Ariza did a great job on Kobe tonight. The Hornets will have some positive film to look at on the defensive side. Practice free throws and come out ready to play in game 3.
Subpar is being kind...LA needs to be as good as they can be VERY SOON or they won't see another Finals...Kobe I'm not really concerned with, but Gasol...that's another discussion. He seems to be getting softer and softer each game, and isn't backing up his talk at all
jumpshooters don't get calls. that's why tmac didn't get calls later on in his career (and i followed the guy). kobe takes 80% jumpshots nowadays at this stage of his career. it's hard to get fts that way. and yet he still goes there 7-8 times a game miraculously.
Gasol has always had trouble with physical defenders. Even though Okafor and Landry are undersized, they give him problems. However, Bynum just feasts on those guys. So if I were the Hornets coach, I'd start Okafor and lardass (who gives Bynum fits) and bring Landry in to mirror Odom.
Why do you insist on debating with douchebug? You haven't figured out that all he does is troll and bring up LeBron in threads that don't have anything to do with him? I implore you to put him on ignore.
Since when your PG is not a perimeter player? Style doesn't matter, if he's getting 30points and 10assists a game, someone needs to step up. Like Kobe's making an example today.
Example? what example? Example that you have all stars caliber teammates like kobe he was able to have a horrible game yet his team still win?
Before he got to Miami I coulda swore I routinely saw him take Kobe whenever they played LA, and didn't the Cavs win most of those?
Yeah, hopefully the reffing will be a little more friendly to the NOH bigs when they go home, or at least they can call the Laker bigs for all of their nonsense (esp. the numerous three seconds they get away with). But I think that moving to a rotation that features Gray on Bynum more would help keep these guys on the floor too. It won't happen though.
IF this kind of offense is all that NO can throw at LA, then it's gonna get real ugly for them if/when the Laker's offense starts rolling. Bynum is gonna be a star, and he is only what, 23?
to be fair everyone knew coming in to this series that NOs fate hinged on CP3 and how LA defended him. They really don't have any other goto guys.
Bottom line: Unless Paul plays out of his mind for the rest of the series...I really don't see NO beating LA. Laker's always trap Paul after the pick, and no one can really create off the dribble. Kobe and Pau won't keep having these kind of games (surprisingly, Kobe only took ten shots today). LA in six, not that anyone cares about the first round really