Like coaches always preach, it's all about executing for five minutes, 56 seconds
More specifically, the final 5:56 minutes, when the Lakers finally came to life and put down Sacramento 117-105. Until then, this game was quite the herky jerky affair, one where the Lakers continually turned the ball over (10 in the first half alone), continually got torched on defense (the opening three quarters were a struggle to keep Sacto below 50%) and continually struggled to get much going. To make matters worse, the numero uno fella, the dude they call "Kobe," was mostly ineffective with the rock, missing 13 of his first 20 shots. Any signs of life was inevitably steamrolled by a counteracting Sacto push. Chippiness reared a head often more frustrated than spirited. Both Phil Jackson and Kobe talked about a lack of familiarity causing a problem (Believe it or not, this is actually the season's first meeting between these two divisional rivals). And given how out of sorts the Lakers looked throughout the majority of the game, that's easy to believe.
But then came the last six minutes of the last quarter. The defense tightened (highlighted by a 24-second violation forced). The Kings went cold (26% from the field). And Kobe did his thing, pouring in 17 final frame points to complement Pau Gasol's 11 and help pull away from the state capital's competitors. When whoever coined the phrase about "style points not counting for much," he probably had prophetic visions of tonight's winning box score. It ain't about winning no beauty contest. It's about flashing a big toothy grin even if half your teeth are missing and the other half are rotting away. For the time being, said smile that launched 1000 ships.
Or at least one barely-squeaked win.
The breakdown is below.
The Good (and keep in mind, most praise includes the caveat of "defense aside," since nobody played much of it until the final stretches, save perhaps Lamar Odom).
Kobe's fourth quarter: 17 points in the final frame on 3-6 shooting. Not a ton of shots, so if you're guessing Bryant's points were the result of some serious aggressiveness, you're not just spitballing. The final frame included a dozen trips to the line, with eleven sinking. Even more amazing? Kobe didn't notch a point until more than seven minutes had expired. Just less than four minutes remained before he was even credited with a field goal. Little time to accrue those kind of numbers, but as they say, when you're hot, you're hot.
Pau Gasol: Folks will be quick to point out a lack of paint security, an area often charged to the care of an NBA center (and if you listen to the postgame chatter, Gasol was no happier about the layup line). But it's hard to outright pooh pooh a 31/10/3 block game, especially when his baskets were a large part of preserving any hope of a win early on. "Pau kept us in the game for three quarters," praised Bryant.
Lamar Odom: Like Gasol, he was among the only sources of consistent scoring for the Lakers during the first three quarters (19 points on 8-10 shooting). Unlike Gasol, (and most of his teammates), he boasted defense that came in spots other than the last six minutes. Ron Artest's opening half point surge often came at LO's expense, but not due to a lack of effort. And as Ron Ron's 1-9 final quarter demonstrates, Odom did a nice job shutting down his old New York buddy when it mattered most. "Lamar has to take a lot of credit himself," noted Bryant. "He did a great job individually on Ron. The shots that he made were tough ones."
Vlad Radmanovic's return: Not that he did much to help the Laker cause, but they could use both his shooting and, more importantly, a lengthened rotation. No doubt "The Bench Mob" has been a major asset all season. But after seeing them lay rare back-to-back collective eggs (11 points Sunday against Dallas, 9 tonight), it's equally hard to doubt the trio of Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf wouldn't benefit from becoming a foursome ASAP.
The Bad
The bench: See above
The defense: From top to bottom, guard to center, this Laker squad played about 42 minutes of horrendous D. Whether covering in transition (21 fast break points), manning the paint (a honkin' 62 allowed in that spot), keeping track of Kings moving without the ball, or communicating with each other, the Lakers appeared to be doing their best impression of an ABA squad. The Kings' unorthodox style and a lack of familiarity likely accounted for some issues, but at the same time, a lot of teams manage to keep the Kings from running roughshod. The Lakers deserve props for finally buckling down, but at the same time, were this a game against a team more capable of putting an opponent away, Kobe and crew probably would have fallen too far back to recover.
Luke Walton's shooting: Like Kobe, he struggled to make shots over three quarters. From there, however, the similarities cease. Kobe caught serious fire, while Walton's remained as was. 3-13, with three attempts swatted. For all the blooger talk of Walton being a defensive liability, truth be told, I think he's been decent this season on that side of the ball. He's no Ron-Ron, but he also doesn't get torched to nearly the degree often presented. That being said, he's been in a season-long funk on the offensive end and tonight was no exception.
Turnovers: Mercifully, the gaffes decreased as the game went along. But sixteen is anything but sweet.
The Revealing?
It remains to seen whether or not Kobe will be declared the league's most valuable, but tonight's "MVP" chants before, during, and after the game show that were the voting done "People's Choice" style, Bryant wouldn't be premature in dusting off his shelf space. Given the treatment Kobe received here not that long ago, the love raises even more eyebrows. If nothing else, it provides Kobe more culinary freedom while in town. "I don't have to worry about nobody poisoning my burger anymore," laughed Kobe of the infamous 2002 playoff food poisoning incident. "I can eat in peace."
Download phil_postgame_sacto.mp3 (Phil Jackson)
Download lamar_postgame_sacto.mp3 (Lamar Odom)
Download pau_postgame_sacto.mp3 (Pau Gasol)
Download kobe_postgame_sacto.mp3 (Kobe Bryant)
(Note the football analogies from both Kobe and LO. Great minds think alike. Or just really like them some pigskin.)
AK
I think the key turning point in last nights game was when Vlad came in off the bench and brought some new energy to the team. He didnt have any kind of stat line to speak of and he seemed a little out of sorts but you could tell he wanted to be out there and even called of Odom so he could guard Artest a couple of time and had a big offensive rebound, plus he spread the floor and Kobe and Gasol started taking it down the middle of the lane. Everyone else picked up there energy and started feeding of this and Kobe started going off once he was able to get some lay ups. You can talk about stats Walton vs. Vlad but look at the intagibles and look at the turning points in the game. Vlad was +4 in the game with limited minutes but in an important stretch of the game everyone else was negative off the bench and if he had gotten 13 shots in the game I dont think he would have gone 3-13.
Posted by: Ken | March 05, 2008 at 08:22 AM
hey Sports Fans,
The only way to get rid of a sportswriter is ignore him. THousands of hits and emails, angered or otherwise, may get Simers and Dwyer a raise.
It works just like the blog. Bash Kobe get noticed.
Posted by: Vman | March 05, 2008 at 08:22 AM
Botsboy,
I agree. The LA Times is primarily for Los Angeles residents. The LA Lakers are primarily for Los Angeles residents. If this Simers idiot is constantly and unnecessarily attacking the LA Laker's best player, then in essence, he is attacking every resident of LA who enjoys watching the Los Angeles Lakers; who draws inspiration, happiness, and pride from seeing our Lakers perform, win or lose. So why should the residents of LA purchase a newspaper that employs someone who doesn't represent that desire for inspiration and hope? Why should we buy a paper where a bitter old man is allowed to attack the mainstay of our professional basketball team? The Los Angeles Times, so long as it employs Mr. Simers, will assume the posture of deliberately avoiding promoting pride in our city; and instead, just instigating hate, hate, and more hate.
What if we win the NBA Championships? Do you think millions of Angelenos will want to pay money to read Simers assault the player who brought such a wonderful thing to our city? How can that be a positive thing?
And don't talk to me about censorship or the rights to express opinions. Mr. Simers opinions are constantly negative about Kobe, constantly demeaning, constantly false and opinionated. The LATimes shouldn't be Simers' personal tool to vent his petty jealously, but that's exactly what he's made it into. He doesn't write to inspire, to inform, to celebrate. He only barks and whines like an old dog, and somehow the the LA Times expects us all to draw entertainment from that. I don't care how long he's been in the business, he's abusing his profession as a writer and the LA Times is allowing it to happen,and I think that's absolutely shameful.
I say we should all send a message to the Times Brass...either TJ Simers gets fired or your already faltering reader$hip diminishes further.
Posted by: troy | March 05, 2008 at 08:22 AM
The only way to deal with Simers is the same way you deal with trolls which inhabit various boards and blogs:
you ignore them.
All he's doing is trying to get attention. TJ doesn't care what you think about him. He just cares if you read. His purpose is to get one group or another riled up.
You don't like him? Don't read his stuff.
It's simple. Really.
Posted by: akr_68 | March 05, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Tsphere,
Botsoy,
There is no need to be mad at T.J Simers! You know what my perception was after I read his last article?
He says something like Garnett is probably more likeable nationwide basing himself on Jerseys sold right? It is the motst funniest thing I have heard or read in the last two weeks. How would not Garnett sell more jerseys when he already switch teams??
Do you guys think that those who have already kobe's jersey would buy more and more just because they love or like kobe? Would be ridiculous to see a person buy what he or she already has.
Make an experiment... marketing Kobe Bryant ..saying that he'll probably be traded to Atlanta... and put a couple of # 24 jerseys in sale nationwide and worldwide... and you guys already know what the result would be.
So forget certain peoples comments.. I been lately asking myself if certain people really went to college and took psychology! You know... it is not just about for you to be mad or upset about a person to throw bad comments about this or that person. You get to be around five people who talk bad about a person for you to jump and trash that person too?
I am not defending Bryant here... I am just saying that certain reporters should continue to be in school because I think some of 'em continue to have poor analise of certain situations. When you want to compare two people, it is important to always talk the the goods and bad of both of 'em and not just being unilateral.
Classic
Posted by: classic | March 05, 2008 at 08:38 AM
I thought TJ was saying that Kobe should win the MVP in his own sarcastic way. After all, Bonds has won like seven of them. So to compare Kobe to Bonds is to say that multiple MVP's must be coming.
Mark
Posted by: | March 05, 2008 at 08:41 AM
QUOTE FROM TJ SIMERS about 1 year ago regarding AK/BK?
"...Are you kidding me? Why would I follow a sports blog? That’s some guy in his basement who has never interviewed an athlete. … That person can’t offer me anything. You have got to go out in the field. … Bloggers are never held accountable. I don’t trust them. Accountability is a big deal. When I call someone a name in the paper, I’m there the next day, and they can let me have it. I have to stand by what I wrote."
Hmmm...fighting words to me.
Posted by: troy | March 05, 2008 at 08:42 AM
http://ivegotabasketballblog.wordpress.com/
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | March 05, 2008 at 08:48 AM
Simmers in print and Hartman on the radio. Hey people, it is all ’schtick’. This is their public persona. They manufacture their popularity by putting this BS out there. They know it is crap, but it not only sells to the hater, but it sells to all of us who respond. The more pub they get the more they will continue.
The best solution to these people is to stop reading their stuff and stop listening to their radio shows. Actually, that is the only solution.
Please people, ignore these unprincipled screamers.
Posted by: Craig W. | March 05, 2008 at 08:59 AM
Great finish to the game last night, Kobe dominated again in the 4th. Give him credit and some blame to the horrific coaching again by the opposing team
Observations-
1) Everyone is suprised when Kobe gets MVP cheers at road games. Those are Laker fans in those arenas not the homes teams fans. Dont confuse the two.
2) For all the whining and complaing the Lakers , Kobe and Kobe fans do, he is getting his share of calls in crunch time, even on non-fouls. Stop the Kobe is a victimg whining and look at his FTs the last two games and over the course of the year.
3) One thing I have to say about Kobe is when the game gets intense and physical his game gets better. Thats the sign of a great player. The queens just melted under the pressure, and had no one to make plays in crunch time.
4) The Lakers were playing matador defesnse the 1st 3 plus quaters , all of them. My problem with that is the so-called leader of the team was one of the main culprits of the horrendous defense. If he and the Lakers come out of the gate with that type of intensity, the game is over by half and guys dont have to play so many minutes.
5) Stop talking about the pinkie- its a non-issue. Kobe made it a non-issue when he decided to not have the surgery. He wont use it as a crutch, laker fans shouldnt either and Stu Home Lanz is the worst. Every single time Kobe fmubles the ball its the pinkie! What a joke.
6) The Lakers are a good, not great team. A great team blows out the queens by half and the starters are towel wavers in the 4th quarter.
Posted by: Laker Lover | March 05, 2008 at 09:03 AM
ACTually,
Simers' article was mild for him. Less cheap shots than usual and his marketing stats are accurate.
Anybody seen any Kobe McDonald's commercials lately? That was the point. Dude had Nutella, McDonalds... wholesome family fare. Those kinds of endorsements may not come back for any NBA player.
The interesting point was that his summer explosion was viewed as an LA thing, although I think there might be a few Chicago columnists that would beg to differ.
Posted by: Vman | March 05, 2008 at 09:13 AM
Lakerlover ~
Where's the love? A bad defensive night by all of our guys out of the gate gave the Kings some hope. Of course we'd like to see the Lakers just blow by every team especially the ones under .500 but, this is the NBA and any team can pull a win on any night. Great team, not yet greatness is on the horizon. Kobe is great, Pau, and L.O. are good. Hopefully a solid push in the playoffs will turn us into a great team across the board, but its too early the jump on that bandwagon and be real with it. All in all its a learning process, Pau and the rest will learn how to step it up, when a knife is in their backs, and take over a few games when needed... For now we have the greatest player on the planet doing what we want and need him to do. Lead the way while shaping this team into a long time contender. Playing from behind and coming out with a win during any away game is a good win. Laker Love!
Faze
Posted by: lakerfaze | March 05, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Troy,
"Bloggers are never held accountable."
The reality (that most "main stream media" don't like to acknowledge) is that good web sites/bloggers are far more accountable than newspapers, TV networks, etc., for a couple reasons.
It is much easier to post a retraction/make a correction;
The bloggers realize that there are literally thousands of alternatives to their site, so if they aren't accurate they will very quickly fade away.
Simers is very reluctant to acknowledge errors. The K bros, who definitely fall into the "good bloggers" category, aren't.
So who is more accountable?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | March 05, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Laker Lover,
According to your point 6, the Spurs, Pistons (twice), Jazz (twice) and Mavericks would be "good, not great" teams. Please recognize that you can't make sweeping statements like that without facts to back you up.
The Lakers are also currently playing (and still winning) without one of our top 3 players.
Considering their current level of performance, you have to admit the Lakers are one of the favorites to win the West, if not the Finals. I'm not sure what more they could do to be considered "great".
Posted by: DK | March 05, 2008 at 09:32 AM
LakerTom,
In reference to your post about Pau. I don't know if I was one of the people you were talking but I wanted to clear it up. I love Pau's game but it's clear that he's not strong enough to battle most centers in the post or fight them for rebounds. None of this is his fault because he's NOT a center and we got him to play PF alongside Bynum, not play center.
Most of this stems from a debate Ex and I have been having for weeks now ever since he said that we're better with just Pau than just Bynum. I wholeheartedly disagree with this. I think we're a very good team with Pau, but like Kobe said we're a championship caliber team with just Bynum.
Posted by: Xodus | March 05, 2008 at 09:38 AM
BK
The bias thread the other day turned out to be a better topic than I expected. Not the Labron v. Kobe or the biased part. I got more from your opening and replies to Lakertom (who I agreed with in his first post when he said the topic was moot) But, your follow-up post(s) gave me and I'm sure others a glimps into what's really going on with you when you write. Not from a fans perspective, but from that of a journalists. It helped me to understand why I didn't or don't, always care for your comments on certain subjects while allowing me to realize where you base those feelings. Thanks! In the end I walked away understanding more about you and where you bring it from. In the beginning I had both K bros. a die hard Laker guys, who worked for the Times and had a great posistion to boast Laker issues. Not thinking for a moment that simply covering sports from a journalistic prespective is what you set out to do, while allowing us to chime in and give our sometime outlandish feedback. Many have said it before but thanks. You also admitted that yes, AK is more of a LAKER fan and I can see that in some of his posts but neither of you let fandom or non-fandom get in the way of bringing the hot story, breaking team news, or just your point of view. Much respect BK! "keep makin' it do what it do"
Posted by: lakerfaze | March 05, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Someone heard Sonnybelfast singing after the game last nigh:
At first I was afraid - I was petrified.
Thinking we could never win without you by our side.
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did us wrong, and we grew strong while you guys learned to get along -
And now you're back - from outer space
We just walked in to find you here with that mad look upon your face
We should have changed the Arco locks, we should have made you leave your key
If we'd have known for just 1 second you'd be back to beat on me -
Go on now go! Walk out the door!
Just turn around now!! 'Cuz you're not welcome any more!
We've got all our lives to live, and we've got all our game to give
We will survive!!! We will survive!! Hey hey!!
LOL!!!
GO LAKERS!!
The BEAN for MVP or NO PEACE!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | March 05, 2008 at 09:38 AM
First of all hello everyone...
All i gotta say is WOW... First Kelly Dwyer now T.J. Simmers... Also I was watching something on the Sac newtwork and one of their guests... I gues he has a Kings blog for the Sac Bee... But he was saying the same things Kelly was saying... Lebron is better... WTF is that??
First off my take on Lebron... Yeah.. he's a gifted player and yeah... he's powerful... But he is jus a pompous arrogant @$$... His demeanor is jus so egotistical... It's nice to be confident... But this guy is jus a show off... The way he carries himself... The way he walks... The way he looks... He jus irritates me... N is it jus me or should people need to quit calling this guy "The King"... I mean... The King of what?? What has he done?? I don't even give him props for taking his team to the Finals last year... i mean... come on... Kobe coulda done that on the same team.. N probably would've won against The Spurs... or at least took it to the 7th game... All in all... I don't like Lebron... Mainly cause I love Kobe... LoL.. BUt i gotta give him this... He praises Kobe... IDK if it's real or not... But I give him props for that... They need to quit calling him "The King" though... cause it really irritates me... He's is a non proven player... That cares about individual stats..
Anyways.. I love how great the Lakers have been palying... N Kobe's killer instinct last night was jus amamzing to watch... Hopefully the team can get better n more consistent... I know everyone has their off days... But come playoff time... They need to switch to another level... Like the Lakers of old...
Posted by: cdub0512 | March 05, 2008 at 09:39 AM
BK
The bias thread the other day turned out to be a better topic than I expected. Not the Labron v. Kobe or the biased part. I got more from your opening and replies to Lakertom (who I agreed with in his first post when he said the topic was moot) But, your follow-up post(s) gave me and I'm sure others a glimps into what's really going on with you and Ak when you write. Not from a fans perspective, but from that of a journalists. It helped me to understand why I didn't or don't, always care for your comments on certain subjects while allowing me to realize where you base those feelings. Thanks! In the end I walked away understanding more about you and where you bring it from. In the beginning I had both K bros. a die hard Laker guys, who worked for the Times and had a great posistion to boast Laker issues. Not thinking for a moment that simply covering sports from a journalistic prespective is what you set out to do, while allowing us to chime in and give our sometime outlandish feedback. Many have said it before but thanks. You also admitted that yes, AK is more of a LAKER fan and I can see that in some of his posts but neither of you let fandom or non-fandom get in the way of bringing the hot story, breaking team news, or just your point of view. Much respect BK! "keep makin' it do what it do"
Posted by: lakerfaze | March 05, 2008 at 09:43 AM
Anybody see Shaq bounce Pryzbilla around last night?
Mildly amusing.
Denver / Phoenix tonight will be a statement for one of those teams.
Posted by: Vman | March 05, 2008 at 09:44 AM
lakerfaze - I worry about the killer instinct of a team when it comes out soft like the lakers did last night. To me, it means they think they can turn it on anytime and pull out games. That wont work in the playoffs.
Im sure 9 rings is telling the guys the same thing.
Posted by: Laker Lover | March 05, 2008 at 09:45 AM
Morning Bloggers,
great (ugly) win last night!
Who would have thought there would be MVP chants in Sac Town? Props to all No. Cal Laker fans in attendance.
Agree with all above statements against TJ Simers. Problem is writing him emails does not do any good, since his Editor does not seem them. Does anyone know the name of the Sports Editor? Is it Randy Harvey?
Posted by: Lakers Legacy | March 05, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Does anyone know who we can complain to with regards to TJ Simers?
I think the blog community needs to be heard on this!
Posted by: Lakafo0 | March 05, 2008 at 09:54 AM
WOW
The lakers stick around then put down the hammer great game the lakes are truely finding themselves.
And i haven't read TJ but i to feel he dosn't like LA but the probelm is he works in LA, go figure
Posted by: pk-in-the-mesa | March 05, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Ex
"So who is more accountable?"
Since neither are handing out legal opinions and
both are getting paid either way,
the answer is C none of the above.
Now if you started a blog, The EX Factor, you'd be accountable but since you're always right, no worries.
Posted by: Vman | March 05, 2008 at 09:56 AM
T. J. Simers is a lost cause. His radio talk show on 570AM was cancelled and his negativity about Kobe would never change. When a black crow turns into a white dove, then there is hope for T. J. Simers to change his writing style. Undoubtedly, that's the beauty of the American press, we read articles that are diametrically opposed to mainstream thinking & live and let live.
He mentioned about Q-rating popularity, I don't know if T. J. Simers has been in Asia, Kobe is magic word in Asia, he is like MJ, Magic and Larry Bird combined into one. Why? Because he's active player today and an entertainer as well plus an enigma of being a stubborn star. But to T, J. Simers, he has to denigrate Kobe to relay his gutter thinking to small believers. Simers has low tolerance in accepting people who are different from him. So why bother to protest, let his column stay as it is, it's too late to teach an old dog with new tricks.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | March 05, 2008 at 09:59 AM
exhelodrvr - I dont agree that sports writers arent accountable. They have bosses and deadlines to meet. I dont count AK and BK as bloggers they are sports writers who run a blog.
Truth is most bloggers on here couldnt write for a newspaper or print media because of their bias toward the lakers.
Can you imagine writing a column that starts- so and so is a moron for believing x or
AK and BK are Kobe haters.
Truth is most bloggers dont agree with TJ and their arguments are name calling, that wont cut it in the world of journalism.
Posted by: Laker Lover | March 05, 2008 at 10:09 AM
never,
>>>I was hoping that Memphis would buy out Kwame's
>>>contract so the Lakers can resign him. Say what you
>>>want about Kwame, but he's a better replacement
>>>than Mbenga...
I kinda agree with you there. For the veteran's minimum,
and given 10 to 15 minutes of backup time, Kwame is a
pretty good player and would be useful to this team.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 05, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Thank goodness I dont have to read any machine love fest comments today.
Hes back to earth being the brick machine and a defensive liability. Regression to the mean.
Posted by: Laker Lover | March 05, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Pau is great and without his partnership with Kobe, the Lakers will still be in a rut. From the past games, clearly, it shows we have a problem in defense and that is a not good habit to carry on to the playoffs.
We often refer to Andrew as the solution to our problems. He is not yet on board and I am confused on his real medical status, I read somewhere that the swelling is still there and he is not expected to be back until the playoffs. The same with Ariza, we often get mixed signals of their real status. Therefore, until they are on the floor, we can't count on their contributions.
However, we have on the bench who could really help on defense, I'm referring to Ronnie Turiaf and DJ MBenga. With their presence, we sacrifice offense. This cramming time and tall order for Kareem and Kurt Rambis to convert DJ into a Motumbo or Dampier type of player within the next two games. That's the objective. Remember I said before we are now at war in the West and in war you adjust with future landscape of the enemies. If PJ leaves DJ on the bench, we are wasting the services of 7 footer with huge body that can match with slow tall men. Now I have here an imaginary line of starters, it is a mixture of both offense and defense:
1. Lamar/Farmar
2. Kobe/Fisher/Sasha
3 Gasol/Kobe/Vlad
4 Turiaf/Luke
5 Mbenga/Gasol
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | March 05, 2008 at 10:21 AM
Xodus,
Thanks for your response. I agree with you completely although I didn't target my post to any specific blogger. I just wanted to remind everybody how valuable Pau was. Not as valuable as Drew will be. Or Kobe of course. But he definitely is the key to push us to be the dominant team in the NBA when Drew returns.
I didn't remember ex saying that we were better with Pau than Drew. If he did, I would be surprised because he ususally has better judgement than that, even if he is a little hindered by his GHE roots. Anyway, nice debate to have, whether or not we are better with Drew or Pau, especially since we have them both.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | March 05, 2008 at 10:28 AM
DK - the lakers are playing great in the regular season no doubt but I dont know what you mean by Spurs, Pistons and Jazz and Mavs. Are you saying the Lakers beat those teams? The Lakers have not beaten the Spurs, Celtics or Pistons when those teams were at full strength , the teams I consider the favs to win the title. They match up well with every other team except those 3 imo. The Rockets could give them some problems too in a playoff series.
Either way its going to be an exciting playoffs.
Posted by: Laker Lover | March 05, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Seriously, folks: DON'T READ TJ DOUCHEBAG'S ARTICLES!!! Don't you get it? It' s like that monster/spirit in a horror film that just gets stronger with hate! I don't know why he still has a job, but I give up; now I don't even let my mouse pointer touch his headline. Don't you know that 'hits' are all the paper cares about? In fact, I wonder if some of the "Did you read his column today?" "You should read the horrible stuff he wrote" is actually him coming on here to encourage 'hits' on his article (I know that's a reach, but I'm just trying to make a point.)
The Times does not care about quality - that's been established. I read some articles from the Miami Herald recently (after the Shaq trade) and thought, "Why don't we have writers like this? These guys are entertaining, insightful and relevant.
AGAIN- DON'T READ THAT STUFF.
Posted by: cscoot | March 05, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Troy-
I have no idea if he was referring to us specifically, and don't really care. His larger point- that a lot of bloggers don't have to face the athletes they write about- is certainly a good one and worth noting, but even with that in mind, it's not like there isn't value to what people do online, that they're not often insightful, and that blogs and websites can't provide great info and entertainment to sports fans. You can also argue that it's precisely because they DON'T have to face the athletes that allows bloggers/online writers to be more honest. They won't be inhibited by what can happen when you get to know players/coaches personally. That's the logic Bill Simmons has been working with, and nobody would argue that he doesn't know basketball.
There are really great blogs, and there are really bad ones, and lots in between. The same can be said for mainstream media sources. I will say, though, that in my opinion the best mainstream media writers out there have seen the value of those online who are doing good work, and embraced it, to the benefit of their own product.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | March 05, 2008 at 12:26 PM
lakerfaze-
Thanks for the note. Glad you enjoyed the conversation. In terms of giving people insight into what we do, I think it's important for people to see, at least in our case, how the world works, why things happen the way they do, etc. At the very least, it adds some depth to our perspective, and hopefully adds to the enjoyment and understanding of what ends up on the page.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | March 05, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Spurs aren't really blowin' teams out, they just beat them down and don't allow them to score..They are more or less, demoralizing teams by not letting them score. 70 points in the pros is damning! Their games are ugly (as usual) but UGLY for them usually equals a "W"..If and when the opportunity presents itself, They are going to be difficult to beat.But I believe....
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | March 05, 2008 at 12:45 PM
LakerTom,
Looking at just stats without more broadly considering context and just this game is a poor way to comparatively assess Artest vs. Odom.
Odom had one of his top two defensive games of the season so you can't say this game was representative of his performance.
Artest remains one of the top 5 two-way players in the league. Odom had to work extremely hard to guard him and Artest still had a nice line. Throughout much of the game, Odom looked simply outmatched playing against a stronger and quicker Artest.
Not only that, but Artest remains one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Odom is definitely not.
I think you're making an assessment and then trying to justify it. Odom fits well sure, but we don't have any comparative ability to see Artest in our system.
Odom has been so good and fit so well that the Lakers were actively shopping him prior to the trade deadline. I'm super pleased with his play since we got Gasol, but it's a much smaller sample than what we've seen Artest is capable of doing. Artest could really be our Scottie to Kobe's MJ.
The only things that Odom is clearly better at than Artest is rebounding and driving to the left for a sweet move to the basket only to miss the layup. Odom's brain farts produce inconsistency of a similar magnitude to Artest's insanity, though it is different in flavor.
I'm not even saying Lamar should be traded at this point. Things are clearly going very well for him. I wouldn't mind the slightest if he were traded for Battier or Artest because it would likely improve the team, particularly in the long term.
What I've said is not the slightest bit negative or disrespectful to Odom. Battier and Artest are unique talents in our league. It's a compliment, even to Odom, to be compared closely to either of those guys.
Posted by: Benjamin | March 05, 2008 at 01:41 PM
Lakerlover -
Good point. I can agree with you that there was no reason that we shouldn't have come out in "kill mode". I think Kobe said something to the effect that the team plays so unorthodoxed it took three quarter to find a way to defend. Hey, we go exposed for awhile... the next game will be the one to watch as both teams should make some adjustments. GO LAKERS!
Posted by: LakerFaze | March 05, 2008 at 01:43 PM
TJ who? No one reads that guy! Why even bother?
Posted by: LakerFaze | March 05, 2008 at 01:45 PM
On Pau versus Bynum,
Hear me out please.
I dig Bynum. He came through in a huge way this season. He finally lived up to the hype and maybe a more.
When considering Bynum versus Gasol, it seems pretty simple to me.
Which player is a better player? I think it's pretty clear that Gasol is. He's a 20 10 guy with an outside shot and extremely good finesse moves around the basket. He's an All-Star. And he's been doing it for years.
Comparatively, Bynum is like a 12 and 10 guy or whatever. He gets more blocks, but overall, his stats just aren't as good. He's a little better on help defense and a little more powerful with fewer finesse moves around the basket and no outside shot. He's been doing it for half a season.
Which player has a better record with the Lakers? And in one loss since being acquired, Pau didn't play. They've lost once, ONCE with him (with a lighter schedule), but without knowledge of a new offensive system or knowledge of a new team.
Which player really got Kobe believing in his team? I think the clear answer is Gasol. While this doesn't necessarily mean Pau is more important in a way that he should be, it does make Pau more important. And yes Kobe believed in Bynum, but his comments simply haven't shown the same magnitude of confidence. It showed Kobe that the Lakers management is committed to winning know.
I git Bynum big time and think his ceiling is higher than Gasol's (and both have high ceilings), however, right now Gasol is a better player and is more important to Laker success than Bynum when both play without each other.
Lamar's late improvement and consistency has all occurred in Gasol's presence. I don't see why it would be the case, but since it is, that makes a lot of difference in who is more important as well.
Posted by: Benjamin | March 05, 2008 at 01:59 PM
Benjamin,
LO has 29 double-doubles on the year - THAT IS 14TH IN THE ENTIRE NBA -- and climbing, he's the 12th best rebounder in the entire league, and he's only played in 56 of the Lakers' 61 games. He is the consummate team player. Are you out of your mind?
Artest is, above all things, insane.
And Battier? What a joke.
Come correct, or don't come at all.
The Lakers are rolling, and LO fits in perfectly.
Posted by: BigGameJames | March 06, 2008 at 12:05 AM
BigGameJames,
You cherry-pick one fairly unimportant stat (double-doubles).
You mention the one thing I acknowledge (superior rebounding).
You mention team play (which Artest usually does pretty well, just not always as well as Lamar which makes sense given his higher level of talent).
You mention how we've been doing lately which is a small sample size and has a lot to do with team and the addition of Gasol, not just Odom.
And you mention a cause for some of Ron's inconsistency in his insanity.
However, you ignore every other reason that Artest could be compared favorably to Odom. Steals, defense, on-court consistency, outside shooting, scoring, intelligent on-court decision-making, toughness, passing ability at least on par with Lamar, appropriately priced instead of overpriced contract.
You are intellectually dishonest in your argument, a homer, and an irrational sports fan.
It's not worth my time to discuss this argument (and possibly anything else) with you because as I've pointed out, you cheat.
I dig Lamar, but 15 good games in a row doesn't suddenly make him better than every other available option.
Posted by: Benjamin | March 06, 2008 at 11:16 AM