King Kaufman's Sports Daily

Lakers? Pacers? What are you smoking? The readers write on the playoffs, Barry Bonds and the Battle of Ontario.

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Apr 22, 2004 | What with all this playoff action, I've been neglectful in letting the readers have their say, so, despite the big news that a lower seed actually won an NBA playoff game Wednesday night -- the Bucks tried and failed to blow a big lead in Detroit -- it's time to dive into the old in box and share the wisdom that lurks therein.

First we turn to reactions to my NBA playoff preview:

Alex Hoffman: I have to take exception with your comment that the Lakers are "the team to beat" and how the Spurs aren't "as deep as last year." In case you didn't notice, the Spurs won 57 games (and nearly the top seed) with Tim Duncan missing 13 games. They have a bench that includes Robert Horry, Malik Rose, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Willis and Charlie Ward. Granted, Ward hasn't played much, but then again, neither did Steve Kerr before last year's playoffs. And while it seems to be an oft-repeated claim by the national media that Speedy Claxton was the most valuable Spurs bench player last year, obviously no one has noticed that this year's backup to Tony Parker -- Jason Hart -- is just as solid as Claxton was (at least, heading into the playoffs).

King replies: What I wrote was that if the big four -- Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton -- are healthy, the Lakers are the team to beat, and I think that's true. Even if the Spurs are as good this year as they were last year, which I don't think they quite are, I don't believe they were the best team last year. They got some huge breaks in the playoffs, not having to face the Kings' or Mavs' best player.

Ari Schnitzer: The Pacers are the best team in the league? What are you smoking? Yes, they went 20-8 against the West -- but they went 3-5 against the Kings, Spurs, Lakers and Wolves. Also -- they play in the East! Everyone knows the East was horrid again this year. Who do the Pacers have that makes them the best team in the league? That's a rhetorical question, since they are not the best team in the league. At most, they are the fifth best, because the four best teams in the West are all better than the Pacers -- and one of them will demonstrate that in the Finals, if the Pacers get past the other middling teams in the East.

King replies: Here are the records of the Pacers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Spurs and Kings in games against each other this year:

Timberwolves: 9-5
Kings: 8-6
Lakers: 6-8
Spurs: 6-8
Pacers: 3-5

The Pacers didn't do any worse than the Lakers and Spurs in that pool. The sample size is too small to tell us anything, especially given how individual regular-season games don't mean a whole lot (my pet theory). Most teams beat up on the turkeys and muddle along against the powerhouses.

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