Game 61 - Lakers (30-30) @ Thunder (43-16), March 5

[Jakay]

I hate to say it, tonight the Lakers were officially eliminated from this year's playoffs.

I can relate, but pick a side Dwight.

Losing 1 game to OKC and the Lakers are done? What kind of prediction is that?

It's not really a prediction. They're not putting it together this year. I will give them the benefit of the doubt until the thirteenth hour, but they just aren't there. Not everyone is on the same page.

Unless! 2008 Pau comes back soon to show him* how it's done.

[Dwight]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRWWWWrVPAU[/youtube]
[/Howard]

[kobe808lak]

It is still going to be tough to get into the playoffs. Were not catching Houston so that means the 8th seed if they do end up making it... that means getting swept by OKC once they surpass San Antonio for the 1st seed.

Pau is not coming back and if he does he will be a shell of himself. Howard looks like a leaner Kendrick Perkins out there... We have a better chance to win a game vs the Spurs.

Sorry this season was finished before it started. Pieces don't mesh and Howard is trash.

[IamBBAnalysis]

I hate to say it, tonight the Lakers were officially eliminated from this year's playoffs.

I can relate, but pick a side Dwight.

Losing 1 game to OKC and the Lakers are done? What kind of prediction is that?[/quote]I'm inclined to agree with him a bit, it's way to clear the agenda of some on this team ain't on the page of Kobe's. Can you refute that notion ?[/quote]


Agree 1000%[/quote]

Besides the obvious Dwight issue Nash does not look like he's having fun. His confidence/fun is touch and go. If I had to guess I would say he doesn't like playing with Dwight.

Then again the people bringing up Nash as a problem are pretty off. Nash still gets consistent great looks on offense and when he gets a good screen (and when the ball does not go through Kobe/Dwight) he still looks able to make plays. He is 39 though and not quite the player he used to be but I like the spring in his step for the most part out there for an old guy.

To me not having Gasol, Dwight being about equal to Perkins...but turning the ball over more (like someone else said), Artest being a terrible player in general, and not a single good wing or interior defender on this team of consequence are the issues.

And of course general "slowness" and inconsistent shooting. Just a lot of issues...that are covered by Kobe and usually pretty good offense overall. But the Nash thing doesn't make sense to me...he's better then recent Laker pg's by far and at least out plays the opposing pg sometimes. Unlike in the past.

Nash a minor disappointment but playing better as the season goes along. Howard a massive disappointment.

[IamBBAnalysis]

KEVIN DING @KevinDing

Asked if he was bothered by no shots after halftime, Dwight Howard said: "Yeah." Then after pause added: "But we've got to play through it."

STFU douche

Then later thought about it more and said, "But I have no real basketball skills per say so its best if I don't try to shoot 15 foot jump shots like an idiot."

[IamBBAnalysis]

Another thing we can get out of this game is Howard's mental weakness. Been using his hurt shoulder as an excuse all season long, Kobe gets hurt but we could see him playing his heart out, out there, without his right arm..... I'm sorry but I don't see him as a franchise player in the Lakers Organization, he hasn't shown he he has what it takes

I genuinely cannot stand the guy...and I like all Laker players. He feels like he is the enemy out there and not part of the team. Selfish and stupid.

[JohnVancouver]

We were getting ass-raped and the worst it got was what, 16 points down? Then we played considerably better in the second half and got it to five and I really thought, wow - we might have a chance. I honestly expected a complete smackdown so while it wasn't fun to watch a game we all knew we were going to lose, it was nowhere as bad as expected.
How can we play so poorly and hang in - I mean, beside Kobe? hard to figure.

Has anyone noticed MWP is running funny, kind of tiptoe like babe Ruth. Does he have foot problems?
I agree he's not getting it done - he can still get up a head of steam but no brakes or agility when he gets tot he hoop. kind of like me - old man's game. i think we have to seriously consider he's an amnesty candidate.

I keep trying to remember Dwight is still recovering form the back surgery and his shoulder is torn but it still hurts to watch him. What was with that top of key jumper he took? Shot clock? only excuse I can see -


EZ also had a few bonehead plays but for a guy who's never had this kind of court time, he's still learning and the good outweighs the bad.

Ehhhh .... shouldn't be down about losing, only about not learning and remembering what was working for us and abandoning it, again. Hurts to watch lessons learned, forgotten and relearned over and over.

[Kilroy]

Yeah, I didn't watch the game because I knew it wasn't going to be pretty... I'm actually happy it got close.

I also think as the pressure of the moment increases, Dwight tries harder to have "fun" and lighten the moment... Not really a bad thing in and of itself... Look at LeBron and the Heat...
But for Howard, it results in ill-advised shots and a lack of focus. I think that's why he chucked the top of the key shot... I think he figured if it went in, it'd be funny and he could relax a little... But it didn't... And he froze up and got froze out by the rest of the team for the rest of the game.
I think when he's healthy, he's been able to physically dominate pretty much everyone in the league which makes the game fun for him and he can relax a little... I think he's tensing up right now. Which anyone with a bad back can tell you, is the worst possible thing for it.
It's also making him awkward on and off the court.

So I think ultimately it is a mental thing, and I don't know if he will over-come it, but simply working with Hakeem for a week or so in the off-season isn't going to do it... Unless he throws himself into developing skills and preparing in a way that provides him the tools to stay confident and effective no matter what happens.

[Anklebreaker702]

Not sure why Dwight constantly gets stripped, or loses the ball going to the hoop. It's a broken record at this point. Can't beat a championship caliber team if Dwight checks out like he did today.

Sent via tapatalk 2

I keep telling you guys is because he can't play with his back to the basket he faces up and have to turn and that's why he gets stripped constantly he's not the player that I thought he would be here injured or not his offense is putrid

[madmaxmedia]

Done being an elite player. We didn't get Steve Nash to score some points when defenses ignore him. The Lakers got Steve Nash to transform this team. Like he did in Phoenix. To get the Lakers back to showtime. Those aren't my words. That comes from the Lakers organization.

Steve Nash can't break down a defense any more, no thanks to Dwight Howard's girlscout screens, but still, Nash isn't putting any pressure on opponent defenses any more. Period. And that makes him done as a top player. Ray Allen isn't done as a 6th man 3-point specialist. But he's done being Ray Allen. And Steve Nash is done being Steve Nash.

Steve will still have good games here and there, but he is no longer the whirling dervish with the long hair that was in constant motion all over the court a few years back. I loved watching that guy play, now he's a lot closer to Steve Blake in terms of his 'cap'.

And Dwight has a cap, it's far up his ass. He's done, too. He's a clown, and nothing he went through in Orlando changed who he is. Has no accountability. No sacrifice, and that's a cancer to a team that wants to win.

Just not enough talent, athleticism, sacrifice on this team. Period.

It's weird, personality wise he doesn't strike you as a typical team cancer (or maybe the smile just throws people off)- I don't think he's selfish so much as he's just soft. Regardless he's just never learned how to be a winner, and considering his age I guess he may never learn. I feel like if he had the right people around him, there would have been a chance, especially coming to the Lakers. But oh well.

[Kilroy]

Now, I never thought Steve Nash was the cure to all our early season problems like our coaches seemed to think, but to say his cap is Steve Blake is ridiculous... His number are pretty similar to a few years ago... About what you'd expect in a drop off from playing next to Kobe...
Creative passers tend to turn the ball over more than guys that don't try to thread the needle as much... Nash has been doing both pretty much his entire career.
His D is bad but not a whole lot worse than it has been for a while.

[AcecardZ]

Dwight had an awful game and probably deserves some criticism for it but some of you guys are over the top. You hate in a guy that's a recovering from a bad back playing far more minutes than he was supposed to be playing due to Pau and Jordan's injuries. Give the guy a full off season to get back into shape and after 15-20 games next season if he's still playing like hot garbge then go ahead and criticize but until them give the guy a freaking break. Whether you like it or not he's the future of the franchise. Albeit a bit of a goofy one with his own style totally different than what we're accustomed to but he's vey capable of being one of the league'a best players and carrying on the great Laker tradition of having one of the league's most dominant bigs on their roster.

When he's healthy Dwight keeps himself in better shape than just about anybody else in the league. Give him a chance to get back into that kind of shape and show what he's capable of doing. A healthy Dwight is our only chance of competing with OKC and Miami for the forseeable future and unless you want to go into rebuilding mode and wait for LeBron and KD to retire I suggest you be patient and give Dwight a chance.


Kareem didn't win a championship his first year with the Lakers.
Shaq didn't win a championship his first year with the Lakers.
LeBron didn't win a championship his first year with Miami...

You see where I'm going.

[IamBBAnalysis]

Now, I never thought Steve Nash was the cure to all our early season problems like our coaches seemed to think, but to say his cap is Steve Blake is ridiculous... His number are pretty similar to a few years ago... About what you'd expect in a drop off from playing next to Kobe...
Creative passers tend to turn the ball over more than guys that don't try to thread the needle as much... Nash has been doing both pretty much his entire career.
His D is bad but not a whole lot worse than it has been for a while.

A lot of the problem you are seeing with Nash as the playmaker is the Laker team. Nash has no one to pick and roll with and drop a bounce pass to. Without that what is there? Tall passers like Kobe/Magic use post ups and over the head passes on picks. Short players need to use bounce passes as their bread and butter.

But the problem is Dwight cannot run the screen and roll or catch a bounce pass. He won't bend and he won't roll hard. And when he does catch it he cannot finish.

Right now the only thing a screen is doing is maybe giving Nash a little room to shoot a jumper. Shooting a ton isn't really his game. He likes to mix it up and he can't. He is shooting more and more though as the season goes on. I mean he did have 20 pts and shot close to 50%.

Anyway, Nash is not a one on one player and he is slower than he used to be. He's relied on his passing in recent years but I guess I'm not seeing what some others are.

To me:

-Kobe playing great for the most part.
-Nash next most consistent but still unsure of himself and role. Not able to facilitate nearly as much on this team.
-Clark solid most nights but still makes mistakes regularly.
-Jamison getting pretty consistent on offense but very poor on D.
-Blake solid as a packup.
-Artest really hurting the team with ill advised plays consistently. Trying to guard top offense players but not having much success.
-Howard a positive factor on the defensive end because of size and wing span. Will force offensive players to adjust. On offense crashing the boards has been his best asset. Far too turnover prone when he needs to make a play on his own.
-Meeks a threat but inconsistent.

[leeprettyp]

I hate to say it, tonight the Lakers were officially eliminated from this year's playoffs.

I can relate, but pick a side Dwight.

Losing 1 game to OKC and the Lakers are done? What kind of prediction is that?

I'm inclined to agree with him a bit, it's way to clear the agenda of some on this team ain't on the page of Kobe's. Can you refute that notion ?[/quote]


Agree 1000%[/quote]

Besides the obvious Dwight issue Nash does not look like he's having fun. His confidence/fun is touch and go. If I had to guess I would say he doesn't like playing with Dwight.

Then again the people bringing up Nash as a problem are pretty off. Nash still gets consistent great looks on offense and when he gets a good screen (and when the ball does not go through Kobe/Dwight) he still looks able to make plays. He is 39 though and not quite the player he used to be but I like the spring in his step for the most part out there for an old guy.

To me not having Gasol, Dwight being about equal to Perkins...but turning the ball over more (like someone else said), Artest being a terrible player in general, and not a single good wing or interior defender on this team of consequence are the issues.

And of course general "slowness" and inconsistent shooting. Just a lot of issues...that are covered by Kobe and usually pretty good offense overall. But the Nash thing doesn't make sense to me...he's better then recent Laker pg's by far and at least out plays the opposing pg sometimes. Unlike in the past.

Nash a minor disappointment but playing better as the season goes along. Howard a massive disappointment.[/quote]

You quoted that all wrong I didnt say that lol.

[madmaxmedia]

Now, I never thought Steve Nash was the cure to all our early season problems like our coaches seemed to think, but to say his cap is Steve Blake is ridiculous... His number are pretty similar to a few years ago... About what you'd expect in a drop off from playing next to Kobe...
Creative passers tend to turn the ball over more than guys that don't try to thread the needle as much... Nash has been doing both pretty much his entire career.
His D is bad but not a whole lot worse than it has been for a while.

Yeah I was overdoing it there. I'm not saying he should do better, his numbers are good I agree. I'm just going by the eye test of what I see on the court.

He's not the same guy he used to be, but that's not a knock on him that's what age does to all of us. I am still very glad he's on the team.

[Kilroy]

Nash's team is effecting his play somewhat... Our guys are inconsistent shooters... Dwight and Kobe both have trouble controlling the ball at times... Kobe's better/Dwight is worse...

So I think the eye test is kind of faulty... Just like the eye test was telling us Pau sucked, but then Dwight went down... And that changed.