Lakers Win Game 1, Kobe Destroys the Spurs in the Second Half
Photo. MannionIf the San Antonio Spurs lose this series against the Lakers they will look back at Game 1 and kick themselves. Up 20 in the third quarter with a chance to steal one on the Lakers’ home floor, the Spurs flat out blew it. They let a sluggish Lakers team find life, they let Kobe take over. The Suprs were uncharacteristically flustered by their opponents’ defense and found themselves 89-85 losers of a game they definitely could have won. To quote Reggie Miller in the post-game coverage, “you can’t afford to give away games” at this point in the playoffs … Kobe’s game was bizarre. He was barely a factor in the first half, not scoring his first points until there was 1:30 left in the second quarter. He was clearly going out of his way to have his teammates take shots, even as the Spurs built their lead … And for much of that first half, the other Lakers responded. And we’re not even talking about Pau, Lamar Odom or Derek Fisher. It was the goon squad on the floor for L.A. for much of that second quarter. Kobe, Pau, and D-Fish were all on the bench while Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton were holding it down with Lamar. At one point they went on their run and tied the game at 33 before Tony Parker and Duncan knocked down a bunch of buckets to push the lead … But it still came back to Kobe. Heading into the second quarter, Craig Sager asked Gregg Popovich what his guys were doing to lock down Kobe. Pop kind of smirked and that Kobe “hasn’t’ decided it to bring it yet.” Immediately after, Marv compared him to Mike, choosing when and where to start scoring … On our 1st Half Notes post last night, a reader named “Octopus Jonny” begged “KOBE PLEASE WAKE UP AND DO HORRIBLE THINGS TO THE SPURS!” Honestly, his post could have said anything and we’d probably still give it run because the guy goes by “Octopus Jonny” … The Lakers found themselves down 20 in the third when Kobe decided to go off. 25 Kobe points (as part of a 40-16 Lakers run) and some awful Spurs’ shots later (How about Ime Udoka’s two awful airballs on crucial possessions near the end of the game??), the Lakers had a W … Ime wasn’t all bad though. We’ve taken to calling him “Young Bowen” in the office because of his Tough D/Corner Three game. Last night, Doug Collins called him a “bigger, stronger Bruce Bowen.” On cue, Lamar Odom tried to back down the much smaller Udoka (6-10 vs. 6-5) and couldn’t move the dude an inch … During the game, Jed sent an email that read “Kobe might have the best handle in the League” right after Bryant drove right on Manu, whipped it behind his back from right to left and then gave a pump fake step through to go off glass from outside the lane. He might be right … Bowen actually did pretty well on Bryant last night. There were a few plays where it looked he was physically attached to Kobe’s hip. Plus, Bowen refuses to fall for Kobe’s pump fakes … We were curious to see how the Lakers were going to guard Tim Duncan. We just came off watching a Game 7 where the Hornets doubled Timmy every time he touched the ball for more than three quarters and he killed them passing out to shooters. The Lakers did some doubling last night, but were content to let Duncan get his – which he did to the tune of 30 and 18. He started off slow, but by the end of the first half, he was giving Turiaf and Gasol the service … Here’s a Duncan question though: When are the refs going to give him a T for showing them up after calls (and no-calls) that he doesn’t like? The jumping up and down, the waving the hands, the yelling at the refs – it’s all a little much … If there’s one thing Spurs fans can take solace in is that this kind of loss won’t bother San Antonio as much as it would most other teams. Look for them to bounce back in Game 2 like nothing went wrong tonight … Robert Horry‘s stat line: 5 minutes, 1 block, 0 points, 0 rebounds … There’s been a lot of rumblings about potential trades involving Carmelo Anthony (read about one HERE and another one that puts him with LeBron HERE). Melo’s agent Calvin Andrews (who also represents O.J. Mayo), told the Rocky Mountain News last night that no move is happening and that recent media reports were based on “bad information.” How does he know for sure? He says when ‘Melo signed his last deal in 2006, he was “under the impression the team would keep him in the loop regarding free-agent signings and trade talks.” Even if the trade involves him? … We’re out like giving “Young Bowen” the green light.
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May 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 am
daquest?on says:
hopefully im firsttt!
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 am
daquest?on says:
duncan is a little sissy girl i cant stand his freaking whining hes like 7 10 or something grow some balls man
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 am
godfreyallstar says:
lol at question u cant be too credible when u dont even know how tall duncan is…
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 am
ya boy says:
luv ma lakers but gasol is a spaghetti.a gifted spaghetti but a spaghetti none the less. i mean how many times did you wanna shout FINISH WITH AUTHORITY.FORGET ABOUT THE NO CALL. seriously gasol , if you did that every possesion you wouldn’t have to care about the consequenses . they’d almost ALWAYS be in your favor.gotta love what sasha’s game is becoming. you can actually expect 15 from the dude anytime.that’s all we want. make that defence honest.ya boy kobe . ain’t much to say save it’ll be a while b4 another player of his caliber comes around . you gotta respect the game. how can you not?
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 am
daquest?on says:
ok maybe i was exagerating a bit but duncan is 7 feet tall come on man thats still very tall and big and hes whining like a lil girl
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 am
Chosen says:
kobe knows no matter if he’s looking to score or not he has to put constant pressure on the defense which he did in the first half by passing and movement away from the ball. and then whens its time to bring it aka kobe time then he takes over or at least tries.its like a game of chess, where kobe is setting up his teammates so he’s in a good position to take advantage when the moment is shown. i keep telling everyone that the lakers need a pinch of #8 to get past the spurs and on to the finals.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 am
drewstar says:
duncan got more than his fair share of the benefit of the doubt from the refs tonite. from non calls that he obviously fouled a laker player to ticky tack fouls called on turiaf when he was guarding duncan..no wonder TD couldnt adjust to playing FIBA ball in the olympics back in 2004 since he didnt get the superstar treatment in those games.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 am
tealish says:
Yeah daquest, he sure played small. 30pts 18boards. What a p*ssy.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 am
tealish says:
Oh and 4 blocks too! Ridiculously girlish.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:34 am
Three Stacks says:
Man, I thought the Lakers were dead in the water. Gotta have more faith, I guess.
Did you see Kobe tell Lamar not to leave Horry on the last play? Just a gut feeling tells me he’s gonna kill us in at least one game.
Lakers gotta play better.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
dh says:
good night…
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 am
sans says:
This is Kobe’s cvhance to cement his legacy, take out the only dynasty he’s seen, other than the one he and Shaq founded, since he started balling. He needs this more than any other player after the over-paid Diesel was shipped, and he moped for two years jacking a ridiculous amount of shots every night. Kobe needs this so we stop making snide comments about what happened in Colorado, because he finally has teammates, and because he whined so hard last year, that it forced a ridiculously fortunate move by the front office, that, also, if he doesn’t win the chip (let alone make the Finals) he’ll be seen as just another gunner that can’t get with the team concept. Ridiculously talented versus ridiculously selfish. A champion or a whiny rich-kid punk? Kobe gets to decide how we’re gonna perceive him with how he plays for the next 4 weeks.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:36 am
courtlegend says:
@ ya boy
sasha might be nice but did u see him get clowned so bad by skip 2 my lou at the end of the rockets 22nd win…he had him spinnin in circles
and he also got choked out by melo and tossed to the ground even tho it got melo ejected
he might be good but hes gotta stop gettin dicked on
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:07 am
ya boy says:
@courtlegend.LOL u right all the way.
i have different requirements from all the lakers.Sasha gets an A for
1.making shots in the the flucking game , not just in practice.
2.playing with heart, every possesion(even when skip spun him around, you couldn’t knock the hustle).
3.not making reverse hightlight reels every night(DJ…cough,couch mbenga anyone)
4.getting under people’s skin without being a jackass about it like bowen(whose defence has softened or improved in quality depending on who you are talking to) and for my coup de grace
5.Not getting rattled by bad shooting nights!!(seriously, where the fluck is Ray Allen?!)
PS : Bryant’s three on harpring was freaking sweet !!!lakers in 6
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:35 am
bill says:
oden and bynum, who plays better 09?
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:52 am
YOUNGFED says:
K-HOVA allday. Dude is one of the Greatest leaders alltime handsdown.
Question? Why does everyone act like Rose is better than Mayo when Mayo had a better year? WTF
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 am
YOUNGFED says:
BTW betcha didn’t know that Detroit has a chance to be the first city to win 3 titles in the same year, MAYBE 4 if the Lions can get their act together this year. But thats a big maybe.
It’s gonna be a hot summer 3 PARADES in one year. WOW
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 am
Lee says:
Didn’t LA have Baseball, soccer and lakers win. Maybe it was UCLA but I’m sure they had 3 championships.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
YOUNGFED says:
Soccer and College bball doesn’t really count Lee.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Cammy Z says:
Bynum will be more valuable, but Oden might have the better stats.
You could have figured Kobe would destroy the Spurs (that second half was just a little taste, we might see some 40 point games soon). Just think back to 2001 when Kobe was driving the lane and dunking all over Duncan and David Robinson. There’s just something about Kobe and playing the Spurs in the playoffs.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am
Jerry says:
Kobe took out the Spurs…
with MIND BULLETS.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 am
BALLZ says:
Okay, I got something to say. For all of you out there who want to compare Kobe to Lebron right now: stop. Seriously. It’s rifuckingdiculous. Let me qualify what I’m about to say. Yes, it is completely unquestionable that there has never, ever, ever been an athlete like Lebron James. His combination of size, strength, agility, explosives, etc. is off the charts. If he continues to improve (and I believe he will), he will be the next step in the evolution of the Baylor-Erving-Jordan tree. But now, for the rest of the story.
Kobe Bean Bryant is a superior basketball player to Lebron James at this point in damn-near every phase of the game, and it’s not even fucking close. I’m not just talking about the things any fool can notice (i.e. better shooter, better handler), I’m talking about things like footwork, post moves, and all the little things that the average fan may not notice/understand. I’m a basketball coach, and I’ve watched a shit ton of NBA for more than 20 years, and Kobe’s basketball mind is to the rest of the league what Lebron’s athletic ability is. The only basketball skill that I might give Lebron the slightest edge is as a passser, and even that is much closer than people think. This isn’t to say that Lebron will never be as good as Kobe. Anyone would be a dumbass to say that. He has no ceiling for his talent. But unless he devotes his life to the game, a la 24, his basketball skill will continue to lag way, way way behind. Sorry kids. Kobe’s just better. Not close. Holla.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 am
Kobeef says:
Lakers were slack on D last night. Not sure what was going on but they were just not working for it in the first half. In one sequence Parker sllit Odom and Gasol, missed the shot, got the rebound over Odom and Gasol and scored. It was a WTF moment in lakerland.
Phil likes his mind games but last night was too close for comfort….or…completely disheatening for the Spurs. To know that even down by 20 in the third, the Lakeshow is still not dead has got to be frustrating.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 am
djkianoosh says:
ballz, you are totally right about the gap between kobe and lebron.
kobe did use his elbow on that last drive and pull-up j, but calls like that get evened out cause earlier in the half kobe tried to back down bowen and bowen gave him a little tug on the shoulder that brought kobe down and didn’t get called. so that’s not really why the spurs lost.
check the replay during one of the first half timeouts. Manu looked dead tired. you could tell in his eyes he just wasn’t there. you could tell parker was a little sluggish in his post-game news conference too, slurring his words and all.
big thing for the spurs is to just respond in game 2 and sustain last night’s first half energy, and hopefully get something more from manu and their role players.
notice kobe didn’t get too excited after the win cause he knows this is going 6 games at least. that’s where he’s the greatest in the game right now. he’s in total control.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 am
hahns says:
why is everyone afraid to admit that Kobe is rivaling MJ as the GOAT. obviously jordan has more rings…but come on…kobe is godlike on the court.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 am
YOUNGFED says:
Kobe is better than MJ. There I said it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:28 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
Kobe even scored 2 points for the spurs team. LOL!!!
Dude is a beast. Who can stop em?
I heard somebody last week say that Bowen was going to slow Kobe down? *cough**cough**rangerjohn**cough*LOL!!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
Prof. TX says:
No comment on Kobe almost dunking on his own basket?
In the last minute or so, close game, Duncan got credit for the tip-in but Kobe was the last to touch it before it went in. I thought he had given the game away with that one.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
rangerjohn says:
@ hahns
i personally would say at this point kobe is not there. it is a little thing called longevity. MJ played at his level for years and years, kobe has been in the league for how long? 12 yrs now? and he has only started to come around to being this good over the last couple of years. MJ was better longer, while he didnt come in and dominate, it didnt take long. mj averaged 28 his 1st season, and 37 his 3rd (second he only played 18 games) kobe has some ground to make up.
IM as a career thing, i take duncan over kobe, right now, to me it is close but leaning to kobe. for the next 5-6 yrs it has to be kobe. (but remember he is 30 this year, damn he is old lmao)
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 am
shocked says:
hahns – I think that just due to the mere fact that Jordan basically won 6 rings in a row, WITH the baseball gap in between, gives him an edge over Kobe as GOAT. It was like THE KING IS BACK in 95. And it is too early to judge Kobe since his career is still very much in process.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Man forget Kobe. I wanna give the other guys the love for hanging in and doing what they was doing. We all know Kobe is amazing.
My man Fisher did his thing. 4 points but in a close game every point is crucial and he was getting some key steals and free throws down the stretch.
Odom didn’t have a lot either but he was smart enough to back Finley down and get a good one in when needed.
Pau came up with some good defense at the end and even swatting a shot or two.
Sasha had ice in his veins at the line down the stretch.
Farmar, Luke and Ronnie “Super Cheerleader” Turiaf all held it down ok too.
Again I am still taking D-Fish as a top 5 playoff guard for me. He comes up big with so many little things. I know I am beating a dead horse, but I have been enjoying watching his hustle and smarts.
TP drives to the hole nice.
I honestly think floppin has gotten in the dna of Manu at this point. He was falling last night and dudes wasn’t even on him lol.
GO LA and Boston!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 am
rangerjohn says:
oh come on chuck lmao
second half bowen was not on kobe as much as he was in the 1st half. he was on him late when it was TO LATE. kobe had manu on him at the end of the 3rd, about half of the 3rd, and udoka was on him in the 4th. bowen played 8 minutes less then kobe, that is almost an entire quarter.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Oh and on that Kobe scoring for San An point…I think Duncan was over the back but oh well Lakers won anyway.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
For all the Spurs haters and Lakers fans (I am a Laker fan!) This series is far from over and please don’t get to happy. San Antonio is on a mission, and this is gonna be a long ride. Can’t believe San Antonio gave up a 20 point lead! That rarely happens and I doubt that it happens again.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
shocked says:
lakers in 6
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 am
rangerjohn says:
chuck you are al right, i dont care what gee says about you! or wait was that youngfed or was it auston? or doc damn they have all said so many bad things about you.
wait they said all that ABOUT ME lmao oops!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Celts Fan says:
“Did you see Kobe tell Lamar not to leave Horry on the last play? Just a gut feeling tells me he’s gonna kill us in at least one game.” No way Three Stacks, if anything, Phil, Kobe, and the Lakers know just as well as anyone what he’s capable of. I’m sure Horry will make his presence known (he always seems to!) but I don’t expect him to get an open look at a game winner. Phil and Kobe have seen it when they were teammates way too many times.
Couldn’t agree more BALLZ. When LeBron can straight lock down the other team’s best offensive player, then we can start to revisit this, but not a second before.
Youngfed, THREE titles in a year? Possibly the Red Wings and the Pistons, who you got as #3? THE SHOCK DON’T COUNT, the Tigers are somehow awful despite a lineup that looks like it should contend for a title on paper, and the Lions are getting better, but not ready to jump up and grab a chip yet unless Drew Stanton takes Jon Kitna’s job and is amazing from the jump (EXTREMELY rare, the Tom Brady’s and Dan Marino’s of the world that come in and run shit from their first start are the exception. Peyton Manning was basically garbage his first year, Terry Bradshaw took 5 years to get good, ditto for Drew Brees, Troy Aikman won 1 game his rookie year, etc.)
also, by what standard did OJ Mayo have a better year than Derrick Rose? There’s NOTHING anyone can point to that would suggest that. Mayo was the #1 prospect coming into the year, so if he actually had a better year, then why would he have dropped? (and the answer as to why Rose is rated higher is that he’s a PURE PG, Mayo’s a combo guard that may be able to run the point or a somewhat small 2 guard.)
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Gee
Odom missed two layups down the stretch that could have proven to be crucial. Dude was making me upset, (trying to stop cursing). Cause he was actually doing more than making me upset, but I can’t convey my emotions through that language at this time. LOL!!!1
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@rangerjohn
LOLOLOL!!!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:52 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
LOL yea he was crappy a lot but that backdown on Finley was a bright spot for dude and needed.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Celts fan
I don’t beleive any of that matters as far as a Gaurd being a combo gaurd and all of that. Me personally if I was to draft anyone I would want someone with character. See
A player with character who works hard will learn whatever they need to, in order to be succesful. Kobe didn’t shoot as well when he first entered the league, and neither did Lebron, but because they WANT to be great they improved upon those weaknesses because they wanted to win. O.J. Mayo has had character issues since his high school days, and the question is. When he gets all that money, will he still work hard? Every player who has had character issues coming in, has had them going out. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 am
Celts Fan says:
How is 3 titles AS THE SECOND BEST PLAYER ON YOUR TEAM and no others (I think he takes at least 1, probably 2 or 3 more before he’s done) rival MJ? People forget this, but the Bulls bigs were a steady diet of Luc Longley, Dennis Rodman, Bill Wennington, Will Purdue, and even the occasional John Salley sighting. Not exactly the Twin Towers. They were the ONLY team to ever win a chip without at least an all-star caliber big because of MJ’s greatness (no AS caliber bigs offensively, we all know The Worm was godly on defense, but it was 4 on 5 on offense) Kobe’s GREAT. He’s locking himself up as a top 10 player of All Time, still with some room to move, but GOAT is just insane. He’s made his fair share of shots, but HE needs to elevate this team and take them to AT LEAST 2 titles before you can even begin to make that case (and it’s still insane then.) I’m not commenting on this anymore except to say y’all need to lay off the pipe this early in the morning…
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@shocked
I just can’t bring myself to believe that San Antonio is only gonna win 2 games after what the Suns dismantling and the Hornets sneak attack. I say this goes game seven, and it’s a toss up. It really all depends on Popovich and Jacksons adjustments and coaching. This is gonna be a real chess match.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:05 am
Celts Fan says:
Very true Chuck, but we all know they’ll overlook character issues as long as the talent’s there.
and by all indications from USC, Mayo was a great team player, extremely coachable, always on time to practice, etc. He MAY have taken some $, but it’s not like he was beating people up, showing up his teammates, and skipping practices. Those “character” issues with Mayo, to me, seem to be just a guy that’s been told he was great from the time he was really young and kind of bought into it. He’s still only 19 and seems to have matured, but that’s still very young anyway, so I’m encouraged he seems to have matured A LOT over the past year (another solid argument for the 1 year of college rule. that first year away from home, but still not a multimillionaire in a mansion can really humble and mature someone, and it seems to have with Mayo. Remember, it took Kobe until last year to get over himself, so OJ’s doing fine. and the HS title game dunk where he threw the ball into the crowd IN THE 2ND QUARTER was hilarious, but seems more just like a brief moment of immaturity…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Jackson vs. Pop right now 1-0 Phil was the better on adjustments last night.
Is there a coach who is better than Pop though at getting after the refs. NO! Dude is like a bulldog. I love to see him give the refs the business.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Celts fan
It just depends where I am in the draft on how I draft?
Talent isn’always the wisest way to draft. Duncan and Bird weren’t the most athletic, but they are both going to be Hall of Fame players, even though they couldn’t jump over a rock. They were fundamental players, Magic johnson also.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Celts Fan says:
Chuck, there’s a BIG difference between talent and athleticism. Duncan, Bird, and Magic were all EXTREMELY talented. Stromile Swift is extremely athletic. It’s when you get a combo of the 2 that GM’s start drooling…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Celts fan
I haven’t seen too many who are the combo of the two.
Dwight Howard is a freak athlete, but dude still can’t shoot worth crap, and his post moves still ultra mechanical. Besides like Lebron, Kobe, Wade and Carmelo, I can’t think of to many who are both athletes AND talented. Can you think of anyone?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:35 am
Celts Fan says:
Besides those guys, (and some like Bosh, KG, I’d say Dwight too since he’s godly enough on defense/the boards to make up for his offensive shortcomings, Rudy Gay – obviously less talented at this point, but the potential’s there, Baron Davis, TMac, as much as it pains me to say this because he’s such a bum, Vince too)
There aren’t too many and That’s the point!
(and I wouldn’t even put Melo on that list. He’s not a freak athlete by any means, though he is extremely talented.) Looking at that list, ALL those guys are stars except Gay (who seems like he could be in a few years) and Vince (who once was before he realized he still gets paid the same regardless of effort and started mailing it in so eggregiously his trading cards now come with a 38 cent sign on the top.)
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 am
PALakerFan says:
Before it’s all said and done, Kobe will have 6-7 rings, 2-3 MVP’s, all-time leading scorer, and greatest player of all time.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Celts
THE SHOCK DO COUNT!!! lol Just kidding I don’t think they even got a parade for those Championships. lmao However the Tigers well put it together they got a lot of time (162 games). The Lions better do it this year because in football it only takes one year to turn it around. AND THEY’VE HAD 50.
One the Mayo issue his Stats are better for one, however I think both will do very well. CP3 and DWill look out dem boyz is comin’
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
stephen stepp from louisa ky says:
@ BALLZ…The only player on planet Earth right now that can rival Kobe’s brilliance on the court is Candace Parker IMHO.
Where my girlz at?!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Celts Fan says:
haha, ya Youngfed, I’m SHOCKED the Tigers suck as much as they do right now, you’re right though, there’s nothing but time. At this point last year, people were calling the Yankees dead in the water and they made the Playoffs. When you still ahve 120+ games left, nothing’s over (but you’re in a pretty bad spot!)
I like what the Lions are doing too. They need to get rid of Kitna and give Drew Stanton a chance (he was solid at MSU) and if Calvin Johnson can stay healthy this year, his takeover begins.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Celts fan
Yeah you right with the Melo call, cause dude isn’t really a freakish athlete. I agree with you on the people you named though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 am
hahns says:
i think the kobe as goat argument needs to be framed in the correct reference.
mj had a better career period. as was mentioned above, he droppin buckets from day one. he has six rings. BUT
kobe as a better player? that, i think, is a more viable question. ie, if mj and mamba played 1 on 1 who would win? or, if mj and mamba were to have teams of equivalent talent, who would win?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Octopus Jonny says:
Thanks for the shout out DIME!
Kobe got ICE COLD in those last 20 minutes. Turned it on and sucked the life out of the Spurs. Duncan sure got his and the Lakers need to figure out how to control that a little better if they want to take this series because the Spurs aren’t going to keep missing good looks from outside.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
dukesman2000 says:
Kobe put Bowen, Manu and Ime in the cobra clutch.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
YOUNGFED says:
EXAAAACCCTTTLYYY….Couldn’t have said it better. Although Kitna’s balls hard he’s just not a winner.
BTW Chuck and Celts you guys left Dre Dollarz off your list. aka Dre Iggs.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 am
DaPro says:
Mike is the GOAT no question but Kobe is the most complete offensive player the League has ever seen
His overall game isn’t better than Mike but his offensive game is crazy. It’s pick your poison with Kobe
Fed no way Mayo had a better season than Rose. They went head to head and neither did much but Rose is a better prospect as a true pg than Mayo.
Mayo is talented no doubt, but I’d go Rose all day long. We need him back in Chi-town
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
YOUNGFED says:
lol. That’s should have beeen “Kitna balls hard he’s just not a winner”
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 am
YOUNGFED says:
Check out the Stats Dapro “Ball Don’t Lie” – Sheed
I’m not saying Mayo is better than Rose I’m just wondering why it ain’t even being debated?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:24 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
lol way to correct yourself before someone caught that lol.
I had to read it a couple of times like..wait. LOL
Since you caught it I won’t go there.
DaPro you said Kobe is the most complete offensive player the L has ever seen, but then you say his overall game is not better than Jordan’s and that leaves me confused.
What part of Jordan’s game is exactly better than Kobe’s if you already given Kobe offense?
Surely you don’t mean defense cause we have seen what Kobe can do their and to me I give him that edge over Jorand before offense.
Are you talking about assist and rebounds or something?
I am just a lil lost can you splain that a lil mo pimpin?
Ex
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
DaPro says:
His offensive moves or his arsenal of moves is what I meant not assist, rebounding, instincts, etc…
Oh and Mike is a better defender than Kobe when it came to defending the post as a guard
Kobe has gotten better in that area but he “use” to get killed in the post
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
Celts Fan says:
ya, and Kitna’s a very, very solid QB as a stop-gap between long-term solutions, but he will never win a title as a starter. Oh, and DON’T TRADE ROY WILLIAMS. You won’t get equal value back, and a WR set of Williams, Calvin, Shaun McDonald, and Mike Furrey is EXACTLY what a young QB needs (and a solid running game, which with Kevin Smith – great pick btw – and Tatem Bell, they should be solid.)
good call on Iggy. Completely forgot about him in the athletic and talented list. I guess you could say JRich, JSmooth, and Richard Jefferson too.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 am
DaPro says:
Fed
I checked the stats and yeah Mayo has scored more but Rose took over and was the best player on a team that went to the final four.
Rose is fast as hell and explosive, think a bigger CP3
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
QQ says:
Woohoo!!
Lakers in 5.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
karizmatic says:
Duncan will never get called for a tech again. Maybe the whole Crawford scenario was in response to what you talked about. Maybe that’s why Crawford just doesn’t like Duncan, but I believe that incident sent a message to the league officials. T ing up Duncan is out of the question.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Aight just wondering but yea right now I would give Kobe the edge on Defense, early on no.
That is like an argument that can go on for days. Personally I like Kobe’s tenacious-ness and I feel if Kobe can stay healthy he will be the better of the two, provided he can get past the Spurs. So far he is off to a great start.
I think Mike was smarter and more cerebral in his attack. I think Mike gave you a better mix of driving and jumpers and what not as well.
I so wish those two could face off in their prime. Someone needs to make a time machine.
I would have
Wilt vs. Shaq
Dream vs. Kareem
Kobe vs. Jordan
LeBron vs. Magic
Bird vs. P Dub
Russell vs. Duncan
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Gee
You know you gone get Austin started wit post 68. You know he has that whole time conversion theory or whatever about players affecting players and all of that, and not able to compare players.
LOL!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
DaPro says:
I was never a big fan of Kobe but I’ve always watched him. I’ll admit he has the potential to be greater than Mike even though I’ll never admit it.
Mike was more complete to me but Kobe is nasty no question
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Chuck with Austin’s thing in consideration I was talking about all players in the “same” decade type of deal.
Like if we could put Jordan, Wilt, Magic and all in their prime in this era. So that means Jordan is probably more hip hop and Bird doesn’t look as country lol….ok he probably still would.
That means Wilt has way more to his game and all. That would be so interesting if that could be. Need to holla at Rob and Big about that time machine lol. Crazy Episode.
I guess video games are the closest we will ever come.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:08 pm
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Side note. Ok remember when Vince (Owner of WWE) tried the whole XFL thing out and it was crappy.
I remember ABA and all that, but what if their was a new league for pro players in the states?
Of course I know the NBA has it all on lock and no other would stand a chance, but it would be interesting.
Cause then people would always be comparing the greatest in 1 league to another. Then if some crazy trade happens and they get to go against each other. Imagine the hype.
I know ridiculous but my mind is always wondering.
XBA vs. NBA
Hmmmm? Nah. LOL.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Celts Fan says:
Great article from Screamin A. Smith today on the OJ Mayo “controversy.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3405148&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab8pos1
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Two funny *** rumors on MTO about DeShawn and Kobe:
http://www.mediatakeout.com/23813/new_couple_alert_check_out_keyshia_coles_new_man__hint__hes_an_nba_player.html
http://www.mediatakeout.com/23789/explosive_report_kobe_bryant_cheating_with_a_laker_cheerleader.html
Crazy but humorous. Hope both are certainly not true.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
PALakerFan says:
GEE… you were rolling with a great concept, mentioning 11 of the greatest players ever and then piss away all your cred by putting Paul Pierce in there. WTF!!! That was the record screach moment.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
LOL PaL LOL I will admit I got a brain fart at that one.
Who you do throw in his spot against Bird?
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
YOUNGFED says:
good read Celts. I be gettin’ paper to if I was Mayo
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
DaPro says:
Me & you Fed
I’d be paid crazy, no other way to do it
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
PALakerFan says:
GEE…I don’t know that any current player compares to what Bird could offer: shooting, rebounding, passing. Numbers-wise I guess you could compare Dirk, but he isn’t nearly the killer Bird was. I hated Bird back in the 80′s but he was definitely a special, one-of-a-kind player. Who is today’s Larry Legend???
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Celts Fan says:
NO ONE IS, that’s why Larry’s one of the top 10 players ever…
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
GEE...I'll take a muscle-bound man and put his face in the sand. says:
Man I am having to agree off top. Seriously that is why I just threw P-Dub in there. I was sitting there thinking and I was like dang, I can’t really think of a good match-up for Bird in today’s crop.
So I just said well people already comparing P-Dub so lets just let them go at it. Honestly though, I can’t think of a player who would be a good match up for all that Bird offered.
Dang was Bird really that smooth or does it speak to a lack of all around players like him in today’s game?
WOW
DIME any help? What player today could match up with Bird good if he was 2000sanized and played todays game?
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Gee and Celts fan
Carmelo has the tools, just not the heart. Dude flat out DOMINATES when he wants to, and that’s a strong WHEN.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
D.H. says:
Wow, all this Lakers talk. Kobe this, Kobe that . . . The Lakers were getting the 20 piece mcnugget before the Spurs hit the wall. Lets face it, the Spurs played to game 7 in a tough series (and spent the night on a stalled plane), while the Lakers were resting after walking over the Jazz. Give the Spurs time to recover, re-screw their heads on, and Pop to figure things out and if I were the Lakers I would be worried. You think Duncan and co. are going to let this happen again?
I hate the Spurs as much as the next guy, and would love to see a LA vs. Boston final, but the first half of that game had me really worried.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
daquest?on says:
even though he has never won a championship ai is the GOAT