[pete_b]

The Suns have pushed it to the limit. If I am not mistaken they are in Phoenix for the last game. Is the Kobe/Jackson team gonna pull it out. If they don't I think you would expect Bryant to throw a tantrum right there on the court. Check it out. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_NBA_PLAYOFFS_RDP?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE =DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-05-05-07-40-29

[cjg11582]

I have expressed my admiration for this series before but said above all else I want a Lakers-Clippers series. Be that as it may, I have no idea what I am going to be doing with myself on Saturday. If the gets towards the end of the game and it is apparent The Suns are going to lose, is Raja Bell simply going to cold-cock Kobe? Or vice-versa? Is Nash going to stake his claim as The MVP? Will Phil Jackson lose his first ever opening round playoff series? The only way it could be more compelling is if game seven was in LA.
This has been the most engaging playoff series since Kings-Lakers in 2002 and it was desperately needed. Finally a NBA playoff series lives up to the hype.

[ThePundit]

I really tried my best to stay up to see the game. I was even trying to watch one eye open. But I just couldn't do it. They should put these games on a little later in the evening. Only 90% of the east coast is sleeping and not 100%

[ThePundit]

Any predictions for tonght's game? LA should have closed them out Thursday night. Phoenix wins tonight IMHO.

[pete_b]

cjg...your wish is the NBA's command....NOT! The Suns proved tonite that the Lakers are a fluke and really a joke if you think about it. I am so glad that the Lakers didn't make it in. Kobe is such a baby. Go Nash. http://english.people.com.cn/200605/...07_263622.html

[Lefty Noob]

Not sure I'd go so far as to call L.A. a fluke, considering that is WAS a seven-game series. But man... a 31-point win by Phoenix? That's just brutal. Kobe took just three shots in the second half, and of course is getting ripped for it just as he would be getting ripped for taking 20 in a loss. I'm not big fan of the kid, but you can't fault him for trying something a little different with his team down 60-45 at the half.

It's like he told reporters after the game: "If we were going to get back in this type of game we had to have everybody contributing... In the first half I started to pick it up offensively just to keep us in the hunt. If we were going to get back into the game in the second half everybody has to get into a rhythm and that didn't happen."

[legend]

I kept waiting for the genius of Phil Jackson to emerge, but it just didn't happen. What a shame. Here's a guy who went from being an elbow throwing stiff as a player to perhaps the most overrated coach in the history of team sports. Losing by 31 in a Game Seven.

[ThePundit]

Have a good off season Kobe..Have a good time watching the best player in LA this year, Elton Brand dominate the Suns.....Now you saw why Kobe is not a pimple on Lebron James' fannie.

[desertrat]

The Kobe haters will always find fault in his game. If he scores 50 they call him a selfish ball hog. If he tries to get his teammates involved in the game he gets ripped for "only" scoring 24 points on 16 shots. The sad truth is that the Lakers only have a handful of decent players and only 2 real NBA quality starters on their roster. Kwame Brown was a huge disappointment in the final 3 games constantly turning the ball over and missing 2 foot layups. Smush Parker was pathetic over the last 3 or 4 games shooting less than 25%. Luke Walton had a few bright moments but in the end he also missed several close up shots and would always fall down trying to draw a foul instead of taking it up strong. The only 2 real players the Lakers have are Kobe and Lamar Odom. There is 1 young player that looks like he could be a major contributor in the Laker future in Vujacic, a solid outside shooter that didn't play enough in this series in my opinion. The Lakers need to find a PG and a center if they want to compete in the west next year. Another outside shooter would be a big help as well.

[cjg11582]

It really is a catch-22 with Kobe. I do fault him for his approach in the Phoenix game, though. It seems like he was letting the media dictate how he should help his team win, and bottom line is Phoenix is the better team who was playing at home and bound by will too win that game. The way they were shooting made the outcome certain regardless if Kobe had fifty assists or one hundred points, one player cannot compensate for an entire team under any circumstances. The same scenario played itself out yesterday in game one of The Cavs-Pistons series. Detroit show 67% in the first half and I think 55% for the entire game. No one man team will be able to counter balance that.
Smush Parker and Luke Walton looked petrified on Saturday night. It was a joke. The only fault I found in Kobe's game was he seemed overly flummoxed as to what the best approach was in the second half. Personally I think he should have been as assertive in the second half as he was in the first. They were down by fifteen but they had cut it too eight with two minutes left, and let the last few minutes of the half slip away from them. But regardless of what Kobe does, Phoenix wins that game.

[ThePundit]

Originally Posted by cjg11582

one player cannot compensate for an entire team under any circumstances.... But regardless of what Kobe does, Phoenix wins that game.

I agee with you CJG but this is what Kobe wanted. He basically called the shot to send Shaq packing. He wanted to show that he didn't need Shaq to win. Now that it's been 2 years and no playoff series wins, maybe next time, he'll be careful what he wishes for.

[cjg11582]

This is true to an extent. Kobe did want Shaq gone but I don't think that implies he wanted no help at all. When he was playing with Shaq he was (or at least he believed himself) a top five player in the league before the age of twenty five. I can understand where he would want to be the number one option on his team and not be overshadowed by Shaq. Is there an element of selfishness to that? Without question. But after you win three titles at that young of an age it is understandable he would want his own identity.
It's not like The Lakers win any of those NBA titles without Kobe there. Shaq needed Kobe like Kobe needed Shaq. Yet everyone viewed Kobe as expendable, and I think that eventually caught up to him.

[desertrat]

I heard the media mention repeatedly in this series how shorthanded the Suns were inside with no size. They never mentioned that neither of the Lakers 2 centers played(Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm) or that 7 foot forward Slava Medvedenko also was out. The Lakers also did not have a legitimate NBA PG(Smush Parker is NOT an NBA quality starting PG) and the only other player on the team that could help Kobe was Lamar Odom. When Parker, Brown, and Walton were all missing wide open jumpers, it would have been nice to bring Slava in because he hits those shots. The Suns were not impressive until the final game of the series, I am still waiting to see if the MVP is good enough to finally lead his team to the finals for once in his career.

[cjg11582]

You know its a dismal supporting cast when you are relying on Slava Medvedenko.

[desertrat]

Originally Posted by cjg11582

You know its a dismal supporting cast when you are relying on Slava Medvedenko.

Sad but true. At least Slava can hit an open shot, most of the Lakers failed miserably in that aspect of the last 3 games.