Reports of the Spurs’ demise greatly exaggerated
Tim Duncan (photo. adidas)You didn’t really think the Lakers were going to walk into the AT&T Center and take a 3-0 lead over the Spurs, did you? The defending champs defended home court like they’re supposed to, smoking L.A. in a near-20-piecing with a vintage performance. Tim Duncan (22 pts, 21 rebs) picked the perfect time to roll out a Hugh Downs Game, Manu Ginobili (the ankle’s OK) broke out of his slump by dropping 30 points, and Tony Parker put up 20 points while living in the lane … The Spurs trailed by three at the end of the first quarter before Manu went off, scoring 14 in the second quarter and knocking down three triples. In his post-game press conference, Kobe could only laugh whenever Manu’s name was brought up. “It was all those Argentina flags,” Kobe said. “He felt like he was at home.” We’ve been to games at Madison Square Garden when the Spurs visit the Knicks, and it’s true; Manu’s people come out in droves to support their man. The flags are flying all night, and there are usually more black #20 jerseys in the crowd than anyone else’s jersey … It wasn’t completely smooth sailing, though. When Kobe knocked down a three plus the Bruce Bowen foul to cut the lead to 14 with six minutes left, Spurs fans were getting a little nervous — no doubt remembering the blown lead in Game 1. Kobe (30 pts) hit a few shots late in the game that put might’ve put a scare into San Antone, but he had too much ground to make up … In case you forgot, Brent Barry did used to be a starting point guard in the League. He was feeling it last night and dropped some sick dimes, particularly in the fourth quarter as the Spurs turned the screws in with Kobe on the bench. Bones didn’t put up big numbers, but each of his 6 points and 4 assists seemed to be a killer … It seemed everything that was a Lakers’ strength in Games 1 and 2 turned into a weakness last night. Sasha Vujacic was getting served a hot plate by Manu, and couldn’t get anything going on his end offensively (4 pts, 1-for-5 FG’s). Lamar Odom was equally bad, going 2-for-11 from the field with five turnovers and having his times where Duncan worked him over. Derek Fisher (2 pts, 1 ast) might as well have stayed home. Put it this way: you could argue that after Kobe, Vlad Radmanovic was L.A.’s second-best player. Any time that happens, they’re in trouble … One positive for the Lakers is that Kobe didn’t seem too upset after the game. Even he knows you’re not gonna sweep San Antonio in their building. But now that L.A. gave up the one game, watch him come out for Game 4 with the Terminator scope on. Phil Jackson might even want to stick Kobe on Manu as soon as Manu checks in just to prevent him from getting off to a hot start … Part of us wants to see the Lakers get to the Finals just so Ira Newble can become the answer to a trivia question: Who was the only NBA player to appear in back-to-back NBA Finals with different teams, yet still be able to go grocery shopping without being bothered? … Speaking of Cleveland, Eric Snow’s career is all but over. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the Cavs have submitted paperwork with the League to get E-Snow approved for disability retirement, seeing as his left knee is bone-on-bone at this point with no cartilage. If the League signs off on it, $7.3 million is coming off the Cavs’ salary cap, and they can use half of that to sign someone. Snow has basically been an assistant coach with the team for the last two years anyway, and word is he’s actually a candidate for the Chicago Bulls’ head coaching job … Who else is on that list with Snow of current players who will be NBA head coaches someday? We’re liking David Wesley, Sam Cassell, Lindsey Hunter and Darrell Armstrong as pretty much iron-clad locks. Maybe Derek Fisher too … And in other Cavs’ news, Tractor Traylor is gonna be playing for Cleveland’s summer-league squad this year. He played in Puerto Rico and Spain this past season. With all the power forwards out there looking for an NBA job, is Tractor really the one guy who caught the Cavs’ attention? Do they really think he has a shot at making the team? Wouldn’t someone like, we don’t know, Pops Mensah-Bonsu or D-League star Elton Brown make more sense? … Joakim Noah was arrested in Gainesville, Fla., (didn’t they name a street after him there?) yesterday for possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol. Noah was reportedly seen walking on the sidewalk with the drink, then police found some weed in his pocket after he’d been taken to the station. Snarky comment from our man Jed: “Won’t his coach be mad? Oh wait.” … We’re out like Manu’s slump …
May 26th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Remy Nguyen says:
1st
May 26th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Remy Nguyen says:
Tractor Taylor? Where is Shawn Kemp agent?
May 26th, 2008 at 1:14 am
daquest?on a.k.a Heavy Artillery says:
tractor traylor won the championship in puerto rico last year….the lakers are still gonna win
May 26th, 2008 at 1:15 am
daquest?on a.k.a Heavy Artillery says:
people in san juan love tractor traylor lmfao its kinda sad.. hes like the main star of the puertorican version of the lakers
May 26th, 2008 at 1:24 am
rodnets says:
hey, wait till the fat lady sings (I guess the fat lady in this story is RonnY Turiaf, wow, he is really BAD lmfao)
And wow, I believe “the machine” went off tonight.
Spurs in 6, Next blowout, KB8 ends his cool mode and starts shooting his a** off and yelling everybody and demanding the money he spent taking everybody to dinner.
Peace
May 26th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Keith says:
I say Chris Paul will be an NBA coach in about 18 years.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Austin Burton says:
Seeing as CP will have more than $100 million in the bank by then, I don’t know if he’ll be motivated to live the life of a coach. I could see him doing TV work before coaching.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Coach T-sun says:
i like the adversity the spurs gives for the lakers makes them tougher on the road even though they’ve been the most consistent in the playoffs thus far. everyone seemed tentative tonight except for the MVP. Its ok it shows their youth and they’ll grow from it, at the end of the day spurs have offensive limitations they can’t possibly pull this one out
May 26th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Steve M says:
the spurs have the ability to grind this one out (not saying they necessarily will), but how much longer can they go on like this? only if the other conference finals goes seven games would they have a good shot at the back-2-back …
May 26th, 2008 at 2:34 am
doc says:
they all suck fuck everybody here
May 26th, 2008 at 2:37 am
SAS Sizzle says:
Manu finally put Sassoon Vujajay in his place, keep it rollin’ spurs! Where is that guy who said trevor ariza would be the key to the series? seriously?…
May 26th, 2008 at 2:40 am
John says:
Anyone else love how Kobe just pushes bowen all over the place and all bowen can do is look helplessly at the refs telling him to play on? I am wiating for kobe to just punk him out and spit on him and high five the ref Gotta love being the MVP, Lakers in 7
May 26th, 2008 at 2:57 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Dont get too excited…Spurs still have to win one in LA
Best Future Coach: Derek Fisher
Worst Future COach: Allen Iverson- “No Pracitice today boys!”
hahahahah
May 26th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Oscarisalakerfan says:
Were taking bout practice lol
May 26th, 2008 at 3:20 am
ya boy says:
gadamm, Odom’s gonna kill me in my flucking youth I tell you and gasol’s in on this cruel plot. it’s one thing to get served by a scorching manu(Dude was getting his regardless), it’s another to just flat out suck . Seriously odom do you really think you are gonna get that many blocking calls IN SAN ANTONE, i measn dude..Really ??!!And gasol me n you ain’t on speaking terms. you are the main reason we lost that shit. here’s a memo-just keep the game close ,aiiight stupid!! under ten would be nice . We have a closer you tall spaghetti fluck. You can’t get back to back stops coupled with back to back TOs and expect to get anywhere because..THE CLOCK IS RUNNING.And stop looking to get bailed out by the refs on EVERY play.Spurs were due one,let them take it , don’t just hand it to them.manu was straight gangsta. i respect that.Aight I’m done.who00ssaaaahhh!!
Oh.. yeah Lord ,please don’t give us another pistons-spurs series.i mean we’ve had to watch the heat, knicks and the bulls for 82 games.Amen.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:03 am
drewstar says:
manu will have to keep this up for the rest of the series if the spurs are to have a CHANCE at beating the lakers. lakers in 6 still.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Lakers Blog says:
Only a matter of time before the journey ends. Live game blog at http://www.LABallTalk.com for every Lakers game here on out.
May 26th, 2008 at 5:19 am
Jerry says:
Kobe just about had no help out there, Lakers as a whole need to shoot better. Spurs had their backs against the wall really, was do or die tonight, Lakers weren’t able to match that intensity. Hopefully Phil can make adjustments and Gasol and Odom can execute. Fisher will be back he’s a proud player. Sasha? Got schooled but not many other players would be able to stop what Manu was doing tonight.
Credit to Spurs, they made the shots that weren’t dropping in L.A. They were burning the Lakers repeatedly with passes into the paint which was most disappointing to me. Lakers need to just forget this one and come out focused to steal Game 4. If they do that, series is over.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Austin Burton says:
“at the end of the day spurs have offensive limitations they can’t possibly pull this one out”
They looked real limited yesterday in scoring 103 points.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:15 am
YOUNGFED says:
Joakim “Noah how to Rolla” his new nickname is “Buda Priest” aka “Big Ganja” aka “SMOKEYYY!!!”
May 26th, 2008 at 7:21 am
YOUNGFED says:
BTW now Chauncey saying his hammy is hurt GTFOH! It didn’t bother him in game 2 when he was gettin’ numba’s. He start to act real T-Mac-ish. I love Chauncy to death but man up cuzin’
YOUNGFEDRODOMUS SAYS:
Pistons in 6
Lakers in 5
I HAVE SPOKEN
May 26th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Austin Burton says:
@Youngfed — How did Chauncey’s injury come up? Just because someone asks him if he’s hurt and he tells the truth, that’s not esxcuse-making, it’s stating a fact.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:29 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Austin
He wasn’t hurt when they asked him before game 2 now all of a sudden he’s injured. It doesn’t matter were the better team so will when any way.
Austin whats your opinion on flip not playing “AJ” I’m not getting it.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:31 am
GayforRudy says:
I appreciated the Hugh Downs reference. That was legitimately clever. Nice job with that.
Speaking of Downs… I’m glad to see that the downs syndrome looking rat faced mop head got busted. Go build a boat douche bag.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Austin Burton says:
I mean, is Amir Johnson really the difference? Someone on the site yesterday was talking about benching Billups and ‘Sheed to start Stuckey and Johnson. To me that’s crazy to just give up what you’ve been doing for 4 years because you’re down 2-1.
So they asked Billups before Game 2 and he said, “I’m fine,” then they asked him after Game 3 and he said, “I’m hurt”? Well, it is possible he re-aggravated the injury in between that time. I just don’t think every time a guy mentions an injury it’s always an excuse.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:45 am
YOUNGFED says:
Arnie Kander said it’s unlikely the injury would be reaggravated yesterday so I don’t think he’s hurting. Check out todays article at freep.com. Starting Stuckey might not be a bad Idea but i’m not saying start AJ i’m just saying he gives us an atheletic pressence to match KG. He’s our best shot blocker.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Big Sia says:
obviously Noah blazes
May 26th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Austin Burton says:
1. Who’s Artie Kander?
2. I don’t see why Billups couldn’t have gotten hurt during Game 2 or Game 3. For all we know, he got hurt getting out of bed wrong. You never know.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:28 am
YOUNGFED says:
Arnie Kander is the Pistons strength and conditioning coach. But you know I’m just ventin’ Austin still mad at the piston playing soft.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:03 am
rangerjohn says:
well for all those who said the spurs where dead after game 2, this series is starting to look a lot like the second roaund with the hornets and we all know where that one went.
the spurs dont make excuses (ask manu how his finger, and ankle are doing) but i am going to put one on the line, if the spurs had not spent a very long sleepless night on a plane on a tarmack in NO game one would never have gotten lose and they would be up 2-1 and there would be a different story told today. (by the way, back to the plane, i have been to several conventions in NO and there are a ton of room there, and how many rooms do you need for a cable convention anyway. bottom line, the people of NO where pissed they got eliminated by the spurs that night and refused rooms to the spurs, maybe the city of NO got the last laugh on that one)
May 26th, 2008 at 9:04 am
yoda says:
spurs did great job+lakers sucked (im not taking anything from spurs, dont get me wrong). but i doubt lakers can play bad as they did last night, plus spurs had little rest compared to lakers, and i think down the road it will show. they are hurt and they don’t have much time for recover. right now i think only thing that keeps them in this series is will, while they are droping body parts all over the floor. if lakers can win next one or make it really hard for spurs to win it, i think lakers can win next 2.
May 26th, 2008 at 9:21 am
YOUNGFED says:
If yall think Kobe is gonna let the Lake Show lose this series “Ya Dead Wrong”-Biggie Smallz. Kobe will score 80 if he got to. Welcome to the World of K-Hova Baby!
May 26th, 2008 at 9:31 am
rangerjohn says:
i give credit to the lakers on game 2, the spurs handed game 1 to them due to lack of rest, and think about this, manu (the most tired) only played 31 minutes (1 less then his season average) the spurs are in good shape, and they have out played the lakers 8 quarters to 4 so far, unfortunately the lakers out played them in the 4th of game 1. spurs are still a better team, and while kobe might get his, he cant win by himself, odom had some good numbers after game 2 but he got most in “garbage time” and has anyone seen gasol? he disapeared faster then peja. as long as the spurs keep manu fresh (he is getting rest these days) the spurs are golden SPURS IN 6!
May 26th, 2008 at 10:04 am
M Intellect says:
Whenever the team who has home court advantage wins the first two, which they’re supposed to, everyone says the other team is done. That is so flippin’ stupid espeicially within the context of THESE playoffs when every team, even the Hawks pulls it out at home and considering that we’re talking about the Randy Couture of the NBA, the Iron-Willed Spurs…Only way Lakers win this is if Gasol and/or Odom can make Duncan work for his inevitable points the same as Bowen does Kobe.Have to say I love Young Fed goin’ all DeShawn Stevenson on LeAustin “6′7 and 60 words p/m” Burton over Chauncey…
I’m out like the Tractor’s Belly Button…
May 26th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Big Freeze says:
That sucks about Noah. We were all chillin w him Sat night in downtown. No homo, but he is a really cool, humble, and down-to-earth guy. I guess that kush made him forgot about Gainesville’s no open container laws. Oh well, he’s got enough capital now to afford a good lawyer and pull off a fine and some community service.
Of course the Spurs would refuse to lay down, but do you really think the Fisher, Gasol, and Odom are going to have terrible nights like that next game? It’s gonna be just like Utah, done in six.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:08 am
rangerjohn says:
big freeze, yes i do think odom, gasol, and fisher are going to have a bad night tomorrow, with the exception of odoms garbage time numbers from game 2 none of them have had a good game.
fisher cant guard parker, (notice kobe on parker several times last night) and if manu is runnin wild, kobe cant guard them both, duncan is out playing both gasol and odom COMBINED. the only chance the lakers have is with the bench, and they are quickly losing thier wheels. odom is trying to be the back up kobe needs, but gasol is still in memphis, LOST! the lakers bench has been good for them but they are not sure right now, they have never been this far (only kobe and fisher have) and you could see the fear/confusion in their eyes last night. “the machine” broke last night, and the only bench player who made an attempt was farmar but he is barely out of the d-league.
spurs in 6 but i will say kobe will have a chris paul of a series, good numbers but coming up short for the series. he has already had his “i willed the team to win this one” moment in game one.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Big Freeze says:
lol at ranger john.
whatever you have to tell yourself to think that the spurs r gonna win four in a row. you’re only gassing yourself up bro. lakers played a terrible game and they still made the crowd nervous until the last few minutes. it’s as if a 20 point lead means nothing against the lakers. duncun is still good, but not dominant like he was. parker is a good scorer, but truth be told, spurs only go as far as manu takes them. he is the real difference maker, and when he struggles the spurs usually lose. he had a breakout game, but he has become dependent on the three. in fact, the spurs as a whole have become dependent on the three. phil jackson understands this and he will make the necessary adjustments. the lakers will steal a game in the alamo and wrap it up in LA. the dynasty that never was a dynasty is coming to an end this year. the spurs r just too old and slow.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:28 am
garbageman33 says:
A couple weeks back, I saw Joakim at a Chicago strip club at 4:00 a.m. One of the strippers said he comes in ALL the time. So, obviously he’s taking his offseason workouts pretty seriously.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Mintellect says:
Everyone hates a snitch…
May 26th, 2008 at 11:49 am
rangerjohn says:
@ at big freeze
i am sorry but while duncan is not as “dominant” as he used to be, he is still averaging 21/18/4 while the combo of odom and gasol are averaging a combined 23/17/5
parker is destroying fisher, averaging 10 more points, and about twice as many assists.
you are correct though manu is the barameter, how he goes the spurs go (except the 3 quarters of game 1 where he still played bad)
the spurs have been a 3 point shooting team for 3-4 yrs now and it is all about the drive and kick. the more parker/manu drive the better the 3 goes.
asi already said, spurs dont get stuck on a plane last monday night, and they win game one hands down. spurs will win this series no mater what kobe does. kobe is just like cp3, and amare, the spurs let him gets his but nobody else goes theirs. i cant believe the laker fans cant see the erie semilarities to every series with the suns (a team with more talent then the lakers) and the hornets (with kobes “rival” chris “cheapshot” paul) spurs in 6
May 26th, 2008 at 11:59 am
rangerjohn says:
question,
smart or not so smart,
spurs where obviously playing mind games with jackson by not sending him his raised chair and elevated podium so he had to stand on his bad hips and all for the presser.
spurs said “we are not going to let you get comfy here in our building” so
smart or not?
May 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
djKianoosh says:
@rangerjohn,
but tell you weren’t a little scared when kobe started going bonkers in the middle of the 4th with those disgustingly long threes. He was looking like gilbert arenas there for a minute. I had a bad feeling when he got that 4 point play. he’s never out of a game, man, that guy is just ridiculous. Spurs are going to need to go into 4th quarters with an 8-12 point lead or more to withstand that inevitable Kobe push.
ya’ll catch Kobe’s referencing Manu’s busted fingernail in the postgame? he was like “he did all with a nasty lookin fingernail. that thing was disgusting!” kinda funny to hear him noticing that.
my main man manu was masterful last night. i think he had maybe one or two bad shot selections. I think that’s the big thing with him. Lately he settles for threes more than before, maybe cause he’s better at them now, but still, he needs to drive a lot more like he used to. It’s all about turning that corner for him, cause once he gets past the double team or the hedge or whatever, then he can get his long stride going into the lane.
Looking forward to games 5 and 7 with the series being tied both times.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
K Dizzle - Get that quarter out yo' ass cuz you played yourself says:
*yaaawwwwnnn*
@ post 15 – get some oat bran
I was hopin we’d get the win in san an, but obviously the spurs don’t lose many at home, but then neither do the lakeshow so whatever.
An away game in these playoffs is just an oppurtunity to steal a game. Any game that Kobe shoots one free throw in and manu goes 5-7 from 3 is a loss. Tony Parker ain’t destroyin anybody. Dude is averagin 17 pts/gm on 16 shots/gm so I’m guessin Fish is makin him earn everything. Speakin of Fish, dude is leadin EVERYBODY in 3pt% and hasn’t got 1 this series yet so it’s just a matter of time. Duncan is avg. 21 and 18 and shooting 52% from the ft line and spurs have lost twice so the whole key is Ginobili. Next game is the swing game for the series. Momentum from this game’s gonna be big and Kobe knows what’s up. Comparisons to the Suns and Hornets are a joke. Suns are old, Hornets are inexperienced and nobody in the world can take over a game consistently like Kobe so I’m lookin forward to game 4.
May 26th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Jeffrey says:
I thought traylor was in the nba this year. Dallas should be lucky they made that draft day trade
May 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
shhhhhooops says:
@ big freeze… I’d say the Spurs are a dynasty, or at least pretty damn close. They had a thing with not making it through during even years, but that may schange this year. Or it may not. Regardless they’re the best team in the last 10 years.
I don’t think Duncan is slipping. BUt if he is, he slipped into a 20-20 last night. Not too shabby.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
rangerjohn says:
@ dj yeah kobe made a ton of people nervous but then the 1st 3 he his was on a pushoff that no ref is risking losing his job over that call, and the 4 point play was gasol pushing bowen into kobe. he hit the shots regardless but like i told my wife, there is NO WAY the spurs give up a 15 point lead with 5-6 minutes left at home after losing the 20 point lead in game one, pop would have shot every one of them and played with the d league team from austin the rest of the series if they had.
@k dizzle
so parker is averaging 17 points, and 4 assist and fisher is averaging 5 points and 2 assists and 3.5 fouls in less then 30 minutes. fisher is making parker work, farmar is playing him better. fisher is slow and parker is working him over, the only thing slowing parker down is odom when he gets to the lane. hell kobe even played parker for about 8-10 minutes last night, jackson is scared of parker if he is putting kobe on him.
manu is definately the key though, what are the lakers going to do when he and parker are going off next game, and duncan continues to get the double teams because gasol is MIA?
May 26th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
djKianoosh says:
i think it’s more of a matter of parker and ginobili improving to a point where they now approach duncan’s importance to the team. he’s still the center of everything they do, but parker and ginobili add their own bit of importance to the mix. so it’s not so much that duncan’s slipping as the other guys are taking a bigger share of the responsibility. that’s why it’s critical that parker and manu get into the lane to open things up for the other role players.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
JHov says:
It kills me how alot of people including Kenny Smith talked about how well San Antone played in Gm 1 & 3! “They were up 20 pts..They should use that as motivation..blah,blah” The fact is they have only won 1 game out of these 3! The Lakers can use the fact that even though they were down 20 pts they have come back to win in Gm 1. No excuses though..great game by the Spurs big three! Horrible game by L.O. and D-Fish..subpar outing for The Big Spainard! Lakers in 6! Newsflash on “Gator Haze” Noah probably played the National Championship game high! lol That C’s/P’s series is going 7 gms..whether Billups plays or not!
May 26th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
K Dizzle - Get that quarter out yo' ass cuz you played yourself says:
Well, hopefully, if LO and Fish get goin, it won’t matter what Parker does. Lamar Odom is the x-factor in this series. The spurs have noone that can match his size, skills, and speed. Gasol’s gettin 15 and 6 against a hall-of-fame post defender so I’ll take that. If Fish and LO get goin, nobody’s rippin on Pau. Duncan’s been a beast, but hasn’t been affectin wins and losses. Parker avg. 17 on 16 shots isn’t very efficient. If I’m Phil, I let Tim go off and let Parker get something, but they gotta get the clamps on Manu. I don’t know what it says about dude that he sucked so bad in LA and turned it on like that in San An. Just waitin for Kobe to cut loose with a 40-50 joint
May 26th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
rangerjohn says:
@ dj
that is pretty much right on, parker and manu have stepped up but i think that stepup is due to duncan, he has helped open their games up over the years and now they understand how to work things. if not for duncan, manu would be a starter but he would not be who he is, and parker might be a good starting point but he would not be in any top 5 conversations.
@jhov
spurs ran out of gas in game 1, and destroyed in game 3. they had a good 1st period in game 2. bottom line, it doesnt mater how you slice it, one team or the other would be up 2-1, it just happens that the home team has won all 3 games (sound formiliar? ask cheap shot paul about being up 2-1)
another factor, the minutes, the spurs have not put in a ton of minutes in game 2 or 3, that blow out in game 2 served as motivation and it also served as a chance to rest their players more. kobe while more then likely is not going to get tired and worn out is still playing more minutes then anyone.
another factor, pop had a big in the game all game, he didnt ever go totally small, he had a combo of duncan, oberto, horry, thomas all game. the other 2 games he had duncan play more of the game as the lone big with a combo like udoka, parker, bowen, finley with manu, barry and vaughn subbing in and out and he left the bigs on the bench more.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
rangerjohn says:
k dizzle,
i agree odom is the x factor for the lakers, but he has not shown a lot in the 1st 3 games, time is getting shorter for him to show. i understand there are 4 more games possible but kobe worked hard for his points last night, and the next game i expect he works harder with the d on manu that is inevitable. this leave parker more free. i still like the spurs in this matchup. as i have said time and again, duncan is handling odom and gasol by himself, he is clogging the paint and making them take outside shots which is neithers strong suit, while neither can guard him. horry put some nice d on odom last night too, yep i said it 36 YR OLD ROBERT HORRY played very good defense on the younger more athletic odom. that cant bode well for lakers fan.
everyone is putting attention on kobe except the spurs, let him get his 40-50 and the other guys get none, the more shots he takes the better the spurs are. just like cp3, and amare. someday the other teams in the league will figure this out, their one lone star cant win on his own consistently. this is how the spurs have won, and even the pistons, and celtics. the lakers are the only one trick pony left in the playoffs so we will see.
i respect the lakers, they have held home court, it is up to the spurs to do the same and we will see.
May 26th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
K Dizzle - Get that quarter out yo' ass cuz you played yourself says:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8169158/Rating-No.-1-picks-of-lottery-era,-worst-to-first
good article, but writers need to stop actin like Larry Johnson just became garbage once he got to NY and didn’t have a serious back injury that destroyed his hops and inside game
May 26th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
JHov says:
I feel what you are saying @ rangerjohn. I guess my point of contention is that last night everybody except KB had a subpar game for the Lakers and the Spurs were getting contributions from everybody..it was a must win for San Antonio! Phil is going to adjust and I have no doubt that Kobe will go to the line 10 to 15 times tomorrow! I know Pop will adjust also but he got what he needed so he want change too much(great move exchanging Barry for Vaughn). Expect a breakout game for Lamar(he was seething after the loss and blamed himself) and better D all around..I’m enjoying this series..but I don’t want it to go seven..Lakers need a little rest before the Finals!
May 26th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
SAS Sizzle says:
Spurs-Lakers rivalry is getting hot again, I love this shit. I love that the Spurs are the underdogs in this series even more.
Spurs are the best home-court team left in the playoffs, but LA has not lost in a while at Staples either…something’s gotta give!
Even if SA goes down 3-1 then look for them to pull a ‘95 Rockets (vs Suns) on these muthafuckas (“Don’t ever underestimate…”).
May 26th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
doc says:
Damn people typing with my name.I think the Spurs will lose this series but my smarts wont allow me to disrespect Duncan until he lose 4 games.But I really dont fuck with these teams whoever wrote that.I think its some cool people on here though.
May 26th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
alex says:
I’m a spurs fan but I like keeping it real too. While SAS convincingly won last night, its the same thing LAL did in game 2. So LAL is still up by virtue of its great comeback in game 1. To me, it doesn’t matter that SAS led by 20 at one point, coming back 20 down and winning it is harder than building the lead in the 1st place.
Kobe is gonna get his. Fisher and Vujacic are the keys to Gasol’s success, and Gasol is the key to Odom’s.
I think the Spurs did a great job of playing ’slower’ last night. Their fastbreak success was only due to TP’s ability, but all in all, a helter skelter game is LAL’s advantage. They are quicker, and they have more guys who can handle. The slower the game is, the more SAS can use Thomas’ and Horry’s wide body defense
May 26th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
doc says:
I’ve never seen a six ten dude like Odom with so much skill miss so many layups.That shit is every game.If I was a laker fan I would be screaming at him to dunk the damn ball.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Ian says:
who was it that said he rather have derek fisher over parker?lol
GEE or kdizzle?
May 26th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
doc says:
I think Gee said that crazy shit.
May 26th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
rangerjohn says:
man jhov kobe has gone to the line what 6 times all series and you are expecting 10-15 times in the next game? no way 5 at best and that is not enough. odom might get to the line 10 times but hell he will shoot 60%
May 26th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
JHov says:
@ rangerjohn It’s all about how the game is called at the beginning if Kobe and the Lakers are aggressive then they will get the FTA’s..they got push from the opening tip and set the pace! You will see more urgency tomorrow and that will equal more attempts!(plus doesn’t the NBA cycle in new referees every game?)Last night you basically saw the Lakers taking what the Spurs gave them because they wouldn’t give up the lane..in turn LA missed those shots but it will be much closer tom. I dislike the Spurs but I have a new found respect for them! This is a great matchup..
May 26th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
rangerjohn says:
i dont know, for 3 games kobe has been to the line a TOTAL of 6 times, with different refs, on his own floor for 2 of those games and he cant get to the line. that is actually pretty good defense. while kobe has gotten some points, he is averaging his lowest points of the payoffs, and he has not been able to get to the line.
i agree, good series but we will see
SPURS IN 6
May 26th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
JHov says:
I got my LakeShow in 6..it’s gonna be mad tough to win 3 more in a row..we will see!
May 26th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
JHov says:
I got my LakeShow in 6..it’s gonna be mad tough to win 3 more in a row..we will see!
May 26th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
GEE...ain't the one that will pay for ya phone says:
Bring em out, Bring em out.
BEHOLD!!!!!
ian and doc…Yea I said it. Stand by it and will repeat it.
I would rather have Fisher over Parker for the playoffs if I was picking a squad. I stand by that even after that nasty game he had.
1st game 18 points
2nd game 13 points
3rd game 20 points
Can we pump the brakes. It’s not like Parker is blowing the roof off droppin 30. Mind you 18 and 13 was in losses.
I said I like Fisher better cause he plays better D. And….he does. I have never said Fisher was the offensive juggernaut that Parker is cause he ain’t. Sure Fisher still hits big shots and he is smart. I take him over Parker mainly because he plays better D.
1 game and dudes start talkin greasy. MIND YOU, dudes wasn’t poppin when the Spurs were down 2. Now that Parker had a nice game and they got a win, we wanna be all about it. Expected.
It’s cool though you all run with your Parker and I am still gone stay with D. Fish and I guess we will see what happens.
We will see too.
Never got a chance to say how glad I was to see Boston do their thang on the road. Still got Laker and Boston in the finals. Humpback!
May 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
doc says:
Gee it dont matter how u flip it and it dont matter if the Spurs dont win no more games Fisher aint fucking with Parker.I dont like neither one of them pricks but it is what it is.But I understand u like Fish better just like u wont trade T-Mac for Lebron.But in the real world your GM status would be revoked.
May 26th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
djKianoosh says:
hahha, doc, that was funny. that’s ok, everybody has their opinion.
but fisher has disappeared for long stretches during this series.. still, in game 2 he played like 20 minutes but was VERY effective. so it’s hard to judge his effectiveness this series. it’s early still. we’ll see.
parker hasn’t had one of finals-mvp-type games yet either so it’s not like S.A. played their best game last night. both teams can play better still, so that’s something to look for.
and I still think this is going 7.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
rangerjohn says:
ok gee i respect your choice but i find it flawed, 1st fisher has not even played 30 minutes in the series yet, and parker is still averaging 47% for the series. parker is also averaging only about .5 turnovers more then his season average and he is actually DOWN from both the NO and PHO series. now that way it sounds, fisher is not playing that good of defense when he is even in the game, remember farmar and kobe are taking turns with fisher on parker so part of parkers numbers go on them.now ad that to fishers BAD offense (isnt your point guard supposed to average more then 2 assists?) and he is all but worthless.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Ian says:
gee
nah man
i wasnt around i had to go to miami
got back last night
didnt read dime last 4 days
u know i got nothin but love for u
later
May 26th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Ian says:
well gee fishers d is not doin shit
anyways thats talking like a true fan taking fisher over parker
but i know if the lakers could get parker for fisher youll be all over that
May 27th, 2008 at 11:20 am
MSkittle says:
Why do you guys think only current NBA point guards will be good coaches?