Sat 5/19 - Lakers vs Thunder - Game 4 - Predictions/Comments

at this point okc deserves a championship. when the lakers have been playing this well against them and they still win...respect.

we didnt follow our gameplan that worked down the stretch...they did & they won.

Kobe Era = OVER

JGC wrote:The ball never leaves his hands. When that happens we go cold as a team. It happens just about every time unless he is 81 pt hot. every time he does that for multiple possessions, we go cold shortly thereafter and miss shsots or turn it over. EVERY time.

sometimes we recover. its tough to predict how long we stay cold... but the team goes cold nearly 100% of the time when he does that.

At least say true things.

The ball did leave his hands. Many times. Even in the fourth. Even in the final five minutes.
I agree that he shot too much, and I think the shots he was taking were too hard.
But if that's what happening and anyone has a problem with it, there are multiple ways to solve the problem:
1. Call a TO, tell him to work inside.
2. Take him out.
3. Have Blake/Sessions bring the ball up.

You want to blame Kobe, but this is the coach's decision.

DMK wrote:Kobe Era = OVER

i wouldn't go that far just yet

KD & Westbrook 25-44 for 68pts

Although Pau's turnover really was the reason we lost. Kobe's ball hogging iso offense killed our team instead of getting it into Bynum and doing what we were doing before the half

JGC wrote:Charles was right. If OKC scores 100 they win... and he also pointed out Kobe ball hogging it. but hey, kobe doesnt play for my approval

Yes, but nobody plays for your approval.

Mike Brown has to take charge of the team and MAKE them feed the ball inside. momentum was on okc's side and we all KNEW they'd tie it up....have to play laker ball not kobe iso ball esp when theyre not falling.

trodgers wrote:

JGC wrote:The ball never leaves his hands. When that happens we go cold as a team. It happens just about every time unless he is 81 pt hot. every time he does that for multiple possessions, we go cold shortly thereafter and miss shsots or turn it over. EVERY time.

sometimes we recover. its tough to predict how long we stay cold... but the team goes cold nearly 100% of the time when he does that.

At least say true things.

The ball did leave his hands. Many times. Even in the fourth. Even in the final five minutes.
I agree that he shot too much, and I think the shots he was taking were too hard.
But if that's what happening and anyone has a problem with it, there are multiple ways to solve the problem:
1. Call a TO, tell him to work inside.
2. Take him out.
3. Have Blake/Sessions bring the ball up.

You want to blame Kobe, but this is the coach's decision.

What good will that do? Kobe doesnt play for mike's approval. And to say it isnt true is to either lie or see something that wasnt there. everyone was saying it in the third when we were still up by 9 or so. multiple people were complaining about kobe doing kobe ball.

and please... you cant credit the coaching staff for every win and blame them for every loss. im pretty sure jacking off fallaway jumpers over two defenders is not what was asked for.

Ariza3 wrote:KD & Westbrook 25-44 for 68pts

Although Pau's turnover really was the reason we lost. Kobe's ball hogging iso offense killed our team instead of getting it into Bynum and doing what we were doing before the half

Bynum played 43 minutes. Down the stretch he was exhausted and ineffective on the glass, couldn't establish position. The team ran out of gas.

DMK wrote:Kobe Era = OVER

Agreed. This team's core cannot win another championship and its too late to rebuild around Kobe. He's got two, maybe 3 years of high caliber play left in him. There won't be time to slowly add pieces around him.

All they can do is deal Pau for some athleticism and accept the fact that they will be a 45 to 50 win mid seed 1st or 2nd round playoff team till Kobe retires. That will keep butts in the seats and make money for Jimbo. After Kobe retires, they better have a plan to at least be competitive enough to win close to 50 games.

so pissed at this lost. im done with this stupid play when we could have won. too much stress.

trodgers wrote:

JGC wrote:Charles was right. If OKC scores 100 they win... and he also pointed out Kobe ball hogging it. but hey, kobe doesnt play for my approval

Yes, but nobody plays for your approval.

Kobe doesnt give a bleep about anyones approval. He does what he wants to do whether its the right thing or not. tonight, clearly, wasnt the right thing. at all.

JGC wrote:What good will that do? Kobe doesnt play for mike's approval. And to say it isnt true is to either lie or see something that wasnt there. everyone was saying it in the third when we were still up by 9 or so. multiple people were complaining about kobe doing kobe ball.

I know you think it's clever to keep saying that Kobe doesn't play for X's approval, but you can drop it. It doesn't make an argument for you. If you're the coach, what you can do is tell your player to do something else, you can have someone else bring the ball up, you can call plays, and you can bench players. You know that.

and please... you cant credit the coaching staff for every win and blame them for every loss. im pretty sure jacking off fallaway jumpers over two defenders is not what was asked for.

So as it was happening so much by your account that everyone saw it and it blew the entire team's scheme and mindset and rhythm...and the coach did nothing...how can it not be the coach's fault? I mean, what is his job if not something like that?

Murdock wrote:Gasol is gonna be gone ... wonder who are we gonna trade him for ...

I'm praying that we can trade him to whoever has the draft rights to Kentucky's Anthony Davis. Pau's salary is swapped for a 433k annual bill and gives us a phenomenal defensive player and star in the making. That salary dump will be a step in tweaking the roster and being close to affording DWill. Dunno of he'd come here, but you gotta make a push for him.

trodgers wrote:

JGC wrote:What good will that do? Kobe doesnt play for mike's approval. And to say it isnt true is to either lie or see something that wasnt there. everyone was saying it in the third when we were still up by 9 or so. multiple people were complaining about kobe doing kobe ball.

I know you think it's clever to keep saying that Kobe doesn't play for X's approval, but you can drop it. It doesn't make an argument for you. If you're the coach, what you can do is tell your player to do something else, you can have someone else bring the ball up, you can call plays, and you can bench players. You know that.

and please... you cant credit the coaching staff for every win and blame them for every loss. im pretty sure jacking off fallaway jumpers over two defenders is not what was asked for.

So as it was happening so much by your account that everyone saw it and it blew the entire team's scheme and mindset and rhythm...and the coach did nothing...how can it not be the coach's fault? I mean, what is his job if not something like that?

Y'know, that stagnation has a domino effect. When a few ISOs are run, it disengages the others. When they're disengaged, they stop moving. They become passive and the weight falls on Bryant's shoulders. When they're passive, the defense can pour over Bryant and it makes his shots even more difficult. ISOs are just killers for team ball and intensity. It just causes myriad problems and neuters team offense. And that shifts to the defensive end. Just bad stuff.

trodgers wrote:

JGC wrote:What good will that do? Kobe doesnt play for mike's approval. And to say it isnt true is to either lie or see something that wasnt there. everyone was saying it in the third when we were still up by 9 or so. multiple people were complaining about kobe doing kobe ball.

I know you think it's clever to keep saying that Kobe doesn't play for X's approval, but you can drop it. It doesn't make an argument for you. If you're the coach, what you can do is tell your player to do something else, you can have someone else bring the ball up, you can call plays, and you can bench players. You know that.

and please... you cant credit the coaching staff for every win and blame them for every loss. im pretty sure jacking off fallaway jumpers over two defenders is not what was asked for.

So as it was happening so much by your account that everyone saw it and it blew the entire team's scheme and mindset and rhythm...and the coach did nothing...how can it not be the coach's fault? I mean, what is his job if not something like that?

Doesnt matter what he calls. Like Kobe said, he will do what HE thinks is best. Not gonna say the coaching staff is entirely off the hook here but had we won, i doubt youd be crediting them right? i mean, have you ever picked the coaching staff as your "hero"? Me neither.

Jazzygirl205 wrote:JGC has a strong hatred for Kobe. It's been pretty obvious for some time now.

That isnt true at all. Im just not blind, thats all. If you cant see the connection and cause and effect of how kobe not moving the ball has i cant help that. its not isos per se that i have an issue with anyway. its when he gets the ball and never gives it up ... those possessions are what causes problems whether his shot goes in or not.

JGC wrote:Doesnt matter what he calls. Like Kobe said, he will do what HE thinks is best. Not gonna say the coaching staff is entirely off the hook here but had we won, i doubt youd be crediting them right? i mean, have you ever picked the coaching staff as your "hero"? Me neither.

Pau talked to Kobe on the P&R when Pau turned it over. Pau clearly said he would be open. Kobe drew two defenders, passed it to Pau. Pau had a shot or he could've laid it up for Bynum. Instead he passed it away. So that shows pretty clearly (in my mind) that if you say to Kobe, "Here's something that's open..." he'll do it. So it's on Brown for not doing it sooner.

Hero? I made the rules in that thread...you have to choose a player. So picking the coaching staff would be against the rules. Haven't you ever heard people talking about game plans and schemes? That's the coaching staff. That's what they do. And I have heard (many times) people say that Phil Jackson and/or Popovich drew up perfect schemes or made perfect adjustments...and won the game.