[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
^ So do you give all the props to Artest or is Peirce just not doing enough to get his??
If he continues to be shut out like this Artest may end up being one of the largest contributing factors to the Lakers championship and will probably not get the credit he deserves. He is a beast on D!
Still pisses me off on the offensive side of the house though! lol[/quote]
It’s a bit of both. Pierce had a good game statistically in game 1, but the numbers are misleading 'cause more than a handful of his points came when the game was already decided. Artest is bigger, stronger, gets in Pierces ass and doesn’t give him a chance to get in his “stance” to face up and make a play. Pierce has had a pretty mediocre playoffs overall. He had a bad series against Cleveland and is now disappearing when his team needs him most. Artest still doesn’t understand how to play winning basketball and makes some absolutely boneheaded decisions on offense, but he seems to always redeem himself with hustle plays and defense. The Lakers perimeter D [aside from game 2] as a team has been pretty damn good this series. I just feel like they’re a better team than the Celtics, and I think the Celtics are starting to realize it. If we can just get one game where the big dogs from both teams contribute I’ll be ecstatic. I was impressed with the Lakers ability to stave off a C’s comeback last night. Everytime it looked like the C’s were about to make a run the Lakers got it done on D, and then went to the other end and made a play. Last night was awesome.[/quote]
And it also had the benefit of shutting up Celtics fans and Lakers haterz for a couple of days. There’s no question LA is the better team. Still doesn’t guarantee a championship yet cuz the Celtics play extremely hard and have a lot of desire. You can’t teach that. Fortunately, the Lakers are showing just enough of this themselves (when they need to) to outduel the Celts so far. If the Lakers naturally had the desire and will 100% of the time this series would be over in a sweep. That’s just not the Lakers makeup however.
[quote]randman wrote:
By the way everyone. We have Lamar Odom back!!![/quote]
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If Odom would show up consistently the Lakers might be undefeated in these playoffs. He has a bad habit of coasting for a couple of games, playing his ass for a game or two and then coasting again. He’s one of those guys who has the talent to be a perennial All-Star but just doesn’t want it enough. But, if he can keep his production up this series will wrap up quickly.
^^I agree with those Artest comments. It seems like after game 1 Artest has gotten to Pierce and it looks like pierce doesnt want any of Ron Rons physical defense.
If it wasnt for an insane performance by Garnett last night that game would have been a blow out. (maybe Gasol shouldnt have made those “lost a step” comments lol. Looks like he awoke a sleeping giant)
^^I agree with those Artest comments. It seems like after game 1 Artest has gotten to Pierce and it looks like pierce doesnt want any of Ron Rons physical defense.
If it wasnt for an insane performance by Garnett last night that game would have been a blow out. (maybe Gasol shouldnt have made those “lost a step” comments lol. Looks like he awoke a sleeping giant)
Oh, I’m with you. I know Lamar and I’ll celebrate just having him back for 1 game at a time. Yes, it’s pathetic but I’ll celebrate any time I see him show up ;0
Yes, if he consistently shows up for the rest of the series this will wrap up quickly. I’m actually predicting Lakers take the next game as well.
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
^ So do you give all the props to Artest or is Peirce just not doing enough to get his??
If he continues to be shut out like this Artest may end up being one of the largest contributing factors to the Lakers championship and will probably not get the credit he deserves. He is a beast on D!
Still pisses me off on the offensive side of the house though! lol[/quote]
It’s a bit of both. Pierce had a good game statistically in game 1, but the numbers are misleading 'cause more than a handful of his points came when the game was already decided. Artest is bigger, stronger, gets in Pierces ass and doesn’t give him a chance to get in his “stance” to face up and make a play. Pierce has had a pretty mediocre playoffs overall. He had a bad series against Cleveland and is now disappearing when his team needs him most. Artest still doesn’t understand how to play winning basketball and makes some absolutely boneheaded decisions on offense, but he seems to always redeem himself with hustle plays and defense. The Lakers perimeter D [aside from game 2] as a team has been pretty damn good this series. I just feel like they’re a better team than the Celtics, and I think the Celtics are starting to realize it. If we can just get one game where the big dogs from both teams contribute I’ll be ecstatic. I was impressed with the Lakers ability to stave off a C’s comeback last night. Everytime it looked like the C’s were about to make a run the Lakers got it done on D, and then went to the other end and made a play. Last night was awesome.[/quote]
And it also had the benefit of shutting up Celtics fans and Lakers haterz for a couple of days. There’s no question LA is the better team. Still doesn’t guarantee a championship yet cuz the Celtics play extremely hard and have a lot of desire. You can’t teach that. Fortunately, the Lakers are showing just enough of this themselves (when they need to) to outduel the Celts so far. If the Lakers naturally had the desire and will 100% of the time this series would be over in a sweep. That’s just not the Lakers makeup however. [/quote]
The fact that the Lakers let teams come back after establishing a pretty dominant lead may very well be their undoing. That shit drives me up the fucking wall. If they would just once step on the other teams throats when their up 15+ and hold it or even open it up it would answer a lot of questions about their collective killer instinct.
[quote]randman wrote:
Oh, I’m with you. I know Lamar and I’ll celebrate just having him back for 1 game at a time. Yes, it’s pathetic but I’ll celebrate any time I see him show up ;0
Yes, if he consistently shows up for the rest of the series this will wrap up quickly. I’m actually predicting Lakers take the next game as well.[/quote]
I’m on the fence. I think the Lakers have the Celtics doubting themselves, but there’s something holding me back from being ready to put that out there yet. Hope you’re right though, haha.
I think this next game will be difficult to predict. Allen didn’t make any contributions last night and as discussed Paul Pierce has not been a factor, but KG is stepping his game up. If next game KG is still balling, LO doesn’t show up, and Ray Allen or Pierce decide to help then it’ll be one hellofa game for the Lakers.
However if Allen has a mediocre game and Pierce continues to fall asleep out there, then somebody Probably Rondo is going to HAVE to have an absolutely phenomenol game to beat the Lakers
[quote]AndrewG909 wrote:
I think this next game will be difficult to predict. Allen didn’t make any contributions last night and as discussed Paul Pierce has not been a factor, but KG is stepping his game up. If next game KG is still balling, LO doesn’t show up, and Ray Allen or Pierce decide to help then it’ll be one hellofa game for the Lakers.
However if Allen has a mediocre game and Pierce continues to fall asleep out there, then somebody Probably Rondo is going to HAVE to have an absolutely phenomenol game to beat the Lakers[/quote]
So far this series has been about who steps up when someone slumps. Both Rondo and Allen have had big games when KG and Pierce were quiet, Kg had a good game when everyone else was sleeping, Odom came up when Gasol was changing his tampon, etc…Like T said there’s bound to be a game where all the players play and we can see each team’s best. If you can get what you expect from your starters and your benches can come in and do their job we’ll have a true, intense Finals game. I’m getting myself pumped just thinking about it, haha.
[quote]randman wrote:
Oh, I’m with you. I know Lamar and I’ll celebrate just having him back for 1 game at a time. Yes, it’s pathetic but I’ll celebrate any time I see him show up ;0
Yes, if he consistently shows up for the rest of the series this will wrap up quickly. I’m actually predicting Lakers take the next game as well.[/quote]
I’m on the fence. I think the Lakers have the Celtics doubting themselves, but there’s something holding me back from being ready to put that out there yet. Hope you’re right though, haha.[/quote]
Yeah Im with you on that one… I’m not willing to stick a fork in the Celtics till the Lakers are up by double digits in the final minute of their close out game. This series has just been so unpredictable so far.
[quote]randman wrote:
Oh, I’m with you. I know Lamar and I’ll celebrate just having him back for 1 game at a time. Yes, it’s pathetic but I’ll celebrate any time I see him show up ;0
Yes, if he consistently shows up for the rest of the series this will wrap up quickly. I’m actually predicting Lakers take the next game as well.[/quote]
I’m on the fence. I think the Lakers have the Celtics doubting themselves, but there’s something holding me back from being ready to put that out there yet. Hope you’re right though, haha.[/quote]
Yeah Im with you on that one… I’m not willing to stick a fork in the Celtics till the Lakers are up by double digits in the final minute of their close out game. This series has just been so unpredictable so far.
.greg.[/quote]
Man, I really feel like the Lakers are the better team, and I think the Celtics know it. I’m just not sure if the Lakers know it yet, and until they can show that then I can’t put it out there. When they can hold that 15+ lead and not let up we’ll know that they know.
Well I’m sticking with my prediction. After game 2, I was not panicked at all. I still felt the Lakers have been the better team. A lot of things needed to happen for the Celtics to win that game which they did.
This is not about disrespecting the Celtics. Trust me, they scare me. That being said, after game 2 I felt like the Lakers could take at least 2 out of 3 in Boston. Even though most of LA talk radio was hoping for just 1 out of 3 (I didn’t understand this). Have some faith people.
So I still think the Lakers step on their throats in game 4 and win. The Celtic pride will come back in game 5 and play a vicious game in game 5 to force it back to LA where LA closes it in 6 games which sticks with my original prediction of Lakers in 6.
Obviously I could be dead wrong but it’s no fun if you don’t have the nads to make a prediction. ;0
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Man, I really feel like the Lakers are the better team, and I think the Celtics know it. I’m just not sure if the Lakers know it yet, and until they can show that then I can’t put it out there. When they can hold that 15+ lead and not let up we’ll know that they know.[/quote]
Yeah I feel like the Lakers are the better team as well but the Lakers always let teams hang around which bothers me… I was having flashbacks last night to the '08 series when Boston ate up that 18 point lead and took control of the series. I was saying “oh no not this again” lol… but they got the win which is great. Hopefully they can get one more in Boston.
[quote]randman wrote:
Well I’m sticking with my prediction. After game 2, I was not panicked at all. I still felt the Lakers have been the better team. A lot of things needed to happen for the Celtics to win that game which they did.
This is not about disrespecting the Celtics. Trust me, they scare me. That being said, after game 2 I felt like the Lakers could take at least 2 out of 3 in Boston. Even though most of LA talk radio was hoping for just 1 out of 3 (I didn’t understand this). Have some faith people.
So I still think the Lakers step on their throats in game 4 and win. The Celtic pride will come back in game 5 and play a vicious game in game 5 to force it back to LA where LA closes it in 6 games which sticks with my original prediction of Lakers in 6.
Obviously I could be dead wrong but it’s no fun if you don’t have the nads to make a prediction. ;0[/quote]
Yeah with how inconsistent the Celtics play at home (especially in these playoffs) its not a too much of a stretch at all to think the Lakers could take 2 out of 3 in Boston.
[quote]randman wrote:
Well I’m sticking with my prediction. After game 2, I was not panicked at all. I still felt the Lakers have been the better team. A lot of things needed to happen for the Celtics to win that game which they did.
This is not about disrespecting the Celtics. Trust me, they scare me. That being said, after game 2 I felt like the Lakers could take at least 2 out of 3 in Boston. Even though most of LA talk radio was hoping for just 1 out of 3 (I didn’t understand this). Have some faith people.
So I still think the Lakers step on their throats in game 4 and win. The Celtic pride will come back in game 5 and play a vicious game in game 5 to force it back to LA where LA closes it in 6 games which sticks with my original prediction of Lakers in 6.
Obviously I could be dead wrong but it’s no fun if you don’t have the nads to make a prediction. ;0[/quote]
I called Lakers in 6 as well. Fuck it, you’re right. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if LA closes it out in Boston. I think it comes back to LA though. LA in 6 still, with the next few games being more crisp with all partys being more involved.
How come know one here has really reflected on Derek Fisher’s play (especially Laker fans)? Dude, this guy is such a leader, clutch player, gets no love from Laker fans most of the season, yet continues to come through in the biggest post season moments when the most critical games are in the balance waiting to be tipped one way or the other.
This guy is such a class act. Yes, I’ve cursed him a few times to for being too slow and fast guards beating him or missing too many shots or getting too old but he always delivers in the biggest moments and more than makes up for it.
Plainly spoken, without DFish in the 4th quarter of last night’s game, the Lakers lose. He was outstanding. Never mind how much better he stuck to Ray Allen the whole game. If you were watching this closely, he did a much better job fighting through screens and sticking with him. He did it on both ends of the floor.
What more can be said about this guy? He will hold a special place in the Lakers long history of championship success.
^^Yeah Fish is a clutch player and you nailed it on the head when you said he is a class act. He has a reputation for being a pretty physical guard and a tough player, but he is a classy guy and a hell of a leader.
It always seems like Fish has pretty quite games statistically for the most part but when he does do something special its always in a clutch moment (like that insane .2 shot against the Spurs a few years ago or last nights showing) He seems to always come up big when its needed. I like how after the game Kobe said that Fish was the only guy on the team he would listen to cause everyone else was just a bunch of young kids lol.
The only concern I have really is Bynum. He has given us such critical minutes in this series. If he can’t go for Game 4, it’s even more imperative that Odom step up.
Regarding Fish-- Yeah, he’s clutch. I’ve always maintained that it’s not so much that Kobe’s clutch, it’s that the LA Lakers as a team are clutch. Kobe on his own near the end of a close game has always been hit or miss as far as saving the team goes, IMO. But a lot of the time when he fucks up, Fish or Gasol pick up the slack and the Lakers win anyway. That whole team is clutch as a group. EDIT: I guess a big part of that is in a clutch scenario Kobe attracts double teams/extra coverage, but those other dudes still step it up.
Calls were still soft as fuck, but at least they were more evenly split yesterday–especially with Kobe, who was persecuted in Game 2.
Regarding Kobe’s shooting. There were a lot of forced shots, but if you look at them, especially from the third quarter, the other Lakers on the floor were just standing there not even trying to get open-- twice during the game the play-by-play dudes even mentioned that what the Lakers were doing didn’t even resemble triangle offense, they were just waiting for Kobe to do something. He didn’t have a bad game overall, I’d say.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
Regarding Fish-- Yeah, he’s clutch. I’ve always maintained that it’s not so much that Kobe’s clutch, it’s that the LA Lakers as a team are clutch. Kobe on his own near the end of a close game has always been hit or miss as far as saving the team goes, IMO. But a lot of the time when he fucks up, Fish or Gasol pick up the slack and the Lakers win anyway. That whole team is clutch as a group.
Calls were still soft as fuck, but at least they were more evenly split yesterday–especially with Kobe, who was persecuted in Game 2.
Regarding Kobe’s shooting. There were a lot of forced shots, but if you look at them, especially from the third quarter, the other Lakers on the floor were just standing there not even trying to get open-- twice during the game the play-by-play dudes even mentioned that what the Lakers were doing didn’t even resemble triangle offense, they were just waiting for Kobe to do something. He didn’t have a bad game overall, I’d say.[/quote]
Fuck even Artest bailed out Kobe. I agree, Kobe is pretty clutch, but being a laker is obviously a benefit, or maybe it’s because Phil makes them Meditate or something.
