Obama Picks Lakers over Boston in Finals

[GreenFaith1819]

Well, while I think it's absolutely Hilarious (with a capital H) that President Obama is picking the Lakers to win it all (and even More Hilarious that he calls Pau Gasol "The Most Polished Big Man"), I still think it's good to see a sitting president with an interest in Basketball.

I see nothing wrong with it, and to me it's refreshing. He's even got a little game himself.

Maybe one day I'd get to meet him and play him?

That would be Awesome - I'd love to send his shot into the first row, and wear my Celtics shirt while doing it

[Prof. Clutch]

Saw this last night.  I was so sure he was going to choose the Celtics the way he introduced his choice, but then he went with the "safe" pick in the Lakers.  It's okay, he's not a Lakers or Celtics fan and I certainly don't blame him for picking the Lakers who are a way more popular/conventional pick.

I will say, he's definitely a fan of basketball.  He truly knew his stuff and it was a good/entertaining interview overall.

[lovely_20]

I can't believe I voted for this guy!! 

[Prof. Clutch]

Not to bust anyone's bubble....but when did we clinch our spot in the finals? and when did the lakers? we still have to finish off orlando ( not a guarantee...just look at the other team that shares the garden)...now i'm very confident that we will but i still cant take anything for granted. and the Fakers are now tied 2-2...and while i still think they will pull it out also i think obama's pick and this entire conversation is to early to have....wait until the teams clinch.

Obama was asked who he thought would win the championship, not who he thought would make it to the finals, meaning that he could pick from any of the four teams.  He began to praise the Celtics for being a strong team, their teamwork, and veteran savy, but went on to say that he thought the Lakers would win it all.

He wasn't pretending like there were only two teams left, he was asked to predict who would be champion when it's all said and done.  Nothing wrong with that, like for instance, if you asked me right now, 'who is gonna win the championship this year?' I would say, 'the Celtics.'

[Ethan]

The victory of Scott Brown still hurts him 

[Andy Jick]

The losing team gets to fix the oil spill on the Gulf Coast...

[Roy Hobbs]

Add this to the list of things that I disagree with Obama about.

[Chris]

"I've got to go with the Lakers again," Obama said. "I think Gasol may be the best big man in the league right now. He's different from Dwight Howard, but he's (got) unbelievable footwork, speed, savvy, he's playing magnificently.

"Kobe is the fiercest competitor in the league and they've got what I continue to believe is the best coach in the NBA right now in Phil Jackson, so they're going to be formidable and I think it'll be a tough series. Boston's a veteran club, but the Lakers are looking pretty good."

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In other news, the state of Massachusetts will be a red state in the next election.

Well, first off, I am glad he picked the Lakers.  Hasn't he been terrible at these predictions?

But I do think the Gasol comment is very insightful.  I don't know if he is the best big man in the league right now, but I do think he is going to be the key to the series, and is the toughest matchup the C's big men are going to face all playoffs. 

Perk is terrible against guys like Gasol, who can not be slowed down, just by being leaned on.  Gasol is too quick for him, and he has such great touch that he is very tough to stop.  And KG...well, this will be the biggest test to see if he is really back to his old form.  While KG should have the tools to stop Gasol, he has not had to handle anyone like him for a while, so it is going to be a really good test.

While all of the hype (assuming this series happens) will be on Kobe and Rondo, this series is going to come down to how well the C's contain Gasol.

[RAcker]

This is a great omen.  That guy picks about as well as the "experts" on ESPN.com.

[Mr October]

"I've got to go with the Lakers again," Obama said. "I think Gasol may be the best big man in the league right now. He's different from Dwight Howard, but he's (got) unbelievable footwork, speed, savvy, he's playing magnificently.

"Kobe is the fiercest competitor in the league and they've got what I continue to believe is the best coach in the NBA right now in Phil Jackson, so they're going to be formidable and I think it'll be a tough series. Boston's a veteran club, but the Lakers are looking pretty good."

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In other news, the state of Massachusetts will be a red state in the next election.

Well, first off, I am glad he picked the Lakers.  Hasn't he been terrible at these predictions?

But I do think the Gasol comment is very insightful.  I don't know if he is the best big man in the league right now, but I do think he is going to be the key to the series, and is the toughest matchup the C's big men are going to face all playoffs. 

Perk is terrible against guys like Gasol, who can not be slowed down, just by being leaned on.  Gasol is too quick for him, and he has such great touch that he is very tough to stop.  And KG...well, this will be the biggest test to see if he is really back to his old form.  While KG should have the tools to stop Gasol, he has not had to handle anyone like him for a while, so it is going to be a really good test.

While all of the hype (assuming this series happens) will be on Kobe and Rondo, this series is going to come down to how well the C's contain Gasol.

You are absolutely right about Gasol. Kobe needs to be forced onto the perimeter (and even then will probably get 30 per game). But the key is stopping Gasol from scoring easy baskets and getting a ton of rebounds. Same is true for Odom. If you putt too much attention on Gasol and Kobe, Odom can hurt you with a 15 and 15 game.

Shut down the paint, and see just how well the Lakers can shoot from the outside for 7 games.

[PierceMVP08]

Wow, now bashin the president for having an opinion on basktball.  How moronic.  Had he picked the Celtics you all would be say, "wow, our president really knows basketball."

[TitleMaster]

KG contains Gasol, plain and simple. Let's not make Gasol out to be a younger version of Garnett.

[soap07]

Only a Marxist would pick the Lakers to win the Finals.

[housecall]

Its obvious Obama is still using Miss Cleo

[Finkelskyhook]

The epitomy of who cares.