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Kobe apparently thinks so. Can't say I agree with him...

Bryant looked at Artest in the locker room and recounted the start of the game, when the Lakers and Celtics were already jostling and trash-talking in the jump circle before tipoff. Artest got the ball in the post on the first play and was fouled hard by Boston's Paul Pierce — at which point Artest struck the sort of wide-eyed, menacing pose very few non-institutionalized people can.

He stared and seemingly braced himself to fight. Bryant told Artest he noticed the Celtics' reaction at that precise moment: "They didn't want any part of this crazy (expletive). I'm telling you. I saw it."

There's very little Bryant wants more for this Lakers team than Bynum not backing down from contact and Artest being an effectively "crazy (expletive)."

The guy is crazy. You never know what he will do. Even his teammates fear him...

yea just as scared as kobe was last year when ron got in his face

Yeah......that's why he flopped into the 3rd row.......

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no Artest: for Perk art with me;

Nah... he is a tough defender for Pierce, but Kobe is just trying to prop up what is a largely soft team.

Artest is a physical instigator, but our guys are not afraid of that. It's just messaging, and no doubt Kobe is still mad about the Lakers turtling up when we bullied them in 07.

I think we all know that Perkins is the one to fear. When it came down to it, Artest didn't even want to fight a much smaller version of KP in Ben Wallace, preferring to go after some drunk slob in the stands in Detroit.

LOL This is funny. Kobe was walking away as fast he he could with his arms up when Artest got in his face, he couldn't even look him in the eye.

well i don't think it matters, most of the times i remember pierce playing artest he kills him

I think if i were the lakers and laker fans.......I would be fearing Ron Ron....dude is a loon.....the fuse is lit....I wonder when he goes off and cost the Lakers big time.......

BTW....anyone else catch Pau and Phil J calling Kobe a ball hog? lol....

PP 4 Three wrote:LOL This is funny. Kobe was walking away as fast he he could with his arms up when Artest got in his face, he couldn't even look him in the eye.

Kobe owned him mentally in that series. Artest tried to get under his skin, but it ended up very much the other way around.

Artest was just trying to get Kobe to take a swing and get suspended. Same thing Zaza tried to do to KG the year before.

Don't you guys watch hockey? LOL

Anyhow, after the recent Cavs game, Kobe called out his teammates for being soft (and we all know how soft they were in the 07 Finals). He's just trying to give them a little swagga by talking mess.

Are they Lakers talented? No doubt. Tough and intimidating? Laughable. One of the softer teams in the league.

Heres an amazing story. I live in LA, but am maybe the biggest Celts fan out here. I was going to 24 hr Fitness when who gets inthe elevator Ron Artest and some other agent/friend type. Ron is big and I almost said you got lucky against the Celts but I was in an elevator and decided to bite my tongue. The amazing part is it was 2:30 in the morning in LA and they just lost to the MEMPHIS Grizzlies in MEMPHIS less than 8 hrs before that. So they lose to Memphis, hop on a plane to LA, and Ron immediately goes to the gym? You have to admire that. I saw on sportscenter he missed the game winning shot, maybe he works out after a loss. I walked in behind him, but he didnt hold the door, he just walked in and asked to buy a pass. When I left he was running on the treadmill. Gotta respect that.

Kefa461 wrote:Yeah......that's why he flopped into the 3rd row.......

If by flop you mean tripping over Pierce's foot (watch the replay) after getting shoved in the chest. It's funny, no other team/coach whines as much as the Boston Celtics. It seems their fanbase is just as bad.

Yeah, Kobe never whines.

Who the hell puts a scrub like Farmar's name in their handle?

This is silly. We aren't scared of Artest..Paul Pierce has played Artest for years now, and he has had great success against him most of the time. Not to mention he kind of sucks lately..

Then again..maybe they are scared of getting their shorts pulled down, on National television...

I don't think Pierce cares...Paul hit the shot on the same play that Artest pulled his shorts down.

Artest is the only NBA player who has tried to get in Pauls shorts............dude is weird!

They don't fear him...he's an ass-clown, sure he's a good player but fear? Nah!

Well, Pierce doesn't fear Artest. I don't think Pierce fears any player in the league. You've to have confidence in yourself and your abilities as a basketball player. And Pierce does...

For me, I think this is an odd question. Why would a team "fear" one player? Perhaps, you can dislike playing against certain players but you don't fear them. In the case of Artest, he's an irksome player defensively. He's a rash.

Again, I don't think there's such a thing as the fear of playing against a player or team. No, you dislike playing against a certain player or team for whatever the reasons. Maybe, you dislike the aggressive nature of how one team defends you. Or you dislike how you know it'll be tough to guard a player who gets the "star treatment" from the referees. In either case, it can affect your approach to that game. For any team, all you can do is go out every night and play your game, play how you normally play and let the sticks fall where they will.

No.

if we can resign quisy for another yr or 2 for cheap, do it. same with TA. for cheap only. and too bad this dude might not be able to shoot threes, but i like this joey graham dude from denver. he can help body up vs the lebrons. but what we still need is a solid defensive-minded sf who can backup paul, can drain the threes and stay with the lebrons, essentially a posey clone. anyone out there that's avail in the summer and still relatively young ??