NBA Basketball

[Chicken]

i actually don't mind the utah team. i think i actually like the type of players they have and the way they play.

but i absolutely hate their fans, especially after this fisher thing.

maybe it's just me, but pau looked a little lost out there. perhaps, because it was his first real NBA playoffs (the first series went too easily), he wasn't ready for how physical things could get out there. hopefully, he'll make some strong adjustments out there.

definitely knew this could be a tough series. but i'm looking forward to sunday.

[fattybfat]

T. Prince just killed the magic.......

[ilovefriedchicken]

fcking jordan farmar i hate that piece of sht 0-7 fg i really want lakers to get rid of him like just latch him onto a trade. on a happier note bdavis is leaving GS and since hes from inglewood and is a huge lakers fan he might accept a low salary just to play for them.

[ilovefriedchicken]

on the sunday lakers-utah game the fcking utah mormon shts were chanting "cancer, cancer" when fisher stepped to the line.

[Chicken]

hope kobe's back holds up.

[landho]

Totally classless of the Jazz fans.

That said, I like Farmar a lot; he's a great PG off the bench. You couldn't tell, though, watching him play in this playoff series. It's as if his confidence has been shot, but he is going up against Deron Williams, who is completely badass.

As much as I love Baron, I don't think he belongs in the Lakers' system. (I've heard rumors of Arenas coming to the Lakers, but I feel the same way about him--Arenas and Baron are very similar players.) The triangle is best with a point guard who is smart, big, and can hit open jumpers. Fisher fits two of those very well and he can also play really good d, especially given his size. The ideal PG for the Lakers would be someone like Chauncey Billups or Deron Williams rather than a shoot-first PG like Baron.

That said, the game on Sunday was very frustrating to watch. Kobe forced a ton of shots that he didn't need to take in the fourth and overtime. I'm not even sure he should have been on the floor in any capacity other than that of being a decoy. Sometimes pride gets the best of him, but when I saw Kirilenko swat him for the second time, I nearly threw my remote through the TV screen out of frustration.

It's not as if the Lakers are lacking for weapons. The Lakers' run in the fourth wasn't keyed by Kobe's taking shots; it was keyed by his being a decoy and a facilitator. Fisher and Odom were responsible for getting the Lakers back in the game.

Anyone watching the game could see that Kobe had no quickness and no lift; his three-point attempts were woefully short, and Kirilenko had no trouble staying with him. Even so, the Jazz were still paying inordinate attention to Kobe. If he were less proud, he would have used that to his advantage instead of trying to overcome despite adverse conditions.

[jselvedge]

on the sunday lakers-utah game the fcking utah mormon shts were chanting "cancer, cancer" when fisher stepped to the line.

that's pretty sad. them fans don't deserve a winning team

[nimo112]

should just nuke utah

[bouwnt]

Anyone watching the game could see that Kobe had no quickness and no lift; his three-point attempts were woefully short, and Kirilenko had no trouble staying with him. Even so, the Jazz were still paying inordinate attention to Kobe. If he were less proud, he would have used that to his advantage instead of trying to overcome despite adverse conditions.

sums up kobe quite well in fact. it's obvious he has a constant chip on his shoulder they way he plays like that... just to say if he won the game that "i did it hurt," as if he has something to prove. if for whatever reason his health continues to degrade throughout this series, his ego will surely be the death of the lakers.

"pride is a fool's fortress..."

[ilovefriedchicken]

doesnt matter. fisher proves that he is the ultimate clutch shooter and even odom has been performing remarkably. kobe will shake off the loss and gasol will be good again.

i just have no confidence in farmar.

[jselvedge]

david west

36pts

14reb

4ast

5blk

2stl

and still 5 mins to go. jeez

[Chicken]

Doc does suck. He can't manage the flow of the game. Anyone could have gotten this Celts team to the playoffs. The way he handled the Atlanta series is enough to fire him even if the Celts do win it all.

somebody else agrees with you.

i just have no confidence in farmar.

fuck, i don't think farmar has no confidence in farmar right now.

but go lakers!

[eastcoastrider27]

Yeah I read that Simmons article and although he's being satirical it's not that far off.

While a lot of the blame for what has gone wrong for the Celtics this postseason rests on guys like Pierce and Allen shooting miserably, Doc should take most of the heat for not having the right guys in at the right time and not effectively attacking the other teams' weaknesses.

You don't just change what you've done all season long once you get to the playoffs.

I didn't like adding Cassell from the jump. What does he bring? We already have a chucker who can run the point in Eddie House.

Doc should stick with a 7-8 man rotation (KG, Perk, Ray, Pierce, Rondo, Posey, Powe, and House or Allen) in tonight's game (and for the rest of the playoffs) if the C's want to win.

[Chicken]

i'm hoping the c's are going to somehow slip into the finals the way they are now.

just hoping.

[julzkind]

i am scared to watch the cavs game b/c i think i will jinx that shit and they will lose...and i will then be sad.

but 23 in the first half is promising.

[homi29]

go hornets

go cavs because i hate the celtics

i never liked kevin garnett for some reason...

and im so sick of seeing the spurs and pistons ugh

lebron has been so mediocre this series , he looks simply ordinary

[julzkind]

all my fault, i watched the game and they lost.

they sucked SO BAD this game. ugh.

[homi29]

the east games are all so slow and boring compared to the west ugh

[jselvedge]

don't feel bad. C's haven't lost at home yet this postseason. good news is they suck on the road. i'm looking forward to a game 7

[eastcoastrider27]

Doc has the starting 5 play the majority of the game, including 42 of 48 minutes for Rondo and look what happens... A big W.

The only time Cassell should be on the court is to give Rondo a blow. He shouldn't be in there to run the offense instead of Rondo.

Hopefully last night's game serves as a wakeup call to Doc.

Although the Celtics haven't won a road game this postseason, guess what they don't have to do to win the championship?

[sarcasticone]

Friggin Lakers won again. I can't stand Kobe and I really want to see Utah and New Orleans in the West final. How amazing would a Hornets/ Jazz series be? Deron Williams and Chris Paul trying to one up each other. Oh yeah, I think that whole giving Kobe a lifetime achievement MVP is BS. He just got lucky that his GM was able to fleece Memphis for Gasol. Chris Paul should have won that shit, hands down (And I fully admit that I am biased).

[FAM0US.]

^ Fuck you. Kobe is the truth... Best player in the NBA today.

Lakers for the motherfucking win betch.

[sarcasticone]

The Lakers would have still made the playoff if they did not have Kobe. The Hornets would have had 30 wins if they did not have Chris Paul. Kobe is a great player (As much as I hate saying this) but he does not make everyone around him better. Also, you know the Spurs could take the Lakers in a best of seven (even though it would be boring as fuck and I do not want to see San Antonio in the finals).

[landho]

The Lakers would have still made the playoff if they did not have Kobe. The Hornets would have had 30 wins if they did not have Chris Paul. Kobe is a great player (As much as I hate saying this) but he does not make everyone around him better. Also, you know the Spurs could take the Lakers in a best of seven (even though it would be boring as fuck and I do not want to see San Antonio in the finals).

The Hornets actually had more all-stars on their roster this year than the Lakers did.

Don't want to get into it, but Kobe is the best player in the league. Saying that he doesn't make his team better just shows that you don't watch the games. From a purely technical standpoint, he puts so much offensive pressure on the opposing team that it frees up space for his very talented supporting cast to operate.

There's no way the Spurs could have beaten the Lakers in seven, especially given that the Lakers have home-court advantage. Ariza and possibly (though unlikely) Bynum will likely be back for the conference finals.

And as much as you want to see Deron Williams versus Chris Paul, I would think that you would want a chance for Chris Paul to prove that he deserved the MVP award (kind of like the way Olajuwon proved it in 1995 by savagely making a bitch out of David Robinson). Right? Because at the end of the day the only thing that's left are the numbers on the scoreboard.

[hawkeye]

^Rondo was great last night, those 3s were huge, they look really good when they move the ball around, hopefully they wake up and continue to do this. Also, Ray Allen really needs to step it up.

[sarcasticone]

Just because they had David West on the all star team (in New Orleans might I add ) doesn't mean that the Hornets have that much better of a team. There is no denying that Lamar was having a career year. Bynum was having a career year and after he goes down the get Gasol for Kwame Brown??????. By the way I watch a wack load of NBA games and just cause Kobe decides every once in a while to pass the ball does not make his whole team better that much better. Especially considering how Chris Paul orchestrates the whole New Orleans offence. I actually would like to see the Hornets vs the Lakers. It would definately be close

[landho]

I wish I hated the Hornets so I could really get into it with you, but I actually like them a lot. Byron Scott, Lakers lineage!

If the Lakers lose to the Hornets, sarcasticone, I will Paypal you $1US. Good luck, my Laker-hating friend!

[sarcasticone]

A funny article for all you Celtics fans. You gotta love Doc Rivers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080514

[n9no]

The Hornets actually had more all-stars on their roster this year than the Lakers did.

Don't want to get into it, but Kobe is the best player in the league. Saying that he doesn't make his team better just shows that you don't watch the games. From a purely technical standpoint, he puts so much offensive pressure on the opposing team that it frees up space for his very talented supporting cast to operate.

There's no way the Spurs could have beaten the Lakers in seven, especially given that the Lakers have home-court advantage. Ariza and possibly (though unlikely) Bynum will likely be back for the conference finals.

And as much as you want to see Deron Williams versus Chris Paul, I would think that you would want a chance for Chris Paul to prove that he deserved the MVP award (kind of like the way Olajuwon proved it in 1995 by savagely making a bitch out of David Robinson). Right? Because at the end of the day the only thing that's left are the numbers on the scoreboard.

Landho, everything you've written here is the truth...Any motherfucker coming with that tired ass "kobe doesn't make his team better" bullshit is either blind, totally biased, or simply doesn't understand the game of basketball.

The Lakers only run into problems when their bench falls asleep. Their big 3 (KB24, Lamar, and Pau) have been almost perfect in the post-season, whereas you can't say the same thing for either the hornets or celts (ie, ray allen, tyson chandler).

[Chicken]

lakers now live or die with kobe.

that's just the way it is.