Shirts and Skins Give Advice on NBA Basketball: April 11

by Bodog Sportsbook | Apr 11 2008

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers

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Q:  Kobe Bryant is regarded as the best player in the world. He has never won a MVP and even though he’s having another career year he still might not get the MVP honors. What’s up with that?

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Melissa - What’s up? I’ll tell you what’s up. The definition of “valuable” is not the same as the definition of “best”. Sure, he’s a super star, but if Kobe decided to take some time off to go swimming in the Amazon for a week, the Lakers would still be a strong team. I can’t say it enough times: a valuable player is the guy the team can’t do without for even a second if they want to win. Like Chris Paul. He’s valuable because he helps the rest of the Hornets score lots of points. He passes the ball, not the buck. Now that’s valuable.

Jimmy - Well, he’s not the NBA’s leading scorer. That would be LeBron James. Not to mention – right or wrong – he still has that reputation of being a selfish player. Steve Nash won back-to-back MVP’s by dishing the ball and making others better. Apparently, that’s what the voters want.

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Q: With only a few games left in the regular season, is this game just a formality or are both teams treating this game as playoff game?

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Melissa - Both teams will be treating this match as a playoff game for sure. The Spurs will be doing their best to stick it to the Lakers. If they can take out some key players by way of kicking ass – and I mean that literally – they will. Both teams will be testing the waters to find weak spots in each other’s strategies in case they meet in the playoffs.   

Jimmy - No game is a formality in the West while teams are still battling for seedings, so this one is important. Many experts believe the Lakers and Spurs are the two best teams in the conference (no offense, New Orleans). If that’s the case – and it just might be – the winner of this game should head into the postseason with a nice shot of confidence.

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Q: Kobe Bryant believes his team has all the pieces to make a championship run. Is this team good enough to come out of the competitive Western Conference as champions?

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Melissa - You bet they’re good enough to be champions. That Kobe is a pretty smart cookie. There’s only two pieces to this puzzle, and Mr. Bryant is one of them. 
If the simplicity of the math isn’t enough, Pau Gasol (also known as the other piece) can really pull off that Jesus look, which is enough to creep out the competition and throw off their games. That’s all you need to be champions, folks. You heard it here first.

Jimmy - Absolutely. Bryant plus Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are an intimidating threesome. Don’t believe this expert? The oddsmakers have the Lakers as the 9/4 favorites to win the West. After that, it’s the Spurs at 11/4 followed by the Suns at 4/1.

> Get your NBA Basketball odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.

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Q: The Spurs are a top team almost every year. How come Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili don’t receive more press or MVP chatter?

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Melissa - To be frank, it’s because they aren’t getting into enough trouble with the law. Nobody cares if you’re good at scoring points or not. People want to hear about the scandals, or outrageous on-court behavior. Tim Duncan is a quiet guy who is an active philanthropist, and we all know that the only NBA superstar who can get away with that “nice guy” shtick is Steve Nash. Manu Ginobili is probably the best sixth man of the year. But, as I’ve said before, why would you talk to the sixth man when you can talk to the first man? You just wouldn’t.

Jimmy - Duncan was the MVP in 2002 and 2003, so it’s not like he’s always been ignored. The fact is, only one person can win the award and there are a lot of good players in the NBA. Duncan, LeBron, Kobe, Nash… the list goes on. In some ways, the lack of MVP chatter around Duncan and Ginobili is a credit to the Spurs and their team-first attitude. They don’t need a one-man show.

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Q: Who wins this game? Who wins if these two teams meet in the playoffs?

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Melissa - I think the Lakers will win this game because the Spurs are getting too old and crotchety to score lots of points. And, everyone knows you need to score lots of points to win games against other teams who score lots of points.
Unless the Spurs get younger (and able to score more points) as time goes on this season, they will lose to the Lakers in the playoffs as well.

Jimmy - Let’s give the game to the Lakers and the series to the Spurs. Sunday’s contest is in Los Angeles and the Spurs are only a few games above .500 on the road. As for the playoffs, oddsmakers might like the Lakers to win the West but the Spurs are the defending champs. San Antonio’s group has done it before – the new-look Lakers might need a postseason together before they get it right.