Found May 17, 2009 on OnlineSportsFanatic: Yardbarker Blogger Network
Who is the X-factor in the Los Angeles-Denver series? Trevor Ariza. When Ariza is making threes it opens up the Los Angeles defense and allows Kobe Bryant to drive the ball much easier. Derek Fisher has struggled offensively, meaning its up to Ariza to pick up the slack. In game seven [...]
7 Comments:
  • All I can say about the western conference finals is Denver is not Houston ! ! ! !
  • Jamestime1,Man you ain't even lying on that Denver is for real and I wouldn't be surprised if they Beat Kobe and the Lakers after watching that Houston series...LeBron and the Cavaliers are finally gonna be tested and it should be interesting..I'll go out on a limb and say the Cavs beat the Magic in 6,while the Nuggets shock the World and beat the Lakers in 6...Phil Jackson and his Lakers are to cocky at times and against Chauncey Billups and the Denver Nuggets it might be what keeps the Lakers from the title..
  • ...............
  • I expect Kenyon Martin and JR Smith to blow their stack and foul out or get ejected in multiple games. Chauncey will be a better match up for DFish, but will get plenty of good looks as Fish will continue to be the weak point in the Laker defense. If Big Drew and Pau stay health and active in the paint, this will negate Denver's marginal post game and make Denver take all their shots from mid and long range. Carmelo, a 30 something percent shooter during the season will get his numbers on 10-28 shooting, which we can live with. The big key will be bench play. Birdman plays like Rodman. Shannon Brown is a pogo stick with a good shooting touch. This will be a good series.
  • I don't get why everyone thinks the Cavs are going to roll over the Magic. They just won a game 7 IN BOSTON. Cleveland beat a horrible Piston team and an overrated Hawks team. Not saying Orlando will beat them, but its not going to be a sweep.

    As far as the West, the X factor is Bynum. If he plays well, Denver does not stand a chance.
  • Both conference finals are up for grabs. Stars have to shine without taking away from the team. Lets crown the king. Lebron is the man no matter what happens. If Lebron had half the team any of these other guys had it would be lights out. Lebron is as dominate as shaq and Kobe together. He physically can do what no other player could. He is a combination of many great players and he will be a champion with multiple rings.
Yardbarker aggregates the latest sports news, rumors and gossip from around the web. We use proprietary algorithms to automatically categorize stories and associate photos with articles. If you feel an article was miscategorized, please email tagging@yardbarker.com.
THE BACKYARD
AROUND THE WEB
RELATED ARTICLES

“Kobe: Doin’ Work” debuts on ESPN

Anyone catch Spike Lee’s “documentary” about Kobe Bryant last night? Why am I putting the word “documentary” in quotes? Well, this wasn’t so much a documentary as it was a carefully constructed way to paint Kobe in the best possible light. That’s not to say that it wasn’t informative. The format is this — Spike Lee [...]

Lakers Beat Rockets: A Round Table Recap

More photos » by LM Otero - AP Game 6 angered Kobe Bryant. Can the rest of the team adopt that anger, and translat...

Ex-Jazzman Fisher wins extension against alleged stalker

Los Angeles » Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher has won an extended restraining order against a woman he says stalked and harassed him. A Los Angeles judge on Monday granted the former Utah Jazz player a three-year extension of an order issued last month against Symone Fisher.

Comparing Wade Version 2009 to Bryant Version 2006

Can he regain his spot among the league's elite players after suffering an injury-riddled campaign? Can he win without Shaq? How much MVP consideration should be given to a dominant player whose team won fewer than 50 games?If those questions sound familiar, it is because they have been asked twice in the past three years--and about two different players. My newest article for...

Lakers/Nuggets Preview

Kobe Bryant called his team “bipolar” and the Lakers have done nothing to disprove that diagnosis in these playoffs. They were pushed to a Game 7 by a Rockets team that had no business winning Game 4 or Game 6 without Yao Ming. When the Lakers are on their game, there aren’t too many teams [...]

The Element of Suprise

Okay, so here we are on Friday, a day after the Lakers lost a very important game but learned a very important lesson. The one thing that stands out about this particular matchup is how much people were expecting the Lakers to trounce Houston. This is way before Mutumbo and Ming even got injured. Everyone pretty much wrote off Houston once they heard they were facing my home town...

UNREALEST OF THE WEEK

Lost in all the A-Rod controversy the last couple years is that Kobe Bryant was once considered the biggest fake in sports.This doesn't help:For one thing, that form is just a disaster. That looks less like the Roc Diamond and more like a female part of the anatomy.Then again, maybe Bean is doing that on purpose...

Lakers Dominate Rockets in Game Seven First Half

Couldn’t have asked for a better first half, Lakers fan. Rapid-fire thoughts… Pau Gasol has been downright nasty. 11 points, 12 rebounds. Passive Pau has morphed into Kung Pau. At least for this game. Trevor Ariza got this party started with his 13 points and aggressive play. I like it. When the Venezuelan Vendetta is the aggressor, [...]

Jerry West Says LBJ Could Be Greatest Of All Time

There are certain absolutes that you should carry with you through life. Here is one; if the lion’s cage door is open at the zoo you should not walk inside if you plan on a long life. Here is another; when Jerry West talks about NBA talent pay very close attention. He has forgotten more about the game than most of us will ever know!

LIVE - Lakers vs. Rockets: Game 7 - 3rd Quarter

A great first half, and the makings of a Game 5 repeat. The defense is excellent. Pau Gasol is playing tough, resilient, and really crashing the boards (especially offensive). Bynum playing excellent defense and going after rebounds. Trevor Ariza mak...

Kobe Bryant: Credit Aldous Snow for Sasha Vujacic’s Success

Most of the time Kobe Bryant is pretty hard-nosed and serious. There are some moments though when Kobe takes off the game face and actually plays around, like when he does commercials or post-game interviews. Take for instance Kobe’s comments after the Game 7 win against Houston. Why did sharpshooter Sasha Vujacic [...]

2009: THE YEAR OF THE WHITE GUY?

You realize it’s been a strange night when Pau Gasol–not Kobe Bryant–was your leading scorer in a pivotal Game 7, but amazingly the leading scorer in the day’s other Game 7 came from another pigmentally fair power forward–Orlando’s Hedo “The Turk” Turkoglu with 25 points (and 12 assists). Sure, we knew that the white man [...]

Battier, Rockets Out; Magic & Redick Advance!

Tough nights for Shane Battier as the Rockets were eliminated by the Lakers, and it wasn't really close - the Lakers won 89-70. Kobe Bryant only had 14 points, but Pau Gasol racked up 21 points and 18 boards.  In the other conference semis though, J.J. Redick and the Magic knocked ...

Real Lakers show up, rout Rockets 89-70 in Game 7

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers emphatically silenced the doubters and the Houston Rockets, winning Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals 89-70 on Sunday.
THE NBA HOT 40
Today's Best Stuff
For Bloggers

Join the Yardbarker Network (YBN) for more promotion, traffic, and money.

Company Info
Help
What is Yardbarker?

Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond.