[picappgallerysingle id=”7771178″]
Records: Lakers 42-13 (1st in the West), Celtics 33-18 (4th in the East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 109.2 (9th in the NBA), Celtics 107.0 (13th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 102.0 (2nd in the NBA), Celtics 101.6 (1st in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins
The Lakers Coming in: Another night without Kobe tonight, and against our heated rivals no less. But the Lakers keep churning out the wins, so Kobe can heal up knowing that the team is still racking up the victories and keeping pace in an ever improving league and conference. There have been a lot of trades happening all over the NBA and every team has been jamming up opposing GM’s phone lines in an effort to improve their respective team, but as the trade deadline has passed it looks like the Lakers have stood pat. That is no surprise when you consider all the factors – our league high payroll, the reality that any trade would mean jettisoning Sasha (and his bad contract), the complexity of our sets and what that means to intergrating new players, and the likelihood that teams may not want to help out the defending champs by contributing good players to our roster. So, we go to battle with the same team that we started the season with and I’m fine with that. If there is any team that is constructed to win the title this year, it’s the Lakers as they have only made one change to a roster that actually did win the Championship last season. The Lakers, until dethroned, are the kings of the hill and other teams must improve to try and catch them. Come June, we’ll see if all the effort and extra millions spent at the trade deadline will add up for one of the other contenders and lead to a championship. Sure, I (as with I would assume most other fans) would have liked to see a trade that improved us in some way (PG, backup SF). But that didn’t happen. I’m not dissappointed by this and now that the trade deadline is over and passed, we can all get back to the games at hand.
The Celtics Coming in: One team that did make a deal was the Celtics. Reportedly, the C’s have acquired Nate Robinson (and an additional player to be named) in an effort to get a more explosive back court player that can play some defense and boost the scoring of their 2nd unit. My take is that Nate is a true wild card that can end up truly helping the Celtics with his offense and ball pressure D, but he’s also a guy that can get moody and has found himself in the doghouse plenty of times for his lack of team play with more than one coach. How will he play for the Celtics? As with any of the trades that have gone down, that remains to be seen. But this seems like a bit of a desperate move and a minor shake up of a roster that needed some life after sputtering with an up and down season (for their recent standards) so far. What I do know is that this is the type of deal that will put chemistry at the forefront as I wonder if Nate is an Unbutu kind of player that is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to his game to really blend in with a contender.
Outside of the trade, when evaluating Boston you see the team that many experts thought would come along sooner or later when Danny Ainge decided to go for broke by adding great, but aging players to a roster desperate to compete again. The Celtics did get their ring, but now they find themselves with veteran players on the wrong side of their peak that are suffering from ineffective play and linger injuries. This decline is highlighted by the droppoff in shooting by Ray Allen, the balkiness of KG’s knee, and Rasheed Wallace’s body looking like he’s had one too many trips back to the mash potatotes and gravy at Home Town Buffet. And while Pierce has stayed effective through injuries, this Celtics team is becoming more and more dependent on the effectiveness of its young players. Luckily for them, those players have been playing well. Perkins has turned into a solid offensive player and a real beast on defense. He plays the position game with his post defense better than anyone (save maybe Chuck Hayes) and with above average rebounding and hustle. Then there is Rondo. Rajon has really turned into one of the elite young PG’s and plays a style that is seemingly a mix between a young Jason Kidd and the current version of Tony Parker. Rondo is a menace on defense, has a great feel for running an offense, can finish in the paint with the best of them, but lacks a jumper that makes you respect him completely on offense. There’s a reason that Rondo was getting crunch time minutes in the ASG last weekend. He is for real.
Celtics Blogs: There are plethora of Celtics blogs that are worth reading (if you like being behind enemy lines). There’s the OG blog of covering the C’s – Celtic’s Blog. Celtic’s Hub always has good insight on the greenies. Red’s Army…I could go on and on. Check them out, they’re all good spots to get the skinny on what smart C’s fans are thinking (yes, there are smart C’s fans).
Keys to game: This a game where the Lakers advantage inside is not as pronounced as it is against most teams. I would still take our front line over theirs, but they have a good, veteran group that knows how to play the game. That said, this should not stop the Lakers from going inside and running our sets through our bigs. In the last meeting between these two teams, Bynum had one of his best all around games of the season as he brought effort and intensity on defense and took it to Perkins on offense. Perk is a beast, but Bynum has the ability to be a monster as well and with a height and length advantage, I’d like to see ‘Drew go to work on the block and get some buckets and (maybe even more important) get Perkins in foul trouble. Gasol should also be able to attack KG on the inside. As mentioned earlier (and as we all saw in the ASG), KG is not anywhere near to 100% healthy and he has lost a half step in his lateral quickness. I’d love to see Pau in post iso’s on the weakside, look for cutters in his typical way, and then drive hard at KG and make him move his feet. I’d also love to see more of those quick spin moves from Pau after feeling for the angle of the defender on his back.
On the perimeter, ball movement will be key, but the ball must move decisively and with crispness. The C’s employ one of the best defensive minds in the entire league in Tom Thibodeau and his schemes are very well designed with an emphasis put on denying ball reversals and also showing and recovering with help on the wings. This will mean that the Lakers wings must play disciplined and not fall into the trap of taking the long jumpers that the C’s want to make them take. The guards (that means you Farmar and WOW) need to continuously feed the post and cut hard and then screen hard. The ball will come back to you and the defense will loosen up. They just have to trust in that and execute accordingly.
On defense, the most interesting decision will be how to play Rondo. Ever since the ’08 Finals, Phil has played Rondo almost exclusively with Kobe and allowed him to play off Rondo to disrupt passing lanes and roam as a helper. This has forced Rondo to play outside of the paint more than he’d like and turned him more into the reluctant jumpshooter that is much easier to handle. But with Kobe out tonight, Phil will have an interesting decision to make. Does he put WOW on Rondo? When that match up occured in the 2nd quarter of our last meeting with the C’s, Rondo abused WOW and got anywhere he wanted on the court, sparking a run fueld by back cuts by Tony Allen and ‘and one’ finishes by Rondo himself. Does he put Fisher on him? I think we all know that Fish can not stay with Rondo in the open court and that Rondo’s quickness and ability to feint and change direction with hesitation dribbles is too much for our veteran PG. In the end, I think we see WOW on him with the strict instructions to play way off and invite him to shoot the jumper on every play. However this turns out will be one of the major keys to this game.
Besides containing Rondo, the Lakers must also be aware of the delayed/secondary fast break and find shooters. Ray Allen, Pierce, and ‘Sheed all love to run to the three point line on the delayed break and Rondo is excellent at penetrating, getting the D on its heels, and then passing out for a wide open jumper. Being aware of this should be fresh in the the Lakers minds as they just got a healthy dose of this against the Warriors with Morrow, Curry, and Watson providing the shooting. Also, be aware of the screens that the C’s set. Boston is one of the teams that sets the most (some would say illegal) screens in the league. Knowing where the screen is coming from both on and off the ball is a key and the Lakers must be vocal on defense to sniff out these picks (and if the Lakers feel like they’re being screened illegally, take a hard foul or ‘sell’ the contact to the refs – the only way to stop it is to make the refs notice). Lastly, the Lakers must be aggressive in going after the ball in both man to man sets and in the passing lanes. The Celtics are one of the most turnover prone teams in the league and can shoot themselves in the foot with sloppy play. Be aware of this carelessness and the Lakers are likely to get lots of points off turnovers and that can be the difference in the game.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start here on the West on TNT. You know what that means – more like 7:45. Also on ESPN Radio 710am.
bry4n7 says
This one’s for Warren!
MICHAEL ZARABI says
just got my tickets for tonights game … thats 2 celtics games in one season … hopefully this one ends like the last one did … shannon needs to bring out his inner kobe for tonight
Craig W. says
My hope is that we get back to running the triangle. If we just do that we will be in good defensive position and we will play to all our player’s best strengths (except Farmar).
MannyP13 says
It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Nate and Rondo. Both are strong willed guys who are prone to discipline issues. This is a risky move for the Celts that I don’t think will yield the results they are looking for.
barry says
I can’t wait for this game I’ve lived my whole life stuck in celtics territory being a lakers fan its never a dull moment when these teams get together
passerby says
is the nate to the celtics deal official? last i saw this was just something brewing but not final.
anyhow, would love to see brown pull another kobe tonight and perhaps show that he is a legit off the bench threat. the man has been living to expectations (well not all) and then some. i am happy for shanwow.
the cavs matchup remains a concern in my mind because of their two big and wide centers that gave ours problems. perhaps good ol execution can solve this. if we do meet, the line will be thin for the lakers…but so with the cavs as well. anyhow, let’s get out of the west first.
here’s to keeping score with the celtics! GO LAKERS!
Scott B says
Thanks Darius. I feel so ready for the game now.
I’ll be watching Rondo. I used to think he wasn’t very good for some reason but now I think I was wrong. He is kinda scary.
paco says
This one should be a game for the ages. This will probably be the last time the C’s big three (together) will ever play the Lakers again, enjoy it win or lose.
ray says
Dear Lakers,
Run the offense. A lot. Control tempo. Let Rondo have his points in the second quarter, and let’s bully them out. Should be fun!!!
tsuwm says
one good result from all these trades – I won’t have to see nearly as much of Eddie House (the Knicks aren’t on nat’l TV that often these days) — for some reason he really annoys me.
Jane says
I don’t think the acquisition of Robinson is as desperate or destined for ruin as the Starbury debacle, but I’m not crazy about it either.
The Lakers won the title this last year, so the Celts (and any other team that made trades) are the ones that SHOULD be making changes. I think the Lakers were OK to stand pat. A healthy Lakers roster is still better than any of the newly constructed ones.
Now I must break away & prepare myself for the mental insanity that is TNT broadcasting. Let’s go Lakers!!
the other stephen says
no more than a year ago, artest could still do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=816DiE3j8K0
bry4n7 says
@ tsuwm
I completely agree. Eddie House annoys me as well. He feels the need to start yapping his mouth if he makes more than 1 3pt shot in a game
Adrian says
A beautiful display of impeccable running form by Paul Pierce.
pb says
It’ll be interesting how PP will fare against Artest in the second round. If PP continues to just jack up 3s instead of going to the hoops, we’ll be alright. Rondo going off won’t be as deadly as Ray Allen and other 3 point shooters going off on this team. If LO continues to play like he has in the last 4 games, we should win even without Kobe.
inwit says
I think they are going to miss Eddie House’s three point shooting. He could spread the defense without needing the ball in his hands.
Daniel says
I agree that the key to containing Raon Rondo is to sag way off him (intentional misspelling of his name cause he has no “J”) The WOW was playing him too tight in the last meeting.
Burgundy says
RE: 16
Totally agree. How many big threes did Eddie House hit during the Celtic’s playoff runs? A lot. House was a guy who could get hot off the bench and hit 3 or 4 threes in a row and single-handedly put the Celtics on a run.
With Krypto-Nate…I don’t know. Technically, he’s a better over-all player, but you sure as heck can’t play him in crunch time. House could play important minutes because of his shooting, but Nate isn’t a guy you can kick it to…he’s got to create his own shots…and in pressure situations, he seems to usually make bad decisions…
Once Kobe gets back, Phil needs to start experimenting with lineups.
Maybe run Kobe at point? Employ a lineup of Shannon, Kobe, Artest, Pau, and Bynum?
Shannon can take Fish’s place as long as Kobe (or Lamar) is the primary point guard.
I just don’t see the Lakers winning a title with Fisher playing big minutes.
Mark says
One thing that had me smiling after the trade deadline was not because we stood pat, but because of a low-risk, high-reward (I hope) trade of the Minnesota-New York’s Cardinal-for-Milicic.
We all know how European players thrive in the Triangle Offense, because of the complicated beauty involved in it.
Having said that, Milicic is a Pau Gasol-Kwame Brown type of guy.
He has a very high basketball IQ, but apparently, his outer being declines so.
Given the record that Minnesota has, he can get more playing time and get more open shots because, let’s be frank, he doesn’t require double-teams, much more single-coverage. But I would love to see him flourish there. Sure, there ain’t a lot of action you see in him, because he never had the time to prove it. Specially, when you are drafted in a talented team in the form of Detroit Pistons.
That being said, there’s no way to go but up, so I hope Rambis will give him minutes and prove that he’s a diamond in the making.
______________________
Now, let’s go kick the C-butt!
Craig W. says
Can we put Fisher “bating” on hold for just a few weeks? Please!!!
PhilAus says
I’d almost ask for a moritorium on Fisher bashing until the end of the playoffs. We didn’t make a trade move, Farmar’s been better the last couple of weeks. Let’s see where this group takes us and (chanelling my inner Kurt here) “enjoy the ride”.
flip says
I have a feeling this game will be more about defense than offense. Without kobe, it will be easier for the defense to sag on bynum and pau. They’ll have to play tougher than usual. I hope we’re hitting our outside shots. Artest has been a little off, and we need his shot. As long as fisher is not rushed, he’ll help us out. Outside shots will help spread the floor and run the offense (hello farmar!). If we have problems in those two areas, defense is key. I think we play pretty good defense, if we can stop the pg penetration. Artest should be a beast out there tonight and I hope everyone follows his lead. go lakers!
Mimsy says
To Pau and Lamar: Please play like you did in Utah.
I have missed a few Laker games lately, but this one is firmly on my calendar for tonight. Go Lakers!
magic says
I hope that Artest shooting improves and his game picks up tonight. Though the double edge sword on that is the fear of him forcing the issue knowing that this is a big rivalry game and that Kobe is out.
I think it’s going to be on the big 3 tonight to win this for us. If Odom, Pau, and Bynum play aggressively, board and stay out of foul trouble we’ll be fine.
It would be nice if Shanwow can do his impersonation of Kobe again, but I doubt it.
ray says
Gasp. Jerry West is in a suite at Cleveland!!
ken says
Ouch Darius. I am watching what I write from now on. That sounded like what my wife says to be when I ask for dinner. Since she is related to Divic and Serbian I already live a life of fear.
Anyway I am a bit disapointed no deal for a PG. Cavs are better, Mavs are better, Houston is better and the Clips punked us. This is going to be a tough road to a parade this year.
Not liking this game tonight. Saw a story in Bosten paper that warns Celts if they can’t beat Lakers with no Kobe they should pack it in.
ray says
@ Burgandy.
People said the same thing about Fish last year also.
But I guess we won in spite of him right?
We have the team we have. How bout SUPPORTING them. You know with hope. Like, “I hope Fisher is on tonight. And I hope he doesn’t take too many PUJITS.”
I’d also vote for the Fisher bashing ban, but since Aaron is a frequent commenter, that will not happen. Right Aaron?
harold says
Boston always plays with those late addition of guards, don’t they? Starbury, then Robinson… wonder if Nate’s headed to China after this as well.
Speaking of our PG problem, we actually have a very good PG… except that it stands for Pau Gasol despite his guard-like skills.
PG should attack KG and abuse him. I have lost so much love for KG after his move to Boston that it’s not even funny.
Da Raider says
Great breakdown, Darius. How the Lakers defend Rondo and the ability of the bigs to take advantage of the Celtics interior will be huge.
Gotta win!
Ryan says
Ok – we now are stuck with Fish and Sasha, Morrison, etc…. let’s pray that Sasha finds his stroke back. We need that reliable outside shooter – come on dude!!!
magic says
I would like to 2nd, 3rd and 4th the ban on Fisher bashing too. There’s been a lot of negativity on this blog, especially since the ESPN network addition. The bashing train has contributed to the overall downward quality of this site.
This is not a comment on the folks runnig the site. I think Darius is doing a great job and Kurt while he was running it. The non-stop negative comments reminds me of ESPN type blogs. Now that the trade deadline has passed, let’s support our team.
Go Lakers!
Aaron says
Ray,
You are absolutely fu%@ing right!!!!!
Craig,
And you are right too… ignoring the problem will definitely help. If we just pretend we don’t have the league’s worst PG all of the sudden Magic Johnson is going to walk through that door. If Kobe just pretended he had talent around him instead of demanding a trade for some talent do you think we would have Pau Gasol right now?
This is a blog to discuss what is right and what is wrong with the Lakers. So I think we should continue to talk about real issues. If you want we can keep complaining about our hall of fame ball hog SG or our “soft” all star PF, or how about our beastly young Center who should pass more out of the post instead of just laying the ball in? We can pretend those are the issues with our team. Or we can live in the real world.
Zephid says
I think the big question of this game is: who is going to finish the game for us down the stretch? Will it be LO who takes over off the dribble? Will Pau work his magic on the block? Will Bynum beast his way to the hoop? Will Artest make some more crazy, off-balance runners? Or will some other unlikely hero save the day? If the game is close in the 4th, it’ll be interesting to see who steps up and who shirks away.
Mark says
I’m feeling happy for Trevor Ariza right now.
Rockets get a great scorer in the form of Martin and Ariza will get back to his natural position, at SF.
So, hopefully, we would see a statistically-better Ariza after this.
Is Robinson playing today?
alex v. says
How sad is it that when I googled “peroneal tendon”, a report about Kobe’s injury showed up as the third result?
chibi says
The Celts didn’t have an assertive playmaker coming off the bench, but they do now. I don’t think Doc Rivers will have to leave one of the Big 3 out there on the floor for the bench to play off of, with Nate Rob in the fold.
So, I think the move will preserve the Big 3 a bit more. Also, I think the bench production improves. Nate Rob is simply more talented than House.
ray says
Aaron,
Just a reminder, Kobe stopped complaining since the beginning of that season when we got Pau. The Lakers were first in the West at the time with Bynum playing well (you know the guy Kobe asked to trade for J. Kidd). The trade became a necessity once Bynum went down.
Second, everyone on this site has stated that the PG is the weakest position on the Lakers, but it isn’t as bad as you make it out to be. It would be bad if we didn’t have Kobe, Gasol, Bynum and LO. But we do, so it’s not that bad.
I know it won’t change your mind, but I want you to read this from Land of Lakers. Yes it is a weakness on the Lakers, but not as bad as you push it to be.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/3083/the-point-guard-l-a-s-dirty-little-not-so-secret
“Bottom line, the Lakers are currently the league’s second best defensive team, measured by points allowed per 100 possessions (102.2), an improvement of 2.5 points over last year’s squad. In a league where every team seems to have a rock star at the point, how much could the Lakers truly be suffering with their present personnel? ”
And remember, the Lakers lost to Cleveland due to interior play, not because of the Point Guard issue.
harold says
Anyone watching Denver – Cleveland? LeBron, Billups and Melo are shooting like Fisher while Shaq is 7-10!
… but Shaq is Shaq, and thanks to his 0-4 from the FT line, the Cavs have a better FG%, a better 3pt% than their FT% right now. hah.
ray says
oh, and Aaron
The Real World as it is:
With the terrible point guard we have, the Lakers are #2 in the League, #1 in the West by 6 games. 2nd best defense. And have won the last 4 without its mega star.
I like that real world.
Anonymous says
It doesn’t matter ray. Fish being bad is Aaron’s one point that he will harp on until Fish retires. It’s like a big secret that he thinks no one knows. He’ll never stop.
ken says
While i agree with your posts on Fisher Aaron I also see Farmer with 5 TO and no assists last game. Fish has played much better the last 4-games and for the first time this year I was yelling at Phil to put Fish back in in the 4th aganist GS.
I like to think that Fish is reading our blogs and working harder to proof us wrong!
ken says
By the way it is possible Cavs may not loss another regular season game this year. Man they are good without Jamison and he plays tomorrow.
Making Nugs look bad right now.
VoR says
Watching the Nuggets and Cavs. LeBron is amazing. Already almost has a triple double. But I will also say that he is almost never called for a foul.
ken says
LJ has 15 assists. Got to go back to Magic to find a Laker that did that.
Laker4life says
@18
How bout this lineup… Kobe(PG), Ron(SG), LO(SF), Pau(PF), Drew(C). LO is a beast when he starts and RonRon can play inside or outside while Kobe can handle the point where he likes to command the game.
Plus Phil can still end the game with Farmar/Brown in the backcourt as he seems to like that lately.
And we can all be happier with Fish playing less minutes… Boston Sux, Boston Sux!!!
Drew says
Lebron get the foul call every single time he dirves to the basket…its incredible
andre says
46. ridiculous. billups gets mugged on two consecutive possessions and the moment lebron gets any contact whatsover, a foul is called.
PhilAus says
I know there’s been a lot of talk about how players who drive hard to the basket get more calls nowadays with the hand checking rules etc. but to me it honestly seems like LBJ & Wade get those calls, but not that many other players.
james says
our biggest problem if we face the cavs on the finals will be the officiating ala miami 2005, i guarantee it
Isolate says
re: LBJ… Not only does he get a call just about every time he drives, he seems to never be called for a foul.
andre says
if lebron makes a spin move and takes contact in the air just like melo did, you know there would’ve been a foul.
VoR says
Why does Billups settle for a three right there?
Drew says
It will be nearly impossible to beat this cavs team at home in the playoffs, they get every single call…chauncey was clearly pushed out of bounds
lakergirl says
Arrrrggh Chauncey. We need to watch our lakers.
wil says
we are going to miss the beginning of the laker game =(
where are the commercials? why I can hear the announcers during the timeouts?
wow Nuggets took 12 more shots than LeCavs but LeCavs took 10 more fts
Mimsy says
The Nuggets-Cavs game is good, very entertaining. Aside from that horrible, horrible decision by Chauncey at the end of regulation. To over-time we go!
Go Nuggets! (I know, I know… but it’s the Cavs!)
Mark says
It’s pretty sad to see officials taking control of the game.
But like Kurt said, you must never give them a chance to do that.
PhilAus says
As per usual, the east coast game runs long…how can this happen EVERY time?!? Guess it shows that the NBA scheduling for TV games generally is for games that end up close.
Laker4life says
@49
Have to agree with you. I hate those Finals where we dont get any calls ala Detriot ’04. I feal if we do meet the Cavs we won’t get any calls.
PhilAus says
That’s a BIG triple there from Billups. Is 5 points a big enough buffer for the Nugs here?
DTM says
I hate rooting for Denver, but man, I hope they win and take the smirk out of Lebrons face.
And the officiating could not be worse.
Daniel says
Somehow, the refs will find a way to reward LeBron with a 5 point play here.
Isolate says
wow JR smith pullin a sasha, fouling parker a mile away from the basket
The Hoops Freak says
There has never been a more annoying basketball player than Andy Varejao.
VoR says
Denver does not deserve to win this game.
Rudy says
Is it me or do the Nuggets not want to win the game?
wil says
Now let’s watch Melo pull a Kobe.
Called it!
Now watch LeBron get fouled on alley-oop
Darius says
Melo is just too good in that 18-20 foot range. Meanwhile in LA, WOW taking a long jumper that I pray we don’t fall in love with tonight.
PhilAus says
Finally finished – now let’s get to Staples!
Mark says
Lebron gets 43-13-15 but on a losing effort.
Can’t really think nothing but Cavaliers still depending LBJ to bail them out.
_________
I’m not hating on LBJ on this statement by any chance, but after such an epic battle between him and Melo, he walks out directly to the locker room. God, this guy is spoiled.
BOOBOO says
LeBron looked like he was about to cry. Stormed out shoulders slumped. Nice.
Mimsy says
#61
They did. Lebron looked like he was about to cry when he left the floor. Does it make me a bad person that that made me happy?
Also, Lakers playing atrociously. Embarrassing.
andre says
oh man, the look on lebrons face as he walked off the court. he looked like he was going to cry….. i loved it.
ive never cheered this hard for the nuggets.
… and l.a. is off to a bad start….
DirtySanchez says
Not that bad of a start by LA, Beaners just hitting every shot they put up. They will not shot 70 plus percent for the whole game(I pray).
Jose says
Man – that was great watching the Nuggets beat the cavs! Awesome!! Seeing lbj pout off the court is priceless!!!
Mark says
Another LBJ stat, had 15 assists with 8:45 remaining in the 4th and 0 since then. 🙂
PhilAus says
Nice to see one of our bigs get off to a good start from the line.
Drew says
Lakers struggling to get stops early
Jose says
Come on LO – have that triple double game that you’re always capable of. Smoke these weenies!!!!
The Hoops Freak says
What do you do when the other team can’t miss?
The Hoops Freak says
Unbelievable.
james says
nice of the celtics to finally miss
Mark says
Bynum ought to be careful with that long arms he has, that might translate to o-fouls.
Isolate says
anybody else let out a huge gasp on the rebound by Bynum? had me nervous watching it
Daniel says
KG is a total punk
Jose says
there we go mfers!!! LO, Bynum, Artest – play hard – win or lose. At least we know you’re fighting out there.
glove32 says
Way to keep at it Bynum, off to a very good start to the game
Jose says
yea – that knee looked weak…or he landed awkwardly.
Mimsy says
Oh wow. Andrew Bynum playing hard, looking angry and acting like he actually cares!
This is good. This is very good.
PhilAus says
Well, Celts were flying at the start, but should regress to the mean shooting-wise. Assuming we keep up this intensity, it should be a close game. Need Ron & Andrew to keep fired up like this.
The Hoops Freak says
Pau Gasol just dunked on Rasheed Wallace’s corpse.
glove32 says
Brown with the three at the buzzer!!!
BOOBOO says
As I’ve been saying, the Lakers are hustling and grinding in these past few games. Any other time, I would say the Celtics might have just kept rolling and discourage the Lakers.
Darius says
That was a beautiful swing through by Pau on that dribble and dunk to the baseline – very guard like. LO with the creation of a buzzer beater for WOW in the corner – very Kobe like at the end of the quarter. We ran that play at the end of almost every quarter two years ago for Fish or Sasha.
Mark says
KG not up to his standard trash-talking fest.
Everytime Shannon shoots, I’m 60% confident that it is going in. That’s the fruit of hardwork right there.
thisisweaksauce says
One area for improvement: there’s too much standing around and watching when Bynum has the ball in the post. Maybe it’s Bynum fault, maybe it’s on everyone else. But they need to work on it. But good end to the quarter.
DirtySanchez says
Big Baby on LO, we should score every time. Phil doing some coaching in the first quarter. Taking Bynum out putting Pau in, allowing LO to be guarding by Big Baby( big time mismatch).
ken says
Kobe Brown!
And what got into Bynam?
Mean and hungry tonight!
Mark says
Pau getting his auto-J back!
Darius says
#96. I’ve been looking at Bynum’s post touches more closely and I think we’re seeing less motion because of the depth that ‘Drew is achieving on his position and the quickness of his move. Bynum is making a lot of catches 10 feet and in and then immediately using his dribble to get even deeper. This really does discourage cutting because it will often lead to crowding the paint and bringing more bodies into the post up area.
Zephid says
OMG Artest can dunk?!
ken says
not Sasha Stupidavic
BOOBOO says
WOW! Artest with the high flying jam!
Mark says
I promise, this is the Laker squad that we’ve been waiting for this season!
Win or lose, play hard!
The Hoops Freak says
I remember these guys. Used to call them the bench mob.
The Dude Abides says
Does anyone think these ridiculous announcers will mention that the referees added one point to Boston’s total between quarters?
BOOBOO says
LOL. Why didn’t Sasha pass to the right???
The Hoops Freak says
That’s the best way not to run a fast break.
andre says
106. i noticed that too. i rewound my DVR when i saw the added point and nothing was said. im guessing it was on a ray allen 3.
wow, thats the second time ive seen artest dunk this season. where can we get dunk stats???
ken says
How can a 6 foot pt guard not make free throws?
Darius says
andre,
1% of Artest’s shot attempts this season have been dunks. For comparisons sake, Farmar is at 3%.
edit: Stats from 82games.com. Add another one for Ron!
BOOBOO says
OMG! Look how PIerce just bounces off Artest, with the high flying left-handed jam in Sheed’s face!
ken says
get Sasha out of this game. D league
Mark says
Artest can still dunk!
DirtySanchez says
Ron had a can of jump juice tonight.
Daniel says
Sheed got posterized!
james says
please take sasha out
The Hoops Freak says
Unreal that Sasha is still on the floor.
ken says
My god Sasha is a bad bad player!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lakers8884 says
Looks like the allstar break helped Ron’s feet, he hasnt jumped that high since college at St. Johns
andre says
thanks darius. man, that percentage has got to go up to 1.5 at least after this game!
thank god sasha is out.
Ray says
Ron Ron
Rudy says
This is the first game that I can say we really miss Kobe. Fisher is having a hard time keeping up with Allen around those picks. Plus, what do I have to do to get Phil Jackson to not put Sasha back in the game?
ken says
There must be a team in Serbia we can send Sasha to! $5 million!
Who is worse Morrison or Sasha?
Can’t the Clippers take these guys?
glove32 says
for all the criticizing Fisher gets here, Sasha deserves it more
The Dude Abides says
Missing two FTs after a time out is a real momentum killer. Jordy did the same thing last game, too, and the Warriors went on a run. The Celtics went on a 9-0 run after he missed two more tonight.
DirtySanchez says
With Kobe and Luke out, PJ has no choice but to put Sasha in the game.
The Hoops Freak says
Well alrighty. This game sucks now.
ken says
Ya I can see why Mitch didn’t make a trade for a point guard. We are just perfect at that spot???????
BOOBOO says
Actually, Jesus Shuttlesworth fell because he hung onto the rim. Also, something I’ve noticed every time the Lakers play the C’s: no one ever warns Gasol or Bynum when a guard runs from the posting big man’s blind side to steal. Watch, I guarantee you it will happen more than once again before this game is over.
Laker4life says
LO dunking machine
Mark says
There are 4 poster dunks already in this game. WOW.
BOOBOO says
lol. Damn, I could hear that slap on PIerce all the way from here!
james says
sometimes i wonder what we would be like with a descent point guard, ahh..
VoR says
The thing that is going to kill this team is a lack of three point shooting. Lakers can’t spread the floor at all.
BOOBOO says
OMG! AGAIN!
Mark says
5 and counting! Dunk contest tonight!
Simonoid says
LAMAR
zirk says
50-yr old Ray Allen just go sh*t on by LO! Nice!
Simonoid says
Man, all these posters…
Laker4life says
Pierce pulling another Willis… give it a rest
Rudy says
Why don’t the Lakers run like this when Kobe is playing?
Mark says
Honestly, even if LA loses this game, I would feel good because of this post-All star Dunk contest happening.
ken says
Boy can Fisher go to the bucket and shoot free throws. 4 missed FT for our outstanding PGs. Nice job Mitch.
Lakers8884 says
As good as the Lakers have played without Kobe, the biggest key to winning has been because of one person and thats Lamar, if he plays at this level for the entire playoffs I dont see anyone beating the Lakers. But then again this is Mr. Inconsistent we are talking about, but over the past 5 games he’s been playing as a man possessed.
thisisweaksauce says
Darius,
Really appreciate the response. Thanks.
james says
man our gaurds really hurting us tonight
Rudy says
I think if we just played with 4 players with no point guard we’d be better off tonight.
BOOBOO says
Fisher is making it harder and harder for me to stay in his corner.
james says
fisher brick after brick after brick…
PhilAus says
It’d be nice to see us hitting our FTs. Farmar & Fish not up to scratch in that department thus far.
I’d love to see us close out the half with some solid D.
ken says
Rudy you called it. BShaw is beter then these guys. Fisher is a lousy shooter and his pupil is Farmer.
Is it to late to make a trade.
How about with the Dodgers.
All I ever see next to Fishers name is minus.
Tyler says
Farmar playing awful tonight. No intensity and his crap attitude is officially back after a two week hiatus.
Q says
Fisher missed 2 FT, missed a 3, fouled Pierce for 2 pts, then missed another 3. 1-5 tonight. damn. can he just not shoot anymore? just feed it to the post
Laker4life says
Fish goes to the hole expecting to get a call and he never does. All he relies on is the refs but they wont bail him out. Then when he doesn’t get those calls he comes back and launches another 3pt resulting in another miss. Thats when we lose our momentum.
ken says
There is a worse PG shooter. She plays for the WNBA. Shoots 1% less then Fish
Lakers8884 says
Pau really just doesnt like to post up against Boston, only 4 shots and half of those were outside shots, it’s like he’s afraid of Garnett
kehn says
don’t worry guys – I’m not gonna watch this on livestream; Lakers almost always win when I don’t watch them.
Laker4life says
Its to bad he wont retire, he thinks he can still play and Phil likes his veternship. Looks like were sleeping with this fish for the playoffs.
He better hit that 3 when we need him to, something tells me thou he’s do for a Robert Horry miss ala Spurs ’03
Zephid says
There should be a comment limit per thread. Like, you only get to comment 10 times. After that, your commenting rights get revoked.
Mimsy says
Summary of first half:
Very ugly play from a Laker standpoint. Also very encouraging to see a lot of Laker players play hard, play passionately, and play as if they are taking the game as a personal challenge. The longer they can do that, the longer Kobe will feel comfortable sitting out to let his injuries heal. And that is a very good thing.
Aw, Zephid… that would lock me out after the first quarter! 🙁
Mark says
I’m not the one to bash on Fisher, but we gotta give credit where credit is due here.
Just because he doesn’t play up to your standard doesn’t mean he sucks.
Remember when he came back to LA and stabilized Kobe and co.? What he has done to this organization doesn’t always translate into wins or anything else, no one really cares what he does on the court, he is a CRAP on the court, but there are things that happen off the court, and that’s leadership skills for you.
Having said that, bench him and give Farmar more minutes. 🙂 Sorry, can’t help.
Laker4life says
Nice way to lay on another pick Fish
The Hoops Freak says
Ray Allen is absolutely torching Derek Fisher by just coming off of screens.
james says
i cant watch fish anymore, he’s gonna cost us a championship at this rate
ken says
Allen aganist Fish. Candy from a baby.
Lakers8884 says
I wish Derek would recognize where his strength is and if he decides to drive just dribble it on through to the other side, or pass it back out up top because it is the smart move as a point guard.
Kobemoney says
Lebron and Paul Pierce are sisters! Such girls. As for Lebron after tonight he shuold never be compared to Jordan nor Kobe! A classless and ringless man that thinks he’s a king but acts like a spoiled child. Does the NBA consider him their Best? I hope not. Hurry back Kobe I miss u!!
The Hoops Freak says
I guess That’s where you miss Kobe a little on defense. he can actually defend Ray Allen a little.
Same way the game started. Boston can’t miss and the Lakers can’t get a stop.
andre says
this isnt as severe but this reminds me of when billups torched fisher a couple of weeks ago… to add insult to injury, he drives into the lane and tries a shot over KG. of course, it gets blocked.
and just after ray knocks a shot over him, he takes an ill advised 3 pointer that wasnt even close
zirk says
Allen hasn’t hit a shot in 2 months, but of course he’s on fire tonight! Figures. But then again, Fish is guarding him…
Q says
can phil take fisher out
Laker4life says
@168 Agree very acurate
BOOBOO says
#160, why? The people here are commenting on the game. Fisher is playing like crap, and people are commenting on it. Some people like to watch the games and discuss it live with others. Does that bother you?
Q says
ray allen torches fisher then fisher misses another 3
Lakers8884 says
What’s funny about Ray Allen is that everyone has been bashing him for so long this season but everyone forgets he is a SHOOTER and shooters have slumps, if everyone remembers in the year they won Ray Allen was in a slump the entire playoffs until they got to the finals and he finally shot the ball well and beat the Lakers. It happens to the best, even Kobe
Jay says
I’m not sure what frustrated me more there. Fisher getting barbecued by Ray Allen, or him throwing a pull up 27 footer off the backboard. Sigh.
lakergirl says
Shannon needs to keep the ball moving. Every time he brings the ball up he spends too much time dribbling and looking around…just pass it
ken says
Fisher 1 for 7 and a minus 11.
Allen going for a season high.
Gee have we seen that this year.
Nice no-trade Mitch.
Thanks
Q says
I just can’t believe how some people blindly support Fisher even when he plays like crap more often than not and doesn’t let other people speak their opinions?
The Hoops Freak says
It would be great if professional basketball players acted a little more like professionals and stopped the preening after every make.
jeremyLA24 says
Farmar is a young athletic guy, I don’t know why he doesn’t get more minutes in games like this. Fisher is obviously our weakness out there. For people to say he is our savvy vet is just a misnomer. We were doing great feeding the ball inside and then Fish takes a quick 3 when Bynum had position. That’s something I would expect from Farmar (who has been good at pulling the reigns on quick shots.)
Come on, let’s go Lakers!
Drew says
rasheed keeping us in this game
Kaveh says
#27, ray
You wrote:
——–
wrote on February 18, 2010 at 5:32 pm
@ Burgandy.
People said the same thing about Fish last year also.
But I guess we won in spite of him right?
We have the team we have. How bout SUPPORTING them. You know with hope. Like, “I hope Fisher is on tonight. And I hope he doesn’t take too many PUJITS.”
I’d also vote for the Fisher bashing ban, but since Aaron is a frequent commenter, that will not happen. Right Aaron
————-
Please spare me…
Laker4life says
rasheed the best player the lakers got right now
and is it me or does Pierce play in slow motion?
wow says
link?
The Hoops Freak says
SHeed is an awful basketball player. He needs to retire.
Darius says
I don’t mind criticisms of Fish when they’re fair. Tonight, Fish is playing poorly. However, after that WOW jumper, the Lakers guards are 4-18 from the field. Fisher is not alone in stinking it up from the Lakers back court. He’s got plenty of company with Farmar, Shannon, and Sasha. Yes, Fisher has taken the most shots from that group, but show me the good guard play from another player or a better option tonight for Phil to go to and I’ll happily agree that Fish should sit.
3ThreeIII says
Honestly, Bynum could completely turn his detractors around if he simply decked ANY one of the Celtics big men. Garnett, Wallace, Perkins… any of those three would be great.
Give them a taste of floor Andrew.
Tyler says
Are you kidding me calling Bynum on a moving screen? Perkins moves EVERY TIME he sets a pick. Thats not hyperbole, he really just leans on players and walks through them.
Lakers8884 says
Darius, I agree completely with what you’re saying but don’t you think it’s time Farmar got a chance to start, it would help him gain confidence in his play and help him get comfortable with starters. Tonight he looks frustrated, but I would be frustrated too if Fisher was getting more minutes than me.
ken says
Agreed Darius but that is why Mitch makes over a million a year. To improve your teams weakness.
You know like housten, dallas and cleveland!
The Hoops Freak says
Fish, at 35 yrs old, is simply not a starting PG in the NBA anymore. The Lakers need a defensive minded PG who can knock down the open shots when they come. Now, moreso than ever before, Fish is incapable of both those things. Why do so many people incessantly protect him? The criticism is fair of his overall performance this season. He has flashes of good play, but by and large he is not a good player anymore.
Laker4life says
The Forth And Final Quarter !!!
Now the game starts and were down by 7.
Ryan says
Yea – fisher is pathetic!! All those horrible drives to the basket and can’t guard for sh#@!!
Ryan says
However, I do think the Lakers are doing pretty good without kobe. I’m glad they’re hanging in there.
Ryan says
I am not even a Farmar fan but he needs to start over fish.
Rudy says
We really need a big push to start the 4th quarter to get some momentum.
Ryan says
I agree about Allen but how come our dang machine don’t get it into gear. It’s been this 2 year slump!!!
Drew says
Powell completely kills any momentum with that horrible fade away
The Dude Abides says
I hate to say it, Darius, but it’s not only Fish’s shooting that’s killing the team tonight. It’s his decision making and his defense, too. Bynum makes two straight layups, then Derek shoots a 27-footer on the next possession early in the shot clock.
Also, the type of player that used to give him trouble was limited to the quick point guard. Now, it’s players like Chauncey and Ray Allen, too. It’s clear that Fish has lost a step chasing guards off screens this season, as well as overcompensating to defend the drive on Chauncey because even Chauncey can beat him off the dribble now. So Fish overplays the drive, and Chauncey buries the Lakers with threes.
andre says
188. very true but thing is. i’d rather have farmar or vujacic bricking shots if it means at least better defense on ray allen with shannon brown guarding him.
on a more positive note, we finally got a one of the kids hitting a 3, although i must say. that was a bad shot.
and also, im glad to see pau swishing in those 15 footers in regularity now.
need a push here to start the 4th against the celtics bench….
Zephid says
174, like i’ve said before, I don’t care when people vent or criticize. I do care when they say the exact same thing 5 times in a row.
Ryan says
Come on Lakers – we can still win this game!! Take out fish – get some stops and let LO take over!@!!
The Hoops Freak says
That was the worst offensive set the Lakers have run all season.
Bobji says
Lakers are hangin in around 7-10 pt deficit but not doing much to really cut it down significantly. Let’s hope for more consistent inside out offense in the 4th, and hope that Ray Allen stops hitting all his shots.
ken says
just what we need Sasha dribbling around.
Kareem says
It is very simple. The reason why you Fisher bashers catch heat from many posters on this site is simple: you whine about it OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER. There are several of you who have posted 6 times on this thread alone, repeating essentially the same thing, that Fisher sucks, without adding anything to the conversation. You’re unproductive screeds create wasted space that other fans have to wade through in order to enjoy this site.
We get it. Fisher isn’t in his prime. Get this. Farmar isn’t the solution. Also, it’s not that big of a problem. We can still win with Fisher as the starting point guard. GEEEEZUS.
Lakers8884 says
God Farmar what a terrible shot, but at least sasha is hustling.
Laker4life says
wow machine is oiled up and C’s are falling apart
Welcome to the ’09-’10 season Sash bout time u show up even if it is for 1 game
Ryan says
Dang, I can’t believe we couldn’t pull off a trade for one reliable outside shooter or a PG.
BOOBOO says
Well, it’s no secret that our guards are terrible and that none of them would be starters elsewhere. Only Shannon can be a decent role player on another team.
We should all just accept the fact that we will be stuck with these guys and move on. With that said, Sasha is showing some hustle and we’re not really out of the game yet.
Ryan says
Go lakers!!!
Lakers8884 says
It’s so funny that Sasha makes smarter decisions with the ball than any of our guards besides Kobe, if only his shot would come back….
But is it any coincidence that our best lineup consists of a running lineup without Bynum and Fisher in the game?
ken says
GREAT COACHING PHIL. YOU RETIRED FISH’S NUMBER AND WE GO ON A RUN!
Laker4life says
This is the only qtr. that matters… Lakers 84 – Cs 83… 5:55 left
for those of u not watching the game
Ryan says
No matter what the result – Lakers did a great job without Kobe!!1 Good game!!!
james says
of all the people its sasha who turns the game
Lakers8884 says
I’ve been saying it for months give Sasha playing time and Sasha will shoot himself out of his funk just like Ray Allen is doing
Jaybird says
I’m really enjoying this game. I suggest a lot of the whiners here try to do the same!
Kareem says
What, what! Odom, my man! The Celtics imploding in the Fourth Quarter. I guess the animation voodoo Rivers casted on his corpse crew wears off after 40 minutes
I hate rondo says
Seems like Staples is pretty quiet for a celtics game…stand up and cheer you knuckleheads!!!!
wil says
no one on the celtics smiles…ever.
Tyler says
Someone should make a highlight tape just of Odom’s rebounds. I would watch that for hours, just beautiful.
The Hoops Freak says
Great comeback. I was thinking of going to bed too.
Bobji says
Nice run!
It cracks me up to see Garnett trying to be hyper alpha and LO just chuckling.
LET’s GO TEAM
Jay says
218
I know, I was thinking the same thing. Sasha may have stunk for the beginning of this game, but this 4th quarter is exactly what the team needed.
Lakers8884 says
Please take Bynum out the team has played better without him in the game
zirk says
I swear, I don’t think Bynum has ever kicked it back out once in his life! Good job Phil, let’s keep Pau on the bench.
Jay says
Alright, I have to ask. Why is Gasol not in the game, we haven’t created a decent offensive look in about 4 minutes.
Edit: Oh good, there he is
Drew says
Why is gasol not in the game, we need to get the ball moving not have bynum stand and jab step for 8 seconds
Rudy says
Phil needs to put ShamWow back in the game
ken says
AGAIN i REPEAT bYNAM IS SELFISH!
andre says
strange 4th quarter. 13-0 run followed by like a 3-4 minute scoring drought.
uh oh fish is back. its crunch time, supposedly his forte. lets see what happens….
james says
seriously? sasha has earned the PT tonight fking fish should not be in
Busboys4me says
This is why Bynum does not play at the end of games. He goes into the one on one mode and the ball stops. We needed help, having Fisher to close games with Kobe is fine, having him without Kobe is a waste of a life.
Laker4life says
Fish to the hole hoping for a foul again… then coming back and getting a foul nice job Fish
Q says
fisher comes back and rondo scores
3ThreeIII says
Bynum out, Fisher in. Boston on a 7-0 run.
Lakers8884 says
Fisher god what a miserable decision, absolutely terrible you deserved to be benched for that
Lawler says
Dammit fish!!! Now we all got to comment on your freaking lame play aagain!!!
james says
no fish please retire now
Lawler says
Come on lakers – proud of you!!!!
Q says
OMG look at fisher
throws up another poor shot and then fouls
zirk says
Is Shannon wearing #24? Who does he think he is all of the sudden?!
glove32 says
The Lakers guards just can’t make an outside shot tonight
The Dude Abides says
Sigh…that fast break drive was torture to watch, made worse because we knew what was going to happen before it happened.
Also…Shannon…you need to learn the concept of letting your bigs re-post after they pass it back out to you.
Jay says
Phil is CRUSHING Shannon for taking that shot. I honestly didn’t think it was a bad shot…he was open. Yeah, it didn’t go in, but you want him to stay aggressive.
Tyler says
I really really miss Kobe for the first time.
Lakers8884 says
Phil REALLY? Giving Shannon an earful on an open jumper which he can hit yet you say nothing to Fisher for a terrible decision to attempt a layup?
Q says
well guess why there are so many negative comments on Fisher? because he keeps on playing so poorly!
andre says
pau needs to take the shot…. brown back to back jump shot misses and fisher with a perplexing out of control drive to the lane.
we need the bigs to get shots here in the last minute and a half… you cant say the opportunities are not there….
wow lakers have scored 2 points in 7 minutes…. it’ll be unreal if we can pull this out. what was with the timeout fiasco…. seems a bit of an odd time to call it, although odom did miss the lay up…
Lawler says
LO or Pau will hit the game winner!!!!
Rudy says
I understand Phil wanted the ball to go back into Gasol, but that was a good shot. He just has to knock that down
maxnyc says
celtics are giving the lakers every opportunity…
can we please take it….its moments like these that make me miss that guy who wears #24
wiseolgoat says
Offensive execution on both sides this quarter has been atrocious. Man I miss Kobe.
maxnyc says
terrible play pau!
james says
wow why did they call a time out let odom take that
BOOBOO says
WHAT?! PJ!!! WHY????
LO was either going to score or get fouled. He had a little man on him.
The Hoops Freak says
What a finish! This is great basketball entertainment.
Lakers8884 says
Put the ball in Lamar’s hands and let him create, he’s all we have, or Shannon but his shot has been off
maxnyc says
i hope we have more than 2.2 seconds left
Jim says
THis is why we need Kobe. Crunch time. One man difference maker.
RJ says
put kobe in.
maxnyc says
who takes this shot??? gotta be odom or pau
Aqzi says
2.2 seconds left. The lakers look a little lost out there without Kobe. Derek with the blown layup, Shannon with the inefficient shot, and pau throws it away to Shannon for the turnover.
Q says
and guess who missed the last second shot to beat the celtics?
The Dude Abides says
I’m not going to say it…
zirk says
The TO should have occurred right after the rebound. Otherwise, just let LO take that.
Lawler says
Lakers – GREAT showing!!! Even with the loss – at least they gave it a good run. Won’t even comment on that last play!!
BOOBOO says
Pathetic, Fisher. Did you seriously expect a call there? Seriously, pathetic. No other word can describe Fisher’s play tonight.
Lakers8884 says
Why do players always jump in expecting contact that is a terrible shot, Shoot a normal damn jump shot in that scenario Derek didn’t need to jump in to Ray Allen Just elevate and shoot your normal jumpshot
andre says
oh my god…… how can that not be reviewable??? we shouldve had 4 or 5 seconds on the clock. and okay, im gonna say this again…. fish lost this game for us…
3ThreeIII says
Desperation runner by Fisher? That was the only play we could get for the last seconds?
I promise you that Kobe just broke something in whatever room he was just watching this game from…
Tell me again about how Kobe is not the best closer in the game?
maxnyc says
no biggie…..we did well without Kobe these last 5 games…now please get well and get back into the lineup kobe…too bad we couldn’t capitalize on cavs big loss today
glove32 says
Lakers blew that game, just cannot miss 9FT (64% from the line) and have as many turnovers that they had in the 4Q
I always hate losing to the Celtics
james says
any option would of been better then fisher there, Lakers crapping their pants w/o kobe in crunch time
Tyler says
Actual conversation in Lakers huddle:
LO: What should we run coach?
PJ: Ummm…. Everyone just run around in different directions.
Pau: Shouldn’t we set some picks or something?
PJ: Who’s the Hall of Fame coach here? No picks.
Fish: Good call coach. I’ll just flail around and toss up an awful shot. Refs always call fouls on game ending jump shots.
Mbenga: Dacos!
Rudy says
Disappointed in the outcome, but I’m proud of the Lakers for fighting and playing with great defensive intensity. I’ve personally seen enough of the Kobeless Lakers. Lets all hope Kobe comes back next game.
harold says
As much as this was a bad game for Fish, i think this basically says that the C’s have no prayer of reaching the finals.
Orlando or Cleveland, they will crush the Cs if they can’t blow us out when we’re without Kobe.
But darn, with the Cavs’ loss, it was a good day to close the gap..
Da Raider says
I’m not worried about Boston at all. This loss is squarely on Phil Jackson. The Lakers would dispatch them in a series in less than 7 games. It’s all about PJ insisting on playing Fish significant minutes. He cannot guard Rondo at all. It’s not a coincidence that the Lakers made a move when he was on the bench and promptly fell apart as soon as he came back in.
Stanley says
Not bad considering our backcourt (outside of Sasha) was a zero. maybe even a negative that’s debatable.
Joe says
Frustrating loss….just frustrating. Defense was there but Brown missed a couple key shots at the end
Brimshine says
Very strong effort, at least they didn’t back down to the physical beating that was this game.
Lakers8884 says
Shannon, Fisher and Jordan a combined 5-25, WOW thats the reason for the loss right there. Along with some poor coaching decisions by Phil
Bobji says
seriously? that’s how the game ends?
shouldn’t there have been like 4 or 5 seconds on the clock?
to point out the bad from the game: there were
bad decisions down the stretch after a great start to the 4th. 2 points in the last 7 minutes for the Lakers… There was basically no offensive production from the guards today, they even missed everything at the free throw line.
Even with all that, this almost was a win!
and we saw Artest dunk TWICE!
E. Dimowo says
Hmmmm… past four games: “good job Lakers! winning without Kobe! This is a deep team!” Today: “I miss Kobe! We need Kobe back!” Hmmm… granted, we really didn’t have a closer, but we could have put some sort of play together! SOMETHING! Either way, we didn’t have our shot all game and Sasha Vujacic (yes, Sasha) was our catalyst. We played something out there that worked in the fourth, but just couldn’t close cause of lack of a closer/bad official eyes/ lack of a damn PLAY! But hey, .04… I know what PJ was getting at… we played a really impressive game though. One thing that we are is much MUCH more talented than those dirty old Celtics… think about it: they shot 53% I believe in the 1st half, and I believe we shot 44%. We were down by 5 points.. 5 POINTS! Kendrick Perkins were pushing even the swippers on the floor, and we still persisted.That usually results in a difference of upwards of 20 points! We did things right when it counted, and we really kept this game close.
Mimsy says
This is not the end of the world. The sky is not falling. Sorry.
I know, I’m not the most optimistic person out there , but… if Kobe had been in this game, we could and would have won. In the moment, this loss is extremely painful and aggravating. In the big scheme of things, I am hopeful that it will become meaningless…
harold says
I have a feeling that these games of non-coaching by Phil are games he plays with the players so that they don’t tune him out.
Or he really wants Fisher to come to him and ask, just like Luke, that he will volunteer to come off the bench.
Or, he is still in Montana or somewhere and not quite back into the coaching thing yet.
Busboys4me says
Why was Fisher in the game???????!!!!!!!! Farmar is a better shooter. He should have been in there. Sasha should have been in there, but not Fisher. He needs Kobe to get an open shot.
Fisher got used by Ray Allen in the first half. In came Sasha and all of sudden Ray starts to miss. This is why I didn’t want to get rid of Sasha. But we have to do something about Fisher. The guy is killing us. I know we are waiting on the waiver wire to see what’s out there to add value to the team.
Joe says
Everytime I look at the boxscore Fisher shoots 1-6, 2-9, 1-7, with barely any assists to go along with it. Why the hell is he in the game at the end like that??
The Dude Abides says
282. Fish guarded Allen, not Rondo. But you’re right, whenever he was switched onto Rondo, he gave up points on drives. I did think this was a very good team effort tonight. Sure, there were some bonehead plays.
And I’m not sure why Phil went away from the lineup that took us from ten points down to four points up. I know Pau needed a rest, but I was hoping he would only sit for two minutes instead of four. Sasha got us back in the game with his activity at both ends, but after leading that comeback, he was benched. Good Sasha showed up in the second half after he was missing for the previous three halves. One should always take advantage of the presence of Good Sasha.
lakersfansincemagic says
Bynum comes back = Lakers struggles
Busboys4me says
@Darius
Sasha was playing better than Fisher. Fisher should have sat in favor of Sasha.
Jane says
I absolutely refuse to be upset about this game. It was very competitive & without Kobe. I’m moving on…we all should.
At least the Cavs didn’t gain any ground, either.
harold says
@Jane:
That and I’m sure the C’s are almost as upset as we are even though they won.
They should be, anyway.
Palani says
>>>Shannon, Fisher and Jordan a combined 5-25
and a combined 4/10 FT, 40%.
andre says
289…. that coaching decision was mind boggling. not only did sasha spark the rally but he was shooting better 3-6 VS. 1-9 for fisher and also the overall defense of the team was so much better with fish on the bench. i particularly remember allen missing a few shots with brown and vujacic on him….
vujacic brown artest gasol and odom at point forward would’ve made the best sense to close that game.
really painful loss but a good effort by gasol bynum odom and artest…. those guys kept us in the game.
ps. really interesting how both jackson and rivers criticed the jamison trade, particularly the whole buying out after 30 days rule. that really really has to go.
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=4926633
… and outcome aside, after watching that game, i think the celtics have alot more to worry about than the lakers.
Busboys4me says
@Palani and Darius
You don’t expect Shannon to be WOW every game. He is not a starter, he is a back-up player. A journeyman back-up at that. The same can be said for Farmar. He is a back-up but he is not a journeyman yet. Fisher is our starter!!! He is out there every game. We rely on him and he dissappoints more than he pleases. This is why KH was important to acquire. Cleveland addressed their weakness, as did Portland. I wish we were able to do the same.
aB says
Just wanted to add to the count…which is now above 300 comments!
jeremyLA24 says
Who thinks the outcome would have been for the better if this was Cavs without Lebron or Nuggets without Melo? I say it would have been a double digit win for Boston the way Ray Allen was shooting and the strong D they flared all night.
I’m always upset when the Lakers lose but tonight its not because they didn’t show up or because we played soft. It’s because we played hard and a couple of ill advised plays sealed the deal out of our favor. Oh Well.
Burgundy says
I know I’m a little late to respond on the “we won with Fisher last year, don’t bash him this year” comment…but I have news for you, outside of the two shots he made during Game 4 of the Finals, and the flagrant foul against Houston, he was absolutely attrocious last year, too.
I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s actually worse this year.
And enough with the “stop bashing Fisher” posters. We, as fans, are frustrated. We aim our frustrations at the players who deserve them, and after yet another epic stinkbomb, Fish is most certainly deserving.
Fish needs to be glued to the bench – Phil has stuck with him far too long. We’re two thirds of the way through the season and he’s still the worst starting point guard in the league. That’s not going to change. Phil needs to make the switch to Farmar and hope for the best.
ray says
First, @ KAVEH?
Spare you what? The fact that I’d rather not be a downer? You can focus on the crap all you want, I’ll focus on what I want to focus on, and that’s all the good stuff the team does rather than just harp on what the team SHOULD do or SHOULD HAVE traded for.
————–
Second, @ Aaron (and all Fisher haters)
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but man, Fisher played an awful game. Which was made worse by the awful games of Farmar and Shannon. I didn’t comment tonight because I went to a bar to watch the game, but as soon as I saw double screens on Fisher to get Ray Allen going, I knew this thread was going to be Fisher-hating. Yah he made them, but after the first two, I watched closely to see how badly Fish was out of position on those shots. I counted 2 shots where he (Fisher) was no where in his face. I won’t defend any of Fisher’s offensive decisions, though I will forgive his last second shot for two reasons: 1. 2.2. seconds left. 2. Did you see that play?? Shannon and Lamar went to half court, Pau was close to the three, and Artest ran to the spot were Paul Pierce could intercept a pass. But his drives were completely inexcusable.
That said, he was still the better option rather than starting Farmar or Brown. Brown still loves the dribble pop jumper, and Farmar, I have no clue what he’s going to do.
The bar was going crazy when Sasha was contributing.
—————-
With all that negativity out of the way. Lakers, sans Kobe, fought back against one of the top teams in the League after being down 10 in the fourth quarter. The offense wasn’t running as efficiently as it had the previous four games, especially in the beginning of the game. And as said earlier, too many missed free throws.
But man, the Lakers just went 4-1 without Kobe (two weeks ago many people on this site were saying we wouldn’t even compete in any games if Kobe missed time).
Other than the crappy feeling from the loss, love how tough the Lakers played. At the fourth quarter they were fighting with the “dirty” elbows of the celtics. too bad we wont play them again this year, since they are not making the finals.
wiseolgoat says
Sasha was pulled because he has a grade-1 shoulder sprain. He’s day to day.
andre says
303. he has gotten worse. if fish can stick to just shooting jump shots in the flow of the offense maybe 5 times a game. even if he makes 30 percent of them, i’ll be ok with it. even if he misses all of them, i’d be ok with it. 5 missed shots are not going to kill us.
what drives me bananas is his out of control drives to the lane which probably have about a 5 percent success rate… it makes no sense to drive to the lane. not making the shot, not creating shots for others, not drawing the foul. absoultely positively nothing good comes out of it. i know he’s always done this but it seems to to me, he’s been doing it more recently. he did it at least 4 times today.
and then there’s the liability on defense issue. huge liability….
i know im beating on a dead horse here, but my god, burgundy, not only is he worse from last year. he’s worse from a few months ago.
and for all this talk that he brings intangibles and can hit the clutch shot, its just not worth the liability that he is. not at all worth it.
305. thats interesting. is that from the contact with pierce in the 4th? i thought he got hit in the face.
ray says
@burgandy,
actually my response to your comment was
“Lakers wont win the title with Fisher playing big minutes.” People said that last year also, and we won.
harold says
@ray
Just because we did it last year doesn’t mean that he is contributing to our title run this year, and worse, it actually doesn’t mean that he contributed last year. His clutch shooting might even not have been necessary if he was adequate in non-clutch time.
But, realistically, I don’t see Farmar or Brown starting for Fisher and making things better.
Farmar will want to push and push instead of working the triangle, and he is just as likely to fall in love with the PUJIT.
Brown, ouch, he’s not a true PG and I think I heard PJ say that his handling needs work, but he has shown the tendency to take shots that are tolerated only when Kobe takes them.
So it leaves us with Fisher, and well, at least he’s not Smush Parker. He may be a liability, but every team has at least one liability – we should thank our stars (pun intended) that we managed to win it all despite Fisher.
ray says
@harold,
I’ll agree with everything you said except the last line.
I’ve said many times throughout this season that Fisher is having the worst year of his career. But like Harold said, give me a better option. People kept pointing that Hinrich should have been traded for, but it’s easy to spend other people’s money and easy to assume that he’d help the team out. He’s shooting pretty even to Fish/Farmar, without knowing how well he’d fit in the triangle.
Busboys4me says
@ray (and all Fisher lovers)
Maybe you can say we won last year despite Fish playing major minutes. He hit shots, but I’ll say the same thing that I used to say about Horry, “What about all the other shots he missed during the game??!! Big Shot Rob missed 10 shots but hit the big one and we would all applaud. The big difference Rob was playing 20 spot minutes a game, Fisher is still playing damn near 30.
We need Fisher, but only to run the team smoothly when we get off track (like Luke), if its a bad match-up, he shouldn’t be out there (sort of like a guy who can’t hit left handed pitching).
ken says
Nice trades Mitch. Fisher is the worst percentage shooter on this team. Its the difference between a parade and a bad ending!
Busboys4me says
I just hate losing to the Celtics. Some games hurt more than others. The only difference is, unless lil Nate turns into the second coming, we won’t see them again this year.
The Dude Abides says
305. Ah, ok.
308. Farmar had a very good game under pressure for us in last season’s playoffs in the one game he’s started (Game 3 vs Houston). He played under control, and had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, one steal, one block, and only one turnover. Perhaps one of the reasons he played under control was the fact that he was playing with the other starters. I think he can play the right way if the coaching staff impresses upon him to run the offense. I don’t believe it hurts the team to experiment with Jordan as a starter.
Tonight’s game from Fish was perhaps the worst game at both ends of the floor by any PG in the NBA in the past three seasons out of any game I’ve watched, although his performance in the last Denver game was pretty close.
Busboys4me says
You can’t blame Mitch for not making a trade. You can only blame the economic times. When times were good we gave Luke and Sasha money that was fair for them at that time. Now that money is funny, we can’t get rid of those two players. He was right to try and work a trade for Hinrich. We just couldn’t get anyone to take the bait (Sasha’s contract).
I will continue to say where we messed-up was not going with 14 or 15 players. Those monies could have been pooled along with Ammo’s to get a player like Hinrich. Being thrifty may have cost us a championship.
ken says
Sorry busboys I don’t buy it. Buss made $30 million last year and us Laker fans deserve more then Fisher as our starting pointless guard.
andre says
310. there’s no way you can compare horry (at any stage of his laker career) to where fish is at now….
ray says
How exactly am I a Fisher lover when I’ve said many times that he’s had a terrible year and today he had a terrible game that probably lost it for us?
But I wont go so far as to say that Fisher or not doing anything about Fisher has cost us a championship.
He cost us this game. Beyond that no one knows.
Brimshine says
The part that kills me about fisher is his play after someone burns him on D. He gets his vendetta going and takes an outta control shot to compound the problem.
Joel B. says
“We need Fisher, but only to run the team smoothly when we get off track (like Luke), if its a bad match-up, he shouldn’t be out there (sort of like a guy who can’t hit left handed pitching).”
Something that fisher doesn’t do. With a 1:10 left down one Fisher gets the ball and ran down court with 20 seconds left off the shot clock…he slows down waits until the offense sets and runs the offense…NO HELL NO but we wish…he never does that. Instead, what he did was drive the ball into 3 defenders and throws up a lay up. Fisher was like 0-4 in lay ups (one time he got fouled and missed both freethrows). Why because he insist of forcing himself into the lane with multiple defenders time and time again.
I’m sick of Fisher. The way he plays is inexusable. The lakers just need him to play okay. Instead he plays extremely bad time and time again. Forces shots, can’t defend anyone. What are Fishers best attributes. 100% of Laker fans will say hitting 3’s and running the offense. Neither of which he does. I’m sick of hearing well farmar and brown played bad to. Look at the shots farmar took then look at the shots fisher took. Then make that comment again. I will not bash anyone for just having a bad game. For instance farmar, he took good open shots and just missed, it happens. But Fisher on the other hand, just does everything wrong.
And ray mentioning that people saying last year the lakers wont win a championship with fisher but of course they won, well this year the lakers won’t win one. Not versus the Cavs without home court. This was a good chance to gain ground on the Cavs and the lakers blew it by scoring 2 points in the last 6 minutes of the game. If the lakers don’t win the championship because of their point guard play (mainly fisher) they will regret not trading for Hinrich.
Q says
i can see fisher getting fried by billlups and if we manage to get past denver, get another beating by mo williams
Q says
I will say it again
If there is a stat or shots blocked per game, Fisher is the winner
Q says
*for
ken says
Been a Laker fan for 30 years and don’t remember a worse all around starting guard then Fish this year. Even Smush at least had some quickness and never shot under 39%. Fisher is at 37% and can’t stop any one. That is a crime to the Laker nation. We will not win this year because of one man ego and thats sad.
Burgundy says
RE: 318
Joel B hit the nail on the head – all the Lakers need is for Fish to not bring anything to the table. That’s it.
But he’s actively taking things off the table every game. I hate that he gets the “well he runs the offense” label. What was the nonsense at the end of the game?
He should be fined $5K every time he attempts a layup.
ray says
Where was all this when Fisher played good basketball in the four games we won? He had his worst game of the season and a lot of you go out for blood. But none of you say anything when he plays it well. This makes no sense to me.
I’m not defending the guys play today. Hell no. He made crappy decisions and was terrible and quite possibly lost us the game. But it is just plain “bandwagon” to start harping on every loss because of terrible play.
Look at that last play again. What would you have done? Lamar and shannon going to the half court, Pau not moving, and Artest blocked. was the early deficit on Fisher alone or the whole team?
I’m sorry, but a lot of people are looking for a scapegoat when it comes to losses, especially big games like the Celtics. We praise Kobe for his heroism if he makes a shot to win. Blame Fisher for every loss. That’s what bothers me about these sensational comments.
IF we don’t win the championship, will we wish we got better? sure. Just like how we wish we didn’t give Sasha his contract or Luke his contract. But hey, it’s easy to criticize an owner who “made 30 million” to not spend any more money, even though he spends the most money out of anyone in the league, paid his way to get us four championships int he 00s, got the superstar we all clamor for.
It’s a Loss. a one point loss at that. Against a good team who had everyone playing for them. Oh, and our main guy wasn’t out.
It would have been nice to knock a game off Cleveland’s lead, but we didn’t. Now we practice, and play the next one.
Darius says
New post up.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2010/02/19/lakersceltics-frustration-after-faltering-down-the-stretch/
ken says
Sorry Ray but when the guy is last in the league in shooting, last in assists, last in points per game and gives up 12 more then he scores of any STARTER you can’t just sweep that under the carpet. Its not just this game its this season.
We deserve more then that.
LJAY says
So we missed 9!!! FT, with our back court missing 6 of them (it’s always amazing to me, when a pro BB player misses two FT in a row, even more when the player is a PG or a SG), and we lost by one, so even though it was a tough thing to digest, because they were the celts, it’s far from being a meaningfull lost.
I know it was maybe silly, but I got really mad with Pau, when he let Wow shoot the T FT. Because by that time he was perfect from the line (Wow wasn’t) and he has better FT%, and instead of asserting himself he back down when Wow told him he was taking it (by the way he missed it).
Anonymous says
Starting to question Fisher, he should ask to be benched. Give Shannon or Jordan extended time starting to see if they can figure out. They cant do any worse
Joel B. says
325.
Fisher had 2 good games and one okay game this month. So lets not get carried away with saying where was the criticism when fisher was playing good basketball. Fisher just wasn’t playing terrible basketball. He wasn’t necessarily playing well other than the games vs the spurs and portland.
But fisher is the scapegoat. When Fisher plays this way the lakers do not win. Period, well unless Kobe bails the lakers out. But I will reiterate, its not about blaming Fisher about him having a bad shooting night, its about his extremely bad judgement, inability to guard anyone on the floor, and selfishness(by this I mean always trying to be the one who makes the big shot and not running the offense when he should) on top of his bad shooting.
Busboys4me says
@ ray
Check back to the blogs. If we win and he plays well, we give him a positive comment. If we win and he plays like crap, we blast him. The problem is he plays like crap way more than he plays well and the rest of us are tired of it.
As far as calling you a Fisher lover, read what you and I both wrote. My comment was to you directly and “to all Fisher lovers”. You were in the sentence but I did not call you a Fisher lover. If so, I would have written “to ray and all you other Fisher lovers”.
@Joel
I did not say it cost us a championship, just that it “may”.
Aaron says
Ray,
I feel for you man. Everyone attacked me last year when I was the first to question the temple that is Derek Fisher. So I know what it is like to feel this kind of heat. If you really believe Fisher is better than Brown, Farmar, and or Sasha keep up the good fight I say.
However… all evidence suggests he is worse than possibly all 3 guys that could start over him at PG. He is the worst shooter of the group, he is the worst defender, he is the worst penetrator, he is the worst finisher, and he is the worst rebounder. Knowledge spreads like a virus sometimes. Ask last seasons Rockets if Farmar should start in the playoffs. In the one game Farmar started last season he played a better game than Fisher did in the entire playoffs.
We are free LakerNation… Let the past go and live in the now.
The Emperor Has No Clothes!!!!
Mark says
ray,
Did you know for a fact that when Fisher played/plays well, Farmar and Brown played/plays BETTER?
We need Fisher, but Fisher needs to tell Phil that he should sit. I’d rather give a chance to a very inconsistent (wild card) Sasha Vujacic than bear 30-plus minutes of Derek Fisher making boneheaded plays one after the other.
Tell me he has a GREAT basketball IQ, and I’ll show you that he is the worst finisher in the paint aside from Kwame Brown. If he is really SMART enough, he should have known better than getting to the lane expecting a foul to be called every time.
King James says
It’s all OVER for the celtics! Lose at home to the NETs!
hehehehe
This year is all about King James…see you in the FINALS!!!