injuries arent a excuse for the spurs considering ariza and bynum were out. both teams were missing players so it cancels it as an excuse
Very debatable.
Go take a look at the margins of victory in the games and tell me a 100% Manu couldn't have made a difference in the outcome. He was our leading scorer last year in a series where scoring droughts killed us.
Manu was hurt to the point that he was actually a liability on the court. Let's not forget that he was averaging 19/4/4 last year.
A loss is a loss is a loss but it doesn't mean that the Lakers would have been the better team at full strength. No one will ever know the answer to that. They were a better team given the cir stances last year.
injuries arent a excuse for the spurs considering ariza and bynum were out. both teams were missing players so it cancels it as an excuse
Kobe and the Lakers!
Manu will kick the snot out of that girl vuja tomorrow.
Here's to a great game and no injuries for both squads.![]()
Sunday: Spurs (29-13) at Lakers (34-8)
Express-News
Time: 2:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - LAKERS
PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 2 Derek Fisher (6-1, 13th yr)
Fisher is having career year from 3-point range, making 43.9 percent.
SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 24 Kobe Bryant (6-6, 13th yr)
Bryant led all Western Conference players in voting for All-Star Game.
SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 10 Vladimir Radmanovic (6-10, 8th yr)
Radmanovic came off bench Thursday vs. Wizards after missing shootaround.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 16 Pau Gasol (7-0, 8th yr)
Duncan was No. 2, behind Bryant, in overall fan voting for West All-Star starters.
C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 17 Andrew Bynum (7-0, 4th yr)
Bynum is coming off his top two rebounding games, 15 vs. Clippers, 14 vs. Wizards.
SPURS RESERVES
12 Bruce Bowen, F, (6-7, 13th yr)
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 7th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
7 Fabricio Oberto, C/F, 6-10, 4th yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
22 Austin Croshere, F, 6-10, 12th yr
LAKERS RESERVES
3 Trevor Ariza, F, 6-8, 5th yr
7 Lamar Odom, F, 6-10, 10th yr
28 D.J. Mbenga, C, 7-0, 5th yr
31 Chris Mihm, C, 7-0, 8th yr
21 Josh Powell, F, 6-9, 4th yr
9 Sun Yue, G, 6-9, 1st yr
18 Sasha Vujacic, G, 6-7, 5th yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Lakers: Phil Jackson
INJURIES
Spurs: Ian Mahinmi (left ankle sprain) is out.
Lakers: Jordan Farmar (left knee) is questionable.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Mahinmi, Malik Hairston, Jacque Vaughn
Lakers: Farmar
NOTABLE
Spurs haven’t won at the Staples Center since a 96-94 overtime victory on Jan. 7, 2007, a dry spell that includes three losses in last season’s Western Conference finals. ... Today’s game is second of three vs. Lakers this season. ... Jordan Farmar’s post-arthroscopic rehab is way ahead of schedule, but projected return is for Tuesday’s game against Bobcats.
- Mike Monroe
Farmar update
Jordan Farmar took part in a light practice but will not play today, Jackson said.
The reserve guard has been out since Dec. 19 because of surgery for a torn knee cartilage. He is expected to return to game action at some point this week.
I really don't think the spurs will win tommorow.
i hope the spurs lose by 30
preparing for heartbreak already...hope i'm pleasantly surprised though
Those stupid arguments over last year's WCF need to stop as that series was already over. That has nothing to do with this season. Granted that the Lakers were better last playoffs. Go Spurs Go.
Beat LA
Beat SA
Ariza+Bynum is definately NOT = to Manu. thats a load of laker rose-colored-glasses bull . Having Manu on that court, as hobbled as he was, was a DETRIMENT to the Spurs. The problem was we didnt have anything else to go to, UNLIKE the Lakers who had people to cover the missing Bynum and Ariza.
Making Bynum and Ariza missing in that series equal to Manu running on 1 leg in that series makes YOU look foolish. I accept the Loss, just read my post again. You have never posted anything to give credit to the Spurs but you want all the credit in the world for your Lakers. Im Sorry, Lakers are not THAT good. Ohhh, they are good but to count out the Spurs is a bunch of crap on your part.
Again I say, and pay ing attention, Manu playing like like that would be like having Kobe with the same injury where he had to have surgery. Ariza and Bynum are not a factor against the Spurs as much as Manu is a factor against the Lakers.
As far as Manu dropping 30 in one game, any analyst would say that was heroic considering the injury he had. He had to have SURGERY for christ sake!
Last edited by phyzik; 01-25-2009 at 02:31 AM.
Who do the Lakers have that can come anywhere close to Bynum's presence defensively?
The Lakers got murdered on the glass throughout the playoffs, sometimes losing the rebounding battle by 10-20 rpg. Look at their rebounding stats right now, they are the best in the league. You don't think Bynum and Ariza have something to do with that?
Ariza gives the Lakers a quality perimeter defender not named Kobe Bryant that they simply did not have last season. Radman, Walton, and Sasha got torched by Pierce and Allen in the Finals. Kobe, at his age, cannot go all out on offense and defense. Having another perimeter defender enables him to rest on defense and save his energy for the 4th quarter. Bynum gives the Lakers a presence in the interior to thwart guards from penetrating into the lane. More importantly he allows Gasol to guard PF's and not have to bang against opposing team's centers. As he grows into his offensive game he gives the Lakers another interior scorer that will simply overwhelm teams that don't have great frontcourt depth.
Andrew Bynum
--------------
13 ppg
2 bpg
8 rpg
55% FG shooting
Trevor Ariza
------------
9 ppg
2 spg
5 rpg
47% FG shooting
Manu Ginobili
------------
14.7 ppg
1.5 spg
4 rpg
45% FG shooting
I hate bringing stats into an argument but you don't even come close to winning this argument statistically. Quite frankly you are being a homer and not looking at this objectively.
Question...
WHERE WAS HE WHEN GINOBILI TORCHED THE LACKERS FOR 27 LAST GAME?Ariza gives the Lakers a quality perimeter defender
Yes, stats are re ed for an arguement in this situation, especially when you consider the fact that Manu is coming off of a surgery, what, 3 months prior at most when he came back?
But thats not the whole story and you know it. There are intangibles involved that NO stat can account for. Simply having a healthy Ginobilli on the court causes other teams to defend the Spurs completely differently. It opens things up even IF he is missing his shots. Bynum or Ariza DO NOT do that.
Bynum is a decent defender but your making the mistake of all the Laker homers from last year, he is not as good as those 3 months he played last year and there is no way he stops Duncan. Ariza is a servicable Forward but nothing to get excited about. No way EITHER of them have an impact against a TRUE contender like Manu would.
Its just like I said, you give no credit where credit is due. You just want everyone to suck the Lakers like you do and want nothing to do with any arguements. you. Like you asked Spurs fans, which I gave to you, quit being such a ing homer and acknowledge there is a chance there may be a team that can take down the "mighty Lakers". Otherwise, shut the up and go back to lakerground and jerk eachother off.
Last edited by phyzik; 01-25-2009 at 03:24 AM.
So if the Spurs called up the Lakers right now and said they would trade Manu Ginobili for Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza the Lakers would do that trade? I'm not disrespecting Manu, but I simply refuse to accept your notion that he provides a greater impact than two players combined. He's just not that good.
Manu is a great 6th man, but he will never be considered a superstar in this league. The reason why is consistency. You never really know what you're going to get with the guy. Some nights it's lights out shooting and exceptional passing, other nights it's horrible shooting and careless turnovers.
You've already lost this argument because you had to resort to name calling. It's the true sign of a person who has nothing substantial upon which to debate with.
OK, I am ready.
10 hours till tip-off.
Let's kill the bas s!
GO SPURS GO!
![]()
Referee Assignments
Sun. Jan. 25
San Antonio @ L.A. Lakers: M. McCutchen, R. Mott, B. Spooner
Regular season games do not matter, especially ones in December/Jan. Except for when the Lakers beat the Celtics. Then if the Celtics win the next one, it does not matter again because it is not the playoffs.
- Dr. House.
complaining to the refs about all the illegal screens during that game
donaghy approach
So you guys have something in common, complaints.Maybe instead of ing someone should have played through with some D or ran back on O, hmm?
Phyzik I don't expect you to show up in this thread again after that pathetic performance from Manu.
I wonder if you still believe that he brings more of an impact than both Bynum and Ariza combined after watching that game.
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