June 16, 2004
Laker hate?
What's with all the Lakers hating? I mean, really? A lot of people don't like the fact that GP and Malone signed just to try to get a ring ... but what most of you don't realize is the work required to get that ring. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to cap a great career with a championship, and if your current team doesn't favor those chances, then you jump ship. Why do you think free agency was invented?
I love LA because the team represents the city in such a great way. I also love them because they are one of the most entertaining teams to watch and follow. The Kobe and Shaq feud was great to follow ... and then the whole general implosion of the team against the Spurs, then to watch them rally and stomp the Spurs and then defeat the TWolves, it was so awesome to watch.
The Lakers not getting the championship doesn't diminish their amazing season. GP apart, Malone was great in accepting his reduced role and focusing on the defense and getting the team to hustle. Kobe had to manage his alleged rape trial as well as coping with a bad shoulder and having to deal with no off-season training due to injuries. Shaq is getting older, but he still has these flashes of brilliances which remind of what he used to be.
If Karl hadn't gotten injured, and if somebody else from the Lakers could of stepped up and dropped their wide-open shots, the Lakers could of done a lot better. As Mark Cuban points out: " The real reason the Pistons won is that they had people who could hit open jumpshots. Rip, Chauncey, Elden Campbell, and even Ben Wallace, whenever there was a double team they seemed to hit the open shot. The Lakers couldn’t hit that shot if their life depended on it. It wasn’t great defense that left Slava, Fish, Payton, Walton and Rush wide open for jumpers that would not fall. If there was a theme throughout the playoffs, it was the team that had its first and then its 3rd or 4th option hit their open jumpers, won the game. Shaq and Kobe needed help from somewhere, they didn’t get it. Detroit was playing 5 on 2 defense. That makes their life a lot easier and makes any defense look good."
To me, the Pistons defeating the Bucks, the Nets, and the Pacers is not even half as impressive as the Lakers having to beat the Rockets, the defending champions Spurs, and then the Garnett-lead Timberwolves. Having Malone take on Duncan and then Garnett really wore him down...
Maybe next year, Lakers. Maybe... just drop GP. Seriously.
I love LA because the team represents the city in such a great way. I also love them because they are one of the most entertaining teams to watch and follow. The Kobe and Shaq feud was great to follow ... and then the whole general implosion of the team against the Spurs, then to watch them rally and stomp the Spurs and then defeat the TWolves, it was so awesome to watch.
The Lakers not getting the championship doesn't diminish their amazing season. GP apart, Malone was great in accepting his reduced role and focusing on the defense and getting the team to hustle. Kobe had to manage his alleged rape trial as well as coping with a bad shoulder and having to deal with no off-season training due to injuries. Shaq is getting older, but he still has these flashes of brilliances which remind of what he used to be.
If Karl hadn't gotten injured, and if somebody else from the Lakers could of stepped up and dropped their wide-open shots, the Lakers could of done a lot better. As Mark Cuban points out: " The real reason the Pistons won is that they had people who could hit open jumpshots. Rip, Chauncey, Elden Campbell, and even Ben Wallace, whenever there was a double team they seemed to hit the open shot. The Lakers couldn’t hit that shot if their life depended on it. It wasn’t great defense that left Slava, Fish, Payton, Walton and Rush wide open for jumpers that would not fall. If there was a theme throughout the playoffs, it was the team that had its first and then its 3rd or 4th option hit their open jumpers, won the game. Shaq and Kobe needed help from somewhere, they didn’t get it. Detroit was playing 5 on 2 defense. That makes their life a lot easier and makes any defense look good."
To me, the Pistons defeating the Bucks, the Nets, and the Pacers is not even half as impressive as the Lakers having to beat the Rockets, the defending champions Spurs, and then the Garnett-lead Timberwolves. Having Malone take on Duncan and then Garnett really wore him down...
Maybe next year, Lakers. Maybe... just drop GP. Seriously.
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phineyae (guest)
oddfish
PM5K (guest)
I\'m not one of those people that hates the Lakers for no reason. The Lakers have always thought they were a team that could just turn it on and off when they wanted to and for a while they were lucky enough to be able to get away with that but now we are starting to see that sometimes when you go to turn it on it\'s not always there, the Spurs showed that and so did the Pistons.
I hate that because I was a big Jordan fan, a man who played as hard in practice as he did in games, a man who played his best from the first minute to his last, and a man who played as hard at forty as he did at twenty.
One of the reasons Kobe has become known as a great fourth quarter player is because he plays like **** for three quarters and then tries to turn it on when he needs to, that disappoints me because I can only imagine how good he could be if he gave that same effort over fortyeight minutes.
I didn\'t want to see Gary Payton or Karl Malone win a championship while riding the coattails of Shaq and Kobe, everyone knows that regardless of what occured during the offseason with those two players alone they could make and be competitive in the playoffs, Karl and Gary knew that and tried to jump on the train and go for a championship ride, but you don\'t win a ring you earn one, it\'s not a cracker jack prize, and they both had their chances but Gary and the Sonics lost to the Bulls as did Karl and the Jazz, twice.
Let me add this in response to you Roy:
First yes it is entertaining to watch dissention, but that doesn\'t make for a great team.
And they got lucky that Sam Cassell was injured because otherwise they certainly could have lost to the T Wolves....
And in response to Mark Cuban:
\"It wasn’t great defense that left Slava, Fish, Payton, Walton and Rush wide open for jumpers that would not fall\"
Yes it *was* great defense that left guys that couldn\'t his shots open in order to double team guys that could.....
HK1997
