LAKERS -at- SUNS - 5/29 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Weathering the Storm... They had wandered the desert chasing mirages, losing themselves briefly in all the confusion. Today, the Four Horsemen return to the Valley of the Sun in search of a kill.

You follow closely as they thunder through the flatlands. The Horsemen only pause when confronted with an odd image before them -- a lighthouse in the middle of the desert. Only in the Post Apocalypse.

It is from here where the source of the blood red Sun resides. They Horsemen don't hesitate; they charge straight into battle.

They overwhelm their foe and seemingly have them at their mercy when a sudden dust storm kicks up. The Horsemen are swallowed up in it. There are shrieks, screams and the sounds of Death.

In the swirling red desert sands, you spot the silhouette of a lone rider. It is Death atop his pale horse. Twelve bells ring out in the distance. The Horsemen have won.

As the sands disappear with the dying winds, you now see the lighthouse has fallen. Where once a red hot supernatural force existed, now only steam billows from the rubble. You join the Horsemen around the destruction. No Phoenix will rise from these ashes, the destruction is complete.

Painted in purple and gold on a piece of broken glass, DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. They were determined to end the battle today. Little Larry is now in play, and the stench of Leprechauns is on the horizon.

I will continue to track them..."

In their previous two losses in Phoenix, the Lakers couldn't weather the +41 advantage the Suns had from the line. Tonight, they had one final storm courtesy of Sasha and the officials.

The Lakers had things under control as they entered the fourth quarter -- Ron Artest was on his way to a 25-point game, they had a 17-point lead and the Phoenix crowd out of it. After Goran Dragic hit a jumper on Sasha, talked some trash, then bumped him, Sasha raised his arms to shed him and Dragic went down like a World Cup soccer star.

The refs reviewed the play and gave Sasha a Flagrant-1 (one of the weaker Flagrant-1s you will see). Dragic worked it into a 6-point possession, got their crowd back and renewed life for the Suns all at once. A 16-4 Suns run trimmed the lead to a new ball game.

The Laker veteran guard duo would answer the challenge. DFish hit a couple of big shots. Kobe Bryant knocked down several of the sensational variety.

"Every time we got it close, Kobe made an incredible, tough shot that was well defended," Gentry said. "And for that, there is no answer."

Kobe stroked the final dagger, rising off the three line with Grant Hill all over him and 34 seconds left. Gentry said afterward that he told Hill, "Good defense" and Kobe patted him on the rear and said "Not quite good enough."

With the 111-103 close-out win, the Lakers avenged a couple of playoffs series losses at the hands of the Suns. An even bigger payback in the Finals now has their ready attention.

"Boston, you want us? Here we come," Michael Cooper said as the Lakers took the Western Conference Championship trophy. Old school representing.

"We remember more than anything losing on our home court," Phil said. DFish brought up the same thing. Pop the tape in of that June 12, 2008, game and unleash the dogs.


Kobe -- -- Kobe was not going to lose to the Suns again. When the Suns seemed to gain some momentum in the second half, Kobe answered their challenge again and again. Late in the game, he stuck the dagger in them with an insanely difficult wing jumper in front of the Suns bench. He then gave Gentry a love tap, essentially telling them they were done. "What can you say about Kobe?" Gentry said afterward. There is no one in this game you would rather have in a foxhole. He is simply the most fearless and feared there is. People wrote him off. They said he was too old. They took him for granted playing through multiple injuries and wear and tear from the season. He's still Kobe. As quickly as he knocked the Suns out, he will focus his attention on one more score to settle with the Celtics. "I don't give a damn who play," Kobe said when asked about it. He said he was looking forward to the challenge and seeing how much his team has grown. Kobe tied Kareem for second with most 30+ playoff games tonight. Bleeding from his left hand, he had to sit briefly during the first quarter while getting patched up. Just a cut that didn't affect his game. The Stats: He scored 37 points on 12-25 shooting (3-8 from three, 10-11 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 41 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He drained a wing pull-up jumper on his first attempt. He attacked left, took contact and threw up an And-1 bank, he made the FT. He drained a wing three over the zone. He airballed a three next time down. He was blocked, picked up the ball again and called for a travel. His repost pass was stolen. He was knocked over by Amare on a jumper, he still made it despite the no-call. He missed a leaner trying to draw contact at the end of the first. He had 10 points on 4-7 shooting in the first. He missed an open corner three. He missed a wing bank. He drew contact on a leaner from the three line and didn't get the call on the miss. He swished about a 37-foot three with the shotclock at 7. He had 13 points on 5-11 shooting (2-4 from three) and 1 assist. Second Half: He sank a pull-up jumper standing on the three line. He got JRich in the air at the FT line and drew the foul on the jumper, he made both. He missed a turnaround at the FT line. He attacked off the three line on a kickout and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He settled and missed a long three over the zone. He drained a FT jumper creating over Dudley. He sank a tough fading baseline jumper. He sank a tough baseline jumper around a double team. He swiped an inbounds pass but couldn't hit at the third quarter buzzer. He had 13 on 4-7 shooting in the third. He missed a difficult baseline turnaround in early offense. He missed an open three. He missed a tough pull-up jumper, settling. He somehow made a runner on a step through from about 16 feet out with the shotclock going off (crazy good skills there). He missed a three, Lamar got it back. He sank a difficult wing jumper over a double team. He scooped up a loose ball, attacked and drew FTs, he made both with 1:43 left. He drained a tough pumping jumper standing on the three line with Hill all over him and the shotclock low (he then gave Gentry the slap on the rear, up 7 with 34 seconds left). He was fouled with 13 seconds left, he made one FT. He was fouled with 8 seconds left, he made both FTs. "At this time right now, he's the best player in basketball and I don't even think it's close," Gentry said afterward.

Gasol -- -- Maybe it was a good thing that Pau played a bit soft and ineffective in this game. With a dud game like this and the reminder of the Celtics series from two years ago, Pau will have a lot to prove and some demons to lay to rest. He usually bounces back strong after a poor outing. Let's hope we see that in the Finals. Tonight, the Suns wanted to get Amare going early and most likely try to get the Lakers bigmen into foul trouble as they had once before. Pau had to be careful from the start. Amare was getting whistles just by initiating the contact. Pau picked up some foul trouble, but managed to stay on the court for a good chunk of minutes and fight through it. They kept Amare contained decently until a 12-point fourth quarter. Offensively, the zone makes it difficult for Pau to get low-post touches. When he did get them, he was usually an instant double. He's still averaging 20 and 11 this post season. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-9 shooting (5-6 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He missed a long face -up jumper, settling instead of attacking. He found Drew on an interior high-low for a score. He was fouled on a reverse, just missing the And-1, he made one FT. He then didn't match up with Frye and gave him an open three right after entering the game. He found Ron cutting for a layup. No help and Nash scored a layup with ease. He was tripped on the break as the pass came and drew FTs, he made both. Bogus second foul under the hoop off an interior pass (he was standing straight up, restricted circle doesn't come into play with the type of pass, not only that, Amare looked like he interfered with his own shot...result And-1 Amare). He had 3 points on 0-1 shooting in the first. He was blocked by Hill on a soft finish attempt under the hoop. He missed a layup after grabbing a Lamar miss (Lamar tipped in Pau's miss). He made a hook in the lane set up out of a timeout. He had 5 points on 1-4 shooting and just 2 boards. Second Half: Weak pass from the post, easily stolen. He missed a long baseline turnaround with the shotclock low. Amare ran him over to get a pass, then dunked (should have been a charge). He attacked across the middle of the lane quickly off the post entry and drew FTs, he made both. He had 2 points on 0-1 shooting in the third. He missed a short jumphook on iso. Amare dunked over him to cut the lead to 7. Wild hook shot from too far out. His jumphook was blocked. He drew an offensive foul on Amare away from the ball. He put back in a missed drive by Lamar. Totally lost on D, guarding no one and Nash hit a quick three off the screen (DFish was ticked). He blocked a three by Nash on the next stand.

Bynum -- -- A better two-way game from him. It was said he took the supports off his knee brace. We saw a nice lob dunk that showed a little more explosiveness. He also went after some boards instead of standing around. That is exactly the kind of rebounding they need from him. Bynum had some foul trouble, like several Lakers in this game. Phil still kept him in that 20-minute range. The Lakers didn't have Drew (or Ariza) last time the Lakers faced the Celtics. "Andrew is going to give us what he can. He's not 100 percent," Phil said. Just having him on the floor to occupy Perkins and the other Celtics bigs will help the team a lot. Pau will go against smaller defenders and the Lakers need to soften up that middle as much as possible. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-5 shooting (4-5 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He posted up and scored over Amare on the first possession. He scored an And-1 layup on the high-low from Pau, he missed the FT. He clanked a jumper (should have drop-stepped and powered up quickly). He tried to finish softly in the lane and was blocked. He traveled under the hoop. He swatted Amundson and was called for a foul (he was in disbelief). He powered up through a double team and drew FTs, he made both. He slammed off the Lamar lob against the zone (more please). He swatted Amare on help D. He picked up his third foul trying to hedge out on a screen and had to sit with 4:49 left. He had 8 points on 3-5 shooting and 5 boards. Second Half: He was hammered under the hoop trying to power up, he made both FTs. He was called for a foul trying to block Amare, he had to sit with 5:38 left.

Artest -- -- How about this Ron Artest, eh? In a tough-close out game on the road, a couple days after his game winner, he steps up and delivers his best offensive work of the playoffs. With Pau MIA, this was absolutely vital. He was sinking threes, getting in the lane for scores or offensive boards. 'The Lord was with him tonight. The Basketball Gods were on his side," Phil joked afterward. Artest also had a couple of steals for scores. One was on a great pick from behind after the Suns had recovered a defensive board (no one else in the league can reach from behind like that to take a ball out of someone's hands). The second one was a steal, push out and throwdown with Lopez all over him. "We haven't seen him jump that high in a long time," DFish said. Maybe the game-winner gave Ron a confidence boost. Maybe he just had one of those games. What you love about both of these games is Ron making an impact under difficult circumstances. This was a pressure-packed game on the road and Ron rose to the occasion. Hopefully, he can string together a few more. They Lakers got Ron in order to deal with tough SFs like Melo, Durant, LeBron and Pierce. When the Lakers fell to the Celitcs, Ron was in the Laker locker room talking to Kobe. Now he will battle beside him against those Celtics. His defense will be in the spotlight again. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 10-16 shooting (4-7 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 foul in 41 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He swiped a pass and then jammed on breakaway (he wanted the foul call, too). He swished a wing three. He cut off Pau in the post and scored a layup. He missed a three trying to beat the shotclock. He spun and banked from the left block in early offense. He missed a 21-footer next time down. He swished a corner three. He had 12 points on 5-7 shooting in the first. He was blocked in the paint. He swished a sideline three against the zone. He missed trying to power up under the hoop, then swiped the ball from Frye from behind to get it back and scored a layup. Good challenge on Nash to force an airball three in transition. He led all scorers with 17 points on 7-11 shooting (3-4 from three) to go with 2 assists and 2 steals. Second Half: He missed an open wing three. He grabbed a Fish miss and scored the layup. He drained a wing three over the zone left open. He cut off Lamar, hung and flipped up a lefty layup over Amare (tough make). He had 7 points on 3-4 shooting in the third. He msised a three. He denied Amare with 30 seconds left on iso D. He was fouled with 22 seconds left up by 7, he made one FT.

Fisher -- -- The Lakers were in the middle of a storm in the fourth quarter. It was their vet guards that held the ship together. DFish had a couple of key makes in that stretch. You just knew he was going to come up big and wanted the ball in his hands. Phil even ran a play for him out of a timeout (that was the one shot he didn't connect on in this stretch). That was an intense close to the game, but DFish withstood it all. Nash 21 points and 9 assists. He was a -12. You'll take those numbers gladly. "It's exhausting because you can't relax," Fish said of playing against a PG like Nash. Now Fish will match up with Ray Allen defensively and hopefully hold the line there. After playing the athletic, fronting Thunder team, a physical Jazz team and a zoning Suns defense, DFish said of the next round, "We feel like we're prepared, basically." The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-9 shooting (0-4 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He moved in off the three line and swished the 18-footer. He was drilled on a corner three and made all three FTs. He picked up a loose ball foul and had to sit a little earlier than usual. He drew a charge in transition D on JRich. He missed a three over the zone. He missed a corner three. He had 5 points on 1-3 shooting and 3 assists. Second Half: He drained a 21-footer with the shotclock low. He picked up his third foul just 2 minutes into the third quarter. His post entry was picked off. He missed a corner three. He missed a wing three. He picked up his fourth foul with 3:55 left in the third and had to sit. He swished a wing pull-up jumper on one end, then drew a moving screen foul on Amare on the other. Huge baseline runner off the Kobe pass with 3:26 left. He missed a jumper out of a timeout.

Lamar -- -- Not a pretty game from Lamar, but he brought the lunch pail and went to work. He didn't settle for any long jumpers. He got into the soft spots of the zones in the first half. In the second half, he attacked the glass. He had some sloppy plays in the fourth, but the right ideas behind them. I'll take that over mental errors. He outworked the Suns bigs on the glass in this series, pulling down 71 boards in the 6 games. That's nearly 12 boards a game off the bench. You just don't see that very often. Phil said Lamar is Ron's guardian, but described it as "Not the blind leading the blind, but maybe the deaf leading the blind." Both of those guys have been through a lot in their careers and personal lives. Hopefully, they can make the journey together to a ring with four more wins. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-12 shooting (0-1 from the line) to go with 12 boards (5 offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He was blocked on a layup that looked like a goaltend. He was blocked in the paint. He dunked off the bounce pass from Farmar. He lobbed to Bynum for the slam. He missed a layup, Pau kept it alive and Lamar tipped in Pau's miss. He attacked an open lane against the zone and scored an And-1 layup over Hill, he missed the FT. He had 6 points on 3-6 shooting, 5 boards and 2 assists. Second Half: He grabbed a missed three, then hit a cutting Artest for a score. He missed a turnaround with the shotclock low. He missed a layup at the front of the rim. He was swatted on a drive. His pass to Pau was deflected, turnover. He grabbed a Pau miss, but couldn't finish. No help on Nash driving for a layup. He missed an attack over Amare. Nearly an 8-second violation in the final minute.

Brown -- -- He came in for Kobe early in the game when Kobe had to sit with a bloody finger. Not much playing time, but Phil has tightened the leash on Shannon quite a bit. Hopefully, Shannon can provide the team some spark against the Celtics. The Stats: He didn't score, had 1 board and 1 assist in 4 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Late to JRich and he gave up an open three. Great box out on JRich to secure a defensive board. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Farmar -- -- A very poised, intelligent and effective game from Farmar on the road. He stepped up and gave one of his better performances in a hostile environment. This is exactly the kind of game the Lakers need from him. He sank threes. He attacked the zone and worked the ball to teammates for scores. DFish got into a little foul trouble that resulted in Farmar coming in sooner than usual. He held the line. He is going to have a tricky assignment in handling Nate Robinson. Nate hasn't played much in the playoffs, but he has given the Lakers fits at times. He sparked the Celtics in their last win. Farmar really needs to lock in on him defensively. The Stats: The Action: He fouled Amare with 3 on the clock trying to dive for a loose ball. He drained a corner three on the kickout. He attacked the zone and hit Lamar for a dunk. He drained a sideline three that forced a Suns timeout. Second Half: He missed a wing three over the zone. Poor ball-watch and he gave up a three to Barbosa. He hit a 16-footer with the shoclock going off.

Vujacic -- -- And people were worried about Crazy Ron. A single play turned the momentum all around in the fourth quarter. Sasha was called for a Flagrant-1 while shedding Dragic after a score. This was not a flagrant foul, a tech sure, but the call ended up helping the Suns score 6 points on a single trip down the floor. "I was hearing something in our language, and it wasn't very nice. It was involving not me, but family," Sasha said afterward. Dragic denied saying anything to him, but you can see him talking. Regardless, Sasha lost his poise. "If I wanted to intentionally hurt someone I would have done it in a very different way," he said. The Suns and their crowd needed something. They took it and ran with it. Phil sat Sasha shortly later, and the Lakers were under the gun the rest of the quarter. Asked what Kobe felt about it, he said, "I was going to kill him." After the win? "Still going to kill him." Sasha had a decent first half, for what it's worth. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-3 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He drained a three over the zone. He missed an early offense corner three (resulted in transition points the other way). He swished an 18-footer, attacking off the three line. He was called for a reach 35 feet from the hoop. He came in to close out the final couple possessions of the half covering Nash (we switched and he boxed out a bigman under the hoop). Second Half: He was called for a tech throwing his arms up, shedding Dragic who flopped after saying something and bumping Sasha after making a shot (flagrant-1 on Sahsa...huge sequence to start the fourth for the Suns 6-point sequence for Dragic on one trip down the floor against Sasha).

Phil -- -- BShaw before the game: "We haven't played a real good game on the road in this series against them yet, and I think the best is yet to come."... The Lakers were called for a defensive three-second call just 2 minutes in. Hopefully, they call it both ways... Phil brought in Shannon for Kobe who was bleeding from his finger at the 8:15 mark, the Lakers leading 17-14. JRich scored a couple of hoops during that stretch and Phil called a timeout with the score tied 19-19. He then brought in LO for Bynum... Up 27-25 Phil had to sub in Farmar a little early for DFish, who picked up his second foul... Pau picked up his second foul (very weak call) late in the first and Phil sat him for Bynum... The Lakers led 37-34 after the first. They shot 62 percent (23-21), the Suns 52.6 percent (10-19). The Lakers were 7-9 from the line, the Suns 10-11... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Sasha, Farmar unit... A 42-41 lead when Kobe came in for Artest... The Lakers led 51-43, forcing a Suns timeout... Phil brought back in a Bynum, Pau, Artest, Kobe, Fisher lineup... He lost Bynum to foul trouble with 4:49 left and brought back in Lamar... Nice timeout up 58-50 with 2:16 in the half. The offense was settling a bit and he wanted to make sure they got back to attacking the zone properly. He set up a post score for Pau who was struggling... He sat Fish for Sasha on the final couple possessions to save foul trouble... The Lakers won the second quarter 28-19. The Suns shot 7-18 in that quarter... The Lakers led 65-53 at the half. They shot 53.3 percent (24-45, 8-14 from three, 9-12 from the line). The Suns shot 45.9 percent (17-37, 7-17 from three, 12-15 from the line). Both teams had just 4 turnovers... With the score 75-63 with 6:31 in the third, Phil called a timeout when Amare dunked off a screen-roll... Phil sat Bynum up by 9 a minute later... He brought in Farmar for Fisher when Fish picked up his fourth with 3:55 left up 78-67... The Lakers forced a timeout with a 7-0 run... The Suns bench started to get loose a little at the end of the third, but Kobe answered with several makes... The Lakers won the third 26-21, making 8-16 (going 8-8 from the line)... With a 17-point lead, Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Artest, Sasha, Farmar lineup to open the fourth... After a Flagrant-1 and 6-point Suns trip, Phil decided Kobe needed to return to the game. The lead was 93-82 when he came in... He brought in Fish for Sasha... The lead was trimmed to 95-90 when the Suns called a timeout with 5:35 left... The Suns brought Nash, Hill and JRich back in down 99-92 with 3:26 left... Up 99-94 with 2:46 we went into a timeout with the ball. DFish missed a wing jumper off the screens... Kobe time to close the deal... The Lakers had won every quarter before losing the fourth 29-20... The Lakers made 10-24 threes (41.7 percent), the Suns made 9-26 threes (34.6 percent)... In answer to the question about what is more important, three shooting or defending the three? The Lakers kept the three-shooting Suns to just 32.9 percent (49-149) in the series...

Game Flow -- LINK -- The Lakers seemed to be about to close this series out before The Sasha Incident early in the fourth. A 16-4 Suns run that had the Lakers fighting like mad.

[X56]

Boston here we come, time for Retribution. Thanks DB!
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Game 7 2010 NBA Finals - Lakers 83, Boston 79

[IPK]

second?


Thanks DB!
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Our tribute to Phil, the man behind LG

[coopscohen]

Great Recap. 2nd
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To Be a Work in Progress, You Must Work to Progress -

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Great closeout game on the road. Lakers showed strength even when Phoenix and the Refs started their run.

12 down, 4 to go.

Others teams play for titles, Lakers play for Championships.
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"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[City_Dawg]

"Boston, you want us? Here we come," Michael Cooper said as the Lakers took the Western Conference Championship trophy. Old school representing.

Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop!!!

Thanks DB.

Third straight close out game on the road. Yes.Sir.
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*sighs*

!...

[LakerSanity]

I thought Phil should have used Bynum for 3 or so game minutes during the 4th (say the 8 minute mark to the 5 minute mark) - to get Pau back on the bench so he could regroup for closing time.

However, I believe Phil didn't play Bynum much (if at all) in the 4th in game 5 either. I'll assume its because of Bynum's physical limitations. If that's not the case, it was a mistake by Phil IMO.

For what it's worth, I thought the whole situation with Sasha and Dragic was B.S. and am not as mad at Sasha as many are here.
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[limchrc]

Nice win. Hope we can win the Boston series too.

[20,000]

That was a nice recap, but I am waiting for a better one in June.
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Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

[Vicky T]

4 wins away

thx DB

[DancingBarry]

[Luca Brasi]

[LakerSanity]

[A Mad Chinaman]

[LakerSanity]

[revgen]

Thanks to Utah, our trip through the 50-win western conference bracket wasn't as bad as I originally thought. I was sure that whatever opponent we faced from the east would have played less games to get there than we did. Which ended up happening as I expected, but thankfully Boston only played one less game than we did, and since we have HCA, it all evens out since we won't have to travel to play on Thursday.

NVM - Boston played the same amount of games as the Lakers. However, the Utah series still was good fortune. I believe a healthy Utah team would have won at least a game or 2.
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[MedRomLaker]

Great recap, great story, on to the foul stench!
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11/9/12 the day the brown was flushed down!!!!!!

4/30/14 the day the ant left the building!!!!!!

[Sister Golden Hair]

[Fleur-de-Lis]

Thanks DB.
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Winning recipe: Effort, Intensity, Focus, Composure, Patience, Execution, Attention to detail, Discipline & Persistence

[dna.]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. The Lakers were questioned all year about the addition of Artest and the subtraction of Ariza. They were also questioned about their ability to win on the road in big games. I think both of those questions were answered resoundingly. Artest came up huge tonight, and the Lakers have ended their foes' seaons on their court.

Bring on the Boston Bums!

[Qsmiff]

Thanks again DB Dragic moving to LA to start his acting career...will room with Sasha(there's a new sit-com)..........I havent seen a dive like that since Liston/Clay.......Then Pau says I'll see that flop, and I'll raise you one..It seemed like Pau and LO were a little tight tonight, both having a few unforced error type plays..........Seeing Fish in the paint battling Amar'e just explains his stature on this team and why he is so much more than his stats ........and who was that #24.......he may have a chance to have a career at this if he works at it

[Dr. Laker]

Good job, DB.

Dragic went down quicker than Heather Hunter on KAJ.
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[StuLantz#1]

Dragic pulled an obvious acting job, but Vujacic got the ball rolling for them on the comeback. Everyone I was watching the game with (including myself) was pretty heated--Vujacic seems to always just get in the team's way. The guy is so frustrating. Pau was absolutely terrible, clearly one of his worst games, and Odom was miserable too. Kobe on the other hand was insane and kept us from losing pretty much by himself. Phoenix played him pretty strong, he just was hitting unstoppable shots. Artest was killer (if it's inspired play from the game winner I sure hope it continues because we'll definitely need it to win in the finals). Bynum looked pretty strong too, considering how bad Odom and Pau looked I wonder if he physically just couldn't continue playing at that level in the second half or if Phil is saving the guy. I really hope they're holding him back and they're able to let him go full out against Boston.

But as inspiring a performance as Kobe had the way he carried us on his back making ridiculous shots, him continuing to go at it alone with Pau and Odom disappearing just isn't going to work against Boston. It just won't happen the way they're able to effectively target their D to stop a particular player, and you know they'll be all over Kobe--if the other guys shrink we're going to be screwed.

So now that the team has made it to the end again, top 2 points of concern: #1 Officiating/free throws (sucks that we have homecourt and it's still such a big issue--wouldn't hold my breath over expecting the kind of calls Boston got the first two games in 08), and #2 Ray Allen (Boston's real MVP against us--the guy is just a ridiculous efficient big scorer against us). Their zone D and ability to stop Kobe is huge, but with their clutching and grabbing and getting away with crap while we don't on the other end, I'm pretty sure that falls under #1.

[Omar Little]