As far as our Lakers go, it seems that the majority of the Laker Nation agree on key things. If only our bigs would show up on a consistent basis we may have fewer questions to ask.

I like the polls - good feature. Good way to see what the rest of the lakersblog readers think without having to actually keep a tally going through 90+ comments.

Can't really put all the blame on Pau and Socks. The other guys need to make a better effort on getting the ball in to the post.

Something funny happened to me today.
While i was walking in front of a video game store, i saw the NBA2k9 in demo mode: Lakers v/s Celtics. I started watching until i realized that i almost shouted at the screen when a Laker player -that i will not identify- missed a layup. And inside me was growing an intense desire to insult the celtics.

I'm MrNano and im a Lakeraholic

GO LAKERS!!!

finally kenny said it

he said that Lebron was watching Kobe and Melo last night and wanted to outshine them and that's why he has 27 points at the half.

Lets face it folks, no matter if you like Lebron or not, he is a very selfish player.

Nothing against the guy, but the ball is virtually in his hands every single play. Not even Kobe was actually ever that selfish. Lebron is the center of the offense, the center of defense, the key to rebounding, assisting, and scoring. So tell me, how does that make him a team player when he's playing every single position?

In reading the previous thread, another type Laker fan Leo was so amazed by the absence of objectivity in the blog. You see, Leo has been in this blog for the last 3 years, unless he is the different one. Anyway, I believe the majority of Laker fans who are not blogging have similar opinions like Leo. This afternoon, I had coffee chat with fellow joggers/dog walkers in our neighborhood and most of them are much older than I am. They too, are disappointed on the lack of progress of our big men in the Lakers lineup. They think, they are overpaid and doing less job. they are too dependent on Kobe. Starting from the beast who at 21, he gets 58 M renewal contract this year, they think, he is lazy (i.e. last night) not worth that much based on his performance on his level of performance. He could be dominated by the smaller Nuggets that so called birdman or brazillian thug and even Melo gets rebounds in the post. Unforgivable, they said. So guys, I'm just relating to you other opinions who are not journalists but long time fans perhaps much older than most of you here in the blog. They have been watching the Lakers way back in mid sixties.

Therefore, if we hear negative points about our Lakers, let us use it as a positive motivation for improvement. Don't blame the messengers or the opinionated fans accused as trolls or fakers who have a very different point of view. Open your mind doors and let the free air get in. Once we accept both views, then our team will also grow by leaps and bounds. Majority of the fans want full containment thru Laker energy of homecourt advantage, domination of the boards and no more easy baskets for Melo. That is not impossible, I think those are the traits of a Champion.

I also found out from Costco this afternoon that there is such thing as Mickey Mouse Nuggets. That's good reference name for this tattooed visiting team. LOL!

BLOG-SYNC-THINK!

Lakers Bloggers sure know their Lakers basketball. We know that the key to beating the Nuggets and winning the championship is playing inside-out basketball to take advantage of our greater height and length inside. We forgot that for most of the game Tuesday night but I have no doubt we’re going to see the Lakers pound the ball inside tomorrow night. Time to stop shooting jumpers and pound the ball into the low post.

Feeding the post has to start with a commitment by the Lakers perimeter players to run the offense, maintain proper spacing, and don’t settle for early jump shots. If the Lakers run their offense efficiently and stay patient, they will find plenty of opportunities to get the ball
to Drew, Pau, Lamar and Kobe down low, where they can shoot a high percentage, be in position to grab offensive boards, or draw fouls against Denver’s big men.

But to work, our post players have to get good position to receive the pass and make sure to seal their defender so the pass is not tipped or intercepted. That means Drew has to avoid the dumb fouls and stay in the game and Pau has to buckle down and start playing like a third-string All-NBA power forward instead of an intimidated finesse Euro player. And Lamar needs to unleash his right handed drive since Denver is overplaying him.

As the poll indicated, we need a big game from Drew and Pau tomorrow night. We need them to dominate like they did in Games 5 and 7 against the Rockets. If they do, we will rout Denver and send them home 2-Zip with their emotions and confidence all in turmoil. And if they go home down 2-Zip, I seriously doubt they’ll be able to right their ship in time to avoid being swept by the Lakers over the Memorial Day weekend. And the name that might describe the Monday night closing game could be the Memorial Day Massacre.

The Lakers have seven games left to win in order to become the 2009 NBA Champions. They can smell the title already. There will be no more letdowns, blown leads, or lost games. Instead, I expect to see a team that steadily and inexorably executes their offense and defense better and better each game as they dominate the next seven games. Phil is going to win his 10th ring and Kobe is going to get his first Finals MVP. Bet on it!

Tom

Man, was watching the Cavs-Magic game for a few minutes.... It was an eye sore, the horrible calls I mean!!

The off.foul they called on Howard was the epitome of it all!! Queen James wants to "outshine" Kobe in his Conf finals, and has made 37 in 3 qtrs... such a "team" player!!

The Magic have a great chance win the series against the Cavs if the refs call a close game. Both LeBron and Dwight are strong, physical players who create a lot of contact. Hopefully Dwight will get his share of calls as LeBron does.

If the Lakers frontline plays like they should, the Lakers win big. I don't care what the headlines and media say about the Nuggets and what the Nuggets think, say and do because it's all about what the Lakers do, period. When we get more balanced scoring and our bigs dominate, this series will be over faster than our series with Houston. I think the media and analysts made way too much of Denver rolling over the New Orleans Paul(CP3 was all the Hornets had in that series) and the mentally fragile Dallas Mavericks that they bought into all the hype. People forget that even though the Lakers have struggled some in these playoffs, they're still a notch above the Hornets and Mavericks which the Nuggets will discover in this series. While Billups deserves a great deal of credit for the Nuggets improvement, let's not forget that even though he's been to 7 Conference Finals, he still struggled in the last two with a Detroit team that had more savvy, experience than his current Nugget team. The Nuggets were lucky to draw the Hornets and Mavericks in the first 2 rounds, but they won't be as lucky in this round because the Lakers will prove that they are the real deal.

Oh man, Magic keeping up with the Lebrons, keep your fingers crossed everyone!

-bozz-

FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

HOLA GUYS,

WE ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH EVEN SOME OBTACLES LET OTHERS THINK THAT OUR TEAM CANNOT BE CHAMPION ANYMORE.

YES IT CAN, I COUNT ON KOBE TO DELIVER AND STIMULATE HIS TEAMMATES ABOUT OUR JOURNEY.

I AM HOSITALIZED AT SPRING VALLEY HOSPITAL BUT MY HOPE IS STILL THERE.

GAME 2= FOCUS+ PASSION+ DEFENSE= WIN

LOVE TO ALL

SHEKOBE FORERVER

LBJ Baill Hog Supreme
Baywood

Touch,
Common sense would have kept his mouth shut until this summer!
Bad form
Baywood

Howard went straight up and the refs gave LeBron the call. Last night Kobe was knocked down and didn't get the call which led him to slam the ball and get a technical foul. Refs need to be much more consistent in making or not making a call when a player jumps straight to block the drive to the hoop.

Cavaliers Down!!!

Magic pull off the upset with LeBron having his best playoff game in his career so far. The Cavs may be in trouble against the Magic who never gave up despite being down big and playing on the road.

Hmmmm.

If LeBronze had hit his free throws in the 4th quarter (like someone
we know who WASN'T the MVP), his team would have won
tonight.

wow...the Magic is lookin kind of scary right now. weapons galore.

Ironic how the 2 teams that were supposedly so hot heading into the finals lost their first game?

ha ha ha.

I prefer to see Kobe shutting down Billups, not Melo.

Also, I didn't finish the sentence about the Lakers, don't feel better or worse about them after Game 1 (same with Denver, but there was an option for that).

What else? I believe in D-Fish, still believe we should see plenty of Farmar and Brown. Drew needs to step up the most, and my favorite thing from the Game 1 question was Kobe's performance on both ends down the stretch.

As for my prediction for the series, I'm not doing predictions anymore after being wrong about Lakers in 5 in Round 1, but for the purposes of the question I did vote Lakers in 5 again (defend home, steal one of two in Denver, close out at home).

Not to toot my own horn, but:

"Also, I just want to throw out that I think Orlando has a good chance of stealing game one tomorrow. Nine days is a long time to go without a game, and the Cavs really haven't been tested. Throw in Orlando's regular season record against them, plus the growth any team will get from a grueling seven game series (let alone one against the defending champs), and I think we have the makings of an upset. I certainly don't want that to happen, though, because I firmly believe the Lakers would have a tougher time with Orlando than they would with Cleveland.

No matter who the Lakers face, no matter the series, they are going win four out of seven.

Posted by: dave in hillsboro | May 19, 2009 at 01:59 PM "

LeBron was cramping at the end of the game. Not enough run for a week and a half. Just my take.

I wonder if LeBron will keep doing all that stupid stuff at pregame.

Cleveland loses game 1.

This is the playoffs folks, we are down to the Final Four in the NBA. all the teams are good. All wins are good wins.

Lakers win in game 1 is a good gutty win - let's get a good win in game 2.

Tom the Lesser

Haven't really watched too many Cavs games this year but was watching a little of the 4th tonight and realized there really isn't anything special about the Cavs offense. It's literally LeBron driving with his head down and then either getting fouled or kicking it out for a wide open 3.

Now, the Lakers post defense has been pretty bad and foul prone lately but if Pau and Bynum can get it together and clog the middle with out fouling LeBron every time down then we should be able to stay with their shooters and play some pretty good defense. Of course this is much easier said than done.

I don't know about you guys but I almost want to see the Cavs more than the Magic. We beat the Cavs twice in the regular season and lost twice to the Magic. Plus, I'm with the masses and would love a Kobe-LeBron final, especially with the Lake Show coming out on top.

The key to the ring is still Lamar. If Lamar can play better (and get some calls) the Lakers can be pretty unstoppable. Problem is, he hasn't been playing great, not bad either though. I have faith in Lamar.

Lamar = Finals MVP

GO LAKERS

Lebron does not make free throws in the fourth quarter. It is a fact. He feels the pressure.

CAVS GO DOWN…

What a last couple of days. Lakers pull out big win over the Nuggets. Just got the new Jack Reacher novel. Then the Magic steal one from the Cavs as LeBron goes 20 for 30 and scores 49 points but loses. Does that mean that the MVP didn’t do much to make his teammates better? LOL! Jerry West was right about the second half of his controversial quote – LeBron is not in Kobe’s class as a closer. The King or just the latest pretender?

Looks like LeBron might be learning what Kobe learned earlier about one superstar not being enough to win a championship – no matter how great that superstar is. That is the big difference in my mind between Kobe and LeBron. While LeBron says the right things, he still strikes me as a guy who is just parroting what he knows the NBA wants him to say,
more a product of his hired public relations people and raw talent than a true warrior.

Let’s see how LeBron handles his teammates’ failure to show up or actually wins a ring before we crown him for good. As for Kobe, at this point in his career, he is much more about the team winning than personal honors. He realizes that championships are the only measure by which he will ultimately be judged and his goal is obviously to catch MJ. Bottom line, Kobe knows this is his time and LeBron will just have to wait. JMHO,

Going to be a memorable Memorial Day Weekend as the Lakers sweep the Nuggets.

Tom

You gotta love the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
I hope rooting for the
Magic doesn't come back to bite us in the next round.

King Crab, I mean ... er ... King Cramp ... I mean ... maybe his muscles just couldn't handle anymore inhaled chalk dust?

I think the WC/EC finals opening games prove perfectly the difference between the superstars.

I was chuckling over Jon K's earlier post about Lebroniacs and their tunnel vision and obsessions ... can't wait to hear what they have to say tomorrow.

All the stories about whether or not Kobe cared what The Logo said and if/how/why/etc etc etc that affected his game last night ... I hope to see all those sportsmedia types write tomorrow about how West's words affected LeBron.

This is what I have been explaining this whole year. Lebron can not win a ring by himself,he burned himself out by holding the ball the whole 24 seconds,looking for no one but himself until he ranned out of gas. He was out the start of the 4th and as soon as mo williams assist didnt convert into an actual assist,he was brought back in,no trust whatsoever!

Orlando is the only team left that could give us some problems,remember they beat us twice this season. Any team that is in the elite of them have beat the cavs twice. Why is that you ask,good question. Because good teams have more than one player scoring and guarding. For example,lets say the lakers. Total mismatch,commentators have no ideal of this. Please,lakers will hurt them so much.

Onto the lakers,well as we all know ab will need to be slapped around by the lakers a couple of hundred times. Take kobe off melo,(look at lebron tonight for foundation for that) and everything else has been said already. I just came on here tonight to put some laker fans mind to rest if the cavs miraculously come out the east. My mother told me delonte west is a beast...........I truly believe if we acquire sam perkins for that series at his age and health,he will completely dominate west. Seriously,I just cant believe how the world been tricked into the cavs being champs. Its a pure joke!

The timing of Jerry West's comment is just as bad as TMac's comment that the Lakers will win the championship just as his team was set to play the Lakers. Sure they can make those comments and are fully entitled to it BUT Lakers faithful would have expected more from JWest. TMAc's a tool but JWest?

Guess his time with Grizzlies removed something from him.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Jerry West will be able to sleep tonight no matter what anyone on this blog says.

Greetings Lakeshow Fans,

It's all over in Quicken Loans Arena...Magic 107, Cavaliers 106. It's ON in the ECF! Based on what has transpired in the playoffs thus far, anything can happen on a given day. Personally, homecourt doesn't matter if a team that has it doesn't play well enough to WIN games when it counts the most. I'm sure that LeBron will learn from this loss. This experience should be good for him and his team, as they were not challenged in the playoffs thus far...

Like I always say, ADVERSITY breeds CHARACTER in players and teams. For the Lakers, they have took a beating from detractors and the media since the Boston Finals. Actually, ALL YEAR!

Imagine the DOUBT placed on the Lakers moving forward into this season with that in mind...

Well, as a fan, I appreciate what they have done from that point on as they not only won 65 games in the regular season, but have also found ways to battle through ADVERSITY of their own in the playoffs (Kobe's banged up fingers, bouts of knee tendinitis and major minutes played stemming from the Finals, Olympics and the regular season, Bynum's second knee injury, Gasol's major minutes played just like Kobe's, loss of sharpshooter Radmanovic by way of trade, etc.)

Although the Lakers have been questioned about their desire and play of late, their is no question that they have become a BETTER team when the PRESSURE is ON...I believe that the Lakers play BETTER when they have their backs against the wall. It's obvious!

That being said, the Lakers must be aware at ALL times that their opponent, the Denver Nuggets, in the WCF is a team that is NOT going away any time soon without a hard nosed FIGHT. If they CHOOSE not to do so, refer to the first paragraph for confirmation. Hmmm...

However, with Phil, Kobe and Fisher's leadership, I expect better play and focus from the Lakers as the progress through the playoffs.

After all, they have gone through too much together (the loss to Boston being the obvious disappointment) to not UNDERSTAND what's going on and what's at STAKE. The key is getting the team's younger players (Farmar, Vujacic, Bynum, etc.) to keep their heads up through good and bad times. It happens!

More importantly, I expect the Lakers to make the necessary adjustments and come away with a WIN tomorrow night. The three MAGIC words for WINNING...POUND THE PAINT!

Laker pride through ALL and ANY ADVERSITY!

Hmmmm.

If LeBronze had hit his free throws in the 4th quarter (like someone
we know who WASN'T the MVP), his team would have won
tonight.

Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | May 20, 2009 at 08:30 PM
-------------------------------------------------------------------

And if he had also taken the last shot (like someone we know who Wasn't the MVP this year and is not afraid to take the game winning shot), his team would have won tonight.

Humm, For some reason the logo didn't post correctly. It was supposed to be a triangle pyramid, but you get the idea. 10 rings form the pyramid.

Here is the Cavaliers' Forum on Plain Dealer, read what they are saying on tonight's loss:

http://tinyurl.com/yv34du

We are not perfect in the Lakers Blog but you can see the difference on the quality of posters in other blogs. Well, we are the creation of the K-Bros inspiring, conspiratorial and also insightful threads.

“We just kind of got away with one,” he said, grinning. “It happens sometimes.”

thats what kobe said today after practice, and i think it's bs!!!!

i'm tired of the lakers not talking tough the media takes the soundbites that laker players and coaches say and use it against them.......remember the utah series and the nasty comment kobe said after that carlos boozer went out and started pushing lamar and pau in the back and had a 20/20 game!!! and the officials let them play nasty

i say stop all this nice talk especially from kobe, because the fact is they wasn't lucky yesterday in the win as kobe suggests they just had the will to win because the lakers are a better team than the nuggets, and personally when a guy like kobe makes statements like that. don't he know that denvers listening, david stern is listening, and more importantly the refs are listening.......i dont like talk like that coming out of the lakers camp

save that negative talk for the tnt comentators because it's become obvious NOBODY wants the lakers to win in the media, even the play by play comentators doug collins can't hide his hate for kobe why is it EVERY TIME he does lakers games he talkes about how many shots kobe misses? he doesnt do this with nobody else, reggie miller is a laker hater we know about charles barkly tim legler is a long time hater and so is jon berry they all want to see kobe and the lakers fail and lebron to succed

my fellow laker nation notice these things in the media i just hope it dont persude refs although when i see dick bevetta or tony brothers ref lakers games i get nervous even though brothers was there last night....and we all saw the calls that were made or not made it's bad enough phil jackson has me nervous but i also have to watch these refs........it's hard sometimes being a lakers fan lol

So, thoughts so far: LAL has the ring in its hands if it plays D. If not, it could simply give it away and sigh again, at having made some sacrifices, but, not the extra 15-20% sacrifices necessary. Witness these Must Do's:

1.BALL PRESSURE & CONTEST CHAUNCY: starting from the inbounds pass. This guy is the head of the snake, isolate him from his team by playing the passing lanes like Pip & MJ used to do so well. Do not let this cat just swing the ball around the perimeter and slice and dice us like he did with Detroit in 04.
We have enough tape from that series to see what didn't work, transition 3's, playing 10 feet off him, and NOT putting your damn well-paid hands up, on defense, anticipating the steal/deflection/arm bar on a drive will not work.

2. FINE PAU IF HE DOESN'T DUNK IT (OR ATTEMPT).
Its time to make these swatting When-ver fools rise up, on a pump fake from Bynum, Lamar, Pau, Ariza and get their entire front line with 2 fouls by half, and 4+ after 3.
To do that:

3. DRIVE FOR HIGH PERCENTAGE LAYUPS/FOULS/DUNKS/KICK-OUTS! BE AGGRESSIVE! NO SETTLING FOR THE EASY DISTANCE J!
Guys like Farmar, Fisher, Lamar, Pau, even Kobe must attack the rim and when they do catch the open teammate on the weakside rotation. When you go up, do what Fish did on the breakaway layup: go strong straight for the front of the rim or pull up at 4-6 feet for a floater. Use the glass for god sakes, too, thats what its there for on the angle shots from 18 feet in: look at what Duncan does with it, its unstoppable and arguably higher percentage. Certainly easier to make, the closer in you are. If you are aggressive and attack, Denver will fold in this series EASILY.

4. KEEP THE FAITH. Attempt to make a very strong start on O, but more importantly focus on D, put most of your effort, mental preparation, and really GIVING YOURSELF to the game, without thought or concern, to the defensive end of the court. And, when the shots aren't falling: drive and keep the faith that they will. No sense thinking unconstructive, self limiting and weakening thoughts here: fans, players, and coaches alike. I'd like to see Phil, LO, and 24 step up more here, as well as Fish, in demonstrating a constructive thinking and behavior-only policy here. The mental environment of thought is important.

Attack, be aggressive, and continue to do so in Denver. Get some extra running in, as Karl may try to force LAL into a uptempo in game 3-4, if they're down 2-0 and this is the mile sigh city out here. It takes 5 months to adjust permanently. GO FOR IT LAKERS, THE TITLE IS YOUR'S FOR THE TAKING, as the superior team all season, why get ambivalent/unexcited now about putting everything on the line, regardless of the outcome, you gave your all!

"Alone I can do nothing." Step from Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing, by Marshall V. Summers; awarded Spiritual Book of the Year-2000 by Foreward magazine.

This is the playoffs folks, we are down to the Final Four in the NBA. all the teams are good. All wins are good wins.

Edwin Gueco,

Do you see what I mean now that you've read a Cleveland blog?

Man, people out here are nuts!

What do we play for? RINGS!!!!!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!!!!

Poor LeBron, cramping like that. Not a very good advertisement for Vitamin Water, huh???

So much for the "best team in the league".

Posted by: BRUZER | May 20, 2009 at 08:33 PM

love it.