ROCKETS -at- LAKERS - 4/3 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

60... Before finally returning home from your long journey, you stopped by an estate called the Pimp Palace. You had a beat on the Fourth Horseman. Someone said he had been there. You were too late, but the whole encounter still has your head spinning. You blame that on the speeding ticket you got for going 60 in a 45.

You shove your front door open and step over the stacks of mail. After you put down your bags, you grab your lawn gnome and take him to the front yard. (You didn't trust those neighborhood kids while you were gone.) It's there you notice the coming storm. In the distance, miles and miles away, you see a dark wall of clouds. They form like foam from a giant tidal wave heading in your direction.

What troubles you is that they seem to be moving slowly from all directions...all towards you. From the north, south, east and west, and all coming at you. You may not know a lot about how the weather works, but that just doesn't seem right. You grab lawn gnomie and bring him back inside the house.

Inside, you set him down next to the answer machine. It flashes the number "60" at you again and again. You've been gone a while, but that's still a ridiculous number.

The phone rings and startles you. You want to get off that number 60 and let the machine answer.

"You're home," she says. "It's about time. I missed you. Are you going to pick up or just stare at the answering machine like a dork?" How does she do that? You pick up and she continues, "You need to play a little catch up. It's almost time."

"Time for what?" you ask.

"Hell to pay... Retribution... The Association is getting closer to setting the first challenge," she says. Then she drops the bombshell. "We need to meet."

"I thought it wasn't safe," you say.

"It's not," she laughs. "But have you been feeling safe lately?" You can't say that you have. The welts on your head are evidence to this fact. "Besides, you're going to need my help," she says. "I'll find you." And with that, she hangs up.

You sigh and press play on the answering machine. Suddenly, you hope all 60 messages aren't from her. That would be creepy. The first one is from DancingBarry, short and sweet:

Three of the Four Horsemen were here. They tightened up their execution and accomplished their mission without any theatrics -- a nice change of pace.

I will continue to track them...

The Lakers took their 60th win of the season, 93-81, by keeping the Rockets in check throughout the night. They kept the turnovers low and never had to dig out of a hole.

Kobe seemed to find his shot, but never pressed the issue, instead playing sniper when the team needed it. DFish played a feisty game with 5 steals and a lot of attitude. The Pau/Yao battle seemed to be more of a defensive chess match, than an offensive one. The team seemed to be gaining their legs a little after the long road trip, or maybe it was the news that the Cavs dropped another game.

With the Cavs getting destroyed by Orlando and losing their second straight game, the Lakers find themselves within striking distance of home court advantage once again.

"If the opportunity is there to get it, we're going to go for it," Kobe said.


Kobe -- -- Kobe played a very controlled game from Kobe tonight. It seemed like he was pacing himself to turn it up in the fourth. "It's important for my teammates to continue to play with confidence," Kobe said. "When they are going well it's very important for me to go to them and build that rhythm." He also needs to be mindful of staying aggressive himself. His shot looked great tonight. He was raining jumpers and seemed to have himself squared up well on a lot of them. In the fourth, he broke the Rockets with a couple of threes. Again, his freethrow shooting at home was down (just 2 attempts). Is he dialing back his aggressiveness at home? It sure seems like it in some of these games. He might be playing a little conservative at home until we get to the playoffs. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-11 shooting (4-6 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He scooped up a loose ball, attacked and was blocked (as Battier yanked his jersey with no call), he then drew the tech. He sank a wing three on the next trip down. He missed a three on his next shot about 10 minutes later. He had 3 points on 1-3 shooting in the first quarter and wasn't very involved in the offense. He missed a runner off the glass. He attacked baseline and hit Mbenga for the dunk. He swished a 30-footer on a kickout from Pau. He stripped Battier and it resulted in a Laker breakaway. He drew a reach on Battier and FTs, he made both. He wheeled around the lane and hit the turnaround. He had 10 points and 4 assists on 3-6 shooting. Second Half: He attacked and threw the ball away on our first trip of the half. He attacked down the lane, drew defenders and hit Pau for the score. Poor idea to run cross court to double Yao when he's attacking off the dribble baseline, it led to Kobe's man hitting an open three. He stepped around Battier, had a clear lane and threw down with both hands. He drew the D and hit Ariza for three. He hit Fish in transition for a three. He kicked a dribble out of bounds. He had 2 points and 3 assists in the third. He swished a baseline jumper off the inbounds. He drained a wing three a couple feet behind the line. He swished another wing three next time down, working off the high screen-roll with DJ. He attacked and threw a kickout away.

Gasol -- -- He struggled a little to shoot over Yao in the first half. The Lakers needed to beat Yao with speed or set up Pau off the two-man game. I think they were gearing up to do that with the two-man game in crunch time, but didn't have to as they started pulling away. Pau only beat Yao on the break a few times, but eventually all of that work gets Yao winded. When Yao sat in the final few minutes, we went to Pau for several scores by dumping it in the post. He scored 17 of his points in the second half. Defensively, Pau did a good job of keeping Yao from low position and that kept his scoring down to 16. Last time we played, the Lakers caused all kinds of trouble for Yao by sending doubles from the baseline. It looked like Yao was a little more aware of that attack and it wasn't as major an issue. Very good D on the bigman throughout. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 8-19 shooting (7-8 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He faced up and swished a jumper over Yao. He missed a jumper from the other side on our next trip. He missed another face-up jumper over Yao. He finally attacked off the dribble and scored a layup around Yao. He missed a jumper with the shotclock buzzer going off. He missed a jumphook with his left. Sasha flipped a no-look, behind-the-back pass to him for a layup. He missed a face up jumper. He drop-stepped Yao and missed the lefty off the glass. He had 6 points on 3-9 shooting, 3 boards and 2 fouls. Second Half: He hit a short jumphook when Kobe drew defenders and found him. He attacked Yao, pumped a few times and flipped the jumphook over him. He beat Yao down the court and scored a layup after Ariza hit him. He was set up for a dunk, but couldn't finish when he was fouled, he made both FTs. He had Yao sagging back on a fake and he hit the 9-footer. He missed a good look at an elbow jumper. He had 10 points on 4-5 shooting in the third. He missed a couple shots, then crashed the boards and tipped it in. He got swatted easily by Yao on a drive to his right. He missed a point-blank And-1 layup, he made both FTs. He drew more FTs working Scola in the post on the next trip down, he made one. Back in the post against Scola next trip, more FTs, he made both.

Lamar -- -- He got popped in the face by Scola, a bloody nose forced him to change jerseys. Not a lot of love from the stripes for LO tonight, either. He was picking up some cheap fouls and was clearly growing more frustrated. He gathered himself and went back to work, but the wind seemed to be taken from his sails. "You got to get in the trenches and play that type of game and not look back," Phil said of how the game was officiated. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-10 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 1 assist and 4 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He hit a jumphook over Yao to start the game. Horrible jump pass in transition to no one, it resulted in a Houston three. He scored a layup on the break off a nice scoop pass from Farmar. A lane cleared to his left, he attacked it and scored the layup. He posted up Artest and missed a jumper. He blew a point-blank layup, too easy. He got tapped on another off the glass from the post on the next trip down. He trapped Lowry with Farmar to force a travel. He trailed Fish on the break (always a good idea), Fish drew the defenders, then wrapped a pass around them to LO for a layup. He had 8 points on 4-7 shooting and 7 boards. Second Half: He took contact with no call while in the air and missed a layup. He got mugged in the paint for FTs, he made one. Wow, bogus fourth foul (once again a player jumping into him) and Lamar had to sit with 4:26 left and a 7-point lead in the third. Back in, he had his pass swiped out of a timeout.

Ariza -- -- When the team was looking for a little spark, Trevor seemed to provide it. In a short stretch of ball during a key point in the second half, he rejected Artest, hit a three and found Pau on the break for a score. That was a turning point in the game and helped the Lakers come alive. He matched up defensively with Artest throughout the game and put in some nice work. Ron was very perimeter oriented, and while he scored 21, he took 19 shots to do it. You want him jacking up a lot of long-range shots and keeping the ball out of the post. Offensively, Ariza didn't get some love from the refs he probably should have and that made his shooting look poorer than it probably was. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-6 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He attacked from the wing, took contact on Yao and drew FTs, he made both. He made Scola lose the ball on a drive. Second Half: He lost the ball going up strong in the paint. Sweet recovery to Artest to reject his jumper out of bounds. He sank an open three on the other end when Kobe kicked out. He found Pau beating Yao down court for a layup. He drew all kinds of contact on a layup attempt and no whistle as he missed. He missed a three, but got it back on the other end taking a charge on Artest. He missed a three to beat the shotclock.

Fisher -- -- "Sometimes the old man has to stick out the porcupine neck and get a little physical," DFish said. He was intimidating tonight. He took the smaller Brooks out of the game from the start. Fish was playing with an edge, picked up a tech, even posted up Brooks. Defensively, we completely negated Brooks' tremendous speed. The two Rocket point guards combined for 5 points on 1-11 shooting. He was very disruptive and we even saw Fish jumping passing lanes for a couple steals that way tonight. He had a little foul trouble early on. That will be absolutely critical to avoid during the playoffs. "Sometimes you just got to come and scrap it up and that's what I wanted to do tonight," Fisher said. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-11 shooting (1-5 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 5 steals and 4 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +21. The Action: He swiped a pass, pushed it out and scored a layup over Battier. He missed a wing three. He drew FTs on a pull-up jumper from the right side, he made one. He posted up Brooks, overpowered him but missed the layup. He sank a corner three over his man when the offense stalled. He picked up a double tech with Brooks, then let a ref have it as they went into a timeout. He then picked up his second foul and had to sit with 5:28 left in the first. He pushed out the break, drew the defenders and wrapped a pass around them to a trailing Lamar for a layup. He was a +8 in the first half. Second Half: He worked off the Kobe screen and pulled up for the easy 10-footer. He stepped back in the corner when Battier switched on him and hit the baseline jumper. He missed a pull-up three in transition wide left. He drained an open three when Kobe probed in early offense and found him. He missed a heat-check three next time down. He worked off the high screen and drained the 18-footer from the wing. He hit a tech FT. He swiped a pass in the backcourt, ran clock down, then missed a three.

Luke -- -- He was a brick machine from the perimeter. It seemed like he took more jumpers combined in this one game than he had on the road. He missed them all and many were early in the shotclock. Uggh. In the second half, he did manage to come up with a couple decent plays to help save his game from complete disaster. Afterwards, Phil told Luke he needs to pick up his game on the home court. He played well on the road, but he's had some of his weaker games at Staples. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-7 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 6 boards (2 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He was shoved to the floor by Artest with no call. He missed a three. He missed a 17-footer in early offense. He bricked a short baseline jumper in transition. Second Half: He bricked an easy turnaround in the middle of the lane. He airballed a corner jumper. Easily his best play of the game, he pulled a defensive board from Yao, looked up the floor and hit Powell for the breakaway dunk. Nice job hitting a soft runner off the glass with a man in front of him on the break. He boxed out Scola nicely, pushed the ball out and created a layup for Mbenga. He hooked Wafer in the post, obvious foul. He missed a short one in the post from the otherside.

Farmar -- -- There was a play off a jumpball in the second half where Phil called a timeout and lit into Farmar Phil called it the "grit things the team has to learn." Farmar didn't body up his man and let him steal the tip and it led to a dunk the other way. "There's no excuse for it. We work on it in practice," Phil said. You can follow a lot of the troubles of this team by looking at the +/- of our point guards. DFish led the team with a +21, Farmar led the team with a -9. Of course, all of the second unit issues aren't Farmar's problems, but he certainly has a hand in a lot of it. He was solid for the most part on the defensive end. None of the Rocket PGs were able to kill us. Offensively, he missed shots and again struggled to make smart plays. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-6 shooting, 2 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 19 minutes. The Action: He was rejected badly by Yao after losing the ball on the drive. He scooped a pass to Lamar on the break for a layup. He missed a wide open three. He missed another open three shortly later. He worked off the high screen and swished the open wing three. He was stripped on a drive into traffic, turnover. He was a -5 in his stint. Second Half: He let Lowry step in front of him on a jumpball, take it and create a breakaway dunk (Phil let him have it). He missed a wing jumper. Bad transition D, layup. He attacked and threw it away, layup. He scooped up a loose ball, pushed it out and hit Luke who hit a tricky layup. He missed an open baseline jumper.

Vujacic -- -- Sasha needs to control his emotions with the refs. He's a scrappy defensive player, the kind that can draw those offensive fouls and disrupt plays, but I don't think the refs are going to respond to the crybaby act after not getting a charge (when it seemed like an easy call). He had a couple of nice plays tonight, despited his shot not connecting. Von Wafer had 7 points on 2-6 shooting. Last time we played, Von lit us up. Glad to see Von look like a bench player tonight and not a rising star. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-3 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist and 2 fouls in 9 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He drew FTs on a baseline pull-up jumper, he made both. Excellent help D to swipe a pass on a blindside, he then back-rimmed the wing jumper on the breakaway. Sasha with the trickeration in the lane, he attacked baseline past Pau and Yao, then no-looked a pass behind him to Pau for the layup. He missed a wing jumper off the dribble. Second Half: He bricked a step-through (should have just shot the FT jumper).

Powell -- -- When Farmar and Powell entered the game, the team struggled. They lost leads, but were able to build one back up. They really need to stay focused on their strengths and not get caught in bad situations. Some better interior work by Powell. We need him to work those boards and that has seemed to lack a little lately. He had to D-up Artest at the PF for a stretch, a tricky match up, but he managed himself well. A little hard for him to get back to those shooters when he's faced with a match up like that. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He gave up an And-1 layup to a cutting Yao (after his man got the offensive board to set this up). He gave FTs to Scola in the post before he shot. He then sat for Lamar, who had checkd out briefly for the bloody nose. He swished the 17-footer off the Kobe kickout. He tried to attack off the dribble and missed the floater. Second Half: He missed a short jumper, flashing to the ball in the lane. He drew a foul on Yao trying to power up over him, he made both FTs. He missed a putback, but Pau cleaned it up. Nice shot challenge, he busted out, took the pass from Luke and dunked.

Mbenga -- -- Excellent energy off the bench. That physical, athletic work makes it rough on Yao. He also sparks the crowd whenever he makes a play. Again, he had a stretch where when the ball touched his hands it was quickly redirected to the rim. And, once again, the Lakers called his number out of a timeout to seemingly facilitate some of this aggressiveness. Those timeout plays seem to be the M.O. when he's in the game. Thankfully, tonight he had some succces. He was the only bench guy with a positive in the +/-, running with the starters will do that. He also led the bench scoring. Mbenga had a couple very savvy defensive sequences against Yao (see note below). Nice to see him thinking the game like that. Mbenga got a little time in with Bynum in practice. "He's out of shape," Mbenga said of Bynum, adding it's not easy to come back after a knee injury. He also said they need Bynum. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-7 shooting to go with 1 board, 2 blocks and 2 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: Right off the bench (out of a timeout) and he drained the open elbow jumper. He then immediately airballed a jumphook on the next set when Farmar looked for him in the post. He threw down off the Kobe drive and dish. He flashed to Kobe, took the pass and hit the 16-footer. He missed the shotput in the lane off a Kobe feed. He rejected Lowry's drive (so quick off the floor). Second Half: He scored a layup on the drive and dish from Luke. He fronted Yao, which moved him from the low block, then covered him tightly to get a travel. He got blocked by Yao trying to finish down the middle of the lane.

Phil -- -- The Lakers led by 5 midway through the first quarter. Some sloppy passing early on prevented them from building a decent lead... The Lakers trailed 21-20 after the first. Kobe not shooting and the lead dwindling as soon as Powell and Farmar got on the floor... The teams traded hoops all second quarter. The Lakers never explored the two-man game against Yao in the first half. Look for that to happen in the fourth... They were tied 44-44 at the half. The Lakers shot 39.5 percent, the Rockets 47.5 percent. The Lakers held the turnovers down to just 3 in the half... The Lakers picked up the pace and were able to pull out to a 60-53 lead, forcing a Rocket timeout midway through the third... They had a 10-point lead by the time Farmar and Powell came in... They led 67-62 going into the fourth. The bench quickly losing half of that lead... They lost more of that lead, but ended up with a 7-point lead when Farmar and Co. sat. Good recovery by the second unit... The Lakers shot just 39.5 percent for the game, but kept the turnovers to just 10 and had 11 offensive boards. They sank 18-21 from the line...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Not a lot of runs in this game, especially from the Rockets. The Lakers seemed to spark to life during that 12-2 run in the second half.

[hoopschick29]

Thanks, DB.

Jordan and Luke are absolutely killing us right now.
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So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.

[X56]

Yahoo, Cavs lost too, we still have a chance to get the best record.

Had to leave around the 4 min mark in the 4th, so glad we got the win. Hate those touch fouls that they keep on calling on the Lakers.

Mbenga Rocks!

Thanks DB!
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Game 7 2010 NBA Finals - Lakers 83, Boston 79

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Thanks for the recap DB. Great win to keep pace. Mbenga was a beast tonight. Lakers still have a shot for the best record.
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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.

[ecksor]

Awesome as usual. Thanks, DB!
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We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire... Give us the tools and we will finish the job.
- Winston Churchill

Who is my avatar? Kharunisia

[usa]

[DancingBarry]

^ They need to rename it the Mbench Mob.

[X56]

can't believe I will be cheering for the Spurs this Sunday...

Call me crazy but I actually liked the fact that Sasha has showed a variety of shots unlike just the catch and shoot, unfortunately they haven't been falling. What it tells me though, is that he is working on his game.

Dallas, Utah and the Hornets also lost, its really gonna be down the wire as far as the standings are concerned from 2-8.

Hope Charlotte makes it in the East, they might make it tougher for the Cavs than the Bulls. Just don't want to face the Cats in the Finals though
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Game 7 2010 NBA Finals - Lakers 83, Boston 79

[LakerEric]

I figuratively want to strangle Farmar!!! My gawd!!! What's wrong with him?????? A PG with no decision making skills and cant shoot from the perimeter or even at the free throw line and seems like he always has more turnovers than assists or break even....come on Ears!!!!!!!!!
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Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB!

Mbenga could average 2 bpg if he only could get more minutes. I loved how he was Mbanging on Yao like Kwame used to. He is just who we need to spell Drew against Perkins, Side Show Bob, or D12 in the Finals. Unlike Kwame he was hitting jumpers, catching passes and he threw down a monster dunk with authority. Mbig game from Congo Cash!

[Shaber]

Much better sub pattern from Phil in this one
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.

Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan

[mugwump]

I thought Luke played very smooth in the system even though he didn't have much stats to show for it. If you want to understand exactly how the defense is supposed to work, watch Luke.

I liked the Powell / Mbenga duo. Powell tries to create a bit too much with the ball lately, even taking an additional step before his shot which throws things off for him. He should either catch and shoot from the elbow or scrap for points around the rim.

I have never seen a man more humilated than Yao Ming on the bench after being manhandled by Mbenga. Yao's not up for the brawl for position, and Mbenga apparently is.

Sasha is flying full speed sideways on some of his shot attempts. Same with some of the other guys, moving in the air while shooting -- Luke and Powell come to mind.

[Dr. Laker]

[KobeBryantCliffordBrown]

[MedRomLaker]

Thanks DB, what we saw from DJ today isn't anything new, the guy is tough for big center's to handle,they might get theirs but not without a fight. He did this with Shaq, now Yao, I can't recall if he ever was given a chance with DH , but either way DJ always brings effort on the defensive end. From low post one on one defense to rotations and blocking shots.
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11/9/12 the day the brown was flushed down!!!!!!

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

[Tanlentueux]

thanks very much sir !

[melo061]

[melo061]

[Sage_10]

Excellent defensive effort by the Lakers tonight. Thanks DB!
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[targetman]

I thought Luke secured a few tough rebounds and took a lot of contact doing it. That was the only thing that saved him.

I think Lamar could have had a great game but the refs really seemed to have it out for him early on. On the other hand, the refs seemed to be returning the favor late in the game and giving us some calls that they hadn't earlier. They were very inconsistent.

Mbenga points out that Drew is out of shape. I hope everyone remembers that when they expect him to come out and save us. I think DJ has earned a few more minutes, and if he continues to play within himself he may just get some during the playoffs.
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Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

60

HCA is still in reach.
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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[rmonkey]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!

It sounds like part of the reason Mbenga ate up Bynum in practice was that DJ's been improving his game, and not just that Drew's out of shape a bit? I'm guessing an in-shape Bynum would still win that matchup, but as things stand now perhaps DJ could use some run in the playoffs as well? Particularly early rounds while Drew is getting winded at 15 min PT?

It feels like that Cleveland losing streak and Bynums imminent return are giving this team some life.

6 more games!

[rpadma12]

It was great to see Kobe orchestrate the offense last night... and going to Gasol down the stretch with Yao on the bench. Nice recognition.

Farmar and Sasha need to get it together. and soon.

[20,000]

I thought you were going to give the refs their own breakdown.

I still like Powell. I do. But at this point in the season, he needs to do what he does best, not trying to add to his repertoire. He hits the midrange jumper. He can dunk. He cannot hit the running jumper. He has tried a few times this season, and it doesn't work. He can work on that in the off-season. But not right now.
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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.'