The Mavs, Blazers, Hornets would be a sweep….I see this series going 6 or 7.

I disagree. A Blazer series would not be a sweep.

There’s nothing wrong with tanking a game. Losing teams do it to get a better draft pick… nothing different about a good team giving away a game for the good of the team.

They should try to win but not at the expense of playing the starters too many minutes. They should start the regulars just like always but keep them at 30 min. The important things are to try and get Fisher back into a rhythym, continue to improve upon Bynum’s conditioning and get the bench up and running once again. Beating the Jazz in the first round is more important then beating them tomorrow.

please. Portland would take the series to at least 6, possibly 7 before falling.

Agreed- no apologies needed if the Lakers decide to tank if LA prefers Dallas. Also, are you sure you don’t want to play Utah? They just let CJ Watson drop 38 points on them in a GSW win in SLC.

give the Jazz your hardest!
The Jazz will counter… though ‘hardest’ implies a lot of missed shots, and too many minutes for guys like Jarron Collins & Matt Harpring & Brevin Knight.

(Though, with the mental make-up of the Jazz right now, a semi-big, or just impressive, win by the Lakers tomorrow night could do the Jazz in for the playoffs.)

I think it’s wrong to tank games in the sense that people, especially in Los Angeles, pay a pretty hefty premium on tickets because they want to see the best of the best compete at the highest level.

That being said, I think coaching and playing to win championships has merit. Its why the Spurs are being talked about as contenders despite the fact that they are pretty pathetic on paper. With this in mind, tanking games for the sake of resting starters to compete at a higher level down the road is okay in my book. Tanking games for the sake of trying to get a better % in the lottery, however, is something totally different.

The Lakers should not, in this light, tank this game. Although what we have now is a mentally tough team that posted the best road record in the NBA on the season, we do not have an incredibly mature and composed team. It is obvious that stuff gets to these guys heads (last year’s finals). A win over the Jazz going into a playoff series would definitely do this team more good than a loss would. Who cares if its three games in a row at Staples? This team must believe that they can beat anyone in the playoffs in a 7 game series and a team like the Jazz shouldn’t take more than 5. I think that, with the way that the Lakers went into Boston and Cleveland and won emphatically this year, they do believe that right now.

The thing I feel is most important is Andrew Bynum’s reintegration, like LakersJK mentioned. Against a playoff team that loves to bruise, this last game presents a great opportunity for the starters to continue to work Andrew in and get refamiliar with them.

I also understand that the center position of the triangle offense isn’t as complicated as the wings, but look at it from the defensive end. Sure, Andrew’s posted some solid numbers but did he stand out defensively? I still think his timing is a bit off and let’s remember that Utah has the prototype of the teams that gives Lakers problems: Bigs that can stretch the floor and the #1a point guard of the league.

Play the game with the mentality that this carries over into the playoffs because it’s looking like Utah will be our first round opponent. Start planting the seeds of doubt in their minds. Psychology is an important aspect of the game come playoff time.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Lakers-Jackson-will-not-rest-regulars-in-finale?urn=nba,155210

Just found

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he will not sit regulars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol or Derek Fisher in the regular-season finale against any team, according to the Los Angeles Times.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers win Monday night, they clinch the overall best record in the NBA, leaving the Lakers with what appears to be a meaningless home game against the Utah Jazz. But the first-round playoff opponent for the Lakers could be the Jazz.

“I don’t think of sitting players,” Jackson said Sunday. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do when people buy season tickets and special-game tickets and things like that, and the league has asked us not to do that. I have players that are going to play their 82nd game this week, hopefully, and that’s a big milestone in this game, to have played them all.”

Bryant, Fisher and Trevor Ariza will have played all 82 regular-season games if they play Tuesday.

Ok this is better, the link above isn’t working.

I can’t argue with your points. All very valid. The goal is to win the chip, not to win every regular season game. I also think Justin N. makes a great point about tanking for a lottery pick vs. tanking for playoff seeding. All great points. I think there is a middle ground which is playing the starters but with less minutes and seeing what happens. Not tanking doesn’t mean you have to play like it’s a game 7. JMO.

I almost forgot, Shannon Brown could also get more experience by getting more PT this game. After surfing the other Lakers blogs, I have to agree that he will be seeing more PT against Deron Williams. I don’t think that Jordan Farmar will be seeing much PT too now that we’ve seen what Shannon Brown can do.

Plus, remember Deron Williams just made Farmar look silly last year in the postseason. It would be a good game to let Shannon Brown get used to defending Deron Williams. The way I see it, we have two already great perimeter defenders in Kobe and Ariza. Shannon Brown has the potential to join them and really make our defense stifling.

Because he’s got hops and Brown delivers.

I agree with many that the starters should play, and that it has nothing to do with the ethics of the game. Rhythm and timing are as important in basketball as any sport in the world, and I just don’t think its a good idea to have the guys take a week off going into the playoffs. As it is, Tuesday to (probably) Sunday is more time in between games than they are used to, and then the funky first round format will have them only play once midweek before another weekend game. I’m not saying the starters should be playing 40, but let them get their reps as usual. Besides, its not as if the current rotation, with Bynum back and Shannon Brown seeing significant PT, is all comfortable and familiar with each other. This ain’t the Spurs and their core of players who have been together for a decade. Phil should play the game like any other, except that he shouldn’t (and won’t) worry about putting starters in for heavy burn just to win the game.

we will most likely meet the jazz in the 1st round and we don’t want them to think that they can come to staples and win

I don’t really care about the Lakers, but Matt told me to come here. And about this one I care, meaningless whom it concerns.

My point always was that this one day of rest messes up the rhythm. Benching starters the last game takes them out of the game and – look at last year’s Celts – they have problems playing the first round. Boston benched all starters last year. We know how long it took to put down Atlanta … It’s the same everywhere and all over again. Same discussion every year.

Beat the bejesus out of them, get in their heads, and make that first round match-up all the easier. While I am not a Laker fan, doesn’t this just make the most sense? Dictate how the series will go right now, clearly pick them, saying you know who we want to face in the first round, its you! Mwahahaha.

Make them dread having to face the Lakers. I mean (and it pains me to say it but) you guys are the freaking best team in the West, why let the 8th seeded team dictate your actions? Get in there, crush them, leave them with spalding tattooed across their forehead, and then crush them again this weekend. That’s what I would want my Blazers to do.

They should rest everyone, so that they get a better chance at playing an easier team. Simple as that.