MAGIC -at- LAKERS - 6/7 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[chilake24]

DB，
i think the real difference between bynum and D12 is their attitude. today , i rewatched game1, in the 4th quarter, when D12 was ont he bench, he was just eagerly to absorb what tylon lue was teaching him. for a superstar acted like this when got blowout(most stars would be angry and not want to learn at that humiliating time), you have to respect him. on the other hand, when bynum had foul trouble sitting ont he bench, on a he turned his head to speak with brown, they may talk about `the game, but when D12 was moving in front of him, he never bothered to pay attention, STILL looked at brown. i may reading too much into this, but i do feel bynum didn't like bball when he was young, bball is still not his biggest interest right now. NBA is just his way to earn fame and money, he may put a lot of time in practicing, but his heart is not all there, just like when we study, it is not how much time we spend on study, it is how to study and wether you are willing to learn. D12 definitely shoowed his wiliingness and earned a lot of respect from me

[Sister Golden Hair]

[chilake24]

[Sister Golden Hair]

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

2
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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[RCS926]

There are a lot of things to chew on based on last night’s game. Let’s start with the positives:

+ Excellent effort on D: The Lakers didn’t always play smart D, but the effort was there as it has been since game 5 against Denver. If the Lakers lost last night, then I would’ve lived with it considering it wouldn’t have been from a lack of effort.

+ Great intangibles from Fish: Fish made a lot of little plays that go unnoticed but contribute greatly to victories. He is the help defender that gives Howard the most trouble with his ability to dig in and knock the ball away. The jumper seems to have returned at the perfect time. Finally, Fish made some nice basketball plays on the offensive end that were huge bonuses (drawing a foul on Hedo, driving and dishing on a couple of plays, etc.). It’s great to have Fish contributing again in the Finals.

+ Underrated defense from Pau: Pau has really done a fantastic job of guarding Howard. He doesn’t have Drew’s ability to match Howard strength for strength, but Pau moves his feet extremely well and makes it easier for the Lakers to help on D. His D on Lewis has also been stellar given the fact that Lewis has not been able to take advantage of his speed against Pau. I also like Pau’s work on the boards. He’s making Howard really have to work to get those boards by using his full length to go after balls.

+ Great D from Ariza: Hedo had a solid game, but I like the way Trevor is guarding him. It’s pretty obvious to me that Hedo cannot get a step on Trevor and, as such, is resorting to using his off arm to create space for jumpshots. I’m glad the ref didn’t blow the whistle on the few occasions where Hedo and Trevor collided due to Hedo trying to initiate the contact and throwing out his off arm. For the most part, Trevor has stuck to the gameplan of running Hedo off the 3 and forcing him to take midrange 2s off the dribble. Also, you have to give Trevor a lot of credit for tapping numerous rebounds away from Howard. Dwight could’ve easily had 20+ board if Trevor didn’t tap more than handful away from him towards his own teammates.

+ Excellent offense from LO: LO was really locked in with his jumper last night, which is big for us because we really need to have that 3rd scorer to complement Kobe and Pau. When Lamar is aggressive, the Lakers are just about unbeatable.

As for the negatives:

- Poor rotations by Fish and LO: Fish is definitely the weak link on defense as he occasionally gets caught spectating, and as a result, is a step slow when he need to rotate to a perimeter shooter. Fish has been doing a great job of helping on Howard, but he needs to be aware of who the open shooters are especially Lewis. LO has been the Lakers best overall team defender throughout the playoffs, but he definitely had moments of poor judgment on defense. He was in no-man’s land too often in the 2nd quarter, which is inexcusable given the fact that he’s guarding Orlando’s best shooter. We need him to be locked in mentally on defense because that’s the difference between going into the half up by 5 or double digits. At the end of the game, he also gave up an uncontested 2 to Hedo (almost a 3) that nearly cost the Lakers the game. There was only a few seconds on the shotclock, and LO inexplicably took a huge step back towards the paint while Hedo was handling the ball, which resulted in a wide open J. LO is inclined to err on the side of denying penetration, but he has to use better judgment against Orlando.

- Subpar decision-making from Kobe: Kobe didn’t have his best game, and most of his bad decisions came when Orlando had Hedo guarding him. There were a couple of very bad shot attempts where he pounded the ball for too long and took an off balanced, contested J. There were a couple of drives where it seemed like Kobe was forcing the issue rather than reading the D. As a result, Kobe drove into traffic and got stripped. Also, the last play of regulation was just a poor decision in terms of taking the final shot with 4 defenders on him rather than passing it to a wide open LO only a few feet away. Still, I’m glad Kobe got this average game out of his system and acknowledged that he didn’t have a great performance. I think he’s going to make the necessary adjustments for tomorrow’s game.

Overall, I think the Lakers are in prime position to steal tomorrow’s game. Orlando made some great adjustments from game 1 to game 2, and I don’t see them changing too much. The Lakers, on the other hand, have an advantage because they have the opportunity to make adjustment on both sides of the ball. The offense was extremely stagnant for most of the game, and the defense had plenty of lapses that should be correctable for tomorrow’s game. If the Lakers play with the same kind of effort they’ve been playing with for the past 4 games and make better decisions on both sides of the ball, I think they’ll be able to pull out the win tomorrow…

[Klone_dd]

Sometimes it's better to be lucky. Orl had many opportunities to take the game. Lee missed two point blank shots in crunch time. Howard deflects Fish's pass, but it still gets to Pau. Had the ball bounced another way, we're tied 1-1.

Offense sputtered most of the game. The D on Howard was great; on everyone else, not so much. Both Hedo and Lewis got off. They are going to be trouble in FL. Also, their guards will shoot better at home.

Kobe didn't have an MVP like game. 7 TO's, but he was very aggressive going to the basket resulting in FTs. Pau was again very steady on both ends of the floor. Can't appreciate any player any more. He's just a very complete, complimentary and heady guy. Now he's performing on the biggest of stages -- so I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.

LO was nails offensively. When he's got the jumper working, it's Odomination time. Defensively, yes, he lost sight of Lewis in the 2nd Q, but, like everyone, he was concentrating more on helping the post. There was a lot of confusion on who was supposed to close out on the bombers. Too many times it was Fish who can't affect any shot.

DFish was the star of the game. Vet savvy in full effect.

[Scherm]

All in all, it was a great win. I doubt that Lewis will get 34 next game. And Trevor won't shoot 3-13 either.

I'm holding out for a close-out in Orlando, and a parade back here.

[Burgundy]

[Freakout]

[najim]

this game re-enforced one key truth about basketball in my mind: the CHANCE/LUCK element is so freaking huge in basektball. Lee's layup bounces on the opposite side of the rim, it goes in. The refs put 0.5 more seconds on the clock, Howard's put back is in. Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis missed two very in and out shots in OT, that's a matter of an inch or two. It's amazing when you think about it, all the blood sweat and tears put in by both teams to make the game evenly matched and closely fought, so that in the end, it comes down to rolls and inches.

How can you not tip your hat to your opponent on a well-fought game after these shots rolled in and out on them?
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This is what a B. Scott offense looks like: http://i.imgur.com/q2hlUZc.jpg
(everyone standing still, and three guys pointing to each other)

[Gallofa]

Thanks, DB!

Well done everyone! Way to hang in there and get the win. This is probably going to be Kobe's worst match of the playoffs, you realise

[mefor3]

LAST!!!


good win Lakers....wheeeew

One thing i noticed about Kobe's performance, when he doesn't get his break at begining of the 4th quarter he looks very tired towards the end of the game missing shots and turning over the ball...last night was no exception

[A Mad Chinaman]