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June 12, 2008
Lakers Need a Shot of Lamar
It’s been a long time since a winning team of an NBA Final’s game looked like a team destined to lose the series.
That game Tuesday night was atrocious. Dancers at Jumbo’s Clown Room look better than that game. The Celtics shot 35 percent from the field and the Lakers not named Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic shot 28 percent. And to top it all off, the Lakers obviously weren’t used to getting foul calls going 21-for-34 at the charity stripe. For the mathematically challenged that’s 13 missed free throws at 62 percent. Hopefully someone saved all those bricks to help rebuild New Orleans.
One of the biggest duds for the Lakers is Lamar Odom. The Finals is not the stage for fading stars, and fading is exactly what Lamar is doing. In game one Lamar scored 14 points. Game two: 10 points. Game three: four points. If Lamar’s testicles don’t re-descend for this series, the Lakers are going to lose.
Naturally Lamar can’t do this on his own. He needs the help of the perimeter shooters to knock down open look shots when they get them. This will force the Celtics to start guarding the perimeter rather than clog up the paint. And maybe, just maybe the Lakers front court can get some production.
On the other side, the Celtics had a prime opportunity to steal game three but made some very odd decisions down the stretch.
Who told Doc Rivers that Ray Allen could guard Kobe Bryant by himself? Once Kobe realized no one was coming over to double him, he smiled and made the Celtics pay. Thinking the Celtics would realize the problem with the matchup, it became even more perplexing that they continued to go with single coverage for the rest of the game.
Also, why did Kevin Garnett back down and settled as a jump shooter? Garnett shot an abysmal 6-for-21 from the field only taking five shots in the paint. The entire world knows the Lakers are soft up front, yet one of the most dominating players in the game decides he wants to back down.
To reiterate, that was an awful game.
Tonight if the Lakers want to win Lamar has to have a good game. Period. Vujacic isn’t going to have a repeat performance, Jordan Farmar doesn’t have the strength to go at the Celtics defenders and Luke Walton… Is he still playing?
I’m not going to give any predictions since I can’t be trusted with them anymore. All I’m hoping for is we get a halfway decent game to watch.
AP Photo by Mark J. Terrill
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Maybe LO should come back to the herb so he can relax and get into the flow of the game. ^_^.
GO LAKERS!!!
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Lamar just has to figure out a way to stay out of foul trouble, and therefore on the floor, and he'll get a rhythm and start to play better. Every game he seems to have at least one, but usually two, frustration fouls where he just hip-checks somebody or rakes them across the arm, because he's upset he missed a shot or didn't get a rebound.
Maybe antith3tic is right, although LO can't really afford a positive test -- he's got 2 strikes.
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OMFG GO LAKERS! COME ON! COME ON COME ON COME ON!
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I think they should change up the line up. Kobe, Fisher, Odom, Gasol, Turiaf. This way Turiaf can pick up the inside fouls and play Perkins and Lamar can use his length and speed to keep up with Pierce.
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they should trade odom for josh smith
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I think they need to trade Kobe so the Lakers can become an actual "team."
Look at the Celtics - they don't have high quality star players, they have a bunch of decent players, who all work together excellently. Notice how when Kobe gets shut out the entire Lakers crumble, and they lose. It takes 1 person to get the Lakers to play horrible. Now look at the Celtics - 3 of their starting line up couldn't make anything - and yet the Lakers BARELY beat them. BARELY. Now that's a team. I'm not a Celtics fan - but you gotta respect them - best defensive team in the league. Losing 3 players still keep them closely in the game. If only the Lakers could be that way - back to the late 80s and early 90s, then it would definitely be a team to be proud of - not a team consisting of 1 who has questionable morals and is a player/coach (because really, if you watch him, he's the one doing the coaching, not Phil anymore).
Lakers will more than likely barely win tonight again, but it's going to be a great game!
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(sigh) you never can please some people. Thank god the people running the Lakers know better than to trade Kobe.
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"Look at the Celtics - they don't have high quality star players, they have a bunch of decent players, who all work together excellently."
Garnett, Allen and Pierce aren't high quality star players? They have been and would be marquee players on their own team.
KG is All-NBA 1st Team. Pierce is All Defensive 1st Team. And Allen made it as an All Star a last year. Pretty high regard for a bunch of scrubs.
GO LAKERS! :)