Can the Lakers Win 70 Games?
Kobe BryantOn November 26, 1994, the Chicago Bulls lost their second game of the season to go 10-2. But after that loss, they didn’t drop a game until a month later. And then after that one, they kept a winning streak alive into the beginning of February.
Right now, the L.A. Lakers have a better record than the 72-10 Bulls did. But the Lake show is not unique in that they’re ahead of those Bulls at this time of the year. The Celtics were 11-1 a year ago, and they finished with 66 W’s. Is this Lakers team the group that can top the 70-win plateau?
Sports Illustrated‘s Steve Aschburner makes a great point as to why L.A. won’t be able to do it.
“I doubt the Lakers or anyone else will win 70 games because this isn’t an expansion year. When Chicago won 72 games in 1995-96, Vancouver and Toronto were brand-new entries and absorbed 125 losses (the Grizzlies and the Raptors were a combined 1-5 against the Bulls).”
The fact that the comp is better across the board this year hurts L.A.’s case. Do you think that they can win 70 games?
Source: SI
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November 26th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Goeasy says:
I’d love to see it, but I’m pretty sure they will finish in the mid to high 60′s along with the celtics.
November 26th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
that's whats up says:
hell no
November 26th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
karizmatic says:
Nah, they’ll almost certainly win more than 60, but unless Kobe goes on a “we must win 70″ rampage they’ll fall short.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
JA says:
They’d need to get much more consistent PG play – both assists and shooting (I’m looking at you Derek Fisher) to even come close.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Austin Burton says:
Is the competition better, though? You’ve got the Thunder, the Bobcats, the Clippers, the Wolves, the Grizzlies, the Knicks…
November 26th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
doug says:
that’s whats up, I’ve been noticing your hater ways whenever the subject of the lakers is brought up,make the world a better place and stop hating man. The Lakers can do this but to be honest it’s getting real boring watching them truck all there opponents. I just hope these media cats continue to put out this garbage about how new orleans is going to come out of the west and how LeBron is going to win it all this year, that kind of stuff only motivates Kobe and it’s best to let sleep dogs rest, no one wants to see this cat angry at the league again(please reference Kobe’s stat line for 2006)
The Lakers are fully loaded and they have a shot at this 70 win thing, there only real danger is getting bored and complacent with blowing teams out because theres no team in the league better than them right now.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Damon says:
sry, but it should be november 26, 1995…
and i think the lakers will cruise if the they hve secured the best record, resting some guys, so i think something like 65 wins.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
doug says:
Damon, you think if the lakers are at 60 plus wins with 15 to 20 games to go, Kobe is going to let Phil rest him when he could have a shot at history? It won’t happen this cat is way to competitive he relishes the opportunity to put his foot on his competitors throat (please reference Kobe vs: Raptors January 22,2006).No resting this cat wants it all.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Mikey says:
This is the era of the San Antonio Spurs. Great teams win about 60 games and save themselves for the playoffs.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Damon says:
looking at kobes desire and will, i think you’re right. its a dilemma because he knows resting a little bit, not too much, would be good for his team.
but if the lakers continue blowing teams out, they dont have to rest his history.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
SWAT says:
@ austin the thunder gave the suns all they could handle last nite, the clips got b diddy (suspect i know), the grizz have rudy gay and mayo, the cats hav j-rich, gerald wallace and sean may (lol…i kid). i say this to say that at least most of these teams have one guy or maybe a couple of guys that could give other squads fits, so imo i do believe the comp is better. Who did vancouver have at that time…Big Country Reeves?
November 26th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
dagwaller says:
Didn’t read anyone else’s posts, so forgive me if I repeat. However, I find it hard to believe that the Grizzlies and the Thunder will do any better than 1-5 against the Lakers. There will always be really bad teams.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
SWAT says:
and to be honest the reg season records are great and all (Htown 22 in a row or even Dallas a couple of season ago)but come the playoffs the reg season means nothing.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Damon says:
lol, should have been: they dont have to rest and kobe can have his history…
November 26th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Marques says:
I don’t see it happening. I think the Lakers will go on a losing streak pretty soon. They can’t stay this consistent, nobody does.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
doug says:
SWAT please don’t mention Dallas when your talking Lakers, even that year they were running off wins, no one ever believed in them, there leader Dirk is a coward, he has admitted that he fears playing certain guys, namely Kobe Bryant. What kind of leader says this?This is the Lakers 2008 and they have a fully loaded team and the best and most competitive player in the L since Mike left,hands down.They have the best coach in the L, there young, athletic, talented, long and confident they really have a shot at this.Mikey will you and Ian stop talking about the Spurs, they suck, there run is over, our run is now.You guys just worry about keeping all of those old guys healthy enough to use as viable trade peaces for drafts to come,it’s time to rebuild. You guys are no longer contenders.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
SWAT says:
lol i said that to say that regular season accolades are great but everyone knows the real season doesnt start til the playoffs. Yall laker boys kill me…have yall forgot how bad everyone on your team choked last year…including Kobe. Everybody was like “Man Kobe had a bad game that means he’s gonna blow up next game…” Lol. Yall might as well have been like” Big bucks no whammys…stop!! “
November 26th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
dagwaller says:
…doug is secretly Jerry Buss.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Goeasy says:
let’s be real about the expansion year comparison. Honestly, OKC belongs in the D-league, and the Wiz are terrible (and who really thinks Gill is going to come in a turn things around right away?)
There are some down right terrible teams in the league right now. But it’s a long year, and eventually the lakeshow is going to go on a 6-7 west coast road trip and drop 2 back to back, maybe 3 of 7. And to get 70, you can afford that.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
scorpiohate says:
Nah the bulls had jordan, pippen and defensive dedication.. Now the lakers do have kobe, gasol, odom, bynum but its a different time, different league.. We’ll see if the defensive dedication is there..
November 26th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
redpin says:
anyone else notice that kobe clothes look like john hancocks super hero suit.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
JCARR says:
70 def. When i wake up sometimes i dont even bother looking at the scoreboard for the lakers sometimes because i kno they won. Their team is so deep that no one can match up for a full 48 minutes, 35 perhaps.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
David Brandon says:
some teams are still warming up…like the wizards. they almost always start out slow then start ballin. look at caron and antawn. they’re starting to come around. so will other teams. and to touch on what austin said put in the comment section earlier, as bad as the knicks are….they’re still not the vancouver grizzlies. lol
November 26th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
David Brandon says:
and oh…no on the 70. =D
November 26th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
doug says:
dagwaller & Swat, you guys are haters, wow! yall laker boys, Swat are you one of those cats that live in the past. Hey Uncle Rico, that was last year we’re talking about 2008, are you really going to hang your hat on that loss last year when we had Andrew Bynum out and a hobbled Trevor Ariza, Swat I don’t know what team or state you represent but your stupidity tells me you live somewhere in the mid-west. You and fagwaller!I saw where you were going with the comparison to dallas, I just thought it was stupid to compare the two.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Jah says:
I think that this is Kobe’s secret mission to truly erase the embarrassment from last year’s NBA Finals series. He’s not concerned with the scoring, and he knows he needs his team to be as FUNKY as those Bulls that won 72, so…yeah.
With that said, it can’t be done.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Kyle says:
81-1
November 26th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
doug says:
lol.81-1 maybe.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Mike C says:
They will win 70+ because they’re bound to get even better as the season goes along. They have yet to get their offense going like they did last year down the stretch but they’re still blowing teams out. Once Lamar gets more comfortable coming off the bench and Kobe starts to heat up more, (which he always does in December and January), the offense will turn up a notch. When that happens, we’ll see multiple double-digit wining streaks coming in January to March.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
doug says:
I agree Mike C. I see the haters have cleared out, I’m finally hearing some sound reasoning not impaired by hatred or biases. The Celtics were “The Team”last year now it’s the Lakers turn to try and claim that, there fully loaded, healthy and ready.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Three Stacks says:
I could care less whether they win 70 games or 50 games. Although homecourt-advantage would be nice, the Lakers don’t need to wear themselves out trying to prove to the rest of the League that they’re a good team. Everyone already knows it.
Try for homecourt, and if they win that many it’s gravy.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Three Stacks says:
That said, I would settle for 48 wins, and 8th seed and a championship.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
doug says:
i wouldn’t settle for that and neither would Kobe momentums the key, 48 wins worth of momentum won’t cut it.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
dagwaller says:
Wow. Ok, here we go.
The Lakers are a very good team. Probably the best in the League. That having been said, they’re not the best team in history. They haven’t even won a Championship yet. I didn’t think that the Celtics would win 70 last year, and they were the champions. Lakers fans are seriously deluded sometimes.
And doug, the fagwaller comment aside, how did you get “hating” from me? I even said earlier that the schedule these days favors them. Before you comment next time, please learn how to comprehend what you read, or at least read all the comments before you attack someone for no reason.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
doug says:
fagwaller, there you go again, how can you say there not the best team in history when this season isn’t even at it’s half way point yet.The only teams they can be compared to right now are the all-time great teams they’re 12-1 and there blowing teams out in convincing fashion, just because you said the schedule favors them doesn’t mean your not hating, your just stating the facts. Let’s get this straight Kobe has won 3 championships, this Laker team has not won one yet but it’s just a matter of time. Okay haters you can get back on your job.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
rodnets says:
easy doug, stop the hate.
Lakers will not get 70 wins because they are just a good team, not a great one. And because they have Kobe Bryant in their lineup. Kobe doesn´t know how to be a leader or a great teammate.
Peace
November 26th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
LakeShow84 says:
I dont think they will do it this year.. But i bet the bank they do it either next year or the year after..
This year its about smashing on Boston in June..
And then i will finally orgasm.. lol
November 26th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
CLUTCH says:
Are you seriosly going to try and make the point that those expansion teams were worse than the thunder?
November 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Three Stacks says:
Doug says a championship is not enough.
Doug says you can ONLY compare the Lakers right now to the all time great teams of history, four weeks into the season.
Doug, I think you got everything backwards.
Stop talking. You’re making the true Laker fans look bad.
Like LakeShow says, this year it’s all about beating Boston. IF LA makes the Finals and Boston loses to Cleveland or somebody before they get there, I will be so upset. I want Boston, and no one else.
November 26th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
GEE...Smell my fingerrsssss! says:
This Lakers squad can do it if Kobe stays free from any injury outside of that finger. I felt a Kobe vs. Colorado joke in there but I thought better of it not to go there.
Yea they can do the 70 thing.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
added says:
HELL YEA!
this team is deeeeeep, balance and potent. even if they cant keep up that defense all year long, they can still outscore the other team.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
the rocket cat says:
I think the Lakers have a shot. They’re not just winning, they’re crushing teams.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
GearUpForSports says:
Randy Brown part of that 70 win Bulls team was quoted earlier this week saying “they are a little more talented than we were when I played for the Bulls”. That is saying a lot, but I agree the teams are much better now and 70 will be pretty hard for the Lakers.
November 27th, 2008 at 2:51 am
UncheckedAggression says:
It’s funny how spirited these arguments get!
Anyway, I’d just like to point out a few obvious things. You simply can’t EXPECT a team to win 70 games, no matter how good a team is. It’s a long season. Guys get hurt. They have bad luck. You never know what’s gonna happen a couple months from now.
The Lakers look damn good right now, and I wouldn’t rule out 70 wins. But I don’t think they will do it, just because so many things would have to go right. If Kobe, Pau, or Bynum get hurt for any significant amount of time then their chance at 70 could easily fall apart.
November 27th, 2008 at 4:10 am
dagwaller says:
Some of the final standings also depend on their lead (if any) coming into the playoffs. If they’re up by 4 games going into their last 3, they might start messing around with minutes, lineups, matchups, substitutions, etc.
They may also need to rest injured players (Kobe and Bynum, most notably).
November 27th, 2008 at 5:15 am
Sweet English says:
Not an expansion year? If the Lakers don’t go a combined 5-1 against the Knicks and the Thunder i will eat my shoes.
November 27th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Student Of The Game says:
Regarding the “rest the players at the end of the season” argument… The Lakers are blowing teams out by so much that Kobe is gonna be fresher at the end of the season than many of his most recent seasons. I believe this team has the depth to win 70.