<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Suns' feelings are an open bookLakers get bad reviews in an account of last season's series. Now Phoenix must back it up.By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff WriterApril 20, 2007In addition to scouring video for any added advantage against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers might also want to sit back and read a good book.Longtime Sports Illustrated reporter Jack McCallum spent last season with the Suns, documenting the inner workings of the high-scoring curiosity piece in a 312-page account that could provide a wealth of bulletin-board material for the Lakers, who begin another first-round series with the Suns on Sunday.An all-access look at one of the league's top teams, ":07 Seconds or Less" devotes more than 100 pages to last year's playoff series between the Suns and Lakers, eventually won by the Suns in seven games. The book, named after the Suns' mantra to fire up a shot before seven seconds tick off the shot clock, includes several scenes in which Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and the Lakers in general are panned by the Suns."As the Suns see it, the Lakers trek along the low road," McCallum wrote. "Bryant is arrogant. [Kwame] Brown is just a big body with nothing behind it. Smush Parker was a Sun for a couple of weeks [in 2004-05] and no one rued his departure. Lamar Odom is just too damn big and long. Luke Walton seems like a nice guy ... but he laid out [Tim] Thomas in Game 3 and triggered a miserable chain of events [for the Suns]. Sasha Vujacic is an all-universe whiner with an unpronounceable surname. Plus, Phil Jackson sits on a throne."The Lakers are aware of the book, which was released last fall, and perused copies of it long before the Suns became their playoff opponent.Some of the things they have likely noted:The Suns, while watching video of their Game 1 victory, poked fun at the Lakers' defense."This is when we're at our best, when we're changing ends on the fly," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They have no answer for it. Kwame is awful. Odom's a very average defender. Vujacic can't guard anybody. And Bryant in the open floor takes chances that aren't good."Suns owner Robert Sarver had issues with some millionaire court-side fans at Staples Center. He thought Norm Pattiz was getting into the face of Thomas during Game 3 and told the Westwood One Radio Network founder before Game 4, "You ever touch one of my players again, you'll have me to deal with."Sarver was also mad that actor-director Penny Marshall was near the Suns' huddle before Game 3, talking to some of the Suns' players."This L.A. [expletive] has got to stop," Sarver said afterward. "This is war. I hate those guys."While Suns coaches watched video of Game 3, Jackson wandered into the frame with his painful side-to-side walk."Look!" one of the coaches blurted out. "It's the Penguin!"After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, D'Antoni wondered aloud why so many people were lauding Bryant's share-the-ball approach."They're talking about Kobe and how great it is that he's playing with the team," D'Antoni said. "Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Now he's the savior because he's playing that way? He's no god. He does what he's supposed to be doing, which is what we learned in kindergarten. Share the ball and play."An unidentified member of the Lakers left a scouting report of the Suns at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel after Game 5 in Phoenix. It quickly ended up in the hands of Suns coaches, much to the Lakers' dismay.A part that wasn't in the book: Jackson called a hotel official and wondered how the document ended up in the Suns' possession. He was informed that all trash from hotel rooms is typically shredded. The hotel official said he would get back to Jackson after investigating the matter further. To this day, Jackson still hasn't heard back from the official, a team source said.More recently, the Suns haven't exactly downplayed their thoughts of the Lakers, beginning with forward Amare Stoudemire's statement last week that "I think we would take care of them pretty quick" if the teams met in the first round.Bryant said the Lakers would "put [Stoudemire's] clairvoyancy to the test," and other Lakers weren't so sure the series would be done so quickly."That's his opinion," Walton said. "If he thinks it's going to go four, good for him. They've proven they're a great team. We're the ones that are going to have to play great basketball if we want to win. They've played great basketball all year and they've got home-court advantage, but I don't think it's going to be a four-game series."Bryant was asked if the Suns (61-21) might be a tad overconfident in viewing the Lakers (42-40)."I'm sure they are," he said. "Their team's won like, what, 60-something games, whatever it is. I'm sure they're confident. I'm sure they believe it's going to be a quick series. It's our job to try and prove them wrong."The Lakers will try to do what they did last season and pound the ball inside to their big men, although the presence of Stoudemire will make things more difficult. He missed almost all of last season, including the playoff series against the Lakers, because of knee problems, but has averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds this season."We're going to try to slow it down," Walton said. "That's no secret. Now we've got Kwame back. That's big for us. Ronny [Turiaf] has been playing great. [Andrew] Bynum is starting to play well again."We've got to focus on getting the ball inside all game long and not just for a little bit and then start settling for jumpers. If you settle for a jumper against Phoenix and if you don't make it, it's like a turnover, where they're off to the races."</div>SOURCEALOT of Motivation right here as the Lakers are getting slammed by them. Also, those are some pretty harsh words about Kobe from D'antoni, Kobe always speaks highly of him, says he's a great coach and that he was a favorite player of his from Italy. And Suns fans say Kobe is the arrogant one... EDIT: I still can't believe someone left a scouting report in the hotel.
This is not good news for the Suns. We are motivated, determinated. I believe we will win this series, I can't wait!
This is why I think Mike D'antoni is the most unprofessional coach of all time. He's a good coach but when it comes to the things he has to say about others around the league especially LA in this case I think he is a a$$hole.
Yeah that was a great book. And what's so harsh about what D'Antoni said? It did take Kobe 10 years to learn to play the right way. And this is not a big deal. If McCallum wrote about the Lakers you'd hear the same stuff about the Suns, or if he wrote it about....the Pistons you'd hear the same about the Heat. Stuff like that is said in the locker room all the time.And wow, I didn't know about the scouting report. That sucks.
This series has the potential to go 7 games again.... I see it going to about 6, with the Suns coming out on top... They're too good a team to lose to the .500 Lakers this year in the 1st round. On a side note, I agree about D'Antoni being an ***hole.... I really don't like that man, as much as I love the Suns... And he has a stupid f*cking name (I know it's Italian) anyway!
F*ck the suns. I hope we F*ck em up. They wanna talk sh*t? How about your "MVP" lead you guys to championship instead of getting F*cked in the Western Conference? Did D'Antoni include that in the book that *ucker?
We?Aren't you a Knicks fan? And aren't you like 11? Why do you find it neccesary to use F*ck so much?Anyway..I don't see the relevance in this. I just hate Phoenix and I do hope LA beats them..that would be sweet.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Aren't you a Knicks fan? And aren't you like 11? Why do you find it neccesary to use F*ck so much?</div>LOL!
Christ, you lot are really a bunch of 11 year old girls aren't you. This is sport, it's not always nice and 100% guaranteed every team in the league has feelings like this about other teams. It's refreshing to hear it said for once.
Yeah, but trash talk is much more rewarding coming from a team that can back it up and win the title, there's nothing wrong with losing to the eventual champs. Instead, we have to listen to these cum-slut faggots who are too one-dimensional and too soft to get stops and actually do something other than get F*cked in the WCF.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Michael Bryant @ Apr 24 2007, 04:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah, but trash talk is much more rewarding coming from a team that can back it up and win the title, there's nothing wrong with losing to the eventual champs. Instead, we have to listen to these cum-slut faggots who are too one-dimensional and too soft to get stops and actually do something other than get F*cked in the WCF.</div> Ouch, touche.It's not like the Suns said this in public. Behind closed doors, a lot worse than this is said in just about every locker room. If he said all this in a press conference or something, there'd be something to get mad about, but he didn't.
Those comments would make it so much more sweet if the lakers beat the Suns...They'd never live it down...And if were lucky D'Antoni would go back to Italy...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Devlin @ Apr 27 2007, 10:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Those comments would make it so much more sweet if the lakers beat the Suns...They'd never live it down...And if were lucky D'Antoni would go back to Italy...</div>The comments were made when the Suns were down 1-3 and they needed to get their confidence up. After those comments were made you guys went on to choke away that very large series lead...they already lived it down. Only person that has made a comment this year like that was Amare and he was right, probably.
Yeah, what's up win Amare running his mouth off all the time? Is he going to be like Rasheed Wallace and start "guaranteeing" wins?
He's actually really good with the media, a walking cliche, never says anything wrong. That was the first time he really said something like that, and he was right...or will be right.
[quote name='Michael Bryant' post='346494' date='Apr 30 2007, 03:27 PM']Yeah, what's up win Amare running his mouth off all the time? Is he going to be like Rasheed Wallace and start "guaranteeing" wins?[/quote]Well considering we beat you in 5...[quote name='Dagameplayer' post='339044' date='Apr 20 2007, 06:20 AM']This is why I think Mike D'antoni is the most unprofessional coach of all time. He's a good coach but when it comes to the things he has to say about others around the league especially LA in this case I think he is a a$$hole.[/quote]Or, you know, he just tells the truth and it hurts.[quote name='Michael Bryant' post='342421' date='Apr 24 2007, 04:33 PM']Yeah, but trash talk is much more rewarding coming from a team that can back it up and win the title, there's nothing wrong with losing to the eventual champs. Instead, we have to listen to these cum-slut faggots who are too one-dimensional and too soft to get stops and actually do something other than get F*cked in the WCF.[/quote]And without Shaq you can't get out of the first round genius. [quote name='Pinoy Balla' post='340047' date='Apr 21 2007, 04:28 PM']F*ck the suns. I hope we F*ck em up. They wanna talk sh*t? How about your "MVP" lead you guys to championship instead of getting F*cked in the Western Conference? Did D'Antoni include that in the book that *ucker?[/quote][quote name='LakersFan247' post='339243' date='Apr 20 2007, 03:13 PM']Seriously guys, I am pretty heated about this. I hope we make the Suns cry on National Television.[/quote][quote name='KobeBryant_24' post='338976' date='Apr 19 2007, 10:25 PM']This is not good news for the Suns. We are motivated, determinated. I believe we will win this series, I can't wait![/quote]This is like the funniest thread ever. You lakers fans... so smart.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>And without Shaq you can't get out of the first round genius.</div>Hey, we're rebuilding. Don't pick on a beat up 7th seed.It's more the arrogance of Suns fans that I hate. It's like okay, there the "greatest team ever", stop telling me about it.
