LOL @ Kobe's 11 pts

[Calispursfan11]

This is directly pertinent to the Spurs, as Kobe has been such a thorn in our side for such a long time.

But the decline is evident 11 pts... This is the beginning of the end.

Without Bynum, Lakers go down 0-2 to the Westless Hornets. They aren't looking like title contenders, and they aren't bored. They are beat. As Kobe goes, LA goes. This would have been the same for Timmy and the Spurs as Timmy is starting to slow, but we have a real supporting cast which makes us somewhat more able to deal with the decline. If not this season, then next will be a serious dropoff for the Lakers.

Artest is old and slow as is Fisher. Gasol is the spring chicken at 31 but looks like an emaciated strung out version of his ferocious brother Marc right now.

Thoughts?

[cantthinkofanything]

This is directly pertinent to the Spurs, as Kobe has been such a thorn in our side for such a long time.

But the decline is evident 11 pts... This is the beginning of the end.

Without Bynum, Lakers go down 0-2 to the Westless Hornets. They aren't looking like title contenders, and they aren't bored. They are beat. As Kobe goes, LA goes. This would have been the same for Timmy and the Spurs as Timmy is starting to slow, but we have a real supporting cast which makes us somewhat more able to deal with the decline. If not this season, then next will be a serious dropoff for the Lakers.

Artest is old and slow as is Fisher. Gasol is the spring chicken at 31 but looks like an emaciated strung out version of his ferocious brother Marc right now.

Thoughts?

This isn't pertinent for at least 7 more games.

[DMC]

The Lakers are more dangerous when Kobe is not scoring big points. We want him scoring 35 a game. That means the bigs are standing around waiting for long rebounds.

[Calispursfan11]

Kobe is more dangerous when he's not scoring big points. We want him scoring 35 a game. That means the bigs are standing around waiting for long rebounds.

If he's not being efficient, I agree i.e. 8-25. Otherwise, 35 from Kobe is too much.

[ohmwrecker]

This thread belongs downstairs. It's weak posting it up here.

[ajballer4]

They won, thats all that matters

[Reck]

The Lakers are more dangerous when Kobe is not scoring big points. We want him scoring 35 a game. That means the bigs are standing around waiting for long rebounds.

Indeed. Lakers are 15-0 when Kobe takes 10 shots or less and 9-9 when he tries ballhogs.

Just saw this piece of info on Sportsnation a few minutes ago.

[daslicer]

Kobe will always be a ball hog when he knows that there is nothing on the line for him to lose as evident in game 1. If the game is a high risk game where the lakers face elimination or going down in a hole of 0-2 or 1-3 in the playoffs then you will see Kobe in distribution mode. Its pretty predictable every year what this fucker tries to do. The real key is to beat the lakers when Kobe is in distributor mode which would then throw everything out of sync for the lakers.

[024]

spur fans shouldn't be laughing at other teams right now..

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

It's better when he scores 30-40 because he always ends up missing a lot more shots when he takes more. That means more possessions for Spurs.

[DeadlyDynasty]

lol...Chris Paul scored more points (20) than Pau and Kobe combined (19), and the Lakers were still able to keep NOH at arm's length for the game. NBA=f:lolcked

[Obstructed_View]

The Lakers won easily. Not sure how that's funny, particularly when the Lakers don't have to face Memphis, OKC or Denver on their way to the conference finals.

[DeadlyDynasty]

The Lakers won easily. Not sure how that's funny, particularly when the Lakers don't have to face Memphis, OKC or Denver on their way to the conference finals.

If Dallas continues their solid play (especially Kidd and Peja), then they will be a bitch in the WCSF. I would rather plat Denver, tbh...Denver doesn't have the size to hang with LA. Memphis and OKC would be tougher matchups, imho. Regardless, the WCSF matchups are going to be a war.

[Obstructed_View]

If Dallas continues their solid play (especially Kidd and Peja), then they will be a bitch in the WCSF. I would rather plat Denver, tbh...Denver doesn't have the size to hang with LA. Memphis and OKC would be tougher matchups, imho. Regardless, the WCSF matchups are going to be a war.

I still think there are seven teams that can get playing well and win the west. At this moment the Thunder are playing as well as anyone. I think knowing they lost game 1 to a bad call killed the Nuggets mentally, so we're probably down to six. Denver's a tough place to play though, and the Thunder are going to need to beware of reading their own press clippings over the next couple of days.

[Calispursfan11]

I don't think there are that many teams that could win it all. LA, Spurs, Dallas, and OKC are the only ones with a reasonably good shot, unless the Lakers tank against NO which is possible. Let's be honest here and not so insecure.

[Calispursfan11]

Also LOL @ Odom being the only "good" bench player. He's not all that.

[z0sa]

Kobe and Pau both suck, Lakers still win like it's nothing.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't think there are that many teams that could win it all. LA, Spurs, Dallas, and OKC are the only ones with a reasonably good shot, unless the Lakers tank against NO which is possible. Let's be honest here and not so insecure.

With the combination of inconsistency by the veteran teams and inexperience of the young talented teams, it's not too late for anyone to catch fire and take the conference. New Orleans simply doesn't have enough talent.

[rmt]

I don't think that it bodes well for Spurs fans or the rest of the league if both Kobe and Pau play poorly and the Lakers still won handily. With Perkins' trade to OKC, BOS looks more vulnerable. I don't think OKC, CHI and Heat (need better bigs) are ready to win yet. We need to worry about the Spurs who barely won game 2 with everyone sans Parker playing well.

If SA and LA meet, SA needs Kobe to go into chuck-mode and not feed the post. Unfortunately, IMO he'll only chuck in the Finals when the Finals MVP is on the line. If Randolph/Gasol without any real perimeter threat are giving them so much trouble, imagine what problems Gasol/Bynum/Odom together with Kobe will bring. LA has the best frontline while defending the interior is Spurs' biggest weakness - horrible matchup.

[Calispursfan11]

I don't think that it bodes well for Spurs fans or the rest of the league if both Kobe and Pau play poorly and the Lakers still won handily. With Perkins' trade to OKC, BOS looks more vulnerable. I don't think OKC, CHI and Heat (need better bigs) are ready to win yet. We need to worry about the Spurs who barely won game 2 with everyone sans Parker playing well.

If SA and LA meet, SA needs Kobe to go into chuck-mode and not feed the post. Unfortunately, IMO he'll only chuck in the Finals when the Finals MVP is on the line. If Randolph/Gasol with any real perimeter threat are giving them so much trouble, imagine what problems Gasol/Bynum/Odom together with Kobe will bring. LA has the best frontline while defending the interior is Spurs' biggest weakness - horrible matchup.

I don't fear the Lakers' front line and neither will the Spurs if they can get past the (yes) more talented and fearsome Grizzlies frontline. Lakers' front line will be panzies compared to the brutish and energized trio of Arthur/Marc Gasol/and the ever crafty Randolph. They are brutes. Anyone who thinks the Laker front line far outmatches them is on crack.

[DeadlyDynasty]

I don't fear the Lakers' front line and neither will the Spurs if they can get past the (yes) more talented and fearsome Grizzlies frontline. Lakers' front line will be panzies compared to the brutish and energized trio of Arthur/Marc Gasol/and the ever crafty Randolph. They are brutes. Anyone who thinks the Laker front line far outmatches them is on crack.

I guess I'm a crackhead then:depressed

[Calispursfan11]

I guess I'm a crackhead then:depressed

Well, as a Laker fan, you get a pass. I'll just call you a pothead.

[rmt]

I don't fear the Lakers' front line and neither will the Spurs if they can get past the (yes) more talented and fearsome Grizzlies frontline. Lakers' front line will be panzies compared to the brutish and energized trio of Arthur/Marc Gasol/and the ever crafty Randolph. They are brutes. Anyone who thinks the Laker front line far outmatches them is on crack.

IMO you are underestimating LA. Gasol/Bynum/Odom > Randolph/Gasol/Arthur. Kobe > MEM perimeter. Artest is good when dialed in and Fisher is very clutch. Add to that their 2-time championship experience and Phil Jackson and they'll be a very tough out even if they're not playing well.

[Baseline]

Indeed. Lakers are 15-0 when Kobe takes 10 shots or less and 9-9 when he tries ballhogs.

Just saw this piece of info on Sportsnation a few minutes ago.

Exactly. I've watched probably 600 Laker games since Bryant has been in town, and the current version of the Lakers win despite Bryant, not because of him. The only offense he's running is the one that gets him his own shot. Why more people don't call him out on this is beyond me. it's like he has the entire sports universe blackmailed.

Look at Game 7 last year. He goes 6-24, yet they still win. The ridiculous thing is that Bryant still got all the glory. If Boston hadn't given away that game - or if Perk hadn't gotten injured - Bryant's performance that night would go down in history as the least clutch performance by a top banana. It still is, but because the NBA and ESPN still find it necessary to push him down our throats, the spin will be that he's a great player. Well, he's not. He's only as good as his supporting cast. If history has proven anything, it has proven this. He's been coattailing bigs his whole career.

[Calispursfan11]

IMO you are underestimating LA. Gasol/Bynum/Odom > Randolph/Gasol/Arthur. Kobe > MEM perimeter. Artest is good when dialed in and Fisher is very clutch. Add to that their 2-time championship experience and Phil Jackson and they'll be a very tough out even if they're not playing well.

Historically, the statistics support your analysis, but as of right now, the Lakers aren't playing any better than us and certainly neither Kobe, Artest nor the Laker frontline is playing better than any of the Grizzlies. If the Lakers don't shape up (they might), even assuming they get past this round, they aren't going to win a championship. We are doing better right now with the Willis Reed triumph of Manu's return. Too bad for hardcore Laker fans. Their team is disappointing big time so far and COMPLETELY HEALTHY.

Believe.

[Obstructed_View]

The Lakers and their fans would be making a mistake if they think Kobe and Pau scoring less than 20 points is somehow a sign of how good they are. They just earned a split with the absolute worst team in the western playoffs.

[DMC]

Historically, the statistics support your analysis, but as of right now, the Lakers aren't playing any better than us and certainly neither Kobe, Artest nor the Laker frontline is playing better than any of the Grizzlies. If the Lakers don't shape up (they might), even assuming they get past this round, they aren't going to win a championship. We are doing better right now with the Willis Reed triumph of Manu's return. Too bad for hardcore Laker fans. Their team is disappointing big time so far and COMPLETELY HEALTHY.

Believe.

It's hard to say who's playing better unless you are head to head.

[rmt]

Exactly. I've watched probably 600 Laker games since Bryant has been in town, and the current version of the Lakers win despite Bryant, not because of him. The only offense he's running is the one that gets him his own shot. Why more people don't call him out on this is beyond me. it's like he has the entire sports universe blackmailed.

Look at Game 7 last year. He goes 6-24, yet they still win. The ridiculous thing is that Bryant still got all the glory. If Boston hadn't given away that game - or if Perk hadn't gotten injured - Bryant's performance that night would go down in history as the least clutch performance by a top banana. It still is, but because the NBA and ESPN still find it necessary to push him down our throats, the spin will be that he's a great player. Well, he's not. He's only as good as his supporting cast. If history has proven anything, it has proven this. He's been coattailing bigs his whole career.

Agreed.

"I wanted it so, so bad," said Bryant, who now joins Laker great Magic Johnson with his fifth ring. "The more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me. I'm just glad that my teammates really got us back in the game."

http://www.nba.com/games/20100617/BOSLAL/gameinfo.html

[Calispursfan11]

Agree that Kobe needs bigs. I still think the Laker bigs, while definitely BIG, are highly overrated. I give the Lakers no more than a 15% chance of winning it all, if this continues. Kobe can't take over as a facilitator or scorer any more, or at least not to the same extent.

Beginning of the end for sure. Spurs have a longer shelf-life IMO since they are more of a team and have a lot of really promising talent in Hill, Neal, Splitter and Blair (if he can grow a couple of inches).

[21_Blessings]

The Lakers are already in the WCF basically and the Spurs are on the verge of losing to the Lakers' Farm Team.

Wake us up when the Spurs finally get past round 2. It's been yeeeaaars.

[Obstructed_View]

The Lakers are already in the WCF basically and the Spurs are on the verge of losing to the Lakers' Farm Team.

Wake us up when the Spurs finally get past round 2. It's been yeeeaaars.

No need to wake you. You guys are up in the middle of the night trolling the message boards of the small market teams making sure nobody dares say anything critical of your team.

[ginobili fan]

Who cares?
The Lakers won't make it to the finals and the Spurs biggest threat are Dallas

[Calispursfan11]

The Lakers are already in the WCF basically and the Spurs are on the verge of losing to the Lakers' Farm Team.

Wake us up when the Spurs finally get past round 2. It's been yeeeaaars.

We can legitimately call the Lakers old from now until they become lottery bound, which is soon. You will see them break down, not improve from now until they are bounced from the playoffs in this or the next round. Cheers!

[Calispursfan11]

No need to wake you. You guys are up in the middle of the night trolling the message boards of the small market teams making sure nobody dares say anything critical of your team.

LOL @ Kobe

LOL @ Trolls

LOL @ "No need to wake you" . That was priceless!!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

you see him score low points, but his other stats go up above avg,

then in the next game he will pad his scoring to even out the shitty game and keepin up his seasoon/playoff avgs....