Official Dogcast: Lakers @ Jazz Game - Game 3, 4/23/09 7:30 PST

[djwhizard]

Barkley pointing out on TNT right now: (paraphrase) 3 games in a row with peaks and valleys in their level of concentration and defensive effort. They are vulnerable, if you play well - you can beat them. Giving up leads in three straight games.

And he is so right. The defensive intensity is not there all the time, and they are getting exposed. They need to be hungrier.

[All Net]

Originally Posted by djwhizard

Barkley pointing out on TNT right now: (paraphrase) 3 games in a row with peaks and valleys in their level of concentration and defensive effort. They are vulnerable, if you play well - you can beat them. Giving up leads in three straight games.

And he is so right. The defensive intensity is not there all the time, and they are getting exposed. They need to be hungrier.

It's a big worry and I'm not convinced if it will change....as I said the way the Cavs are playing they just look so hungry for that championship, this laker team is lacking focus.

[gts]

Originally Posted by SoCalMike

i know you are mr. optimistic, and that is fine... but i also made my comments above and on saturday, if the lakers don't go about their business more professionally, it will be 2-2. if they have the same attitude as you do, they will not come prepared to do battle.

BS socal... the same attitude as i do? no i'm just realistic, bad games happen... this team won 65 games this season, it's not being "mr. optimistic" it's understanding that this is a very good team that had an off night and still were in it until the end...

kobe shot like **** 25%.. hell the team shot like **** pretty much 36% (save a couple folks) they make two of those shots and the lakers win. i'm sorry if i don't climb on the lack of heart no focus, unprofessional bandwagon...
bad games happen for other reason besides being unproffesional or lack heart... and you know maybe just maybe the team that only lost 8 games at home all season had a little to do with it...

[momo]

My game ball for the lakers gos to LoLo
(who has been great all serie so far)


and Harpering...


Boozer would be the obvious call but I thought the jazz were wobbling before harp got hot.
Most other players for both squads can have coal.

I want Pao to get 20 shots next game.

[Erathia]

This game was lost on the boards. Boozer had 20 rebounds, Malsap had 14.... Utah come out hungry and more energized that the Lakers. It was expected with Utah returning to home where they have been VERY VERY good. We knew the team would be re-energized and ready for the Lakers. Utah's defense was still pretty bad but the Lakers weren't hitting shots and we had a few players in foul trouble.

Was just a bad game for the team. Even though the second unit came in and gave some nice energy. Bad shooting, Poor defense, bad decisions, no hustle.... the coaches will have them ready for Game 4.... series ends 4-1!

[Lamar Doom]

Boozer embarassed our front court. Got to get back to basics on rebounding some nights, we're a great rebounding team but we have nights where we only get balls that come to us and don't go get balls. box the f*ck out Pau. JUMP, leave your feet. Andrew Bynum, when you get your 5th f*ck head foul, don't laugh and pound fists with Farmar on the bench. Kobe Bryant? what happened tonight buddy? did you force things and not settle down, did you forget that more often than not, running the offense is better than taking contested shots, even though it's you? come on man. Lamar was probably the player of the night, but he went missing for a bit in the early 4th when things were falling apart. i mean, really it's crazy that we had a shot to win this game considering how things went, let's you see what happens when kobe isn't good (isnt' even servicable). got to just keep our foot on the gas and our boot on the throat, this giving up leads every game since febuary is played the f*ck out. FO-CUS, these guys DO NOT have the pieces to run with us, we shouldn't have lost any game this series. i do think we'll handle these guys game 4 and put it to bed in LA Monday.

[All Net]

Ok I have calmed down now, lets just look forward to game 4

[SoCalMike]

Originally Posted by gts

BS socal... the same attitude as i do? no i'm just realistic, bad games happen... this team won 65 games this season, it's not being "mr. optimistic" it's understanding that this is a very good team that had an off night and still were in it until the end...

kobe shot like **** 25%.. hell the team shot like **** pretty much 36% (save a couple folks) they make two of those shots and the lakers win. i'm sorry if i don't climb on the lack of heart no focus, unprofessional bandwagon...
bad games happen for other reason besides being unproffesional or lack heart... and you know maybe just maybe the team that only lost 8 games at home all season had a little to do with it...

once again, i disagree... and the attitude all the time that "they will be fine" is their constant biggest enemy. it has been a hallmark of this team in its current core makeup. its the same attitude that has them constantly lose 20 point leads.

if you want to chalk it up to a bad game, that's fine... however, the problem does go deeper than that and its not like i am the only one that has recognized that and it goes beyond just one game as you want to cite.

they are indeed a very good team, but they may not be a great team and you need a great team to win a title. something to consider that is not BS.

i really don't care if you want to be the optimistic one as you are (or however you want to categorize it). a dose of realism is healthy for everyone IMO and i for one, choose to see it that way in this particular case. this team has not played at a consistent championship level for a long time and i only hope they can find a way to come together as the competition gets tougher throughout the playoffs.

[Erathia]

I had a thought..... everyone wants to chalk up this loses and the losing of big leads to no heart, laziness, off nights, and whatever else has been said... but has anyone else thought that maybe the Lakers are just arrogant. Think about it!

How many top tier teams have we lost to? Most of our losses have come from games that everyone was sure we should have won (though with this team everyone game is winnable.) Celtics, Denver, Cleveland, San Antonio... we dominate all those teams but loss to Charlotte. The Lakers have been the top team in the NBA and/or the Western Conference since end of last season. Maybe they read about KG's injury and the Celtics struggles. and they are breathing easier.... I don't know! I don't think its a lack of heart because when it matters the team shows up to play.

However, I do chalk last nights game up to a bad night.

[All Net]

Mike, do you think this team can beat ther Cavs in a possible finals match-up? this team is good enough to win the west on pure talent alone but against a great defense like Cleveland and without homecourt what I saw last night made me abit concerned.

[Coop-A-Loop]

I guess I am not worried due to the fact that this team won 65 games, second best record in the NBA, won the west by 10 games and did not have a three game losing streak all season.

This is not a team that lacks focus, or killer instinct, you cannot do what they did over the course of the season and be "that" team. It may seem that way to most of us because its obvious that we are all HUGE fans.

Utah played a decent game last night, the Lakers played like crap and still had a chance to win at the wire which bodes well for me - I personally do not contribute that to anything the Jazz did - I think it was all on the Lakers having one bad game and as I stated before -they don't seem to string bad games together all that much.

Just my $0.02

[SoCalMike]

Originally Posted by All Net

Mike, do you think this team can beat ther Cavs in a possible finals match-up? this team is good enough to win the west on pure talent alone but against a great defense like Cleveland and without homecourt what I saw last night made me abit concerned.

i honestly don't know... to me, it depends on what laker team shows up??? thats what my frustration is regarding this team. i just cannot predict it but i am concerned. i am not too concerned about the lakers getting to the finals, but i am just not sure beyond that.

[Lakers_Kobe_Fan]

This Team lacks 2 things: Heart and Toughness

Like Barkley said, Cavs, Denver are on a mission...and you can see the way they play..Lakers not so much.....

NO HUNGER ...NO RING

[SoCalMike]

Originally Posted by Lakers_Kobe_Fan

This Team lacks 2 things: Heart and Toughness

Like Barkley said, Cavs, Denver are on a mission...and you can see the way they play..Lakers not so much.....

NO HUNGER ...NO RING

thank you for seeing my point, which i stated before the all star break...

my measure of success is not just a 65 win season... my "bar" of success is a championship ring and the reasons i stated before and by some of the folks here are exactly why i am concerned.

i do hope they figure it out and come to realize they need that hunger, intensity, heart, drive, swagger, urgency or whatever word you would like to describe it. i just don't see it now and i would have thought it was time for us to see that behavior/attitude from the team.

[gts]

Originally Posted by SoCalMike

they are indeed a very good team, but they may not be a great team and you need a great team to win a title. something to consider that is not BS.

ahh see here is where our differences lay, you want them to play like a great team, expect them to play like a great team..

they are not a great team, socal...

if you are expecting them to play showtime level ball or even shaq era ball you will be disapointed time and time again, i said it at the start of the season and a few times during this team is not on that level, they lack the experience on the roster....

that's no slam on the team or it's players it's just a fact when your roster is made up of kobe and fish as the only guys with real DEEP playoff experience the team is going to be inconsitent. it lacks that depth the showtime era teams had or the shaq era, not talent per se but the actual time spent grinding it out in the playoffs...

for some maybe a title is the only goal? and you guys may be expecting them to win it all?

can they win a title as constructed?
you bet they can but they are not a dominating type of team, every game is not going to be a work of art, they are not going to blow everyone out of the building... the role players are going to vanish into thin air on some nights, moreso on the road.. and if kobe has a bad game on one of those nights it's going to be even harder to win

gaining playoff experience is on the job training, the post season is a different animal then the regular season, and like anyone who is learning on the fly mistakes will be made..

you say i'm optimistic, of course i see a team that if held together or tweaked will be a threat to win more than a couple titles down the road but mostly i'm just being realistic and i understand what i'm watching, a very good team that is learning how to win...

i think maybe this team has been overated by some of you folks and expectations are too high... like i said this team can win this year, it won't even take any real luck on their part but it won't always be pretty... the team alot of you are waiting for the team that rolls everyone over is probably still 2 years away