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Posted by: JamFan on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 08:43 PM
Lakers Blog
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  While Trevor Ariza played hard to get and shopped his services around the NBA, the Lakers and Ron Artest both decided his future was in LA and with Kobe and company. One has to wonder how much Kobe's friendship with Ron played in the Lakers decision to move on, but certainly Ron Artest's skills are worth more than the reported 6 Mil a year he is receiving. Hek, Charlie Villanueva just got a 8 Mil per year deal.. Moreover, being able to sign Ron for a reasonable deal, makes it easier for the Lakers to retain the services of Lamar Odom. Or could it be that the Lakers will still sign another player like Shaun Marion or Hedo Turkoglu as a replacement for Lamar who wants a reported 10 Mil a year? Only time will tell. Welcome to the Show...Ron Ron !
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Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 29, 2009 - 03:24 PM
Lakers Blog
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With big Diesel now in Cleveland in search of his fifth ring, the thought occured to me, he will now be playing with the third seminal player of the last ten years that was not a center. First with Kobe, he teamed up to create the unbeatable threepeat team and brought glory back to LA.
Then after the terrible, messy divorce with Kobe, Dr. Buss and the organization he hightailed it over to play with Mr. Wade in Miami and guess what, he got another ring making it two for two when he has such a great compatriot to help with the load.
Now he makes his trek up north to play with the last of the triumverate of great non centers-Lebron James. If his pattern follows like it did with the first two, he will be holding up the Lawrence O'brien trophy next summer.
Whether he wins or not, it is certainly been an amazing career for him to play with Kobe, Wade and James. How many other centers have been on three different teams and played with three players of this calibure in NBA history? The answer is none. The closest I would say is Kareem who won rings with the legends Big O and Magic Johnson in Milwaukee and LA.
Can he pull off the trifecta and win it one more time with the third of todays dominant legends at his side?
With Lebron, Shaq will be a year older and slower, but on the plus side, he will be playing with a guy who is the best passer of the three legends and he will get that ball in great position when he has it and as often as possible when he is open. Not something that happened every time with Kobe and Wade. Will this facility help him improve his game some? Will it inspire both him and Lebron to become a ferocious and effective force not only in the east but in the entire NBA?
Is anyone here afraid that if this pairing maximizes its potential the Cavs may indeed be good enough to take the whole ball of wax next year? Is anyone thinking in the back of their minds that he may hit the trifecta with Lebron?
One thing is for sure, it will certainly be interesting to watch.
Orlando too has made quick remedy to try improve on their collapse against us. Like Cleveland, they learned in no uncertain terms they did not have what it took nor were they as good as the east playoffs led them to believe. They found out that LA (and perhaps Boston with Garnett) is the standard bearer in the league and they were not in our class.
Does the addition of Vince Carter make any of you guys think Orlando would fair any better against us next year?
Do any of these teams moves or the assumed return of Garnett concern you or will the return of our loaded team and a healthy Bynum infuse you with a sanguine feeling? I must admit, as formidable as these three teams look right now, if Lamar and Trevor return, I am not really concerned.
One thing for sure is this: the east race next year between Cleveland, Orlando and Boston is gonna be one hot shooting gallery worthy of watching even from our position atop the purple and gold Mt. Olympus we are currently ensconced upon.
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Posted by: Dave on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 11:56 PM
Laker News
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  Friday, July 10
COX Pavilion
5 PM LA Lakers vs. Toronto
Saturday, July 11
COX Pavilion
3 PM LA Lakers vs. Cleveland
Monday, July 13
Thomas & Mack
5:30 PM LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers
Tuesday, July 14
Thomas & Mack
5:30 PM LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City
Thursday, July 16
COX Pavilion
3 PM Houston vs. LA Lakers
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Posted by: SPQR on Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 10:29 AM
Lakers Blog
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A writer named John Smallwood has written a piece saying why the Lakers won’t repeat.
Here is the link to his story and why he feels this way :
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/20090616_John_Smallwood__Lakers_are_good__but_this_isn_t_another_NBA_dynasty.html
While next year is far off and plenty of things can happen, I find myself disagreeing with his assertions and reasoning and here is why:
First off he says the Lakers are a flawed champion in flawed league. Yet he really does not go on to say where our flaws are. I would say the only real flaw we have shown is that we don’t play defense consistently. Yet both in regular season games against Boston and Cleveland the Lakers played more than representative defense. They did the same against both Denver and Orlando in the playoffs and these were two very accomplished offensive teams. After their lapses in defense I don’t really see any huge flaws on this team. Yes, the point position could be improved but don’t most teams have spots on the floor that they wish were better?
Next he says we are not clearly superior in talent to other teams. I am not so sure about this. We won 65 games in the tough west. Does that not speak of a certain amount of talent. I can’t see a team without a lot going on for it winning that many games out west. When I look at our roster I see the best player in hoops, an all time great, Kobe Bryant.No team besides Cleveland and Miami have a comparable player in any way shape or form. Does Smallwood not understand how important this is? I see Pau Gasol, one of the most versatile big men in the game. Lamar Odom, ditto. I see a young up and coming star in Trevor Ariza. I see in Drew the possible dreadnaught center of the league, even better than Howard. I just don’t see any other team that has this type of core roster. The size and ability of just Drew, Pau and Lamar separates us from any other team in what we can do. Just ask Denver or Orlando about it. When you look at all these special players and the size of our big three front line players plus the all time great Kobe I actually do thing we have a definitive talent edge on all the other teams in the league. Do you guys know of any team that boasts this type of roster?
He says that with Garnett back Boston could well beat us. Maybe, but he seems to forget that next year we will have a HEALTHY Andrew Bynum, not the ghost who still helped us in the playoff. The Drew we saw before the injury was so much better than the post injury Drew. Mr. Smallwood will be in for a big surprise next year when he sees the injury free model of Drew like we did for a brief moment this year. He also fails to say that Allen, Garnett and Pierce will just be another year older. He also fails to take note of the fact that both Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar should be even better next year. And dare I saw Sasha too? Yes he stunk the joint out this year. But has he really lost his ability and shot for all time? This is hard to imagine. I would venture to guess that the chances are next year we will see the Sasha of a year ago and not the brick layer of 2009. Lots of players have a bad year. Not many suddenly lose all their skills forever for no reason. It is hard to believe Sasha, at his age, is suddenly a has-been. If he does return to form it will be a huge plus for this team and make ever so much better than it was this year.
Because of the age and expected improvement of Drew, Ariza, Brown and Farmar and because in all probablity Sasha will also revert to his form of last year, no team in the league in my view can expect to find more internal improvement than the current world champions.
He talks of Orlando and Cleveland. Will Orlando be appreciably better next year? Will their improvement match what we should expect from Drew, Farmar, Brown, Ariza and Sasha? I don’t see it how they can do it. Will Cleveland somehow find enough firepower and inside help in free agency to actually be good enough to beat us? They were destroyed by an Orlando team that was destroyed by us. That is a pretty big jump they will have to make to take over the top spot from the Lakers next year. I don’t really see that happening either.
He then talks about Portland and San Antonio. Forget the Spurs. I respect the hell out of them but Duncan is fading fast and Ginobilli is a walking triage patient. I just don’t see this team suddenly getting so good that they pass us up. Yeah if they got Lebron James or maybe Dwayne Wade but that isn’t happening. Portland? A very talented young team but not as talented as the Lakers and they showed last year against Houston they still have much more tweaking and learning to go. Can they honestly challenge us next year? I just can’t see that happening either.
If injuries don’t destroy us, if Drew can finally stay healthy and play like he did right before the injury for a full year and if we keep Trevor and Lamar, I not only think this team will be a shoe in to repeat, but may actually have a chance to win 70 or more games.
I think Mr. Smallwood is vastly underrating this team and what it can do next year. I think the Lakers are in the catbirds seat in a very big way. I think next year at this time Mr. Smallwood may end up writing a very different type of article.
What do you guys think about Smallwood’s article and our chances of repeating?
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Posted by: JamFan on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 11:13 AM
Lakers Blog
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 For Kobe it was #4, and he proved he could win it all without Shaq. For Phil Jackson it was #10, and he has now won more championships than any coach in NBA history. For the fans it was just.....sweet!
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Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 11:03 AM
Lakers Blog
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“Oh, and while the King was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.” – Lyrics from Bye Bye Miss American Pie by Don Mclean.
This was to be the year of the passing of the torch; handed off or perhaps more accurately stated taken from Kobe Bryant and given to Lebron James. As The King led his team to 66 wins and drove them through the playoff in a flurry of spectacular games and easy blowouts the fans and media all attended the coronation of the ruler of the NBA. Kobe and the rest of the King’s court were to be compliant observers as the latest sovereign of the league ascended a thrown built for him in the media center of ESPN and the sports rooms of the nations newspapers and sporting magazine.
Yet, they should have known better. If there is one thing Kobe Bryant has shown everyone during his brilliant and startling decade plus in the NBA, he does not sit idly by and watch anything that happens in his sport. As for watching Lebron crowned King, well it just was not going to happen while Kobe Bryant had a say in things. As Lebron was feted by players and fans and media alike in his march to the throne, the one person who had the ability and desire to run a coup laid his plans and waited for his chance. One thing Kobe has learned over the years is that in the NBA, as in life the victor writes the history and those who are triumphant at the end are remembered while all others are forgotten and relegated to the dust bin of history. As Lebron and the Cavs were upset by Orlando, the door was opened a crack and that is all The Great Man needed to usurp the crown. When that chance came he pounced like Machiavelli.
In leading the Lakers to a close played, but surprising lopsided series win over Cleveland’s conquerors he reasserted his position at the top of the NBA’s food chain and in doing so also placed the Lakers as the supreme team overlooking the NBA landscape.
In the final game five of the 2009 NBA championship Orlando came out fast and hard, seemingly determined to deny the Lakers an east coast celebration in the Magic Kingdom. They forged a quick lead and were playing with verve and alacrity. But the Lakers instead of folding had the composure and wherewithal to stay close. It was all they needed. Before the game, the feeling among the Laker players was that if enough type of pressure was applied, if the their opponent were squeezed enough, if the memories of previous losses invoked, they would crumble. This feeling, this sense of weakness that Orlando could not take their measure was proven correct in the second quarter. The Lakers went on one of their patented runs. Playing a smothering, intense form of defense and once again ignited by Trevor Ariza’s effectiveness and energy, the Lakers closed a nine point gap and slowly forged ahead by five. Then 7 and by halftime ten. The Lakers had sent a message that Orlando would have dig deeper, play better than they ever had this year to deny the team from the west its early celebration. It was a challenge the Magic were not mentally or physically equipped to answer on this night. The second half was easy. Too much defense, too much offense, too much size, too much talent, too much Kobe, too much Trevor, too much Pau, too much Lamar, too much purple and gold to hope to overcome. A mismatch. A stroll down championship lane and a final affirmation of a great team and the season they had. For Orlando, like Cleveland the series before, a brutal wake up call to just how far they have to go to win the NBA’s ultimate prize.
For Kobe it was the culmination of a spectacular career. A denouement that no critic can pierce or question. The questions all answered. Does he have what it takes to lead his team to a championship? Yes. Could he win it without Shaq. Of course. Does he take his place among the best of the best? Forever. And who can deny that this man deserves the sweet fruit of his greatest accomplishment? Yes, he has inked the negative, left side of his career ledger with missteps and contretemps over the last decade. But has he not written on the positive side, the right side of his ledger in even brighter more indelible ink? This man who has literally sacrificed his body and mind in pursuit of total excellence, this marvelous athlete who has thrilled and excited fans and plays alike with the type of play and skill rarely seen on any type of playing field, in any sport. This man who wants to win, has to win, so much that his drive borders on the scary. To see him finally attain all that he wanted, all that needed, his undisputed championship, his finals MVP was indeed a just reward for the heart and soul he has put into the game he plays on a divine level. Only the most jaded would begrudge him his singular moment of history that he worked to hard for. Yes there was a coronation of THE KING this year. But it did not take place during the regular season or in the mass media. It took place in the finals. It was made official on June 14th. And not to any Laker fans surprise the King is not the KING at all, but instead it is The Great Man himself. The master of all he surveys. The undisputed ruler of his realm-the NBA. His name is not Lebron James. He goes by the name Kobe Bryant.
For Phil Jackson, like Kobe, he too reaps a final vindication that really was not needed, but necessary. It was fitting that in the championship that placed him all alone in the pantheon of NBA titles he answered the last, desperate, scurrilous charge that Red Auerback had levied against him. In taking his ninth ring, the old master of the Celtics had said Phil had never taken a weak team, built it up and won a ring. In taking a Lakers team that had bombed spectacularly, had proven itself wholly inadequate the last two years to its 15th title, Phil had taken Red’s last refuge and thrown it in the old mans face. The only shame, if there is one for Laker and Jackson fans, is that the old man was not around to see Phil disabuse this last measure of Red’s jealousy and pique.
For Lamar and Pau, all the years of hard work, the carping and criticisms of their detractors are finally buried. No more charges of softness, no more theories that they were not made of the stern stuff of champions. They have reached the mountain top where only the rarified air of champions are breathed now, the choking fumes of criticisms and flaws filtered out by the shiny gleam of rings they will don next year on opening night.
For Derek Fisher, it was perhaps one last time to rekindle the memories of the player that was. A ring that out of four the most personal and best one yet.
For young players like Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza, they have taken their first, tentative steps of Laker greatness. The long, hard road to be remembered with other special Laker immortals has been undertook. The next decade will determine how long on that road they will travel. Ariza has already shown in the NBA’s toughest crucible what he is made of. At 23 his raw material will continue to be forged towards more of the indelible contributions he made in the finals. For Drew, at such a young age, playing his first finals handicapped by his second injury, leg brace and long layoff, even his contribution of helping to hold Orlando’s one slim hope, Dwight Howard, to an effectiveness way below what they needed was sign of his heart and ability, his place with Lakers in the next decade perhaps the brightest of all.
With this title a long year comes to an end. How long? Think of all that happened, all that went on during the journey. The great start. Drew’s emergence then fall with his second horrific injury. The unconscionable and puzzling losses to Charlotte. The great road trip that culminated in the road wins over Boston and Cleveland (the wins that convinced me this team had the right stuff). The great performance of Kobe in the Garden. The nights when we looked unbeatable and the nights we looked like we could not defend a high school team. The easy playoff beating of Utah. The grinding series against a Houston team that one never felt we would lose to, but wondered why we couldn’t end. The hard steel at close quarters combat with a Denver team that legitimately looked like the threat Houston never really was. The final victory over Orlando.
Think of us on here, this great LTB site. The arguments and debates as the year wound on. Who should start? Was Pau soft? Should Lamar be traded? Did Kobe shoot too much. Who should play in clutch time? Was Fisher washed up? Could he defend anyone? Was Phil too old? Was he making mistakes? All these things and more went on here hot and heavy during the long marathon march.
And now it is over. All those things that were said, all those things this team and its fans experience are no more. As is true of any sports season in every league, in the end there is only one thing left standing. The name of the champion and the players and coaches who peopled that team to its final success. There are no more arguments or debates to be had. There is no more Lebron and Cleveland or Red Auerbach and Boston. No more Garnett and Pierce. No Dwight Howard or Orlando Magic.
There is only Phil Jackson and the great organization from Los Angeles. There is only a team of disparate men that went through the marathon torture test of the NBA season and found the skill, toughness and resolution to not be denied.
When all that happened is said and done, there are only the 2008-2009 world champions Los Angeles Lakers. That is the reality of the NBA as of this exact moment in time and that is how it will be now for all time. For Kobe, Phil and rest of this organization, in the end, that says it all and no more needs to be said.
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Posted by: SPQR on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 10:27 AM
Lakers Blog
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With their 99-91 win last night in a tense, hard fought overtime game in Orlando that put them up 3-1 in the series, the Lakers unofficially officially ending any speculation as to who will wear the crown of champions for the 2008-2009 season.
The unofficial end game was the second one the series that was forced to overtime and for a long time it seemed Orlando would continue to work their resilient and improbable magic on the Lakers just as they did to Boston and Cleveland in the east playoffs.
Orlando got off to a great start, seeming to get every rebound and once again showing an urgency and effectiveness on both ends of the floor that the Lakers lacked. They were fueled most predominantly by Dwight Howard who seemed determined to set NBA finals records for rebounds and blocked shots. But on a night when Orlando needed him to be a spear, jabbing and sticking the Lakers remorselessly with strike after strike, he could only be a sword who ended up cutting both ways and on this night a sword was not good enough to give them what they needed to turn this into a genuine series. He cut the Lakers to the quick with 21 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks but damaged his team just as severely with waves of turnovers and making only 6 of 14 free throws. The damage he caused flowed both ways and in the end it was the veteran, battle tested Lakers who could better overcome the cuts he administered to both teams.
As so often was the case this year, Trevor Ariza stepped up to the plate yet again, making his bid as a new star to climb the pecking order of Lakers players and free agent gold this off season just when things looked bleakest. The Lakers came out for the second half down by 12 and looking all the world like a team that might have win game 5 in Orlando to keep this series from being wrested out of their control. Trevor would have none of that scenario. Driving to the basket, playing manic defense, hitting all the threes he missed in the previous game, he used his skill and energy to push, prod and force the whole team to match his energy level, take control of the game, the series and ultimately the organizations 15th ring. By the time he was done talk had gone from how would the Lakers respond to the pressure of this loss to how would Orlando respond to the newly effective and aggressive Lakers team that suddenly had taken over a game seemingly lost.
With a new ascendant star putting them in position to grab victory from defeat it was an old fading star who flared up to seal the deal as he has done so often in the past. They say the last thing a boxer loses when he declines is his punch. Last night Derek Fisher showed the last thing a basketball player loses when he declines is the memory of how to win the clutch when all else has failed him. No longer able to defend younger faster players, missing his first five three point chances, driving into Dwight Howard in a humiliating challenge at the basket which resulted in the expected rejection of his shot, Fisher showed in two clutch moments we so desperately needed that he still has the memory of how to win when giving the chance. With 4.6 seconds left and control of series about to leave LA and land right in Orlando’s eager lap Derek hit an improbable three to send the game into overtime. He topped this by nailing his second three straight and true with 31 seconds left in overtime to give us this win and to give the Lakers the series. With those two incredible pressure shots, Derek showed that despite all that age has stolen from him, on this night, in those two moments of desperation and necessity he still has the memories of winner. It was a fitting denouement to championship season and to a championship career of a very special player. It is these memories that the young Orlando team still has to learn, still has to earn and what separated two teams last night.
The series is now over. It will end either in game five at Orlando or game six in LA. For the team that lost so bitterly last year it will be sweet redemption. For fans so disappointed last year, it will be sweet relief and celebration. For Kobe and Phil it will be final exorcism of their own particular few ghosts that have hung around their spectacular careers: Shaquille O’Neal and Red Auerbach. For veteran players like Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol it will be a sweet taste of championship champagne after years of unrewarded work and effort. For Trevor Ariza it will be the start of new and terrific career, a final affirmation of the player he has become. For Derek Fisher it will bring the glow of his fourth championship in this his toughest of all seasons, in a year he to take on father time as well as younger faster guards but still showed his memories of past glory were as fresh and spry as his body used to be.
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Discuss 3 Reviews/Comments
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Posted by: SPQR on Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 10:36 AM
Lakers Blog
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With the Lakers embroiled in their quest for ring number 15 sports right now could not be sweeter for Lakers fans. With the team we have now, we can expect even more great things in the foreseeable future. But what is the Laker organizations ultimate fate? What is the fate of the NBA and all sports leagues if you look down the barrel of times metaphorical gun to the future. It is a future that is coming faster and faster as technology explodes. Will all of us here live to see this new world. Perhaps not, but someday, some generation of humans will.
With the exponential explosion and advancements in both technology and genetics there has been debate on how society will be affected in various ways. One topic that I have never heard broached, however, is the effect these things will have on sports. As virtual reality and medicine come to the point where events that would seem like miracles today become common place in the future, what will become of our favorite past times?
Right now, with Xbox and other video games, one can become his favorite player on his home team and play others in and endless cycle of games or championship series. While fun, it pales in comparison to really playing sports. But what will happen if you are allowed to really compete for a virtual NBA championship or Superbowl against real players, playing at the highest level? With true virtual reality coming closer with each passing year this scenario is not that far off. People talk of having sex with the girl of your dreams in a future virtual world, or going on a dream vacation or leading armies in conquest of the world. The same opportunities will be there for sports fans and frustrated arm chair athletes who did not have the talent to be professional athletes. You will literally feel like you are on the court or football field. You will sweat, you will make plays and defend, you will get score and dunk, get tired, you will screw up, the coach will pull you when you need a rest. The fans will scream your name and chant MVP as you make a great play or shoot free throws in the seventh game of the NBA finals. It will one day all seem and feel as real to you as it does right now for Kobe Bryant. You will be able to play like Kobe Bryant if you wish; only it will be you playing in that virtual world not some pale video facsimile of your favorite player as it is now. When the day of true, virtual reality comes, will fans prefer to DO it in competition in a virtual world as real as this one is now even want to WATCH real life athletes and enjoy it as they do now? Or will they prefer to experience and enjoy top level competition, glory and disappointment for themselves instead?
Science, medicine and genetics will also have just as profound an effect on sports. As the aging process is slowed and eventually stopped, athletes will not grow old or have their careers run down. The Kobe Bryant’s of the future will play for 20, 30, 50 years or perhaps forever at the same level they did at age 26. Forced retirement from age and wear and tear will no longer be in the equation. As more and more great athletes join the leagues and the old stars keep going on forever, teams will eventually be infused with Kobe or Magic Johnson type talents at every position. Will this make games better to have such great athletes on every team, at every position or will it make these types of stars watered down and common place with nothing to separate them from other players as they are today?
To take this even further down the road, what happens when we can genetically engineer the body to meet our own specifications? Of course we would eliminate the genetic component of disease and deformities but that is just one avenue of genetic engineering. Already there is debate about a future world populated with only extremely good looking people who resemble gods and goddesses. Would this be a good thing? The fact is who wants to be ugly, fat, short or bald? It will be inevitable that down the road everyone will look like the most alluring models do now. I don’t think that would be a bad thing because to be perfectly honest, physical beauty is nicer to look at than ugly or average and if all people can look as they wish I see no drawback to it. Why shouldn’t people look as they wish if given the chance? But what of sports?
Professional athletes differ from us in two respects: they most always have a drive and love for the game that makes them practice and play all the time. This insures the development of their skills, gives them game, if you will. The other more important difference is their genetics. In the womb, they were blessed by the gods to have the athleticism, strength, size and fast twitch muscles that separate them from mere mortals.
In the future, when all of us can have our genes tweaking as kids or even as adults, to get the size and special attributes of a Kobe Bryant or a Tom Brady then what? How many millions of Bryant’s or Brady’s will there be? How many people would sell their souls to play professional sports today? That is how many Bryant’s and Brady’s we would have…millions. If any and all of us someday can literally be Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, Sid Crosby, then what would happen to professional or even college and high school sports? Would we have to have thousands of teams in each sport to accommodate all these millions of super athletes? If we all could be Kobe Bryant, who would watch us play? Who would even want to anymore? Will science and technology simply leave sports as a archaic victim in extremis, heading for a mass grave as it bestows its miracles on us down the road?
Would the benefits of science be worth the sacrifice of our current understanding and enjoyment of sports? Of course it would. Would better more interesting things replace our old avenues of joy and recreation? Certainly. Those of us alive now who love our sports, this future world seems as strange as huge craft that fly in the sky or traverse the oceans depths would have seemed to people 150 years ago. But it will come and sports as we know it will be no more. It is not hard to see the day when the NBA, NFL and all sports leagues are just as much a thing of the past as the pony express or the gladiator combat of the roman coliseum. Someday, the last Laker game ever will be played. The last great sports edifices of that last technological generation of humans will empty of fans and close up for the last time to stand quiet and still, waiting to be torn down. The leagues will fold their tents under the reality of a brave new world and we will move on to other devices of entertainment and endeavor. The one thing in life and this universe that is guaranteed is change. Sports will have no exemption from that rule.
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Posted by: SPQR on Friday, June 05, 2009 - 01:16 AM
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Coming into game one against Orlando the Lakers brought an extensive list of objectives, both as a team and personally in their quest to garner that 15th title that proved so elusive last year.
The first item of course was reverse last years championship series start with a win instead of a loss. With the 75 point shellacking of Orlando they can put a big check down on thte list.
The Lakers came in wanting to take away either Dwight Howard or the Magic’s extensive array of out side shooting. The Lakers did it even better than imagined in taking out both of Orlando’s best chances to win. Limiting Dwight Howard to 12 points, Orlando to 29 percent shooting and the Magic’s big three to a paltry 33 points. The Lakers killed the Magic on the boards 55-29 and more than doubled the Magic in scoring in the paint.
The tone was set early on by surprising early aggression by Andrew Bynum who not only brough scoring but rebounding and blocked shots. You had a feeling it may turn out to be a long night for the Magic when the Center in Purple and Gold looked more like the all star than the center from florida. Drew set a very early tone that told the Magic this was not the interior challanged Cleveland Cavaliers by taking it right to Howard from the get go. In he second half he once again attacked but this time on the defensive end by blocking a shot and coming right back and forcing Howard into a terrible shot. When the final game stats show All Star center and Orlando catalyst Dwight Howard with 12 points and 15 reb ounds and injured, inexperienced Andrew Bynum with 9 points and 9 rebounds then things are only going right for the team from the west coast and couldn’t be going worse for the eastern representative.
The Magic had no answers for the triple headed hydra of Drew, Pau and Lamar. Not on offense, not on defense, not in rebounding. Like a Hydra, when one head is cut off and sent to the bench with foul trouble or for a rest, another head is called off the bench and monster is regrow as strong as it ever was. What happens if the Lakers take away one part of Orlando’s arsenal of success? We beat them. What happens when we take away both of their arsenals of success? We beat them by 25 points. As for effective aggession on both sides of the court and in bending the Magic to their will the Lakers can put down a huge check on the list.
Phil Jackson is 31-0 in seven game series when his teams takes the first game. Another check on the LA list.
Kobe Bryants desire to win his first post Shaq ring and finals MVP. With his twisting, turning, implacable moves and shots, Kobe tore through the Magic for 40 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. The Great Man destroyed any hope Orlando had in the third quarter pouring in 18 points and seemingly puntuating each one with a atavistic sneer/snarl that signaled this was not just a game, not just a series but that it was personal, that It is war. Leading his team to their first win in the series has brought Kobe’s last NBA obsessions just a bit closer to reality. In the year of Lebron James the stark truth of sports is once again resurfacing. As in life sports is about the hear and now. It is about winners. Watching the broadcast, seeing the greatman perform his miracles for the millionth time two aphorisms came to mind: ‘Out of site, out of mind ‘ and ‘To the victors go the spoils.’ On a night that was only about the Lakers and Kobe Bryant on the biggest NBA stage in the world, three times the announcers called The Great Man “the best player in the world.” On a night Kobe Bryant made his intentions perfectly clear by his performance and the visiage he showed throughout, Lebron James was totally forgotten as Kobe Bryant reaped the spoils of the victory he wanted so bad. Three more wins and the year of Lebron will be taken from the Cleveland star as quickly and suddenly as Orlando ended his season and Kobe Bryant will sit all alone among the pantheon of current NBA stars. Put a huge check down on Mr. Bryant’s list long list.
The Lakers also wanted to put and to any speculation that the two losses to Orlando in the regular season was any indication of a match up problem or foreshadow of problems they may suffer to the Magic. Put 25 checks down on LA’s list here. One for each point of seperation in their 100-75 victory margin. The only team that has to wonder about match up problems is the one from the sunshine state.
It is amazing simular and different one year can be. Here the Lakers are back in the finals, just like last year. But the Staples Center is not the Fleet center, the Magic is not last years Celtics, we are 3000 miles away from where we opened the finals last year and now one win closer to our coronation, not one game closer to elimination.
Some final and random thoughts:
The Lakers last three playoff games have been by far their best considering their performance and the quality of opposition. This bodes very well showing a team peaking at exactly the right time. Conversly for the Magic, it is how incumbent on them to stop a train that seems to be picking up steam exponentally. If they can’t by the next game, that train may run over them faster than they could have ever imagined.
It is interesting to see Luke Walton actually become a better and
more effective player than Sasha. It tells you how much better Luke has started to play of late and how bad Sasha has become. Right now, Shasha is truly and afterthought on this team. A guy who just comes in and is taken at fast as possible. It is a stunning role reversal for both these players from last year.
A nice shout out for Andrew Bynum. For his first finals game he was amazingly composed and effective during the time he played. His early, effective aggression both in scoring, defending and rebounding told Howard and the Magic that they were not playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Considering he was going against the best center in the league it was a very nice stint for the kid and came just at the right time.
Game one is done and now it is Orlando who has to come up with all the answers and adjustments. Our check list for success is filling out fast after game one. If we can bring out a pen after game two with another measure as lethal as we did tonight there is little doubt that barring only catistrophic injury this year will indeed be the greatest year of Kobe’s storied career and our coronation as champion for the 15th time.
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Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 01, 2009 - 03:50 PM
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After the first Orlando-Cleveland game, Charles Barkley said that Dwight Howard could not keep scoring at the rate he did in the opening game. He said he simply was not that type of offensive player. Of course both he and Cleveland now know how wrong he was.
Howard has shown that as limited as his offense game still is, like a very young Shaquille O’Neal, he is such a physically gifted presence he can still do continuous and deadly damage scoring if he takes the position he likes in the low post.
Of course this brings up the question: can the Lakers effectively take away his comfort zone down low? The result of our two regular season meetings and his march through the playoffs seem to indicate that will be difficult. The only player who has the size and strength to do so would seem to be Andrew Bynum. Yet in his embryonic state of development he showed little else against Howard this year except a penchant for fouling in his attempts to slow Howard down. Given the added confidence Dwight has gotten with his playoff run through the east and Bynum’s lack of confidence and mobility from his injury this problem would seem to only be exacerbated now. Unfortunately Howard is also the exact type of athletic, big, strong, fast, immovable center that he has caused Pau Gasol problems too.
This is alarming for a very good reason. In our march through the playoffs we relied on two mismatches vs Utah, Houston and Denver: Kobe Bryant and the inside play of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and to a much lesser extent Andrew Bynum. If this advantage is taken away from us, it leaves us with only the Kobe advantage to fall back on. Not something you want against a powerful versatile team like Orlando and losing the inside edge is similar to what happened to us against Boston last year. This may be the first team we faced since that series where the inside edge no longer resides with us.
Phil is not a big fan of double teaming and with the outside shooters Orlando has he may be even more reticent to try this tactic out on Howard. Two areas that may be successful are these: Pau, Drew, Lamar, Trevor and Kobe may have to attack Howard and the basket as much as possible. Yes the defensive player of the year will certainly pick up blocks along the way but we may also force him to pick up fouls. Nothing takes the aggression and game away from a player than knowing his has picked up foul number four or five.
Because Howard has had trouble at the line, Phil may also want to use another tactic he generally loathes and that would be the hack a Howard. Between Drew and Mbenga the Lakers are sitting on 12 well placed fouls a game to force Howard to earn his points at the one place he least likes-the charity strip. He has done better on the line of late, but he has not done so in the ultimate pressure cooker of the NBA finals.
Howard averaged 21 points a game against us during our two meeting. I would find this an acceptable number if we can also mitigate to great degree their outside shooting. If Howard goes off consistently like he did against Cleveland then he will turn this series into a Dwightmare for us and make beating them almost untenable.
Once again, what is alarming is that the Lakers have struggled with defending outside shooting all year and the Magic have this part of their game down to a science. I usually want to see two teams play at full strength but this time for very selfish reasons, I am glad Jameer Nelson is out. To me, this Orlando team is already a strategic for us and giving them a player of Nelson’s ability would make this thing just so much harder to accomplish.
In the Lakers favor is the Kobe Bryant factor. In the Denver series he played some of best ball of his storied career both scoring and in setting up teammates. He will have to continue on that level for us to have a chance. I don’t see any reason why he won’t with that elusive post Shaq ring once again dangling just inches from his face.
The Lakers showed in the last two Denver games that they can play effective defense against a top quality foe. In Orlando they will be meeting the best offensive team they have faced all year and they will have to carry the willpower and determination they showed in those last two Western Conference game to the finals or risk being taken out before they really know what happened. As Orlando has proven against two teams defensively superior to the Lakers-Boston and Cleveland-if you can’t take away either Howard or their perimeter game you are facing a lost cause. The Lakers will have to take away one or the other. Not the same part every game, but one part for every win they get.
The other thing going for us that we did not have last year is home court advantage. The simple math says that if Orlando does take one in LA they will still have to sweep all three mid games at home to pull off the win. Not an easy thing for any team to do against the Lakers. If Orlando does manage to win two games on our home floor, then the series would in effect be lost anyway in my view.
We will also need major contributions from Lamar and Trevor Ariza. They need to play like they did in the Denver series. If they do then the Lakers will begin to pose mismatch problems against Orlando that will force them to change their game and strategy in order to keep from being overwhelmed. Contributions from Pau goes without saying. Perhaps even more than his scoring a willingness to attack Howard and try drawing fouls would be his largest and most telling attribute. A Howard handcuffed by fouls is freed Lakers team.
For the first time in these playoffs the Lakers are facing a team who can score with them and take away that crucial interior and rebounding edge that has helped carry LA to this point. It is a daunting challenge. Phil and the team most certainly have their work cut out for them. To me our two biggest edges are Kobe Bryant and home court. Will it be enough?
Usually going into a match up I am fairly confident of picking a winner. Last year I faced the NBA finals with dread and trepidation because I saw no way we could beat Boston. This year I enter the finals with curiosity and questions about how we will overcome a team that seems to match up so well with both our strengths-our inside play- and our weakness-perimeter defense. Because I don’t think this Orlando team is as good as last years Celtics, I do think we can win it, but to be very honest, for one of the few times in my life I don’t have an strong idea about which team will carry the day. It would not surprise me if LA wins, nor if Orlando does.
One thing I do know is that for both teams, they are facing their strongest foe at this moment of history with everything on the line. Both teams have shown they will accept nothing short of the title and both seem prepared not to give an inch in getting what they want. I don’t see an easy end for neither team nor a series that won’t go at least six games and put both players and fans of each through many tough, excruciating and heartbreaking plays and games.
I think everyone involved better put on their seatbelts. I suspect a very hard, rocky ride for loser and the winner alike before all is said and done.
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