I think he ends up with a couple before its all said and done, but you've gotta put him more on a Kobe/Garnett timeline than Jordan...Jordan's 18-21 years were spent playing 30-40 college games a year, Lebron's were spent playing 82+ NBA games a year...could factor into a little more wear and tear down the road

5/22/2012 8:35:23 AM

Quote :

"OKLAHOMA CITY -- At least eight people were shot late Monday blocks from Chesapeake Energy Arena after the NBA playoff game between the Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City police said. Capt. Dexter Nelson said some scuffles broke out in a crowd of people walking east toward the Bricktown district, a popular nightlife area. "Some girls got into it with a group of guys, and the guys opened fire on the women," Nelson said. He said the shooting occurred at 11:35 p.m. Police know of at least eight people wounded in the incident, but Nelson did not have information on their ages or genders. He said one victim was in critical condition while the others sustained nonlife-threatening injuries. Nelson said earlier reports of two suspects being arrested were not accurate. He said police stopped one vehicle near the incident and had detained and questioned the occupants. However, he said it was unclear how or even if the vehicle's occupants were involved in the shooting."

stay classy NBA fans

5/22/2012 8:37:37 AM

Quote :

"Some girls got into it with a group of guys, and the guys opened fire on the women"

jesus

5/22/2012 8:38:48 AM

I"ll never hit a woman

But I'll shoot a bitch in the face if she steps to me.

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 9:26 AM. Reason : 2]

5/22/2012 9:24:10 AM

42 points, 0 assists

Gotta be among the most points ever with no helpers for a guard

Corey Magette All Star

5/22/2012 10:43:19 AM

Ron artest seemed very positive about their outlook for next year. Almost like he ws high or something.

5/22/2012 10:54:56 AM

When Kobe left at the end of the 1st quarter, they were down like 5 or 6. With him out of the game they came back and grabbed the lead.

He's a great player, but the Lakers are a better team when they are pounding it in down low and not when he's not running around jacking up shots.

Obviously they needed him when the Thunder had all three stars in at the beginning of the 4th quarter and they couldn't stop the bleeding. But they need to shift the scoring focus to the post next year. Keep Bynum, get rid of Gasol, and get a SF or another guard who can create and score for himself to take the load off of Bryant on the perimeter (Sessions is NOT that guy).

5/22/2012 11:18:46 AM

Quote :

"42 points, 0 assists Gotta be among the most points ever with no helpers for a guard"

Kobe is the only guard/wing in NBA history to score 40+ with no assists in a game 3 times (since 85-86 season)

Jordan and Dominique did it twice each

Charlotte Hornet Johnny Newman did it once!

http://tinyurl.com/d97vddw

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 12:21 PM. Reason : long url]

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 12:22 PM. Reason : first time Kobe has done it in a loss, in one of the wins he dropped 62 points]

5/22/2012 12:14:23 PM

LOL, E-man "science" of watching games and then picking teams to win based on who has the cutest SG.

Look, I don't know how to tell you this but Kobe shot 42% for the series and 11% from the 3 pt line.

In the three games in OKC he averaged 5.3 FT and in the two games in LA he averaged 17.5 FT's. Without the FT's in LA, he would have been terrible and I think we can all agree most of those calls were a travesty. Hell, the first play of the game in game 4 he got 2 FT's just for getting his jump shot blocked.

Kobe is an irrelevant player at this stage of his career. He can get hot and help a team win a game occasionally just like he can suck and help a team lose a game. So can Mo Williams, Klay Thompson, and Joe Johnson yet none of those guys seem to be in the MVP discussion every year.

If Bynum doesn't play well the Lakers can't compete. Kobe does not drive that bus. The Lakers would be wise to amnesty Kobe and start Ebanks next year. Not only would they be just as competitive, but they'd save $26 million in cap space which is enough to sign 2 Lebron's.

5/22/2012 1:04:59 PM

calling Kobe an irrelevant role player discredits your point that he's past his prime and just makes you sound like Kobe fucked your girlfriend one time and you've held a grudge ever since

next you'll say he's not a top-10 player in the Pacific

--

back to tonight's game, I think Game 4 showed the Heat are gonna win this series, but they're not going to win a championship this year if they're relying on Wade and Lebron to combine for 75 points every night

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 1:12 PM. Reason : .]

5/22/2012 1:09:46 PM

That's just it. He's not just "past his prime", he is WAY past his prime.

I will say this. He did the right thing by going to the post where he can still be effective offensively.

That was much better than continuing to jack up terrible jump shots like the way he lost his team the game in game 4.

If history is any guide I expect him to go right back to throwing up junk next regular season.

5/22/2012 1:12:45 PM

are you still mad at him for forcing the Hornets to trade him? that was a long time ago, give it a rest

5/22/2012 1:18:56 PM

When Bynum was hurt they won the championship twice and now that Bynum is the centerpiece they can barely get out of the first round.

This is no coincidence. Watching players on the defensive end does not show up on the stat sheet but Bynum plays with no passion, constantly stands and waves as drivers go by, gets out hustled on the glass and constantly outworked for position. He also has wtf games where he just doesn't rebound at all.

He is great on offense against normal defense but this is because he is great when he catches the ball in a specific place/situation Anytime the gameplan shifts to fronting him or taking him away with zone, he melts and can't get position at all. Its not that the lakers didn't want to give him the ball. All OKC had to do was start fronting Bynum and the entire LA offense was over. They would spend about 15 seconds passing it around looking for him then reverse it to Kobe once all else failed. He needs a premiere point guard if he is going to ever be able to be relied on for late game offense.

Perkins getting a key offensive rebound and putback because bynum didn't boxout in game 4 doesn't really show up in the stat sheet for Bynum but it was the play of the game.

Game 5 saw OKC gain a 16 rebounding advantage simply because of lack of hustle by Bynum. If you watch most of these plays where penetration breaks down the defense, Bynum never crashes in and stays in no mans land about 2 feet inside the free throw line. This leaves Pau all alone to outrebound the whole team.

Same thing happened against Denver. Every center on their roster looked like a legitatimate NBA starter because of his lack of passion. Faried looked like Charles Barkley for heavens sake.

Theres a reason NBA teams analyze film instead of just analyzing stat sheets.

Bynum gets great numbers but doesn't have any of that Tyson Chandler 2011 "it" factor that wins championships. He has no heart and this many years into his career probably will never have championship level heart.

Quote :

"Without the FT's in LA, he would have been terrible"

You're right. He'd be a terrible player if people could foul him and get away with it.

Hey guys, Tony Parker would suck if he wasn't allowed to dribble!

Quote :

"Keep Bynum, get rid of Gasol, and get a SF or another guard who can create and score for himself to take the load off of Bryant on the perimeter (Sessions is NOT that guy)."

Gasol is better than Bynum even in these last two years of shittyness. Kobe has dropped off a bit but the Lakers obviously lost this series because of their defense. They are not a great defensive team with Bynum getting big minutes. That is why they stopped winning championships when he started getting big minutes.

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 2:46 PM. Reason : k]

Quote :

"When Kobe left at the end of the 1st quarter, they were down like 5 or 6. With him out of the game they came back and grabbed the lead. "

What are you saying exactly? Kobe went 5/7 in the 1st quarter. Are you saying it was Kobe's defense that was hurting them? Did OKC have the same lineup in the game?

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 2:52 PM. Reason : +/- tells you EVERYTHING]

5/22/2012 2:44:57 PM

you are the worst poster ever. Blah blah blah, invalid point, incorrect fact, blah, blah, wrong prediction, outlandish statement, blah, blah, blah.


I can't even tell if you're being serious anymore. Rebounds don't show up in the stat sheet? Actually they do. They're listed under rebounds.

5/22/2012 2:58:46 PM

Quote :

"Are you saying it was Kobe's defense that was hurting them?"

He did play matador defense all series long.

5/22/2012 3:01:30 PM

Quote :

"You're right. He'd be a terrible player if people could foul him and get away with it. "

I think it is pretty clear that many of those calls were bogus. Many of them he didn't even have the ball. A lot of them were clean blocks on JUMP SHOTS. He didn't get those calls in OKC, he averaged a pedestrian 5.3 FTA in games played there. Why did he average 17.5 FTA in LA? That seems like a lot of free throws for a guy taking fadeaways from the elbow all game.

Without the reputation calls Kobe would have had a pretty disastrous series.

5/22/2012 3:10:56 PM

Quote :

"Gasol is better than Bynum even in these last two years of shittyness"

nah, i think since Gasol reverted back to Gasoft the Lakers have been in trouble

I agree to keep Kobe and Bynum and trade Gasol

oh wait, they were gonna trade Gasol etc for Chris Paul, but the NBA vetoed it!

5/22/2012 3:15:28 PM

yeah if you think Gasol was better than Bynum this year then please stop spewing your idiocy all over this board.

Gasol is a former great, but he wasn't good this year. The decline of Gasol and Kobe is why the Lakers aren't contenders anymore. You take Bynum off that team they might not even make the playoffs.

5/22/2012 3:22:12 PM

Quote :

"you are the worst poster ever. Blah blah blah, invalid point, incorrect fact, blah, blah, wrong prediction, outlandish statement, blah, blah, blah. I can't even tell if you're being serious anymore. Rebounds don't show up in the stat sheet? Actually they do. They're listed under rebounds."

You're the one saying Kobe is terrible and refuting his good stats with some sort of conspiracy theory.

Giving up an offensive rebound does not show up in the stat sheet last time I checked. In fact, a wide open rebound counts the same as a contested rebound late in the game.

Quote :

"I think it is pretty clear that many of those calls were bogus. Many of them he didn't even have the ball."

You are exposing your lack of qualitative basketball knowledge more and more. You can't get fouled away from the ball? Really? Does position mean anything to you?

Its a shame you don't understand the fact that where you catch the ball is the most important factor in what you will be able to do with it. If you let Kobe catch the ball wherever he wants, he would make most of his shots. Relentless physicality in denial is the main reason OKC defense was able to have any success against the Lakers. Knowing that much is like an analytic free throw.

But you will continue to stay stuck in your belief that every shot was created equal.

Quote :

" Why did he average 17.5 FTA in LA? That seems like a lot of free throws for a guy taking fadeaways from the elbow all game."

Obviously, he adjusted to the physical defense and started to draw attention to the fouls.


But you will continue to stay stuck in your belief that everything is based solely on %s applied in a vacuum and nothing ever changes during a game, series or season.

Quote :

"yeah if you think Gasol was better than Bynum this year then please stop spewing your idiocy all over this board. Gasol is a former great, but he wasn't good this year. The decline of Gasol and Kobe is why the Lakers aren't contenders anymore. You take Bynum off that team they might not even make the playoffs."

I think Gasol's versatility is still more valuable than Bynum's "dominance" but I think Bynum gets in his way and makes clouds the game up for him. Like I said, his numbers as well as Kobe's both dropped at the same time Bynum started getting the major minutes. You guys want to say its because they suddenly got old overnight but I think its because of lack of chemistry with Bynum. Nobody can really say for sure.

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 5:27 PM. Reason : PERSONAL ATTACK PERSONAL ATTACK PERSONAL ATTACK PERSONAL ATTACK PERSONAL ATTACK]

5/22/2012 5:24:38 PM

Kobe's numbers are dropping because Bynum is drawing double teams, creating easy baskets, and rebounding??

C'mon man.

5/22/2012 5:43:02 PM

Hansbrough having Gerald Henderson flashbacks.

5/22/2012 8:50:28 PM

I think his series stats are: 2 walks and 1 flagrant foul

5/22/2012 8:53:29 PM

god i hate the Heat

5/22/2012 8:53:45 PM

Haslem's was more deserving of a Flagrant II. That was pretty nasty.

** Wouldn't be shocked if he sits out Game 6, which would be pretty big with no Bosh.

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 8:56 PM. Reason : x]

5/22/2012 8:54:30 PM

please disregard this thread message_topic.aspx?topic=572642 cause tonight, and the rest of this series, he's my boy

Lebron with the Bruce Bowen defense, stay classy Lebron

[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 9:15 PM. Reason : .]

5/22/2012 9:03:50 PM

Same thing is happening to Indiana that happened to the Lakers. Miami is fronting the post players and they are spending about 15-20 seconds trying to find an entry pass then lofting up a 3 when the shot clock gets late.

These guys have to find a way to get open for a pass when they are fronted.

5/22/2012 9:22:53 PM

Lebron and Wade in full fuck you mode right now

5/22/2012 9:57:56 PM

Indiana went from not doing anything on offense and hositing up 3s at the end of the shotclock to just flat out passing the ball to miami instead. Might as well.

5/22/2012 9:59:45 PM

In Haslem's defense, Hansbrough made the crazy eyes at him.

5/22/2012 10:56:22 PM

My Heat are looking good to advance. Giving me 3 of my 4 favorite teams (OKC, SA, Miami, Lakers) in the Final Four.

5/22/2012 11:04:39 PM

dp

5/22/2012 11:04:39 PM

Post game is cracking me up big time tonight. Barkley is so great.

5/22/2012 11:34:41 PM

Next game will be chippy. Gaskets will be blown

5/23/2012 12:23:30 AM

4 favorite teams? seriously? just gonna root for 1/4 of the playoff field?

5/23/2012 12:42:01 AM

Miami's defense has taken away all of Indianas will to play. Its a shame because Hibbert and West should be getting 20 and 10 and piece but this is just not a post players league anymore.

5/23/2012 6:48:34 AM

Thought this was pretty funny

5/23/2012 6:54:31 AM

I fell asleep early. What did Pittman do? People seem to think it, too, was over the top and should be met with disciplinary action.

God, the Heat can't lose quick enough for me.

** and its open season on Wade/Lebron with extremely hard fouls if thats how Miami/the refs want to play.

[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 7:41 AM. Reason : X]

5/23/2012 7:40:01 AM

I don't think Haslem deserves a suspension. I could see a fine, maybe, but no way that gets a suspension. Hansborough's was just as bad, he wasn't making a play on the ball either.

Pittman should probably sit out 2-3 games, that was just a straight up goon play with intent to injure.

If Haslem gets suspended the Pacers might have a shot at this one, but I think it's done, they had their spirits broken in this one. Lebron and Wade are playing too well, Granger and West are banged up, no way it makes it to game 7.

5/23/2012 8:00:18 AM

Hansbrough did touch the ball and clearly made an attempt on it. Hard foul and a flagrant one but I'm not sure how you can watch that and Haslem's and conclude they were the same severity unless you're just hating on Hansbrough because if where he played his college ball at.

I'd be fine if Haslem didn't get suspended I guess but it probably should have been a II if Hansbroughs was a I.

5/23/2012 8:04:11 AM

I've watched it a few times, and the biggest thing to me is that Hansbrough hit Wade hard in the head. You can say he was making a play on the ball, but really... was he? He had no chance at the block and just clubbed Wade in the head. It looks to me like Haslem most got mostly shoulder and arm, only a little bit of Hansbrough's head, the biggest difference is that Haslem didn't pretend to be going for the ball enough. If Hansbrough making it look slightly less intentional is the only difference I don't think you suspend for one and no the other.

I don't think it should be a flagrant two and a supspension but I can see where it could be ruled that way, I personally don't think it should be, but I wouldn't be overly surprised if he missed a game.

Pittman though, that dude should miss time.

5/23/2012 8:35:25 AM

Hansbrough got his entire hand on the ball before he raked at Wade's eyes, how can anyone see the replays and say he didn't go for the ball

I mean maybe it was sheer dumb luck he hit the ball, but if he had pulled up short of gouging his eyes, it would've been a hell of a clean block



[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 9:01 AM. Reason : pic]

5/23/2012 8:51:57 AM

Quote :

"But while Michael Jordan’s six championships are still in range, they aren’t the only mark Kobe, a consummate student of the game, is chasing. He is 9,000 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list, which would be four more seasons at 25 points a game. But with his shooting percentages continuing to slip, the number of shots he would need to reach that mark would doom the Lakers to four more years of first and second-round exits, regardless of what other pieces they might acquire. With the final stretch of his career in front of him, Kobe can chase either Jordan or Kareem, but not both. "

Knowing Kobe, he'll go for the scoring title.

5/23/2012 9:56:52 AM

^^ Well, sure aside from the fact that he went into Wade's body with his forearm and then his own body and then proceeded to club down with his other arm. Other than that it was a hell of a clean block. If you didn't have such a blinding hatred of Wade you would admit that was clearly a flagrant.

[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 10:14 AM. Reason : asdf]

5/23/2012 10:10:22 AM

The Haslem foul was definitely worse that Hansdouche's foul. Haslem deserves a suspension, douche does not.

Also

Quote :

"Giving me 3 of my 4 favorite teams (OKC, SA, Miami, Lakers) in the Final Four. "

What kind of third grade shit is this? Who the hell has 4 favorite teams?

5/23/2012 10:33:29 AM

Quote :

"If you didn't have such a blinding hatred of Wade you would admit that was clearly a flagrant."

it was a flagrant, but a flagrant I, whereas Haslem's was clearly a much more vicious flagrant II...you're the one saying Hansbrough didn't even go for the block, which my screencap shows he obviously did

i have a much more blinding hatred of Hansbrough, and I'm defending him...wonder why

Hansblow didn't do anything worse than Wade did...IN THE ALL STAR GAME

Quote :

"Pittman should probably sit out 2-3 games"

why should he sit out less games than Artest?

[Edited on May 23, 2012 at 11:44 AM. Reason : .]

5/23/2012 11:38:39 AM

Quote :

"Pittman should probably sit out 2-3 games, that was just a straight up goon play with intent to injure."

2-3 games is fuckin generous. That was assault & battery.

Bynum was given 5 for his shot on Barea and Pittman's bit was just as dangerous, if not more, than that. Then the motherfucker winked at him afterwards.

5/23/2012 11:55:12 AM

Who cares, can we talk about that game???

That was one of the most exciting blowouts ive ever seen.

Wade wasn't GREAT, but his circus shots were unbelievable.

Lebron looked as good as I've ever seen him. When the Heat make a commitment to run they are just deadly.


Just when we started to write them off this year LBJ turns it up a notch, Wade finds his game, Haslem catches fire, Chalmers gets going again... if Battier's shot is back (4-5 from 3's last night) and Miller can find his they are dangerous.

Who knows maybe they'll get something out of Bosh too... but honestly they're just as good with Anthony/Haslem this year since Bosh morphed into garbage somehow

5/23/2012 12:50:39 PM

Quote :

"That was one of the most exciting blowouts ive ever seen."

you trollin again?

most peoples' perspective on last night's game is "welp, looks like the Heat have this series on lock...holy shit what do you think about those fouls!!"

5/23/2012 12:56:25 PM

Commentatorsa at the game wee lobying hard to have Haslem suspended for a game, which would suck. They have a pretty solid rotation now with him coming in off the bench.

5/23/2012 1:14:51 PM

When is Bosh supposedly coming back? (if at all)

I think they can get by without Haslem for the close-out game against Indiana. But they better hope they don't lose him for too long against Boston.

5/23/2012 1:22:11 PM