Comments on: Game 5 Live Blog

By: Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:01:58 +0000

utahfan, just so you know what happened, there are no personal insults allowed on this site. We’re going to keep the conversation respectful and, hopefully, thoughtful.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:18:18 +0000

Game 6 preview up and running

By: exhelodrvr

exhelodrvr — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:17:48 +0000

Utahfan,
I’ll bet that they hang up division champion banners in the Jazz arena, don’t they?

By: lakergirl

lakergirl — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:07:48 +0000

Utahfan

The same softy and choker beat you guys last game…so what does that say about yall…

By: utahfan

utahfan — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:49:45 +0000

I can’t believe you guys are already talking about matchups for the next round and you still haven’t won the series yet. Typical laker fans. You guys are gonna get spanked tonight and all the pressure is on you to close it out in game 7. Without kobe being 100%, are you seriously going to put all your money on lamar (choker) or pau (softy) to carry you to the promise land in game 7. I wouldn’t bet on it! Enjoy watching us in the WCF….

By: Craig W.

Craig W. — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:09:10 +0000

Warren,
J.D. has a point. However, if you look at this year as a journey, you can see the experience building to match the skill and this is what defines a championship team – this year or next.

As the year came to its half way point the team was growing organically, with all the parts seeming to work together. Then Andrew and Ariza went down and we fans thought of it as a regression, but the remaining parts had to adjust to a problem and got stronger, even if the wins slowed down. With the arrival of Pau our psyche jumped up and we won those games without him. Both the addition of his skill set and the loss of a negative force on the club set us off on a run that had the league wondering how good would we be. When Pau was injured the league thought we came back to earth, but we just readjusted to or focus just before Pau got here, but knowing he would soon return – a stronger position. Coming into the playoffs we swept Denver and proved that we belonged, but not that we were championship material – regardless what the pundits were saying. We hadn’t been playoff tested yet. It wasn’t until our guys layed it all out in Utah and still got beat that most of our squad understood exactly what ‘needing to give more’ meant. With Kobe at less than 100% last game the team did give more. The next step is to beat Utah at home and close out a tough opponent. If we can do that, we will truly be championship caliber – not yet champions, but championship caliber.

If this goes to game 7 we will still be lacking something, whether we win that game or not. We will still have a wall to climb to really understand the force we have to exert to be champions.

By: harold

harold — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:35:50 +0000

The optimism isn’t newfound, it just never died since we were 6-0.

I think it sorta got amped as we see Lamar becoming more and more like the Lamar we thought we’d get when he first got here, and seeing yesterday that we can beat a very good Jazz squad with Kobe not taking a single shot in the 4th quarter (didn’t happen last time he tried it).

Game 6 will be interesting, but I believe the Lakers will really take it as a personal challenge to close them out there. I really should send the picture of Derek’s FT with the fan covering his eye to Kobe and the rest of the team, should they require more motivation.

By: Warren Wee Lim

Warren Wee Lim — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:19 +0000

JD, its not as much looking past the Jazz as the optimism that grows each time I watch them play. Overnight, the Lakers became contenders. It seemed like everything was mental and the potentials were magically “unlocked” the moment Pau arrived. Even the most unlikely of Lakers became such a big time player – LO7.

This at hand and the momentum we have, we will approach game 6 like there’s no maniana. Good thing is, there is still one. But Phil usually makes it a point to stick his finger where it hurts most, on the road on a team with its back against the wall. If you talk about this series at 2-0, historically speaking, the team down 0-2 would only have a minute chance of pulling off an upset. Then again, its our “respect” for the Jazz team that leads us to be cautious and “on our heels” even though we already are, as history speaks, way way ahead. For them, its staying alive or going home.

Mentally, the Lakers win in game 5 was way too big for the common mind to fathom. We basically won ourselves the series there. It could still very well go to a game 7, but we won the series when we won game 5. This is why Emma has me blindly believing on this team.

By: j. d. hastings

j. d. hastings — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:12:34 +0000

I’m surprised so many people are talking as if this series is over. Its not far outside the realm of possibility that the Jazz blow us out tomorrow. They aren’t going to wilt at home and if they get enough confidence, they’ll gladly take the opportunity we gave them last night tied through 3 quarters.. Those same playersa won a game 7 on the road last year and Williams has only gotten deadlier. I believe the Lakers can win, and hope they do, but I’m shocked people are looking past this Jazz team that’s played us so well.

By: chris h

chris h — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:30:31 +0000

I’ve been to a Suns v Lakers game in Phx for each of the last 2 years, and I have to tell ya, my ears were ringing, and we were in the first 5 rows from the floor. it was crazy, and they know how to work it there. when the lakers are bringing it up on O, the music is this loud, out of sync weirdness, when the Suns are bringing it up, it’s a cool rap groove thing.
I thought the music was only supposed to be played in time outs, but at the Suns arena, it’s all the time.
and the crowd, amazingly loud, agressive, etc.
the good thing though, this means our guys are used to playing in hostile environments, so they can tune it out, or make it work for them.