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Lakers lead NBA's Wild West as playoff chase begins
Kobe Bryant was talking about leaving the Los Angeles Lakers six months ago,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. Now he's talking about taking them to a 15th National Basketball Association title.
Thanks to 28.3 points a game from Bryant and a mid-season trade for Spanish star Pau Gasol, the Lakers captured the Western Conference regular-season title in a six-team fight for the crown that lasted into the season's final week.
Eastern Conference champion Boston and runner-up Detroit had the NBA's best records, but nine of the next 10 winningest teams were from the Wild West and they will capture most of the attention when the playoffs open Saturday.
"It doesn't mean anything in the regular season. It's all about the playoffs," Bryant said.
Unhappy with the Lakers' title chances,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Bryant had spoken of moving on in the pre-season. He stayed, and was rewarded when the deal with Memphis for Gasol brought the inside power lacking since Shaquille O'Neal departed in 2004.
O'Neal and Bryant combined to lead the Lakers to three NBA titles in a row starting in 2000 but "Shaq" split for Miami after a 2004 NBA Finals loss and the Lakers struggled,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. Now they have a home-court edge in the West playoffs.
"We know we earned it," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It's something we progressed with in a long season to get here in this position."
But to reach the final,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the Lakers must win a West fight over first-round foe Denver, the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, upstart contender New Orleans,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], revamped rival Utah and perennial powers Houston, Phoenix and Dallas.
"They are officially the best in the West," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They are doing a good job. Their rhythm is good. Everybody knows their role. They are playing confidently. Defense looks very good. Heck of a team."
The Lakers open against the Allen Iverson-led Nuggets while New Orleans will begin against Dallas,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Utah starts with Houston and the Spurs face Phoenix in a rematch of an emotional playoff confrontation last year won by San Antonio.
In the East, top seed Boston opens against Atlanta, Detroit will face Philadelphia, Orlando will begin against Toronto and defending East champion Cleveland, led by NBA scoring champion LeBron James,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], will meet Washington.
New Orleans jumped into a contender's role thanks to excellent play from Chris Paul and David West, who each averaged more than 20 points a game,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and 3-point sharpshooting and veteran leadership from Serbian star Peja Stojakovic.
Powered by Tracy McGrady, the Houston Rockets went on a 22-game win streak,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the second-best victory run in NBA history,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], despite losing Chinese star center Yao Ming to a broken foot 12 games into the streak.
Utah produced the NBA's best home-court record but Houston will have the home-court edge over the higher-seeded Jazz thanks to a better season record,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
San Antonio will rely on the same strengths that led them to last year's NBA crown, including 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds a game from veteran big man Tim Duncan, flamboyant French guard Tony Parker and Argentine playmaker Manu Ginobili, who leads the Spurs with 19.6 points a game.
Phoenix made a trade for O'Neal, bringing the 36-year-old center into the fast-paced lineup to provide inside size that could help with defense in an intense first-round playoff matchup against the Spurs.
Dallas swung a late-season deal with New Jersey for point guard Jason Kidd, who has blended with big man Dirk Nowitzki and his new teammates well enough to make them a formidable playoff opponent.
In the East,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the Celtics will try to capture their first NBA crown since 1986 after completing the best one-season turnaround in league history by going from 24-58 last sesason to a league-best 66-16 after trades brought stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce in the lineup.
The Celtics have a chance to win their first title in a generation and the first ever for Garnett, whose Minnesota teams struggled in the post-season. They have a home-court edge throughout the playoffs.
"That's big. It says a lot about you as a team,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Garnett said. "We've earned what we have gotten. We have to be consistent. We have a good chance."
The Pistons,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who went 59-23, would also have the home-court edge against every playoff foe but Boston, including in the NBA Finals.
"I think we're in a great spot right now," Detroit standout Chauncey Billups said. "Our bench is playing really well,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the starters are healthy and we're ready to go."
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