Great hustle play by Farmar early set the tone. He was critical to the Lakers’ success in Game 3.
I feel sorry for Battier sometimes… or anyone who has to guard Kobe.
Dwight Howard just posterized Perkins on this one.
Pierce battles inside. Magic looked impressive tonight.
Dwight Howard: 17 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks (2 on 1 play). Beast.
Magic cheerleader.
Rockets power dancers.
[quote]Xeneize wrote:
I feel sorry for Battier sometimes… or anyone who has to guard Kobe.[/quote]
I ran into Battier at a bar about a month ago. We sat there and bullshitted for over an hour. He’s a cool cat. We talked about all kinds of shit, mostly basketball related, and the first question I asked was “Who’s the toughest dude you’ve ever gaurde…” And before I could finish the question he said “KOBE” with serious emphasis. He told me that Kobe is hands down the best player in the league. He actually used the term “hands down”.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Xeneize wrote:
I feel sorry for Battier sometimes… or anyone who has to guard Kobe.
I ran into Battier at a bar about a month ago. We sat there and bullshitted for over an hour. He’s a cool cat. We talked about all kinds of shit, mostly basketball related, and the first question I asked was “Who’s the toughest dude you’ve ever gaurde…” And before I could finish the question he said “KOBE” with serious emphasis. He told me that Kobe is hands down the best player in the league. He actually used the term “hands down”. [/quote]
That’s a great story. I think Battier probably is a pretty cool person. He’s atypical of a lot of athletes in that he’ll be refreshingly candid and thoughtful and almost humble during interviews. There’s not a lot of bravado or BS with him. It’s no coincidence he’s often the face of the team for charity events, promotions or public appearances.
The League blew it again by not suspending Perkins for the throat shot. Glad they rescinded Artest’s Flagrant 2 though.
[quote]Malevolence wrote:
The League blew it again by not suspending Perkins for the throat shot. Glad they rescinded Artest’s Flagrant 2 though. [/quote]
You are on point. On both counts.
Today, Dirk Nowitzki did nothing to shake his stigma of being bad at clutch shots. Very Tough loss for the Mavericks. Denver is looking surprisingly legit.
Yao is out for the rest of the Post-season with a hairline fracture in his foot. This sucks, he was playing with so much intensity and passion, I know it was against my team, but I hope he recovers sooner than later, and can continue to compete like this in the future. I don’t expect the Rockets to lay down and die, I just hope that the series can end cleanly. It’s been far too chippy.
It’s not that the Cavaliers aren’t playing great ball, but they are also very heavily protected. I only caught the second half of Game 3 in ATL, right when the Hawks went on a 13 point blitz, as soon as the Hawks got the lead, the whistles started blowing, a terrible ejection was levied, and the Cavs were placed back on top. After that, the Hawks clearly lost their mojo and meandered through the remaining period. The last 3 minutes of that game were unnecessary.
ESPN cannot stop hugging Lebron’s nuts. Granted, Lebron holds the ball at least 95% of the time for Cleveland, so the attention is extra distilled, they still can’t help themselves with wild assertions and exaggerations every time he farts. Even while he was in the midst of missing his last 6 shots, having a turnover, and getting blocked, they were still saying things like “You just don’t understand how good this kid is, and he’s so humble, and so smart, and so strong…etc.”
I can’t remember the last time a player got this type of love. Kobe definitely never did…
The Magic better finish off the Celtics soon. Stan Van Gundy recently made some press comments about the absurdity of recent actions from Stu Jackson and David Stern. Questioning their unbiased stance and bringing up the severely bad calls they’ve made this postseason. If he doesn’t get fined outright, I can’t imagine going against the people you’re accusing of unfairly handling games will turn out in your favor…
And that’s all I’ve got from around the league.
Tough break for Yao and the Rockets. Literally.
This is the worst I have seen the Lakers play since Boston handed them their heads in Game 7 against the Celtcs last year. This is what troubles me about their ability to win the title, the lack of focus and killer instinct. I know Houston is playing on emotion, but still, when you have a team on the ropes, you have to put them away.
I have serious doubts the Lakers can win the title. It’s Cleveland’s championship to lose at this point.
[quote]Xeneize wrote:
This is the worst I have seen the Lakers play since Boston handed them their heads in Game 7 against the Celtcs last year. This is what troubles me about their ability to win the title, the lack of focus and killer instinct. I know Houston is playing on emotion, but still, when you have a team on the ropes, you have to put them away.
I have serious doubts the Lakers can win the title. It’s Cleveland’s championship to lose at this point. [/quote]
I’m sure lakers and cavs will be in the finals, but Cavs will take it this year.
[quote]aznt0rk wrote:
Xeneize wrote:
This is the worst I have seen the Lakers play since Boston handed them their heads in Game 7 against the Celtcs last year. This is what troubles me about their ability to win the title, the lack of focus and killer instinct. I know Houston is playing on emotion, but still, when you have a team on the ropes, you have to put them away.
I have serious doubts the Lakers can win the title. It’s Cleveland’s championship to lose at this point.
I’m sure lakers and cavs will be in the finals, but Cavs will take it this year.[/quote]
I wouldn’t have agreed with you before today, but I do now.
You know what though, for all of the Lakers mental lapses, they have demonstrated consistently that they can step up and bring it for the ‘big’ games. They have also demonstrated a knack for bouncing back very well after humbling defeats.
So long as they continue to win, I’m fine with it. That said, today’s performance was miserable. Major props to the Rockets for answering in a huge way. As it stands, the Lakers have NO ANSWER for Aaron Brooks. He shreds us like paper. Solve the Brooks problem, and the rest of the series should be a wash.
I’m eating a crow a bit though, I was positive the Lakers would stomp the Rockets in 4 or 5, Rockets have demonstrated in a huge way that they are just as deserving of a deep playoff run as anyone else. I still don’t see the series going to 7 though.
[quote]Malevolence wrote:
You know what though, for all of the Lakers mental lapses, they have demonstrated consistently that they can step up and bring it for the ‘big’ games. They have also demonstrated a knack for bouncing back very well after humbling defeats.
So long as they continue to win, I’m fine with it. That said, today’s performance was miserable. Major props to the Rockets for answering in a huge way. As it stands, the Lakers have NO ANSWER for Aaron Brooks. He shreds us like paper. Solve the Brooks problem, and the rest of the series should be a wash.
I’m eating a crow a bit though, I was positive the Lakers would stomp the Rockets in 4 or 5, Rockets have demonstrated in a huge way that they are just as deserving of a deep playoff run as anyone else. I still don’t see the series going to 7 though. [/quote]
I think the Lakers will definitely win the series, probably in 6, but the lack of killer instinct and concentration are very troubling. Give Houston credit, but when a team loses its lone all-star, that team should NOT be able to beat you in embarrassing fashion.
The “unstoppable” Aaron Brooks.
Maybe Yao should wear a suit to every game.