Real Deal

LOL, but Kobe does none of that, huh?

Game 6 analysis: teammates stepped up and helped Bryant, and we won. On to Game 7.

Ron will just be more physical on defense, which is what we need. I'm sure that if he gets word of it, he'll let everyone on the team know in the locker room...which is even better. Maybe they will all want to win this game.

Nah, just asked someone that talks to him every night (a friend of mine) to text him.

Haha, I'm trying to get the word out to Ron.

I really don't see what there is to rehearse...but it's whatever. Hope the Lakers get word of it.

Harris is a top five scoring point. Evans and Ellis are both two-guards, by the way. Still don't make the trade, though. Harris is not a superstar, and he never will be. John Wall has the potential to be better than Derrick Rose, which sticks him in the same boat as Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Sure he's not proven...but there's a reason why the Nets (and their fans) wanted that #1 pick.

Most skilled? I have to disagree with that. Ginobili and Odom have both of those guys beat. Although Lamar doesn't play up to his potential most of the time, he's still much more skilled than Nate.

I guess the NBA is already rehearsing the trophy presentation for tonight's post-game. Pretty weak. http://tweetphoto.com/27393313 http://twitter.com/lridleyon7

Can't expect much from anyone on this team NOT named Kobe Bryant, to be honest. I let myself down thinking Gasol was going to absolutely dominate Garnett this series. Main problem is that Bynum can't do a damn thing for us, which means Odom has to...and we all know how that goes.

What? http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-kerrsuns061510

I have $250 on this game. Let's [expletive]ing doing this.

TIME: 9:00 PM EST TV: ABC

Our bench outscored them last game, just barely. I think that part has more to do with SOMEONE ELSE just stepping up and scoring for us, not exactly our bench beating theirs out. Basically, you can look at it like this: Bynum is part of our bench, because Odom is playing starter minutes...yet, neither can contribute for us, so the bench has nothing aside from Farmar, Brown and Vujacic, three shot-chuckers. If Odom goes 15/10, or even Bynum grabs that duo in his statsheet, we have an excellent chance of winning. However, with Artest and Fisher shooting poorly, and Odom and Bynum playing like Darius Miles and a 45-year old Shaq, we're going to need a 40-point outing by Bryant, and a 25-point game by Gasol, and excellent defense by everyone, just to pull this out.

Re-read a bit of what you typed, then I just want you to go back to post #3 and #12 in this topic, and understand exactly why I said what I did. I can't discuss charges. You don't approve of them, and I recognize drawing a charge as a legit defensive move/strategy.

Yeah, but are you talking about actual flopping, or taking charges? Taking a charge is a defensive tactic, a legit one...nothing wrong with it at all.

Nate can be less selfish, and he does more on the court. JR Smith is most effective when he's spotting up for a shot, relying on a superstar teammate or a post player to get him the ball in ideal situations. I'll take Nate Robinson. He can create his own shot, he's one of the fastest players in the league, and he's more passive.

Point is, Toronto has to do whatever it takes to keep Bosh, or to lure a superstar free agent to Raptorland. It's going to be difficult, to be honest: Toronto isn't LA or New York, the Raptors aren't a contender and most likely won't be one next season (unless they somehow rake in two free agents), and then you have to look at the coaching situation as well. Retaining CB4 is the idea. If that means trading Hedo (who doesn't even deserve to start on any NBA team at this point) and putting Calderon on the block as well, so be it. With the way the team is set up today, Toronto needs a superstar that can give them 25/10, or they need the ultimate superstar that can dominate any team he plays (James and Wade are the two ideal players here).

That's all on you, then. When someone asks me what I had for dinner, I tell them a steak. I can't be easily distracted when I'm watching the sport I love. No in-game music can take me away from the game...only gets me pumped up, if anything.

I don't find basketball boring to begin with, partially because of the fans. The NCAA has bands to get teams and fans pumped up during timeouts. The NBA teams don't have bands. I just don't get why you're nitpicking about in-game music. There are no negatives that come with it. There are no videos that distract fans from the game, and it's not like the fans are more into the music than they are the game (don't even bother arguing that). The referees are another story, but what can you do about that? Less involvement? So...less calls? If there's a travel, it's a travel and needs to be called. Fouls have to be called. Out-of-bounds? What else can they do LESS of? If your answer is that you want them to not decide the outcome of a game, then you believe the NBA is rigged...and again, that's a different subject.

Just for laughs, do you cook your steak by itself, or do you use pepper, steak sauce, or any type of seasoning? Most do. Fans enjoy the entertainment. And, again, the in-game music helps to get them on their feet and cheering for their team. "Let's go Lakers, let's go! BOOM, BOOM." Heard it plenty of times, and so have the fans. Ever attended a college football game? They have bands. How about college basketball? It's all the same: to get the fans more involved.

I don't even know what any of that means, so I'll try to comprehend and relate. I guess I can just sit here and say that I'd rather have a full dinner, than just one item on my plate. I'm not the anorexic fan, I guess. So, if we're talking food...maybe you're the one mixing up everything you order, into one big plate of mush. I'm enjoying the main course, the side orders, and I can bounce between each without confusing them.

Let's go back to square one: 1) Phil Jackson stated that the key match-up in this series was going to be Gasol and Garnett. The idea was that, because Pierce and Rondo were being defended by Artest and Kobe, Garnett would be outmatched on both the offensive AND defensive end, which would lead to frontcourt dominance, even with an injured Bynum. Gasol basically confirmed the mismatch when he made comments about Garnett losing a step, doesn't matter what he said afterwards (about him adjusting his game). Garnett took it to heart, and he put it on Gasol. At that point, Rivers began to out-coach Phil Jackson, allowing Garnett to be the most aggressive player on the floor, setting a tone for the Boston offense that was having trouble to begin with. 2) With Bryant sagging off Rajon Rondo, it allowed him to help Gasol...but in turn, it gave Rondo a chance to set up plays and pull up for easier jumpers. 3) Going back to Boston, the crowd and the overall environment fired up the Celtics' bigs, and they played a more physical game against an intimidated Gasol, pushing him out of the paint and forcing him out of his comfort zone, 16-18 feet away from the rim. Home cooking also provided a spark for Paul Pierce, who took advantage of the screen and rolls, abusing Odom and Walton multiple times, and even having his way with Artest when Ron was slacking off and letting him catch the ball in his spot. The first half of the last one (#3) was devastating because, without Bynum in the post (playing just 12 minutes the other night, and an on-and-off 30 minutes last game), the Lakers have no post play, which breaks the triangle and forces bad spacing along the perimeter. Bad spacing = easier defense for Boston, and that equals more turnovers for the Lakers, as well as contested jumpers for LA. This provides the Celtics with longer rebounds, disabling our advantage under the rim (second chance points) and igniting a fast break that leads to our weak transitions and, ultimately, a bucket for the Celtics. How do the Lakers adjust? First, we need more post play. Gasol, Bynum, whoever...they need to be in the post. Eliminate poor spacing. In 2004, the Detroit Pistons ate us alive because of our poor spacing, and our finesse play led to poor spacing in 2008, where we lost once again. We also need role players hitting their shots. Artest, Fisher, Farmar, Vujacic...all need to knock down the open jumpers being fed to them. Boston will give them shots all day long if it means containing Kobe more than they did in Game 5, so it's their responsibility to make them pay for it. Finally, we need to play better defense. We really don't need an adjustment, just more physical play on that end of the floor. Jump to contest shots (ODOM), continue to close out on Ray Allen (something we do an excellent job of, especially Gasol when switched), and force the ball out of Paul Pierce's hands (stop letting him catch it and get to the elbow). The final games are in Los Angeles. If the necessary adjustments are made, the fans are into it, and the bench feels it, we have a good shot at winning this in an epic seven games, but it won't be a cakewalk. Boston will show its ugly face every game, and we need to exceed expectations right out of the gates, keep our foot on the gas, and execute until the clock hits zero.

There's actually a new IPB out, has some features I want to apply here (custom profiles, for example), so a skin will be in the works soon.

Ah, gotcha. That's my fault for misunderstanding your post. To be fair to the Lakeshow, we're not that great of a road team this postseason. We were 4-4 in the playoffs before playing in the NBA Finals. We are just very good at closing out a series on the road. We're 9-1 at home in the playoffs, that one loss coming against Boston (Game 2). So, we have two games left, both at home...and that means two things: Boston will either have to beat us for a third consecutive time (since they've won the last two), OR they will have to beat us in a Game 7 in Los Angeles.