Best Road Team In The NBA, Lakers Haters: Game 3 Recap

by Sideout11 on May 24, 2009 4:00 AM PDT Comment 11 comments

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

This is my first game recap in more than a week. Why so long you ask? Well, my last two just happened to be games 4 and 6 against Houston, so needless to say I was beginning to think that I was jinxed. Until Kobe hit that three and Ariza came up with the dagger, I was ready to swear off all future recaps, because I thought it was happening again. So thank you Kobe and Trevor. Thank you for maintaining my usefulness here on SS&R. I'm sure that my colleagues thank you as well.

If the Lakers don't win this series then they will have no one to blame but themselves, because you could make the case that they deserve to be down 0-3 right now. You could especially make the case that they deserved to lose this one. Denver must really like us, because only the lowly Clippers would be kind enough to jack up 27 threes and only make 5 of them. Only the hapless Grizzlies would foul us so many times that we end up making more FTs than them despite shooting 69%. Only the helpless Wizards might...well, you get my point.

So what does this all mean? I'll tell you, but only after the jump of course...

First of all, it means Kobe has a heart the size of LeBron's endorsement check. But other than that, it doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot. As Dexter Fishmore said after Game 2:

That's all it takes. When two teams are playing each other to a draw, only three possessions' worth of lineup mismanagement can determine the outcome.

And that's sort of what happened again tonight. The Nuggets played very well until the 4th quarter, and then they made just enough mistakes and gave Kobe just enough shots to let the Lakers steal one. So, did the Lakers win, or did the Nuggets lose? I'm not really sure, but again it doesn't matter. The Lakers could execute flawlessly for 46 minutes Monday night but turn the ball over in the last two and let the Nuggets win (wait, isn't that what happened in Game 2?). Do the Lakers get points for playing like the better team? No, just like the Nuggets didn't get any tonight. In a series as close as this, is makes absolutely no sense to dwell upon positives and negatives, because where are the games really won or lost? It's impossible to tell. All we can hope for is that the Lakers make the plays at he end, and that is all I will be hoping for in what promises to be a thrilling Game 4.

Now after saying all of that, I am going to contradict myself by talking about the positives and negatives of Game 3 because hey, what else could I do? Just remember that I could be talking about exactly the same things following a Lakers loss, so take it with a grain of salt.

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. What can I say? And to think that some people wanted to keep Shaq back in 04 (no one on this blog I'm sure :p). He never ceases to amaze me, and I've even learned to stop shouting nooooo when you launch a ridiculously hard three in crunch time. Consider it a compliment of the highest order. I know it's easy to say that the Lakers would be no where without him, but not since 2006 has it been more tangible than in this series. He has single-handedly overcome an entire team not once, but twice. Granted he has gotten a little help from Ariza, but never the less it is truly remarkable considering the talent he is currently facing. For the first time in his career he has scored 40+ points twice in a series, and like a fine Chardonnay, he keeps getting better with time.

I'm not a big fan of all of the ridiculous NBA nicknames (including the Black Mamba), but if you can't beat them, join them. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you AIRiza. After a rocky couple of road games in Utah and Houston, Trevor has elevated his game to a whole other level against the Nuggets. Yes, he got torched by Anthony in Game 1, but I think everyone agrees that Melo was just a little out of his mind that night, plus look who held him to only 21 points on 4-13 shooting tonight. Oh, and remember how bad his shooting was last year? I feel like in this series he is like 99-100 from three in the 4th quarter. Not to mention the steals, which have always been there but have become ever more timely. He's no Pippen, not yet anyways, but at age 23 he is certainly unique and is developing into one of the best second options in the league. Being a Los Angeles native and former Bruin, nothing would make me happier than to see him retire wearing the Purple & Gold (hint to Mitch Kupchak, wink wink).

Andrew Bynum seems to be progressing slowly but surely. While I would like to see him play more, I understand Phil not wanting to play him in the 4th because of his defense. Yes, he gets 3 or 4 blocks a game now, but he is also the first Laker to pick up two fouls, a good deal of which seem to be on floaters or jump shots. One game he will be on an offensive tear and get to stay in, and one of these games Gasol will get in foul trouble and he will see more minutes, but until then he needs to take Jackson's words to heart because I agree that he is a bit over aggressive on defense sometimes.

Derek "I'm Bringing Slow Feet Back" Fisher. Yes, PJ trust him, but it's not like Farmar and Brown have given him reason not to trust them. Ever since the Houston series, they have both played good defense, limited turnovers, and hit some big shots, especially UPS. When I saw JR Smith elevate and score over Fish right before Kobe hit the 3, I thought that it was over because surely Denver would be smart enough to go to that mismatch every time. Fortunately they were not, but I can guarantee you that Brown would have locked down Smith at the end. Its not like we needed Fisher's "offense" with Kobe in Mamba mode (see, I'm starting to like it more already), but even if we did, Brown or even Farmar gives us a better option anyways.

Sasha, go home to Slovania and take it easy for a few months. While you're there, go ask the ~~Ray Allen~~ troll under the bridge that you pissed off for your shot back, and please don't return to El Segundo without it.

Lastly, while I was watching last night's game, I kept seeing the likes of Anderson and Jones get easy baskets and thinking, "Oh s#*t, if these guys are beating us and Anthony and Billups beat us like I know they will, we are screwed." Of course, Melo was held to 21 and Chauncey only scored 18. I'm not sure whether it was our defense (didn't seem to be) or if they were just missing shots, but I'll take it. It's important though that we not let these non-scoring threats beat us in Game 4, otherwise the result might not be so pretty.

Onwards to Game 4 and hopefully an 8th straight win at the Not-Coke Center for THE BEST DAMN ROAD TEAM IN THE NBA, BITCHES!!! (and Streak Busters too)

Go Purple & Gold!

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Comments

This has been a crazy series

you’re right…the lakers are so close to be doing down 0-3…but you know what they are just as close to being up 3-0.

you feel like both these teams could easily win any game so i sure am glad the lakers have kobe.

by rshinsec on May 24, 2009 6:35 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

LIGHT AT THE END

I keep seeing the miserable look of Carmelo when we sat out the remainder of the game. I just hope he won’t crumble mentally in game 4, otherwise, I’m expecting a cakewalk by L.A.

by cutefurrysnake on May 24, 2009 7:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Over analysis of Lakers wins

A win is a win! If the Lakers win the NBA Championship we will still have people saying they could have played a better series. So the f—- what! When the Lakers win…they WIN!
Get it? This is not a series where whichever team gets the best critiques wins the game.
All of the NBA talking heads are marvelling at LBJ’s last minute shot. It won the game. End of story. Yes, the Cavs are in trouble because without that miracle shot they would be 0-2 at home! They have allowed huge leads to disappear,but you don’t hear critics talking about Jeckyll and Hyde regarding the Cavs. It only applies to the Lakers. What BS. During last night’s game all Mark Jackson talked about was how great Carmelo was. What a great series he’s having. He analyzed in slow motion every nuance that Melo brought to the floor. It was obvious that ESPN was rooting for the Nuggets to win. No one said a word about Kobe, Ariza or Gasol at the end of the game. Mike Wilbon did his level best to hide his Laker hater side. But he and John Barry and even Magic picked the Nuggets to win last night. The x factor in this series is the Lakers experience, and their smart play when it counts.

by harschwarz on May 24, 2009 8:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i have to agree. i, too, have been critical of the lakers’ play, including victories, feeling that they are not playing as effectively as they did in the regular series. it could be that they are a different team now; simply not as great. nevertheless, a victory is a victory. denver could have played a better overall game, but we played a better fourth quarter. we were close enough the entire game to close out the last quarter and win it. and you are right; it is the lakers’ experience that is helping them win these games. that is exactly what i said last night during the fourth quarter. you could see the cavs’ inexperience in their game against the magic; even james’ inexperience hurt him late in the game. his shot was a great one, but a miracle nonetheless. i am rooting for the magic, simply because the lakers will have homecourt if we get there. now, enough of a digression, the nuggets demonstrated their inexperience, save but chauncey. i am glad that bynum called out phil jackson for a lack of sufficient playing time. it seems he played a bit more than before. i think he needs to give him 30 minutes. let him get his rhythm and confidence back. gasol also needs to be more dominant inside. if kobe, gasol and bynum have very good games, the lakers will win.

by chaucer on May 24, 2009 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The fuse has been lit...

And the implosion is about to detonate in the Denver locker room. Melo wasn’t dejected, he was down right pissed at Kenyon for putting him into that position again, and for making him foul out of the game.

3 points in the second half tells me that the Lakers played some effective defense on the Nuggets. 5-15 for Billups with 4 costly turnovers further prove that the Laker guards all did a good job on the defensive end.

dEDGE - Lakers Commentary

by dEDGE on May 24, 2009 9:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I disagree about the Locker room situation

There is a mutual respect throughout the whole denver team. Melo was more pissed at himself and the situation than at Kenyon.

by WhaHuh on May 24, 2009 9:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Could Be

Reminds me of something I said in our Round Table Preview:

The biggest question for me is which Denver team shows up, this year’s or last year’s? The Nuggets have yet to face a real challange, and if they find themsleves down by 10 in Game 4 with the Lakers leading 2-1, will they remained poised like their new floor general, or will the give up and turn to fighting and wild shots like last year?

Looks like all of the pieces are in place and we’ll find out Monday night.

by Sideout11 on May 24, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kobe Reposted

One possesion Kobe Re-Posted (a la Shaq), how many guards can do that in this league. It is a testament to his skill and evidence of the unskilled defenders he has gone against (AC and Dahntay)

by WhaHuh on May 24, 2009 9:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

denver's youth

these guys don’t take losses to well. they are affected mentally, even their coach. lakers have the psychological edge. they need to keep it. a win at denver in game 4, and we will make them crumble.

by chaucer on May 24, 2009 9:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

surely some denver players must be thinking “damn, we play better than them for most of the game and lose it in the end…we are doing all we can, and we still can’t beat them”

by chaucer on May 24, 2009 9:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs