Jazz v. Lakers
 

This is going to be a tough, tough series for the Jazz. Kobe seems to have our number and Gasol always plays well against the wonderful defense of Boozer and Okur. If we can pull one out in LA, then it's a series. Otherwise, I could see it ending in five.

As much as the refs loved the taste of McGrady's cock,,,it's nothing compared the man love they will have for Kobe. Jazz fans just need to prepare themselves for the anger that is coming because of this indisputable fact.

Having said that it's a bad matchup for the Jazz and the Lakers seem to have excellent outside shooters at nearly every position.

Lakers in 5 or 6 is my guess. Oh how I hope I'm wrong, but doubt I will be.

Also I don't care what anyone says....Carlos Boozer is playing injured and they are keeping it quiet. He cannot get any lift at all when he jumps and isn't extending himself on rebounds and many other plays. They are keeping it quiet. The guy has a bad back or something, because he doesn't look the same guy out there and it's obvious.

Lakers in 5 or 7. :(

Jazz in six.

Come on people, show a little heart.

LA Lakers
Fast break makers
Kings of the Court
Shake and Bake all takers..

..I hate to burst your bubble
but triple double trouble
is coming to your town
and he's going to make rubble

And you fancy yourself a music snob...

In order for this series to go to 6 or 7 games, the Jazz need to steal one in LA. Tomorrow might be the Jazz best chance. I think LA will take one in SLC, and while I think the Jazz could win game 5 in LA, I think their best chance is going to be taking either game 1 or 2. The sad thing is, I can't remember the last time the Jazz won in LA against the Lakers. It's been a long time...

He said music, not rap.

Doesn't anybody know that song?

I don't really care that much either way
 

but Jazz will be pwned by Lakers. Could even be a sweep IMO.

Should I?

Listen, FM. If you are going to be moving to Utah, the first thing you have to do is stop making pussy comments like this. Jeez man, it's the Lakers for crying out loud.

I'll wait until next year before jumping on the bandwagon.

I hate that song. I'm sure you liked it before the RHCP were overhyped.

The RHCP are an LA band.

Mother's Milk was a huge album.

Its not my fault you grew up on a farm.

That was a tough loss to watch. The Jazz fough back, hustled well, but couldn't buy a bucket at the end of the fourth. It's too bad because Kobe was cold in the second half. Missed opportunities...

I really hate the Lakers. I wish I could be more classy and congratulate the Lakers on a great game, but I can't. Damn, that sucked.

The refs called too tight of a game. There was some ticky tack stuff going both ways. Being in the bonus so early helped the Jazz get back into it along with all of those 2nd and 3rd shot attempts. I was never really worried. Even when the game was at 4 points. I would have been worried though if it were in Utah and not LA. Good game. Pau played soft. But I think he'll bounce back. I liked Odom's tenacity today. Kobe was Kobe. MVP.

Yeah...23 Ft's attempts for ONE player definetly screams too tightly of a called game, but I expected that before the series began so I wasn't surprised. Not too mention that even before the Jazz started fouling more in the last 2 minutes..the Lakers already had MORE FT attempts than the Jazz, but nice try anyway. ;)

Yep.

The frustrating thing to watch as a Jazzfan is that you know you need to win 1, probably 2 in LA to take the series. Being within 4 with 3 to play is a great opportunity to get a win. You need to take advantage of those chances.

I am of the opinion that if the Jazz want to win, they have to stop the "other" Lakers. Kome is going to get his. Gasol and Odom will probably combine for 25-35 a night. The key for Utah is going to be not letting anybody else really hurt them. Today Vujacic did, and they paid. I hope this turns into a fun hard-fought series. With the Jazz winning, of course.

before the playoffs started, my friend was talking about how great Derek Fisher is. How he plays such great defense. We were arguing about how the lakers would do against the Jazz. My friend is a big fan of Deron Williams, but insinuated he would not be able to do all that much against Fisher's D. I hotly disputed this.

Well, we know who was the ignoramus on this one. Me.

Rush to judgment.

I love D Fish but he's not a talented defender. Derek has a hard time getting through screens and goes beneath them too often allowing his opponent to have an open look at the basket. It's kind of a catch-22 though because when he goes over the top as he should he's too slow to get back into the picture to play defense. Watch any playoff game with the Kings and Lakers from yesteryear. Bibby torched him.

What he lacks in physical ability though Fisher makes up in smarts and strength. He's strong and is tough to back down allowing him to guard bigger guys than his height should allow. He's also not afraid to step into traffic and take a charge. He's good for at least one a game. He can also flop when necessary.

I don't think Deron's day was as much a result of Fisher's D as it was the Lakers team D. They can defend the pick and roll much better with agile bigs in Gasol, Odom and Turiaf. Kobe and the other guards play the lanes and they all collapse and rotate extremely well.

I'm not finding a 6-foul difference between the Lakers & Jazz very convincing. Especially after you factor in 2-3 fouls in the last minute. And when you factor in home-court.

Derek Fisher had six steals, more than all of the Jazz players combined.

D.Will had 14 points.

Advantage Fisher.

The Jazz lead the league in fouls. It really isn't surprising that they put the Lakers on the line more than they got to the line. The Jazz play physical defense and foul more than any other team in the league. Why would anyone be surprised that the team that leads the league in fouls would put the other team on the line more than they got to the line themselves. This was not a shocker and was not an indication of biased officiating. It was an indication of how the Jazz have been playing defense for as long as I can remember.

It's not surprising, but to say that Kobe doesn't get superstar preferential treatment regardless of who your team just isn't a clear minded statement.

DWill went to the paint several times yesterday and got hammered many times with hardly a call. While Kobe would get Brewer to jump into the air, then literally jump into Brewer to initiate contact and Brewer gets hit with the foul.

So you're complaining that they called a foul on a foul?


There's no doubt that Kobe gets some calls. He's not alone in that, and it doesn't happen nearly as often as many seem to believe.

yeah 23 FT's by ONE player is never convincing.

Actually it happens more than people irrationally and stubbornly refuse to believe.

Actually, it happens FAR less than the idiotic haters stubbornly insist. Hey look - I can argue just like you!

When you can point to a significant number of 'phantom fouls' called for Kobe, and show that it happens consistently, I'll concede that it happens more often than I currently believe. I won't be holding my breath.


BTW, a few stats to ponder:

Kobe is 2nd in the playoffs in Field Goal Attempts per game, at 22.4.
Kobe is 3rd in the playoffs in Free Throw Attempts per game, at 12.2.

You'd think that, among players with at least 4 FGA per game, he'd be way up there at the top in terms of a FGA to FTA ratio.


After removing players with less than four games played in the playoffs, and then removing players with less than 4 FGA per game, Kobe (1.84) ends up #15 in FGA/FTA. Behind such players as Shaq (which makes sense), Reggie Evans (1.08), Leon Powe (1.26), and Brandon Bass (1.44).


So yes, I'd agree that Kobe might get a call for "superstar treatment" that some others don't. I simply don't believe these calls amount to much.

It seems pretty obvious, to me, that Kobe is far more athletic & gifted than nearly any other player today. He therefore is fouled far more often than most players, since that's all the defender can do to stop him.

Fans of opposing teams, obviously, will become frustrated by his frequent visits to the charity stripe. Which, understandably, leads to the belief that he doesn't deserve the foul shots he gets.


But the notion that he frequently gets 'star treatment', and frequently gets calls that other, lesser players won't get, is blown far out of proportion with reality.

If you could argue like me you might actually be right once in a blue moon.

Right, Kobe and others don't freuently get superstar treatment.

Anytime you want to make an argument grounded in factual reality then please feel free.

Keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better.

You don't seem capable of responding to the stats that show you're wrong, so by all means, fall back to making snide comments.

Here you go. Feel free to respond, if you can.

So Kobe is avg 12 Ft/game....and yet it took all of one game in the series to break a Lakers Free throw record.

Do you really have the irrational contention that Superstars in the league don't get preferential treatment? And I'm not just referring to Kobe either.

Yep. He certainly went to the line a lot in Game1. I don't expect that trend to continue. Tracy McGrady averaged 8.8 FTA/game in the Utah series, but shot 18 in game6 (taking out that game, he averaged 7FTA/game). He averaged 5.4/game during the season this year.

FWIW, in the last three years, Kobe's FTA/game has dropped from 10.2 to 10.0 to 9.1 in 07-08. His FGA/game has also dropped each of those years - although most drastically between the season ending in '06 & the season ending in '07.



In response to the part of the post you added...

No. As I've stated, the preferential treatment exists. I simply don't think it's as prevalent as you apparently do. In fact, I'd suggest that the opposite effect is more prevalent - the scrubs not getting calls they should because they suck.

BTW, you're heading back into the "Rocky's fallback argument" position by adding the word 'irrational' to your question. You'd be far better off if you'd make a rational argument yourself rather than simply mocking the arguments of others. But, you don't seem capable of making such an argument.

I absolutely don't think it's rational...even a tiny bit to think that preferential treatment, moreso in the NBA than any of the major sports isn't prevalent.

Since you refuse to believe so, in spite of years of factual history proving me right, you and your "argument" has earned the right to be mocked.