Wed. 11/12 vs. Rap's - Results Inside - Postgame comments

Lakers vs. Raptors
STAPLES Center
Wed. Nov 12
7:30 p.m.
TV: FSN, NBALP
Radio: KLAC-AM 570/KWKW-AM 1330
Recap - http://www.nba.com/games/20031112/TORLAL/recap.html
Box Score - http://www.nba.com/games/20031112/TORLAL/boxscore.html

Raptors - 79
Lakers - 94

Lakers Win Easy Over Raptors
Shaquille O'Neal scored 23 points and hauled in 14 rebounds as the Lakers beat the Raptors 94-79 Wednesday night. The three other parts of L.A.'s "Big Four" also had good nights, with Kobe Bryant scoring 19, Karl Malone adding 17 points and eight boards and Gary Payton chipping in with 16.



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Oh god, I don't know if I even want to comment about this one after witnessing such a horrendous game against the Grizz

Oh well, here we go.

I. Player Matchup Breakdown

Payon/A. Williams-Payton's ankle should be fully healed by then, so hopefully we can expect a better game out of him than we saw against the Grizz. Payton should be able to pay longer and better than he did against the Grizz. And he should be able to prevent Williams from scoring much, since he hasn't scored very much this year, and I don't think he will pose a threat to us. So if Payton can shut down Williams and get a double double, (12-16 points and over 10 assists) then we will be in good shape.

Kobe/Carter-this will be the best player Kobe has faced yet. Look for there to be a lot of one on one play here. That means Kobe will probably be shooting a lot, lets hope he makes most of them. It is a must that Kobe plays good D against VC, this is something I don't think he is able to do yet, his legs are strong enough to keep up with someone like VC for a full game. I think Vince will probably torch us, because we are playing atrocious defense, and he has been playing quite well. And when Kobe comes out and we put Fisher, George, or Russell on him...he will just blow right by them on his way to the basket. Look for Vince to drop 30 something on us, while Kobe will end up with a little over 20 points.

George/Murray-I think Murray will probable start in this one, having Peterson come in off the bench for Vince. George is better than Murray, since Murray is old and not the quickest guy in the world. I think George will have another good game early and get some easy shot opportunities. I'm looking for George to get close to 16 points in this contest.

Malone/J. Williams-This is a matchup between the Mailman and the Junkyard dog. This will be a very physical matchup, both banging in the paint, trying to get the rebound. Hopefully Malone won't turn it over quite as much and get some more points instead. I think Malone will play better in this matchup, since he won't be going against a long, tall Gasol who likes to shoot...instead he is going against a guy that really won't put up big numbers, and as long as he prevent him from getting position on him and beating him to the rebound, Malone should do well. I expect Malone to end up with close to 14 points and 13 rebounds

Shaq/Davis-Shaq will have a good game, if he gets the ball. He can really play strong and have a big game for us if he can get good position early and get good passes to him and not fancy turnovers. And since Davis is only 6'9 and weights close to 230...Shaq should be able to dominate him with ease, especially since Daivs isn't even a true center, he's a power forward. Shaq (if he gets the ball) should end up with at least 25 points and 12 boards.

II. Team matchup breakdown
At their next practice, expect Phil to work on the team's defense...some more. We are playing very sloppy, very bad D. We have to step this part of our game up to win another game. If we do then we will be a great team.

Phil will have to stress the importance of Kobe stepping up his D on Vince, or he will light us up. The big men will have to deny Vince the paint, so he will be forced to rely on his jump shot to get points.

Phil will also make sure the team knows that the plan is to GET THE BALL TO SHAQ FIRST, then see what their options are, he didn't get the ball enough against the Grizz

The Raptors are much like the Magic and rely on one player for most of their scoring, Vince, if we can shut him down, then we will win the game...simple as that. The other players on their team aren't a threat offensively.

We have to prevent them from crashing the boards and getting 2nd chance opportunities, something both Davis and J. Williams are good at doing.

This could be an easy win for us if we play good D.

III. Stat Prediction

Shaq-29 points, 14 rebounds
Malone-13 points, 12 rebounds
George-16 points
Kobe-25 points
Payton-14 points, 12 assists
Fisher-10 points

Vince-35 points

IV. Score Prediction
Lakers 115
Raptors 107

ok reverse psychology method time....enuff of this bs of us losing:

Raptors will win this one, 109-103...VC has career game

Raptors win? Man... Hell look how many points they held the Mavs to.. Man, I think they can beat us, but hopefully we wont lose 3 in a row.. The Raptors are doin their thing so far, and I dont even wanna think what VC will do to us.

it depends on VC

if he can contain kobe, and score lkie he has in the past, we WILL be in trouble

that means Paytons gotta step it up in his battle with alvin williams, and shaq HAS to dominate antonio davis

but if kobe can catch fire, it should be a much easier win for us

im sure kobe can contain VC, but he has to NOT be tired cus otherwise VC will screw him over


i dont wanna say who gonna win cus that may jinx it

so ima shut up now

We all know kobe's tryin too hard to produce... Like Shaq said he should let the others do most of the work. Kobe did a behind the back bounce to himself, and he lost control, and got a steal offa that. Plus Kobe's lookin to shoot too much, so maybe Vince will look good containin Kobe. Kobe does need to calm down a bit on the court, and let GP run it. I know GP may not even know the triangle cuz he's lookin for more fast break opportunities, and it's like we can't keep up. Our offense should wait and set up, so Shaq can handle.

We lose two road games and everyone is negative. Come on now. I notice all these predictions the past few games have been really high. Especially with the points and rebounds everyone is expecting to get. Right now Malone is off his game. He isn't hitting. It's time for the chemistry to come around and for us to have a solid game without 23 turnovers and all these airballs.

I say the Lakers win but not a blow out. 104-98

Well I'm not negative, I just see us struggin a lot, and I'm just tellin it like I see it

ya and i dont wanna jinx anythin so im just being careful

This game will be tough, but I have a feeling we will be undefeated at home the entire year. We play ALOT better at home.

Raps - 95
Lakes - 111

I don't wanna be TOO confident but... I live in Mississauga (about 20 minutes away from Toronto). We get the "priviledge" of watching approximately 80% of Raptor's games. From what I've seen so far this season, the Lakers have absolutely nothing to worry about tonight. Vince is the only bright spot on a team who surprisingly is still undefeated at home. If the Lakers play their worst tonight, they can count on a 10-point or more win. Trust me. If I'm wrong, I'll be mighty surprised. What really ticks me of: THIS GAME, OF ALL GAMES, IS NOT TELEVISED HERE!!! Any money TSN or Sportsnet are gonna televise a hockey game or some kind of messed up ish... I NEED A SATELLITE!

hey happy Veteran's Day everybody....

WHAT TORONTO should do: nah...jsm...I think Kevin O'Neill will start Michael Curry in this one...he knows his team is probably gonna lose, but he wants to put this veteran here for defensive intensity...especially against Curry, and Lamond Murray can come off the bench, in case the team needs some three point spark, especially for some offensive punch off the bench...and oh yes...Lamond, much like our former Laker Tracy Murray, is a defensive liability...cousins share the same breed...but seriously, if Kevin O'Neill is serious about winning this game, and based on the Lakers losing streak, they have a chance to prolong it--then Michael Curry, a la veteran and defensive specialist, is there to stop guys like Bryant and George--and don't forget Vince Carter and those long arms...he can really affect some of Kobe's shot selection--that's what I'm concerned about, especially since Kobe doesn't have his legs yet--I suggest him to be more of a passer in this game...he has a whole mass of good men around him--and besides, he can show his skills against Detroit on Thursday--Rip Hamilton is somewhat not a defensive guy...and expect Phil Jackson to start playing the Glove more....and look for Toronto to really use the other players besides Vince, Vince will contribute, but the Laker's lax D in the past few games is evident and O'Neill wants guys like Jerome Williams, Chris Bosh and Lamond Murray to take advantage by scoring points. O'Neill knows about the D with Jerome Williams, Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Michael Curry, and possibly even Chris Bosh, Milt Palacio and Chris Jefferies off the bench, which is vital when stopping an HOF team. Look for O'Neill to let the D control the tempo of the game; forcing the Lakers to take bad shots and give them opportunities to score....but with a veteranized team that the Lakers have, it may be hard...so with a little bit of luck and skill, the Raptors may just hope for the best.

WHAT THE LAKERS SHOULD DO: After experiencing two losses in a row on the road, Phil really needs to make many defensive changes in the lineup...it seems that the best bet is to play some of the newcoming HOFs more and seeing if they can gel with the team over time. Payton seems to be inwardly complaining about playing time and Phil should give it to him unless he wants some offensive punch from Derek Fisher off the bench, although lately he's not been shooting the ball too well. Payton himself hasn't really been getting off his shot much either. If Phil was smart, he should be concerned about Vince Carter and those long arms...he can really affect some of Kobe's shot selection--that's what I'm concerned about, especially since Kobe doesn't have his legs yet--I suggest him to be more of a passer in this game...he has a whole mass of good men around him--and besides, he can show his skills against Detroit on Thursday--Rip Hamilton is somewhat not a defensive guy...and expect Phil Jackson to start playing the Glove more....and expect Luke Walton to quench some of Bryon Russell's minutes...the guy looked great defensively at the 4th quarter of the Lakers' run, and B. Russ is only going to get older and older and his defensive has been awful...Kareem Rush seems to rushing his shot off at times...he has an awfully good stroke but sometimes he just wants to shoot it more, something I've noticed, and that's a problem he needs to correct and learn from...as of now he only deserves garbage-time minutes. Pargo doesn't need to play in this game, because Gary Payton matches well even over the taller Alvin Williams...but they're almost the same height, Williams is a great defender but Payton can outrun him any day...Williams is not much of a scoring threat. The biggest matchup of the night would probably be Kobe and Vince--Phil should rest Kobe more in this game, though, and possibly switch Devean to him at times because Kobe tends to look for his shot a lot, and that's negligible against Vince---Michael Curry may also take on Kobe--watch out, although Kobe was known to burn him at times. Phil may also need to watch out for that young kid, Chris Bosh, because he's a threat from anywhere, virtually, and a good defender. Mo Pete may also come off after Lamond Murray and he may cause some trouble, but other than that, Phil don't need much to worry because Shaq can outhandle Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams anyday...they're sort of defensive, O'Neill preaches for that--and they don't have much three-point shooters, only Murray, so we're at bay there. And Malone and Shaq can knock out the paint guys...the Lakers should be angry after losing their two games. PHil should just let the offense and defense flow along and see what the guys can do...

BREAKDOWN: However, though, veteranship may beat this team down; sure, Toronto has Michael Curry, but our guys are too smart to be bedraggled like that, especially in front of our home crowd at Staples. A 3-game losing streak is way too much and Toronto, like Memphis, is a measly-little team, a one-man show, although that may change since we don't play good transitional defense and rotations. Alvin Williams is only a mediocre passer for a PG so don't look for many transitional opportunities for the Raptors. The Lakers are good defensively one-on-one and can break down anyone offensively--but this all comes down to how Phil will handle the bench. The starters will definitely need some rest as they wear down, even though Payton needs to play more. The Lakers bench is awful as of now--Rush, Fisher, Russell, Walton, Pargo, Grant...Walton and Fish can make an impact but no one else wants to carry the load on offense and defense...Phil should only play anyone off the bench except Walton/Fisher/ and maybe Grant for no more than a couple of minutes than we will be stable...thats bench scoring enough, but look for Toronto to take advantage of our guys at these crucial points...but otherwise, unless the team gets lazy, should be an easy victory, i'm not looking for any breakout nights, personally, since the D should contain Carter...balanced scoring both teams because the passing might be crucial in this game...Look for Lamond Murray and Mo Pete to have good games...double or triple teaming Carter may make him miss shots...that should be good...I expect a blowout, actually: Lakers 111-Raptors 86

Please read above, it's very crucial to the understanding of this game

Hopefully GP is feelin better, our D is better, Kobe and Karl cut with the TO's and Kobe stops taking stupid shots and pass the ball the Lakers should win if all that happens.


My predi.

Lakers>>109

Raptors>>87


I think LA will have a great defensive game after losing 2 in a row.

Here's how I see this. After we lost that horrible game in the playofs to San Antonio, Shaq and the rest of the Lakers have this "not in our house" feeling. Its one thing to lose on the road when Hornets and Grizzlies shoot the lights out regardless of defense or not. But this is our house, and Payton's ankle should feel much better so he can really push the ball upcourt like he's use to. Once we're running on fast break points and have Shaq in the paint it's damn near impossible to beat us. I'll say a win, i'm done trying to predict by how many.

the lakers better slaughter Toronto, the raptors play back-to-back w/ the lakers being the 2nd game. Toronto playing 2night vs Portland.

I don't know how you guys can predict us winning by so many points, let alone us winning after our last two games. It seemed to me that Kobe was being a ballhog at the end, and needed to use his teammates more. But as the team has already learned they expressed there feelings through the media in a good way, and thats what I like to see.

I just overheard this good news on 1150am:

Phil addressed the media saying that Kobe will be playing tomorrow.

Thursday, Bryant will attend the court hearing in Colorado.

Phil also created a late practice, so Kobe can attend even with the hearing.

Your all a bunch of jinx's.

Everybody should strike this section and see what happens. I bet you we'll win.

What about Friday is Kobe platin?

Shaq Fan wrote:What about Friday is Kobe platin?

No excuse for him not to be playin friday, his hearing is on thursday, he'll prolly get back to los angeles later that day on thursday...

The way I see it, Kobe will play...just because of the hearing won't stop him...the Lakers need him and he knows it...unless it's a crisis or some huge problem occurs in the court that they need Kobe to be there, then he may not play...Detroit is a spectacular team, Kobe needs to be there...against Toronto, perhaps not...but Detroit, yes.

he better be ther...hes on my fantasy team...

o0O kb8 O0o wrote:he better be ther...hes on my fantasy team...

hell ya, hes on mine too

i hope we win... please... no more losing to easy teams...
paytons been quiet.. i hope he wakes up..