Rick_Garcia's Blog

I am of the opinion that the Lakers will get close to winning their 14th NBA championship. Surviving the Western conference playoffs will be no easy task. They open the playoffs against the second highest scoring team in the NBA the Denver Nuggets. I don't expect this to be a tough series but the next one or two will be. The Lakers enter the playoffs as the #1 seed in the west but their big win over San Antonio recently is a little deceiving since the Spurs were missing one of their best players for that game Manu Ginobili. Still I think the Lakers will prevail if those two teams meet again. I think Phoenix is a tougher match-up because of Shaq. There isn't anybody on the Lakers who can cover him. Then again Shaq's conditioning is still an issue.
So if I'm correct the Lakers will win the Western Conference. But I don't expect them to beat the Boston Celtics should Boston win the east (and I think they will). The match-ups don't favor L.A. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are too much for the Lakers. But I will also say this. After seeing the Lakers in practice recently they seem to have a confidence about them that they haven't had in past playoff appearances (post Shaq). I especially see that in Kobe. Pao Gasol has made a huge difference for Kobe and Lamar Odom. But don't discount what the return of Derek Fisher has meant to this team. As Derek told me at practice the other day even after 11 years he feels like a kid. The only way he'll quit is if they drag him off the court.

Enjoy their run Lakers fans...but don't expect a ring this year unless something very strange happens in Bean Town!!