Yeah, I was pretty disgusted with the way game 4 ended. We were up by 20. Ridiculous. Anyway, better luck next year.
Bryant, That was the most uncomfortable win a team can experience in the NBA Finals. That's pretty much all I have to say about the game. But let me vent about the "production" if I may. First, Jeff Van Gundy? Is this really happening to me? On top of that, you have the man who ran his offense for a good portion of his tenure in New York as co-colorman in Mark Jackson? Why has my God forsaken me? Second, must they show every last celebrety who has ever been a celebrety just because they're at the game? I realize it's L.A. and I'm not hating on celebreties watching a game. God knows they're the only ones who can afford a ticket in L.A. But must I be subjected to shot after shot after shot of Eddie Murphy, Will & Jada Smith (though I don't mind Jada for obvious reasons), Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Jack Nicholson and 19,000 other entertainers of some sort? They have nothing to do with the game and them being there doesn't enhance my viewing experience one single solitary bit. Last (for now anyway) is that split screen when an injured player is going back to the locker while the game continues. I can't stand that split screen at all. I want to watch the game. When Perkins and Rondo were hobbled in game 4, they used the split screen technique. On my little 19" tv, I couldn't tell what was happening on the court. These of course are just gripes from a disgruntled and slighly embarassed Lakers fan :lol: :lol: :lol:
Newpowermoves, I agree with a lot of what you said. Firstly, many of the games in these series have been very painful to watch. Especially Game 1. Right about now, the Lakers' defense stinks. Occasionally, they seem to play a good lockdown defense on the stretch but most of the time, many of them act like playing defense is a federal offense -pardon the pun. But for the quasi-comeback in Game 2, it was horrible game to watch by the Lakers. How on earth can an NBA Finals team be down by 24 points in the fourth quarter, not play any defense whatsoever and expect to win? I don't know. I honestly hope that all the ad nauseam comparisons of Mike and Kobe will finally end. Please!!! Apart from the fact that they're both swingmen, 6 foot 6 and black, there simply isn't anything about them that is similar. Even if the Lakers come back and win, Mike's teams never went down 1-3 in the Finals whilst shooting 9-for-26. And all this is coming from a hiehard Kobe fan. Now all of this might seem unfair given that Pau Gasol has been playing like a pussy and Lamar has been inconsistent at best, but i really expected Kobe to take over Game 4 and drop like 40 on the Celts. It is possible, but he hasn't really come through. And to be fair, the Celts' defense isn't exactly soft. P2 and Jesus Shuttleworth have done a very excellent job of limiting Kobe Bryant. Sure, Kobe can't be stopped, but they sure have proved he can be limited and be made to work hard for his points. I also concur about the celeb issue. That has always been my only criticism of the Lakeshow all these years. For goodness sake, i really don't need to see the face of every Hollywood creep out there. Sure, some of them are good to look at, but doing it on a regular basis gets tediously boring, peripherally predictable and expressively annoying. We came to see a ballgame, not a whorehouse exhibition. All in all, i hope the Lakers come back and force a Game 7, and possible be the first team to come back from 1-3 in Game to win the NBA Finals. Now it ain't gon be easy and yes, it hasn't been done but it isn't impossible. If that is to happen, the Lakers have to do the following: play hard for 96 minutes, play defense against every Celt, hit crucial shots and for the love to crud, stop blowing big leads. They've done it at some point in every game so far. It gets rather predictable and mentally destroying when you do that all the time. It works to your opponents' advantage because whenever they go down big, they would always think, "Meh, it's them. We can always come back even if we go 50 points down". And there's nothing worse than a team that is predictable. If they do all these things, they should at least force a Game 7.
Congratulations to the BOSTON CELTICS I took a few notes during the first 2 1/2 quarters of the game that me realize the Lakers weren't winning this game (much less the series). I feel these were the 10 key plays to the game. See if you agree... 1. Early 1st quarter: Ronda steals from Pau and Pau completely gives up on the play looking for a foul. 2. Kobe's taking (and hitting!) 3 pointers he wasn't attempting to penetrate the defense and get to the hoop. 3. Pau gets a pass from Kobe about 15 feet from the basket with single coverage by someone other than KG. He shoots a turnaround jumper instead of going to the hole. 4. Near the end of the quarter, Kobe takes a 3 point shot practically from half court. Why? 5. 9:14 Odom goes to the hole, gets fouled but isn't able to finish. Luckily, he hits both foul shots. Immediately after, he gets a rebound from a Powe miss. He throws a long pass that's intercepted. Terrible decision. 6. Bryant takes a long 3 pointer. Still refuses to go to the hole. Why? 7. 6:40 Kobe has Garnett on him but doesn't drive. Instead he passes to Vujacic whose pass is deflected which leads to a Posey 3 pointer. 8. 6:13 Bryant takes a long 2 point attempt that's way short. Looks like he was getting tired. Still refusing to drive to the basket. 9. 5:34 Bryant's behind the back move to the basket results in another Rondo steal and a Posey 3 pointer. 10. 4:44 After a Garnett miss, Pau limp wristed pass almost results in a Garnett steal. Also, at some point in the 3 quarter, Jordan Farmer appeared to the only Laker hustling. The Lakers were just standing around. It appeared that the Lakers didn't know how to play defense. The Celtics were the best team all year long and I knew it. But I thought the Lakers would win because of each team's results in the first 3 rounds of the play-offs. MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Head Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, etc. are all great. But, winning the championship is the accolade that you can't be given. It must be earned. The Boston Celtics earned their status as the best team in the NBA with the best record in the NBA and now they're champions. Yeah, it came at the expense of my Lakers, but I'm happy for KG, Pierce, Allen & Doc. I'd be even happier for them if Danny Ainge wasn't a part of it :lol: :lol: :lol:
Re: Congratulations to the BOSTON CELTICS Hey Newpowermoves, man, i gotta give you credit. You're the best Laker fan i've ever come across. My hatred for Kobe Bryant comes mostly from the fans who make him out to be God. If they would just ease up, and stop the comparisons with MJ, i would actually be able to appreciate the guy for the great player that he is. Anyway, whether the Lakers won or lost, you stayed positive and supported your team. I think that's the sign of a true fan. Now, i'm still waiting to hear from Satyricon who mysteriously disappeared after the series started. I tried to tell him that basketball is a game of matchups, and of defense, but noooo, he wouldn't listen lol. The Celtics have been the best team all season, and they deserve it. I am a little surprised that the Lakers got absolutely obliterated in the clinching game, but oh well, a win is still a win. Great NBA season overall. It's been fun! Can't wait for next year to see the Celts repeat!
Bryant, I appreciate the compliment but I just call it like I see it. I certainly understand how the over zealous Kobe fan boys can color your judgement of Kobe himself but don't let it. We're watching one of the best players to ever grace the court. We know he's not Jordan. He'll never be as good as Jordan and I don't like the tag "he's the next best thing to MJ". Today, my boy gave Jordan the best description I've ever heard. He called him a "mass murderer". Meaning replace Kobe with a prime MJ in the Lakers' lineup in game 6 and bodies would've been flying. We see Kobe didn't have that in him in this game but that doesn't mean he's not great in his own right. Speaking of one of the greatest players in history, I actually wouldn't mind KG winning another so he can be placed along side of Tim Duncan as one of the top 5 power forwards of all time. But you're already talking repeat? Damn, man. At least let the Celtics path to the locker room cool before talking about next year :lol: :lol: :lol:
No worries, this is a young Lakers squad and have no doubt that we'll get several cracks at an NBA title over the next decade. Count on it.
Yeah, we are watching one of the greatest players to ever play the game in Kobe. He is no Jordan, and these finals are proof of that, but he is still a marvelous player without a doubt. The Laker fans just drive me insane though! Because i'm so big into the NBA and NFL, i'm always searching other teams message boards and trying to see some of the things they're talking about, and never have i seen a fanbase quite like that of the Lakers. They're arrogant, and think their team (and Kobe) is God's gift to the earth. They bought into the hype. And now it's Andrew Bynum this, Andrew Bynum that. They think he will be the savior, which very well may be true, but for them to already be claiming the 2009 title as their own is beyond ridiculous seeing as how stacked the western conference is. For me to say the Celtics might repeat is hardly a stretch considering the brand of basketball they play, and the conference they play in. Cleveland could get tougher, the Bulls could get tougher, and the Pistons could get tougher, but besides that, i just don't know. I would have to say they have a "great" chance at repeating or at least getting back to the finals, if they avoid significant injuries.
Bryant, I'm with you. I'm a Lakers fan but even I got tired of my 15 year old nephew's blind devotion. He swore up and down that Kobe was as good as MJ until I loaned him my Jordan & Chicago Bulls DVD sets. Today, he finally admitted that Kobe isn't as good. You and I (and Laydeezmancris) have said it but it's worth repeating. Kobe isn't as great as MJ but there's no shame in that. My favorite sport is boxing. Larry Holmes wasn't as great as Muhammad Ali but he had a hall of fame and an arguably all time great career that only now is being appreciated. I'm thoroughly enjoying watching "the black mamba" in his prime. Everybody who's assuming that with Bynum back in the lineup, the Lakers are unbeatable better think again. Bynum was lost close to the halfway point in the season with a dislocated knee. Initially he was supposed to come back in 8 weeks. Over the course of the remainder of the season, it was always "he's close but not yet" until finally they shut him down. He had surgery to clean up fragments in that knee. That tells me there may be something structurally wrong with that knee. He's young enough to fully recover but even with advances in medicine and rehabilitation, that's not an automatic scenario. Historically, big men and injured knees spell doom for their long term career prospects. I have no problem with your belief that the Celtics have a great chance to repeat. The Big Ticket appears to be a 6'11" version of the energizer bunny. Paul Pierce seems to be getting better on both ends and Jesus Shuttleworth ain't gonna just suddenly start missing 3's for the entire season. Rondo? Let's see if he continues his upward trend but he's won my respect. The bench? While Cassell didn't play too big a role, I'd argue that PJ Brown did for being on the team about the same amount of time. I think PJ (and his toughness) retires. Everyone else should be cool and locked down.
Yeah, word newpowermoves. I'm as big a Kobe/Lakers fan as they get, but even i get so fucking irritated when Kobe's name is mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan. Shit, even my fiancee is guilty of such sacrilege. Personally, i feel that Kobe's the best player today but he has only accomplished half of what Jordan accomplished. Now, granted Jordan had a better supporting cast in Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant and of course Scottie Pippen, but until Phil Jackson came in 1990, Jordan actually carried his team alone to the Eastern Conference Finals, albeit collapsing to the Detroit Pistons twice. The last time i checked, Kobe alone hasn't taken the Lakers out of the first round of the Western Conference. How on earth can you compare him to Jordan then? I know i've said this a million times, but i'll say it; Mike's team wouldn't blow a 20 point lead to lose a crucial Game 4. Shit, they'd even increase it. In my opinion, Kobe couldn't adjust to pressure in these Finals and simply didn't have that "Joe Cool" aura that MJ had about him. I mean, the list is endless: The Shot, 6 pointers inf Game 1 of the '92 Finals, Flu Game, last minute jumper to secure his 6th championship; i could go on forever. And what's more, in them days, teams actually played defense. The Eastern Conference was as tough as you could get. The Knicks and Pistons were known for their rough, hard-nosed defense and the Magic had an up and coming Shaquille O'Neal in their side, so you can't exactly say shit was easy for Mike in his day. On the Andrew Bynum issue, well, i'm not really sold. Sure, he's more aggressive on the post than that pussy ass Gasol, but i'm not sure that an inexperienced, naive and fundamentally underdeveloped 20 year old center who didn't even attend college would be the X factor in the Lakers' quest to seek a 13th championship. Call me harsh and sardonic, but it's the truth. I am a firm believer that the Celtics can indeed repeat but not with this old bunch. I see their hopes as akin to the Heat's incredible run of 2006. Many of the veterans gave it their all at the moment to reach the promised land and now that they have, they might not have much fire inside to ride all the way one more time. Guys like P.J Brown and Sam Cassell might feel that they've got what they want and so they might see less minutes, go to a smaller team or even retire. I mean, i don't know but it looks like that. The Celts might need a few fresh pieces here and there, but other than, they can definitely reach at least the Finals again, given the dearth of quality teams in the East. (Please don't mention the Cavs and Pistons). Man, i'm really anticipating what the 2008-2009 season has in store for hardwood, but meanwhile let's enjoy Euro 2008 and the new NFL season till November comes.
15th championship and we made to the Finals without Bynum, which tells me that we'll have more fight in our system with him in the lineup. With regard to Jordan, the space between him and Kobe and is far narrower than the naysayers believe but also wider than what Kobe boosters believe as well. I'm not someone who takes the view that Jordan is hands down the greatest player ever. If anything, he shares that mantle with Magic (the original MJ), Kareem and Oscar Robertson.
