Lakers v. Pistons game 3

[Non_Comformist]

This one hurt. The Lakers are real trouble.

[M2d]

when you read the reports about the game tomorrow, you may read that the Lakers gave up. they didn't. you can't give up if you don't show up in the first place.

give the pistons their due. They flat out beat the lakers. their defense was stifling, and they played the two man game to perfection.
the lakers didn't even seem interested. they settled for bombs from deep trey land; they sat back and waited for passes instead of moving to the ball. there was absolutely no movement on their offense away from the ball.
On defense, they looked confused. they looked old. they looked pathetic. granted, malone was hurt and not mobile, but he was the only one who seemed interested in there (for the short time he was involved. everyone else seemed content to sit back and watch the pistons grab boards and make layups. Pa-fricken-thetic.

On another note, michelle tafoya's report in the fourth quarter that the pistons fans made noise around the lakers' hotel until the wee hours of the night kind of validates jimmy kimmel's comments in game two, huh? can you say "bush league?" how about "classless"?

I still like the lakers in six, but then, I'm a lifetime lakers fan. I liked them in five before tonights game. That is, if they actually show up. Maybe now the rest of the team won't sit back and wait for kobe and the big bricklayer to bail them out.

the spy vs. spy commercial after the game was pretty cool, though.

[Non_Comformist]

I agree and I am worried though. This sort of reminds me of the Bulls- Lakers series in which an experienced favored among many Lakers team just got out hustled and out played by a hungry Bulls team who took a series lead and never looked back.

I wish I know what the answer was but it seems pentrating and getting the ball into Shaq early would be a good start. While Payton has been mostly useless this series he has been able to dribble into the paint. Shaq needs to be sprinting to offensive end of the court every possesion. He is the one absolute advantaage in this series.

I also think we need to ease the roll on defense for Kobe so he has more on offense. There is no doubt that the Detroit D is great but the truth their offense is pretty bad. It seems the Lakers get frustrated and quit trying not realizing they are only down 7 pooints against an offensively challenged team.

Give credit to the Pistons though they kicked our ass.

[DoggSnott]

YAY

[censored], basketball is a brutal game

I am glad the lakers are losing,

thing i hate about basketball is that you get two guys and a guy on the bench and you can have a dynasty...........it is the only game where it is easy for a team to 3 peat - 4 peat, 6 in eight years.....it is a joke

[jdl22]

The Pistons were unbelievable. I don't think there is much the Lakers could have done.

One problem those of us that hate the Lakers have, which isn't really their fault, is that the announcers seem to only talk about the Lakers. If their opponent is winning it's because LA isn't playing any defense and isn't hitting their shots. If they are winning it's because they have a dominant team. Today I think that changed. While the Lakers didn't play well the Pistons were great and the talk seems to be about them. Still if LA wins the next game they are in good shape.

[andyfox]

Pistons should be up 3-0. They certainly look like the better team, and it's not close.

But you never know with these Lakers.

[Sincere]

I give credit to the Pistons D, but the Lakers have missed a LOT, and I mean a LOT, of wide open easy baskets in this series. Especially Shaq in the paint, throwing bricks. It looks like he is trying to break the backboard sometimes, other times his 6 footers just flat out have missed by a mile. I know the Pistons play great D, but the Lakers just need to fricken shoot the ball BETTER. There were a lot of shots I saw from the perimeter in game 3 that the Lakers had open looks and just clanked them, and these are shots I saw when the game was still close.

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
Pistons should be up 3-0.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obviously so. If not for a lucky shot and defective coaching by Larry Brown, the Lakers would be almost dead.

Detroit's changes look better with every game, especially if their coach has learned his lesson.

-Zeno

[adios]

Some stat comparisons from the game:

3 Pt Shooting

Lakers took 27 made 6

Pistons took 15 made 5

Free Throws

Lakers took 13 made 8

Pistons took 30 made 21

Two Point Shooting

Lakers took 47 made 21

Pistons took 61 made 26

Rebounds

Lakers defensive 32, offensive 7

Pistons defensive 36, offensive 15

Turnovers

Lakers 16

Pistons 11

Steals

Lakers 7

Pistons 11

Blocked Shots

Both teams had 4


--------------------------------------------------------

Richard Hamilton

9-18 two pt. shots

2-4 3 pt. shots

7-7 free throws

Kobe Bryant

4-9 two pt. shots

0-4 three pt. shots

3-3 free throws

--------------------------------------------------------

Seems to me that Kobe either wasn't aggressive enough in attacking the basket and/or the Pistons defense of him (mainly matched up against Prince) shut him down. If Kobe continues like this the Lakers are toast. Look for Kobe to take many, many more shots in game 4. In fact the Lakers as team need to attack the basket more IMO.

[highlife]

lakers suck. FOUR future hall of fame players can't even score 80 pts in a game? You can just see in Phil Jackson's face...he is really thinking of calling up MJ to get him out of this mess. What a pathetic bunch of whiny losers.

Trophy to Detroit?? SHIP IT!

[ThaSaltCracka]

key stats IMO:

Free Throws
Lakers took 13 made 8

Pistons took 30 made 21

Rebounds
Pistons offensive 15

Steals
Pistons 11

I didn't watch the game, but justr from seeing these figures it seems like Detroit is playing much harder that LA. You can't win a game by going to the line only 13 times. LA is being stiffled defensively, and their weakness is being exposed. They are essentially a jump shot and post-up team. Payton is not the slasher he was 3 years ago, or even last year, and Kobe is on lockdown(no pun intended /images/graemlins/grin.gif). They are playing a lot like my sonics team this year, but with better players. The Wallaces and Prince are commanding the boards, Shaq is having to fight through 3 guys to get borads, all three of which are very capable rebounders.

This series is over. Pistons in 5!

[M2d]

when the lakers have a free throw edge over the other team, the league wants them to win, but when the lakers have a free throw deficit, they got out hustled and out played?

[namknils]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Pistons should be up 3-0.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obviously so. If not for a lucky shot and defective coaching by Larry Brown, the Lakers would be almost dead.

Detroit's changes look better with every game, especially if their coach has learned his lesson.

-Zeno

[/ QUOTE ]

Lucky shot? You must really hate Kobe to take that shot away from him huh? If you want to see a lucky shot go back to the tape of Tim Duncan's shot that gave the Spurs the lead with .4 seconds left. Or say Fisher's shot if you don't like the Lakers. But Kobe's three at the end of game two was Jordanesque.

[ThaSaltCracka]

no, when they have a free throw deficit, they aren't going to the hoop enough, that means they are settiling for outside shots. or if you are dumb enough to think this: [ QUOTE ]
when the lakers have a free throw edge over the other team, the league wants them to win,

[/ QUOTE ] Then you probably think the reason they have a free throw deficit is that the refs aren't calling any fouls for the Lakers.

[Zeno]

I do not hate Kobe or the Lakers. Hate is a futile emotion.

In my opinion his shot was somewhat lucky. Prehaps not as lucky as Fisher's shot or Duncan's. But luck (chance) is a large part of basketball and in close games luck is a big factor, the way a ball will bounce off the rim or backborad for example, or get tipped, or a blocked shot that gets nabbed by another player and slam in - Or very long three-point shots and on and on.

Charles Barkely once may a last second improbable shot against the Blazers 4 or 5 years ago to win a game with time running out. It was just luck or chance.

-Zeno

[M2d]

I don't think the league has influence to any appreciable extent. I'm just questioning what I read and hear after a laker game, both in popular media and here on the internet boards.

for the record, I agree that the lakers didn't go to the hoop enough, but I also think that the calls so far this series have been little one sided. ticky-tack is a phrase that comes to mind on some of the fouls that the Lakers have been picking up. This is not to take anything away from the pistons who've completely outplayed the Lakers this series, or to insinuate that only the lakers have been the beneficiaries of bad calls.

The main point, however, remains that it seems popular to rip on the lakers when they play badly then rip on them again when they're rolling.

[ThaSaltCracka]

LOL,
[ QUOTE ]
The main point, however, remains that it seems popular to rip on the lakers when they play badly then rip on them again when they're rolling.

[/ QUOTE ]
you are right about this. /images/graemlins/grin.gif Same way with the Yankees too.

[M2d]

Dude, I'm a laker/dodger fan in the fricken bay area. you think I'm not used to it by now? /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[namknils]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not hate Kobe or the Lakers. Hate is a futile emotion.

In my opinion his shot was somewhat lucky. Prehaps not as lucky as Fisher's shot or Duncan's. But luck (chance) is a large part of basketball and in close games luck is a big factor, the way a ball will bounce off the rim or backborad for example, or get tipped, or a blocked shot that gets nabbed by another player and slam in - Or very long three-point shots and on and on.

Charles Barkely once may a last second improbable shot against the Blazers 4 or 5 years ago to win a game with time running out. It was just luck or chance.

-Zeno

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree. I don't think his shot was lucky at all. What made it lucky? He got the ball dribbled to where he wanted to go, pulled up and jumped higher than Hamilton, shot the shot he meant to shoot, and it went in nothing but net. So he shot at the basket, and it went right in the basket. If he shot it long and it banked in, then yes that would have been lucky, if it hit the back of the rim and bounced 4 feet in the air before going in then yes that would have been lucky. But he shot it, and it went right in, just like he was trying to do.

I don't think luck (chance) is as large a part in basketball as you think it is. These players know what they are doing. Do you play basketball? When you play do you just run around and hope the ball luckily bounces to you? Or do you get in good position to make plays?

If there was so much luck than why would anybody ever practice? Practice doesn't increase your luck, it heightens your skill.

[Boris]

That's a good question and there is an easy answer. You see David Stern wants to be loved by the stars in Hollywood. He wants to be with the "In" crowd. So for years he has been telling the refs to give an advantage to Lakers. Since the Lakers always start out with this advantage it's obvious that when the other team does get more free throws its because they outhustled the Lakers.
Q.E.D.