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Can The Lakers Be Beat??(Official 3-Peat Thread) (1 Viewer)

Dan Keefe

Second Unit
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Jun 28, 2000
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408
As long as Shaq is hurt there is a big chink in the Lakers armor. I hope they end this series soon so Shaq-Daddy can get the stitches out of his finger.
I don't think Robinson should bother playing again this year... He looked horrible last night and I think the team plays better without him. On the other hand I am a Lakers fan so give him as many minutes as he wants!:D
dan
 

Len Cheong

Second Unit
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Mar 18, 2000
Messages
372
"I don't think Robinson should bother playing again this year... He looked horrible last night and I think the team plays better without him."

I agree. It was reported that there are times he can't even feel his right foot!! Anyone with such severe nerve damage shouldn't even be walking.
 

Dan Keefe

Second Unit
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Jun 28, 2000
Messages
408
OK,

here we go...Kings-Lakers, whomever wins this series is going to win hands down in the finals...I think the Lakers defense will slow the tempo down and throw the kings out of their rhythm. I was hoping shaq would get a little more time to heal.

The Lakers haven't lost a road playoff game going all the way back to last years playoffs. Does Sacremento honestly have a chance in this series? I know they beat the Lakers once in L.A., butotherwise to me it looks like a sweep

thoughts?

dan
 

Tim Abbott

Second Unit
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May 10, 1999
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Real Name
Tim
Hey, can't the east get any respect????? Probably not, and many will say rightly so :)
Its a tough argument to make, but I think the Celtics have a legitimate shot at making, and winning the finals. I'm not picking them as my favorite, but I honestly believe that they can do it based on how they have been playing lately.
From my perspective (that being a die-hard, biased Celtic fan, just so you know) the two teams out there with the weapons to get it done are the Celtics and Lakers. Both teams have 2 genuine superstars that can take over and dominate a game. Do the Lakers have the better stars, experience, etc. Yes. The great thing is that the Celtics are hungry and don't realize they aren't supposed to win it all.
I'm not sold on the Kings yet. Chris Webber has yet to close out the big game in his career, and a hobbled Peja isn't going to count for much.
The Nets, well.....I think they are a decent team, but I don't see them providing much opposition to the Lakers/Kings if they should advance.
I guess this is why they play the games!!
GO CELTICS!!!
 

Carlo_M

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Oct 31, 1997
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Yeah, it was one of those games where I think the score was a little closer than the game. It was a wire to wire finish for the Lakers, with them pulling out to a 16 pt lead and never having it shrink to less than 6 IIRC. What impressed me most about them was that they looked like a team possessed. Played good solid D, everyone contributed.

Now I'm hoping those stats from NBA.com come true: the winner of Game 1 wins 80% of the best of seven series.

Go Lakers!
 

Mike Broadman

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Aug 24, 2001
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The Kings got their asses beat down. It wasn't even funny. They missed so many opportunities- how can they expect to beat the Lakers like that? And the Lakers just took turns with all their weapons- first a little Kobe, then Horry with the shots, Fox stepping up, and then, when the Kings started to show a little fight, Shaq came to play.

The Lakers knew they had to play at the top of their game to show themselves, their opponents, and everyone else that they are still the champs, and they did.

I was rooting for both the Nets and Celtics (originally from NY, now living in Boston), but in this series I'm cheering for the Nets because I just like them better. They have a stronger inside game and Jason Kidd is real joy to watch. Either way, though, the winner will get trounced by LA.
 

Juan_R

Supporting Actor
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Sep 4, 2001
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683
The Kings were too high on themselfs because of what they did to Dallas. The Kings just forgot that Dallas doesn't play any defense and the Lakers have the best % defense, not allowing any team to shoot over 42%. The Lakers have played better defensive teams in the playoffs so they are much more tested than the Kings. I don't think the Kings can play better defense than the Spurs so that is why I think the Lakers are going to win this series.
 

Howard Williams

Supporting Actor
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Mar 7, 2001
Messages
521
Well I must say, the Lakers came out firing on almost all cylinders on Saturday. 3rd quarter was a little weak but it was amazing to see how many more shoots went down for them. Wide open jump shots, not even a hand in their face. Shows how much better defensively SA and even Portland were.

I often moan about officiating being biased against the Lakers. I must be fair and say that Sac had quite a few bogus calls against them. The officiating was much different from the SA/LA series. Like I've always said, the NBA is all about match ups, adjustments and execution.

One thing I didn't like was the way the announcers were always against Chris Webber. Some of the comments they made about him were just uncalled for. Webber did exactly what he was supposed to do. He brought his defender out away from the basket and he made his jump shots. They always point to him when Sac loses. They do the same to Kevin Garnet but when SA loses even when Duncan puts up some non-impressive numbers, they say SA lost because of lack of support or that Duncans numbers are bad because he's trying to hard to compensate for his weaker teammates. Snapper is OK but Walton can be very very biased.

You know what? I love Shaq as much as any big time Laker fan but if you swapped Duncan & Shaq.....never-mind. I just hope Duncan is smart enough to get the hell outta Dodge. Tim, don't be like Malone and Stockton. SA is going nowhere

Most hall of famers have to move until they found a team that could get them to the championship.

Rick Fox continues to sacrifice much offensive production so he can concentrate on his defensive duties. You know what else is kinda funny. No one talks about the Laker bench. Devean George can light it up if just given the green light by Phil. Ok Walker sux but is finally contributing. Shaw is one of the most under utilized/under rated bench player in the league. I swear I don't know why he doesn't get more time.

Statistically, game one is the most indicative of success, but I've always felt it is game 3. In game 3 someone either goes up 2-1 or 3-0. If you're down 1-2 you're only 1 game away from tying it up. You can still get back in it. 0-3 is just death. Period. I believe it was Pat Riley (remember him?) who said "A playoff series doesn't get interesting until the home team loses". This series got interesting right out of the gate.

Sac was all smiles after the game but a portion of their heart was seriously taken away. If they get down early tonight, their heart will be seriously tested. It will be very interesting to see how they respond. We will know everything we need to know about this series after tonight.
 

Carlo_M

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Tonight's game is do or die for the Kings. Salvage a split, and they can try to retake home court in the L.A. games. But if they go down 0-2 it's all over.

Can't wait for tipoff!
 

Alex-C

Screenwriter
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Apr 18, 2000
Messages
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Yes, Saturday's game was sobering for Kings fans. The Lakers came out hot, hot, hot and never relented.

If the Lakers can keep up that level of play, fuhgettaboutit.

I agree with you Carlo, tonights game is crucial, if the Kings lose, its over. They many win 2 games but they wont beat L.A. 4 out of 5.

We'll see what the Kings are made of tonight. Kings fans have been complaining about getting respect in the league, well, tonights game is where you earn that respect. If they come out and beat LA, they can save face.
 

Juan_R

Supporting Actor
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Sep 4, 2001
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Did you guys hear? Kobe is suffering from food poison and might not play tonigh. And if he does play then I don't think he will be to effective in his weak condition.

I guess that is a good break for the Kings.
 

Howard Williams

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Mar 7, 2001
Messages
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The big question is, what did he eat? I heard it was a bacon cheeseburger, but from where? One reporter said it was homemade but I wonder. Can you imagine if it comes out it was from McDonalds?!!! This could ruin them ;) Webber prolly said, "Hey Kobe, let's go out to dinner. I'm buying"
This could be an X-File. Where is Fox Mulder when you need him !!?
 

Howard Williams

Supporting Actor
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Mar 7, 2001
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According to CCNSI:

Bryant, who scored 30 points in the Lakers' 106-99 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Game 1 on Saturday, ate a bacon cheeseburger and a piece of cheesecake from hotel room service on Sunday night.
 

Alex-C

Screenwriter
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Apr 18, 2000
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Overheard on the Kings trainer's personal tape recorder:

Note to Self....before departing for L.A., pack sammies and chips for team. Make sure room service in LA is told not to deliver to team members.
Well....the Kings won and its so hard to find the words to describe the sheer dominance, the total drubbing at the hands of the Kings, the complete lack of a Laker game plan, the 100% bonafide contender play of the Kings, the cracks in the well, the patch of those cracks, the nearly missed but definitely seen more cracks, the loss of confidence, the piss poor free throwing, the prayer throwing, the grasping at non-foul no calls, the worried look of frustration and the damn near win by the Lakers despite being down by 15 with 5 mins left.
 

Carlo_M

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Now it's interesting.
Hopefully Kobe will fully recover by the time of Game 3 on Friday. The Kings now have to win at least one on the road. Don't forget that the Lakers lost Game 2 to S.A. and the Kings lost Game 2 to Dallas. Both teams went on to sweep out, so a Game 2 win does not necessarily mean a complete swing in momentum. But it was a must-win for the Kings and despite nearly giving it away at the end, they held off the Lakers.
If they can win 1 in L.A. they regain home court. If they lose both, I think it will be the Lakers in 5 or 6. If they win both, I will be amazed and the Kings will deserve to win the series and the championship.
Friday can't come soon enough. I just hope the next round doesn't disappoint in comparison to this one. :)
 

Howard Williams

Supporting Actor
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Mar 7, 2001
Messages
521
A disappointing loss for sure but the Lakers and Kings must feel the Lakers can definitely win again in Sac, if they have to.

Phil has got to tell the Lakers to tone it down a little defensively in the first half. I would tell all the starters to play a little looser in the first half. Stop reaching and hacking. I want each of you to only have 2 fouls at half time. Even if Sac shoots pretty good the furthest the Lakers would be behind is 10-13. In the second half, now play that aggressive killer style but smartly, of course. Laker loses and foul trouble are synonymous.

Remember Shaq's years in Orlando? He was always in foul trouble. I mean always. He had a very good Anfernee Hardaway and even a decent Horace Grant and they never won squat. It was not until he got to the Lakers that he learned to tone it down some and pick your spots. That is what Shaq, Rick, Derek, Horry and even Kobe must continue to do, pick your spots. You can not play killer defense for 48 minutes. Everyone will have fouled out if you do. I repeat, there is no sense in fouling someone 25' from the basket with 3 seconds on the shot clock. There is no sense reaching in and hacking a guy driving to the basket that is already out of control and doesn't have a good shot in the works, but the Laker do consistently. That is not good defense my friends. That is dumb !!!
 

Carlo_M

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Agreed Howard. And they don't need to play killer (or aggressive) defense for 48 minutes. Just solid team defense.
Oh, and they need to not eat while in SacTown. :D
 

KeithH

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O.K., we have a series now. However, Kobe should be 100% by the tip-off of Game 3. The series switches to L.A., and the Lakers should be up 3-1 when the series moves back to Sacramento. :)
 

Alex-C

Screenwriter
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Apr 18, 2000
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KeithH remember this-NEVER FORGET this...(movie reference anyone?)...The kings were 1-1 with Utah and won 2 in Salt Lake on the road (and the series).

The Kings went 1-1 with the Mavs and won 2 in Dallas and won the series.

hmmmmmmmmmm........
 

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