Stoudemire calls Odom’s game “lucky”
By Marc J. Spears
Did the Los Angeles Lakers get lucky in their series-opening demolition of the Phoenix Suns?
That’s what Amar’e Stoudemire thinks.
Lamar Odom totaled 19 points and 19 rebounds in the Lakers’ 128-107 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Considering that Odom had averaged 8.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in Los Angeles’ previous 10 playoff games, Stoudemire chalked up the increase to luck and said no one should expect a similar performance in Wednesday’s Game 2.
”I’m not giving him no hype right now,” Stoudemire said. ”He had a lucky game in Game 1.”
When asked to expound, Stoudemire said: ”That’s his career high rebounds in his whole playoff career. That’s the first time he had a game like that against us. Now we have to make sure we focus in on it. We had so much focus on [Andrew] Bynum and [Pau] Gasol till he snuck on in and got 19 boards. So, it’s not happening no more. We’re going to contain it.”
Odom looked stunned when told of Stoudemire’s comments after Wednesday’s practice. He wouldn’t, however, offer much of a retort.
”We don’t get into that. No time or room for that. He’s right,” Odom said.
One person who strongly disagreed with Stoudemire was his own coach. Alvin Gentry said Stoudemire made ”a ridiculous statement.”
”It’s not a lucky game, OK,” said Gentry, who previously coached Odom with the Los Angeles Clippers. ”The guy played great. We have to do a better job on him. If we let him get the ball to the basket and lay it in, I’m going to say it’s probably not luck.”
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