One down, three (or, if you prefer to think big, 15) to go
UPDATE, 9:40 pm): Woohoo! After some technical struggles, we finally have video. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the new sights and sounds.
One thing we all knew when the draw was finally set? However many games the top seeded Lakers would have to play against #8 Denver, none of them would be boring. Sunday afternoon's 128-114 win for the purple and gold was certainly no exception. Nearly 200 shots from the floor, five technical fouls, a flagrant, and an ejection (the bulk tagged to Denver, not exactly a surprise since they're hardly the Lords of (Self) Discipline). Still, when the final horn sounded, the Lakers were well in control, thanks to a punishing inside game led by Pau Gasol (36 points) and Lamar Odom (17).
LA established control early, building up as much as a 10 point lead in the first before giving six of those points back in the final 40 seconds of the quarter. In the second, Denver made a push against an overmatched second unit, erasing the Laker lead and putting them down by as much as eight. But over the final six minutes before the break, LA methodically chipped away at the Denver lead behind strong work from Gasol and (gasp!) some stops and forced turnovers on the other end. In the third, LA blew the doors off the game, going up by 19 and allowing them to glide to a 1-0 series lead.
Was it art? Not really. Was it pretty good? Yep. A 14 point victory against a 50 win team isn't the worst thing in the world.
Click below for the breakdown.
The Good:
- Pau Gasol: The best player on the floor for LA throughout the game, without question. After dominating the low block in the first half with an 18/7/5 showing on 8-11 from the floor, Gasol came out in third and nearly equaled his point total over the first 24. 16 points on 5-6 from the field and 6-6 from the line. Plus another four boards, just for giggles. He finished the game with 36/16/8, with three blocks. Heck of a way to get his first NBA playoff win.
- Lamar Odom: Another of the sort of complete, stat sheet fillers for which Odom has become well known these days. He was involved early, as the Lakers established dominance in the low post and beat up the Nuggets hard. By the end of the first half, he had a very solid 9/9/3. He did some good work defensively, and always seemed to pop up when the Lakers needed a lift. Final line: 17/14/6, with two steals.
- Offensive Discipline (more or less): For the game, the Lakers shot the ball at a 50% clip, and managed to make it to the line 32 times. Gasol went off, Odom was successful at the basket, and both Luke Walton and Vlad Radmanovic (see below) were effective in the post, either shooting or passing. When the Lakers remembered to stick the ball inside, even before eventually shooting a jumper, they were pretty good. When they had the patience to work the ball around when Denver went zone, getting the ball into the high post and working from there, they were pretty good. Obviously there were stretches where they got away from it (often from Kobe, see below), but overall I think if they continue to stay as committed to getting the ball inside as they did on Sunday, they'll be find. After all, Kobe isn't generally going to stick with the perimeter game to the extent he did tonight.
- Small Forwards- Walton in the first half, Radmanovic in the second: Walton was actually effective throughout the game, but particularly in the first half when Radmanovic was saddled with foul trouble. In 18:32 of run before the break, Walton had 12 points on 5-7 from the floor, including a triple. Four dimes and two boards helped round out the effort. Walton was very effective getting the ball inside, in part because for a few possessions the Lakers were able to exploit his mismatch against Allen Iverson. But no matter who was on him, Walton made good decisions with the ball and helped the Lakers offense work with excellent efficiency. He'd finish with 16/4/5. In the third quarter, Radmanovic returned with a strong effort, making two big threes, but more importantly distributing the ball extremely well, racking up four assists, many from close proximity to the basket, as Rad found himself as part of a post up game that isn't necessarily his strength. Both, too, did a decent job on Melo when presented the challenge. When the Lakers get the sort of combined effort from those two that they got today, they'll be tough to beat.
- The Third Quarter: 39-22 LAL, turning a two point lead into a 19 point margin. 59.1%- 33.3% LAL. 7-3 in assists, LAL. 16-12 points in the paint, LAL. Three triples- one triple, LAL. 16 for Pau, 10 for Kobe, six for Vlad. Three for Melo, five for AI. You get the point.
The Bad:
- Kobe Bryant: He almost pulled himself out of this category with a decent-ish second half, but don't let the 32 points fool you. Overall, it was not a stellar effort from 24, who seemed to struggle with Kenyon Martin's length on the perimeter, and wasn't able to get the ball to the hole until late, either. No free throws in the first half. When Kobe gets jumper happy, it limits his game in a big way, and hurts LA on the other end, too. First half, 2-10, with two boards and a dime. Second half, 7-16, without any assists. Add it all up, that's a one dime night and a 9-26 shooting performance. The ball movement often stopped when it got to Bryant along the perimeter, as Kobe seemed to be trying to shoot himself back into the game. Later, when he had a few mismatches against Anthony Carter, Kobe took advantage and moved his game to the post. In the fourth, he had 18 points, 12 of which came in the final 4:30, much of the damage coming from the stripe. But it wasn't simply a matter of poor shooting. Bryant seemed out of sorts for most of the afternoon, suffering some defensive lapses (perhaps brought on by foul trouble), and generally not looking like the MVP he's been all year. The good news? Kobe is highly unlikely to play any worse than he did today for the rest of the series- arguably for the rest of the playoffs- and the Lakers still won by 14.
It's worth noting, though, that George Karl paid a price by sticking Martin on Kobe, which was shown by incredible space the Lakers had to roam around the Denver paint, and by the mismatches that had to happen whenever Carter and AI were on the floor together. Somebody was always left for an easy post up, whether Vlad, Walton, Kobe, or _______.
- Defensive Discipline: I think by now it's pretty clear that, especially against a team like the Nuggets, shot selection and ball control on the other end makes a big difference in th sort of defensive numbers a team will post. Tonight, the Lakers held the Nuggets to 44.8% from the floor, juiced in part by the superlative third quarter in which LA limited Denver to 8-24 and forced four turnovers. Generally speaking, when the Lakers did what they needed to do offensively, namely force the ball down low, get easy looks and demand Denver not cheat with early releases upcourt, the Lakers were very effective. When they didn't they weren't. Still, there were aspects of the defense that weren't very good, independent of what they were doing offensively. A lot of bad fouls, leading to easy and-ones for the Nuggets. Confusion on rotations, especially on the high screen, that allowed Denver unfettered access to the hoop.
- Derek Fisher: Defensively, he was more effective in containing the Denver backcourt than Jordan Farmar (not necessarily a major accomplishment, since JF had a rough night on that end), but overall, it wasn't the strongest game you'll see from D-Fish. 1-5 from the floor, three points, four dimes in 29:15 of PT.
FYI, Ronny Turiaf, who struggled in his three+ minutes of burn, was a little under the weather. That probably helps explain his poor performance (and, at least in part, its very short length).
BK
POSTGAME AUDIO
- Lamar Odom: Download lamar_odom_postgame_denver_1.mp3
- Luke Walton: Download luke_walton_postgame_denver_1.mp3
- Sasha Vujacic: Download sasha_vujacic_postgame_denver_1.mp3
- Derek Fisher: Download derek_fisher_postgame_denver_1.mp3
- Kenyon Martin (for those hoping to hear more K-Mart, blame me. After a couple questions from the other writers, I asked about the double T's with Kobe. He responded in short fashion, then concluded the session. Guess he didn't like the question): Download kenyon_martin_postgame_denver_1.mp3
AK
Jeff Aho,
"9-25"
He still managed to make 32, if he made 10 more shots in threes just like what he did with Dallas or Raftors, that's 62. So on unlucky day, he got 50% of what 100% of other stars in other teams. If I were PJ, I will take Kobe more than any other players out there and just pull his ears when he's in his bad behavior.
If you're a Laker fan and wishing the Lakers to go on Championship, you would not want to be Kobe to be in the sleeper, he's one player we cannot afford to lose. As I said before the beginning of the playoffs, if that pinkie flares up and he could not play, that goes the chances of the Lakers. Do you think other teams will double Sasha or Farmar as shooting guards? Can Odom carries this team like Kobe? Odom is Odom and Pau is Pau because of Kobe. Why? Because Kobe is doubled, tripled so they become FREE TO ROAM. When Kobe goes down, there goes the Lakers chances in the playoffs. If you're in doubt ask any of your close friends who have been Laker watchers for several years now....ask them if Lakers have chances in the playoffs without Kobe?
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 20, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Great Game Guys. Just wanted to check in and share the love.
Kobesbaaaad (and he is)
Posted by: Kobesbad | April 20, 2008 at 10:32 PM
KOBE HAS OFF NIGHT. BUT HE SERVED THE PURPOSE.
CREDIT TO PAU AND LAMAR FOR THE GAME.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE CREDITING TOO MUCH FOR PAU RIGHT NOW AFTER THE FIRST GAME. ACTUALLY DENVER IS A PATHETIC DEFENSIVE TEAM. SO PAU SHINED.. HE WILL SHINE LIKE THIS IN THIS DENVER SERIES.
HOWEVER, COME NEXT ROUND VS UTAH. THEY WILL FORCE PAU OUT OF THE LANE MAKE SURE HE IS NOT CLOSE TO THE BASKET. AT THIS POINT PAU HAS TO CREATE HIS OWN SHOT WHICH I HAVE NOT SEEN THAT MUCH. HE CAN PLAY WELL BACK TO BASKET WHEN HE IS CLOSER TO THE POST. FACING BASKET, TRYING TO CREATE HIS OWN SHOT LIKE 10,15 FOOTERS HAVING A HAND ON HIS FACE IS DIFFICULT. SO ITS NOT GOING TO BE A CAKE WALK FOR HIM NEXT ROUND.
THE KEY IS LAMAR AS HE CAN CREATE HIS OWN SHOT ANY TIME. IT IS VITAL THAT HE SHOULD BE DRIVING TO THE BASKET FOR LAYUP,DUNK OR TO THE LINE.
Posted by: Disgruntled,Frustrated Laker Fan | April 20, 2008 at 10:33 PM
all you kobe haters are so myopic trying to find fault in his game. if he doesn't take shots, the defense doesn't key on him, and the game gets clogged for other people. they didn't go in tonight but he needs to show a threat. if he stops shooting, they stop focusing on him and the game gets harder for everyone.
learn some basketball fundamentals before you talk smack. its a complete game and every possession has both offensive and defensive implications, short and long term. you cannot isolate shooting incidents and judge the overall ramifications.
kobe stops shooting, they go into a 5 man zone rather than a box in one or double team, and pau gets fewer looks.
Posted by: JEFF'S AHO IS AN AHO | April 20, 2008 at 10:34 PM
Xodus,
Staples24 is a great laker fan, sometimes like many of us too, he gets misdirected on what to expel, retain or retrain. a little explanation here or enlightenment there, we all go back to the right path. All of us want the Laker players to succeed and we despise inconsistencies because we fear to thread on the future competitions against the premier teams, if we are playing only on this level. However, what we all fail to see that before gaining Championship, that all Laker players should play like Champions. For the last two days, we saw all the teams competing, let's be honest with ourselves, are we ready for the great fights ahead? In my book, not yet, we need Bynum out there. Our Centers are soft, Mihm and MBenga are currently useless, Turiaf our energizer is inconsistent Center as well, he's a power forward. So all of our argument in this blog comes out from "fear" that we are a good 1st seed but not dominating yet. Only LakerTom is absolutely sure of this team, that we are dynasty bound this year, next year and the year after next. LOL!
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 20, 2008 at 10:49 PM
Great stuff with the videos! I look forward to the opportunity this opens for the future of the blog. The Phil Jackson one is only 10 seconds though, maybe you guys haven't got the technical problems figured out afterall? Overall I love it, and its a great addition.
Posted by: Gabe | April 20, 2008 at 11:05 PM
The Lakers are 23-4 with Pau.Does that mean they would be 27-0 if Andrew was healthy?
Posted by: jf | April 20, 2008 at 11:05 PM
Man this site rocks!
Thanks bunches AK and BK!
Posted by: Faith | April 20, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Do you guys have video of Pau sitting in Phil's chair?
Posted by: Emma | April 20, 2008 at 11:14 PM
What happened to Lamar Odom. We the fans knew what this specimen was capable of, yet he wasn't going to pan out. Just his physical gift alone should have been enough to overcome any mental deficit he may have possessed. Not mental as in dumb. Mental as in not really trying and working hard (ex:Kwame Brown). Odom has become a freaking beast since Kwame's departure. Who are we to thank for this? Kobe? Gasol? Or Fisher? Or maybe Phil Jackson? Odom himself? This guy is playing an equal if not more important role than Kobe. Had Kobe not evolved his game, we could very well be saying give the ball to Odom. That would have been strange. This Odom is a new man. No longer can we scrutinize him. He's now a true All-Star Power Forward. Man this guy is fun to watch. I still remember how the ABC announcers agreed that Lamar Odom's play was the key to the Laker's victory. Victory. It's within 15 wins like somebody pointed out that a Championship may come to LA. It's rightful place. 15 more wins.
Posted by: johnny | April 20, 2008 at 11:19 PM
Kobe's numbers were not outstanding. But we all know how he created points with his outstanding dribble penetration and incredible last second recognition. WOW!!! He's the key for a championship. We go where Kobe takes us. Always will be that way. Can't wait till Wednesday night. Also I'm the one who said Luke was going to be important for us in the playoffs. So I want my props. (Knock on wood). The obvious is that Gasol will continue to kick butt.. Kobe draws too much attention...This is finally a very very good thing for the Lakers. Kobe wants those double and tripple teams. He won't get them with this year's players roaming around on the floor.
Posted by: johnny | April 20, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Aloha
for the couple of guys out there, hammering Kobe for a precieved bad game think about this. Denver only has 2 good bigs(with Nene out) Camby and Martin. Carl puts K-Mart on Kobe, leaving Camby alone to try and defend the post alone and we took full advantage of it. Pau and Lamar do not run as wild if Martin is back in the post helping. Kobe has a huge impact even when his own game is off. I really will be surprised if Carl trys the same thing in game 2. If he does, expect the same results.
MH
Posted by: michael h | April 20, 2008 at 11:38 PM
to many kobe hater in this world... don't mind them.. kobe already prove it this year.. he's the best in this game.. that's why so many people critize him for having 32 pts, and only 1 TO even with constant pressure from K. MART and the double team... without KOBE this team won't even be in the playoff.. gasol and odom LIVE from KOBE DOUBLE TEAM..
no need to explain much more.. gasol said it right.. I NEVER HAD THIS MUCH EASY LOOKS.... yup you only got that EASY LOOKS when you play with #24... and for you haters LIVE WITH THAT.. Gasol got his 1st win today because he's in LAKERS uniform.. could you imagine what would he do if he still a MEMPHIS???
see you guys in 2nd game... LAKERS 4-0
15 games 2 go
GO LAKERS..
2007-2008 NBA CHAMP
Posted by: kobe24 | April 20, 2008 at 11:50 PM
wow! congratulations Lakers! we can win the ring!
Well, do you really thing a bad game by Kobe, that still finish with more than 30 points is really a bad game? Say what you want, but if you think is a bad game, I hope Kobe will have a bad game every game of the Lakers.
Maybe it's better to say that it was not his best game, but nobody thinks at the fact that the only defense the Nuggets made was with Kobe.
Posted by: Alexinho17 | April 21, 2008 at 12:44 AM
hey man, derek fisher was effective out there. once he went out and jordan came in the 1st quarter... j farm got 3 happy... and that's when they started losing the lead. j farm missed 2 threes, kobe missed 1 three.. and then it got the nuggets going.
then when derek came back in, the lakers got the lead back.
so there.
yea, why doesn't drew sit on the bench and ariza does? is it probably because ariza is prolly gonna come back before drew does? makes sense to me... i think trevor gives ira newble advice throughout the game... maybe drew could talk to mbenga during the game?
Posted by: wassssssssup | April 21, 2008 at 02:17 AM
I really think we need to get a little more perspective. I agree with BK about Kobe not having a good game, but I think it was a serious "faux pas" to call it bad (that's for Faith, to show I too am bilingual... which reminds me of the storyline of "A Fish Called Wanda", but that's just a diversion).
BK, you opened the floodgates of irrational comments by Kobe judges... not Kobe critics or haters, but self-appointed judges of him as a moral being, which includes those who disapprove of trash-talking as ungentlemanly. I've been looking through articles in the press -- including Simers! -- and I find no trace of the negativism about Kobe's performance that we see in this blog.
On the "great debate" concerning Kobe's assists, there's a key point that we really need to be taken into consideration over and above a few others others, such as Kobe's biorhythms at lunchtime (or breakfast time, depending on his usual routine).
It's this: Kobe's stat for assists (1 lonely one) was low because Denver's defensive strategy was quite obviously based on closing the passing lanes between Kobe and Pau. They did a pretty good job of that, which is why Kobe produced a significant number of assists of assists. The Lakers did the rest by passing and frequently volleyballing the rock into Pau as he was approaching the hoop.
If Kobe stopped shooting because he was cold, they would have stopped double-teaming him, which actually did happen a few times, inciting him to shoot. But the double teams themselves were designed not only to put pressure on Kobe but to cut off the passing lane between Kobe and Pau, which meant that for Pau to get the ball, it had to be off a second, third or fourth pass with a lot of cutting to keep the Nuggets off balance and especially draw Camby towards the apparent danger (and away from Pau).
That was the pattern for the whole game. Kobe was a role player in that pattern. He would have been much more effective if he had made his shots, but part of his role was to keep the threat alive in the minds of the Nuggets.
Here's how Phil described it:
""[The Nuggets] play passing lanes and block shots, they run out and they do an extremely good job of doing that because it creates easy baskets for them, But if you're patient and you work the ball, you can change sides of the floor, you can find a way to get the ball inside and get easy baskets."
I hope one day the blog can get over using every game, every statistic and every shot as a universal measuring stick to judge Kobe, the man and the player. It's somewhat understandable when the team loses, but when it wins against a 50 win team in the playoffs, maybe the bloggers should read the national press to get a better sense of blance before sentencing specific players to County Jail.
Posted by: Tsphere | April 21, 2008 at 03:17 AM
Kobe had a bad game. I wish it hadn't been the case, but there it is. Obviously, it's not too big of a deal since we still one and it's the first game. There's plenty of time for him to adjust.
Kobe took bad shots against K-mart and against JR Smith. He took the challenge personally instead of going back into the team offense. He missed defensive assignments. I watched one play in which he was on Camby and just watched the ball and what do you know?, Camby got open for a shot. This situation occurred a few times. And Kobe was getting mad and yelling at his teammates a bit too, unfairly so as it looked like he was the guy screwing up the defense the most.
That said, I still feel positively about the rest of the series. I think Kobe can bounce back just fine and Phil should be able to coax Kobe back into line.
I do think Kobe's going to need to play better and our overall defense must improve to win in the 2nd round.
Enver's weak, the rest of the playoffs has teams that will not be.
Posted by: Benjamin | April 21, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Pistons are going to the Conference Finals... again. Today they demonstrated why I hate watching them. They're going to play with the minimum effort required to get to the NBA Finals. They always do that playing 7 game series against clearly inferior teams.
Posted by: Benjamin | April 21, 2008 at 06:41 AM
People get on Kobe for talking trash but Bird and Jordan were notorious for talking trash. That's the whole mental part of the game. The Nuggets were demoralized and off their game at the end. K-Mart stops the post game interview and AI gets tossed. Probably the only reason Melo didn't bite like he did when he choked Sasha was because he was still thinking about the PR nightmare of going through a DUI in the last week. And Kobe's trash talking probably helped light the fuse of the inplosion.
Posted by: richard | April 21, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Good morning LAL friends!
Great weekend - good start to the series.
I liked how Pau came out firing - hopefully, we will be able to get him to a winning playoff record this year - how sweet that would be!
LET's GO LAKERS!
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | April 21, 2008 at 07:19 AM
Skip Bayless is just interested in continuing his shtick. The Lakers literally run the Nuggets off the floor yesterday and he says the Nuggets are going to win 4 games.
He has no explanation for this other than saying the Nuggets are going to get hot...in 4 different games. Ignoring that the Lakers don't have to get hot because the Nuggets are going to let them score.
Posted by: Xodus | April 21, 2008 at 07:20 AM
tsphere-
I get what you're saying, and perhaps some people object to the categorization of "bad" and would have preferred I create another category for Kobe. The "Okay but not great," or "The well below his normal effort, but he's still the MVP" or the like. I kid, of course, but honestly, I think people take it too seriously. There's no mention of the man's "morality," or anything about his leadership, etc. in my postgame evaluation. Nothing beyond the idea that I don't think he played well. That's it. No larger judgment.
As for the assist thing, I agree that you can't use it in a vacuum. For me, it was part of the larger picture. He was content to stay on the perimeter on Martin and often to lob jumpers over him rather than creating off the dribble. I just didn't like his shot selection, or his defense, especially early.
It's just one game, and that's all I presented it as. If people, whether his defenders or the "haters" (of which there aren't very many on this site) want to turn it into a larger argument, there's nothing I can do about it.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 21, 2008 at 07:52 AM
Good morning Mamba24, good morning Charles, LakerTom, JonK, Pig, Faith, etc etc etc - GOOD MORNING to this fabulous LAKER NATION!!!!
WOW WOW PAU WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You gotta love the effort & intensity he came out with - it was so great to see him get his first post-season win! But I think he wants 15 more.....what do you think??!! LOL!
And our man LO - this guy is awesome! I think everyone who wanted to trade him should come out & apologize - confession is good for the soul, people!
Lukomir Waltmanovich played great too. Just a little quicker on D would be good though...!
I am kind of tired about hearing about how Kobe had a bad game, though. Just because he played like a mere mortal (albeit a very good one) instead of like the super hero we're used to......man are we spoiled or what?
I can't wait for Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!! The Enver (Chicken) Nuggets are going down to the greatness that is the LA LAKERS - it's unavoidable. The "Championship" Bandwagon is rolling along quite nicely - 1 down - 15 to go - GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The BEAN for MVP and FINALS MVP or NO PEACE!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | April 21, 2008 at 08:03 AM
George Carl quote
I think the film will show it was the Los Angeles Lakers who tore us up,” Karl said. “Gasol played great, don’t get me wrong. He had a lot of great decisions for him to get a lot of easy baskets.”
Karl said he was glad Game 2 isn’t until Wednesday night at Staples Center, giving the Nuggets a chance to adjust. The third and fourth games in the best-of-seven series will be played in Denver.
“I don’t think anyone in our locker room is deflated,” Karl said. “We know that we can play better than we did, and defense is probably the first thing we’ll address.” Ok right George like your team is going to somehow play miraculous stellar defense suddenly.What a charade.Lakers in sweep.
Posted by: WHITE MAMBA24 | April 21, 2008 at 08:03 AM
Good Morning, Laker Nation!
Guys, help me.
I find myself over-looking the Nuggets. I'm ASSUMING that we're going to win this one in no more than five. I'm completely lacking fear over here in Lakerland. I'm not sure that's good.
I just don't think that Denver has the mental toughness to compete with us. This is the playoffs. Discipline wins. Period.
We're pretty damned disciplined and we're excellent passers. Nothing screws up an undisciplined, poor defensive team than crisp, constant ball movement. Nothing.
I just don't think that Denver has an answer for us.
Arrogance is rarely helpful. Please, somebody, tell me we don't need to go into cruise control right now.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 21, 2008 at 08:07 AM
*_____________________________________*
THE LAKERS 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP AND
15 WINS TO CHAMPIONSHIP BANDWAGON
AKA “3”, “FO”, “FO”, ‘FO” BANDWAGON
*_____________________________________*
01 LakerTom – CEO_______________(35)JesterGuru – Assignment Director
02 Andrew Z - Owner______________(36)Nik Kannan – Blog Team Trainer
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10 KobesBad – And that’s good.______(44) BrownMamba– Asst. Director of Mambas
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22 ANDO – Director of Superstars_______(56) TIM-4-SHOW Director of win 2
23 RDLEE - Directorof Win1____________(57) NEMAIA FALETOGO director of win 10
24 SAMLL Director of win3 ____________(58) ROKY Director of win 11
25CBUCK Director of win 13___________(59) HUBBIT Director of win 4
(26) JON K. Director of win 9___________(60) GREEK DUDE Director of win 14
(27) Mr.BarneyDangles Director of wins___(61) LAKER TOM – Producer, Director & Enforcer
(28) CHUCK23 – Director of win 12_______(62) TOAD – Director of the Win Directors
(29) EastCoastJessie__CFO____________(63) THE LAKE SHOW – Supreme Escort.
(30) The Original J.J. – Ring Master_______(64) DC – Director of Strategic Wins
(31) DICE8UP – Consigliore of 9Rings_____(65) KEIFO – Heir in waiting
(32) LAKERBANDIT – Countdown Director__(66) PK-IN-THE-MESA – Tennis Director
(33) TWOODY – Taught Kobe the Crossover_(67) FearlessWhackJob – Kobe’s Advisor
(34) David Whang – Tests all BWagon Drivers_(68)
Posted by: MAMBA24 | April 21, 2008 at 08:13 AM
BK,
Good, bad, and the ugly. Kobe's game should be categorized under "ugly."
Come on, pal! Do I have to do your job for you?
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 21, 2008 at 08:18 AM
BK - Can you hear me?
Good.
I am simply amazed on how you can put so much information and analysis so quickly together after the game.
Kudos to you and AK..
The LA Times Lakers Blog, "Where amazing stuff happens!"
PS. Bad Kobe? I agree with 75% of your take 50% of the time.
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 21, 2008 at 08:27 AM
BK,
If you say three "Hail, Kobe's" all will be forgiven.
Posted by: Xodus | April 21, 2008 at 08:28 AM
Skip Bayless is just interested in continuing his shtick. The Lakers literally run the Nuggets off the floor yesterday and he says the Nuggets are going to win 4 games.
He has no explanation for this other than saying the Nuggets are going to get hot...in 4 different games. Ignoring that the Lakers don't have to get hot because the Nuggets are going to let them score.
Posted by: Xodus | April 21, 2008 at 07:20 AM
Xodus,
Skip Bayless sucks!!! You're right Xodus because watching ESPNFirsttake this morning and listening to that idiot's explanantion as to why the Nuggets will win is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life when it comes to winning in the playoffs. He then agrees with Scoop Jackson when Scoop points out that both the Suns and the Nuggets have the same problems defensively which is why they won't win a title much less advance in the playoffs. Skip just proved again with his stupid, idiotic comments how much he loathes the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. He calls the Lakers show of emotions as "false bravado" when the Celtics especially KG have probably been the most demonstrative team this entire season!!! Even "his" Spurs as Skip the lip likes to call them were pumping their fists(Tim Duncan after his three pointer), jumping into eachother's arms after they beat the Suns in game 1. Skip the Stupid will continue to hate Kobe and the Lakers and will no doubt choose against them in every round. He'll dismiss that the Lakers have best road record in the West and say something like the Jazz have the best home record and can win the series if they steal a game in LA despite the Jazz having a terrible road record. Skip Payless Shoes is a douche.
Quick question. I pick Skip Hayless as the biggest Laker and Kobe hater out there among writers and the one that I hate the most. Who are other writers or analysts that you guys think fit the bill and that you dislike the most???
Thanks guys for your inputs. Good morning Charles, LakerTom, PsychedLakerGirl, Faith, Pig, JonK and the rest of the family. I salute Mamba24 as the Dean of this blog and the All-Seeing KBros. Go Lakers!!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | April 21, 2008 at 08:34 AM
This was the inverse of the old Lakers who could be stopped by throwing all stops at Kobe.
Nugs held the league MVP to tough shots only. However, in doing so, they left paths for two other devastating weapons; Pau and Lamar. Tough, skilled and clutch performances by both.
Kobe seems to like this role: He seems to say, "fine, devote 60% of your defense to slowing me and you will slow me. However, I will then just defer to my boys who will crush your remaining 40%"
Kobe's finally balancing "Actual Kobe" v. "Threat of Kobe." That's a big part of why he is so valuable.
Posted by: The D | April 21, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Pau Gasol has to feel good after finally getting that unwashed orangatang off his back. That must have been a huge psychological burden to have for all those years.
So, I guess we should expect a more relaxed Gasol during the rest of the series. A relaxed Gasol is a better passer, and he's already a damn fine passer.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 21, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Guys,
If the Lakers keep falling in love with the 3 like they did in the first half they will lose the series. If they do what works and keep pounding it inside they will win.
Live by the 3, die by the 3.
Kobe didnt have a good game but he was the focus of the defense, now that Gasol raped them in the paint they will have to adjust to him which will leave Kobe (or Lamar) open to rip them a new one in future games.
I believe this was a brilliant strategy by the coaching staff, they are forcing Denver to pick their poison, who do you want to beat you Kobe or Gasol? Whoever you double team the other is going to kill you.
Posted by: BrandonC | April 21, 2008 at 08:48 AM
Nemaia,
"I pick Skip Hayless as the biggest Laker and Kobe hater out there"
What about BK? Didn't you see the horrible things he wrote about Kobe after yesterday's game?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 21, 2008 at 09:19 AM
ex,
"What about BK? Didn't you see the horrible things he wrote about Kobe after yesterday's game?"
I see you are switching to stirring up the pot and causing a little havoc since there aren’t as many GHE subjects to comment upon since we started on this championship track.
I know it’s tough but hang in there, ex. We still have the seat over the rear wheel wells near that rickety emergency door on the bandwagon. Let us know when you are tired of running along side and trying to keep up. We’ll let you try and jump aboard. LOL.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | April 21, 2008 at 10:33 AM
LAKERTOM,
lalalalalalalalalalalala I can't hear you lalalalalalalalalalala
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 21, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I totally agree with BK on his assessment of how Kobe played, as I was thinking the same things. I'm a huge Lakers/Kobe fan, but sometimes get ticked off at his shot selection, which many times is brought on by his bravado (trying to show up KM). Did you notice how even the Laker fans weren't shouting "MVP" quite as loud or as hearty in this game? But I expect KB24 to play a much better game on Wed.
Posted by: theyams | April 21, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I'm curious how many hockey assists Kobe had. I can remember a few - the one assist he was credited for doesn't show how the attention he demands was freeing up other Lakers. Pau mentions it in his press conference - Kobe demands so much attention that it frees up other players like Pau and Lamar.
Posted by: Lovers Ball | April 21, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Nemaia,
"I pick Skip Hayless as the biggest Laker and Kobe hater out there"
What about BK? Didn't you see the horrible things he wrote about Kobe after yesterday's game?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 21, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Nope, I pick Jon Barry.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 22, 2008 at 12:42 AM