Yes, the turnovers hurt pretty bad, but the real story of that game was the Lakers simple dominance on the glass. The Hornets couldn’t get an offensive rebound to save their lives, and the Lakers either out-muscled or out-reached the Hornets for multiple second chance points. With the Hornets already struggling defensively, their inability to keep the Lakers one and done on the shots they did miss was killer. Honestly, I was hoping for a little more Aaron Gray in there as the Hornets struggled mightily inside. In the end, the Lakers outrebounded the Hornets by 17, and more importantly, had 15 offensive rebounds to the Hornets 3.
The strangest part was how little the rest of the team contributed on the glass. The Hornets make an impact on the board by team rebounding. All the wings and guards combined for 8 total rebounds when the game mattered.(And Paul had half of them, of course) That lack of help is insupportable against a team like the Lakers.
On their part, the Lakers did do a nice job limiting Paul in the game – forcing him to the edges instead of allowing him into the paint. The result was a 20-point, 12-assist game, with Paul only taking 12 shots. That’s still great, but he really needed another ball-handler out there to help him get away from their defensive traps, but Jack was failing miserably and Belinelli was shooting well but a disaster off the dribble.
Ariza did come to play. He went 5-8 from three, and was attacking. His defense was not quite as on today, as he repeatedly let Kobe get the step on him as he reached to poke the ball loose.
Other Observations
- As I said in the game preview, Bryant’s “injury” was bad for the Hornets. The Lakers got more than 10 shots for each of their big men, and as they have all series, turned those shots into easy points, free throws, or easy putbacks if they did miss. Add Bryant’s own efficiency to the mix, and it was all around bad.
- Belinelli finally had one of his superior shooting nights, and it kept the game close through the first half. Sadly, he was a big part of the issues on the boards, as Artest would get into the paint, hold Belinelli off with one hand, and then get a body on another Hornet at the same time, making the offensive boards easy to come by.
- Jack was awful. Driving out of control, had trouble getting anywhere, wasn’t playing off anyone well, and was turning the ball over left and right. It’s hard to play 13 minutes and get a -16 +/-. Jack did it tonight, and deserved it.
- Landry had his first truly off night scoring in this series, and man, he couldn’t catch a break.
- Monty needs to remember Gray for next game. More Gray!
- Okafor has 12 defensive boards for the entire series. For a guy I was so high on for a lot of the regular season, he’s being badly exposed. (Hat tip to Haubs of the Painted Area blog for that stat nugget)
Next game is Thursday at the Hive. Do or die. Be there.
133 responses to “Lakers assert their size and beat the Hornets”
Next game is Thursday.
Yeah. Sorry, I was tired and disappointed and sad.
*sniff*
Fixed it.
“When we were going to the rim, we were going to the ground. You have to learn to take a Playoff foul.”
5 minutes ago
Did Monty say this? So we have to learn to take a playoff foul? Can the Lakers take a playoff foul without the whistle blowing?
Jim_Eichenhofer Jim Eichenhofer
Monty is calling for more physical defensive play, with perhaps a hard foul or two, a “playoff foul” against driving Lakers
6 minutes ago
Except if the Hornets give a ‘playoff foul’ they’ll probably be ejected.
ALL I WANT IS CONSISTENCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belinelli was a “disaster” off the dribble? Explain that. He was the only Hornet not to commit a turnover (all the other starters had multiple TOs). Jack was the “disaster” off the dribble with 3 TOs and 0 FGs. In fact, Marco’s entry passes were excellent and the one skip pass to the corner for a made three by Ariza was one of the best dimes of the night. Marco made a variety of shots in the paint tonight. Oh, and you may have noticed he blew by Kobe (who fouled him) OFF THE DRIBBLE.
Landry and Okafor were non-factors on both ends of the floor. That’s where the problem lies.
Marco has deserved criticism for his play in the previous three games, but not tonight. With encouragement, I hope we see as good a game from him Thursday.
Marco was an utter trainwreck when he had to create for himself. I can remember 2 shots in particular that didn’t even get close to the rim and 1 that got close but was still a 24s violation. By no means does he get the majority of the blame tonight but our offense got in real trouble in the third when CP3 barely touched the ball and Trevor and Marco started taking bad shots 1v1.
Yes, he was a disaster whenever he had to put the ball on the floor. Bad leaners, bad contested shots, dribbling into trouble and getting no advantage as a result. Just because he had two good results on drives doesn’t mean he didn’t have about six drives that resulted in him taking really bad shots or dribbling into trouble and having to pass out, resulting in no advantage for the Hornets and simply wasted clock.
I see no reason to ignore the bad parts of a players game, just because his good parts were more prominent than usual.
Oh, and I think I said Jack was terrible.
Wasted clock on this team? Ryan you’re better than that.
If anyone wastes clock it’s Chris Paul, often to no advantage.
James: stop before you lose all credibility.
Oh, and the “good parts” of Marco’s game were better than they have been in the past three games, and on a par with what they’ve been since the All Star break, let’s be clear.
The problem the Hornets have is that the Lakers simply steamroll the Hornets inside time after time after time. Everything else, including my own musings, is just idle talk about subtleties.
Just got a ticket to Game 7 in LA. Hornets, make me believe!!
That’s a tough matchup for him. He’s got one of the best defenders in the game guarding him in Artest, and then he has to guard Ron on the other end as well. I didn’t expect Belly to offer much in this series other then a few threes. This is why I DESPERATELY wanted a back up 3 man. Trevors the only real SMALL FORWARD on the roster. And if he’s on Kobe, then we have to put either the 6’7, 200 lbs (soaking wet) Marco Belinelli on Artest, or have the 6’3 bodies of Green and Jack on him. That’s a tough match up for any of those guys. And none of those guys have played well in this series at all. Yet from the Lakers end, Artest has been the most consistent player on their roster in this first round.
Too bad Belinelli’s good game couldn’t have come in a win. That would’ve really boosted his confidence. Hopefully he’ll be able to continue tonight’s play on Thursday. We’re going to need it if we want to go to a Game 7.
Just got back from the watch party with the great fans of Hornets247. I’m spitting nails mad as I sit here typing this after listenting to the post game interviews on the way home. To quote Monty “We need to learn how to make playoff fouls. Every time we went to the lane we wound up on the ground.” The 0-10 run to start the second quarter was the major difference in this game. We went from +9 to -1 in a 4 minute span and never could get the game under control after that. I know I’m going to sound like a whiny homer and a conspiracy theorist now, but, fuck me… how bout a call every now and then. We got absolutely zero close calls. My contention is that a Hornets loss in 6 or 7 games is a win/win for the NBA. They get extra games and good feelings in NOLA and the Lakers advancing in the playoffs. Lakers out in round 1 equals 15-25% decline in tv ratings for the remainder of the playoffs. Repeat after me… “ain’t gonna happen”. It’s really difficult to shell out this kind of money to support a product that is essentially controlled like a professional wrestling match. Did I mention that I hate Kobe and everything about the Lakers.
“To quote Monty “We need to learn how to make playoff fouls. Every time we went to the lane we wound up on the ground.”
I thought he said we need to learn how to TAKE playoff fouls.
I know exactly what you mean Holy Cow. I said earlier why even have small market teams other than San Antonio if you already know how the script will be written?
Queen, I took his comments to mean that we got hammered all night and any time we looked at the Lakers we were whistled for a foul. He also made a comment to the effect of what was going on out there was not basketball and we need to learn how to adapt. My biggest gripe with NBA officiating is that they let guys bang then all of a sudden a slap is a foul. There is no consistency to the way the game is called.
OK Holy Cow. Maybe that’s what he said/meant.
I know every official is different and I know they are supposed to be human but they could be a bit more consistant. I know they can. But they won’t because the NBA is turning into the WWE. Scripts all over the place. LOL. Way too often they call one thing on a player and don’t call the same thing on the other end. Happens way too often for me.
I’ve been to the last 5 wrestlemanias and 2 before that.
I see the conspiracy theory everywhere… so you might be right BUT.
If Hornets were making their shots, did’t loose the ball so many times in such effortless style – the game would definitely end at least with a battle till last whistle. It did not. Instead of we saw really beautifull first quarter which made worry. Why? Because when you shoot 80%FG at the beginning the statistics are mercyless – your shots eventually will not fall – it will equal +/- 50% at the end of the game most of the times. The key is to survive/hold the lead in that less-percentage time.
What we have next? Ah – 2nd quarter. Why the hell they came in to this part of game un-pumped, steamed-off?? 9 points lead after 1st? They should be hyped! Theere were very nice ofensive plays during first quarter (inside and outside) and suddenly – it looked like they forgot what to play. Maybe it was improved D by LA, and maybe?
And another thing – there was no aggression like in previous game. Even the Great CP3 was dimmed. The rotation Jack/Green and Jack pulling some wild shots is a shot in the knee. Trailing by 10 or more, not going inside looking for fouls and shooting from unprepared position. The ONLY one in this team who is able to do that in perfect style is CP3.
Conclusion – with both hands up in support to consipracy theory – simply the effort was on the other side today.. yesterday. Blah… today for me 🙂
Looking for team spirit in games 6 and 7!!!!
Just a horrible matchup for Emeka Okafor, also some questionable decision making for Monty, Gray was doing everything that you can ask for on defense, why was he on the bench for nearly the entire second half when Okafor was having trouble getting 1 rebound? And I was also wondering why Williams decided to rest Paul in the early 4th quarter, we could’ve give ourself a chance and Jack&Green combo screwed it. Same thing in game 4, we had a chance and Paul rests, suddenly a blowout.
Despite Beli’s 20+ game, but he was just horrible on defense, he was outmuscled by Artest, and not a single rebound for him, he probably gave up more points he has scored.
Last thing, I have enough with Willie Green’s selfish a$$, just glad his contract is expiring, IMO, Aaron Affalo would be a perfect addition for us, great defender, consistent offensively player, he’d be great playing next to Paul next season.
Monty’s rotation has screwed us more times this season than I care to even count. It’s really a surprise we even won enough games to get to the post season with the funky rotations he’s tried to run. He hardly ever seems to know when to ride the hot hand. If Gray is playing better, then he needs to get more minutes. To hell with trying to appease players that aren’t helping you win more than the other one. Monty seems to try too hard to accomodate everybody. He seems to want to accomodate more than he’s trying to win effing games. Man if the Hornets can get Afflalo that would be great.
I’m not sure anyone remembers this, but Gray has a bad ankle. He might just not be able to go for a lot of minutes. He’s not exactly well conditioned either seeing as how he barely played most of the season, and dealing with Bynum and Pau has to take a lot out of you
jesus chuck, dont bring that logic in here this is a forum.
Nah AG was moving his feet pretty well, I think the only reason he wasn’t on the court is because Mek is not in foul trouble.
I agree with Chuck here. It’s hard to blame Monty knowing that Gray is hurting. Because I too would love to see Aaron get more burn against Bynum.
Sean, buddy. When you gonna see that Chandler would be a better starter for this team over Mek? This series should prove that to you.
Dont hate on the Mek monster. Plus Tyson has shown his true colors in rough housing CP in that final game of the year and just genuinely acting way to Jason Terryish for my liking
Willie Green will get a contract offer and take it in the offseason and I will be bummed. He is Devin Brown v2.0
He is better than down town Devin
Man I’d pay him 1 million just to do the stuff he’s been doing off the court.
If they resign Willie at 1-2m I’ll be ok, but I have a feeling he’s going to get wayy overpaid.
I’m not crazy bout Willie either. But I think we will see ONE other wing player pursued heavily this offseason. Marco and Willie will sign for 2.5 each.
After that, expect to see us TRY to go after Afflalo, Prince, Richardson, Mayo, or JR Smith. I think itll come down to one of those guys.
Here’s a great example of a weak and biased analysis. Watch the recording and check the stats. Marco outscored and outplayed both his main defenders, Artest and Barnes. He hit a three over Kobe and drove by him, got fouled, and made both FTs.
What two guard in the league would not be “outmuscled” by Artest? Ron Artest is HUGE, especially through the shoulders, and very aggressive. Marco is often able to butt him away from the boards, despite the difference in size and strength, often allowing others to grab the rebound.
Who gets pushed around more is Okafor. He and Landry spend the entire game getting run over by bigger opponents. That’s where the problem lies: the Hornets bigs, except for Gray, cannot handle the Lakers inside. David West would not have helped either. That’s where the Hornets are going to have to improve during the off season–interior toughness.
The matchup with Artest is simply pitiless for Belinelli. Too big and strong for him, but it should be for ALL shooting guards in the league. Can you see Ray Allen against Artest near the basket or grabbing a rebound? Surely Bely has to improve, but he is playing against one of the best defenders in the world and a very strong one, like a power forward.
Belli on Artest is a losing battle right off the start. The problem is, what else can you do?
Maybe trying Beli on Kobe and Ariza on Artest is some moments of game. Kobe will try to attack and maybe will try to do 30 shots….good for us.
I thought the officiating was terrible. I don’t like to complain about officiating, and to be fair Odom and Kobe were getting mauled under the basket in the third, but geez Landry couldn’t get a foul if he got shot in the leg (again). Also, what really riled me up was the tech on Shannon Brown, which was the EXACT SAME THING McRoberts did against Chicago and he got ejected right away, and the non-called Flagrant on Kobe against Okafor. They didn’t even really replay it except once when Reggie Miller (worst announcer ever employed) said “hmmm, I dunno” even though Kobe basically clotheslined Okafor in the neck. That was appalling
Regarding the matchup, I say put Beli/Green on Kobe and Ariza on Artest. Ariza is a decent rebounder and he’s definitely stronger, so he might give us a chance. Kobe is gonna get his, and I say stick Ariza on him if he starts to go off, but Artest is punishing us. It’s not only his rebounds, it’s his keeping the ball alive for Pau and especially Bynum to get it (even if he does shove or punch Okafor 15 times before he gets the ball)
Belinelli’s defense bad? Compared to whom? Artest wound up with 13 points, he had two post up scores against Marco and went to the line for two fts after being fouled by Belinelli. Marco also drew a charge from Artest and got a steal. More imprortantly, asare either Willie or Jarrett going to play him any better? Good to seeBeli fin his stroke, the added wrinkle tonight was his ability to score while getting intop the paint. He had four points off of runners, was fouled on another posession and scored two fts and a fast break bucket. He misses a bunny lay up in the second half, which if he converts, he leads the team in scoring. This game should help his confidence and hopefully will give more confidence to his teammates to get him more involved in the offense.
Tough night for the Bees, give credit to the Lakers as they came out and asserted their physical dominance from the start. To me, the key were the two early plays (Bellinelli getting double elbowed and Landry losing his contact lens) that went uncalled as fouls. It indicated that the refs were going to let physical contact go for the most part and allowed the Lakers bigs’ to play aggressive without worrying about foul trouble. If the refs make those two calls as they should, it sets a completely different tone for the game.
Overall, the reffing wasn’t great, but it wasn’t that bad. They let a lot of the pushing underneath go on both sides, but that is a huge disadvantage to us. Our inability to neutralize their size plus our high number of turnovers doomed us. It’s just not possible to sustain the hot shooting we had in the first quarter, and we can’t beat the Lakers when they are +8 in FGA and +9 in FTA.
As disappointing as this game was, let’s not forget that Game 6 is in OUR HOUSE!!! We have a chance to give the Hornets the energy boost they need to get to a Game 7. And then who knows what can happen? The Hornets have played their asses off all five games and I can’t wait to get out there Thursday night and support them!! Let’s go Bees … we’re going the distance with LA!!
OKAFOR HORRIBLE
I like Okafor, but he really needs to learn how to finish stronger at the rim. Among the reasons why, he’s an inconsistent ft shooter.Also, you can’t teach bulk and NOLA needs that quality for its interior defense against Bynum. Gray needs to get considerable run in game six if the hornets are to survive.
Jarret Jerk=Game Killer. He crushes all momentum the moment he enters the game. I have been complaining about Montys rotations all season. The new campaign is I’m In…what am I in for, a slow old mediocre ball team heaven help us if Paul leaves. We are in deep trouble with Monty and his pets.
This isn’t always the case. Jack is either off or on. He’s good enough to deserve chances for us to figure out which he is.
It’s been an entire season… We should know that answer by now. I do and he sucks!!! 1-6 and an O-fer in 2 games. Enuff said.
and yet again, all this negativity. From what heard, there were some pretty bad calls on our side. And i also don’t like blaming the refs for losses, but i’m chalking this up to my conspiracy side. I’m not hoping for a win in Game 6. I think Stern will let the Hornets win, so that not only will it leave a good feeling in th Hornets nation, they also get to keep the Lakers in the game. Screw this.
Gray can’t play because he had a mild sprained ankle in his right ankle. That’s not going to help his mobility or his ability to hold his ground.
Jack played horribly yes, but he played 14 minute. there really might be a correlation, hm?
Overall, i’m proud of our team. They played hard and played their BUTTS OFF. sadly, they are going against the NBA darlings, and that doomed them(plus losing West).
Correct.
In fact, I think Gra y had to sit late in the last game. This has to be due to the ankle.
Gray has a TRUE ingury…not like the pud ass Kobe fake stunk.
Limping into the stadium then pulling off that crap. Such an emarrasing stunt. That alone would piss off any REAL fan of professional sports.
Ya, I am proud as well…but…
I wish we would get some love from the basketball gods and make a few shots.
And the habit of the Laker Bigs to kind of start a foul, then raise arms straight up and look over to refs pisses me off.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Stern called for the Lakers to win Game 6 so they could hurry and get a bit of rest before their next series.
Keep ya head up guys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXwmDGJAB8 remember 2pac, we havea game 6 in front of a GREAT crowd and I tell you, these dudes will fight and WILL force a game 6, we’ll be back in LA IMO and in game 7 anything can happen, BUT FIRST, let’s WIN game 6, GO NOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hornets vs. Stern – Game 5
Reminded me an awful lot of Game 6 on the Hornets vs. Spurs series.
My brother and I totally were talking about that after the game last night. Same cheep shot kind of stuff. Like the flagrant that kobe had on okafer compared to horry putting his shoulder in dwest’s lower back… Serioulsy makes me sick to my stomach to watch that bs…
I mentioned during the live chat and in the comments about Aaron Gray. Gray had 4 rebounds in his first 5 minutes, and finished with 6. How many did Okafor have? Three? I know Gray’s got a sprained ankle, but 1) it happened a week ago, and 2) its the playoffs. Monty needed to play him because he was effective. Aaron needs to play through it because he’s getting paid $1.3 million to do so.
Game 6 tomorrow night. Do or die. I didn’t see the scrappy hustle we had in Game 4 last night. Hopefully they’ll bring it tomorrow.
Conspiracy? Hell yeah! Most people look at FT discrepancy, but its easier for the refs to influence the game with the non-calls and non-shooting calls. Guys getting hit in the face with elbows and no call. Lakers over the back for offensive rebounds and put backs, and no call. I saw one time where Kobe was in the lane for a good 4-5 seconds before getting it to Bynum for a layup, and no call. Two layups for us taken off the board for phantom charges. And the icing on the cake was — Goaltending? Puhleeze. So, if you figure +3 for us on FTs for Beli and Landry (assuming 3-4 at the line), another +4 for the two made waved off layups, -2 each for Kobe’s violation, the Goaltending, and at least a couple of put backs, thats a 15 point swing. And I’m being conservative. And only 3 of those 15 points affect the FTA category.
Offensive fouls, flopping, foul trouble, not calling any of LO’s travels or double dribbles but flagging our guys etc.
That one call on Landry when we cut it to 5 in the 3rd and were running transition and Odom flopped like a mother was the worst of the night. Those are the types of calls that steal games. Fight through the others but momentum changing phantom calls really suck. Even Reggie said that was a bullcrap call.
Thank you. Major gamechanger there.
Laker fan here. Come off it with the conspiracy theory, guys. If anything, the fact that Stern and the NBA own the Hornets might mean that they want the refs to keep the Hornets alive, but any sane intelligent NBA fan doesn’t actually believe in conspiracy theories. Refereeing is arbitrary and usually horrible, but it cuts both ways. Ask any of us Laker fans and we could list at least 20 dubious calls where a Laker dared to breathe on CP3 and got whistled for a foul. I’m just as sick as you are of seeing phantom travelling called on both Bynum and Okafor (admittedly more so the former), but refs don’t win games, players do. We have a dogfight on our hands for Game 6, and we’re going to have to come to play to win it. We played better than you did in games 2,3 & 5 and that’s why we won. Blaming it on the refs is weak. Conversely, NOLA won games 1 & 4 solely because they played better, and I give the Hornets 100% credit and none to the refs for earning those wins – I’d hope that you would be able to do the same
I wish i had that luxury but the refs havent been spoon feeding my team wins all year. We have been plagued with horrible goaltend calls and everything else you can imagine. Its a typical lakers fan to clame they also have issues with the refs. Sickening. We know what it means to cheer for a real team. But when we beat yall in game six and seven you can come back here tell us your “conspiracy theories” and why its all because the nba owns the hornets and blah blah blah your beloved Kobe and, beyond overrated, Phil J don’t get a little more jewelry. NEW ORLEANS!
claim* i hardly preread nething
agreed. I’ve never been one to blame the refs. But watching this series and how Bynum just puts his shoulders down and OKAFOR GETS THE FOUL?! How Bryant and Odom react to foul calls and no technical?!?! Even that clean foul by Paul to Bryant was called a technical? WTH?! Paul clearly went for the ball, no malice intended. but no, its bryant so he gets the FT.
Refereeing cuts both ways, that I can agree with you. But it doesn’t cut EQUALLY both ways. Please, I give credit to LA where credit is due. In my eyes, you won game 2 and 3 fairly. You were just the team with better talent. But on a night when my boys fight like ants and the calls make Bynum and Odom and Artest shove my boys around like dolls without any scare for a foul? I’m gonna be pissed.
And please, there’s been hundreds of calls that went our way because of Paul, same with Kobe. now who covers for the hundreds of calls Bynum gets? How about Artest? Artest shoves Belinelli around, even if Belly got a good box out. Screw this.
A Lakers fan telling people to stop crying about the officiating. Rich.
Your whole fan base AND team cry about the officiating nonstop. Do you watch your team play? You guys whine after every single offensive trip down the floor. I bet watching games live with ya’ll is a lot like watching the Lakers players on TV.
It really is appalling.
Rich indeed. They were probably crying about officiating in games 1 & 4. It goes both ways.
get a better record and u dumb hornets fans wont have to worry about blaming the officiating for a loss…stop whining
Lakers will destroy in game 6
Good. I can stop going to these wild parties.
Have fun next year when the Lakers fall apart without Coach Jackson. Enjoy it now. Talk trash now while the people you don’t know are playing a game you don’t understand well. I say you don’t know about the game because you didn’t bring up anything about it.
It’s ok. Basketball is a big, tough word. Yes it is… Poor thing…
I agree that the Lakers did play better tonight, refs can’t force the turnovers, however, Bynum&Gasol still stayed in the paint forever and only 1 3 second was called? Lakers players pushing our guys to grab rebounds and not a single loose ball foul called is ridiculous. Plus I’m pretty sure we spent 1 hour in the 4th quarter just to watch the Lakers shooting FTs.
I can go on and on if you want me to.
And isn’t that what Monty contacted the league about. Bynum and Gasol being able to stay in the lane much longer than allowed?
To me, the refereeing was poor, but not biased. They let too many loose ball fouls go underneath the basket, either because they weren’t watching carefully enough or just decided they were going to swallow their whistles. Unfortunately for the Hornets, that gives the Lakers a huge advantage — their bigs can play a lot more aggressively if they don’t have foul trouble in the back of their minds.
But when the Hornets did push back, they got away with it too. Before Shannon Brown’s elbow (which should have resulted in an ejection), Willie Green literally jumped on him. That should have been an easy foul call against Willie, but the refs just weren’t calling the contact on rebound attempts. There was another instance late in the game where Pau Gasol literally shoved one of the Hornets to the floor — and it was a delayed whistle foul call, meaning the ref wanted to let it go until it became apparent that the foul was so blatant it had to be called.
Not much we can do about it now. Hopefully the Bees come out aggressive in Game 6 and make any officiating issues moot.
Yes they can. Offensive fouls are turnovers. Jarrett Jacks “carry” was a turnover. The refs have a LOT to say about turnovers… Granted we didn’t take great care of the ball last night but the officials did not help.
middle finger to the fakers and faker fans
hobe is a faker
Hey Zwie, no look at it this way. The Hornets do better when Okafor is in foul trouble. The refs realize that they are going 2 b accusations so that means that they have to “even” it out a little bit.
But I think I know why the Refs are going for the Lakers. Derek Fisher — he’s president of the player’s association. And the referee’s start going the Laker’s way every time Fisher has flared his temper even a little back. (Matching a 3 pointer by Chris Paul with his own)
Im seeing a lot of hate for my man Okafor, and to be quite honest it is very unjustified..
The refs have been against Okafor all series long.
was i the only one who noticed how terrible this game was referred?
IM VERY suprised that ryan did not speak about how this game was referred.
The first five minutes into the game two hornets players get wacked in the face. Landry gets his contact knocked out and the their is no foul called.. really?
Or how about when kobe slapped okafor across the face..
but if okafor does that to kobe its a flagrant two.
(you might argue that, Okafor is bigger than Kobe, But any shot to the face is deserving of a technical foul)
Or how about when chris paul was fouled on a half court heave by blake… and what do we get? the ball out of bounds. are you SERIOUS>!>!>!>!?!?!
if you saw that play, that encompasses how badly the game was referred.
their was no way in hell the referees were going to let the lakers lose this game.
It urks me so much, because you guys make Okafor out to be some bum.
Yes a little bit more aaron gray in the second half would have helped, but would it have changed the outcome? the way the referees were officiating, Jordan in his prime couldn’t have won that game for us.
12 defensive rebounds in 149 minutes from your starting center is inexcusable. Our backup has 16 in 80 minutes on a bum ankle. If he can’t man up for this playoff series, I don’t know if he will ever be able to. I get that he’s undersized but he’s got to get in there and mix it up and I just haven’t seen that from him all series. Guys like Landry, Trevor, and Paul are always around the ball. We’re not asking Okafor to be a world beater. We’re just asking him to go out there, match their effort, and play ball.
Also lost in all this is how much help the OTHER players outside of Okafor have to provide in the rebounding battle.
Marco Belinelli has 4(!!) total rebounds all series in 145 minutes of play. That is less than 1 rebound a game folks.
i think marco doesn’t get rebounds is because once the lakers put up a shot, artest is already at the basket looking to get an offensive rebound. i see everybody trying to box their man out first and is one reason why chris can get so many rebounds…
A lot of times bad officiating isn’t spoken upon because that makes us look like “whiny losers” or “homers” or whatever you want to call it. But that’s bull.
And Emeka has been getting the raw end of the deal in this entire series. Crap calls have been called on him all series long.
And no, the refs weren’t going to let the Lakers go back to NOLA down 3-2. Wasn’t going to let it happen.
it’s all about matchups.
in this particular series, Okafor is mismatched, and everybody knows it.
in the next match, his quickness and leaping make him the one to fight.
It’s like the Bulls’s Noah. He as well would struggle against the Bynums of the playoffs where the style is allowed to get physial.
But against faster centers that roam and have outside shots, Okafor shines and Gray stumbles.
Nobody is a greater fan than I and I am often bashed for it.
But I know his limirts and I also understand Okafor’s.
If I were Okafor, I would continue to meet them much further out and this kills their size game since they really have no ability to creat of a dribble or hook from far out.
that’s create off a dribble.
Man, I really suck at this one finger typing!!!!!!!
Game 6, Here we come!
BEAT L A !!!!
BEAT THE REFS !!!
BEAT L A !!!
BEAT THE REFS !!!
They are synonymous no need to say them separately.
Let’s just get ready for Game 6 – we will win and then watch Dick Beveta and Joey Crawford show up for their usual Game 7 in LA performance.
Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in Game 6 to help the Lakers wrap it up so they can get even just a little bit rest for their next opponent. SMH.
I cant argue with you, kehntangibles, that the Lakers outplayed us in Games 2,3 and 5. And I also agree that officiating league wide is horrible. But I won’t agree that the officiating in Game 5 was “UNBIASED”. There are always dubious calls both ways. But its the “BLATANT” calls that piss off the average fan, because they most always go to either the Lakers or Celtics. Goaltending? Really?
Until the NBA goes to some sort of hard salary cap/franchise tag/revenue sharing form of CBA, and stops embracing the thuggish hip-hop culture, it’ll never be accepted that its not rigged. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, the MONEY that owns the teams, buys the courtside seats and purchases TV airtime is not comfortable with that culture and life. Just reality.
I was with you, more or less, up until the deal about thug/hip hop life. What does that have to do with anything?
Justinho ….
I don’t have a problem with it personally, but you have to admit its a niche audience. If you’re trying to market a product nationwide, you make it appeal to the widest number of people. That’s one of the reasons the NBA doesn’t have the ratings the NFL has. That’s all I was saying.
Here we go again, a “white man” bashing “thuggish hip-hop culture.” Just b/c you are not black, do not understand what hip-hop represents for the African-American community does not make their culture “thuggish.”
Hip-hop was an artistic and self-liberating form of expression (identity) for the downtrodden young blacks who did not identify with the white community because they felt castigated and were forgotten by the white society of that time (high-level of poverty, and unequal access to education and opportunity).
But somehow, the sinless white society then and now continue to associate and label that “hip-hop culture” with negative, racist and derogatory connotations (i.e gangs and crimes infested neighborhoods, ghettos, uneducated, uncivilized and low-life people).
What part of the NBA embraces the “thuggish hip-hop culture”? Last, I checked Stern implemented a new dress code policy in 2005 that even disgruntled players like Iverson and Wallace eventually accepted because they had no choice.
The players are actively involved in their community and are part of the volunteer organizations “NBA Care.”
Ron Artest won the Kennedy Citizenship Award this year, sold his NBA ring to profit his non-profit charity, and along with D’Alembert were involved in helping Haiti rebuild after their earthquake disaster.
But you self-righteous, do nothing wrong, voice of reason always find something wrong with the “African-American” players and by extension their community, culture and way of life.
And, I’d like to know whose the guy going through and thumbs downing anyone pointing out bad officiating? If you don’t agree, thats fine. Doesn’t make it a bad comment.
That’s an entirely subjective view. I can thumbs down your comment because i think its a bad comment, thus i do not agree with it. Who are you to say whether a comment is good in the eyes of other people or not. Obviously since you posted it, you won’t think your comment is “bad”, otherwise you would not have posted it!
Emeka has been awful. He has been worked while playing close defense by Bynum all series, and has provided absolutely no interior presence for Lakers driving to the lane. He was caught out of position – ball-watching – multiple times last night on passes from the top of the key to the interior for easy dunks. He doesn’t even warrant offensive consideration by the Lakers defense, so they are happy to slide and swarm those inside or driving. Emeka can barely handle passes to him (especially last night), so the Lakers bigs always know they have an extra second to slide should someone pass him the ball in the interior
But when Okafor gets into foul trouble, the Hornets tend to do well against the Lakers. Perhaps bring Landry off the bench to match with Odom and start Mbenga in his place. Pondexter starts instead of Marco and Okafor might significantly improve.
Yeah i dont usually make excuses too but common, Kobe, Odom, even Steve Blake cry cry cry and yell at the refs, no technicals, Bynum just backs Okafor down and Okafor gets a foul by simply standing his ground, like wtf seriously? Ive never bitched so much in a series about bad reffing, its unbelievable. Lets also talk about that foul on Chris Paul, he knew he was getting fouled so all in one motion he shot it from half court. He does that ALL THE TIME!!!!! ITS A FOUL and he should be awarded 3 SHOTS!! Its so dumb how they wont give that to him, it makes me furious, thats Chris Paul being smart, thats all it is. But ok don’t call it, you havent called shit for us anyways. Hornets need to come out to play better then ever in Game 6, an then unfortunately Game 7 is a game the Hornets can’t win if the refs make the same calls that they have been making..simple as that
Don’t remember back in 07-08 Game 7 end of the first quarter, Paul does the same thing Ginoblili comes over, They don’t call a foul because the attempt “occured after the buzzer” ManuRE (hehe) clearly fouls him before the buzzer and thus stops the shot until after the buzzer. That turned the whole momentum the Spurs’ way until Jannero Pargo tried his best MJ impression and getting us within a single 3 from the West Finals. We shoulda BEAT THE LAKERS A BIG 3 YEARS AGO IF IT WEREN’T FOR ManuRE!
yeah i was surprise that aaron gray didnt play much. when he was in in the first half we at least had an player getting rebounds.
I finally figured it out. I don’t hate the Lakers, I hate the Lakers fans. And you know why? Its not that their team gets preferential treatment. Some of them even admit that. What really gets me is, they feel that its the natural order of things. They feel that’s the way it should be. They should get preferential treatment. And THAT’S what really pisses me off.
I wrote last night that the Lakers and their fans feel a sense of ‘entitlement’. They expect things to be given to them and they get it. It is what it is. Hollywood has been a great story since the beginning of time. LOL.
so does my entire 1960’s generation!!!!
everything is entitlements!
So, yeah, not going to bother dignifying the stereotyping remarks with a response, but any team’s fans are going to fixate on the bad calls his team gets. I’m not going to pretend I don’t. If you’re the better team, you overcome that and find a way to win. It’s just a weak copout when you play the ref card. I hate it just as much when Laker fans do it and I’ll be the first to admit that Kobe should’ve gotten 324234 technicals this season with as much as he complains. We didn’t lose game 4 because of the non-called flagrant when Kobe got hacked in the face, we lost it because we got our butts kicked on all the 50/50 balls. In a seven game series, the better team wins. If NOLA turns out to be the better team, then I’d be infuriated but would still have to tip my cap to them. If we win the series, I expect that the Hornets will still give us a helluva game. I expect that CP3 and crew would sack up and not make up excuses for why they lost. I’d hope their fans would be able to follow suit.
Kehn…
In the real world, the better team doesn’t always win a seven game series. That’s why you play the games. Even if the Hornets were to win this series, the Lakers are still the better, more talented team. But the Hornets would have been better in THIS series.
The problem is, the refs do their best to MAKE SURE the more talented team ALWAYS wins. If that’s how its going to be, why have playoffs? Just give whomever wins the most games the trophy.
Amen! Stop wasting our time and money.
I am sorry Kehn, but I not only watch basketball and Hornets. I watch many team sports and can tell when the refs are biased. So, please do not write here and tell me that I am biased since I support the Hornets. I can easily tell the difference between a game in which the calls favor one team versus another. Since you are a Lakers fan maybe you do not live the situation a whole lot because seems like the refs are always (sorry, let’s say most of the time) biased towards you.
Check out the photos of last nights game and see Kobe elbowing Okafor, Brown throwing elbows to Green, Odom holding Landry from his shoulders, Bynum throwing elbows to Okafor. Pay attention to the games and see how easy the calls on Hornets defense when they even barely touch the Lakers versus how difficult the calls on Lakers defense (or offense) even if they bang the Hornets with elbows and knees.
So yeah, you are saying that we should “overcome the bad calls” and beat the 15-man Lakers squad (12 players+3 refs). That is exactly what we did on Sunday night and I am hoping that we will do it again tomorrow. Then, I hope some miracle will happen and we will watch FAIR refereeing in the 7th game in LA so that we will not have to overcome the refs but the Lakers only!!!. If you beat us without the momentum that you receive from the refs time to time, kudos to you. I believe No Hornets fan denies that LA Lakers are one of the best teams in the league today.
These are not excuses Kehn this is the reality! Can you accept it???
im not just gonna thumb that up. I’m gonna say – HELL YEAH
these are one of the times i bitch about the refs because im so proud of how far our team has gone i’m not gonna let them go without a fight. so i’m gonna bitch all day until this series ends because i believe every thing counts. Watch the games. Hornets have a hard time playing defense, and they still do! Lakers, for the most part(although there are times that they play great defense), just push and bully because they have the size and the entitlement.
You can say all the sh!t since your team is the one benefitting.
Come tell me the same thing when you are rooting for a small market team.
Why didn’t we see any Laker ‘fans’ here after games 1 & 4?
Because they are week as mofos and I have a friend, who is a big Laker fan and he said that they were gonna sweep us, I said, I’m not saying anything, I let CP3 and co. do the talking and he shut up, but now at 3 2 he started to brag how Lakers lack of motivation lead to this 3 2 series and in his mind there was no doubt that they were gonna win the series, I said, that he’s full of crap and that if there is a game 7, if we win tomorrow game 6 that he’ll be still saying that that’s because of lack of motivation, I was so pissed at him, man, he’s a great friend but he’s so biased when it comes to the Lakers and his beloved Kobe, he would suck Kobes dick ih Kobe said so, GTFO Laker fans from here, this is HORNETS24/7, I HOPE WE WIN tomorrow game 6 and we’ll see how many of y’all will come here, after wins y’all brag, after losses you SHUT UP, and now you better shut the fuck up because when you talk to much things don’t happen quite well in reality…I’ve hated the Laker fans and the whole Lakers association since day 1, case closed, NOLA ALL THE WAY, stand up and crunk tomorrow at game 6, LET’S GO WILD and LET’S whoop some LAKER CANDY ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I had to do it guys)
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
WOOOO
WOOOO
Give me a hell yeah!?
Laker fans- weak ass mofos*
WOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I love it!! LMAO!!!
Candy ass jabroni’s. LOL!
I’m still in shock though that it seems the Lakers need the officials help with the Hornets not having their leading scorer even playing in this series. Man oh man.
Yep, look and listen closely at the CP3 postgame, you can feel the buzz and he’s so excited to come back home to NOLA, IMO it’s going to be BLAZING like he said and ROCKING at the Hive and IMO it’s a definite WIN!!!
Same reason you didn’t see any ‘assistant coach’ comments.
Agendas.
People don’t want to just accept the team and the time it’ll take to improve.
Since you were missing the comment so much here it is…. Monty is an overpaid assistant coach who does not adjust to the game,plays bad lineups and sticks with his pets and let’s his personal feelings dictate how he plays people.
Hey, thanks.
Be sure to say it tonight, win or lose
Modern diehard Lakers’ fans ( an oxymoron, they’re all band wagoners I think) and Modern diehard Celtics’ fans expect every call and complain even if it is completely obvious that it was a foul/turnover. Every other fan, if it’s OBVIOUS what the call is, we’ll upset and moan and groan at the PLAYERS, Modern diehard fans of Boston and Lakers just blame the refs. I will say this though, for all the physical play, they have class when it’s all said and done. Boston’s fans give a respect that is grudgingly given. Magic Johnson said after a Game in the 1991 Finals (I think Game 3) that he didn’t feel bad because he put it as “the Bulls just gave us a nice butt whooping.:
Neo-Laker Fans suck. (The bandwagons, not the guy who grew with grandparents since the days of Mikan and all of that.)
Dwayne Wade said describing a steal from John Salmons @ home against Chicago at the end of the 2nd overtime that went cross-court and put in the game-winning 3. [Think that prepared the Bulls for the Celtics series and make it epic.] You’re in the moment, and you don’t really register the moment until “it’s all said and done.” Wade might as well been describing where in Game 2 Kobe had the ball go off his legs out of bounds. And either the referee understood it or he was wearing about Fisher and Artest. (Because those two guys are actually the most likely guys to get ejected. Artest – his reputation. Fisher- various ManuRE plays. (Unless Manu becomes a Hornet, [never], he was always be ManuRE Ginboili )
The league HAS to review that elbow from Shannon Brown. How can a dude swing an elbow by Willie Greens face right IN FRONT of the ref and not get ejected? An elbow is way more malicious than a fist. I hope Stern watches MMA cause then he’d know…
They won’t review it.
It’s called playing the Lakers. It’s allowed called league’s unwillingness to suspend after Robert Horry destroyed the Suns by hip-checking Steve Nash. It cost CHI in that legendary series Game 5. Rondo himself even admitted in every way short of words that it should have been a flagrant foul.
Game 6. Rondo throws Kirk Hinrich a la Horry. He gets a Flagrant 2 which is then AMAZING downgraded to a Flagrant 1. No Suspensions whatsoever, unlike Horry who got something like 2 games.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3436401
This makes me sad and lose hope for our Team. I don’t care if i get a million thumbs down. WE are the better team and deserve to advance to the next round. The Lakers and the Refs have been cheating this WHOLE series…this is a movie film in the making! They want the lakers to win and the only way we’ll win is if we’re avoiding ALL contact and knocking down threes from hell alllllll game and make records or something “insane”. This just is not fair…We are a good damn team. We deserve a championship.
Everyone here is just pissed off that cp3 is going to leave your sad excuse of a team and all you guys will have is green and jack. Haha. Bitch about officiating all you want but the fact of the matter is that the composition off your team sucks. I feel sorry for you that you think you guys have a chance. This team is cp3 plus dleague. Queen bee, come and get some just like how okafor got some from kobe. Cp3 going to come to lakers.
Lakers lost twice to that D-League team. Wow. Sucks to be them.
It’s one thing to be a horrible, disfigured guy. It’s quite another thing to be the guy whise girlfriend went down on said disfigured guy. Twice.
I hope enjoy kissing your girlfriend…
Yeah we didn’t think we would beat the Lakers, but I’m pretty sure those FAKERS didn’t expect that they needed the refs to beat us.
Edited by 42.
Do this again, and you are done.
You can be more creative than that.
This game was what I had feared coming into the series. Also, I hadn’t considered the fact that our leading rebounders had been guys like CP and Ariza. Really all Landry and Emeka can do is try to prevent a Bynum or Gasol or Odom from cleanly grabbing the ball so the other Hornets can get to it. Also, I feel like Emeka just can’t get a break with the fouls. Not only is he undersized, but the refs seem to blow the whistle if he is even thinking about getting in the way of a shot. I agree that he has been exposed and is at a huge disadvantage, but if you add in the ref factor it just seems impossible. Speaking of the refs, the Hornets have a much better chance when they can push the issue and draw fouls imo. Hopefully the ball bounces are way back home. Let’s go Hornets!
I agree on the Emeka part. Like I’ve been saying, Bynum is good but he ain’t THAT damn good to where the whistle has to blow everytime he exhales. They know that Bynum is needed in this series and he can go to work even moreso when the Hornets bigs are riding the bench. Like you said, if Emeka even attempts to play defense or attempts to alter to a shot, BLEEEEEEP, whistle. And I thought the officials would be better in the postseason because even more people would be watching, but they are bold. Bold as hell.
This video has a good amount of the questionable calls though not all of them. Just about all of these calls are in LA’s favor, and if not all, I think we all could agree that MOST go in LA’s favor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql1u-HF9axY
Yeah I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a flagrant called on Kobe.
i told you, they have the upper hand. We got calls to yes, but they got WAY to many calls O_O wow.
Spread that link everywhere you go. That way people are going to click on it. The Laker-Hornets Series is the cream of the crop of the entire 1st Round Series. (Cuz it’s 6 games, and the Hornets still have a chance to win the series.)
You can purchase NBA Playoffs from as far as 08-09 in standard definition for $2.17 (including tax) on iTunes. They also have some classic regular season games. HD games which started for last years costs $3.26 (including tax),
It’s best to start an iTunes account with an iTunes card instead of a credit or debit card. It’s easier to mentally get an idea of how much you are actually spending that way per month.
If anybody gets calls, and complains about everything, it’s Chris Paul. He’s right there in the same mold with Kobe, Fisher, and the rest. He does it because it works.
The weakest analysis of any game centers on “unfair” calls. What’s far more important is the fact the Lakers just plain steamroll the Hornets inside on both ends of the floor. Whatever difference the calls may amount to does not compare to the difference of quality play inside.
Going forward, with or without Chris, in NOLA or elsewhere, the Hornets have to address that problem. Getting David West back, not a guarantee by any means, does not solve the problem.
Aaron Gray shows more fight than Emeka and has a better shooting touch too. He’s one guy whose status in the league has been elevated tremendously by this high-profile series. But Aaron is not a starting center.
Ummm… You are a little confused. Gray is just lots bigger than okafer and can take the pushing and elbowing better. Sorry but gray is a terrible shooter. His high percentage shots have been generated by CP3. That doens’t mean he hasn’t been playing great but your comments are off.
Secondly, Cp didn’t get any calls last night. Yeah, he does flop every so often but we are talking about constant bias in game 5 that changed the momentum and course of the game. Not flopping. We are talking about the “flagrant” foul were cp went for the ball on kobe in game 4 and got screwed. We are talking about him getting a black eye from an intentinal elbow from artest, about no shooting fouls on an obvious shot, and constant contact from him driving and only 8 free throws.
Ps. Steamrolling is something that should describe a goalline offense in football. Not getting rebounds from going over the back in basketball.
Look if Chris Paul is arguing a call, there’s a reason. I mean, come to think of it, even when the opponent picks up fouls that obviously shouldn’t have been called. (Dirk anyone?) He has the same reaction to every call that he thinks didn’t go right. Whether the Hornets benefit from it or not.
I am sorry Hornets247 the game 5 loss was obviously my fault. Â You see I posted on the forum that I wanted the Hornets to win so badly. Â The problem is as a boy I had a curse placed on me by a bayou gypsy so that whatever I wanted badly in this world would not come true. Â
Therefore, whatever happens in game six I want the Laker to WIN!!!!!! Â You heard that Lakers WIN!!!! Â Hmmm…wait a sec….if I want to the Lakers to win then that means the Hornets will win…. but maybe the gypsy knows that I trying to get the Hornets to win. Â Damn it gypsy women!!!! You ARE good!!! Â I want the Hornets to win!!!! Hear that gypsy??!!?? Hornets are gonna win!!! hmmmm….crap maybe she doesn’t know….hmmm… Â Ok if you aren’t listening gypsy Lakers win!!!! There has to be able to work this in my favor!!!!
If your Gypsy is the Refs no matter what you ask for, She will want the Lakers to win. Even the Lakers fans say so! 🙂 So, they don’t deny that the refs support them… 🙂 You just want the Hornets to win and I am sure they will come out and play a helluva game to win! So, don’t worry about the Gypsy refs… 🙂
Geaux Hornets!
Heck get Mek or Carl into foul trouble early. cuz due to Timmy D. (the crook, not Duncan.) the referees are very acutely sensitive to accusations, meaning that they gotta call the rest of the game slightly Hornet-tinted or else face accusations of Laker favoritism.
No-chi
I like. I like.
Now all we need is the Lakers to figure that part out. That would put them in a bad situation. No Scratch That. Phil Jackson would freak!
Brilliant and crazy idea to win Game 6:
#1 Bring Marco Belinelli off the bench and replace him with Quincy Pondexter.
(Could be used by itself.)
Reasons:
– Belinelli has a major strength disadvantage against Artest. It meant that if Marco ended up on Kobe. Kobe would have a made bucket. It would be 1 thing if that was the game plan, but it’s not.
– Artest is buying the Laker Bigs a critical second to grab a board because he’s blocking out Marco and delaying Landry (though sometimes Okafor) a critical second.
– it would improve our bench. Remember Game 5 where Jack couldn’t hit a shot and the only bench producers were Willie (who showed why it was Marcus who was traded for Landry and not him,) and Gray.
– Monty already plays that 3-guard lineup and bringing Marco off the bench instead of Pondexter would mean improved production for ALL the bench players.
– Matt Barnes and Steve Blake are not Ron Artest.
– Marco can get more points without Artest on him.
– This frees up some space for Green to continue showing why they kept him instead of Marcus, and it might allow Jack to get an easier shot, which would then be followed with shooter’s mode of confidence and hitting more shots.
This next 1 sounds insane but makes sense if you stop and think.
#2 Bring Landry off the bench in favor of Mbenga.
Reasons why this would be helpful:
– Landry on Odom works a hell lot better than Jason Smith
– You now double your amount of starters who understand how the Lakers operate
– Mbenga plays solid defense on Gasol
– For all their heralded depth and height, the Lakers are remarkably thin. Odom is the only bench big man that is ever actively for than a couple of games at a time.
– It means that the Lakers only get production out of Bynum OR Gasol (or nothing.) Bynum’s production comes from him successfully winning the matchup with Okafor. (Mbenga’s on Gasol. I don’t remember Gasol ever scoring with an inside move while being guarded by Smith/Mbenga/Gray.) Gasol’s production means he hits his fadeaway jumpshots. (How can Bynum be effective when they aren’t any rebounds to snare.) No production: Gasol can’t hit the fadeaways as he getting guarded by Okafor.
#3 Bring Okafor off the bench as well and start Aaron Gray.
– A Bench of Jack/Green/Marco/Landry/Smith/Okafor is better than Odom with about 10 points of help from Blake/Barnes/Brown. (Brown scares me more than Kobe. Kobe dunks so many times it’s normal, and it means he’s in HOG mode. Brown dunking or hitting 3s means helping Bryant by getting him rest, and taking pressure off of Odom.)
I firmly believe that if Artest/Gasol/Bynum have to work for their offense other than fadeaways the Hornets can win the series.
Mbenga drew blood on Gasol and has the run the fastbreak and knows the Lakers. Now we understand why Mbenga was kept, and understanding the reasons has earned my respect. Plus all Mbenga has to do is put of numbers like he was coming off the bench in the point department. The other bigs can take care of scoring.
If Monty does this, the bench will be improve because of the bench will have more Odom players than the Lakers. (starters who are healthy but aren’t actually starting game to game.) Freeing up Marco, Landry, and Okafor from Gasol, Bynum and Artest will improve their production.
Screw it Gray and Mbenga just need to give us about 12-18 points a game, as long as they get the rebounds and make Lakers’ offense actually taxing on the Lakers.
Pondexter just has to provide with about 8 as well. Let Paul and Ariza contribute do most of the work and wear down the last two weapons for the Lakers in Kobe and Fisher.
On top of that, Smith can be subbed in for either Mbenga or Gray if they get into foul trouble but the Lakers’ bigs of Gasol and Bynum are still out there. (Funny if the Lakers wanted to be as good as possible, it should have been Gasol coming off the bench instead of Odom.)
It’s crazy but you NO-CHI have a point there…
It’s unorthodox. Phil’s the type of coach that HAS to account for everything. so throwing a bunch of lineups that make Gasol and Bynum together on the floor ridiculous is exactly what the Hornets need. (Lineups would be Magic Style like Paul-Jack-Green- Ariza- Mbenga.) It drives him nuts. Make them play unusual. Hopefully he takes Bynum out. (It’s his MO, and then the Hornets can pound them because Gasol’s going to be taking fade aways, Hornets get the board if he misses.
The refs only call the games fair when either Okafor or Landry are in foul trouble. I think that gets all the Laker-biased calls out of the referee’s system. And then they realize that if the game continues, there’s going to be accusations. (1 good thing Tim was for.), meaning they have to call the game SLIGHTLY tinted in the Hornets’ favor.
May Monty find more Youtube Highlights. (Show that Dunk for Motivation would work.)