Digging in
The Lakers have played a lot of big games, important games, man-it-would-be-super-nice-to-win games this season (the late-season game against the Hornets, Game 5 vs. Utah, and more, for example), but they haven't faced a genuine "must win," the type of game where the season hangs in the balance. Tonight, as the circus that is the NBA Finals opens up at Staples Center, that's exactly what the Lakers are looking at. Given that only three teams in Finals history have climbed out of the same 2-0 hole in which L.A. currently lives, the numbers are already grim. Go down 3-0, and it's time to start penning obits on the season. There is, realistically speaking, officially no margin for error remaining. So on Monday's travel day, the Lakers had to fire up the DVD machines, break down the, um, what's DVD for tape?, and try to figure out what's going wrong. The issues go a lot deeper than questionable Game 2 officiating. There's shot selection, for one. Matching Boston's determination for another. Even noted homer Gail Goodrich detects problems beyond the whistles (bench play, defense, and the need for Lamar Odom to be an impact player, just to name a few).
The Lakers went in the right direction on the boards and with Pau Gasol in Game 2, and the expectation among many is that they, and Kobe, will bounce back strong for the home folk in Game 3. But to make it happen, they'll have to grow up. Fast.
Meanwhile, it's not just the Lakers coming home, but Boston's Paul Pierce, who grew up in Inglewood. He has a good track record playing in front of the "home" crowd, and would love to see that continue.
If you're worried about such things, here are tonight's officials.
While you can complain about the refs not letting the players play, the same can't be said for Staples Center security.
Curt Schilling has questions about Kobe's style, and an interesting post from Bill Bridges at Forum Blue and Gold about Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau.
Lake Show,
Congratulations on your anniversary. Hopefully our team is as resilient as your flag. Tonight is obviously a “must win” game and as close to an “elimination” game as we want to get. We need to continue our unbeaten streak at home and return to Beantown with a 3-2 lead and then close these clowns out on their home court with Jack giving them the choke sign.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | June 10, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Eagleboy - I love how "context" only matters in one direction. When counting the Celtics free throws, everyone's saying "38", and the fact that the Lakers fouled on purpose at the end doesn't take anything away, just like the fact that the Lakers are clearly a finesse team without a strong inside presense, or that they don't have anyone who drives to the hole other than Kobe, or that they took a huge number of midrange jumpers, doesn't seem to matter at all either.
I'm not looking up the other games right now, but in that Kings game the Lakers shot 6 free throws after the Kings started fouling on purpose in the final minute. That means they shot 21 free throws even before the late fouling started. Even more surprising, they were behind almost that entire time, and didn't even make a field goal for 6 consecutive minutes until there was less than a minute left in the game! It takes quite a fix to make a comeback when you can't make a shot. Not to mention that the refs fouled out Divac in 31 minutes, Pollard in 11 minutes, and gave 3 fouls to Funderburke in 6 minutes. That's 15 fouls on the big guys in 47 minutes of play!
Posted by: J-dawg | June 10, 2008 at 02:04 PM
WE OFFER THANKS AND PRAISE FOR THE GREATNESS OF PAUL PIERCE, RAY ALLEN, RAJON RONDO AND KG!
Laker Nation, please repeat:
"IT IS RIGHT TO OFFER THANKS AND PRAISE FOR THE GREATNESS OF PAUL PIERCE, RAY ALLEN, RAJON RONDO AND KG!"
Posted by: BUTLER | June 10, 2008 at 02:05 PM
Posted by: passionate Lakers fan | June 10, 2008 at 12:54 PM
passionate Lakers fan:
I’m a Laker fan that’s been lurking here for a long while and this is my first post. You make A LOT of sense. I know people say conspiracies are all bunk, to risky for the league, etc etc, but man… your post struck a cord with me. I’m saving it b/c I want to see how close your predictions become.
kubinator
Posted by: kubinator | June 10, 2008 at 02:05 PM
Funny that Butt-ler thinks we traded Caron for Lamar.
Hey Butt-ler, WHEN DID LAMAR PLAY FOR WASHINGTON NEWB???
WATCH GAMES A BE QUIET UNTIL YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT.
PROOF THAT HE JUST JOINED THE CELTICS BANDWAGON -
janaya
Posted by: janaya | June 10, 2008 at 02:06 PM
A few quotes from that Kings game:
http://www.nba.com/games/20020531/SACLAL/recap.html
"The Kings thought the Lakers got some help from the officials as well. Los Angeles made 34-of-40 free throws while Sacramento sank 18-of-25. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers hit 21-of-27 from the line while the Kings made 7-of-9.
'Our big guys get 20 fouls tonight and Shaq gets four? You tell me how the game went,' Adelman said. 'It's just the way it is. Obviously, they got the game called the way they wanted to get it called.' "
And how'd the game end?
"A driving layup by Hedo Turkoglu pulled the Kings within 103-102 with 12 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, Bryant elbowed Bibby to the nose and pushed him to the floor to receive the pass before being fouled.
Between Bryant's free throws, the Kings called their last timeout to stop the bleeding in Bibby's nose so their best shooter could remain in the game. With gauze stuffed up his nostril, he dribbled upcourt but missed the potential tying shot. "
Are you telling me that if Paul Pierce had elbowed Kobe in the face, gave him a bloody nose, and then pushed him to the ground with 12 seconds left in a 1-point game, Laker fans wouldn't be screaming to high heaven?
What goes around comes around. I'm not a Kings fan, but I'm not a Laker fan either, and it's good to see you get some of your own medicine.
Posted by: J-dawg | June 10, 2008 at 02:08 PM
CRY CRY LAKERS...PHIL HAS BET A COUPLE OF THOUSANDS YOU WILL LOSE...SORRY TO REPORT, BUT GAME IS OVER, ALREADY BRFORE IT STARTED, JUST BARKLEY...HE WANT'S HIS SHARE OF THE MONEY TOO!!!
Posted by: LA showtime is dead | June 10, 2008 at 02:27 PM
*_______________________________*
Coop for Defensive Coach Bandwagon
*_______________________________*
(01) utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER - Owner
(02) Mamba24 - driver
Posted by: Mamba24 | June 10, 2008 at 10:07 AM
I'll jump on to this one. Please put me on board. D to the T
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | June 10, 2008 at 03:24 PM
LET'S GO CELTICS!
Posted by: ogurat | June 10, 2008 at 03:32 PM
If we lose tonight I will blame the Refs, PJ if usual coaching/non coaching and Mamba24 the most.
4 times I have asked to be on the punch the big ticket bandwagon and have beed ignored. I requested that I be put down as bending folding and mutilating big ticket after punching.
I also asked to be put on the I hate the celtics bandwagon and again was ignored. You can't have the Karma if you don't use your bloggers fans. LOL
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | June 10, 2008 at 03:34 PM
Symbolism:
Today I took the army guys on top of my desk and arranged them so that the yellow ones are all standing in a circle with guns raised. The green ones are in the middle. Dead.
Analysis:
While I agree that Kobe's intensity is generally a good thing and that his aggressive, in-your-face leadership style has actually inspired his teammates to new levels this year, I can't help but think maybe Shilling's on to something. Maybe it's wearing thin. If they were rolling their eyes, maybe Kobe needs to take a page out of Phil's book and dial it back.
He needs them loose and confident tonight. The Lakers need to play with swagger AND intensity.
Posted by: Jesterguru | June 10, 2008 at 03:53 PM
J Dawg,
My point is that in games where there is a big disparity in freethrows - it may not be the officiating that skews the numbers it could be tactics used at the end of the game that can and sometimes does throw off any semblance of balance. And while I think - and a lot of Boston fans even agree that the Lakers got screwed in the game, no where in my post did I say that is why the Lakers lost. As a matter of fact, I think it has been a combination of good play from the Celtics along with bad, uninspired, soft play from the Lakers. I think too many people use the number of freethrows shot as an excuse, including Laker fans. Sometimes the free throw is indicative of biased officiating. I just don't think it is an extremely accurate indication because there are factors involved - such as fouling at the end of the game, doing a hack a shaq, or fouling as opposed to giving up easy baskets al la the Jazz. Game 2 - advantage Celtics on the officiating. It is up to the Lakers to adjust.
Peace
Eagleboy
Posted by: Eagleboy | June 10, 2008 at 03:54 PM
Mamba,
Hope you are well, brother.
Add me to the Celtic Haters bandwagon with JustaLakerFan. Oiling the gears.
Posted by: Jesterguru | June 10, 2008 at 03:55 PM
I wouldn't believe Curt Schilling if he told me 2+2=4.
Posted by: maui dude | June 10, 2008 at 03:59 PM
Yes J-dawg, FINESSE team. Tully Moxiness's post confirms my assertions. The Lakers got jobbed on those first couple of games, everyone knows that. We WERE screaming to high heaven. Ask any Laker fan about how game 5 was an absolute travesty. Shaq fouled out and Kobe given 5 fouls on some terrible calls- If you are so impartial are you angry about that?
How does a team with midrange jumpshooting and passing big men surrounded by jumpshooters get to the line that often? Because they were the media darling that's why. Them, not the Lakers. David vs. Goliath. The NBA loved the KINGS, not Shaq and the Lakers. Remember, they were the Phoenix Suns but with better coaching and the most efficient offensive strategy. They were "good" for the NBA. The Lakers absolutely had to fight and adjust through that bad officiating. The NBA wanted the Kings to win, not the Lakers. (Context, once again).
Take a good look at those games, and you will see, no King drives the lane consistently or occupies the middle. You could have called a foul on Pollard or Flope Divac each time down, easily, but Shaq never got those calls. Robert Horry, Rick Fox, and Devean George got called for tons of ticky-tack fouls. How do they get the bulk of the fouls, their guys were 3 point shooters, or "the best passing big men" in the league. Not exactly foul worthy, and yet, they get the bulk of those calls. Why?
Blame the princeton offense. There is no LOWPOST position!!! Back door cuts, high post big men. Tons of movement without the ball doesn't draw fouls. Blame the offense. Blame the Kings for not driving enough when things got tight- they resorted to 3 pointers instead. You're gonna tell me Doug Christie, Peja, and Bibby can drive? They are as slow footed as they come, but they can shoot the 3 pretty damn good. But how do they get the bulk of the calls in the beginning of the series?
Believe what you want to believe. But don't twist into the Lakers were the favorites. They weren't. The Kings were "good" for the NBA that year. But it came down to 1 game, and the Lakers won it. If they didn't, we'd probably complain about it, but not 5 years later. But all's well that ends well, "homeboy".
Posted by: #4 | June 10, 2008 at 04:08 PM
I'm not looking up the other games right now, but in that Kings game the Lakers shot 6 free throws after the Kings started fouling on purpose in the final minute. That means they shot 21 free throws even before the late fouling started. Even more surprising, they were behind almost that entire time, and didn't even make a field goal for 6 consecutive minutes until there was less than a minute left in the game! It takes quite a fix to make a comeback when you can't make a shot. Not to mention that the refs fouled out Divac in 31 minutes, Pollard in 11 minutes, and gave 3 fouls to Funderburke in 6 minutes. That's 15 fouls on the big guys in 47 minutes of play!
Posted by: J-dawg | June 10, 2008 at 02:04 PM
How many of those were fouls on purpose on Shaq? Did you forget the Hack-a-Shaq strategy, or did you ignore it for the sake of argument? How many of those were on Kobe, who was the main penetrator for the Lakers?
Posted by: #4 | June 10, 2008 at 04:15 PM
Kobe has a right to yell at a bunch of underachieving team mates. Jordan would not only yell, but would physically kick some ass if his team mates didn't perfom. Just ask steve kerr. So quit the Kobe yelled at his teammmates b u l l s h i t....
Posted by: 70s Lakersfan | June 10, 2008 at 06:01 PM
TaosHum
We forgive you.
You alright, it's time to come together and get s SHIP!!!
Posted by: Lakerbake | June 10, 2008 at 09:01 PM
I have faith in them this year =D
Posted by: Lakers Fan | June 12, 2008 at 10:15 AM
KOBE BRYANT: GO TO WWW.KOBE.RAPE
ALDULTERER AND RAPIST
Some of what the above website states: Hard evidence
leads to Kobe Bryant's indictment for sexual assault.
The case disappears in 2005, after the NBA star reaches
a backroom deal with the rape victim.
Not only Kobe is buying his way out of a serious
criminal charge, but also, one of the highest profile
murder for hire cases in recent U.S. history has
left lingering questions.
Why would Kobe's own bodyquard need pretending
to be a Russian mobster offering to kill the rape victim,
like in a cheap Hollywod movie?
Kobe refuses to discuss the winning sports teams in Boston. This is who L.A. calls their hero, and role
model. But Why?? Because he is a sick son-of-a-bitch,
and the worst, of the worst example for the KIDS in America to emulate.
Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird praised eachother's greatness. Admired and respected eachother's teams great talents. As did all the rest of their players did.
What has gone wrong? I hope that Kobe is the
exception, and is the only bad apple who's fallen
from the tree.
May the best team win.
Posted by: A Magic Johnson Fan | June 12, 2008 at 10:59 AM
I just want to say, my name is Justin, and I'm serious thinking about setting up a protest on the capital of Sacramento - to oust David Stern from the main league office.
Thank you.
Posted by: Justin | June 14, 2008 at 12:12 AM