Huey Lewis may think it's hip to be square
But he apparently doesn't root purple and gold, because after a 123-115 OT victory by Utah, their playoff series now sits an all square 2-2, a development the Laker Nation considers anything but hip. The defeat saw quite a few obstacles tossed in the Lakers' path: Derek Fisher picking up three rapid-fire fouls, which limited him to approximately the same number of first-half minutes and increased the PT of Jordan Farmar, who continues to struggle on both ends of the floor. Ronny Turiaf getting ejected in the second quarter on a dubious flagrant foul call, with Price's awkward landing turning his obvious block attempt with no extra mustard applied into something apparently worse.
Kobe Bryant's stiff back, injured on an early game jumper and never allowing him to operate in pain-free fashion. Throw in physicality Utah was still afforded, and that's some tough sledding for the Lakers.
But despite these issues (along with a 14-25 clip from the stripe) while competing on hostile ground, the Lakers pushed Utah to the point where five additional minutes were required to decide a victor. Down by dozen with four minutes to go, the Lakers busted a 16-4 run, with huge buckets coming from Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom via a Mamba dime. Kobe's miss under the basket with four seconds remaining appeared to seal their fate, but LO was there for a putback and a tie game. Unfortunately, the additional time allotted wasn't nearly as kind to the good guys. Utah drew first blood on the basket and never lost the lead again.
A lot of the talk on the blog after the loss centered on Kobe's game, whether his often isolation heavy play and missed shots "cost the Lakers the game." I think that's way too strong an assessment. Kobe's fourth-quarter play was a big part of the Lakers making a run and beyond that, it's a team game. Unless it's a game of one on one, no single player loses a basketball game. I do think, however, that it's fair to question Kobe's judgment down the stretch. I really admire how much pain he was willing to play through, but he also needed to recognize the physical limitations his bad back placed on him. Moreover, his teammates were hitting shots and moving the ball around is what got them back into it. Kobe went away from that too often and shifted into "do it myself" mode, even after it clearly wasn't working. He needed to accept the reality of his situation instead of fighting it. And while, again, this hardly lost the game for the Lakers, it played a role in them not winning it.
AK
RANDOM THOUGHTS AS I DIGEST THIS PAINFUL LOSS
* I posted something about this a few days ago. All of this talk of sweeping the Jazz and taking on the Celts was utter nonsense. Some of you bloggers need to keep your head out of the clouds
* Vlad Rad is useless and needs to be traded
* We need Bynum. Pau is as soft as a baby duckling.
* Lamar Odom and Luke Walton have improved their games
* Either Jordan Farmar improves over the summer, or his days playing in LA are numbered
* Injured or not, Kobe hurt us in this game. With Kobe, you either win with him, or you lose with him. Either way, Kobe's in the middle of it
* A few more made freethrows would have made a difference
* As I said last game, we need to re-sign Sasha. No doubt.
* I still think the Lakers win this series.
Posted by: troy | May 11, 2008 at 05:36 PM
As my old coach used to say, we win as a team, we lose as a team. I would like to include all the fans posting in this blog as part of the team. None of this blame game, finger pointing sh!t.
Plus, this is not the first time in our team's history that we've been in a series tied at 2-2. We're obviously all disappointed with this loss but no reason to be bashing our players. Both teams won in their home courts, isn't that the way its supposed to be?
Have faith! This is where we find out who the real Laker fans are.
Posted by: The Waterboy | May 11, 2008 at 05:43 PM
I advocate the important of the bench play in my earlier posts, while the Jazz are enjoying 34 points from their reserves, the Lakers got only 11 from theirs. Jordan continues to cost the Lakers with poor shooting and careless passes. They literally leave him while open and dare him to shoot from the long range. When Turiaf got rejected, Lakers got no one that can contribute off the bench. Sasha is running on 3 valves (Bad foot) and made several costly turnovers down the stretch. It's gut check time on Wednesday. Kobe will do his parts but unless the team can get some output from the bench. It will be a long night on Wednesday!
Posted by: Wallace | May 11, 2008 at 05:45 PM
The only thing that Kobe was guilty of was trying too hard. The man could barely run and had no lift on his shots. He couldn't finish. He missed LAYUPS, which he seldom does. The Lakers and Kobe ran out of gas in the OT. The Laker bench was thoroughly outplayed at the beginning of the 4th Q, which led to the big deficit that they had to overcome to force OT. I hate pointing fingers at members of the Lakers, but Vlad Rad and Jordan combined only outscored ME by 2 points and I wasn't even in the state of Utah. I did match their combined assist total, though...all three of us had ZERO dimes!! The Laker peripheral players have to make contributions and take some of the pressure off the starters, especially on the road. Today, they fell short and the Laker game was thrown off balance.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | May 11, 2008 at 05:50 PM
I am an optimist at heart, but I am also a realist. And although I am not worried as of yet, I am quite concerned. The Lakes should have come out of the gate today with much more passion, energy and aggression. But they seemed a step slower than the Jizz from the first possession. If Kobe's back is any issue at all, we may be in some trouble here. The Lakers have let the Jizz gain confidence, where before Game 3 the Jizz had definite doubts in their brains whether they could even compete with LA. I'm not one to ever blame a loss on the refs, but holy pi$$ was that a pathetic attempt at the zebras being equal. It all goes back to the conspiracy theory of the Association demanding this go 7 games (but in essence everyone involved with the Association already knows who has won this series - it just hasn't been manifested to the public just yet.) I surely do not want to believe these series are "fixed", but it sure makes one doubt its authenticity after watching todays ref debacle. Anyone else want to chime in about "fixed series", feel free.
Posted by: PurpleHeart | May 11, 2008 at 05:52 PM
AK
"Kobe went away from that too often and shifted into "do it myself" mode, even after it clearly wasn't working. He needed to accept the reality of his situation instead of fighting it."
"DO IT MYSELF" CAN BE REPLACED WITH SIMPLY SELFISH.
ANY ONE PLAYER SITTING AT THE TOP OF THE KEY JUST BUILDING A HOUSE OF BRICKS AFTER BRICKS AND NOT REALISING IT'S NOT WORKING, IS SIMPLY BEING SELFISH.
KOBE HAS BEEN GOOD IN THIS PLAYOFFS BUT TODAY'S GAME WAS A REPLAY OF THE 2004 NBA FINALS THE WAY HE WAS OUT THERE SHOOTING WITH NO CONSCIENCE.
Posted by: Gunner | May 11, 2008 at 05:53 PM
Somehow Utah found a way to defend the free throw. Diabolical.
Posted by: Vman | May 11, 2008 at 05:53 PM
Pau is as soft as a baby duckling.
troy,
Man, you ain't lying. Not only is he soft as pudding, but he has a whiner mentality.
Lost alot of respect for him in the last three games.
Posted by: Fire32 | May 11, 2008 at 06:01 PM
YOU EVER NOTICE
After watching most of the playoff games so far, These two games in Utah are by far more physical than any games elsewhere.
I am watching NO vs. SA right now and it is like night and day when comparing what is allowed.
Even the Celtics don't play defense (if you can call it that) as tough (if you can call it that) as Utah.
If the Lakers can somehow win (refs willing) this series, it should prepare the Lakers well for whats to come.
You just can't count on the refs to call a good game. Utah has made the adjustments necessary to win this series and it is the Lakers who look confused.
Phil Jackson needs to start earning that 12 million a year.
He needs to recognize what is working and what isn't and adjust. He did not adjust this game. Utah did the same thing as last game with different players stepping up.
Utah will continue to play the same way until the correct counter moves are made.
Final thought..... Watch the NO vs SA game. How can the refs call a game so differently?
This is why the conspiracy theorist have a case. It really makes you wonder who is behind it. We are not that stupid or naive. Just helpless.
Posted by: YOU EVER NOTICE | May 11, 2008 at 06:02 PM
What seperates the Lakers from the rest of the pack and makes them elite is their role players. When the Rads, Farmars and Lukes play well, the Lakers look unbeatable. When they don't, the team struggles.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | May 11, 2008 at 06:03 PM
It's true when they say Kobe is the most loved and hated player in all of sports!! I am really dissappointed with some of the anti Kobe remarks granted that the only reason we are in the playoffs is because Kobe chose not to have surgery on finger.
With that being said I will take a 40% Kobe over a healthy Luke, Jordan F, Vlad, and name whomever you like anyday Kobe will lead us to victory over Jazz and all you love me, love me not, can apologize later!
Posted by: chuck23 | May 11, 2008 at 06:03 PM
Sure, Farmar is in a postseason slump but it's silly to dismiss Jordan's obvious *improvement* from year 1 to year 2 based on his current struggles alone.
Vujacic, 23, is in his 4th season lugging a *career* FG%/3FG% of 39%/38%.
Farmar, 21, is just a soph touting a career FG%/3FG% of 45%/36%.
Sasha is essentially a spotup 2 who doesn't create and defends like Steve Nash (DRtg of 116 cf. basketball-reference.com).
Farmar has developed into a serviceable who improved his defense from frosh to soph (DRtg of 107).
Unfortunately, Jordan is *not* helping himself nor showing professional maturity by crawling into a shell just because his jumper is off.
The Lakers *needs* Farmar to be the well-rounded contributor (attacking opportunistically, rebounding, defending with aggression) he was for most of the regular season. Farmar *must* realize it's *always* about the win, NEVER about *his* points else join the ranks of useless, ringless, undependable players who only "play" when they score.
Posted by: latopia | May 11, 2008 at 06:09 PM
Very fun game to watch, but a tough loss, as they all are. IIf you are not a Laker fan, you don't have the high expectations we do. We don't have our heads in the clouds when we talk sweep.....we really expect that. Most teams are happy with a winning season. We want the trophy every year.
The Lakers cannot afford any more mistakes as this is a 3 game series now. There is no fudging at home now.
How bad is Kobe's back? Without him at full throttle, the rest of the guys must step up or it will be tough going.
LO is awesome...so is Fish and Pau. Ronny is one tough character and should not have been thrown out in my opinion. He played up here in Spokane for the Zags. It is real special to see him in purple and gold. The refs do not have the same standard across the league. But free throws were really what hurt us in this one. I still think they are the better team, and expect them to still win this series.
Let's kick their butts Wednesday.
Posted by: spokanlakerfan | May 11, 2008 at 06:11 PM
The old ways showed up again in why we lost games as well as the bets.
We should have used Kobe down low to run offense as some else pointed out. We change and go away from what is working instead of making Jazz stop us.
Also the old ways I saw was too many 3's to get into game when we should have run motion from triangle to create shots. Which brings up too much standing around instead of cutting and moving ball around to break down defense.
Of course PJs rotation and substitution patterns and refusing to adjust.
That is imo why he has not gotten that 10th ring yet.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | May 11, 2008 at 06:15 PM
What about Kobe's back? Will he be able to play on Wednesday?
How does everybody feel about the Lakers' chances? Utah is not a great road team and we should play better at home, so unless Kobe is out or can only play limited minutes, the lakers should be okay, right.......?
Posted by: Yves Defloor | May 11, 2008 at 06:15 PM
I blame this loss on... the Lakers medical staff... because...
Trevor Ariza, who could have given us 10-15 minutes on Deron Williams today was not available because he STILL has not been cleared to play.
Radmanovic and Farmar have completely disappeared, at least Walton can come in for Radmanovic but unless you want to bring in Newble... there's nobody to bring in for Farmar.
Thank God we traded Mo Evans and Cook though... those guys would have cost us dearly on defense anyway so... I BLAME THE MEDICAL STAFF!!!
and WHAT is the deal with Mihm? Can he play or not? If not, why not activate Coby Karl, at least that dude will get out there and bang some heads...
also, Derek Fisher, NOTE TO SELF: Farmar has disappeared, stop taking cheap fouls early in the game, you're more valuable than giving up a foul to prevent ONE easy layup...
Posted by: TaosHum | May 11, 2008 at 06:16 PM
Not pretty but..........nearly just nearly..
. Vlad still seems puzzled..
. Farmar cant make good decisions..Full stop.
.Odom played well.Gasol was alot better.Fisher did well considering the fouls early..
I know i have said it before and nothing can be done at this point in the season but Farmar has done this for the second season in a row..A vet that makes better decisions will help more than a player with lots of energy...(DUH)
Not using Mihm of Mbenga still baffles me .Surley they cant do anymore damage than Farmar in the same amount of playing time...Even Newble surely could help with his experience in the finals last season...
Shake up the rotation a little and give Sloan something else to think about
The passing game works ...So get back to it
Go Lakers ....
Posted by: Thirty2 | May 11, 2008 at 06:16 PM
whoever wins game 5 wins the series.
the kobe we booed at the beginning of the season is the same kobe today......us lakers fans are the only ones that changed our fickle minds. He is the same self-centered guy, and his gameplay showed it today.
I'm growing more convinced that kobe is still all about himself. He will pass, he will be a good teammate, but only because it makes him look good. He wants the lakers to win, not for his teammates, not for the city, but for himself. Make no mistake about it.
As for his "back injury." Charles Barkley said it best....."33 shots.....that's a lot of shots taken for a back that's supposed to be injured."
Posted by: c7ufn | May 11, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Dang Troy,
You are a genius. Wow, how long did it take for you to come up with those observations?
Posted by: Lawrence Ross | May 11, 2008 at 06:23 PM
I have said it before and I'll say it again Kobe is the Brett Favre of basketball.They both will either win it for you or lose it for you.They are not afraid to fail and always think they can come through.They are the ultimate gunslingers or chuckers in their sport.That is what makes both arguably the most popular players in their sport.In the NFL playoffs it's win or go home so Favre's INT in OT against the Giants will be what he is remembered for.Lucky for Kobe in the NBA you get seven games so therefore he doesn't have to be perfect in every single game.
Posted by: jf | May 11, 2008 at 06:23 PM
Is it possible to send Farmar back to the D-League? He has seriously been a liablility in this series.
This game hinged on one thing...missed free throws. at one point they only made 3 of 11. Make the free throws, we win the game.
I thought the officiating was inconsistent...with ticky tack calls being made and then hack jobs being overlooked.
Bring your "A" game or Utah will steal this series.
Posted by: Dave | May 11, 2008 at 06:24 PM
Number one reason for Lakers loss - Fisher's fouls and lack of playing time and Farmar's hopeless defense enabled Williams to put up his best game of the series.
Deron matched Kobe's output. So we didn't get the usual advantage we have for having Kobe.
While Odom/Gasol outplayed Okur/Boozer for the third time in 4 games, the rest of the Jazz outplayed the rest of the Lakers.
Result: tied game.
Then in OT, as has been discussed over and over, Kobe's isos with a bad back instead of relying on his healthy teammates gave the Jazz the OT.
We'll move on and win this series no question.
Posted by: LakerinBC | May 11, 2008 at 06:24 PM
I'm expecting VladRad to be traded this Summer...clearly he is not a good fit for this team...its been two years already!
Posted by: bobie | May 11, 2008 at 06:30 PM
I blame Lamars foot.
Posted by: drew | May 11, 2008 at 06:30 PM
The referees in the NBA are the most pathetic people in professional sports. The do not know how to call a consistent game; today they had eight delayed calls until the play was over 3-5 seconds. The do not know what traveling is, body contact, etc. The flagrant 2 on Roni was about as dumb a call as I have seen in my 45+ years of watching the NBA. Think of the fouls and non fouls they called and never called on people who fouled Shaq. I saw one flagrant foul called for Shaq so far in his career--the rest were non-calls or a two-shot foul. Give me a crew of officials that know what the hell to do to officiate a real game and I will give you the "end of time."
Posted by: Mr. Laker | May 11, 2008 at 06:33 PM
This series should be over.
Oh well, time to get to work fellas, and let this be a lesson, every moment, every possession, and every game counts big time. You just do not know when a Kobe will get a twisted back or something haywire can go wrong...
Carpe Diem.
24
Strength and Honor.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | May 11, 2008 at 06:35 PM
FROM PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
HI GUYS,
THAT GAME WAS MADE FOR US AND WE LET UTAH TOOK IT:
1)KOBE'S BACK
2)SASHA AND FAMAR NEED TO WORK MORE ON DEFENSE.
OVERALL THAT GAME WAS INTERESTING AND INTENSE, TOO BAD, KOBE WAS SICK AND WE COULDN'T GET IT DONE AT OVERTIME
HOPING THIS TIME, PHIL MAKES THE ADJUSMENTS FOR ON THE FIFTH.
LOVE TO ALL
SHEKOBE
Posted by: SHEKOBE | May 11, 2008 at 06:36 PM
It was pretty naive of some of you to think Kobe went through some magical transformation. The guy blew up your dynasty for selfish reasons. He almost left you guys not long ago for selfish reasons. He's a great front runner, but when times are tough, he's a cancer. Everything about him is insincere. Every time I see him cheering for the bench players it seems totally contrived and timed for the cameras. Even him wincing seemed like a performance. I think he was really hurt, but I think he wanted everyone to KNOW he was hurt. I've never seem someone wince the way he does. And Giving the post game interview standing up? wtf, gimme a break.
Posted by: kobeisabum | May 11, 2008 at 06:38 PM
THE MAIL MAN ALWAYS DELIVERS ON SUNDAY ! ! ! ! !
Posted by: KARL MALONE | May 11, 2008 at 06:40 PM
its so easy to overreact. Its the playoffs, which means long journey.
- D-Fish can't pick up quick fouls. Throws everything off.
- Pau is not a banger-we can't expect that of him.
- LO has to hit FT. He missed back-to-back doubles.
- Kobe should not have shot so much in OT.
- Radmo just sucks-can we please start Luke.
- Refs were crazy. That was a total foul when Luke got blocked from the back and Ronny should not have been ejected.
But we almost still one it. We can complain every-time we lose a game or two. Esp in the West-there is no dominate team. A bunch of good teams.
Oh how we will Bynum's D.
Posted by: Chris Marlow | May 11, 2008 at 06:44 PM
If you noticed Kobe was running around fine except when he missed a shot or lost the ball,then he was grimicing.I was afraid of this Kobe returning...I love how he takes the credit for the other players getting better...Gasol was already a all star and Odom led his team into the playoffs before coming here...Kobe your still the same.
Posted by: neil | May 11, 2008 at 06:51 PM
WE SHOULD STOP TALKING ABOUT SWEEPING THE CELTICS AND WORRY ABOUT BEATING UTAH!! THEY HAVE ALL THE MOMENTUM! THEY WILL COME INTO LA KNOWING THAT THEY CAN BEAT US!! GAME 5 IS A MUST.. AND I MEAN MUST WIN!! WE WILL NOT WIN IN SLC!
Posted by: KB24 | May 11, 2008 at 06:56 PM
barkeley waited for the first mediocre, so-so kobe game to rub it in. he is still a hater
13-33
well, no one mentions that kobe had also 10 ass and 8 reb.
the rest of the lakers had 10 ass.
fish and Suck Far totalled 0 Ass.
that is your pointguards
NO ASSISTS
Posted by: Zin Master | May 11, 2008 at 06:59 PM
My gut feeling tells me that Utah has a very strong chance of stealing game 5, and if that happens I think that LA can't win in the Lions Den in game 6. Will Kobe ask for a trade if they lose this series? Utah is starting to look a lot stronger then I thought.
Posted by: MC | May 11, 2008 at 07:03 PM
Kobe had 30+ points with a bad back, taking more responsibility as his teammates let him down. Those calling him selfish need to re-watch their TiVo's.
I agree with all those saying our bench was useless. Other than Sasha, they were disgraceful. They need to send Vlad (who should be benched,) Jordan (being a recent bust,) and Ronny (because of his tendency to foul too much) to the team psychologist. They need to get their minds right.
I also agree with the perspective that refs are calling more of the same kinds of fouls on the Lakers than the Jazz. So suddenly their style changes when they go back to Utah? They had more fouls than any other team in the league during the regular season. I find it hard to believe they suddenly got much cleaner over the last 2 games just because they're at home.
Posted by: Chris | May 11, 2008 at 07:05 PM
It would be nice if the refs would let the play on the floor decide the game rather than manipulating the outcome with an endless parade of free throws.
Posted by: Jeff Ray | May 11, 2008 at 07:08 PM
Guys stay off Kobe. This a team game and I am very sick of this blog right now. Stop all this silly name calling.
Kobe did what a warrior was supposed to do. Why is it so difficult for the this blog to deal with loses. Diid you expect The Lakers to go to Utah and just impose their will on a well coached team like Utah.
Did Kobe lose this game for us? Why dont you guys go watch the tape and find out the reasons we lost this game. The bench dissapeared and that was the reason for the loss. If you want to blame players why dont you guys go ahead and crucify Radman or Farmer. Enough of all this Kobe this, Kobe that. This guy played with a lot of heart with Lamar and Pau. All the the good plays down the stretch in regulation are due to the plays of KB24. This is why a lot of former bloggers don't blog here anymore. Lets be very constructive in our views and stop all this name calling.
Did it really hurt that we lost? Of course it does, but you also have to credit the Utah team for taking it to the Lakers. But, I presume that's why we have a home court advantage. The bench will be a huge factor in game 5 and we will be more thant ready to close this series in game 6 or 7.
One thing we really need to credit this lakers team for is their share determination and hardwork. Despite the poor plays in the 4th quater, we still had this game and could have easily won, had it not been for the fact that our starters got tired in overtime.
AK, you also need to know that the bench cost us this game and nothing else. Kobe might have made some bad plays down the stretch in overtime, but overall, he's good plays outweighed the bad plays and was not the reason for this loss as stated by a lot of these bloggers.
I am just dissapointed that we keep bringing down this lovely blog any time we lose games. Why don't you people watch the Spurs destroying the Hornets right now. Utah has taken care of their home court just like the Lakers did.
Go Lakers, we will win this series 4-2
Posted by: A A LOS | May 11, 2008 at 07:09 PM
c7ufn,
We are tied to Kobe as a fetus is tied to an imbelical cord. He will not change the way he plays, regardless of whether or not he's being successful. This is both good and bad.
Kobe is our anchor, and we cannot break the chains that tie us to him. We hope and pray that he does well, because if he doesn't, he will sink and take the entire Laker team with him.
From a fan's perspective, this is why I love and hate Kobe. He hasn't, and never will, learn to break that chain and let the other Lakers paddle the boat. Maybe he can't. Maybe he feels the Lakers need him regardless. This is, perhaps, the biggest fallout from the lost of Bynum. Bynum is the only other Laker player that has the potential to carry the Lakers. We though Pau could do it, but it's painfully clear that he cannot.
In the meantime, we scrape ourselves off the bottom of the ocean and we pray that Kobe doesn't sink again Wednesday.
Posted by: troy | May 11, 2008 at 07:14 PM
Kobe has 33 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds and you're calling him selfish? He had more dimes than the next player by a margin of over 2 to 1! What game were you haters watching?!?!?
Again, frustrated fair-weather fans post messages showing that Kobe is d***** if he does and d***** if he doesn't.
Posted by: Chris | May 11, 2008 at 07:14 PM
I still feel that Lakers will win this series, but Wednesday's game is the season for the Lakers. If we lose Wednesday, now way we go back to Utah and win an elimination game. It's Sunday and I'm starting to feel stressed. We lose Wednesday and our season is over.
Posted by: troy | May 11, 2008 at 07:18 PM
GHF observation,
Most other road teams (Boston, Cleveland, SA, NO) are getting absolutely spanked by their respective home teams. The Lakers are playing in the toughest road environment of all and in spite of "questionable" calls and unusually bad play by the bench were close to winning both.
However this doesn't change the level of depression or "pissedoffedness" that I have right now......
To quote the obnoxious Jim Rome, I am out.....
Posted by: pslakerfan | May 11, 2008 at 07:18 PM
Lawrence,
I will be awaiting your contributions with baited breath.
Posted by: troy | May 11, 2008 at 07:19 PM
Guys, it's only one game. It's only one loss. Utah is an excellent home team, which means trouble for GOOD road teams like the Lakers. I'm not surprised that they won both of their home games. That's what they do. That's their game. They feed off their home crowd, and no matter who they are playing, they are always favored to win at home. The good news is that they only have one more home game in this series.
This is the playoffs. You're not gonna sweep every series. Maybe a team like Denver that barely snuck into the playoffs will let you have your way with them, but at this stage of the season, no one is going to lie down and get swept. So what? We're tied. We are not down. Utah is in the same boat as us. Both teams have won two games. If anything, we are the ones with the advantage, having 2 games left at home. Utah's play at home is misleading. There is no doubt in my mind that we are the better overall team, and the best team shall win. Besides, I think, we are much more capable of winning in Utah than they are in LA. Other than Kobe's back, there really isn't too much of a cause for concern.
I think the key for us is to stay out of foul trouble. Fish picking up those early fouls in the last 2 games has really messed up our rhythm. If we can do that, especially at home, we should have no problem winning the next game.
And to those complaining about the refs, you're sounding like Jazz fans after the first two games. We can't complain about Utah getting more free throws, coming off of three games, where the free throw advantage has clearly gone to the Lakers. I thought game one was TERRIBLY officiated, because the refs couldn't make up their mind about whether the game should be physical or not, so neither team really established any rhythm. But other than that, the last 3 games haven't been bad referee-wise. Obviously the home team will have an advantage in the free throw department, but other than the ejection, which was complete bull, I have no problem with how games 2, 3 and 4 have been called.
So anyway, let's take care of business on Wednesday and maybe we can pull out a victory on Friday to finish this one out in 6. We're due for a win in Utah. Haha.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: gokobego | May 11, 2008 at 07:19 PM
The Spurs are killing the Hornets. Even if the Lakers make it past the Jazz, I don't see us beating the Spurs.
Please no mores stupid references to playing the Celts in the finals. Chances are, we won't make it.
Posted by: troy | May 11, 2008 at 07:23 PM
The carelessness of some comments here against our MVP is just a big hypocricy. Six assist in the fourth quarter and overtime and you call that selfish??? Tell me who has more during that time from the team???
This is from the only player who is more banged up, hurt not to mention has a lingering injury for quite some time now. His body might have betrayed him as shown from the difference in his drives to the basket and the lift he has after he badly tweaked his back from the start of the game. Not only was he fighting along to get back us into the game but with every grimace he was also fighting all the pain inflicted and frustrations of the game (from the way this game was officiated and his bench teammates who haven't playing with any rhythm)
Quoting our current team scout..."Never doubt the heart of a champion." the heart and will of the Man was there throughout the game even in the face of all the adversity we are getting. Though the officiating didn't seem to be fair (I still believe it was a big blow losing Turiaf in the game) I will give this one to the Jazz...they never gave up, took advantage and saw the limitations we have on the floor.
1. Bench was no show, no rhythm for the game including Vlad (enough said)
2. Pau never asserted himself in the game. We can't blame our backcourt for not going with inside-outside like we used to with Pau since every time he puts it down turns to turnover or fastbreak for the Jazz. Not much iso since Pau wasn't asserting himself for one-on-one threats against Okur.
3. Officiating was easily swayed to the home team and the Jazz milked this one through and through.
4. Kobe was hurt, they saw the opening by doubling him as he was mentally fighting his own pain and frustrations.
Kobe did what he was suppose to, have been the decoy but also took it as a challenge to himself that he would never give in to the pain he was feeling. Although it was a gamble it was a good one (Not to mention every one on the floor with him didn't made a play and defer to him as quickly as they got the ball).
Like everyone here, I still believe this is our series. The what if's that I'm reading only solidified the fact that we still have the upper hand.
I will never doubt my MVP and I will never doubt that this is our time.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: KiKosDad | May 11, 2008 at 07:24 PM
This was a very winable game for the Lakers as was Game 3. The Lakers would have to of won in regulation, not overtime. Too many personal fouls on key personnel, a tired starting 5, and Kobe's errant shooting in ovetime as well as ailing back. Less turnovers, better rebounding, and came up just a little short in the end.....
I will talk about a few key points reference the Laker's personnel:
* Farmer - I think has scored 0 points in the past two games, gets blown by Deron Williams every time down (no defense), and turned the ball over several times.
* Rad - Had 8 points in the last game and 2 points in this game, and very ineffective on the court in this series. They are getting absolutely zero production from him and the Number 3 position.
* Walt - Has played consistently in this series for the most part, would be better effort and play than Rad in the starting role, and needs to be more aggresive. The turnover he committed in the last game cost the Lakers.
*Ariza - If he WAS cleared to play, could be a very important defensive player against Deron Williams, unlike Farmar. He would disrupt the Jazz offense and shut Deron Williams down better than Fisher and Farmar combined. Inturn, this would cause the Jazz offense to be out of synch and require adjustments. He would also be a scoring threat on the offensive end unlike Farmer at this particular time. IF this happens in the series, could be a smart and effective move.
* Gasol - He needs to quit compaining after every possession he THINKS he gets fouled on and just play the game. Gasol had a better game today than the last one, BUT needs to be more aggressive and concentrate on playing his game without the referees.
* Bryant (MVP) - Unfortunately an injured back and 33 shot attempts. I really hope he is able to recover and play the remainder of the series. A little too much isolation, especially in the overtime and obvious pain. He should have been a facilitator within the triangle offense and eliminated so many isolations.
* Fisher - I should start with the foul problems, as was the result in Game 3. When he was in there, especially the last 4 minutes of the fourth quarter, very effective. He has to find a way to eliminate the personal fouls and stay in Game 5 and the series. He is a very important person in their offensive and defensive schemes.
* Odom - Best game of this post season for LO, 26 points and 13 rebounds. He hit a very important three pointer in the fourth quarter and was very aggressive.
* Bynum - This is where the Lakers would definitely have an edge, that mental toughness, better interior defense, and offensive REBOUNDING.
* Starting 5 - Imagine for a moment IF, the starting 5, which will be next year, was Fisher, Bryant, Odom, Bynum, and Gasol. Hmmmmm, wonder how that team would have faired right about now, probably go undefeated in this years playoffs, but something to look forward to in the future.....
I hope Phil makes the necessary adjustments prior to Game 5 and for the series. There needs to be a wrinkle thrown by the Lakers that the Jazz can't anticipate. This series will definitely prepare them for the Western Conference and NBA Finals. The key point I want to make is, Deron Williams must be stopped, 29 points and 14 assists will not bode well for the Lakers in this series. The Utah Jazz offense goes and he goes, a solid defender needs to play solid defense on him. If Ariza is CLEARED and ABLE to come back, this would be a smart and viable move in my personal opinion.
I was very disappointed about the loss to today, but the team will rebound for Wednesday's game and win the series. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Kevin H. Funk | May 11, 2008 at 07:25 PM
The Lakers *needs* Farmar to be the well-rounded contributor (attacking opportunistically, rebounding, defending with aggression) he was for most of the regular season. Farmar *must* realize it's *always* about the win, NEVER about *his* points else join the ranks of useless, ringless, undependable players who only "play" when they score.
Posted by: latopia | May 11, 2008 at 06:09 PM
The thing about your post is that JF played D during regular season. Playing D with agression.
He was constantly beat off the dribble and behind his opponent trying to catch up to him constantly.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | May 11, 2008 at 07:29 PM
The Lakers *needs* Farmar to be the well-rounded contributor (attacking opportunistically, rebounding, defending with aggression) he was for most of the regular season. Farmar *must* realize it's *always* about the win, NEVER about *his* points else join the ranks of useless, ringless, undependable players who only "play" when they score.
Posted by: latopia | May 11, 2008 at 06:09 PM
The thing about your post is that JF played D during regular season. Playing D with agression.
He was constantly beat off the dribble and behind his opponent trying to catch up to him constantly.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | May 11, 2008 at 07:29 PM
To anyone on this blog or others, lusting over what "can be (next year)" -- you are sad (and but for the family nature of this forum, I'm use a much stronger word!)! Kind of like Cubs fans, but not in an endearing way.
I'm not trying to sound all rah, rah, but this year isn't over. The Lakers are still in control in this series and beyond.
This weekend did expose a couple of truths that we really have known all year: 1) Health related or not, As Kobe goes, so go the Lakers and 2) The "kids" or role players are improved but can't be counted on. Net we need a little luck to go all the way....but it ain't over!
Posted by: Derek | May 11, 2008 at 07:29 PM
A ALOS
In agreement. Had we won this game, everyone would have been crediting Kibe for playing so valiently while hurting. It is just a loss, but they will bounce back. These guys are professionals. They deserve to be where they are. They look at their miscues and will move forward in game 5.
Posted by: spokanlakerfan | May 11, 2008 at 07:30 PM