The Jazz played their best game, they were the aggressors on Friday night. In the first quarter D-Will was penetrating on Fisher (as Darius pointed out, often going away from the pick and just taking him off the dribble), plus Carlos Boozer found his game near the basket and that confidence extended to his jumper (he had 12 makes, 7 in the paint and 5 outside it, but his early baskets, all but one in the first half, were in the paint).
And as Reed who was at the game said, that crowd is very loud and fueled the Jazz.
That said, the Lakers lost by just five. The question is: Confronted by the best and most desperate team they have faced so far, how do they adjust and respond? That means personally, as well as team adjustments.
Some other thoughts:
• What stymied the Lakers offense was turnovers — 20.5% of Lakers possessions ended in a turnover. We discussed this before the series, but the Jazz can play well in transition and to beat them you need to limit the easy baskets they get in transition and early in the clock. Turning the ball over that much feeds the transition game, and with D-Will being so aggressive it meant some early lay-ups that got the Jazz going.
• In the first two games, the Lakers got some buckets early in the clock as well by pushing down court then getting the ball into the post. In this game, it seemed the Lakers settled for a lot more jumpers and three-balls in those situations (I didn’t chart the shots, so that’s just my feeling). Missing threes fueled the Jazz transition as well.
• Pau Gasol is not a soft player. We’ve had this discussion about Odom and a host of other players – do not expect them to be what they are not. Pau Gasol is 7 feet but don’t expect him to play like Andrew Bynum or Patrick Ewing. He brings a different skill set, one that is a perfect triangle fit, but don’t expect him to be a banger with his back to the basket every trip down. That is not his game.
• That said, Gasol needs to take a lesson from Kobe about playing through the physicality of the Jazz and not looking to the refs. He’s clearly thinking and not reacting, not going after his man when single-covered. He needs a couple of early buckets of his own creation (not a Kobe dish for a dunk) early in the game.
• I think I could change out the word Odom for Gasol in the above paragraph and it would still apply,
• Bill Bridges said it and I think we all agree – Less Farmar, more Sasha.
kwame a. says
I expect to see Odom on Boozer more next game. We need Odom closer to the hoop, he is our only reliable rebounder.
Turiaf had a strong game, he should get some more minutes, same for Luke.
Farmar is a deer in headlights right now, 1-16 is unacceptable
We did not run a lot of (effective) Kobe/Pau pick and roll. When we did run it the Jazz did a good job of chokin off Pau’s angle to the hoop. What I found most problematic is that we have a counter to that, it’s the quick interior pass from Pau to Odom. 2 reasons that didn’t work last night is 1) Pau held the ball too long and 2) Odom was not under the hoop, he was on the perimeter. Pau had a terrible first 3 quarters, but his teammates didn’t help because they were not moving like they had been in the first 2 games (and they were being held, but hey, that’s splitting hairs)
nomuskles says
the lakers didn’t do a good job of exploiting their mismatches like they did against the nuggets. The pick and roll should be much more effective than it’s been for us so far. And everyone is in agreement about the abundance of turnovers
Vincent says
I’ll be there on Sunday to cheer on the Lakers
rufus says
I concur with kwame a.
chris h says
of course, the Laker team, orgaization and fans would love the see the team go undefeated for the rest of the playoffs, never to lose a game ever again, maybe next year, we could go 82 and 0, considering we’ll have Andrew and Trevor back…but wait, wake up, that was a dream, (a nice one though), so let’s get back to reality…
I feel the team knew they would have an almost impossible task of sweeping the Jazz, they are too tough and we all know how tough an elimination game is.
so, best case, we win out, (a bit unrealistic)
second best case, we get a split, and if that’s the case, is it better to win the first and lose the second of a 2 game “away” stand? or is it better to lose the first, (their toughest and most important stand) and win the second? this way, we go back home with a little “mo” and can put it away in game 5 at home.
that sounds like the best possible scenario.
(and worst case…we lose both, but I didn’t want to add this to the scenarios…I don’t think our team will allow this one)
CTDeLude says
watched the game at 2 in the morning via DVR. My gawd, everything the refs were calling in the first two games they weren’t calling in the first 2 and a half quarters. I mean I’ve never seen so much pushing in the back ever.
That said the physicality did go way up and at least Kobe responded (I know they lost but that off the backboard dunk was sick) so hopefully the rest of the team will.
I also think the intensity will NOT match game 3 when they play on Sunday. Just seems to me that it is hard to maintain that from game to game despite the fact it’s the playoffs (more like you can turn it up in certain quarters.)
So we lost by five and had there been less miscues or the Jazz weren’t as hot as they were that final two minutes between Boozer and Okur everything would have been ripe for the plucking. Let’s hope the Lakers can respond in kind.
the other Stephen says
did boozer’s words about the game prompt “thinking and not reacting?”
namotuman says
last nights game was the first that the opposing team threw up true roadblocks w/some foundation to them. it was a good wake up call to demonstrate what the lakers will have to overcome to take a road win. kb24 and fish will lead w/orchestration by PJ and staff to play thru these roadblocks. imo, the loss was more mental than anything else, the jazz shifted gears to grind and we had players that have not, did not adjust to the style (pau, walton, farmar for the most part). these guys have not experienced anything past the 2nd round. better mental preparation is needed, but now the stage has been set and will be anticipated better in the next game. adaptation is absolutely necessary to win road games in the playoffs…….
Craig W. says
We are all talking about Pau and how he needs to adjust to the more physical play. What about Lamar. It was Lamar who had the majority of the turnovers in the 1st half. His decision making was horrid and when things got rough he started hanging out at the 3pt line again. If Pau and Lamar were stinking up the joint, Farmar couldn’t hit a barn door from the inside, and Kobe tossed things away for about 5min there, it says something about us that we lost by only 5.
It wasn’t the refs this game. We saw the enemy and it was us. Thank god I didn’t have any hard objects or I would have broken my TV screen.
kwame a. says
9-Craig, I think Pau was the culprit for the turnover brigade in the first half, but Lamar defintley got lost on the perimeter for long stretches, ala, pre-Pau
pw says
Everybody’s is talking about the offense. While I agree the offense was not as good as usual, we still shot 48.5% which is not bad.
But what about the defense? Okur and Boozer were getting open looks every offensive possession. Lamar was standing in the paint and failed to close-out on Okur at least 10 times. Knowing that he’s a streaky 3-pt shooter who is hot on this particular day, why leave him open on every possession. The same for Boozer. Boozer made 3 consecutive 17-footers. When he’s shooting those, why leave him open. Lamar/Pau are again responsible for this.
When the Lakers needed a stop desperately to pull close and when Kobe was going off like crazy on offense, we could not produce one stop to make the game closer. That was what was lacking. Playing like this, it will be hard for us to win a game where we are trailing in the 4th quarter.
Snoopy2006 says
Continuing the discussion in the game chat, I agree that Pau has fit in seamlessly with this team. However, I respectfully disagree with one of the later posts and stick by my first point – when Pau came over, many of us thought we were getting a franchise player. In other words, a guy who had the offense run through him…a guy who had to face constant double teams and play through them. You would think such a guy can at least get 3-4 buckets of his own creation at will when Kobe is sitting. And I just haven’t seen that so far. 15 of Pau’s 20 ppg come from bunnies created by the attention Kobe draws.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way undermining the contributions Pau has made, and this is not a knee-jerk reaction to Game 3, as I’ve been thinking this for a while. But even when Pau is ‘on,’ I don’t necessarily see a franchise player or a guy who led his national team to the gold.
Snoopy2006 says
By the way, I just wanted to say that I (and I’m sure everyone) appreciates the reasonable discussion that takes place here at FBaG.
I checked the ESPN comment board for last night’s game, and I was shocked at the kind of hateful comments that were posted there. Pure hatred and unclassiness (is that a word?) by both sides. Most of the comments I can’t even repeat here, not because of profanity, but because of how shocking they were.
So thanks to all the Jazz fans who’ve been posting here and keeping it classy and representing your team well. And to the Lakers fans as well.
akamoroti says
I had the same thought on Farmar and Sasha. As I posted on my blog last night.
Bill Bridges says
Other than the obvious plays at the end of the game that finally determined the winner (Luke’s fumble, Kobe’s slip, and Boozer’s rebound and make after his missed FT), there were 2 critical plays. The first profoundly affected the game. The second could affect the series.
The first critical play was early in the 1st quarter when Fisher picked up his first foul. A cheap, incidental contact play when Fisher and Brewer were running through the lane. This kind of contact happens every single play without being called. The only time the call gets made is when the offensive player is impeded by the player who is defending him. The reason this cheap call is important is that without this there is no second foul. The second foul on Fish created the necessity to call on Farmar early. In some ways the Lakers would have been better off playing 4 on 5. Mister 1-16 is a tax few teams can overcome.
The second critical play was AK’s block on Gasol’s dunk. Like all of you, when the play unfolded, I was sure that Gasol would dunk and hopeful that this dunk would help get him out of his funk. Instead, Kirilenko’s dunk squeezed Gasol deeper into the funky hole he’s found comfortable recently. Ending the first half at 10 pts and 5 boards, he ended at 12 and 6. Gasol is obviously thinking too much, holding the ball and waiting for cutters. What is needed is some quick moves, even if open teammates are ignored, early in the game. The complete reverse of Kobe. Instead of being unselfish early and then taking over. Pau needs to be selfish early so that he can pass late. The problem for the team is that I think Gasol is having flashbacks to his Grizzly days when he couldn’t handle the pressure and physicality of the playoffs. If can’t exorcise these demons, it will profoundly affect this team, if not this series, then surely the next (two).
Of course we are heartened that while the Jazz 3 all played well, shot over 50% and controlled the tempo, the Lakers still were within a 3 pointer of tying the game with under 2 minutes to go.
I had a comment in the previous post about the Lakers players underperforming thus far. Of those, only Turiaf stepped up. In fact you can argue that only Kobe, Turiaf, and Fisher played well. What was proven in game 3 is that even with several key players underperforming, the Lakers can make it a close game. If these same players just bring their games back up to par, the Jazz have no chance.
Phil: Please go with the Sasha/Kobe backcourt just once – trust me, you won’t regret it.
Infact, I wouldn’t mind Kobe at the point (or LO as the point forward) and Newble at the 2 (defensive rebounding improves immediately). Anything to keep Farmar off the floor.
LA BALL TALK says
Great break down, thank you…
inwit says
Random thoughts:
Pau and Farmar were horrible.
Although I’m far from an expert on the Triangle offense, is Pau supposed to be getting the ball 12-15 feet out to create off the dribble? He had no good passing angles from there and as soon as he put it down on the floor he was double-teamed and would commit a turnover.
The Jazz only scored 104 points, which made the game very winnable for the Lakers if they executed on offense. But their defense failed to get stops down the stretch.
Boozer was incredible, but honestly, I think he played his best. He is an all-star but not all-world. He is better than he was in games 1 and 2 and not as good as he was in game 3.
The Jazz look better than they did against Houston, without let downs and uninspired play.
Somebody tell Lamar (who sometimes has the attention span of a 5 year old) NOT TO LEAVE OKUR OPEN AT THE THREE POINT LINE.
Maybe the Lakers should try some half court traps, etc. to try to take Daron out of his groove (especially when Farmar is in the game). The Jazz are like Knight’s old Indiana teams, when they get to their spots and can run their offense, they are tough to stop. Use quickness.
Why not try Sasha on Williams when Fischer goes out?
Finally Radman hit some shots – if he can’t hit open shots what is he good for?
REBOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lakers need Bynum.
wondahbap says
Kwame A.,
I’d also like to see more Kobe/Pau pick and roll also. They seemed to have forgotten about it since Pau 1st 10-15 games with the Lakers. Are they saving it??? Pau will get it together next game, now that he knows what calls he on;t get and that complaining will get him nothing but beat down the floor.
carter blanchrd says
Am really enjoying watching Mo Evans right now. Happy to see him playing well.
alex v. says
It’s never good to see the Lakers lose, but it was too good to believe that this team was going to go 16-0. Hopefully they can learn and adjust from this loss in a very hostile environment. I’d like to believe Phil is playing for the long-term as well, so letting Farmar get extra-crisped now might mean we get more from him down the road. I also think we may have seen Utah’s best game, while the Lakers have a lot of room to improve.
Two comments about the reffing: I think the NBA has created a weird situation where they’re letting more physical play go on in the paint while still calling hand-checks out on the perimeter. Regardless of which side you’re on, it’s tough to see a guy get body-blocked off the court for no call and then five seconds later see someone whistled for a touch on a guard dribbling around mid-court.
Second, I think Kobe’s self-enforced “don’t talk to the refs” rule because of his season tech total has served him well. Maybe it’s just due to play-off focus, but he’s immediately moving in transition defense rather that stopping to bark at the refs after every drive. As someone else said, Pau needs to start doing that as well.
Andreas G. says
Just a quick answer to Snoopy2006:
Being half spanish, I’ve been following Pau throughout his career, and he is indeed capable of creating basket of his own. It seems to me however that he still isn’t 100% after his injury. Sure, he had the huge game 1 vs Denver; but what was mostly easy ones around the basket. Since coming back from the injury, he hasn’t been hitting his normal jumpers with regularity, his free throw percentage has been down, and he also seems to be less effective off the dribble.
I tend to think that this is due to some lingering pain in that ankle. Unfortunately, the play-off schedule doesn’t exactly allow players to heal up completely. I’m hoping of course that Pau will be able to regain his swagger as the play-offs progress, but there is a risk that we’ll see him at 80% for the remainder of the season.
That being said, 80% can still be good enough for 30+ points on any given night when playin along Kobe Bryant. And I will certainly expect Pau to play better than in game 3 the rest of the series (and perhaps even getting a call every now and then?;)).
kwame a. says
Great points Alex, especially the perimeter/post comment.
tonystarks says
“Gasol is obviously thinking too much, holding the ball and waiting for cutters. What is needed is some quick moves, even if open teammates are ignored, early in the game.”
^ Been thinking the same thing Billy. When he’s getting the ball, he’s being way too passive, he’s become predictable. Totally agree with Bill. Be aggressive early, take some shots and make the D respect that part of your game.
Gatinho says
Pau Gasol was treated to a lesson in playoff basketball by Sloan’s squad. The question becomes what kind of student is he? How steep is his learning curve?
I’m thinking that Phil will live and die with him in Game 4 like he did in game 3. He knows if this team is going to have a serious playoff run that the education and growth of Pau Gasol is paramount.
Snoopy2006 says
Andreas G – Thanks for the insight, that makes sense (I had forgotten about his ankle, to be honest). And I agree, a 80% Pau is still a beast.
11 – Amen. I agree that our offense can be fixed simply by taking better care of the ball and making quicker decisions. However, I think this game raised serious questions abour our defense. Lamar looked like the Space Cadet with his D in Game 3. And Pau looked incapable of stopping Boozer when he got hot. I agree with whoever said Lamar should switch onto Boozer and Pau onto Okur.
The Fanalyst says
The sky isn’t falling. The Lakers lost a basketball game, and by my count, they lost 25 or so in the regular season. Not bad in either direction. I know that no one thought Utah was going to take a sweep in SLC with the way they play there. But it’s completely, completely, completely absurd to think they can keep this up against a superior opponent in the Lakers. We’re just better than them and they “stole one” on their home floor. Big deal.
My vex here is simple: I used to hear “wait till Bynum is back” and now hear “trade Bynum for Marion” and so on, since Andy is still ailing and we might forget what a factor he is. Also, “Pau is a gift and a savior” and now it’s “Pau isn’t a premier player” and “not a force or an All-Star”. Please, he had a bad game. When is the last time you had a week without a bad day? Opinions are really great from respectable people only if they are consistent. Otherwise, it’s rambling and random diatribes that aren’t appreciated or thought evoking.
Lots of people think things about Kobe, how he’s great in a winner and selfish, repulsive in a loser. What about the fans? How can anyone criticize him when all his hard work goes in to it and we simply spend time writing about it and expressing opinions? I usually try to make light comments here, to joke some, but this digression into instant oblivion is neither sane nor just (I know I’ll be replied with “nobody is claiming oblivion” but it is thinly veiled at this point, folks, from many bloggers here). They lost a game on the road against the toughest home team in the league. Bynum will come back (whenever, maybe next year) and be a force. Pau isn’t a softy, a second-tier player, or a bust. And all will soon be right with the world. So calm down everyone and stop Kobe-ing Kupchak with arm-chair GM skills. The Hornets are next and then we can start seeing why Kobe was the MVP instead of CP3. Coming soon to a Staples Center near you…
Darius says
I know we had a ton of turnovers, and we can all pitch in a harsh comment about Farmar’s and Pau’s poor play. But, I gotta agree with those that have mentioned defense for what ailed us in the third game. Even before Fisher went to the bench with his 2nd foul, it was clear that the Jazz had tinkered with there sets; trying to break down our defense by getting into the lane more.
*They set up screen actions along the baseline in order to get the ball in a lower position on the court and then made entry passes to Boozer where he had better opurtunities to score.
*They ran less P&R to let Deron work on his own more.
*And when they did run P&R, Deron would go opposite the screen, Boozer would still roll, and Okur would slde to open space along/above the 3pt. line. This action meant that when our big man would *show* on the screen, Deron was going the other way and Boozer would essentially slip the screen leaving our big man a little out of position in his recovery to his own man (the screener). Meanwhile since Deron is going away from the screen, our other big is forced to stay in the lane to help on the penetration and Okur is open floating around the arc. This isn’t that hard to stop if we’re containing penetration when the ballhandler goes away from the screen. But we weren’t. Fisher and Farmar were both getting beat by Deron on this type of action and it severly compromised our defense. Especially when you consider that Lamar already has a “help” mentality, making it even more sever when he is matched up with Okur on a night where he had it going.
I really think we just need to tighten up our defense to keep the Jazz out of rhythm. In the first two games, we let them run their sets….but since we’re familiar with their sets this allowed us to sqeeze them and make their offense less effective. We pushed their offense further from the hoop, dictated where the next pass would go, and then used our quickness and length to contest shots. In game 3, they went away from their traditional sets more and we did not have solid defensive responses to what they were doing. We broke down. If we come back in game 4 and have some answers for limiting Deron’s penetration while being able to defend the rim and effectively rotate to the 3pt line, the Jazz will have to adjust again, and we will again have an advantage (their offense will be put on it’s heels and our offense is really tough to completely stop). Is this easy? No. If it was easy to defend the rim AND the 3pt. line when getting beat off penetration, Phoenix and Goldent State wouldn’t lead the league in scoring every year. But we can start by not letting Deron beat us when he goes away from the screen….funnel him (as best you can) to the screen and then play your regular defense. We have to make the Jazz reactive on Offense like we did in the first 2 games. Easier said than done, I know…
Emma says
13 – That’s why I continue to come here to this board, as opposed to many others. The signal-to-noise ratio here is virtually at 100%. Thank you, Kurt, and all the reasonable yet passionate fans who post here.
I wonder what’s going on with Farmar. It’s not like he doesn’t have big game experience, with the trip to the Final Four and last year’s playoffs. Is there a “sophomore wall”?
lakerfan101 says
Well this will work out after all. Take game 3 in Utah Sunday, then finish it up at home Wednesday.
Good luck Lakers.
TV boy says
I was watching ABC today. They had on a Laker assistant coach. They were saying Pau would try and dribble, but the Jazz would muscle him around while he’s trying to dribble, and for a big guy it’s hard to handle the ball. Hence the turnovers.
He needs to react faster while in possession of the ball.
Kobe was saying how they need to give Pau the ball when it’s easier for him to just grab and shoot.
Reed says
In the big picture of things, I’m somewhat game 3 happened as it did. Even without Bynum and Ariza, I think we probably have the most talented rotation in the league — at least in terms of how the talent fits together to maximize production. But, the team has not been through the wars together as a group (like the Spurs and Pistons). Most title teams have to make a few deep playoff runs and fail a few times before the players learn how to block out pressure and execute in the most intense situations (see Kobe v. Utah, airballs). While every game is critical, I’m still happy that Farmar, Sasha, Pau, etc. skinned their knees a little when we were up 2-0 and still competitive in the loss — as opposed to when we were down and desperately needing a win. The first two games afforded us a little breathing room and Utah is a great environment in which to refine our young players. Hopefully, the mature quickly into Fisher’s, Horry’s, Shaw’s, and Foxes, and not Christie’s, Barbosa’s and Peja’s.
I’ve also been thinking about the team’s freakish offensive efficiency with Gasol (blocking out the last game). Since 1980, the team with the highest offensive efficiency was the 1987 Lakers at 115.6. The Jazz led the league this year at 113.8 (using Basketball Reference’s numbers). While I don’t have stats for the team since the Gasol trade, with him on the floor, the Lakers have a 119.4 rating. I imagine that in the 30+ games he’s played, the team’s rating probably threatens the 87 Lakers all time mark.
I throw this out as an open question: why is the team offensively dominant on such a historical level with Gasol?
Factors that come to mind:
*Shooting. Every player in the rotation (going 9 deep) can shoot consistently out to 20 feet. All but Turiaf and Gasol can shoot the 3 reasonably well. How many other teams can we say that about? There are no weak links offensively that teams can sag off of. This creates perfect spacing for cutters, penetration, and Kobe — leading to high % shots on most possessions.
*Continuity. Besides Gasol, the team has been together for a few years. They know each other’s games inside and out. They know where everyone likes to receive the ball and where they aren’t effective. Gasol has such a high IQ that he fit into this seamlessly. Also, it’s one of the few teams where players don’t (usually) try to do more than they are capable of (I think Phil should get credit for this — defining positive roles and enforcing accountability).
*Versatility. Kobe can play the perimeter or post up; he can attack or pass. Pau can post up, shoot the midrange jumper, and pass from the high post. Odom can penetrate, cut, and pass. Fisher, Walton, Turiaf, and Radmanovic are skilled, natural passers (not sure about Farmar and Sasha). The personnel is Tex Winter’s dream with players able to fill all five spots in the triangle interchangeably.
*Kobe. When things break down, he’s better at making a high % shot out of nothing than anyone.
kwame a. says
Best reason to win tommorow..we don’t have to go back to SLC. I think Lakers win tommorw and win in 5.
SuperS says
Jazz fan here, first off great site you got hear. I really enjoy the comments, nice to get the opinions of intelligent, classy basketball fans.
Just a couple of comments in response to what I have been reading here. First off in response to Boozer being at his best in game 3, this was not the best I have seen him play and he is capable of that type of game on any given night. I would love to seem him go off like this again tonight.
Despite the obvious improvement from games one and two, I still feel like the Jazz are not playing at their best and am waiting for that game they will play to their full potential. After watching the Jazz all season I can say they are capable of much more then they showed in game 3. Hopefully this game will come tonight, because I don’t see the Lakers turning the ball over 18 times again. It was frustrating watching them let you guys back in the game with those three straight turnovers in the fourth and we need to do a better job of closing out games This has been a fun series to watch thus far and a true test for my Jazz on their quest to become a championship caliber team.
May the best team win. Good Luck!
Bill Bridges says
Excellent observation Darius re: the PNR. By the middle of the 4th, the Lakers had figured this out. They adjusted the rotations and Fisher caused Williams to turn over on consecutive possessions.
Just watched the practice report and don’t like what I see from Pau. He admitted that he lost confidence during the game. I hope Phil has set-up plays to begin the game to get Pau going.
drrayeye says
The wierdest thing to me about the playoffs, this round, is that all four home teams won the first two games and lost the first away game. Considering that the Lakers only lost by 5, and Boozer only had 4 fouls, and the Lakers committed almost as many fouls as the Jazz . . . . .well, you see where this is going. It makes you think.
Detroit is the farthest along, and they won the first visitor victory in this round of the playoffs (by one point), so maybe we get a chance to follow suit?
Do we know who is doing the refereeing?
kc says
even though i believe it’s all about here and now in nba, and perhaps that’s the reason why everyone’s so harsh on farmar.
watching him in game 3, it frustrated me to no end, couldn’t hit the open jumpers, couldn’t finish a layup, couldn’t guard the ball. but really, i think it also has to do with the utah’s fans that created all those as well. i’m sure farmar isn’t sitting in his room thinking, dang, i gave my best… what i’m saying is it is a good experience that farmar is experiencing these playoff intensity farily early in his career. i’m more interested in how he rebounds from these slump he’s in.
having said that… i think there is a conspiracy somewhere to keep the series a tad bit longer… which translates to… $$$ (for the league to run the commercials, home teams to coup some of the costs through extra ticket sales…)
Kurt says
game 4 chat up
Sean Douglas says
Bob Horry: When Push comes to Shove
There is one thing about Bob Horry we all know: He knows how to win a big ball game. Whether it be by hitting a game winner or changing the course of a series in his favor by making a dirty foul, he’s the go to guy. I remember when he was a Laker, I didn’t see him as a dirty player. He was just known for hitting clutch 3 point baskets going back to his days in Houston. Well, here we go again: The LA Lakers Vs. The defending Champion San Antonio Spurs. Wow. I can’t believe this is where we are. Lets forget for a second about the way the year started for the lakers and where they are now and lets focus on the fact that the Spurs found a way to make it to the Western conference finals despite being blown out and and beaten badly by the both teams it played in the playoffs this year. Wow… I was almost sure they would be eliminated by now. But those Spurs are tough man. They are scrappy, and with a guy like Bob Horry on your team, you have a weapon that few teams have. I don’t much appreciate that weapon any more. Gone are the days when I admired Horry for his seven Championship rings and his uncanny ability to hit the big shot when it mattered most. Welcome now the era of Bob Horry the Jerk. This guy is really looking like an a-hole to me at this point. I know most of you have seen the highlights of his most recent hard foul against David West of the Charlotte Hornets: Its been replayed over and over again but I can’t watch it without wondering how the league can overlook that kind of dirty play and not take action against him. Last year was even worse. Horry takes out Steve Nash in one of the most dirty plays I’ve ever seen and because the Phoenix bench jumps in the protect their guy they lost their top guys for a crucial game seven. David Stern penalizes both teams instead of seeing more clearly that that was a premeditated attack by Robert Horry that did exactly what he planned for it to do: Set the Spurs up to win the series and ultimately the championship. What a joke. The rules are the rules but sometimes a situation needs to be looked at as a singular event that has to be handled in as special way. The league and David Stern have no problem handing down stiff penalties and consequences to players, coaches and refs who violate it’s rules but when the rule book helps out one team while destroying another (see Mike D’Antoni’s subsequent firing) I think things need to be more thought out. I respect the Spurs very much and I am very scared of the prospect of them facing the Lakers this year. But on the other hand, if the Lakers are really the best then they should beat the Spurs this year…this is if Robert Horry doesn’t find a way to take a cheap shot at Bryant, Gasol or Odom and cripple the lakers chances with some ridiculously hard foul that should get him suspended indefinitely (but won’t). I mean hey, you have to respect his rings but lets play basketball here, not ice hockey. I see the Lakers taking it in seven with a Sasha Vujacic head butting Horry on his final last second 3 pointer that rims out… Getting both knocked out of the game: Sasha with the tech and Horry with a concussion. Go Lakers.
Sean Douglas
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