Real Deal

WELP...I'm broke. Three Thunder tickets, lower level seating...then bought a PS3, a USB turntable, a series of shows (DVD's) that were $40 each, iPad case (they are far too expensive, by the way...ignorant how much they cost), shirts, PS3 games, a pair of shoes, a new tree for us, a brand new tire after mine decided to explode out of nowhere, a computer monitor, new RAM sticks, rent, phone bill, utilities, and food...all in December. Feels like I spent $50,000 this month...SMH.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121223_POR@SAC

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121223_UTA@ORL

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121223_PHI@BKN

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121222_CLE@MIL

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121222_IND@NO

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121222_CHI@ATL

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121222_DET@WAS

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121221_CHA@GS

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121221_NO@SA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121221_DAL@MEM

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20121221_MIL@BOS

Nowhere in my post, in any post, did I say that it made us better. I said, sarcastically, that it worked SOOOOO well that it stopped us from winning our three championships. Yeah, if we shot our free throws better, we'd be better. If last year's championship Miami Heat team wasn't bottom five in defending the three-point line, they would have been better. It was a simple question. People answer, and move on.

LOL. I quoted you asking ME if I was this angered by it during the non-Shaq, non-Dwight era, and then you went on to answer me, as if I really had some sort of a bias. Then I showed you where I stated it was ignorant. You then tell me it doesn't matter, and 2-3 posts are irrelevant. I created the topic primarily for discussion + the fact that Stern made a comment on it, not that I'm sitting over here fuming about it. It's not hard to understand. Why do people compare those to the Hack-A-Shaq? There's a huge difference. Those are defensive strategies that still require defense. Hacking a player, intentionally, isn't playing defense at all. Kobe giving Rondo room to shoot a three-pointer doesn't require that Rondo shoots the three. It doesn't prevent Rondo from driving, anyway. It doesn't prevent Kobe from getting hit with a screen. Kobe is STILL on the court, playing defense. Hacking a player intentionally, when he doesn't have the ball, is cheap. Puts you on the block, waiting for the miss, and it's 100% up to the player at the FT line with you taking zero responsibility for his makes or misses. Whatever you guys say, though. It sure works against us well, though, to the tune of three consecutive rings and a dynasty.

Of course not. http://www.discusshoops.com/forums/topic/29303-what-puts-the-denver-nuggets-over-the-top When I created that topic, it wasn't something I was thinking about for 2-3 months. I knew Denver was not going to be "over the top" and wouldn't find a way to be. I posted this topic because it was being discussed elsewhere and to help us with discussion...and it was a topic elsewhere because of David Stern's comments on the matter. None of my business why Stern decided to discuss it...probably because it was LA and not Orlando...but I read it correctly, that I only cared about the subject because it applied to my Lakers losing, and that's simply not true AND not the reason why we are losing games, anyway (while we are on a win streak, nonetheless).

James White, for sure. I wonder if he can still get up and do that under-the-leg FT line dunk he did back in HS and college. LeBron James, just because the contest needs at least one superstar. Jeremy Evans has to be in it, to defend his title. For the final contestant...I'd like to see a player return to the contest. Maybe Josh Smith? I know Iguodala won't do it again. DeMar DeRozan? People will be on the Gerald Green bus, too, as long as he doesn't do the cheesy dunks.

LOLSaints. How do they let this happen?

Ugh...didn't feel like searching, but okay... http://lakernation.com/forums/index.php?/topic/33585-source-lakers-to-offer-bynum-for-bosh/page__st__640#entry600894 http://lakernation.com/forums/index.php?/topic/417-hack-a-shaq/page__st__20#entry407223 Honestly guys, it's pretty disrespectful to basically say I'm lying about something, after I repeat it in this topic twice...but, it's whatever.

Carson Palmer almost had his torso separated from the rest of his body there.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IbJpDo-_9PY/TT9kn34pmfI/AAAAAAAAAG4/MEFGAsk0-4Q/s1600/good_luck1.gif

Can't really talk down on it. I understand that it's a "passing league" now, and that players are less likely to get away with the contact and big hits (as much as these receivers are protected)...but the fact is, the record has held up since 1995, where guys like Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Michael Irvin, Andre Johnson, Antonio Freeman and Reggie Wayne (among others) all had a shot at it with super-talented QB's. Johnson does it with Stafford, on a Lions team that, really, has no one else to go to. I'm sure he had more opportunities to catch a ball, but in the process, it wasn't like teams were sagging off of him less as the only guy who was a real threat on the field. It's like Adrian Peterson seeing eight-man fronts as much as he does...teams want Ponder to go to the air because they know the biggest threat is on the ground, yet, AP is still shredding them for HUGE carries. My favorite running back, of all-time, is Barry Sanders. Nobody intelligent was putting him on blast for what he did, and he was basically all by himself out there for years.

Six games and counting. -_-

That's a defensive strategy. You're still playing defense on Rajon Rondo when he's at the three-point line...by backing away and not giving him room to get to the rim. You don't see players turning their backs and walking away from him. Fouling a player without the ball, and intentionally, is just cheap. There's no defensive strategy to that...just avoiding playing defense altogether.

You guys say that he should just learn how to make his free throws. Well, shouldn't the other team just learn how to play defense? At least make an ATTEMPT. Really isn't much of a difference there. It almost reminds me of the NFL, when they moved kickoffs up and, basically, disabled most run-backs. Those that have special teams issues would be happiest about this, correct? Well, maybe they should learn how to play defense? And I understand the reasoning behind it, except it didn't do anything to help prevent Cutler, Vick and Smith, all starting QB's, going down with concussions on the same weekend. In addition to that, how many of you wouldn't mind seeing NFL teams have the option, without a penalty, to kick the ball directly out of bounds on a kickoff? Would that be okay? I have an idea: give the coach a technical foul for each off-ball intentional foul. The team gets to choose one player on the floor to shoot the technical, and then the fouled player shoots his two shots. Two techs, and the coach is gone.