<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> November 3, 2006 - 10:30 pm ETGame aired on ESPN</div> <span style="color:#006600">Seattle Sonics</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">(0-1)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">PG</span> <span style="color:#006600">Luke Ridnour</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SG</span> <span style="color:#006600">Ray Allen</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SF</span> <span style="color:#006600">Rashard Lewis</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">PF</span> <span style="color:#006600">Chris Wilcox</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">C</span> <span style="color:#006600">Mouhamed Sene</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#006600">Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Johan Petro, Damien Wilkins</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Los Angeles Lakers</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">(2-0)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">PG</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Smush Parker</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SG</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SF</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Luke Walton</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">PF</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Lamar Odom</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">C</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Andrew Bynum</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Vladimir Radmanovic, Brian Cook, Maurice Evans, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shammond Williams</span> Injury Report<span style="color:#FFCC00">SEA:</span> <span style="color:#006600">Robert Swift is out for season (torn ACL)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant is questionable (recovering from right knee surgery)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kwame Brown will not play (bruised rotator cuff)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Chris Mihm will not play (right ankle)</span> Who To Watch Out For<span style="color:#006600">Ray Allen</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 22.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 3.0 apg</span><span style="color:#006600">Rashard Lewis</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 25.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.0 spg</span><span style="color:#006600">Luke Ridnour</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 22.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 13.0 apg, 3.0 spg</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Last Season's Stats: Has not played yet.</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Lamar Odom</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Last Season's Stats: 28.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 7.5 apg</span> :worthy: Rookie Watch <span style="color:#FFCC00">SEA:</span> <span style="color:#006600">Mouhamed Sene</span><span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 10</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#006600">2.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Jordan Farmar</span><span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 26</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC"> 7.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.5 apg</span> <span style="color:#006600">Seattle's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#006600">Chris Wilcox</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg</span><span style="color:#006600">Wilcox is an extremely athletic player, and he is very strong. He needs to come in and provide some offensive firepower against LA's shortage on the frontline.</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">LA's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Andrew Bynum</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Last Season's Stats: 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Bynum was a little hurt the other night @ Golden State, and he didn't have a great game. He needs to bounce back to something close to the night he had on Tuesday vs. Phoenix.</span> Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#006600">Ray Allen</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span><span style="color:#000000">Kobe and Ray Ray always have nice little heated matchups. Each of them have jawed off to each other in the past, and that makes for a good matchup. Not to mention both of them are NBA All-Stars.</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/NotesLA has gone 2-0 without Kobe. It will be nice/interesting to see how they do with him now, especially against a very poor defensive team like Seattle. CelticBalla's PredictionI think it's going to come down to the final few minutes, but I say the Lakers win this one. With Kobe in the lineup everyone, including the fans, will be fired up. Plus, the Lakers are just the better basketball team, no question.
sad to say but I think the Lakers. Both teams are playing with depleted front lines but the Lakers have the best of whats left. ODOM!!! has gotten off to a flyer! Rashard looks like he is going to hold true to his off season words of saying he is going to try and average a double double. But we still dont play D.Lakers by 6. Score will be over 100 for both teams.
Kobe might not play. It depends on how he feels. Either way this team is scheduled for a letdown. 2 good wins, they'll hit reality soon with a bad preformance.
Maybe, but not this game. My beloved Sonics sadly are in the bottom tier of teams this season. I hope to god I'm wrong.
Does anybody have an update on Kobe? I heard that he's a gametime decision, so I put him in there for now anyway. Hopefully KB24 plays, but at the same time it's very smart not to rush things.
Them winning and playing so well, while great for the team in general, will hurt Kobe's chances of winning an MVP if LeBron has another great season. YAY! :happy0144:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Nov 3 2006, 03:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Them winning and playing so well, while great for the team in general, will hurt Kobe's chances of winning an MVP if LeBron has another great season. YAY! :happy0144:</div>Oh Shut up...
<span style="font-family:Book Antiqua">Kobe made three insane passes, but one didn't count for an assist. Currently, Lakers are up 27-11.</span>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Illosophee @ Nov 3 2006, 09:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua">Kobe passes</span></div>I think you just started the apocalypse.
They are looking very good offensively so far but they just have to work on their defense and stop the Sonic's defense penetration. Kobe looks a little rusty but looks good none the less coming back from an injury. It's nice to see Kobe back in uniform. BTW I love how Walton and Odom are playing so far this season.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Something-To-Say @ Nov 3 2006, 10:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Interesting how it's such a close game with your precious rapist playing...</div>You really give Suns fans a bad name. I'm ashamed to have you as a fan of that team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Nov 3 2006, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You really give Suns fans a bad name. I'm ashamed to have you as a fan of that team.</div>I tell it like it is. And when we're all rotting 6 feet under, it won't matter anyway.
Wow, what an exciting game! This was very fun to watch, and a nice close game. I though Seattle made a terrible mistake by fouling with 35 seconds left when they were down by only 3. That was a terrible decision.But wow, Ronny Turiaf! He's not only a Laker fan favorite, he's becomming a favorite around the league. How can you not love Ronny? Those 2 blocks (on Wilcox and Lewis) in that one sequence was amazing and huge. Then he hit big free throws and got big boards. Turiaf was excellent tonight.Lamar Odom is still hot, and Luke Walton played his heart out and did everything. I'm loving the play from Walton thus far in the season. It was awesome to see Kobe back out there, even though it wasn't your average Kobe performance.For Seattle, Ray Allen shot the lights out in the first 3 quarters (nice 4 point play as well), and so did Lewis. Chris Wilcox came up with some nice buckets/dunks, and Earl Watson provided a lot of energy off the bench.Awesome game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Something-To-Say @ Nov 4 2006, 12:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I tell it like it is. And when we're all rotting 6 feet under, it won't matter anyway.</div>You're right S2S, It wont matter. But it can get you suspended on a basketball forum.Cya.
Man that game nearly gave me a hear attack. Let me say this, TURIAF FOR STARTER. He is the perfect 4 for us, hustles, rebounds, blocks and can hit the midrange. You can tell kobe's legs are not there but he played smart team ball.
Wow, I never expected the Lakers to start out like this. All the role-players are stepping up big time. What the hell has happened to Lamar Odom? He's playing up to his potential, I hope he keeps it up. I had no idea Ronny Turiaf was this good, my bad. Gotta be good to be a Lakers fan and you don't even have Kwame back yet.
