The 2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers thread

[dreamcastrocks]

Originally Posted by abomb

Hill wasnt set before Ariza left the ground. It's a block.

Looked like a charge to me. It was close enough in that they would normally look at the feet of the defender to call a charge/block.

Pretty looking dunk either way.

[abomb]

Arquette and I have the same shoes.

[Gee!]

Originally Posted by abomb

Looks like a basketball play.. Any reason for posting it? And please dont tell me its facializing Hill cuz he is trying to take the charge..

Heres a better angle where you can clearly see Grants feet set to take the charge..

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Gee!

Heres a better angle where you can clearly see Grants feet set to take the charge..

Watch the video. Hill's feet werent set when Ariza jumped.

The other charges in the game were questionable though.

[Gee!]

Originally Posted by abomb

Watch the video. Hill's feet werent set when Ariza jumped.

The other charges in the game were questionable though.

Im not disputing if it was or wasnt a charge.. Im just saying Hill didnt get facialized becasuse he was trying to take a charge, he gave up his body.. I consider getting faced when a play goes after the ball for a block..

Which brings me back to my original question.. Why did you post this pick? To have a in depth convo about if it was a charge or not? I knew you had some Suns blood in you.. Check you out trying to help out Suns fans with the pic..

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Gee!

Im not disputing if it was or wasnt a charge.. Im just saying Hill didnt get facialized becasuse he was trying to take a charge, he gave up his body.. I consider getting faced when a play goes after the ball for a block..

Which brings me back to my original question.. Why did you post this pick? To have a in depth convo about if it was a charge or not? I knew you had some Suns blood in you.. Check you out trying to help out Suns fans with the pic..

Nah, I wouldnt call it a facial either. I posted it because it was a jaw-dropping play and sweet dunk.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by dreamcastrocks

Glad you showed that pic. Hill was outside of the circle, and that was a charge.

Hill was moving underneath Ariza. He was not set as TA was taking off, and was coming up into the rising Ariza. Clearly not a charge. Should have been either a no call or a block.

[Renz]

The Lakers show they're for real
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
Updated: December 25, 2007


The Lakers have beaten the Suns (twice), Spurs and Pistons en route to an 18-10 record.

LOS ANGELES --- At this rate it won't be long before the Lakers will have a rivalry with the Phoenix Suns.

We can't say that yet, at least not if we adhere to the regulations once set forth by Kobe Bryant. After the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings in that draining 2002 Western Conference finals, I asked Bryant if the Kings were the Lakers' biggest rivals. He said I couldn't use that word. "They've got to beat us in the playoffs first," Bryant said. "C'mon, you know the rules."

So maybe the Lakers' 122-115 victory over the Suns at Staples Center on Christmas Day didn't change the terminology, and maybe Suns coach Mike D'Antoni could afford to say, "This doesn't bother me," seeing how it came in the regular season.

But after the Suns bounced the Lakers from the playoffs the past two seasons, the Lakers finally look ready to take a seven-game series from them for the first time since Steve Nash arrived in Phoenix.

That's one revelation from this game. The other is that Phil Jackson looks incredibly goofy in a red bow tie. Hopefully it will be banished to the bottom of a dresser drawer.

We have a solid foundation. We really do. We have length, we have speed, we have quickness, we have shot-blocking. We have guys that can steal the ball. We have playmakers. It's looking very solid.

But what's likely to make another appearance come playoff time is Andrew Bynum. If he's going to put up numbers like this -- a career-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots -- he gives the Lakers the perfect weapon to go at the Suns' size weakness. "He's a handful," Suns forward Shawn Marion said. "They've got a legitimate big man."

Phil Jackson and Bryant did their best to provide the disclaimers. They remember how the Lakers stumbled to a 42-40 record after being 13 games above .500 at one point last season, and they haven't forgotten Bynum's fade after a promising start last year.

"We just want to maintain what we are about," Jackson said. "Every game, come out and play that kind of game, show consistency. At the end of the year, if [Bynum] is the MVP, then we'll say what a great year he's had."

With Bynum in the frontcourt along with Lamar Odom (who pounds the Suns on the boards and had 14 more rebounds Tuesday), the Lakers forced the Suns to go with a big lineup of Amare Stoudemire, Brian Skinner, Boris Diaw and Marion for a long stretch in the fourth quarter. That kept one of Phoenix's top 3-point shooters (and primary Kobe defender), Raja Bell, on the bench.

The other thing that's changed from past Lakers-Suns games is Phoenix's domination at the point guard position. To paraphrase Rose Royce, Smush don't live here anymore. Sure, Nash still gets the check in the matchup box, but with the return of Derek Fisher and the improvement of Jordan Farmar, the difference isn't as pronounced as it used to be. Last season, Nash outscored Parker by an average of 22 to nine. In two games so far this season -- both won by the Lakers -- Fisher has the difference down to a respectable 22 to 17.

Bynum also exposed Stoudemire's slow defensive rotations and reluctance to box out. And Bynum and Fisher negate the arrival of Grant Hill -- especially after new Lakers acquisition Trevor Ariza helped limit Hill to only two second-half points. (How about Ariza, making the most of his first Lakers start and 33 minutes to get 14 points, seven rebounds and the highlight of the game: throwing down a dunk over a planted Hill the way Kobe did to Nash a couple of years ago).

Ariza's athleticism, Bynum's height, Fisher's vet presence ... what are we leaving out? Oh yeah, Kobe. He was the superior superstar in the end, outperforming Nash and taking over the fourth quarter, when he scored 12 of his 38 points.

You still won't get him to gush about this team. At one point he nearly apologized for his basic, "Belichicky" answers that sounded a lot like the hooded coach. But Kobelichick did allow this: "We have a solid foundation. We really do. We have length, we have speed, we have quickness, we have shot-blocking. We have guys that can steal the ball. We have playmakers. It's looking very solid."

It's looking like a team that can compete with the Suns, whom they trail by only one game in the Pacific Division and shouldn't fear if they meet in the postseason. D'Antoni didn't sound panicky. "I think we're pretty good," he said. "Last time I checked we were one or two games off the lead in the West." Notice that, unlike the testy exchange at the end of their last meeting, he didn't talk about busting the Lakers in the playoffs.

[Donald]

Originally Posted by Gee!

Which brings me back to my original question.. Why did you post this pick?

Uhm, it was a spectacular dunk that got the entire arena on its feet and he basically teabagged Grant on his way up. It was a ferocious dunk.

That's why it was posted.

Also, because Ariza >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cook and Mo Evans. And that makes me happy.

[Gee!]

Originally Posted by Donald

Uhm, it was a spectacular dunk that got the entire arena on its feet and he basically teabagged Grant on his way up. It was a ferocious dunk.

That's why it was posted.

Also, because Ariza >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cook and Mo Evans. And that makes me happy.

I didnt see the play, so I was wondering.. I had the game on but my interest in the NBA is very low after evrything that happened last year..

[abomb]

Apparently, Christmas Day was not the first for Phillip.

"What's wrong with a bow tie? A little holiday spirit." - Phil Jackson (who later added that the tie was purely a "holiday special" and specifically, a Christmas holiday special. When I pressed him whether the neck-wear would get busted out on, say, Valentine's or Arbor Day, PJ shot down the notion.).

"I thought it looked nice, you know what I mean? It was more of an old school thing. You wouldn't catch me in it. But he pulled it off." - Andrew Bynum

"It was a good look. I liked it. Phil is full of surprises." - Lamar Odom

"It was disgusting. I don't know what he was thinking. Somebody asked me, Raja Bell, I don't know, they looked over and said, "Is Phil wearing a bow tie?" I kinda looked down. That was the first time I saw it. I kinda threw up in my mouth just a little bit." - Kobe Bryant

[Donald]

Originally Posted by abomb

"It was disgusting. I don't know what he was thinking. Somebody asked me, Raja Bell, I don't know, they looked over and said, "Is Phil wearing a bow tie?" I kinda looked down. That was the first time I saw it. I kinda threw up in my mouth just a little bit." - Kobe Bryant

LOL!!!

[abomb]

Fact: Bynum is just one month older than O.J. Mayo.

[Gee!]

Originally Posted by abomb

Fact: Bynum is just one month older than O.J. Mayo.

What the......

Ok.. How old was Bynum when he got drafted? 17? 16? lol.. And how old is Mayo? Did the guy get held back a few years or something? I wouldnt doubt it, he doesnt seem to be all that bright.. Isnt this Bynum's 3rd season in the league? Man, thats crazy.. And odd..

[abomb]

Originally Posted by Gee!

What the......

Ok.. How old was Bynum when he got drafted? 17? 16? lol.. And how old is Mayo? Did the guy get held back a few years or something? I wouldnt doubt it, he doesnt seem to be all that bright.. Isnt this Bynum's 3rd season in the league? Man, thats crazy.. And odd..

Looking at Wikipedia, it looks like Mayo was held back.

Bynum was 17 years, 8 months when drafted.