OFFICIAL LAKERS 2009/2010 (57-25) 2009-2010 CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

[thachosen123]

Until fish starts to fail in the playoffs, he'll always be a contributer..........He's NEVER the PG to hold down a team so I'm not really sure why that's expected of him now




But if its one thing we all know about fish its that the man make big shots in April - June.......so as I said until then he still serviceable to this team....................thank you and have a nice day

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02

Fro B Giant:

---

What game did you watch? I sometimes think you're really not a Lakers fan and that you deep down inside hate them

Those of you that say that (and you're not the first), I can't help but think that you've never known someone who truly was cynical by nature. It's almost become cliche and hip to claim cynicism, but I've been cynical for a good while now, and that includes teams I'm a fan of.

When UK signed Calipari, you know what my response was? "But he's unapologetic about paying no mind to free throws.

That's not good." And now UK is 25-1, and you know my thoughts are? "But that one loss to South Carolina included a game plan that they thought would work... and did. How can you win a championship if a team thinks they know how to beat you... and then that works?"

The Lakers are no different than the Wildcats, or any other facet of my life. I'm a cynic.

I hear you, I have my moments too. Although they don't last long. So maybe I am just wishy washy

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

Yeah there's that, but at least he's been giving us something in the past seasons, this may be the worst of his career. Career low FG%, 3pt% and ppg since he became a starter for the Lakeshow. I don't doubt he'll come through when we need him most, but he's hurt us in quite a few games this season. I'm just probably still mad cause we didn't get Hinrich.

I am not sure how I feel about Kirk. It would be nice to add him but not have to give up anything. I wouldn't trade him for Fish.

 

[noreasonabledoubt]

Should have never called that timeout - and if Phil needed the timeout he shouldve got his ##* up off his high ##* chair and did it with enthusiasm. Having 5 sec as opposed to 2 really gives you a lot more options. But as I said, should have never called that TO, Lamar was a beast in this game, aggresive, getting boards, getting in KG's face laughing at him, love this Lamar. He wouldve made it or gotten fouled doing somthing and I think he did get fouled. But great effort without our star. PS: Shannon Brown should not be shooting this much, it's like a gift and a curse for role players to get confidence.

 

[nermindee]

all Im saying is that this was such a winnable game for the lakers. You fisher supporters are embarrassing yourselves

.. Some of you think his clutch shots from the past makes it ok for him to continually suck, but in saying that I know you fisher fans will not change your mind and continually hug his nuts.  



his numbers from last night... the most horrible starting point guard in the league. You know its bad when sasha contributes more than you.

1 for 9 from the field.... same old bricks and getting his crap swatted at the rim.

0 for 3 - 3 pointers

1-3 from the line

1 assist.

dont even get me started on his Defense and how much ray allen lit him up....

keep reminiscing about his past, cus you know... thats totally gonna stop the nuggets in the playoffs and beat cavs in the finals.

done talking about fisher cus i know all i will get is a LAME response.

 

[noreasonabledoubt]

Originally Posted by Nermindee

all Im saying is that this was such a winnable game for the lakers. You fisher supporters are embarrassing yourselves

.. Some of you think his clutch shots from the past makes it ok for him to continually suck, but in saying that I know you fisher fans will not change your mind and continually hug his nuts.  



his numbers from last night... the most horrible starting point guard in the league. You know its bad when sasha contributes more than you.

1 for 9 from the field.... same old bricks and getting his crap swatted at the rim.

0 for 3 - 3 pointers

1-3 from the line

1 assist.

dont even get me started on his Defense and how much ray allen lit him up....

keep reminiscing about his past, cus you know... thats totally gonna stop the nuggets in the playoffs and beat cavs in the finals.

done talking about fisher cus i know all i will get is a LAME response.

I'm nuetral about Fish kind of. He's not out there for numbers, he's out there for leadership and for someone for Kobe to look to as being a veteran and being through what he has in the past. But with that being said, he doesnt have to start for us for him to show his leadership, it starts in the practicing and timeouts and warming up before games. And the reason for his clutchness is almost always because Kobe or Shaq were being concentrated on with the defense and if anybody else beat them then so be it and Fish has done that in the past.

 

[knightngale]

Originally Posted by KB8sandiego

When has lamar ever wanted to take a game winning shot?

[h2]http://articles.sfgate.com/2005-01-16/sports/17354971_1_lamar-odom-warriors-adonal-foyle[/h2]

[h2]No Kobe, no problem for Lakers / Odom breaks late tie with drive as Warriors lose ninth in a row[/h2]

By Janny Hu | January 16, 2005

Before the game Warriors coach Mike Montgomery wondered who the Lakerswould go to in crunch time; who would take the shot with the game onthe line with star Kobe Bryant sidelined by an ankle sprain. When thesituation presented itself three hours later everyone in the buildingknew it would be Lamar Odom. So with the game tied and 12.6 secondsremaining the Lakers isolated Odom at the top of the key againstWarriors center Clifford Robinson. And pulling a vintage Bryant Odomdrove all the way in for the game- winning lay-up to give the Lakers athrilling 104-102 win in front of a sold- out crowd of 19602 at theArena in Oakland.

He may be moretalented than Artest but he just does not have that mentality. Youthink any of our guards who went like 3 for 30 today would be betteroptions than Artest?

Artest is a better shooter than Odom as well so that would have been a good option for the last shot.
Actually, Lamar has slightly a better shooting percentage than Ron so far this season. Moving along.

Doyou think I care if you find it annoying? Cause I don't. This is notthe first time you have complained and it will not be the last. Wannatake my laker member card away again?

Oh yeah, that's right. I remember that. You gave up being a fan last season. Something about them playing bad and you expected them to lose and not make it back to the Finals and play the Celtics. I knew it was something along those lines. But yeah, I didn't take you member card away, you did that to yourself.

Lastly, from the L.A. Times:














P.S. Luke Walton is trash

you proved my point by bringing up a game from 2005
and the last time he actually shot a game winner was when he bricked a 3 versus the pistons in 2008

Artest is a better shooter than lamar...as in shooting FROM THE OUTSIDE 

I did not give up my fan card. YOU tried to "take it away" because you got annoyed about my complaining since you probably consider yourself to be an honorary lakers fan or something. The power to take away a fan card.
What the hell is that? You think too highly of yourself.

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by Nermindee

all Im saying is that this was such a winnable game for the lakers. You fisher supporters are embarrassing yourselves

.. Some of you think his clutch shots from the past makes it ok for him to continually suck, but in saying that I know you fisher fans will not change your mind and continually hug his nuts.  



his numbers from last night... the most horrible starting point guard in the league. You know its bad when sasha contributes more than you.

1 for 9 from the field.... same old bricks and getting his crap swatted at the rim.

0 for 3 - 3 pointers

1-3 from the line

1 assist.

dont even get me started on his Defense and how much ray allen lit him up....

keep reminiscing about his past, cus you know... thats totally gonna stop the nuggets in the playoffs and beat cavs in the finals.

done talking about fisher cus i know all i will get is a LAME response.

I almost don't even like talking to people who take one game and use that as a reason why someone sucks. But here we go anyway, it's one game, yes he played bad, yes Ray lit him up, yes he's older, no we don't think because he hits shots in the past he will keep on doing it till he's 79. Bottom line is the Lakers don't need Fisher to be the guy that you are trying to say they need. The day that Fisher is our first option will be the day we won't make the playoffs.
It's a waste of time to list the players the Lakers have that contribute more than Fisher. But complaining about Fish is like being Lebron and complaining about having to pay the light bill. It's the last of the Lakers worries, you can believe that.

There's your lame response.

 

[davizzy]

it would have been great for a laker win, but we did not play bad. We do miss kobe for those clutch shots, but hey i would rather have him healthy later on in the season than now. Would have boosted our confidence up if we would have won. Here is a good article i came across today via laker nation's site.
http://bleacherreport.com...second-consecutive-title

Kobe Hate Will Fuel Lakers To Second Consecutive Title
by Nate Smith Correspondent
Written on February 18, 2010

If anything is clear this season, it is that Kobe Bryant may have finally been surpassed by Lebron James as the best player in the league. With Lebron projected to finish in the top five of all time in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) for the second consecutive year, an argument can be made that Lebron is the most statistically dominating player ever.

Kobe still holds on to the crown, but the advanced statistics are harder and harder to argue with every day.

PER, Roland Ratings, Efficiency, Value Added, and Win Shares all suggest that Lebron is superior to Kobe Bryant.

With Lebron making a strong case for best player in the league and Kobe on the sidelines because of injury, some commentators have taken the opportunity to once again question Kobe Bryant.

Just about every reputable publication from Foxsports to ESPN to SportsIllustrated to SportingNews has named Kobe as the NBA Player of the Decade. There's a good reason why. Kobe Bryant has been a top three player for the entire decade. He's been the consensus best player for half the decade. Nobody—not Shaq, not Duncan—can say the same.

That still didn't stop Charles Barkley from essentially calling the fans stupid when they voted Kobe Bryant last week as player of the decade. Barkley and Kenny Smith thought that Shaq's three years in LA earlier in the decade were enough to carry him for the other seven years.

It is not enough that Kobe's made the All NBA team every year this decade. It isn't enough that he's made the defensive team nine out of 10 years, or that he's been to the finals six times winning four rings. It isn't enough that he's scored more points this decade than any other player both in the regular season and the playoffs or that he's been the leading assist man on four championship squads.

It still isn't enough for a seven letter word: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Kobe heard Charles and Kenny. He's heard the noise about Lebron being better. He's heard the criticism that he still shoots too much. He's heard the knock that he's not efficient enough.

Four rings and counting and he's still being second-guessed. He's still being questioned.

But Kobe doesn't mind. The hate and the criticism are fuel for Kobe. It pushes him to prove the haters and the doubters wrong.

In 2004-05 after having a coach quit in midseason and having substantial injuries for a significant part of the year, Kobe missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. The haters reveled in the Lakers' misery. They said he couldn't even lead the Lakers to the playoffs without Shaq.

Kobe came back the next season and drug Kwame Brown, Luke Walton, and Smush Parker as starters for most of the season to the playoffs. In doing it, he had an 81 point game that will go down as the greatest individual performance the league has ever seen.

Still, after having one of the greatest seasons of all time and taking the second place Phoenix Suns to seven games in the first round, the haters ignored the accomplishment. Instead, they accused Kobe of giving up on his team in a game seven.

In the MVP race, it was clear to anyone with a pulse that Bryant was not only the best player in the game, but that the Lakers would be in last place without him on the team. That's the year when this ridiculous notion of "making your teammates better" became the criteria for MVP. Instead of Kobe hoisting a MVP trophy that should have been his, some writers left him off the MVP ballot completely.

Another year, more disrespect.

To be fair, Kobe sometimes rubs people the wrong way. After the 2006-07 season, he demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. Unhappy that he wasn't getting any closer to a championship, Kobe thirsted for a competent running mate. He'd settle for an older Jason Kidd. He'd settle for Luol Deng. Just give the guy somebody...anybody that could take just a little bit of the responsibility and he could deliver a championship.

There were those who were overjoyed. They thought Kobe had made his bed with forcing Shaq out of L.A., now it was time for him to lie in it. As good as Kobe was, they said the Lakers would never contend with him at the helm.

No trade was made, but by January of the 2007-08 season, the Lakers were in first place in the West.

That little detail gets lost because a couple of weeks later, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol. But the Lakers were contenders before Gasol ever got into a Lakers uniform.

Again, doubting Kobe proved to be wrong.

That year, Kobe led his team to the NBA finals where they were overwhelmed by the league leading Boston Celtics.

The mantra that summer was initiated by Kobe's arch nemesis, Shaquille O'Neal. "He couldn't do it without me. Hey Kobe, tell me how my (expletive) tastes."

Kobe didn't respond. Fuel. Next year.

That summer, people questioned whether he could fit in with a team of all stars and check his ego enough to help Team USA win gold. Nevermind that Kobe wasn't on the embarrassing team that brought home a bronze medal in 2004, the questions about winning focused on whether Kobe would "fit."

Not only would Kobe fit, he would lead. He willed Team USA to the gold by being the go to player in the championship game against Spain. Hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, the best players in the world deferred to his greatness. The Redeem Team was able to redeem itself by simply adding the player it was missing four years earlier.

Still, could he do it without Shaq? Could he lead the Lakers team to the championship?

Nevermind that Shaq has never been on a championship team that didn't also feature one of the top five players in the league at the time, Kobe was dared to win without Shaquille.

Hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy up at the end of the 2008-09 season, Kobe had answered every criticism. He had answered every question. The haters had to begrudgingly give him his props. They just had to respect him, didn't they?

"He had Gasol." "The Lakers were stacked." "Fisher had to bail him out."

Nevermind the fact that Gasol had never been considered as good until he played next to Kobe. Nevermind that Andrew Bynum was injured and ineffective. Nevermind that Kobe gave Fisher the game winning assist.

Another year, more disrespect.

Kobe hears the criticism.

Fuel.

Recently, as Kobe has been sitting out to nurse an ankle injury, the Lakers have been winning without him. Some have suggested that the Lakers are better without their star.

Fuel.

Turn on ESPN and you'll hear Bill Simmons or John Hollinger claim that Lebron is better than Kobe, and it isn't even close.

Fuel.

Kobe knows that as he ages, another young player will snatch the reigns of best player in the league. The ironic thing is that as he passes on the reigns to Lebron, he'll be getting closer to his ultimate goal: being the best player of all time.

He'll need rings to do it. Six of them.

But people doubt that Kobe can win like Jordan.

Fuel.

Now with Lebron playing out of his mind and with the Cavs recently adding Antawn Jamison, the stage has been set for an epic battle in this year's finals. Cavs-Lakers. Kobe-Lebron.

The world will be watching. Lebron will stand in the way of Kobe's fifth Championship. A tie with Magic is at stake. The legacy toward Jordan is in the balance. Questions will be asked.

How do you think Kobe will answer?

 

[darthska]

Kobe heard Charles and Kenny. He's heard the noise about Lebron beingbetter. He's heard the criticism that he still shoots too much. He'sheard the knock that he's not efficient enough.

Four rings and counting and he's still being second-guessed. He's still being questioned.

But Kobe doesn't mind.
Like HELL he doesn't.

And I'm not saying it's a bad thing to mind criticism. Just saying, let's call a spade a spade. Kobe definitely minds.

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by Nermindee

all Im saying is that this was such a winnable game for the lakers. You fisher supporters are embarrassing yourselves

.. Some of you think his clutch shots from the past makes it ok for him to continually suck, but in saying that I know you fisher fans will not change your mind and continually hug his nuts.  



his numbers from last night... the most horrible starting point guard in the league. You know its bad when sasha contributes more than you.

1 for 9 from the field.... same old bricks and getting his crap swatted at the rim.

0 for 3 - 3 pointers

1-3 from the line

1 assist.

dont even get me started on his Defense and how much ray allen lit him up....

keep reminiscing about his past, cus you know... thats totally gonna stop the nuggets in the playoffs and beat cavs in the finals.

done talking about fisher cus i know all i will get is a LAME response.

And you're the dude that was probably all about Fish when he saved our @#$ vs the Magic.  Hate him all year, and then when he saves us jump up and cheer and act like you knew all along.  Ok bro. 

Fish was terrible last night.  Want a cookie?  A hug?  An autograph? 

Amd yet, it was ok for Gasol to throw a horrible baseline pass.  Or Odom to run the friggin floor at 100 miles and hour and waste 4 seconds off the clock.  Or the team to miss damn near half their free throws.  It was all Fishers fault we didn't win that game.  Ok. 

Fish will go on, he'll do what he does, and sometime in the playoffs he will hit a big shot in a moment when we needed him, and there'll you'll be jumping up and down claiming you knew all along.  That's fine.  But most of us in here will remember, ask JBone how it feels in here.  Ask Knickforlife or whatever his name is now. 

 

[ryda421]

Originally Posted by Nermindee

all Im saying is that this was such a winnable game for the lakers. You fisher supporters are embarrassing yourselves

.. Some of you think his clutch shots from the past makes it ok for him to continually suck, but in saying that I know you fisher fans will not change your mind and continually hug his nuts.  



his numbers from last night... the most horrible starting point guard in the league. You know its bad when sasha contributes more than you.

1 for 9 from the field.... same old bricks and getting his crap swatted at the rim.

0 for 3 - 3 pointers

1-3 from the line

1 assist.

dont even get me started on his Defense and how much ray allen lit him up....

keep reminiscing about his past, cus you know... thats totally gonna stop the nuggets in the playoffs and beat cavs in the finals.

done talking about fisher cus i know all i will get is a LAME response.

+##! with your little foot size 9

 

[noblekane]

our pgs and sgs suck. they cant shoot nor defend. we need to explore the d league or pick someone off waivers. get bruce bowen out of retirement.

stillcant believe they lost to the celtics when the celtics were all out of gas smh


fisher and brown shot a combined 3 for 18 last night

add farmar and they shot a combined 5 for 25....

im pretty sure a d leaguer could shoot better than that...

 

[frenchblue23]

Noble, I understand your frustration, but we go through this after every loss, every one wants changes after a loss.

The fact is, our guards are very inconsistent.

 

[ryda421]

Originally Posted by NobleKane

our pgs and sgs suck. they cant shoot nor defend. we need to explore the d league or pick someone off waivers. get bruce bowen out of retirement.

stillcant believe they lost to the celtics when the celtics were all out of gas smh


fisher and brown shot a combined 3 for 18 last night

add farmar and they shot a combined 5 for 25....

im pretty sure a d leaguer could shoot better than that...

and that's why they are in the d-league. point is, one game and you are crying. chill out man, one loss in February does not compare to a loss in june. sounding like a real *$+@! over there

EDIT:

a couple good games and you will forget those words, a couple bad games and you will be on the same boat. you sound like a female with that I'M NEVER SATISFIED mentality. i bet you my sn you were not complaining about fish when he hit that three in the finals.

 

[noblekane]

Originally Posted by Ryda421

Originally Posted by NobleKane

our pgs and sgs suck. they cant shoot nor defend. we need to explore the d league or pick someone off waivers. get bruce bowen out of retirement.

stillcant believe they lost to the celtics when the celtics were all out of gas smh


fisher and brown shot a combined 3 for 18 last night

add farmar and they shot a combined 5 for 25....

im pretty sure a d leaguer could shoot better than that...

and that's why they are in the d-league. point is, one game and you are crying. chill out man, one loss in February does not compare to a loss in june. sounding like a real *$+@! over there

EDIT:

a couple good games and you will forget those words, a couple bad games and you will be on the same boat. you sound like a female with that I'M NEVER SATISFIED mentality. i bet you my sn you were not complaining about fish when he hit that three in the finals.

and you sound like a female protecting your baby daddies... its one thing to play good against the warriors. its another thing to play well against the celtics, nuggets, and cavs.... you cant defend horrible shooting like that

 

[ryda421]

Originally Posted by NobleKane

Originally Posted by Ryda421

Originally Posted by NobleKane

our pgs and sgs suck. they cant shoot nor defend. we need to explore the d league or pick someone off waivers. get bruce bowen out of retirement.

stillcant believe they lost to the celtics when the celtics were all out of gas smh


fisher and brown shot a combined 3 for 18 last night

add farmar and they shot a combined 5 for 25....

im pretty sure a d leaguer could shoot better than that...

and that's why they are in the d-league. point is, one game and you are crying. chill out man, one loss in February does not compare to a loss in june. sounding like a real *$+@! over there

EDIT:

a couple good games and you will forget those words, a couple bad games and you will be on the same boat. you sound like a female with that I'M NEVER SATISFIED mentality. i bet you my sn you were not complaining about fish when he hit that three in the finals.

and you sound like a female protecting your baby daddies... its one thing to play good against the warriors. its another thing to play well against the celtics, nuggets, and cavs.... you cant defend horrible shooting like that

well they don't pay my bills, so therefore it is nothing for me lose sleep over. or better yet, still be bitter over something that happened yesterday. they can't be ON for every game of the season. sometimes you have off nights. it's one thing to nag about one season game, and it's another to nag about a PLAYOFF game.

 

[holdenmichael]

Please keep the personal commentary off the board. It doesn't help support your opinion kn the subject being discussed in any way.

As far as how bad the Lakers PGs are playing, specifically Fish, let me provide you with some perspective:

Fish is a -9 in net production. Second worst for players playing at least 50% of the minutes is Jared Jeffries at -6.6 and 58% (James Posey is a -7.4 at 45%).

The Lakers are a -5 in net production by position at point guard. Only the Warriors -5.7 at PG, Pacers -6.1 at C & -5.8 at SG, Wolves -5.1 at SG & -5.7 at SF, Nets -5.1 at SF & -8.1 at PF, Sacramento's -6.4 at PF, and Washington's -6.4 at SG is worse at ANY position THROUGHOUT the entire NBA.

Even though those teams were worse at those positions than the Lakers are at PG, none of them had an individual player at that position that was the cause of the deficit the way Fisher does in LA. He plays 56% of the minutes and is a -9 in net production. Farmar plays 36% of the minutes and is a +0.4. Fish is the sole cause of this playoff team worst deficit at one position.

You don't get that bad with one or two off games. That's consistent suck.

Forget having a top point guard, imagine having a guard that could just suck half as bad as Fish or really amaze and come out even! The Lakers would be steam rolling the league! They wouldn't need Fisher's clutch shots in the same way that they haven't needed Ariza's clutch steals.

The Lakers will do something about the situation during the off season, I'm just hoping it doesn't cost them in the post season.

 

[xsalvioutlawx]

^^ The Celtics COLLAPSED in the fourth quarter and Lakers could of easily put them away and didn't. I don't know how you could be happy about losing a game even the Clippers could of won at that point in time (When Celtics collapsed).

All they had to do was make one bucket and they would of won, it was stupid play followed by stupid play, followed by another stupid play. Yet the Celtics kept doing stupid plays as well and Lakers still couldn't put them away.

How many times has Pau not come through in the clutch this season? It's been like 3 or 4 times where he's been put in that spot and absolutely failed.

And for those of you who say Fish only plays when it matters, I doubt he'd admit to that or even agree to that if you were to ask him that in real life. There's no way in hell anyone likes getting owned by every PG in the league on a nightly basis.

 

[noreasonabledoubt]

Originally Posted by davizzy

it would have been great for a laker win, but we did not play bad. We do miss kobe for those clutch shots, but hey i would rather have him healthy later on in the season than now. Would have boosted our confidence up if we would have won. Here is a good article i came across today via laker nation's site.
http://bleacherreport.com...second-consecutive-title

Kobe Hate Will Fuel Lakers To Second Consecutive Title
by Nate Smith Correspondent
Written on February 18, 2010

If anything is clear this season, it is that Kobe Bryant may have finally been surpassed by Lebron James as the best player in the league. With Lebron projected to finish in the top five of all time in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) for the second consecutive year, an argument can be made that Lebron is the most statistically dominating player ever.

Kobe still holds on to the crown, but the advanced statistics are harder and harder to argue with every day.

PER, Roland Ratings, Efficiency, Value Added, and Win Shares all suggest that Lebron is superior to Kobe Bryant.

With Lebron making a strong case for best player in the league and Kobe on the sidelines because of injury, some commentators have taken the opportunity to once again question Kobe Bryant.

Just about every reputable publication from Foxsports to ESPN to SportsIllustrated to SportingNews has named Kobe as the NBA Player of the Decade. There's a good reason why. Kobe Bryant has been a top three player for the entire decade. He's been the consensus best player for half the decade. Nobody—not Shaq, not Duncan—can say the same.

That still didn't stop Charles Barkley from essentially calling the fans stupid when they voted Kobe Bryant last week as player of the decade. Barkley and Kenny Smith thought that Shaq's three years in LA earlier in the decade were enough to carry him for the other seven years.

It is not enough that Kobe's made the All NBA team every year this decade. It isn't enough that he's made the defensive team nine out of 10 years, or that he's been to the finals six times winning four rings. It isn't enough that he's scored more points this decade than any other player both in the regular season and the playoffs or that he's been the leading assist man on four championship squads.

It still isn't enough for a seven letter word: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Kobe heard Charles and Kenny. He's heard the noise about Lebron being better. He's heard the criticism that he still shoots too much. He's heard the knock that he's not efficient enough.

Four rings and counting and he's still being second-guessed. He's still being questioned.

But Kobe doesn't mind. The hate and the criticism are fuel for Kobe. It pushes him to prove the haters and the doubters wrong.

In 2004-05 after having a coach quit in midseason and having substantial injuries for a significant part of the year, Kobe missed the playoffs for the first time in his career. The haters reveled in the Lakers' misery. They said he couldn't even lead the Lakers to the playoffs without Shaq.

Kobe came back the next season and drug Kwame Brown, Luke Walton, and Smush Parker as starters for most of the season to the playoffs. In doing it, he had an 81 point game that will go down as the greatest individual performance the league has ever seen.

Still, after having one of the greatest seasons of all time and taking the second place Phoenix Suns to seven games in the first round, the haters ignored the accomplishment. Instead, they accused Kobe of giving up on his team in a game seven.

In the MVP race, it was clear to anyone with a pulse that Bryant was not only the best player in the game, but that the Lakers would be in last place without him on the team. That's the year when this ridiculous notion of "making your teammates better" became the criteria for MVP. Instead of Kobe hoisting a MVP trophy that should have been his, some writers left him off the MVP ballot completely.

Another year, more disrespect.

To be fair, Kobe sometimes rubs people the wrong way. After the 2006-07 season, he demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. Unhappy that he wasn't getting any closer to a championship, Kobe thirsted for a competent running mate. He'd settle for an older Jason Kidd. He'd settle for Luol Deng. Just give the guy somebody...anybody that could take just a little bit of the responsibility and he could deliver a championship.

There were those who were overjoyed. They thought Kobe had made his bed with forcing Shaq out of L.A., now it was time for him to lie in it. As good as Kobe was, they said the Lakers would never contend with him at the helm.

No trade was made, but by January of the 2007-08 season, the Lakers were in first place in the West.

That little detail gets lost because a couple of weeks later, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol. But the Lakers were contenders before Gasol ever got into a Lakers uniform.

Again, doubting Kobe proved to be wrong.

That year, Kobe led his team to the NBA finals where they were overwhelmed by the league leading Boston Celtics.

The mantra that summer was initiated by Kobe's arch nemesis, Shaquille O'Neal. "He couldn't do it without me. Hey Kobe, tell me how my (expletive) tastes."

Kobe didn't respond. Fuel. Next year.

That summer, people questioned whether he could fit in with a team of all stars and check his ego enough to help Team USA win gold. Nevermind that Kobe wasn't on the embarrassing team that brought home a bronze medal in 2004, the questions about winning focused on whether Kobe would "fit."

Not only would Kobe fit, he would lead. He willed Team USA to the gold by being the go to player in the championship game against Spain. Hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, the best players in the world deferred to his greatness. The Redeem Team was able to redeem itself by simply adding the player it was missing four years earlier.

Still, could he do it without Shaq? Could he lead the Lakers team to the championship?

Nevermind that Shaq has never been on a championship team that didn't also feature one of the top five players in the league at the time, Kobe was dared to win without Shaquille.

Hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy up at the end of the 2008-09 season, Kobe had answered every criticism. He had answered every question. The haters had to begrudgingly give him his props. They just had to respect him, didn't they?

"He had Gasol." "The Lakers were stacked." "Fisher had to bail him out."

Nevermind the fact that Gasol had never been considered as good until he played next to Kobe. Nevermind that Andrew Bynum was injured and ineffective. Nevermind that Kobe gave Fisher the game winning assist.

Another year, more disrespect.

Kobe hears the criticism.

Fuel.

Recently, as Kobe has been sitting out to nurse an ankle injury, the Lakers have been winning without him. Some have suggested that the Lakers are better without their star.

Fuel.

Turn on ESPN and you'll hear Bill Simmons or John Hollinger claim that Lebron is better than Kobe, and it isn't even close.

Fuel.

Kobe knows that as he ages, another young player will snatch the reigns of best player in the league. The ironic thing is that as he passes on the reigns to Lebron, he'll be getting closer to his ultimate goal: being the best player of all time.

He'll need rings to do it. Six of them.

But people doubt that Kobe can win like Jordan.

Fuel.

Now with Lebron playing out of his mind and with the Cavs recently adding Antawn Jamison, the stage has been set for an epic battle in this year's finals. Cavs-Lakers. Kobe-Lebron.

The world will be watching. Lebron will stand in the way of Kobe's fifth Championship. A tie with Magic is at stake. The legacy toward Jordan is in the balance. Questions will be asked.

How do you think Kobe will answer?

Cant wait

 

[three6mafia2007]

Good read davizzy

and about fish, as much as i love him, there's no denying how bad he has played this season. But I can live with it because he has shown his ability to come through in the clutch throughout his career, and hopefully keeping him as the starter will enable him to come thru for us again later this year

 

[knightngale]

Originally Posted by holdenmichael

Please keep the personal commentary off the board. It doesn't help support your opinion kn the subject being discussed in any way.

As far as how bad the Lakers PGs are playing, specifically Fish, let me provide you with some perspective:

Fish is a -9 in net production. Second worst for players playing at least 50% of the minutes is Jared Jeffries at -6.6 and 58% (James Posey is a -7.4 at 45%).

The Lakers are a -5 in net production by position at point guard. Only the Warriors -5.7 at PG, Pacers -6.1 at C & -5.8 at SG, Wolves -5.1 at SG & -5.7 at SF, Nets -5.1 at SF & -8.1 at PF, Sacramento's -6.4 at PF, and Washington's -6.4 at SG is worse at ANY position THROUGHOUT the entire NBA.

Even though those teams were worse at those positions than the Lakers are at PG, none of them had an individual player at that position that was the cause of the deficit the way Fisher does in LA. He plays 56% of the minutes and is a -9 in net production. Farmar plays 36% of the minutes and is a +0.4. Fish is the sole cause of this playoff team worst deficit at one position.

You don't get that bad with one or two off games. That's consistent suck.

Forget having a top point guard, imagine having a guard that could just suck half as bad as Fish or really amaze and come out even! The Lakers would be steam rolling the league! They wouldn't need Fisher's clutch shots in the same way that they haven't needed Ariza's clutch steals.

The Lakers will do something about the situation during the off season, I'm just hoping it doesn't cost them in the post season.

The Lakers are too loyal to fisher to sit him. He will probably have to retire for the lakers to get a new starting pg. Can you imagine him pulling a walton and benching himself with his huge ego?

 

[noblekane]

Originally Posted by xsalvioutlawx

^^ The Celtics COLLAPSED in the fourth quarter and Lakers could of easily put them away and didn't. I don't know how you could be happy about losing a game even the Clippers could of won at that point in time (When Celtics collapsed).

All they had to do was make one bucket and they would of won, it was stupid play followed by stupid play, followed by another stupid play. Yet the Celtics kept doing stupid plays as well and Lakers still couldn't put them away.

How many times has Pau not come through in the clutch this season? It's been like 3 or 4 times where he's been put in that spot and absolutely failed.

And for those of you who say Fish only plays when it matters, I doubt he'd admit to that or even agree to that if you were to ask him that in real life. There's no way in hell anyone likes getting owned by every PG in the league on a nightly basis.

yup. wheres that pic of fish face when dude from utah poterized him?

  

 

[vietishi]

Originally Posted by knightngale

Originally Posted by holdenmichael

Please keep the personal commentary off the board. It doesn't help support your opinion kn the subject being discussed in any way.

As far as how bad the Lakers PGs are playing, specifically Fish, let me provide you with some perspective:

Fish is a -9 in net production. Second worst for players playing at least 50% of the minutes is Jared Jeffries at -6.6 and 58% (James Posey is a -7.4 at 45%).

The Lakers are a -5 in net production by position at point guard. Only the Warriors -5.7 at PG, Pacers -6.1 at C & -5.8 at SG, Wolves -5.1 at SG & -5.7 at SF, Nets -5.1 at SF & -8.1 at PF, Sacramento's -6.4 at PF, and Washington's -6.4 at SG is worse at ANY position THROUGHOUT the entire NBA.

Even though those teams were worse at those positions than the Lakers are at PG, none of them had an individual player at that position that was the cause of the deficit the way Fisher does in LA. He plays 56% of the minutes and is a -9 in net production. Farmar plays 36% of the minutes and is a +0.4. Fish is the sole cause of this playoff team worst deficit at one position.

You don't get that bad with one or two off games. That's consistent suck.

Forget having a top point guard, imagine having a guard that could just suck half as bad as Fish or really amaze and come out even! The Lakers would be steam rolling the league! They wouldn't need Fisher's clutch shots in the same way that they haven't needed Ariza's clutch steals.

The Lakers will do something about the situation during the off season, I'm just hoping it doesn't cost them in the post season.

The Lakers are too loyal to fisher to sit him. He will probably have to retire for the lakers to get a new starting pg. Can you imagine him pulling a walton and benching himself with his huge ego?

Wasn't Fish on the bench when Payton came to LA? The thing I don't get with the LA point guards is that they have the athleticism to defend these quicker guards. Both Brown's and Farmar's verticals are over 40 inches (44.5 and 42)

 

[westcoastsfinest]

i just dont like how fish tries to drive in for a miss layup but other than that...

fisher is our new robert horry

dude doesnt do crap in the regular season but when the playoffs come around its a different story