Records: Lakers 49-22 (1 seed); Bobcats 25-44 (12 seed)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 114.1 (3rd); Bobcats 105.1 (23rd)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 106.7 (6th); Bobcats 110.8 (23rd)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom, Ronny Turiaf
Bobcats: Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson,Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, Nazr Mohammed
Tech problem solved. Well, at least we think. There is some more behind the scenes upgrading to go on today, but the site look and form is back. As I said in the comments, this is really a community site and this summer I’ll be looking at possible changes to the look and the options here, and when that happens I’ll be looking for suggestions and thoughts.
Lakers notes: According to Mike Breshnahan at the LA Times, Sunday will be the earliest Pau Gasol returns. What matters most is having a healthy Gasol for the playoffs, no need to rush him back for a game against the Bobcats. Also, Bynum is still a couple weeks away and Ariza is sometime during the playoffs.
That said, the Lakers are banged up right now. Kobe has a twisted ankle to go with that pinky finger held on by tape. Fisher got a bruised knee in the end-of-game collision with Ellis last game. Every team is a little banged up right now, what has been impressive is how the Lakers fought through their injuries to stay on top in the West. Credit to the team, which is playing with confidence, and the coaching staff for knowing when to put their foot down on the gas and when to ease off.
NBA Thoughts Two things, one of which is I’m looking forward to seeing some of the Celtics/Suns game tonight. Should be an interesting test for both teams.
Chris Webber is stepping away and that seems to make the era of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers a little smaller in the rear-view mirror. Webber was at his peak in Sacramento, leading the Kings in that 1999 to 2003 stretch when they were probably the second best team in the NBA. He was versatile, could play inside and out, was a fantastic passer and solid rebounder. I hope he is remembered more for those days than the one big mistake at Michigan or what he was by the end of his career, when his body betrayed him.
The Bobcats Coming In: Charlotte comes in on the second night of a back-to-back, having found out that Utah can score a lot of points (126-106 Jazz win). Incidentally, that’s how the Lakers beat the Bobcats last month, just outscoring them. Because it was a thumping, most of the Bobcat starters rested during the fourth quarter. Charlotte has lost six of its last seven after a five-game winning streak against quality teams (while Wallace was out).
Of late, the two leading scorers for Charlotte have started to find their stroke. Jason Richardson is averaging 24 points per game in the last 10 shooting 52.5% (eFG%) overall and 35.8% from three. Gerald Wallace is shooting 53.1% and is scoring 16 points per game (and while he doesn’t shoot many threes he can hit it if he sets his feet). I’m looking forward to getting a better look at Wallace who didn’t play against the Lakers lat month.
If the draft goes to form, the Bobcats will have the 8th pick this year.
Keys To The Game: The Lakers need Odom to keep playing like he has in recent weeks. Last month when these two played Gasol had 26 points on 9 of 11 shooting — Charlotte had no answer for him. Odom (and maybe Radmanovic) will need to pick up some of that slack.
Odom also needs to play well on defense. The Bobcats come in with real size and the ability to play inside and out with Okafor and Mohammed. If those two get going inside it tends to opening things up for the Richardson and the jump-shooters on Charlotte, so Ronny and Odom need to play well defensively, not letting those two (particularly Okafor) get going. Okafor has struggled of late (giving the Bobcats 10 and 8 on 44% shooting in his last 10), the Lakers need to continue that trend.
The good defense also need to extend to slowing Wallace and Felton and not letting them get into the lane with penetration at will, or blocking a few shots if they do.
This is not a good defensive team the Lakers face, LA should get high-percentage looks if they move the ball and run the offense. The rotations of the Bobcats have been slow every time I have seen them this year, including the highlights of last night.
Fast starts in both halves would help. The Bobcats should be tired and they have had some terrible starts to the third quarter recently. Fast starts at the beginning of both halves mean the chance for Son Of George and maybe Newble to get some burn. At the same time.
Where you can watch: The game is at 7:30 pm on both Fox Sports here in LA and on League Pass.
phineas says
Glad to see the site back up and running.
For anyone who didn’t get enough Kobe talk on KBBB (Kobe Bryant Blog Day), here’s a somewhat different take on Mamba Bean.
http://www.epiccarnival.com/2008/03/kobe-bryant-is-more-important-than-he.html
phineas says
*KBBD, natch.
rococo says
All things considered, I’m going to miss Chris Webber. I think he was somewhat misunderstood with the bad rep he gradually collected over the years. I consider him the Nicolas Anelka of the NBA; in his prime, easily one of the most dangerous players of his generation, but seemingly bound to be remembered most for his “questionable character”.
Happy trails Mr. Webber, just don’t produce any more tracks on any Nas albums…
kwame a. says
Rococo-I love the Anelka comparison, I have to like Anelka now, as I am a Chelesa fan. Back in the Michigan years Webber made me and everyone on my team wear tall black socks and long shorts. Webber also was one of the earlier hybrid bigs, a guy that handle the ball, pass and shoot from some distance.
Gatinho says
Oh, how I hated when C Webb shot that elbow jumper. You just knew it was going in.
Would love to see Radman get back on track tonight and build some more confidence for the playoff push.
I think the sched is allowing Pau to sit that extra week.
the other Stephen says
Elton Brand, why come back at all this season? Your quiet insistence on playing an almost meaningless final six games is comprehensible, yet something about it is lurkingly elusive. Your team neither has the most lottery tickets, nor is anywhere within hopeful distance of the playoffs.
“There’s something worth salvaging, being part of this team and growing for next year,†Brand said. “If I’m healthy, I want to play. The fans want to see a good product. They want to see me out there with the team. … I’ve been rehabbing, working my tail off for so long. It’s to play in NBA games.â€
There’s something worth salvaging. Growing for next year. It’s to play in NBA games. That says something about tanking, doesn’t it? All I’m observing is that finishing a season strong speaks volumes more than giving up and hoping to rebuild next year. Brand is only one man, but he inspires me for next year as much as any roster change could. And imagine the implications of an entire franchise that felt that way. Playing with heart isn’t just barking like Sheed, getting T’d up, and running high emotions.
Martin says
5: Maybe Elton wants to let everyone knows he’s not THAT injured so he’ll be able co collect a bigger raise in the off season. I’ll bet that’s what’s motivating Gilbert too.
Darius says
While at Michigan and early in his career, Webber was one of my favorite players. He oozed talent, skill, and feel for the game that was amazing. Then when you consider his size….just a great player. Then I went to college @ UC Davis, Webber went to the Kings, I was bombarded with obnoxious Kings fans, the over the top Kings announcers (WEBBER!!!!), and the *many faces of Chris Webber* and I soured on him (if you don’t know what I mean by the many faces…sorry. he just had this way being overly reactionary and it showed all over his face. mad, happy, determined, confused, etc). I always have and will appreciate his game and his skill, and now that he’s officially hanging them up, I think he should have a positive legacy. But man, I could not have been more irratated by any player and fanbase than I was with Webber and those Kings fans.
As for tonight, let’s clean these guys out. 2nd night of a back to back, they’re on the road, and clearly an inferior team. I want Kobe’s legs getting iced in the 4th and guys laughing on the bench. I want a lineup of Farmar, Sasha, SOG, Newble, and Mbenga. I want a we want tacos chant. Lastly, I want a career night in a losing effort from Raymond Felton who is on my fantasy team for my Yahoo league playoffs. Tonight, I’m selfish.
Renato Afonso says
A few points I would like to point out…
First, and on-topic, this is a game I fear… We’re almost with the last year’s Lakers and too many injuries against a team who wants to prove a point… They want to beat the Lakers (everyone wants to). If Kobe picks his spots, then we’ll be fine…
Second of all, Simmons has made his predictions for the West. He got us all the way to the Finals… which is bad, since he jinx every team he chooses… He picked the Lakers and the Bruins to go all the way. If any of them falls short, I’m invading Boston… Seriously, I am…
And most of all… I know how all you guys like to use the Hollinger PER stats, and I honestly believe that those stats can be used to determine a few things, but… you can’t disregard normal stats (doing great 10 mins per game doesn’t translate into success when playing 35 a game) and the intangibles…
This was written by Simmons (sorry for the double reference, but I’m a bit mad at him): “Unsung Hero: According to John Hollinger’s PER ratings, Shane Battier is the 45th best small forward in the league right now. I give up. Uncle. I can’t fight the good fight anymore. Somebody else needs to take over.”
Now besides Kobe, Gasol and Bynum, I would trade any roster player for Shane Battier… The guy can guard everyone from Kobe to Nowitzki with success and if he haves room, he will drain the open three… And he plays clean (tough, but clean). Is he the 45th best small forward? To me, he’s one of the top-40 players in the league…
nomuskles says
Let’s hope there will be no more talk of oozing unless it is related to the teenage mutant ninja turtles. =D
Hopefully we can overpower the bobcats with Lamar, Kobe and Ronny and get some good shooting from the perimeter guys. Maybe Jordan can get his game on track again. He’s been a little bit light in the impact department of late. Hopefully Radman and Kobe and Lamar can stop Wallace.
Didn’t we make raymond felton look like an all-start last time? Oh right, let’s pretend that didn’t happen.
Renato Afonso says
Ouch, typo… Has instead of haves… sorry!
George says
Love to see an outright thumping of the cats tonight. As for them though, it has got to be a rough life for Jason Richardson. To cellar dwell for all those years, then be a solid piece of a good playoff run last year in Golden State, and now be right back there. Ouch.
Another thought, while catching a glance of leading rebounders in the NBA, I realized how Bynum would have for sure been on that top 10 list. The kid was like windex on the glass. Then I remembered how I was sitting at a bar, watching that Memphis game, and after he went down, my appetite went out the window. But looking back now, It is amazing how the Lakers have maintained such a high level, and how his situation is in the complete background when I think of the team. To be around a couple more weeks, I can’t wait to see him in a uni again!
I’m not expecting him to not miss a beat after all this time off, but if he can just rebound and change shots, I feel many teams will have almost completely forgotten how he can impact the game come playoff time. Especially since how much attention they are likely devoting to Gasol when scouting us.
Kurt says
Okay Cal fans, Braun has gotten the ax. Is that a good thing?
harold says
13. Ben Braun? dang… i remember only the good about him from my days at Cal… if memory serves, he had turned the program around back then (95~99). haven’t followed Cal much since, so not really sure what to say here (hard to follow your team overseas, esp. if just making march madness is considered success 😉
KurkPeterman says
I know it’s a little late, but since it may be our first round matchup and I was at the game, I thought I’d give some of my thoughts about the Warriors game on Monday.
1. Underdogs – these Bay Area fans (and it is where I’m originally from before moving south) have such low self esteem about their team. I guess that’s what happens when you have perennially bad seasons, but I still couldn’t get over the fact that the like being the little guy. Everything from their “We Believe!” t-shirts (can you imagine that as a Lakers slogan, ughh….I don’t want to have to cross my fingers for a win) to their chants of Beat LA (I love it when opposing teams chant your hometown or team name, even if they are saying to beat us, come on…root for your guys to win, not the other team to lose) which was also plastered on all the screens in the area.
2. Lakers Fans – lot’s of love in the Bay. Lakers fans were there en mass and they were organized. You could routinely hear MVP chants and clapping after Lakers scores.
3. Mota Ellis – this guy is quick. I mean, like quicker than anyone else. Period. I’ve seen Barbosa play about 7-8 times over the last couple years and I think it’s safe to say that Ellis is faster. With the ball or without, this guy just has speed. Good thing he wasn’t able to finish when he should have…but he’ll definitely get past that with some more time under his belt.
4. Andres Biedrins – not what he was earlier in the season. He had surgery a little while back and it looks like he came back without fully healing. This is good news for the Pau/Andrew matchup we might see later (although I hate it when anyone on any team is injured; it’s sad to see careers and momentum taken away by an injury).
All in all, I think we’ll be fine if we draw them in the playoffs.
El Seano says
Should be an easy one tonight but with any luck the team won’t go into this thinking that. It’d be far too easy to get complacent tonight, home game against the bobcats is round about as easy as it gets. I’d side with #8 Darius if I wasn’t so superstitious and believed that wanting the game to be a blow out by the fourth could cause a loss :-D. However that would obviously be the best thing for us, then another sit out for the 4th against the Grizzlies. Well let’s face it the longer our stars spend riding the pine in the 4th the better it is for us altogether. We need the bench players to get some serious burn heading up to the playoffs so they can handle business even better than they already are doing. According to http://www.82games.com/benchstats.htm we’ve got 34 points, 14 boards and 8 assists coming from them as yet, great production but with these gimmie games coming up there’s no harm in getting them that little more burn for that little more improvement.
I’m getting frustrated with the injuries right now, but thankfully it’s the best time for me to start with the soft schedule until the end so I can just pop another Valium and reassure myself that this is great as it allows full and proper recuperation from the injuries rather than rush jobs of rehabs. Or maybe I’m just impatient to see Gasol (or Bynum of course, watching the xmas day game against the Sun’s again today reminded me that he was even more special than I thought, Ariza had a great game too) play again.
Hey Kurt, just an idea and I don’t know if it’s ever been touched on before but how about a Message Board for this place? We’ve got a great community of comment leavers and it’s the best place to talk ball on the net. I’d definitely like to do it on a more regular basis on a message board as I drop by here daily for both the blog and the comments. What do you think? Just an invisionfree board or something?
dafish says
13. Positives about Braun: He was able to bring the program to a new level of high expectations
Negatives: He couldn’t meet those expectations.
I don’t want to get into a discussion about his shortcomings as a coach, as I consider myself to be more supportive of him than the rest of the Cal community (which doesn’t mean much), but simply put, he just couldn’t keep up with the rest of the teams sans Oregon State in the Pac 10.
In related news, Cal is considering Steve Lavin. Maybe we should go through a period of frustration with him, and then move onto another coach as well.
The Fanalyst says
I know the Celtics-Suns game is going to be entertaining, but ESPN is pumping it up as a potential NBA Finals Preview. Come on, I know the Celts are 50/50 in the Eastern Conference, but the Suns? What, 10-7 or something since “the trade”? Please, I know they’ve strung some wins together (and I’m a biased Lakers fan to the bone) but I would also put the Spurs, Jazz, hell even the Hornets in the Finals before Phoenix. I think they’re a fifth or sixth option in the West to make the cut (currently at six and may even miss the playoffs is Nash gets a cold). Having watched the last two Warriors games Sunday/Monday I’m actually more interested in what they might do if they find themselves some post play and start to really believe they belong in the big picture.
Let me put it even better this way: Houston and Phoenix are getting tired, Dallas is Dirk-free and ready to buckle, the Spurs are getting old, the Hornets are playing way beyond themselves, G-State and Denver are up-tempo afterthoughts that could make an interesting run, but here’s the clincher…the Lakers are getting healthy. They’ve already proven they can win without, now we’re coming to the time when they need to prove they can win with. It’s almost April, time to get serious.
dafish says
Meanwhile, you know the Cal Basketball program has sunk to a new low when Ben Braun is shown in the same segment as Jose Canseco and Justin Timberlake on the halftime show of Suns@Celtics.
hertagnism says
El Seano,
the thing about the message board is it has a double edge to it. It welcomes posts that seemingly have no point to it, such as “How good is Kobe?” “If a historical draft happens, would you take Magic over MJ?” and so forth. Subjective posts that would welcome posts like those in the basketball q&a at Yahoo. The good thing is it creates more space and more articulate fans would come out to join the discussion (the bad is that it also lets the attention seekers in as well). Although moderators can be put in place, they can’t handle all the new threads created for the simplest of topics unless they devote an extreme amount of time to it. A screening process would discourage people from joining in the first place (including those we want to join in the talks). For evidence, just look at the laker msg boards around and see how their threads flow.
The beauty of this site is the thread has been established and I’m pretty sure Kurt approves every comment (which, I must say I am impressed given that there are about 50+ comments on every thread). It creates an intimate feel. If the feel can be duplicated through another medium, go for it. However, from surfing around and past history, the message board seems to destroy that intimacy that we here so admire.
As for the game, I predict a flat first half and the game will be decided on what happens in the third quarter. The team is so banged up that I think it will take them a half to adjust to a more conventional style of play (after being overdosed with the Warriors). I haven’t seen much of the Bobcats so I can’t comment more until after the game.
kwame a. says
David West hits a shot just about at the buzzer for the Hornets to win. We gotta keep pace. Lebron James was guarding Chris Paul, but even he couldn’t keep him out of the lane. CP3 is the only other MVP candidate near Kobe.
Martin says
The Bears are better without Ben Braun. The bears have never lived up to expectations. I’ve felt like every tourney we got into we’d get knocked off by the underdog. It’s been frustrating.
He might not be to blame though. Cal teams don’t often win the big games.
dafish says
Meanwhile, not to look ahead, but if the #1 seed comes down to the New Orleans game at Staples, the Lakers currently hold a +5 in point differential.
Just sayin’…
Kurt says
Well, that wasn’t the fast start we all hoped for.
Ryan O says
how many times has farmar gotten a steal and hit a deep 3 to end a quarter this year? I love it.
Warren Wee Lim says
dafish,
I think the tiebreaker is more than the point differential between the 2 teams…
Sushant says
considering how shot handed we are, we should come out strong. When will we stop being being complacent in the first half. We are taking bobcats too lightly and they are killing us on 3’s and inside. We need to tighten up our ‘D’ and come out aggressive in the second. These second half comebacks gives me so many chills guyz. Kobe hasn’t been shooting well. He’s missing all the challenged 3’s lately ( i am just a little concerned because we need him to get into a flow for playoffs)
GK says
Once again, no energy in the first half, except this time, we’re not hitting threes.
Anyway, that ankle looks like it’s affecting Kobe’s elevation. His jumpers are completely flat.
dafish says
Yeah, but the scenario I pointed out was in the case that the head-to-head record was tied at 2-2. Then, point differential is the next factor, unless I forgot something.
dafish says
Woops, never mind…
chris h says
playin’ pretty flat tonight…
gonna take a better effort in the second half.
too many long 3’s, 1 shot and out, long rebound going the other way, kobe and sasha to blame.
play within the O, play some tough D.
or, we’re not gonna prevail tonight.
to bad with the Suns losing and the Hornets winning, gotta keep up the pace these days.
Mico says
lakers just seem to be unable to get any shots to go in
kwame a. says
Jordan has got to improve his decision making. We’re down 9, get a board and instead of running the offense he throws a long lead pass that is stolen, Bobcats score twic, back up to a 13 pt game. That was a momentum shifter.
Also, Kobe is getting torched by J-Rich.
harold says
we’re running on fumes and it’s showing. not just physically, but mentally we’re seriously banged up with injury-shock and being in a hole early.
we need gas…
harold says
Kobe’s out… and i think he has a suspension coming soon too.
chocomm says
This game sadly reminds me of the Lakers last season when we lost a bunch of games to sub-.500 teams.
And why is kobe losing his cool when we were only down by 5-6? Terrible overplay on G. Wallace to allow a 4pt play by Carroll. Bad shot selections in the 4th quarter.
We just look tired and out of energy, but this doesn’t excuse the fact that we are losing to one of the worst teams in the NBA. This is by far the easiest portion of our schedule and we are playing like we don’t belong in the playoffs.
Sushant says
We were never in the game right from first quarter.. just another game showing how much we are need of are big’s to return. Our 8 man rotation has taken a lot of toll and its showing up. I would say kobe should take an intentional technical before clippers game. By that time hopefully we will have our big’s back so that kobe doesn’t have to miss a game in playoff’s. With the kind of attitude kobe has i am sure he will get one or other other technical in playoffs. It much better to let him miss a game against clippers and take rest than missing a playoff game.
kwame a. says
I can’t believe the Bobcats scored play after play by running a basic flex screen on the baseline. No effort whatsoever tonight, I’d love to forget about this game and move on. Unfortunatley, some of our holes are being exposed and they will continue to be until we get some bigs back.
LakersFan88 says
I have a couple of questions…
1) What the f*ck happened?
and 2) Is it just me, or has Kobe been getting almost no calls recently, perhaps since the Gasol trade? It’s like some of these are clear fouls that they aren’t calling for him, and then on the flipside both of those four point plays for the other guys pretty much should’ve been non calls. You’d think they’d give him a little more love, especially considering he’s playing with an injury on his shooting hand.
LakersFan88 says
I have a couple of questions…
1) What the f*ck happened? Like how do we beat Dallas and Utah in back to back games on the road, and that same team plays like crap against Golden State (we got pretty lucky in the last game) and tonight. Where did all the good ball movement go, and where did the defense go?
and 2) Is it just me, or has Kobe been getting almost no calls recently, perhaps since the Gasol trade? It’s like some of these are clear fouls that they aren’t calling for him, and then on the flipside both of those four point plays for the other guys pretty much should’ve been non calls. You’d think they’d give him a little more love, especially considering he’s playing with an injury on his shooting hand.
LakersFan88 says
Oops my bad, so sorry about that double post.
Hansoulfood says
Man…how many 4 pt plays have Kobe given away in the last like 5 games? I can remember at least 4 I think.
Underbruin says
37 – Does the 16 techs = suspension rule carry over into the playoffs? If so, I actually think you’re right. Kobe’s averaging about a tech per every 5 games, so I highly doubt he’ll last 15+ games over multiple playoff series (thinking positive here, heh).
On another note, very discouraging loss. I agree, this team has far too often resembled last season’s team since Gasol went down, and it’s very worrisome given the potential injury risks playing a number of games in a playoff format against physical defensive teams such as the Rockets or Spurs.
Sushant says
well looks like we were clearly outplayed in all departments. (Rebs, FG%, Ast, Blocks) We got beaten by dribble penetration every time thanks to Felton and our weak D. No help coming from the weak side. It much more than taking bad shots and little ball movement. Another thing i have seen in couple of games is every time Turiaf gets an offensive rebound he tries to get out rather than taking a high percentage shot (Pau or Drew would never do that)
This is the reason teams like Spurs, Boston and Detroit are more dangerous. They play better Defense. We rely on our offense to click. We look to outscore other opponents. I just hope PJ as per his reputation comes up with better defensive plays in playoffs considering he will have time working with X’s and O’s.
GK says
That foul by Kobe on Carroll was ridiculous, considering Battier was doing that to Kobe the entire Rockets game. Yeah, I’d be pissed too if I were Kobe.
Lakers can’t seem to get the perimeter game working as easily without the inside-outside game. With no real post threat, open looks are harder to come by. It doesn’t help that the refs refuse to call fouls when people do penetrate.
hertagnism says
The team is just exhausted. With 3:40 left in the 4th, Kobe gets tossed. That was about it. I didn’t see anything that merited a technical on Kobe’s second. He just looked down and didn’t say much from the footage on FSN. I’m trying to go through my memory with these:
1.) Subpar team defense. When the Spurs play defense, they rarely gamble. Jerry Buss must have rubbed something on Kobe because he was gambling more than he was playing straight up defense. J-Rich burned him for that.
2.) The triangle became one sided! During the third quarter, Kobe dominated the ball on offense while doing little on defense. This resulted in a lack of rhythm for the rest of the guys on offense and the team ends up shooting 41% from the field and 29% from beyond the arc, which brings me to the next one…
3.) Golden State hangover. The team is exhausted from that awesome matchup. Both mentally and physically. They didn’t do a good job of readjusting to a more conventional style of play and chucked up 27 shots from beyond the arc. That’s way too many, especially when you have Lamar Odom down inside, who was the ONLY guy that was productive. Some of this is on Kobe with his heat checks.
4.) Turnovers. You say 13 isn’t that high of a number. I say ignore the quantity because the timing of those turnovers are more telling. The last 2 turnovers came when there were some momentum building for the Lakeshow. First untimely turnover, Kobe tries to do a fancy flip pass to Lamar and gets it stolen. The second one was miscommunication after a stop when Fish just passes it to Sasha, who didn’t expect it and the ball was sent flying into the stands. Game over with 3 minutes left.
Just another one of those trap games. Championship teams have a great defense they can fall back on when their offense is stagnant. The Lakers don’t have that right now and have resorted to outscoring the opponents (a la Phoenix and look at how they turned out). Shore up the defense and you set yourself up for a victory. On to friday!
Warren Wee Lim says
DAFISH, here’s the ESPN account.
Two-Team Tiebreaker
1. Better record in head-to-head games
2. Higher winning percentage within division (if teams are in the same division)
3. Higher winning percentage in conference games
4. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in own conference
5. Higher winning percentage against playoff teams in opposite conference
6. Higher point differential between points scored and points allowed
chris h says
yeah…what happened? my wife sometimes plays piano during games, and tonight I really didn’t mind.
so I figured Kobe got a T, he was practically begging for one, but the second one, what was that?
was the ref going Billy Crystal on us? (remember that scene in “Forget Paris” where he played a ref, got pissed at his girlfriend, and started Ting up everyone on the court? even got Kareem for one)
can someone explain? was it legit? was the ref out of line?
I agree, Kobe has to take one now before the playoffs, and what’s the rule then? does he get another 16?
how much is 1 games salary for him? about $225k?
ouch…coulda bought a house for someone in Tennessee. (a nice one)
from my perspective, it seemed like the refs were missing a lot of calls for us, and making some bad ones against us.
a night to forget.
now says
The tech count resets to zero for the playoffs. Until then he gets a suspension for every 2nd T. I think the limit in the playoffs is like 8.
Sushant says
well i think my previous was a bad one. Technical fouls get reset in playoffs and you get fresh 7 T’s for Playoff’s
Section VII—Fines
a. The following progressive technical foul and ejection schedules will apply.
(1) REGULAR SEASON
Technical Fouls 1-5: $1,000 fine each
Technical Fouls 6-10: $1,500 fine each
Technical Fouls 11-15: $2,000 fine each (with a warning letter
sent when the violator reaches his 12th
technical foul)
Technical Foul 16: $2,500 fine plus one-game suspension
Each Additional Technical Foul: $2,500 fine
Each Two Additional Technical Fouls
(18, 20, 22, etc.): $2,500 fine plus one-game suspension
(2) PLAYOFFS
Technical Fouls 1-2: $1,000 fine each
Technical Fouls 3-4: $1,500 fine each
Technical Fouls 5-6: $2,000 fine each (with a warning letter
sent when the violator reaches his 5th
technical foul)
Technical Foul 7: $2,500 fine plus one-game suspension
Each Additional Technical Foul: $2,500 fine
Each Two Additional Technical Fouls
(9, 11, 13, etc.): $2,500 fine plus one-game suspension
Underbruin says
Given that the ‘tech’ count resets to zero, I see no reason for Kobe to ‘intentionally’ take a tech. I understand the fear of potentially losing him for a key game down the stretch, but his likelihood of getted T’d up isn’t SO high that one must demand he force himself out of a game (and, as mentioned above, a 1-game pay cut for a guy like Bryant is a lot of scratch, no matter how rich one might be).
chris h says
so if he can make it to the end of the season without getting another T, he gets a reset for the playoffs?
sounds ok, and I agree, he doesn’t need to “take one” to get it over with. I thought he had to make it through the playoffs without getting another one.
thanks
what would happen if he got his 16th in the last game of the season?
suspend for first regular season game of next year?
or does it carry over to the playoffs?
LakersFan88 says
Regarding the foul which pissed Kobe off, resulting in his second tech (from ESPN):
“When asked if Bryant fouled him, Carroll replied with a smile: ‘It was a good call.'”
Questionable officiating…
Bobby says
niggaz is gon’ hate
Pat Mills for no 1 draft pock, WHOOOO!
Underbruin says
I don’t know about anybody else, but to be totally honest it looked to me like Kobe kicked the ball over to an official after the foul leading to the 4-point play. I unfortunately don’t have a DVR, and there was no clear camera angle. But it looked like he ‘soccer-pass’ kicked it (e.g. didn’t send it flying, but it appeared from the way his body – shoulders in particular – turned that he was making a kicking motion). I could be wrong, but that was my initial reaction at the time, and KCAL never actually showed the full length of the incident following the foul.
carl says
So…the warrior’s fans still hacking the site? or, is it bobcats’ fans now?
Kurt says
56. I still think it’s either Isiah Thomas or the ghost of Red Auerbach. But we are back again,
kwame a. says
57-You’re giving Isiah too much credit.
Renato Afonso says
58 – Yep, Isiah can’t orchestrate something like this… He could only draft the guy able to do this, at most. I blame the C’s and all those ghosts… I also blame the C’s for the injuries and everything else (you know… poverty, starvation, war, ebola… those things)
UCSBShaw says
I was watching the game in uber efficiency mode(fwd through non-action) so when I saw Mamba walking off the court I was in disbelief and had to rewind. I looked at it a few times and it seemed to be a very quick two T’s. The officials are told to walk away and not address the situation anymore. Especially if it is someone of Kobe’s stature. We all have seen him complain even after getting a T but it seemed like all he did was stand.
55-I did not see him roll the ball but his upper body did not suggest anything malicious. That was just the icing on a underachieving game played game.
Since Bynum and especially since Pau went down I would like to see our points in the paint, given up and scored. It has to be extremely reversed. It is not just that our bigs can’t hold their ground against other post players but it’s also our guards getting beat and having no one to scare them away. This is a scary thing as we creap closer to playoffs.
I really liked how Mbenga played last night. He did a good job during our run in the 4th, I wish PJ never took him out.
Darius says
I don’t know, Zeke can really foul things up. Maybe he thought he was helping. All he had to do was say to himself, “I’m really gonna re-vamp this site” and bingo, it gets stripped down…
kwame a. says
60-Well, if Isiah was the tech guy, then I could see the site going down in flames, but if he was trying to fix it I could see him going over the cap to find someone to do a bad job.
Kurt says
New post up. Things behind the scenes have been updated and while there are a few glitches I think (and hope) we are past this unpleasantness.
Kurt says
And I’m not saying Isiah is the tech guy, I’m just saying I let James Dolan do the hiring and he said to stick with his guy.