Lakers 101, Magic 96: Orlando Almost Does All It Can and Still Loses Game 2
20 turnovers. Courtney Lee’s miss at the buzzer is irrelevant. A mere afterthought considering Magic spotty play. Don’t hang ya head young fella because you and your team knows it shouldn’t have come down to that.
Yeah, they almost played well. Almost, but are still down 0-2.
Hear me out here. Any of you who have played sports should be able to understand what I’m about to say. As a writer, I have to see the game differently. You read defenses and see movement beyond the pick and roll at the top of the key. You notice the mannerisms of coaches and bench players. You even pick up when a ref is gonna T somebody up by how quick he puts the whistle in his mouth.
Point being, I noticed something disturbing last night. Dwight Howard was frustrated. He said so after the game but isn’t an excuse unacceptable at that juncture?
“I was frustrated tonight and in the first game,” Howard said. “But being the leader on my team, my teammates cannot see me frustrated. I’ve got to play through all the different situations and learn from them.”
You better get it together.
Something is going on with the Magic. Judging by Skip/AJ/Jameer and their collective physical demeanor, it seems as if one or all three of these cats are letting the grand stage affect their output. This is winnin’ time. This ain’t the time for bitch fits and it seems like somebody’s wittle feelings are hurt and they over there on the bench pouting and clicking their wittle patent leather shoes together like little girls holding their heads in their hands and twisting their wittle hair bows. That ain’t good and Dwight seems like the cat who would never criticize his teammates harshly in critical moments…at least not yet.
I’d grab the whole organization (even myself) by the neck at the same damn time to make everyone understand the Magic are not winning the championship if I’m limited to 20 points or less (if the rest of the team isn’t hitting on all cylinders obviously). Dwight should be around 28-35 points and 16-18 rebounds in this league…every night. I don’t care how young he is. Big difference in the score isn’t it? He’s gotta hit and then surpass his average for this team to win against the best.
So, the game is happening. I’ve noticed the pick and roll is taking Dwight way too far from the basket. The Lakers are playing excellent defense in that regard and then chasing down Dwight fast enough to get inside box position for the rebound and have help over the top. Incredible.
Dwight has been looking at way to many Charles Barkley tapes. When he gets the post pass, instead of making a quick power move to his strong side, he’s hesitating and then spinning the wrong way to the basket. By then he’s either off balance or help is waiting and he just isn’t a good passer out of the double…yet. His feet are so big that he should be able to get to any spot on the floor. He’s stronger, quicker and bigger than anyone on the Lakers. Bynum just ain’t got it yet, so cancel him out.
A drop step would do this kid wonders. Pat has gotta be grabbing for the Miranda/Michelle meds. His inability to power his way inside, or lack of experience or all get out frustration is limiting his effectiveness and will ultimately create a lifetime of summertime regret when he should be celebrating.
Look, I don’t care what anyone says, the Lakers are not all that on the defensive interior. To all the Lakers fans who disagree…since when have they been? When did Los Angeles suddenly become this defensive juggernaut? So what’s going on here? Of course they have length. They learned from last year? Oh that’s it. Of course Dwight is by himself, but damnit man, go get it! There should be no one on the planet who should get more offensive rebounds than Dwight and check the box score to see who did. Crazy huh?
It’s not all Dwight’s fault. Don’t get it all zig zagged, but if this cat doesn’t go home and watch how Shaq and Barkley and Dream and Kareem and for God sakes even Alton Lister reset in the post after getting pushed out, he’ll never get it.
Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu played a lot better, but the Magic still are underachieving shooting wise. Shard was damn near on fire…definitely zonin’…but the rest of the Magic team seems a little too preoccupied with something other than winning.
Vince Thomas asked me on FB why do I care and my response was that I really care about the history of the game and I totally see a sickdiculous opportunity seeping though Dwight’s hands as if his essence was the contents of Finals Genie bottle losers past. Like he rubbed it just a little too much to send his damn self back into purgatory before his work in the present was done. Come on Dwight. Please. Be Tom Brady. Be Magic Johnson. Be Tim Duncan. Get killer.
Smile after the game. When Kobe picked up the what fifth or sixth foul on Pietrus, you did all you could not to pick Kobe off the floor. This ain’t the Olympics anymore. Dude is not your teammate. Your upside is almost unlimited but that upside is gonna be the downside of your organization if you don’t grab the world by the damn balls and squeeze until they pop. Straight up.
Yeah, I picked the Magic but I really could care less who wins. Neither of these teams play in Philly. Obviously, I’m not a professional basketball player by any means, but covering this sport, you see things that affect the outcome almost before they happen.
Something just ain’t right. Dwight if you are frustrated, then you and anyone else knows whining will hinder you from seeing the play before it happens. You’ll be a half a step behind. Chance favors the prepared mind. Focus on the task at hand and don’t worry about anything else. You are making these Lakers interior underachievers look like the New York Knicks of old. They ain’t that good.
That being said, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol are doing what it takes to get that ring. At one point, Trevor Ariza bothered the big fella. Come on now. Nothing is stopping them. Is it the coach? Is it Kobe? Was it home cooking? What the hell is stopping one of the most dynamic big man forces in recent memory from Shaqin’ the Lakers Dikembe chin?
Seriously. Don’t give me defense either. Please. Step up or you will get swept. Trust. Kobe smells blood and he damn sure ain’t gonna have 8 turnovers in Game 3. Someone asked why he isn’t smiling and as stupid as the question was, he professionally gave an answer…albeit a little pissed off when he basically said: “We aint’ done yet. What have we accomplished?” and I’m paraphrasing.
Game 3 Tuesday.
| ORLANDO MAGIC | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Hedo Turkoglu, SF | 47 | 8-17 | 3-6 | 3-4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 22 |
| Rashard Lewis, PF | 45 | 12-21 | 6-12 | 4-4 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -6 | 34 |
| Dwight Howard, C | 47 | 5-10 | 0-0 | 7-9 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | +1 | 17 |
| Courtney Lee, SG | 12 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 2 |
| Rafer Alston, PG | 26 | 1-8 | 0-4 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 4 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Mickael Pietrus, SG | 23 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -6 | 2 |
| Marcin Gortat, C | 15 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -4 | 4 |
| J.J. Redick, SG | 27 | 2-9 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 5 |
| Jameer Nelson, PG | 17 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 4 |
| Tony Battie, C | 5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 2 |
| Adonal Foyle, C | DNP COACH’S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| Anthony Johnson, PG | DNP COACH’S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 33-79 | 10-30 | 20-27 | 10 | 34 | 44 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 24 | 96 | |||
| 41.8% | 33.3% | 74.1% | Team TO (pts off): 20 (28) | |||||||||||
| +/- denotes team’s net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
| LOS ANGELES LAKERS | ||||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Trevor Ariza, SF | 38 | 3-13 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +2 | 8 |
| Pau Gasol, FC | 44 | 7-14 | 0-0 | 10-11 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Andrew Bynum, C | 16 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Kobe Bryant, SG | 49 | 10-22 | 1-4 | 8-10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +2 | 29 |
| Derek Fisher, PG | 41 | 4-9 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +5 | 12 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- | PTS |
| Lamar Odom, PF | 46 | 8-9 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +10 | 19 |
| Luke Walton, SF | 15 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +3 | 0 |
| Jordan Farmar, PG | 6 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Sasha Vujacic, SG | 5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 0 |
| Shannon Brown, SG | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Powell, FC | DNP COACH’S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| D.J. Mbenga, C | DNP COACH’S DECISION | |||||||||||||
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||
| 36-78 | 5-15 | 24-28 | 4 | 31 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 101 | |||
| 46.2% | 33.3% | 85.7% | Team TO (pts off): 12 (11) | |||||||||||
| +/- denotes team’s net points while the player is on the court. | ||||||||||||||
Flagrant Fouls: None
Technical Fouls: PLAYERS: None - TEAMS (def3sec): None - COACHES: None
Officials: Steve Javie , Tom Washington , Monty Mccutchen
Attendance: 18,997
Time of Game: 02:59
June 8th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Dwight is simply taking way too long to get into his post moves..the irony is Shaq used to do the same thing at times, and then he’d snap out of it. But Shaq has more of an arsneal..Dwight needs to get there and fast
June 8th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Mizzo:
Just a couple of thoughts — Howard and Hedo combined for 12 turnovers. They get more touches than anyone on the team. If they have the ball in their hands as often as they do, anything over 8 combined TO’s is probably fatal. 12 is too many.
—————————-
Rashard dropped 34 points, pulled 11 boards, had 7 assists —- and was STILL a -6. If I’m Orlando, that number is scaring the hell out of me.
—————————-
Offensive rebounding, to me, is a reflection of team effort. Most great offensive rebounders are absolutely tenacious, but they don’t work alone. They hunt in packs.
Dwight attacks the offensive glass by himself because most of his teammates are out on the perimeter. When other Magic players do get offensive rebounds, they come off the long bounces of long jumpers. Lewis had 5 — he didn’t get those the hard way. Given the Lakers length, Howard has 1 shot at the ball. He only pulled 3 offensive boards last night. That sounds about right given the nature of their offense.
Guys like Rodman, Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Moses, Barkley, Kevin McHale and Karl Malone were excellent rebounders, but they had help on the glass. Dwight is also working in a silo.
——————–
As for shooting the Rock, last night’s culprits were getting too much R & R (as in Rafer and Reddick). They were 3-17. They shot the Magic out of the game. They’re the reason you didn’t have to write about Ariza and Farmar shooting the Lakers out of the game.
——————–
Kobe looked tired to me — and he knows damn well that he can’t blow by Turkoglu and still elevate over Dwight Howard — so he HAS TO PASS the rock if the Lakers are to continue winning.
———————
The Lakers Big 3 (Bryant, Odom, Gasol) was -1 in scoring vs. the Magic Big 3 (Lewis, Hedo, Howard). Fisher was huge last night. 12 points and +5. The irony of that is that Jameer’s return has pushed Anthony Johnson to the end of the bench. Fisher probably doesn’t do all of that with Anthony Johnson in the game.
The Magic are between a rock and a hard place. They need a drill.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Gasol is actually holding his own and the simple fact is that Howard doesn’t have many post moves and no short jumper making his game predictable. Bynum has better post moves than him at this point. If Bynum was actually allowed to get in this series it would be a wrap because Howard wouldn’t be able to move him at all, he would be starting his move too far from the basket decreasing his effectiveness.
Still because Jackson chose to double Howard so early in each possession it left Orlando’s shooters open which should have killed the Lakers because they predictibly missed a lot of defensive assignements. Fortunately for them Orlando did not appear to go to their hot hand (Lewis-he could have easily had 45 points) enough. At least for my tastes.
June 8th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Bynum needs to keep his arms up on defense. He gets himself in bad positions by reaching. He needs to chill and let the action come to him on defense. He’s big enough to be able to wait.
June 8th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Where was Jameer Nelson during the OT period? Stan Van Gundy made a mistake to leave JJ Reddick on the floor for extended minutes, because the turnover rate became a bigger problem. Reddick may have been guarding Kobe better, but when Reddick missed a three (that would have put the Magic up by four) and then committed a foul during the OT period it was pretty much over…
Courtney Lee is a rookie, and may have a bright future in the NBA. However, in THIS particular series, he is a liability on the floor both defensively and offensively.
It seems the only time Luke Walton is when Courtney Lee’s smallest 6′5 frame strolls on the court and its an opportunity for either Bryant and Luke Walton to take turns posting him up… this opening the door to a Game 1 blowout and having the overmatched,overwhelmed rookie on the floor opened the door for the Lakers in the OT period…
And on top of that Lee blew two layups during the end of regulation. And did Gasol touch the net while the ball was still going up toward the basket? Wasn’t that goaltending? It seems nobody wanted to mention that on the broadcast and post game shows…
And where is Michael Pietrus for the Magic? He is really only the only other athletic guy (with size) besides Rashard that can take people off the dribble….and he has been a complete NO SHOW… I am happy to see Rashard Lewis put up a nice game and for the Magic back into the series, he will need to duplicate that performance and resist the temptation to fall back into ‘disappear mode’… The Magic need Rashard to be that 20+ scorer that he was in Seattle, especially if Jameer is receivng limited minutes and Alston is still pouting and ineffective…
Game 3 will be the ultimate barometer game, and I believe it will be the gateway to either a LAKERS SWEEP in FOUR or a ‘historic’ MAGIC revival with Orlando winning in SIX GAMES (shell-shocking Kobe) which will set-up Bryant not shaking Dwight’s and the Magic team’s hands–again…
Either the Lakers will easily sweep or be swept up by Orlando’s three point shooting prowess…
In historical context, my Atlanta Braves were up two games to none in the 1996 World Series in which Andruw Jones hit two homeruns silencing the Yankee crowd, but somehow the Yankees were able to win four in a row and win in six games…
June 8th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Forgive my long rambling (I wish there was an ‘edit’ feature on here, I was a little upset the Magic lost that game last night…
Bench Courtney Lee–permanently. Play Jameer more.
Pietrus has to step up. Rashard and Hedu must maintain Game 2 intensity…
June 8th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Patrick,
Lee will have a fine career ahead of him. That was a more difficult shot than the announcers said.
Pietrus is expending most of his energy guarding Kobe. He did a better job of making Kobe work for his shots last night. At home on Tuesday, I’m sure he’ll make Kobe work to defend him.
I don’t see a sweep coming. The Magic are just too good to be swept. It would help if Stan Van could decide on a consistent rotation. What’s the matter with going with the players that got you to this point? Anthony Johnson would probably good to use in the next game.
June 8th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Nah, he’s gotta decide on AJ or Jameer…definitively.
Doubling Howard before the bounce is creating indecisiveness in the big fella.
Temple I hear what you are saying. I do bruh, but as a rebounder, you never let someone get inside position when the shot goes up.
If Dennis Rodman can get 18 rebounds in a season…I think his lowest output was like 16.8 in a three year span…then dude can get 20 a night. At least.
I know he’s alone and that straight sucks, but go hard for 7 games and then judge yourself and your organization accordingly.
This is the Lakers we are talking about right? Did anyone see the play when Trevor Ariza guarded him into a turnover because he tried to post him up 15-20 feet from the basket?
June 8th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Kos,
Coach Van Gundy needs to go ahead and start Jameer, and let Anthony Johnson be the main back-up. Rafer Alston needs to be benched. Alston did some good things since his February pickup and during the playoffs. However, his persistent pouting and poor play.
Alston wanted to go public after Game 1 and blame SVG:
“I’ll give you a good excuse,” a grinning Alston said. “I sat 12 minutes real game time, I sat about 30 minutes real life time. So there’s an excuse.
“It was odd. I mean, I think everyone can see that. That’s unusual to start the game and then you don’t even touch the court in the second quarter.
Dwight Howard can call out SVG, but Dwight backed it up!!!!! Rafer did it, and got worse…
This is Jameer Nelson’s team and Alston should have realized that before he went public.
Right now it is about adjusting and accountability.
Alston may not be in Orlando in 2010, but playing well and being a team player would have made him more of an attractive commodity for his next team…and in the process helping your team (for now) win this championship (for yourself and the city of Orlando)…
Alston says he isn’t pouting, but his play is getting worse. So he must sit.
Rafer was 1-8 from the field in 26 minutes in GAME 2 and had ZERO IMPACT the first two games…
Anthony Johnson is SVG’s best choice to willingly back-up Jameer.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Mizzo:
Yeah, I saw that play with Ariza. Pretty funny stuff.
——————–
So, if you had a choice, would you rather be coached by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Patrick Ewing?
Tell the truth and shame the devil!
June 8th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Got go with Patrick Chewing bruh. The Captain was as cerebral as they come but I want tenacity. Ferociousness. Straight African ish.
June 8th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Patrick,
Oh I agree about Alston. I don’t agree with bringing Nelson back during the Finals, though. He hadn’t played since early February. To me that stinks of panic. I know he torched the Lakers during the regular season, but that was months ago when he was healthy. I just thought, Alston got you there, so sink or swim with him, and if you are going to play Nelson, give him 4-5 minutes at a time. Alston can hit those shots. The problem is, he’ll probably only hit them in one out of three games.
I don’t have any problem with Alston going public. Stan Van throws his players under the bus entirely too much. I haven’t paid attention to all of the Magic’s press conferences, so I don’t know if Stan has thrown Alston under the bus like he did Lee last night. Doing that to your own players, isn’t going to engender much good will.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Kos,
It was a very high-risk move to bring Jameer back after missing three ‘tough’ consecutive playoff series (Philly, Boston, Cleveland) . Otis Smith, the Orlando GM had been emphatic that Jameer is out for the year. So I don’t know exactly who pushed this, GM Smith or Van Gundy or did Jameer himself?
Was Jameer pushing this himself? Was Jameer afraid/paranoid Rafer was winning over the team thus make Nelson expendable if the Magic were to win a championship without him?
Jameer isn’t a bashful guy, and prior to signing his extension in 2007, he had said this when Devin Harris got his money with New Jersey…
>>>>> “I’m prepared to leave. I’m prepared to go outside of my comfort zone,” he said boldly. “I can name all of the teams who have (salary cap) money. Philly and Atlanta and others, they have money to spend. “I’m a starting point guard. I need starting point guard money.”>>>>
And on the ABC broadcast Sunday night, they were debating about Jameer going to Anthony Johnson and Rafer Alston in regards to seeing if its alright for him to play… I think Mark Jackson didn’t like it very much…and Nelson would hurt the team chemistry…
Possibly, SVG and/or GM Smith understood the chemistry issues, but may have been looking at it LONG-TERM… Rafer is 33 years old and his time in the NBA is almost finished, and on top of that he has always been very TEMPERAMENTAL (even going back to his days in Milwaukee, Toronto)… (fighting w/coaches, assault charges, DWI arrests–one as recent as August 2008) … Nelson is 27 and has three more years left on his contract, and seen as a better overall team leader…
June 8th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Kos, I hear what you are saying but these are grown ass men. You know what I say about pink socks…
I have kids who have a real shot at being D1 athletes and I would have no problem with a coach getting in their asses from time to time.
Makes the skin thick, the deep outs thrown with more zip, the drive to the basket or the break to first more hardcore. Rubs off on your teammates and inspires a psychology of winning that other teams notice.
If the Magic can’t handle criticism from someone who has coached them to the NBA Finals, then WTF?
Any coach in the league would take a chance on Jameer considering what he brings to the table. Trust me, it’s a lot deeper than him torching the Lakers this season. If you were from this area you would understand.
This is put up or shut up time. You learn by the second, not the game or the season. The Magic have to get a personal and professional sense of urgency. Conventional wisdom says they get back here again and again because they are young and talented, but if cats don’t realize how blessed they are RIGHT NOW? Their entire careers might be defined by this moment of fear.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Pink socks. LOL.
Mizzo — frankly, if the Magic attacked the rim more often, Dwight Howard would average 20+ boards a game right now. So many of the rebounds in their games come flying off the backboard. That’s a big factor.
I’m willing to indulge the Magic in their right to have a learning curve. They’ve only played 2 games so far. The series is far from over. They just to have a little home cooking — and we’ll see what happens then.
It’s still early. They just don’t have any more room for error.
June 8th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Yeah those long caroms are a problem but that’s why guards are taught to box man first when shots go up.
Yes, it is early but you are correct when you say “They just don’t have any more room for error.”
They have to take 3 games here or risk burping Red Stripe.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Patrick,
I think the only place where anyone thinks that Alston might start ahead of Nelson is in Alston’s mind. Somewhere during the earlier rounds, they announced that Nelson would be the starter at the beginning of the season. Now, I do understand what a coach’s or GM’s word means……but I do understand that Nelson might have felt his grip loosening on his spot if Alston leads the team to the championship. Still though, now the team has painted themselves into a corner. They have to play Nelson now, and they’re probably going to have to play him more minutes than what they wanted to.
Miz,
I have no problem with Stan Van diggin’ in the players a$$es. My problem is him doing it through the press. Going at players through the press, instead of keeping it in house, is a sure formula for discontent, players not playing as hard as they would normally, and a short stay for Stan.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:58 am
I hear you, but he’s in the Finals with a team that wasn’t expected to get there and has fought and won through all kids of adversity this season. He’s also real with cats like me and AXG in the press. I got mad respect for dude. What are you supposed to do if cats aren’t getting the picture?
His players dig him a lot more than what is publicized.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Gotta agree with the above comments about Dwight going at it alone. Rebounding wise he’s battling legit size in the paint. Rashard, Turk and whoever else need to get thier noses dirty for real.
Offensively I’m really not mad at Dwight. Yeah he’s struggling. And?
He also struggled against the Pistons a few years ago before overcoming that hurdle.
Does anyone else remember Shaq getting swept by the Rockets? Sure he scored but he didn’t dominate. It took him until his prime with the Lakers to truly develop a dominating offensive arsenal.
It’s way too easy to hold Howard down because he doesn’t have range outside of 5 feet. If he could shoot a jump shot from 7 to 10 he’d be close to unstoppable. Seriously.
The Lakers are a great defensive team but they are a good offensive team. The proof is in the pudding baby. They make you shoot over size and that’s just plain not easy to do.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:50 am
*aren’t a great defensive team.
My bad
June 9th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Shaq’s team was swept by a very physical Houston Rockets team that included Dream obviously. Didn’t Dream average 30 plus or something crazy like that the entire playoffs? It was at least 30. He didn’t murder Shaq that series. I’m pretty sure Shaq was up around 25 with Penny close behind. That was real soul rock.
Now…
How do you call a cat Superman but always wanna put him in tights?
It ain’t all Dwight’s fault. It’s the way the league is now. It seems the league wants these cats soft or they would allow a big man who is virtually unstoppable to get off.
Let him funk. I wish the league would stop hatin’. Damn.
Who does it serve if Dwight becomes this superstar that isn’t physically offensive and why don’t they show his parents more?
Beautiful couple who raised Dwight in the game.
Imagine this cat in NBA Jam.
Dude he’d be taller than the rim.
BOOOM SHOCKALACKA!!!
I used to bust my boy Scott’s ass in that game. He wanted nothing of Barkley and KJ.
Ahh the good ole days…oh well. I guess it’s time to get African cane fitted in the image of that oh so respected Pan-Africanist flame, John Henrik Clarke.
We’ll see how it goes in Game 3. I say he for 30 and 20 tonight and the Magic blow the Lakers out.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
[...] not all his fault. He’s getting better. Yeah, I go hard on Dwight, but my criticism of is grounded in his vast potential. This is not about creating a [...]
June 9th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Mizzo:
To each his own, but…
When Kareem was doing stuff like averaging 28 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks, what exactly was that?
Only Kareem and Chamberlain were as dominant in these 4 statistical categories — and Kareem didn’t have a Russell or an Olajuwon to steal his thunder. He was the thunder and the lightning.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Bottom line:
I don’t know if the gap between what is and what can be with Dwight Howard is about energy or execution.
Finally, Kareem’s methods were just as African as Ewing’s. I know what you meant, but a little precision here is always appreciated.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
@Temple
I think it’s about evolution. I mean he’s 24! No college. Dude is learning on the job. 6 years in the league means what exactly? His defense arrived waaaaaaaay before his offense. We’ve seen this with him before. He was schooled by the Pistons too. The Lakers are long man. Plus dude still doesn’t have a go to move. I remember that being a critique of David Robinson as well. Thing is Big Dave could shoot facing up from 10-12 feet. I mean he won a scoring title for crying out loud. Dwight may want to look into the “throw it up and go get my own misses” method. Then again he’d still have to go through 2-3 bodies to retrieve his misses.
@Mizzo
You gotta give the Lakers credit man. I’m not going to stop singing this song!!!!! Gasol is doing his thing. He’s scoring (while shooting a decent percentage) and rebounding. Bynum is being a legit center for 5 minute stretches and L.O. is really getting it in. You keep asking for Dwight to be montrous but it’s not fair to ask him to play 3 on 1. These dudes aren’t bums man.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Jerold:
I think we agree.
I didn’t mention Jabbar as a point of comparison for what Dwight Howard is doing. That would be unfair to say the least. I only mentioned Jabbar in the context of his tenacity and ability to consistently deliver on both ends of the floor and in all phases of the game (part of an earlier convo upthread with Mizzo about coaching D. Howard).
I most definitely agree about the Lakers length. That was my key to the Denver series — same thing here. And I also think you’re right in suggesting that Mizzo isn’t giving the Lake Show enough credit. Still, I can see his point — these guys do not evoke images of strong defense in any form or fashion — but they are blocking shots and pulling boards. They did it against Denver and they’re doing it again vs. ORL.
June 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Yeah, it’s not about not giving the Lakers credit. It’s all about the athlete. Dwight is gonna be hot if these cats get a ring and he never does.
Rebounding is about effort. Dwight lets the opposition slip under him on the box way too much, putting him in jeopardy of over the back fouls. Watch him tonight.
Yes he’s young and he will learn but the time is now. Not later. Marino anyone?
June 9th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Kareem was a bad man. He’s my second best center of all time. You said who would you rather go with teaching. Speaking with both, I’d go with Patrick because the coach in me sees more patience in Ewing. Kareem was just too good and is rightfully bitter (he doesn’t show it) he never got a head coaching job in the L…which is bullshit. How can that happen? He’s one of the best of all time. Who better to learn from but the best?
June 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Mizzo:
That’s an explanation that I can live with. Initially, I thought you were arguing along the lines of Jabbar not having a great deal of intensity because it was largely imperceptible. I feel where you’re coming from now.
Dan Marino. Ouch!! You could be right.