GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
"We were just messin around last night. That game doesn't count."
The Magic played well tonight. They still need to pound it into Dwight more though. I saw two or three possessions in the fourth quarter where Dwight was in position in the post and open and the other guys either missed the fact that he was open or didn't want to pass it in to him - either way they settled for jump shots, some of which went in, but still, you can't just pass up an open Dwight in the post, especially on nights like tonight where that little five foot hook shot was near automatic for him given that kind of space.
One down, two more to go in Orlando.
ExactlyNot a good sign for the Magic.
Hilarious."We were just messin around last night. That game doesn't count."
last night they spread the floor, moved the ball and used howard as a decoy...
disagree, sorta... i think orlando did a terrific job of taking advantage of what the lakers gave them. in the first few games they tried too hard to dump it into howard, who was being double and triple teamed before he even got the ball, and the offense stagnated because of it.
last night they spread the floor, moved the ball and used howard as a decoy... only good things can happen for the magic if they continue this approach. either the lakers will continue to allow them to shoot wide open shots, or it will force the lakers to stop sagging two guys onto howard before he gets the ball, and then they can start feeding him the ball more.
trying to force the ball into him right now would be a mistake. let him get it in the flow.
disagree, sorta... i think orlando did a terrific job of taking advantage of what the lakers gave them. in the first few games they tried too hard to dump it into howard, who was being double and triple teamed before he even got the ball, and the offense stagnated because of it.
last night they spread the floor, moved the ball and used howard as a decoy... only good things can happen for the magic if they continue this approach. either the lakers will continue to allow them to shoot wide open shots, or it will force the lakers to stop sagging two guys onto howard before he gets the ball, and then they can start feeding him the ball more.
trying to force the ball into him right now would be a mistake. let him get it in the flow.
i'd also like to add that michael jordan would be up 3-0 right now and would never play the way kobe did down the stretch when he had a team on the ropes.
never (and i say never because i am of the thought that the brief return after baseball and the 2 year return with the wizards never happened)
The Magic finally manage to play a great game, Kobe has half an off night, and the Lakers still barely lose.
Not a good sign for the Magic.
What's that from?
I would agree if the Lakers as a team hadn't played all that well, but I'd say that even with Kobe's 2nd half silence the Lakers played well, and the Magic still managed to come out on top.
Now granted, if your team finishes a game shooting nearly 70% from the floor, you should be winning games by more than 4 points. But I'd say there's a glimmer of hope for the Magic now that wasn't there before, and wouldn't have been there had the Lakers simply had an off game.
Isn't it awesome?
It's from earlier this season...a crazy ass blocked shot that Shannon Brown had against the Hawks.
The most important thing to me again is that this was a game the Lakers were EXPECTED to lose, and lose by a large margin. First game on the road team's court after going down 0-2? As I said, Lakers had essentially nothing to lose. They played well, but as you said, the Magic shot a high percentage, and still only won in the last 30 seconds of the game.
If Kobe has a normal night at the free throw line, Lakers probably win that game. Kobe doesn't uncharacteristically lose the ball (he's known as the best handler in the league, no?), same thing. You think he's going to let that happen again?
I still think this goes to 6 games, at least. But they're not leaving Orlando without a win.
Isn't it awesome?
It's from earlier this season...a crazy ass blocked shot that Shannon Brown had against the Hawks.
The most important thing to me again is that this was a game the Lakers were EXPECTED to lose, and lose by a large margin. First game on the road team's court after going down 0-2? As I said, Lakers had essentially nothing to lose. They played well, but as you said, the Magic shot a high percentage, and still only won in the last 30 seconds of the game.
If Kobe has a normal night at the free throw line, Lakers probably win that game. Kobe doesn't uncharacteristically lose the ball (he's known as the best handler in the league, no?), same thing. You think he's going to let that happen again?
I still think this goes to 6 games, at least. But they're not leaving Orlando without a win.
Why does any team pass up the chance? It was just shown above that a lot of teams that go up 2-0 fail to close it out during the third game. The Lakers actually played with more resolve than anyone was expecting last night, but they came up against a rejuvenated and inspired Magic offense. If that shooting percentage hadn't been good-to-great instead of superlative, no victory for the Magic.
Does that make sense? And yes, with each game the Magic wins, it doesn't seem like as much of an uphill climb. But correct me if I'm wrong, no one has beaten the Lakers two games in a row these playoffs, let alone three times.
Yeah, I bet namkcuR posted the stats.
It's because Kobe REALLY WANTS IT.
Yeah, I bet namkcuR posted the stats. That's true, but a lot of those shots were as much as product of stagnant defense (shots in transition, close to the basket, etc...) as they were an insane offense. Plus, the Magic had little to no answer for Gasol last night, and he only puts up 11 shots? He started putting Lewis into foul trouble when they put the ball in his hands around the late 3rd/early 4th quarter. Then again, if he doesn't make that dumb pass while he's on the ground, Pietrus doesn't get that steal and pretty much seal the game with his free throws.
Also true, but they're certainly better than those Jazz or Rockets teams that they faced... the Nuggets, possibly the same, if they weren't a pack of headcases with a choke-artist coach. If the Lakers bounce back tomorrow night, the series is over (no shit), but if they end up snagging Game 5 and go back to L.A. with a 3-2 lead, it's still kind of up in the air, even if it favors them.
Hell, if the Magic win all 3, which I really doubt, then who knows?
Huh? What stats?