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slavavov
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 Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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The Pistons won mostly because Shaq and Kobe were both on their own planet, Kobe shot badly, we had no chemistry and no one else on the team did anything to help.
That Pistons team is the worst team ever to win an NBA championship.
Imo this Heat team is better and different, but we're still a little bit better this year.
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LakerSanity
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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If anything, Heat are a poor man's Spurs. Bottom line is that the Lakers have the two best players on the series and the next two are not even close.
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Sina
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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| We have to respect Miami. They beat Pacers 4:0, Bucks 4:1 and Celtics 4:2. On paper, they have no talents to match up Giannis nor Tatum/Hayward/J Brown/Smart/Walkers but they dominated them completely. They’re a tough team and are very hustle. We must ensure we could match their energy and competitiveness for whole 48 minutes. Besides, Spoelstra is a very good coach. He has won 2 championships and it is his 5th Finals presents. A good coach is always dangerous. We have no reason to look down them |
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MookieBetts50
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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2004 Finals is a totally diffent, besides a less than motivated Fat Shaq and a ref bias agianst Kobe, Phil had to start (bleep) SLAVA Medvedstinko against Sheed in place of a gimpy Malone, totally out manned in that series not to mention all the home cooking refs allowed the Pistons in games at The Palace. Glad that (bleep) got demo'd recently. Injuries and the 2-3-2 format with ati-Kobe agenda from the league was the our death knell.
Other than no Avery to mess with Dragic or DR, we got this.
Last edited by MookieBetts50 on Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Runway8
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| lordtrapula wrote: | Lakers achillies heel are elite shot creators, heat don't have one.
They have a very balanced team but I got LA in 5 but I could see it go 6. |
Agree. Maybe the post season would be different, in fact, I'm sure it would have been different with Lebron more locked in. But in the regular season, Tatum looked like Kobe against us, and Kemba got whatever he wanted. Blew Lakers out the water in Boston. In LA, when they didn't have Kemba, we managed to only win by 2. We should be able to play man on man D with Miami and don't give Robinson and Herro any daylight. |
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Lakeshow323
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, but this thread is really disrespectful towards that Pistons team. Yes, Herro, Bam and Robinson are nice, but they dont have even close to the pedigree of the likes Sheed, Prince, Wallace.
And Rip/Chancey > Bulter/Dragic
And that team didnt have to play a gimmick zone.
Last edited by Lakeshow323 on Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:46 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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activeverb
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:45 pm Post subject: Re: I really hope I am wrong but this Heat team gives me a 2004 Pistons vibe |
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| Da Beast!!! wrote: | | I remember the Lakers being the clear favorite that year too. Even Shaq said that he thought he Lakers wanted the Heat. Hopefully the Lakers stay focused. |
The Heat aren't the defensive juggernaut the Pistons were, and we're not going into the series hobbled by injuries as the Lakers were in 2004.
The only similarity I see between the Heat and the Pistons is they are more of an ensemble cast rather than a team dominated by a superstar.
I don't see any similarities between the 2020 Lakers and the 2004 Lakers. |
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hype
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| LakerLanny wrote: | | hype wrote: | Nah, I def. don't get those vibes at all honestly. That Pistons team was full of tough hungry veterans and the Lakers were missing Malone (who I believe would have been the difference) not to mention like others have said Kobe and Shaq were completely over being on the same team at this point.
I will say the Heat are a very tough and resilient team but the Lakers once again just completely matchup great on top of again having the farrr and away two best players. |
If they call an opening jump ball violation against us, I will be concerned.
Because that happened 4 times against us in the NBA Finals vs. the Pistons.
FIX |
Damn, I had forgotten all about that but def. remember now. I tried to forget most of that series to be fair though! If they call that in game 1 i'm going to be on the edge of my seat that entire game hoping history doesnt repeat itself because it is still 2020 after all  |
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RhodyRay
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:05 pm Post subject: Re: I really hope I am wrong but this Heat team gives me a 2004 Pistons vibe |
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| Da Beast!!! wrote: | | I remember the Lakers being the clear favorite that year too. Even Shaq said that he thought he Lakers wanted the Heat. Hopefully the Lakers stay focused. |
Anything can happen in any series, but this Laker team has chemistry-the 2004 team had Shaq vs. Kobe Family Feud going.
If the Lakers play their game, play defense and rebound, they should win, but again, the Clippers should have beat Denver. That is why you play the games.
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Lonzo-Lite
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Dumhead
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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The Heat are playing well and riding on the adrenaline. They certainly have some good pieces.
Any time the Lakers go to the finals, I get nervous. Because anything can happen.
That said... I think as long as the Lakers play their game... and no injuries come into play, they win convincingly.
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hype
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Sina wrote: | | We have to respect Miami. They beat Pacers 4:0, Bucks 4:1 and Celtics 4:2. On paper, they have no talents to match up Giannis nor Tatum/Hayward/J Brown/Smart/Walkers but they dominated them completely. They’re a tough team and are very hustle. We must ensure we could match their energy and competitiveness for whole 48 minutes. Besides, Spoelstra is a very good coach. He has won 2 championships and it is his 5th Finals presents. A good coach is always dangerous. We have no reason to look down them |
I disagree, they applied a similar defense that has killed Giannis consistently in big games for quite some time now and worked yet again. They absolutely deserve a ton of credit but the blueprint has been there. If Tatum actually played like a superstar the Celtics win as well imo. The rest of those Celtics you mentioned are all solid players but not impossible to matchup to. They absolutely deserve respect but much like the Nuggets they simply have not played someone like the Lakers yet especially now that both Lebron and AD are rolling.
Speaking of those two championships Spoelstra has, what was the key ingredient in getting both? I'll give you a clue.... He is now on the Lakers. Great coach without question but let's keep this all grounded in reality.
I respect the hell out of the Heat and expect some hard fought games but at the same time the Lakers are another entire level or two above anyone they have faced thus far. |
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Bol
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| That Piston team was one of the best defensive teams of all time, maybe the best. Lakers still would've won if they were healthy, physically and mentally. |
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ksmgf
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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This time Lebron and company are the favorites unlike the past 4 finals vs GS. When was the last time a lower seed (5 and below) won it all?
Lakers in 6  |
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BynumForThree
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Everyone is talking about how well-coached team the Heat are with a great motion offense and a bunch of defensive wings and bigs yet if the Lakers have their way with them then the narrative will completely change to what an underwhelming Finals team they are with no true star and how the Lakers lucked out facing a 5th seed.
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dfchang813
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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WTF? That Pistons team had some ballers and is considered one of the best defensive teams of all time. Rasheed and Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey ... ummm this comparison to Heat is an insult to those Pistons. Those Pistons would have swept this Heat team. lol. Come on now.
And Lakers would still have won if Kobe and Shaq werent at each other’s throats and Malone hadn’t torn out his knee mid series.
I remember that series painfully. Malone was one of the main reasons the Lakers even got to the Finals and when he went down it was a big blow. |
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KobeGOATMambaRIP
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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There's about 100 reasons why that 2004 Lakers team lost to the Pistons. Most here have covered the common subjects.
I think the most underrated and forgotten of them all is just how quietly taxing that WCF series was against the Timberwolves. That's pretty much one of the most nightmare scenarios. You work hard all season long and finally make it only to start getting exhausted and banged up in the WCF. We needed Kareem Rush to step up for us in game 7 to take us to the finals.
Several role players got injured that series and it took 7 exhausting games to finally get past them. When they finally ran into the brick wall which was arguably the greatest defensive team in sports history it was just too much.
There's a reddit thread where they ask fans which team is the best defensive in NBA history. Almost unanimously agreed it would be that 2004 Pistons team v a banged up dysfunctional and tired Lakers team.
(Oddly enough the next one they pick is the 07-08 Celtics. Kobe's two finals losses are greatly overrated when you consider how injured his teams were those years) |
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BunnyHop
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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That Piston series was so unevenly called. Because the Pistons had a "defensive" rep the refs let them get away with murder on one side and then call the Lakers on ticky tak. With the uneven calls, the Laker D was put to bed.
BTW the next year, the cheating ref scandal erupted. |
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mad55557777
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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| KobeGOATMambaRIP wrote: | There's about 100 reasons why that 2004 Lakers team lost to the Pistons. Most here have covered the common subjects.
I think the most underrated and forgotten of them all is just how quietly taxing that WCF series was against the Timberwolves. That's pretty much one of the most nightmare scenarios. You work hard all season long and finally make it only to start getting exhausted and banged up in the WCF. We needed Kareem Rush to step up for us in game 7 to take us to the finals.
Several role players got injured that series and it took 7 exhausting games to finally get past them. When they finally ran into the brick wall which was arguably the greatest defensive team in sports history it was just too much.
There's a reddit thread where they ask fans which team is the best defensive in NBA history. Almost unanimously agreed it would be that 2004 Pistons team v a banged up dysfunctional and tired Lakers team.
(Oddly enough the next one they pick is the 07-08 Celtics. Kobe's two finals losses are greatly overrated when you consider how injured his teams were those years) |
We never played a game 7 against the timberwolves, and I am sure the spurs series was more exhausting.
The fact is, we probably beat Detroit if Malone wasn’t hurt. Sheed was the one we could’ve stop. |
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mad55557777
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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| dfchang813 wrote: | WTF? That Pistons team had some ballers and is considered one of the best defensive teams of all time. Rasheed and Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey ... ummm this comparison to Heat is an insult to those Pistons. Those Pistons would have swept this Heat team. lol. Come on now.
And Lakers would still have won if Kobe and Shaq werent at each other’s throats and Malone hadn’t torn out his knee mid series.
I remember that series painfully. Malone was one of the main reasons the Lakers even got to the Finals and when he went down it was a big blow. |
No kidding, he defended Duncan and KG pretty well, and I see no reason he can’t do the same against sheed, but leaving Slava guarding sheed wasn’t exact ideal |
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KobeGOATMambaRIP
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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| mad55557777 wrote: | | KobeGOATMambaRIP wrote: | There's about 100 reasons why that 2004 Lakers team lost to the Pistons. Most here have covered the common subjects.
I think the most underrated and forgotten of them all is just how quietly taxing that WCF series was against the Timberwolves. That's pretty much one of the most nightmare scenarios. You work hard all season long and finally make it only to start getting exhausted and banged up in the WCF. We needed Kareem Rush to step up for us in game 7 to take us to the finals.
Several role players got injured that series and it took 7 exhausting games to finally get past them. When they finally ran into the brick wall which was arguably the greatest defensive team in sports history it was just too much.
There's a reddit thread where they ask fans which team is the best defensive in NBA history. Almost unanimously agreed it would be that 2004 Pistons team v a banged up dysfunctional and tired Lakers team.
(Oddly enough the next one they pick is the 07-08 Celtics. Kobe's two finals losses are greatly overrated when you consider how injured his teams were those years) |
We never played a game 7 against the timberwolves, and I am sure the spurs series was more exhausting.
The fact is, we probably beat Detroit if Malone wasn’t hurt. Sheed was the one we could’ve stop. |
Brain fart...but despite it being a 6 game series I remember several key injuries during that series including D Fish shooting a half court 3 and injuring himself. We already had Malone with nagging injuries. By the end it was a shell of that team in the finals.
Also you're absolutely right. That 2004 0.4 second series was intense. That team that year was the definition of top heavy. No depth and very little youth. Overall my point being that was one of the hardest roads in playoff history. |
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DrDent
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| Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:14 pm Post subject: Re: I really hope I am wrong but this Heat team gives me a 2004 Pistons vibe |
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| Da Beast!!! wrote: | | I remember the Lakers being the clear favorite that year too. Even Shaq said that he thought he Lakers wanted the Heat. Hopefully the Lakers stay focused. |
I feel you on this, to this extent: They have alot of guys who are not all-stars on their team, just good solid role guys. And of course Butler. They play well as a team and execute well. They will be a tough matchup if the Lakers do not come out and play and execute, and if their 3 shooting starts to go amiss Lakers will have issues (Heat will play LOTS of zone vs the Lakers).
With that said, I would not compare them to that Detroit team. That squad actually had better talent - Ben Wallace was a monster in the middle, defensive player of the year type. Rasheed Wallace with them became a defensive stopper as well, and could still score. Chauncey Billups was better than everyone on the Heat except Butler, and except maybe the version of Bam that came out tonight. Tayshaun Prince was just all arms, legs, stripping and tipping balls with ridiculous length. Etc, etc. That team's defense was probably one of the best we've seen in this league, no joke - their starting lineup had multiple (at the time) past, "current", or "future" all stars and all NBA defensive team players on it. A number of their guys were not just role players, they were technically really good players (some even star level, eg Rasheed back before then) who bought into the defensive scheme.
Going up against that was a Laker team that had some fairly significant injuries (Malone was a huge miss, IMO, he helped alot with interior D and rebounding). Additionally, that's a series that had a team with bad chemistry have it completely leak out...it was game 4 I believe in Detroit, Lakers down 2-1, and they were up by 8 going into the 4th, Shaq dominating...then Kobe decided to "take over" and had a horrible go of it....I learned in reading Phil's book that Phil believes Kobe, at that time, did not want Shaq to win another finals MVP so decided to take winning the game upon himself...and we lost. Who knows what woulda happened had the Lakers held that lead and took the series back to LA?
The 2020 version of the Lakers does not have those issues. For the most part, healthy. Interior D can be top notch, and have huge size and length advantage. Honestly I think this series will likely come down to whether the Lakers hit 3's just around their season average (34%)...if they do, I think they take it because it will force the Heat to scramble, leaving LBJ and AD in favorable matchups and/or the 3 shooters hurting the Heat. I also think DG needs to step up for at least 2 games on the offensive end. |
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leking006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 12:56 am Post subject: Re: I really hope I am wrong but this Heat team gives me a 2004 Pistons vibe |
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| Da Beast!!! wrote: | | I remember the Lakers being the clear favorite that year too. Even Shaq said that he thought he Lakers wanted the Heat. Hopefully the Lakers stay focused. |
Same team that Lebron singlehandledly annihilated. |
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leking006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 1:00 am Post subject: |
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Heat's offense always start with Bam dishing hand offs and finding cutters, another point center. Lakers just need to disrupt him and this is already a wrap.
About the heat's zone D. The Celtics already exposed it, it is vulnerable from lob passes, it's just that Theis and Williams are having a hard time converting it. I don't think AD and Dwight will a hard time.
Lebron also just needs to mismatch hunt dragic and herro in the offense.
Lakers via sweep or in 5 |
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wolfpaclaker
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| Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:59 am Post subject: |
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Up until the Nuggets series, I thought the Heat were the best team in the playoffs. They were even playing better than us. But late in the Houston series and the Nuggets series, and then the Heat's play in their ECF. I have since changed my mind and believe we are playing on a higher level.
People are wrong to evaluate these match ups based on the top 2 players. It is about the team's.
The Heat have played just as well as us, they have beaten Giannis' Bucks 4-1. They have some great zone defenses, they have an all-star 2-way big and some great shooting ballhandling guards and a wing all-star (2-way guy as well). They are balanced.
People thinking the Heat are overmatched are in for a rude awakening. The only thing that I think favors us, is I think we are not happy to be there. The Heat look a bit happy just to be there. We are extremely focused. I think we have a little more experience and edge.
The Pistons-Laker series was different, as that Laker team was the opposite of this Laker team. Just a few weeks before the playoffs, Kobe at a practice yelling at teammates, demanding someone own up to who talked (bleep) about him to the media about a game in Sacto. Phil was on his way out, knowing that. Shaq was in his way out. Malone and Payton were not role players, but put into a situation where they had to be. Only Malone fit in, Payton did not fit in as a role player. That team won a lot on talent. The defined roles on that team were not in place.
This Laker team wins on talent, but it also wins on execution and being a cohesive unit. Their D is a lot better than that 2004 Lakers team. The guys around AD-Lebron, know their role inside out. You never saw that with the 2004 Lakers team, which sort of folded and imploded as the series went on. |
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