NEVER EVER EVER EVER
Totally fucking speechless. This is your MVP, and a legit heir to Jordan's throne. And this is the rare day when you can watch two potential candidates for GOAT play back-to-back.
Kobe Bryant is no longer a bandwagon—he's an axiom. Dwyane Wade? Pleeze. Dude might not even be able to get past a glorified All-American team with Shaq.
Incidentally, do they only have that camera angle at Staples?
posted by Bethlehem Shoals @ 4/30/2006 06:46:00 PM
46 comments
46 Comments:
The Muthafuckin' TRUTH!
Jordan the Remix, bitches!
unfuckingbelievable.
http://sports.tom.com/images/upload/200409011248097kobe_7s.jpg
He should really cut back on the raping though.
1. The officials handed LA that game.
2. Say nice things about Smush damn you.
3. wise and lazy wise and lazy wise and lazy wise and lazy wise and lazy wise and lazy wise and lazy
Made even more special by the fact that Nash capital-C-hoked down the stretch.
He truly has been "Employee No. 8" in this series, not to mention clearly the MVP. Has this reached Hakeem destroying the Admiral status yet?
INSANE & BLATANT REFEREE BIAS.
this hasn't reached Hakeem pwning Robinson because Nash has played well in the series. But it's close. If you consider the fact that the Lakers have no business leading this series, it's very very close.
As for the refs, yes, they did give LA a lot of calls down the stretch.
This has already exceeded Admiral status, to the point where I'm almost starting to feel bad for Nash. The Spurs fought back to even the series after dropping the opening two at home, and David wasn't the one to blame. Sean Elliot choked a pair of FTs at the end of Game 1 that would've won it, and Rodman was being Rodman, getting himself suspended by the team. Plus, Bob Hill was the coach (always a plus). More importantly, Hakeem put it on EVERYONE that year. At least the Admiral didn't get swept.
But back to the game, I'm starting to feel some remorse for all the bad shit i've said about nash. It's not his fault he won the award. I wanted to see the right man win the award. I didn't want to see Nash bludgeoned to death with Mo-Pod.
Word Verification (Honest to God):
styel
know it.
1. i didn't think the calls (or lack thereof) were that bad. that first steal off the inbound was clean, and as for the TO - i honestly don't think the refs could see it. yeah, the close calls went LA's way. but that's why you have to win at home.
2. even if the refs were biased, that doesn't make what Kobe did any less incredible. which is more than anyone can say about Lebron's game winner.
to me, the lakers are starting to feel like that early-90s Pacer team, where as long as they were within 6-8pts by the last minute of the game, Miller would find a way to win about 80% of the time. there's also something distinctly Schrempfian about Odom's role/style in it all.
kobe's good to the point where i can't understand what the fuck he's doing while he's doing it. like, i didn't get what he was even trying to attempt with that teardrop until a second after it was through the net. this probably applies off the court as well.
and there may have been foul on that jumpball, but i'd always prefer to let the players decide it (see, anthony johnson). calling a foul on a clean swipe or tie-up would've been a far greater sin. and i say this as someone who's team was recently hurt by the "let them play" reffing when bibby ripped manu.
I think Lebron heard about Kobe's performance. 18pts in the first quarter. Damn.
Can we stop these silly shenaningans, and get get these two cats to face off in the finals yet? Would anyone really object to this?
Easily the most ridiculous Lakers game I've seen in as long as I can remember. All the members of the media who voted for Nash can choke as hard as Nash did (if that's even possible).
gotta love the contrast between the DC and LA crowds. carville, big russ and thompson & son all REPPING the district.
brick,
you said it perfectly. its not just that Kobe amazes me - its that my amazement can't even keep up.
also, not that it compares to what just happened, but since he often seems to go without mention let me just say that Dirk was his own breed of tremendous last night. and his is the only team that's 3-0 right now. just so we don't forget...
good call on odom's Schrempfiness.
CWEBB IS ON EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER RIGHT NOW.
Kobe was awesome, but the real hero of the game was Smush.
That steal was unfair.
i am trying to move my girlfriend while watching all these games and post on here. it doesn't work so well.
smush--either phil/kobe get genius-level credit, dumars and a bunch of other people just plain couldn't see it, or, most likely, some of both.
just dropped in on this game, not really into watching gilbert suffer. also does anyone ever feel there's any drama surrounding lebron?
in a perfect world, i would have time to write a long post on this later. but since i won't, i'll sort of agree with brick on feeling sorry for nash. last season, he was the toast of the league, and all of us were lining up (well, not brickowski) to see them immolate the playoffs. and kobe was the most hated man alive. now suddenly not only are they losing, everyone's rooting against them and FOR the prince of darkness.
I think I just choked on my own haterade. That's it, I give up. I've denied long enough, I don't want this to end the way it did with Jordan and I. He, in his silk pajamas bathing in champaigne while I cry into my five alive. I'm aboard. You know what they say, no one is as zealous as the recently converted. Finals or bust Kobe8 4 ever.
SHOEFLY!
i've been wondering if/when you'd come on board. this is indeed momentous.
and shoals,
i'm not sure what "trying to move my girlfriend" means, but by all means, don't hurt yourself.
you do know what i meant, but for the sake of everyone who doesn't know everything about my personal life: moving into a new apt.
verification: sitym!!
My thought is that when everyone knowsyou are trying to give a foul, the ref should oblige quickly. Elsewise, injuries ensure, John Cheney-Nehemiah Ingraham style.
That said, the first steal by Smush was cleaner than my dad's car on a Sunday afternoon. And, much like Shoefly, the Haterade doesn't taste very good on the way back up...
DasBron with the choke job? Or Arenas (and friggin' Jared Jeffries?!) taking it to the next level.
There's all sorts of irrational rooting going on this post-season. I should be rooting for the Kings - my parents and my stuff are in Sacramento. I'm good friends with people in their front office. I went to school with Shareef Abdur-Rahim. I enjoy Bonzi Wells to no end. The Spurs (and their stupid Baseline Bum fans) are my I-10 rival.
And yet, I really want to see SAS just dispatch Team Maloof with all urgency. Maybe it's the fact that I hate Kevin Martin's circa 1990 high top fade.
see above:
INSANE & BLATANT REFEREE BIAS.
That play at the end of the fourth was astounding. As I sat dumbfounded, damn near catatonic reeling from what I'd just witnessed, my girlfriend came into the room. She pointed out that the game was going into overtime. I could only manage a response to her that must have seemed a lot like something one overhears on a bus leaving a VA hospital. Nuts. Completely nuts.
Nash hasn't played well in this series. Nash isn't judged as a scorer but as making his teammates better. Well, they've all sucked this series except for diaw who doesn't need nash. Nash is the one leading his team in scoring while the rest of the guys can't get rhythm and kobe is the one sacrificing scoring and helping luke, smush and kwame put up some career numbers and playing defense. I've been saying it for awhile that kobe is jordan. The fadeaway, the killer mentality, the work ethic, and certainly the ability, and you can't question his leadership anymore.
I'm glad neither luke walton or steve nash can properly get a jump ball.
I hate to interrupt the circle jerk about Kobe's brilliance which everyone seems to be enjoying here, but I think that something important is being overlooked here. That something is one Amare "my mom is completely crazy" Stoudamire. Put a healthy Stoudamire on the court for Phoenix, and this series is already over, and The World's Most Talented Rapist would still be what he was during the regular season: Gunner Without Peer, but also without many wins. To be fair, Kobe has seized the opportunity given to him and done a hell of job. But let's not make this into something it isn't. He is leading an upset of a very good team, but one which is missing a dominating inside presence, and its number one scoring option. With a healthy Amare on the court, there would be no late-game heroics, no talk of Kwame's improvement, no fawning over the Air Apparent. What there would be is Stoudamire posterizing the Lakers' overwhelmed front line for 48 minutes a game, Kwame crying himself to sleep at night, The Matrix operating more efficiently on the wing, and Kobe heaving up (and making) jillions of ridiculously difficult shots, but inevitably coming up short at the buzzer. Does anyone really doubt this? These games are remarkably close considering the amount of possesions Phoenix spends looking completely lost in half court because they can't really go inside. Now picture Amare on the block, with Phil Jackson's favourite p---- behind him. But out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Kobe ascends to the pantheon while leading a cast of also-rans against a handicapped squad no one wants to admit is handicapped. Perception is a funny thing.
Also i was wondering. How come from a lot of stuff i've read and heard through word of mouth, that phil jax gets most the credit for turning around the lakers in the playoffs, while nash(not d'antoni/colangelo) gets credited for turning around the suns last year? I know it's fun to watch nash, but i've been saying it for the past 2 years; nash is still the same guy from dallas but now with more jump passes and recklessnes. He was always a high% shooter with a nack for getting people the ball. It's just marion, diaw and stoudemire are much better at rolling to the basket on the high pick and roll than dirk who would set a pick then stand at the 3 point line. Nash has probably been the most overrated player in the league for 2 years(not that he's bad, but he won the mvp fucking twice). I don't understand how people say it's nash and not the system. Don't get me wrong, nash is playing at his career best in an already good almost/but never all star career. Brevin knight would be doing the same thing minus the shooting %, chris paul would have some of the greatest stats since oscar, andre miller would be a nightly triple double threat, a slightly younger jason kidd would be changing the world and still looking exactly like my friend's dad. I love the suns system and nash's play, but man if the 2 year long fellatio of little stevie wonder hasn't gotten on my nerves.
aug, i agree that nash is overrated, while d'antoni and his system are underrated. no way should nash be MVP. in my estimation, mike d is a fucking genius at both constructing and coaching a team. but, i have to disagree that brevin, andre miller, or even j-kidd would fit as well as nash. brevin's about 5 inches shorter than nash, and neither andre nor kidd possess the wet j that nash has. chris paul in that offense would be scary, though.
No Stoudemire. Like someone else said, if Amare is in this series, it's 4-0 Suns. Easy.
Marion fouling out.
Yes, that was a foul on James Jones and should been free throws but we were in LA so I am not suprised. It was right in front of the official.
Smush Parker was the hero. A flat footed 3 and a big steal. Even on a day when he makes the two biggest plays of his career, he's overlooked for the credit.
Diaw called a timeout. Nash called a timeout.
Kobe made two great, clutch shots.
One thing I've noticed though in this years NBA playoffs...probably more so cause I've watched almost every game is that the NBA is going to do whatever it can to assist getting certain teams further in the Rounds to increase ratings. Nash or Kobe in Round 2? Clippers/Suns or Lakers/Clippers? What is a better draw. Hence the James no call and the suddenly invisible timeout until Lakers had a grasp on the ball then the ref could see good enough to call the jump. Lebron's traveling game winner. Arenas in Round 2 or Lebron? Sure, these guys have to finish off the assist from the NBA officials but there is no denying that the NBA will do what it can to insure high ratings and millions.
Lastly, isn't it funny how 3 months ago every alleged Laker fan was calling for the heads of Odom, Brown and Parker and blaming them for Kobe taking 35-40 shots a game and "having" to score 50+ a game? Now they get the opportunity to do something in a game and they do and everyone is on their jock?
The reason Phil Jackson gets the credit for "turning" around the Lakers in the playoffs is because for the FIRST TIME this season he's decided to step up and coach. A little coaching and go a long way. He was too content sitting in his chair watching Kobe shoot left and right and leaving everyone else out of the gameplan.
That game was Sickness.
I'm looking forward to the book at Phil Jax writes after his current stint on the Lakers bench ends so that we can find out the substance of the conversation that he and Kobe had before the playoffs. I was already impressed with what they'd accomplished in the regular season, but this is great stuff. Almost great enough to make me look the other way about Phil's bullshit comments on hip hop, the attention spans of black athletes, and the intrusion of "thuggery" into the NBA. Almost.
Perhaps he could completely redeem himself by teaching Kwame to make an open dunk.
"Like someone else said, if Amare is in this series, it's 4-0 Suns. Easy."
I don't understand this at all. What does Amare have to do with this - the guy only played for like a half an hour this season. its like saying, "well, if shaq was still with them, the Lakers would beat every team in the conference". ok, sure. but so what?
Deskie,
Yeah, and if Tim Duncan hadn't had plantar fasciitis this year, the Spurs might have won 73 games and set a new record -- should we put an asterisk in the record book? You can only play the games with the guys you've got.
The Suns were good enough to win 54 games and earn a 2 seed without Amare, while Kobe and the Sidekicks came in as a lowly 7 seed. Leading a 7 seed past a 2 is an impressive accomplishment, whatever the circumstances. We've got plenty of time to put it in perspective when the Lakers get beat by the Clippers, Spurs, or Mavs.
yeah, silverbird, i was going to say the same thing. even without amare this is still a 2nd seed vs. a 7th seed. 2 seeds aren't supposed to get rolled like this. it would be one thing if amare was lost at the end of the season or beginning of the playoffs, but this is the squad they've had all year.
what's with all these high seeds struggling? another product of NBA 2.0, or is it just an answer to all of the bitching about how the first round should revert to best of 5 since there's no drama in 7?
The reason Phil Jackson gets the credit for "turning" around the Lakers in the playoffs is because for the FIRST TIME this season he's decided to step up and coach. A little coaching and go a long way. He was too content sitting in his chair watching Kobe shoot left and right and leaving everyone else out of the gameplan.
This conveniently ignores how well the Lakers were playing in the last few weeks of the season.
One could make the argument that PJ was just letting Kobe get the selfish poison out of his system by chucking up all those shots until he saw that he needed to get his teammates involved. But that's just as much wild speculation as your suggestion -- assuming you can judge a coach's job simply by watching his demeanor on the sidelines neglects that most of a coach's job happens outside of the actual game. If you wait until tipoff to start coaching your team, you're sunk.
The team has come together, yes. Is it Kobe's leadership and will, Phil's planning, Odom finally trusting no. 8, or simply a collective desire not to get pantsed on national TV? Who knows, but Phil Jackson isn't a magician who can simply start to "coach" and turn his team into contenders in a week. Nor are the players some kind of personality-drained automatons who aren't actively involved in making a coach's ideas come to fruition. What's happening now is the result of an entire season.
Those who hate will continue to hate, and look for reasons to discount the whole thing.
The World's Most Talented Rapist
No way. It's Roman Polanski.
I think we need to clear up one point about all the "7 seed over a 2 seed" talk in this post. With the playoff bracket tweeked this year so that the three division champs finish 1-2-3 in the playoff bracket, the seedings are fucked up. In terms of pure record (the way the League has ordered the playoffs since its inception) the 3-seed Nuggets should technically be the seventh seed. Similarly, Dallas should be 2 and Phoenix should be 3. Therefore, we're really watching a pure #3 seed, struggling late in the regular season, deal with a late-season surging #6 seed. Six over three sure is impressive, but a similar situation is unfolding in the East; it's much more common.
One thing I've noticed though in this years NBA playoffs...probably more so cause I've watched almost every game is that the NBA is going to do whatever it can to assist getting certain teams further in the Rounds to increase ratings
Yeah, because those Spurs and Pistons have such large national followings.
Oh, what? That's not true?
Great point, Mirabeau Lamar. Is anybody able to quickly figure out what the playoff table would have looked like under the former seeding system?
Another thing I'm wondering about: every NBA analyst/writer seems to be very much at ease with the conclusion that it's logical that the Suns are getting punished by the Lakers inside. WHAT? It's Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom, one guy who can't catch and - if he does - takes three seconds from catching the ball and finally starting his low-post move and LO who clearly thrives outside. And when did Luke Walton become Kevin McHale 2.0?
Anyway, my point is, how do all these experts who spoke so highly of the Suns' playoff chances explain this when Nash and co. are currently playing the worst low-post frontcourt in the whole Western Conference? They have trouble handling Kwame Brown, but maybe they're better suited to play Elton Brand or Tim Duncan in the next rounds?
Also, I'm no NBA X's and O's expert, but I can't believe a successful gameplan could be reduced to such a simple formula like it is in every article nowadays. Attacking the Suns inside, you really think? Well, Yao Ming/Marcus Camby/Erick Dampier etc. are a head taller than Diaw, you think we should get him the ball every once in a while? I hope NBA gameplans are more evolved than this...
Consequently, it must be something else the Lakers are doing very well against the Suns, or might it really just be the fact that you can prepare your team differently for a playoff match-up? Thoughts?
Mirabeau: I don't think the issue here is the seeding, it's that a team with a hot hand looks like it has a chance to take down an elite. Phoenix is probably the worst of the elite right now, but this is like expecting Chicago to take down Miami, not like watching Indiana beating New Jersey. And by your argument, New Jersey is a 4 seed, because Cleveland had a better record.
I hope NBA gameplans are more evolved than this...
I hope so too, but I'm constantly amazed when teams seemingly fail to take advantage of huge mismatches, for example Smush Parker guarding Boris Diaw. Why doesn't Diaw abuse the four-inch height advantage and shoot over Smush?
Why doesn't LeBron make a career of posting up the smaller guards that teams throw at him, especially against teams that have no shot blockers?
Why do teams get burned ten times in a row by pick and rolls and yet still not rotate on the eleventh?
Jack:
I'm just saying that this year's odd seedings may distort the traditional perceptions of what they mean. The East matchups demonstrate that the seeding is deceptive just as the Clips/Lakers series are in the West. PHX is an elite team. I agree with you about the real issue involved, but a part of the "upset" narrative may be a bit off due to this year's zany seedings. And that perception is framing the Suns demise in tragic tones.
The Suns were without Amare the entire year, and they still got the #2 seed. They were still one of the best teams in the Western Conference (3rd best) without Amare. The Lakers are beating the third best team in the Western conference, period. The only true piece missing is Kurt Thomas, who honestly wouldn't have made such a huge difference that the series wouldn't at least be tied right now
"Deskie,
Yeah, and if Tim Duncan hadn't had plantar fasciitis this year, the Spurs might have won 73 games and set a new record -- should we put an asterisk in the record book? You can only play the games with the guys you've got.
The Suns were good enough to win 54 games and earn a 2 seed without Amare, while Kobe and the Sidekicks came in as a lowly 7 seed. Leading a 7 seed past a 2 is an impressive accomplishment, whatever the circumstances. We've got plenty of time to put it in perspective when the Lakers get beat by the Clippers, Spurs, or Mavs."
Quite a few people are talking as if this is one of the great spiritual moments in basketball history, and D. is just trying to contextualize things. He has a point. That's not to take away the point above: Kobe's play is very effective and the Lakers' wins are very impressive.
Roman Polanski is overrated. Also, "statutory" is a powerful adjective.
And I believe that Anonymous was referring to Kobe's rap album, which was never released because of its poor quality. ohhla.com has the lyrics to one some transcribed. One is "Thug Poet," where he at least quotes Nas. The other is a rap for the ladies with Tyra Banks, 'K.O.B.E.,' a 12" single.
Interesting how there is so much importance given to a guy shooting a ball into a basket. Yeah, very important when around 1 billion people on our planet live on $1 dollar/day (Source, check page 4)
B
i like how of all the sports blogs in the world to generically criticize, you choose the one with the most over-developed political conscience. go fuck yourself, pinko!!!!!!!!
Also, "statutory" is a powerful adjective.
If you've read the transcript of the girl's deposition, "statutory" ain't the half of it.
I've noticed how some have stated that the refs gave that game to the Lakers, but to be fair the games have been called about even.
Yes, Nash was fouled before the jumpball call, but Nash got a no call when he pushed off on Vujacic to get the in bound pass before that.
When Kobe made the layup to take the game into OT there was contact on the play and no foul was called then. It goes both ways, there were a few obviuos travel calls and moving screens that Pheonix got away with towards the end. The refs usually can feel the momentum of a game and let things play out. Thats why if a player gets a little contact going to the rack and makes the layup they'll often times let it go but if they miss they'll send them to the line.
So you have to give credit were credit is do. The Lakers are a 7th seed team that at sesaons start most said wouldn't even make the playoffs with the cast that they had and they are beating a team that most considered at seasons start to possibly when the western conf. title.
At this point there should not be any question in anyones mind that Kobe is the mvp. He is beating (the so-called '06 MVP) Nash's pants off in the playoffs. In the regular season the Lakers would have never come close to being in the playoffs if #8 wasn't there. Even in the 81 point game when people were calling him a ball hog the Lakers basically needed everyone of those points just to even win that game, If the Suns didn't have Nash they would still make the playoffs as lower seed. Without Kobe the lakers would lose more games than Golden State
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