Lakers drop Game 3: The reactions
You already got my take on the 108-104 defeat, as well as the Laker family perspective. What say we drink in what everyone else had to say about the Magic getting on the board? "They shot the heck out of the ball, and
it's a one-possession game at the end," said Lakers reserve guard
Jordan Farmar. The Lakers might say Game 3 was such an
aberration that even Kobe Bryant looked mortal at the end when he
usually saves the day. In succession, their superstar missed a big
three-point shot, then a crucial foul shot, then -- rub your eyes --
turned the ball over down the stretch to scuttle the Lakers' attempt to
go up 3-0 Should the Lakers be disheartened? No. But wary? Absolutely.
Let's start with a positive. The Press-Enterprise's Gregg Patton notes that sweep hopes going unfulfilled won't shatter the Lakers' belief in their ability to capture the title.
The Lakers lost, but weren't disheartened. They weathered Orlando's "A" offense, an eye-popping 62.5 percent
shooting night. They weathered the hostile atmosphere, after quickly
adjusting from the happy glitz at Staples Center. They weathered the
muggy weather. And they came back from a nine-point
deficit in the fourth quarter, with a chance to tie or go ahead in the
final minute.
If I may add a pair of pennies, count me among those not thrown by the loss- I actually predicted it- and of the opinion that it's par the course for a title run. Anybody who thought the Lakers would breeze through this affair either needed to switch Kool Aid brands or make a
date with a shrink. Whichever team raises the O'Brien will do so after busting one hell of
a sweat. Period.
Anyhoo...
Third Quarter Collapse's Ben Q Rock praises the Magic's ball movement (considerably superior to what was offered by the Lakers), which may get lost in all the talk about blazing- and likely peaked- shooting percentages.
It's a good thing the Magic picked tonight to shoot out of their darn
minds, because if they hadn't, L.A. would have continued to roll. I
don't want to say that neither team played any defense tonight--the
effort was there, to be sure--but the statistics appear to indicate
that both teams enjoyed what amounted to a shootaround on offense.
Orlando's game was a bit different, attempting a season-low
14 three-pointers. Orlando fed L.A. a steady diet of pick-and-rolls
with Howard and Turkoglu, moved the ball well, and put the ball in the
basket with apparent ease. If you're the Lakers, you just shake your
head and say, "it's just one of those nights," when Pietrus hits a wild
turnaround jumper from the baseline. Bryant gave the Magic the same
head-shaking sensation with a number of his buckets tonight, although
he executed with more fluidity and precision than Pietrus did.
The opening pair of losses featured starting point guard Rafer Alston thrown for a loop by Jameer Nelson's presence back in the rotation. From the moment his non-factor Game 2 concluded, Stan Van Gundy pleaded with him to relax, don't worry about his minutes, and just play ball. ESPN's Chris Sheridan explains how Alston's teammates carried the message down the home stretch.
Van Gundy, who at Tuesday's shootaround had ruled out using Jameer Nelson as a starter during this series, wasn't the only one in Alston's ear. Friends back home in New York were texting him the same thoughts: to
play smart, to knock off the knack for knuckleheadedness he had
displayed so consistently over the better part of all four rounds of
the NBA playoffs. Alston even told himself to stop jacking up 3-point shots as though he were Ray Allen,
and his Magic teammates -- even one guy who didn't play a minute
Tuesday night and another who hasn't played in months -- got in on the
motivational act.
"My teammates, everybody was telling me to be the guy that they brought
in," Alston said. "I took that very seriously, and that's what I wanted
to do. "Rashard [Lewis], Dwight [Howard], Adonal [Foyle], and then tonight, it
was surprising, even J.J. [Redick] pulled me aside and said, 'Come on
now, play your game, get back to being Rafer.' And some of them wanted
some Skip tonight," Alston added, referencing his New York playground
nickname, Skip To My Lou. "I gave them a little of that. But these guys
are the best. They encourage me, and they keep looking for me with the
confidence that I can stick the shots."
Mickael Pietrus was another candidate for redemption after Game 2, "dos" also matching his point tally during that contest. Plus, he was often on the wrong end of a Mamba J. With 18 points off the pine and some stellar work forcing Bryant into some uncomfortable hoists, MP, in the eyes of the Orlando Sentinel's Kyle Hightower, also played a major role in getting his team back in the series.
Pietrus tossed in a huge 18 points off the bench to lead the Magic
reserves Tuesday, knocking down 7-of-11 shots and all four of his
free-throws. But his biggest contribution was defensive.
With the Magic clinging to a 104-102 lead with under a minute to play,
Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant lost the handle in the half court on their
ensuing possession. In the scramble, Pau Gasol fell on it, but Pietrus
picked his pass attempt from the floor. Pietrus was fouled as he broke away down the court and made both of his
free-throws to put Orlando up 106-102 and help seal the win.
Could this victory, which finally got the Magic off the schneid (during this series and historically) actually shift the postseason fortunes in favor of Orlando? My guess. Not likely. But it may create more of a true home court advantage, since fans finally know what winning at the highest round feels. The Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi describes the sounds of an arena rocking with a new found enthusiasm.
You could feel it. You could feel it when you approached the arena and the fans were
drinking and tailgating, scalpers were shoving wads of money in their
pockets and a kid begged me to get him into the game with my press pass. And a rock and roll band played a Billy Joel song: "Only the Good Die Young."
"We ain't too pretty, we ain't too proud, We might be laughing a bit too loud, But that never hurt no one."
Everybody was singing. Dancing. Smiling. You could feel it, all right. You could feel it in the thundering applause when the Magic walked off
the court with a series-saving 108-104 victory over the Lakers.
You could feel when the deliriously deafening crowd chanted , "Beat
L.A.! Beat L.A!" after Mickael Pietrus stole the ball from Kobe with 28
seconds left to help secure the first Finals victory in franchise
history.
And by the way, Magic fans aren't the only ones dealing with unfamiliar emotions. For so long, Laker loyalists have been treated by the late game heroics of Kobe Bryant that success is regarded as a given. Well, with the game tight down the stretch, we saw the rarest of oddities. Kobe Bryant not simply failing to save the day, but actually flailing to do so. Bizarre, to be sure, but to take a saying at is most literal, it happens to the BEST of us. The Daily News' Ramona Shelbourne reminds us that similar to Mariano Rivera getting shelled in the ninth, there are nights when the elite will inevitably succumb to limitations of mortality.
There are some who will make more of it than it was: a blown save. But
really, that's what it was. The game was close, the manager called down
to the bullpen for his closer, and the closer just didn't have it. They will call him tired. They will right that he exhausted
himself in Games 1 and 2. That maybe he might want this championship
too much. All of these theories could prove true. But most often the simplest explanation is the most accurate.
"He's
human, you know," Lakers forward Luke Walton said."It's going to happen
to everybody at some point. We just get kind of spoiled because he
makes the impossible happen so often."
Kobe Bryant clenched a fist of self-loathe, reached back and pounded his forehead. He hit himself again, and again, and again in the Los Angeles Lakers
huddle. Perhaps this wasn’t so much about that missed free throw in the
final seconds, but his own monumental miscalculation. Bryant had come
out throwing haymakers at the Orlando Magic, trying his damndest for the TKO.
For his failures, Kobe Bryant paid a steep price. This had been impatient Kobe, the restless Kobe and make no mistake: He punched himself out in Game 3. Too much, too soon. Here it was late in the fourth quarter, late in a Lakers comeback and Bryant was fighting fatigue, fighting himself. Bryant’s gone so hard, for so long, and maybe that’s an immense part of the reason Bryant was so hellbent on taking the life out of these Magic, the belief.
Willing heart, wobbly legs. The latter issue also concerns the Times' Bill Plaschke.
The Magic players felt it was their defense who shut him down and,
indeed, amid a joyous vacation atmosphere, they sent players at him
from teacups to flying toads.
"They threw the whole kitchen sink, and they did a great job staying on my body," Bryant said.
There is a third possibility for Bryant's fatigue, but it is too
premature to ponder, and, for Laker fans, too painful to even consider. Two months shy of his 31st birthday, three games into the most
strenuous basketball series of his life, could Bryant be hitting a wall
that will not disappear? In three games, he has played 126 of 149 minutes while averaging 27 shots per game.
That's strenuous work for any player. That's downright hard labor for
an aging star who works hard at both ends of the court and has even
taken to coaching his team during timeouts. Anybody else see him consulting Gasol with a whiteboard late in Tuesday's game? Nobody in the NBA pushes their team like Bryant pushes the Lakers, and
when that push diminishes to a shove like it did in the final three
quarters Tuesday, well, everything collapses.
No matter whether you think Kobe's stumble was due more to exhaust or poor judgment, The O.C. Register's Kevin Ding would urge folks not to point all fingers squarely at the Mamba.
Because the Lakers' late-game offense is completely built for him,
Bryant certainly has some responsibility for the loss. Assessments of
his fatigue and free-throw misses are not without merit. Yet
second-guessing him for his imperfect game is the simplistic conclusion. For
all the blame placed on him for letting Howard deflect his dribble on
that one key play, Gasol could've rendered it an afterthought – and had
Bryant's back – by claiming that loose ball and not turning it over in
a rush to jam it into Bryant's gut.
Odom understood the evening's happenings fully, having been so hopeful of a Game 3 victory that he'd been unable to fall asleep Monday night – Queen's "We Are the Champions" refrain stuck in his head. He eventually got some chamomile tea to get drift off. What might keep Odom from sleeping well before Game 4 is wondering why he and his teammates didn't take the excitement of Bryant being "unconscious" with his shot early on Tuesday night and funnel it into some defensive energy instead of just standing around – letting Orlando set an NBA playoff record with 75 percent first-half shooting.
"We can make it more meaningful," Odom said
of Bryant's dominant bursts, "if we can pick up our defensive intensity
around that." So go ahead and overanalyze how hard Bryant was on
his teammates at times Tuesday night, when in reality he was about the
same as usual when his teammates are doing too many little things
wrong. That's who these Lakers are, at their best: a lot of Bryant and
a lot of help. Truth is, there wasn't quite enough of either to win Game 3.
AK
IS IT THURSDAY YET?
Posted by: utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER | June 10, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Good Morning Charles....Good Morning Everyone....
well Ouchhhhhh (and probably everyone else who reads my pathetic posts) knew this was coming, so here it is to get it out of the way and move the hell on:
MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS AND WIN THE GAME
MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS AND WIN THE SERIES
LTLF: 'Blommit" pure genius Sir
I really expected a Magic blow out in this game, and was proud of this team for not letting that happen---this was a very winnable game that we let slip thru our fingers (see above) is it Thursday yet?
other than the sting from letting this one go, and despite the bad / obvious biased "refereeing" and sickening media bias and "reporting" I still like our chances a lot...
I do feel game 4 is the pivotal game---I would really like to avoid a pivotal game 5 all tied up etc.
Kobe bashers can eat my shorts---you guys are simply a joke, not real fans and know nothing about Tuco (I mean basketball)...
AS ALWAYS, AS EVER, YET ANOTHER GREAT DAY (AND SEASON) TO BE A LAKER FAN !!!
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | June 10, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Ok,it was 2-0 coming in. May seem more of a conspiracy than anything but its not good for anybody associated with the nba to have a sweep in 2009. Second,they had the best half of shooting than any team ever in the finals and we still was winning at half and we was down 2 with a second left. I know a loss is just that but when you shoot 75% from the field and stil are behind,you got to think. Third,they had the special girl sing the national anthem and they haven't lossed when she does just that. Fourth and most importantly,we have to lose 3 of the next 4 to lose the championship. They gave their best once again,don't think that can happen twice in a row without us duplicating the effort. So there you go...........Let's rest today and be ready for tomorrow
Posted by: freddyP | June 10, 2009 at 11:25 AM
The second time in the playoffs with the game on the line that Kobe Bryant tries to split the defense on a pick and roll situation and loses the ball. The first time it was a jumpball against Denver and now this. If Kobe wants to equal Jordan's legacy, he has to remember the moment we remember Mike for are his game winners not him losing the ball
Posted by: Tom | June 10, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Kobe should trust his teammates. he held the ball too much. he should know that he cannot win by himself. a true leader is a person who organizes and motivates the whole team.
Posted by: liamoi | June 10, 2009 at 11:30 AM
OK guys this is the truth. Kobe spazzed out in the third quarter and took us out of the flow that was building for the win. Phil sat him down although he should have sat him eariler. Hey, he's human the moment got to him.
Then with the game in the balance we turn Kobe into L.J. and give him the ball and say win it for us. Did we not see how that worked out for Cleveland? Come on Phil, earn you money start coaching when it counts. Every guy of the court with Kobe at that time was playing at a high level and finishing. Trust your (team) Phil.
So we get to whitness Kobe try and dribble between two defenders ,oh yea, one of which is the defensive player of the year even if he gets past them there is a third defender waiting for him. Weak Phil, very weak.
Salvador
Posted by: Salvador | June 10, 2009 at 11:32 AM
This article remind me of "matrix 1" when neo was fighting the marivichi (sp) gang and someone swung a sword and neo stopped it with his hand and he began to bleed,so the "marivichi" said.........."see,he's a human" but when neo killed all of them the "marivichi" said........."you have skills"
Posted by: freddyP | June 10, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Well the Magic play the best game they have ever shown, set a record for shot percentage, and they just barely win in a do or die game?
Look for the Lakers to take the next one.
Also the officials are letting the game be what it should. I like that. Feels like basketball once again.
Posted by: Frankie B | June 10, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Look, the Magic won on their homecourt. They shot a ridiculous percentage. They got all the right calls. And they won by 4 points.
Color me NOT WORRIED. Orlando isn't going to roll over. This is going to be a dogfight. But I expect the Lakers to take at LEAST one game in Orlando. That's all they need on the road. Then it's back home for a strong finish.
Let the talking heads talk. Let the trolls troll. Let the haters hate. I don't care about any of it.
All I care about is Thursday, when I'll be cheering for my team with all of my heart. I have Faith. Always.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | June 10, 2009 at 11:57 AM
more thoughts or so, as it were....
as others have aluded to, I also did notice that any questionable call that went against the Lakers was not replayed, while every legitamate call was replayed good and plenty. ..I was especially waiting to see the "charge" on Mr. Walton---never played...that was a key play down the stretch, would have given us a three point play opportunity etc.
from the one and only look at the play (i.e. live) it sure didn't look like charging to me..
oh well there is so much of a descrepency and or bad / non calls in the NBA and this series that all we can hope for is some kind of even-ing out...
that being said I wish that Father Manard could give the refs some lessons in counting to five ("three Sir"), as others have mentioned, there was an abundance of 3 second violations on Howard that were simply ignored by the refs and the "reporters"...
the bad refereeing, in the end, will make the Championship just that much sweeter is all--ditto with the media (and trolls) wanting the Magic to win so bad and the Lakers to lose...I say...wait for it...cram it up yer cram hole Laker haters..
as I said previously, I feel game 4 is the must game for us...we will need everyone to show up with our a plus game on Thursday, especially Lamar
and did I mention free throwing proficiency? "give us a break on that free throwing crap Floyd" chant the masses in unison...
I think I may want this Championship more than Kobe does...I can't concentrate on anything else thses days, I am pretty much just worthless on a day to day basis since the playoffs (and particulalythe Finals) have started..almost makes me want to question my sanity, almost...
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | June 10, 2009 at 11:58 AM
If Kobe wants to equal Jordan's legacy, he has to remember the moment we remember Mike for are his game winners not him losing the ball Posted by: Tom | June 10, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Yeah like that wondeful push off to hit the shot against
MJ sainted be his holy name. Now just suppose they had called a foul on that crap. But no! Not on Saint MJ. The man was 10 feet tall could walk on water and every time he shot he made it. F#$#$%^ MJ. This is hers and now and the greatest Bball player on the planet at this time is Kobe Bryant.
Posted by: Mamba24 | June 10, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I think I may want this Championship more than Kobe does...I can't concentrate on anything else thses days, I I am pretty much just worthless on a day to day basis since the playoffs (and particulalythe Finals) have started..almost makes me want to question my sanity, almost... Posted by: Floyd | June 10, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Nothings wrong with you brother. You just happen to have good taste in the teams you follow. Me I am pretty much worthless playoffs or not. But at least at playoff time, I have an excuse for my worthlessness. Lol!
Posted by: Mamba24 | June 10, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Floyd,
I normally don't watch ESPN, but I chose to today and I simply could not believe the cynicism attached to everything associated with Kobe and the Lakers.
If I was in charge of the story, it would be positive. It would be about how the Magic shot an NBA Finals record FG percentage.
THAT by it's very definition is news! It's a fricken record! It's a first! THAT'S what news is!
But NOOOOOOOOO... instead I heard Skip Bayless cynically pontificating about how Kobe lost the game and he's old.
We lose by a basket to a team that shoots an NBA FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE RECORD and we had a shot to win in the last seconds and the NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR deflects/steals the ball and the story is that Kobe is old and his legacy is ruined?
What the hell?
Are you fricken kidding me? Is this what they're teaching people in journalism classes now?
Am I the only person who sees this? Is this the kind of muddled, biased thinking that our society now accepts as "professional"?
It's infuriating. I'm so disappointed not only in these "experts" but that enough Americans watch this stuff for them to remain profitable.
Too many people live their lives being against things that are special instead of for things that are special. Skip Bayless lives his life being against things that are special. THAT is where he derives his sense of self-worth. Sad.
WE ARE THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS AND WE RISE!!!!
What do we play for? RINGS!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | June 10, 2009 at 12:23 PM
If any has the game recorded. Look at the first quarter with 5:30 left,rafer austin drove to the basket with his left,took it behind his back to his right but the ball didn't touch the floor on his next step and then he dropped the ball. No call,announcers called it a fake,kobe shouted travel but no one listened.
But they called travel on nelson twice in the first half. I am totally confused.
Posted by: freddyP | June 10, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Floyd,
Im totally with you, days in between games are just lifeless. I was just telling a friend on facebook, i hope it goes 7 games cause once the Lakers win what am i gonna do watch Baseball? BARF
Posted by: Lakers4Life | June 10, 2009 at 12:32 PM
freddy - there was ALOT of inconsistency by the refs in game 3. Seems to happen alot when Joey is around.
How long will they let this guy ref is beyond me. Seriously is there not enough new recruits or something?
They missed a double dribble on Pietrius, not sure of the spelling lol. And as someone mentioned before, the charge ON walton, I told my friend that might be the worst call I have ever seen.
I hate to keep ranting about this as the game is over and nothing is going to change in the NBA, all we can do is hope it evens out a little.
Posted by: Lakers4Life | June 10, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Jon,
Im glad Im not watching ESPN today then, cause thats BS. Seriously he should be reprimanded for those comments and publicly apologize.
There are just so many HATERS out there, i dont get it. Sometimes I wonder if they all think Kobe stole their lunch money or something......
Posted by: Lakers4Life | June 10, 2009 at 12:38 PM
It is much sweeter to win this championship inspite of and despite of everything. Lakers will not be denied this year. Media and all haters have to accept the inevitable. They will write stories about Lakers in their tears because it pains them to say a good word about the evil empire in their mind. Lakers does not need the love, they thrive on hate, which in reality is jealousy. They will never understand how it feels to be a winner because most of these haters are losers.
Posted by: Jeanette | June 10, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Mamba24/Floyd,
I'm with you guys on that.
I want this Championship so fricken bad that if you put me on the court with a Lakers jersey I would play until my heart burst. Nevermind that I have no skills nor am not nearly tall enough. I would play literally until my heart burst. I would do everything I could possibly do to win no matter the cost.
Listen, you two are OBs (original bloggers), we have spent YEARS in this cyber place dealing with haters and trolls and cynics and chicken littles and ALL THAT NEGATIVITY and we have through all those attacks, all that negativity, we have maintained hope and commitment.
It's not unlike the bar in which I watch the Lakers from my lucky barstool. I spent two years there having LeBroniacs insult me and threaten me and belittle me, all because I love a fricken sports team that's not their team. What the hell?
While that's a physical environment, the Laker Nation Kamenetsky Blog is a mental/psychological/cyber environment. Since 2004 I've been in here almost every day and there has not been a SINGLE FRICKEN DAY in which some idiot or hater hasn't popped their scalely head in and said something cynical, insulting, demeaning, and/or fearful.
NOT ONE DAY!!!! FOR YEARS|!!!!!
In all honesty, I just want to joke around with my fellow Laker lovers, talk about the team I love, reflect on positive memories I've had of the team, and discuss in a hopeful, reasonable, intelligent way about the future of the Lakers and how they can improve. THAT'S ALL I WANT!!!
I want to be civil. I want to be friendly. I want to be relaxed. I want to be joyful and appreciative.
But instead, post-2004 Finals loss and Shaq-freakout trauma, I have instead had to deal with ALMOST EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE some fricken hater sticking his head in here and insulting the Lakers and/or bloggers who like the Lakers.
It's maddening.
WHEN (AND I SAY "WHEN" WITH EVERY CONFIDENCE) we win the Championship this year, all the original blogger--those who kept the faith--will be able to stare those years of haters in the eyes and say with absolute conviction in our hearts and souls, "You were wrong. We kept the faith and it was absolutely worth it. All you have left is your hatred and your failure. Go away."
And it is going to happen this year.
It's so close I can almost taste it.
So... yeah... Kobe's not the only person who wants to win this Championship that it's almost maddening.
I want it bad.
WE ARE THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS AND WE RISE!!!!
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | June 10, 2009 at 12:39 PM
2 question from game 3:
1. Why does Kobe continue trying to split the defenders at the top of the key, it happened in the Denver series and now last night, it is almost a guaranteed turnover, and its very predictable?????
2. Gasol goes 9 of 11, but only gets 11 shots, Kobe throws up bad shot after bad shot in the second half? How about Phil Jackson sitting him down and telling him to get Gasol the ball!@#$! Is everyone afraid of Kobe?
Posted by: David | June 10, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Why are y'all even torturing yourselves by watching/reading BSPiN today? Honestly, I'd rather watch Butler play World of Warcraft in his Steve Nash underoos.
Oh...I know why. Because Faker Nation was looking for a sweep and treats every defeat like THE! END! OF! THE! WORLD! They take every word spewing from BSPiN, Heisler & Plaschke as literal semi-biblical truth. And they'll be the first ones doing all caps I HEART KOBE posts after we close out on Sunday (or Tuesday).
Meanwhile, Laker Nation brushes our shoulders off and waits for Game 4 - calm, cool, collected, and certainly not worried about a 63% shooting basketball team who can't even beat us by more than 4 points.
Posted by: utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER | June 10, 2009 at 01:02 PM
No offense Butler but you are insane. Im not arguing Kobe (and all supertars get some love) but DUDE Howard and Lebron get the icing and the cake.
Seriously did you see how many offensive fouls Howard got away with.
And give me a break about Kobe leaving Pau on the floor.
Do you just come here to try and hate on our team? Do the suns even have a blog? Probably not since you are here.
Posted by: Lakers4Life | June 10, 2009 at 01:10 PM
BUTLER,
Why don't you go crawl back under the rock you came out from? Nobody cares what you have to say about anything roundball related. You're a Suns fan, you're a footnote in the NBA at best. You're Gar Heard, you're Paul Westphal, you're a team that's been to two NBA finals in your history and lost them both. You're a place in the desert the Lakers visit a couple of times a year to bring big time basketball to the masses. You couldn't get to the finals with the best team in basketball a couple of years back, then you blew up the whole damn thing to take a shot on a player we decided was declining 3 years earlier. 20 mil per year? How does that taste? You're a bumbling bunch of basketball hacks. You're filler. Nobody cares about you BUTLER. Your opinions carry the relevancy of your basketball team.
Crawl away from this blog once and for all.
In the meantime, we'll just win another championship.
Posted by: mikefloss | June 10, 2009 at 01:37 PM
ROTFLMAO - dude Mike that made me crack up. lol
Posted by: Lakers4Life | June 10, 2009 at 02:08 PM
what is up with these articles & reporters putting our Lakers down.
i mean yeah we lost this last game, but by what 4 points. how bout the 1st game they had, the Lakers won by 25 POINTS!!!!
get off their backs, damn. their not up against some weak team here. Orlando's pretty good, but don't you forget were the BEST.
that's why were in the finals again, i might add. the only difference is that this time around were taking this one home.
were taking this one in 6, our house.
LET'S GO LAKERS, LET'S GO!!!!!!
Posted by: sAnTiAgO | June 10, 2009 at 02:36 PM
If history is any indicator Orlando better be ready on Thursday. Kobe is pissed at himself and he's going to take it out on them.
Posted by: Nick | June 10, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Mamaba24, Jon K., Lakers4life,
right on brothers...I am glad to know there are others out there on the same wavelength as me (as scary as that thought is ha ha)...
Jon----you said it all concerning this blog and the trolls and the Laker haters as well as acentuating the positives in life---keep it up man and thanks...
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | June 10, 2009 at 03:06 PM
Kobe looked and played awful after 1st quarter. Is he starting to break under the pressure of trying to win it all? He needs to relax and keep his teammates involved and not try and win the whole thing by himself.
Posted by: laron the prophet of doom | June 10, 2009 at 03:07 PM
Face it Laker fans, The Orlando Magic does have game and magic as well..This will be a long series, and don't be so sure the lakers and Kobe Bryant will win...The only man that I know who could beat the magic is retired.....Michael Jordan, the greatest clutch player in the game!!!!
Posted by: cyndi anderson | June 10, 2009 at 04:24 PM
Hello Laker Nation.
I slept okay last night, Mice shot 63 Percent and almost lost!
What me worry?
Pau does need to shoot less and Kobe needs to take better shots, but still we almost went 3-0.
I am so nervous, I am out pacing in the hall like Jerry West. I have been Grumpy the last two months, heck since Game 6 last year I have been pissed.
We will prevail and I appreciated reading the postives.
I have been a fan since '71 and would rather watch basketball then any other sport. I like watching Motorsports except for Monster Trucks. Prefer War movies if no sports on. Love watching Tiger though.
There is no way the mice shoot like that again.
Go Lakers.
Posted by: Mike Dills | June 10, 2009 at 04:25 PM
Lakers lost only by 4 points to a team which shot over 70% .I don't think Magic could repeat that kind of shooting performance. KB and his team will beat them on Thursday before the first half is over. KB will win his 4th ring and the finals MVP Lakers will finish the series in 4
Posted by: Bonny Lee | June 10, 2009 at 04:51 PM
After the Lakers got 2-0 lead, I read some of the posts about a sweep, I recognized a sweep is more of a wish than reality because the Magic has proved to be resilient after beating C's even though at one point they were down 3-2, and also eleiminated the Cavs, so they are truly a good team deserved to be in the Finals. Having said that, it was not all bad for the Lakers in game 3 loss because the Magic shot a ridiculously high percentage yet the Lakers were behind a basket with 30 secs to go. The Lakers have shown their ability to bounce back in previous series, and they will have to do it again to earn their trophy.
Posted by: CTran | June 10, 2009 at 06:28 PM
Looks like this series is Kobe's to win or lose.
He is doing it all and has his prints all over this series.
We all know about his playing but he is in charge.
I know in other games he coaches and have seen him grab clipboard from Cleamons to draw up play. This last game he drew up play in huddle on dry erase board for Pau.
Now even Mourning sees it too. Check out this article.
http://tinyurl.com/kqtkmd
OK PJ sit back and relax Kobe will deliver your 10th ring.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | June 10, 2009 at 07:00 PM
I am very proud of this team and the Kobe haters can go to hell! I admit, I am not even close to being a loyal fan like Jon K., as I used to rag out on the Lakers throughout the season on their lack of passion, fire, determination, effort, letting teams back in, etc... but this is the finals. They only lost by 4 to an awesome team and one that shot lights out. Man - that is a crazy turnaround. They didn't give up. They played hard until the end. And you Kobe haters - are you kidding me? Yes, he made mistakes at the end but if this team didn't have Kobe they don't even make the playoffs!!!! So he isn't perfect - he will be back on Thursday with a killer game. I hope he doesn't try to just take over - if he plays like game 1, game 4 is ours for sure.
I think my biggest gripe is getting rid of Radman. I definitely wanted him traded but how about after the season? I love that we got Shannon - but Mitch felt that Sasha would carry the 3pt shooting? He has been ice cold the ENTIRE season!!! How do you slump the entire season????? If we had someone that could hit 3 pointers wouldn't this series be over in 4 or 5? So they saved a few million - but at the risk of the ring??!!!
I know you have to work with what you have but man - it is so maddening that we don't have another option. I'm not basketball saavy like many of you - couldn't the trade have waited?
Also, Magic did have a crazy shooting night - but it can happen again. We've all seen them come from 20 points down and make that up in a few minutes.
We need all Lakers to play good defense and get the W in game 4.
Go Lakers!!!!! Get the ring!!!!!!! Magic aren't going to hand it to you.
Posted by: DaveW | June 10, 2009 at 07:55 PM
I think Kobe will rebound from game 3 but he can't do it all by himself.. Bynum needs to get his head out of his azz..He plays very lazy bball, I mean 4 points, come on.. Fisher is finally starting to shoot but I would like to see more minutes from Farmar and Brown.. Ariza saved their azz last series but he needs to pick up the intensity so Kobe can get some rest..
I know Kobe likes to split defenders when the game is on the line and lose the ball but why the %^&$ didn't Gasol call timeout when he was lying on the floor?.. Better yet, why didn't Kobe call TO?.. WHat were they smoking?
All in all, I think the Lakers let one slip away but Kobe will take his anger out on the Majic, reporters, and haters, next game for sure... I see him breaking his Finals record for points..
GO LAKERS!....PULL YOUR HEAD OUT, YOU GOT THIS..
Posted by: tonygunz | June 10, 2009 at 08:46 PM
oh sorry, forgot something.... It's time to trade Sasha... He hasn't done &*^% but occupy space on the bench and throw up brick after brick the whole playoffs...
Posted by: tonygunz | June 10, 2009 at 08:47 PM
whose idea was it tto have jeff Va Gudy announce
brother Stans's first NBA Championship series. Objectivity is so bad it stinks!Marc Jackson is no help and Bereen is on shis own trying to provide somedialogue about the game!I theis David Stern's continued hatred of the Laker orgainizations that have been in the plaoffs 50 sometimes out of 63 seasons? And as for Kobe haters most Gms line up for a few words every okayoffs series/And I haven't even spoken bour abisimal refereeing allbeit on both sides.
But Howard wa the only one who shovedhis arh up throough the ring to block a GAsol Shot. And why have rookiemrefs learning how the game is to be learned during the Finals!
Posted by: oramfan | June 11, 2009 at 01:04 AM
WHAT'S UP?
Posted by: Dr. kaplan | June 11, 2009 at 01:13 AM
Dvid Stern's decision to have jeff Van gundy announce brother Stan's first NBA final attempt is nepotism at its worst and bias at its most obscene. Objectivity is completely gone the Dividsion III background of the boys is really evident, Stern your choice really sucks! Trying to make Stan sound like a younger vdersion of Phil Jackson is like make Dorothy and Toto eequal to Bono and Sher! And t o rave about selling out the game at Orlando is alltime poor -- The Lakers sell out everygame every yeareven preseason ones.Do some research fellows!
Posted by: oramfan | June 11, 2009 at 01:14 AM
Its only one game, and the Lakers only need to win two of the next four or three games If Kobe's the reason the Lakers lost, we can live by it. A true Laker fan should be with Kobe when he wins the game, and should stick with him when he loses the game. Its better to lose the game on Kobe's hands than anyone else in the team. After all, he has the highest percentage to win the game for the Lakers than anyone on the team. But I will take anybody on the team to win it for the Lakers.
Posted by: Norman | June 11, 2009 at 01:50 AM
LAKERS 09 CHAMPS ,
Laance Delaney we are the LAKERS!
Posted by: joey | June 14, 2009 at 07:58 PM