Nice Preview QRich, I think the keys for the Lakers tonight is they cannot go out in the first quarter and look fatigued. We all know the Lakers have trouble playing games back to back, so it'll be very important for them to approach the first quarter with a sense of intensity and determination. The Lakers have to give Shaq the ball, allow him to receive as many touches as possible, and for him to have a better game than just 18 pts. I look for Kobe to accept the Ray Allen challenge and look to have a great performance. He'll have to cut down on his turnovers and have much better shot selections. Rick Fox has to find a way to shoot a better FG percentage. He's struggling there a bit. If he's not careful, Devean George could reclaim that SF spot. Karl Malone could be the X-factor in this one. His offensive and defensive contributions will be key very much like last night. If we can do this for 48 minutes, we'll win 11 straight and sole possession of the #1 seed in the West. Lakers by 5.
Yeah first reply here, huahaha Lakers are gonna streamroll in this one, crushing the Sonics by 19 points. They have to stay focused and motivated to get by the Kings for #1 honor... and I think they can do that at this point. I remember what Karl Malone said of New Orleans prior to the Hornets game, "they're actually a dangerous team because they are gonna come here and play like they've got nothing to lose." That made them stay focused and motivated, they didn't come out lackadaisical like that and that's what a good team does. Not an exception this time this game, it's the Lakers'!
I'm hoping the Lakers win tonight. They have been on a roll. This will hopefully be win #11. Lakers by 6.
Fever's right on the money. This is one of those games Lakers usually have a tough time getting up for. They're playing against a mediocre team, on the road, off a back to back emotional win against Houston. This is either going to be a blowout (12+) or tight game (3-). I believe Seattle's going to running a lot of pick and rolls for Ray Allen and force Kobe to fight thru and Shaq to step out. Defensively, it might be a better idea to have GP guard Ray Allen and Kobe guarding Brent Barry. Shaq should have a big rebounding night (15+). As always Malone is the key with his quick hands and great passing.
Lakers should win this one easily, I also expect Kobe to just blow out in front of Ray Allen. I say Lakers by 7+. If they win they'll get ahead of the Kings too.
Normally I would agree the Lakers would have a let down game in this match-up. For starters, the Sonics, and Ray Allen seem to play their best when they face the Lakers. The Lakers have also performed subpar on the road and have played down to the level of their competition all season. However, I don't see the Lakers losing anymore focus from here on out, because they've fought so hard to catch the Kings. This will be a close game and will come down to the final few possessions. The Lakers have to keep Flip Murray in control. He single handedly kept the Sonics in the game the last time these two teams played, and with his, Allen's, and Barry's ability to stroke the long ball, the Lakers could find themselves in a hole very fast.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Normally I would agree the Lakers would have a let down game in this match-up. For starters, the Sonics, and Ray Allen seem to play their best when they face the Lakers. The Lakers have also performed subpar on the road and have played down to the level of their competition all season. However, I don't see the Lakers losing anymore focus from here on out, because they've fought so hard to catch the Kings. This will be a close game and will come down to the final few possessions. The Lakers have to keep Flip Murray in control. He single handedly kept the Sonics in the game the last time these two teams played, and with his, Allen's, and Barry's ability to stroke the long ball, the Lakers could find themselves in a hole very fast.</div> Agree with you 100%, if this wasn't such a big statement game late in the season, I would have also thought it would have been a let down loss. But this one means a lot, and we can not claim the top spot so I expect the Lakers will come out hungry for the win.
I think the Lakers have the opportunity to blow this one open. They really need to get Shaq going early though. He is the key. The Sonics, like I've said before, really have no one to contain him. The only way they'll do that is by doubling and triple teaming him consistently. But, by doing that, they'll be leaving people like Kobe, Gary, Devean, and Fox open, people who can knock in the jumper. So, they might have to choose, let Shaq dominate them or give them open jumpers and hope they miss. Either way, it's risky with whatever decision they do. And, the only way the Sonics will win is firstly, attack Shaq early on and try to get him in foul trouble or, get the outside shot working early. But, nonetheless, I see the Lakers winning by 12.
Game just ended. Lakers won by 12. The Sonics had it down to 2 at a time, but, yea, don't know what happened really cause I didn't get to watch it much. But, yea, to say the least, FG% was the deciding factor I'm thinking. Lakers shot 56% on 39/70 shooting while the Sonics shot 45% and 34/76 from the floor. Plus, the Lakers beat the Sonics at their own game, hitting 9/14 from 3 and the Sonics hit just 7/20. Allen did lead all scorers with 30, but, the Lakers starting 5 were all in double figures, with Shaq and Kobe leading the way with 23 and 25 respectively.
