West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: -VZA- on June 13, 2004, 10:48:46 PM
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Before the series started, everybody was saying how the Lakers were going to dominate the Pistons. Now they're on the brink of being defeated. Anybody here think they have a shot at winning it all? :-\
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Yes, they have a chance...They beat the Spurs, who are a better team than Detroit, 4 games in a row...What makes you think they can't win 3 against Detroit?...All they need is to steal the next one in Detroit, and they have a good chance...PeACe
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http://www.dubcnn.com/connect/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=53052
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I'm a tru Lakers fan, but for them to win now they'd have to work their hardest every game they play from now on without fouling piston players. (Shaq has been putting in all the work he needs help from the other players)
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I wouldn't say that I'm a Laker fan. I'm more of a Kobe fan. Before the Lakers acquired Kobe, I never watched their games. It sure would be nice to see Kobe win especially with all of the stuff he's facing right now.
I think in order for the Lakers to win, they need a new coach. Phil Jackson is highly overrated and right now it's really showing. He wastes timeouts, he puts players in at times that don't make sense. Same thing goes for his match ups. Why wear Kobe out running around chasing Rip when you need his energy on the offensive side? Why call a timeout between Ben Wallace free throws? What is that gonna do... throw off his rhythm? The boy can't make them anyway. Those are just some of the mistakes by the so called zen master.
The other thing is the refs. I know I'm not the only one who notices how the Pistons get to hack the Lakers but the Lakers get whistled for simply bumping into somebody. If you ask me, I think these games are rigged. Maybe the refs were told to give Detroit these games to prolong the series. More games=more money for the NBA. I don't know... I'm just upset at the outcome of these games. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if Detroit wins... at least it's not the Kings.
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Well VZA, i agree with most of your post, except for the rigged part, that is a little too much of a conspiracy theory! The Pistons are actually a very good TEAM, even if they don't have four future hall of famers. I too thought this was gonna be 4 str8 lakers, but WOW! Even if the lakers do still win, which is possible, the Pistons are a great team with incredible team defense and some players who make some very big shots (sheed, billups, rip).....of course, the Lakers SHOULD win the series with Kobe and Shaq, but maybe it does have something to do with the coaching. Noone really knows how good Phil is as a techinical coach, but all i know is his record speaks for itself.........
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I wouldn't say that I'm a Laker fan. I'm more of a Kobe fan. Before the Lakers acquired Kobe, I never watched their games. It sure would be nice to see Kobe win especially with all of the stuff he's facing right now.
I think in order for the Lakers to win, they need a new coach. Phil Jackson is highly overrated and right now it's really showing. He wastes timeouts, he puts players in at times that don't make sense. Same thing goes for his match ups. Why wear Kobe out running around chasing Rip when you need his energy on the offensive side? Why call a timeout between Ben Wallace free throws? What is that gonna do... throw off his rhythm? The boy can't make them anyway. Those are just some of the mistakes by the so called zen master.
The other thing is the refs. I know I'm not the only one who notices how the Pistons get to hack the Lakers but the Lakers get whistled for simply bumping into somebody. If you ask me, I think these games are rigged. Maybe the refs were told to give Detroit these games to prolong the series. More games=more money for the NBA. I don't know... I'm just upset at the outcome of these games. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if Detroit wins... at least it's not the Kings.
I agree about the refs...Lakers get to the line more than any other team in the NBA...But this series, Lakers have gotten to the line half as many times as Detroit has...I hope Phil Jackson says something about this...PeACe
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Detroit's gonna whip their ass. It's sad, seeing Magic Johnson's great team defaced like this. Kobe & Shaq are a couple fuckin' clowns, they're crybabies, and they're symbolic of the money that has ruined Basketball. Excuse me, they're symbolic of the people that have ruined Basketball by being clouded by dollar signs. Money doesn't ruin people, people who get hollywood do. Professional Basketball is a fucking joke, nothing but a bunch of millionaries running around who never got forced to grow up.
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I wouldn't say that I'm a Laker fan. I'm more of a Kobe fan. Before the Lakers acquired Kobe, I never watched their games. It sure would be nice to see Kobe win especially with all of the stuff he's facing right now.
I think in order for the Lakers to win, they need a new coach. Phil Jackson is highly overrated and right now it's really showing. He wastes timeouts, he puts players in at times that don't make sense. Same thing goes for his match ups. Why wear Kobe out running around chasing Rip when you need his energy on the offensive side? Why call a timeout between Ben Wallace free throws? What is that gonna do... throw off his rhythm? The boy can't make them anyway. Those are just some of the mistakes by the so called zen master.
The other thing is the refs. I know I'm not the only one who notices how the Pistons get to hack the Lakers but the Lakers get whistled for simply bumping into somebody. If you ask me, I think these games are rigged. Maybe the refs were told to give Detroit these games to prolong the series. More games=more money for the NBA. I don't know... I'm just upset at the outcome of these games. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if Detroit wins... at least it's not the Kings.
I agree about the refs...Lakers get to the line more than any other team in the NBA...But this series, Lakers have gotten to the line half as many times as Detroit has...I hope Phil Jackson says something about this...PeACe
^ Another tactic employed by people that haven't grown up; complain about the Ref's. Lack of skill can't be to blame, it can't be the Laker's own fault; it has to be some outside force. Face it: They just fucked up. It's not the ref's, it's not even Detroit. the Lakers fucked themselves.
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Detroit's gonna whip their ass. It's sad, seeing Magic Johnson's great team defaced like this. Kobe & Shaq are a couple fuckin' clowns, they're crybabies, and they're symbolic of the money that has ruined Basketball. Excuse me, they're symbolic of the people that have ruined Basketball by being clouded by dollar signs. Money doesn't ruin people, people who get hollywood do. Professional Basketball is a fucking joke, nothing but a bunch of millionaries running around who never got forced to grow up.
Relax, it's just a game... ::)
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I wouldn't say that I'm a Laker fan. I'm more of a Kobe fan. Before the Lakers acquired Kobe, I never watched their games. It sure would be nice to see Kobe win especially with all of the stuff he's facing right now.
I think in order for the Lakers to win, they need a new coach. Phil Jackson is highly overrated and right now it's really showing. He wastes timeouts, he puts players in at times that don't make sense. Same thing goes for his match ups. Why wear Kobe out running around chasing Rip when you need his energy on the offensive side? Why call a timeout between Ben Wallace free throws? What is that gonna do... throw off his rhythm? The boy can't make them anyway. Those are just some of the mistakes by the so called zen master.
The other thing is the refs. I know I'm not the only one who notices how the Pistons get to hack the Lakers but the Lakers get whistled for simply bumping into somebody. If you ask me, I think these games are rigged. Maybe the refs were told to give Detroit these games to prolong the series. More games=more money for the NBA. I don't know... I'm just upset at the outcome of these games. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if Detroit wins... at least it's not the Kings.
I agree about the refs...Lakers get to the line more than any other team in the NBA...But this series, Lakers have gotten to the line half as many times as Detroit has...I hope Phil Jackson says something about this...PeACe
^ Another tactic employed by people that haven't grown up; complain about the Ref's. Lack of skill can't be to blame, it can't be the Laker's own fault; it has to be some outside force. Face it: They just fucked up. It's not the ref's, it's not even Detroit. the Lakers fucked themselves.
Why don't you compare Detroit's freethrow attempts to the Lakers attempts? That's proof...I admit, the Lakers ARE playing shitty, and Detroit IS playing better, but the refs aren't helping.
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hey what's going on in this thread?
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^ Another tactic employed by people that haven't grown up; complain about the Ref's. Lack of skill can't be to blame, it can't be the Laker's own fault; it has to be some outside force. Face it: They just fucked up. It's not the ref's, it's not even Detroit. the Lakers fucked themselves.
Good point... the story of the Lakers this season has been about self destruction... followed by complete domination. It's happened all season. The latest happened with San Antonio. The great Charles Barkley has been saying all along that the Lakers coast through their games and then all of a sudden they turn it on when they need to. He also said that they'd be in a situation where they will find themselves unable to turn it on. I think it's pretty safe to say that at this point, he's right.
If they do somehow turn it on these next three games then it will epitomize the whole season... unfortunately, as much as I want them to win, I don't think they can do it.
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Destination: Title?
No team has ever failed to win the title after grabbing a 3-1 lead in The Finals.
nba.com givin the info. seems like lakers will break that if they can beat detroit
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lol@NIK bitching about fouls ;D I knew something was up...fucking refs.
You need to actually play to get fouled and lakers only have 2 players on the team and
one of them didn't show up tonight...he was too busy practicing Jordan fade away shots ;D Kobe Bryant 8 for 25 and your talking about fouls ;D
ahahahhahahah Lakers lose.
The lost made up for the Yankee/Padre game today :D
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Detroit's gonna whip their ass. It's sad, seeing Magic Johnson's great team defaced like this. Kobe & Shaq are a couple fuckin' clowns, they're crybabies, and they're symbolic of the money that has ruined Basketball. Excuse me, they're symbolic of the people that have ruined Basketball by being clouded by dollar signs. Money doesn't ruin people, people who get hollywood do. Professional Basketball is a fucking joke, nothing but a bunch of millionaries running around who never got forced to grow up.
stfu. ya always talkin bout how kobe and shaq is crying...crying bout what? i think it was pretty obvious that they were gettin some bullshit calls on them on today's game...i didnt see kobe and shaq crying bout the refs after the game. lol muthafuckaz will always hate. oh well.
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if lakers become NBA Champion 2004 I am not going to believe that they will not win any NBA Championship in the future. ever.
..aight for the next about 3 years.
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Kobe & Shaq are a couple fuckin' clowns, they're crybabies, and they're symbolic of the money that has ruined Basketball. Excuse me, they're symbolic of the people that have ruined Basketball by being clouded by dollar signs. Money doesn't ruin people, people who get hollywood do. Professional Basketball is a fucking joke, nothing but a bunch of millionaries running around who never got forced to grow up.
so true, thats why i love college basketball, and especialy March Madness, those kids play their fuckin heart out, just to win, ...
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of course they have a chance.....they take the next one they go to LA.....they win their first in LA and we go to a game 7 in LA i doubt the pistons can take the lakers in a game 7 in LA....i still have total confidence in LA i just think that we definately underestimated the pistons....i give them alot of credit but i know the lakers can take them.
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yah the Lakers still have a chance. Obviously, its a slim one. But as long as the series is still going...a team has a CHANCE. I thought theyd take this series, in 5 or 6 games. Plain n simple, Detroit has just played better then any of us thought. Even tho i did pick LA to win, i did say watch out.
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first of all i disagree about what u said about phil jackson. i think hes a great coach with a lot of finals experience. Seriously though look what he has to work with. Payton doesnt shoot, kobe shoots too much and cant make em, shaqs on fire but nobody passes to him, malone is injured and cant play, his bench is horrible, and he has to play his bench. hes in quite a predicament to win, with what he has.
i disagree what u said about shaq. i think he is the only one from the lakers that is taking this seriously and putting his heart into it.
i do think the lakers can win it, i want them to win it. but from the way theve been playing i dont think it will happen.
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It is weird how the Lakers are getting hardly any free throws after getting preferential treatment and favourable calls the last 5 years (Lakers fans werent complaining then)......i think if the lakers actually drove to the net and tried to draw fouls (hello, Kobe?) instead of tossing up wild off-balance fadeaway jumpers (kobe?) they would shoot some foul shots. Kobe has gotta start driving more, attacking the rim........
Do the Lakers have a chance? Well, Malone is hurting, Payton is visibly unhappy in LA, and the rest of the supporting cast has been horrible in te finals. It has a lot to do with the way Detroit plays team defense, it leaves LA completely unorganized on their offense. Shaq has been nothing short of exceptional except for one game, and he is going to have to get even better.. Kobe needs to put up damn near a triple double tonight, and not shoot 30 percent like the last two games........
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i think you all can agree that the win tonight depends on how kobe plays.
obviously he can play as bad as he has been and they could still win, BUT everybody else is going to have to play perfect. which isnt possible.
so kobes gotta wake up and take this seriously.
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dang...always an excuse. They are taking this seriously, they are just LOSING lol. i hate that Laker Fan bullshit, i swear. Its always a "they arent taking it seriously", "they arent trying to win". Cmon. Its the NBA finals. All year long, when the Lakers lose its because "they arent really trying to win". Thats the biggest bunch of bullshit. When they lose, its because another team out plays them. Period. Right now, Detroit is the better team. Period. Always talkin about how LA is a playoff team. "they dont care about the regular season". Well, it doesnt get more "playoff" then this. They ARE trying, they DO want to win. They are just LOSING. Detroit has frustrated them. Like Greg Anthony said after game 3, "Detroit MADE the Lakers give up". It isnt that they dont WANT to win, its that they havent been able to. Does anyone honestly think that any team would play all year to get to the finals...and not WANT to win? lol If Kobe, or anyone else isnt TRYING...they shouldnt even be in the NBA, let alone considered one of the best in the league.
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No im not making an excuse. lakers are playing like shit right now. i know that. the only one whos playing good is shaq.
You honestly think kobe is trying his hardest??? if you think thats as good as he is then you obviously dont know kobe.
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Of course Kobe is trying his hardest, if you think he would ever give less than his best than YOU dont know Kobe man. The thing is, he is completely disoriented and confused about how to play against a team with such good team defense..........
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Kobe is the best one on one player in the league, and like he showed throughout his career, he can easily run through top-notch defenders...Bruce Bowen anyone? He's just playing shitty now, that's all...But we'll see tonight. 8)
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....yea thats it. hes confused.
because basketball is a very confusing sport when your as good as kobe.
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LOL@people thinking Kobe's playing to his full potential...
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LOL@people thinking Kobe's playing to his full potential...
i know seriously. He bareley made an attempt to get an open shot, and i dont remember him trying to take it to the rim.
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2 reasons why Phil Jackson stinks as a coach:
1) Karl Malone is hurting the team. I understand that he probably wants to win these games more than anybody but if he truly wants to win then he should let somebody healthier fill in for him right now. Phil should be smart enough to recognize this and have him coming off the bench.
2) Phil is very stubborn. He has went with the same strategy for 4 straight games now and it hasn't worked once and he's still using it. Most coaches would try something new after one blow out... but not Phil. The reason I say it didn't work 4 straight games is because the Lakers should've/would've lost game 2 if it weren't for that miracle shot, and that had nothing at all to do with Phil's coaching.
The only logical reason I can come up with (and it's a very long stretch) for the Lakers being down 1-3 is that he wants this team to go down as the best Laker team ever. "How can he do that?" you ask... make them do what no other team has done in Finals history. Come back and win after being down 3-1. Yeah, like I said, it's a long shot but if Phil is the master psychologist like everybody thinks he is... I wouldn't put something like that past him.
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The only logical reason I can come up with (and it's a very long stretch) for the Lakers being down 1-3 is that he wants this team to go down as the best Laker team ever. "How can he do that?" you ask... make them do what no other team has done in Finals history. Come back and win after being down 3-1. Yeah, like I said, it's a long shot but if Phil is the master psychologist like everybody thinks he is... I wouldn't put something like that past him.
awww puh-lease ... get outta here with such conspiracy crap... havent you seen his face? he's the next ed norton if that's planned and he still puts up such a face. GOD AM I TRYING TO ARGUE ON SUCH A INSANE CRAP??? damn.
and about the malone stuff... I have to say no. despite his injury and his 40 years, he's still better than medvedenko. medvedenko completely sucked.
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The only logical reason I can come up with (and it's a very long stretch) for the Lakers being down 1-3 is that he wants this team to go down as the best Laker team ever. "How can he do that?" you ask... make them do what no other team has done in Finals history. Come back and win after being down 3-1. Yeah, like I said, it's a long shot but if Phil is the master psychologist like everybody thinks he is... I wouldn't put something like that past him.
awww puh-lease ... get outta here with such conspiracy crap... havent you seen his face? he's the next ed norton if that's planned and he still puts up such a face. GOD AM I TRYING TO ARGUE ON SUCH A INSANE CRAP??? damn.
and about the malone stuff... I have to say no. despite his injury and his 40 years, he's still better than medvedenko. medvedenko completely sucked.
I have conspiracies for days. I don't even believe this one I made up myself but if you have two best players in the NBA and you're the best coach in the NBA then what other excuse do you have for losing a series of 7 against a "weak" Eastern conference team?
I wouldn't start with Madvedenko either but Phil is afraid to play his rookies. Walton isn't all that great but he can give you a lot more production than an injured Karl Malone... and what about Cook? And why the hell does he think the Triangle is invincible? It hasn't been successful ever since the NBA allowed zone defense. Maybe that stuff was cool back in the day when nobody knew how to guard it but it's now 2004. The other thing... doesn't it take 3 to make a triangle? Everybody learns that in elementary school or sooner. The Lakers only have two who can run it sufficiently. Do the math... the Lakers need a new coach.
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Rampant and NIK, you guys just dont get it. I dont think Kobe is playing to his full potential, and i dont doubt that Kobe is a great player. But he DOES look confused, he cant handle the Pistons defense. He looks completely disoriented, and has gotten worse every game, that is unquestionable. Last game the only shots he made were off balance, miracle type shots (he makes them better than anyone), but the fact that is all he can get says enough.
But if Kobe is NOT trying his hardest, how about some of you Kobe groupies explain why the so-called best player in the league who rivals MJ in his prime would not try his hardest and do everything he can to help his team win?