AirCast: Lakers vs Milwaukee Game Thread 1/29/12 8:30 PM ET

[AirTupac]

Did not see a different one? S.Jackson suspended this game.

Edit: Jackson suspended for saying something to refs last night and not leaving in a timely manner (Announcer's words)

http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/la-lakers-cheerleaders-2nd-cares-foundation-ji7JIK.jpg

VS.

http://ultimatecheerleaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/tiara-shawna-angela.jpg

[Grinder]

Stephen Jackson's suspended again, why? It doesn't look good for the Bucks with Bogut out for 3 months.

I'll be posting live observations from this game on HoopsGrind. (http://hoopsgrind.com/2012/01/28/saturday-gameday-observations-12812/)

[AirTupac]

Stephen Jackson's suspended again, why? It doesn't look good for the Bucks with Bogut out for 3 months.

I'll be posting live observations from this game on HoopsGrind. (http://hoopsgrind.com/2012/01/28/saturday-gameday-observations-12812/)

Updated in the OP

[AirTupac]

Bigs should have a FIELD DAY here...

[SpecialQue]

Wow, Bynum.

[BlueandGold]

The Lakers seem to have a defense but I still don't see any coherent offensive system.. the Lakers should just go with everyone in that core knows to win championships, the triangle.

[SpecialQue]

Sloppy, sloppy game by both teams.

[DRose1899]

Orlando will never accept Bynum for Dwight trade if Bynum can't dominate Drew Gooden.

[Grinder]

I wonder if Kobe will go after Brandon Jennings tonight after Jennings tried to take a dig at Kobe with this shirt (http://hoopsgrind.com/2012/01/28/saturday-gameday-observations-12812/). (Bottom of the page)

[T.O.RapsJays]

Nice dunk! :applause:

[PistonsFan#21]

Livingston :eek:

[BlueandGold]

Everytime Mike Brown tries to run his "offense" the team gets exposed for how 1 dimensional it is... seriously can we please just get Brian shaw already and implement the triangle again.. oh wait there's no need to because the players already know it and have won multiple championships with it.

[madmax]

Ilyasova:bowdown:

[Rekindled]

bucks with dunleavy,ilyasova, leuer and udirh on the floor right now :rockon:

[Kiddlovesnets]

The Lakers look like they are done for the game already.

[The Ownage]

What the hell?

Bucks ball movement looks sick.

[ThatsGame]

...Bucks are pretty decent...

kinda surprised.

[M.V.W.]

The Energee looks pretty good.

[Rekindled]

bucks have the whitest lineup in the nba

[konex]

Lakers are so bad. This shit is just sad now

[BlueandGold]

Lakers are so bad. This shit is just sad now
Sad that Jim Buss hijacked the organization.. The Shaw hire was one of the most obvious practical hires for Lakers head coach int he last two decades and the Melo for Bynum straight up trade would have went through if it wasn't for Jim refusing to do so even when everyone around him implored him to.

[ThatsGame]

Bucks....are dominating the Lakers...

[Doranku]

Been watching for 5 minutes and already regret turning this shit on. :facepalm

[konex]

Sad that Jim Buss hijacked the organization.. The Shaw hire was one of the most obvious practical hires for Lakers head coach int he last two decades and the Melo for Bynum straight up trade would have went through if it wasn't for Jim refusing to do so even when everyone around him implored him to.

Coaching isn't the issue. It's talent. They are not competitive unless Kobe's gunning

[rhythmic]

Uhm, can LA start playing some D? :facepalm

[StateOfMind12]

Bucks....are dominating the Lakers...
Yeah, it's like a repeat of what the Bucks did to the Heat last Sunday.

[rhythmic]

Morons can't even rebound against a much smaller team, god I hate this team so much this season.

[senelcoolidge]

I like the Bucks. They play good D, keep teams to low percentages, but have trouble scoring at time. They also hustle a lot. Lakers flopping all over the place.

[senelcoolidge]

Sad that Jim Buss hijacked the organization.. The Shaw hire was one of the most obvious practical hires for Lakers head coach int he last two decades and the Melo for Bynum straight up trade would have went through if it wasn't for Jim refusing to do so even when everyone around him implored him to.

Everyone knows Jim has a big time crush on Bynum.

[RazorBaLade]

gasol gasol gasol............. 3-10

[chazzy]

gasol gasol gasol............. 3-10
Saw him make a couple aggressive moves these past two games though, haven't seen that in a while.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

:oldlol: at Kobe. His handles are so sloppy.

[ThatsGame]

Damn..Lets Go Bucks! :applause:

[konex]

Fisher is going to have to sit if we want to win. Yeah he's making shots but he has no chance to stay in front of Jennings. Also, I see we are back to Kobe isos at the top of the key instead of putting him on the elbow >_<

[Kobe Jnr]

Thought the makers were playing tomorrow..

Espn gamecast it is...

Weird thy Bynum ad gasol aren't beasting..

[Deuce Bigalow]

:facepalm

[ThatsGame]

Wow, these Bucks are playing good :applause:

[Doranku]

Bucks hitting every garbage shot that they throw up. :oldlol:

[senelcoolidge]

Ersan Ilyasova is the MVP. Good D and the shot before the buzzer.

[Story Up]

It'll be 10+ deficit to start 4th and LA will loss. They are just dreadful.

[ThatsGame]

Bucks hitting every garbage shot that they throw up. :oldlol:

They aren't garbage though, they have really good ball movement.

[Doranku]

Bucks Bench:
+17
+16
+10

Lakers Bench:
-14
-13
-10

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[DRose1899]

how the hell bucks last couple of games against bulls n this became high scoring game :facepalm

[senelcoolidge]

Ilyasova is owning Gasol..hahaha.

[Story Up]

Gasol is getting owned so bad...

[Heavincent]

The Lakers are garbage outside of Kobe. Pau and Bynum are wildly inconsistent, and their bench is useless.

Okay, they're not garbage, but they're definitely not championship contenders right now. If Arenas signs, I think they'll be a lot better, but that's still a pretty big "if", cause nobody knows if he'll even be good.

It's weird, Pau used to go out there and beast on a fairly regular basis.

[EricGordon23]

Nice dunk by livingston earlier and good game for ilyasova.

[AirTupac]

Only thing that keeps me going is the fact that we might land some players real soon. Even fvcking Gilbert, come the fvck down to play.

[ThatsGame]

Bucks playing some D

[Doranku]

Pau and MWP 7-22. :facepalm

[rhythmic]

I honestly feel like I am watching a rigged game right now.
Lakers aren't really this pathetic, are they!?

My god it's like the bookies told them to never cut down the deficit to more then 3. The execution is just sad with all the talent we have. Bucks have garbage all around and they're executing a million times better.

Seriouslyl fire Mike Brown, this guy doesn't have a clue what he is doing.
His defense isn't going to make this team score points.

[pauk]

13 FGA by Kobe and has 9 assists..........


is this real life???????? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Heavincent]

13 FGA by Kobe and has 9 assists..........


is this real life???????? :eek: :eek: :eek:

It happens way more often than people think.

[UtahJazzFan88]

It happens way more often than people think.

Yeah, really...

[Tha Catalyst]

13 FGA by Kobe and has 9 assists..........


is this real life???????? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Even his haters can't blame him for this loss, this is a little pathetic, without trades they are 1st round fodder.

[senelcoolidge]

Metta had his game of the season against the Clippers the other night, so he has nothing left. He'll give you a good game once a couple weeks.

[madmax]

Refs taking over the game for the Fakers:applause:
In before Kobrick gets 5 phantom calls in a row...

[Faptastrophe]

How many triple doubles does Kobe have? Seems pretty close today.
Haven't watched a game, but judging by stats only he's playing some team basketball. Not the one I'm used to see from him.

[Scholar]

I thought Pau was going to play at a "one of the best PFs in the NBA" level again, but nope.

The guy is like Houdini: definitely a disappearing act.

[konex]

Lakers need to trade Pau or Bynum for a PG/depth. This lineup SUCKS

[pauk]

Really Kobe? Stupid shot selection

[Kobr]

Spaniard block!

[YAWN]

lead down to 4. then give up a wide open jumper :facepalm

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Kobe just chucking lol

[YAWN]

how is drew ****ing gooden beasting :rant

[DRose1899]

Gooden owning Bynum :roll:

[Doranku]

Our bigs are pathetic. Nonexistent offensively and getting annihilated by Ilyasova and Gooden. :facepalm

[senelcoolidge]

how is drew ****ing gooden beasting :rant

it's called playing the lakers

[ThatsGame]

Bucks going for the playoffs!!

[TrueRob]

Pau's being aggressive.

[KOBEtherealKing]

Lakers lakers lakers :facepalm at this rate..looking at being the 7th seed

[senelcoolidge]

will the lakers go into flop mode? get desperate and try to pick fight..haha.

[AirTupac]

it's called Gasol

fixed

[talkingconch]

like i said before this team is begging for an adjustment or something to ignite them, Ron artest and derek fisher will show up once a month and thatll be that. pau gasol is still showing signs of not being pau gasol

[Story Up]

Lakers lakers lakers :facepalm at this rate..looking at being the 7th seed
Uhm, playoffs? Who's talking about playoffs!???
I just wish we can win a game!!!

Pathetic ****ing team. We need another player besides Kobe who can create a shot!

[dynasty1978]

Kobe just chucking lol

Not a bad idea considering how pathetic the bigs (and I use that term loosely) were tonight.

[pauk]

THATS what u need to go kobe.... not chuck CRAZZZZY shots

[ThatsGame]

Lakers getting BS calls left and right

[ThatsGame]

The Dagger

[Thorn]

Meh...Kobe firing away isn't bad especially seeing how badly most of the Lakers played tonight. Pau 6/18 :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :roll: Yeesh.

Liked what I saw from Goudelock today, though. Oh and somehow the Bucks' bench went Jordan-mode, so while the loss is annoying it's...actually it still sucks. A lot of shots got thrown up there and happened to go down. But still a good game from the Bucks - LA couldn't get a stop if their lives depended on it it seems.

[Story Up]

Clank clank trade this useless log already, ****ing hate our pathetic bigs with a ****ing passion.

Gooden and Ilya outplayed these scrubs tonight.

[Doranku]

If we don't get rid of Gasol and Bynum soon, we won't even make the playoffs. :roll:

[ThatsGame]

Bucks. :applause:

[senelcoolidge]

if the playoffs started today the laker would not be in. Great win for the Bucks. They are 8th in the East.

[Deuce Bigalow]

THATS what u need to go kobe.... not chuck CRAZZZZY shots
This ****** trying to tell a 5 time champion how to play :facepalm

[pauk]

These Milwaukee Bucks man......... tellin ya....... not bad...

[miller-time]

wait these guys are the lakers? are you having a laugh? wow terrible. all round. including kobe. what was that?

[pauk]

This ****** trying to tell a 5 time champion how to play :facepalm

Dont even know what that is supposed to mean..... ofcourse you can win 5 championships if you are in a stacked team that can BAIL YOU OUT....

in 4 out of those 5 championships he has NOT learned....

3 of those championships his teammates (Shaq) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

1 and a half of those last 2 championships his teammates (Gasol & co) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

[Doranku]

wait these guys are the lakers? are you having a laugh? wow terrible. all round. including kobe. what was that?

27/8/9 is terrible now? :lol

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

And in ALL those 5 championships he has NOT learned....

3 of those championships his teammates (Shaq) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

1 of those last 2 championships his teammates (Gasol) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

lol....how many Lebron has punk?

[Deuce Bigalow]

And in ALL those 5 championships he has NOT learned....

3 of those championships his teammates (Shaq) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

1 of those last 2 championships his teammates (Gasol) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....
You're a 13 year old Filipino boy, it's past your bedtime

[Kobr]

Trade the 2 stationary towers we call bigs for Dwight Howard already.

=)

[Ken_Force_One]

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Heavincent]

Dont even know what that is supposed to mean..... ofcourse you can win 5 championships if you are in a stacked team that can BAIL YOU OUT....

in 4 out of those 5 championships he has NOT learned....

3 of those championships his teammates (Shaq) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

1 of those last 2 championships his teammates (Gasol) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

Kobe flat-out carried the Lakers to back-to-back championships. Accept it.

[senelcoolidge]

27/8/9 is terrible now? :lol

have your stats (mean nothing). the other teams can have the wins.

[Story Up]

Dont even know what that is supposed to mean..... ofcourse you can win 5 championships if you are in a stacked team that can BAIL YOU OUT....

in 4 out of those 5 championships he has NOT learned....

3 of those championships his teammates (Shaq) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....

1 and a half of those last 2 championships his teammates (Gasol & co) bailed out his stupid shot selection/bricking....
If you liveD near me I'd make sure to **** you up so bad you'd never log on here again, shit for brain.

[Deuce Bigalow]

Gasol made Drew Gooden look like michael ****ing jordan out there

[Ken_Force_One]

Trade the 2 stationary towers we call bigs for Dwight Howard already.

=)


New nickname for them:

The LA Spacers.

That's all they take up.

[miller-time]

27/8/9 is terrible now? :lol

well yeah.. did you actually watch him or did you just look at the stat sheet? it was a mess.

[RazorBaLade]

kobe 10-21 after taking like 3 bailout shots
pau 6-18 against physical player

what else is new

[Doranku]

well yeah.. did you actually watch him or did you just look at the stat sheet? it was a mess.

Yeah, I watched him setting up his teammates all game and taking plenty of bailout shots. He was a bit sloppy at times but looked good overall.

[pauk]

My point is....

Championships are team accomplishments.... you Kobetards need to learn to stop acting like Championships are the act of one man and need to learn to stop using those team accomplishments as an excuse to try and put Kobes talent-skills on a high pedestal or try put him on a higher pedestal than a player who is actually much better........

[RazorBaLade]

My point is....

Championships are team accomplishments.... you Kobetards need to learn to stop acting like Championships are the act of one man and need to learn to stop using those team accomplishments as an excuse to try and put Kobes talent-skills on a high pedestal or try put him on a higher pedestal than a player who is actually much better........

fisher does not deserve equal praise as kobe.. and if heat won lebron will get more credit than battier. not exactly a team accomplishment then is it? if lebron was the superior player in a winning system he could have gone and won in CLE but instead went to the Heat which is arguably a better team than kobe had for his 2 rings.. we'll have to see if lebron can do it.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Mitch needs to shake things up. This team has no chance.

[Dictator]

fisher does not deserve equal praise as kobe.. and if heat won lebron will get more credit than battier. not exactly a team accomplishment then is it? if lebron was the superior player in a winning system he could have gone and won in CLE but instead went to the Heat which is arguably a better team than kobe had for his 2 rings.. we'll have to see if lebron can do it.

.....no doubt this heat team is better.

lebrick, dweak wade, cbawse, mmiller, super mario, jcole, even joel....

[LAKERSRETHEBEST]

Well, it started great in the beginning. When the bench entered the game, it started going downhill and the Lakers couldn't bounce back. I was expecting the Lakers to win this game...really disappointing loss. I hope they bounce back tomorrow. They're one in seven on the road and that just sucks.

[macpierce]

anyone blaming this is kobe is a homer, wow you guys arent even worth any legitimate responses. Kobe kept them in the game, he took 4 bailout shots because of overpassing and passiveness. This team has no chance of getting out of the first round, no bench and no shooting

[Kurosawa0]

Maybe Bill Simmons' prediction of a 34-32 record wasn't that crazy after all.

[RazorBaLade]

anyone blaming this is kobe is a homer, wow you guys arent even worth any legitimate responses. Kobe kept them in the game, he took 4 bailout shots because of overpassing and passiveness. This team has no chance of getting out of the first round, no bench and no shooting

first round....... we are not even making the playoffs right now lol

mitch needs to do SOMETHING

[The Real JW]

pauk pinning this loss on Kobe just further proves that he either doesn't actually watch games or is just a very biased troll... or both.

[LAKERSRETHEBEST]

Kobe isn't to blame for this loss. Everyone has to chip in as a team. I think the bench weren't much of a factor except for Andrew G. Gasol & Bynum weren't much of a factor in the 3rd & 4th quarter. The defense sucked too.

[Clippersfan86]

It's a shame this team played up to the Clippers in that statement game. This team has been consistently subpar all season besides that game where everyone played out of their mind. Losing to the Bucks by 11 is unacceptable if you're a contending team. Especially because they played so strong vs the Clippers.

[fadeaway3]

If you liveD near me I'd make sure to **** you up so bad you'd never log on here again, shit for brain.

So mad

[Hammertime]

It's a shame this team played up to the Clippers in that statement game. This team has been consistently subpar all season besides that game where everyone played out of their mind. Losing to the Bucks by 11 is unacceptable if you're a contending team. Especially because they played so strong vs the Clippers.

Ah yes, Clippersfan86 with another one of his patented "Every team tries too hard against the Clippers and it's not fair" posts.

[Clippersfan86]

Ah yes, Clippersfan86 with another one of his patented "Every team tries too hard against the Clippers and it's not fair" posts.

How has the Jazz played since that game? :rolleyes: . It's pretty valid dude. Every team that beat us played the best game they have played all season and gave us their best shot. Just saying it's ironic. The Clippers follow up the close loss to Lakers with a win against the hot Grizzlies... while the Lakers lose to the Bucks who have been struggling bad.

It was just a simple observation. I knew the Lakers wouldn't continue the same level of play.

[Thorn]

It's a shame this team played up to the Clippers in that statement game. This team has been consistently subpar all season besides that game where everyone played out of their mind. Losing to the Bucks by 11 is unacceptable if you're a contending team. Especially because they played so strong vs the Clippers.

Well done on inserting the Clippers into a Lakers/Bucks game thread :applause:

[RazorBaLade]

How has the Jazz played since that game? :rolleyes: . It's pretty valid dude. Every team that beat us played the best game they have played all season and gave us their best shot. Just saying it's ironic. The Clippers follow up the close loss to Lakers with a win against the hot Grizzlies... while the Lakers lose to the Bucks who have been struggling bad.

It was just a simple observation. I knew the Lakers wouldn't continue the same level of play.

That was not the best game the lakers have played...... Last year the lakers lost to cleveland. Who cares. how about eveyrone on the bucks tonight having the game of their lives while pau shoots 30%? whats more often, pau shoots 30% causing us to lose to the bucks or ron artest scoring 8 whole points so we can beat the clippers?

[Clippersfan86]

That was not the best game the lakers have played...... Last year the lakers lost to cleveland. Who cares. how about eveyrone on the bucks tonight having the game of their lives while pau shoots 30%? whats more often, pau shoots 30% causing us to lose to the bucks or ron artest scoring 8 whole points so we can beat the clippers?

Ron Artest had his best game this season against the Clippers. I mean the dude had 3 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block and 2 steals with elite D. Fisher hit 3 three pointers for the first time in a long time. A scrub 2nd rounder shot 5-5 for 14 points. Gasol had his best game all season arguably with 23, 10 and 4.

Reality here is I brought it up because it's disappointing. The Lakers don't care enough to bring it like that EVERY game vs all opponents.

[Hammertime]

How has the Jazz played since that game? :rolleyes: . It's pretty valid dude.

The Jazz beat the Nuggets in Denver right before that game. They are 14-5 and it was in their house. The Clippers are 10-6 and not nearly as good of a team defensively, or overall, for that matter. And whatever rivalry the Jazz might have with the Nuggets, I didn't see a single Nuggets fan say "Oh man, the Jazz are normally scrubs, why the hell did they have to try so hard against us?" And it's to the credit of the Nuggets fans, who don't have the same entitlement complex you suddenly acquired because after god knows how long, a star player actually came to the Clippers.

"Oh no. We're the Clippers. We've got Paul and we're sexy now. Teams without superstars like the Jazz should just lay down and let us win."

[RazorBaLade]

Ron Artest had his best game in a year against the Clippers. I mean the dude had 8 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals with excellent D or something like that. Fisher hit 3 three pointers for the first time in a long time. A scrub 2nd rounder shot 5-5 for 14 points. Gasol had his best game all season.

Reality here is I brought it up because it's disappointing. The Lakers don't care enough to bring it like that EVERY game vs all opponents.

Artest was 1-4 for 3 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Was a pretty decent game for him but nothing incredible. Fisher was 3-9 on the game. Pau had a good first half, his best game was vs the Heat. G-lock went 5-8 and did something similar again tonight, he is a pretty decent shooter.

The lakers did not play as well as you think.

and yes... all good teams have to face people playing super hard against them to prove something. lakers just saw that tonight. its definitely no cause to be upset. The lakers cared about beating the clips more than the bucks tonight but they certainly didn't play over their heads. Blake had one of his best games btw.. Butler played really well.. I mean cmon. You're being silly.

[Clippersfan86]

The Jazz beat the Nuggets in Denver right before that game. They are 14-5 and it was in their house. The Clippers are 10-6 and not nearly as good of a team defensively, or overall, for that matter. And whatever rivalry the Jazz might have with the Nuggets, I didn't see a single Nuggets fan say "Oh man, the Jazz are normally scrubs, why the hell did they have to try so hard against us?" And it's to the credit of the Nuggets fans, who don't have the same entitlement complex you suddenly acquired because after god knows how long, a star player actually came to the Clippers.

"Oh no. We're the Clippers. We've got Paul and we're sexy now. Teams without superstars like the Jazz should just lay down and let us win."

:facepalm you're being a bit dramatic no? I think the Jazz are a good team. I just think their 30 point blowout of another good team in which they played the best game (statistically and otherwise) all year and tried to play flashy with a ton of dunks like never before.. proves my point.

They were playing up to the Clippers compared to other games like tonight's 3 point win over the Kings. They set out to show the Clippers up and make a statement. I'm not saying it means the Jazz are bad. Just saying everybody wants to give the Clippers their best shot.. the same way people wanted to with Miami last year. Anybody who watches basketball can acknowledge this.

As I told you before... the Jazz may be starting off well but I can assure you they aren't a better team than the Clippers come playoff time. Has nothing to do with entitlement, has to do with the fact that I think the Jazz have overachieved while the Clippers have clearly underachieved. I bet within 2 weeks the Clippers have a better record than the Jazz.

[Clippersfan86]

Artest was 1-4 for 3 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Was a pretty decent game for him but nothing incredible. Fisher was 3-9 on the game. Pau had a good first half, his best game was vs the Heat. G-lock went 5-8 and did something similar again tonight, he is a pretty decent shooter.

The lakers did not play as well as you think.

and yes... all good teams have to face people playing super hard against them to prove something. lakers just saw that tonight. its definitely no cause to be upset. The lakers cared about beating the clips more than the bucks tonight but they certainly didn't play over their heads. Blake had one of his best games btw.. Butler played really well.. I mean cmon. You're being silly.

I double checked and edited stats in. I agree though that it's common sense that all good teams are going to get teams best shots. I just wish the Clippers didn't have that L :mad: . I miss being able to sneak up on good teams :D .

[RazorBaLade]

I agree with the jazz example though. Thats a major case of a team playing over their heads... Gets really annoying once in a while but sure beats being a fan of the team that has to play super well to stand a chance!

[Clippersfan86]

I agree with the jazz example though. Thats a major case of a team playing over their heads... Gets really annoying once in a while but sure beats being a fan of the team that has to play super well to stand a chance!

Same with Sixers, Blazers (early on) and Pacers. All overachieving up till this point. Those teams will balance out once they start playing a lot of road games and playing stronger teams more consistently. Hell even the Clippers may struggle here this week. 6 out of 8 on the road vs VERY strong competition across the board. This is a week where the Clippers can really prove they are legit. Or prove that they need more time and have a ton to improve on.

[Hammertime]

They were playing up to the Clippers compared to other games like tonight's 3 point win over the Kings. They set out to show the Clippers up and make a statement. I'm not saying it means the Jazz are bad. Just saying everybody wants to give the Clippers their best shot.. the same way people wanted to with Miami last year. Anybody who watches basketball can acknowledge this.


Look, there are about 7-8 awesome teams in the NBA who win because they're damn good. Then there are 7-8 teams bad teams in the NBA who lose because they're just awful. In both these cases, the teams are pretty consistent. The there are 14-16 teams in the league that are somewhere in the middle. Some of those teams are pretty good, some are kinda bad, some are young and on the rise, some are old and on the way out. They all have one thing in common, though, they are inconsistent.

That's where the Jazz fall. If the Jazz could play like they did in 6-7 of their wins every night, they'd be awesome. If they played every game like they did the first couple, I'd be posting a lot more in the NCAA forum and looking forward to a top-3 pick. The Jazz are young and inconsistent. The Lakers are old and inconsistent. Same thing. If they played every night like they did against the Clippers, they'd be a top-3 team in the West. If they played like tonight every night, the Lakers fans would be posting endless threads about Harrison Barnes or whomever.

And no, the Jazz are not better than the Clippers. Not even close. The sense of entitlement I'm talking about is the fact that when the Clippers win, you act like it's the normal state of things. When the Clippers lose, you act like it's a massive stroke of luck for the other team. As if the Clippers cannot lose unless the other team all have games of their lives. Believe me, it's got nothing to do with the Clippers. The Jazz have beaten some good teams this year, and lost to some bad teams. The Lakers beat some good teams and lost to some bad ones. It's just inconsistency. It's not some massive conspiracy where the Jazz get into Mormon berserker-lust before they play the Clippers and then just lay down against the Raptors.