Comments on: Preview and Chat: The Phoenix Suns

By: kelly

kelly — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:08:24 +0000

Very entertaining game. I thought i was watching the 1987 Denver Nuggets vs the Showtime Lakers for a minute there. Lamar is playing like the Lamar in the playoffs the last 2 seasons only he is doing in now in the regular season.

By: exheldrvr

exheldrvr — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:28:17 +0000

79) “unclear lane violation a jump ball”

It wasn’t “unclear” – both teams had a violation, which results in a jump ball. It was the correct call.

By: chris h

chris h — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:15:10 +0000

kurt, the problem I was having with Internet Explorer and my PC are fixed now, at least the site comes up now, and if this goes through, then it looks like you’re good to go. (ps, checked the mac, ie; safari, also good)

By: Darius

Darius — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:57:11 +0000

phineas: wilbon said a lot. really to much to recall accurately after i was so juiced up like i ate 15 kit kats, but he did go over several topics including:

*the atmosphere of the game. he said “it’s tough to recall a regular season game living up to the hype. but this one did”

*that shaq was still finding his way in the suns attack. catching the ball at the high post is new for shaq and he will have to find his groove in the phoenix sets.

*that the lakers are the best team in the west. with kobe in a zone (he mentioned a pre-game conversation with kobe, where kobe even admitted that he is in a zone right now; feeling confident about where the team is headed) that the lakers are gonna be a tough out and his pick to come out of the west. he consistently said that the lakers are the best team playing the best ball and will be a scary team.

That’s really all I can remember…sorry I don’t have more. I was so excited to see the Lakers play strong ball against a really good team that my memory is short. Also, living in Oakland, I was flipping back and forth from ESPN to the Warriors/Celtics game, which was amazing as well. Baron Davis, man o man.

By: chibi

chibi — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:37:31 +0000

A lot of hype preceded this season and this game. It did not negatively effect Kobe’s play. On the contrary, Kobe has played inspiring basketball. And not only is he playing through injury, he’s posting MVP numbers through through injury. He not only has heart, but the intelligence and mental dexterity to make little adjustments in his game. His determination is unbelievable.

I’d like to know two things. First, in the eyes of his teammates, to what extent is Kobe a role model? And second, how much does emulating Kobe factor into their success this year?

By: phineas

phineas — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:13:55 +0000

80. Darius, any chance you remember what Wilbon said? I missed it, and love that guy, and though he’ll probably repeat on PTI I’m a sucker for guys I love praising the Lake Show.

By: Darius

Darius — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:40:38 +0000

My early concerns (# 6) came true and we still pulled out the win. Kobe is playing at a tempo that defies any defense. He is getting to the tin with ease. It’s a beautiful thing to watch when a player is in complete control and can dictate to the defense in order to get whatever he wants. Kobe is in that zone right now. This was the type of game (national tv, everyone watching..even other players) where the Lakers showed what they are capable of. 130 points, execution on offense, and Kobe playing the type of game that truly shows his greatness. I’m not saying we put the league on notice, but I know they are now paying attention. I also loved Wilbon’s comments on SportsCenter after the game.

By: chris h

chris h — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:24:52 +0000

oh, and I want to thank Shaq for taking out Raja…
not sure if anyone else noticed, but Raja was pretty quiet most of the game, doing his best to shut down Kobe, but the Suns were also letting Hill have KB some of the time, saving Raja for what they knew would be a blistering 4th quarter.
then near the end of the game, when it was still anybodies ballgame, close score, back and forth, all it would take is 2 stops and that team would have the lead with only minutes to go.
just before Shaq took out Raja, there was a play where Kobe had made a couple shots in a row, so this possession, Raja was a blanket on Kobe, (this should have been called a foul and this is why I hate Raja so much, he always gets away with this) he was draped over Kobe, who should have passed out of it but instead he forces up a bad shot, missed, Suns rebound and are off to the races.
it was my fear that Raja would continue to get away with this, KB continues to force his way through it, expecting a call, but not getting it, and this could have been the end for us.

but noooooo, next possession, KB drives, Raja backs up, BAM! head to elbow, lights out, stars and tweety birds circling around poor Raja’s noggin (did you see that bump on his head!?)

Lakers preserve the W, thanks again to Shaq, because I was afraid that Raja would have been the difference maker down the stretch.

By: chris h

chris h — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:59:08 +0000

kurt, the site problems are still there, and here’s a bit more info-
won’t work on my PC, and that’s Internet Explorer.
does come up on my mac, and that’s safari.

additional comments on the game-
I did feel the refs made some bad calls, but the most potential errors for harm to us were the phantom calls on Pau in the 2nd quarter, thus sending Pau to the pine…advantage Phx with Shaq and Amare staying in.
so in comes Ronnie, who outplays Shaq, out hustles, rebounds and scores Shaq.
so in my mind, the combination of Phx letting down when pau goes out, thinking they have a nice advantage and should start kicking out butts, along with the unexpected (to Phx, not us LA fans) hustling and outplaying of their players, Ronnie cancelled out any advantage they might have had.

for the rest of the way, I think the bad calls pretty much cancelled themselves out, in that they were consistently bad for both teams.

Ronnie was a huge factor in keeping us in the game during that critical 2nd qtr stretch when Pau goes out…yeah ronnie!!!

By: kc

kc — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:52:20 +0000

excellent post Reed and Kurt.

i love it how suns came out with fierce intensity and lakers beat them pretty much at their own game. especially at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, how the guys came out firing all those 3′s. it felt good to give them the same headache they’ve been causing us.

i thought shaq played really well, considering that this is a new system and all, and it made me laugh when he ran back to the other court after one series.

as usual, nash caused us tons of headache and heartache whlie i thought hill played a nice game as well.