Will the Lakers get swept

ebonymanej

Potential Star
Registered
they are saying they want a rematch with the suns I say be careful what you ask for the suns are clearly better than last year and the Lakers well they would have been better of in the draft lottery I think they get swept
 
If I'm a Laker, I am happy. Because if they get matched up against a team like the Spurs, they get ran off the court because usually defensive teams in the playoffs would put a freeze on a team like the Lakers. At least with Phoenix, they can just try to run with them and put up points because it definitely won't be a defensive struggle. They are outmatched either way, but the Lakers stand a chance against a team like the Suns who have never heard of defense. With that being said, I think the Lakers only win one game..they wont get swept.
 
I think this is a first that I agree with eewwll on something (with the exception that we both think Rio is the happiest place on Earth - Fuck Disneyland).

The Lakers definietly match up better against the Suns than they do the Spurs or Mavs, but the Suns have better post play this year and the Lakers dont look as good as they did going into the playoffs last year. Lakers won't get swept, but I doubt they push the Suns to 7 this year!
 
fakers

probably not.

coach d'antoni runs that euro O in phoenix, and everybody has a chance in that style of play.

i gotta say that i think the fakers would have a better chance against the speuros. with all those euro garbage players (tony parker, tobe ginobili, fabricio oberto, beno udrih, francisco elson, et al) on the floor, you're BOUND to have a mismatch at some point in the game.

remember against the mavericks how the speuros couldn't score more than 10 points in the entire Q4 without tim duncan on the floor?
 
If Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom were healthy then the lakers could give Phoenix a run for their money but with them being hurt and the squad being in disarray, they dont have a chance to win this series.

Doesnt mean they wont compete as I'm sure they'll steal a game... Maybe 2.
 
xfactor said:
If Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom were healthy then the lakers could give Phoenix a run for their money but with them being hurt and the squad being in disarray, they dont have a chance to win this series.

Doesnt mean they wont compete as I'm sure they'll steal a game... Maybe 2.

On Cold Pizza Phil Jackson was interviewd.

He stated that Kobe needs to keep his teammates involved.

I am still on my theory that Kobe is being set up by Phil. He can really make his case to trade Kobe once they get swept.
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

on coach jackson, from the l.a. times:

a more important issue to him will be the future direction of the franchise.

"There's a bunch of things that go into it — how we move forward as a team," he said. "Personally, as an owner, does [Jerry Buss] really want to spend the kind of money he's spending on me to have a .500 team? We want to do better than that, by far. How do we go about readjusting to make sure that something that happened this year doesn't happen again in the future?

"We have to make changes. There's just going to be natural things that happen. I've only been with one team that did not make a change. That team won 72 games and lost 10. That said it all right there.

"But when we came back this year with the same starting lineup boxed in that we ended the season with last year, I don't know if that can happen next season. I don't know if we can feel like we're moving forward if we do that."

The Lakers are already over the salary cap for next season, which places a premium on how they use their midlevel exception, an annual tool that allows teams over the salary cap to sign a free agent for about $30 million over five years.

The Lakers could also try to make trades, an unpredictable course of events that would begin in July.

"There has to be really a good dialogue," Jackson said. "Mitch and I are really on the same page in all this stuff. I think we know that at one point during this year, we felt like we were a player away from moving into another group. Then when you have players injured, you see how vulnerable your team is when one or two guys go out."
 
SpiritualPorn said:
On Cold Pizza Phil Jackson was interviewd.

He stated that Kobe needs to keep his teammates involved.

I am still on my theory that Kobe is being set up by Phil. He can really make his case to trade Kobe once they get swept.


I'm not saying this would happen, but....

L.A. Lakers N.Y. Knicks Trade Breakdown
Outgoing
Kobe Bryant
6-6 SG from Lower Merion (HS)
31.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg in 40.8 minutes
Andrew Bynum
7-0 C from St. Joseph (HS)
7.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.1 apg in 21.9 minutes
Incoming
Steve Francis
6-3 PG from Maryland
11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.9 apg in 28.1 minutes
Quentin Richardson
6-6 SG from DePaul
13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 apg in 33.1 minutes

Successful Scenario

Due to L.A. Lakers and New York being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. L.A. Lakers and New York had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Trade ID for this scenario is 3756633. (realgm.com)

Stern would love to keep Kobe in a major market if at all possible. This also thins out the guard situation for NY, and Phil gets a decent backcourt and can get rid of Smush Parker. (who is in his last year.)

The deal would hinge on if the Lakers are willing to get rid of Bynum (ho has a LOT of potential.) If that is the case then substitute Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar for him in the deal (trade #3756641)....then buy them out and release them. (LA will probablly pick them back up.)
 
Last edited:
Rollie_Fingaz said:
I'm not saying this would happen, but....

L.A. Lakers N.Y. Knicks Trade Breakdown
Outgoing
Kobe Bryant
6-6 SG from Lower Merion (HS)
31.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg in 40.8 minutes
Andrew Bynum
7-0 C from St. Joseph (HS)
7.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.1 apg in 21.9 minutes
Incoming
Steve Francis
6-3 PG from Maryland
11.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.9 apg in 28.1 minutes
Quentin Richardson
6-6 SG from DePaul
13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 apg in 33.1 minutes

Successful Scenario

Due to L.A. Lakers and New York being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. L.A. Lakers and New York had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Trade ID for this scenario is 3756633. (realgm.com)

Stern would love to keep Kobe in a major market if at all possible. This also thins out the guard situation for NY, and Phil gets a decent backcourt and can get rid of Smush Parker. (who is in his last year.)

The deal would hinge on if the Lakers are willing to get rid of Bynum (ho has a LOT of potential.) If that is the case then substitute Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar for him in the deal (trade #3756641)....then buy them out and release them. (LA will probablly pick them back up.)


This has to be a joke or you are smoking some real good shit!!!

Lakers aren't trading Bryant or Bynun (from a very reliable source, anybody not named Bryant or Bynum are open for discussion this summer), they are trying to build a team around these two!!!

And they damn sure don't want the Knicks garbage!!! :smh: Why in the hell would the Lakers want Francis or Richardson??? :confused:

My guess is the Lakers make a play for Garnett or O'Neal! :yes:
 
TrojansFan said:
This has to be a joke or you are smoking some real good shit!!!

Lakers aren't trading Bryant or Bynun (from a very reliable source, anybody not named Bryant or Bynum are open for discussion this summer), they are trying to build a team around these two!!!

Reliable source huh? Let me guess... It was Peter Vescey from the NY Post :rolleyes:

TrojansFan said:
My guess is the Lakers make a play for Garnett or O'Neal! :yes:

on coach jackson, from the l.a. times:

"There's a bunch of things that go into it — how we move forward as a team," he said. "Personally, as an owner, does [Jerry Buss] really want to spend the kind of money he's spending on me to have a .500 team?

Coach Jackson already said they want to make trades to get better, if anything they need to bring in a playmaker or trade Wobe. As the past 3 years have shown, you cant build around complimentary players.
 
BTS, you have to remember that jerry buss is slowly turning over the franchise to his son, jimmy buss.

and the early word is that jimmy buss doesn't care if the fakers are a successful (winning) team or not. jimmy buss only cares that the fakers remain a successful (revenue generating) franchise.

and jimmy buss is said to have arrived at this formula: keep tobe, and don't sign any additional big money players. tobe fans will remain loyal to the fakers because of their down low infatuation anyway. it's a sound business theory, but shitty for fans of the franchise and the sport.

tobe revenue remains constant, player contracts go down, lowering overhead, increasing profit margin. tobe's role hasn't changed in 10 years: he's still a cash cow for the organization, because love struck children (and apparently grown armenians) idolize him.
 
TrojansFan said:
This has to be a joke or you are smoking some real good shit!!!

Lakers aren't trading Bryant or Bynun (from a very reliable source, anybody not named Bryant or Bynum are open for discussion this summer), they are trying to build a team around these two!!!

And they damn sure don't want the Knicks garbage!!! :smh: Why in the hell would the Lakers want Francis or Richardson??? :confused:

My guess is the Lakers make a play for Garnett or O'Neal! :yes:

Whoa..I never said this trade would occur.

BUT..

ANYONE is tradable. Certain teams have no shot. and others are too small of a market to appeal to Kobe. (Kobe's deal is set up to where he gets to approve any trade that comes through.).

Others don't have the players to make it work.

For what it's worth, Kobe was heard to say that he would like to play for Chicago or NY. I was just fucking around to see if this trade was even possible.

But you have to figure that Phil will want a point guard to replace Parker, and if they do lose Kobe, they need someone to put in his place to give them points. NY is LOADED with guards..this is why I fucked with their lineup first.

Right now, I'm just seeing what could be done. I think the Wizards have enough components to make a trade work as well.

EDIT-For what it's worth, trading Kobe foir Jermaine O'Neal striaght up DOES work..

L.A. Lakers/Indiana Trade Breakdown
Outgoing
Kobe Bryant
6-6 SG from Lower Merion (HS)
31.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg in 40.8 minutes
Incoming
Jermaine O'Neal
6-11 C from Eau Claire (HS)
19.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.4 apg in 35.7 minutes
Change in team outlook: -12.2 ppg, +3.9 rpg, and -3.0 apg.

Successful Scenario
Due to Indiana and L.A. Lakers being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. Indiana and L.A. Lakers had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Trade ID for this scenario is 3756802.
 
Last edited:
coach d'antoni on tobe last playoffs:

After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, D'Antoni wondered aloud why so many people were lauding Bryant's share-the-ball approach.

"They're talking about Kobe and how great it is that he's playing with the team," D'Antoni said. "Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Now he's the savior because he's playing that way? He's no god. He does what he's supposed to be doing, which is what we learned in kindergarten. Share the ball and play."
 
Rollie_Fingaz said:
Whoa..I never said this trade would occur.

BUT..

ANYONE is tradable. Certain teams have no shot. and others are too small of a market to appeal to Kobe. (Kobe's deal is set up to where he gets to approve any trade that comes through.).

Others don't have the players to make it work.

For what it's worth, Kobe was heard to say that he would like to play for Chicago or NY. I was just fucking around to see if this trade was even possible.

But you have to figure that Phil will want a point guard to replace Parker, and if they do lose Kobe, they need someone to put in his place to give them points. NY is LOADED with guards..this is why I fucked with their lineup first.

Right now, I'm just seeing what could be done. I think the Wizards have enough components to make a trade work as well.

EDIT-For what it's worth, trading Kobe foir Jermaine O'Neal striaght up DOES work..

L.A. Lakers/Indiana Trade Breakdown
Outgoing
Kobe Bryant
6-6 SG from Lower Merion (HS)
31.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.4 apg in 40.8 minutes
Incoming
Jermaine O'Neal
6-11 C from Eau Claire (HS)
19.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.4 apg in 35.7 minutes
Change in team outlook: -12.2 ppg, +3.9 rpg, and -3.0 apg.

Successful Scenario
Due to Indiana and L.A. Lakers being over the cap, the 25% trade rule is invoked. Indiana and L.A. Lakers had to be no more than 125% plus $100,000 of the salary given out for the trade to be accepted, which did happen here. This trade satisfies the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Trade ID for this scenario is 3756802.

No problem playa, If you are just fucking around its cool, that's why I asked in the first sentence if that trade you proposed was a joke.

I dont know where you heard Kobe say he would play for Chicago or NY, I hadn't heard that (but possible since I don't know that cat like that). In fact, I've only heard Bryant say he wants to be a Laker for his whole career and considering the huge ego he has I doubt he would ever leave under these sircumstances, he wants to be able to say he carried the Lakers back to a championship! But it is irrelevent since as I mentioned before the Lakers will not trade Bryant or Bynum, so give me the scenario that gets O'Neal to LA using players other than those two.

(I do have to admit that I had forgotten Bryant negotiated a "no-trade" clause in his contract. Props for bringing that up. It makes it all the more laughable that anyone would suggest Jackson is lobbying to trade Bryant. Since Jackson is not an idiot he is completely knowledgable about the clause, so trying to read into his comments that he wants Bryant traded is poor interpretation on their part. Not to mention if Jackson didnt want to coach Kobe he would have never returned to the Lakers and if he decided he didn't want to coach Kobe he would just leave - like he did before)
 
cranrab said:
coach d'antoni on tobe last playoffs:

After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, D'Antoni wondered aloud why so many people were lauding Bryant's share-the-ball approach.

"They're talking about Kobe and how great it is that he's playing with the team," D'Antoni said. "Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Now he's the savior because he's playing that way? He's no god. He does what he's supposed to be doing, which is what we learned in kindergarten. Share the ball and play."

Exactly

BTW...the cash cow scenario is plausible however there will be a backlash at some point.

This guy is the reverse Jordan........Started with a team winning Titles then sliding into mediocrity
 
TrojansFan said:
No problem playa, If you are just fucking around its cool, that's why I asked in the first sentence if that trade you proposed was a joke.

I dont know where you heard Kobe say he would play for Chicago or NY, I hadn't heard that (but possible since I don't know that cat like that). In fact, I've only heard Bryant say he wants to be a Laker for his whole career and considering the huge ego he has I doubt he would ever leave under these sircumstances, he wants to be able to say he carried the Lakers back to a championship! But it is irrelevent since as I mentioned before the Lakers will not trade Bryant or Bynum, so give me the scenario that gets O'Neal to LA using players other than those two.

(I do have to admit that I had forgotten Bryant negotiated a "no-trade" clause in his contract. Props for bringing that up. It makes it all the more laughable that anyone would suggest Jackson is lobbying to trade Bryant. Since Jackson is not an idiot he is completely knowledgable about the clause, so trying to read into his comments that he wants Bryant traded is poor interpretation on their part. Not to mention if Jackson didnt want to coach Kobe he would have never returned to the Lakers and if he decided he didn't want to coach Kobe he would just leave - like he did before)

It's all good. Let me try and pull the articles I read. I go to realgm.com. It complies all basketball related news. I recall reading the articles from there.

As it stands, If Phil quits it will look like Kobe forced him out.
 
Jackson questions Lakers' readiness for playoffs
Coach criticizes team for lack of focus at practice and warns them of possible sweep by Phoenix Suns — book or no book.
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
April 22, 2007

The Lakers gathered together after their final practice, ready to take on the Phoenix Suns and accomplish what they couldn't last season — winning a first-round playoff series.

Or, well, maybe not.

"We'll be out of this series in four games," Coach Phil Jackson said angrily in the team huddle, laying out what he believes will happen if the Lakers don't talk more often on defense and show a little more shine on offense.

It wasn't a great final day of fine-tuning: Shortly after media members were let into Saturday's practice, Sasha Vujacic missed a dunk in a scrimmage, as if to emphasize the point that all's not quite well.

"I was upset," Jackson said of his huddle haranguing. "I don't think they carried the right attitude in this practice. The starters weren't focusing. You can see Luke [Walton] is down here trying to get his shot back. Lamar [Odom] is still out there on the floor. We've got guys that still need to work on their game to get it tuned up. We've got to get there and we have to do it quickly."

That's not a good sign when the opponent had the league's top offense (110.2 points a game) and second-best record (61-21), and owns a psychological edge that began a year ago with a seven-game victory in the first round (and continued this season with a 3-1 record against the Lakers).

So far, the Lakers' main rallying cry has been "Remember the book!"

It was Kwame Brown's turn to amp up the rhetoric Saturday, firing a subtle shot at Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni, who was quoted as saying "Kwame is awful" in the book ":07 Seconds or Less," a behind-the-scenes look at last season's Suns.

"I wouldn't have nothing good to say about him either if I was going to say something, but I'm not going to do that," Brown said.

And so go the Lakers, one page at a time.

A year ago, they had their moments against the Suns, many more than expected, actually.

There was a successful share-the-ball mantra that stabilized their offense and carried them to three victories, along with a buzzing defense that held the Suns under 100 points three consecutive times.

There were Smush Parker's late steal and Walton's tie-up of Steve Nash, followed by Kobe Bryant's buzzer-beater in overtime of a frenetic Game 4.

The crusher for them was Game 6, when Tim Thomas' three-pointer with 6.3 seconds left forced overtime, at which point the Suns reasserted themselves as the series favorites.

Then came a 121-90 loss, the Lakers' worst-ever defeat in a Game 7. Bryant had 23 points in the first half as the Lakers trailed, 60-45, but he took only three second-half shots, missing them all. Neither Jackson nor Bryant had ever lost a first-round series in their respective positions, but Jackson fell to 14-1 as a coach and Bryant to 8-1 as a player.

It could be said that the Lakers aren't going into the playoffs with nearly as much thrust as last season — rather than an 11-3 push, they staggered home with a 4-8 slump and finished seventh in the West.

Then again, the Suns aren't exactly playing their best ball either, going 11-7 over the final four weeks of the season, including two victories over the Lakers (115-107 in L.A. and 93-85 in Phoenix). In comparison, San Antonio finished with a 25-4 surge before sitting players for its last two games (both losses), and Dallas was on a 30-4 tear before it started resting players.

So there might be enough room for a crack of optimism in the wall of circumstances facing the Lakers.

"I think we're going to win this series," Walton said. "I know it's going to be hard. It's going to be a fight, but there's not a question in my mind that if we're all on the same page, we can come out and win this."

The keys again will be Brown, the Lakers' "Inside Man" a year ago, and Bryant — will he pass or shoot or a combination? — as well as rookie Jordan Farmar, who likely gets the first chance at trying to slow Nash.

To his credit, Farmar has remained light and loose in the last few days after a season in which he was more or less ignored. After Friday's practice, he looked into an approaching wave of reporters and cameramen at the Lakers' training facility and said with a smile, "Oh, now y'all want to talk to me?"

His tone eventually got a little more serious, particularly when Nash was mentioned. Nash, the league's two-time MVP, obliterated the Lakers in last season's playoffs, averaging 22.1 points and 9.6 assists. He made 50.9% of his shots, highly impressive for a point guard.

No doubt the Suns saw Sacramento guard Mike Bibby outscore Farmar, 17-2, in the first quarter of last Wednesday's game. Farmar did play better defense in the second half of that game, but …

"They're going to test me. They're supposed to," Farmar said. "I'm going to be ready for it. I'm looking forward to it."

The Lakers will find the middle a lot more clogged this time around.

Amare Stoudemire successfully returned from knee surgery, averaging 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds this season and providing a more physical presence at center than Boris Diaw did a year ago.

Where many of the Lakers' game-plan arrows pointed to Brown in last year's playoffs, they're now pointed at Bryant.

"Kobe's going to read what's going on," Walton said. "If they've got one man on him, he'll be aggressive. If they're double- or triple-teaming him like a lot of teams do, hopefully he'll trust us and get us the ball and let us make some plays."

Jackson's take: "If we've got to get into a situation where we get behind and we've got to catch up and we've got to get into a role where we go 'Kobe Ball,' we'll do it."

Bryant has been all business since the regular season ended. He hasn't won a playoff series since the 2004 Western Conference finals. He scoffed when a reporter asked what he thought of the Lakers' chances against Phoenix.

"What do you think I'm going to say to that?" Bryant said. "We may be underdogs in the series, but we're not underdogs in our own minds and hearts."

If they somehow win, it could make a good book
 
For all of you watching the game -

What are your thoughts on Farmar getting the start over Smush to start the 1st round?

Nash is abusing him off the dribble early and with him not being a better defender than Smush, I dont think its a favorable move that will help them right now.

On another note, Odom looks terrible to start off with his bum shoulder. His shot is missing terribly.

And as I type this, Wobe gets backdoored by Raja Bell for a layup... So much for being a top flight defender :rolleyes:
 
THe pace of this game favors LA.

I can see them stealing this game.

As for Farmar, He's just a different look that Nash is going to see. He's not going to stop him...or even contain him. But his size will cause Nash to make an adjustment.

Question is...when does Kobe get the assignment to guard him? :rolleyes:
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

xfactor said:
What are your thoughts on Farmar getting the start over Smush to start the 1st round?

it had very little to do with william parker's D. it had more to do with offensive push of the 2nd unit. coach jackson isn't as transparent as no-knowledge sports writers believe he is.

we may see the lineup change during the series if one factor starts to outweigh the other: best 5 to start the game v. improving the 2nd unit.

suns are making a Q2 run right now. i wonder if it has anything to do with raja bell being back on the floor after those phantom PFs in Q1? :rolleyes:

but the fakers deserve some credit for taking advantage of steve nash's Q1 TOs and the suns' overall poor FG%.
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

to be sure, kwame brown is struggling on O, but jordan farmar (and others) are straight bitches for complaining to kwame brown and andrew bynum about their defensive help.

it's a problem that's endemic amongst the fakers with poor on-ball defensive skills.
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

LOL!

leandro barbosa on the backdoor during an inbounds play!

i wonder why they "garden weasel" didn't ask to check him? :rolleyes:

the fakers had a mismatch in the 2nd half on the offensive side of the ball but didn't utilize it enough. luke walton defended by leandro barbosa in the post.
 
Last edited:
Re: Will the fakers get swept

Is Kobe gonna ever figure out there are more ways to help your team besides just shooting the fucking ball?
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

eewwll said:
Is Kobe gonna ever figure out there are more ways to help your team besides just shooting the fucking ball?

eewwll

I am really getting tired of you and cran talking shit about the best player in the world.....

Rebounding , assists , steals and drawing fouls has not been invented yet....

Get off of Kobe

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

eewwll said:
Is Kobe gonna ever figure out there are more ways to help your team besides just shooting the fucking ball?

wrong question. here's the correct question:

Is tobe gonna ever figure out there are more ways to HURT your team besides just shooting the fucking ball?

2 rules that tobe (and his fans) NEVER learned growing up.

1) not all missed shots are bad shots

2) not all made shots are good shots
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

SpiritualPorn said:
eewwll

I am really getting tired of you and cran talking shit about the best player in the world.....

Rebounding , assists , steals and drawing fouls has not been invented yet....

Get off of Kobe

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol:
 
Re: Will the fakers get swept

cranrab said:
wrong question. here's the correct question:

Is tobe gonna ever figure out there are more ways to HURT your team besides just shooting the fucking ball?

2 rules that tobe (and his fans) NEVER learned growing up.

1) not all missed shots are bad shots

2) not all made shots are good shots

Rephrasing a question can definitely bring it into perspective.

Kobe is in his 10th or 11 season now right? The reality of the matter is that it will take something drastic in order for him to change his game. I can't understood how a person can be so dense that they do not understand the fact that until you change your actions...you can't change the results. Kobe really is beginning to strike me as a person that has a serious character flaw...the inability to look within and come to the realization of their personal flaws and be accountable for them. If you can't do that, it is impossible to change. This is beginning to strike me as beyond just basketball IQ... this is someone who has the ego of a young child...there is a serious lack of maturity there.. something is just not there mentality with this dude...

It does not take a genius to do one or both of the following

Realize that your shot is not falling and:

1.Drive hard to the basket and force contact...especially given Phoenix is not exactly a defensive team.especially in the pain.

2. Penetrate and draw help defense..and the HIT THE OPEN MAN.

Please...someone tell me that this has crossed his fucking mind. This is shit you learn in the pee-wee leagues as a kid. It is only the logical thing to do when your shot is not falling.
 
Last edited:
Re: Will the fakers get swept

eewwll said:
this is someone who has the ego of a young child...there is a serious lack of maturity there.. something is just not there mentality with this dude...

up to a certain age, some of this is understandable. surrounded by no-knowledge leeches and yes-men who coddle you, it's likely you may come to believe the hype. growing up influenced by garbage euro chuckers and con-men eager to get you to sign fat endorsement contracts may leave you susceptible to believing false estimations of your abilities.

without an anchor to reality, without being grounded firmly in a proper understanding of the game, it's no wonder tobe never learned this 3rd lesson:

3) just because you CAN score, doesn't always mean you SHOULD score
 
Jackson: Kobe looked tired down the stretch

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

PHOENIX -- Pass-first facilitator? Or gunner without a conscience?

Those were supposed to be the only two choices, right?

Nobody said anything about us winding up with a Weary Kobe.

Sadly, though, that's who was dragging around at US Airways Center in the fourth quarter Sunday. Kobe Bryant served up what can only be described as some dazzling gunning in the first half, but he simply didn't have the legs -- or the teammates -- to be either of the Kobes we were expecting at the end.

Hounded by his old pal Raja Bell, as well as the occasional harassment of Shawn Marion and various double-teamers, Bryant wore down to the point that he sullied a 39-point performance by missing 11 of his final 12 shots, lowlighted by a 1-for-10 showing in the game's final quarter.

Yet if you're wondering why he didn't just pass off more down the stretch, as his tank began to drain, it's also worth noting that Bryant was flanked by this immortal foursome during one critical stretch of the fourth: Andrew Bynum, Brian Cook, Sasha Vujacic and Maurice Evans.


So ...


The only realistic way to stun the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of this first-round rematch would have meant No. 24 beating fatigue, too. When Bryant couldn't, that left his Lakers vulnerable to an unusually subpar Suns team rallying for a 95-87 victory.

"Kobe ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Lakers coach Phil Jackson confirmed in his postgame address.

Asked again moments later if that was indeed his conclusion, Jackson repeated: "Sure looked like it, didn't it?"

Kobe, not surprisingly, disputed the theory, insisting that it was actually poor second-half execution and increasing swarms of double- and triple-teams -- not fatigue -- that caused his looks and even his catches to gradually become "a lot harder."

The bigger problem, of course, is that it's already difficult to imagine Phoenix playing much worse or seeing where Jackson and Bryant look for alternatives. One game into Lakers-Suns II, it's fairly clear that a few of Kobe's supporting casters -- Luke Walton (bad ankle), Smush Parker (Phil's doghouse) and Kwame Brown (with his own litany of well-chronicled limitations) -- are unlikely to have the sort of impact they had last year in the teams' seven-game playoff epic or early this season when the Lakers bolted to a 23-11 start.

Jackson was sufficiently pessimistic beforehand to admit this out loud: "Last year, I felt we could win the series. This year, I'm not sure."

He was also asked if a Game 1 upset, coupled with the knowledge that they nearly toppled Phoenix last time, could restore some of the self-belief that was lost when the Lakers went 9-15 in March and April. Jackson shot that one down, too.


Now you know why.


L.A.'s game plan called for a little of both advertised Kobes. Some early scoring to give the visitors a foothold, then some passing. The other Lakers, however, faded with him, wasting some of their best defense all season by managing just 10 points as a team in the final period.

Lamar Odom had some encouraging moments in amassing 17 points and 16 boards, but he didn't torment the Suns in the low post or get the ball to the rim with the sort of ease seen last April. Jordan Farmar, furthermore, wasn't bad as th team's new starting point guard, but it can't be a good thing that it's now a mini-crisis for L.A. when a guy fresh off three D-League cameos picks up his fourth foul in the third quarter.

Kobe has already proven to the skeptics that he can easily shift from gunner to passer if his teammates and the game warrant such a shift. That's precisely what happened in Lakers-Suns I, with Bryant frequently operating in pass-first mode after averaging 40 points a game in the final month of the '05-06 season.


But can he do that with this group?


Does he dare?


Those are questions for Tuesday night's Game 2, but the Zenmeister seems to have a different adjustment in mind.

Reflecting on Bryant's 28-point show in the first half, with 23 of those points hung on Bell and the vast majority coming on jumpers with a high degree of difficulty, Jackson said: "We'd just as soon like to [save] that for the end-game situation."
 
^^^

damn..what a bunch of bullshit.. Odom had 17 points and 16 rebounds and he is catching blame for "not having the impact he had last year against the Suns"? it was walton's fault shot over 50 percent and didnt get the ball in the post when he had mismatches? and he also had 6 boards and 6 assists.

With all the fault being laid to other players..why did the writer not mention Kobe had 33 chucks and ONE assists :smh:



is this all some big fucking joke? I am really beginning to think I'm in the twilight zone
 
Back
Top