How can the Lakers expect to win if they....

[ziggy]

Sucks huh Randy.

[Guest_Randy]

You aren't kidding it sucks!   :angry:

I still believe the Lakers win this series -- the Lakers CAN make adjustments with their offense and they had BETTER start playing with a lot of energy (not to mention Malone was missing wide open looks).  I'm not too concerned about losing the series but I am pretty  :angry:  that they lost this game!  Absolutely NO adjustments at halftime -- looks like PJ is saving the "savior" status for game 2.

Props to the Pistons for putting a whoopin' on the Lakers.  By-the-way, notice it was Billups who led the way -- penetrating and breaking down the D -- that was my biggest concern.

[WayOutWest]

I think the Lakers bought too much of what the media was selling!

The effort on defense was embarrising.  How do you let a sorry arse team like the Pistons drop 87 on you?

Lakers in 6!

[spursfan101]

NIce win by a scrappy Piston team. Can't count LA out, Spurs were up 2-0 and LA came back.

Still contend Malone hasn't contributed much to his squad.  How does it feel Karl, to coattail your way to a championship my friend?

And that's IF LA can overcome Detroit.   VERY BIG IF. :cheers:  

[Derek Bodner]

Nah, the pistons D is overinflated #'s posted by playing against the weaker eastern conference.

[Laker Fan]

MY crow was dry and tough, so I had to soak it in Jack Daniels.

Terrible effort last night, with the Finals format being 2-3-2, it will now take LA 6 games to win it, good call Rick.

[spursfan101]

Eastern conference this year is MUCH TOUGHER than in years past Dbodner.  I think a healthy INDY would have given any western team a run for it's $$. Glad to see the shift I might add.

[Derek Bodner]

:rofl:

Eastern conference this year is MUCH TOUGHER than in years past Dbodner. I think a healthy INDY would have given any western team a run for it's $$.

Oh really?  Not according to this thread:
http://www.phillyarena.net/forums/index.ph...topic=627&st=30

From your own mouth, jumping in on the east bashing:

Is the East a part of the NBA? I was under the impression the East was the practice team for the NBA Developmental League

[SPURSX3]

:rofl:

Eastern conference this year is MUCH TOUGHER than in years past Dbodner. I think a healthy INDY would have given any western team a run for it's $$.

Oh really?  Not according to this thread:
http://www.phillyarena.net/forums/index.ph...topic=627&st=30

From your own mouth, jumping in on the east bashing:

Is the East a part of the NBA? I was under the impression the East was the practice team for the NBA Developmental League

it's just one win guys, didnt jersey get a win on us when we got to the finals?

 

[SPURSX3]

i will say i like the coaching match up, larry brown deserves to have this chance IMO, and i think he can take this series coaching wise, however it is up to his players to do the rest.  

I will say lakers in 6, this is porbably a combination of kobe being stretched out and the underating of the psitons by LA's part.  Malone and payton will get back in it soon enough.

[Derek Bodner]

nets got swept against the lakers, lost in 6 against the spurs.

[ziggy]

I think the Lakers bought too much of what the media was selling!

The effort on defense was embarrising.  How do you let a sorry arse team like the Pistons drop 87 on you?

Lakers in 6!

Not if they can't score more than 75 points they won't win in 6.  How about what Doc Rivers said, "if it wasn't for Detroit turnovers, and lack of offensive rebounds by the Pistons the Lakers would be lucky to get 55 points tonight".  Now that is harsh.

[Rickortreat]

Wow!  I expected the Pistons to be competitive, and the Lakers to have trouble scoring but I didn't expect the Pistons to take game 1!

Also, both Shaq and Kobe played great games on both ends of the floor.  I did say that the problem was the Lakers role players executing against the Pistons defense.

I still think the Lakers will take it in Six, but I'm not as confident as I was prior to the game.

It's up to Malone and Payton to step it up and score enough.  They were great players, and if there was ever a situation where they needed to recall their skills, it's now in the finals.  They made sacrifices to get to LA to get their rings, it's only fair that  they have to show up on the court!

The psychological advantage now goes to Detroit, having won on LA's homecourt.  LA cannot afford to loose game 2 since the finals format is 2-3-2.  The Pistons will be energized by their victory.  It will be interesting to see how the Lakers respond under pressure.  It's the same old Larry Brown, but the Pistons are deeper and more talented and healthier than the Sixers squad LA crushed.

Detroit is a different puzzle than the Spurs.  They score differently and present a lot of different looks.  Phil Jackson is going to have to do some strategizing to find a way to get his support players to score against a very difficult defense- this is where I speculated the Lakers would have trouble, it's just as well for LA that they've been put on notice early in the series.

So far shaping up to be a better finals than others in recent memory.....

[Reality]

zig,

Can Detroit do it again?  Will Detroit shoot more FTs for even one more game in this series?

And finally, are the Anaheim Angels not the nightmare Fantasy team due to injuries and did you pick Troy Glass or Garret Anderson.

Final commentary Troy Percival should not have been allowed in the game so that he c-o-u-l-d blow all those saves.  Earth to Sciocia, "F-Rod".  Other Angel set up relievers have been nails, Scott Shields, Gregg the rookie.  Move Percy to non save situations and FRod becomes the closer.  Duh.

[SPURSX3]

nets got swept against the lakers, lost in 6 against the spurs.

that my point, they got some games on us and still lost.  the better team won that season, and i belive LA has the team to win it - even though i hate the thought of malone and payton both having titles, i think they will win it.

ok if malone wins it this season, i say the spurs pick up charles barkley come next playoff season so he can come off the bench so he can get a ring with us, if anybody really deserves a ring it is sir charles!   :cheers: