Champagne in my fridge

I don't want to bring down the thread or anything, but if I'm honest, I'm not quite as confident as most. I would bet money we're going to be in the WCF this season based on our talent on paper alone, I'm already genuinely expecting it, Beyond that though, I need to see us play some games together with our full starting 5 healthy before I can make up my mind as to whether we have the 'it' factor, that we have that thing it takes to win it all, to get by OKC and Miami.

honestly and I felt this same way last year that if we got by OKC then we'd win it all because I felt that OKC was a tougher matchup for us in the playoffs then Miami would have been. I think the way goes for this upcoming year.

Weezy wrote:I don't want to bring down the thread or anything, but if I'm honest, I'm not quite as confident as most. I would bet money we're going to be in the WCF this season based on our talent on paper alone, I'm already genuinely expecting it, Beyond that though, I need to see us play some games together with our full starting 5 healthy before I can make up my mind as to whether we have the 'it' factor, that we have that thing it takes to win it all, to get by OKC and Miami.

the hunger in Nash's eyes.. the giddyness in D12's face... was MORE than enough for me... bball is a game of emotions... the despair of Kobes last remaining seasons.. should add another factor... these guys are HUNGRY... NAY... ANGRY!!!... out for vengeance especially at Joseph Sternlin

pound4pound1 wrote:

John3:16 wrote:

DarthRekal wrote:im one of the biggest pessimist on this board.. but DAMN.. i fully expect a BANNER this year

I'm gonna drive through Colorado, swoop you up, and we're gonna meet up with KobeBryant8 and drink his champagne.

in Darth's car

Hell Yeah!!! Lakers 2013 Champs! Kobe's 6th! Dwight & Nash's 1st & Finally D12 2013 MVP + NBAL Finals MVP!!

This thread is gangsta....

I LOVE the optimism! Please, keep it going Lake Fam.

And Weezy....stop frontin', bro....I know you smell that 'ship.

Weezy wrote:I don't want to bring down the thread or anything, but if I'm honest, I'm not quite as confident as most. I would bet money we're going to be in the WCF this season based on our talent on paper alone, I'm already genuinely expecting it, Beyond that though, I need to see us play some games together with our full starting 5 healthy before I can make up my mind as to whether we have the 'it' factor, that we have that thing it takes to win it all, to get by OKC and Miami.

I am with you Weezy. I am cautiously optimistic but I wouldn't be surprised if we don't make it all the way this year. I do expect one or two championships out of this squad though. We have a lot of changes in players/coaches/offensive schemes for this season. I don't think it is out of the question, but it isn't a sure thing.

I smell it, but I can't quite taste it yet lol, still a bad taste from watching the Heat celebrate.

After two second round exits, this group should be motivated enough to make a run in the twilight of their careers. Of course, Howard is not in that age group but knowing he has a talented group should be a factor in him playing to his level.

The West will still be tough sledding but they now have a much better crew than last season. It is now up to Brown and his staff to maintain their minutes to keep them fresh. It will be interesting to watch how his coaching and Jordan's "Princeton" offense mesh with this group.

This team is going straight to the finals. I'm not superstitious. This team is more talented than 04's and from a basketball standpoint it's constructed much better as well.

OKC is OKC. They might be better next year. But stopping those guys requires good team defense, and with Dwight we're equipped to have one. And I think it comes down to this: can Westbrook and Durant outsmart Kobe and Nash in a 7 game series? I think not a chance.

therealdeal wrote:

LoyalLakerfan44 wrote:You know the saying, don't count your chickens before they hatch! I hate when people make predictions about something that is based on stats. I'm a Laker fan as much as anyone but we have no idea how this team is going play or what's going to happen in the course of an 82 game season. Just because we have great players it doesn't mean they are going to fit perfectly, in fact more often than not a lot of great players in one team is a formula for failure. I just don't like put myself in that predicament.

What evidence do you have that a lot of great players on one team is a formula for failure? The exact opposite is true dating back decades.

James, Wade, Bosh.
Bryant, Gasol, Odom (Bynum)
Allen, Garnett, Pierce
Duncan, Ginobili, Parker
McHale, Parish, Bird
Magic, Worthy, Kareem
West, Chamberlain, Goodrich (Baylor, Hairston)

I think those are some pretty successful teams that had a few superstars. Don't you?

Some of these players/team combinations you mentioned were in their prime and it took most of them years before they could actually win a championship. I can also mention many instances in all sports where the ownership threw money at the rosters and absolutely failed, just look at a current example the Angels. Just because you throw a lot of hall of famer's in one court it doesn't mean you're going to be successful specially when some of them are in the twilight of their careers. Like I said I want the best for the Lakers since I have been a fan for many many years, yet I hate to be overconfident only to be completely embarrassed by the rest of the NBA. Let's wait at list till the middle of the season to make an intelligent assessment of this team's potential, and possibly start buying the bubbly.

To each their own as far as where this team ends up and how they'd like to approach the year. I was simply saying that the majority of the time, when you field a team that is full of great players, they do great things. Some need time, some don't. But the way our team is built, they're guaranteed to be a contender the next two seasons (barring injury), maybe three. After that they're in a fantastic position to rebuild around Dwight.

We have plenty to celebrate right now as a city. Once things settle down and the season starts, you can expect a more level headed approach (well relative to Laker fans of course), but right now some people are just excited. Let them be, it's not every season we field a team with two MVPs (3 if you can't Europe), 2 DPOYs, and 30+ All Star appearances.

I don't think it's an issue of HOW this team will respond or do. It's all on the coaching staff how to get them prepared for each game and monitoring the minutes for an aged core. At least this time, it is not a breakneck pace like last season. I would want to see Jamison, Meeks, Hill and Ebanks given reasonable minutes without the quick hook.

At worst...Conference Finals.

I'd say I'm somewhere between Weezy and GCCLaker's cautious optimism. I have had my doubts all along about Mike Brown and they weren't assuaged by last year's playoff performance (especially against Denver).

I think Eddie Jordan and Bernie B. are great additions and will certainly help us in the coaching department, so I'm greatly relieved by that. I liked Brown's defense against OKC, so if he's just focused on that it could be enough to get us there with Jordan and Nash essentially running the offense.

Bernie is a straight shooter (almost to a fault), and I think he'll let Brown know if his substitutions are garbage. If you are familiar with Bickerstaff as a coach you'll know that he doesn't mince words. He swears up a storm on the sideline and is very animated. He doesn't lay back. I think that's a great thing in this case because I could see him straightening out Brown if he's going off the rails.

Like GCC says, we're making the WCF. Do we get over OKC? I think we should be able to, although it might be a dogfight. If I were a betting man I'd say we make the Finals and then it's anyone's guess. On paper, as Bosh and Durant have mentioned, we look like the best team. But we're going to have to prove it.

It'll be interesting watching this team gel. You know the league is just praying that something happens to us because if and when this team hits stride, we're going to blow everyone away. This team on paper has more talent than any team that I can remember, and that includes the 80s teams stacked with amazing players.

Once we start clicking, which will happen quickly with Nash on this team, we're going to just run by most opponents. Even the good ones will have to kill themselves to keep up. In a seven game series, assuming everyone is healthy on both teams, we're not losing to anybody.

That's a good superstitious plan. I'm going to do the same before the season. Buy a nice bottle of champagne that will remain sealed in the fridge until the Lakers win another championship.

Lakeshow24 wrote:That's a good superstitious plan. I'm going to do the same before the season. Buy a nice bottle of champagne that will remain sealed in the fridge until the Lakers win another championship.

It taunts you. But it tastes so, so good.

If I were you I'd just buy a pack of bottled water and save the champagne until we actually win the championship if we do.

Texas Lakers Fan wrote:If I were you I'd just buy a pack of bottled water and save the champagne until we actually win the championship if we do.

How could I not have thought of this myself?

i dont really feel completely confident until the trophy has our colors around it.
i was still sweating a 3 goal lead in the 2nd period, even with the hottest goalie in the world blocking our net.

In 2008 I bought a bottle a few hours before our first playoff game, and open it minutes after our last. I figured Id either wind up spraying it all over my kitchen in celebration or using it to dull the pain a little. Obviously it wound up not being a great start to my little tradition, but I stuck with it, and it got better .

Only year I didnt feel fairly good deep down about my chances of a "happy ending" was this year's playoffs. Still have 7 months before I make my next purchase, lets hope I have good reason to feel like it'll end well.

Lets Go Lakers wrote::bang:

Season isn't over yet, trophy hasn't been handed to any team. That said, I knew I had a reason to be cautiously optimistic early on, because we looked good on paper, but I knew we could have injuries due to age, that younger teams could run us ragged, and I had no faith in Mike Brown.

Lets Go Lakers wrote:I think it's ridiculous to crown anyone champion even before the season has started. That's blind arrogance.

I'll just be confident in the belief that this team is going to contend for a title but i won't be shocked or utterly devastated if they don't get it done. Not when you consider the age factor for this team.

All fans can really do is cheer for their team. They have no impact on the outcome of the season. The best team will win it 95% of the time. We shall see.

This.