2008 NBA Playoffs Thread

[StrayBullet]

Wow. So much Laker hate.

At half time, the concourse was pretty upbeat and everyone was in great spirits leading up to the toss-in. I mean, B-Real from Cypress Hill was laughing and joking around with us at the smoke doors - He's usually not that talkative. But, it just took the first few shots from the Lakers and Boston hitting everything that took the sails away from the crowd. The Lakers let that get away... And Boston just kept hitting shots. It was great watching a game at Staples again (Especially this year), but the outcome made it bittersweet.

[StrayBullet]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

well LA's goat horns have to like squarely on 6-18 shooting Ko-me. Gasol and Odom had similar stats with 50-66% of the shots.

"Ko-me"? Hmmm... Just wanted to make sure you've been watching the right league... team... or player. If it's just hate, then fine. Everyone enjoys hating Kobe, but refuse to see how great of a player he is. But to throw out a stat like '6-for-18 shooting' and make allusions to Kobe being selfish....
I guess that means, Boston's "goat horns" would squarely fall on Kevin Garnett for his selfish, 6-for-21 and Paul "I just got shot... oh but wait, I pulled a calf" Pierce's 2-for-14 on Tuesday, right?

[habernac]

I don't hate the Lakers. I just hate Kobe "here, honey, have some more jewellery, I really didn't rape that girl" Bryant.

[fredr123]

Is it the defence in this series leading to these abysmal shooting stats or are we watching the largest collection of least clutch superstars ever?

[StrayBullet]

Originally Posted by habernac

I don't hate the Lakers. I just hate Kobe "here, honey, have some more jewellery, I really didn't rape that girl" Bryant.

I usually choose not to debate this topic because in the end, only Kobe and the girl who was obviously a whore and looking for payoff, knows what happened that day.

Not that it matters anymore because all in all SHE dropped the charges without a settlement and SHE decided that the civil lawsuit was not worth going the distance.
This is what I think: Kobe made a mistake. A HUGE mistake. There is no excuse for what he did morally. But we all make mistakes. He ended up talking to some broad and she was (And I could almost guarantee this) probably pouring it on for him. As a man, thinking with your d*** and not you brain, he likely responded. Athletes, actors, rappers, any celebrity - They are getting tail thrown at them left and right. Again, it's not an excuse and I'm not condoning the action, but if you really think about it, do you truly believe that someone with the stature of Kobe Bryant would be dumb enough to rape a girl... at a hotel... Where everyone knew he was at?

So what if he gave his wife jewelry as an apology? If you've ever had a GF, you're doing whatever you can to apologize for a major f*** up on your part, right? If it means flowers, then it's flowers. Dude's got dough, he's gonna buy her a ring. And don't tell me you wouldn't get in that mess because of blah, blah, blah. In that situation, where you had to apologize, you'd be doing the same damn thing.




Anyway... Back to Calgary. Gotta check in and LAX is a mutha!

[Resolute 14]

How the hell did LA choke that one away? It was 42-24 last I checked. wow.

[D to the iddy]

6 months of being a team player doesn't absolve 5 years of Kobe being a "get mine first" player. People are quick to forget that he verbally asked for a trade on a recorded phone call in September. He's a great basketball player but multiple sources claim he's just a terrible team-mate.

Onto last night's game... all the comparisons to Michael are over! Jordan would have never lost a game being up 24 points AT HOME! Never!

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by StrayBullet

"Ko-me"? Hmmm... Just wanted to make sure you've been watching the right league... team... or player. If it's just hate, then fine. Everyone enjoys hating Kobe, but refuse to see how great of a player he is. But to throw out a stat like '6-for-18 shooting' and make allusions to Kobe being selfish....
I guess that means, Boston's "goat horns" would squarely fall on Kevin Garnett for his selfish, 6-for-21 and Paul "I just got shot... oh but wait, I pulled a calf" Pierce's 2-for-14 on Tuesday, right?

yeah, I've been watching Kome for a long time.

Would I hold Pierce accountable for his ty game 3 - absolutely.

Do I hold Kome accountable for his me-first game tonight, where he clearly couldn't handle not being "THE" guy in a hometown playoff game. It didn't take a genius to see that Odom was hot, but Kome refused to share the ball. That's his downfall.

With Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Thomas, Olajouwon, Duncan, etc - you know, aka team leaders - when they weren't feeling it, they shared the ball. Kome can't figure that out.

True, he did have 10 assists last night, but NONE came during key moments when he decided to go 1 on 4 or 1 on 5, posession after posession after posession.

I wonder what his excuse will be this offseason? Gasol suddenly wasn't the guy? Odom couldn't handle the pressure?

Lets face it. Kome is a good player, but he is a guy who refuses to share the spotlight since Shaq left. Without Shaq he is no different than Alan Iverson in my books.

Oh, and yes, he is a rapist. The stunts that his defence team pulled during that trial should have had his lawyers disbarred, in my opinion. It was clear that his defence team were turning the whole trial into a circus, so I have no problem with the victim - yes VICTIM, not "whore" as you termed it - stuck it to the rapist by holding him accountable in civil court. Good for her.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by D to the iddy

6 months of being a team player doesn't absolve 5 years of Kobe being a "get mine first" player. People are quick to forget that he verbally asked for a trade on a recorded phone call in September. He's a great basketball player but multiple sources claim he's just a terrible team-mate.

Onto last night's game... all the comparisons to Michael are over! Jordan would have never lost a game being up 24 points AT HOME! Never!

agreed. If Jordan was up 24 and a team started a run like that, he would have had Livingston or Rodman put an opponent 5 rows deep. He would have pulled an elbow or two out the subsequent posession and won the game. It never would have happened.

[StrayBullet]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

It didn't take a genius to see that Odom was hot, but Kome refused to share the ball. That's his downfall.

With Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Thomas, Olajouwon, Duncan, etc - you know, aka team leaders - when they weren't feeling it, they shared the ball. Kome can't figure that out.

True, he did have 10 assists last night, but NONE came during key moments when he decided to go 1 on 4 or 1 on 5, posession after posession after posession.

I wonder what his excuse will be this offseason? Gasol suddenly wasn't the guy? Odom couldn't handle the pressure?

Lets face it. Kome is a good player, but he is a guy who refuses to share the spotlight since Shaq left. Without Shaq he is no different than Alan Iverson in my books.

Sometimes I wonder if people just insist on hating on Kobe and refuse to actually watch the game to see what is actually happening in the play. I watched the game over on my PVR after reading this to see if I missed anything from when I was there, live, in LA watching the game unfold before my very eyes.

I do recall Lamar playing well in the first half. More like the first quarter. I don't believe he had very much to contribute in the second quarter when LA started to pull away. He made 1 field goal. So being "hot" for 12 minutes when they were already up by 10-15 or so points and having guys like Trevor Ariza and Ronny Turiaf fill in wasn't really an option. I can tell you right now that after the half, the building, not just the team, was flat. The energy had been sucked out right when the ball was thrown in. During the half spirits were high, but I swear to God, something happened as soon as the whistle went to start. Not exactly a stat, but sometimes mood and momentum play a big part in sports. We all know that.
Lamar was getting the ball in the second half, but everytime he would attempt at doing something with it, his play would be a hand-off, pass to the corner or a quick, one-two dribble and back to Kobe. He was hesitant the whole time. He looked like Lamar from Game 1 & 2. That's how "hot" Lamar was. I personally believe that he focused alot of his attention on guarding KG, understanding that the offense was going to be on Kobe and I feel that since KG was eating him up, it hindered his progress in the series especially after having such an incredible quarter.

As for Pau, Pau has been having fits all series with old man, PJ Brown and the very big and very physical Kendrick Brown. His weaknesses have been exposed and they are forcing him to try and go inside rather than taking the baseline or quick mini-hooks which have been his forte since Memphis. He would get the ball at the elbow or mid-post and immediately, he would be looking for Kobe or Sasha to shoot. Pau is not playing well, making bad passes, not playing physical and a step slow against Boston. This is where LA misses Andrew Bynum.

Kobe is not just "good", as you've stated. He is great. If you were actually watching, you would have seen that he took those shots, driving in and looking for contact. The Lakers wanted to get to the line. But again, a poor second half from EVERYONE on the squad, including Kobe and Boston hitting every shot from 3's and free throws led to the comeback.

I just can't understand when people think that comparing Kobe to Michael is such a valid argument. Why? Because the media tells you that Kobe isn't like Michael and therefore he is not a capable player? Michael has failed plenty of times taking the last shot, hogging the ball. Those are never talked about because he was such a winner. Michael is my favorite athlete of all-time and I remember all of his missed attempts at glory. Does that mean he couldn't be "THE" guy? Does it mean Michael is selfish? No. It meant he wanted it. His teammates knew that. Why do you think they band behind him? This Laker squad has banded behind Kobe and they open the doors for him to win games for them every night. They know that supporting him and giving him the options to win will ultimately help them all achieve their goal. Just like the Bulls... or the Lakers... or the Spurs or whatever other team you listed. Mentioning Isaiah was a joke because if we're talking about selfish and egotistical and arrogance, Isaiah tops that list.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by fredr123

What an odd ball game to watch. Both teams should be embarrassed: the Lakers for blowing that huge lead and the Celtics for getting down that far in the first place. I look forward to a spirited affair on Sunday with the Lakers pulling one out. Kobe can't play like that two games in a row, can he?

Why not? He's been doing it most of his career. He puts up points, he creates his own shot, and he plays good defence, but he's never been an efficient player. When he gets in trouble he's always been more liable to take an offensive foul than to avoid contact and pass to a teammate. He's got such a one track mind in getting to the basket that he doesn't know where his teammates or the defenders are.

I've hated the Laker's and their fans since they were the best team in the league with Kobe and Shaq. Most of their fans (other than the ones in LA) are simply bandwaggoners who like them because they were winning, and I think many of the Kobe fans were initially more enthralled with his flash than with the substance of his play. They're the Vancouver fans of the NBA. Don't know much about basketball, don't usually watch? You're the perfect Lakers fan. Also, I don't want to cheer for anyone who'd rather have more touches and field goal attempts than have the best center in the NBA (at the time) on his side. He's a drama queen and a primadonna. Oh, and who changes their number just for the hell of it? "Oh, I don't feel like being #8 anymore, I think I'd rather be #24 and screw all the fans who bought #8 jerseys." Not that most of them don't deserve it though!

[D to the iddy]

Originally Posted by SebC

Oh, and who changes their number just for the hell of it? "Oh, I don't feel like being #8 anymore, I think I'd rather be #24 and screw all the fans who bought #8 jerseys." Not that most of them don't deserve it though!

Didn't you hear?! It's cause he's 3 times more mature than he used to be.

Although I also heard a rumor that he picked that number (24) when he was younger cause he "was one better than Jordan". Just what I heard so there's not much stock in it but after hearing from multiple sources as to what kind of person he is/was, it wouldn't surprise me.

[killer_carlson]

Well I think you need to watch the game again and take of your Kome coloured glasses, hypocrite.

You sit there and watch the game and pick out posessions where Odom handed the ball of to Kome, and then list that as a complaint against Odom, instead of yet another example of selfish Kome not realizing what it takes to win. You see Kome brilliance with flawed spare parts, and I see capable players on a roll and the team ball hog demanding the ball when he shouldn't be.

[StrayBullet]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Well I think you need to watch the game again and take of your Kome coloured glasses, hypocrite.

You sit there and watch the game and pick out posessions where Odom handed the ball of to Kome, and then list that as a complaint against Odom, instead of yet another example of selfish Kome not realizing what it takes to win. You see Kome brilliance with flawed spare parts, and I see capable players on a roll and the team ball hog demanding the ball when he shouldn't be.

Actually, I think Lamar is the second best player on the team (Even with a healthy Bynum). I think his role on the team is very important and I find that he has not been playing that well in this series, whatsoever. Lamar is a huge part of the defensive presence on the Lakers. It's just tough because since Bynum got hurt, he had to start at power forward where he was completely oversized. When the Lakers traded for Gasol he went back to his natural spot - small forward.... And he was back to being Lamar and contributing on both ends of the court. That's how they got back and utimately finished in first in the Western Conference. He's athletic, talented, can put the ball down and will rebound, but not against stronger, bigger and just as athletic 4s. Pau is NOT playing to his capabilities, so it's almost as if Lamar has to pick up his slack. He's had to play small forward on offense, BUT guard the power forward who just happens to be Kevin Garnett. He picks up Pau's slack because Kendrick Brown has been beating Pau and Lamar is first to go in for help and thus getting in foul trouble. It was never a "complaint" against Lamar, Lamar just understands where the ball needs to go - In Kobe's hands. If it means a dish or a pass to finish the play (which he did in 3 out of the last 7 possessions - Including a pass to Pau which he fumbled - No curse to Pau.) or a jumper or drive to the hole then, that's the play the player sees.

[StrayBullet]

Now seeing that the Lakers won last night, I figured people would have something to say. I mean, everyone and their mom has a snark comment when they lose... The fuel was there; Kobe shot poorly in the second half, Boston made a comeback... Again, the Lakers almost let it get away with about :45 left on the clock. I would've thought, that was enough to spark some reasonable debate. Obviously not. They only kick you when you're down.... Which they still are - Down 3-2.

[D to the iddy]

Only was able to watch about 2 minutes of the first quater and it looked like the Lakers were playing together and well.

I don't think people are knocking that they're a good team, otherwise they wouldn't be in the finals. It seemed like for the first couple games that more time then not, they deviated from the things that got them to that point (making the extra pass, not relying on Kobe, etc.) To me at least, it seemed like once they got put up against a decent defensive team (I don't believe San Antonio is as defensive minded as Boston this year), they started to panic and lose focus. It'sall personal opinion but that's just what I think about the series.

I can't see Boston losing twice at home but I've seen bigger surprises...

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by SebC

Oh, and who changes their number just for the hell of it? "Oh, I don't feel like being #8 anymore, I think I'd rather be #24 and screw all the fans who bought #8 jerseys." Not that most of them don't deserve it though!

You do know Michael Jordan changed from #23 to #45 and back to #23 right?

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by StrayBullet

Now seeing that the Lakers won last night, I figured people would have something to say. I mean, everyone and their mom has a snark comment when they lose... The fuel was there; Kobe shot poorly in the second half, Boston made a comeback... Again, the Lakers almost let it get away with about :45 left on the clock. I would've thought, that was enough to spark some reasonable debate. Obviously not. They only kick you when you're down.... Which they still are - Down 3-2.

or people don't have time to run onto the site every five minutes like you do. Nice try though.

In any event, Doc Rivers has got to get his head out of his butt and stop these crap starts by the Celtics. If he comes out of the first quarter reasonably close then I think the Celtics win this in a walk. Garnett will not have 4 crap games in a row. Allen's personal issues - a sick child - are a concern for a couple of reasons (hope the kid is ok, and hope Allen is able to focus better).

Interesting to see that when Kome gets in early foul trouble that the rest of the team plays better. Is it them stepping up and seizing the moment, or is it a function of actually being able to get in a rhythm without Kome making sure you don't take some of his spotlight? Kome with another great shooting game: 8-21. A real hero.

In any event, this series should be over tonight and we can then start listening to all the Kome apologists complaining that the losses had everything to do with his teammates and nothing to do with his consistently deplorable shooting and ball hoggery.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

You do know Michael Jordan changed from #23 to #45 and back to #23 right?

He wore 45 for half a season after he came out of retirement the first time. He couldn't wear 23 because it was quickly retired after he walked away from basketball two seasons earlier. However, Jordan returned to number 23 later that same season during the playoffs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...urn_to_the_NBA

[I_H8_Crawford]

Garnett choked in the 4th, missing some key free throws, as well as some easy baskets underneath the hoop.

Hopefully he doesn't do that again.

Is there any question of who the MVP is if the Celtics win it? Pierce is having an AMAZING series.