Look, the kings came so close, they were better, they deserved it, and it seems like everyone I talk to has one reason at the tip of thier tongues as to why they didin't edge the Lakers. For the purposes of this post let's set up some rules. A. Do not write lengthy paper on the various reasons the Lakers won. Pick one to two factors and explain. We watched the basketball. B. Do not say stupid crap like "Shaq" or "Robert Horry".. or some "Lakers had heart" Bullsh%t. If you think that, kiss my hairy butt and post elsewhere. What did the Kings do to blow it? If I hear some good ones, I will tell you mine. Of course, as always in any Fromobile post, I'm already convinced that I am 100% correct in what I think is the reason, but for this once I'm interested in what other BBS'ers have to say.
I think UnAbleman made too much of the refs to begin with---setting his players up for catastrophic distraction later in the series. I think lack of big game experience, poise and self control caused them to self immolate too. Switch the coaches and the Kings probably would have had it. Christina Webber needs a coach like Phil the way Shaq needed a coach like Phil.
The King's couldn't do the little things when it counted the most at the end of the 4th and in OT. They missed some FT's(not the main reason why they lost) and as the NBC guys said, everyone except Mike Bibby Looked scared out there to shoot or touch the ball. I'm not sure if I have the facts straight, but I only know of two players who have played in games like this one (high adrenaline high impact game) Biiby and Webber in College. Correct me please, if i am wrong. ill check my facts as well. They were in the race to win all the games that the refs "could have blown/did blow" for them.
Dick Bavetta Free Throws AND Mike Bibby was the only guy on the team with sack enough to take a shot. Webber always gets that scolded-kid, hangdog look when the game is on the line.
No matter how it is explained why the Kings lost to the Lakers, it comes off as 'whining' to Lakers fans. But, if I were cryogenetically frozen and awoken in a few hundred years, and my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grand child asks we why the humanoid Kings were parlayed by the genetically altered (all of this proven in the August 2007 TIME article on human cloning), I would have to say: 1. an injured Peja - could be argued as the Kings best player, obviously their best perimeter threat and 'defense stretcher' didn't play until Game 5 and might be said he didn't really play until Game 6, off the bench and gimpy. The Peja who shot a 21 foot knuckleball at the end of Game 7 is not the 'true' Peja. Funny, if Shaq or Kobe was hurt, that is all we would have heard about if the Lakers lost without one of the two. 2. big game jitters? - most Kings fans would argue that there shouldn't have been a Game 7 because of the Game 6 4th Q FT shooting frenzy by the Lakers, but ther was a Game 7, and the Kings hit only 16 of 30 FT's in a game that went to OT. 3. Game 6 - I've never been one to complain about officiating, but the facts of the 4th Q in Game 6 are eye opening. 27 FT's in one quarter? Has that ever happened before, even in the pre-season, regular season, or a local YMCA rec league?
well, we sure can't blame it on Peja....because HE DIDN"T PLAY!!! Oh, except for that amazing AIR BALL (short AND to the right) before Christie's clanger. Yeah Fran Blinebury, guys like Peja are sure leading their teams while changing the league. oop...sorry I distracted myself with another Fran blasts for telling us that the league is being changed by the Dallas Mavericks and shooters who don't play defense. back to topic... Adelman could have stood using Jackson more at crunch time. Get Shandon Anderson out of there at crunch time...he isn't going to stop Kobe. but first thing out of my mouth is: Divac -- Divac -- Divac ... will never forgive himself this summer for that tip, even if tipping the ball is considered proper. Divac choked masterfully on free throws, in repeated games...not just the last one. Divac was great, and needed...but he choked.
Vlade played in the Championships with the Lakers early in his career. Peja and Hedo (and Vlade) have played in all of the major international championships, including last years European Championships where Peja's (MVP) Yugoslavia beat Hedo's homeland of Turkey. Believe me, the pressure is as intense as World Cup soccer. Even more than the American college Final Four. Bobby Jackson played in the Final Four with Minnesota. Pollard's Kansas, I don't believe, ever made it that far. But now, they ALL have WCF's experience and maybe that will help them get over the hump next year.
I'm sure you meant Doug Christie, not SA. But, to get your facts straight, Doug Christie did indeed shut Kobe down in the 4th Q, and OT. From memory, I think Kobe had one FG in that span and his only other points were on FT's (and not many at that.) I will give you that Jackson could have provided some clutch shooting. Pick your poison.
thanks, but nothing comes down harder than Arco Arena and those fans. I'm sure even the home team gets scared some times. Thats how it is with the Lobos of New Mexico. They crack under the pressure of their own fans. We're pretty intense.
Sac choked away Game 4. The series would've been over had they not decided to stop scoring points in that game. Also their best player happens to be completely useless in the last couple of minutes of close games -- that's a death wish right there. Of course playing without your second-best player, a 20+ ppg scorer, always makes it tough. I completely agree with Hallama that we would've heard about this from LA 'fans' had the reverse happened (Bryant being out, for instance). I couldn't understand why Webber was guarding Shaq for a good portion of the 4th quarter of Game 7, when Divac only had 4 fouls. That was a dumb decision by someone. I kind've think it was Webber asking to guard Shaq, so he'd have an excuse for not delivering in the clutch offensively (tired out from banging w/Shaq). Instead it hurt the team b/c Shaq just had a field day if I'm not mistaken.
Freak, great point. When Vlade fouled out with under a minute left in regulation (a very, very, questionable call on a loose ball with Kobe) and Webber 'volunteered' to guard Shaq in OT, Shaq abused Webber on the block, even though a rested Pollard was available and was playing well in Game 7. The Kings never play well when Webber play the 5.
You are all doing very well. Playing within the rules. I appreciate it. The Fromobile Answer will be revealed shortly.
Peja is not the 2nd best player. Bibby and Webber are both more important. Divac's passing really helps make that team a challenge to guard. Peja is interchangeable with Turk, and I don't see how anyone can argue with that when the Kings were swept last year while Fox absolutely shut down Peja, and Turk does just as well this year and the Kings should have won. Peja is now my new most overrated player in the NBA, right there with Wally. The Webber bashing is outdated by a year, imo. He showed up with clutch command of the offense finding several masterful bounce passes in traffic for dunks. He also nailed a 15'er without hesitation near the end of the 4th game that TheFreak says they choked up. Turk nailed a runner there, too. Webber never looked afraid to shoot to me, and he had some great clutch time passes, absolutely GREAT! Divac screwed up the 4th game clutch time. Anyone recall him holding the ball at the left elbow with under 2 minutes and failing to find a waving/cutting Webber, then ends up hesitating and holding the ball even longer and looking lost them tryin a skip pass and the ball slipping out of his hand. And then Divac misses the crucial free throws for the 3 point lead instead of the 2 pt lead. Webber was way far from choking Game 4. Divac choked this year, not Webber.
In light of Heypartner's posts, I will reveal my opinion. DIVAC!!! I agree 100%. Though, I don't really care about his play, I thought it was ok. I hate the fouls. He was SO STUPID about the fouls. He was playing the no-layup rule with 3 fouls in the 3rd quarter. Bonehead. When he was in late, they won. It's not rocket science. Stay in the game. Thier only defensive option on Shaq (no pollard was not an option, he is an instant foul) fouled out because he's freaking fouling Kobe. ARRRG!!! When Vlade is in the game, Webber can actually perfom offensivley. It's kind of hard for Webber to create with an entire front line guarding him.
Turkoglu '02: 10.1 pts, 42.2 fg%, 36.8 3p% Peja '02: 21.2 pts, 48.4 fg%, 41.4 3p% I hope you can see the clear difference there. Sac was 18-8 w/o Webber this year, with Peja pouring in about 24 ppg, I believe. He is clearly their 2nd-best player. I don't know why you're talking about last year? The Lakers were clearly a better team last year. I have a hard time saying a role player "choked". It's the star's fault when the role player has the ball in his hands too much in crucial situations because the star DIDN'T WANT THE BALL. How 'bout Game 5, play before Bibby's shot, Webber dribbling all over the place, turning his back to the defense, and stumbling out of bounds? Then of course Bibby in the huddle says "give me the ball and I'll make it"......why didn't Webber say that? No, Webber says "I'll get you the ball". Webber was clearly scared ****less at that point, and there was NO WAY he was going to take that final shot. Divac choked Game 4? The team was up by over 20 early. They STOPPED SCORING. 40 points in the first quarter, then don't break 100? Cmon. That's the role-playing center's fault?
I could've sworn that one of the commentators said that Webber requested it. He wanted to be the man to guard Shaq in crunch time.
