Bah, losing Kobe isn't THAT HUGE. Just pound it in to Shaq. Whos going to stop him, Irvin Johnson? Oliver Miller? Lakers by 7.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cArMeLo15:</div><div class="quote_post">Bah, losing Kobe isn't THAT HUGE. Just pound it in to Shaq. Whos going to stop him, Irvin Johnson? Oliver Miller? Lakers by 7.</div> Yeah, your right. Losing the best guard in the NBA doesn't hurt us at all. I don't think Shaq back from only one game is "healthy" enough to carry the big load tonight, unless he was faking that injury. As much as I hate to do this, I still have to pick the T-Wolves to win this, I'm going to cut the lead short though, to about 5. However, if Shaq plays like he hasn't missed any time and is still in good shape, Lakers will definetley have a chance in this one. With Shaq back in the lineup it will greatly affect our role players in the lineup, if they can step up then I can see LA taking this one. Can go either way depending on the Lakers play.
You still have Gary Payton to help, and Shaq will get his rest. We all know One of the players off the bench are due for a big game. BTW, did you say best guard?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting cArMeLo15:</div><div class="quote_post">You still have Gary Payton to help, and Shaq will get his rest. We all know One of the players off the bench are due for a big game. BTW, did you say best guard?</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple N Gold:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, your right. Losing the best guard in the NBA doesn't hurt us at all.</div> I don't know, did I say best guard? Damn, Lakers had the lead but the T-Wolves are creeping back up midway through the 3rd.
Looks like the Wolves are gonna sneak away with a lucky win. Good game though. Blame it on Phil Jackson IMO..
Yep, I knew down the stretch they were going to need Kobe to hit some key shots to keep LA in the game like he always does, though Rush did a decent job of doing that. Impressive night for Shaq on only his 2nd game back. Defense was key in this game, Cassell and Spree easily had their way tonight. I thought we were going to have a chance in this one if Payton played the rest of the game like he did the 1st quarter, but he was slowed down and wasn't able to provide as much scoring. Oh well, Lakers lost it in the 4th like some predicted, didn't have enough weapons to take on Minnesota down the stretch of the game. I give the T-Wolves credit, they have been playing awesome ball lately, due to the play of Sam Cassell, him and Spreewell both had big nights and were able to lock up the win. Great game, just too bad the Lakers fell short. We got the Raptors next in Toronto, that should be a fun one as well.
In my mind this was kinda a lucky win for the Wolves. I don't want to take credit away from them, but the Lakers did not have Kobe, Malone, or Sampson. Yeah, go ahead and laugh, but if the Lakers can do this good against the Wolves without those 3, what does it tell you? Say Spree doesn't hit that lucky halfcourt 3 before halftime..that helps the Lakers ALOT! The Lakers simply got tired down the stretch and playing old man Bryon Russell on Sprewell doesn't help much! But anyways, it was a good game, but I just cannot wait until the Lakers get healthy. Go Lakers!
Why does every loss for the Lakers mean they other team got lucky? Yes you can use Kobe and Malone being out as an excuse.You fail to realise the Wolves were playing without Kandi,Wally and Hudson...3 important players to their offense.Spree got hot in the 3rd,Cassell got hot in the 4th (Nothing new there) Wolves did what they were suppose to do,plain and simple.
I'll give you the fact that if kobe their to counter the scoring of Spree & Sam the lakers win tonight. But I simply respond that if Wally & troy was their than it would have been much easier for Sam, Spree, & KG because of floor spacing those guys provide. I also counter by saying if Kandiman is their than once again its much easier for the t-wolves. The wolves got out scored 22 to 0 at the center spot, If kandiman who has had alot of good games against shaq was there I could easily say things would have been different. The fact of the matter is that Spree & Sam step up in the second half & 4th quarter & made big plays which they basicly do every game. Its not luck.
ROFL... over confident Laker fans... "Oh no Kobe, bah, Lakers will still win". Wolves know how to play down the stretch, plain and simple. They know how to execute plays and ride the hot player (in this case Spree and Cassell in the later stages of the game). Also... I agree... wtf is with this luck talk? Did the Wolves luck their asses all the way to the top spot in the west? Did Flip Saunders luck his way to the ASG? The Wolves simply out played the Lakers. Period.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">ROFL... over confident Laker fans... "Oh no Kobe, bah, Lakers will still win". Wolves know how to play down the stretch, plain and simple. They know how to execute plays and ride the hot player (in this case Spree and Cassell in the later stages of the game). Also... I agree... wtf is with this luck talk? Did the Wolves luck their asses all the way to the top spot in the west? Did Flip Saunders luck his way to the ASG? The Wolves simply out played the Lakers. Period.</div> Classic "Laker fan", always using those "luck" words, what a disrespect to the Timberwolves. You would think that these fans would have learned after getting waxed by the Spurs last season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post"> Classic "Laker fan", always using those "luck" words, what a disrespect to the Timberwolves.</div> To add on to that... How are you laker fans going to say... "Oh I dont care if Kobe is out, I still stand by my prediction... Lakers by so much"... then when the Timberwolves COME FROM BEHIND (or as you would say, lucked their way from 14 down) to take the victory ... it was "lucky because Kobe was out". Stick to one story. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You would think that these fans would have learned after getting waxed by the Spurs last season.</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Why does every loss for the Lakers mean they other team got lucky? Yes you can use Kobe and Malone being out as an excuse.You fail to realise the Wolves were playing without Kandi,Wally and Hudson...3 important players to their offense.Spree got hot in the 3rd,Cassell got hot in the 4th (Nothing new there) Wolves did what they were suppose to do,plain and simple.</div> I am sorry I missed this fellas, but... allnet just you guys too, had to be fair.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">To add on to that... How are you laker fans going to say... "Oh I dont care if Kobe is out, I still stand by my prediction... Lakers by so much"... then when the Timberwolves COME FROM BEHIND (or as you would say, lucked their way from 14 down) to take the victory ... it was "lucky because Kobe was out". Stick to one story. </div> LOL, purehoops, I thought you would have learned by now that all this talk only lasts for the regular season, then BAM! T-Wolves hit a brick wall in the first round. Don't try to bring up this Kobe stuff, because you know it is going to be mentioned. It's not an "excuse" it's a fact, not saying the Lakers would have automatically won the game because of Kobe, but hey you never know. Don't even try to say that if KG was out and you guys lost, you wouldn't bring up KG about being hurt, because you would be straight up lying to yourself. I give Minnesota their credit, but don't overreact because this is not a fair arguement at all. First time we played you guys our frontcourt was depleted due to the absence of Karl and Shaq. This time, we don't have Kobe, so why are you running your mouth like the Lakers were expected to win those games? Yes, I agree T-Wolves play very well down the stretch. But who wouldn't against a lineup with Payton-RUSH-GEORGE-Medvedenko-Shaq. With Shaq being the only one who would make a huge impact in this games. Payton has shown inconsistency. You guys clearly had the advantage, no way players like Rush/George were going to play better ball down the stretch than All-Star calibur players like Cassell and Spreewell. Now I'm done, because all the T-Wolves fans can say right now is that they beat the Lakers twice. I'm not going to make any excuses, but I will say when the Lakers have a full and healthy lineup, it will be one hell of a game to watch.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post"> Classic "Laker fan", always using those "luck" words, what a disrespect to the Timberwolves. You would think that these fans would have learned after getting waxed by the Spurs last season.</div> for real,most Laker fans are disrespectful in that aspect..well alot of the ones i know and from what I see on here. The way the Lakers are playing(and the way they were playing when they had all four)didn't look like they were any better than any of the other West powerhouse teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Purple N Gold:</div><div class="quote_post">LOL, purehoops, I thought you would have learned by now that all this talk only lasts for the regular season, then BAM! T-Wolves hit a brick wall in the first round. </div> Brutal. Haha. Things have changed though. I am confident about that. Injuries are part of the game. You still have Shaq, who is the best player on the planet when he is on the floor. The Wolves still have realativley no one that matches well up size wise with Shaq, whether its width, or hieght. Yes the Lakers would have stood a better chance if he was on the floor heathly... but the Wolves had a double digit win so... if you caculated Kobe in, and the shots he would have taken from Shaq, and the players playin in his place... it woulda been close. But that is all speculation. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Yes, I agree T-Wolves play very well down the stretch. But who wouldn't against a lineup with Payton-RUSH-GEORGE-Medvedenko-Shaq.</div> Come on, Gary Payton is an All D Team defender... maybe not as good as 5 years ago... but he is still a solid defender on point gaurds... and simply, Sam tourched him int he 2nd half. Yes the line up looks weak, but ironically, the Wolves attacked the Lakers strongest point in Gary Payton. Like you Laker fans say "If Shaq is in the game, the Lakers have a chance to win". The Wolves were down double digits, and came back for a solid W. Don't take away from it saying the Wolves were lucky because Kobe was out. We could speculate all day, we could have speculated the Olowokandi would have had a better defensive stance against Shaq than did the centers playing... or Wally would have knocked down open shots that Trenton Hassell missed. Blah Blah Blah. Wolves won, no luck involved, plain and simple.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Why does every loss for the Lakers mean they other team got lucky? Yes you can use Kobe and Malone being out as an excuse.You fail to realise the Wolves were playing without Kandi,Wally and Hudson...3 important players to their offense.Spree got hot in the 3rd,Cassell got hot in the 4th (Nothing new there) Wolves did what they were suppose to do,plain and simple.</div> Hmmm...let's see. Kandi, Wally, Hudson are more valuable than Shaq, and Malone right? LOL, that doesn't matter who they have out. T-Wolves still manage to play well. What are the Lakers left with? Payton who has showed inconsistency this year, George who can't create his own shot if his life depended on it, Medevedenko has played decent ball though, and Horace Grant is nearly useless. What are the T-Wolves left with? Cassell, who has been on fire, and is playing like the best PG in the league right now. Spreewell, who is a deadly scorer and has been one of the main reasons for the T-Wolves success, who delivers 20-30 a night. Hmmm, guess who's next? Kevin Garnett, my pick for MVP right now, don't even have to speak for him. The other T-Wolves starters aren't worth mentioning, though Hassell has decent defense. The lineups are clearly lopsided, I have no idea how you are going to try and make a case for the T-Wolves injuries when the Lakers injuries have been 10x worse.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">Brutal. Haha. Things have changed though. I am confident about that.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Injuries are part of the game. You still have Shaq, who is the best player on the planet when he is on the floor. The Wolves still have realativley no one that matches well up size wise with Shaq, whether its width, or hieght. Yes the Lakers would have stood a better chance if he was on the floor heathly... but the Wolves had a double digit win so... if you caculated Kobe in, and the shots he would have taken from Shaq, and the players playin in his place... it woulda been close. But that is all speculation.</div> Your right, injuries are a part of the game. But don't go bragging about a win when you know the lineups were lopsided. Rather you had someone to guard Shaq or not, this is only his 2nd game back and I assume he isn't even close to 100%. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Come on, Gary Payton is an All D Team defender... maybe not as good as 5 years ago... but he is still a solid defender on point gaurds... and simply, Sam tourched him int he 2nd half. Yes the line up looks weak, but ironically, the Wolves attacked the Lakers strongest point in Gary Payton. </div> LOL, watch more Laker games. Payton is no longer the defender you think he is. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Like you Laker fans say "If Shaq is in the game, the Lakers have a chance to win". The Wolves were down double digits, and came back for a solid W. Don't take away from it saying the Wolves were lucky because Kobe was out. We could speculate all day, we could have speculated the Olowokandi would have had a better defensive stance against Shaq than did the centers playing... or Wally would have knocked down open shots that Trenton Hassell missed. Blah Blah Blah. Wolves won, no luck involved, plain and simple.</div> I agree with you, T-Wolves earned their win, no luck involved. Be happy. _________________________________________________________________ I'm assuming that goes to theMDE, since he was the one who made the "luck" statement, so I'm going to stay out of that. I'm out Peace.
I didn't get a chance to see the game...but I saw the final boxscore...what happened in the 4th quarter?? and how did Shaq look tonight? also, if a game is decided by more than 5 points, it was highly unlikely "luck" had any effect on the outcome of the game...just my opinion...
This wasn't no lucky win, actaully I would never call a win by anyone luck. The Wolves are one of the best teams in the league right now, and actually in my opinion they are playing the best. I love the Wolves, 2nd only to my Lakers. The key three players from the Wolves came out with the right mindset, and touched the Lakers in every possible way. Good performance by K.G., Alien and Spree, well earned win. As for G.P. I'd have to say he's been the biggest disappointment about the Lakers all season, even more than all the injuries in my opinion. Gary has been the only key Laker to not be injured all year long, but he just isn't half of what he was even last season. His defense isn't even much better than Fisher's this season, which is pretty bad. He also doesn't seem to try to take control of the game, and doesn't shoot the ball. Every time I see G.P. on the court he seems like he's so unhappy and I can't stand a talented player like him acting like that. Maybe I expected way too much, but when he came into L.A. saying he was going to run this team and lead the league in assists, I honestly believed that would happen. So far he's still barely at 6apg, and damn I'm disappointed...
