Lakers, Warriors: Early Comparisons

The Lakers and Warriors have the simplest and most explanatory rivalry in the NBA. All though the Lakers don't think of the Warriors as much, probably, you can be assured that you're in for a treat when you have tickets to this game. The Lakers underestimate the Warriors, and the Warriors play with shining brilliance: until of course the end, when forget what basketball is.


The Lakers have successfully assembled a superteam, but what does that mean? The Warriors' big three is arguably not that far away from the Lakers, skill wise. Let's have a quick comparison.


1. PG: Steve Nash, Steph Curry: Both excellent free throw shooters, smart players, three point god's, and PG's. Last time Curry and Nash matched up, Nash was forced into 5 TO's. That's pretty good for a youngster playing with the big boy. The Warriors lost that game to the Suns, unfortunately. I think that with the skill level these two have, the matchup is about equal. That's why it comes down to veteran ship. Winner: Lakers


2. SG: Really? I wonder who the winner is here. The Black Mamba strikes at the perfect time, deadly and unexpected. He can hit 3 threes in a row, easily. In every game, there are times where he shows glimpses of himself in his prime. That's tough to matchup against, but he's getting older. Young star Klay Thompson is going to get burned a few times when matching up with Kobe. All he has on Kobe is height advantage, which could lead to a few interior victories. Most likely, Metta World Peace will guard Klay Thompson. Winner: Lakers


3. SF: My hypothesis is that the hot shooting of Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson are going to really anger Peace. He'll be running all over the place. Although Peace can deliver a clutch shot, or make a clutch play, his skill level isn't equal to that of Harrison Barnes. Barnes is a smarter player, and he can get the job done without throwing a punch. Sorry, Metta! Winner: Warriors


4. PF: Oh, yes. This is the only matchup that's actually hard to pick a winner. Gasol is always rated as one of the best PF's in the league, but many forget that he has Kobe to make him look good. Gasol is a good, smart player, but Lee isn't any worse than he is. Lee has high efficiency, and a similar arsenal of scoring as Gasol. The only thing Gasol has on Lee is height. Otherwise, they're pretty much equal. Hate me if you must, but I'm not overlooking the fact that Gasol is no better than Lee. Winner: Nobody


5. C: Don't worry, Magic fans, you're not the only one out there who hates Dwight Howard! Howard's everlasting drama about which team he would 'take his talents to' really angered a lot of fans. It was classless and embarrassing for the NBA. That doesn't, however, effect his playing style. Although Andrew Bogut is one of the top 5 Centers in the NBA, Howard is just a little better. They're both strong, tough, and aggressive, and post up well. The difference is that Howard knows how to score on the inside a little better. This'll be another interesting matchup. Winner: Lakers


Bench Productivity: Winner: Warriors
You cant win an NBA title without bench play. The Warriors' whole second unit looks like they could take on the Lakers. The Warriors definitely have the Lakers down in this area.

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NBA Players Destined to Start Off Hot

The NBA is filled with incredible players who just want to win the title. That's hard to do when there's two superteams in the NBA. The Lakers and the Heat. That is a favored finals matchup, as Kobe and LeBron will finally go head to head. The Dwight Howard would destroy Joel Anthony.

Let's not rule other teams out though. The Thunder, the Nets, the Warriors, the Hornets, the Timberwolves, the Sixers, and many other teams are capable of pulling off upsets in the first round. All these teams have a legitimate shot of making it to the finals. The question is, who wants it more?

- Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings: I swear, I'm not being biased. Monta Ellis and Jennings are supposed to have the best backcourt in the NBA. With the added big man presence, the Bucks are looking to get it going.. They finally have what it takes.

- David Lee: He is 29 years old, and not getting any younger. Lee knows that it's time to go to work with his team's reloaded roster. Anything is possible. I don't think Lee is going to wait any longer to be in his first playoff game.

- D-Will: Obviously. Deron Williams hasn't been in the playoffs since the Jazz. He wasn't going anywhere with them, so he took his talents to New Jersey. With Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Lopez, and Johnson, there's no limit to what they can accomplish. Especially if they can pull off an upset.

- Dwight Howard: With new hope on the Lakers, Howard looks to get into the finals again, but this time, he'll be playing alongside Kobe. With the addition of him and Nash, the Lakers must make a title run quickly, and they know that. Before they know it, Kobe's jersey will be hung at the top of the stadium.

- Carmelo Anthony: I'm sure Carmelo Anthony does not want to be the criticized one, just like LeBron was. Critics are already getting on his back about winning a ring. Bosh, Wade, LeBron, and even Darko Milicic have rings. It's time for Melo to get his. He carried team USA on his back most of the way, and he should be confident enough to do that with his Knicks.

- LeBron James: LeBron has had the taste of one title, and he's not going to stop there. He and the Heat without question have the most talented roster in the NBA. LeBron and the Heat are hungry, and they will crush any team that stands in their line of fire.

- Kobe Bryant: Kobe knows that in a couple seasons, he'll retire, but it'd be nice to get one more title to put him ahead of Jordan. The only downside to this is that the rest of the NBA will hear it from Laker fans that Kobe's better than Jordan. (He won't ever be, although he is close). Kobe will go hard from day 1.

- Kevin Durant: After a heart-breaking loss to the Heat in the NBA finals, Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka are looking for more. With the return of Eric Maynor, the Thunder should look to start off strong and hit each team hard. Durant will be relentless this season in his scoring, and will surpass Kobe and LeBron as the league's leading scorer again. He and Westbrook know that they have something to prove this season.

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Dwight Howard Deal Analysis

The NBA's off season has been quite hectic and busy. It just got even busier. Dwight Howard goes to LA in a 4 team deal involving the Sixers, the Nuggets, the Magic, and the Lakers.

Every team is benefited by this deal, except of course the Magic, who probably won't earn a playoff spot this year. The Western Conference just got even stronger. That's why this isn't a good thing. The Warriors are looking to take a playoff spot, but is that still possible?

When I made early playoff predictions, this was obviously before Dwight was traded. At that point, I suspected he would either stay with the Magic or be traded to the Nets.

Those playoff predictions didn't include the Nuggets anywhere. Now with Andre Igouala heading to Denver to work with the Manimal, Lawson, and other young studs, that might change. The Nuggets could possibly take the Hornet's spot in the playoffs. Although the Hornets are reloaded and ready to fire, I don't think they're there just yet. They still need one more off-season to fully prepare to make a post-season run.

The Warriors are ready, as they've had plenty of off-seasons.

I don't think that Curry wants to wait any longer to play in a really high-intensity game like College Ball. Lee especially doesn't either. He's never played in a single playoff game, and he's 29 years old. I'm sure Bogut also wants to get to the post-season. Let's just hope that the Nuggets aren't any better than they were.

Let's talk about the Lakers. Obviously, there were going to make the post-season, already with the addition of Steve Nash. My mindset, however, was that there was no possible way they would go to the Finals with their current roster. Then Andrew Bynum was traded, and in return, the Lakers received Dwight Howard: the best center in the NBA. Obviously my opinion was changed.

This doesn't, however, effect the Warriors in any way. The goal for this season is to get to the post-season, if the Lakers eliminate them in the first round, I'll be okay with that.

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The Nightcap - 8/9: Giants Lose Finale, Howard to Lakers

The Giants split a four game series with the Cardinals after falling 3-1 in St. Louis.  Carlos Beltran gave the Giants another reason why they should have re-signed him after crushing a two-run homer to left field.

How's this for breaking news: Dwight Howard to the Lakers in a four-team swap that sends Andrew Bynum to the 76ers. Not much to say about this but "wow".

The NHL will lock out its players if a labor agreement is not reached by September 15th. I'm surprised that nobody's been talking about this, but then again, it's hockey.

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Breaking News: Dwight Howard Traded to Lakers in Four-Team Swap

According to sources, the Orlando Magic have traded away disgruntled superstar Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles in a four-team swap.

The Philadelphia 76ers will acquire Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, the Denver Nuggets will receive Andre Iguodala, and the Magic get Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic,, and one protected future first-round pick from each of the other three teams.

Howard has long wanted to be traded from Orlando, and it appears like "Superman" will finally get his wish.

He will join forces with a star-studded lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, and Pao Gasol in Los Angeles.

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