Lakers Stomp Nets, and It's Still About the Greatness of Kobe
by Josh Tucker on Dec 19, 2009 8:04 PM PST
in Game Recaps
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PrintPerhaps you read this paragraph, in a recent Y! Sports article by the ever-great Woj:
Yes, the Lakers have a supporting cast for Bryant. He doesn’t have to do as much, but he rarely fails them when called upon in moments of truth. Eventually, Andrew Bynum’s leg could give out again, and Ron Artest could go haywire and the Lakers’ championship chase could still be all about the greatness of Kobe Bryant.
And that's about how it went last night. Oh, minus the injuries and Ron Ron going all Crazy Pills on us.
In the end, this game came down to the start of the third quarter, where Kobe gave his teammates another chance to get it going, waited about two minutes, then got pissed off (not to mention tired of the Josh Powell show) and ripped off 6 quick points without even seeming to try. He dominated in the third quarter, in which the Lakers followed his lead to a 12-point swing, going into the 4th up 10 after being down 2 at half.
Gasol and Fisher were the first to pick up Kobe's energy, and the Lakers' defense took it up a notch in the 4th, as well. In the end, it was a good second half and ended in an oh-so-tasty blowout, just as it should have been all along.
Not thrilled with the minutes the starters had to play (though Andrew Bynum should be nice and rested after fouling out in a mere 11 minutes of court time) — but then, this is the road, and beggars can't be choosers. We've had plenty of rest to start the season and a good couple days before this, so as far as I'm concerned, a road win is a road win, and if the starters play a few more minutes than we'd prefer ... well, I'm not crying over any spilt milk.
A dominant all-around performance from Kobe: 12-23 for 29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and a monster block. Only two turnovers, which hopefully is a sign of good ball-handling adjustment to his finger injury.
Gasol had a quiet but effective night, turning in 14/14/6, and Lamar Odom had one of his better games in a while — his 14/12/4 line serving as a reminder that the Lakers can be a-okay even when missing a big man, every now and then.
Here are your numbers for the night. Note the very excellent Points Per Possession Numbers — that 0.88 defensive PPP just might be enough to drop us below Boston for the Defensive Efficiency lead, making LA the undisputed best defense in the NBA (statistically) — last I checked, we already own the defensive FG%, eFG%, and TS%.
| Poss | TO% | FTA/FGA | FT% | EFG% | TS% | Off Reb% | Def Reb% | PPP | |
| LA | 92 | 13 | 0.16 | 79 | 53 | 56 | 25 | 80 | 1.13 |
| NJ | 94 | 9 | 0.33 | 70 | 40 | 45 | 20 | 75 | 0.88 |
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COWBOYS WIN!!!
Remember, I called it on the game thread!!! Ya’ll said I was a fool but NOW who’s the FOOL?? lol
it wouldnt hurt the saints to lose one game
theres alot to be learned from a loss
just ask the 2007 patriots
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
what' wrong with the Cowboys?
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 19, 2009 9:05 PM PST up reply actions
I don't have enough time to answer that question.....
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
is it because the Cowboys are like the Yankees and Lakers
and everyone hates them?
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 19, 2009 11:12 PM PST up reply actions
They are like the Lakers and Yankees
except that they don’t win as often. Also they haven’t earned their nickname “americas team” in a very, very, long time.
Two words……. Michael Irvin. Two more….Leon Lett. Two more…..Jerry Jones.
I could go on and on, but those are my highlights.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
dam point taken
you said Michael Irvin and I got it. But the real kicker was Lett. I forgot about him. Yeah I can see why you guys dont like them.
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 19, 2009 11:37 PM PST up reply actions
I guess in all fairness the biggest reason that I don't like them is the same reason that I don't like Lebron...
They seem to get elevated to a level that they haven’t earned. They haven’t really been relevant in a long time but if you listen to ESPN but don’t watch the games you would think they are in the Super Bowl every year.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
shit once you brought up
the Lebron factor and the adoration he gets then that even makes more sense to me. He is the King but has no titles. I get it even more now.
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 20, 2009 12:10 AM PST up reply actions
i think people tend to overrate his stats when compared to other players. hes a excellent player, no doubt, but the “offense” mike brown runs with the cavs is a joke. his overall play is to give lebron the ball and hope for something good to happen. the more lebron gets the ball, the more assists and rebounds he will get. However against the elite teams in the league who double team lebron, the system fails. If he played it a real style of offense like other teams in the league such as the triangle with the lakers, his stats would no doubt decrease.
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
it was a funny post
it was written in all caps and had numerous spelling and grammar errors…haha
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
Yeah Giants aren't making it this year and I called it in a fanpost thread
Giants will need more time 2 adjust with these rookies but thats okay, there is always next year, Cowboys ain’t going far anyway
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be commited against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the LimeLight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
Actually, he did
And he played quite well. 7-9 shooting, 14 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, only one turnover.
Strength & Honor
It's good to be the Champs
what in the world
either im blind or yahoo fails cuz i didnt see his name anywhere in the box score.
yea, ok yahoo fails. i just added the point total and it only equaled 89.
Busted box score
It happens, and it’s annoying when it does.
by DexterFishmore on Dec 19, 2009 10:57 PM PST up reply actions
ummmmm
what the hell happened to the post saying we should trade bynum?
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
Hey I have been saying all year long Bynum's defense
and that includes his rebounding is fuckin putrid and I got chewed out. Then everyone starts talking about his offense when I think his defense is horrible.
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 19, 2009 9:04 PM PST up reply actions
Deleted for wildly unacceptable ALL CAPS rampage
by DexterFishmore on Dec 19, 2009 9:20 PM PST up reply actions
i personally think it is foolish to delete a comment for all caps..
showing emotion… and will this comment get deleted too?
OH HELL NO
Sorry. Using caps to show emotion in a single phrase, sentence, etc. (i.e., like I did above) is totally cool. Writing an entire post, paragraph, email, etc., in all caps, is one of the top internet offenses … not just here, but in general.
Sorry, I’m with Dex on this one.
Strength & Honor
It's good to be the Champs
??
you say oh hell no… and then agree with what i am saying…
i said
you should not delete a comment if its all caps..and yyou did too
Using caps to show emotion in a single phrase, sentence, etc. (i.e., like I did above) is totally cool.
by matthewmafa on Dec 21, 2009 11:29 PM PST up reply actions
Nope
But all caps doesn’t work. It’s not showing emotion, it’s just being irritating. If you can’t be bothered to type like a normal human being, there are other places for you to hang out.
by DexterFishmore on Dec 19, 2009 9:37 PM PST up reply actions
wHAt aBout SoMeTHinG LiKe ThIS?
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on Dec 19, 2009 10:45 PM PST up reply actions
headache....
need aspirin.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
lol.....nice.
Billy Mac: "Lamar, can you see yourself actually getting in the (boxing) ring"?
Lamar Odom: "No. My face is too pretty."
it was funny to me
so many spelling/grammar errors…
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
only odom played well in front of his friends haha
"Just by the aura of D.J. Mbenga being there, the shot missed."
crazy lol
"If your not first, then your last"
Ricky Bobby
by KobeistheGOAT on Dec 19, 2009 9:05 PM PST up reply actions
Basketball Contest
over we win again!
YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD YES!
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
Well again, missed the game thread, might miss 2morrows game thread as well but heard the game on the radio through my phone and I
was never worried about this game, cause its the Nets and I’m glad Lakers are looking good, now if only Artest could of gotten some stats in this game to help my fantasy team.
There are basic Fundamentals that are needed to move forward in this game. Always keep your guard up at all times to avoid being caught in a trap. Overcome the fouls that will be commited against you REBOUND AND PRESS ON. ADJUST to the LimeLight: ALL-STAR PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. Know what your role is and play your position. Find a game plan and execute it. REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET OUT OF THE GAME WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
Jim Carrey?
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on Dec 20, 2009 6:49 PM PST up reply actions
nice editorial on clutchness from Charley Rosen
but… but … but the stats!
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gils_Keloids on Dec 20, 2009 7:00 PM PST up reply actions
hey so in the spirit of that "most hated players" list
I found this particularly funny.
Bring up the TNT videos (sidebar on the left), then the inside the nba videos, then the most recent one. About halfway through they start going over the top playoff drama of the decade nominees and when they get to Paul Pierce 2008 at the 16:00 mark, Charles Barkely and Kenny Smith just flat out can’t stop laughing at Pierce. It’s hilarious you should check it out if you didn’t catch it.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
thank you so much for that. I needed that laugh
I love how Kenny calls it the “fake willis reed play”…then he was even clowing him more by saying that he was so fake that whole play was a “six dollar bill” I didn’t get that at first. that has to be one of the funniest things I have seen.
"These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess" - Kobe
by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Dec 20, 2009 3:21 PM PST up reply actions
Didn't watch the game last night..
Oh, minus the injuries and Ron Ron going all Crazy Pills on us.
What did Ron do?
Hey Josh,
You probably already know this but here’s a couple of posts from last night’s chat about some transitions at the L A Times Lakers Blog & ESPN.com:
Brian Kamenetzky : We’ll be hosting the Lakers Blog at ESPN Los Angeles.com.
Brian Kamenetzky : It doesn’t exist yet— launches Monday.
Brian Kamenetzky : In all seriousness, I really hope folks continue to support the LAT as they go through the transition of putting someone in this space, and down the road as the “new” site evolves. The more good coverage is there for fans, the harder we have to work to provide it. Everyone’s a winner.
Perhaps it is an opportunity for L A Times bloggers to take a look (or second look) at SS&R.
The Lakers "Too big, too strong, too long, too good."
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