it's weird, i hated the lakers with a passion while they were winning titles. and kobe up until about the 3rd title year. i started to like how smooth his game always seemed. and then it's like the more people started hating him the more i started siding with him. and now i'm a fan. if the lakers were still really good i probably wouldn't like them and if they ever get good with kobe i'm not sure what i'll do.
The reason the Lakers are down 15 and will lose this series is because Kobe keeps hitting all of his shots, finding open teammates, and playing an otherwise flawless game. What a selfish b*stard. Stop draining 3's. They would clearly have the lead if they kept feeding Kwame Brown - or as CB34 would say "pounding it inside." Kwame Brown is Tim Duncan waiting to happen. Pound it in to him, guys.
Like I said before it wasn't just Kobe hogging the ball at the end of last game that was the only reason they lost. It was a part of it. I also think a lot of Kobe's shots are good and within the system. I am not saying he shouldn't ever shoot. He should be the number one option, and 70% of the plays should be designed for him. His has monster game. There were only a few times when he took ill advised shots thus far. At least one of them had a long rebound which lead to a fast break for the Suns. But he can't do it by himself. He can look heroic losing, if he wants, or he can give his team a chance to win. In the regular season they had a good winning percentage when Kobe did that. I made the distinction already that this is the playooffs, and the level of play is higher. By the way Kobe averaged over 40 PPG against the Suns during the regular season and the Lakers never won that game. You are entitled to believe the 'all Kobe all the time' strategy is what the Lakers need if you wish. I don't believe that, and looking at the history of the Lakers in these playoffs, and Championship teams in general I don't see that strategy as successful. In addition, it doesn't mean that playing together as a team will ensure a victory 100% of the time. However, it does give the best chance for victory.
OK, that is it. I will root for Clippers the rest of the way, and the Spurs, if they can't do it, I will root for Pistons. I hate the Suns and Mavs, that is it.
Outside of Kobe and Lamar Odom, the Lakers team is full of CBA caliber players. Its AMAZING that this series has gone seven games.
Thanks for bumming me out. Actually all these playoff games, get me excited for our potential next year. I'm eager to see what moves we make, and then gear up for the year. It will be great to get our team some playoff experience, and see what we can do with the Yao Ming Mach II out there.
essentially you are. no shot he takes is ever a good one, no matter the shooting percentage. and it's working beautifully. wow, they were 3 and 2 with sharing and that was with the suns offense playing like crap. not surprisingly it doesn't work when the suns offense plays like normal. and lamar odom has done nothing this game, smush does stuff, it's just all wrong. and kwame had words with phil b/c apparently he thought playing horribly should be reward with PT. and the suns continue to be the greatest free throw shooting team in playoff history. i have never seen anything like this from the line.
It's INCREDIBLY tough to have a battle-it-out close series and then go and play Game 7 on the road and still be able to win it. It seems to always be the case that an otherwise competitive and close series in 6 games is blown open by the home team in the 7th game; last year with the Rox and this year (at least so far) with the Lakers. Oh well, at least the Suns will make it a more competitive series against the Clippers, it should be a lot of fun watching the MVP Steve Nash go against ATliens Sam Cassell...a dream PG matchup between the two smartest PGs in the league. A complete demoralization by the Suns. I must re-affirm my man-crush on Barbosa, this kid is going to be AMAZING player, what a young talent! Oh, and Steve Nash is an amazing player, by far the biggest impact player in the league today, will have a shot at a 3rd MVP award next season if he stays healthy -- and with Amare hopefully back and playing -- and he leads the Suns to another great season.
The Lakers have turned back into a pumpkin and their weak roster is completely exposed. So long Cinderella! I give major props to the Suns for pulling out this series. Some here wrote them off for dead but from 1-1 to down 1-2 & 1-3 I had a feeling they would catch fire and burn off 3 in a row. They are the superior team and deserve to advance. It's better this way because they will give the Clippers more competition than the Lakers. Tim Thomas is a cold-blooded assasin on the court. I think he's a loser but you cannot argue with his playoff performance for the Suns. Who would have thought the guy would become such a major factor on their team. The Lakers have a lot of work to do. reggietodd, you said it well. All of the good vibes from earlier in this series are down the drain. I'll support the Clippers in the next round, but this Suns team has earned my respect. To recover from the daggers they've taken in the gut this series is extraordinary.
Oh, btw guys, let's root for the Suns to blow out the Lakers by 40 or more, we don't want the Rox to have the worst loss in NBA playoff history (Game 7 history, at least). GO SUNS!
LOL, Kobe actually "trusted" his teammates and keep feeding their the balls, but they can't do a damn thing. What an ending!
No, you only think I am. I never once said that he shouldn't shoot. I said he should play within the system. He probably loses either way, but only way gives his team a shot at winning. Like I said, it doesn't guarntee a victory. It just gives the Lakers their best chance at one. I agree with you hear, that Kobe's teammates are playing horribly tright now. But I think it is better to lose as a team. Then at least his teammates can see what they need to improve on and what they need to do differently. They can see what it takes. Provided they have that kind of attitude. Otherwise they might just believe that they could have won it, and hold resentment towards Kobe.
Well said, I think it all starts with Steve Nash, that guy has been an incredible leader and proved to be a tough nut to crack, I know with that floppy hair of his and just his overall look people might be drawn into thinking that he's "soft", but he's a tough-arse SOB. I have new-found respect for the Suns. I already had that respect for Steve Nash after he carved out the Mavs in the playoffs last season and had out-of-this-world great, clutch performances, but I didn't have a general respect for the Suns team as a whole; now I do. As for Kobe, he only re-affirmed what I and most NBA fans already knew, which is that he's a great player and one of the elitests of the elite as far as superstars are concerned in this league. Regardless, it has been a GREAT and a very enjoyable playoff series, so hats off to both teams for making the first round of the playoffs (something I normally don't pay that much attention to beyond the Rox) one of the best I have ever watched. I think the NBA as a whole is on the right track and it's making a comeback with fans, and as a hardcore NBA fan I am happy with that. Here's to a great 2nd round! (although it will be tough to top this one)
You are right. His teammates are letting the whole team down. I guess he could choose how he wants to lose. It could be with him doing everything, or as a team. That being said, the game isn't over and anything is possible.
