Get back

Good Morning Guys,

That image scares me.

Thank You, God, for sparing Ronny from an unecessary suspension. Continue to heal Kobe's back and continue to let Jordan & the Bench Mob reclaim their rightful groove.

We thank You in advance...AMEN!

Can someone please remind Kobe how he won the MVP this year and his TEAM won the #1 seed?

T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K.

Good morning Mamba24, Charles, Laker Nation.

One more day 'till gametime. Any news on Trevor?

-bozz-

Once there team that played in New Orleans,
It called itself the Jazz with colors purple gold and green.
Though never number one, they had a lot of fun
With Pistol Pete and Goodrich packing style in their guns

But then came '79 and the Salt Lake City move
Their name was still the Jazz but you know it sounded smooth
Dantley, Blue and Bailey were cool, I must admit
But Stockton-to-Malone took a great big finals...

THANK YOU AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE "JAZZERS" (dude, if you're going to infiltrate a hostile blog, don't call yourself a "Jazzer") WHO I HOPE ARE ENJOYING THEIR 2 WINS BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY'RE GOING TO GET.

Rub some dirt on it and get out there.

TOUGHNESS

Some of the people who come here on this blog lack it.

The Lakers will tough this series out and when they face other teams, it'll be like gravy.

So for those people who have been questioning the team... forget about riding any bandwagons for awhile. You know who you are.

Phil Jackson said "it becomes a SIX game series", so sit back and watch the team close it out in Salt Lake City on Friday.

Just relax and be fans of the game people.

GO LAKERS!!!

Hi All:

Countdown time.....one more day.

AK/BK: liked all the interviews yesterday - the spirit of the team remains really good and appears they are all still confident.

Maybe we will hear something from LAL management today regarding Trevor and if they are going to start having him practice with team and contact scrimmages?? Maybe?

Thanks!

GO LAKERS!

T-minus 33 hours until game action.

goes without saying, i can't wait. ...i'm actually replaying the game in my dreams (creepy, i know) but the good news is, we always win :)

oh yeah...good morning, ya bums!

interesting stuff taken from ross siler's jazz blog

Written before Game 4 about the trio of refs:
http://blogs.sltrib.com/jazz/2008/05/no-delaney-no-javie-but-two-homers.htm

"...Actually, according to the site, Corbin and DeRosa are the two best "homer" refs in the NBA this season. Against the spread, home teams are 44-23-0 with Corbin and 47-26-2 with DeRosa. It's only 9:30 a.m., but the Jazz already have caught one break."

after watching the jazz take 20 more FTs, how many of us can agree with this line?

*raises hand*

Just put some Tussin' on it Kobe!!! Work that Tussin into the bone!!!

"Jazz owner Larry H. Miller called (during a Sunday appearance on KSL-TV) for a suspension after watching a replay of the foul"

Are you kidding me?

I watched the replay and thought it was barely a foul, let alone a flagrant foul or let alone flagrant foul 2. There was body contact, so it was a foul, but the rest of it was just Price's out of control drive to the hoop.

Tully Moxness

Chris Rock Fan?

Tussen? What about dit to jow? I heard that stuff cures everything.

Seriously, we're lucky Bryant doesn't have Bynum's mentality. I'm sure Bynum would take the rest of the year off with a similar complaint.

GGOOOOOOooooOOOO LAAAaaaAAAAKEEEEEEEEERSSSS!

AK/BK

lakers led comfortably at home. at utah, where the jazz are supposed to be by far the best home team, the lakers were only down by 3 with 15? seconds to go, and the other game went to OT with an injured kobe.

should anyone be worried at all?

Good Morning Laker nation. One day til ....up 3-2

All is well in Lakerland as long as Kobe is 90%.

Kobesabadbackbadassss(and he is)

Is anyone else getting sympathy back pains?

Tully - Johnny

Dit Da Tussin?

Reinsdorf is once again showing what a horrible negotiator and fool he is. Unbelievable! Mike D'Antoni falls into his lap, Chicago badly needed a high profile coach, D'Antoni was perfect for their personnel and the FOOL Reinsdorf... doesn't even make him an offer!!!??? instead, trying to lowball him and now COMPLAINING??? in the press that D'Antoni didn't sit around and wait for Chicago to even make an offer for him???

Ahahahhaa! Once again, we see that Jerry Buss is one of the greatest owners in all sports. When Buss wants something, he makes sure it happens, some of these other owners... you wonder why certain franchises flounder year after year after year? Well... behold exhibt A!

Good Morning Mamba24, Good Morning Charles, Good Morning A L L of Laker Nation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no cause for concern or worries in Laker Nation. This will be a 6 game series. Considering we were in both games in Utah, and the Ja$$ played as well as they can, all we need to do is hit the frees!

Ref's will be better for us at home, and when we go back to SLC, we won't get ganked with "homer" refs like Sunday.

Sit back and enjoy, Laker Nation! It's going to be one heck of a fun run to the Trophy!

10 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charles

Dit Da Tussin! Love it! Slather some of that on right now!

I don't know if this has been posted or not...but good little interview with Pau Gasol....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HOr5K7vyMiM

I don't know if this has been posted or not...but good little interview with Pau Gasol....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HOr5K7vyMiM

Calling Ronnie Price's block on Luke Walton clean, is like saying a Pig isn’t dirty. If you only pay attention to the ball in that instance, it may not have been a foul. But if you noticed his elbow to the back of Walton’s neck, his torso running directly into his back, and that fact that this isn’t UFC, any rational human being would say that it was a foul. To insinuate that this block even closely resembles Prince’s block on Miller is retarded. I am not sure what the score in the series is?? Is it 2 Lakers – 2 Jazz, or 2 Lakers – 2 to the guys in stripes? Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JohnnyP,

Actually, I don't know how beneficial Dit Da Jow is for backs. It's primarily for bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and inflammation.

I'm not sure how well it works for pinched nerves and such.

GO LAKERS!

Trolls,

Please see the people like Jeffs Ahso, neil, GUNNER, Forrest, et al for what they are and just don't respond to them. There isn't any merit to their opinions because they won't acknowledge the other side of the coin. I enjoyh dissenting opinions and spirited debate, but not with people who only come to pick a fight when they know that people are already upset.

Give us logins and spam filters so we can rid the blog of this scourge of nonsense.

Posted by: "Pig" Miller

Hey man, I didn't see my call name in this list. Does this mean.......

Just a little pole I'm taking here.

How many bloggers here think that David Stern directly or indirectly works to influence the outcomes of games to make the playoffs more "exciting" and "marketable"?

GO LAKERS!

Pig,

Thanks for the heads up.

GO LAKERS!

Whine whine whine.

We only have the MVP, the top record in the West, the GOAT coach, a killer frontline, a clutch leader PG, a terrific bench and a legacy of greatness. I know: let's complain and ask everyone to change their fundamental approach just because we dropped a couple tough roadies in the playoffs.

Fellow Lakers fans, C'MON!

It's championship time! Let's get back to rooting for the Lakers. If anyone's trying to prove that they have more insight than the coaches, players and management of this team, give it up!! Or at least wait until next year before the trading deadline. That's what the early part of the regular seasons in for. Not the playoffs. We're Lakers fans, dammit!! We're supposed to know the difference.

Sean714

Thanks for the link.

Ronny Turiaf's flagrant two is still annoying me.

Price was completely out of control heading for the basket. Ronny was just standing his ground.

GO LAKERS!

CBuck-

Pretty interesting link there. My friends here on the East coast (who mostly hate the Lakers. and love it when they lose) were going on and on about how biased the officiating was.

Jon K.,

I think he does, but only after having such terrible finals for the last few years. Spurs-Pistons? Terrible, no one wants to see that. Lakers-Celtics? Much more appealing, but maybe the refs in Utah didn't get the memo...

Home Away

Evidently, fans are supposed to accept that players go from getting fouled at home to fouling on the road at double the rate.

I'm not touting conspiracy, but, this year's home court is too advantageous, as if the ghost of Donaghy lurks in the back of official's minds.

It's not a Laker issue, it's league wide. The Shaq bump at home is a charge on the road. Now that he's a Sun, it should obviously be a foul in all locations. For the good of the game, the league has to do better evening out the home town ref effect.

Bloggers

It is these types of things that make me believe there is a conspiracy within the media to promote and protect certain players.

Did anyone see LeBron cuss his momma out last night?
He told his momma to "sit yo azz down"! Not one peep from the media........in fact ESPN blocked it out on replays this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cpHeSNwuok

If this had been Kobe...............I can hear the hater Charles Barkley now............."Kobe is a selfish baby with no respect for his own momma..............How could he respect his teammates"?

Good morning Mamba24, Charles, JonK, Pig, Toad and the rest of the GREAT AND FABULOUS LAKER NATION!!!

Wow - still more finger pointing & trash talking? Aren't you done yet? Trolls - please - find somewhere else to vent your poison. We here at Laker Nation do not care about what you say or what you think or anything else.

Identify the troll. Wound the troll. Starve the troll.

That being said - I can't wait until game time tomorrow! It's going to be a crazy ride to 3-2 in Round 2!!!!!!!!! I'm glad Kobe has this extra time to rest up - he's going to need it. Back problems are killers - lot's of pain, can't move normally - yikes!

KOBE - put some Windex on it!! LOL! Or Tussin, or dit da jow or anything else you can think of!!!!!!! We need you man!!!!! HOWEVER - I would still take an 80-90% Kobe over anyone else in the league everyday & twice on Sundays! That dude is the definition of WARRIER!!!! He says he'll be good to go & I for one believe him.

I think Pau could use the extra time too - he needs to do a few more push-ups or something. I hope he strengthens up a bit this off-season. However - I love this guy! Without him, we wouldn't be in the position we are right now - that's for sure!

CHEER FOR YOU TEAM, LAKER NATION! TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE ONE HECK OF A GAME! BREAK OUT THE BBQ AND THE TAACCCOOO'SSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO LAKERS!

Jon K,

Regarding your poll question. I don't think Stern goes around deliberatey pushing his weight to make a series competitive, BUT I DO think it's likely the NBA office/NBA Officials are told frequently about the state of affairs.

If a series has been too rough, the league office may suggest to their officials that the games need to be called tighter, etc. In that respect, I think Stern does push his weight around.

The truth of this series is that the Jazz are a rough team. Like someone said, maybe there was a memo that said rough up the Lakers and you'll win. I don't know. But immediately in the first game, Boozer comitted like 14 fouls and was called for like 6 of them. Maybe they didn't foul as much in games 3 & 4, but the reffing has been horrendous throughout this series, and the fact that a fan actually held a sign in Utah that said "Bad Call" on it only made me want to puke.

I'm not one to blame the refs and I don't, but they have called a horrible series and have let the Jazz get away with a lot.

Jon K

If Stern were going to influence he might have done something about the last 4 years of ratings bottom feeding. He probably would have preferred the Suns over SAS last year since SA has never drawn an audience. But the calls went the Spurs way.

In the present climate, it's easier to buy "prejudice" at the referee level. DWade vs Dallas appeared to have undue influence, but hard to believe it would come from Stern's phone.

Jon K,

Price WAS out of control. I saw no contact that would have caused him to go horizontal like that. Actually, as Price took off he appeared to shift his weight back (the angle of his body was bowed) and when his body made contact with Turiaf, Price's feet went out from under him because of this. Price's feet were already moving forward before Ronnie's "arm came down".

Price was out of control, and his face, along with the entire Laker Nation, paid the price.

Lakers 2 - Refs 2

make your free throws and we should be just fine. It would help if the bench can produce - say 20 ish points or so -

I don't think that Stern actually influences a series so as to prolong it. But I do think that there are some double standards when it comes to officiating,whether it be intenional or not. But that is just the human element. I don't like it when refs affect the outcome of a game that should be settled by the players.

All in all, I look for the Lakers to win at home tomorrow, with the bench coming through and Kobe having a great game. This is a special unit, and we can go all the way, but the road will not be easy.

Dunk instead of layups and we should be fine.

Jon K,

My take on Ronnie is pretty close to Tim-4-Show. If you look and Ronnie's hand, it was still cupping the ball when Price was in the air. Turiaf also jumped straight up and Price's momentum brought him to hit Ronnie. Probably why he wasn't suspended for that grave call.

Intention was at the ball.

Good Morning Charles---Good Morning Everyone.....

I was travelling all weekend and had to watch the games via tape delay....I could say a lot of things (most of which has already been stated)....

But I have but one thing to say really......wait for it........

PRACTICE FRICKIN' FREE THROWS !!!!

THEN PRACTICE SOME MORE.....

Missed free throws make me want to disembowel myself with an exceptionally dull butter knife....there is no excuse for any NBA player or team to shoot less than 80 % (and I am being generous indeed)--missed free throws (as well as bad weak passes) are my basketball pet peeve--

I agree with those who have said whoever wins Wednesday is going ot win the series---I have always thought this one was going at least 6 and most likely 7...it is crucial we win on Wednesday.....

Besides making our free throws, we have to obviously improve our defense (as usual) and PICK & ROLL these morons from Utah to death....hope the intensity and desire for the Lakers is evident from the tip off to the end....

AS ALWAYS, AS EVER, STILL A GREAT DAY TO BE A LAKER FAN !!!

GO LAKERS !!!

Nik Kannan

How in the hell did you land Mariah?

Fire32 - I would like to again welcome you to Laker Nation! I think it's hysterical that you're now one of us....at least until next season, right? LOL!

The sad thing about Rony's foul was that the whistle had already blown, Sasha already had his hand up but Price still came at Rony with intent to dunk. Rony himself said he thought he heard the whistle, but since Price was still coming in, he was going to block. It's too bad the refs didn't use the instant replay to figure out what happened and see that it was NOT in any way, shape or form, deserving of a flagrant 2......wait a second.....

After the shot by Chauncey Billups that counted but shouldn't have in the Detroit series, didn't someone from the media interview Stern and talk about possibly allowing more instant replays to determine what call would be correct? Something about allowing coaches a couple of challenges a game or something? I think he answered that he would be looking into that.....Jeez - here in the 21st century, a LOT of sports are doing that.....wonder what's taking him so long to catch up?! What a tool.

Even though it's difficult to swallow two straight losses, I'm reminded that the most memorable moments from the past Lakers title runs have come when the team pulled it out with their backs against the wall.

And this is why home court advantage is so nice in the playoffs. Both teams very good, with the home court advantage leading to all the wins.

Best of 3, two at Staples. Lakers advantage.

Don't worry. Lakers can't lose. David Stern will make sure of that.

Sorry, Jazz Fans.

I don't Stern or NBA officials try to rig anything. I seriously think they call the game like they see it (no pun intended). I just think what happens is that they get caught up, and possibly intimidated (as PJax has stated) by the home crowd. And since Utah is easily the loudest arena in the NBA (mainly because of the construction, not the fans themselves), the refs seriously get caught up in it, and call the game accordingly. This could help explain their home record vs away...I also wonder what their FT discrepancy is Home vs Away, and the opponents splits as well. The stats I'm sure would be very telling. This also explains why the Jazz are not very successful on the road, because their physical play is called more closely in another teams gym rather than their own biased arena.

Despite all this, the Lakers blew a fantastic opportunity this past weekend...but with that said, I'm even more confident about their chances now, than prior to last weekend. If they can play that close to the Jazz in Utah, and should have won game 4, then there's no possible way the Jazz can win in LA. The last time I remember them playing the Jazz this tough in Utah (I'm in Salt Lake and have missed only 1 game in the past 12 years) was during their championship run beginning in 2000. Prior to that, the Jazz would ALWAYS blow them out here. It's great to see these guys mature before our very eyes...

By the way, PJax, please keep a short leash on Vlade...he's providing absolutely nothing, and the looks on his face say it all. He's just not in this series. And please, play more Sasha at the point, and cut down on Farmar's minutes....

interesting stuff taken from ross siler's jazz blog

Written before Game 4 about the trio of refs:
http://blogs.sltrib.com/jazz/2008/05/no-delaney-no-javie-but-two-homers.htm

"...Actually, according to the site, Corbin and DeRosa are the two best "homer" refs in the NBA this season. Against the spread, home teams are 44-23-0 with Corbin and 47-26-2 with DeRosa. It's only 9:30 a.m., but the Jazz already have caught one break."

after watching the jazz take 20 more FTs, how many of us can agree with this line?

*raises hand*

Posted by: CBuck | May 13, 2008 at 10:08 AM

Nice find CBuck. I second that thought.

Calling Ronnie Price's block on Luke Walton clean, is like saying a Pig isn’t dirty. If you only pay attention to the ball in that instance, it may not have been a foul. But if you noticed his elbow to the back of Walton’s neck, his torso running directly into his back, and that fact that this isn’t UFC, any rational human being would say that it was a foul. To insinuate that this block even closely resembles Prince’s block on Miller is retarded. I am not sure what the score in the series is?? Is it 2 Lakers – 2 Jazz, or 2 Lakers – 2 to the guys in stripes? Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: nik kannan | May 13, 2008 at 10:58 AM

Unfortunate example as pigs aren't inherently dirty at all. They hang out in the mud primarily as a form of temperature control. Read a little about pot-bellied pigs and you can safely torpedo that misconception.

I saw Bynum Skydiving on Saturday and though he looked funny in goggles his knee looked real good.

Get well Bynum and see you next year!

BD

Jon K,

I'll add this to Charles' post. The only way for Price's feet to go out from under him like that is if he purposely went into Turiaf. I just watched the replay in HD went frame by frame. The moment he left the air, he had his eyes closed and his head down... he was expecting to fly into Turiaf.

Like I mentioned before, he also had shifted his weight back on take off. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Great.

Yoga.

Video.

For always justanothermambafan , for always.

Actually, I don't know how beneficial Dit Da Jow is for backs. It's primarily for bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and inflammation.

I'm not sure how well it works for pinched nerves and such.

GO LAKERS!

Posted by: Jon K. | May 13, 2008 at 10:59 AM

The back contains numerous bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Lower back injuries are experienced by the majority of people according to the article below:

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/lowback.htm

Kobe's injury is almost certainly musculoskeletal. Soreness indicates a muscular component. With Kobe's mechanism of injury you can safely rule out a spinal cord injury. Injuries to nerves can occur traumatically, but usually a fairly dramatic event is required (like a deep laceration or forceful impact like in a motor vehicle accident).

Bring on the Dit Ja Dow.

Pain is an evolutionarily ancient negative feedback mechanism to modify behavior and induce lowered activity levels in the case of injury. It's important that Kobe pay attention to his body as well as doing what he can to alleviate the pain. The pain is likely meaningful, not just a nuisance. Pain is very important to survival and health. Without pain receptors, individuals typically die in horrific accidents by their early teenage years.

From what I've seen, Kobe is extremely good at managing injuries without exacerbating them. He plays through injuries not just like a tough guy, but also like a smart guy. I have absolute faith in Kobe to manage this injury well.

Hey Laker Nation-
its a long time till game time, but hopefully we will pull away with it.

Hey PSLAKER- check your myspace

Where is Elle?

Hi Charles!

Alright just stopped by to shout it out.

GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charles,

Sometime the ladies jock, sometimes they don't. I brought the A game, she felt it, we went from there.

I feel like I should starting making it rain (tipping ($)) refs after getting fair calls, so we don’t have to put up with the debauchery of games 3 and 4. It was utterly ridiculous. Seriously, Lakers 2 – Guys in stripes 2.

Jon K, Tim-4-Show,

Price was clearly out of control. Ronny's foul on Price was more similar to the foul on Joe Johnson that broke his face in the 04-05 playoffs than the one Jason Kidd committed on Pargo, using Pargo's head to flip him like a piece of toast.

I don't even think that foul should have been a flagrant 1. It's just results-oriented thinking because he can't control his body and broke his face that got him a flagrant there.

This league has become seriously pussified when it comes to flagrant calls.

I hope they review the flagrant and pay Ronny back for his fine.

I gotta say... I'm all about the yoga. I started doing yoga about 10 years ago for a bad back and I'm still doing it every day. It was the only thing that let me get back to playing basketball.

Benjamin,

I now know that my analogy (in simile form) won't make the SAT. But I think you caught my drift. Intension is far more important that interpretation. Well, at least from my end. Good to know that the educated hang out on this blog. I can say for sure, that as a composite we Lakers fans are certainly more intelligent and cultured then those archaic Jazz fans. Lakers 2 – Refs 2 - Jazz 0

Stern is clearly all about the bottom line. He's also clearly fascistic in his tight management of the league, notably complaints about officiating in the last few years (prior to Tim Donaghy).

I don't trust Stern as he's a businessman that seems to view profit above all else. I see almost all of his moves being perception management and pursuing growth opportunities.

Were it the case that Stern coerced officials to make each series last longer I would not be surprised. I don't think it takes a significant tweak to achieve this result.

I think greater transparency in officiating is vital. The Donaghy case just proves that officials can change the game in meaningful ways without being detected for extended periods of time.

I'd like to see the NBA become much more like the NFL which in my limited exposure seems to have excellent officiating. I think every team should have at least 2 challenges a game in dead ball situations. Given how many time stoppages there are in an NBA game, it would not significantly slow the game or further inhibit a smoothly flowing form. I think the slight compromise is well worth it in order to protect the integrity of the game and the officiating.

I also would like better officiating so players and coaches don't complain about every single, frickin call. I find that politicking incredibly annoying and dishonest.

Interestingly, the Lakers have complained a lot less in the playoffs following Kobe's lead (after Den game 1, of course). It doesn't make a ton of sense to complain because the refs basically never change their minds. It is worth telling a ref what a guy is doing if he misses a foul call, however.

I just want to make a point about officiating:

We all know that referees are influenced & intimidated by the homecourt crowd, but there is another point that very few people realized, that is, officiating greatly favors the team playing at home that has a physical game.

When a referee chose not to blow his whistle against a home team as often as he should, you would find that it involves consistently with violations related to physical contact. As a result, the Lakers, being a finesse team has a greater disadvantage playing against the Jazz at their home court compared with the other way around.

(That ought to solve any lingering "Hip to be Square" resentment...)

No. I'm not even close to ready to let that one go. You made a pop cultural reference, BUT AT WHAT PRICE???

nik,

Your simile still works because of popular perception or even as an idiom. I felt some strange need to defend the honor of pigs at the moment I read your post.

Benjamin

'a Pig isn’t dirty"

As a former pig farmer, trust me, pigs have a well deserved rep.

But even a Jazz Fan can be trained to shower once and awhile so you could draw the conclusion that they are not dirty, but you would be wrong.

Pot bellied pigs? They are definitely cleaner than Jazz Fans and unlike Jazz Fans they can be domesticated into a nice little pet, and be house trained as well.

For further reference on Jazz Fans (see The Simpsons; Cletus Family)

Benjamin:

You said, "Were it the case that Stern coerced officials to make each series last longer I would not be surprised. I don't think it takes a significant tweak to achieve this result."

Although I totally agree that NBA coaches should be able to force a review like NFL coaches, I have to respectfully disagree with you that all it take is a minor tweak by Stern to coerce officials.

Just think about all of the collusion that would be necessary to achieve this. Stern obviously couldn't do it alone, and do you really think Stern, or any other reasonable businessman, would include these minions in his maser scheme and risk everything? It only takes one person to bring it all crumbling down, if that were the case, and that's just not sensible.

Men...another day before Game 5...

whew...well atleast I found some respect for our MVP from no other than the other brother ...Dave Chapelle.

enjoy..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ntm10R_-Jo

Good Luck Kobe.
We need you.

Let's win and hopefully carry the momentum to Utah and terminate them there.

CBuck,

"goes without saying, i can't wait. ...i'm actually replaying the game in my dreams (creepy, i know) but the good news is, we always win :)"

Yea, happens to me too. Or I will play as if I was Kobe by myself on a b-ball court, with the announcers words running through my head. Either that, or NBA Live, Utah vs. LA.

CBuck,

"goes without saying, i can't wait. ...i'm actually replaying the game in my dreams (creepy, i know) but the good news is, we always win :)"

Yea, happens to me too. Or I will play as if I was Kobe by myself on a b-ball court, with the announcers words running through my head. Either that, or NBA Live, Utah vs. LA.

Although I totally agree that NBA coaches should be able to force a review like NFL coaches, I have to respectfully disagree with you that all it take is a minor tweak by Stern to coerce officials.

Just think about all of the collusion that would be necessary to achieve this. Stern obviously couldn't do it alone, and do you really think Stern, or any other reasonable businessman, would include these minions in his maser scheme and risk everything? It only takes one person to bring it all crumbling down, if that were the case, and that's just not sensible.

Posted by: Lumbee | May 13, 2008 at 02:15 PM

I'm saying a minor tweak in officiating and a close series can be manipulated by officiating. I could totally imagine referees getting subtle hints like (games 3 and 4 allow the Jazz to be physical). You act as though no conspiracy involved money has ever succeeded.

As for one person bringing it down, that's complete idle speculation on your part. You don't know that at all.

And if one person can bring the whole thing crashing down, how was Stern so easily able to weather the Tim Donaghy storm?

I'm not suggesting that anything is occurring, but there's no question in my mind that the motives are in place (money for the league, more exposure for the product) and I don't trust Stern's character. When creative, effective, and intelligent people in positions of power, particularly when there is no group that can review their actions, well, you can get a little bit of what you want.

There is a long history of conspiracies to cheat in professional sports. I don't assume that The Black Socks throwing the series, the Arizona Wildcats point-shaving scandal, steroids in MLB, a coverup of videotape cheating by Bellichek in the NFL and any others that people have heard about are the only ones that have transpired. To suggest otherwise strikes me as extraordinarily naive.

Now, I'm not sure a league-wide conspiracy has ever been revealed. Do you think every journalist that finds out about such a thing would willingly reveal it?

For the David Stern thing, all you need is one guy giving orders to a few select officials. It could be very tightly administered.

Greetings Laker Nation and of course to the Brothers K! Glad that Turiaf was not suspended, it was a correct assessment by the league. However, in my opinion it was NOT a Flagrant 2 by NBA rules if you look at the foul on replay and/or slow motion. Price went to the hoop fast, hard and out of control. In replay slo-mo Price throws his body with his head down and not looking at the hoop or inevitable impact coming. Its as if he was expecting to get bumped at a certain angle and just bounce off Turiaf's body landing on his feet or just stumbling at worst. Unfortunately Price landed horribly by bouncing his head off the floor and gashing his head open. Turiaf's intent was not to hurt him and he DID go for the ball as the replay clearly shows. I believe it was a serious knee-jerk panicked overreaction by the refs for several reasons:

I think that the refs panicked when they saw the blood and must NOT have reviewed the play in slo-mo which they could of done. But if they DID reveiw the replay in slo-mo and regular speed and still concluded it was a Flagrant 2, I beleive that they simply panicked because of the Utah crowd's loud and intimidating emotional reaction (anyone remember the "classy Utah fans" that chucked a couple of beverages on the floor when the Lakers wiped them out at home during the regular season this year?) and because they were afraid of what David Stern and company would have done to them had they made the less severe and more correct call. So I think they purposely took the "keep our jobs safe" way out by overpenalizng Turiaf .Remember, their are at minimum 13 more games to officiate until NBA champs are crowned. And I don't think for a second the referees want those higher paychecks to stop coming if they are one of the lucky few to get picked for the NBA's postseason.. Stern removing one or all of this crew from the Playoffs for the rest of the postseason meant no more checks for the rest of the postseason and, more importantly a bad stain on their performance rating which can ensure you won't be selected to be a postseason ref again ever. Just my take on it. Regardless of the fact that many Trolls and haters probably now see Turiaf as a "goon out to hurt other players" we LFFL's (LakerFansForLife), know that Ronnie is not that type of person from interviews, confirmed stories, etc.... It doesn't surprise us, we the Laker Nation that Turiaf felt bad for Price and was sorry Price was injured. We know he's a decent person on and off the court. Regarding game 5, still sticking to my prediction before this series started.... Lakers win game 5 and then win a tight game 6 in Utah to close out the series in six games. I believe the bench, Gasol, Farmer and maybe even Radmonovic (he's due to break out as a pure shooter sooner or later as he's sleptwalk through the last 2 games) will bounce back beginning tonight by winning big and helping Kobe by looking to relieve him of having to score 30 or 40 points. I think that being beaten by Utah 2 straight has opened this young team's eyes to the fact that when you get this deep in the Playoffs, you BETTER be able to enforce your will on the opponen's home gym by successfully executing your offensive and defensive game plans that won your home games. And execute them under hostile conditions with double the energy you expend at home. We'lll be fine LakerNation, this team is more athletic AND talented than the Jazz's roster and PJ will make the proper adjustments to the game plans. Heck I know it's 2-2 but we ALL know, (including Laker Haters and Jazz fans) that this was darn close to a Laker sweep. I too, don't believe in "moral" victories as they are called, but you HAVE to acknowledge for ALL that did go wrong in Salt Lake City's 2 games (Turiaf suspension, Jazz overly physical play at times that went unchecked, Deron's non-travelling call at crucial moment in game 4, etc.....) we almost won both of them! Until next time, all the best to LakerNation and true Laker and NBA fans!

Greetings Laker Nation and of course to the Brothers K! Glad that Turiaf was not suspended, it was a correct assessment by the league. However, in my opinion it was NOT a Flagrant 2 by NBA rules if you look at the foul on replay and/or slow motion. Price went to the hoop fast, hard and out of control. In replay slo-mo Price throws his body with his head down and not looking at the hoop or inevitable impact coming. Its as if he was expecting to get bumped at a certain angle and just bounce off Turiaf's body landing on his feet or just stumbling at worst. Unfortunately Price landed horribly by bouncing his head off the floor and gashing his head open. Turiaf's intent was not to hurt him and he DID go for the ball as the replay clearly shows. I believe it was a serious knee-jerk panicked overreaction by the refs for several reasons:

I think that the refs panicked when they saw the blood and must NOT have reviewed the play in slo-mo which they could of done. But if they DID reveiw the replay in slo-mo and regular speed and still concluded it was a Flagrant 2, I beleive that they simply panicked because of the Utah crowd's loud and intimidating emotional reaction (anyone remember the "classy Utah fans" that chucked a couple of beverages on the floor when the Lakers wiped them out at home during the regular season this year?) and because they were afraid of what David Stern and company would have done to them had they made the less severe and more correct call. So I think they purposely took the "keep our jobs safe" way out by overpenalizng Turiaf .Remember, their are at minimum 13 more games to officiate until NBA champs are crowned. And I don't think for a second the referees want those higher paychecks to stop coming if they are one of the lucky few to get picked for the NBA's postseason.. Stern removing one or all of this crew from the Playoffs for the rest of the postseason meant no more checks for the rest of the postseason and, more importantly a bad stain on their performance rating which can ensure you won't be selected to be a postseason ref again ever. Just my take on it. Regardless of the fact that many Trolls and haters probably now see Turiaf as a "goon out to hurt other players" we LFFL's (LakerFansForLife), know that Ronnie is not that type of person from interviews, confirmed stories, etc.... It doesn't surprise us, we the Laker Nation that Turiaf felt bad for Price and was sorry Price was injured. We know he's a decent person on and off the court. Regarding game 5, still sticking to my prediction before this series started.... Lakers win game 5 and then win a tight game 6 in Utah to close out the series in six games. I believe the bench, Gasol, Farmer and maybe even Radmonovic (he's due to break out as a pure shooter sooner or later as he's sleptwalk through the last 2 games) will bounce back beginning tonight by winning big and helping Kobe by looking to relieve him of having to score 30 or 40 points. I think that being beaten by Utah 2 straight has opened this young team's eyes to the fact that when you get this deep in the Playoffs, you BETTER be able to enforce your will on the opponen's home gym by successfully executing your offensive and defensive game plans that won your home games. And execute them under hostile conditions with double the energy you expend at home. We'lll be fine LakerNation, this team is more athletic AND talented than the Jazz's roster and PJ will make the proper adjustments to the game plans. Heck I know it's 2-2 but we ALL know, (including Laker Haters and Jazz fans) that this was darn close to a Laker sweep. I too, don't believe in "moral" victories as they are called, but you HAVE to acknowledge for ALL that did go wrong in Salt Lake City's 2 games (Turiaf suspension, Jazz overly physical play at times that went unchecked, Deron's non-travelling call at crucial moment in game 4, etc.....) we almost won both of them! Until next time, all the best to LakerNation and true Laker and NBA fans!

Does anyone think the Lakers Should rest Kobe Game 6 if they win tonight? fours days rest on a sore back is huge. He may come back with no back pain or very little. As playing tonight and Friday and Sunday. Thee is no rest for his back.

Any thoughts?

CrzyFan

Jeff A Ho....has been going from site to site posting the same response...he has the same post on Kevin Ding's blog at the OC Register...

Here is Kevin's reply to him and for some of you who are still thinking Kobe blew his defensive assignments.

# KEVIN DING Says:
May 15th, 2008 at 2:45 am

Point of accuracy for Jeffs: The Lakers planned to have Bryant roaming on defense from the start — they wanted to be very aggressive on defense, and it worked to great effect with Utah piling up 15 first-half turnovers — and four of Brewer’s early points came when Radmanovic failed to play proper team defense and cover for Bryant. One of the plays was a basic switch when Utah’s players exchange positions along the baseline, but Radmanovic kept chasing Kirilenko while Bryant switched to Kirilenko. The Lakers’ coaches were none too pleased with Radmanovic, not Bryant.