Five is alive!
May 15, 2008 | 12:35
am
Really, we'll do anything to work a Short Circuit reference into a post. It's so transparent and cheap. But damn if that movie isn't the epitome of delightful! The way Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg were able to enhance their own humanity via an unusually human robot? I think there's a lesson in there for all of us. No wonder it was nominated for a Saturn Award.
But I digress...
Wednesday night, the Lakers faced a pivotal Game 5 against the Utah Jazz in their Western Conference semifinal series, needing a win to hold on to home court advantage but facing life with a diminished Kobe. (Perhaps you heard he hurt his back?) It wasn't easy, nor particularly elegant, but in the end the Lakers got what they needed in a 111-104 win. They'll take a 3-2 lead into Friday night's game in Salt Lake City, comfortable in the knowledge that should they lose, one more game on the friendly home floor awaits. The Big Three were large for the Lakers, carrying them through different parts of the night. Kobe's back was clearly aching, but he still had a major impact on the proceedings.
Click below for the breakdown, including a whole bunch of audio.
The Good:
- Lamar Odom: Before the game, Odom referred to tonight's contest as "the most important game of my life." Fair to say he rose to the occasion. LO was the best player on the floor, finishing with 22 points, 11 boards and two blocks, on 8-12 from the floor and 6-6 at the stripe. He continued his aggressive play, making a point of taking his offense to the rim. But more than simply providing the Lakers with offense, Odom played a huge game defensively. In the first half, he consistently muscled Mehmet Okur away from the post, and generally made Okur's life difficult all night. Beyond that, he was incredibly strong on his rotations, sliding over to pick up Jazz players as they found space off screens or when beating someone on the perimeter. All in all, an outstanding game for LO.
- Kobe Bryant: He took 10 shots from the floor, five of which came in the first six minutes of the game. He struggled with turnovers early, and to find dribble penetration to the hole. But on a night where should Kobe have seen ten grand lying on the ground in front of him, I doubt he'd have been able to bend down to pick it up (putting aside for a moment that, technically, he probably doesn't need to), 24 managed to play 41 minutes of effective ball, posting 26 points with six boards and seven assists. The Lakers spread him around the floor, dotting him around the post and on the perimeter, trying to vary the looks he was getting and give Kobe a chance to influence the game. Even without making it all the way to the hole, Kobe was still able to work his way to the line 17 times, a testament to his ability to recognize and read defenses and take advantage of what they're offering.
- Pau Gasol (first half/late fourth quarter version, particularly): The final line was 21/6/8, with four blocks, but it wasn't a consistent effort throughout. Gasol was a monster early, finding freedom in the post and using it to either score or deliver a pass, and best of all meeting the physical challenge Utah presented to him. He finished the first half with 15/4/6. Solid! Unfortunately, come the end of the third quarter, he was still stuck there after an 0-3 frame that included no boards or dimes. Yeeps. For most of the fourth, too, Gasol struggled as Jerry Sloan's bunch became far more effective in pushing him away from the hole and badgering him with doubles as he tried to find space in the lane. But late, Gasol found a way to contribute, hitting a big finger roll in the lane with a minute left, then icing the game with a dunk off one of Sasha's many misses from downtown. That he got the board by drilling Okur in the back was, in some ways, nice to see. Yes, had he been whistled, it would have given the Jazz a chance to shoot FTs on the other end, but it's nice to see Pau throw whatever weight he has around.
- Vlad Radmanovic: His best game of the playoffs, by far. LO mentioned after the game that the team really wanted to get Vlad Rad rolling, and tonight, they did. He finished with 15 points on 6-11 from the floor, including 3-5 from downtown. He was particularly productive in the first quarter, with 10 points. Best of all, Vlad was able on a couple occasions to find his way to the hole, something he needs to do now and again to keep defenses honest. Dude's long as all get up, especially for a three-point specialist. No reason to live exclusively on the perimeter. On a night where Luke Walton didn't play well, it was important for Vlad to step up, and he did.
- Derek Fisher: Are you picking up on a theme, here? Five starters, five goods. We don't just throw out these random post titles without weaving them through the post. Fish didn't have a loud night offensively, but he hit some big shots and dropped off some nice passes. His real impact, though, was defensively. Yes, Deron Williams had 27 points, but Fisher made Williams work along the way, and was about as effective as anyone can be against a PG of his caliber. He had four steals, had his hands on a lot of balls, and, like Sasha and LO, was able to add a little physical to the Lakers' game, rather than always being on the receiving end.
The Bad:
- Turnovers: 11 in the first half, which prevented the Lakers from opening up a lead much larger than the seven-point cushion they held at the half. It was especially disappointing, I'm sure, since Utah was returning the favor and giving the ball up themselves (14 Jazz TOs in the opening 24 minutes). Everyone played a role in the first-half giveaways: Four for Kobe, three for Pau, two for Fish, one each for Walton and LO. In the second half, they managed to shore it up, giving up the rock a scant three times, but by then the damage was done. 19 points for the Jazz courtesy of turnovers meant the second half was going to be close.
- Bench Production: It was a particularly bad night for Walton, who had one point in 13 minutes, and had more fouls (two) than assists (zero). Only two boards and a steal in the positive columns of the scorebook. Jordan Farmar had a couple of decent moments, hitting a big three and finally using his quickness to log an important fourth quarter and-one with a drive to the hole. But he struggled mightily on defense, and overall didn't make much of an impact. Ronny Turiaf wasn't much of a factor, either, grabbing one board in nearly nine minutes of run. Sasha had the most time on the court, but as you'll see below, was something of a mixed bag himself. All told, the Lakers bench contributed 13 points and six boards in 55+ minutes on the floor. Not good. They did, though, play some strong minutes at the top of the fourth with Kobe and Odom on the bench. Good marks for that, but overall, not a productive evening.
The Mixed:
- Sasha Vujacic: On the one hand, he couldn't hit a shot to save his life, and drew a terrible T late in the fourth for yapping at Kyle Korver while running past ref Bob Delaney. Stupid call from the ref to hit a guy for jawing that late in the game, but still, let's have some awareness, 18. On the other hand, he played some great defense, and brought a physicality to the LA backcourt that often served to frustrate Utah and interrupt its offensive sets. He got up in the face of whoever he had to guard (often Kyle Korver), and played his typical style of harassing D. Was it always perfect? No, but had he not been putting out that sort of effort and making a difference on that end, Sasha wouldn't have been on the floor late, because he offered nothing offensively.
Audio (Video to come tomorrow):
- Phil Jackson: Download phil_jackson_post_game_5.mp3
- Jerry Sloan: Download jerry_sloan_post_game_5.mp3
- Carlos Boozer: Download carlos_boozer_post_game_5.mp3
- Deron Williams:Download deron_williams_post_game_5.mp3
- Lamar Odom: Download lamar_odom_post_game_5.mp3
- Jordan Farmar: Download jordan_farmar_utah_5_postgame.mp3
- Vlad Radmanovic (very candid in both criticizing his play heading into tonight's good effort and wishing the Staples crowd was louder): Download vlad_radmanovic_utah_5_postgame.mp3
- Derek Fisher: Download derek_fisher_utah_5_postgame.mp3
- Pau Gasol: Download pau_gasol_utah_5_postgame.mp3
- Kobe Bryant (see if you can guess on your own which member of the local media uses the phrase "the next region of pain): Download kobe_bryant_utah_5_postgame.mp3
BK
HOW DO YOU KNOW OR ARE YOU TALKING THROUGH YOUR ASS:
LAKERS ARE GOING TO WIN GAME 6.
Posted by: Stranger in the Night
Posted by: ASSNINE COMMENT | May 15, 2008 at 08:38 AM
Benjamin:
Very astute observation of you. I found Pau's expression to be a bit strange and rather funny as well :)
Anyone else think Pau's face after that crucial late put-back was rather strange?
I think the dude just doesn't know what it's like to win? LOL, poor guy.
Well buddy, it looks like you're gonna have to get used to it...
Posted by: Benjamin
Posted by: hahahaha | May 15, 2008 at 08:41 AM
Good morning Laker family.
Another Laker win! Wooooooo hoooooo!!!
Too much negativity on the blog this morning... It's time to pump your brakes on that ish and celebrate and enjoy what our boys did last night!
Mamba 24, where you at? Need your pure love and joy.
p.s. Your Vladdy bandwagon paid dividends my man....... Great work.
Posted by: magicman | May 15, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Good morning Mamba24, Charles & this awesome Laker Nation!!!!!!!!!!!
Great game yesterday! Close enough to make my heart pound throughout, but Lakers were in control the whole way. I fully expect them to take game 6 tomorrow. Enough is enough - time to pound the Jizz into submission & send them fishin'.
Now I can't wait for tomorrow!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | May 15, 2008 at 08:52 AM
*____________________________*
NBA Resistance is FUTILE
against the Lakers BANDWAGON
*___________________________*
(01) BK - Driver
(02) AK - Owner
(03) LAKERTOM – Turned the Borg into Laker Fans
(04) MAMBA24 – Not completely assimilated
(05) KOBESBAD – Turned the Borg Bad
(06) , JoninJAPAN(INCANADA) – Made Lebron vote Kobe MVP
(07) Jamie Sweet – Made David Stern Cry Uncle
(08) Edwin Gueco – Character of Picard based upon him
(09) Janaya – Beat Worf in arm wrestling.
(10) Pig Miller – Turned the Borg into trolls
(11) Fearless – Even the Borg fear him
(12) Nemaia Faletogo – Real Inventor of the Warp drive
(13) Milo Rambaldi – Team Prophet and starship captain
(14) TWoody – Defeated Borg in Hand-to-Hand combat
(15) JustAnotherMambaFan – Gave Worf a home with the Mamba family
(16) Jon K. -- In Charge of the Tractor Beam
(17) MagicMan – that is what Dr. Crusher calls him.
(18) Htj - Created the Warp Drive
(19) JesterGuru - He is the Borq Queens hero.
(20) JohnnyP - Created the first Starship
*________________________*
The Dawn of The 4th Dynasty
Begins BandWagon
*________________________*
01 HmrHed – Driver & Owner
02 Mamba24 – There For Dynasties 2 & 3
03 Toad– Director of Dynasty Banner Hanging
04 Keifo – Willed the Lakers to Dynasty 3
05 Benjamin – Willed the Lakers to Dynasty 4.
06 SamLL – Director of Dynasty # 5
07 LongTimeLakerFan – Dynasty Historian
08 Jon K. - Troll Exterminator
09 VMAN - The Isaac Newton of Dynasty Calculators
10 SHEKOBE – As good as the He Kobe
11 DC – Stands for Dynasty Captain
12 TWOODY – Was at all 14 Laker victory celebrations
13 Mamba24Fan4Life – Made Kobe change # from 8 to 24.
14 JustAnotherMambaFan – Discovered Kobe Bryant
15 Jamie Sweet – Fond Forum Memories Historian
16 KobesBad – Put the swerve in Kobes game
17 Dave M. – Helped Lakers steal Kareem from the Bucks
18 Xodus – Traveled 2000 miles to see a game.
19 LakerTom – Willed the 72 Lakers to 33 wins in a row.
20. FLOYD - Rode shotgun with Jerry West, James Worthy,
21 JesterGuru – Devised the strategy for the Sweep of Denver
22 Tsphere – Super Delegate Voted for Kobe for MVP 100 times
23 Edwin Gueco – Blocked Wilts hook shot 3 times
24 JoninJAPAN(INCANADA) – Director of Tacos
Posted by: Mamba24 | May 15, 2008 at 09:30 AM
Too much feeding the troll this morning. Superb team victory by the Lakers, with Kobe unable to perform at his usual level.
Let me add some Lamar love. He's been huge this series, playing like a man and making the Jazz work to contain him. I've never seen one player respond so well to the arrival of another without obvious reason -- sure, a great PG makes everyone look better, but Gasol's not influencing Lamar's game in any obvious way ... except that Lamar's been an All-Star since Gasol's arrival. The Jazz can't handle Lamar -- I won't say the Lakers should run the game through him, since Lamar hasn't handled that well in the past, but a few more touches a game sure wouldn't hurt.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: FatSam | May 15, 2008 at 09:35 AM
I PLAYED SHUT DOWN DEFENSE WITH ONE KNEE........................ AND CARRIED THE TEAM TO THE FINALS ON MY BACK...................SO MUCH TALK ABOUT INJURIES.....................SUCH A SHAME ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Posted by: KARL MALONE | May 15, 2008 at 09:40 AM
Mornin y'all. Relieving win yesterday. Flashes of great defense mixed with inconsistent movement and heroic plays by Lamar and Pau on offense.
The way to solve the rebounding disparity? Better offense. Take and make more good shots. Simple, but effective.
Posted by: #4 | May 15, 2008 at 09:43 AM
Stranger...to your comment...
"...THE LEVEL OF IGNORANCE ON DISPLAY AT THIS BLOG SOMETIMES AMAZES ME. I WONDER WHAT WOULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO JUST MAKE CRAP UP AND THEN POST FOR ALL TO READ. THAT IS LIKE TAKING OUT AN AD IN THE LA TIMES ONLY TO THEN POST A PICTURE OF YOURSELF WITH THE CAPTION "IDIOT.""
Self-fulfilling prophecy perhaps?
Based on your comment (and others) I have to give the guy credit (though I don't necessarily agree with all of his viewpoints) for playing to his/your core audience.
If the total creative negative energy output required to ward off his (and other) somewhat valid rants could be channelled productively we could all be driving cost effective alternative fuel vehicles and pocketing the difference.
But as this is the wish of the Brothers, we can now "rehash a 72 hour old debate".
Wish granted.
Mekka Lekka Hi-Mekka Hiney Ho!
Posted by: Jambi The Genie | May 15, 2008 at 09:45 AM
How about that 2-3 minutes of basketball in the 3rd or 4th quarter featuring all white players on both teams?! I mean, Farmar and Williams I believe are half black, but can look white, but anyway it was pretty crazy to see all that whiteness on the floor. A Vanilla McFlurry if you will.
Posted by: ajax
your point...?
Posted by: machiavelly | May 15, 2008 at 08:15 AM
Jordan's Jewish, and Williams is multi-racial (like most of us these days, really).
The fact that there could be ten white guys on the floor is a rarity, and I found it remarkable enough for Ajax to mention without any hateration backlash. There's really no need to read anything bigger into it. Few teams even have five or more white guys on their team. I didn't research all the rosters to check how many teams have five white dudes (I'm sure someone anxious to squash me is jumping on that right about...now), nor did I trace back through ever play-by-play since 1950 to verify how many times it's happened, but my guess is that we can all agree that it is a remarkable rarity when ten white guys are on the floor at the same time in the NBA, much less the a highly competitive playoff game.
Posted by: BIG GAME | May 15, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Utah is a good team, their physicality cost us a lot of T/O's from the get go and all the way to the end. The Lakers are just a better disciplined group with Kobe as equivalent of two players from the opposing team that frees one to roam and score. So far Kobe has presented three persona: Kobe, the scorer in the first two games, Kobe the injured superstar in the 4th game and Kobe the playmaker in the 5th game. In the 6th game, what will be the role of Kobe? Those are the playoffs, there will always be adjustments and guessing game in every encounter, wily coaches will seek their advantage and capitalize on it. The conventional wisdom is that Lakers will close the game in Utah which is a tall order. It has to be a concerted effort among the lakers to step up like last night wherein the second unit did their part maintained the lead while the first stringers were resting. They have to block off the noise, from the distraction and resolve to lead early and leading big for 48 minutes, that's the formula to take away the crowd and send them home early as well. It would be great if Trevor can play and tame the head of the snake named Deron. He is the focal point of Jazz offense. Since this could be their last game, you expect wrestling match, ju jitso from Boozer, Harpring and Millsap, I will bet on the Lakers answer thru Mbenga and Turiaf to respond in force.
Lastly, the other day a blogger comes into this blog and put up a negative stance against our Lakers. Today, someone commented on Kobe's D and everyone reacts in unison. Why respond? Just like the Laker players, stay focus on the prize. It is one thing to educate the ignorant and another thing to convince a congenital hater.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | May 15, 2008 at 09:46 AM
Oh my god, people are actually complaining about Kobe? Are they insane? People were calling me the "Kobe hater" for not being happy about his offseason tirade but... come on... we are watching the greatest player of this generation IN HIS PRIME completely taking over games without having to jack the ball up 30 times.
I don't know what game the complainers were watching but that was a masterful performance by Kobe. You can't whine that he didn't go full out on defense every single play, no human being can do that for 40+ minutes, especially with a back stinger... jeez...
Posted by: TaosHum | May 15, 2008 at 09:51 AM
Mamba24 bring it!!!!!!! ROOLLLL CALLLL.
Lamar is a beast. I'm so proud to see him reaching his potential on the worlds largest stage.
Kobe = MVP all day every day PERIOD.
Fisher keep up the good defense on DWill. Great players are going to get theirs but you're making him work HARD.
Pau hang in there Mr. Finesse. I know you're hating this series but please continue to DO WORK. We need every bit of your game.
Slalom nice to see you again. Keep playing through and you'll get a chance to light it up again next series. All and all your 15 last night proved critical.
Lastly THE MACHINE.
Oh Machine how this Blog loves to hate you! I'm still proud of you. Keep shooting!!!! Your D is good, keep it up.
Lake show in 6!!!!!
BELIEVE PEOPLE.
Posted by: CHICK4EVER | May 15, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Glad to be the proud owner of the Vladdy Bandwagon. Nice Driving Mamba (No Driving Miss Daisy pun).
Is Vlad the best interview of all of the guys. This guy is so honest. Wow.
Jeff's----Shut up brother. If you have trouble with the nuances of the game, please stop with the analysis. As far as Kobe and his KOBESPEAK....maybe it is an attempt to be the Master of Misinformation like the Zenmaster. If that is the case, it still needs work. What would we rather him say relevant to the end of Game 4 (which, by the way, is so ancient history),..."Yeah, the guys seemed hesitant and I figured I would put the game away for them, regardless of my back and get the F-ing win in Utah. But I couldn't get it done, I overestimated my ability to get that done physically, given the back pain.
Actually, that wouldn't have been bad, but who cares. We lost, stops weren't made, rebounds weren't gotten and shots were missed.PERIOD. We are a team, it doesn't matter who or how, other than to make sure it doesn't happen next game. And it didn't. Hope we can get this win in Utah. Hope Kobe's back is a little bit better.
Kobesbad
...and Lamar is too
Much Love to you all, including you Jeffs Aho (if you are indeed a Laker fan)
Posted by: Kobesbad | May 15, 2008 at 09:54 AM
woohooo!
do it again in SLC....
Jeff, stop letting your aho do all the talking. he says stupid things.
Posted by: man | May 15, 2008 at 09:56 AM
This might not mean much to some Laker fans and the rest of the NBA might disagree but it means a lot to me personally that these Lakers seem to be a bunch of nice guys and good people.
Derek of course. But Lamar while some ups and downs as a youngster seems like a truly nice guy who plays his heart out even when hurt.
Kobe maybe not the nicest guy seems to be maturing into someone pretty decent. And his work ethic and passion are unmatched.
Ronny, everyone seems to like him, . Pau could have been a doctor and also seems to really care about others. It just matters to me they seem to be good folk. Makes it more meaningful.
Anyhow I am glad it is a Laker team this year and best of luck to them and the city the rest of the way.
Posted by: Larry of LA | May 15, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Let assume for one minute that the game plan was for Kobe to roam the front court providing help defense on Boozer and Okur! Lets also assume that though Kobe won defensive honors this year that maybe he wasn't needed to lock down one guy! Maybe I missed the Memo but were we suppose to beat them by more than 10 or just win the game? Other than the TO's..the spacing was good. LO was a beast. Game 6 is more important than game 7 from a confidence pespective. We now have doubt in the minds of Utah..they now harbor all the pressure to execute and I feel that if this goes 7 those that has no confidence in their game thus far (Jordan..Rad) will be magnified x10 in a game 7 situation. We need game 6 badly.
Posted by: lakeraholic | May 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Good Morning Mamba24, Good Morning Charles, Justa, Psyched, Benjamin and ALL of Laker Nation!
9 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another win, one to go in this step to the trophy!
I look for the Lakers to come out with a purpose Friday night..........we will close this out in SLC just to rub it in the faces of the classless Jizz fans!
9 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: toad | May 15, 2008 at 10:13 AM
KARL MALONE SAID:I PLAYED SHUT DOWN DEFENSE WITH ONE KNEE........................ AND CARRIED THE TEAM TO
THE FINALS ON MY BACK...................SO MUCH TALK ABOUT"
But your @ss can't deliver on Sunday so what good are you.
Posted by: | May 15, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Did anyone notice the Barkley bad check thing. I think it would e awesome if somebody would mention that too him while he is giving his moronic halftime analysis. He (and I'm paraphrasing) said that Utah was deeper, better and executed better (can someone who Tivo'd the game check this?). It definitely would have been funny if, at the end of his analysis, Kenny had said "Great Chuck, nice insight. Speaking of insight, what's up with the $400,000.00 gambling debt and the felony charges for writing bad checks?"LOL Just Kidding. Maybe it wasn't that funny, but he was pumping Utah up at halftime.
Kobesbad
...and Lamar is too
Posted by: Kobesbad | May 15, 2008 at 10:15 AM
*__________________________*
Vlad I believe in you Bandwagon
*__________________________*
(01) Kobesbad – Owner & driver
(02) Ken – Co/Driver
(03) MagicMan - Riding ShotGun
(04) The OutLaw - Vlads Shooting coach
(05) Jon K. - Vlad's Personal Bio-Chrono Advisor
(06) Edwin Gueco - Will Hypnotize Vlad before the Game.
(07) JesterGuru - Will hide all snowboards from Vlad.
(08) JohnnyP - Convinced Vlad the Basket is a snowboard
(09) Mamba24 - ski instructor
(11) Comptons Finest - riding Shotgun
(12) #4 - Vlads new shooting coach
(13) Laker Bandit - On secret mission to find Vlads Shot
(14) JustaLakerFan - taught Vlad to shoot threes
(15) JustAnotherMambaFan – Took Vlads ski’s away from him
(16) Jamie Sweet – Appointments Director
(17) Caliphilosopher – Will rip your heat out if you don’t support Vlad
(18) , JoninJAPAN(INCANADA) – Director of Tacos
Posted by: Mamba24 | May 15, 2008 at 10:17 AM
I love how Wall-E is basically #5 if you dropped an anvil on his head.
I love how after LeBron James said that LeBron James' team is not desperate that Kenny Smith asked, "What about the Cleveland Cavaliers?" Anyone who thinks LeBron isn't an egomaniac is horribly naive. His "unselfish" personna only worked when he had a "selfish" Kobe to play opposite to.
I love how Utah fan cries that Okur got pushed in the back in order for Gasol to get that offensive board when that's how Okur and Boozer get EVERY offensive board they get.
I love the emotion the team showed last night, from Vlad screaming his head off at the beginning, to Pau looking like he was going to cry after making the dunk that put the Lakers ahead by 5.
Posted by: lakers_sth | May 15, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Good morning Laker faithful!!
Great win last night, alot of people stepped up and contributed.
I wish I could hear what kind of sh#t Sasha was talking to Kyle Korver, could you ask him K Bros??
I hope LO7 brings this confidence to Utah, cuz he can take Boozer or Okur off the dribble whenever he wants. We need more of that 2 man game with Pau that we saw alot of in Denver. Some great highlights from him.
Wow, Kobe hurt his back? this guy is like Wolverine with some amazing healing powers. Great game all around Kobe, now stop gambling off of Brewer. :P
Good game by Pau, I think he needs to develop a quicker move when he gets the ball in the post. The pushing as we have seen all series, really affects his set up in the post. But he did a great job of bouncing back and getting a major rebound
Big 3 is working good, now we just need a little more help from the role players and we'll be gravy.
Lets wrap this up Friday guys.
Posted by: Lakers Legacy | May 15, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Wow, harsh reaction to Jeffs Aho, who didn't seem to be trolling...whatever. Kobe seemed to me to generally be playing smart defense when sagging off his man. But he didn't exactly rush to close on shots. Who cares? He was obviously not 100% and we won! Yay!
I'm not shockingly confident about Friday. Hopefully this team will surprise me. We have certainly been close enough down the stretch to win one there...
Well..this playoffs is really odd without a clear favorite. I think it should be us over the Hornets and probably then against Detroit in the finals, but every team that's alive is still totally viable in my book.
We just need to take it one game at a time.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Cameron | May 15, 2008 at 10:24 AM
I know this much:
Kobe has a high basketball IQ and makes good decisions.
Okur totally flopped. I'm very glad they didn't call that, because even though Pau had a arm on Okur's back, he didn't push off half as hard as Okur's reaction made it look. Play some ball.
http://i28.tinypic.com/1zxmj53.gif
16...15...14...13...12...11...10...
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | May 15, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Many of our frequent posters here are now torching Sasha, a couple of days ago it was Vladmir being traded to any trash player or Farmar being left out in the bench.....
I said before, these three players are a good barometer of the Lakers. When they produce near 30 pts + or - in any order, the team usually wins. Last night, Vlad made 15, Farmar and Sasha 6 each, it is not only the quantity of points they contributed but the quality of time they provided as role players.
A respected Laker reporter, Broderick Turner of Press Enterprise quoted LO: "We wanted to stay aggressive and make plays at all times," Odom said. "Gasol really opened the game up with his passing. ... We really wanted to get looks for Vladdy. We really need him."
They have been accused as inconsistent and ineffective in the playoffs. Indeed, you can't expect them to play like Kobe, LO or Pau but they helped their superstars win games because of their little contribution as role players. When they become sleeper again, please don't scorn on them...... motivate them, show a little love for their season's contribution, they are part of the team and re-stating a cliche' - the sum of its parts equals the whole.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | May 15, 2008 at 10:26 AM
Wow, Jeffs Aho is taking a beating this morning! This blog's defense is totally overpowering your (offensive) offense, Jeff. Gonna have to take it to the rack a lot stronger than that, bro!
Kobe's the man. He's got a court vision that is unmatched in the game today. His ability to adapt to a given situation is pretty remarkable. He isn't always perfect, but even his off-nights are pretty spectacular.
Let's put an ass-whuppin' on them tomorrow night.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | May 15, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Who here thinks Jeff's Aho and GUNNER should get together in a room and kick each other in the balls for 20 minutes and then try to decide how it is Kobe's fault that their balls hurt???
Just curious???
Posted by: pslakerfan | May 15, 2008 at 10:30 AM
That's how you call for the ball Lamar!!! Please do that again in Utah tomorrow!! I loved the energy from the team, and although I was a nervous wreck last night, seeing Kobe's range of mobility early in the game, (as well as a lil puff puff give), made me feel a LOT better. No need to reply to haters anymore, I'd rather let Brewer get going and not let Boozer and Okur catch a rhythm, every game. It's called TEAM DEFENSE. No need to aggrivate his back anymore to SHUT DOWN Ronnie Brewer and his 10ppg!!!
Pau had a good game, although I don't think he gets the benefit of the doubt on that "push off" in Utah. I think he needs to realize that the refs have been scrutinzed for calling flops. They have done a good job at cutting back on the (flopping) calls. I swear Pau was picking himself up off the floor throughout the game on the defensive end. If Fisher cuts back his flopping, I think Pau should follow suit. He did a better job calling for the bal on the offensive endl, but I'd like to see a lil more mid-range game mixed in with his inside game. Oh yeah, stop arguing with the refs and run down the court!!!
Good to see Famar get some of his sac back!! If he can step it up a little bit more tomorrow, we're off to the next round!! We'll need more than 13 points and 6 rebounds off the bench!! I think Luke's confidence was shaken by "the block" in Game 4. He definitely needs some "Slump Buster" lovin!!!
In all, it was a great game, a little sloppy, but given Kobe's condition, I wouldn't have expected much more. Let's keep the train rollin guys and close this out tomorrow!!!
Go Lakers!!!!!
Posted by: JSNV | May 15, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Let it out Vladdy!!!
Gotta love the emotional ROAR from the top of your Lungs!! Got me out of my couch screaming too.. haha
Lets keep it coming, no more of this sissy meow..
Also I gotta say that Fish and Vlad look SHARP when they came into Staples walking together before tipoff.
HOLLYWOOD Baby thats how we Do!!
Posted by: Moon007 | May 15, 2008 at 10:37 AM
mamba24,
Please sign myself and pslakerfan up for the
"Jeff Aho and GUNNER should get together in a room and kick each other in the balls for 20 minutes and then try to decide how it is Kobe's fault that their balls hurt" bandwagon.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | May 15, 2008 at 10:41 AM
ordan's Jewish, and Williams is multi-racial (like most of us these days, really).
The fact that there could be ten white guys on the floor is a rarity, and I found it remarkable enough for Ajax to mention without any hateration backlash. There's really no need to read anything bigger into it. Few teams even have five or more white guys on their team. I didn't research all the rosters to check how many teams have five white dudes (I'm sure someone anxious to squash me is jumping on that right about...now), nor did I trace back through ever play-by-play since 1950 to verify how many times it's happened, but my guess is that we can all agree that it is a remarkable rarity when ten white guys are on the floor at the same time in the NBA, much less the a highly competitive playoff game.
Posted by: BIG GAME | May 15, 2008 at 09:46 AM
I don't read anything into it, but in the league today, seeing a court with 95% white guys is kind of amusing. That's coming from a (what most would call a) White guy.
It's like seeing a college football team with no one over 200 pounds or something. You take a look out there and say to yourself, "Wait, what the hell's going on here?"
Posted by: Benjamin | May 15, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Jeff and anyone else...
I suffer at times with back problems, pain, spasams, etc... and let me tell you it is nothing nice. I also have played a lot of basketball in my day, what you saw Kobe do hitting the floor on his knees in pain I to have been there. I am truely amazed that he can still play, this guy is a human medical marvel. In all reality he should be bedridden in pain, some folks questioned the medical staff for reasons unfounded; the medical staff is by far one of the best in the country if you ask me, to have Kobe back on the floor at 50% or less still playing MVP ball, credit to him also because trust me he is still in pain and discomfort. He really reminds me of the movie 300, he is a Spartan "fight til' the death" mentality. I crown him Lakers Leonidas, leading the Spartan army to battle. "Spartans!" Hura!
NOTE:
Any graphic artist want to take a crack at creating this image will have to pay royalties or just maybe let the blog have copies for free!
my two cents for free
Go Lakers!!
Posted by: JBizzo | May 15, 2008 at 10:41 AM
What up Charles!! Thanks for recommending the blog, although I'm sure my employer doesn't appreciate it very much! "Statboy" is too consumed by these playoffs to retort, but he will get back to you soon!! Peace.
Posted by: JSNV | May 15, 2008 at 10:42 AM
Hey kids,
I know it’s been a few years since we’ve been in a meaningful playoff series, but a little perspective is required here. Repeat after me: The Playoffs Are Hard!!!
These are no longer regular season games, where teams try to pace themselves. When you get two desperate teams, especially a physical one like Utah, you’re going to be in for a dogfight. I was hoping our rush from the sweep in Round 1 would continue through a sweep or 5 game series, but clearly, the Jazz are here to play. This is not a surprise; they won more than 50 games this season and barring a few bad games, they could have easily won the Western Conference. They have young athletic players like Deron Williams, Brewer and even CJ Miles; they have annoying Euros like Okur and AK-47, and they have the enigmatic head case of Carlos Boozer. They’re not quite on our level, but they aren’t far off. When you have an injured superstar and depth issues on defense (Trevor & Andrew, we miss you so!), anything can happen against a team like Utah. Like I said, The Playoffs Are Hard! Go back historically, and even a storied team like the Showtime Lakers struggled to win the WC semis and Finals. In 1988, we played the Jazz in the conference semifinals; they took us to seven games. We won Game 5 by 2 points and then they blew us out by 28 points in Game 6; can you imagine the gnashing of teeth on this blog if we lose Game 6 by 28 tomorrow? The conference finals also went to 7 games (vs. Dallas), and the first 5 games were exactly the same as the current series (Lakers won 2, Dallas won 2, Lakers won game 5). In the finals that year, we beat the Pistons by one point in Game 6 and by two in Game 7. Great teams usually prevail in a tough series, but it’s rarely a walk in the park. These are games of inches, not blowouts, and we shouldn’t expect anything less through the rest of the playoffs.
That being said, let’s go to Utah and kick the crap out of these guys!!!
Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Tully Moxness | May 15, 2008 at 10:45 AM
*___________________________________*
"Jeff Aho and GUNNER should get together in
a room and kick each other in the balls for 20
minutes and then try to decide how it is Kobe's
fault that their balls hurt" bandwagon.
*___________________________________*
(01) Exhelodrvr - Owner
(02) PslakerFan - Driver
(03) Mamba24 - ROFLMAO!
Posted by: Mamba24 | May 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Former NBA player Doug Christie shares his thoughts on this year's playoffs, and even has some nice things to say about Kobe:
http://mvn.com/dougchristie/2008/05/15/dc-delivers-
playoff-prognostications/
"All of the awards have been well deserved. Congrats to Hedo Turkoglu (MIP), KG (Defensive Player of the year - that Celtic green looks good on him), Kobe (MVP -well deserved and long overdue; his body of work speaks for itself - even if you don’t agree!!!) and Byron Scott (Coach of the Year - hands down, great job to you, your staff and your team). This year, we should don a new champion. Let’s take a peek….."
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | May 15, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Ajax, Big Game, Benjamin -
Did you know that vanilla beans aren't white? ;-)
Posted by: Caliphilosopher | May 15, 2008 at 10:57 AM
I watched the game last night with 3 Jazz fans to start and by the end of it I was surrounded by 9! Most satisfying to be able to rub it in all of their faces. Of course they take the low road by blaming everything on the refs and saying that Stern has fixed the series because he wants to see a Lakers Celtics finals but I kept sticking it to them anyway! Now to try and con my company out of the suite tickets they have for fridays game.
I think I'm going to get an Odom jersey just to honor the way he has been playing during these playoffs. The guy brings a tear to my eye.
Posted by: SaltLaker | May 15, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Those bloggers who felt that Kobe did not play any defense on Brewer last night, please consider the following:
1. That was by design.
2. Spinning and sliding on defense is very different from spinning and sliding on offense. Everyone who has ever played basketball knows that the offensive player has the advantage when changing directions. When Kobe is playing with a back pain, the weakness will be amplified more on defense than on offensive moves--that's just the way it is.
3. Why did he take those shots when he was bothered by pain? Our brain processes reality based on what's stored in memory. Because those are shots he normally makes even when under pressure, Kobe's brain was giving him the "go ahead" signal. Did you see him do the same thing last night? Nyet!! Why? Because he remembered what happened last Sunday!!!
Come on guys, let's stop bashing Kobe.
Posted by: Robyn | May 15, 2008 at 11:05 AM
talking bout funny expression...
I dont know the exact game or series, but it was in the playoff when vlade Divac made a critical basket. then he walk(tip toe) over to magic like a toddler with his hand on his side and head face down seeking approval.
Can anyone please find that clip? I would love to see that again!
Posted by: moon007 | May 15, 2008 at 11:09 AM
*Toke*
Good Morning Laker Nation!!!!!!
So here is a little tale about last night.
Lakerman420 and I went to the game...Toked some bowls in the parking lot, (hey we had permission!) Got a beer and a few margaritas and enjoyed the incredibly too close game. We were only 5 points shy of getting tacos, whats with that??????
You know what I hate? When "Lakerfans" go to a game (a playoff game makes it worse) and cover their ears because people are yelling too loud, are sitting down when everyone else is standing up, and just being boring........this chicks boyfriend was giving me high fives and she was just sitting there- so I tried talking to her and she gave me one word answers..... HELLO ITS THE PLAYOFFS, GET IN TO THE GAME!!!!!!!!
Anyway 1 point Walton??????? Seriously? I went to the game for you to get 1 point?????
At the begining of the the game I thought Kobe was going to take it.
What I thought was really cool was the Kobe Diem band wagon out in front of staples center- driving around playing music......speaking of bandwagons.....
Mamba24 please add me to the Jeff Aho and GUNNER should get together in a room and kick each other in the balls for 20 minutes and then try to decide how it is Kobe's fault that their balls hurt" bandwagon
*toke*
Thats the end of my stoned tale, note to all the stoners, make friends with the parking garage employees- they will remember you and give you primo parking for tokin the bowls.
Have a good day Laker Nation....Till next time.....
Posted by: Simi Laker Girl | May 15, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Mamba, please put me on the 20 minutes of ball kicking bandwagon
Kobesbad
Posted by: Kobesbad | May 15, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Yes, yes, yes, finally my own bandwagon.......hahahahahahahah
Posted by: pslakerfan | May 15, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Hey mamba please put me on that ball kicking bandwagon as well. I'd like to be in charge of bringing the steel toe boots!
Yeahhhhh mannnnnn
Posted by: magicman | May 15, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Finally! A bandwagon I can get behind. pslakerfan, I actually laughed out loud reading your post. I'm not sure why, it was sophomoric and dumb, but I laughed. That happens about twice a month on this blog. congratulations.
Mamba, I want to see my name up there with some kind of notation that this is my first ever bandwagon.
Posted by: | May 15, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Hey guys. Check out this funny pic!
http://i28.tinypic.com/1zxmj53.gif
Posted by: Bryan | May 15, 2008 at 01:11 PM
For the record, that supposed shove in the back by Gasol was floppage on the part of Okur, Gasol dint push off, didn't even have the leverage to get that kind of push especially if you consider that based on body position, Ohur would have been applying pressure from his top half, the part he was supposedly pushed off from. Okur's meatier than Gasol, no way he can do that to him.
Posted by: Paul | May 15, 2008 at 02:05 PM
I watched the game last night with 3 Jazz fans to start and by the end of it I was surrounded by 9! Most satisfying to be able to rub it in all of their faces. Of course they take the low road by blaming everything on the refs and saying that Stern has fixed the series because he wants to see a Lakers Celtics finals but I kept sticking it to them anyway! Now to try and con my company out of the suite tickets they have for fridays game.
I think I'm going to get an Odom jersey just to honor the way he has been playing during these playoffs. The guy brings a tear to my eye.
Posted by: SaltLaker | May 15, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Hey Salt Laker,
Was that you on TV the other day holding the sign "The only good Laker is a Salt Laker" ?
I don't know if you answered because someone else asked too, but I did not see reply.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | May 15, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Finally! A bandwagon I can get behind. pslakerfan, I actually laughed out loud reading your post. I'm not sure why, it was sophomoric and dumb, but I laughed. That happens about twice a month on this blog. congratulations.
Mamba, I want to see my name up there with some kind of notation that this is my first ever bandwagon.
Posted by: | May 15, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Hey Mamba
Put me too on the bandwagon and of course I will be the one recommending knife in the toe boots.
Thanks
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | May 15, 2008 at 03:07 PM