#16: 12/2 - LA Lakers @ Indiana Pacers. 4:00 pm

[ronnymac2]

This wasn't a good loss. A good loss would have been to lose to an experienced team that is known for toughness (Boston). Not the Pacers. Its only one loss, but you need to step on the throat of the opponent, especially one that is clearly inferior. What happens when we face a really good team?

[Erik Eleven]

This team still plays down and up to the competition. I don't like it. Championship teams know how to take care of business in tight games. Losing due to poor focus bugs me a whole lot.

Ariza played another very good game. Farmar and Fisher sucked.

[kwamicide]

Just a couple quick notes about the game:

-A loss isn't too bad every once in awhile, it really just depends on where you go after it. The lakers have been playing pretty sloppy the last couple of games and hopefully this reality check can get their defense back in gear. It seems like after starting the season playing stellar D, they took a step back and just hoped that their pure talent would keep them going. That needs to change, for there are plenty of talented teams in this league. I'm really not worried, they just need to make a few adjustments.

-I really don't understand the decision to take Ariza out once he single handedly got the lakers back into the game. Sure, we weren't doing anything on the offensive end late in the game, but it was our defense that clearly killed us.

-Is it just me or has Bynum not been as explosive as last season? Don't get me wrong, the man still gets up there for some impressive plays on both ends of the floor, but where is that unbridled enthusiasm we saw last season? Hopefully it's just him adjusting to the game again, and not any lingering effects from the injury.

-I want to see some Gasol/Bynum high-low action. They are both playing very well at those spots, it just seems that when one gets the ball at either post, the other tends to observe rather than establish position. They have been impressive together so far, however I believe they could be a ridiculously dangerous pair with some more time.

[SashAlex]

Damn Kobe ! MVP sucks ! Damn all this team 'cause they suck and DO NOT DESERVE to even play the Celtics !

Where is that damn defense ????!

I'm not gonna watch any Lakers games anymore, 'cause it suck to not sleep all the night and see how lethargic they've been ! Damn them !

LOL settle down.....yes it was a horrible game and our defense was beyond atrocious, but you should keep watching as we are all in this together. I don't think anybody takes a Laker loss harder than I do so if I am not going NUTS on this forum you shouldn't either lol.

I know ! I know ! But, when you don't sleep all the night to watch how atrocious the Lakers play and lose, plus i'm always getting a bit nuts when my favourite teams lose without working their as@es hard...

I know i overreacted !

I'm glad they lost now, so there is time to sit and think what do they want from this NBA season ?
I know, defense was atrocious, but you got a 16 point lead in the 4th Q, if you're a championship caliber tea, you have to keep that lead and make the game dead. I'm sick and tired of seeing how the Lakers give up big leads, it's been so many times !

Why is it so difficult to understand and learn from that ?? They said they learnt a lot from June, but i say - they learnt nothing !!

[TylersLakers]

Wow you guys have high standards... I thought it was pretty overboard of Phoenix fans to adopt a "sky is falling" attitude when we're 11-7, but come on, you're 14-2 and still clearly tied with Boston as the most dominant team in the league. Every team has a letdown effort once in awhile. I just watched the highlights from this game, and Indy was tremendously lucky to get that final play anyway. It's just a one point loss. You still have the most lethal player in the NBA, the most balanced team, the deepest bench... the list goes on. You'll make it to the Finals again this year and it'll be 50-50 from there.

Alright I need to stop now before all this LA love shrivels me up inside, haha.

Agreed. It's not the end of the world guys.

We could have Smush Parker, Kwame Brown and Luke Walton in the starting lineup.

[semi-sentient]

GG Pacers. Very fun game to watch... too bad we couldn't pull it out.

Here's to hoping the Celtics start declining next season.

[semi-sentient]

PS: Can we get a real defensive coach please?

[Sedale Threatt]

Wow you guys have high standards... I thought it was pretty overboard of Phoenix fans to adopt a "sky is falling" attitude when we're 11-7, but come on, you're 14-2 and still clearly tied with Boston as the most dominant team in the league. Every team has a letdown effort once in awhile. I just watched the highlights from this game, and Indy was tremendously lucky to get that final play anyway. It's just a one point loss. You still have the most lethal player in the NBA, the most balanced team, the deepest bench... the list goes on. You'll make it to the Finals again this year and it'll be 50-50 from there.

Alright I need to stop now before all this LA love shrivels me up inside, haha.

Of course we have high standards. We got to the Finals last year, and got handled pretty well by a team that looks to be just as good, if not better than last year.

It's not about how many wins we have, or what our record is.

It's the fact that last night's lost set a low point in a two- or three-week span in which we've reverted back to last year's habit of outscoring people and neglecting defense. While that approach is fun to watch, and successful to a pretty high degree, it isn't good enough to land a championship.

And if we try to play that way this season, it won't be good enough again unless Boston suddenly implodes. It's that simple.

[Erik Eleven]

Of course we have high standards. We got to the Finals last year, and got handled pretty well by a team that looks to be just as good, if not better than last year.

It's not about how many wins we have, or what our record is.

It's the fact that last night's lost set a low point in a two- or three-week span in which we've reverted back to last year's habit of outscoring people and neglecting defense. While that approach is fun to watch, and successful to a pretty high degree, it isn't good enough to land a championship.

And if we try to play that way this season, it won't be good enough again unless Boston suddenly implodes. It's that simple.

[HicksvsKnicks08]

It was a great game.

AS you see it took 110% effort on our part to win by one.

It kills me how at 14-2 half the pople are ready to jump off the ledge!!

"This team sucks, their horrible, I hate em"

Their the best team in the league still. I have never seen fans so angry at a 14-2 team!! Its mind boggling. Even the Bulls of the 90's who won 70 games , had lapses

I just found that kind of funny. Im sure when were in LA you will remember and beat us by 20, lol

[Mindflayer]

I only saw the 4th quarter but if Farmer and Fisher are that bad the entire game then maybe I should rethink my position on signing Marbury. Someone needs to light a fire under these guys A$$ about playing defense.

[CableKC]

In the Post-Game show on NBATV....CWebb was complaining about why Granger didn't take the last shot. The reason why? Because Ariza pretty much draped himself over Granger on the defensive end and defended him very well.

Have you guys extended Ariza yet?

If not, the Lakers FO should by next season.....although he did turn the ball over on stupid mistakes on the offensive end.....he's a very solid and aggressive Lockdown defender. If anything, I think that Ariza was one of the main reasons why Granger wasn't as effective ( at times ) in the 2nd half.