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2008
NBA Playoff Predictions
2008 LA Lakers v. Utah Jazz Playoff Predictions
The Jazz advanced to the
Western Conference Finals last season and are
the best home team in the league, but with home
court not in their favor, can they contend with
Kobe Bryant and the power house Lakers, who
rolled past the Denver Nuggets in four games.
Will Utah's experience give them any sort of an
edge or has the Lake Show returned to the NBA?
Jimmy Boyd gives
you the skinny in his Jazz/Lakers round two
NBA Playoffs predictions.
Boyd's Argument:
The Jazz showed they could beat a Yao Ming-less
Rockets team on the road, jumping out to a 2-0
lead against the Rockets with back-to-back road
wins, but they have already failed to win game 1
in LA with Kobe Bryant, Pao Gasol, Lamar Odom
and company proving to be too much. While size
and depth was a big advantage for Utah in round
one, now they have plenty of both to contend
with. But you have to give Utah a chance here
because they were the best team in the NBA at
home. If the Jazz can defend their home court,
then all they have to do is steal one road game.
I will agree that the Jazz are a better team
than most give them credit for. Mehmet Okur is a
good big who can step away from the hoop to
knock down threes. Carlos Boozer is an
undersized post who was a major force in the
playoffs last season. Deron Williams is the best
player on the Jazz, but he depends on his
teammates to score as he is, first and foremost,
the facilitator. Andrei Kirilenko is the closest
thing Utah has to a defensive stopper, but he
had trouble stopping Tracy McGrady last series.
I guess what I'm saying is that Utah is a good
team, but it appears to lack that certain
star-quality that Kobe Bryant and Pao Gasol
bring to the table for the Lakers. Another way
of putting it is that they are "good but not
great".
The Lakers are hitting on all cylinders right
now and the entire team is feeding off the
unwavering confidence that Kobe Bryant brings
each and every night. The addition of Pao Gasol
instantly made the Lakers a threat to win it all
and with Kobe putting full trust in his
teammates, who have not disappointed all season,
the Lakers are the most well-oiled machine in
the league right now.
Another factor that cannot be overlooked is LA's
coaching advantage. There is no doubting that
Jerry Sloan is a great coach. He had a lot of
great years with Stockton and Malone. But Phil
Jackson's Bulls were always waiting for them in
the Finals. This brings me to my point that
Sloan is yet to win the big one while Phil has
rings on nearly every finger.
Prediction:
I have already given away that I like the Lakers
to win this series, and really, I think they
will dominate. That's how focused they are right
now. Utah's inconsistency in its series with the
Rockets has not given me much confidence in
them. Take the Lakers to win this series in five
games.
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Other Round 2 Series Predictions:
Updated May 2nd, 2008
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