KOBE!!!! I swear, he's never out of it. He can be 0-34 and he'll still hit you the shots in the clutch. That's what he is doing tonight!!!!
we're up 1...whats going on...someone who is watching...can you please update me? I only see the play-by-play on my computer....gahh
Didnt they teach you how to BOX OUT!!! DAMN IT!@ Games on the line. How the hell did Gooden get that rebound!
We win 99-98. Kobe hit 3 clutch shots after his injury and the Cleveland D shut him down. NICE WIN FOR THE LAKERS!
Damn. We were lucky. that damn offense rebound could have lost it for us. Someone needs to run laps the next practice! NO EXCUSES. It could have went the other way!
Gooden's got game. Kobe just willed these baskets towards the end despite his injury. The Lakers are one trade away from being in the playoffs. Ron Artest being in LA kind of reminds me of Dennis Rodman. I'd like to see what Phil Jackson can do with a guy like Ron Artest.
I hope Artest and his agent saw something in LA...and (wishful thinking btw) manages to convince Indy to bring him here without us losing Odom....hehe like I said...wishful thinking
I don't think Kobe's injury is serious. It's probably gonna hurt like hell tomorrow, but I doubt if it's going to prevent him from being the elite.
Kobe never fails to amaze me... how he does it I have no idea but I have nothing but admiration for the guy. As for Charles Barkley... sometimes he just irks me with the things he says. He always claimes to be a good friend of Jordan and I have no doubt that he and Jordan are friends but Barkley has always had negative things to say about games where players dominated the ball and took alot of shots. I like Kobe's comments after the game... he just wants to win no matter what it takes and what people have to say about him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">Damn. We were lucky. that damn offense rebound could have lost it for us. Someone needs to run laps the next practice! NO EXCUSES. It could have went the other way!</div> Umm, the ball bounced long off the rim. It was nobody on the Lakers fault because they all had normally good position, but a bounce like THAT is never anticipated.
The injury to Kobe helped out the rest of the Lakers to be involved. Lamar played great and what the Lakers had 4 players with double digit scoring. Just hoping the Lakers can consistently get all the players involved. That way they can win a game by 10 at some point this season.
The important thing is the other players seemed to step up more then usual during this game. Kobe had a good start, rough 2nd half but ended the game with fashion. Most importantly Lakers go the W!!
YEAAAAAAAAAAAH! Just got back what an exciting finish to this game! I was really impressed with how the team rallied back and took a 5 point lead without Kobe on the floor. The rhythm was great on the offensive end and they were feeding the ball to both Mihm and Kwame on the inside. This is the balance the Lakers have been seeking out all season long. Kobe scoring his 25 to 30, Lamar getting into the 20 point range, and then two other starters getting double digits. Scoring 99 points is the magic number on offense for this team. The defense is good enough to keep teams scoring in the low 90's and if the Lakers can consistently get to 99 we can beat any team. I think the team only missed once at the free throw line as well, I only remember Lamar missing one down the stretch. There's still a lot to improve on, especially on defense and recognizing the opponents who can hurt you. The Lakers kept sending the help off of Luke Jackson, instead of Snow, and Jackson killed us from downtown. Also the defense on Ilgauskas was terrible tonight. The Lakers must not have read Big Z can shoot easily from 18 feet and in. If he didn't get into foul trouble, I'm not sure we win this game tonight. He did a lot of damage on the inside. I was pissed on that final play when Kobe was called for that foul on LeBron. The ref was just itching to blow the whistle on that play. LeBron was fouled, but the way he created space to even get a shot off was hooking Kobe and then traveling. The ball never lies though, and LeBron bricked that second attempt badly. And for those who were wondering how Gooden got the rebound, it was Odom who blew his assignment leading to Gooden getting the loose ball. LeBron James is an amazing player, but those last plays down the stretch show what seperates him from Kobe at this point. Kobe frustrated him on defense leading to some costly turnovers, and of course the hand in the face at the end. On the other end LeBron gave up 3 straight baskets to Kobe. The last one was low percentage and forced, but Kobe has the confidence to take and make those. I thought it was a stupid decision to put James on Kobe at the end, Snow was battling Kobe well and is more familiar with how to defend him and use his body to keep Kobe from getting free. Right now the thing preventing us from being more consistent is not being able to get stops down low. If you look at the better teams in the league, Pistons, Spurs, etc. when they need a stop to close out a game, they get that stop. The Lakers cannot do that right now, which is why we are only 10-11 in games decided by 6 points or less. When PJax took over he wanted this Laker team to be competitive every night and get back some respectability. I think he's already accomplished this goal and now it's time for the Lakers to take the next step and be consistent more consistent as a team, offensively and defensively.
Yes. Both guys are clearly amazing players and are my top two players in the league right now. But the thing that does separate Kobe from Lebron is Kobe's defence... Lebron did not guard Kobe most of the night, Snow did (and I recall Snow doing a good job on Kobe in the past when he was with Philly... in fact I even recall Kobe admitting that Snow plays some of the toughest defence on him he has ever faced), yet Kobe took the challenge of guarding Lebron. In the early going Kobe was doing pretty well of staying up on Lebron and fighting through those screens. He was doing so well that I saw Gooden push Kobe off of Lebron on several screens to get Lebron space. Unfortunately fighting through all those screens also lead to him getting injured I think. The other big difference between the two can be seen in the final 4 or five plays of the game. Kobe hits three big shots down the stretch and Lebron misses that vital free throw.
man, what a game. I hate how when you're at the game, you're not aware of injuries and stuff like that, I was trying to figure out why Kobe didn't play the 4th until like 7 minutes in. Me and my friend started a chant "MVP, MVP" in the 3rd quarter, and man we got the whole staples center shouting it, I'm positive Kobe heard it. But then I asked my girl if she could hear it when she was watching the game on TV and she said she didn't, so that sucks. Did anyone happen to hear it? But, It's nice to let Kobe know, that even though he was struggling a little bit, we got his back no matter what, and with that confidence he was able to knock down 3 in a row down the stretch. That dunk LeBron made right before the Half made me FURIOUS. Once again, we weren't able to get the final shot in, and just like Kobe mentioned before, he wasn't about to let any player come to LA and Staple's Center and do no "pretty" or "cute" moves, but then what happens? LeBron does a highlight dunk. Looking at the highlights of the game when I got home, I must admit that dunk was pretty sick. Kobe's defense tonight was GREAT. Anyone else notice how only one or so of LeBron's shots were over Kobe? All his baskets were either off a screen or on fast break. Kobe's defense cannot be penetrated, just ask LeBron. Difference between Kobe and LeBron: 1. Clutch shots - Kobe 2. Free Throws - Kobe: 8/8, LeBron: 4/9 3. Defense Those are just a few differences, that I noticed tonight. Kobe of course is a seasoned Vet while LeBron is still a rook. And Finally.......HATS off to Lamar Odom! What an amazing game, I was so upset that he couldn't get that 10th assist for his triple double, but definitely his best game as a Laker, he really was the difference in this game. I also enjoyed Kobe's post game comments (saw it when I got home) I think he shut up a lot of haters tonight. And what the hell is Charles Barkley's problem? This dude is what you call a H-A-T-E-R Give the man his damn props, jackass.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting DynastYWarrioR6:</div><div class="quote_post">Ok...PJax subbed in Walton for Kwame....my question is....why take out Kwame?....he has 6 rebounds...Mihm has none.....Kwame has no fouls....Mihm has 1....so why take him out...he may not be scoring, but he is rebounding the ball effectively...I say keep him in...I'm not saying take Mihm out...because he IS playing great....but I'm curious about Kwame btw post all thoughts about this game on this thread please</div> he substituted kwame for luke coz cleveland put in all their good 3pt shooters, he put luke in to defend the perimeter... remember when they where down by 2?? but when kobe got 2 free throws they put all their bigs in again to get the rebound...
