<div align="center">@ <font color="purple">The Los Angeles Lakers (31-29)</font> @ <font color="orange">The Charlotte Bobcats (12-47)</font> Time: 4:00 PM Pacific (I don't know if it is on Tape Delay Place: Charlotte Arena TV: KCAL, NBALP</div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="purple">Lakers' Head Coach</font></font> <font color="purple">Frank Hamblen</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="purple"> Lakers' Projected Starting Lineup</font></div></font> <div align="center"> <font color="purple">Chucky Atkins- 13.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.6 rpg Kobe Bryant- 28.5 ppg, 6.3 apg, 6.2 rpg Caron Butler- 14.0 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.3 rpg Lamar Odom- 15.7 ppg, 3.7 apg, 10.4 rpg Chris Mihm- 10.1 ppg, .6 apg, 6.8 rpg</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="orange">Bobcats' Head Coach</font></font> <font color="orange">Bernie Bickerstaff</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="orange">Bobcats' Projected Starting Lineup</font></font> <font color="orange">Jason Hart- 9.7 ppg, 5.5 apg, 2.5 rpg Keith Bogans- 8.5 ppg, 1.8 apg, 3.2 rpg Jason Kapono- 8.7 ppg, .6 apg, 2.0 rpg Emeka Okafor- 14.6 ppg, .9 apg, 10.8 rpg Primoz Brezec- 12.5 ppg, 1.2 apg, 7.1 rpg</font> </div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="purple">Bench</font><font color="orange"> Factors</font></font> (<font color="purple">Jumaine Jones</font>,<font color="orange">Melvin Ely</font>) </div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="purple">Key</font><font color="orange"> Players</font></font> (<font color="purple">Kobe Bryant</font>, <font color="orange">Emeka Okafor</font>) Projected Stats <font color="purple">Kobe Bryant: 39 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds</font> <font color="orange">Emeka Okafor: 17 points, 2 assists, 12 rebounds</div></font> <font size="5"><font color="purple">Keys</font><font color="orange"> to</font><font color="purple"> the</font><font color="orange"> Game</font></font> <font color="purple">Los Angeles:</font> <ul> [*]<font color="purple">Kobe</font>- Kobe has been on a tear lately, just shooting the ball at a high FG% and everything. He needs another good shooting night here. I don't know about you, but I am getting the feeling that only one teammate will show up tonight to help him, so Kobe must bring his A game. [*]<font color="purple">Season</font>- If we don't win this game, do we even deserve the playoffs? Charlotte has won 12 games...they were just blown out by Philly, we need to win this one. If we don't, Denver deserves that playoff spot. [*]<font color="purple">How About Caron?</font>- Well, since the deadline, he hasn't been the same. His names where being thrown around and he wasn't moved. Will he show up tonight or not? We need him, but he has been disappointing lately. [/list] <font color="orange">Charlotte:</font> <ul> [*]<font color="orange">Come Out Strong</font>- With their blowout loss to Philly last night, they need to come out strong, they can't look depleted or L.A. will hopefully take advantage of that. [*]<font color="orange">Kapono</font>- Jason Kapono is going to be big for them. He isn't as athletic as Gerald Wallace, who is out with injury, so he needs to hit his shots. He can hit the three, so if he gets some looks, it is a must that he hits them. [*]<font color="orange">Force a Sloppy Game</font>- If they can force L.A. into a sloppy game, their chances of winning greatly increase. When L.A. plays ugly, it doesn't get much uglier. They don't get back on D, they throw errant passes, the Bobcats need some defensive pressure for this to happen, so bring it. [/list] <font size="5"><font color="purple">Random</font> <font color="orange">Movie</font><font color="purple"> Quote</font>*: </font> Achilles: [to his men] Myrmidons! My brothers of the sword! I would rather fight beside you than any army of thousands! Let no man forget how menacing we are, we are lions! Do you know what's waiting beyond that beach? Immortality! Take it! It's yours! *Idea stolen from Supersonic <font size="5"> <font color="orange">Prediction</font></font> I took the quote from Troy. I highlighted a specific part because I think it relates to the Lakers, Immortality being the playoffs. The playoffs are ours to lose, no one should get it over us, if we don't win this game, we don't deserve the playoff spot, that simple. We will win though, it is ours to win, we need to take it...L.A. wins 102-92.
I'm hoping the Lakers put away this game by the end of the 3rd. Lakers need to rest Kobe as much as possible, and the other guys to log some time without him in order to build some confidence. But it seems nothing ever comes easy for the Lakers, so I wouldn't be surprised by another close game.
The Lakers should win this one. Caron needs to show up, and Kobe dropping 30+ is almost guaranteed, with the way he is playing. I say a Laker win, 106-94
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kobe 8 Ball:</div><div class="quote_post">Time: 4:00 PM Pacific (I don't know if it is on Tape Delay</div> This game will air live on KCAL....i think because it's a weekend game.
Thanks for helping me with the preview. The Lakers have to win this game to make the upset in Dallas count. The Bobcats are without their best defensive player, Gerald Wallace, and without him no one on Charlotte can match up with Kobe. I expect #8 to keep his tear going. I hope the Lakers can control the lead and actually rest some of their starters. Caron Butler needs to get on track today and get his confidence back on offense. Last game Mycal Thompson pulled Lamar Odom aside and told him what he needs to improve on. Lamar had a big game because of it, and Mycal Thompson said he would have a sit down session with Butler prior to this game. Let's see if it has the same effect on Butler. Don't be surprised to see him going to the rack strong tonight. Go Lakers.
***Update.... Lakers lead with 8:30 left in the 1st qtr . 13-4... lakers are knocking down every shot and are limiting the bobrats to just 1 shot down the floor. A great start and it for once is looking like a huge mismatch all around. ***Update.... Lakers lead has been cut to 1 pt 23-22 with a little over 2 to go in the 1st, LA have missed a few chip shots and have settled for jumpers. Mihm is having a good start, 2-2 from the feild with 7 pts and hes attacking the basket which is good for LA, hes giving okefor some trouble. Kobe took a hard foul which seemed to knock the breath out of him, hes ok and converted both free throws. ***Update... Lakers lead is now 2, 27-25 at the end of the 1st qtr. Brevin knight hit a shot with second left. ***Update... 59-49 BOBRATS...with under 2 minutes to go in the 1st half....Lakers collapsed on Defense and have missed a couple wide open shots.....this game went from nice to watch to EMBARRASSING! ....LA "$h!tting the bed right now. ***Update... Bobrats lead 59-57 at the end of the 1st half....LA closed the 2nd qtr with a 12-2 run capped off by a chucky atkins 3.. Im 99% sure of a Lakers W tonight, which is not really a good thing because in the NBA anything can happen on any given night and sometimes teams with nothing to lose can upset you and ive always noticed through the years, even the sorry teams play good against the lakers, everyone wants to beat LA. Lakers take this and noone will be able to stop kobe of course, except.....kobe himself.
beginning of the 4th Bobrats lead by 2... 86-84. LA closed out the 3rd qtr pretty well, it is funny to actully see a bum expansion team bully the Lakers. Okefor is murking LA down low. Lakers are missing wide open shots and kobe bryant isint scoring (11pts, 4rebs, 8 ast
LA is getting their soft @$$es handed to them......this is easily the worse loss in Franchise history....I WILL NOT WATCH ANOTHER LA GAME THIS SEASON IF THEY LOSE THIS GAME. Down by 10 in the 4th to a bum %$^ team.....SMH @ LA getting bullyed by kids.
it?s making me sad seeing La struggeling. U think they gonna win this game???? Coz i?m lossing my faith
Kobe is playing alot like Kobe should scoring the last dozen or so laker points...but LA is still down by 5 with under 4 to go in the game and they just turned over the ball.
Kobe Baby Kobe Baby: 12/24 (after starting 3/11, 4/6 on threes, 9 assists, 4 boards) Everyone showed up except Lamar..Mihm, CARON, Chucky, and Jumaine had a huge tip in the final minute to make it a 1 pt game which set up Kobe's game winner...still dissapointed we let them score 116 HELL YES, HELL YES...this game was way to close for us. It was a great game though, Kobe really kept us in this. If it wasn't for Kobe keeping us in that, we would of been blown out because Lamar couldn't do anything to stop Emeka. What a game by Kobe in the 4th, that was just amazing..finally..he gets clutch, its the triangle that is helping him out big time, he has his legs in the 4th...I expect more drama and more clutchness from him now. First time all year we have had back to back road wins...
OMG!!!!!..... If there is any doubt right now who the best player since MJ is??......Kobe Bryant simply showed everyone what seperates himself from every other player in the league.... Im stunned right now....unbelievable...LAKERS WIN from a kobe game winner.
Didn't expect the game to be so close, but Kobe really took over in the 4th, and won it for the Lakers, a win is a win though, but that was a close squeeze out against the Bobcats. Another nice stat line, Brevin Knight - 21 points, 17 assists, and I remember one of the tickers saying he was questionable for the game I think Kobe is getting back in form now, if he can continue producing well, it will definately help the Lakers a lot. EDIT: Kobe last 5 games [not including today]: 36.0 points | 6.6 rebounds | 3.4 assists | 1.0 steals | 1.2 blocks | 3.0 turnovers | 50.9% FG | 13.3% 3PT | 11.6-12.6 FT attempts He's been scoring like a man possesed, the only bad shooting game he had was vs Boston.
For the folks saying kobe's shooting percentage was horrible (and it was) ....what are they to say since his return? over 50% and thats excellent.
