TA vs Perk in the semis... who will you be rooting for?

[Drucci]

The title says it all, looks like Perk and TA will battle each other (or more precisely their respective teams will battle each other) in the semis. Which one of them do you want to see win the series?

[Roy H.]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

[toinewalka]

I would like to see Memphis pull this one out.  Their D has been lock down, and they are playing a gritty, physical game.  I actually think they have a better shot at taking down the Lakers.  They have the size up front to not only defend, but also SCORE on the Lakers in the paint, and they have three or four guys that they can rotate covering Kobe throughout the series.  They also have most of their scoring coming from the 1/2 spot, which means it will be up against Fisher and Bryant, two of the Lakers' weaker defensive spots.

[rondohondo]

I would like to see Memphis pull this one out.  Their D has been lock down, and they are playing a gritty, physical game.  I actually think they have a better shot at taking down the Lakers.  They have the size up front to not only defend, but also SCORE on the Lakers in the paint, and they have three or four guys that they can rotate covering Kobe throughout the series.  They also have most of their scoring coming from the 1/2 spot, which means it will be up against Fisher and Bryant, two of the Lakers' weaker defensive spots.

Kobe is a weak defender? He is one of the best wing defenders in the league and has made 8 all nba defense 1st team .

[BudweiserCeltic]

I think Memphis got this.

And I'm not sure that OKC has the better chance at the Lakers. Memphis got size & the perimeter defense to bother the Lakers.

[Bankshot]

I think Memphis got this.

And I'm not sure that OKC has the better chance at the Lakers. Memphis got size & the perimeter defense to bother the Lakers.

I agree.  

I'm rooting for Memphis.  I really like that team, especially Tony.  I think they can take OKC.  They have better bigs and better all around defense.  Aside from those great games when he first got to OKC, Perk really hasn't made that much of an impact and OKC is learning that they can't play him a lot because he hurts their offense.

Tony has really lead that team on defense.  Wish we still had him.

[Cman]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

Agreed, and I think its because OKC has the better PG.  Time and again, LA has shown they have a hard time containing good PGs.

[Bankshot]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

Agreed, and I think its because OKC has the better PG.  Time and again, LA has shown they have a hard time containing good PGs.

I don't know, Conley is looking like a much smarter point guard than Westbrook.  He's certainly living up to the contract he just got.  He looks better than Westbrook right now. Westbrook is a chucker, Conley makes sure all his teammates get involved.

[saltlover]

Don't know who to root for, but I think it might be the most entertaining second-round series to watch.  Even more than our own series.

On a related note, can anyone explain why the NBA uses a fixed bracket with their playoff matches, and not a flexible one?  In other words, why is the winner of the 4-5 matchup paired with the 1-8 winner, even if 8 beats 1, and the 2nd and 3rd seeds advance?  It seems Dallas gets hosed as the 3 seed, since they'll play on the road vs. the 2 seed, while the 4 seed, whom they had a better record than, gets to host the 8 seed.

[PosImpos]

The Spurs aren't dead just yet!

Assuming the Grizzlies do finish the upset, though, I'd much prefer to see the Thunder advance to the WCF.

[StartOrien]

Right now, where I can think about things logically and think 'Who has a better chance at beating the Lakers' I'd say the Thunder.

When it comes down to watching the series though, I'm sure I'll end up siding with Memphis. I really enjoy that team.

[FLCeltsFan]

I've been rooting for OKC since they got Perk and I really like them.  They've become my second favorite team. They've got a good thing going out there and I'll never stop cheering for Perk. He's still my favorite player and always will be. 

[BudweiserCeltic]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

Agreed, and I think its because OKC has the better PG.  Time and again, LA has shown they have a hard time containing good PGs.

But, do you guys trust Durant against Kobe and Artest? I don't.

[Drucci]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

Agreed, and I think its because OKC has the better PG.  Time and again, LA has shown they have a hard time containing good PGs.

But, do you guys trust Durant against Kobe and Artest? I don't.

I don't trust Westbrook either personally. I think OKC has a chance if Perk can contain Gasol/Bynum, otherwise I think Memphis would be a really tough matchup for L.A because of their size and perimeter defense. I fear that their lack of experience would make the difference for L.A in some games but I would take their team and their mentality over OKC's.

With that said I'm rooting for both TA and Perk, too bad they have to meet in the semis in a way, it would habe nicer to see Memphis going against L.A in the semis and then L.A against OKC in the WCF.

[Roy H.]

OKC. They have a better shot at beating the Lakers.

Agreed, and I think its because OKC has the better PG.  Time and again, LA has shown they have a hard time containing good PGs.

I don't know, Conley is looking like a much smarter point guard than Westbrook.  He's certainly living up to the contract he just got.  He looks better than Westbrook right now. Westbrook is a chucker, Conley makes sure all his teammates get involved.

Here are the numbers:

Westbrook:  26.3 points, 6.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 4.25 turnovers, 43.0% FG%, .532 TS%, 40.2% AST%, 14.7% TOV%

Conley:  14.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 38.5% FG%, .469 TS%, 2.75 turnovers, 27.9% AST%, 15.3% TOV%

Westbrook is scoring almost twice as many points and is shooting a higher percentage, while averaging almost as many assists.  Advanced statistics suggest that he's getting assists on 40% of his teams points while he's in the game, as compared to 28% for Conley.  Also, despite the raw numbers, when adjusted for pace Westbrook's turnover percentage is also lower, at least according to basketball-reference.com.

I don't really see a plausible argument that Conley is better, or "smarter", than Westbrook.