For the record, here are the ages of each starting lineup in this series.
--At the forwards, the Lakers start Devean George(26) and Karl Malone (40). Detroit counters with Tayshawn Prince (24) and Rasheed Wallace (29).
--At the center spot, the Lakers have O'Neal (32) while the Pistons counter with Ben Wallace (29).
--At the guard spots, the Lakers have Bryant (26) and Gary Payton (36). For Detroit it is Richard Hamilton (26) and Chauney Billips (27).
The realities of age and the wear and tear that goes with it have made a major contribution to the ineffectiveness of Los Angeles.
Malone, warrior that he is, is playing with a knee so sore he could not even walk if it were not for the fact it is frequently drained, with much of the pain masked for at least a half by some rather harsh chemicals. Age 40.
Payton, warrior that he is, is trying to compete with the insteps on both his feet so sore the pain is unbearable. Sunday, he will play with specially fitted over-sized shoes to help him a bit. Age 36.
O'Neal, warrior that he is, plays with painful knee condition. Age 32.
With so many wheels compromised, one does not have to be a genius to figure out where this goes.
THE END RESULT IS SIMPLE...
When one factors into the equation the elements of coaching, age and injuries, 2 + 2 =4. Do the math and it is no longer a guess as to where this championship round is going.
Regardless of the Lakers individual talent (and the Lakers make certain everybody knows it is "individual") the better coached and younger Pistons are going to continue to dominate.
What you saw in that 20-point, 88-68, blowout Detroit win Thursday night is pretty much what you will see until the championship is won by the Pistons.
Detroit will continue to..
--Contest every single Lakers shot with an intense in-our-face defense.
--Win the battle of loose balls through the quickness and hustle of youth.
--Use ever trick in the business to keep the Lakers offense in complete chaos.
--Take advantage of a Lakers team that refuses to play defense for more than five minutes a game.
As I said, you do the math.
