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Lakers/Magic Game 4 Chat

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Game 3: Magic vs. Lakers
I think I should come clean for the many new people here about why I am so confident the Lakers will beat the Magic in this series.

Simply put, my wife isn’t pregnant.

I have three amazing daughters, who I would not trade for anything on the planet. Not for 15 more Lakers championships I get to watch sitting next to Jack Nicholson. But the birth of my children has come at the expense of the Lakers. Let me break it down:

• Daughter #1, born during the 2004 NBA Finals, when Detroit beat the Lakers.

• Daughter #2, we went into the hospital in 2006 with the Lakers looking good, they would take a 3-1 series lead against Phoenix in the first round. They lost the series in 7.

• Daughter #3 born during last year’s Finals loss to the Celtics.

This year, no baby coming (not going to be any more, either). Ergo, the bad luck karma of me watching games on those little hospital televisions is gone. Nothing now stands between the Lakers and another banner.

Well, save for the Magic.

———————————————————————————

Great post over at the LA Times Lakers Blog today with assistant coach Brian Shaw talking about playing with Kobe that is a must read:

He’s getting better at sensing when the team needs for him to come out and be aggressive right away, and I think that end-game situations we sometimes become predictable. The ball is going to be in his hands, and he’s going to call Pau (Gasol) or somebody out to set a screen and roll, and we just kind of stand around and wait to see what he’s going to do. I think we need to mix it up a little bit more, but then again, that’s kind of the blessing and the curse of having him.

What I mean by that is, because he is so good, he can a lot of times beat two and three defenders that you put on him. And then at the same time that can be a curse, because then it takes the other guys out of rhythm when they’re open. If it’s five guys on the court you want them to do the right thing. If two people are on one player, it means that somebody else is open and the ball is supposed to find him. So we feel like it will all hash itself out. And we point it out to him when we watch film, “Hey, this guy was open,” and “Hey, that guy was open.” and then there’s times when they were open and he hits a miraculous shot. So it’s kind of one of those Catch-22 things.

Tonight, I think we see some good decisions when the pressure is on. And I just have a good feeling about this one.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Craig W. says

    I think the reason Brown is not replacing Sasha is that he just doesn’t know enough of the triangle offensive options yet. Phil is trying to get the guys to run the offense, rather than going 1-on-1 and falling into Orlando’s trap, and Brown doesn’t fit into that scenario.

  3. chris h says

    whew, got that one in there…(for Warren).
    now, to the game.
    we started to talk about this in the last thread…
    does anyone else feel that Shannon would be a good back up to kobe now rather than have Sasha get that PT?
    I for one, do feel that way.
    Sasha’s gone all mental now, it’s deep in his head and ain’t gonna get fixed all of the sudden.
    Shannon on the other hand, plays pretty confident, within himself, brings hustle and determination. his athletic ability is off the charts, and he seems to energize the team he’s out there on the floor with.
    thoughts?

  4. chris h says

    but Craig, isn’t it now about spacing the floor and being able to hit a shot when you’re open?
    sasha can’t for the life of him hit one now.
    and Shannon seems much more confident in his shot.
    and on the D end, I think he’s a better defender, quicker feet, better hops.

  5. Craig W. says

    All you have to do is look at game 2, where Shannon vacated the corner 3 to get a rebound, to see that he doesn’t have a full understanding of the offense. When the players are not following the triangle script enough and the coach is concerned about this, he won’t put in a player who is likely to take the Lakers further out of that offense.

  6. Craig W. says

    chris h.
    I do, however, expect Phil to use Shannon more in this game to spell Kobe – just because it is so evident that Kobe can’t play the entire game. I just think Phil will also have a quick hook and maybe replace him with Sasha, if he is botching up the offensive movement.

  7. chris h says

    yeah, good point on that play.
    but there were some moments against the Nuggets that he was a part of a momentum swing to our favor.
    like that dunk on birdman.

  9. Bernie says

    Hmmm…if the Magics win today, the Lakers should just buy that little kid and just have her sing every laker national anthem.

  10. Mimsy says

    #9 Bernie,
    And if they do, they can teach her how to hit the notes in the first strophe….

  12. melo55 says

    i heard something today, i wanted to see if you guys could tell me if it was true or not…..

    is it true that the lakers have not lost 3 consecutive games all season long?

  13. Bernie says

    I’m sure she would love to have lessons with Kris Allen and the other American Idols

  14. melo55 says

    why is this forum called blue and gold?

    shouldnt it be purple and gold?

    sorry this has been driving me crazy trying to understand the reasoning behind it

  19. Mimsy says

    I just finished my dinner of Chinese take-out and discovered to my great dismay that there is no fortune in my fortune cookie! The fortune cookie was entirely empty.

    This worries me. This cannot be a good sign.

  20. Andreas G. says

    melo55: Well Gasol is an insane talent, and if you pair him with Kobe….well;)

  21. melo55 says

    that stat is huge, it leads me to beleive that this series is going back to la game 6 as worst case 3-2….because orlando would have to win 3 in a row to make it any different

  23. anonymous says

    gasol must dunk it hard and get fouls on howard

    we are going to lose this game if we keep leaving wide open 3’s
    it is ridiculous to leave them wide open!

  25. Mimsy says

    I think that foul was caused by the Lakers getting in each others’ way and actually making it harder for each other to get that rebound. Bad communication there.

  26. anonymous says

    somebody please tell me why gasol has only touched it once! we will not win without getting him going and also fouls on howard

  31. anonymous says

    TERRIBLE start for us, wide open threes (i have counted at least 5), 2 offense rebounds allowed, and terrible ball movement on offense

  33. anonymous says

    I give up up harping on our defense – we apparently are willing to allow them to torch us from 3 point land – not even getting a hand up, and taking terrible offense shots

    can somebody please tell gasol he must two handed dunk it or he will keep getting blocked

  34. Kurt says

    Relax, some missed rotations early, but I am fairly sure this is still a close game. It’s going to a long night.

  36. Ryan says

    Howard is very active grabbing every rebound that is going anywhere near him. We need to sandwich him between two people. All 5 guys need to attack the glass, see if we can get some offensive rebounds. Particularly Odom. He is a much better rebounder than Lewis and needs to show it

  37. Andreas G. says

    I agree with Kurt, and also: Sure, two hands are nice – but it’s not possible every time..

  39. Mimsy says

    I still want our big guys to attack the paint. Right now, Dwight Howard has almost twice as many rebounds as the Lakers.

  42. anonymous says

    that was a terrible foul call on gasol- fouls will determine this game!

    i refuse to believe that howard has cleanly blocked all of those without a foul

  44. rhybread says

    @Kurt I’m not sure how you can take that view, as we’ve carried over the same bad habits and mistakes that led us to lose game 3.

  48. lakergirl says

    Orlando is clearly the agressor. They are running their offense and getting to their sweet spots. Lakers….we are not deceided yet

  49. chris h says

    the refs are doing their best to make this series go 7
    2nd foul on pau was BS
    then that foul on ariza…bahhh

  50. Will says

    And Howard is not at all clean on rebounds either but have yet to see a deserved loose ball foul on him. No worries though, Lakers need to get their shots to fall and we’re fine.

  54. Nick says

    Biggest problem so far… Ariza can’t keep Turk out the paint. Bad rotations are just compounding things.

    If Orl knocked down a few more 3’s were down 10 already.

    no flow on offense. It’s not looking good so far. We’ll see if we can get some ball movement soon.

  57. Kurt says

    Because the reason they are really behind right now is they aren’t hitting shots. The Lakers are shooting 33% and that is not so much the Magic as the Lakers. That will change.

    But go ahead, freak out. If it makes you feel better.

  58. chris h says

    again, Howard getting too many benefits of the zebras
    then that silly T on trevor
    more bahhh

  60. Nick says

    I really can’t stress how bad Trevor has been on D so far… its been pathetic.

    Just back up a step.. we can live w/ a pull-up of step back J from Hedo.

  62. Scot says

    Memo to Lakers – You know this is a Bennett Salvatore crew and thus the game is going to be called tight, so adjust accordingly!

  63. Curt says

    I’m curious to see if moving Mbenga into the game this early will hurt the chemistry and flow of the offense and defensive rotations

  64. Anonymous says

    They have to call that T. It’s in the rule book, something about throwing the ball.

  65. Mimsy says

    Don’t worry Kurt, we’ll calm down as soon as we remember that this year’s Magic are not last year’s Celtics…. that series last year must have been more traumatizing than we thought 😉

  66. emh101 says

    It will be interesting to see how our big men adjust to how the refs are calling the game.

  68. Mohan says

    I’m sorry but these refs are a nightmare. OK I’m not sorry. They’re a nightmare and something needs to be fixed.

  70. rhybread says

    I’m not worried about the offense, it’ll come to us, but the defensive commitment and effort we showed in Game 1 & 2 seemingly disappearing is what’s worrying. And not just for Game 4, but for Game 5 or 6 or 7.

  74. Ryan says

    The Lakers only have two players on the court that can score. Kobe and sometimes Farmar if he hits a shot.

  76. Will says

    Hey, Kurt, agree with you totally about just needing to let our shooting percentage come up. But as long as we have sympathetic ears here, it’s nice to be able to complain about Howard getting away with endless fouls on the body just because his arms are up so high that it looks clean.

  79. Ryan says

    Walton posting Battie. Thats interesting I know Walton played PF in college but Battie is quite a bit bigger than Walton.

  81. Kurt says

    Now, that’s what Darius was talking about. The Magic started that P&R two feet beyond the three point line. In that case go under, if Turk hits the three from 27 feet, so be it.

  85. Andreas G. says

    How good is it to have Kobe on your team? People should never be allowed to complain about him.

  87. Ryan says

    That was the best quarter I have ever seen from Howard. He grabbed almost every rebound that came within 5 feet of him, plus the 3 blocks, he changed 2 or 3 more, and he picked up the foul on Gasol for standing behind him.

  88. kehn says

    it’s a moral victory that we’re only down by 4 after the 4th – by all rights the deficit should be a lot more. If we can play thru the funk in the 2nd quarter and get our heads screwed on, we’ll be in a good position. We can hardly play worse, right?

  89. Snoopy2006 says

    Mike Breen scared me, I thought he said Pau, Drew, and LO all had “three” fouls. Must have heard him wrong. All in all, we’re in a good situation, being this close after losing our 3 best bigs.

    The Magic defenders really do an amazing job of denying the post entry pass and fighting Kobe for position on the block. Oh, and Reddick is not nearly as bad defensively as his reputation suggests, he’s improved a ton since entering the league.

  90. Ben says

    It seems like ORL is completely ignoring Lewis, or perhaps the Lakers are just defending him well. On the last possession Redick and Battie touch the ball but not Lewis? wow.

  92. Mico says

    This reminds me of a worse game 3…

    Kobe’s shooting keeping us in the game but it’s worse since our rotation out of whack due to fouls.

    That said, i still feel confident about the lakers chances tonight. I don’t know why, but there’s just something about this game.

  93. inwit says

    Alston needs to wake up. If he was that good he would never have been traded for chump change.

  94. chris h says

    ya know, I don’t mind a tighly called game as long as it’s consistent on both ends.
    I think Howard has gotten away with a few that also got us in foul trouble.
    let’s hope they watch film at half time and give us some make ups

  95. glove32 says

    can the Lakers afford to rest Kobe with Odom and Gasol in foul trouble? If Kobe does get some rest how long will he be out for?

  96. Franky says

    I noticed from the begining of the game, they were going under a lot of ball screens.

  99. TRad says

    We are losing FG% (big), rebounds (BIG), FTA – but are only four down. Magic TOs and Howard’s missed FTAs are keeping us in, but now it’s time for our TOs and Kobe’s not going to shot 5 FTA every quarter. I have bad feelings about this game.

  101. Mico says

    Dwight howard’s incredible rebounding ability coupled with Orlando’s bigs usaully playing the perimeter is contributing to his rebounding

    I really wouldn’t be surprised if he goes posts a 30-30 game someday (hopefully that happens next year and not this series)

  103. Will says

    Don’t know how good Alston is. Remember every point guard against the Lakers ends up looking like CP3. And he plays in an offense where there are enough other threats and enough passing that anyone is going to get open looks.

  107. LJAY says

    I know that you don’t like to say a thing about the refs, but right now it’s atrocious the way they’re letting Howard getting away with murder, when establishing himself in the low post, but calling any touch on him while triying just to defend the position.

    The T on Ariza was a joke…

  108. Mohan says

    Our bench is absolutely incapable. Whether we execute or not, they’re not getting it done.

  109. Kurt says

    I can live with Sahsa’s defense, I mean JJ hit a shot off the dribble and sliding right. Good shot. But if we’re not getting any offense might as well try Shannon. Or, I hear that Kobe guy can shoot.

  110. james says

    not happy with phil, mbenga should be in not powell and there is no reason for brown not to be in ahead of jordan and sasha

  113. glove32 says

    maybe if Sasha gets a layup or a dunk it might open the floodgates and his shots will start to fall (I hope)

  115. Will says

    Guys like Sasha are always a mystery. He used to be a guy you’d want taking open 3’s, and he is doing plenty of effort in taking extra shooting practice. What do you do when you just can’t ever get your first shots of the game to fall?

  116. inwit says

    Roll players hitting the 3 on the road is huge. Sasha is hitting the rim at least …

  117. chris h says

    this is friggin redonkulous…
    they are leaving sahsa wide open, daring him to shoot

    time for brown

  118. Zephid says

    Sasha’s form has always seemed off. Like his release point is too far forward, causing his shot to be too strong. I think if he brings his arms a little higher and further back, it’ll correct all his issues.

  119. anonymous says

    we are offensively anemic – i knew it would be too good to be true for us to shoot as well as we did in game 3

    everyone said we will def win this game b/c orlando won’t shoot 65% but what about us.

    this game is far from over but we are lucky we are even staying close b/c of orlando turnovers
    no offense whatsoever and bad defense wide open shots
    how come the lakers don’t get wide open shots because they can’t move the ball on offense and orlando plays defense

    pau should stop kicking it out to the loser lakers on the floor right now and take it everytime to the basket get howard in foul trouble

    why is content with jump shots
    we need to drive to the basket and stop shooting 3’s

    WTF vujacic in over brown? It seems like PJ wants to anger laker fans as much as possible

  120. Will says

    Guys, guys, the T on Ariza was entirely legit. The original foul call was suspect, but it’s still on Ariza to not bounce the ball afterwards and force the T call.

  122. anonymous says

    WHY IS KOBE NOT IN!!!!!!!! vujacic is still in there

    why does PJ like to let the lead get bigger progressively before he puts kobe in

  125. Chris248 says

    I have no problem with Sasha’s two attempts. They were wide open and they expect him to take those shots. I’d rather him take that then Josh take a contested free-throw jumper.

  127. Ryan says

    Gortat ran right through Luke, grabbed him then kept moving. I don’t know how that was not an offensive foul.

  132. anonymous says

    this is pretty much torture to watch

    i had a terrible feeling after game 3 when we looked so good that we wouldn’t sustain it for two straight road games

    the goal now should be to try to get it under 10 at the half

  135. Kurt says

    This game is far from over. And I’ll give you a hint — if the Lakers lose this game I’m still not going to freak out.

  137. Will says

    Great clip going out from commercial showing Kobe fighting with Lewis. Lewis fouls him multiple times, but the refs aren’t going to call that kind of thing, so Kobe figures out how to get it done and hold his position and get the loose ball against a larger opponent anyway.

  140. melo55 says

    you guys are getting really annoying with complaining about the fouls…Lakers have committed fouls, Orlando has committed 9 fouls

  142. Will says

    We’re not giving up on Odom yet. He’s one of our key guys and a key reason we’re going to win this series. He needs us to keep feeding him in position. The shots will fall.

  143. Josh says

    I know there’s a moratorium on venting…but somebody needs to step up and hit shots for the Lakers, or this deficit is only going to grow.

  145. Evergreen says

    Last plays I’ve seen glimpses of better execution in both ends, hope it’s not just a glimpse

  146. Snoopy2006 says

    I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s Truehoop post detailing the psychology behind the new ‘gum-chomping’ Kobe Bryant.

    Phil sounding mildly aggravated in the huddle. He’s right, we’re playing some ugly ball right now and still in this.

    I love what Kobe just said. I hated Farmar’s quote after the last game, being nonchalant and saying “They were on fire and we still barely lost.” Kobe’s right, this team is here because they can shoot. This isn’t the Sixers.

  147. Ryan says

    Gasol got called or a foul for standing behind Howard but he got hacked twice there in a row and couldn’t get a call.

  148. anonymous says

    kurt, at that point it had only been 10 once, yes you are right, what i was trying to say was to keep it under 10, is that unreasonable?

    i think since we are poorly that is what we can hope for to end the half – to remain in striking distance

  149. Mason says

    “Officials are now telling players on both teams to stop complaining…”

    Maybe if the officials didn’t suck, there would be less complaining.

  153. emh101 says

    Howard had a hand directly on Gasol’s back and used it to leverage the rebound.

  154. Alex says

    Mason,

    To be fair, I’d think players would complain even if the officiating was perfect.

  155. Ryan says

    That was a horrible play there by Powell. Have to put a body on Howard. He just stood to the side of him. Get in front of him and and make him get the rebound over you.

  156. Zephid says

    Aren’t Scot Foster and Bennett Salvatore the officials for this game? Didn’t we already go over the fact that those two make this game near un-winnable for us? Expecting a well officiated game from Bennett Salvatore is like expecting a cow to start barking and flying at the same time.

  157. Curt says

    As long as Powell and Mbenga are in the game, the lead won’t be closing that soon. They don’t have enough finals play so far to keep up with the level of play the others are playing with atm.

  159. inwit says

    How much do you want to bet the next time we see Javie is in game 6 or 7 in LA. In Orlando we only get the gutless officials.

  160. TRad says

    Kurt, it’s not about the score, it’s about how we are playing. If not for Magic TOs we would have been down 20.

  162. glove32 says

    Lakers need to do a better job on the boards. Howard has as many rebounds as the entire Lakers team

  163. E-ROC says

    I’ve always been a fan of JJ Redick. People keep labeling him bust for some reason and its just not true.

    The Lakers are still moving the ball around and they are getting open shots. They are just not falling. The Lakers need to tighten up their defensive rotations too.

  164. melo55 says

    zaphid, what is the thinking behind salvatore not giving the lakers a chance to win?

  166. Joe says

    I turned on the game and watched about 5 minutes of the second quarter. I gota say, with the way the Lakers are playing, I dont have a good feeling about this one lol.

  171. Evergreen says

    Is it me or everyone in Orlando is having good games? Contrast that against Kobe and little else… this may change but right now I don’t see it

  172. Will says

    I think the bottomline in this game is whether the Lakers are going to ignore the way the refs are calling and find a way to make their shots and make things tough on the Magic offense anyway. I appreciate some level of complaining, because some of it does work. Let Kobe and Jackson work the refs between plays because they know what they’re doing. But when the ball is in play, it’s just a question of how are we going to win no matter what the refs do.

  173. Josh says

    I don’t think I see any freaking out here, just a lot of irritation that is merited. If not for dumb fouls and bad decisions on the part of the Magic, this would be a blowout for them right now. There’s no reason at all to feel good about how the Lakers have played in this first half so far. Doesn’t mean the game is lost, but some things definitely need to change.

  174. Will says

    By the way, can we have more Powell and MBenga fouling Howard? 2/7 on the night from the line…

  177. Zephid says

    Bennett Salvatore is the worst official in the entire association. He consistently calls terrible games, missing calls, calling phantom fouls, and his reputation as being susceptible to fan pressure preceeds him. He is far and away the worst official in the league.

  187. emh101 says

    The Lakers are out of sorts. There is no flow to their offense or defense. Orlando’s doing or their own?

  188. Anonymous says

    Lakers have not shown that they are capable of winning this game…the only reason they’re down only 12 pts is because of orlando’s turnovers.

  189. james says

    officiating’s been brutal but we’ve been awful, role players have completely shrunk

  191. Mohan says

    Reed – why bother when the Lakers are already doing that for you?

    8-18 Kobe and Pau, 6-23 rest of the team.

  194. Scot says

    Howard is an absolute monster and is destroying us – amazing defense. He definitely is improving against us every game. We are in big trouble if the trend continues.

  195. anonymous says

    forget the refs people

    we are playing badly – we have no one absolutely no one other than pau or kobe who can score right now
    how on earth can one win a championship doing that

    our ball movement is terrible – we are letting the refs psych us out instead of thinking “hey we’re still reasonably close” and executing our offense

    i just don’t see how we can win a championship with such stagnant offense
    the magic are 10X more consistent than we are (magic only had one bad game this whole playoffs – game 1)

    can you imagine if they had only howard and turkgalu able to score – it would be a joke

    and yet i was told to relax – when i said try to keep it under 10 at the half

  197. Will says

    37 points for the half and only 5 assists for the whole Lakers team. That is the story right there. Even if we had a few more foul calls go our way, that is NOT the Laker offense I know.

  199. BH says

    I hope this proves to the Lakers management, Odom is worth $5 million a year, no more.

  200. Mimsy says

    When I see games like this I understand why there are conspiracy theories about the league using the refs to draw out a play-off series… because if I was inclined to believe those theories I would be seeing proof in this game. I don’t believe in them, so I don’t, I just see glaring incompetence in tonight’s refereeing.

    That frustrates me most about it is that there is absolutely no way the Lakers can stay 100% focused on the game and on the Magic when they have that nagging irritation on the refs in the back of their head every time they run up or down the court. And that, in the long run, is going to hurt the entire league, if they don’t get some competence increase in their pool of referees soon. The flow of the game and the rhythm or any teams’ offense is crushed by inconsistent calls, and that goes for both teams on the floor. Supposedly, anyway.

  204. magic says

    I’m not really liking this 2-3-2 format. If our role players can’t step up this is going to cost us.

  205. Zephid says

    lol, during the replay shown right after Howard’s half-time interview, shows him fouling Gasol twice on one possession, Hilarious.

  206. Anonymous says

    Powell hasn’t played that badly given his situation. The offensive foul he got on the moving screen was Kobe’s fault anyway for not letting him get set.

    Lakers are playing frustrated and not smart, hopefully halftime changes that and we come out more patient and calm.

    Play fast but don’t rush – just like Coach Wooden said.

  208. Buttas says

    We have to get tough and come out strong in the 3rd. The first 5 min in the 3rd should tell us all we need to know about our chances to pull this one out.

  209. Shaky says

    Dwight howard being interviewed about their defense when they’re playing against kobe and our 2nd/3rd unit… seriously?

    gimme a break. This will even out… I hope.

  211. Joe says

    Im debating if I should watch the second half, you know, I dont think the Lakers can play any worse, so i just might.

  212. austro says

    hi everyone! anyone got links to the game?? nothing seems to work 🙁
    hoping to see the lakers come back big in the second half

  213. Anonymous says

    Nothing is coming easy for the lakers offense…gotta give credit to the Magic’s defense.

  214. Scot says

    It’s amazing how being on the road is kryptonite to role players. I guess that’s why they are role players, but you would think an NBA-level player could fight through it. Very disappointing.

  215. Josh says

    As an aside- I’m loving these “frustrated Lebron” Nike Puppet commercials. The “2010” while lifting weights in Kobe’s gym is hilarious.

  216. 91601guy says

    If the Lakers start hitting some makeable shots, they’re back in it. But this is why I was so disappointed in not getting game 3, you can’t count on having a chance to win every game.

  219. anonymous says

    216, you are right, i have been saying this over and over like a broken record,

    i just can’t understand why he doesn’t do it, it’s soooo obvious

    in the pregame post i said fouls are the key to the game and so far that is true

    it’s not all bad calls – the magic are being more aggressive and testing the refs to make the calls
    while we are not driving at them

  220. Kurt says

    Here is what frustrates me, the “We can’t win a championship” crap. After an ugly half. You know what, if the Lakers lose this game and the next, they can still win the title by holding the home court we wanted them so badly to get. The huge leaps of logic based on emotion.

  222. Sal says

    Calm down people…remember game 4 of last year’s Finals when Boston was losing big to our Lakers, and came back for a dramatic win. Things aren’t as bleak as they seem…

  223. magic says

    If Kobe keeps taking shots even if he’s making them then we’re playing right into their game plan. See Cavs.

    We need to move the ball around and get guys better shots. Get Gasol and Odom going. Ariza has as many shot attempts as Gasol and Odom and as many points as Sasha.

  225. Craig W. says

    I know, this is only one game, but Lamar is Lamar again – I just can’t stand it. When he is good he is very, very good, but when he is bad he is horrid.

    If there is a decision this summer, games like this will decide it.

    I know, only two players really played at all in the 1st half. It is just that this is the type of game that we really need Lamar.

    If Lamar continually lets the refs take him out of games, we really don’t need him in crunch time.

  227. anonymous says

    Kurt, i am very sorry if i am frustrating you. Of course we CAN win a championship – i simply am pointing out that we can’t do it without our role players stepping up. Yes technically we can win losing the this game and the next but i think the lakers are too content to have such off games and expect to win. As things get more and more competitive we can’t have these night and day performances.

  228. Mimsy says

    We CAN win a championship. We just have to stop playing the way we have this first half.

    Bill Russell is jinxing us! That’s why we’re not winning! It’s the curse of Bill Russell and the Empty Fortune Cookie!

    Come on Lakers. Focus. Make shots. Keep playing defense. Fight back, and play like the true champions we know you are.

  229. Darius says

    It’s obvious that foul trouble has been our biggest issue. It’s limited our post play, it’s limited our ability to truly run our sets, it’s thrown off our entire rhythm, it’s neutered out interior defense, and it’s also distracted our focus as half our attention is on the opponent and the other half is on the guys with the whistles.

    I wish I had some suggestions, but I don’t. If I would say anything, it would be to just play hard and try to attack the Magic at both ends. If there was one thing that worked (albeit only on one play because we only did this once) it was the switch on the P&R where Odom ended up on Howard and Gasol played Lewis. Odom was able to cut off the Dwight’s angle on his dive and steer him towards the sideline rather than allowing Howard to take the direct path to the hoop that he normally gets on his free release on our typical show/recover P&R defense. Maybe we should try that more.

  230. magic says

    Can someone explain why we’re not taking the ball hard driving to the basket and hopefully get a foul on howard if not get a good shot? If we can get him in foul trouble then we won’t have to worry so much about him getting our bigs in trouble.

    also, i’m not liking this Bill Russell session with Dwight. it reminds me of last years russell chat with Garnett. Why can’t he sit down with Gasol or a Laker player? It might bring us a win.

  231. mike says

    hi guys.. i can’t watch the game as im at worrk… i can see from the box score that odom is playing.. can anyone confirm this? the numbers don’t look right…

  232. Craig W. says

    Well, when the refs were announced for these three games, one commentator said that game 3 was the one we should point at, because the refs got progressively worse for the last two.

    Point taken.

  233. Emma says

    I just checked the score — I forced myself to not watch the first half because I have a paper due tomorrow. I would be way more worried right now if not for the iron-clad guarantee represented by Kurt’s non-pregnant wife, lemme tell you that.

    Go Lakers!!! And… go me. Hope I can finish the paper on time.

  234. T Bone says

    Contemptuous reactions to foul calls are probably frustration from struggling offensively (see Ariza, Trevor and Odom, Lamar).

    Need to go after rebounds with two hands instead of the Statue of Liberty. Losing too many of the tip, re-tip scrums.

    Let’s see how Orlando handles their prosperity and the responsibility of closing out a game that’s going all their way. If the Lakers can keep it in single digits, I like their chances down the stretch.

  235. Craig W. says

    T Bone,
    Lamar has gathered rebounds with one hand for his entire stay with the Lakers – that’s the way he does it.

  236. Terry says

    Guys, you’re all missing the main point. The lakers can’t stop the 7 year old girl singing the national anthem.

  237. Mimsy says

    Oh yes, and what anonymous said in #228. Sorry for being a bit frustrating Kurt.

    I’ll start self-moderate from here on 🙂

  238. Darius says

    Rebounding with two hands is a lot easier when you’re not trying to hold off one of the dominant rebounders in the NBA with your off hand as he’s reaching above/around/jumping over you.

  239. Ben says

    Fun story. Out of interest I looked at all the finals teams that swept after game 2 when everyone started complaining that the media said a close game ruined their legacy (I didn’t see it, but I don’t look at the world through the most Laker purple colored glasses, anyway). It turns out, only a few were really remembered as awesome. 71 bucks and 83 Sixers are but most of the rest are remembered as part of dynasties or as pretty good teams. Heck, the Warriors scored a massive upset with a sweep, and that squad gets almost no respect.

  240. chris h says

    in the battle of mind games, I like that PJ is on our side.
    in his mid game interview he called the reffing bogus, knowing he’ll get a fine.
    so be it.
    it’s a 7 game series.
    magic gets this one and comes out overconfident in game 5, we get that one and win it out at home.
    could very well go 7 but we’ll compete in all of ’em…I hope.

  241. Darius says

    Also, right now JVG just showed Hedo going opposite of the P&R. That is one of our biggest mistakes when defending this play. Deron Williams killed us with this for the past two playoffs and Brooks did that some this playoffs as well. Force the ballhandler to your help.

  242. Josh says

    Also, you look at Howard’s numbers right now- and you wish that Bynum would take note: Howard doesn’t need to score 40 points, he just needs to gobble the rebounds and alter the shots and that’s exactly what he’s doing. Bynum needs to take note, because he’s been thoroughly outclassed in this series.

  243. magic says

    Does it seem like Bynum doens’t play with a lot of effort? Doesn’t really go after rebounds and then just reaches on defense.

  245. anonymous says

    i really don’t understand how we have two 7 footers and can’t rebound

    i am starting to think that a big physical center like howard is better than gasol/bynum

    gasol/bynum are not physical enough
    gasol is great finesse player but can’t get the contact needed to get close shots or get to the line – and he is being outrebounded

    it reminds me of shaq vs yao ming

    we are also letting them drive right to the basket

  246. glove32 says

    The Lakers shoud go to whoever Turkoglu is guarding and try to get his 4th foul on him

  249. Ryan says

    Great shot by Turk there. That was not an easy shot there. Its nice to see someone make a shot other than Kobe and Pau.

  256. Buttas says

    Stops are everything. If everyone can just give maxium effort. The Magic will let us turn them over. Just have to want it.

  257. Mimsy says

    Ariza has arrived!

    #244, Anonymous,
    Yes, we would. Because we are the Lakers, and we have faith in our team. We may be irrational, frustrated, screaming and angry right now, but when all is said and done, and when push comes to shove, we know we are the best team in the league. 😉

  258. Josh says

    ARIZA!!!!! That’s more like it.

    #243- I think what happens is that Bynum gets nailed with early fouls and then he starts to act like “what’s the point”? He’s not experienced enough yet to play through the frustration of being rendered ineffective by early foul trouble- but that’s also his own fault. He gets caught out of position all the time and then makes silly slaps at players once it’s too late to make any difference. There’s really no reason for him to be getting repeatedly clowned by a player who has inferior footwork, and gives up an inch and about 10 lbs, except that Howard simply has a much, much stronger base than Bynum. I’d like to see Bynum really focus on getting stronger this summer.

  259. Mason says

    I really don’t mind Turk taking that 18-20 foot fade away baseline J with a hand in his face. If he can make them, more power to him.

  260. Joe says

    Ok the Lakers have it to 5. If they can just keep it around this margin by the 4th quarter they got a good shot.

  264. Zephid says

    Bynum just needs time to strengthen his one knee. Other than that, he’ll be fine. His low post defense, his rebounding, rotating, lateral movement, all depend on that knee

  265. Jaybird says

    A few minutes ago Alston was seen on the bench arguing with SVG. We already know how fragile Alston is, and he just missed a poorly chosen 3 followed by a bad pass turnover.

    Lakers are right there.

  271. Jane says

    Reed…LOL!

    I am so confident the Lakers will win this one…they have never lost in the playoffs this decade when I wear my throweback Laker limited edition headband! Case in point: I lost it during the 2004 finals and was out of town in the 2008 finals & forgot to take it!!

  272. anonymous says

    that’s the way to do it

    only take wide open jump shots – otherwise drive to the basket and get to the line!
    i think kobe should stop taking highly contested jump shots unless he gets hot and drive to the basket

  281. E-ROC says

    Where in the blue hell is the damn foul? It’s a loose friggin’ ball!!!!!!!!!!!!

  283. Josh says

    That was definitely a bogus foul call on Bynum there for #4. What a bummer for him.

  284. lakergirl says

    Poor Bynum. They really pick on him. I didnt see the foul there. The ball just sailed on them both

  285. Snoopy2006 says

    Last year, Game 4, we were up by 24 and a chance to even the series. Boston crushed our spirits and essentially ended the series in that same game. Let’s do the same to the Magic.

    Love that hustle from Fish, not just a dive, but nearly tripped up and still scrambling to get to the ball any way possible.

  287. 3ThreeIII says

    You have GOT to be joking with that call on Bynum.

    He gets jobbed so much, and it’s no wonder he has such trouble getting into a groove.

    He had just gotten some good shots, was playing well, and then gets a phantom-around-the-back foul called against him. He was in better position for that loose ball than Howard.

    Grrrrr…

  288. Mason says

    Yeah… Props to Fish there. If Pau had made that play in game 3, the Lakers would have had another crack at it.

  289. magic says

    I think they are trying to make it up to Howard for giving Lebron all the calls in their last series and not Howard. so now Howard is getting the make up calls.

  290. VoR says

    Now that we are up can I ask, does anyone else think the officials are keeping Howard in the game? Has he really only committed two fouls this game?

    We won’t win or lose because of it, but I think after game 1 – they are trying to keep Howard in the game.

  292. anonymous says

    i think it’s obvious fouls on centers are called in favor of the more dominant player

    poor bynum – however until he establishes himself as a big time center and gains a bunch of muscle (he has plenty to grow into) he won’t get the same calls as howard

    it was the same for the world vs. shaq

  294. Anonymous says

    we better get crawford or salvatore when this goes back to LA. those two are so home team slanted.

  295. Josh says

    #292 True and say what you will about Shaq’s conditioning, he was at his most dominant during his time when the Lakers, when he was also at his biggest.

  296. Mimsy says

    i think it’s obvious fouls on centers are called in favor of the more dominant player

    Not the more dominant, the more aggressive. Act like you’re the winner in the match-up, and the refs will believe you. It’s basic psychology, and basic marketing. That’s why Shaq gets the calls.

  299. anonymous says

    gasol has to take that shot – making it way tooo easy for howard by not attacking him

  306. Anonymous says

    should have been a tech on that play. i disagree. only reason none was called is that both players would be 1 away from being out a game.

  311. Joel says

    As I’ve said before, Burke is the only sideline reporter who consistently asks sensible questions. You can tell she really knows the game.

  317. Mimsy says

    #306,
    Double tech or no tech. You’re allowed to get upset when someone grabs you and puts you back down on the floor 😉

  318. james says

    if kobe can get hot that would be nice, need to keep hedo in foul trouble he makes their offence tick, and phil please keep the rotations short

  321. Darius says

    Mason,
    When they were walking up court and Dwight was trying to tell Kobe something, I saw Kobe mouth that do Dwight. It was subtle, but it was there.

  325. melo55 says

    This game’s in the refrigerator: the door is closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard, and the Jell-O’s jigglin’!

    Lakers won this game.

    Lakers won the championship.

  326. Jane says

    Down by 12 at the half and up by 4 after the 3rd? Yeah, I would say that constitutes being pretty happy with the 3rd.

  328. Andreas G. says

    For all this talk about Kobe hitting the wall and such, he’s looking pretty fresh to me.

    I want to see a little bit more of Pau in the fourth, but I’m not complaining too much after that quarter;)

  331. kehn says

    Orlando still has a run left in them and won’t lie down; we gotta gotta keep up the defensive hustle and keep the floor spread on offense and work for good shots. *THIS* is when Pau has gotta get to work and start facilitating with low-post moves and kick out passes.

  333. anonymous says

    my biggest fear for the 4th quarter – is our bench – and if they will blow the lead right at the start or be able to maintain it

    opportunity knocks can we take advantage

  334. E-ROC says

    That was a big basket at the end of the quarter Kobe. Its a four point lead, not two.

  336. Reed says

    If we win this game, and the title, then it will be in no small part because with all turning dark Trevor Ariza stared at Kobe “MJ gum chewing” Bryant and said, “I will not forsake you; I will follow you.” That was a season defining quarter.

  342. Jane says

    It was true in game 6 against Denver & it’s true now…the agressor is the victor. Period. ORL is a good team…LA has to TAKE it, both from them and to them!!

  343. anonymous says

    thank goodness- kobe and pau still in! let’s build the lead and drain their hopes!

  344. Will says

    And let’s run everything at Hedo I wouldn’t mind him having to sit out most of the quarter like he did in the 3rd.

  345. E-ROC says

    Derek Fisher needs to be closer to the 3 point line. He’s too far off the line. His shots are coming up short.

  349. Mimsy says

    In basketball as in poker, a tie goes to the aggressor. I think we need to go all-in on the river here.

  350. lakergirl says

    328. Andreas G

    Q. Are you aware of how well you have played coming off a loss with one day in between games? You guys are undefeated, and you have played particularly well in those games. Is that a conscious thing on your part, and what is your reaction to some speculation that you may have hit a wall last night, that you’re tired?
    KOBE BRYANT: I mean, I’m aware of bouncing back after a tough loss. Hopefully we can do it again.
    As far as me hitting the wall, so what if I did? I didn’t, but so what if I did?

    Q. What does it mean if you did?
    KOBE BRYANT: It means nothing.

    Q. Because?
    KOBE BRYANT: Because I’ll run straight through it.

  354. anonymous says

    geez odom! how many times is that in this game – critical mistake – a 3 pt play

  357. Snoopy2006 says

    Did Fisher just drive into the paint…and score? As in, something good happened?

    Be still, my beating heart.

    Lamarrr…why…

  361. Mimsy says

    #BH,
    I’ll never defend that play by Lamar. I can off the top of my head think of about a few others he’s made that are very defensible though. A couple of 3-pointers in the last quarter, for one.

  363. Zephid says

    Yea, Odom doesn’t even need to jump to contest Turkoglu’s fadeaway. Turkoglu barely jumps two inches off the ground.

  364. anonymous says

    355, that was hysterical

    we have the chance to build a lead and the don’t execute

    why is gasol taking a jumper like that

    howard has how many fouls????? we should not be taking jump shots and kobe should drive from the top of the key

  367. Will says

    Hate to see 5 on Odom, but if the refs are going to be quick on the whistle for the rest of this game then considering there’s 4 on Howard and 4 on Hedo already, I think that works out in our favor.

  370. Snoopy2006 says

    Wow Monty wanted none of that from Lamar.

    Will Phil hold Bynum for the end? I say play Drew now, bringing in Mbenga or Powell could hurt us in a critical stretch.

  372. Andreas G. says

    How many compensation calls are that for the game? After that foul on Howard, I could have bet my life on that they were going to find something on the Lakers on the other end.
    Well lo and behold…

  373. Darius says

    I haven’t seen one 50/50 call that goes the Lakers way not be followed with call that goes against us. I’m not the type to rail on the refs – as for the most part, I think the players are the guys that impact the game and also have the ability adjust to how a game is being called. But on that last over the back foul on Gasol, he jumped almost straight up, Hedo was on the side of him and was trying an arm bar boxout on Pau’s ribs, but it’s a foul.

  376. Snoopy2006 says

    If Bynum fouls out soon, is it plausible to play Walton at the 4? Against Lewis it makes sense, and a Walton/Ariza combo is better than Didier or Powell.

  381. E-ROC says

    Kobe shouldn’t let the three point play happen. Foul’em hard and send him to the line.

  384. glove32 says

    Kobe looks like he is trying to force it right now. Lakers need to run the offense for the the shot.

  385. Mason says

    Kobe- I you’re going to foul him, foul him hard. Otherwise, get out of the way. Don’t let them call a cheapie and one on you like that.

  387. Mohan says

    Kobe is having a game 3 flashback. He really needs to figure out what he’s trying to do out there and get to some good spots on the floor.

    We can’t continue to blow opportunities like this.

  388. Steve says

    Kobe is out of it. Making poor decisions at both ends. Don’t know if it’s nerves or fatigue, or what, but he needs to snap out of it and step up.

  393. emh101 says

    Kobe gets battered in the lane and no call. Ariza looks at Hedo wrong and it’s a foul.

  397. Mimsy says

    I really really hope this doesn’t go to over-time. We’d have no one left! And how come we have committed 12 fouls and they none?

  401. Ryan says

    There is no ball movement right now. Need to go back to what they were doing in the 3rd quarter. Run the ball through Gasol in the post, drive and kick or some Kobe Gasol PnR.

  404. anonymous says

    I am so disappointed that fouls are going to decide this game – it is impossible to be so lopsided in one quarter!!

    the refs are letting orlando have every chance to win and we are helping them!

  406. Kurt says

    Lakers need to make smarter plays on the offense, Derek needs to know you can’t just float it over Howard like that.

  410. lakergirl says

    I dont know if this is going to make sense but i will try to articulate.

    Our problem is we try to make a shot instead of just trying to put points on the board. Somtimes we just need the freebies

  411. Josh says

    Fisher needs to know that Gasol was wide open when Howard came up to block that shot. Just a really stupid, stupid decision.

  412. emh101 says

    Kobe has been bumped several times on his shot and they are not calling it. That is frustrating.

  413. DRL says

    Ladies and gentlemen I give you D. Fisher, the worst starting PG in the history of the NBA Finals.

  415. james says

    surely kobe wont let us down again, 15 free throws to 0 in the fourth cant be fair

  416. inwit says

    Kobe wasn’t ready for the shot, too far behind the line.

    Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory …

    As I said, this 4th quarter might decide the series.

  417. 3ThreeIII says

    Phil! Fisher cannot guard a fast point gaurd. We need to bring Jordan in.

    Kobe! You are not going to get those calls. The referees will never call that against the home team.

  418. Alex says

    Lakers are getting called for touch fouls. Magic are not. I don’t get it. I just wish the game was called the same way on both sides of the court for 48 minutes.

  419. Mimsy says

    What on earth is happening to our offense? “Give the ball to Kobe and stand back and watch him take on four white jerseys by himself” is not a good offensive plan against the Magic. It’s too close to how the Cavs committed suicide in the Eastern Conference Finals.

    And Little Dezmond has to go from the puppet commercials. They were funny until he came along.

  420. Scot says

    Magic outplaying us in the 4th for the second straight game. Really think it’s an energy issue.

  421. yoo yoo says

    There should be an ivestigation into this series, and the NBA obvious fix on. I am hundred percent sure, as I was that the series was fixed our way against the Kings which ended up being true.

    Anyhow, Fisher is officialy the worst starting point guard in finals history.

    Phil time to hang it up as well.

  422. Will says

    You know, I actually really like the puppet commercials every time I see a new one. It’s the repeat rate that is the only downside.

  423. melo55 says

    Have the magic even been called for singe foul at all this quarter?

    Orlando has 1 team foul in the 4th quarter.

  424. Snoopy2006 says

    Derek needs to know that him running a PnR with Pau is not the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th option the team wants right now.

    Not that we pass it much to him anyway, but our tendency to go away from Pau down the stretch is really frustrating. Kobe is hitting tough jumpers, but those are much harder shots than what we’d get if the ball ran through Pau.

  425. Buttas says

    This is just frustrating to watch. It’s obvious that we will not get one call, fine. We must play through it and run the offense. It works, trust it. And we must have some Stops!!!!

  426. anonymous says

    We can only hope we make some bigtime shots – because we all know the problem now is the magic aregoing to drive it to the basket and get a close range shot or get to the line on every possession from here out

  428. Will says

    There is no fix on. If there was a fix they wouldn’t have let us do what we did in the 3rd quarter. No fix, the refs just have bad games. Some of them really bad.

  430. Andreas G. says

    Pau hasn’t gotten in to a rythm today unfortunately, and let’s be honest: Howard is defending him well.

  432. Darius says

    I don’t think there is a player in the league better at using his off arm than Hedo. It’s not really a foul, but it’s definitely an advantage maker.

  434. emh101 says

    Pau has been less than spectacular. We really had this game under control at the start of the fourth. What happened? Did the foul calling really knock us off our game that much?

  436. Cayucos Surfer says

    No, there is no excuse for this. The Lakers have made bad decisions for sure, but they have consistently taken the ball to the hole to no avail. The 14-0 FT count is just ridiculous. That should never happen and say all that you want, but it is costing us the game.

  437. b says

    is it me or does hedo push off with his right arm every single time he drives to the basket?

  439. E-ROC says

    Hedo is crashing hard on Gasol so Ariza is wide open. Kobe needs to find him or Ariza needs to make himself available for the pass. I don’t think that dump off to Gasol is open. The three point shots are there.

  442. Buttas says

    Hedo does push off, but I guess since everyone knows that he is slow that they just let him get away with it. Uughh

  452. anonymous says

    i never expected two bad kobe 4th quarters in a row – i think he is tired – no joke

  455. Mimsy says

    Kobe is 9-26 tonight. He should not take the last shot. Give it to Pau, let Ariza shoot a 3… but not Kobe. It’s too predictable.

  456. Kurt says

    The Lakers get one last chance and I delete a few negative comments as people are snide. Seriously, what kind of fan are you if you are being like that and not rooting for your team to make it?

  472. anonymous says

    if the refs call a foul to end the game and let them win on free throws i will have a heart attack

  481. Josh says

    If Stan Van Gundy is the master of panic, and my heart rate has exceeded safe levels…is he gonna keel over???

  487. Mamula says

    D-Fish with the swagger… Man, I love that guy. He did not even blink after he hit the shot, immediately adjusted for defending the inbounds… WOW!

    We could all be complaining right now

  489. E-ROC says

    Good job by Kobe on Dwight Howard. Battled him the entire 4 seconds which felt like an eternity.

  490. Andreas G. says

    Do you guys enjoy these kind of situations? They just make me sick. And I’m not talking about the Lakers’ play or something; just the tension killing me.

  492. Ryan says

    OT. That was good D from the Lakers on the inbound play. Hopefully the Lakers can pull out a win, and maybe just maybe they will actually call a foul against the magic. There is no way the Magic only had 3 (or was it 2) fouls in the entire quarter.

  493. Joel says

    Lakers dodged a bullet, now Kobe and Pau need to get their minds right and take over the extra session.

  497. Mimsy says

    #481, Sam Lowry,
    Good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

    Overtime! We can win this. We can take this. Keep executing, get stops, get buckets, fight for every point. We can win this.

  498. Peanut Butter Spread says

    I said this game was a must win for the Lakers. And I think I was right.

    Sure it’s a close game, but that’s the problem with close games. They can go either way. But it they don’t go your way, well, you lose.

    I don’t know why the Lakers kept shooting the 3, once they caught up to the Magic and held that 6 point lead.

    Kobe’s offense was horrible. He was just horrible for the 2nd straight game. His shots were flat and he just made bad decisions. I can tell he’s nervous.

    The referees in the 4th quarter were horrendous. The free throw discrepancy was ridiculous. I’m sorry, but this is the THIRD game in a row the referees have been handing free throws to the Magic like they’re candy.

    I’m not sure why we’re still not pounding the ball into LO or Pau.

    Ariza was amazing the 3rd quarter, I’m not sure where he went in the 4th …

    Another close game we could have taken … but didn’t. I’m getting tired of this.

  499. Mamula says

    I just hope that Magic are emotionally drained. Crucial missed free throws from Howard and Turk, and on top of that killer 3 by Fish… WOW!

  500. Andreas G. says

    Mamula: That’s the difference between him and say JR Smith. Been there, done that.

  501. glove32 says

    that 3pointer by Fish was his one of his biggest shot as a Laker and could end up being his biggest one ever

  503. Josh says

    Andreas, I hate the build up to these situations, but there is no better feeling than when the Lakers deliver a moment like Fisher’s 3 and those of us who’ve been able to watch the Lakers in the last decade have been blessed with so many of these moments.

  504. Cayucos Surfer says

    Yeah my stomach is in knots man. Those 4 seconds felt like an eternity! How am i supposed to make it 5 more minutes?

  507. 3ThreeIII says

    Orlando: 35 Free Throws. 17 in the 4th.

    Los Angeles: 18 Free Throws. None in the 4th.

    I apologize, but I find that ridiculous. The Lakers and Magic were even in attempts through 3 quarters, and then suddenly, the Lakers were fouling and the Magic were not?

    Glad that Fisher made the shot, and made all of us wrong.

    Let’s hope for the best here.

  509. Peanut Butter Spread says

    *oops. Spoke too soon.

    I think I’ll just go get another drink …

  510. kehn says

    Gods… I don’t know if I can take watching OT. We snuck back in it and the Magic know it and the pressure is back on them. We have the momentum going in to OT – my big concern is that this is when we need Pau or someone else to step up and Pau hasn’t yet tonight. I’m going to walk outside or something before I drop dead of a heart attack and check in with you all to see how our guys are doing. GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!

  516. Sam Lowry says

    hmmm not sure what #481 said since it’s not there.

    would be nice to know what you were refering too missy…i mean mimsy

  518. Joe says

    Im watching from gamecast and everything is Kobe Kobe Kobe, it cant be that way for the Lakers to win

  520. Anonymous says

    win or lose, I am p*ssed at Kobe for hogging so much. he is completely killing the team offense.

  523. Sam Lowry says

    emh 101 – that’s what i was saying…it makes it almost unbearable to watch

  525. Ryan says

    ????? not sure about that. There were two fouls there have to call them both, let the Lakers get the ball out of bounds.

  529. Mimsy says

    The abysmally bad officiating continues. Congratulations to the Magic… if you can’t actually play effective defense, just run into traffic and flail a little and collect your free points.

    We still haven’t shot a single freethrow since the 4th quarter started. Don’t tell me I have no right to complain about this. The fact that we apparently have to bleed before a foul is called is beyond retarded.

  530. Buttas says

    Please Phil draw up a play so we can get a basket. We are not going to get to the line so it will need to be a good play!

  533. E-ROC says

    If its going to be a Kobe centric offense, at least have him in the post. There is zero ball movement and man movement too.

  534. Mohan says

    We have to score on every possession to mitigate the effects of the refs bailing out the Magic on every possession.

  537. Darius says

    What made that call funny was the ref’s explanation to Fish that it was Derek’s push on Dwight that caused Howard’s knocking down of Pau. Is Fish that strong?

  539. Mimsy says

    #516,
    I was referring to a very angry rant about how this Laker team sucks for not being able to secure a win at the end of the 4th quarter, and as a result, the poster was going to quit on them and basketball, due to being too disgusted to remain interested 😛

  540. Sam Lowry says

    Maybe the classless Magic fans chanting the referee’s suck earlier in the 3rd quarter hurt their feelings and they decided to get on the good side of the home team.

    I hope Phil tears into the officiating in the post-game.

  541. Ryan says

    Didn’t you know 200 lb fisher can shove both the 285 lb Howard and the 250 lb Gasol. Hes the real superman.

  548. Sam Lowry says

    no mimsy, I was directing my comment at the officating. but we wouldn’t know sicne it’s gone.

    my disgust is that i can’t watch two teams compete evenly becuase of the officiating.

    read carefully.

  551. anonymous says

    ahhhhhhhhhhh i can’t watch this is killing me slowly……..

    please please please don’t let them take a 3

  555. Jaybird says

    Please Kobe, pass the ball out of the double team. I know they’re making it difficult but you can find the gap.

    Just as I write that, Kobe passes and Fish comes up huge again.

  556. LJAY says

    As I said before, Kurt doesn’t like this kind of post, but seriously, this is the what the best league in the world has as top ranked refs…

    In Europe this guys wont ref a kindregarten league…

  558. Mimsy says

    FISHEEEEEEERRRR!!!!

    Okay, time for another very stiff drink. I’m thinking vodka on rocks.

  564. Mohan says

    Is Mark Jackson really talking about the Lakers getting the benefit of the doubt with the refs?

  566. Armogeddon says

    You all better start loving Fish again!!!!
    He’s a vet who never deserved the slack from haters…

  569. E-ROC says

    See what happens when you get the ball in the post? Good things happen. Pietrus or any other Magic can’t guard Kobe in the post.

  571. Josh says

    Fish has earned the right in this game for no one anymore to make these ridiculous “worst starting PG” comments.

    UPDATE:

    PAUN’D!!!!!!!1

  574. Sam Lowry says

    I used to say the same thing – that the officiating is as it is – and there was nothing to do about it.

    But in my 20 plus years of watching professional bball I cannot remember such awful officiating as i have over the past few years.

  579. Will says

    Holy cow. My internet and streaming live feed just went out with 1:30 left and the game tied. Rebooted my hub and by the time it was back up 21 seconds left and Lakers by 5. Thank you thank you thank you!

  583. Ryan says

    Sigh of relief.

    All the talking heads will talk about tomorrow is the Kobe elbow that was not called that cost the Magic the game. Completely ignoring the 16-0 ft in the 4th quarter and OT. Not just the ft different but I think the magic have only been called for 4 maybe 5 fouls total.

  592. kehn says

    Sure, Kobe got away with a foul on Nelson…. Makes up for ALL the calls the Magic got. Oh, and mancrush on Pau = officially restored

  593. Mohan says

    Flagrant foul Pau at your own risk. Apparently Pietrus didn’t see what we did to Denver.

  596. barry g says

    kobe hasn’t been making good decisions at the end of the past few games. has he gone back to not trusting his teammates? doesn’t he realize he has THE SPANIARD on his team!?

  597. Darius says

    That slow mo’ replay of that foul is going to end up pretty bad for Pietrus. He double hammer fisted Pau in the back. I’m wondering if that’s going to get any press tomorrow.

  598. Mason says

    So…. Do you think Pau was yelling at Pietrus in:
    a) English?
    b) Spanish?
    c) Catalan?
    d) French?

  599. anonymous says

    584, you are very right, everyone will talk about the non-call on kobe

    not the rest of the officiating mess – ironic and disgusting but i’d bet my money on it

  601. Ryan says

    That was two fists to the back. Technically isn’t that a suspension, since it was a closed fist?

  602. Will says

    I think I speak for everyone here when I say thank you, Kurt, for not having another baby!

  603. Zephid says

    Legendary, absolutely legendary play by Fisher tonight. We will be watching those two shots for a while to come.

  606. Cayucos Surfer says

    No call on the Kobe shot, then the terrible howard call.. Whoever says refs don’t decide the games sometimes isn’t watching this. that’s a 4 point swing in a game with 2 minutes left. Pretty crucial.

    What is Mark Jackson talking about? Complaining about this one Kobe elbow? Has he been watching the last 30 minutes?

    Oh, and more importantly, the Lakers have made some clutch shots. Thank god for Derek Fisher. I had my doubts, but he really came through when it counted.

  607. james says

    all I kind I say is thank god for fish and thankgod for the law of averages and dwight howard’s free throw shooting, oh and $^#* the refs

  610. Mimsy says

    Go Pau! Stare him down and scare the crap out of him!

    Good win. Despite everything that went against us, including the refs and our own horrible decisions on offense, we inched out a win. When you’ve been knocked down and nearly knocked out, and still get back up and fight back and eventually win… that’s what champions do.

    Lakers for the win! Lakers for the championship!

  611. Elvin says

    Been reading these game chats since the truehoop network started and I would like to say, Derrick Fisher I love you

  612. Peanut Butter Spread says

    Good lord, that was a horrible flagrant foul Pietrus committed Pau. Pau had the right to be angry. I’m sorry, but he could have killed Pau’s back.

    That elbow Kobe gave to Nelson. Offense foul, yes, but I don’t care, the refs have been favoring Orlando ridiculously.

    DEREK FISHER! I bow to you.

    Like I said, this was a must win for the Lakers and I’m glad they won it.

    This win totally deflated the Magic’s spirit.
    That’s what the Lakers had to do, even though all the odds were against them.

    BLOODY FANTASTIC WIN.

  613. Andreas G. says

    Pau’s fire is great and all, but man – Fish comes through again. Amazing performance in the clutch!

  614. Emma says

    All thoughout these playoffs I suspected that, despite everyone calling him a deadweight, Fisher had another .4 moment left in him. I’m glad I was right.

    Anyone think Bill Simmons is going to write a play-by-play analysis of all the egregious fouls by the Magic the refs let slide? Like he did with the Lakers’ fouls in Game 2?

  616. we says

    what an amazing game omgggggggggggggg

    THIS WAS LIKE THE BOSTON GAME 4 VICTORY LAST YEAR. WOW i am super happy!

  617. lesha says

    what a game! i havent been this happy about our team since kobes first ring. how about d-fish!?!?! i guess phil knows a little bit more about his players than we do :). amazing… and by the way. i love when kobe gets pissed, but seing pau go off at pietrus made my day. classic!

  619. Reed says

    Let us all solemnly covenant together: until Sunday, NO wet blanketish negative talk; no “we won but…”; no kobe didn’t X or Y. I forbid it. Just savour this sweet, sweet victory.

  620. Will says

    For all the Kobe haters out there that are going to point to him being only 11 for 31 I have one thing to say: 7 second half assists.

  621. anonymous says

    i prayed for 2 miracles – i think i used my whole quota on that game but it was worth it 🙂

  622. Josh says

    I don’t even think Kobe got away with anything on that. They show the replay and Nelson practically runs into Kobe’s elbow, but I agree with #592 anyway. For how the Lakers were totally jobbed in the 4th and OT by the officials, they earned that one “no-call”.

  623. Argopile says

    That HAS to be a flagrant 2 foul on pietrus. That was two FISTS in Gasol’s back. Two punches. i will be outraged if the league doesnt upgrade it to a Flagrant 2 and suspend him a game.

    Oh and Kobe’s elbow will prolly get upgraded to a flagrant 1. No way its a 2 though.

  624. E-ROC says

    Pietrus should be suspended for that hit in the back. Two hammer fists in the back to Gasol is not a basketball move or a play on the basketball, and Gasol was in the air. Those fists would work in MMA but not basketball.

  625. Mimsy says

    #598, Mason,
    English, if my lip-reading is any good at all. It looked like the first thing out of his mouth was “What the f– was that!?!” while advancing on Pietrus with clenched fists.

    I knew there was a reason I liked Pau… 🙂

  626. ozlaker says

    Oh man….I thought I would lose the plot at work there for a second.

    I swear I will never, ever, ever bag out Derek Fisher EVER again. That was just plain clutch, gutsy and confident. That’s DFish for ya.

    That game was nuts…..One more Win Lakers Nation. One More!!!

  627. Mohan says

    I challenge anyone to review the calls and no-calls this game and argue that the Magic were shafted in any way.

  628. Snoopy2006 says

    Sweet, sweet redemption for Fisher. Doesn’t change the awful decision making we saw the last couple rounds, but we got here anyway and now we’re up 3-1 because of him.

    Kobe passed to Fish when he would not pass to anyone. Too much Kobe-centric poor jumpshot offense, but the stories will be based off the results, and so this is the rare case of a role player deflecting criticism from Kobe.

    Ariza first put us in the situation for Fish to be a hero, he keyed everything in the 3rd.

    Unsung hero of the game: Sasha Vujacic. OK, maybe there’s only so much redemption you can have at 1 time.

  629. we says

    btw we won…when orlando shot DOUBLE the free throws we did and our first free throws in 16 minutes came at the last second for pau gasol.

    refs tried to take it away but dam we won it.

  630. glove32 says

    I wonder if Bill Simmons will make that Kobe non call elbow the focus of his next article and any of the other calls that did not go LA’s way

  631. Zephid says

    This game is proof as to why we keep the faith in our players. This game is proof as to why we don’t bury our own guys; we don’t throw our own guys under the bus. Because our faith is rewarded. Everyone under the sun was calling for Phil to bench Fisher and play more Shannon Brown (myself included). Tell me, does anyone honestly believe that anyone outside of Bryant could have made those two shots other than Fisher? Through all his struggles, all the 1-8, 1-7 shooting games, our coaching staff kept the faith in Fisher. Even when he was getting crushed by Deron Williams, Aaron Brooks, Chauncey Billups, and Rafer Alston, the coaching still kept calling his number, sending him in during crunch time, sending him to battle when the games were on the line. And for their faith, they were rewarded with the most crucial victory of the season, delivered to us by one and only Derek FIsher. This is the stuff of legends; the stuff that only becomes more endearing when you’ve lived through his struggles as we all have.

  632. BCR says

    That was a classic. Fisher with the amazing clutch shots down the stretch.

    And for all you conspiracy theory bozos, look at the free throw disparity in the fourth quarter and overtime.

  634. E-ROC says

    Kobe just needs to stay in the post all game long. The Magic just can’t defend him at all in that position. More post ups are needed for Gasol and Odom along with Bynum. Gortat is probably their best low post defender while everybody else is “meh.” The Lakers need to stay with the inside game and I kinda think they will in Game 5, as they will be much calm and relax while bringing the energy and effort to close out the series.

  635. johnk348 says

    dfish – never underestimate the heart of a champion!!!!

    all you fair-weather haters can step the eff off!!!

  636. 3ThreeIII says

    Phil,

    I was wrong, and you were right, about Fisher.

    Your Zen is absolute.

    Thank you,

    3ThreeIII

    By the way: Gasol has officially ended the “soft” talk. We should never hear that nonsense again.

    Go Lakers!

  637. anonymous says

    for all of you not watching sportscenter

    as predicted they highlight the kob non-call

    and then when discussing the pietrus play comment “why is gasol dunking he shouldn’t put himself in that position”

    this is most one-sided commentary i have ever heard

    luckily it doesn’t matter just extremely irritating

  638. Joel says

    Fisher will get all the props he deserves, but the game ball goes to Ariza tonight. On top of his 3rd-quarter outburst and his usual hustle plays, don’t forget he made a HUGE 3 on a broken play to tie the game at 82 in the last couple minutes.

  640. wiseolgoat says

    again, i have to say this is why Phil has 9 rings and on the brink of his 10th – because he has made a career of trusting his players, trusting his vets, and they reward his trust.

  641. Jaybird says

    Unbelievable. I love life a little bit more after that game. I’m going to drink a beer and go play basketball better than I’ve ever played.

    For those wondering what Pau said to Pietrus, I’m pretty sure it was “What the $%&# are you trying to do, mother $%&#er?!”

    Derek Fisher has added another one to go with .4

  643. Qwerty says

    Now are all the Fisher haters are going to tell me that Smush Parker was WORSE THAN D Fish?

    I doubt that the Lakers could have gotten this far without D. Fish….and let’s say Farmar as starting PG.

  646. Snoopy2006 says

    chris, I’m sorry, but you’re just coming off as immature now. You’re going to call me out when nearly every single person on this forum and just about every Lakers fan alive was down on Fish? It ever occur to you the reason we were down on Fish was because of how poorly he was playing at that time?

    I said it then, but you simply ignored it. I predicted Fish would likely hit a clutch 3 at some point. I also said it didn’t negate the damage he did in the last 2 series. We got to the Finals in spite of Fish, and now we’re up 3-1 because of it. I gave Fish plenty of props in my last post (held for moderation right now).

  649. Mimsy says

    #Jaybird,

    That’s pretty close… and if my previous comment ever gets out of moderation you’ll see what I mean 🙂

    Classic, strong, defiant, very un-soft move by Pau. Get in their face and show them they can’t push us around!

  650. Buttas says

    Fish is a lot like Horry in that he will have some patches where he struggles mightly, but when it counts he is there.

  651. wickedskillz says

    YESSSSSSSSSS FISH WITH THE CLUTCH PUJIT TO WIN IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A season’s worth of horrible horrible PUJITs, all practice for the final, determining moment of the series. I love you Derek Fisher.

  652. Snoopy2006 says

    651 – I wouldn’t call that a PUJIT. That was a good, intelligent, normal shot. We needed a 3 and Nelson, for some reason, was backing up. Fish took the right shot in that situation, I see a PUJIT more as a poor transition choice when you should actually drive the ball.

  653. wiseolgoat says

    we wouldn’t have won had it not for us dominating possession down the stretch – Ariza with a big board and then Gasol drawing the foul on Nelson. Just goes to show that aside from Howard, they don’t have good rebounders on that team.

    And how satisfying was it to see Rafer revert to the mean tonight? missed drives and turnovers galore

  654. chris h says

    Darius, I think you’re right about that 2 fist hit in the back by Petrius, I think that will be reviewed by the league and warrant a suspension. that’s punk and shouldn’t be allowed in basketball. I also like the reaction by pau, he didn’t back away at all.

    I have to admit that I was already getting my head around us losing this game at halftime, just couldn’t imagine us pulling it out, the Magic were just playing too tough, and we seemed way out of it…
    and the refs weren’t helping either

    so I casually told my wife we’d have to outscore them in the 3rd === 30 to 10 and I was close, eh? (30 to 14)
    from there it was probably one of the most exciting games ever!
    having to have some tea with honey cause we’ve been yelling SOOOOOO much since the second half.
    wow…what a friggin’ game.
    against the odds, since they had the zebras on their side too.
    wow….

  655. Peanut Butter Spread says

    Bowing down to D-Fish.

    Never doubting him again.

    You’d think by now, I’ve learned to keep the faith.

    But I’m probably the biggest Chicken Little in my family.

    Close games just aren’t my friend. They kill my heart.

  657. Anand says

    The biggest miracle is, we won an NBA Finals game playing Mbenga and Josh Powell significant minutes.

  658. ShiggyMoto says

    The elbow by Kobe at the end shouldn’t be a flagrant. It looked as if Kobe was already bringing his arms up for the pass. The ball-handler should be entitled to his space too, shouldn’t he? Kobe brought his arms up and passed it to Fisher in one motion. It wasn’t as if he swung his arms, hit Nelson, paused and set his arms for the pass, then throw the ball out. I thought it was a good no-call.

  659. wiseolgoat says

    and for all the flak Kobe is bound to take for his offensive struggles, I thought tonight was a first-team all defensive performance from him. Aggressively fronting bigger players to deny the easy catch, boxing out Howard, stripping the ball from them in the paint, crashing the glass – every effort so needed in a close, close game.

  661. E-ROC says

    To quote Mark Jackson: “Hand down! Man down!” Fisher’s huge three over Nelson.

    657. I like Josh Powell. If Pau and Odom are in foul trouble, Powell should be the first to replace them because his versatility offensively and defensively.

  662. chris h says

    snoop, sorry if I offended you, I just remember you and me going back and forth on Fish, that’s all, that’s why i “called you out” if that’s what you think is happening.
    chill, enjoy…

  663. TC says

    some observations from S. Korea having only tracked the game via the box score; FISH!!!! Great second half from Ariza. Looks like Kobe was trying to force things a little bit. Glad to see Jordan doing alright. Gutty win….I wish the Lakers would play more man-to-man though. Fine, let Howard beat us, but these other guys….geez…..put a body on them. Anyway…….great, tough-minded win…..and I think I should name a child Derek!

  665. anonymous says

    i actually feel bad for SVG he looks so bad, and he is going to be be criticized ’til death for choosing the not foul at the end of regulation

    but i don’t think that was a bad call – that is not why the lost the game

  666. Shaky says

    Turkoglu in the postgame interview looks like he wants to crawl in a hole. I feel bad actually, they made some awesome baskets (especially turk) but 1 free throw would have sealed it.

    Also, I don’t believe for a SECOND that Kobe’s was a callable elbow. He didn’t lead with it, his arm was all but vertical, he was just swiveling within his own space. Mark Jackson saying he “got away” with incidental contact is just being inflammatory.

  667. Snoopy2006 says

    I really feel for Magic fans right now. Flashbacks of us after Game 4 last year. The situation is so similar. A heart-breaking loss for them.

  668. wiseolgoat says

    Shaky – yeah exactly, his elbow was in the context of making a “basketball play”. Pietrus’s play wasn’t at all. It better be reviewed tomorrow.

  669. Mimsy says

    The Magic is a very likable team. They’re all nice guys, they play hard and clean and aside from that shoving punch by Pietrus on Pau I don’t think they’ve committed a dirty foul yet. They get away with a lot and they take advantage of that–that’s not dirty, that’s just smart.

    I like that. I like that we’re playing a team it’s easy to like and respect.

  670. Ryan says

    watching the replay off Kobe’s elbow, Kobe began swinging the ball over before Nelson got there. Nelson ran over and crowded him as he swung the ball over. If he was there before kobe started swinging the ball then it would have been an offensive foul, but he wasn’t. He practically ran into Kobe’s elbow.

  672. Anonymous says

    Im pretty sure Phil Jackson just praised Fisher’s “testicular fortitude” in his post-game interview

    couldn’t have said it better

  673. emh101 says

    Incredible game. Fish and Ariza were the superstars, and Pau came up big after having a subpar game.

  674. Peanut Butter Spread says

    If ANYbody says that the Kobe elbow was unfair – point to the 4th Quarter in regulation when the Lakers had 0 Foul shots. 0! 0!! 0!!!!!!!

    That’s unfair.

  675. harold says

    Wow. missed the game. Anyone gonna tell me what the T on Dwight was?

    It’s his 6th, and he may be suspended for game 6 or 7 with an outburst which is going to get a lot of trolls and haters fodder…

  676. Mimsy says

    #675, harold,
    T on Dwight? The T’s called were on Trevor, Pau, Phil Jackson, and one on Pietrus. There were none on Howard…

  677. Jaybird says

    Kurt, may I just say that you are quite a Zen apprentice (only PJ can be the master). You’ve been demonstrating a calm, cool confidence lately, even through the first half of this game when many were throwing fits on this board. I’d like to consider myself in the same sandbox as you.

    Through all the poor shooting nights and quicker PGs blowing past him, I’m sorry to admit I lost a good deal of faith in D Fish. But I knew he would hit a clutch 3 at some point in these playoffs (and I posted back in April that he would). I love that bald-headed genius.

  678. luubi says

    Master Phil: Your Zen-Fu is better than my Zen-Fu.

    Fish, you can shoot 10% from now til the next finals, I will never complain (not that I’ve been one to bash you).

    Those two shots were >> 0.4

  679. glove32 says

    The Lakers role players was the difference. Fisher and Ariza stepped up Kobe had on off night shooting and LA did a much better job on the boards.

    Another difference was Orlando missed their FT’s and had 17 turnovers.

    Lakers have not lost in the post season when Fisher has scored 10+ points

  680. Daniel Z. says

    I grew up watching the Lakers in the 80s with my family — watching Magic and Kareem cemented my love for the team. These days I don’t watch too many games on TV any more, and I was doing my gardening outside while listening to the game on the radio. But I finally came inside and pulled my three kids in to watch the overtime, and even though they never watch basketball, they were instantly huge Laker fans and loved every second of it. Such a thrill to pass along the excitement to my kids, and a great night to do it.

  681. Joe says

    You know, I disagree with a lot of this postgame. They talk about how the Magic dont know how to close games out….Bullcrap! They won a lot of close games in their other series and they won a close one in game 3. And they had this one…they made big shots. The reason why they lost this game is because Howard choked from the free throw line. Then in overtime, they were obviously to demoralized to be able to win the game. Lakers are fortunate they won this game, but hey, we will take it!!

  682. Will says

    I think Pietrus is going to get hit with a flagrant 1. I don’t think it deserved a 2, and anyway the league is never going to suspend him for a game over it. Wouldn’t be surprised though if the gave Kobe a flagrant 1 also since there shouldn’t be any suspension (just means he can’t do another one). Not because the elbow deserved it – it didn’t – but just because it’s an easy PR move for the league since it will make the entire Laker-hating world happy while at the same time having no bearing on the outcome of the series which has got to be beyond a 90% chance for the Lakers to win.

  683. luubi says

    huge props for Ariza. He looked pretty down when he slammed the ball and got the T. Great to see him pull it together and had a great 3rd.

  684. Mimsy says

    So as I’m watching Derek Fisher answer questions at the podium I keep thinking that when Stan Van Gundy said experience doesn’t matter, he was so, so, wrong. The calm, clear, mature approach… what he was thinking and how he was acting after he made that shot to tie the game in regulation. “Best case scenario, we’ll play another five minutes.” Beautiful. That’s why we need a veteran like him on the team. Not only because he is not in complete awe of Kobe and won’t just defer to him out of reverence, but because he is the calm and thinking guy.

    Did anyone else notice after that foul situation early in the game where Bynum was fouled hard and was about to lose his temper? Fisher literally grabbed his arm, pulled him away, and talked him down, and kept Bynum from getting a T and becoming rattled to the point where he would no longer have been effective.

    And for the record, Derek: I apologize for a lot of the things I have been saying about you in the past couple of months. Thanks for proving me and everyone else wrong. 🙂

  685. beyondblue says

    I’m going to call myself out. Late in the fourth, Jameer made a nice crossover, got into the lane, and dished to Howard for the score. I yelled “Get Fish out of there, he can’t stay in front of him!”

    .04 vs. 4.6? Discuss.

    I need to spend some quality time with that box score to figure out how Lakers won that game.

    Forgot all the ref stuff, enjoy being a fan and how much fun that was. The agony of Lakers blowing assignments late (on pick and rolls they couldn’t decide to cover Turk – who played fantastic – or Howard), the utter joy of an Ariza 3 with the shot clock expiring, Fish!!! and Kobe. Not Kobe scoring, but battling for rebounds and fouling Dwight to give us a chance to tie. And Pau standing up for himself.

    Fun game (of course, it always fun when you win!!!)

  686. harold says

    Mimsy, funny, the box is fixed now, but when i checked it said there were 4 Ts. Oh well.

    I’m kinda in the boat for resting Kobe the next game and finishing them on our home floor, despite all the risks involved. Kobe just seems way tired in the 4th, and isn’t at his best.

    Still, 4 straight games with 8 assists. That’s pretty good even under “better teammate LeBron” standards.

  687. Jaybird says

    From the espn recap…

    “Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 32 points and eight assists, his 63rd career 30-point playoff game (most among active players). He has recorded eight or more assists in six straight playoff games, becoming the second Laker (Magic Johnson) to accomplish the feat.”

    Loving the assists.

  688. Will says

    I know it’s controversial, but I’m going to say that experience really does NOT matter, at least not much. The reason you see experienced guys like Fish performing so well in these spots is because they are just the kind of people who are cut out for it from the start. It’s selection bias. The only guys you see in the finals who have lots of finals experience are guys who must have had what it took even back before they had experience, or they would never have gotten the experience in the first place!

    Fish doesn’t perform well at the end of big playoff games because he’s experienced. He’s experienced because he plays well at the end of big playoff games!

  689. kc says

    that foul by kobe on dwight was HUGE. making sure he doesn’t get the shot off. plus, his rebound-steal from dwight when they got all tangled up. HUGE. even phil jackson said that was a turning point.

    yes the offense got overly kobe-centric at the end, but he made sure the magic didn’t run off in the first half, and then made the right decisions at the right time in the end. he’s the man.

  690. kehn says

    Third Quarter Collapse is pretty steamed about the refs too – gotta say that while I disagree with their specific assessments, one thing Laker and Magic fans can agree on is that the refs pretty much blow chunks. That said, the Magic gave the game away. I feel bad for them b/c I too like the team and wouldn’t mind seeing them win if they weren’t playing the Lakers. That said, let’s get our rings before D. Howard starts developing some real post moves b/c ORL is only getting better the next few seasons

  692. Snoopy2006 says

    By the way, going back and watching some of this, I absolutely love watching Pau Gasol play every single minute of the game. Not just the offensive end. I love watching him compete on defense.

    One thing I really liked: on the PnR, instead of passing directly to Dwight, Hedo usually swings the ball to Lewis (or any Magic player on the strong side) who finds Howard with deep post position. What Pau did effectively: after recovering, instead of wasting time trying to battle Dwight (who already had deep position), he essentially fronted Dwight and cut off the entry pass from Lewis. Very simple, but an effective way of stopping the Magic’s PnR->corner->post pass sequence.

  693. Mimsy says

    Mimsy, funny, the box is fixed now, but when i checked it said there were 4 Ts. Oh well.

    I prefer it this way. I want to win against an opponent that is at full strength. It’s more satisfying that way. 🙂

  694. MannyP13 says

    Wow. What a game!!!!

    Fish: Sorry I doubted you.

    Ariza: Way to make them pay for disrespecting your shooting skills and leaving you wide open.

    Kobe: You are a basketball god.

    Pau: Your shot sealed the coffin. Gracias!

    Bynum: Lamar’s foul trouble got you extra minutes – and you played brilliantly when it mattered.

    Odom: You remind me more and more of my favorite all time Laker – Big Game James Worthy. Keep it up.

    DJ Mbenga: Hey you guys!!! (think Goonies)

  695. Will says

    @688 harold: Game 5 being a freebie means just the opposite. Instead of resting Kobe what it means is that Kobe is just going to go and try to close out the series with 40 or 50 to put a big finish on his first Finals MVP. If it doesn’t work, no biggie, he can go back to doing what’s best for the team in LA. But so far in the Lakers two close wins you have one game where everyone’s going to focus on Gasol+Odom as hero and the other where Fish was the hero. Kobe is series MVP no question, but you know he wants to go out there and make a statement and some gaudy numbers to go with the picture of him holding two trophies in the air. 🙂

  697. Chris248 says

    @669 Mimsy

    I agree with you, I really like the Magic players. They all seem like good guys, even Pietrus after his, well, Henry Abbott no doubt would call it an assault if it happened to a Trailblazer.

    I like SVG too. I like them all, and I look forward to them coming in 2nd in the NBA for the next few years.

  698. Peanut Butter Spread says

    D-Fish’s 4.6 >>>> .04

    only because while the .04 shot was amazing in its own right, but the Pistons killed the championship run that year.

    D-Fish’s 4.6 is getting us one step closer. It was the difference between a tied series or going up 3-1. And we can only say that because the Lakers won in OT.

    If that makes sense?

  699. Snoopy2006 says

    Loved what Fisher said to the guys after the game about the 2000 Finals and Game 5 in Indiana. The players need to come out focused and sharp.

    As a fan, though…I’m starting to smell it now. After all the ups and downs, the search for the perfect defense, the fear as Boston started off at a historic pace, the XMas game, the Bynum injury, the cries of “no intensity!”, the Game 7 do-or-die against Houston, the gritty Game 3 win in Denver, to finally have made it here. 48 minutes separate us from the title we’ve been starving for 7 years. So damn close.

  700. Snoopy2006 says

    PBS – I believe it was 0.4. Four hundredths of a second would require some Matrix like precision 🙂

  701. Mimsy says

    Snoopy- Fisher is The Chosen One! 😀

    He’d wipe the floor with Keanu Reeves any day.

  704. Birdman says

    Ehem. Did I get the credit for that? 😀
    Just kidding.

    I’m happy but sad at the same time.
    I broke Gina’s record when she sings at home and Magic always win.

    But anyways, I’m here until Game 5 so you probably now already what’s going to happen. 🙂

  706. sharky says

    Congratulations to all of us basketball fans that were able to witness that spectacular game.

    This is the stuff that is the “lore” that surrounds this fantastic franchise.

    I can’t believe the media is only talking about the Magic missing free-throws. How about the fact the Magic shot 18 to our 0 in the 4th/OT at one point?

    Sheesh…

    Let’s bask in this one. Joy tonight in Lakerland!

  707. drrayeye says

    Redemption for Derek Fisher has it’s price for his detractors. For 413DRL, 417 3 threeIII, 421 Yoo Yoo–as well as those that thought but didn’t write:

    only high end specialty stores sell crow.

    You will undoubtedly have to stand in line to get yours. Some of you may have to eat crow every week until the start of next season.

  708. J-man says

    Quick question: Do you guys think Pietrus will be suspended for Game 5? And should he?

    Not sure if this one post in a sea of hundreds will even be noticed. Personally, I think yes and yes. Double fisted pound during an inconsequential play on a player in air?

  709. Kurt says

    My guess, Pietrus gets a fine but no suspension. In the regular season he’d miss a game and get blasted in the press, but now… I think they let it go.

    But I love that Pau did not.

  710. The Dude Abides says

    708. I think Pietrus gets upgraded to a flagrant two but with no suspension. I believe the league rules allow for that.

  711. Snoopy2006 says

    I like Pietrus and don’t think he’s a dirty player or a bad guy. That play, however, was everything a Flagrant 2 is. Excessive contact, no play on the ball, unnecessary. He should be suspended, no question. I didn’t think it was bad the first time, but replays showed he just lit into Pau with both forearms.

  712. j. d. hastings says

    Yeah the Pietrus foul looks worse the more I see it. He wound up with both hands and slammed Pau when he was already up on the rim, like Pau was a gong. I usually like him but that was BS- and what is he screaming back at Pau for after the fact?

    Damn. 711 comments. That’s a lot.

  714. Birdman says

    “The team whoever wins 1st quarter loses” is still in effect.

    What amazed me the most is the Magic had 17 more free throw attempts than LA.

    LA had 17 more shot attempts than Magic.

    Magic had 17 turnovers and 17 assists.

    La had 17 points in the 2nd quarter.

    Both teams had 17 offensive boards combined.

    Redick played 17 minutes.

    What’s up with 17? 😀 haha

  715. Snoopy2006 says

    712 – He was probably angry that Pau’s innards didn’t explode all over the first row. Pau is soft, after all.

  716. sT says

    I survived another heart attack tonight, thanks to the Lakers I have been recovering OK. Good time for the Magic to miss their FT’s and Ariza came through at just the right time for us, oh and let’s not forget…

    Enjoy the moment for what it is… “Life is fast and things happen quickly.” – Derek Fisher

  717. luubi says

    I don’t think he will be suspended, and I’m okay with it. Pau is a big boy and he stayed on his feet. If he’d been a little guard and got upended, it would’ve been a suspension for sure. Now by rules, it shouldn’t matter; but in practice, that’s how it is. And I’m ok with it, because I think it was mostly frustration and not malice.

    Now D Jones deliberately tripping Kobe, THAT should’ve been a suspension.

  719. Birdman says

    718,

    I am. I was there tonight. A few rows behind Tiger Woods and I was the only non-Magic fan in a group of blue and white dudes.

  720. Vincent C. says

    the hard foul on pau gasol commited by pietrus was uncalled for… pietrus was probably thinking “why would u dunk the ball, you guys already won the game…” but i agree… he should be suspended…

  721. LALLA says

    Some people are hammering Kobe for his poor shooting, etc. in the Finals. Now, I’m not a huge proponent of the MJ/Kobe comparisons, but look at MJ’s statline from the 1998 finals compared to Kobe’s this year:

    MJ ’98: 33.5 pts/4 reb/2.3 ast/42% shooting

    Kobe ’09: 33.0 pts/5.5 reb/8.0 ast/42% shooting

    I’m just sayin’….