Best Teams in the NBA — April 18th

Best Teams in the NBA — April 3rd

How good is the Lakers bench?

The Lakers bench might be the key to everything

I want to compare the top five teams — LAL, CLE, BOS, ORL, SAS — to see whose reserves play a bigger role.

I first want to point out that many will argue the significance of bench play come playoff time, considering most coaches use an 8-man rotation, thus lessening the impact of bench players.  I would argue that if that was the case, wouldn’t teams like the Magic and Celtics — who play their starters nearly ten minutes per game more than both the Lakers and Cavs, and 20 more minutes than the Spurs, but that is expected seeing the Spurs have one of the oldest teams in the league — have the advantage seeing their starting lineups do more for their respective teams?  Or, will guys like Kobe, Duncan, and Manu be fresh for the playoffs, having played fewer minutes over the course of the season?  Personally, in most cases I do not think the bench plays a significant role in a teams’ success in the playoffs; however, this Lakers team is constructed like no other and, as I will point out below, their bench play as important a role as any to the overall success of the team.

*Numbers as of 3/9/09

Points per 100 possessions:

• The Lakers starters score 13.3 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Cavs starters score 5.7 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Celtics starters score 2.3 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Magic starters score 2.8 more points per 100 possessions than their reserves.
• The Spurs starters score 1.1 less points per 100 possessions than their reserves.

*This is the most surprising stat of all, the Lakers starters actually play at a much faster pace, or at least score more efficiently than the bench mob, according to the 13.3 more points scored.

Bench scoring:

• The Lakers bench scores 28% of their total points.
• The Cavs bench scores 26% of their total points.
• The Celtics bench scores 27% of their total points.
• The Magic bench scores 22% of their total points.
• The Spurs bench scores 33% of their total points.

*The Spurs lean on their bench to score significantly more than their counterparts, while the Magic’s glaring need is some more bench scoring.

Rebounds:

• The Lakers bench grabs 33% of their total rebounds.
• The Cavs bench grabs 32% of their total rebounds.
• The Celtics bench 29% of their total rebounds.
• The Magic bench 27% of their total rebounds.
• The Spurs bench 39% of their total rebounds.

*Again, the Spurs rely heavily on their bench to contribute some rebounds; the Lakers and Cavs are not far behind; the Magic and Cavs do not have as strong rebounders coming off the bench.

Steals:

• The Lakers bench snatches 52% of their total steals.
• The Cavs bench snatches 27% of their total steals.
• The Celtics bench snatches 33% of their total steals.
• The Magic bench snatches 30% of their total steals.
• The Spurs bench snatches 49% of their total steals.

*The Lakers bench, as I have documented before, relies heavily on their ability to force turnovers, more importantly, get steals so that they may get out on the fast break, evidenced by their 52% contribution.  Meanwhile, LeBron’s bench only contribute about a fourth of their steals.

Blocks:

• The Lakers bench rejects 34% of their total blocks.
• The Cavs bench rejects 25% of their total blocks.
• The Celtics bench rejects 28% of their total blocks.
• The Magic bench rejects 23% of their total blocks.
• The Spurs bench rejects 41% of their total blocks.

*It is clear that the heavy minutes given to the Spurs subs (Gregg Popovich has always found a way to rest his stars more than other coaches) has a direct effect on what they contribute to the team.  It also shows that the Spurs bench is much deeper than even I thought.  The Magic prove once again they do not ask much of their bench.

Turnovers:

• The Lakers bench contributes 36% of their total turnovers.
• The Cavs bench contributes 28% of their total turnovers.
• The Celtics bench contributes 28% of their total turnovers.
• The Magic bench contributes 21% of their total turnovers.
• The Spurs bench contributes 38% of their total turnovers.

*This is difficult to judge seeing the Magic play their bench less, so you would figure their turnovers would be lower, but does that mean their bench is more careful than the other benches?

All in all, I would conclude that the Lakers bench clearly plays a vital role in their success, and will continue to play important minutes, even as Phil Jackson shortens his rotation for the playoffs.  The idea behind our deep bench is to change the pace of the game, tire out the opponent, and keep our best players fresh for the fourth quarter, in case they are needed.  The bench has also proved, more times than not, that they are more than capable of not only keeping the game even, but extending a lead or cutting into a deficit.

Are the young Blazers really a threat?

I was reading up on somethign the Elias Sports Bureau reported.  They said the Lakers have lost seven straight vs Portland (the longest road losing streak vs anyone), 20 of 26 regular-season games at the Rose Garden, and 26 of 32 at Portland, going back to ‘93.

After watching that beat down, and hearing that the Lakers have won only six out of the last 32 games in Portland, it makes you realize that if the Blazers can get back into the fourth seed and win home court vs the Jazz (another great home team, bad road team) then they would meet up with the Lakers in the 2nd round, and who knows.  At that point, we struggle so much at the Rose Garden, that they would only need to sneak one game from us (the first game of any series is always the most up for grabs — an Any Given Sunday type atmosphere) and win out their home games to steal the series.  The West will certainly not be as easy to win as our large lead over every team suggests (currently seven games ahead of San Antonio, 3/11/09).  Plus, with Bynum’s status still up in the air (anyone hear anything positive on this guy lately?) and now Lamar reverting back to his mysterious self, who knows how we will stand up in the playoffs.

Now when we might meet up with the Blazers varies due to another tight race in the West.  They are three games out of the 2nd seed, but only a game and a half away from falling down to the 8th seed.  In the West, lose three straight and move from a close fight for 2nd, all the way down to the 7th seed (just ask Denver); and win 12 straight to find yourself with home court in the first round instead of lottery bound.

The Blazers slow the game down, limit a teams’ possessions (a great tool vs a high octane offense like the Lakers — think of a great running game that is used to counter and limit the possessions of a great QB like Peyton Manning), have a big edge in defensive rebounds per game over their opponent, and let’s face it, Brandon Roy is a legit Superstar who plays big when they need it most (two game winners already this year).  They put the smack down on us and made a big statement.

Best Teams In The NBA – Mar 10th

Lakers lose out on best record at the break

Thanks to a heartbreaking loss in Utah on Wednesday by the Lake Show and a thrilling victory for the Celtics in Dallas (thrilling for Boston fans anyway), the Celtics now have the best record in the league at 44-11, narrowly edging out the Lakers (42-10) by 1/2 a game.  However, the Lakers record is .808 while the Celtics is at .800, so the way I see it, the Lakers own the tie breaker and have one less loss, therefore giving them the edge going into all-star weekend.  I would say they are still favorites to edge out the hated boys in green.  Go purple and gold!

Why do people continue to downplay the regular season?

Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com: “Great win, Los Angeles. Congratulations. You win a lot of big regular season games, Los Angeles. But while you may fool some of the ex-player suck ups at ESPN, you’re not fooling me again. We’ve seen this movie before. The Lakers and Ko-Me Bryant will impress in the regular season, maybe even get to the Finals. That’s what they do. Then the postseason will arrive and they’ll get bullied and punk’d by one of the tough teams from the East. Just like last year. If the Lakers play Boston in the Finals, they’ll get smoked. Just like last year. Los Angeles still doesn’t possess the inside toughness to beat one of the great teams from the East when it really counts. So congratulations, Los Angeles. You’ve earned a title. Best team in the regular season.”

After reading this, as a fan of the Lake Show, I almost didn’t know what to say or do.  I wanted to email the guy and go off on him.  Instead, I write.

I never understand why people give so many excuses for a loss.  Man up already!  Why down play the wins when they may in fact be the reason the Lakers win it all this year, who now own the tie breakers and home court if they face either Boston or Cleveland in the Finals.  While even I will admit that I get a little excited when my team goes 6-0 on a road trip that includes the two best teams in the league, and I will also admit that this in no way guarantees a championship.  However, let’s not take away from what they did.  As stated by ESPN.com, no team has beat back to back +.800 teams, this late into the season, on the road.

More importantly, I saw three big problems that were glaringly obvious in last year’s loss to the Celtics:

1) No Andrew Bynum

SOLUTION – reports are he should be back by the playoffs and, for now, we will assume he gets most of his form back come Finals.

2) The team was weak on the inside as Mr. Freeman notes above

SOLUTION – defend the paint, something the Lakers did to LeBron throughout and as far as being “bullied” or “punk’d”, is it me or did the Lakers defeat the two best teams in the league on the road under impossible circumstances?

Could Ariza be the wild card that pushes the Lakers over the top?

3) Lack of home court advantage

SOLUTION – by becoming the best team in the regular season — which clearly we are seeing that CBSSports.com writer Mike Freeman so eloquently proclaimed us to be — the Lakers would secure home court come Finals and thus can exploit an advantage they did not have last year.

These three factors (four if you count a healthy Trevor Ariza; five if you count Pau & Lamar playing tough like they did the past two games; six if you count the fact the Celtics are missing both Posey and PJ — two tough guy contributors who “bullied” the Lakers last year — and the Cavs continue on with players that have never won anything, while Kobe has three rings and Pau has a gold medal, along with that guy Phil who has nine rings) all contribute to a solid bet that the Lakers are primed for a strong finish to the playoffs!

Best Teams in the NBA – Feb 10th

It actually looks like there is a five team race for the top spot after the San Antonio Spurs beat the Boston Celtics in Boston.  I am giving the Orlando Magic the benefit of the doubt that they will still be able to compete without Jameer Nelson.  The same goes for the Los Angeles Lakers without Andrew Bynum.

I have always said that winning at home does not impress me. You can tell the great teams right away by the ones that have a winning record on the road. I extended it this year to your record vs good teams in the league (+.500). As such, I wanted to know what each team’s record is against the best teams in the league, and this is what I found out. Stat’s below.

Vs +.500 Teams

*None of those records are bad, but clearly the Lakers and Celtics have no problem vs the tougher teams in the league.

Road Wins vs +.500 Teams

Vs Each Other

*No one really stands out, with the exception of the Magic who are 5-0 vs LAL, SA, and CLE.

Road Record

Strength of Schedule and Point Margin

So, after the two most impressive road wins by the Lakers this past week, they have the best record in the league, best road record, best record vs the other top teams, most road wins vs quality opponents, second best record vs the better teams, a solid point margin of +8.62, and while they are tied for the 15th toughest schedule in the league, it is second amongst the other top teams.