But it gets worse XFactor and eewwll
now they are blaming the fans:
the fans are to fault now
Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!
- Thread starter cranrab
- Start date
the fans are to fault nowthe funniest part is how (in a vain, futile effort) every tobe and fakers fan is so perplexed when trying to explain how "the world's greatest player" could be failing so hard in the NBA finals.
they just can't (or won't) admit that they don't know shit about basketball. false pride is a bitch, ain't it?
the BEST example is how they're crediting paul pierce's defense on tobe, when really tobe is MR. self check. always has been, always will. streaky euro chuckers like him have aberrent games where they appear proficient, but that's part of the illusion.
they just can't (or won't) admit that they don't know shit about basketball. false pride is a bitch, ain't it?
the BEST example is how they're crediting paul pierce's defense on tobe, when really tobe is MR. self check. always has been, always will. streaky euro chuckers like him have aberrent games where they appear proficient, but that's part of the illusion.
you'll have to cut and paste the link, but listen to pau gasol from last night's post game (2:10 mark):
http://boss[dot]streamos[dot]com/wmedia/nba/nbacom/press_conf/pc08_gasol_p404_boslal_080612.asx
replace "[dot]" with "." and you're good.
False pride is the downfall of most.
Life took mine away years ago...Best thing ever happened to me
It's almost sad not having Laker fans talking shit anymore.
This article blames one person..as if the C's were down one with 3 seconds left.
C's One Win Away From Proving Defense Wins Championships
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
(Archive)
LOS ANGELES -- Defense wins championships, and the Celtics played D like the champs they almost are.
Sasha Vujacic's defense? Well, let's just say if we knew the Slovenian word for matador, we'd be typing it right here.
Whether you call Boston's 97-91 victory Thursday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals an epic comeback by the Celtics or an epic collapse by the Lakers, there was one play that encapsulated the night-and-day difference between the defensive capabilities of the two teams.
It came late in the final minute of the fourth quarter, long after the Celtics had erased every last bit of an early 24-point deficit. The Lakers needed a stop, the Celtics needed a score, and Ray Allen found himself with the ball at the top of the key, isolated against Vujacic, with Kevin Garnett starting to come out top to set a screen.
"Paul [Pierce] was exhausted, and you could see it. He didn't want to come to the ball. It was really supposed to be a middle pick-and-roll with Kevin and Ray, and Ray waved Kevin off because he liked the matchup that he had, so he didn't want to bring in another defender to help," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "It was a great call by Ray, and then him getting to the basket was huge. The layup was just tremendous."
The layup wasn't merely tremendous, putting Boston ahead 96-91, it was practically uncontested.
Vujacic simply allowed Allen to drive around him, waving a hand toward Allen's midsection but failing to move his feet to deny Allen the lane, and no help defenders came over in time to seriously contest the shot.
"The whole game, from the minute I came in, they called fouls on me. He fell down, foul. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes, and everything I did was a foul. He got me. He went to the basket, and it was a good basket. I don't know what else to say," Vujacic said, half-forlorn, half-disgusted as he stood in front of his locker in a morose Lakers dressing room.
Did he expect Allen to drive left instead of right? Did he expect stronger help to come?
"I wanted to stay with him, I wanted to stay aggressive, but again, there would be a foul. So I kind of stood back, I gave him the room to operate, and he went to the basket, so that was a bad defensive decision on my side," Vujacic said. "It doesn't matter, help or not, we came out and were supposed to be more aggressive, and not let him breathe at the top of the key. It's a tough loss, it hurts, but we're not done yet."
Well, the Lakers will be done -- perhaps Sunday, perhaps back in Boston next Tuesday or next Thursday -- if they don't find a way to get their offense back into whatever gear it was they found in the first quarter in opening a 35-14 lead, scoring two more points in those 12 minutes than they would score in the entire second half.
Lamar Odom was 6-for-6 in the opening period and 7-for-7 at halftime when Los Angeles still held a 58-40 lead and was dominating virtually every statistical category (outshooting Boston 50 to 35 percent, outrebounding the Celtics 26-16, out-assisting them 15-4 and holding a 14-1 edge in second-chance points.
But Boston outscored the Lakers 31-15 in the third quarter (for the series, they've outscored Los Angeles by an average of almost 11 points in the third quarters) to cut the deficit to two, then went ahead for good when Eddie House knocked down an 18-footer with 4:07 left.
From there, Boston held Los Angeles to three buckets, the last of which -- a dunk by Pau Gasol with 40 seconds left -- preceded the key possession on which Allen was isolated against Vujacic.
"Kevin ran up to set a screen, and as he was setting the screen, I told him: 'Let me take him one-on-one,'" Allen said. "I made my move, and I looked up and he was behind me, and I had the whole basket free and clear."
The layup gave Allen the last of his 19 points on a night when the Celtics also got 20 points from Pierce, 16 from Garnett and a totally unexpected 18 from James Posey.
But the numbers that really made the difference for Boston were reflected in the second-half totals: holding the Lakers to 33 points on 33 percent shooting, outrebounding them 24-15 and knocking down four 3-pointers to the Lakers' zero.
"We let a huge opportunity slip away, so I'm upset, hurt disappointed. It's a huge loss, no doubt about it," Kobe Bryant said. "It was terrible."
Yes it was, unless you were watching that game clad in green and white. For Celtics' fans, there was nothing terrible about it.
And with one more win, we'll be talking all summer about how defense -- and Vujacic's lack thereof -- was a major, major reason why a 17th banner will be hanging from the rafters at the new Boston Garden.
C's One Win Away From Proving Defense Wins Championships
By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
(Archive)
LOS ANGELES -- Defense wins championships, and the Celtics played D like the champs they almost are.
Sasha Vujacic's defense? Well, let's just say if we knew the Slovenian word for matador, we'd be typing it right here.
Whether you call Boston's 97-91 victory Thursday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals an epic comeback by the Celtics or an epic collapse by the Lakers, there was one play that encapsulated the night-and-day difference between the defensive capabilities of the two teams.
It came late in the final minute of the fourth quarter, long after the Celtics had erased every last bit of an early 24-point deficit. The Lakers needed a stop, the Celtics needed a score, and Ray Allen found himself with the ball at the top of the key, isolated against Vujacic, with Kevin Garnett starting to come out top to set a screen.
"Paul [Pierce] was exhausted, and you could see it. He didn't want to come to the ball. It was really supposed to be a middle pick-and-roll with Kevin and Ray, and Ray waved Kevin off because he liked the matchup that he had, so he didn't want to bring in another defender to help," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "It was a great call by Ray, and then him getting to the basket was huge. The layup was just tremendous."
The layup wasn't merely tremendous, putting Boston ahead 96-91, it was practically uncontested.
Vujacic simply allowed Allen to drive around him, waving a hand toward Allen's midsection but failing to move his feet to deny Allen the lane, and no help defenders came over in time to seriously contest the shot.
"The whole game, from the minute I came in, they called fouls on me. He fell down, foul. I was trying to find a way to guard him for 48 minutes, and everything I did was a foul. He got me. He went to the basket, and it was a good basket. I don't know what else to say," Vujacic said, half-forlorn, half-disgusted as he stood in front of his locker in a morose Lakers dressing room.
Did he expect Allen to drive left instead of right? Did he expect stronger help to come?
"I wanted to stay with him, I wanted to stay aggressive, but again, there would be a foul. So I kind of stood back, I gave him the room to operate, and he went to the basket, so that was a bad defensive decision on my side," Vujacic said. "It doesn't matter, help or not, we came out and were supposed to be more aggressive, and not let him breathe at the top of the key. It's a tough loss, it hurts, but we're not done yet."
Well, the Lakers will be done -- perhaps Sunday, perhaps back in Boston next Tuesday or next Thursday -- if they don't find a way to get their offense back into whatever gear it was they found in the first quarter in opening a 35-14 lead, scoring two more points in those 12 minutes than they would score in the entire second half.
Lamar Odom was 6-for-6 in the opening period and 7-for-7 at halftime when Los Angeles still held a 58-40 lead and was dominating virtually every statistical category (outshooting Boston 50 to 35 percent, outrebounding the Celtics 26-16, out-assisting them 15-4 and holding a 14-1 edge in second-chance points.
But Boston outscored the Lakers 31-15 in the third quarter (for the series, they've outscored Los Angeles by an average of almost 11 points in the third quarters) to cut the deficit to two, then went ahead for good when Eddie House knocked down an 18-footer with 4:07 left.
From there, Boston held Los Angeles to three buckets, the last of which -- a dunk by Pau Gasol with 40 seconds left -- preceded the key possession on which Allen was isolated against Vujacic.
"Kevin ran up to set a screen, and as he was setting the screen, I told him: 'Let me take him one-on-one,'" Allen said. "I made my move, and I looked up and he was behind me, and I had the whole basket free and clear."
The layup gave Allen the last of his 19 points on a night when the Celtics also got 20 points from Pierce, 16 from Garnett and a totally unexpected 18 from James Posey.
But the numbers that really made the difference for Boston were reflected in the second-half totals: holding the Lakers to 33 points on 33 percent shooting, outrebounding them 24-15 and knocking down four 3-pointers to the Lakers' zero.
"We let a huge opportunity slip away, so I'm upset, hurt disappointed. It's a huge loss, no doubt about it," Kobe Bryant said. "It was terrible."
Yes it was, unless you were watching that game clad in green and white. For Celtics' fans, there was nothing terrible about it.
And with one more win, we'll be talking all summer about how defense -- and Vujacic's lack thereof -- was a major, major reason why a 17th banner will be hanging from the rafters at the new Boston Garden.
For Garnett and Gasol, Game 4 told the tale
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
Updated: June 13, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- There's a reason the Celtics succeeded in Game 4 whereas the Lakers failed in Game 2 in the historic task of coming back from a 24-point deficit in the NBA Finals. That difference was personified when Pau Gasol checked back in with 6:06 remaining in the fourth quarter Thursday. The most important moments of the year call for great defensive play. The Lakers aren't equipped to do that.
The final half of the game's final quarter was a referendum on the two landscape-changing trades of the past 12 months. The two individuals who brought renewed hope to their franchises were both on the court, with the tenor of the Finals hanging in the balance. It would be a brand-new series, all squared at two, or the only remaining detail would be the date of the parade in Boston.
The Lakers got this far because of the added dimension Gasol brought to their offense as a skilled shooter and deft passer who made the Lakers a threat from every position on the court. He has become even more critical to the Lakers' identity because the Celtics' defense has kept Bryant from dominating in every game except the third one.
Bryant's 17-point game was a function of the early effectiveness of the other Lakers and his willingness to pass to them in the first half, but Boston was directly responsible for yet another Bryant stretch of more field goal attempts than points in the second half.
See, the Celtics built their brand on the defensive intensity of Kevin Garnett.
That's what prevailed in Game 4, when the free-flowing, high-scoring ways the Lakers enjoyed in the first half came to an abrupt halt midway through the third quarter, when passes and layups turned into extended dribbles and 3-pointers against the Celtics' defensive wall, and the lead, which crested at 24 points halfway through the second quarter, kept getting smaller and smaller until the Celtics finally pushed ahead on an Eddie House jumper with 4:07 left. No team had lost a game after leading by such a margin in the Finals since the Elias Sports Bureau started keeping records in the 1970-71 season.
We have seen the flaws of both Garnett and Gasol on full display in this series. But the Celtics can survive Garnett's weaknesses. The Lakers have not been able to get past Gasol's.
Run all the drills you want, but defense comes down to desire and instincts. And something in Gasol's defensive DNA held him back the last time the Lakers had a chance to do anything in this game. In a sense they had already lost. This is the position they didn't want to be in, having to get a defensive stop to win, instead of merely giving the ball to Bryant and asking him to deliver a victory the way he has so many times before.
The Celtics led by three points, but there was still enough time on the clock that the Lakers didn't have to foul to get a chance to regain possession. Ray Allen dribbled around and around, resetting at the Lakers logo at midcourt, then driving past Sasha Vujacic and getting all the way to the basket. Gasol was on the right side of the lane, guarding Garnett. He kept guarding him for too long, belatedly approaching Allen as the Celtics guard got closer and closer to the basket for the layup that gave Boston an insurmountable five-point lead with 16 seconds remaining.
(Speaking of insurmountable, no team has ever come back to win the NBA Finals after falling into the 3-1 hole the Lakers find themselves in.)
Lakers coach Phil Jackson let Gasol off the hook, saying his players were instructed to stay with the shooters. Vujacic took the blame for his defense on Allen, saying, "I wasn't as aggressive as I should be and he went to the basket. So it was completely my fault."
That's all fine and honorable. No under-the-bus-throwing in the Lakers' locker room.
Now let's go back and imagine if Garnett had been traded to the Lakers and the Celtics dumped some expiring contracts off on the Grizzlies for Gasol.
Is there any way Garnett lets Allen swoop all the way in for a layup there? No. None at all. In fact, we'd just seen an example on the Lakers' last basket the play before, when Bryant drove, Garnett came over, and Bryant dropped the ball off to Gasol for a dunk.
The difference between what Gasol was told to do and what he should have done seemed to sink in with the Spanish center after the game.
"I saw the shot clock running down and kind of went to make sure I put a body on Garnett for the rebound, but I probably should have helped [Vujacic] out, react to that penetration," Gasol said.
Garnett, meanwhile, finally produced some plays to answer the critics.
Doc Rivers sat him for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and while he was out Leon Powe made a tough shot in the lane. I wondered then why we never see Garnett do that. But maybe Garnett saw the light.
When he returned he backed in for a 7-foot jumper that tied the score. And he also made two free throws and another close-range jumper. No more long jump shots that have had so many fans shaking their heads, wondering why the tallest Celtic on the court won't go inside.
Speaking of defense, both coaches found themselves defending their big men before the game.
Jackson was asked, in one of the most remarkable questions of the week, what he thought about the word "soft" and how it applied to Gasol.
Jackson said he believed that Gasol's reputation of not being "tough enough or powerful enough to be a center" was the reason Memphis put him on the block, but that "he's constantly risen to the occasion in every series that we've gone through this year." Only one thing: "I won't touch the word soft, though."
Rivers was asked to address Garnett's inability -- or is it unwillingness? -- to deliver in crunch time, and he made a pointed bit of psychoanalysis.
"If Paul [Pierce] makes three shots in a row, he's shooting the fourth time he gets the ball whether it's a good shot or not," Rivers said. "Kobe as well. If Kevin makes three in a row, he's thinking that he's taken too many shots already and needs to get someone involved."
"I'm not perfect," Garnett said, and that's one of the things that makes him so fascinating. He hasn't been able to overcome his weaknesses to add a championship to all of his other accolades.
But something went off inside him Thursday.
"Even before I put the tape [of Game 3] in, I knew what kind of focus I had to have in this game," Garnett said. "And I would have to be in aggressive mode from the giddy-up."
He found his way. He was a threat. So much so, that Gasol stayed with him -- and stayed true to his nature -- on that fateful play.
This is who the Lakers got, this is who they are. As a result, this is where they are, on the wrong side of history in so many ways.
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
Updated: June 13, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- There's a reason the Celtics succeeded in Game 4 whereas the Lakers failed in Game 2 in the historic task of coming back from a 24-point deficit in the NBA Finals. That difference was personified when Pau Gasol checked back in with 6:06 remaining in the fourth quarter Thursday. The most important moments of the year call for great defensive play. The Lakers aren't equipped to do that.
The final half of the game's final quarter was a referendum on the two landscape-changing trades of the past 12 months. The two individuals who brought renewed hope to their franchises were both on the court, with the tenor of the Finals hanging in the balance. It would be a brand-new series, all squared at two, or the only remaining detail would be the date of the parade in Boston.
The Lakers got this far because of the added dimension Gasol brought to their offense as a skilled shooter and deft passer who made the Lakers a threat from every position on the court. He has become even more critical to the Lakers' identity because the Celtics' defense has kept Bryant from dominating in every game except the third one.
Bryant's 17-point game was a function of the early effectiveness of the other Lakers and his willingness to pass to them in the first half, but Boston was directly responsible for yet another Bryant stretch of more field goal attempts than points in the second half.
See, the Celtics built their brand on the defensive intensity of Kevin Garnett.
That's what prevailed in Game 4, when the free-flowing, high-scoring ways the Lakers enjoyed in the first half came to an abrupt halt midway through the third quarter, when passes and layups turned into extended dribbles and 3-pointers against the Celtics' defensive wall, and the lead, which crested at 24 points halfway through the second quarter, kept getting smaller and smaller until the Celtics finally pushed ahead on an Eddie House jumper with 4:07 left. No team had lost a game after leading by such a margin in the Finals since the Elias Sports Bureau started keeping records in the 1970-71 season.
We have seen the flaws of both Garnett and Gasol on full display in this series. But the Celtics can survive Garnett's weaknesses. The Lakers have not been able to get past Gasol's.
Run all the drills you want, but defense comes down to desire and instincts. And something in Gasol's defensive DNA held him back the last time the Lakers had a chance to do anything in this game. In a sense they had already lost. This is the position they didn't want to be in, having to get a defensive stop to win, instead of merely giving the ball to Bryant and asking him to deliver a victory the way he has so many times before.
The Celtics led by three points, but there was still enough time on the clock that the Lakers didn't have to foul to get a chance to regain possession. Ray Allen dribbled around and around, resetting at the Lakers logo at midcourt, then driving past Sasha Vujacic and getting all the way to the basket. Gasol was on the right side of the lane, guarding Garnett. He kept guarding him for too long, belatedly approaching Allen as the Celtics guard got closer and closer to the basket for the layup that gave Boston an insurmountable five-point lead with 16 seconds remaining.
(Speaking of insurmountable, no team has ever come back to win the NBA Finals after falling into the 3-1 hole the Lakers find themselves in.)
Lakers coach Phil Jackson let Gasol off the hook, saying his players were instructed to stay with the shooters. Vujacic took the blame for his defense on Allen, saying, "I wasn't as aggressive as I should be and he went to the basket. So it was completely my fault."
That's all fine and honorable. No under-the-bus-throwing in the Lakers' locker room.
Now let's go back and imagine if Garnett had been traded to the Lakers and the Celtics dumped some expiring contracts off on the Grizzlies for Gasol.
Is there any way Garnett lets Allen swoop all the way in for a layup there? No. None at all. In fact, we'd just seen an example on the Lakers' last basket the play before, when Bryant drove, Garnett came over, and Bryant dropped the ball off to Gasol for a dunk.
The difference between what Gasol was told to do and what he should have done seemed to sink in with the Spanish center after the game.
"I saw the shot clock running down and kind of went to make sure I put a body on Garnett for the rebound, but I probably should have helped [Vujacic] out, react to that penetration," Gasol said.
Garnett, meanwhile, finally produced some plays to answer the critics.
Doc Rivers sat him for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and while he was out Leon Powe made a tough shot in the lane. I wondered then why we never see Garnett do that. But maybe Garnett saw the light.
When he returned he backed in for a 7-foot jumper that tied the score. And he also made two free throws and another close-range jumper. No more long jump shots that have had so many fans shaking their heads, wondering why the tallest Celtic on the court won't go inside.
Speaking of defense, both coaches found themselves defending their big men before the game.
Jackson was asked, in one of the most remarkable questions of the week, what he thought about the word "soft" and how it applied to Gasol.
Jackson said he believed that Gasol's reputation of not being "tough enough or powerful enough to be a center" was the reason Memphis put him on the block, but that "he's constantly risen to the occasion in every series that we've gone through this year." Only one thing: "I won't touch the word soft, though."
Rivers was asked to address Garnett's inability -- or is it unwillingness? -- to deliver in crunch time, and he made a pointed bit of psychoanalysis.
"If Paul [Pierce] makes three shots in a row, he's shooting the fourth time he gets the ball whether it's a good shot or not," Rivers said. "Kobe as well. If Kevin makes three in a row, he's thinking that he's taken too many shots already and needs to get someone involved."
"I'm not perfect," Garnett said, and that's one of the things that makes him so fascinating. He hasn't been able to overcome his weaknesses to add a championship to all of his other accolades.
But something went off inside him Thursday.
"Even before I put the tape [of Game 3] in, I knew what kind of focus I had to have in this game," Garnett said. "And I would have to be in aggressive mode from the giddy-up."
He found his way. He was a threat. So much so, that Gasol stayed with him -- and stayed true to his nature -- on that fateful play.
This is who the Lakers got, this is who they are. As a result, this is where they are, on the wrong side of history in so many ways.
But it gets worse XFactor and eewwll
now they are blaming the fans:
You didn't post my favorite part of that post, SP:
After a Lakers basket, Allen whittled the next 20 seconds off the clock before completely abusing Vujacic for a back-breaking layup. (Special thanks to Gasol for not helping in time -- I'm starting to think Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two draft picks was a fair trade.) Boston by five, 17 seconds left. I'm not kidding, Ray-Ray is in "I'm destroying Papa Shuttlesworth and I'm not signing that letter of intent!!!" mode right now.
(By the way, it's a good thing I didn't go to this game -- I would be losing my freaking mind. The Lakers fans would be beating me up with chardonnay glasses right now.)
8:48: Just when I thought this couldn't get any better, they just cut to a replay of Vujacic punching a chair and fighting back tears on the bench. That wasn't just the best moment of the Celtics season, I think it was the best moment of my life.
i just read the thread on BGOL where this stan admitted he didn't even watch the game!
but came in here ready to defend his man to the last against people who watched the game go down unedited.
how sweet.
http://www.bgol.us/board/showpost.php?p=4244244&postcount=9
How could Phil Jackson let this happen?
The Lakers' coach has some explaining to do after his team blows a 24-point lead and loses Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Celtics.
June 13, 2008
Incomprehensible. Disgusting. Deflating. Ridiculous. Sickening.
Impossible to fathom. A total meltdown. Appalling. Revolting. Depressing.
Talk about a choke job. Historical and horrifying. Alarming. Shocking.
The Lakers have the game's best coach, the game's best player and a 24-point lead almost halfway into a game they really must win, and they fall apart, disappear, take the rest of the night off.
Unexplainable. Laughable, if everyone isn't crying, and Boston doesn't have to win but one more game to win a championship that was still there in the Lakers' clutches.
The Lakers get the quarter of all quarters from Lamar Odom, and one quarter from Lamar Odom in this series is a gift from beyond, and it's not enough.
The Celtics are limping, their center going to the locker room holding his shoulder, and no way, no how can this happen.
"I mentioned at halftime we had to come out and win the third quarter," Phil Jackson said, and so the Lakers came out and were outscored, 31-15, in the third quarter.
Sasha Vujacic is the hero in Game 3, and one for nine in Game 4, playing without his athletic supporter after Ray Allen left him behind to secure the victory.
"Can you describe what happened," a reporter began, and while he continued to be more specific about the play of Vujacic, it should've stood as the only question of the night for Jackson, who is not supposed to let something like this happen.
Inexcusable.
I RECEIVED several hundred e-mails from folks in Boston who wanted to know if I was some kind of idiot. Imagine that.
I had written an article the other day about Curt Schilling's blog and had mentioned the fact he was picking on Kobe Bryant, "our consummate team player," and every one of these people e-mailed to say Bryant is not the consummate team player. Imagine my surprise.
They also directed me to another blogger, Bill somebody-or-other, who writes for ESPN.
"It has been hysterical to watch the city of Los Angeles rush to Kobe's defense by ripping Schilling, as evidenced by [Simers'] column," wrote somebody-or-other, "instead of coming to grips with the fact the last five months of hunky-dory, 'Good Ship Lollipop' Lakers stories was Hollywood's biggest (bogus) story of the year. . . . Kobe is a wonderful basketball player. We all concede this point. Just don't keep trying to sell us on the fact he's a good teammate."
If even the really knowledgeable, astute bloggers in this business are tired of my trying to defend Kobe, then maybe I should just stop.
NBA COMMISSIONER David Stern called the media together 30 minutes before the game, everybody figuring he was going to tip them on who might win Game 4.
Instead, Stern wanted to make it clear the NBA is on the up and up. He said every official in the league has been asked if he ever fixed a game, and gee-whiz, golly-gee, you know what -- none of them said they have ever cheated.
That takes care of that, as far as Stern is concerned.
If they want to begin clearing the refereeing cloud hanging over the NBA, they should start tagging players with technical fouls every time they so much as make a face or say anything about a call or non-call -- throwing players out of the game until they get the message that such histrionics won't be tolerated.
That means PauGasol probably won't be around for the end of the game, but once he gets the message, maybe he'll stop whining and encouraging the fans to challenge every whistle or non-whistle.
TODAY'S LAST word comes in e-mail from Richard Turnage:
"Just watched the player introductions and saw something kinda strange. When Gasol ran onto the court, he was subjected to a gauntlet of teammates giving him numerous, spirited 'high fives.' Out of habit, Pau immediately started contorting his face and rolling his eyes, searching out a ref to screech he was fouled."
Can't top that.
The Lakers' coach has some explaining to do after his team blows a 24-point lead and loses Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Celtics.
June 13, 2008
Incomprehensible. Disgusting. Deflating. Ridiculous. Sickening.
Impossible to fathom. A total meltdown. Appalling. Revolting. Depressing.
Talk about a choke job. Historical and horrifying. Alarming. Shocking.
The Lakers have the game's best coach, the game's best player and a 24-point lead almost halfway into a game they really must win, and they fall apart, disappear, take the rest of the night off.
Unexplainable. Laughable, if everyone isn't crying, and Boston doesn't have to win but one more game to win a championship that was still there in the Lakers' clutches.
The Lakers get the quarter of all quarters from Lamar Odom, and one quarter from Lamar Odom in this series is a gift from beyond, and it's not enough.
The Celtics are limping, their center going to the locker room holding his shoulder, and no way, no how can this happen.
"I mentioned at halftime we had to come out and win the third quarter," Phil Jackson said, and so the Lakers came out and were outscored, 31-15, in the third quarter.
Sasha Vujacic is the hero in Game 3, and one for nine in Game 4, playing without his athletic supporter after Ray Allen left him behind to secure the victory.
"Can you describe what happened," a reporter began, and while he continued to be more specific about the play of Vujacic, it should've stood as the only question of the night for Jackson, who is not supposed to let something like this happen.
Inexcusable.
I RECEIVED several hundred e-mails from folks in Boston who wanted to know if I was some kind of idiot. Imagine that.
I had written an article the other day about Curt Schilling's blog and had mentioned the fact he was picking on Kobe Bryant, "our consummate team player," and every one of these people e-mailed to say Bryant is not the consummate team player. Imagine my surprise.
They also directed me to another blogger, Bill somebody-or-other, who writes for ESPN.
"It has been hysterical to watch the city of Los Angeles rush to Kobe's defense by ripping Schilling, as evidenced by [Simers'] column," wrote somebody-or-other, "instead of coming to grips with the fact the last five months of hunky-dory, 'Good Ship Lollipop' Lakers stories was Hollywood's biggest (bogus) story of the year. . . . Kobe is a wonderful basketball player. We all concede this point. Just don't keep trying to sell us on the fact he's a good teammate."
If even the really knowledgeable, astute bloggers in this business are tired of my trying to defend Kobe, then maybe I should just stop.
NBA COMMISSIONER David Stern called the media together 30 minutes before the game, everybody figuring he was going to tip them on who might win Game 4.
Instead, Stern wanted to make it clear the NBA is on the up and up. He said every official in the league has been asked if he ever fixed a game, and gee-whiz, golly-gee, you know what -- none of them said they have ever cheated.
That takes care of that, as far as Stern is concerned.
If they want to begin clearing the refereeing cloud hanging over the NBA, they should start tagging players with technical fouls every time they so much as make a face or say anything about a call or non-call -- throwing players out of the game until they get the message that such histrionics won't be tolerated.
That means PauGasol probably won't be around for the end of the game, but once he gets the message, maybe he'll stop whining and encouraging the fans to challenge every whistle or non-whistle.
TODAY'S LAST word comes in e-mail from Richard Turnage:
"Just watched the player introductions and saw something kinda strange. When Gasol ran onto the court, he was subjected to a gauntlet of teammates giving him numerous, spirited 'high fives.' Out of habit, Pau immediately started contorting his face and rolling his eyes, searching out a ref to screech he was fouled."
Can't top that.
i just read the thread on BGOL where this stan admitted he didn't even watch the game!
but came in here ready to defend his man to the last against people who watched the game go down unedited.
how sweet.
http://www.bgol.us/board/showpost.php?p=4244244&postcount=9
I noticed you quoted me but failed to address what i asked. If i see the boxscore saying Lamar Odom had 15 first half points but only 4 second half [oints then that tells me one thing....................
no, that means you inferred the wrong thing.
seeing as how you admitted YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE GAME, you outed yourself as a box score reader, SPECULATING on what happened.
furthermore, even if you stayed up to watch the ESPN replay, that is EDITED FOR LENGTH and does not rebroadcast the game in its entirety.
it IS valid to query why lamar odom's point production drastically reduced. the ONLY CORRECT answer is that tobe monopolized the ball in Q3.
and 1 more thing. take off the rainbow cape. tobe started chucking BEFORE the collapse, not AFTER. you queer stans trying to paint tobe as trying to lead a heroic comeback when he was the SOLE reason the fakers blew the lead.
listen to the post game comments of lamar odom, pau gasol and sasha vujacic. they all point the finger at tobe using the EXACT SAME WORDS.
no, that means you inferred the wrong thing.
seeing as how you admitted YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE GAME, you outed yourself as a box score reader, SPECULATING on what happened.
furthermore, even if you stayed up to watch the ESPN replay, that is EDITED FOR LENGTH and does not rebroadcast the game in its entirety.
it IS valid to query why lamar odom's point production drastically reduced. the ONLY CORRECT answer is that tobe monopolized the ball in Q3.
and 1 more thing. take off the rainbow cape. tobe started chucking BEFORE the collapse, not AFTER. you queer stans trying to paint tobe as trying to lead a heroic comeback when he was the SOLE reason the fakers blew the lead.
listen to the post game comments of lamar odom, pau gasol and sasha vujacic. they all point the finger at tobe using the EXACT SAME WORDS.
Phil Jackson is saying the same things now.
He keeps pointing out that the lead was 18 when there was ball movement and the team was involved.
He has resorted to showing Kobe Garnett's comments. Garnett pointed out:
“Usually the first half is team ball, second half is usually Kobe takes over the games,” Garnett said. “It just looks like they wanted to get the ball to Kobe and him sort of finish it off. ... We were giving Kobe every look we’ve got in the book, from different matchups to trapping him to a guy on the bottom. We were just making other guys make plays.”
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25151306/
It is more than obvious Kobe shot them out of the game.
..I don't think Kobe has ever dealt with this much criticism before:
Kobe Criticized For Drinking Comment
More Lakers News
Jun 14, 2008 7:57 AM EST
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been criticized for telling reporters following the team's Game Four loss that the best way to deal with the defeat was to drink it off, according to The Standard-Times.
He has drawn the ire of the national director of Students Against Destructive Decisions for his comments.
"Whine about it tonight. A lot of wine ... a lot of beer, a couple of shots — maybe like 20 of them. Digest it, get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do," he said at a press conference Thursday night after L.A.'s demoralizing 97-91 loss to Boston.
The comments are widely thought to be light-hearted, but that hasn't kept people from criticizing Bryant.
"Tongue-in-cheek or not, his comments send a terrible message to young people who see these athletes as role models," said Stephen Wallace, national chairman and CEO of SADD (formerly Students Against Driving Drunk). "I think it only adds to the terribly mixed message our society sends to young people about alcohol."
Kobe Criticized For Drinking Comment
More Lakers News
Jun 14, 2008 7:57 AM EST
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has been criticized for telling reporters following the team's Game Four loss that the best way to deal with the defeat was to drink it off, according to The Standard-Times.
He has drawn the ire of the national director of Students Against Destructive Decisions for his comments.
"Whine about it tonight. A lot of wine ... a lot of beer, a couple of shots — maybe like 20 of them. Digest it, get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do," he said at a press conference Thursday night after L.A.'s demoralizing 97-91 loss to Boston.
The comments are widely thought to be light-hearted, but that hasn't kept people from criticizing Bryant.
"Tongue-in-cheek or not, his comments send a terrible message to young people who see these athletes as role models," said Stephen Wallace, national chairman and CEO of SADD (formerly Students Against Driving Drunk). "I think it only adds to the terribly mixed message our society sends to young people about alcohol."
Phil Tries To Motivate Kobe Following Loss
Jun 14, 2008 7:45 AM EST
Lakers coach Phil Jackson is trying to motivate Kobe Bryant following the team's historic collapse in Game Four on Thursday night, according to The Contra Costa Times.
Jackson searched through the post-game quotes to find bulletin-board material, citing comments made by Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.
"They're in the transcripts if you want to read the transcripts," was all Jackson would say as he opted to keep what comments he used private.
Jun 14, 2008 7:45 AM EST
Lakers coach Phil Jackson is trying to motivate Kobe Bryant following the team's historic collapse in Game Four on Thursday night, according to The Contra Costa Times.
Jackson searched through the post-game quotes to find bulletin-board material, citing comments made by Celtics forward Kevin Garnett.
"They're in the transcripts if you want to read the transcripts," was all Jackson would say as he opted to keep what comments he used private.
Tendinitis Bothering Odom During Finals?
More Lakers News
The tendinitis in Lamar Odom's knee has flared up during the NBA Finals against the Celtics, according to The Whittier Daily News.
The knee bothered him at times during the season, but the pain has intensified during the first games of the Finals. The injury is no secret, but it might explain why Odom has struggled against Boston.
He is averaging just 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds through the first four games of the Finals. He is also averaging 4.0 fouls and 2.25 turnovers per game.
Odom averaged 14.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the regular season.
More Lakers News
The tendinitis in Lamar Odom's knee has flared up during the NBA Finals against the Celtics, according to The Whittier Daily News.
The knee bothered him at times during the season, but the pain has intensified during the first games of the Finals. The injury is no secret, but it might explain why Odom has struggled against Boston.
He is averaging just 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds through the first four games of the Finals. He is also averaging 4.0 fouls and 2.25 turnovers per game.
Odom averaged 14.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the regular season.
no, that means you inferred the wrong thing.
seeing as how you admitted YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE GAME, you outed yourself as a box score reader, SPECULATING on what happened.
furthermore, even if you stayed up to watch the ESPN replay, that is EDITED FOR LENGTH and does not rebroadcast the game in its entirety.
it IS valid to query why lamar odom's point production drastically reduced. the ONLY CORRECT answer is that tobe monopolized the ball in Q3.
and 1 more thing. take off the rainbow cape. tobe started chucking BEFORE the collapse, not AFTER. you queer stans trying to paint tobe as trying to lead a heroic comeback when he was the SOLE reason the fakers blew the lead.
listen to the post game comments of lamar odom, pau gasol and sasha vujacic. they all point the finger at tobe using the EXACT SAME WORDS.
Nah what i "inferred" was the right thing, Lamar Odoms point, rebound, defense production drastically reduced because if you remember me saying plenty of times before that Odom can't be counted on in the clutch he almost always does his thing in the first half or when the Lakers have a comfortable lead or are behind by alot but when the game his close
. I saw how he played in the second half when he was really needed and it was just like i just described. You Kobe haters are some delusional clowns next you gonna say Kobe was the one guarding all those guys that was shooting those WIDE OPEN shotsLMAOOO @ Odom disappearing completely, Gasol missing point blank range shots/getting outrebounded like he was 6' and Sasha playing playground defense with the game on the line pointing fingers
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. why dont phil jackson just tell Kobe to stop fucking up the team or stop being Selfish. Damn, phil's been pussified. or The Kobe stans will Defend him.
Answer this how many assists did Kobe have in the first half, the Celtics played Kobe the same way throughout the game the only difference is in the first half his teammates made them pay for it by hitting the shots when they were open but in the second half they wasn't hitting shit so the Celtics could concentrate on shutting Kobe down because they weren't worried about the rest of the team making them pay for that strategy
Tendinitis Bothering Odom During Finals?
More Lakers News
The tendinitis in Lamar Odom's knee has flared up during the NBA Finals against the Celtics, according to The Whittier Daily News.
The knee bothered him at times during the season, but the pain has intensified during the first games of the Finals. The injury is no secret, but it might explain why Odom has struggled against Boston.
He is averaging just 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds through the first four games of the Finals. He is also averaging 4.0 fouls and 2.25 turnovers per game.
Odom averaged 14.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in the regular season.
. Cut the excuses, paul pierce,Rondo, Perkins are injured. Rip hamilton/chauncey billups all were hurt. but still played. Lakers are really Soft ..Kobe was looking to Pass the Ball in the 1st half, in the 2nd half he was looking to prove that paul pierce can't guard him, he was giving up the ball very late, when the shot clock was running down.. Garnett summed it up very well, Kobe was supposed to take over in the 2nd half, but Paul pierce made sue that was not going to Happen.
He was passing the ball in the 2nd half too and would either get it passed right back or the play would fall thru (missed shot, turnover, more passes etc..), just like i said earlier once the Celtics saw that the other Lakers weren't gonna hurt them like they did in the first half they were able to focus all their defense on Kobe with no worries.
Since it has been said that you didn't watch Game 4, did you happen to watch Game 1?
They make him pay everytime he runs out to Double team. ANd he does that alot of times. Still wondering why Doc rivers hasnt played Big baby, especially the Game they lost. He Crushes the Board and can score too.
Damn!
I completely forgot Davis hasn't played a minute in the Finals (as far as I know)...
And yes, Perkins has had defensive lapses this series...He has to shore that up next game...
kobe is a joke.
unless he pulls a Jordan Game 6 98 finals....you can kiss that ass goodby.
unless he pulls a Jordan Game 6 98 finals....you can kiss that ass goodby.
you do know that between them reairing the game and various ESPN shows breaking it down you can get all the information you need. From your statement i see you had no comeback for my question
What I'm wondering is why nobody has mentioned that Derek Fisher has been invisible in this series.
cot damn it, RF! try to keep up! it's all william parker's fault.
What question? I wasn't paying much attention to what you asked at first...
Is it the performance of Odom you're asking about? Or the "team ball" that Kobe was supposedly playing in the first half of games?
Well, either way you slice it, you can't excuse the Lakers going away from Odom in Game 4. He hit his first 6 shots and got the Defensive Player of the Year in foul trouble early. By taking away the interior defensive presence of Garnett in the post, the Lakers had a lot of success scoring in the paint in the first half. Once KG got back in, it seemed like the Lakers went away from what worked, which is part of why you see that KG had no fouls the rest of the game...
As far as Kobe "team player" philosophy, it doesn't work...this "get the teammates involved in the first half and then take over in the second" theory is the dumbest strategy to use against a great defensive team...
Look, if you have players in the post who have had success scoring in the first half, then you STAY WITH THAT OPTION. How in the world does a guy who hit his first six shots has just four attempts the rest of the game?! I don't care if he averaged 30 or so PPG this season...I surely don't care if some "experts" voted him for MVP...Kobe just screws the game up by attempting to "take over a game" in the second half...He's only shot over 50% once this whole series, and the two post players for the Lakers have had one game where they have made over 75% of their FGs each. That has to account for something when you're trying to win an NBA title...
Now I point to Kobe's "agenda" or "strategy" so to speak because many of us who have watched him throughout his career see that he is not completely capable of doing that. Therefore, he should be more of a team player (especially when that has worked for them) because he cannot win by jacking shots up...He did that in the 2004 Finals when he shot 40% from the field, and this year in Game 1, even though in the first half he was 3 of 9 from the floor, he couldn't help but shoot under 50% from the field in the second half...and shooting more in the process...And to put more fuel to the fire, go to Game 2 when he was 4 for 10 in the first half and see what the score was then...
Now Game 4 takes the cake...I am not going to point out Kobe's FG%, just his FGAs...
First Half: four
Second Half: fifteen
What question? I wasn't paying much attention to what you asked at first...
Is it the performance of Odom you're asking about? Or the "team ball" that Kobe was supposedly playing in the first half of games?
Well, either way you slice it, you can't excuse the Lakers going away from Odom in Game 4. He hit his first 6 shots and got the Defensive Player of the Year in foul trouble early. By taking away the interior defensive presence of Garnett in the post, the Lakers had a lot of success scoring in the paint in the first half. Once KG got back in, it seemed like the Lakers went away from what worked, which is part of why you see that KG had no fouls the rest of the game...
As far as Kobe "team player" philosophy, it doesn't work...this "get the teammates involved in the first half and then take over in the second" theory is the dumbest strategy to use against a great defensive team...
Look, if you have players in the post who have had success scoring in the first half, then you STAY WITH THAT OPTION. How in the world does a guy who hit his first six shots has just four attempts the rest of the game?! I don't care if he averaged 30 or so PPG this season...I surely don't care if some "experts" voted him for MVP...Kobe just screws the game up by attempting to "take over a game" in the second half...He's only shot over 50% once this whole series, and the two post players for the Lakers have had one game where they have made over 75% of their FGs each. That has to account for something when you're trying to win an NBA title...
Now I point to Kobe's "agenda" or "strategy" so to speak because many of us who have watched him throughout his career see that he is not completely capable of doing that. Therefore, he should be more of a team player (especially when that has worked for them) because he cannot win by jacking shots up...He did that in the 2004 Finals when he shot 40% from the field, and this year in Game 1, even though in the first half he was 3 of 9 from the floor, he couldn't help but shoot under 50% from the field in the second half...and shooting more in the process...And to put more fuel to the fire, go to Game 2 when he was 4 for 10 in the first half and see what the score was then...
Now Game 4 takes the cake...I am not going to point out Kobe's FG%, just his FGAs...
First Half: four
Second Half: fifteen
First off they didn't go away from Odom went away from them, he had touches but instead of putting the ball up he was passing back out, that is how he went away from hitting six shots to only four in the second half. Secondly that "team player" philosophy is what won the top spot in the west, the west championship and now a chance for a championship, so why would they go away from it. Like i said before in the first half Kobe was able to make the Celtics pay for trying to focus the defense on him by passing the ball to teammates that in turn made plays (6 assists) in the second half he was making those same passes to those same teammates but then they stopped making the plays they did in the first half. Kobe is the leader of the team so of course he's gonna start putting up more shots when he sees things slipping away. I'm convinced some of yall cats don't watch the game only what Kobe is doing so you can come back and say oh its his fault. You even got cats saying "if the Lakers had left Kobe on the bench the rest of the game they would've won", and they are serious about it, stuff like that let me know they know nothing about basketball
Well if he can fuck up a series from 2400 miles away, then he hi-jacked an offense worse than...nevermind.
Kobe: "When it's all over, we can blame it all on this dude right here.."
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