Los Angeles Lakers: Inspiring a New Playoff Format

I'm loving the Pau Gasol trade.

This is the biggest acquisition the Lakers have made since Shaquille O'Neal—smells like a Phoenix Suns-LA Lakers Western Conference Finals.

Commissioner Stern would love that. The league needs that.

Pau gives us just what we need.  Pau can play inside, shoot the midrange jumper, put it on the floor, and he can catch and shoot.

Gasol's offensive repertoire is one of the most versatile in the game. And he's no slouch defensively. On paper, #1-12, the Lakers have the most depth in the league (I'm praying that Andrew Bynum comes back 100 percent). Our second unit could easily hold a .500 record playing in the East.
 
Doesn't Kobe Bryant look so much more relaxed out there?

He's much happier scoring 30 points while getting the consistent wins, rather than putting up 50 points in a loss. Now, he has a guy he can give it to in the post and let him operate. He hasn't had that since Shaq.
 
The more that I think about this, the more it has to happen—we must see Suns-Lakers in the playoffs.

Shaq and Kobe, four years later, both guys with loaded teams. The storylines are just too rich:

• Shaq going up against Shaq Jr. (Andrew Bynum)
• Amare (Power) versus Pau (Finesse)
• Steve Nash vs. Kobe (offensive architect vs. defensive stopper)
• Raja Bell vs. Kobe (the clothesline)
• Shaq vs. Kobe (the most explosive basketball story of the last decade)
  
• D'Antoni vs. Jackson (the "timeout")
• Shaq vs. Jerry Buss (remember preseason 2004? "you gonna pay me now motherf***er?")
• Shaq vs. Phil Jackson (remember the "Benedict Arnold" statement?)
  

 
Wow! May the season unfold…
 
We really have to do something about the playoffs, I know it breaks tradition, but something has to be done.

Forcing the West teams to have to play each other in the first round shouldn't happen. Those teams are just too good.

Right now the Houston Rockets aren't even in the playoffs. If they were in the East they would not only make the playoffs, but they'd have a high seed, and would have a legit chance to come out of the East.

We've got to do a cross divisional playoffs format—5 games:#1 West vs. #8 East, #1 East vs. #8 West—tell me a Golden State/Detroit first round playoff wouldn't be exciting!

 
I LOVE THIS GAME!!