MJ was the most notorious trash talker of them all. Bird was just as bad. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjH4MCFjysw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MjH4MCFjysw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
It started in the 3rd when kobe started lighting up u know who. Kobe is Kobe and ig you let him pull out the lounge chair on defense, then its going to be rough on you in the 4th. The lakers have so much depth that rox fans clamore for scolandry when the lakers got powell on the bench as the 10th man or so.
Powell really impressed me. Kobe makes his whole team better. Luke Walton ??? you kidding me??/ I kept yelling daddies boy at him, he laughed at me once, it was great.
It all comes down to backing it up. Jordan talked and backed it up. Tonight, Artest and Kobe talked but only one backed it up. Kobe owned us tonight. Nobody could stop him when he decided to take over. We're not the first team he's done that to and we won't be the last. Our guys just need to learn from it and move on. This may sound crazy but the only guy on our team who has the size and athleticism to stay with Kobe is Wafer. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the experience and defensive skillset to do the job. I want to believe Battier or Artest can handle Kobe but it's hard to believe they can after tonight's performance. Of course, it was only one game and it's fresh in our minds. At the same time, for all the credit Battier gets as a Kobe-stopper, he's never faced him in the post-season to my knowledge. It would only get harder to stop him in that setting.
I don't think depth is what beat us tonight. It was a combination of Kobe going off, turnovers and missed opportunites at the offensive end. We very easily could have won that game even with Kobe being far and away the best player on the floor. As much as I like Ron, by not trying to do too much toward the end, we may have been able to win despite all the other problems. Instead of forcing shots, he should have let Lowry do more of the ballhandling and decision-making from the beginning to the late middle of the 4th quarter. Lowry is great at getting to the line, is less turnover prone and is a better playmaker. I think we beat ourselves more than Kobe and the Lakers beat us, at least in tonight's case.
I thought Battier and Artest did a solid job against Kobe. They made him work for his baskets. Kobe has always lit us up. The key is stopping Gasol,Odom(when playing),and the rest of the supporting cast. Can't let Powell score 17 pts. on you and expect to beat them.
ya, you said it better. mad me sick, he looks like a major thug... lol however, i liked Artest's effort tonight. I think we should keep him, we just need another piece to the puzzle??
When you win, you get to say whatever you want. Unfortunately Ron tried to do it himself instead of the team. Oh well. There's plenty of blame to go around. Letting guys like Walton getting to the rim w/ ease on transition is inexcusable. Missing wide open shots, not getting Yao the ball, or Yao getting the ball and turning it over, and no box outs giving Lakers tons of second chance points. But those 2-3 minutes were harsh. Ron got suckered into Kobe's game of one-on-one and got killed. He played right into his hands. The momentum really turned there.
Not sure on the minutes but saw this on ESPN News. Kobe was 5-7 shooting against Artest. Kobe was 6-12 shooting against Battier.
I think those are some fair points, especially the latter ones. By eliminating those second chance points off rebounds or Yao contesting a few of those Gasol mid-range jumpers and we also win. I know Yao has limitations but he too often has his hands by his side when opposing players are shooting mid-range shots. You can see Adelman screaming at Yao after each play to get a hand up to contest those shots. If you've never noticed it, watch next game. I've seen Adelman do that many, many times. Once again, we beat ourselves in many respects more than the Lakers beat us. I know that's somewhat cliche but I mean it. I'm not saying that will always be the case but it was last night. If we did just one of the following things, we win the game no matter what the Lakers did: 1. Make wide open shots. 2. Box out/prevent so many offensive rebounds/second chance points. 3. Not turn the ball over an insane amount of times, esp. in the 2nd half. 4. Artest letting Lowry run the plays more in the 4th quarter instead of trying to outduel Kobe. We don't have a Kobe Bryant on offense. Ron is great but he's not Kobe. We have to win by committee, Jazz or Piston style. Do just one of those things and we probably win. Kobe decided to try to take over in the 2nd half and I think Jackson made an adjustment or two but we were owning the Lakers most of the 1st half. We just had to adjust in response and we didn't. Instead, we turned the ball over, allowed for second chance points and let Ron force shots up down the stretch.
ya because when Artest dribbles the ball up in the fourth, it basically eliminates Lowry form any chance of scoring, or really doing anything.
Interesting. IIRC he also got several easy baskets when they got Brooks to switch onto him, creating a mismatch.
He took 23 shots. Shaud's stats were just against Battier and Artest. Kobe practically shot a few layups over Brooks.
Agreed with everything you just said, especially us giving up those 2nd chance points. That kept the Lakers in it enough for Kobe to take over down the stretch. Also can add Yao's inability to post up effectively down the stretch.
I actually liked how Brooks was able to get a hand in his face, but with him giving up so much height to Kobe you knew it would not turn out good.
I agree Brooksball, you tell me before the game that the Rockets turn it over 23 times and everything else is normal, I say the Rockets lose. Tell me prior to the game that the Rockets will shoot less than 25% from 3 point range and I will tell you the Rockets will probably lose. Tell me prior to the game that Ron will fall into Kobe's trap in the 2nd half, and I will tell you we will lose. Tell me prior that all of the above happens and I say Kobe aint even playing the 4th.
