BLAZERS -at- LAKERS - 10/28 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

DancingBarry

Opening Night... If the Lakers were looking to set the tone for the season with this game, they certainly made a statement on D. They held the young Blazers to 34.5 percent shooting on their way to the 96-76 crushing.

The Blazers missed shots, but the Lakers ran their strong-side zone, rotated quickly and packed the interior with 7-footers. The Blazer offense was stuck in the mud.

About the Bynum/Oden match-up everyone was anticipating. This will be a good head-to-head battle, but it certainly fizzled like a slowly leaking balloon tonight. Oden left the game early after picking up fouls and later to get an x-ray on his foot. So, much for the hype. But let's look at that hype a little closer.

I first got to see Bynum up close in person in his first Summer Pro League game. What struck me then was that he looked like an old school center. I could just as easily have pictured him in a black-and-white photo playing at Madison Square Garden in the '50s instead of the Pyramid at Long Beach. An old school center like that needs a rival.

Russell and Chamberlain went head to head 142 times during the 10 years of their rivalry. Tonight, Bynum and Oden tallied their first of many.

But before you start thinking that this will be Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell Part Two, take a step back for a moment. Russell dominated the league for three years before Wilt came along. Wilt, of course, set records that only Kobe dares threaten. These two were on another level in this league when they went head to head.

That's not to say there won't be any parallels between these two rivalries. Russell and Chamberlain made each other better. Oden and Bynum will likely make each other better, too. Let's hope so because this could be a fun battle to watch in years to come.

Tonight, they each got in a couple of shots, but Portland fans must be flashing back to Sam Bowie right now. Not a good debut. Hopefully, this is just a small bump in the road for Oden.

Enough about that. The Lakers dominated the game from the beginning. The one-two punch of Kobe and Gasol was followed by a series of body blows by the rest of the Lakers. Only three Lakers made it to double digits, which means it was a varied attack. Kobe and Farmar were setting the table. The Lakers were selective on their three shooting, making 7-10.

"Portland's been a team that's kind of given us a lot of trouble," Kobe said in the Times. "But we were able to stifle them a bit, which I'm very pleased with."

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Christopher C · Star Player Joined: 13 Mar 2006 Posts: 6292

first

ecchen1 · Starting Rotation Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 170

first?

lakersfreak · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject:

DB
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The Predator · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:52 pm Post subject:

Ariza looked friggen amazing.
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DancingBarry · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:54 pm Post subject:

BLP711 · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Tony Almeida · Retired Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 12072

Vlad has been impressive, both ends of the court.

He's really kept the Space Cadet moments in check.

Vadorojo · Star Player Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 1507

DancingBarry · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:05 pm Post subject:

The Predator · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject:

TooMuchMajicBuss · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:20 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the recap DB!!!

Ariza, Kobe, Odom (Sasha pass notwithstanding) all looked terrific.

Shut the Clips down next!

TooCool · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:22 pm Post subject:

Thanks DB! Another great season ahead of us. Let's go 82-0 baby.
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TooMuchMajicBuss · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject:

Oh, and it also looks like that Gasol guy is pretty talented.

Tanlentueux · Star Player Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 7169

George W Buss · Star Player Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 2816

We don't need Marion, we have Ariza

KingKobe · Star Player Joined: 27 Dec 2001 Posts: 3550 Location: UCLA

But we lost 2 preseason games! And I'm really not sure if Yue is good enough to be 14th man on a championship team. And um...oh yeah, 2 preseason games!!

But to be serious, it was great to see the Lakers play defense like that. Kobe going in lock down mode against their best outside player and the 7 footers stacking the strong side. Add in some long quick passing lane hounds like Ariza, Farmar, and even Radman, and that's the kind of defensive identity that seperates the good form the great in this league. Can't wait to see more.
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*Warning: The preceding post may have contained sarcasm and/or irony.

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KingKobe20 · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:59 pm Post subject:

LINK
This picture is just showing Bynum the Beast!!!!!!!!!!

DancingBarry · Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:02 am Post subject:

k9cane · Starting Rotation Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 368

I dont believe Vlad will ever become a good defender, but I wonder, if the spector of Ariza taking all his minutes, makes him give a much better effort on the defensive side of the court.

Nothing can motivate a player( I mean outside of money) like the spector of losing playing time

Van-Exel26 · Star Player Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 1402

Nice work DB

cpxconfuciousboi · Starting Rotation Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 203

Vladimir and Lamar were incredible tonight.

limchrc · Franchise Player Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 11477

Thanks. I'm surprised with the way we handled Blazers last night.

tw-lakbfan · Franchise Player Joined: 29 Jun 2001 Posts: 16636

4 steals from Radman!

Pau in the 1st half.

Trevacious · Star Player Joined: 16 Dec 2004 Posts: 1833