Credits 5/8/09

The Rockets are not blameless:

But Fisher could point to Houston’s side as having started it in both games, too.

In the second quarter of Game 1, Fisher took clear exception to Houston’s Brent Barry pulling Fisher down to the floor in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous way to end a play wherein Barry had already been whistled for a foul. In Game 2, Fisher watched Scola try just about the same thing to Odom, hacking him and then grabbing him by the jersey in an attempt to pull him down after the whistle.

Even before Fisher hammered Scola at the other end of the court, Luke Walton had immediately stepped to Scola to go chest-to-chest in Odom’s defense – with Walton, Scola and Odom all drawing technicals.

“I felt like it was a foul and a foul,” Odom said later of Scola’s play.

Who was really the instigator of all that? Odom didn’t much like Scola hitting a right-handed hook shot while leading with his left elbow with 5:01 left in the third – and was moved to get in Scola’s face and trail after him for a long time after blocking Scola’s shot on the next Houston possession.

Walton cryptically argued his team’s side this way: “We felt like there were some late elbows being thrown.”

From OC Register

So while some are painting the Lakers as bullies and intimidators, they’re actually the bullied, they’re just hitting back who are hitting back. And, yes, the Rockets’ elbows are meant to inflict pain, just like the Lakers’.

The rockets took it to you in game one. I’ll give it to you though, your lakers tried to match the physical nature of the rockets, but it’s not their style. Instead they just came off as dirty. The only ejection on the rockets came after a missed call that the league finnaly got right. Fisher is just dirty. Ever since his jazz days. You might have the better talent. Noone has argued that fact. But you have no class. I suggest you play your style and we play ours. Let the better team win. Just remember, no sissy calafornia boy is ever going to out tough a real texan. Stay on your side of the country, ya dirty hippies!

“They think we’re dirty. They think they’re ‘naturally tough.’”

This gets to a big pet peeve of mine:

If the Lakers win by playing great offense, it’s because they’re a “skill” team (which is a backhanded compliment, of course).
If the Lakers lose by playing bad defense, it’s because they’re “soft”.
If the Lakers win by playing tough defense, it’s only because they played “dirty”.

I say we just toss out the hackneyed expressions and just call winning winning and losing losing. If you won, you played well enough to win. If you lost, you didn’t. End of story. Enough with this toughness, softness, dirtiness crap. Last year we lost in the Finals because we didn’t play well enough to win. Bottom line. The tough teams are the ones who score more points than the other guys, regardless of how it’s done.

but the lakers def started it, Kobe in particular. Kobe mugged Shane in game 1 when kobe fell on shane after shane stole the ball. It was completely obvious that Kobe elbowed Shane in the neck, kneed him inthe ribs, and rammed the ball into his head. I saw it on tv when it originally happened, but Kobe got away with it for some reason, probably because he’s kobe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PsPATt5_DA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2Fvideosearch%3Fq%3Dkobe%2520mugs%2520shane%2520battier%26rls%3Dcom%2Emicrosoft%3A%2A%3AIE%2DSearchBox%26oe&feature=player_embedded

Kobe should have been called for a foul here. This is another thing I never understand: why does the league allow players to dive on top of one another in pursuit of a loose ball? That should be a foul. So I’ll give you that. But at the end of the sequence, they were tangled up. I don’t think there was any malicious intent in the clip you linked. If you don’t like Kobe, I can see how you’d like to think there is, and you might be right – you and I will never know – but to me, it just looked like two guys tangled up.

I should know by now though that making mountains out of molehills is the apparent obligation of a true fan.

I don’t think kobe wants any part of artest, and we as rocket fans don’t want to lose him on the court.

WHO WANTS TO SEX MUTOMBO

The way Houston fans are coming on here talking with their chests all puffed up you would think that it was the Rockets who have been consistent winners. I understand the attitude of being proud of your team. But where is the humility that comes the understanding that this team has not been relevant of even out of the first round since 1997. I begining to think that we are talking to a Spurs fan who indeed have reason to be cocky and to mention that they are from Texas. This team has been labeled soft for years now. So they win one game and the series is tied and we are supposed to acknowledge them as a threat? Give me a break! Any Houston Rocket fan can come on here and talk about the Lakers but believe me unlike the Lakers you still have something to prove to not just every basketball fan but to your city. Say what you want about Fisher, Kobe and the rest of the Lakers but I see 3 Championship banners that have been hung up because of the Phil, Kobe and Fisher so until you guys get something in relation to a title please understand that it does not matter to any Laker fan. Last I checked there are no banners or rings handed out for getting out of the first round or for tying the series. So slow your row, take a deep breath and understand You are on a Lakers blog. The best NBA organization in the world and we have the banners to prove it. If you don’t believe we are that great, the next time you buy a Houston Rockets jersey look at the NBA logo and pay homage to one of the best players that ever lived! Go Lakers!