April 27th: "Flying Home Even" "Lakers beat the Suns" "Cassell a Laker?"

 
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Lakers In the News This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:03 am    Post subject: April 27th: "Flying Home Even" "Lakers beat the Suns" "Cassell a Laker?"

Flying Home Even
Lakers use a big early run for a 15-point halftime lead and hold off a late rush by the Suns. A more active Bryant scores 29.
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
April 27, 2006

PHOENIX — Passive? Inactive?

Not Kobe Bryant, or the Lakers, or their first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, which became much more kinetic Wednesday after a 99-93 Laker victory at US Airways Center.

Their 17-point lead got shredded and their nerves were almost frayed, but the Lakers ultimately ran away from the Suns, not the other way around, to even their best-of-seven series at 1-1.

Bryant, roundly questioned after an unusually quiet Game 1, had 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and made 12 of 24 shots. Lamar Odom provided another strong effort, scoring 21 points on nine-for-12 shooting.

Game 3 is Friday at Staples Center.

The Lakers had been 1-8 against the Suns over the last two seasons but remained quietly confident that their fortunes would change, their feelings backed up by a defense that stood resolute against the league's top-scoring team.

Sun guard Steve Nash was more error-prone than usual, totaling 29 points and nine assists but also six turnovers. All-Star forward Shawn Marion had 13 points on five-for-15 shooting. Tim Thomas, who had 22 points in Game 1, was limited Wednesday to 11.

"I thought defensively it was our night," Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. "I thought that was the best thing."

There was also Bryant.


Last edited by Phil on Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:41 am; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:06 am    Post subject:

Sticking to the Team Plan Is the Way to Go
April 27, 2006

PHOENIX — No more questions, no more analysis. We have the template. It takes less Superman, more Justice League.

The Lakers got a little bit from everybody, a little bit more from Kobe Bryant, and as a result they have a fresh start in this series — with homecourt advantage to boot.

They don't need Bryant to score 50 points every night to have a chance. They need what worked pretty well in Game 1 and even better in Game 2. And that's the restrained Bryant, the one who usually emerges in the playoffs.

After Bryant scored "only" 22 points on "only" 21 shots in Game 1, his style somehow turned into a national debate complete with panel discussions on ESPN.com. The only things missing were the mass demonstrations in downtown L.A.

What people forgot was that this is the Bryant who usually hatches in the spring. In the Laker championship runs of 2001 and 2002, Bryant averaged 22.5 shots a game.

And how many shots has he averaged in this series, which the Lakers evened at 1-1 with a 99-93 victory Wednesday night? That would be 22.5.27,1,1956027.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers][b][size=18]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:09 am    Post subject:

Bryant, Lakers Beat Suns to Tie Series

By BOB BAUM

PHOENIX - Just enough Kobe Bryant and a load of Lamar Odom have the Los Angeles Lakers even with the Phoenix Suns two games into the playoffs. Bryant had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Odom scored 21 and the Lakers held off a late rally to beat the cold-shooting Suns 99-93 Wednesday night and square the best-of-seven series 1-1.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Steve Nash had 29 points and Raja Bell 23 for the Suns, who shot 43 percent _ 34 percent in the first half.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:11 am    Post subject:


Bryant, Odom lift Lakers

By Bob Baum
The Associated Press

PHOENIX - Just enough Kobe Bryant and a load of Lamar Odom have the Los Angeles Lakers even with the Phoenix Suns two games into the playoffs.
Bryant had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Odom scored 21 and the Lakers held off a late rally to beat the cold-shooting Suns 99-93 Wednesday night and square the best-of-seven series 1-1.
Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.
Steve Nash had 29 points and Raja Bell 23 for the Suns, who shot 43 percent - 34 percent in the first half.
Los Angeles led by as many as 17 points late in the second quarter and early in the third after Phoenix went nearly 7 1/2 minutes without a point.
''We've really struggled to be ourselves regardless of how they play us,'' Nash said. ''We've got a little bit of I don't know if it's playoff anxiety or what. We really just need to get back to being ourselves.''
The Suns excel at high speeds, and they were tentative and out-of-kilter, clanking shot after shot off the rim in the first half.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:12 am    Post subject:

These kids are all right

PHOENIX - Say this about Phil Jackson: He knows his Lakers.

"We just have an unpredictable team," he said.

Yep, youth, what are you gonna do? One day they're skipping chores and blowing curfew, the next they're all polite and attentive and making you proud.

They're up, they're down. They're giddy and they're sure their world is coming to an end.

The Lakers can pull this act from game to game or, in special cases like Wednesday, all within a single game.

In a playoff game the Lakers very much needed to win, they hung tough with the Suns, blew by them with a 19-0 run, surrendered all of but three points of their lead, went back semi-comfortably in front, let it slip away again and then brought it home with a 99-93 victory.

Kids, they can make things exciting.

And now it's a real series, tied at a game apiece.

The Lakers now truly believe they can win and return to Staples Center for the next two games, knowing what they have to do to beat the speed-freak Suns.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:14 am    Post subject:

Lakers stifle Suns to run away with a 99-93 victory
By Ross Siler Staff Writer

PHOENIX - Kobe Bryant dunks over Steve Nash late in the fourth quarter of the Western Conferce quarterfinals, Wednesday at US Airways Center in Phoenix. The Lakers beat the Suns 99-93. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photo)
• Photo Gallery: 04/26: NBA Playoffs - Lakers vs. Suns

PHOENIX - For more than seven minutes of the first half Wednesday night, the unthinkable happened. The Phoenix Suns, the team that reintroduced the NBA to run-and-gun basketball and 130-point games, were held scoreless by the Lakers.

The debate about how much Kobe Bryant needed to score in this first-round playoff series ended then and there, with the Lakers building a 16-point lead in the second quarter on their way to a 99-93 victory over the Suns at US Airways Center.

It was the road victory the Lakers needed to be competitive in the best-of-seven series and sent them home to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday night with the confidence that they can upset the Suns, the Western Conference's No. 2 seeded team.

Bryant finished with 29 points (19 in the second half), Lamar Odom had 21 and Sasha Vujacic scored 11. The Lakers executed the way they wished they could have in Sunday's Game 1 loss and shot 50.7 percent for the game.

Most importantly, it was the Lakers' first victory over the Suns in two seasons with Steve Nash in the Phoenix lineup. Maybe Lakers coach Phil Jackson knew what was coming when he spoke before Wednesday's game.

"We just have an unpredictable team," Jackson said.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:15 am    Post subject:

Bryant leads Lakers to crucial win

Thursday, April 27, 2006 Posted: 0756 GMT (1556 HKT)

story.bryant.jpg
All smiles for Kobe as the Lakers scored a vital playoff win.

LONDON, England -- Kobe Bryant with 29 points and 10 rebounds led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night to tie their Western Conference first round playoff series at 1-1.

Bryant, who also had five assists, proved the difference down the stretch and the Lakers now have home advantage for the next two games.

In the East, the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 109-98 win over Milwaukee to take a 2-0 lead in their best of seven series.

The Pistons were led by 22 points from Tayshaun Prince and double-figure efforts from six players.

The Lakers were under pressure after their first game loss with Bryant restricted to just 21 points, but it was a different story in Phoenix second time around.

"In Game One, we did OK, I just didn't make shots I normally make," Bryant said.

"Tonight, I felt more comfortable. We did a much better job. Everybody contributed and I was able to make a couple shots as well."

Lamar Odom scored 21 points and made key hustle plays down the stretch for the Lakers, who did a fine job of containing Steve Nash, who is rumored to have been named the NBA's MVP in regular season play.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:17 am    Post subject:

Jackson, Lakers turn things around in Game 2

Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 19 minutes ago

Phil Jackson considers flexibility to be one of his defining characteristics, and his radical game plan for Game 1 of the Lakers-Suns series proved this to be true.

In reverting to his team-oriented philosophy, Jackson designed his offense to use Kobe as a decoy and to pound the ball inside to the likes of Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom, and even Luke Walton. Then, when the Lakers were still in touch in the end-game, Kobe was let loose.

And the strategy almost worked. Brown, Odom, and Walton combined to score 54 points—just about twice their collective points-per-game average during the regular season—and the Suns' vaunted running game was slowed to a crawl. Trouble was that Tim Thomas had the game of his life. Also that Kobe didn't deliver in the end-game; and that the refs, either through incompetence or bias, couldn't make a connection between Thomas' elbow and a lump on Bryant's forehead in a critical last-minute play.

Close, but no cigar.

Meanwhile, Jackson didn't seem too upset by the narrow loss. With Nash in the lineup, the Suns had downed the Lakers eight consecutive times, so PJ knew that radical adjustments had to be made. He also knew that the Lakers' task was to earn a split in Phoenix, and whether they won Game 1 or Game 2 was immaterial. Indeed, he called Game 1 a "feeling out process."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:19 am    Post subject:

The novice Lakers stop the rising Suns
BY JEFF MILLER
The Orange County Register

PHOENIX - This would have been a loss that might have lasted, lasted for a couple more games, then just another six months or so.

When the Phoenix Suns not only are slowed down but forced to a complete stop, the opposition must pull away. Opportunities like the one that emerged Wednesday for the Lakers are as common around here as snow days.

One game after scoring 39 points in the first quarter, the Suns didn't reach 39 until the third quarter. It was as if they were playing in waders, waders that had sprung leaks and were filling with water and trout.

So there the Lakers were, opening a 17-point lead in the second quarter, causing an entire arena to squirm as if sitting too close to a campfire. But, as Coach Phil Jackson pointed out before the game, "We're just an unpredictable team."

So there the Lakers also were, in the second half, clutching to Kobe Bryant's heels and desperate three-point dispatches from Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic and somehow doing the impossible. They indeed stopped a rising Sun.

This 99-93 victory made the Lakers playoff relevant again. And, although they aren't going to win a championship and, likely, not even this series, at least they're now on the board and have the Suns' attention.

"I thought our composure was not what I like," Jackson said afterward. "But we were able to sustain the effort and get through."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:21 am    Post subject:

Equal footing
Lakers withstand Suns' rally to even series at 1-1
Posted: Thursday April 27, 2006 1:27AM; Updated: Thursday April 27, 2006 3:33AM


PHOENIX (AP) -- Just enough Kobe Bryant and a load of Lamar Odom have the Los Angeles Lakers even with the Phoenix Suns two games into the playoffs.

Bryant had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Odom scored 21 and the Lakers held off a late rally to beat the cold-shooting Suns 99-93 Wednesday night and square the best-of-seven series 1-1.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Steve Nash had 29 points and Raja Bell 23 for the Suns, who shot 43 percent -- 34 percent in the first half.

Los Angeles led by as many as 17 points late in the second quarter and early in the third after Phoenix went nearly 7½ minutes without a point.

"We've really struggled to be ourselves regardless of how they play us," Nash said. "We've got a little bit of I don't know if it's playoff anxiety or what. We really just need to get back to being ourselves."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:44 am    Post subject:

The Clippers -- Yes, Those Clippers -- Are the Talk of Tinseltown

snippet:

Cassell will be a free agent when the season ends and the fear in Los Angeles is that he will leave to pursue another championship, possibly with the crosstown Lakers. "I don't know," Cassell said. "Only thing I can say is I'm going to be playing somewhere next year. I hope it's here."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:46 am    Post subject:

Lakers get better help from bench

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 27, 2006 12:00 AM

Early in the first half, when rhythm and flow were still being established, Steve Nash was fouled driving to the basket.

As he walked to the foul line, his path crossed with Lakers reserve Sasha Vujacic, who was pleading his case with an official. The two bumped and Nash threw up his arm.

Kobe Bryant rushed over and confronted Nash. He wanted to stick up for his teammate.

He needn't have bothered.

The Lakers reserves, led by Vujacic, did just fine by themselves, outscoring their Phoenix counterparts by 17 points, a significant momentum swing in the Lakers' 99-93 win against the Suns on Wednesday.

"We had a big opportunity tonight," Vujacic said. "Guys from the bench decided to come out and show them who we are and what we can do. We didn't want to let them take one more game from us."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:48 am    Post subject:

No. 8 Won't Explain No. 24
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
April 27, 2006

PHOENIX — Kobe Bryant appeared to be surprised, if not mildly annoyed, that word leaked out about his planned jersey switch and declined to provide his insights on it until after the Laker season ends.

Bryant, who has worn No. 8 for 10 seasons, was granted approval by the league to wear No. 24 next season but refused to talk about it Wednesday with reporters because "it's the playoffs, man" he said.

Bryant did smile when asked if he was a fan of Jack Bauer, the character played by Kiefer Sutherland on the Fox TV show "24".

Bryant wore No. 24 before his senior season at Lower Merion (Pa.) High and switched to No. 33 as a senior. He could not wear No. 33 with the Lakers because it was retired after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career ended.

Forward Jim Jackson, signed by the Lakers last month, currently wears No. 24. He said he spoke with Bryant about the possible switch and agreed to give the number up next season if he returns to the team. Jackson, 35, will be an unrestricted free agent.

Players often receive compensation from other players if they agree to give up their jersey numbers.

"I'll get something out of it," Jackson said, smiling.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:54 am    Post subject:

Up-tempo offense a no-show
Suns' rally fails; series tied

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 27, 2006 12:00 AM

After playing just about everything but their own style of ball, the Suns opened the second half with an ominous sign.

Smush Parker missed a jump shot, but the giddyup still wasn't there in Phoenix's legs. The Suns gathered downcourt at an average team's speed and wound up with a turnover.

They put on spurts of the ol' fun-and-gun bunch in the second half but too often, their horses could not get out of the stall in a 99-93 loss at US Airways Center. That sends the series to Los Angeles tied at 1.
advertisement


Since its 39-point first quarter in Game 1, Phoenix is shooting 40.6 percent and averaging 23 points per quarter.

"It almost seemed like we had a weight on our shoulders," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, whose team scored six points over one 12-minute span of the first half. "We will keep emphasizing to the team that we will keep shooting them up and we are not going to worry about it."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:56 am    Post subject:

Lakers get even with 99-93 victory
Bryant and Odom lead the way as Los Angeles ties the series with Phoenix.

BY KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register


The Lakers' Kobe Bryant pumps his fist during the Lakers' 99-93 victory over the Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
MORE PHOTOS
Web Extra

Bench surprise
Second-year guard Sasha Vujacic was thrust into action with Smush Parker’s two early fouls and started an early ruckus with Steve Nash in which Nash jerked an arm free and found Kobe Bryant in his face on Vujacic’s behalf. Off a Bryant pass, Vujacic’s three-pointer with 43.7 seconds left in the first half began the Lakers’ 19-0 run.

Did you see that?
Sometimes it pays to ask. Bryant drove through traffic and missed a fourth-quarter layup and protested no foul call was made. The next time down, with Raja Bell pushing him, Bryant made eye contact with referee Joey Crawford, gestured and immediately got Crawford’s whistle with 4:08 to play.

Thumbs down
Most experts favored the Suns’ free-wheeling bench crew over the Lakers’ bigger, slower reserves coming into the series, but Phoenix’s bench totalled just four points in Game 2. Ace reserve Leandro Barbosa went scoreless, missing all five shots, and was shredded when asked to guard Bryant. The Lakers got 21 bench points, with Vujacic scoring 11 in 21 minutes.

Kevin Ding, The Orange County Register

PHOENIX— You’d understand if Phil Jackson — given all the baby faces he sees around him and how none of them but Kobe Bryant or Devean George has any bling to bring to the table — suspended his tradition of wearing a championship ring for the postseason.

By his own admission, the Lakers’ coach doesn’t believe this team could possibly be ready for the crown jewels.

Yet there was the glitter on Jackson’s right pinky finger Wednesday night, and there was some championship swagger and postseason poise to go with it from Jackson’s team. The Lakers made Jackson proud in their 99-93 victory in Game 2 of this first-round series with the Phoenix Suns.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Phil
Retired


Joined: 03 Aug 2001
Posts: 10007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:05 am    Post subject:

Kobe takes command

Lakers 99, Suns 93 Bryant and LA use a 14-0 run to gain control and even the playoff series.

12:44 AM PDT on Thursday, April 27, 2006

By BRODERICK TURNER
The Press-Enterprise

PHOENIX - Kobe Bryant wasn't passive this time, and neither were the Lakers.
AP photo
Kobe Bryant (29 points) dunks over Steve Nash, and the Lakers lead by as many as 17 to take home-court advantage from the Suns.

Bryant worked his magic Wednesday night and the rest of the Lakers followed his lead, playing defense like it mattered, executing the game plan, diving for loose balls.

That formula helped LA score the first 14 points of the second quarter to take control, then hold off the Phoenix Suns for a 99-93 victory to even their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series at a game apiece.

The Lakers held the Suns to 42.3 percent shooting, made Steve Nash into a scorer (29 points) rather than a set-up man (nine assists), and didn't let the Suns have a breakout quarter.

"We did a much better job," said Bryant, who made 12 of 24 shots. "Everybody contributed. It was a great team effort, and I was able to step up and make a couple of shots."

Bryant had 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Lakers shot 50.7 percent and stole home-court advantage from Phoenix. The next two games are in Los Angeles, beginning Friday night.

Forward Lamar Odom had another stellar game for the Lakers, scoring 21 points with five assists and playing good defense on Suns All-Star forward Shawn Marion, limiting him to 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

Perhaps Odom's biggest play came on a scramble for a loose ball in the final minute.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
This forum is locked: you cannot post, reply to, or edit topics.    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Lakers In the News All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB