5 hours before game 2 of the West finals I'm reading all over the internet that the Spurs lost to the Lakers because their players (with the exception of Parker) are old. The legs are gone. The 7 game series with the Hornets have taken their legs from them. Horry is 38 Bowen is 37. On and on and on.
Ridiclous. I'm a Laker fan and this is total silliness.
The Spurs only shot 3-14 in the fourth with Ginobli having a tough night. So what? It happens. Fisher was 1-9 and Odom 2-12. Fisher is "old"? Hardly. Odom is old? He's younger than Kobe. People have bad nights and teams have bad quarters.
Horry didn't play during the closing push in the season due to injury. His legs are as fresh as a 30 year old's. The truth is that Horry has been virtually useless for a decade on offense other than a few clutch legend making shots at the end of close games. But he's missed more of those than he makes as anyone has. Horry's age is not the issue here with the minutes he's getting.
Bowen has upped his scoring average during the playoffs and looks automatic from the left baseline 3. Bryant says Bowen is toughest defender in the league on him. So much for age being the problem with Bowen.
One writer said Duncan has too many miles on him and not the player he used to be. 30 points and leading all rebounders is not too bad for someone over the hill. Silliness.
The Same writer laments that Finley is 35. Ginobli has replaced Finley at this late date as the starter and Finley is a notorious streak shooter. Coming off the bench has never been his game and Ginobli can do either. I don't question Pops decision to start Ginobli now but it definately affects Finley more than it does Ginobli or Finley being 35.
Parker is doing what Parker does. Getting points in the paint. If you catch the rest on a poor shooting streak and overload Parker and make him a jump shooter,. he's not your savior.
As a Laker fan I hope the Spurs shooting woes continue. I don't think they will. This is a championship dynasty and they will not go quietly. Seems like the Hornets series should have shown that.
My guess is that this series goes 7 games and as to who wins your guess is as good as mine. To write the Spurs off after one bad quarter due to age, is,. as I said, ridiclous.
Nique
Poor shooting from beyond the arc in the final quarter and with Ginobili inexplicably turning the ball over as if his hands had been dipped in grease. It suggests to me that the Spurs just didn't go in for the kill when they had the chance.
A repeat of that tonight and they might as well return home early to San Antonio. I hear that Eva is looking for Tony to help her out with her lines on Desperate Housewives ?
All kidding asides the team wasn't focussed enough when it counted down the sretch !
Even should the Lakers win tonight, it really means nothing in the long run since the Hornets did the same. The Lakers will need a minimum of 1 in Texas if they win tonight.
It may appear nothing at all because of the extended series, but a win tonight will give the Lakers team a big moral booster and a huge momentum that could push them for a win in San Antonio. This Lakers team is lot different than New Orleans, because of Kobe and Phil. In a long series fresh young legs will be a big dynamic that will tilt the fate of every team.
I do agree that San Antonio must be given due respect because of their well conditioned personnels competing now, it seems like they have the endurance to really contend in these long series.
The Lakers will lose tonight because the Spurs will play their best game of the series. Finley won't be held scoreless this time around (he'll score 10+) and the rest of the Spurs' bench will be focused.
Parker will carve up the L.A. defense with no regard for human life. Ginobili will get to the line and score 20. Duncan will get a double-double and one of the Lakers' Big Three will be in foul trouble throughout the game.
Meanwhile, the Lakers bench will suffer a letdown and L.A. will only get production from their Big Three. Kobe will score 30+ on 25 shots in a losing cause.
Spurs 92, Lakers 84. And then the Lakers will regroup and take the next three games.
The Lakers need this game more than the Spurs. To sound like Jay Mariotti, they have the experience to overcome a 2-0 hole. And I hope the Lakers win for another reason; I'm 3-0 in this round picking games, and I picked them to win tonight. LOL! But seriously, Kobe should play more consistently, and if Ginobili doesn't rebound from game 1 (I think he should), the Lakers will win.
I dont see the spurs winning a game they are just completely outclassed, the better team did not win the New Orleans/ San Antonio series. And now Ariza is available for some road defense good bye spurs.
As i said before the more determined team will win the match and the Lakers seems to be that team tonight, irregardless of who had the experience or the more seasoned team. I don't think Spurs can match up better against the Lakers. Tonight, the Lakeshow's young gun just played their heart out and LA's offensive production was very balanced. Parker got tired early because he was busy covering a hot shooting Fisher and Manu's production suffer again for the second time.
Old rigs are prone to sudden breakdown even how well conditioned it is. The well oiled machine of San Antonio might need some fine tuning up or maybe a general overhaul before game 3. LOLs, I guess it should be revved up a little longer just like a diesel machine.
Nique
This series is now as good as over as the Spurs have emboldened the Lakers .
They proved to be ineffective and showed little by way of resistance. They allowed the Lakers to dictate the pace and flow of the game.
As a team they're as athletic as they come and by far the toughest adversary that they've faced in the playoffs.
Stay safe and have a memorable Memorial Day !
rampant' aka tophatal ..........
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 23rd at 10:33 PM.
Nique
I'm having a friggin' nightmare at present. My favvorite soccer team Chelsea loses to Man U in the Champions League Cup Final . The Spurs now go 0-2 down to the Lakers and Ginobili is playing like butter would melt in his hands.
And now come even further allegations against the Pats. What's next ? Belichick declares that the allegations are false ?
This is getting beyond surreal !
Nique
I'm having a friggin' nightmare at present. My favvorite soccer team Chelsea loses to Man U in the Champions League Cup Final . The Spurs now go 0-2 down to the Lakers and Ginobili is playing like butter would melt in his hands.
And now come even further allegations against the Pats. What's next ? Belichick declares that the allegations are false ?
This is getting beyond surreal !
J-DIZZLE
nba is the worst 'Nique
The team has become not only old but indecisive and it can be seen clearly in their play. Now we're being told that Ginobili suffered an injury whereby a fingernail was stripped from the finger on his shooting hand as well as the ankle injury previously suffered.
If they're to win this series then they're going to have to be firing on all cylinders and not just spluttering along.
The Lakers aren't that benevolent to teams.
They go in for the kill when they've got their prey to the ground . Something that the Spurs haven't been accustomed to doing in quite a while .
"They go in for the kill when they've got their prey to the ground ."
Couldn't have been said any better. I was at the game and I was completely impressed with their killer instinct last night. If this carries over to the next game and they win Game Three and eventually sweep the Spurs, then it lets me know the Lakers are totally ready for PRIME TIME.
NBAISTHEWORST: Just ever so slightly off...
ALL LAKERS FANS: How do y'all like the ASSAULT so far? Let's go Lakers!!! (pound the table five times) Let's go Lakers!!! (pound it five more times) Let's go Lakers!!! (and five more)
stopbeingdumb
May 23, 2008
9:01 PM I dont see the spurs winning a game they are just completely outclassed, the better team did not win the New Orleans/ San Antonio series. And now Ariza is available for some road defense good bye spurs.
Nique
There's the thinking that this series could've been quite possibly be over in 5 games. Well that was probably coming from out of the mouths of individuals whose ideas are at best myopic. This series still has something of a way to go before we'll all see its culmination.
And what of the Piston's display against the Celtics. In Beantown they' probably not too happy that McDyess played like an All Star whilst their were actually nowhere to be seen.
It's now a wakeup call for the Celtics. As it's certainly not preordained for 'em to be in the NBA Finals. They're going to have to work for it and not play as if they're likely to be crowned champions.
