I know that most folks don’t think the Lakers are going to even challenge the Suns in the first round, much less win the series. I, however, think it will be a battle and the Lakers may even triumph. Why? Because we didn’t have a full roster until the last few games. No one has seen this Lakers team since the early part of the season. Lamar, Kwame, Luke, VladRad, Mo Evans and Brian Cook have all had very long stints on the injured list.
At the beginning of the season, the Lakers were surprisingly good and people were starting to consider them among the top teams. The only thing that changed was injuries.
Now, on the good side, everyone is back and that gives them a chance. The bad part is that none of those guys I listed are 100% and even worse, the whole team is not used to playing together. Hopefully, it will come back quickly. Being used to your teammates, anticipating their moves, intuitively knowing where they are or will be is what makes the elite teams great. They can pass to where guys are going to be and not wait until they get there and the defense has time to react.
The Suns have dismissed the Lakers and are already looking to the next round. THAT is a cardinal sin and may cause their undoing. Didn’t the same thing happen last year? Last year the Lakers were one shot from taking that series and took that team to a 7th game. You’d think they’d show more respect for the Lakers and show a little humility. As a Lakers fan, I like their attitude… Lakers in 6!