LOS ANGELES-- The Lakers finished off the Hornets rather easily in their first-round matchup. But to hear the critics tell it, they struggled to win the series, 4-2.
In the Lakers' two losses, the Hornets played as close to perfect as a team and a point guard, Chris Paul, can play. And they won ... barely. In almost all of the Lakers' wins, the outcome was decided before the fourth quarter even started, something contenders like the Heat and Bulls cannot lay claim to.
Critics tell an entirely different story when it comes to those teams. They talk of their dominance and how easily they dispatched their opponents. It's a falsehood. Perhaps that is the reason so many critics have picked the Lakers to lose this series. Why they picked Dallas to win, a team critics said had no chance at making it to Round 2. They were too old, too tired, too disjointed. Now, after dispatching the Trailblazers, they are Laker killers.
What would prompt such outrageous claims outside of the world of jealousy and a hatred for dominance?
Maybe it's the make up of the Mavericks. True, they are old and slower, but they have their perks too. Dirk Nowitzki is damn near unguardable and was absolutely unconscious as a player to start this season. He is still hungry, he wants to win terribly bad and witnessing that means the Mavericks will go as far as he can carry them. And that might be the Mavericks downfall.
Jason Kidd is there, an older and slower version but still steady, smart, crafty and a now beyond capable outside jump shooter. Kidd can still lead a team and still has a knack for coming up big when it counts. His downfall is he is slow enough for someone like Derek Fisher to guard and for someone like Matt Barnes to dominate.
Tyson Chandler has emerged as a defensive presence in the paint, helping to anchor a Dallas defense that in previous years had been known as soft. Chandler should disrupt the paint for the Mavericks and help on the boards, but he won't prevent a bigger, stronger, faster Andrew Bynum from continuing his emergence as the league's second-best center. Chandler will not be able to match Bynum's offensive output.
From there, the matchup gaps become redily apparant, well, minus Mark Cuban's running snark and commentary. But honestly, who can possibly match up with that?
Pau Gasol will give Nowitzki just as much trouble on the offensive end, and the people who claim Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson or a 70-percent healthy Caron Butler can hold Kobe Bryant in check are in for a rude awakening. Bryant may be aging, but that age has him at the third-best player in the world instead of first or second. Ron Artest will be a nightmare for Marion, or anyone else he guards, while Matt Barnes will finish you off what Artest doesn't do first.
The X-factor, as usual, is Lamar Odom. As he goes, so will the Lakers bench. When he gets going, so do they. With no one to guard Odom, the second string will see various opportunities open up for all the role players. As we saw this season, the Lakers bench is more than capable of lighting up opposition just like the first team does.
It comes down to depth as well as offensive and defensive weapons, and the Lakers have them in abundance, not even considering the Lakers' experience making it to the Finals or their success against the Mavericks throughout the last decade. Dallas may have three players who can make life tough for the Lakers, but Los Angeles has six or seven of their own, and that will prove to be too much for the Mavericks.
Of course if critics tell it, Lakers equals Kobe Bryant and he, according to them, is washed up, no longer consistently great. Only time will tell, but when the dust settles out west, the Lakers will be the only gunslingers still standing.
Series Prediction: Lakers in 5
Keys to Winning:-- Establish the post presence early
-- Heavy focus on the defense of Jason Terry, Marion and possibly Butler, if he plays.
-- Getting Lamar Odom involved and productive. His productiviy will improve the rest of the bench.
-- Make Mark Cuban lose his mind. This should be the most entertaining part of this series.
