Lakers at Nuggets: Game Chat
A few reminders: First, hang out after the game for the postgame chat. It'll start about 10 minutes after the final buzzer, and is more Q and A than typical in-game free for all. Not every comment will go through. The goal is for it to actually be readable for those who aren't able to participate. Second, if you haven't already (and are so inclined), remember to start following us now at latimesKbros on the Twitter.
Obviously tonight's tussle is as about as anticipated a game as can be had so early in the season. The Nuggets are fired up, to say the least. For a little more pregame reading, check out game previews at Forum Blue and Gold and Pickaxe and Roll. Should be a great game. Kobe has been, well, Kobe, and on the odd chance you've totally stopped paying attention to the NBA this year and happened to miss it, Carmelo Anthony has been a very bad man.
Chat box below.
BK
The Smeltics down by 3 and Paula slightly limping heading toward the bench.
I guess it's time to bust out the wheelchair.
GO HAWKS!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | November 13, 2009 at 06:47 PM
Seriously, do we really have to play Fish (Bless his good heart)? He just can't defend anymore, Lawson is making him look really slow. We need Pau back sooner than later! Poor Kobe is working way too hard! We are going to wear him down (if that's possible)! I look for a loss tonight, mainly Denver has to win tonight to show they can play a little, at home, after a rest, on Lakers back-to-back nights.
Posted by: DJ | November 13, 2009 at 08:49 PM
[Comment From lotr]
#4, i will bet my house on that any day :-)
Not sound like Mamba24, but THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT!
Posted by: #4 | November 13, 2009 at 10:06 PM
Simma down now childrens, simma down....
Posted by: #4 | November 13, 2009 at 10:12 PM
I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING VERY SHORT... PHIL JACKSON SUCKS!! HE SHOULD HANDLE THIS BAD ASS TEAM TO A YOUNG COACH LIKE BYRON SCOTT OR SOMEBODY ELSE THAT IS CAPABLE AND ABLE TO COACH THE WAY YOU SHOULD COACH A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM LIKE THE LAKERS.... THERE'S NO MOTIVATION AT ALL FOR THIS GUYS AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE PLAYING ON THEIR OWN OUTHERE.. THE COACHING WAS RIDICULOUS AND PHIL LOOKED VERY DUMB CALLING TIME OUT AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER .. SPECIALLY WHEN HE KNOWS THE STARTERS ARE TIRED FROM LAST NIGHTS GAME , AND LETTING THEM PLAY ALMOST AN ENTIRE QUARTER OUT THERE WAS JUST DUMB AND STUPID... JERRY BUSS PLEASE GET THIS GUYS A NEW FRESH YOUNG COACH WOULD YOU!! ITS ABOUT TIME FOR PHIL TO RETIRED HE IS DONE HE IS HISTORY AND HIS TIME AS A COACH IS OVER..DONT LET THE COACHING MESS UP THIS TEAM CAUSE YOU WILL REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. .. BYRON WOULD BE A PERFECT FIT YOU SHOULD GET HIM BEFORE SOMEBODY ELSE DOES... PHIL START HELPING THIS GUYS STOP CHEWING GUM DO YOUR JOB OR PLEASE GO HOME!!!
GO LAKERS!!
Posted by: HOWMUCH DOES PHIL MAKE A YEAR? OMG!! | November 13, 2009 at 10:19 PM
YEAH! PHIL IS JUST NOT THAT GOOD, AND IS DECLINING. THIS IS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT HE IS COACHING EXACTLY THE SAME WAY HE DID WHEN HE WON 10 RINGS, 4 WITH THE LAKERS. LET FIRE THIS GUY AND REPLACE HIM WITH A GUY WHO GOT FIRED FROM HIS LAST TWO TEAMS BECAUSE HIS PLAYERS HATED TO PLAY FOR HIM AND HE COULDN"T COACH HIS WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG!
Posted by: phred | November 13, 2009 at 11:03 PM
BLOG CRUE
I was in the trenches tonight ducking insults and Denver fans. If you're going to lose, make it hurt. I hope the Lake Show remembers this one. I was in the nose bleeds but I saw Ron's first edgy night. At least Phil took him out before he got crazy.
Let the sting hurt all the way home. I left (and so did many) at the start of the 4th Q.
Colorado still loves our World Champion Lakers!
Posted by: Hugo Boss | November 13, 2009 at 11:32 PM
The reason for the loss to Denver is simply that the Laker bench SUCKS!
Posted by: Donna | November 14, 2009 at 12:11 AM
Worst team effort I have ever seen from the Lakers. Fisher is too slow, too old, and his shooting is awful. Farmer still cannot make solid passes and make decisions on the floor. Walton is still smoking somthing. Powell plays good sometimes and then somtimes not. Morrison forget him. Kobe got eaten alive by the Denver defense. Artest still has not shown up to play. Wow, what a mess.
Posted by: bedo | November 14, 2009 at 08:36 AM
2010 SLAM DUNK COMPETITION: SHANNON BROWN- LOS ANGELES LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Sean | November 14, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Trevor Ariza last night:
Points: 28
Rebounds: 6
Assists: 5
Steals: 5
Good job Kupcake.
Posted by: waus | November 14, 2009 at 11:31 AM
TheLakers are looking really unmotivated. The bench is a fraud. Artest is a sham. Without Pau and Kobe at full strength playing like Supermen, they have NO chance of repeating. Blame Khloe for Lamar's lack of ambition to be great.
Posted by: Mike Tyson | November 14, 2009 at 11:35 AM
That was awful. At least the Clippers played to win last night, right?
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | November 14, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Well, that was awful. But there are games like that over the course of 82. Denver was simply more motivated and played better. You have to give them credit. They were tough last year in the playoffs and tough last night.
The Lakers hopefully will find motivation from this game and learn they don't win just by showing up.
A few lessons:
1) No, Artest cannot take Melo one on one, he needs help.
2) It is still a bad idea to constantly go to Kobe when he is being defended well and forced to take difficult shots. It has been a bad idea for about 10 years. These are the games when they need to move the ball more, not less. 10-17 is just bad.
3) Inside out. The ball needed to go to Drew more in the post. He was the only efficient Laker last night (8-13, 15 boards), but oddly they did not look for him much in the post.
4) The Lakers bench, without Odom, does not come into games and TURN momentum the Lakers' way. At best they survive. At worst, well, last night. They played the same way they did in garbage time against Phoenix. No focus from the bench players. Just putting in minutes.
5) Second nights of back-to-backs, with west to east trave and mile altitude, take some of the spring out of your step.
6) 81 wins or 73 wins or whatever the number is are silly goals. Learn how to play together and how to win and how to stay in games like this. Then kick ass in the playoffs.
7) We need Pau!!!
8) We may need a good guard other than Kobe. Who will step up? They looked bad last night. Fisher 0-5, Sasha 0-4, Shannon 1-8. The Lakers need much better guard play.
These games happen. The good news is the guys listen to the coaches for a few days afterwards.
Tom D.
Posted by: Tom Daniels | November 14, 2009 at 02:53 PM
Waus, over on Houston Artest would have posted those same numbers. Ariza is just doing Artests old job now. He wouldn't be doing that on the Lakers. He'd be defending and taking spot 3's. Let's not compare how he's doing over there and expect he'd be doing the same here.
Posted by: J-Dizzle | November 14, 2009 at 04:35 PM
We as Lakers fans need to be real and face the facts, first Kobe was DISGUSTING . Trying to carry the team by himself, no team offense just Kobe going gangster, LO was being PUNKED by Kmart, don't believe me look at the tape. No guard play at all, Thriller was DRILLED, bad night for the boys. But why are you laughing and smiling on the bench while getting your ASS Drilled, I don't get it.
Posted by: 2 PHATT | November 14, 2009 at 08:47 PM
It was one lousy game on the end of a back to back, they didn't have their 2nd best player, maybe their best unselfish player, and they were playing a good team that was desparate to win. Relax Laker fans, we were never going 81-1. Newsflash, we're going to lose a couple of more games this year.
Posted by: Mark | November 15, 2009 at 09:13 AM
Regarding the post called for Phil to be replaced by Byron Scott; I found it comical. I am a big fan of the Showtime Lakers era and also B Scott fan but to replace Phil with Byron? Are you out of your mind? Byron has yet to win a championship let alone ten. NBA season consists of 82 games, and the Lakers are not going to win all of them. It is a long season, there is no need to take any drasctic action now.
Posted by: CTran | November 15, 2009 at 09:26 AM
I'd have to agree Tom Daniels that Drew needs more touches with Pau out. My god he was 8 for 13 and they kept reversing the ball away from him and going to Kobe. WTF?
Posted by: Mark | November 15, 2009 at 10:25 AM
PHIL is the biggest fraud out there his style of coaching is to critisize ,the same as calling a person fat to make them stop eating,it doesn't work. On the lakers first loss I did not see phil get up off his butt until the lakers were on a run and making a comeback,which got them out of rythum and they loss,what kind of coaching was that? If Kobe don't coach on the floor they lose and his boy Lamar played terrible and he let him play as if he were doing good.If Kobe leaves next year Phil will leave if he stays Phil will stay because he knows that with this team and Kobe acting as assistant coach it does'nt mater who the coach is,if Phil was that great the Bulls would have won without Jordon that year that he left.Phil just like his evil Shack are frauds.
Posted by: barbra | November 15, 2009 at 10:28 AM
The Lakers do not go out on their first big road trip of the year until Dec 12. Over the next 27 days leading up to that point, they only play 12 games. Out of those 12, 11 are at Staples. The lone road game is Nov 28 @ GSW after having 3 days off. The only back-to-back game is Nov 29 vs NJ @ Staples.
Right now they are 7-2. No team in the league is doing any better than that in the loss column. If the Lakers can win 10 of the next 12, they will be 17-4 when they hit the road.
I know 18-3 or even 19-2 looks much better. I'm just being a little cautious :)
Posted by: Lakers66 | November 15, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Phil, it's time to go, this team is just not responding to your zen like approach anymore. You are failing to meet the match ups and your level of excitement (or lack there of) kills me, you need to light a fire in this young team. Fisher is my favorite Laker and has been for many years, that being said, it's time Phil makes the decision make him the backup guard. Fisher is great in the crunch but his legs aren't what they used to be and his offense is not nearly what it was. Phil, make the call to start either Farmar or Brown because the longer you wait the harder that transition becomes. Byron Scott, where are you?, Brian Shaw, man up and beat the doors of the front office, it's time for a change. Thanks for the yeoman's job Phil but its time to go.
Posted by: Leonard Love's the Lakers | November 15, 2009 at 09:16 PM