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magic_bryant
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Joined: 16 Oct 2002
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 Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:32 am Post subject: |
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| sean2023 wrote: | | Lamar Odom had a stretch of play towards the end of the third quarter that distinguished his perfomance in this game from his usual fare. Now, his usual play is quite good, so I'm not belittling what he does out there nightly. However, there is a fine line between all-star and good. What LO did tonight screamed all-star. Lamar is the type of talent that can go through the motions and still end up doing lots of beneficial things out there for his team. It comes down to competitiveness. Odom was competing hard tonight. It wasn't about following Kobe or anyone elses lead. Lamar Odom wanted the W. You could see when he muscled through Ginobili and Elson for the and one. You could see it on the next posession when he dribbled left and then drilled the step back from distance. He didn't even look for anyone else before he took it. It was his dagger to stab. You could see it when Kobe dribbled up court on the break, kicked it to Smush in the corner, and Parker swung it to LO thirty feet out on the top of the key....dude pulled up and nailed the triple in the Spurs hearts. That's 3 plays. Just 3. Yet it's a few plays like that a game that separate the all-star from the good. If Odom can have one such bloodthirsty stretch of basketball per game, he will no doubt be an all-star...and the Lakers will have a much better shot at reaching elite status. |
THANK YOU.
That's what I'm talking about. Most nights, LO doesn't take the game over like a $12+ million guy should. He slept walk through most of that game last night and still had great numbers at that point. Then, he got that O-board and he was awake. He wanted it. Played like a killer.
That's the LO that I love and see helping this team to win another title. First half LO, needs to just stay away.
Just as Stu always says about Kwame's play, "Ok. You've shown me what you can do, now I'm gonna start expecting it every night."
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Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass." |
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ryuvienco
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Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 566
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 8:37 am Post subject: |
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| Great recap. Great game last night. Hope the play as hard on the road. |
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Exick
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Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 15880
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:03 am Post subject: |
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Side benefit to last night's win: The Spurs play the Clippers tonight at Staples and they are going to be thoroughly pissed off. 
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Game recognize game, Granddad. - Riley Freeman, The Boondocks |
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BigE32
Star Player
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 8518
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:06 am Post subject: |
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Great recap as always, DB. That third quarter was tremendous. We were so active on the defensive end which led to some easy baskets, which is a must against a good defensive team like SA. The fact that they shot over fifty percent from the floor and fifty-five percent from beyond the arc and we still won by seven is amazing. The run at the end of the third quarter got me pumped, especially LO's step back three and the other three on a pass from Smush. Very nice win and it does show that we play to the level of our competition. Even though I know that we should have beaten the Bucks and Hornets on our home floor, I'm very proud of the guys. Let's see how we do on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Rockets and Mavericks on the road. Two tough games, back to back on the road.
PS. I like when we play the Spurs because they're always a good barometer and it's always nice to see Eva in the stands.  |
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BigEvil
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Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 1755
Location: Whittier
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:18 am Post subject: |
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Awesome as always DB. Some thoughts...
Kwame had the eye of the tiger in this game. He had no fear of Timmeh or any of the SA bigs. He was muscling them, blowing by them, and staring them down. When he finally got into this game, he became a force. One of the post-game Laker commentators said that some of the guys in the league believe Kwame to be the strongest body in the league. And we got to see some of his agility in this game too. Just imagine if his fundamentals ever reach a respectable level. Thats a nice thought, no?
And Luuuuuuuuke! The crowd should be chanting "Gluuuuuueeee!" because that's what he is for this team. Luke has become that third scorer to help balance the attack. Not only has he become one of the best 3pt. shooters so far in the league, but he's also found ways to get to the hoop and has developed a nice mid-range game (especially with that little step-back fade-away jumper). He's been very as good as he can be on defense considering he's not the quickest or strongest, but has been fundatemtally sound. A worthy heir to Rick Fox I think.
I've noticed that Bynum relishes playing against the best big men in the league. He takes it to them and doesn't allow himself to be intimidated or awestruck by them. His low post moves continue to impress me.
In summation, the Lakers do have a toughness that they lacked last years. You have guys on the bench that bring energy and grit in the likes of Evans, Farmar, and Turiaf. Heck, I've even been pleasantly surprised by VladRad. He may not be that great instinctively, or have the athletecism, but he gets after it as best he can.
I'm excited. |
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Klone_dd
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Joined: 11 Mar 2002
Posts: 7330
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:29 am Post subject: |
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I think the last two games have been, perhaps, the best two consecutive games the Lakers have played. Both featured balanced scoring, great ball movement, and superb team play. One against a team we should dominate, the other against a quality team who we can match up well against with the right mental approach.
Kobe was MVP-like last night. Relentless in his attack mode, and when the D sagged off on him, he hits 4/5 from downtown. How in the world is anyone going to stop him?
LO did what LO does best. Fill up the stat sheet, be Mr. Everything. Luke - quietly consistent. Didn't get down after starting 0-4. I think Umberto's size bothered him initially, but then he settled down and found his groove. Putting a center on Luke shows how much of a matchup problem LO is to the Spurs. They didn't want Timmy on LO at all.
Smush really attacked Mr. Longoria. Sure, TP outscored Smush, as he should, being an Allstar and all, but Smush was able to get some of his own and had at least 2 great steals off TP that ignited the break.
Aside from Kobe, the one who set the tone for this game was Bynum, who seems to really get up for matchups against superstars. His 11 minutes in the first half snatched momentum from SA plus it lit a fire under Kwame to perform better in the 2nd half. Kwame + Bynum = 2-headed monster. Look out NBA. |
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senator kobe
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Joined: 16 Dec 2005
Posts: 521
Location: Irvine
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:31 am Post subject: |
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| Exick wrote: | | Side benefit to last night's win: The Spurs play the Clippers tonight at Staples and they are going to be thoroughly pissed off. |
Zing!
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What? Never mind... |
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maddprophet
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Joined: 12 Apr 2001
Posts: 1952
Location: Hotlanta
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:35 am Post subject: |
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props to smush. he had consistent energy throughout the game. he hustled over and through picks, and for the most part, did a solid job on parker who always kills us with layup after layup.
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Spark the ism, my expertism, is lyracism, my flow will take you over like I was hypnotism...so where's the lighter, to start the cypher.... |
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yellowledbetter
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Joined: 28 May 2003
Posts: 1523
Location: california
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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yeah i have to give some extra props to Smush. He had an excellent game. I was expecting TP to tear him apart but not only did he stay with TP all game, he actually made him work on defense early on that i think took a little out of Tony for the rest of the game.
we really need to give ratings to Ronny's sideline dances too  |
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Texas_Pete
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Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 12825
Location: Somewhere watching a Laker game
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Exick wrote: | | Side benefit to last night's win: The Spurs play the Clippers tonight at Staples and they are going to be thoroughly pissed off. |
Agreed, but remember they just blew out the Clips and are playing them again on the 2nd of a back-to-back. I am actually routing for the Spurs* on this one... |
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haterman34
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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| magic_bryant wrote: | DB:
How in the WORLD can you not mention the 3 greatest "no-look" passes in the history of Western civilization? You know, the Kwame Brown no look to LO, who fumbles the pass. Kwame gets it back and tries to no-look a shovel pass to Luke, who fumbles it. Then, Kwame throws ONE more no-look to Luke.
That sequence was the best. They were all nice passes, just the guys were NOT expecting them from Kwame. |
That was classic!!!! I couldn't stop laughing... |
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A Mad Chinaman
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Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 6142
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| sean2023 wrote: | | Smush didn't come to LA as a shooter |
Smush came to L.A. as a "NBA What" - if not a shooter
** defender (nope)
** bringing up the ball (nope)
** rebounder (nope)
** passer (nope)
When Smush is not a liability, the Lakers often win because it forces the other team to have somebody guard Smush. Unfortunate incident, recognizing that Smush has more raw talent than Sasha/Jordan/Williams |
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- Sean -
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Joined: 23 Apr 2002
Posts: 7339
Location: L.A.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| A Mad Chinaman wrote: | | sean2023 wrote: | | Smush didn't come to LA as a shooter |
Smush came to L.A. as a "NBA What" - if not a shooter
** defender (nope)
** bringing up the ball (nope)
** rebounder (nope)
** passer (nope)
When Smush is not a liability, the Lakers often win because it forces the other team to have somebody guard Smush. Unfortunate incident, recognizing that Smush has more raw talent than Sasha/Jordan/Williams |
He actually was a pretty good defender (from what I saw) in limited minutes, and could get to the basket nicely. There were people in this forum (including myself) that thought he'd be a good player to take a gamble on for years. I was pleased when Mitch brought him in...and think he'd be a lot more valuable if he had a better attitude. If his mind is right, defense and penetrating (and finishing) are two things that he should be capable of excelling in nightly. The shot wasn't pretty...but it is something he could have dramatically improved by now if he locked himself in the gym this past summer (like Luke and Brian have done over the years) instead of making excuses i.e. not being able to find anyone to play with. |
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A Mad Chinaman
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| sean2023 wrote: | | A Mad Chinaman wrote: | | sean2023 wrote: | | Smush didn't come to LA as a shooter |
Smush came to L.A. as a "NBA What" - if not a shooter
** defender (nope)
** bringing up the ball (nope)
** rebounder (nope)
** passer (nope)
When Smush is not a liability, the Lakers often win because it forces the other team to have somebody guard Smush. Unfortunate incident, recognizing that Smush has more raw talent than Sasha/Jordan/Williams |
He actually was a pretty good defender (from what I saw) in limited minutes, and could get to the basket nicely. There were people in this forum (including myself) that thought he'd be a good player to take a gamble on for years. I was pleased when Mitch brought him in...and think he'd be a lot more valuable if he had a better attitude. If his mind is right, defense and penetrating (and finishing) are two things that he should be capable of excelling in nightly. The shot wasn't pretty...but it is something he could have dramatically improved by now if he locked himself in the gym this past summer (like Luke and Brian have done over the years) instead of making excuses i.e. not being able to find anyone to play with. |
You've mentioned a lot of "IFS" (attitude, mental focus, improving his game, etc.) - he has a lot of ability that needs work to be transformed into effective basketball abillity/skills. He has had the rare opportunity of having significant PT over the course of 1+ years (and counting) to prove that he is a legimate starter with a grade of a "C-" (sometimes he is a "B-" and often times he is a "D-") Let's see what how he will produce when being pressured ("Jordan) - hopefully not like what he did during the Suns playoff series |
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angel
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Joined: 31 Jul 2004
Posts: 14226
Location: city of angels
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks DB! 
I'm glad we have gotten to the point where we expect good things from Luke Walton. His three point shooting has been outstanding. If I had to make a prediction for the season, that is not what I would have expected. Kwame is doing good things too, but that was something I did predict.
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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." ~~Martin Luther King Jr.~~ |
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spickx
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Joined: 20 Sep 2006
Posts: 471
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Man Kwame's inner fire is starting to ignite. Dude show some anger at the end snatching a reb from TD's hand and slam it down.
The Jordan nightmares are starting to fade for Kwame. |
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1hu2ren3dui4
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Joined: 19 Jul 2002
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Location: Oak Park
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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lamar's help D was great too. he is long and quick on the rotation. man, if kwame developed a high post game. my lord, a front line of bynum, kwame, and odom would be scary.
just imagine having kwame play man D on the #1 big, bynum on the inside help and odom's length on the rotation. drool.
not to mention that other all nba defender that the lakers have.
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-Most people learn by saying mother, numb, horse, angry... I learned mine by saying Lakers, add gas. - HRD. |
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magic_bryant
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Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 18179
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| Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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| 1hu2ren3dui4 wrote: | lamar's help D was great too. he is long and quick on the rotation. man, if kwame developed a high post game. my lord, a front line of bynum, kwame, and odom would be scary.
just imagine having kwame play man D on the #1 big, bynum on the inside help and odom's length on the rotation. drool.
not to mention that other all nba defender that the lakers have. |
Yeah. That Smush guy is a defensive stalwart.
_________________
Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass." |
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