Topic: 2019 NBA Pre-Season - page 312. (Read 903008 times)

Nah, the Lakers are no contenders.
I don't see them beating a team like the Nuggets, Mavs, CLippers or even OKC in 7 games. Sure they play well at home but that's it.

Winning this tournament means nothing. They won 3 elimination games in a best of 1 series, that's it.
Also you should't forget, LBJ or AD are still to get an injury this season, as they so often do the last years. Once this happens they will drop in the rankings as well. And if they don't have home court advantage in at least the 1st round they will bust out in that one.

It is obvious that Lakers are decent enough that they won this one, so I think they should be decent enough to be "contenders", doesn't mean they may win but they are contenders.

The real one I believe could be the biggest is still Bucks and even after them showing nothing of that caliber so far, I think they are still great, Dame and Giannis together is a much better duo than both Jokic and Murray or Lebron and AD, because Dame and Giannis could do what they do with a lot better perfection and could become something much bigger. Their pick and roll feels quite unstoppable, how could you manage to prevent them from scoring? They both are great at what they do and even all by themselves on iso plays they are good enough.

That is a good point. I also think they have a chance but not so high. That being said, Lebron is playing better than he has in 5-6 years. Davis is a huge force under the basket. Reaves is back to last year's playoff form. That's all well and good, but the Lakers have developed an unbelievable wing defence since all the injured players have returned. Reddish/Vanderbilt/Prince/Rui are making the opposing wings devastated. But the key point about Lakers is how long they can stay healthy. If they stay healthy and continue this good performance, we might see them in conference finals perhaps.

Congrats to the Lakers, that was a heck of a journey for them to become this in season tournament's champ. I still give credit to the Pacers for reaching this far. I think that this is the first time again for me to seen them reach this quite far. Honestly, they've got a good run and Lebron being the MVP on this in season is still showing on how this "old" man can do.

Lebron is always Lebron, age is just a number for him and a whopping $500k for his pay check. Wow! Is this also a hint that the rumored additional team could be the Las Vegas? Hmmm, I've just heard of the rumor about that and instead of Seattle Sonics, it's going to be Las Vegas - what?

Another player that's good on this game is Austin Reaves. The kid after coming from the bench was on fire. It's like that he doesn't want to go back to the bench so he did all his best. Well, if most of the bench players are going to be like him, they won't get that much rest. LOL.

Did the Lakers show interest to Lavine? I saw a news t hat Lakers are looking to trade Hachimura and DLo for Lavine and I think it's only fair for Lakers to let go of DLo since  they got Austin Reaves. For the Heat, I think it is best for them to move Bam into a PF and look for a bigger center. We saw how they played with Denver last NBA finals and we know the answer why the Denver give them a blow, it is because of Jokic can just pump and bump Bam inside. Get themselves with body built like Nurkic or Valenciunas.

It's not about the player actually, he signed a contract which technically says "Play the best you can", as long as he is with the Chicago bulls he should be doing his thing, well his teammate might be a considerable factor to be happy with but he should adjust until his contract expires.

And that's what I will be waiting for. Will the energy be the same when the goal is way far unlike the In-Season Tournament? I mean, the playoffs and the Finals of the regular season are happening next year. Will the intensity at every game be the same as how they played tonight?
The Indiana Pacers I have no doubt because they had been playing at that fast pace in every game and they will keep on climbing higher heights to prove that even at their young roster they will play like every game is important.
That's what I want to see with the Lakers team, they are in the 5th spot which is cool but one unhealthy star could ruin it all. I want to see their 2nd team stepping up their game like what Austin Reaves had been doing every game. That dude doesn't need a lot of minutes to have a big impact on their team.
He only averages 25 minutes but he is always double digits in points. He also showed tonight some amazing crossovers and a shocking shooting display.

I’m a little surprised the Lakers won the tournament but they had a few factors going for them. First being that it was obvious LeBron wanted this more than anyone else and it showed with him getting the MVP. Secondly, they didn’t face any of the elite teams in the NBA. This is a good sign for them, but a playoff run will be much much harder.

The fact that the Lakers are the in-season tournament champions means nothing in that regard. I mean, there's a lot of competition in the regular season, and now there are teams that have a better chance to be champions than the Lakers. Nevertheless, I don't rule out that the Lakers can go far in the playoffs if Davis and LeBron are healthy.

Although I lost on that match since I bet on Pacers still happy to see the result. Seeing Lebron really perform well plus AD perform out of this world makes me forget my bet and cheer for Lakers  .  We really see how dominant they are and if this performance continue for sure Lakers will have a lot of potential to win a championship and I believe since they win the In-game championship for sure they are so hyped then their next target is to be declared as 2023-2024 NBA champion and for sure this is their next target.

Big congrats to Lakers for becoming NBA in season champs but also big congrats for LeBron and his MVP win award who is well deserved in my opinion even if AD really played great during this tournament. Now , the job is done , they can actually focus on NBA games and maybe it's time to deliver a winning streak. 

They are still in the race if not the favorite but still one of those competitors as long as AD and LeBron are healthy and the rest of the squad
are also adjusting and adopting with how both stars are playing the game.

They've got the role players who can also bring that rhythm just need those good blends and chemistries to each other, which is still possible to develop
as the league still far to the next round.

Though, still the fact remains as when AD got another injury the winning chance of Lakers falls so better to make a good use of him
to prevent any major injury to take place.

And you are not wrong about it, the Los Angeles Lakers became the In-Season Tournament Champion so Congrats to the LA Lakers, in that game the Indiana Pacers also did a great job but for sure the Lakers are just that good of a team, and Anthony Davis is so much Crisp in that game getting a double-double of 20 rebounds and 41 points that was an excellent game for him and an excellent game for the Lakers actually with the help of Austin Reaves 28 points and Lebron James double-double of 11 rebounds and 24 points it is all clear who has won this game,


I think Draymond Green is getting out of hand and in the heat of the match the game is getting so much on him, and for sure because Chet Holmgren is running towards the rim and Draymond was I think not pushing but a light push in my opinion but because Andrew Wiggins was there it looks like Chet Holmgren is just acting like he was push hard by Draymond, but it was all tactical illusion in Holmgren's part,


For sure the Indiana Pacers did well and Tyrese Haliburton is the main man for them if you look at the Tyrese Haliburton special against the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks in those In-Season Tournament games he was always over the top in his performance in this Los Angeles Lakers game he must have been tired or something but still the Pacers did a great thing in this game,

But for sure the Indiana Pacers will do a great job in the regular season for sure and who knows they might do a great job in the playoffs and gets into the finals for sure because I also think that they have a huge chance of getting into the finals,

I really want to see Zach LaVine traded to the Utah Jazz for either Jordan Clarkson or Lauri Markkanen, plus THT. I think this would be a good trade. Both of these players/team are struggling this season perhaps due to a lack of chemistry as you mentioned. Also both teams are currently standing 12th in their respective conferences.

Trades can be unpredictable but this one seems worth exploring for both sides. What do you think the impact could be on their overall performance and standings just incase this one happens?

The Lakers are in good shape as long as AD is healthy. Last season when they played against the Nuggets during the WCF, their bond wasn't so solid as lots of his teammates just came over in the middle of the season, If you remember the trade between Westbrook and a bunch of players. This season, though they didn't start well but as long as they are complete and healthy, they should be one of the best contender for the championship trophy.

The great question about this win is this; do we think Lakers are good enough to try for the finals for real? Or did nobody cared about the title here? That is a very important question, Lakers looked like a great team when they won this in season tournament, but will they be able to go for it at the end of the season as well? I am not saying will they win, of course they may not, a team that is great right now may have many issues by the end, like injuries and fatigue, all I am asking are they contenders in your eye? Are they one of the teams that may win the title? To me, they are definitely good enough to have a chance, maybe not that easily but they do have a chance in my book but many do not think so.

Yes! First of all, Congratulations to the LA Lakers team. That's one heck of a game.
Anthony Davis. This guy always steps up his game when there's something on the line and I hope he will keep that same kind of intensity when they go back to the regular season. His such a great player but it's mostly wasted with injuries.
The 4 blocks that he had were the game changers, he kept on pressuring anyone that would try to attack the paint.
What made them win tonight was all because of defense. They kept Haliburton in check, they did not let him heat up and that's the key to defeating the Indiana Pacers. Without their leader boosting them in the offensive end it's difficult for them to be energized too.

Anyway, I still love the Pacers despite this loss. They are a young team and this will be a good lesson for them. Experiencing this type of pressure will help them out when they enter the playoffs. Haliburton especially, should watch the tape on how he was shut down by the Lakers and he might learn something from it.

Congratulations to the first winner of the NBA Cup. The Los Angeles Lakers.
I bet Lebron James will get that In-Season MVP.
Edit: And yes he did.

Congrats to the Lakers for winning the in season tournament (down to the final 2 minutes). LeBron seemed like he wasn’t going to let this honor slip away from him as it was his chance to do something Jordan never did. You have to give the credit for this one to Anthony Davis though who had a monster game. Looks like he’s going to end up with around 40 points and 20 rebounds.

Maybe the Heat? They wanted to get another superstar to help Jimmy on their campaign and I think Lavine would be best suitable for them. The players that could have been traded if the Lillard trade push through, they're also the ones that will be sent for Lavine.

There's no reason keeping Lavine if he's not happy with the team, and as you have notice, the team played better without him, we know the answer to this.

It has been kind of crazy seeing the Chicago Bulls payout so well without Zach Lavine.  For whatever reason their chemistry just seems to be so much better with him not out there on the floor. I’m not really sure what it is, or if it’s really more so just a coincidence..but it leads me to believe they’ll be pushing it trade Lavine harder than ever. Who’s getting him!?

It was quite the night yesterday and I think it was no surprise that Hornets managed to beat Raptors right ? Because the bookies were all over the Raptors victory but with a few minutes before the game the odds suddenly went down for Hornets from 2.9 around 2.2 and that is usually a great sign for that team.

Happy with my team Bulls to win and it was a morale boost victory that should bring another one against Bucks or the 4 winning streak for Bulls will come to an end but still happy with this run.