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Official NBA 2005-2006 thread

Dave Bryce

By Dave Bryce
in The Keyboard Corner

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steadyb

steadyb

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by meccajay:

Originally posted by Rabid:

A lot of the Lakers need to hit a few shots and get on a roll to really feel like they are in the game.Robert

Very true.

 

 

They were not gonna win the game regardless.

Not true. They were only down 15 at the half. If the team game gets going and the other guys start making shots, it would be more possible to slow the Suns down a bit.

 

That's how they got their three wins.

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Magpel

Magpel

Posted
Posted

See, the suspicious thing is that Kobe only took 3 shots in the second half. Hell, in the course of normal offensive team play, Rambis would have taken at least three shots.

 

It's one thing to realize that a total team groove is the only thing that's going to give you a chance, quite another to deprive your team of your own excellent shooting and penetrating abilities.

 

No matter what he or anyone else says, there are some real unresolved issues surrouning Kobe's second half. It was a bizarre display of passivity, which is not the same thing as unselfishness.

 

And the shame of it is that we're not talking about Barbosa, Diaw, and (eek!) Tim Thomas. Once the Suns found their rhythm and made theoir adjustments, they were a joy to watch in this series. The best word to describe their unique team balance is...fungible. yeah, that's right, fungible. Look it up if you don't know what it means... ;):D

Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp
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Steve LeBlanc

Steve LeBlanc

Posted
Posted

focusing on how little Kobe did offensively in the second half is a waste of time...like Magpel said, the Lakers defense (Suns offense) decided the game

 

if the Lakers (the team) had managed some stops in the second half, there's no doubt Kobe would have been shooting

 

hey, maybe Kobe was giving his teammates the opportunity to gain more playoff experience, looking toward next year? they've all had enough experience watching him score, if not while on the court then on the bench or at home watching on tv

 

http://www.youtube.com/notesleb

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Geoff Grace

Geoff Grace

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Magpel:

Laker Questions marks:

 

--Can Odom really play the role of Pippen? I think he has the talent, but the conistency and heart are in question.

 

--Can we back off a bit on the Kwame resurrection rhetoric? A few good games against a team of tiny tims...and only a few.

Then again, it's hard to know how the police investigation of sexual assault allegations against Kwame Brown affected his playing after Game 3. I agree that a question mark is warranted.

 

Originally posted by Ken/Eleven Shadows:

Originally posted by Magpel:

Mecca, I'm not sure what to make of Kobe's second half. On one level, I'm inclined to agree with Kobe that no herculean one player effort was going to get the Lakers back into that game. He had already had what can only be described as a perfect first healf--9/13, 4 three pointers. And they were 15 down at half.

 

He scored BUNDLES against the Suns all season, and they never beat them, until the game where D'Antoni rested Nash and Marion.

 

So they stayed committed to their offensive strategy, which was to exploit the Suns inside with Odom and Brown. Keep in in mind that that--and not 40 point nights from Bryant--was how they won three games in the series.

 

So I don't think that Kobe can be faulted for staying with the offense until such time as they got some collective momentum going, and THEN turning on his superman stuff to finish.

 

But the point is this; Kobe wasn't the story -- the Lakers didn't lose that game on the offensive side. They got destroyed, shredded, embarrassed on D. Kobe could have gone for 35 in the second half and it wouldn't have mattered in the least. THEY CAN'T RUN AND GUN WITH THE SUNS, to coin a triple rhyme phrase. Once the Suns started dictating tempo (in game 4, really) the tide in this series had turned.

 

Without some second half stops, no single player in history, not even MJ or Wilt, was going to deliver that team to victory.

 

When the Lakers came from 27 back in the 4th quarter to beat the Mavericks, it was not a Jordanian effort from Kobe that did it, though I'm sure he scored a lot of the baskets--it was a team on a collective roll, keyed by defense and turnovers. That's the only way you can overcome a deficit like that.

 

All that said, I find it somewhat suspicious that Kobe's offensive activity was SO minimal--I think there might well have been some "messaging" going on, directed at both his teammates and at Phil.

Great post.
+1

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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meccajay

meccajay

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Steve LeBlanc:

focusing on how little Kobe did offensively in the second half is a waste of time...like Magpel said, the Lakers defense (Suns offense) decided the game

No, that's not my point. This would be true only if I were saying they lost because of Kobe's play. They didn't, The Suns are just better. My point is this - Kobe is the best player in the NBA, and he gave the most lackluster performance Ive ever seen in a game 7...because it looked like he stopped trying.

 

if the Lakers (the team) had managed some stops in the second half, there's no doubt Kobe would have been shooting
Stops? We'd be waiting an awful long time!!

 

As I see it. The Lakers haven't stopped or slowed the Suns in almost a week now, as the Suns have rattled off 114,126, and 121 points in the last 3 games, with the Lakers only being close once.

 

The only point is this.. Kobe is NOT at fault for the loss. He is at fault for the rediculous diplay in lack of competitive sportsmanship.

I can't think of many or any true champions in any sport that lay down like that. Maybe if he'd have faked an injury I'd feel better about it.

TROLL . . . ish.
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meccajay

meccajay

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Rabid:

... It was a bizarre display of passivity, which is not the same thing as unselfishness. ...
Don't most parents call this "pouting"?
Indeed they do.. :D

 

Or aka - "Im taking my ball(talent) and going home"

TROLL . . . ish.
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Magpel

Magpel

Posted
Posted
In the name of precision, "pouting" is but one possible cause of "a bizarre passivity." Nausea, for example, might be another. And, since I can not be sure why Kobe did what he did (or didn't what he didn't, as the case may be) I will stick with my more empirical, non-judgmental description: passivity.
Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp
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Dan South

Dan South

Posted
Posted

Did Bodysnatchers invade LA and steal the real Kobe Bryant? Where's the Kobe who climbed back from a thirty point deficit to embarrass the Mavs and cripple that team's confidence a few years back?

 

The second half of Game 7 is no time for Mr. Eighty-One to start impersonating John Stockton. Save the stategic sea changes for training camp.

 

I didn't see the game, but it sounds to me like Kobe wussed out so that he could lay the blame on his teammates.

 

Class act!

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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Dan South

Dan South

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by steadyb:

Originally posted by meccajay:

Yes I'm glad I won't EVER have to hear enother comparison to MJ

Yep. MJ was never good enough to score 81.
Yeah, but he was ALWAYS good enough to advance past the first round.

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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steadyb

steadyb

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Dan South:

I didn't see the game, but it sounds to me like Kobe wussed out so that he could lay the blame on his teammates.

Incorrect.

 

He was following Phil's game plan.

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Dan South

Dan South

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by steadyb:

Originally posted by Dan South:

I didn't see the game, but it sounds to me like Kobe wussed out so that he could lay the blame on his teammates.

Incorrect.

 

He was following Phil's game plan.

I stand corrected. As I stated, I didn't see the game. I just heard the sports radio guys wondering out loud about that 2nd half.

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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Dreamer

Dreamer

Posted
Posted
http://www.corriere.it/Media/Foto/2006/05_Maggio/09/CLIPPERS.jpg
Korg PA3X Pro 76 and Kronos 61, Roland G-70, Integra 7 and BK7-m, Casio PX-5S, Fender Stratocaster with Fralin pickups, Fender Stratocaster with Kinman pickups, 1965 Gibson SG Standard
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Griffinator

Griffinator

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by meccajay:

All Im saying is it made him look like he wasn't trying.. Some effort in a game 7 is a mandate for great players...

My point exactly - I didn't expect him to score 100 points that half, but the truly great players know when it's time to create the momentum themselves and let the rest of the team feed off it.

A bunch of loud, obnoxious music I USED to make with friends.

 

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Magpel

Magpel

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Jeff Klopmeyer:

I hope someone on the Clippers, perhaps Mobley, knocks Raja Bell's fucking teeth out tonight, just on principal.

 

He made my "hate that guy" list last week.

 

- Jeff

Kobe tried his best, and several times, to knock out Raja's teeth, as part of the Lakers' transparent and unsuccessful intimidation plan. I've never seen Kobe play so thuggishly. The worst, however, was Odom's cat scratch at Diaw's face.. didn't even have the pretense of a "basketball move."

 

Raja's retaliation was stoooooopit for sure, and dangerous, but let that not distort the truth of a series in which dirty play flowed mostly from the lakers.

Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp
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Magpel

Magpel

Posted
Posted

Jefferson' ankle is a serious concern for the NYJ, even if he's able to play. He's been their best player in the playoffs so far, and his freakish athleticism is one of the advantages they have over most teams.

 

If I were the Nets, I might be tempted to say "mission accomplished in Miami" and sit RJ in game 2. Of course, maybe they don't even have a choice in the matter. We'll hear more as the day goes on, I assume.

 

Nash's ankle looked pretty good last night.

Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp
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Root

Root

Posted
Posted
Originally posted by Rabid:

Why are we still discussing this? The Lakers are gone, departed, outta here. They mean nothing to the playoffs. A momentary flash of interest that has faded. :cool:

 

Robert

No kidding! Let's talk about the PISTONS!! Making King James look more like Princess Loooser.
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