Suns-Lakers Discussion

[Acymetric]

We have one for the Magic series...why not this one too? Suns looking rattled right now...but I think the Suns are getting the short end from officials on both sides of the court...and as I type this Gentry gets a tech...look like he agrees with me. Suns still need to make better decisions though, regardless of officiating.

[muzikfrk75]

I think that the Lakers will win, but the series is going 7. I wonder why the Suns decided to not go zone at the beginning of the game....

[BattierD12]

That was painful. Real painful.

[Bluedog]

Wow, what a finish! Ron Artest is an idiot, but made a nice play to lay in Kobe's airball at the buzzer. Also, ridiculous than the Suns got three 3-point opportunities on their last possession and end up banking it in. Crazy game all around. Lakers had many opportunities to pull away but they just couldn't do it. Too bad Phoenix couldn't pull it out...

[gumbomoop]

48 minutes, not 47:59. Jason Richardson was just watching, just watching, and Channing Frye also allowed Gasol to be in rebound position.

Great comeback, and this series looks like it will go 7. Hope so. Ditto for other series. Still a chance for Grant v. JJ. Wouldn't mind seeing Nash in Finals, either.

[muzikfrk75]

Crazy finish. And Nash is GREAT. I really hope that he can make it to the Finals.

[DevilHorns]

Funniest part was the post-game interview with Artest. He still thinks he did nothing wrong taking that 3 when they could have drained the clock in half and probably gotten to the FT line.

I want the Suns to win it all, they needed this one.. .eh.

[muzikfrk75]

Funniest part was the post-game interview with Artest. He still thinks he did nothing wrong taking that 3 when they could have drained the clock in half and probably gotten to the FT line.

I want the Suns to win it all, they needed this one.. .eh.


30 years from now Artest will utter the phrase 'let me tell you about the time when Grandpa ran into the stands'....lol

[LSanders]

Maybe it's just me, but what are the Lakers celebrating?

They got smacked hard for two games, came home for a must win, gave up an 18-point lead and won because Kobe shot was so poor it didn't touch iron, which enabled Artest to take advantage of slack defense and manage to get the ball in.

To me ... If I'm the Suns ... I'm thinking I can actually win this series. I think the Suns will win decently in Arizona and will go back to Staples knowing that the Lakers only won last time on something like a fluke play.

I don't know how close Alvin Gentry is to Coach K, but I can certainly see K taking a situation like this and building a fire in his team.

Be interesting to see what happens.

[PumpkinFunk]

This one should go to 7, and I'm legitimately excited. Unlike the Magic-Celts games, these have been fun games to watch (at least, for the NBA, they have been). The fact that the Suns even made it a game last night was very impressive, though.

[greybeard]

Funniest part was the post-game interview with Artest. He still thinks he did nothing wrong taking that 3 when they could have drained the clock in half and probably gotten to the FT line.

I want the Suns to win it all, they needed this one.. .eh.

The funniest part is that we all had the same reaction but Artest was not as stupid as it might seem. The Lakers were not going to get fouled and had to make. There would still have been enough time to play the shoot/foul/shoot/foul game after that. So a step in 3 if he was feeling it was not all bad. Problem was, the pass was less then ideal and Artest could not just step in and shoot, or, if the pass was ideal, the catch was not quite in rhythm, which is what Phil alluded toin a post-game interview, oh, and also who the catcher was. Artest ended up bending down and straightening for whatever reason and just did not look comfortable in shooting.

Artest was feeling that he was ready to step up and win this thing for his team. He was wasn't he?

But, watching it was, as we all got, a priceless "I can't believe he's doing this moment."

On the other hand, maybe there is a lesson here. On championship teams, everybody has to want to step up if the moment presents down the stretch. That complete committment by everyone in that moment is one of the things that Phil gets his team to buy into, not just as individuals but in support of others. His teams have had some incredible luck in key championship moments over the years. Maybe they help creeate it by the license for players to cease the moment, which is definitely what Artest did during the entire span of that last minute???

[DevilHorns]

The funniest part is that we all had the same reaction but Artest was not as stupid as it might seem. The Lakers were not going to get fouled and had to make. There would still have been enough time to play the shoot/foul/shoot/foul game after that. So a step in 3 if he was feeling it was not all bad. Problem was, the pass was less then ideal and Artest could not just step in and shoot, or, if the pass was ideal, the catch was not quite in rhythm, which is what Phil alluded toin a post-game interview, oh, and also who the catcher was. Artest ended up bending down and straightening for whatever reason and just did not look comfortable in shooting.

Artest was feeling that he was ready to step up and win this thing for his team. He was wasn't he?

But, watching it was, as we all got, a priceless "I can't believe he's doing this moment."

On the other hand, maybe there is a lesson here. On championship teams, everybody has to want to step up if the moment presents down the stretch. That complete committment by everyone in that moment is one of the things that Phil gets his team to buy into, not just as individuals but in support of others. His teams have had some incredible luck in key championship moments over the years. Maybe they help creeate it by the license for players to cease the moment, which is definitely what Artest did during the entire span of that last minute???

I didn't watch the post-game interview with Coach Jackson, but I did see Kobe swat off a few questions with a plastered smile in the quick post-game recap. Priceless. Dodging bullets with Ron, but hey, he did come out of the woodwork and do something postiive at the end there. Lakers are at home, I think they could have passed it around for 10-15 seconds, given it to Kobe, and let Kobe do what Kobe does best. Drive and get a foul call. If Kobe doesn't see a natural shot opening he could have dished the ball to players that actually make shots on the team.... Pau or Fisher. Ron taking a 2nd 3 after a piss poor shooting night? Everyone in the Staples Center knew it wasn't going in.

I think its good for an individual player on a great team to have that attitude of wanting to step up. In a team of stars its easy to become complacent. Obviously Artest wants/wishes he could have made a bigger mark on this LA squad but he pretty much has played fourth/fifth fiddle to a bunch of stars and excellent role players. I think Phil's response on the bench is enough "evidence" regarding free license for Artest in a scenario like that.

Go Suns!

[superdave]

I'm torn between rooting for the more likeable Suns vs. wanting to see the best Finals possible which would include the Lakers.

Because of Vince Carter, I'm completely 100% in the Celtics corner. But I dont know that the Cdltics can get fresh enough legs to compete in the Finals.

[gumbomoop]

Bearing no ill-will toward Jason Richardson, once this season has passed, one might use a video of his failure to block out as a "teachable moment." It irritates me no end that every player in that situation might somehow forget that the job is to focus, concentrate, move, focus, concentrate, move until a few seconds after horn sounds. Every coach should say, and every player should think, "I have to play smarter and harder than the guy I'm guarding, beyond the buzzer. Anything can happen. Anything."

Speaking of which: sure seems that anything - anything - can happen in both series. Pretty exciting to me, having abandoned NBA for years.

[robobevan]

Exact same ending as the Mississippi St-Kentucky SEC Final. Once again the wrong team won.

[BattierD12]

And thus ends Grant Hill's nice run in the playoffs. The Suns really gave it their all in the last quarter but ultimately came short as the Lakers will meet the Celtics yet again in the finals. Sasha Vujacic almost single handedly caused the Lakers to blow their lead late in the fourth, and combined with the bench play of the Suns, I thought Phoenix could pull it off.

This was not a game the Suns lost. This was a game Kobe Bryant just went into a ridiculous zone and knocked down insane shots with players all over him. Every time there is a debate between Lebron and Kobe, I always side with Kobe. His killer instinct in these games is unmatched.

[-bdbd]

This was not a game the Suns lost. This was a game Kobe Bryant just went into a ridiculous zone and knocked down insane shots with players all over him. Every time there is a debate between Lebron and Kobe, I always side with Kobe. His killer instinct in these games is unmatched.

And to think, he was soooo close to being a Dukie! To this day I believe that he would have been our answer to MJ. Curse that modern era mentality of going straight to the pros!!! What mighta been... Hmmm.
:rolleyes:

[Richard Berg]

This was a game Kobe Bryant just went into a ridiculous zone and knocked down insane shots with players all over him. Every time there is a debate between Lebron and Kobe, I always side with Kobe. His killer instinct in these games is unmatched.
Definitely. The Cavalier supporting cast doesn't help, of course, but it can't explain the entire difference between the two. Or if you insist on a level playing field, just look at Team USA. LeBron played well overall, but couldn't get the job done when Kobe was injured, shooting quite a few bricks en route to 2006 bronze. (not laying the Greece loss entirely at his feet, mind you; lackluster team defense did that) Both played well in 2008 -- I think LeBron may have even scored more points -- but it was Kobe who assured our gold medal with clutch 4th quarter baskets.

[PumpkinFunk]

Every time there is a debate between Lebron and Kobe, I always side with Kobe. His killer instinct in these games is unmatched.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kobe is the 2nd best basketball player I have seen in my lifetime, just after MJ (I unfortunately was born too late to remember Larry or Magic in their heydays). The killer instinct is there, the commitment to defense, and the unwillingness to lose when it comes down to the end. LeBron does not have the killer instinct. Someone (Bill Simmons?) compared him to Dr. J, whose driving force was to amaze fans. I'd compare him to Wilt, who wanted to be the man, but shied away from pressure and wilted under it when his team needed him most. You can't win a championship with just LeBron. LeBron needs that other player to be the one with the killer instinct. Kobe will win the championship this year for the Lakers with that killer instinct.