West Finals - Game 1 - Results Inside - Postgame comments

Lakers vs. Wolves
Friday, May 21
Target Center
Time: 6:00 pm
TV: TNT
Recap | Box Score

Lakers - 97
Timberwolves - 88

Lakers Steal Home Court
Shaquille O'Neal scored 27 and grabbed 18 boards, and the Lakers ended the third quarter on an 11-0 run en route to a 97-88 win in Minnesota on Friday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Karl Malone also had a strong game for Los Angeles, scoring 17 and pulling down 11 rebounds. Game 2 is 5:30 p.m. Sunday (TNT).



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It's time for Shaq to shine! The T-Pups have no interior D, Shaq should have 30 every game

Yes it is.

Lakers...

Wolves...

It's on

Lakers will win, the T-Wolves are good but they aren't the Spurs. Lakers in 4!

Lakers in 5... or maybe 6 if Garnett can really carry the team on his own. I just don't see Spree and Cassell contributing much in this series. Kobe can easily shut down Spree, Cassell is not a fast PG and is hobbling on one leg so Payton can easily guard and keep up with him.

lets go lakers!!!!!!!

I'm wondering who will get the calls in this series...Against SA, Duncan got all the calls. Will the refs give the new MVP the same type of calls?

SHouldn't matter too much anyways...Lakers cannot be beat when Shaq and Kobe play like they did in the last 4 games of the SA series.

Lakers take game one, 93-84.

Cassell is a good perimeter shooter, but there is no way his back (which was getting electro therapy all night against the Queens) will let him get in the lane. So GP needs to go over the top of screens and contest the jumpers. Malone needs to do what he does best and get physical with KG...take him out of the paint and make him shoot some tough jumpers. Kobe will have his hands full with Spree, but as long as they make him a jump shooter and keep him from getting to the rim he will be fine. Kobe will probably see some double teams from Hassell, but if Devean is on he will be getting a lot of open looks. As for Shaq...well, he should just dominate. KG will likely come from the weekside to help, so Malone may see some open jumpers, which he needs to start hitting again. Overall though, Shaq vs. Ervin Johnson? Are you kidding?

The Wolves have Wally World coming off the bench, but if D-Fish can come out with the same confidence following his game 4 winner, he can provide just as much of a spark as Wally does.

It should be a good series, but the key will be Shaq. The Wolves will try to deny and double team, the Lakers need to take advantage of the double teams by spreading the floor so that Shaq can do his thing

Lakers in 5 period

Lakers Dynasty 2000 wrote:Lakers vs. Wolves
Friday, May 21
Target Center
Time: 6:00 pm
TV: TNT or ESPN?

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I believe it will be on TnT. For some reason we are never on espn for the playoffs. Maybe we'll get a chance now that we are playing the t-pups and some of the games against the kings were on espn.

Game 1

Lakers 91
T'wolves 79

Lakers in 5 or 6. If in 4, I would really have over-estimate Timberwolves.
Although, Timberwolves are 3-1 in the regular season series, the last game proved to be a statement sent by the Lakers, where they practically dominated the timberwolves.

I expect the PUppies to jump on us early, they will feed off of their crowd. But we will respond and win down the stretch. I expect it to be close throughout. And guys don't under estimate this team, they are very talented. We win the series in 6 games. Hopefully we're not rusty.

Game 1: Lakers 92 Wolves 86

You can make Spree fade away by applying good D, but not Garnett and Cassell. Unfortunately Sam is moving like an old man and has no time to heal, and won't have much fun chasing Payton around. Fish will also be physical with him.

Unlike the Kings, the Lakers will not allow Garnett to single-handedly take over a game (see Duncan and Parker). If the Wolves win, it will be by the hands the supporting cast, which is quite possible. Garnett is more of a conduit than a first-and-only option.

Although the Wolves may be happy just to be in the WCF, LA also thought the same thing of the Bulls the first time they got to the Finals... and we got stomped -- therefore I'm not willing to take the pups lightly.

Lakers in 6. Bling it back.

game 1 will be our best opportunity to steal one in minnesota. they will be very tired, cassell will be hurting, and who's gonna cover shaq?

lakers 94
wolves 85

i think we will win by 10 or more!

hmm i think we are going to shot the best FG% as a away team can!

G|B|G|B wrote:hmm i think we are going to shot the best FG% as a away team can!

why u think so??

kbryant wrote:

G|B|G|B wrote:hmm i think we are going to shot the best FG% as a away team can!

why u think so??

because t pups going to tired!
shaq said he was hungary =)
i just have this Feeling

G|B|G|B wrote:

kbryant wrote:

G|B|G|B wrote:hmm i think we are going to shot the best FG% as a away team can!

why u think so??

because t pups going to tired!
shaq said he was hungary =)
i just have this Feeling

yea and maybe , lakers dont want to lose game 1

for that they will push it more to win!

GO LAKERS! IN 5!

LA will win gmae win, Shaq will score 30+ Lakers in 5.

Lakers 91
Twolves 86

It's time for the Mailman to get physical with KG! Get ready for some bruised MVP ribs!

lets go lakers!!!!!

wolves 87
lakers 84