Lakers @ Suns - 11.20.08

[Xylus]

I'm pretty hyped about tomorrow's game. I think the Suns match up pretty well with the Lakers, at least on paper, and tomorrow's game should test my hypothesis.

Nash - Fisher
Bell - Kobe
Barnes - Vlad
Amare - Gasol
Shaq - Bynum

Hill, Diaw, Dragic, Lopez... Barbosa's out for the game.
Farmar, Odom, Sasha, Ariza

I think we have the better starting unit at every position but the 2 spot, but the Lakers, as of now, have a superior 2nd unit. Our bench has sucked it up, especially without Barbosa, so we're bound to lose some ground when our starters are out. It's at home, which could be a good or bad thing. Being in close proximity to LA, there are a lot of Laker fans here that'll show up to the game. Plus, I think Phoenix is a better road team.

Game of the season so far. :toast

[IronMexican]

I can't wait! May the better team win.

[xtremesteven33]

i hope this game goes to triple OT......!!!!

and the players are too tired to play the rest of the season....

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

soften them up for the Nuggets :smokin :lol

[Allanon]

Right now, it certainly does look like the Suns are the clear-cut #2 in the West. I didn't think Shaq still had any Diesel left in him. The Minute Men will have to come through for the Lakers.

Should be a great game. :toast

[Bandwagon Fan]

It's essentially the same suns team we owned last year only older.

[angelbelow]

lakers -4
over and under is 206.5

what do you guys think?

[xtremesteven33]

Shaq vs Kobe??

ill be watching

[DannyT]

shaq vs bynum...you dont think he remembers...Lakers should murder them

[Xylus]

It's essentially the same suns team we owned last year only older.

Except now we've implemented Shaq into the offense/defense. Last time the two teams played, Shaq had just come to town for his very first game as a Sun, and it was a close game.

Now the Lakers have Bynum back and Shaq is playing like he's 4-5 years younger. We don't really know how these two teams will fare against each other until we see them play.

[jrod1986]

Sure wish Alando Tucker could get some burn right now. Anyone know how long he's gonna be out?

[Xylus]

Sure wish Alando Tucker could get some burn right now. Anyone know how long he's gonna be out?

Last I read, it could be a couple more weeks. It's been two weeks since his surgery, and he's reportedly not close to being ready.

[lefty]

Shaq vs Kobe??

ill be watching

ESPN, is that you?

[Bandwagon Fan]

Except now we've implemented Shaq into the offense/defense. Last time the two teams played, Shaq had just come to town for his very first game as a Sun, and it was a close game.

Now the Lakers have Bynum back and Shaq is playing like he's 4-5 years younger. We don't really know how these two teams will fare against each other until we see them play.
:lol Defense? What defense? And Shaq's only doing that half the time, and none of your star players are consistant. Even assuming the Lakers coming into town sets them off on all pistons, you still have to hope well shoot poorly to have any chance of winning the game.

[RonMexico]

lakers -4
over and under is 206.5

what do you guys think?

I think that's a pretty accurate line on the whole. I could see the Lakers winning by about 5 even in Phoenix and 206 = 103 by each team. Unless it just becomes a complete blow out, this game has the potential for both teams to reach 110+

[mytespurs]

I think the Lakers will win by double digits.

[IronMexican]

I hope Drew can hold his own against Shaq. Cause I know Shaq will be a lot more motivated than Drew will tonight.

[xtremesteven33]

ESPN, is that you?



haha...yea im a mark for all the hype and drama when it comes to these 2. Just a crazy story these two have.

I wanna see them brawl....:toast

[Killakobe81]

I think it will be agreat game Amare is toughest match up for us tonight ...If they try to feed Shaq that means less touches for AMare and that is a solid not BIG Lakers win ...But Suns look do look good im surprised Shaq has looked like CWebb the last few years in SACtown not explosive but still effective Im sure he will be pumped maybe we can get him in foul trouble ...but id rather get AMare out the game early personally

[Xylus]

If Amare can get Gasol in foul trouble, or if Gasol can get Amare in foul trouble, that will be a huge factor in this game.

[monosylab1k]

when did Amare start sporting the glasses? Am I way behind on this one? I hate that douche, but I must say, he looked pretty badass with those things on. The Antoine Carr look might become the new headband.

[Allanon]

I think he tore his retina in pre-season practice (I think it was Boris Diaw who did it). He started wearing them since then. I thought the glasses were pretty cool too, he had the right kind of goggles.

But I think he threw them away a few games ago.

[Xylus]

He wore the glasses for about 6 games and then decided not to wear them anymore because they were too uncomfortable, he said. Bad move, in my opinion. He was just as dominant with them on, he looked fucking cool, and most importantly, they protected his injured eye.

[monosylab1k]

Ah okay. I haven't seen much of the Suns, I just saw a picture earlier where he had the goggles and thought "That guy looks like a badass".

[RonMexico]

They were fogging up, apparently and hurting his peripheral vision. Considering how dominant he was at the beginning and the amt of times he got to the FT line, he should bring them back.

Especially against the Lakers since he's practically the closest player we've seen to James Worthy in 20 yrs. Think about it - Amare with goggles running the break with Magic and Byron Scott... I still can't imagine him in a Lakers uni, though.

[kcplayboi_26]

lets gooo mann

[ShoogarBear]

The "How's It Taste?" game.

[tomtom]

wow nice move by shaq

[peskypesky]

weird to be rooting for shaq and the suns, but i want them to crush the fakers.

[kcplayboi_26]

ok raja i see u

[angelbelow]

lol ihave money on suns scoring 20 first, thenthe lakers winning by more than 4.

[mystargtr34]

Pretty good game so far.

Radmanovic and Bell the two stars of their respective teams.

[Xylus]

Raja on fire right now.

But for the love of God, guard Vlad.

[xtremesteven33]

this game is gonna be SWEEEETTT

[mystargtr34]

LMFAO at TNT showing the Shaq rap.

[mystargtr34]

Amare should be taking Pau off the dribble every time with Bynum out.

[angelbelow]

so far so good.

[ShoogarBear]

Amare planning to go save Jodie Foster from her pimp after the game?

[Xylus]

Amare should be taking Pau off the dribble every time with Bynum out.

Good point. Amare will have a much easier time scoring without two 7-footers patrolling the paint.

[mystargtr34]

Suns are gonna be pretty damn good this year.

[mystargtr34]

Has Singletary replaced Dragic as the backup?

Dragic has been pretty bad so far.

[ShoogarBear]

Suns need to try Lopez guarding Gasol.

[kcplayboi_26]

Has Singletary replaced Dragic as the backup?

Dragic has been pretty bad so far.

dragic hasnt showed me anything as of yet

[Xylus]

Dragic should be in, not Singletary. Porter's just experimenting.

[Xylus]

Fucking bench. 8-0 run as soon as Nash goes out.

[kcplayboi_26]

Fucking bench. 8-0 run as soon as Nash goes out.

yea hes very valuble, mvp

[angelbelow]

lol at the marching band.

[angelbelow]

very confident post move there.

[TheMadHatter]

LMAO at the refs trying to keep the Suns in the game.

I'm seeing a whole lotta phantom fouls.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

the ref card is coming out already?

Usually Laker fans wait to at least half time before they start complaining

[mystargtr34]

lol

[mystargtr34]

the ref card is coming out already?

Usually Laker fans wait to at least half time before they start complaining

Or when theyre down

[Xylus]

Both teams looking about even so far.

Shaq doesn't look like he cares about this game at all.

[Xylus]

I fucking love Boris Diaw.

[ShoogarBear]

Wow. Craig Sager just made me laugh. With him, not at him.

[mystargtr34]

I thought after Shaq made that sick spin early on he was gonna go out and teach Bynum a lesson.

Since then hes been shite

[Bandwagon Fan]

LAKER DEFENSE PWNAGE

[Xylus]

Fratello might as well be sucking Phil Jackson's dick.

[mystargtr34]

LAKER DEFENSE PWNAGE

Why not just write ownage

[Xylus]

And now Kenny Smith will suck Phil Jackson's dick.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Typo. Anyways, I love how their play out of a timeout was for Nash to take a 3-point shot with someone in his face and tons of time on the clock.

[TheMadHatter]

Kobe really forcing it tonight. You can tell he wants to torch this team badly.

The Suns look very much out of sync. Has Nash even shot the ball yet?

[Spur-Addict]

Amare planning to go save Jodie Foster from her pimp after the game?

:lol


Suns need to try Lopez guarding Gasol.

Good idea.


And now Kenny Smith will suck Phil Jackson's dick.

:lmao

[IronMexican]

Shaq still commanding triple teams.

[TheMACHINE]

Typo. Anyways, I love how their play out of a timeout was for Nash to take a 3-point shot with someone in his face and tons of time on the clock.


typo my ass. You've been playing too much World of Warcraft or Counterstrike. :lol

[TheMACHINE]

Someone tell Bynum to grow a pair.

[Xylus]

Amare needs to get his head out of his ass. Porter needs to stop running the offense through Shaq EVERY time down the court. Diaw needs the ball a lot more. Suns need to cut the turnovers down.

[IronMexican]

typo my ass. You've been playing too much World of Warcraft or Counterstrike. :lol

You need a life.. go play Runescape.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Haha, what was that? It looked like Pau was suprised the ball ended up in his hands.

[IronMexican]

I laugh at all the Shaq haters calling him done!

[dirk4mvp]

Miller should pull a gun to himself after calling Bynum a superstar.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Bynum = future hall of famer

[Xylus]

We won't win this game if Amare continues to be a black hole on offense, and a lazy piece of shit on defense. One play, Shaq had to grab Amare and throw him at the guy he was supposed to be guarding under the hoop.

[DannyT]

He wore the glasses for about 6 games and then decided not to wear them anymore because they were too uncomfortable, he said. Bad move, in my opinion. He was just as dominant with them on, he looked fucking cool, and most importantly, they protected his injured eye.

he looked fuckin cool?

[peskypesky]

Shaq leading Suns in points and boards.

[IronMexican]

Shaq owned Odom on that spin move.

[peskypesky]

Two words explain this game: No Barbosa

[Xylus]

Shaq leading Suns in points and boards.

That's not a good thing. Amare should be leading in points.

[Xylus]

Two words explain this game: No Barbosa

That's not the reason we're losing, but we definitely miss The Blur.

[Xylus]

WTF, Amare.

[dirk4mvp]

Amare is sucking ass.

[Xylus]

Charles Barkley is right when he said that the Suns are only going as far as Amare Stoudemire takes them.

[Xylus]

Amare: 6-17 FG

That's disgusting.

[IronMexican]

I can't wait for 2010 so Shaq can retire where he belongs....

[peskypesky]

That's not the reason we're losing, but we definitely miss The Blur.

They really need him tonight. They look SLOW as molasses without him. Nash seems flat tonight, so playing against a team as good as the Lakers, Suns really missing that x-factor.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Damn, Lakers are in a league of their own

[Bandwagon Fan]

lol, Nash dribbled halfway down the court before they started the clock. Someone must have fallen asleep.

[xtremesteven33]

Damn, Lakers are in a league of their own



The West sucks right now....not to take away much from the Lakers though

[peskypesky]

Damn, Lakers are in a league of their own

Too bad Celtics are in a better league of their own.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Yeah, the two loss league:lol

[Xylus]

Craig Sager: What can you do to get your team back in this game?

Terry Porter: Guard Vlad

[IronMexican]

If Duncan can be as good as Shaq in 4 years, the Spurs still have a lot of time to win titles.

[Xylus]

How many open shots are we going to miss?

[Bandwagon Fan]

Haha, Odom makes a 3. Pretty much sums up the night, Suns are toast.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

the Suns suck. Lakers are the only legit team in the West

[Xylus]

That's game. Suns are still too inconsistent to contend.

[xtremesteven33]

Dang,

Lakers and Celtics are just in a class of thier own RIGHT NOW....









Manu cometh......

[Bandwagon Fan]

Lala, time to make the sucks thread. Only make it for the whole NBA or at least the western conference, seriously we're in a league of our own.

[peskypesky]

Suns' lack of perimeter shooters really hurting them. They can't spread the floor, so Amare & Shaq have no room to operate.

Plus, they just can't buy a shot tonight and Lakers can't miss.

[Xylus]

Suns look old tonight without Barbosa and with Amare playing like a complete douche.

[Xylus]

Another wide open shot missed, this time an airball courtesy of Diaw.

[Xylus]

Another wide open shot missed, another by Diaw.

[peskypesky]

the Suns suck. Lakers are the only legit team in the West

Suns don't suck. They're just not as good as the Lakers. And they're missing Barbosa who is often their x-factor.

But yeah, when Lakers are all healthy, they're pretty packed with talent. Very very deep bench.

[Xylus]

Another wide open layup missed by Amare.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Lakers are getting lazy on defense, keep the bastards under 90.

[DannyT]

shaq vs bynum...you dont think he remembers...Lakers should murder them

[IronMexican]

We want tacos!

[DannyT]

We want tacos!

:lol:lol

is it for under a 100?

[IronMexican]

:lol:lol

is it for under a 100?

Lol, it is. I just said that cause it feels like a home game. Especially cause I can't fuckign watch it on antenna.

[peskypesky]

Even with Tony and Manu coming back, Spurs are going to have major problems with the depth of the Lakers, especially in the post. :(

We desperately need a trade for an athletic big.

[DannyT]

mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm

[ShoogarBear]

Machine shoot!!!

[DannyT]

Even with Tony and Manu coming back, Spurs are going to have major problems with the depth of the Lakers, especially in the post. :(

We desperately need a trade for an athletic big.

you aint neva lied....

[xtremesteven33]

Even with Tony and Manu coming back, Spurs are going to have major problems with the depth of the Lakers, especially in the post. :(

We desperately need a trade for an athletic big.



Mahinmi is a big athletic body. Good defensive player. Thats what we need and we will get.

With Parker,Manu,Hill and Mason we have the best backcourt in the league and in Timmy the best PF in the league/GOAT...


were just as good as the Lakers.....:king

[DannyT]

Lala, time to make the sucks thread. Only make it for the whole NBA or at least the western conference, seriously we're in a league of our own.

has this been done yet?

[peskypesky]

Mahinmi is a big athletic body. Good defensive player. Thats what we need and we will get.

With Parker,Manu,Hill and Mason we have the best backcourt in the league and in Timmy the best PF in the league/GOAT...


were just as good as the Lakers.....:king

How comes you didn't include Finley in our backcourt? :(

[Lakers_55]

This will make it 9-1. Good job Lakers! Walton just hits a 3! Wonder how long before he is traded?

[SpursDynasty]

I'm still not impressed.

Teams are just not showing up to play. It has nothing to do with what the Lakers are doing.

[xtremesteven33]

How comes you didn't include Finley in our backcourt? :(



eh, Fin is inconsistent.

who knows, he might become a SF backup if Udoka doesnt get out of his grave soon.

[xtremesteven33]

I'm still not impressed.

Teams are just not showing up to play. It has nothing to do with what the Lakers are doing.

:nope

[IronMexican]

This will make it 9-1. Good job Lakers! Walton just hits a 3! Wonder how long before he is traded?

Imagine we can get rid of that contract in an Odom deal? I'd get a license for "The Church of Kupchack"

[TheMadHatter]

The Lakers biggest strength IMHO is their depth. The starting 5 often doesn't come out the gate hot, it's the bench that either erases a deficit or extends a small lead into a big one. Not many teams in this league can keep up for a full 48 minutes, the Lakers simply wear you out.

The scariest thing of all for the rest of the NBA is that Bynum is nowhere near where he was last season. Over the course of this season he will get his legs back as well as his timing. His post moves will improve and he will gain more core strength. If he becomes a legitimate post presence that can generate buckets when teams zero in on Kobe...watch out.

[xtremesteven33]

The Lakers biggest strength IMHO is their depth. The starting 5 often doesn't come out the gate hot, it's the bench that either erases a deficit or extends a small lead into a big one. Not many teams in this league can keep up for a full 48 minutes, the Lakers simply wear you out.

The scariest thing of all for the rest of the NBA is that Bynum is nowhere near where he was last season. Over the course of this season he will get his legs back as well as his timing. His post moves will improve and he will gain more core strength. If he becomes a legitimate post presence that can generate buckets when teams zero in on Kobe...watch out.



or it could be that bynum just had a fluke run last year with only 6-10 games of "dominance"

still puzzles me how most NBA fans/analysts will rate him to his 2-4 weeks performance last year before he got hurt.....

[Findog]

Everyone is playing for second place in the West. It's the best you can hope for, unless you can swing a big trade somehow...

[IronMexican]

All west teams are selling themselves way too short right now. I will say it's over when I see it.

[turiaf for president]

drew will be fine. hes doing what is asked of him for this team. thats to rebound and block shots.

[Bandwagon Fan]

or it could be that bynum just had a fluke run last year with only 6-10 games of "dominance"

...except that he's getting his swagger back. The idea that last year was a fluke is more of a false hope for other teams.

[xtremesteven33]

...except that he's getting his swagger back. The idea that last year was a fluke is more of a false hope for other teams.



no, denying consistent play is having false hope.

this guy is inconsistent. When i see consistent good play, then ill be a believer.

[bostonguy]

Only 1 team has a legit chance to take down the Lakers...themselves.

I have a question that continues to bug me...
I am not trying to harp on the guy but does it seem like Gasol is scared to post up against any bigman who is strong? Gasol needs to be aggressive with his post game because that is a talented aspect of his game that he simply just pisses away.

[Bandwagon Fan]

no, denying consistent play is having false hope.

this guy is inconsistent. When i see consistent good play, then ill be a believer.

He'll easily average a double double and 3 (or very close to three) blocks this season. It's funny trying to watch you guys look for pseudo holes, inconsistant:rollin

[cobbler]

Charles Barkley is right when he said that the Suns are only going as far as Amare Stoudemire takes them.

with the very next post ...


Amare: 6-17 FG

That's disgusting.

BRILLIANT!!!

[Ghazi]

Everyone's playing for 2nd place in the regular season.

But the Lakers are beatable in the playoffs IMO.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Who is going to beat the Lakers in a seven game series outside the east? Face it, everyone else sucks.

[Brazil]

Who is going to beat the Lakers in a seven game series outside the east? Face it, everyone else sucks.

The San Antonio Spurs in 6.

[Bandwagon Fan]

In the 6th seed? Being generous, ok, but theyll just get owned by the Jazz.

[TheMACHINE]

Gasol > Bynum in the post

[Bandwagon Fan]

Gasol > Bynum in the post

Wrong

[IronMexican]

Wrong

Are you joking? Gasol is so smooth in the post. when Bynum is in there, it looks like he is trying to hurry up before getting 3 seconds in the paint.

[Bandwagon Fan]

Maybe offensively, but overall I give it to Bynum. Plus Pau wasnt as great when Bynum wasnt there.