Group effort
The Lakers, despite some profound advances in the quality of the players around him, are still fundamentally Kobe Bryant's team, so when he took the floor with a very balky back for Game 5 of L.A.'s Western Conference semifinal against Utah with the series tied at two, there was certainly reason to worry. Or maybe not. Despite a quality effort from the Jazz, L.A. walked away with a critical 111-104 win Wednesday night at Staples. Kobe was, despite his team high/extremely impressive 26 points, clearly limited and had to pick his spots, which meant the guys around him had to pick it up. Rare are the close games in which Kobe doesn't attempt a field goal in the fourth, but that's what we saw last night, as his teammates, generally another member of the starting five, stepped in to fill the void.
The box shows Pau Gasol had a huge second quarter, then finished strong late in the fourth (not without a little controversy). Lamar Odom (22/11, two blocks) was a force on both ends, while Derek Fisher contributed key buckets and four steals and Vlad Radmanovic broke out of his playoff slump with 15 points.
Coming so soon after Sunday's OT controversy - did Kobe abandon his teammates, or did they bail on him? - on Wednesday it was clear Kobe's mates came prepared to chip in, and did in support of their hobbled (but still pretty damn effective) leader.
So that was one theme of the night. The team. But it wasn't the only one. From Utah's end of things, it was a night of missed opportunities, as its best chance to steal a win in L.A. went up in smoke. No surprise, given the trouble they have here against the Lakers. Both teams turned the ball over too much, 
but the giveaways were particularly rough on the visitors, who had enough things to overcome without shooting themselves in the foot. Still, the Jazz had plenty of chances to get ahead, but didn't.
That L.A. bugaboo is something Utah will now have to overcome if it is to win the series.
Yet another? Officiating. The Lakers, as the home team has throughout, dominated the free-throw count, which was noticed not just by Jerry Sloan but others sitting courtside. Of course, fouling is often in the eye of the beholder.
Fun little story on former Laker turned long-time Jazz announcer Rod Hundley.
Not that Kobe was faking it, but did PJ take advantage of an opportunity to change the subject from this weekend's losses?
Danny Ainge squeaked past Mitch Kupchak for Executive of the Year honors.
KARL MALONE,
I like you as a poster, but you're a little like horseradish. A little is great; more than a little is too much.
GOD/Jesus/Devil/Mohammad,
Whoever is posting under this false title, should really quit it. If you have a problem with the spiritual nature or religiousity of someone's posts, have the balls to confront them directly on it. Don't pretenciously hide behind the title of religious figures. It's cowardly and blathesemous.
Personally, I will state proudly that I have prayed to God many times requesting the health and success of the Lakers and individual players on the team. It's a good thing to pray for the benefit of others. If you think there's something wrong with that, then you are very confused on these matters.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | May 15, 2008 at 02:21 PM
Allright who left the screen door open? Kam bros?
Posted by: Charles | May 15, 2008 at 02:28 PM
CBuck,
I absolutely agree. The last thing I want to see is Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw, or Jim Clemmons coaching the Suns decoding every element of the Triangle and the Lakers for the amalgamated evil that resides in Phoenix.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | May 15, 2008 at 02:33 PM
FROM BOYNTON BEACH, FL
HI GUYS,
WE DON'T NEED A GAME 7, WE HAVE TO WRAP UP TOMORROW. THEREFORE WE ASK OUR TEAM TO CONTINUE PLAYING WITH THE SAME ENERGY, THE SAME STRENGHT AND THE SAME PASSION.
WE NEED OUR MVP GET MORE REST AND HEAL FOR THE FINAL. I THINK THE LAKERS SERIES WERE THE BEST AT THE PLAYOFF, EVEN THEY LOST, THEY COMPETED VERY WELL= WE ARE THE BEAST TEAM TO BEAT.
KEEP THE POSITIVE ENERGY HIGH IN THE BLOG TO CLOSE THE SERIES DEMAIN.
LOVE TO OUR TEAM AND TO ALL
SHEKOBE
Posted by: SHEKOBE | May 15, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Gotta keep Rambis purely for the mustache, oh yea and the fact that he was a great Laker and is a great coach. Screw more money and and a head coaching job. Bshaw and Rambis played so they already have money and they know where more rings are...THE LAKERS. I know it would be a great honor and a big step for their coaching career to take over as head coach of a team but it would hurt to watch either or both of them go, they are Lakers for life and I hope it stays that way.
LO= Finals MVP
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | May 15, 2008 at 02:50 PM
lakerfaze,
I bet you Charles Barkley's gambling problem stems not only from his competitive nature, but the fact that he never won that Championship.
He's still trying to win it all, no matter what the stakes.
Kind of sad.
It would really suck to be an Elgin Baylor, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley... Great Hall of Fame Players who never got a ring (and God knows that Elgin Baylor deserved one.)
It really brought a huge smile on my face when Mitch Richmond (a Great player who played on crappy teams) finally got his Championship Ring as a Laker. He scored the final basket in the 2002 Championship (I hope I've got the year right.) Though he didn't contribute much in that series, I'm sure that last basket of his career meant a lot to him.
I really hoped Karl Malone would have received his ring as a Laker (until I heard about the whole impregnating an 8th grader thing). Not only would it have been the perfect conclusion to a Hall of Fame career, but it would have been a spit in the eye of the Utah Jazz.
If you want to win a Championship, you've got to come to Los Angeles. That must drive the Jazz nuts. And they're going to have to get used to it.
We're back.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | May 15, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Looks like David Stern called INS.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers16-2008may16,0,465491.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | May 15, 2008 at 02:55 PM
KARL MALONE,
Here’s some free advice. If you want to sound like the Mailman, please talk about yourself in the third person by replacing all “I”s in your posts with “Karl Malone”. You will sound much more authentic. (i.e. “KARL MALONE MADE 'SCUSES BOUT INJURIES AND KARL MALONE DID COSTED US”).
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | May 15, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Jon K.
No one has asked you to stop praying. However, to be fair to others who truly enjoy the sports/science of basketball that people refrain from lumping religion into a forum that is solely dedicated to basketball. Perhaps you should consider starting a blog forum that is dedicated to basketball/religion. Why lump God in trivial pursuits. I for one feel prayers are very personal and private, it is between you and your creator and not a "we" thing.
Devil
Posted by: Devil | May 15, 2008 at 03:23 PM
KARL MALONE = SHE KOBE
Both use all caps
Posted by: Fraud | May 15, 2008 at 03:26 PM
Hello Bog family! Mamba24, Charles, Jon K., utzWorld, PsychedLakerGirl
If its not one thing it is another! Now they are whining all the way back to Utah.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700226240,00.html
TWoody
Posted by: TWoody | May 15, 2008 at 03:32 PM
Scattered obversations.....
Last night's game was intense...the Jazz are a worthy opponent.
Everytime Vlad Rad or Jordan hit a shot , it feels like a winning pull on a slot machine.
And speaking of slot machines, how can we believe Charles Barkley when he says he doesn't bet on basketball? By his own admission he has a gambling problem and he bets on football. For him to say that he doesn't bet on basketball, where he is an "expert", privy to inside information, smacks of Pete Rose's indignant denials about not betting on baseball. And it certainly lessens his credibility behind the mike at TNT. Although I've always considered Chuck more of a buffoon than a reliable source of hoops analysis, it makes one wonder how much of his commentary may be tainted because one of the teams he's covering did not cover an important bet for him. Oh, excuse me....he says he doesn't bet on basketball.
Pau and Lamar play very well together. Pau is a very fine passer and Lamar has been awesome finishing at the rim with authority.
It's amazing to me that Rad's game is so one dimensional. How can you be 6'10" and not have a reliable post game? It would be invaluable if he could make teams pay for putting a small defender on him. In the Denver series, he allowed Anthony Carter to play him. Not good.
Utah played loose last night because they knew they had secured game 6 at ESA. The Lakers have to take the same attitude with them to SLC tommorow. They are the better team and if their support players, yeah I'm talking about Jordan and Vlad, step it up, I feel the Lakers will win.
GO LAKERS!!!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | May 15, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Devil - if you don't like people's posts there's a little thing called a scroll wheel on your mouse that you can use to move past them.....
Posted by: justanothermambafan | May 15, 2008 at 03:43 PM
Muhammed,
Scroll down...
Posted by: SamLL | May 15, 2008 at 03:47 PM
Devil,
There is such a thing as group prayer and there is no reason to separate God from trivial things--many of whose triviality being defined are in the eye of the beholder.
Though this is a Lakers blog, the subject matter covered over this years has indeed been diverse--politics, religion, philosophy, psychology, food, local civic pride, aesthetics, art, sociology, esoteric materials, nutrition, humor, booing, whether or not Kwame Brown is the reincarnation of Wilt Chamberlein... the list goes on.
Laker Nation is indeed diverse and we associate the Lakers and our fandom in different ways.
I celebrate the Lakers through little things like associating them with my favorite South African bar in the Valley where I watche so many games. And through memories of listening to Chick Hearn when I was a little kid in my parents' garage as my Dad worked on his Buick. And memories of the time I was just about punch an armed Russian mobster who had been ribbing me all game... and then Derek Fisher made his 0.4 shot (if that isn't a case of Divine intervention, I don't know what is.) That shot changed everything of that day for me, and it was suddenly transformed from a dangerous personal tragedy to one of celebrations and shared shots of vodka with this bizarre Russian stranger.
I appreciate your desire to keep your spirituality private. I believe it is stated in the New Testament (paraphrase) "Worship God in secret."
However, the Bible (and most religions) do also call for us to share our faith through Fellowship.
And there's a lot of damn Fellowship in Laker Nation! So, if someone like utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER wants to say a blogmunity prayer as expression of his fandom, MORE POWER TO HIM!
Devil, remember, there is a scroll bar. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. Remember, this blog isn't exclusively about X's and O's and never has been. I think the Kamensky Brothers recent thread extolling to virtues of personal development hidden within the story of "Short Circuit" makes that clear.
And I have a lot more respect for the passion of a fan like utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER, than a blogger who hides under the false authority of sacred (and profane) religious figures so that he can give some meat to his personal, whiney complaints.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | May 15, 2008 at 03:52 PM
What's up Lakerville!
I wonder what the Jazz and their fans are whining about. If all those bumps/shoves/pushes by the Jazz were called, half their team would have fouled out. The Lakers would be leading by 15 or more and there would be no saying that so-called Gasol "push-off" a crucial no-call. Whiners!
Now let's go and close them out tomorrow!
Go Lakers!
Posted by: SamLL | May 15, 2008 at 03:57 PM
LAKER TRUTH- THANKS FOR THE ADVICE, KARL MALONE ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT KARL MALONE......THEN THERE'S CHRISTMAS KARL WHO COME AROUND DURIN' THE CHRISTMAS TIMES FOR THE CHILDRENS. KARL MALONE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT CHRISTMAS KARL....
Posted by: KARL MALONE | May 15, 2008 at 04:07 PM
Faith
That picture you put up of Gasol?
Little known fact about Pau:
Did you know that he is so skinny, that if he turns sideways, he becomes invisible?
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | May 15, 2008 at 04:38 PM
kurt rambis is and should always remain a laker
i want him to take over once PJ retires...i really hope he doesn't take that phoenix
i know that's very selfish but then again...i'm happy for him to be considered for a head job. and i do hope he gets one... just why can't it be milwaukee?
Posted by: CBuck | May 15, 2008 at 02:13 PM
Unfortunately Scott Skiles is taking over in Milwaukee.
Posted by: Benjamin | May 15, 2008 at 05:18 PM
Sure Charles would like that open letter to J. Adande!
Posted by: jhnlannery | May 16, 2008 at 07:00 PM