I know man, geez Kobe was booed in last seasons opener. For the time being there is no drama in LakerLand and i for one love it, the media tried to make a big deal about Lamar coming off the bench - thats how desperate they were for scandal. Im looking forward to a season of just Laker hoops and no soap opera.
God that was a terrible game. Props to the Lakers. Rudy Fernandez was the only bright spot for the Blazers. Oden better not be out long, if at all. Oden was apparently asking to go back in (as he always does when he is hurt), but Nate wouldn't let him. Probably a smart move, especially since we were dying anyway. I'll be bummed if he is even out as long as by Friday.... a big reason being I have 100 level seats and I was hoping to see his home debut live and up close. May not happen now.
Now that was the kind of defense i have been praying for, we have to make sure our defense is consistent even if our shots arent falling. I love how we can switch everything on the pick and rolls and that semi zone that Drew and Pau are playing really clogs the lane (nice to see we learnt something from the Boston hammering). Like i keep saying offense will not be a problem if we play smart and share the ball, its the defense that will have to keep getting better if we are gonna win it all this season. I love the way Kobe played tonight, he played Roy very well and picked his spots on offense. How about the boards to, love it when he gets double digit boards.
I really hope Oden hasnt done anything too serious, the kid has been riddled with injuries and it'd be nice to see him get used to the NBA game and realise that potential. The Blazers missed a lot of easy shots but i think the Lakers defense has something to do with that, no way its that easy when we make our way to the Rose Garden though.
Great start to the season but we have to build on that and come into every game with the same mindset, if we are serious about getting home court advantage then we have take every game seriously and not just expect to turn it on in the playoffs.
Originally posted by koolruningz
The Blazers missed a lot of easy shots but i think the Lakers defense has something to do with that
Yeah. Blazers had plenty of opportunities for easy baskets blown, but I think the Lakers had them so rattled right from the get go that even shots that should have been easy were missed. Its sort of like the theory of "you don't have to block every shot, you just have to make them think that you are going to."
Oden was dissapointing, I was looking foward to him and Bynum. Bynum is superior.
Now Lakers layed ok D last night but the "Bench Mob" got half-ass at the end of the first half. We had 22 lead then got cut down to 15. I was mad at that. When Kobe decided to play(score) he killed Portland. No one on that team can guard him. Brandon Roy and Trevor Ariza impressed me. I also liked Fernandez. Overall a good game for Lakers, terrible start for Portland. Lakers should beat Clippers tonight but it won 't be as easy as Portland.
I hope Oden comes back. Everyone's been waiting and now another setback. Hope he gets well.
The Boston/Cleveland game on the other hand was a typical Boston/Cleveland game we see every year. Boring. Although LeBron had some sick plays.
Originally posted by Darth Martin
Oden was dissapointing, I was looking foward to him and Bynum. Bynum is superior.Now Lakers layed ok D last night but the "Bench Mob" got half-ass at the end of the first half. We had 22 lead then got cut down to 15. I was mad at that. When Kobe decided to play(score) he killed Portland. No one on that team can guard him. Brandon Roy and Trevor Ariza impressed me. I also liked Fernandez. Overall a good game for Lakers, terrible start for Portland. Lakers should beat Clippers tonight but it won 't be as easy as Portland.
I hope Oden comes back. Everyone's been waiting and now another setback. Hope he gets well.
The Boston/Cleveland game on the other hand was a typical Boston/Cleveland game we see every year. Boring. Although LeBron had some sick plays.
James needs to learn a consistent jump shot
Originally posted by Darth Martin
Oden was dissapointing, I was looking foward to him and Bynum. Bynum is superior.
Lets not jump the gun on that now. Bynum had a terrible opening night too, and Oden sprained his ankle after 2 and half minutes of play. It was also Oden's first real game in the NBA, so he was probably pretty nervous. Add the fact that the Lakers swarmed Oden down low, and it is easy to see why Oden had a bad game.
Anyway, out 2-4 weeks sucks. This will put him more out of shape than he already is, and it delays building chemistry. It doesn't sound like a long time, but it could easily put a damper in the Blazers playoff hopes. Also, I'm disappointed on a personal level, because I spent decent money on good seats hoping to see Oden's first ever true home game. Now, I'll be lucky to see his first home game at all, and likely will not have as good of seats for it if I do. However, I did get some personal benefit out of the situation (but it doesn't make up for it). With Oden hurt, ticket prices on ebay for Blazer games became really cheap and I picked up tickets for a couple of games pretty cheap.