Official NBA Finals Game 5 Criscast: LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics, 6/13/10 @ TD Garden

[crisoner]

[CENTER]

http://passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/080604_nba_finals_logo.jpg

http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Lakers_Versus_Celtics_and_the_NBA_Playoffs_gen_Scr eenShot1.jpg


ATTENTION ALL LAKERS FANS THIS IS THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR PERIOD.


Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

TV: ABC
5:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00 ET)

Series: 2-2

CrisCast: 2-0

Projected Starting Line-ups:



Boston Celtics

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kendrick Perkins



Los Angeles Lakers

PG: Derek Fisher
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Andrew Bynum



[QUOTE]BOSTON

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

they have to play like its game 7....all loose balls....all hustle points...all 2nd chance points....everything the lakers should win....

Bynum plays or not...Odom/Artest please step up ..cause u motha fcukas have not done anything yet in this series.....

Somebody other than Kobe/Pau/Fish need to step up and make a mark on this game if they want to win....just like Shrek & Donkey did

Go Lakers....

[SoCalMike]

Props to bladefd for being cool about the gamecast... now the Criscast must kick ass! :D :rockon:



:pimp:

[tamaraw08]

they have to play like its game 7....all loose balls....all hustle points...all 2nd chance points....everything the lakers should win....

Bynum plays or not...Odom/Artest please step up ..cause u motha fcukas have not done anything yet in this series.....

Somebody other than Kobe/Pau/Fish need to step up and make a mark on this game if they want to win....just like Shrek & Donkey did
Go Lakers....

Good point. It seems like every game, theres a player/s who stepped up and tipped the balance from this very tight games except for game 1 where Boston as a whole were out-hustled.

Game 2, it was Ray Allen. Bynum had a very good game but Allen's shooting plus Rondo's 3 layups late proved the difference.
Game 3, Fisher, hands down.
Game 4, Davis
Game 5. ??????
The "problem" is Phil seems to be too cautious in giving chances to his other players. I understand that there are legit risks of playing other players. 2-3 crucial turnovers which at times lead to easy transistion baskets can swing to Boston's favor. Note that I put "" in the word problem bec we are talking about a multi ringed tactician. He is there during practices, he knows the players more etc etc, he knows better.

[DKLaker]

Bottom line......If Bynum can't play or can't play many minutes we ALL know what Boston is going to do to us....same thing they did in game 4, same thing they did in 2008, pound on our softies until we wimp out completely.......how do we stop it? We stop it by actually playing our tall, shot blocking/rebounding backup center.....this would've helped in '08 and would definitely have gotten a win in game 4.....let's not make that mistake again. Hey if they want to beat us they're going to have to make shots not layups. Come on Phil do the right thing!!!!!!

Any comment's about Mbenga not knowing the triangle:hammerhead: He knows how to run the triangle.......but we don't actually run the triangle much now.....so who cares.

[gts]

jackson discusses mbenga


When asked if D.J. Mbenga would get more minutes because of Bynum's injury, Jackson responded, "Sure, if his head is into it."


http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/06/tweetable-items-from-phil-jackson-and-doc-rivers-news-conference.html

[SoCalMike]

jackson discusses mbenga




http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2010/06/tweetable-items-from-phil-jackson-and-doc-rivers-news-conference.html

yep, jackson understands what i mean... Mbenga's head not into it = not running the offense properly and fair defense... (see my other points).

but yeah, the lakers dont run the triangle or anything like it anyway.



:pimp:

[crisoner]

1985 Lakers for good luck!!!

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/0529/espndb_1985nbachamp_576.jpg

[tamaraw08]

Bottom line......If Bynum can't play or can't play many minutes we ALL know what Boston is going to do to us....same thing they did in game 4, same thing they did in 2008, pound on our softies until we wimp out completely.......how do we stop it? We stop it by actually playing our tall, shot blocking/rebounding backup center.....this would've helped in '08 and would definitely have gotten a win in game 4.....let's not make that mistake again. Hey if they want to beat us they're going to have to make shots not layups. Come on Phil do the right thing!!!!!!

Any comment's about Mbenga not knowing the triangle:hammerhead: He knows how to run the triangle.......but we don't actually run the triangle much now.....so who cares.

I remember Phil actually gambled and lost when he played Mihm to counter the Celtics bigs in 08 finals. I know Chris was super rusty at that time but he is a lot smarter than DJ so..
YOu made a valid point about the same things would likely happen if you don't make any adjsutments and how the Lakers don't run the triangle that much anyway but still DJ had VERY LIMITED experience playing alongside Kobe, Pau etc and that could be a problem. Again im hoping that atleast Phil would try. spend sevreal hrs on the practice court and film room and TEACH DJ and Powell the ways on how to limit the mistakes and miscommunication.

[tamaraw08]

1985 Lakers for good luck!!!

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2009/0529/espndb_1985nbachamp_576.jpg

looking at that team..It just seems to me they are more like the current Boston Celtics with 8-9 very good players deep while the current Lakers look more like the past Bulls team wiht 2 great players with 2-3 very good complimentary/role players.

[tamaraw08]

yep, jackson understands what i mean... Mbenga's head not into it = not running the offense properly and fair defense... (see my other points).

but yeah, the lakers dont run the triangle or anything like it anyway.



:pimp:

True but a fair no. of times Lamar's head and sometimes his heart, is not into it and Phil plays him anyway so what's the difference?:confusedshrug:

[gts]

True but a fair no. of times Lamar's head and sometimes his heart, is not into it and Phil plays him anyway so what's the difference?:confusedshrug:
because odom on his worse day still gives more then mbenga ever has on his best day

seriously everyone do you really think if mbenga had anything to give the lakers he'd be sitting on the bench? there's a reason he gets no playing time, we don't know exactly why but phil would play him if he had anything positive to offer the team.

he's been on this team more than long enough to earn a spot.
the lakers went through stretches this season with no bynum and no gasol, mbenga had his chances to make his mark and failed, now in the finals people expect this guy to suddenly transform himself into something he is not?

be realistic mbenga has no game, he's a body, a big body and in a league dying for big bodies he has always rode the pine, he's in his 6th season he's started 4 games, averages just over 6 minutes a game and only played in 193 regular season games out of 493 availabe to him...

what does this tell us?
something is not right with this guy he seems likable enough but clearly his basketball skill set is more negatives then positives.... like i said we don't know why he gets no burn but clearly something is amiss

[tamaraw08]

because odom on his worse day still gives more then mbenga ever has on his best day

seriously everyone do you really think if mbenga had anything to give the lakers he'd be sitting on the bench? there's a reason he gets no playing time, we don't know exactly why but phil would play him if he had anything positive to offer the team.

he's been on this team more than long enough to earn a spot.
the lakers went through stretches this season with no bynum and no gasol, mbenga had his chances to make his mark and failed, now in the finals people expect this guy to suddenly transform himself into something he is not?

be realistic mbenga has no game, he's a body, a big body and in a league dying for big bodies he has always rode the pine, he's in his 6th season he's started 4 games, averages just over 6 minutes a game and only played in 193 regular season games out of 493 availabe to him...

what does this tell us?
something is not right with this guy he seems likable enough but clearly his basketball skill set is more negatives then positives.... like i said we don't know why he gets no burn but clearly something is amiss

Odom on his worse day resuleted in some of the Lakers losses.:mad:

Let me just say again that we should feel fortunate on having a vary smart head coach. This guy didn't just won 10 rings bec he rode the the back of his great players. Most of the time, he outcoached his counterpart, did a great job managing egos etc.
I know what you are saying that there are valid reasons why DJ has rode the pine for about 97% of the time. PHil has been there during practice and film sessions etc, he KNOWS these players a lot better than we do.:hammerhead:
But about your reasoning that the Lakers have won at regularity before with the injured Bynum and Mbennga not playing, let me just say that the majority of those games were played with teams with WEAKER frontline. We are not playing the Suns or the Kings here.:ohwell:
Back in 08, PHil recognized the lack of size to match up with Poe, DAvis etc that he gambled and lost on using Mihm. He wouldn't have done it if he dind't see with his own eyes how the Celtics frontline totally outmuschled the Lakers inside.The big question is whether this team can win with Bynum being hurt and get by Odom being outmuscled in the paint? YOu yourself described Davis as being a "truckload".
Or he should gamble on Mbenga who has the size to put a body on Davis. I still remember the finals they lost to the Pistons when they lost Malone to injury. PHil had to use Slava and he committed some dumb mistakes like sending Detroit to the FTline on crucial situationS.
My friend has an interesting suggestion. He said the best "competent" player who can hold his ground against Davis is RON ARTEST! the problem is who will cover PP, Kobe? Then who will cover/rover around vs Rondo?

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Quote:
LakersReporter

Good news for LA: Bynum said the knee draining process worked and he's ready to play on Sunday.

Bynum said there is a 100% chance that he's going to play. Swelling will return, he expects, after the game.



Quote:
KevinDing

Bynum: "100 percent sure I'll play come Sunday."




Quote:
SpearsNBAYahoo

Bynum says he will have knee surgery in early July with 2-5 weeks out.

[gts]

But about your reasoning that the Lakers have won at regularity before with the injured Bynum and Mbennga not playing

wtf? where did i even mention winning or losing or whatever?
read the post again, nowhere do i duscuss winning, losing, player matchups or any of what you responded with...

all i said is mbenga had had his chances since he came into the league to get playing time and has failed to make his mark.. for whatever reason

he's been on 3 teams now, that's 3 head coaches and yet has been a spectator in 300 of 493 regular season games... obviously coaches are seeing something somewhere that says this guy is not ready for prime time

[LakersLaLaLand]

:cheers:

[tamaraw08]

wtf? where did i even mention winning or losing or whatever?
read the post again, nowhere do i duscuss winning, losing, player matchups or any of what you responded with...

all i said is mbenga had had his chances since he came into the league to get playing time and has failed to make his mark.. for whatever reason

he's been on 3 teams now, that's 3 head coaches and yet has been a spectator in 300 of 493 regular season games... obviously coaches are seeing something somewhere that says this guy is not ready for prime time

oops ok my bad, im sorry then for misunderstanding.
Let my just say again there are legit reasons why the hall of famer/most successful coach have chosen not to use Mbengga for like 95% of the time. he has seen this player actually play and practive unlike most of us fans.
Then again PHil had his reasons why all of a sudden, he gambled in using Mihm who barely played prior to 2008 finals. Phil has made some weird decisions like barely using Shannnon Brown last years finals inspite of his shooting great in the prior series' and yet they won.
Im a little suprised that your main reply was about misquoting you and not on other points I have made. :confusedshrug:

These are some of the games that DJ played this year.
Nov 6 vs Mem, 13 rebs, 4 blocks, 2 assists
NOv 8 vs NOH, 12 REBS, 4 blocks,
Jan 3, vs Dallas, 3 rebs and 3 blocks.
Mar 26 vs OKC, 2 rebs, 2 block in 17 mins.
About players who have failed before. Shannon Brown was a nobody until he played in LA, Ariza had mild success too. Jalen Rose was in Larry Brown's doghouse until Larry Bird came over. But before you write wtf on me, I know DJ has very limited skills as compared to the players I mentioned.
I never said DJ is a great player, but from your acct in game 4 gamecast, I "think" you mentioned that its not what the Lakers didn't do, its what Boston did.. and that Big Baby was a truck load, with a massive body and brute strength, the question is what now? Davis comes in and "do his thing" dislodging the leaner Odom and Pau, now what?

[gts]

that Big Baby was a truck load, with a massive body and brute strength, the question is what now? Davis comes in and "do his thing" dislodging the leaner Odom and Pau, now what?

couple things, he (davis) is an ok defender but nowhere near a great defender, he is an ok rebounder but once again nowhere near a dominating force on the boards

you make the celtics pay for having him on the floor, this is one place where the best offense is a good defense. out score him and out rebound him on both ends suddenly his 10+ points he puts up don't look so great, turn him into a liability.... you don't try and match up with him you use your strengths and his weaknesses to reduce his impact

the biggest mistake would be to stick a player like mbenga on him who's weaknesses are greater and more varied, don't make davis a good defender and don't make him a solid rebounder by sticking dj on him

[All Net]

JUST WIN BABY :pimp:

[chimera27]

Call me a worry wart. But I have a bad feeling that because the Lakers f**ked up the 4th quarters in both game 2 and game 4 that its going to cost them the trophy. They had two great opportunities to go up 3-1 or even end the series already and they just plain f**ked up. There are going to be repercussions for letting good opportunities slip through their grasp. Plus there aren't any signs that the f**king bench is going to help very much anytime soon. Hope I am wrong but I can't shake the bad feeling.

[bladefd]

I have a feeling the Lakers will come through for us this game.

Expect Bynum to put up a big game, I am predicting 16 points and 10 rebounds from him with 2 blocks and 3 assists on decent shooting. I have a feeling he is going to give us solid 30-35 minutes tomorrow. I am also not expecting Odom to show up tomorrow. He will get 6 points and 5 rebounds, but that's it. Lakers by 3-5 points with the Celtics leading at half-time. I expect the Celtics bench to get quite a bit of playing time tomorrow, Lakers better be prepared for Fat Baby and the Donkey.

Go Lakers!! :cheers:

[SoCalMike]

Call me a worry wart. But I have a bad feeling that because the Lakers f**ked up the 4th quarters in both game 2 and game 4 that its going to cost them the trophy. They had two great opportunities to go up 3-1 or even end the series already and they just plain f**ked up. There are going to be repercussions for letting good opportunities slip through their grasp. Plus there aren't any signs that the f**king bench is going to help very much anytime soon. Hope I am wrong but I can't shake the bad feeling.


have faith in this journey.... if it was easy, it would not be worth it.


:pimp:

[Redekker]

I think the two teams will win their home games. Boston wins tomorrow but Lakers will bounce back and win the next two games at home.:cheers:

[ashlar]

I don't know if I can take this stress anymore. I haven't had anything else on my mind since game 2. 20 years of being a laker fan and I've never felt like I feel right now. I hope we win this game tomorrow because frankly I think the winner of game 5 will take the series. If we lose I'll just be heartbroken :cry:

[crisoner]

I hav be a great feeling we will win tomorrow! It will not easy but we will get that dub....keep the faith!

[LA.MJ&KB#1]

Have anybody seen that new rollercoaster ride at six flags. I think its called


"YES WE CAN"

[tamaraw08]

I hav be a great feeling we will win tomorrow! It will not easy but we will get that dub....keep the faith!
:roll: sensible posters like Crisoner, Bldfd predicting a Laker win. Makes me feel better. Like some other fans, Im getting nervous.
One espn radio analyst today made a point that Kobe has NOT played a great game yet and is due. I think this extra day of rest will help a lot.
Like they way they adjusted on Robin Lopez, I think they will put more attention on Davis.
I wish Pau will get a lot more touches and have about 20 attempts. Heck even his 15 footer are going in. NOt sure exactly why he is only getting like 13 shots/game.

[yuankiman]

lakers will win tomorrow and will be champ again in game six. amen mark my message

[SoCalMike]

"YES WE CAN"


:rockon:




:pimp:

[crisoner]

Have anybody seen that new rollercoaster ride at six flags. I think its called


"YES WE CAN"

Yes we will! Ha! I was wearing my Magic Johnson jersey last night and notice the number......32. Not trying to look into it too much but I think we are going up 3-2 today! Lol

Take what you want from that! Then next game we will close it out Big Game James style!!!

Go Lakes!

[L.A. Jazz]

i go to bed now. have to go to work in 7 hours, so no game live for me.
but i will check the result as first thing in the morning.
GO LAKERS! i am with you in my dreams. :hammerhead:

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Alright ....1 hr to go.....Lets get this one and come home 3-2....

Bynum plays big this game....just his Energy and hustle will make a difference

[crisoner]

Let's go Lakeshow! Criscast undefeated!

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Let's go Lakeshow! Criscast undefeated!

better be undefeated after tonight?? otherwise i am going to hunt u down and smack you bad....:roll: j/k

Bynum will start this game according to JA & Ding.....

Go Lakers :cheers: :cheers:

[Blue_Dog45]

Man, I'm so nervous about this one. The biggest game of the season no doubt, it's a toss-up and will be a close one, but I think the Lakers will win this. I'm excited too because if our team can get this win, we'll be 1 win away from the title and will probably close it out in game 6....just the feeling that we're so close is amazing!

LETS GO LAKERS!!

:rockon:

[Blue_Dog45]

better be undefeated after tonight?? otherwise i am going to hunt u down and smack you bad....:roll: j/k


You and me both lol

D-Rose kept getting lucky with his undefeated "Rosecasts", so I couldn't kill him, let's see if Cris can deliver with his gamecasts :oldlol:

[crisoner]

Ha......no feat guys let's hope for the best tonight. Go Lakes!

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Ha......no feat guys let's hope for the best tonight. Go Lakes!


Go Lakers.....Lets get this one...:cheers:

[bladefd]

Big game right here. Go Lakers!! :cheers:

[OldTerp]

Almost game time. Lets go LA. :rockon:

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

hmm...Bynum playing great so far

Kobe with Air BALL :(

[bladefd]

Lakers playing good defense but their offense did not show up again.... We cannot shoot the damn ball, just bad offense :hammerhead:

[OldTerp]

That was a block on pierce not a charge. His feet were never set. :eek:

[kobesabi]

Bench playing like crap again (80% of the time)...man why do they always leave 1 guy open? Farmar not doing his job.

[kobesabi]

Gasol just gave them free tipping

[gts]

despite the poor shooting only down by 6 at the half.... lakers need to fix a ton of stuff in the second half

[crisoner]

Lakers need.to step it up it up on offense......we need to have a big 3rd and close out the game.

[oh the horror]

Celtics defense is just too too much. Not feeling too good about this game....particular players on LA are starting to look discouraged, and we all know how they play when they get like that.

[oh the horror]

And can someone explain to me, why Rondo was allowed to just walk up to Ron, and put a hand on him like that, with no T called?

[gts]

And can someone explain to me, why Rondo was allowed to just walk up to Ron, and put a hand on him like that, with no T called?he was teed up

[tamaraw08]

Celtics defense is just too too much. Not feeling too good about this game....particular players on LA are starting to look discouraged, and we all know how they play when they get like that.

it's not just about Celtics defense, There is something about Kobe that is not right. His knees? He's not elevating the way he used to. His quick first step/burst is not there. No explosion going to the basket. As a result his shots are flat or he is just passing the ball. No penetration. He's not shooting over Allen right, one instance, he tries to take off, Allen elevated and almost block his shot, Kobe passes off his shot, leading to the turnover. etc.

[oh the horror]

he was teed up



Oh he was?? Ah, my hungover brain isnt working well today.

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

this is fvucking depressing.
just like I suspected.... their defense is simply better than ours.

and their bench..

[tamaraw08]

Game 2, Ray Allen, Bynum
Game 3, Fisher and Garnett
Game 4, Davis and Robinson
Game 5???It seems like Rondo and Pierce...I thought it'll be Kobe esp with 2 days rest.

[bladefd]

Kobe has shown up in this 2nd half but the Lakers defense has not. What the hell is this? Ron Ron getting murdered by Pierce this time, Gasol getting manned and out-smarted on defense by KG. Atrocious 2nd half overall.. :mad:

[crisoner]

Lots of.time. let's make s run!

[bladefd]

Lakers are f*cked this game. Seriously. This is HORRENDOUS. One man can NOT win you a game and never has. Everyone outside of Kobe is GONE. GONE. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Losing my patience with these Lakers. Pau has reverted back into his 08 form it seems, Artest can't hit a shot if his life depended on it, Bynum needs to be more aggressive. Disappointing.. :mad:

[oh the horror]

LA being punked right out of the building.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

gasol is freaking softer than charming paper...WTF.....

[OldTerp]

LA being punked right out of the building.

Yep, but still time. Need to cut it to 5 or 6 by the end of the 3rd.

[ihatetimthomas]

Lakers lucky its only a 8 point game. They are seriously getting outplayed and Gasol is getting abused. The shots we have to take are very difficult where the C's are getting easy buckets. Celtic D is smothering and when they are shooting like they are now, very tough to beat.

[OldTerp]

Lakers lucky its only a 8 point game. They are seriously getting outplayed and Gasol is getting abused. The shots we have to take are very difficult where the C's are getting easy buckets. Celtic D is smothering and when they are shooting like they are now, very tough to beat.

Yep and if LO could make a freaking FT it would be 6.

[bladefd]

Biggest quarter of the playoffs thus far coming up. 8 point game is definitely something that you can overcome. Hopefully our starters all show up and we can put down this Boston uprising.

[Average]

Lol if we didn't have Kobe we would be down like 35 points. Our defense is terrible and the offense can't make a shot if their life depended on it.

[ihatetimthomas]

Yep and if LO could make a freaking FT it would be 6.

LO has been basically useless this finals. He is getting outplayed by Big Baby and its a real shame he is not performing esp with Bynum hurting

[OldTerp]

Kobe playing superhuman and we are wasting it by not playing good D.

[bladefd]

Kobe playing superhuman and we are wasting it by not playing good D.

Kobe is our only player in double digits. This game is getting out of control now. Very disappointed by the Lakers. Garbage defense in second half, offense never showed up :(

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

Lakers should trade Pau Gasol and not Bynum...pathetic ...every time they push him ...he gets vanished....

foul me once...shame on u....foul me twice...shame on me...lakers learned nothing from 2008....

nobody came to play....Mutha Fcukas

[oh the horror]

That was surreal. Shades of 2008 all over again. LA just being absolutely slapped around on the court, and NOT responding. Shriveling up and tucking tail.

[Average]

At least were going back home, hopefully that'll be a big enough morale boost to the Lakers and start playing right.

[fiddy]

god damn

[bladefd]

At least were going back home, hopefully that'll be a big enough morale boost to the Lakers and start playing right.

Still a heart breaking lose right here. Really disappointing :ohwell:

Looks like the Lakers backs are completely against the wall now. Not as bad as it was in 08 and isn't end of the world yet but it is still tough as hell to come back from that.

[bigmac834]

From the beginning of the Finals i have been questioning kobe bryant, but today i realized, kobe is the best. I finally realized that we can not beat these celtics.

All this talk of trading bynum, we have been wrong all along. Gasol is the one. Odom is the one. People always say that gasol is the NBA's best big man, but they are mistaken. He is a little bi***. We cannot change who he is. He will always be soft. He might have skill, but he is unableto use it against tough opponents. (same thing for odom)

We can rely on kobe saving us game 6 & 7 because he cannot gaurd all 5 celtics. We have the softest team there is.

Changes must be made and it should start with gasoft, odom and artest.
I know that others will have different opinions but this is what I believe. We are a soft team.

P.S. I hope PJ decides to leave. Horrible coachin job again in the Finals. Listen, mbenga, powell, vujajic, they might not have played much but atleast you know they will give 100%. As a coach, you must reward your players who put forth that effort. Phil does not just like back in 2004 when he stuck with payton.

Hopefully I will look back at this a week from now with a back-to-back 2009-2010 Lakers championship hat.. :)

[ihatetimthomas]

At least were going back home, hopefully that'll be a big enough morale boost to the Lakers and start playing right.

Im just worried bc we saw a total lack of poise. Defensive rotations were not there. Effort on the glass the 2nd half was not there.

Celtics wanted this game much more than the Lakers. Honestly speaking, I think the Celtics outplayed the Lakers 4 out of 5 games. The game they won in Boston was saved by Fishers heroics.

Ron is basically a liability out there bc he is contributing absolutely nothing offensively and if he is not doing his job on Pierce, then he needs to sit.

I am happy the Lakers get to play at home next game but they looked weak and beaten down this game.

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

someone needs to b!tch-slap Artest.
he killed the Lakers tonight. killed 'em.

[ihatetimthomas]

From the beginning of the Finals i have been questioning kobe bryant, but today i realized, kobe is the best. I finally realized that we can not beat these celtics.

All this talk of trading bynum, we have been wrong all along. Gasol is the one. Odom is the one. People always say that gasol is the NBA's best big man, but they are mistaken. He is a little bi***. We cannot change who he is. He will always be soft. He might have skill, but he is unableto use it against tough opponents. (same thing for odom)

We can rely on kobe saving us game 6 & 7 because he cannot gaurd all 5 celtics. We have the softest team there is.

Changes must be made and it should start with gasoft, odom and artest.
I know that others will have different opinions but this is what I believe. We are a soft team.

P.S. I hope PJ decides to leave. Horrible coachin job again in the Finals. Listen, mbenga, powell, vujajic, they might not have played much but atleast you know they will give 100%. As a coach, you must reward your players who put forth that effort. Phil does not just like back in 2004 when he stuck with payton.

Hopefully I will look back at this a week from now with a back-to-back 2009-2010 Lakers championship hat.. :)

Series is not over. This game has made me very worried about the series but its still not over. And how much better do you think Powell, DJ and Sasha would do? Powell and DJ havnt played the entire playoffs. Trust me, those guys would not have changed the outcome of this game. Celtics played brilliantly today

[Redekker]

Just as I predicted. Let's hope they win game 6. And game 7 will be a double overtime game with Sasha hitting the game winning 3 point shot. :cheers:

Leave it to ol' Phil to take out Sasha out of the game after he makes the 3 pointer.:hammerhead:

Him and his stupid rotation.:oldlol:

[OldTerp]

Series is not over. This game has made me very worried about the series but its still not over. And how much better do you think Powell, DJ and Sasha would do? Powell and DJ havnt played the entire playoffs. Trust me, those guys would not have changed the outcome of this game. Celtics played brilliantly today

True. Boston played better tonight but just like game 4 there win was tainted by a blown call down the stretch. 2 mins to go and KG clearly tipped the ball out and tonight the was clearly a shot clock violation. Neither may not have changed the game, but it would have been much closer than it was. Horrible officiating all Playoffs IMHO.

[bladefd]

someone needs to b!tch-slap Artest.
he killed the Lakers tonight. killed 'em.

I hope Kobe calls the rest of the team out. Especially Artest and Gasol, maybe Bynum somewhat. The media is going to rip Artest and Pau apart, guaranteed (Artest better stay in-doors when he returns to LA).

I can't begin to say how frustrated I am. It feels like 08 all over again.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

That was surreal. Shades of 2008 all over again. LA just being absolutely slapped around on the court, and NOT responding. Shriveling up and tucking tail.


ya i was thinking about it....mike breen yelling.....shouting.....nate making layups without anybody guarding 5ft near him....

i still think it goes to 7....but some os the pussesied like Gasol/LO/Artest and the whole bench need to show up....

[crisoner]

Sorry guys I failed........Celts played greAT

[gts]

gts's in-depth game recap
lakers missed a bucketload of shots
make the free throws they win the game
shoot 45% from the field win the game

[bigmac834]

Series is not over. This game has made me very worried about the series but its still not over. And how much better do you think Powell, DJ and Sasha would do? Powell and DJ havnt played the entire playoffs. Trust me, those guys would not have changed the outcome of this game. Celtics played brilliantly today

What do you consider playing brilliantly? Because if you say they played amazing offense than you are mistaken. But if you say they played brilliantly because they played with 100% effort that you are correct. The celtics shot 35% in the 4th quarter, but they made up for it with effort plays.

We could have won this game if we would've had effort players on the court. I am not saying Powell and DJ are better players than Gasoft and Odom, but they would of competed. That is all we need. Someone to compete and try their hardest.

Listen, Sasha came in and hit open shots. But that was not as important as Sasha playing with effort. Something I have not seen from Gasoft or Odom.

We had plenty of opportunities to win this game but we could not come up with a rebound or play solid D. Don't go look at the box score and say "oh, but we had more offensive rebounds, and shots..." because if you watched the game, that's not how it happened. We must put our effort players in.

I will be really surprised if this thing doesn't go to 7 games because I think Stern in banking on it. But the outcome of that game 7, I'm not so sure about..

[Redekker]

Did somehow Kwame Brown changed his skin color white and turned his hair curly??

I could have sworn Gasoft is butterfingers Kwame:lol

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

the Celtics had to shoot 57% to win by 6 points.....lakers shot 41%

Can somebody step up and say I will help the team to win??

I know for sure it wont be LO....what a pathetic waste of 6'10 guy....

the lakers have bench???

better step up or go do in ruins.....My only concern is can the lakers win 2 games in a row? The Celtics have all the momentum & Confidence in the whole world.....

[gts]

several posts deleted in this thread.. sorry the lakers lost guys but it does not give you the right to take pot shots at other laker posters.. if you cannot refrain from doing so go post in the main forum where trolls are tolerated

[KB24]

sad face.. lakers are down but not out. this is why they call it a series! kobe finally had a great finals game, unfortunately everybody else stunk today. lakers will take the next 2 :pimp:

[Blue_Dog45]

Sorry guys I failed........

YES YOU DID. :oldlol:

Tough loss, the Lakers almost came back, they had their chances....the Celtics just made the plays down the stretch to win and the Lakers kinda played like crap outside of Kobe. Games 6 and 7 won't be impossible to win, I STILL BELIEVE.

[gts]

Sorry guys I failed........Celts played greAT

yes they did... people get wrapped up in looking for why the lakers lost and forget the celtics are a very good basketball team, on both ends of the floor.. they have a solid starting roster and some decent depth coming off the bench

[ihatetimthomas]

What do you consider playing brilliantly? Because if you say they played amazing offense than you are mistaken. But if you say they played brilliantly because they played with 100% effort that you are correct. The celtics shot 35% in the 4th quarter, but they made up for it with effort plays.

We could have won this game if we would've had effort players on the court. I am not saying Powell and DJ are better players than Gasoft and Odom, but they would of competed. That is all we need. Someone to compete and try their hardest.

Listen, Sasha came in and hit open shots. But that was not as important as Sasha playing with effort. Something I have not seen from Gasoft or Odom.

We had plenty of opportunities to win this game but we could not come up with a rebound or play solid D. Don't go look at the box score and say "oh, but we had more offensive rebounds, and shots..." because if you watched the game, that's not how it happened. We must put our effort players in.

I will be really surprised if this thing doesn't go to 7 games because I think Stern in banking on it. But the outcome of that game 7, I'm not so sure about..

Celtics played excellent defense. They took the Lakers out of their offense and they made Kobe shoot some very difficult jumpers. Lakers would have lost nearly by 20 if Kobe didnt catch fire. This is what I am talking about. They played solid on offense and then they contained the Lakers with their defense. Yes I agree effort on boards was lacking in LA, but you are out of your mind if you think the outcome would have changed with the likes of Sasha and DJ.

[gts]

Celtics played excellent defense. They took the Lakers out of their offense and they made Kobe shoot some very difficult jumpers. Lakers would have lost nearly by 20 if Kobe didnt catch fire. This is what I am talking about. They played solid on offense and then they contained the Lakers with their defense. Yes I agree effort on boards was lacking in LA, but you are out of your mind if you think the outcome would have changed with the likes of Sasha and DJ.well said

[Frank Foley]

I thought the biggest difference between now and 2008 was Artest-Radmanovic, but in a roundabout way they're exactly the same. Which is why I'm really worried about our team's chances.

Artest is as big of an offensive liability as Vlad was a defensive liability. In '08, Vlad needed to hit his shots consistently, otherwise there was literally zero justification for having him out on the court. By that same token, Artest needs to sit his ass down on the bench if he's unable to lock down the other team's wing scorer; he just hurting us otherwise, because he disrupts the flow of the triangle and gives the opposition another dude who can ignore his assignment to help out on Kobe.

I'm still saying LA in 7, but that has more to do with what I want, not what I think will happen. I'm hoping, rather than expecting--and that's never good.

[crisoner]

What can I say we got our ass's handed to us for the first time this series.
The Celtics defense.....I hate the fact I got to give it up to them.

Kobe got his on some really hard shots and besides that they shut us down.
ANother thing they did was get key rebounds and turnovers on us when the Lakers would break the into the lead etc.
I'm happy the Lakers are headed back to LA and I pray Phil can make some adjustments to get our offense going again. There is hope of course but I am worried that Game 6 will look a whole lot like Game 5.

Keep the faith everyone. The won tonight battle but they have not won the War.

[bigmac834]

Celtics played excellent defense. They took the Lakers out of their offense and they made Kobe shoot some very difficult jumpers. Lakers would have lost nearly by 20 if Kobe didnt catch fire. This is what I am talking about. They played solid on offense and then they contained the Lakers with their defense. Yes I agree effort on boards was lacking in LA, but you are out of your mind if you think the outcome would have changed with the likes of Sasha and DJ.

They got LA out of sync because Gasol & Odom played soft, and artest now seems to be useless on offense and defense? But you have to give Vujajic credit. When he was in, he was glued to ray, and he opened up the floor for kobe.

But, this is gonna be tough to overcome. After 5 games i realized Gasol CANT gaurd garnett (what happened to the lost step gasol???), and artest is a waste because pierce is destroying him. Pierce is getting very high quality shots all series long. Thankfully he was just misfiring games 1-3. I hope they come up with a way to stop pierce and garnett.

Ahhhhhhh im so pissed!!!!

Btw the Lakers should be well motivated for these next two games. I dont wanna see those celtics celebrating on our home court.

[artex]

I can't believe how many easy layups we gave up in the second half......embarrassing

[Redekker]

Somehow I knew Artest would free throw two bricks when they had a chance to cut the lead to 4 points.:hammerhead:

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

i was watching the post game interviews and i saw lamar laughing/smiling all along in the interview WTF???? man seriously dude....first u get ases wooped like a lil byatch and then u come and do this?

Artest is a confused soul right now....he is hurting more than helping the lakers.....

Being said that.....Like Boston ....LA still has 1 game left where they shoot lights out....57% from boston is too much

take it to 7 and let the superstar's win the game.....

[Redekker]

I have a bad feeling these morons (Lakers) think just because they'll be playing at home the game is a gimme.

Jack Nicholson will go back to the cuckoo's nest if these Lakers lose game 6...

[lakers.fan66]

The post-game inteview.Q:How confident are you in yourself in your building to win two games back-to-back on your home court?Kobe Bryant:No I'm not very confident at all.and then smiles.Does that mean irony?I really can't tell but it wouldn't surprise me.

[SoCalMike]

They just need to focus on winning game 6... one game at a time. They can do it if they focus on their defense with some heart and energy.


:pimp:

[bigmac834]

They just need to focus on winning game 6... one game at a time. They can do it if they focus on their defense with some heart and energy.


:pimp:
Words if wisdom.

Its the freakin finals! Why aren't they playing with all their heart!? Its like fish,bynum, and kobe are the only ones who want it..
Damn i wish i lived in LA so i can sit courtside game 6 and talk to gasoft & odom :)

[crisoner]

I hope Kobe calls the rest of the team out. Especially Artest and Gasol, maybe Bynum somewhat. The media is going to rip Artest and Pau apart, guaranteed (Artest better stay in-doors when he returns to LA).

I can't begin to say how frustrated I am. It feels like 08 all over again.


Once again bladefd thanks for letting me do the cast.

I know they loss but I really had a feeling that they would win that game.

Game 6 is do or die for us....are we going to have a Rosecast I see he is next? Maybe bladefd can do it if not?

[Kobe8]

@tamaraw , if we still had ariza we wouldnt worry bout it...........

[Kobe8]

Once again bladefd thanks for letting me do the cast.

I know they loss but I really had a feeling that they would win that game.

Game 6 is do or die for us....are we going to have a Rosecast I see he is next? Maybe bladefd can do it if not?
Rose is out i think... Flowers & Roses dont last long these days.

[Coop-A-Loop]

I BELIEVE as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers that they will win Game 6

I BELIEVE because all season long when people have counted them out, said they were horrible, said they couldn't defend, shoot or score - they have come back stronger and more dominant

I BELIEVE that although the Celtics played a helluva all-around game last night - they will not play that well at the Staples Center in Game 6

I BELIEVE the Lakers will feed off of the crowds energy and inspired basketball like the Celtics did last night.

I BELIEVE that Kobe will defer to his teammates in Game 6 as he has this year during the times they have needed him.

I BELIEVE that Ron Artest is a very good, strong willed basketball player and he will bounce back and contribute in Game 6

I BELIEVE that Lamar will feed off the energy in the building and have the type of game he has had ALL season when the Lakers needed him the absolute most.

I BELIEVE in the bench. Jordan, Shannon, Luke and Sasha and whomever else is needed will step up and help the Lakers win Game 6

I BELIEVE in Phil Jackson and how he coaches his teams. There are those out there who feel he is horrible as a coach, with his rotations and what he says to his teams and only wins because he has had great players.

I BELIEVE this to be untrue. Phil Jackson is a great coach and has proven himself year after year although he should not have too. His record of 10 NBA Titles speaks for itself IMO.

I BELIEVE in this Lakers team and their ability to win Game 6 tomorrow night.


I BELIEVE........


DO YOU?

[dd24]

I think we are probably blaming Artest too much. I'm not saying he played well or anything like that, but everybody else except Kobe didn't play well either. We have to look at how Paul Pierce is getting his buckets now. Of course he is a good one on one player and he gets some points when Boston runs that iso for him. Much of what Boston has done though, is go to that pick and roll. When Artest gets picked is it really his fault that Pierce makes it into the lane? I don't think so. With a good, properly set pick fighting through it isn't a good option. The Lakers as a team are not switching well on picks, and they also aren't putting themselves in good position for help side defense. I really think they need to watch the film as a team and see where they are positioning themselves on the court and how they can work better as a team to stop Boston. There were quite a few missed assignments on defense where the Lakers could have got stops. With that said, it's not like Boston put up over 100 points. If it wasn't for the Lakers needing to foul at the end of the game the Celtics probably wouldn't have cracked 90. Of course we don't want a team shooting nearly 60% but at the end of the day if you hold a team to around 90 you should win that ball game.

This tells me more of the problems lie in the offensive execution. All players except Kobe can be blamed for this. Even Gasol didn't shoot well yesterday. We all saw that Artest didn't either but let's not just take it out on him. I think it goes back to what I was saying before the series started (and some Lakers fans didn't believe me). It's about Bynum and Gasol playing tough. They haven't been tough on the offensive end. Bynum has a bit of an excuse because of the injury. You would think Odom would step up and do something because of this but he's also shown that he is extremely soft. All of the Lakers bigs have not stepped up to the challenge. It comes down to them needing to punch the Celtics in the mouth (figuratively speaking). They need to attack the rim. I think the Lakers are a team where if the offense is clicking and they are aggressive then their defense follows and is much more agressive too. I think the Celtics are the opposite. They are a team where if they make great defensive plays their offense gets going. Game 6 is mainly on the Lakers bigs.

I really think the Lakers weakest position is still PG. The Celtics PG's have just destroyed LA's. While I'm sure it can be seen in the numbers, there's more to it than just that. When you watch the games you can see the energy they bring to the floor and what they do to make the rest of the team better. Rondo has made so many little hustle plays that have resulted in 4 point turn arounds it's not even funny. PG is the most important position in basketball today. LA's PG's really need to step up. There's my rant..... I'm just really upset about the quality of basketball these teams have forced me to watch the past few games.....

[crisoner]

I BELIEVE as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers that they will win Game 6

I BELIEVE because all season long when people have counted them out, said they were horrible, said they couldn't defend, shoot or score - they have come back stronger and more dominant

I BELIEVE that although the Celtics played a helluva all-around game last night - they will not play that well at the Staples Center in Game 6

I BELIEVE the Lakers will feed off of the crowds energy and inspired basketball like the Celtics did last night.

I BELIEVE that Kobe will defer to his teammates in Game 6 as he has this year during the times they have needed him.

I BELIEVE that Ron Artest is a very good, strong willed basketball player and he will bounce back and contribute in Game 6

I BELIEVE that Lamar will feed off the energy in the building and have the type of game he has had ALL season when the Lakers needed him the absolute most.

I BELIEVE in the bench. Jordan, Shannon, Luke and Sasha and whomever else is needed will step up and help the Lakers win Game 6

I BELIEVE in Phil Jackson and how he coaches his teams. There are those out there who feel he is horrible as a coach, with his rotations and what he says to his teams and only wins because he has had great players.

I BELIEVE this to be untrue. Phil Jackson is a great coach and has proven himself year after year although he should not have too. His record of 10 NBA Titles speaks for itself IMO.

I BELIEVE in this Lakers team and their ability to win Game 6 tomorrow night.


I BELIEVE........


DO YOU?

HA!

Thanks for this! Win game 6...that's all that matters now. Let's not think about Game 7 untill it becomes reality.

[lakers.fan66]

I BELIEVE as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers that they will win Game 6

I BELIEVE because all season long when people have counted them out, said they were horrible, said they couldn't defend, shoot or score - they have come back stronger and more dominant

I BELIEVE that although the Celtics played a helluva all-around game last night - they will not play that well at the Staples Center in Game 6

I BELIEVE the Lakers will feed off of the crowds energy and inspired basketball like the Celtics did last night.

I BELIEVE that Kobe will defer to his teammates in Game 6 as he has this year during the times they have needed him.

I BELIEVE that Ron Artest is a very good, strong willed basketball player and he will bounce back and contribute in Game 6

I BELIEVE that Lamar will feed off the energy in the building and have the type of game he has had ALL season when the Lakers needed him the absolute most.

I BELIEVE in the bench. Jordan, Shannon, Luke and Sasha and whomever else is needed will step up and help the Lakers win Game 6

I BELIEVE in Phil Jackson and how he coaches his teams. There are those out there who feel he is horrible as a coach, with his rotations and what he says to his teams and only wins because he has had great players.

I BELIEVE this to be untrue. Phil Jackson is a great coach and has proven himself year after year although he should not have too. His record of 10 NBA Titles speaks for itself IMO.

I BELIEVE in this Lakers team and their ability to win Game 6 tomorrow night.


I BELIEVE........


DO YOU?
I do.Always have.Always will.A true believer.Thank you just something that needed to be said and I'm glad to have heard it.:D

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

I believe they come out and take game 6.....however the question mark is game 7...who will step up for the lakers in the biggest game of their lives?

they sure didnt step up in game 5..

Just play...give all you got and leave everything on the court

[lakers.fan66]

I really don't want to think about game 7 yet.They have to give everything they got in this game and Kobe should start as a facilitator because when he's a scorer-third quarter-everyone else is just looking at him.Gasol Bynum and Odom will have the teams fate in their hands.lets see what they do with it.

[bentot6]

This will be an epic, exciting series! I hope it will go 7 games and may the best team win. :cheers:

[dd24]

I really don't want to think about game 7 yet.They have to give everything they got in this game and Kobe should start as a facilitator because when he's a scorer-third quarter-everyone else is just looking at him.Gasol Bynum and Odom will have the teams fate in their hands.lets see what they do with it.


I think Kobe would love to be a facilitator. The problem is he's the only one stepping up. At this point I think Kobe would be extremely happy if he had 0 points and 10 assists and LA got the win. He always said it, he scores when he has to. I wish he would have shot the ball every time in the 2nd half yesterday. He was the only one putting the ball in the bucket and he knew it. I was scared every time someone else took a shot, and rightfully so because they were all misses.... Kobe was on fire. It made sense for him to be the scorer. What they need is for other people to actually step up.

[lakerfreak]

Nice posting by dd24 ^

Im going to add that this is one of the reasons we should have tried to put away this team as soon as possible.

Ron Artest did his job on pierce for most of this series. The problem is, when the series extends to 6 or 7 games, Pierce is not going to keep struggling. He is a great player for a reason. Pierce will probably be watching of ways he can neutralize Artest's defense and improve his game as the series goes on.

Ron held up for as long as he could. Now time for the other guys to start playing D. Its not artest's fault when KG, Allen, and Rondo all get easy layups in the third quarter after Kobe is hitting the toughest shots of his life.

Artest offensively could improve, Pau could toughen up, and I won't even comment on Odom further than this line as he continues to show us that he isn't a reliable player.

Phil made a great point to say that in these types of series', the benches of the two respective teams will probably decide the series. We all know that the starters are gonna do what they do. The benches though will come in crucial times of the game, late in the second quarter when we're attempting to make the momentum of the game belong to us.

Now while the lakers are down and finally with their backs against the wall for the first time in many years, I still think they will find the way to bring keep the trophy in LA. Im sure Kobe doesn't want to be finishing his career 0-2 in the finals against Boston either.

[bladefd]

Now while the lakers are down and finally with their backs against the wall for the first time in many years, I still think they will find the way to bring keep the trophy in LA. Im sure Kobe doesn't want to be finishing his career 0-2 in the finals against Boston either.

The thing that frustrates me is that when the game matters the most, most of our team does not show up. I was so pissed last night, was awake half the night thinking about how they blew it.. I don't even know if there is enough time for there to be some sort of quick fix to turn the series around. I am starting to lose confidence in the Lakers to show up, if I have not already.

I know I should not be overreacting since the series is far from finished, but it is time to be nervous as hell now. I was a little bit nervous going into the series, but I expected at least 3 of our starters to show up. Pau got his beating in 08 so I expected him to man up and be there for us when it matters the most as the 2nd best player throughout the series. Fisher I expected to hit big shots for about ~4 games this series, and Kobe I knew was going to be there. Fisher did very well and won one game for us, but to expect him to win multiple games for us is not going to happen. Kobe kept it close and pretty much put a shadow over some of our other blatant weaknesses in game 5 (definitely could have been even better with better shot choice but sometimes, you have to take what you are given), but that too is not enough to win a series - maybe a game or 2 at most.

Bynum has disappointed me a bit even though he is injured. If he was healthy, I would be going nuts right now, but he has a legit valid excuse for not playing well. I honestly cannot blame him for not playing that well the entire series. As much as I hate to say that, he will be a major factor in the next 2 games; he is the one guy on our roster that can solely change the entire series around. If only he wasn't hurt.

Lamar Odom. Next.

Bench: No show. This alone could have changed the outcome of a couple of the games. We had probably the best bench in the entire NBA 2 years ago and top 3 last season. This season, we have nothing. Nobody at all. Lakers have to make some kind of cheap changes to the bench to shake it up a bit. Seriously, they should not re-sign Farmar and Morrison better be gone too. They should try to find some taker for Vujacic if possible. We might be able to get something for Vujacic. Just take apart the entire bench, if some decent offer comes for Odom I would say go for it (probably unlikely for us to get something solid for Odom). If only Hedo's contract wasn't for so many years with $11mill on it in 2 years, DAMN!! Imagine him off the bench. He wasn't playing good this season, but teams were focusing on him a lot since he jumped from 3rd or 4th option straight up to 2nd option this season. Makes a big difference. with a team like the Lakers it would change since he would probably drop back to the 4th option like he was with Orlando. Only wishful thinking, take it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, I would personally rather have the bench be 3 players deep (with 5 starters) than try to make it 5 players deep. 3 players depth is all we need off the bench (a PG, a C and a SG to backup Kobe). Regular season is pointless, forget that. Just prepare for the playoffs since playoffs are automatic when you have Kobe, Pau, Artest, Bynum.

Finally, another issue is consistency/somewhat reliability:
As hard as the Lakers came out playing yesterday on the defensive end, they could not sustain that at all going into 2nd half. Defense went from 8/10 to 4/10 in 2nd half (maybe even 3/10) based on Laker standards with the team we have.. This is probably the biggest reason why I am losing confidence. This team is pretty much Jekyll and Hyde throughout each of the games. We have seen this picture over and over with the Lakers the last couple years: this team is not very reliable whether people like to hear it or not, it is how it is. And no, I am not just talking about our bench guys. I am also talking about our players like Kobe and Ron, etc on the offensive end. If their jumpshots are not falling, that's it. Each of their offenses are screwed. Kobe can definitely do other things, but sometimes he just keeps shooting hoping it goes in (kind of like LeBron). If Ron's shots are not falling, it become 5 on 4 on the offensive end. If Pau's shots aren't falling, he can't push his way into the paint and dunk on somebody. That is just not his game. Bynum is the one guy that can give us some sort of consistency, BUT he is usually hurt leading to unreliability.

Long post but I just had to get my frustration out. I KNOW I should NOT overreact, but I am really losing my patience this series. All of the Lakers' weaknesses have been put out in the open showcase for everyone to witness, and it is frustrating to see the Lakers revert right back to their old ways in game 5 (with the exception of Kobe).

[bigmac834]

Lakers will win game 6 :)
24:30 hours countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lakerfreak]

The thing that frustrates me is that when the game matters the most, most of our team does not show up. I was so pissed last night, was awake half the night thinking about how they blew it.. I don't even know if there is enough time for there to be some sort of quick fix to turn the series around. I am starting to lose confidence in the Lakers to show up, if I have not already.

I know I should not be overreacting since the series is far from finished, but it is time to be nervous as hell now. I was a little bit nervous going into the series, but I expected at least 3 of our starters to show up. Pau got his beating in 08 so I expected him to man up and be there for us when it matters the most as the 2nd best player throughout the series. Fisher I expected to hit big shots for about ~4 games this series, and Kobe I knew was going to be there. Fisher did very well and won one game for us, but to expect him to win multiple games for us is not going to happen. Kobe kept it close and pretty much put a shadow over some of our other blatant weaknesses in game 5 (definitely could have been even better with better shot choice but sometimes, you have to take what you are given), but that too is not enough to win a series - maybe a game or 2 at most.

Bynum has disappointed me a bit even though he is injured. If he was healthy, I would be going nuts right now, but he has a legit valid excuse for not playing well. I honestly cannot blame him for not playing that well the entire series. As much as I hate to say that, he will be a major factor in the next 2 games; he is the one guy on our roster that can solely change the entire series around. If only he wasn't hurt.

Lamar Odom. Next.

Bench: No show. This alone could have changed the outcome of a couple of the games. We had probably the best bench in the entire NBA 2 years ago and top 3 last season. This season, we have nothing. Nobody at all. Lakers have to make some kind of cheap changes to the bench to shake it up a bit. Seriously, they should not re-sign Farmar and Morrison better be gone too. They should try to find some taker for Vujacic if possible. We might be able to get something for Vujacic. Just take apart the entire bench, if some decent offer comes for Odom I would say go for it (probably unlikely for us to get something solid for Odom). If only Hedo's contract wasn't for so many years with $11mill on it in 2 years, DAMN!! Imagine him off the bench. He wasn't playing good this season, but teams were focusing on him a lot since he jumped from 3rd or 4th option straight up to 2nd option this season. Makes a big difference. with a team like the Lakers it would change since he would probably drop back to the 4th option like he was with Orlando. Only wishful thinking, take it with a grain of salt.
Anyways, I would personally rather have the bench be 3 players deep (with 5 starters) than try to make it 5 players deep. 3 players depth is all we need off the bench (a PG, a C and a SG to backup Kobe). Regular season is pointless, forget that. Just prepare for the playoffs since playoffs are automatic when you have Kobe, Pau, Artest, Bynum.

Finally, another issue is consistency/somewhat reliability:
As hard as the Lakers came out playing yesterday on the defensive end, they could not sustain that at all going into 2nd half. Defense went from 8/10 to 4/10 in 2nd half (maybe even 3/10) based on Laker standards with the team we have.. This is probably the biggest reason why I am losing confidence. This team is pretty much Jekyll and Hyde throughout each of the games. We have seen this picture over and over with the Lakers the last couple years: this team is not very reliable whether people like to hear it or not, it is how it is. And no, I am not just talking about our bench guys. I am also talking about our players like Kobe and Ron, etc on the offensive end. If their jumpshots are not falling, that's it. Each of their offenses are screwed. Kobe can definitely do other things, but sometimes he just keeps shooting hoping it goes in (kind of like LeBron). If Ron's shots are not falling, it become 5 on 4 on the offensive end. If Pau's shots aren't falling, he can't push his way into the paint and dunk on somebody. That is just not his game. Bynum is the one guy that can give us some sort of consistency, BUT he is usually hurt leading to unreliability.

Long post but I just had to get my frustration out. I KNOW I should NOT overreact, but I am really losing my patience this series. All of the Lakers' weaknesses have been put out in the open showcase for everyone to witness, and it is frustrating to see the Lakers revert right back to their old ways in game 5 (with the exception of Kobe).

A lot of what you're talking about are things that can be redirected. For example when you mentioned that ron-ron not shooting well makes it a 5 on 4 game, He doesn't have to shoot to be involved in the offense.
Earlier on in the season he was one of our best passers. He would rack up assists and still play great at the other end. Why isn't he doing this now? Offense isn't just about scoring. great offense is also setting a great pick, getting the offensive rebound, making the necessary pass. There are things he can do other than shoot the ball.

As much as we love the clutch Derek Fisher, he isn't gonna have games like this every single game. Though most of the time he hits his clutch late game threes, don't have high expectations because of his actual role on the team.

lol its funny to me how a series can be turned around in 5 quarters. Thats right....5....In game four, we played excellent throughout the first 3 quarters and then stopped playing in the fourth. Then game 5 we just didnt play at all until the 4th quarter.

There's still a big chance for this trophy to be ours like I said. We still have home court advantage. From a mental standpoint, anyone can say we are done....but on paper, we won 1 game in boston which was all we needed to do to bring this back to los angeles where we play very well. If we win game 6, I don't see why Fish, Kobe, Ron, even LO would back down if the championship was 48 minutes away from being presented, AT HOME!

Firstly, they just need to do some soul searching. I am confident lakers will come out with a sense of urgency. It doesn't necessarily mean we will win, but when we come out with that sense of urgency, we become nearly impossible to beat. Boston is the type of team that likes to take breaks when they feel that they "got this". they relaxed a bit after we lost game two....then we won game 3. I am sure with this 3-2 lead, they (boston) will not come out and play as hard. Don't forget that they had a 3-2 lead on the magic last season only for orlando to come back and win their series 4-3.

As far as the momentum swing goes, it tells us that we will win. Let me explain how.....We won, Boston won, we won, boston won....then boston won again. This pattern is telling us that we would win two in a row just like Boston. If we're superstitious, then it tells us we will win the next two. Unfortunately life doesn't work this way but it helps sometimes lol.

Look for a very energetic lakers team. Look for a Bynum who plays as if he was a healthy player. Look for Pau on the offensive end to be aggressive. Look for Ron to be a very physical defender. We will take game 6. lakerfreak's first career guarantee is in this post.

[tamaraw08]

I think we are probably blaming Artest too much. I'm not saying he played well or anything like that, but everybody else except Kobe didn't play well either. We have to look at how Paul Pierce is getting his buckets now. Of course he is a good one on one player and he gets some points when Boston runs that iso for him. Much of what Boston has done though, is go to that pick and roll. When Artest gets picked is it really his fault that Pierce makes it into the lane? I don't think so. With a good, properly set pick fighting through it isn't a good option. The Lakers as a team are not switching well on picks, and they also aren't putting themselves in good position for help side defense. I really think they need to watch the film as a team and see where they are positioning themselves on the court and how they can work better as a team to stop Boston. There were quite a few missed assignments on defense where the Lakers could have got stops. With that said, it's not like Boston put up over 100 points. If it wasn't for the Lakers needing to foul at the end of the game the Celtics probably wouldn't have cracked 90. Of course we don't want a team shooting nearly 60% but at the end of the day if you hold a team to around 90 you should win that ball game.

This tells me more of the problems lie in the offensive execution. All players except Kobe can be blamed for this. Even Gasol didn't shoot well yesterday. We all saw that Artest didn't either but let's not just take it out on him. I think it goes back to what I was saying before the series started (and some Lakers fans didn't believe me). It's about Bynum and Gasol playing tough. They haven't been tough on the offensive end. Bynum has a bit of an excuse because of the injury. You would think Odom would step up and do something because of this but he's also shown that he is extremely soft. All of the Lakers bigs have not stepped up to the challenge. It comes down to them needing to punch the Celtics in the mouth (figuratively speaking). They need to attack the rim. I think the Lakers are a team where if the offense is clicking and they are aggressive then their defense follows and is much more agressive too. I think the Celtics are the opposite. They are a team where if they make great defensive plays their offense gets going. Game 6 is mainly on the Lakers bigs.

I really think the Lakers weakest position is still PG. The Celtics PG's have just destroyed LA's. While I'm sure it can be seen in the numbers, there's more to it than just that. When you watch the games you can see the energy they bring to the floor and what they do to make the rest of the team better. Rondo has made so many little hustle plays that have resulted in 4 point turn arounds it's not even funny. PG is the most important position in basketball today. LA's PG's really need to step up. There's my rant..... I'm just really upset about the quality of basketball these teams have forced me to watch the past few games.....

Great points DD24 esp about Artest. Didnt watch the 2nd half, but Boston used a lot of screen rolls from the past and the Lakers elected to switch everything so its not like Pierce have had so many easy shots over him in the entire finals. Pierce's offensive stats esp FG% have been down before he eventually found his touch. What does everyone expect Paul will all have lousy FG% 6-7 games?

[tamaraw08]

A lot of what you're talking about are things that can be redirected. For example when you mentioned that ron-ron not shooting well makes it a 5 on 4 game, He doesn't have to shoot to be involved in the offense.
Earlier on in the season he was one of our best passers. He would rack up assists and still play great at the other end. Why isn't he doing this now? Offense isn't just about scoring. great offense is also setting a great pick, getting the offensive rebound, making the necessary pass. There are things he can do other than shoot the ball.

As much as we love the clutch Derek Fisher, he isn't gonna have games like this every single game. Though most of the time he hits his clutch late game threes, don't have high expectations because of his actual role on the team.

lol its funny to me how a series can be turned around in 5 quarters. Thats right....5....In game four, we played excellent throughout the first 3 quarters and then stopped playing in the fourth. Then game 5 we just didnt play at all until the 4th quarter.

There's still a big chance for this trophy to be ours like I said. We still have home court advantage. From a mental standpoint, anyone can say we are done....but on paper, we won 1 game in boston which was all we needed to do to bring this back to los angeles where we play very well. If we win game 6, I don't see why Fish, Kobe, Ron, even LO would back down if the championship was 48 minutes away from being presented, AT HOME!

Firstly, they just need to do some soul searching. I am confident lakers will come out with a sense of urgency. It doesn't necessarily mean we will win, but when we come out with that sense of urgency, we become nearly impossible to beat. Boston is the type of team that likes to take breaks when they feel that they "got this". they relaxed a bit after we lost game two....then we won game 3. I am sure with this 3-2 lead, they (boston) will not come out and play as hard. Don't forget that they had a 3-2 lead on the magic last season only for orlando to come back and win their series 4-3.

As far as the momentum swing goes, it tells us that we will win. Let me explain how.....We won, Boston won, we won, boston won....then boston won again. This pattern is telling us that we would win two in a row just like Boston. If we're superstitious, then it tells us we will win the next two. Unfortunately life doesn't work this way but it helps sometimes lol.

Look for a very energetic lakers team. Look for a Bynum who plays as if he was a healthy player. Look for Pau on the offensive end to be aggressive. Look for Ron to be a very physical defender. We will take game 6. lakerfreak's first career guarantee is in this post.
About Artest. I agree that in the regular season, Artest did passed well, I thought I was the only one who noticed it. He did most of his good passing vs bad to average defensive teams. It's a lot different when you deal with Boston's vaunted defense esp in the finals where possesions are so precious.
You mentioned about how Orlando beat Boston last year when they were down 3-2. Let me just say tho that they did it with a very good clutch player like Hedo Turkoglu and Boston's KG didn't play.
I agree with you tho that the Lakers need to do some soul searching. Being at home helps and for them to win, they would have to play BETTER, it's not the case of a young OKC playing great at home and playing scared when they leave home and play at Staples.

[lakers.fan66]

I think Kobe would love to be a facilitator. The problem is he's the only one stepping up. At this point I think Kobe would be extremely happy if he had 0 points and 10 assists and LA got the win. He always said it, he scores when he has to. I wish he would have shot the ball every time in the 2nd half yesterday. He was the only one putting the ball in the bucket and he knew it. I was scared every time someone else took a shot, and rightfully so because they were all misses.... Kobe was on fire. It made sense for him to be the scorer. What they need is for other people to actually step up.
You are absolutely right.In the third when Kobe wanted a breather he arranged a play for Pau but he turned the ball over and C's got a layup on the other end so from then on Kobe knew he was thier only scorer but I like taht he stresses that DEFENSE WINS GAMES.The could have taken the lead but his 19 points minus 11 by Pierce and a couple of other guys so they were still trailing.They couldn't get any defensive stops,played without energy, didn't chase loose balls just played with no heart(not Kobe).When kobe missed those forced threes in the fourth you should have your big men to try to tip it in or get an offensive rebound and another posession.It was like noone else was there expect for Kobe.I don't like to say this but the first quarter wil be crucial because i believe Kobe will disribute the ball and either Bynum Gasol and later Odom are hitting shots or Kobe takes over the game and tries to carry the whole team on his shoulders.As he proved he can do.Don't lose hope and believe they want the title more than we do:D :lol :lol :lol