Ahhh...late August!  It's that time of the year when your beach body tan is at peak form, you can look forward to a few weekends removed from entertaining relatives ("No, there are no sharks in that ocean Uncle Jim"), and a fresh new season of Keeping up with the "Odashians" is right around the corner.  Oh, and I guess NBA teams by this point have typically all but finalized the integral parts of their rosters...or something.

Of course, there are still some big fish aimlessly floating in the proverbial sea, but now is the time when we can cook up our initial predictions for the upcoming NBA season.

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Haven't seen a thread for this yet and we're a few minutes deep already.  First semi-serious test for USA today.

Drinking Triggers!

- Lamar Odom misses a layup

- Lamar Odom gets his own rebound and scores

- An American player slips while dribbling the ball

- Mention of Spain missing their best player (Pau)

- By the way, what are you doing drinking at noon on a sunday??  Probably the same thing I'm doing!  Cheers

I can't get the butterflies out of my stomach.  I couldn't fall asleep last night.  I can't turn off 710 ESPN radio.  I just CANNOT stop thinking about this game coming up in about three hours now.

Look at all the plotlines associated with this game:

- The legacy of Kobe Bryant.  Will he get his fifth ring and sit next to Magic as the two unquestionable best Lakers of all time?  Will he keep his dream of catching MJ's six titles alive?  Or will he be remembered as the transcedent player of the 2000's that did it all except beat the Celtics.

- The Big Three.  You have to wonder how much the three aging Celtics have left in the tank.  The Biggest game of their career may also be their last as contenders.  Will they pull it out?

- Phil Jackson and his 10+ rings.  Will Phil win another?  If he wins, does he come back for a run at the threepeat?  If he loses, he probably retires.  Will Phil have an asterisk on his Laker titles because he never got past the Celtics?

- Lakers vs. Celtics.  Two of the most storied franchises in the history of sports are meeting again for the ultimate prize and it all comes down to ONE game.

- Game 7.  One of the most monumental occurrences in sports.  It's even bigger considering it's game seven of the FINALS, something that has only happened three times in the last 27 years.  30 NBA teams played 82 games this season (thats 1230 games not including playoffs) and it all comes down to this.

 

Wow.

Poll

Is game seven of the 2010 NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers the most iconic singular game in the history of Basketball?

63%

Yes

19 votes

36%

No

11 votes

30 votes | Poll has closed

I see an awful lot of belief around here that David Stern, through three games, has extended his influence to extend this finals series to six or seven games.

 

But let's really think about that.

 

Game 1: No fix, and even if there was it wouldn't have mattered.  The Celtics played terribly, got beat in nearly every statistical category, and the Lakers played with that tremendous chip on their shoulder.

 

Game 2: Celtics win @ the Lakers.  There are some bad calls and bad calls down the stretch.  Conspiracy theorists would agree here that David Stern awarded the Celtics the win because a 2-0 hole would probably eliminate, or at least severely hurt, the chance of this series actually going seven games.

 

Game 3: Here's where things get iffy.  There is absolutely zero incentive for David Stern to fix this game.  It has no influence on whether the series goes six, five, or even seven games. 

If the Celtics win?  They have the opportunity to close out the series in 5.  If the Lakers win?  Same thing.  Either way, David Stern is again forced to exert influence to make sure that the loser of game 3 won at least game four or game five.  Now, David Stern is a smart man.  He's well aware with the problems involving public perception of officiating.  Don't you think that, if he wanted to influence the length of a series, he'd be as careful as possible about it?  Why would he choose to influence game three?  He'd still have to influence game four or five to guarantee his desired outcome.  He might as well just let game three play out and then exert his voodoo on one of the next games. 

So basically, there's no reason to believe that Stern played a role in the outcome of game three.  Therefore, all we have to go on game 2 -- and what sort of conclusion does that lead to?  That David Stern's influence on this series is the only thing that has kept the Celtics title hopes alive.

Is that really the type of conclusion Boston fans have come to?

 

This is why I don't buy the whole conspiracy theory.

Hey.  Guess what.  We're not sleeping on you.  If you were to make a poll here asking what SBN'ers thought would happen in the Suns series, my guess would be you'd get about 10% saying Lakers 4-0, 40% saying Lakers 4-1, 20% saying Lakers 4-2, 15% saying Lakers 4-3, and 15% probably picking the Suns somewhere.

A Laker fan picking LA in 5 doesn't mean they aren't respecting Phoenix.  It actually means almost exactly the same thing as picking the Suns in 6 as you guys seem to have done unanimously over on BSotS (except...the opposite...get it?).  What it means is that the Lakers will protect their first two home games, steal one of their first two away games, and then close the series out at home.  What does Suns in six mean?  That the Suns will protect their first two home court games, steal one of the first two away games, and close the series out on their homecourt. 

I'm just throwing this out there because already we have Suns fans coming here just like the Jazz did before our last series telling us not to count them out because something something Goran Dragic, something something J Rich/Frye 3 balls, or something something Grant Hill defense.  We know.  Once we start doing our series preview stuff here I invite all Suns fans to carefully read our author's analysis and debate/question away.  Just please, pleaseeeee when we do our roundtable predictions and all of our writer's unanimously pick LA in five don't come with that weak "don't sleep on us!" stuff that we have had the pleasure of reading literally every round of the playoffs thus far.

Warning: If you are offended by pessimism, do not read this article.

I consider myself a decent writer.  In fact, I've always thought about attempting to write for SS&R at least part time.  I think I could hang with the big kids.  Wonda, Saurav, Gil, CA, Dex, and the artist formerly known as Josh Tucker are all admirable linguists.  I've put a pretty decent amount of effort into the few fanposts I've written for this site.  I know a LOT more than the average fan does about the Lakers and the NBA in general.  I read stats, articles, and blogs about basketball all day long.  I play in two fantasy basketball leagues.  Are you not convinced yet?

That being said, the following article may not reflect my best work.  Hopefully it still entertains.

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As part of his latest batch of shenanigans, sir BS himself has once again "reverse jinxed" the Lakers.  Some of you may remember his success with this tactic in years past.  I'm too lazy to find a link, so I'll sum up what happened: Going into the finals, the Lakers had rolled through the playoffs and it looked like they had a good chance to beat the Celtics, despite not having the home court advantage.  In what has to be one of the most epic reverse jinxes of the decade,  Bill Simmons CEDED the finals to the Lakers before game one even started, congratulating them on their championship.  Obviously, it worked pretty well.

Now, I'm not one to believe in superstitions, but the reverse jinx haunts me eerily on a regular basis.  I openly ceded game 4 of the NBA finals to Orlando, specifically recalling Bill Simmons pre-2008 finals antics.  While my friends shamed me for speaking such Laker blasphemy, I calmly accepted punishment by my peers for the greater good of society.  I should be renamed "St. Justinian" or at least get a ring.

Today Bill has once again placed a hex on the Lakers.  He has predicted that this team will become historically legendary, implying not only that they will win a championship but that they will do it in an emphatic, impressive fashion.  In a remarkable, veteran move, he even went as far as to declare that his statements were specifically NOT a reverse jinx.  The curse is in place, and evil Simmon's plan moves forward.

...

So, my friends, I propose a toast.  To the 2009-2010 NBA champions: The Boston Celtics!

The conversation had come up many times prior to last night.  "If the game is on the line in the final seconds, who is taking the last shot?".  Many sports writers, analysts, and fans all agree on Kobe, while many more would dissent to someone like Michael Jordan.  A few years ago when I was more of a Kobe fan than anything else, I would have agreed with this sentiment unquestionably.

But in these past couple years as I've become more of not only a Laker fan, but an NBA fan, I started to question.  Why do we want the ball automatically in the hands of Kobe Bryant?  He makes great, albeit very inefficient shots.  You know teams are going to double and try to do everything they can to stop Kobe.  Why not try to set up Gasol on the block, one of the most deadliest, efficient offensive weapons in the NBA?  Why not set up Derek Fisher in the corner?  He's hit plenty of big shots himself.

The answer came to me in the final minutes of last night's exciting win against the Heat.

It's because those kind of looks are everything but impossible in the final seconds of a close game.  Remember a play slightly earlier in the clock (maybe 30-35 seconds) where Kobe tried to post Gasol?  The play ended with a wild Kobe airball, but it really wasn't his fault.  What happened there was Beasely used a ridiculous amount of physical force to keep Gasol OFF the block and out of position.  This led to a weak pick-and-roll attempt by Gasol too late in the clock and a very bad look for Kobe.  Now, was it Gasol's fault for being "too soft"?  Quite frankly, no.  If you watch replay, you can see that Gasol was battling for position, but Beasely was bodying him up quite hard and literally sliding laterally to keep him out of position.  About the only thing Pau could have done would have been to bulldoze over his defender.  Essentially, Beasely fouled Gasol.  It's not the type of foul, however, that the referee wants to determine the outcome of a game.  It's that grey area of refereeing: where stringent right or wrong rules don't exist and the referee must make interpretations of his own. 

And that's the way it should be.  The outcome of a professional basketball game should not be determined by grey area.  The officials should instead do whatever they can possible to let the players determine the outcome within the practical limitations of the rules.  It's why KG gets away with ridiculous illegal screens in crunch time.  It's why MJ can give a little push for the buzzer beater.  It's why Kobe is maybe allowed an extra half step in the final minutes.  The refs are just going to let players one bend the rules a little bit and two (especially two) be extra physical.

That icreased leniency on physicality coupled with the fact that, in the waning seconds, the defense is going to do everything they can short of killing a baby to stop you leads often to very very bad, broken, tough to make shots at the end of the game. 

And that's really where you can draw the conclusion about what you do in the final seconds.  Sure it would be nice to get a clean, spot on look from three or a turn around hook in the post, but there's a very very good chance that you're not going to get something so nice.  What you have to do is put the ball in the hands of your player who is going to have the best chance at making the tough, sometimes ridiculous shots.  Who's that? The answer, regardless of team or generation, in the NBA:

Kobe

Kobe

and

 

Kobe.

Might be a little longwinded, but I'm sure many families will love it!  ***Please read knowing that this fanpost is not designed to promote any religious undertones.  It is meant as a fun read in a joking, SNL kind of way***

On this beautiful Thursday night, I am thankful for many things.  But first and foremost, I am thankful for the Los Angeles Lakers.  I am thankful that, although the exact numbers of Kobe Bryant's contract remain uncertain, the team which will ultimately own it is set in stone.  I am thankful that, despite his numbers and performances, Pau Gasol is still one of the most underrated players in the country.  I am thankful that Ron Artest has reached out to people in loving ways he never has before, but still makes no friends on the court.  I am thankful that Phil Jackson's hips don't lie, and now sing the melody of championships to come.

So may God bless Lamar Odom with many a triple double coming off the bench.  May he grant Andrew Bynum knees of solid steel and Sasha Vujacic confidence of the same composition.  May he sprinkle Derek Fisher with rejuvinated youth and Jordan Farmar with hardened, veteran instinct.  May he bless Shannon Brown with a shooting touch to complement his amazing leaping ability, and Adam Morrison with a pair of calf muslces worthy of his stroke.  May he grant Luke Walton a speedy recovery.   May he gift to DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell many mintues of meaningless playtime.  Finally, may he shower upon the Lakers their 16th NBA championship.

Because we all know that, deep down, God is a Laker fan.

:)

Everyone likes bullet points, right?

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Part two of my next season playoff seeding predictions!  If you want to read part one, please go here.  Be sure to comment with your thoughts and post your predictions as well!

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Well!  It looks like most of the roster tinkering for the summer is done...so here I am to throw out my predictions for the upcoming season!  I am very excited about this season starting as it should be VERY entertaining.  There are a LOT of good teams with mixes of young athleticism and veteran savvy...and then there are a LOT of bad teams with no shot at the playoffs.  I better get these pretty close then, eh?  If you're interested, here's what I predicted for the 2008-2009 season: http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Basketblog/Basketblog-Returns-Top-8-EastWest-Predictions-for-08-09.  For tonight, I'm just going to do the West.  Please post your predictions after you read!

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ESPN is reporting that Kurt Rambis is taking up the head coaching job over in Minnesota.  Here's the link.  Personally, I'm sad to see the big guy go because he has definitely earned his Laker for Life status.  I hope he does well with the wolves and I hope his coaching career continues to prosper.  Who are we gonna bring in to replace him?  Early retirement for D.Fish?  How do you think this will affect the Laker's defense next season?

Ever thought you'd read that sentence in a headline?  Well this summer you get to!  Everyone's favorite backup SF made SLAM's top 100 dunks of 2008-2009 at number 89!  To put that in perspective, he even beat two Lebron dunks!  Luke's dunk is just one of many and I'd highly recommend you take the time to watch them all.  There are lots of moments to relive from 2008-2009 and especially lots of Laker moments (on the first vid alone you have 2: Luke's and Pau Gasol's running left hand vs the Nuggets...haven't watched the other vids yet!).

 

 

 

Thursday June 12th, 2008.  I was sitting in my (college) home in Santa Cruz, California, watching the Laker game with a handful of friends.  It had been a tremendous season and a breakout one for me as a fan.  Nearing completion of my third year in college, I had begun to apply my critical thinking skills to the game of basketball and learned to appreciate it on a whole new level.  It was also the first season that I tirelessly watched every single Laker game, often times on grainy justin.tv streams that made me realize just how seriously I took KCal9 for granted.

The mood was appropriately somber.  The game had started at six and was nearing it's end around 8:30.  The sun was almost all the way down and it was dark in the room.  No one had made the day to night transition official by turning on the light.  I don't remember what the fanbase was like in the room, but I remember the darkness and quiet demeanor like it was yesterday.  The refs robbed us of game 1 and we lost game 2.  We came back with a vengeance and gritted out a defensive game 3 win.  We had a legitimate shot at the title still.  Then we blew a 20 point lead in the second half, culminating on a Ray Allen layup.  Time to start thinking about next year.

--------

I will always remember Thursday June 11th, 2009.  I was sitting in a good friend's (college) home in Santa Cruz.  The bbq was going and I was about two beers and one mojito deep.  The atmosphere was enjoyable, to say the least.  I was surrounded by almost all of my best friends, many of which I'd turned into Laker fans with my diehard fanaticism.  Others were born and bread SoCal natives like myself.  A few were even what I will politely label "Laker haters" (mostly Golden State and Sacramento fans cheering on Orlando just to see the Lakers lose).  There were the girls that just adored everything Kobe related and the typical meathead Laker fans that hated Pau Gasol cause he's "soft" and booed everytime Luke got the ball.  I could educate them all night as to why they were totally wrong on both counts, but I resolved to just be extra demonstrative whenever they made plays: "GOOD D PAU!!....THAT'S HOW YOU POST-UP, LUKE!!"

The Lakers were down 12 at the half.  I was noticeably upset and everyone called me out on it.  I didn't care.  I'm an emotional guy and I flat out LOVE this team.  When they are losing, I am not happy.  When they are winning, I am ecstatic.  That's simply how it goes.  I pulled my steak off the grill (perfect medium rare), sat down, unmuted the talking ESPN heads and got ready for the second half.

Then the predictable happened.  Third quarter excellence meets third quarter collapse.  I got excited and I got happy real fast as the Lakers came out of the gates and went on a 14-1 run to start the quarter.  They'd end it up by 4, thanks to Trevor Ariza who's #3 jersey I'm sure I'll be purchasing this summer.

Then the distasteful happened.  The Lakers shot no free throws in the fourth, while Orlando shot 14.  Kobe would drive to the basket, get body clammered by Howard, and the refs would swallow their whistles.  I'd scream for fouls (those WERE fouls when LEBRON was playing), but they'd never come.  I knew deep down, past all the emotion, that the Lakers needed to grit this game out and win without the help of the zebras.  I knew they could do it too, but as the game was winding down things weren't looking good.  My good friend who was unable to watch was calling me back after I had called him to update him on the third quarter goodness.  We were down 5 and there was some 30 seconds left.  Time to face the music.  I gave him the news, channeled my inner Bill Simmons, and prepared myself for the worst. 

Then the unexpected happened.  The Magic defense grew complacent for the first time in the quarter.  They thought they had it in the bag.  If there was one player on the court that knew this wasn't the case, it was the Black Mamba himself.  He drove, he dodged, he spun, he dished.  Dunk for Pau Gasol.  The reaction by the room was one of reluctant appreciation.  Despite this highlight reel of a play by our #1 and #2, we were still down 3 with 11 seconds to go.  I was still on the phone, not wanting to let my buddy miss out on any of the action.

Then the unpredictable happened.  It was being talked about all post season how Dwight Howard had improved his freethrow shooting by leaps and bounds.  He out freethrowed Kobe Bryant himself in Game 3.  He went to the line now in Game 4 with the chance to seal the game not only once, but twice.  Even splitting the free throws would put the Magic up by 4 and make it a two possession game.  He missed the first one.  Hope bubbled inside me.  He missed the second.  I yelled out in primal joy into the phone, deafening not only my buddy but probably the three people sitting in front of me as well.  We had a chance.  My friend had to go, so I hung up.  The ensuing Laker timeout seemed to take forever.  When the Show came back on, an inquiring mind in our audience asked, "Why are they taking the ball out in the backcourt?"  It was a question only the Zen Master himself could answer.

Then amazing happened.  Derek Fisher, Mr. 0.4 himself, sank a game tying 3-pointer with an ironically appropriate 4 seconds left on the game clock.  The rest, needless to say, is history.  History that will forever be etched in my mind, body, and soul.  2008-2009: my best Laker season ever.

 

....

 

knock on wood.

 

....

 

Hey if you read this blog, please give me some feeedback in terms of what you thought about my writing.  Thanks!

Brian Kamenetzky of the LA Times Lakers Blog interviewed Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw during practice and the focus was mainly about Kobe.  The conversation gives some great insight into how this team functions, and the "blessings" and "curses" that come with perimter greatness like Kobe's.  Brian Shaw is a smart man.  I'd post this as a fanshot, but I'm convinced no one ever even scrolls down to those :).

Here's the interview: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/06/brian-shaw.html#more

These are always fun!  Five predictions for the Orlando - Lakers series!  Make yours and at the end, we'll compare them all and the winner will get a prize...maybe...

 

1) Kobe : 29.5 ppg on 48.8% shooting for the series

2) Derek Fisher: 45% from 3 point land for the series

3) Vujacic: 0.7:1  Assist:T/O ratio.  Dunks the ball once.

4) Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol combine to average 20 rebounds a game

5) Laker offensive efficiency: 1.15 for the series!

 

Bynum was quoted as saying the Lakers wanted Orlando as a match-up in the finals.  In doing so, he violated one of the deadly basketball sins: picking an opponent before a series is over.  To the joy of Andrew, the Magic beat the Cavs in 6 and will advance to the NBA finals.

Drew took a lot of flack for his words, but lets really think about what he's saying.  In calling for Orlando, Drew advocated the hardest defensive assignment he could hope for perhaps in his entire career: guarding Dwight Howard in the NBA finals.  Drew's no idiot.  He knows when he says Orlando, he's talking about mroe than homecourt advantage.  Personally, I think Drew wants the challenge of defending Howard and banging with him under the rim.  The last time the two met, Howard outrebounded Bynum 20-3.  If you think #17 is gonna let that happen again, you're wrong.

Also, the second most potent offense in the psotseaon is about to run into the first most.

Welcome to a special edition of 5 likes / dislikes!  You get the pleasure of hearing my point of view on not one, but ALL 19 games the Lakers have played in the postseason thus far.

 

5 Dislikes:

1) Lebron / Kobe roommate commercials:

Okay, not gonna lie.  Deep down...I kind of like these because they are very well done and capture both player's personalities relatively well.  What I dislike about these ads is the intent behind them.  I know the NBA wants a Lebron - Kobe final, but when sponsors push for it so blatantly and shamelessly far before it's determined is when things get out of hand.  Part of the reason the refs are such a big deal this postseason can be attributed to these ads.

2) The Boston Celtics

How much did our "rivals" suck this postseason?  I was hoping they'd win it all so we could steamroll them in the finals.  I wish KG was healthy this year.  He'll come back healthy, but will the Celtics make the necessary moves to stay competitive next year (you know they need some help)?

3) Fatigue

It's there.  I don't like it, but it's there.  I remember listening to Kobe direct his team in the fourth quarter when they went up by 20 (game 6).  He was keeping everyone focused, reminding the Lakers that NOW (with 10:00 left) was the time to step up the energy.  Don't let the Nuggets go on a run and get back into this thing.  The Lakers responded appropriately.  I could hear it in Kobe's voice, however, that he was downright tired.  He deserves to be at this point.  I know Kobe won't let us down in the finals, but I also know that fatigue is starting to become a factor in the playoffs.

2) Focus

The other F.  In the past 4 days, the Laker focus has improved tremendously.  With their game six seal in Denver, they proved to everyone that they are much more mentally tough than they are given credit for.  However, a big reasont hat #3 exists on this list is due to a lack of #2.  It's hard to say that focus is an issue now as the Lakers move on to the finals where no excuses fly.  Still, if one thing will beat the Lakers in the NBA finals, it's gonna be this.

1) Refereeing

I'm sure most of you have some sort of idea of what I'd write under here.  I'll say this: the refereeing in the postseason is not as bad as the media has made it out to be.  The "ref conspiracy" theories are a festering bubble produced by the Tim D scandal.  Everyone thinks that the NBA wants the Lakers in the finals, so of course they're going to get all the calls.  Whatever.  Whoever wins the NBA finals, I will NOT blame the referees.

 

5 Likes (I like this part):

5) Focus

Hey repeat!  This wouldn't have been on the list a week ago, but now it sits in its deserving spot.  The Laker focus is at an all time high.  PJ, Lamar, Luke, and Kobe have all stated that the Lakers are playing their best basketball and it couldn't have come at a better time.  Entering the finals, the Lakers will be the heavy favorites regardless of who makes it.  Up until tonight, I never liked the Lakers going into a situation where they are favored, but now...now I am confident. 

4) Shannon Brown

What a steal!!!!  I remember seeing Shannon Brown's interviews in contrast to Adam Morrison when they were both first traded to the Lakers this season.  Morrison sounded like he was trying to catch a lunch break after a long day in the cubicle while Shannon sounded like a kid who'd just been told he was going to Disneyland for 3 weeks.  There was a sense that he would be a contributor someday.  This notion was cemented when he made quite a play during his first garbage time minutes as a Laker.  Shannon has provided an amazing lift for the Lakers in the postseason on both ends of the floor and all I can say is: sign this man.

 

3) The Test

I'm happy the Houston series went seven.  I'm happy the Lakers lost two homegames this postseason.  Those trials were important for the development of the team.  If you don't think the Lakers team that won the past two games in a row against the Nuggets is a different team than lost Game 6 to Houston, you are a fool.  The Lakers cruised into the finals last season, only being pushed to six games by a Utah crew that fed off their home energy more than anything else.  This season: not the case.  The Lakers are as battle-tested and ready for the finals as a team can be.

2) Laker bench

Okay...so the bench overall has not been all that it can be in this postseason.  They have, however, gotten the job done.  They don't always outscore the opposing bench, but they bring the necessary energy and play hard every night.  That's why I can live with Sasha Vujacic on this team.  He rushes shots, stagnates the offense, and uses up all Laker team fouls.  Yet, you can tell he is constantly playing with the most hustle and determination that he can.  That's what they need out of everyone, Lamar Odom included, if the Lakers are to win a championship.  Lamar Odom has played well in spurts and, despite his back pain, is on board for what ever happens in the finals.  When he wants to bring it, he sure can.  Farmar and Walton have been solid enough for us as well, with Walton providing some underrated defense on all stars Ron Artest and Carmelo Anthony.  But let me ask you this, wouldn't it be cool to see Sun Yue in a finals game?

1) Laker Starters:

Kobe Bryant has had a tremendous postseason.  His series against Denver is a major highlight and for all intents and purposes, one of the best of his career.  Pau Gasol is a steady and quiet force that pretty much grants us a mismatch against any team.  Bynum is not playing his best, but he knows what his role is and he is becoming the defensive presence that the team needs.  Ariza?  Do I even need to reiterate what has been said about him?  Given the choice between LO and Ariza, I'd pick TA hands down.  Fisher's shot has struggled all postseason and he's had a hard time keeping up with athletic point guards...yet here the Lakers are strong as ever with Fish remaning an integral part of the startnig lineup. 

 

Honorable Mention: Phil Jackson

He receives his fair share of criticism, but the man has built an incredible team around Kobe Bryant.  He deserves credit for that.

5 Dislikes:

1) Turnovers:

Ughhhh!  I hate turnovers!  If you watched the game, I'm sure you'd come out thinking we had a lot more than the only 15 and that Denver killed us by scoring a lot more than only 15 off of them.  In the end, the turnover battle was dead even, but it really hurt to see the Lakers give up so many careless turnovers be it Trevor / Fish over-dribbling into a bad pass or Luke Walton exhibiting some butter finger syndrome.  A side effect of what this team seems most lacking: discipline.

 

2) Complete Lack of a Post Game

Bynum and Pau combined for a whopping 13 shots total whereas Pau should be getting at least 15 a game on his own.  The scary part was that it was yet again a small front line bodying up and keeping the Lakers out of the post.  Luckily, if someone wants to turn us into a jumpshooting team we have plenty of guys that can step it up (one guy "bryant" I hear is pretty good), but I think this is the biggest adjustment LA will have to make to continue to win in this series.

 

3) Forcing It

Everyone seemed to force it at least a few times today.  Part of it was the startlingly good Denver defense, but part of it was just not playing with our heads.  Instead of passing the ball, Fish tended to dribble about 3/4ths of the clock then shoot.  Kobe forced a couple of bad shots.  Trevor, on the opposite side of the spectrum, turned down wide open 3s that he has to step into with confidence.  Maybe it's just opening day jitters, but the Lakers have to play smarter, more complete offense, especially if they're gonna win in Denver.

 

2) Denver's Front Line

Normally I don't hate players or teams like your typical Laker fan does, but I REALLLLY don't like Denver's frontline.  K-Mart is about as thuggish as if not moreso than Cuban described a couple weeks back.  Anderson is a showboating liability that fouls with his body on all of those "blocks".  Nene...well...he just is WAY more talented than he looks!  I also hate J.R. Smith for his showboating and arrogant style of play.  Okay that's enough h8 for one post.  Back to LA...

 

1) Regular Season Statistics

I say it every series when one of my friends says "wait didn't the Lakers go 4-0 agains them in the regular season?": What happens in the regular season STAYS in the regular season.  Case in point?  Carmelo Anthony.  Many of our writers boasted his meager 14.5 ppg against the Lakers in the regular season as a testament to the amazing defense Luke Walton would play on him throughout this series (lol).  What does he do?  How about go off for 39 points on 20 shots and it was, for the most part, a QUIET game for him.  The fact that the Lakers beat the Nujggets 3-1 in the regular season matters about as much as the fact that they 4-0'd the ROCKETs did last round.  If you think Carmelo is going to "average out" throughout the series, you got another thing coming and I can only pray that PJ doesn't think the same thing.

 

5 Likes (yay!)

5) Rebounding

Outboarding your opponent 46-37 will go a lonnngggggggggg way towards helping you win when they shoot 48.6% to your 41.1%.  Despite the fact that we had no post game whatsoever, we did have some successful dribble penetration which helped free up Gasol and Odom especially for offensive boards.  I remember Van Gundy commenting on one Kobe Bryant miss that "might has well have been an assist" to Gasol because he was so wide open on the rebound.  We need to continue to exploit this as the series continues.

 

4) The Laker bench

The bench didn't shoot particularly well or fill up the boxscore, but they stepped up to the task today and clearly outplayed the "factually deep" Nugget bench.  One neat stat is to look at our +/- and notice that the bench for the most part were in the positives while the starters were in the negatives.  The opposite, for the most part, can be said about the Nuggets.  At the very least they showed they were willing to scrap and play defense, despite the fact that their shots weren't falling.

 

3) Derek Fisher

He did some bad things in the beginning of the game, but overall he started to emerge from his 3-point slump, going 3 for 6 from downtown.  Two of those buckets were huge, go ahead 3 pointers.  He also played acceptable defense on Chauncy, who is still noticeably faster then him but is no Aaron Brooks.  A lot of people clamour for Farmar or Brown to be inserted into our starting line-up, but I think Big Shot D.Fisher is gonna come in handy again in these playoffs.

 

2) Ariza's Steal, Overall Defense Down the Stretch

How fitting!  Ariza has a lackluster, foul ridden game overall, but in the end he keeps his hustle up and makes the play of the game, stealing the inbounds pass that more or less sealed it for his team.  Our defense also went into their typical "oh shit, we have to play basketball tonite?" mode down the stretch and helped us pull out of a 7 point deficit with some six minutes left.  Bynum had two blocked shots in 16 minutes.  Imagine what we could do if he could actually stay on the floor!

 

1) Kobe Bryant

Kobe willed the Lakers to a win tonite.  They came out predictably flat and unenergetic, but Kobe picked his game up, especially on the defensive end and set the tone for his teammates.  Not only did he take on the arduous task of guarding the opposing team's top 2 players for extensive stretches, but he took on a huge offensive load as well.  His 13-28 shooting night is not bad, but nothing to write home about.  However, he managed to get to the line 13 times and sink 12, giving him a pretty stellar 40 points on 28 shots (1.42, will probably get it done).  Also, 15 of those points came in the final 7 minutes and he went six for six in an quietly clutch freethrow performance (if Pau Gasol or even a good free throw shooter like D.Fish went 6 for 6 from the line down the stretch, we'd be ecstatic).  Jerry West might think Lebron is the best player in the NBA now, but Kobe just reminded him who the best closer is.

 

 

5 Dislikes:

5) The Arest Flagrant 2:

It was a hard, legitimate foul.  Sure Pau landed on his back, but that is because he got hit hard in the air which sometimes happens when you're going to thet rim hard.   I believe, from the bottom of my hearth, that the only reason this was a flagrant two was because it was Artest that committed the foul and everyone expected Arest to go off in this game.  More on that foul later.

4) Rebounds???!!?/??

56-43.  The Lakers were out rebounded by 13.  Perhaps the top overall rebounding team in the league was defeated on the boards by 13.  It was a combination of offensive and defensive boards for the Rockets that earned them this number.  The unfortunate part for them, of course, was the final score.

3) The Referees:

There seems to be such a focus on how the game is called and what is or isn't called a flagrant.  I think this takes away from the game because it leads to overanalysis of ingsignificant replays and takes away from what really matters in the game (Kobe Bryants has been remarkable this series, more later).

2) Houston Shooting:

I have no choice now but to realize that Houston is a knock down shooting team and that, above all else, they're ability to knock down shots can drive them through the playoffs.  For the third game in a row, Houston seemed to be able to get points when they needed to, often times hitting tough jumpshots that were well defended by the Lakers.  This is one of the big reasons, in my opinion, that Houston can neverb be counted out.

1) ESPN:

I missed the first few minutes of the game when the Lakers went up 6-0 on Houston.  I was going crazy and ranting about how ESPN has no business playing the last three minutes of garbage time in the Boston-Orlando game over the first few minutes of game three LA-Houston.  At least JVG and Marc Jackson where more or less on point tonight.

Five Likes:

5) The Road Win:

I was fairly confident that the Lakers would win tonight.  After the Lakers won game two and after they won it in a particularly nitty gritty style, I knew they would take this series in 5.  I'm still standing by that one.  Regardless, the Lakers showed all sorts of nit and grit on othe road last night.  I think this applies all the way down the bench too, which only puts it in the bonus as far as how important it is for our team.

4) Jordan Farmar:

Before I write this I would like to apologize to mister Farmar for ever calling for him to be traded.  In 33 minutes Farmar posted 12/5/7.  A very impressive statline which would have been even more impressive if he knocked down a couple of the threes LA fans know he's capable of (went 0-3 from downtown).  Farmar played an excellent game.  He ran the offense and played very unselfishly.  Yet, he was still able to knock down shots and score when his team needed him to.  This included during the fourth quarter when he hit a critical jumper along with some free throws.  Jordan should remain in the starting lineup.  Fish off the bench can only make us stronger.

3) The Laker frontline:

As far as I'm concerned, they did a stellar job.  Ariza continued to be his tenacious self on defense, but he also stepped up huge with our offense.  He educated the Rockets defense on what might happen if everyone just decides to collapse on Kobe and Pau in the lane.  I'd say TA's offense contributed as much as his defense did tonight.  Bynum played great as well: 4 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks are amazing numbers considering his 12 minutes played.  Most of all, Bynum (as well as Gasol) played great D on Yao and helped keep him off the block when possible.  Lamar had a quiet, but inspiring 16 and 13 with a pair of blocks himself.  Luke didn't  put up amazing numbers, but he finished the game with a positive +/- and he played solid D on Ron Ron.

2) The Laker backcourt:

It feels good being able to include the frontcourt AND the backcourt of the Lakers in the same group of five.  Our backcourt definitely put in the effort and got stuff done tonight.  I already discussed how good Farmar was...how about Shannon Brown?  He fed off of the team's energy and played solid defense during his time on the floor and he also knocked down all his shots and free throws (in the 4th quarter, mind you).  Sasha's shot was way off, but he still did not lose one step when it came to the tenacious defense he played.  His foul on Von Wafer was equally as bullshit as Artest's "flagrant" on Gasol  Oh and we also had...

1) Kobe Bryant:

This man is just amazing.  Kobe Bryant is, without a doubt, the reason the Lakers won in Houston in game three.  Sure he went 11-28 which is like...38%(?), but regardless Kobe stepped his game up huge when the Lakers needed it.  First of all, he stroked it early on, making jumpers left and right. This, as we all know by now, tends to energize the team.  Kobe, the first team all league SG (D.Wade?) also blocked the tallest all-star in the NBA.  He was huge on defense.......................................oh yeah he also hit not one but two incredible buzzer beater threes that were both daggerlific.

 

 

----The Lakers did not play as well as they possibly could, but they played with incredible heart and determination and pulled out a home road win as a team.  Incredible game.  One of the best all season.

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g a John Hollinger article that talked about how the Lakers were still in  troub

 

 

 

Houston has been making some of the most ridiculous miracle shots.  If you looked at their stats and watched just the first two games of the playoffs, you'd think they were one of the best jump shooting and 3-point shooting teams in the NBA when, at heart, they really aren't.

 

Three Houston miracle shots in game 2:

1) Ron Artests's blocked shot close to the shot clock exprining which fell into Yao Ming's hands who hit a turnaround at the buzzer.

2) At least 2 Artest dribble step back three-pointers.  Another time Artest took a dribble step back from the elbow that was heavily contested by Lamar Odom.  These are the kind of shots I never saw Ron Artest make in all the Houston games I watched and his 33% FG in the regular season reinforces the notion that he normally does not make those shots.

3) An Erin Brooks running three-pointer (thankfully, he wasn't in miracle mode like Artest)

 

It's not like the Rockets are shooting particularly well from the field, but it's not like they are taking particularly good shots either.  Sure sometimes they execute an inside out play very well and hit an open three, but many times I feel like the Laker defense is forcing them into tough, contested shots that for god knows what reason they seem to be making at a pretty solid rate.  I mean, Ron Artest, RON ARTEST (33%FG), is shooting 60% from 3 pointers in the series so far!

 

I'm a huge Laker fan, but I try to watch the games objectively seeing as I am also a huge NBA fan.  I try to interpret calls correctly, I try to analyze how each team is playing correctly, and I try not to apply my bias.  Maybe I'm being blinded by Laker fandom without even realizing it.  Does anyone else feel the same way as me about the Houston miracles?  I guess Ron Artest can continue to shoot 60% from 3 for the rest of the series, but what happens to Houston if he doesn't?

Five Dislikes:

5) Offensive Rebounding: The Jazz did not outrebound the Lakers on Saturday night, but the did outpreform them on the offensive glass.  This frustrated the Lakers primarily  in the first quarter. It was clear that they managed to get a grasp on it throughout the game (no more lol CARLOS BOOZER 12 REBOUNDS FIRST QUARTER!!!111)

4) Free Throws??: Its obvious that the homecookin' has gon' and changed the direction the rim be facin'.  Or so it has seemed at least in the past two games in Utah.

3) Andrew Bynum: Yeahhh Drew...not your greatest game.  Personally, I think Drew is trying to do too much.  You can tell when he gets the ball in the post that he is looking to score.  I think this is the right attitude, but a lot of the time it seems #17 is forcing things rather than letting the game come to him.  Also, he needs to get better at cleaning up the glass.   I swear Milsap, who is a pretty small dude in comparison, had is WAY with Bynum on the boards.

 

2) We virtually won by 20: There's only gonna be 4 dislikes tonight.

 

1) Refusing to make this list for Game 3: The Game Three loss cut me deep.  I could see it coming.  I knew we weren't gonna win that game, but it still was one of the most devastating losses of the season, at least to me.  I missed out on a good night at the bars because I knew getting into it about the Lakers loss with other people would not lead to a good night.

Five Likes:

5) Boozer's Stat Line:  The Most Quiet 23/16/5 Ever.  Boozer's points were efficient as hell (23 on 13 attempts).  His work on the boards was admirable.  Yet despite all of this his crew got blown out.  I was joking around with some friends about how Boozer remembered he's opting out this summer and stopped sucking, yet tonight he made moves to prove me wrong in the second half.

 

4) The Laker Front Line: A great bounce back here in my opinion.  The Laker starting three combined for one shy of an average ten on the glass (29).  Lamar killed it.  I predicted 11 for Lamar and he had to show me up putting up 15. On top of that he finished with 10 points on 10 shots which would have been cleaner had he been sinking free throws.  He took it hard to the whole too.  Pau put up some solid numbers (13/10) but did not get enough looks. .  Honestly I don't think Pau got the calls he deserved all night long.  Either that, or he is unable to deal with the  physical way Utah plays.   TA put up solid numbers and made a difference on the defensive end despite the foul trouble.

 

3) The Bench Mob: The bench mob has been redefined.  Shannon Brown played great and I love the dimensions he brings to the team.  Sure the outside shooting is nice, but what I really appreciate is the way he can take it hard to the hole and draw contact.  This kind of behavior from a point guard is not typical of a Laker team, but its welcomed (Ronnn Harrperr).  Luke also played big tonight and proved me wrong shooting 3 for 6 on the night (I called 30%).  Sasha brought his hustle as usual and hit a couple of big shots.  Honestly, that is all Sasha needs to do to maximize his worth to the Laker team.  How about him pissing Morrison off in practice huh?  I didn't even read about that until hearing it announced on the broadcast tonight but somehow I wasn't surprised.

 

2) A Win in Utah: We should have won thursday, but despite all the crap things we did we only barely lost in the end.  I think a lot of what happened thursday was due to the road playoff jitters.  I think even Kobe felt 'em a little bit.  Those jitters seemed to be gone, for the most part (Bynumm....) in game four as the Lakers executed much more fluid(ly) on both ends of the court.

 

1) Kobe Bryant: Ahhhh you knew it was coming.  I knew it was coming.  I predicted Kobe would bounce back tonight and shoot 60%.  Well, he had to up the ante a bit and polished off the night shooting 66%.  38 points on 24 shots.  Not too freakin' bad.  The most remarkable thing about this game?  Kobe's demeanor.  He went cold-blooded-killer on the Utah Jazz tonight and, judging by D.Will's comments, it was no surprise to either team.  You could see it in his eyes.  Yet at the same time, it never looked like Kobe was playing Kobe ball.  He did not take his team out of the game.  A lot of Kobe's crazy fadeaway how the hell did that not touch rim shots came in the waning seconds of the shotclock when he effectively bailed the Lakers out.  An outstanding, yet eerily conserved performance from an outstanding athlete  9 out of 10.

5 Dislikes:

1) Turnovers

     Eeeesh.  21??? 21?? Even at our pace that's insane.  The Lakers expressed a carelessness that flat-out won't cut it in any future rounds of the playoffs.  Everyone was guilty.  The only guy in the starting five with less than three giveaways was Ariza who hardly handles the ball at all.  Kobe made an almost deadly turnover with 1:15 left in the game on one of those "homerun" plays we hate so much.  Gottaaaa clean this up going into Utah.

 

2) Our "Big Three"

     You know when they use "Big" in ironic way when naming a really short guy?  That's kind of what I mean in reference to Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Luke Walton (tonight).  In Farmar's 4 minutes he managed a +/- of neg 5.  Vujacic couldn't seem to get his foul rate under 2 per minute.  Walton's boxscore looks pretty solid, but he was seemingly nonexistant on the defensive end.  Overall these guys looked like 3rd string players tonight.  Let's be thankful however, that we have such a strong first and second string.

 

3) New Rotations??

   Kobe sat out a good chunk of the middle of the fourth along with Pau when the Jazz were making a pretty solid run.  In a very Jackson-esque manner, Phil refused to put 'em back in until under the six minute  mark.  Normally I'm a Jackson devotee but tonight, in the playoffs, I had to question his line of thinking.  If the Lakers didn't pull out the win, I bet a lot more people might stand baffled as well.

 

4) Justin Timberlake

   Okay maybe I'm just jealous.

 

5) Interior Passing

    For being praised as having the best passing bigmen, a lot of our turnovers came off of dropped balls and forced passes on the inside. 

5 Likes:

5) Interior Passing

   My fanpost, my rules!  More interior passes seemed to get picked off than converted, but those that were successful often led to some sweet and-1s and easy buckets.  The Lakers need to continue to play to their strength on the inside like they did tonight, but also avoid overpassing and being predictable, what they accomplished tonight.

 

4) Shannon Brown a.k.a. UPS

    I don't think there's any question anymore...Brown delivers.  He hit a few big shots as well as played the best defense on D. Will out of all our point guards.  It's clear that Shannon cannot stop Deron, but I doubt any PG in the NBA could have slown him down at least tonight.  The biggest thing I liked about Shannon?  The way he took it hard to the hole. Despite the triangle offense, not enough can be said about what having a PG that is ready to create shots at the rim can do for a team.  Brown seems to be a step closer to that level than Farmar and Fisher.

 

3) Offensive Efficiency

   60% field goals made on the night, 55% from three-point land.  Thirty assists.  That's about as stellar of an offense you'll get in the NBA if you ignore the 21 turnovers.  Its not like the Lakers got lucky either.  Everyone executed rather well when they weren't handing the ball over to the Jazz and, in turn, everyone knocked down the open looks they got for the most part.

 

2) Rebounding...Sorta

   We didn't win the battle of the boards, but we didn't lose either (30-30).  We kept the Jazz off the offensive glass throughout most of the game, but they were able to come in towards the end when they were making their run.  Honorable menion here: Pau Gasol's clutch defense reminiscent of Christmas Day vs. Boston.

 

1) Kobe to Ariza

   This play epitomizes, to me, what the Lakers have become as a team.  Kobe showed some incredible trust in a guy who has improved his three point shot, yet is still no Robert Horry.  I like the Lakers new mix of "Kobe ball" and team ball that they execute during crunch time these days.  Sure sometimes Kobe takes the torch and hits big, tough shots on an efficient basis (tonight he missed some big shots, but also made just as many).  But other times he's passing (9 dimes) or not even involveled in the play (however, these times resulted in mostly turnovers: Pau, Fisher in the final 4 minutes).

 

 

 

 

 

So ESPN quoted Phil Jackson:

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