OKC @ LAC
I see what you're saying, and even after the two losses to the Spurs the past were pretty bad, I know you think that Bynum could kill the Spurs up front, but I still think the Lakers would get murdered by Parker and the three point shooters, I don't like their rotations on defense, and the Spurs want Kobe to shoot 30 times, and even though the Thunder could run them out of the building, and the Nuggets the same, the Grizz are a legit threat, because as scrappy as the Nuggets are they can't deal with Bynum, but should be a good game today and a great playoffs.
The beard may have cushioned the impact just enough to prevent Harden from going into a coma.
Seriously though, Artest was actually playing better as of late. It will be interesting to see how many games he will be out for. I wanna say 5 games minimum but that might be little.
I wouldn't be surprised if Artest is done for the season. That was completely uncalled for. He already has a violent history and suspending him for this season + post season wouldn't be unreasonable imo. He could have seriously injured Harden. Another inch of two in any direction and it could have been much much worse. People had died from a shot to the temple like that and they didn't receive it from a 6'8 250 pound guy either.
You can't do that to your team in thids situation. 4-5 games, no more because it wasn't premeditated or specifically aimed beforehand, it was just an idiot harming another player, but missing him for three games in round one against a team like Memphis will be huge. Rudy Gay is going to have a field day if Ebanks is guarding him.
Hill has looked good in the few minutes he's received earlier this season and has been huge tonight. I wonder if he surpasses mcroberts and Murphy going into the playoffs as the first big off the bench.
As for the game, nice win. Kobe was big and made big shots and made the right pass routinely as well. Thunder I'm sure feel this game was an aberration with the way kd and Russ shot it
I think Westbrook is 3-22 right now...some misses were pretty bad too
- What's up with Brown leaving Bynum on the bench in the 4th quarter/ OT? I get that Jordan Hill was playing great, grabbing some clutch boards, but i don't see how you sit a player like Bynum that long....just dosen't send a good message. Also, the ABC cameras kept zooming in on Bynum while he was riding the pine....looked pretty pissed even though his team was winning. lol just sayin. I think this feud is for real.
People think Bynum is a goon, but based off my own observations/ listening to him talk in interviews, he seems pretty smart. He's an increddible talent, and i can understand his frusturation with Brown (not a former player) trying to teach him an apparent lesson. Brown needs to lay off the guy. Bynum has already won rings, and demonstrated incredible toughness playing through injury/risking his career in the playoffs. You would think coach Brown would respect him a little more. This is not to say Bynum isnt a dirty player, because he is. I think he's proven that also.
IF Kevin Durant wins MVP over LeBron James, they voting members should all be fired.
Mike Brown can't win. People used to criticize him for not having the balls to make the necesary moves. He made a good decision to stick with Jordan Hill tonight and the Lakers got the win.
@IndianaBasketball i agree with your comment about Brown not having the balls to make a controversial move, judging by how he has handled Bynum this season, i would say its safe to say he grew a pair.
You can't argue with the results, because they got they W, but i think i would be remiss if i dind't reiterate what i observed from Bynum on the bench. He had his head wrapped up in a towel, covering most of his face during the shots of him I saw. He couldn't have been closely watching the game, looking for tendancies in his opponents like he should be while on the bench...Furthermore during the timeouts Mike Brown called, Bynum distanced himself from the huddle (standing in the back and staring into space) defiently not listening to Brown. This was all when Kobe was draining those 3s and the Lakers caught fire..!
Well, one thing I'll give to Durant is that he kept trying, but those shots just weren't falling, same for Westbrook untill he got those easy ones, I love Durant but he's still young, he has the killer's mentality, same with Westbrook, they want it, they want it bad, but Kobe is the man, just so cool and calm, Lebron needs to learn from today that we'd rather him go 11-34 than not take the shots. The Spurs and Lakers are the teams to beat, but I would still take OKC in a 7 game series, too much firepower, but a great win by LA, kudos to Mike Brown to sticking with his scrubs, sending a message to Bynum that you have to earn your minutes.
I don't think you can say "beyond a reasonable doubt" that Artest's elbow was inentional.
However what i think the league office should ultimatly pay attention to is Artests' reaction after the vicious elbow. Instead of checking to see if Harden was alright (which you would think he would if it was a legit accident) He instead got into his best fighting stance, eerily reminisant of the the malice at the palace, the second several thunder players came at him. You best believe Artest would have been swinging for the fences if any of the Thunder made a legit move at him.
While I'm proud of the Lakers for coming back and winning the game, it took a 14-56 performance from Westy and Durant and Harden out for the whole second half for the Lakers to get the W. OKC is still heads above the Lakers at this point. Harden was straight balling until Metta elbowed him. No doubt the game wouldn't have gone to OT if Harden was still playing.
The Lakers didn't shoot that well either though. Kobe went 9-26. Bynum 5-15. Gasol 7-18. And Ron was 4-10 before being ejected.
Both teams shot under 40%. OKC's inability to get buckets in the half-court was evident. They don't get easy baskets. And the Lakers killed them on the glass. 25 offensive rebounds.
I think this was the ugly type of defensive game that you have to win in the playoffs.
Honestly Thunder fans should rejoice. Their team just took the Lakers to double OT with Harden out most of the game, Kevin Durant going 11-34, and Westbrook 3-22 while ON THE ROAD. Maybe it's because I'm an optimistic kind of guy, but that's something to hang your hat on if you're OKC.
Back to the OP, no I disagree on where the Lakers stand against these other teams.
Without Metta, without Barnes, and with Bynum having his weekly crying session on the bench, they still beat OKC. The Lakers have been awful vs. San Antonio, and Memphis is probably a better overall team, and can match the Lakers size upfront, and put a legit stopper on Kobe. If they get the 3 seed, they avoid Memphis round 1, and get OKC round 2. That is better than getting memphis and then going to San Antonio, In my opinion.
I just don't see the Lakers as real contenders. I don't think they can beat San Antonio or the Thunder, who played their word today and still took the game to double OT. They match up well with Memphis, I suppose, but it's really hard to see this team managing to take out Memphis, SA and the Thunder in successive rounds.
IF the Lakers lose this game, they get closer to dropping down to the 4th seed and the Clippers moving up to the 3rd.
Not saying the Lakers should lose intentionally, but does anybody think this would make better sense for the Lakers anyway? The Lakers would have a tough first round matchup versus the Grizzlies, but I think they'd rather a 2nd round matchup versus San Antonio more than one with the Thunder.