Toughest test should be the team that comes out of the ECF. IMO, aside from LA, OKC was the best team in the west. They could have beaten anyone from #2 to #7. Just bad luck they had to match up against the Lakers. If the Suns don't win the next game, I expect the Lakers to close this thing out in 5, getting good rest against the EC champs. Boston - Orlando, despite the "blowout" of GM 1, will most likely go 7.
The refereeing was clearly in favor of the Lakers. They were allowed to get away with more physical play than the Suns were. In numerous instances, the Suns were called for a weak foul and the Lakers would do it on the other end but more physical and the refs wouldn't call it.
It doesn't excuse the 20-point win, but in no way would it have been such a disparity had it been called fairly. The Lakers hit their shots and their bench produced, but it would've been a much closer game and the outcome might've been different in the final minutes.
It was blowout because Kobe played ridiculous. During the 3rd quarter, his points per shot was as high as 1.7, higher than what he had all series against both the Jazz and Thunder (something like 1.4 and 1.2 respectively). If Kobe continues to play out of his mind like today, then Suns have no chance. Maybe the refs slightly influenced a little (there were a few calls that seemed really suspect - especially the 'T' on Hill) but Kobe was NOT going to lose this game. As much as I utterly dislike the guy, I respect what he does on the basketball court, dude is amazing for 48 minutes a night.
This is utter crap. Even if the Lakers didn't get some of those questionable calls, this game was no where close to being even with 10... the referees had NOTHING to do with the outcome. The Suns got outplayed on offense and defense, plain and simple.
Give me a freakin' break. It's ridiculous how much people complain about reffing and think it actually affects the outcome of every game. You only see what you want to see, it's just mental bias. Lakers dominated this game, plain and simple. Refs had nothing to do with it with them winning.
When Grant Hill got the "T" (after two bogus fouls in the quarter), it was a 7 point game, midway through the 3rd. That is hardly a blowout. The game unraveled immediately after that point (coincidence?) as the Suns knew they could not so much as breathe on Kobe without being penalized. It is not always about the numbers-- the refs set the tone for the game. It is fine if they are going to call it touchy both ways but they weren't in this case. Case in point: Hill got a ridiculous offensive foul for "hooking" when Pau did the EXACT same thing. Jrich got a blocking foul for being jumped over? What plays were the Lakers screwed on? Yes, Kobe played well and the Suns defense was like a sieve and ultimately those were the critical elements of this game. But the horribly inconsistent officiating made a difference and illustrated (once again) why the NBA has the worst officiating of any major sport.
Now you're just over-exaggerating the questionable officiating that surfaced on ONE player... and my point was... the questionable calls had NOTHING to do with the outcome of the game. You can't sit there and blame the refs for the Suns losing any part of this game or saying the Suns even remotely had a chance if Grant Hill didn't get whistled for the T or the fouls he committed. I'm sure you probably failed to realize the missed calls the Lakers had because there were a few that the Lakers didn't get either. I guess it's hard for you to look objectively though when your team gets their ass pounded.
Hah, look at my login name-- my team gets its ass pounded every time they play. Certainly I have bias but it's not like I always think the Lakers get gifts-- for instance, I thought they got royally screwed in the OKC series which is one reason that was as close as it was. I didn't think this game was evenly officiated. Kobe had a definite level of protection that was not awarded others, and that tone was set immediately (I believe Dudley drew two quick fouls for very limited contact). Even in blowouts calls make a difference; to whit, the bogus foul + T on Grant Hill was 3 points in a 7 point game at the time.
Odom through 13 career playoff games against the Suns: Code: [B]fg fga fg% trb ast stl blk pts[/B] Game 1 8 15 14 3 0 1 21 Game 2 9 12 7 5 2 1 21 Game 3 5 14 17 4 0 3 15 Game 4 7 16 8 5 1 1 25 Game 5 7 14 15 6 0 1 18 Game 6 8 14 11 9 0 0 22 Game 7 5 14 5 2 0 1 12 Game 8 8 16 16 2 0 1 17 Game 9 4 12 10 0 1 1 10 Game 10 8 17 16 2 0 2 18 Game 11 8 19 13 5 0 1 19 Game 12 13 21 10 2 1 1 33 Game 13 9 15 19 3 1 0 19 [B]99 199 49.7% 12.4 3.7 0.5 1.1 19.2[/B]
Did anyone caught what Kobe's wife wore last night. It said "Do I look Illegal." lol Edit: here is the pic
I don't know why you find that funny. I have a similar shirt which asks "Am I Illegal? I wear it for my students and for the lone po-po that want to promote irrational street justice. Obviously, Kobe's wife understands the problem with the new legislation. Luckily she took an ethnic studies course before it was banned in my state. I'm hoping that you're being sarcastic, or that you haven't been to AZ in awhile, but the oppression that is being dismissed as nothing is a bunch of bull. Mexicans, Latinos, Whites and any other person who supports human rights should be outraged with AZ conservatives, and now, "Paris" Palin. Back on topic: The Suns will recover. It's scary to play in LA at first; they'll get it together.
Shannon Brown leads with his knees and uses people as leverage to get up higher. I'm not saying he doesnt have hops, it's just not THAT crazy. If you look closely JRich is helping him get higher by propping him up with his elbow.
Im was going to say something but I don't want the "2010 NBA Playoffs: Lakers(1) vs. Suns(3)" thread to end up in the D&D.
All I have to say is every time i watch the Lakers. Kobe wants to win it all, some may call him a selfish ball hog, but the fact he can score so damn easily (his jumper is smooth) and wants to take control = i want a player like this... LBJ may have all the skills in the world, but his mentality is so small compared to Kobe.
i really think people are blowing this AZ law out of proportion. We need to enforce our LAWS and protect our borders. how hard is that to understand? anyways let's not get into this here since this is not the D&D forum. I think Kobe's wife looks ridiculous in that tshirt. It should read "Do I look like a Gold Digger?"
my only bet on this series is looking pretty great after 1 game. Pau Gasol averaging under 13.5 rebs per game for the series.. Game 1? 4!
