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Kiss it good by Laker lovers!! Kobe and the boyz really tore it up last night.
This is so sad it makes me giggle just a little...
For Lakers, things go from bad to worst
Anthony ready for end to 'MeloWatch' BOX SCORE
By SAM AMICO
FOX Sports Ohio
Feb. 16, 2011
CLEVELAND ? In a season tainted by bad losses and chemistry issues, this one has to be at the top. And interestingly, we're coming to you live from Cleveland and not talking about the Cavaliers.
We?re talking about the two-time defending NBA champions. We?re talking about a team with Phil Jackson as its coach and Kobe Bryant as its superstar, a dream team that also features Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.
We?re talking about the Lakers, who dropped a 104-99 decision Wednesday to the same Cavs they had previously beaten by 219 points. Actually, it was 55, but it sure felt like a whole lot more.
Now the Lakers head into the All-Star break having lost three straight. They seem angry, confused and considerably less formidable than at any other time during the Phil-and-Kobe era.
?They went on break before the game started,? Jackson said of his players, and you just knew that line was coming.
But a quick look at the numbers goes a long way in proving Jackson?s point:
* The Lakers committed 19 turnovers, never led by more than three points and trailed by as many as 12 with 2:30 left.
* Bryant scored just four points in the fourth quarter and 17 for the game. While Jackson insisted Kobe didn't try too hard to take over, he did force a lot of shots in an 8-for-24 night. That included a couple of bricks (and two air balls) that may have made the rim cringe with fear.
* Artest took all of one shot, missed it, and compiled zero rebounds in just less than 18 minutes. Artest has become the Lakers? Dennis Rodman, except Artest doesn't crash the boards nearly as much. And at least Michael Jordan was able to keep Rodman under control on those Jackson-coached Chicago teams. Kobe has been unable to do the same with Artest.
* Meanwhile, Bynum looked sluggish and almost aloof in shooting 2-for-12 and finishing with six points. All of this took place against Cavs centers J.J. Hickson and Ryan Hollins. Nice players, but we're not exactly talking Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain here.
It's no wonder Bryant took an extra long shower after the game, aiming to avoid reporters and the tough questions that were certain to come his way. After all, the only thing worse than losing in Orlando and Charlotte is to get outhustled by a downtrodden team in Cleveland.
Of course, it's not like anyone else can do a whole lot of explaining for what's happened to this organization.
?I got to look at the tape to analyze what happened,? Artest said.
?We just have to play hard, harder than what we are playing,? Bynum added.
As for Jackson and what he told the players afterward, well, it was more of the same. It was a whole lot of nothing.
?You know I did not say anything,? he said. ?I just talked about when they have to report (back to practice) Monday.?
Granted, the Lakers are in fact a veteran team that is still leading the Pacific Division with a record of 38-19. There is indeed a chance they are coasting and remain very confident.
A few years back the Lakers were storming through the playoffs, only to drop a game no one expected. ?We?re not bored anymore,? Bryant quipped at the time.
Perhaps these Lakers will soon feel the same. But if home losses to Milwaukee, Memphis and Indiana don't get the juices flowing, something like Wednesday night sure had better do the trick.
Because with 25 games left, it might be time for the Lakers to quit messing around and stop being so casual. This is no time to act like fat cats.
?We have to get back on Monday and get some work done,? Jackson said.
In Los Angeles, that's usually a line reserved for plastic surgery. But when it comes to the Lakers, this is gonna take more than just a tummy tuck and cheek implants.
It requires a whole new attitude, and anyone who saw the loss to Cleveland knows there's really no other way to explain it.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO
Updated February 16, 2011
http://www.foxsportsohio.com/msn/02...ing_cavaliers.html?blockID=412128&feedID=3561
UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
This is so sad it makes me giggle just a little...
For Lakers, things go from bad to worst
Anthony ready for end to 'MeloWatch' BOX SCORE
By SAM AMICO
FOX Sports Ohio
Feb. 16, 2011
CLEVELAND ? In a season tainted by bad losses and chemistry issues, this one has to be at the top. And interestingly, we're coming to you live from Cleveland and not talking about the Cavaliers.
We?re talking about the two-time defending NBA champions. We?re talking about a team with Phil Jackson as its coach and Kobe Bryant as its superstar, a dream team that also features Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.
We?re talking about the Lakers, who dropped a 104-99 decision Wednesday to the same Cavs they had previously beaten by 219 points. Actually, it was 55, but it sure felt like a whole lot more.
Now the Lakers head into the All-Star break having lost three straight. They seem angry, confused and considerably less formidable than at any other time during the Phil-and-Kobe era.
?They went on break before the game started,? Jackson said of his players, and you just knew that line was coming.
But a quick look at the numbers goes a long way in proving Jackson?s point:
* The Lakers committed 19 turnovers, never led by more than three points and trailed by as many as 12 with 2:30 left.
* Bryant scored just four points in the fourth quarter and 17 for the game. While Jackson insisted Kobe didn't try too hard to take over, he did force a lot of shots in an 8-for-24 night. That included a couple of bricks (and two air balls) that may have made the rim cringe with fear.
* Artest took all of one shot, missed it, and compiled zero rebounds in just less than 18 minutes. Artest has become the Lakers? Dennis Rodman, except Artest doesn't crash the boards nearly as much. And at least Michael Jordan was able to keep Rodman under control on those Jackson-coached Chicago teams. Kobe has been unable to do the same with Artest.
* Meanwhile, Bynum looked sluggish and almost aloof in shooting 2-for-12 and finishing with six points. All of this took place against Cavs centers J.J. Hickson and Ryan Hollins. Nice players, but we're not exactly talking Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain here.
It's no wonder Bryant took an extra long shower after the game, aiming to avoid reporters and the tough questions that were certain to come his way. After all, the only thing worse than losing in Orlando and Charlotte is to get outhustled by a downtrodden team in Cleveland.
Of course, it's not like anyone else can do a whole lot of explaining for what's happened to this organization.
?I got to look at the tape to analyze what happened,? Artest said.
?We just have to play hard, harder than what we are playing,? Bynum added.
As for Jackson and what he told the players afterward, well, it was more of the same. It was a whole lot of nothing.
?You know I did not say anything,? he said. ?I just talked about when they have to report (back to practice) Monday.?
Granted, the Lakers are in fact a veteran team that is still leading the Pacific Division with a record of 38-19. There is indeed a chance they are coasting and remain very confident.
A few years back the Lakers were storming through the playoffs, only to drop a game no one expected. ?We?re not bored anymore,? Bryant quipped at the time.
Perhaps these Lakers will soon feel the same. But if home losses to Milwaukee, Memphis and Indiana don't get the juices flowing, something like Wednesday night sure had better do the trick.
Because with 25 games left, it might be time for the Lakers to quit messing around and stop being so casual. This is no time to act like fat cats.
?We have to get back on Monday and get some work done,? Jackson said.
In Los Angeles, that's usually a line reserved for plastic surgery. But when it comes to the Lakers, this is gonna take more than just a tummy tuck and cheek implants.
It requires a whole new attitude, and anyone who saw the loss to Cleveland knows there's really no other way to explain it.
Follow Sam Amico on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO
Updated February 16, 2011
http://www.foxsportsohio.com/msn/02...ing_cavaliers.html?blockID=412128&feedID=3561
UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
