It’s true, the Lakers may get by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs. They may even get through the entire Western Conference and go on to win the NBA title. But, it is anything but guaranteed.
If you flip on SportsCenter or read articles and blogs around the web without knowing any better, you would probably think the the Lakers have already swept their way through the West. That is disrespecting the talent level of not only the Utah Jazz but also the Nuggets, Spurs, Blazers, Rockets, Mavericks and Hornets.
The L.A. Times thinks that the Lakers have a pretty good shot at getting to the Finals:
Meanwhile, the odds in the Western draw can be summed up as follows:
Lakers, 1-5.
Portland, 5-1.
Five other teams, 20-1.
Utah, 100-1.
The West isn’t what it was, but no one made the playoffs with fewer than 48 wins, which would have been No. 4 in the East.
If Utah looks overmatched against the Lakers, with Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan, of all people, calling its outlook “bleak,” there are Western teams that pose a threat.
We just don’t know who they are now . . . aside from Portland, with a rising, young team that won 54 games, finished 19-5, and has an eight-game winning streak over the Lakers in the Rose Garden, going back four years.
[Source: Los Angeles Times - NBA playoffs: Lakers have to keep eye on Trail Blazers]
If asked who I would take to get out of the West between the Lakers and the field… I take the field.
“Now if you wanna crown ‘em, then crown their ass”:
Popularity: 27% [?]
Leave a Reply