i went to new york this past weekend. i will write about that in due time.
last night the pistons dismantled the lakers again. shaq was awesome. kobe was not, despite chad's pleas for him to step it up to "one of the best of all-time" level.
the problem is that shaq is more dominant than kobe on a regular basis. this is clearly a function of shaq's size and agility, as opposed to actual basketball skillz.
but wilt chamberlain is considered one of the best ever.
anyways, is there anyone, anywhere who would bet on the lakers to win game 5? it's clear that they have used up all their good basketball against the spurs/timberwolves, and they just don't have a good complete game left in them. payton and malone are tired and breaking down. the bench was pretty bad to begin with, and even the new golden boy, luke walton, brings flaws to his game, like his inability to guard the 4 (sheed). and kobe just hasn't been good since he won game 2. shaq may be dominant, but when the rest of the team scores a combined 44 points, and almost half of that is kobe (who shot terribly, so his 20 pts is indicative of him shooting a lot rather than being productive), there isn't much you can do.
seriously, how can the lakers win game 5? the pistons defense is messing with them too much and any answers i gave earlier, involving payton and malone, seem pretty unrealistic at this point.
more nba!
0816-june14-2004
comments
re: but if they do...
from: chad (2004-06-14 10:50:30)
I agree. The lakers are done. Next game in the Staples center will be next season. But, if they do manage to pull off a win in game 5 (especially some sort of convincing win) how quickly will the national pistons bandwagon empty off? i really want the lakers to win game 5 so that everyone goes back to saying they are unbeatable so that the line goes to the lakers giving 5 or something stupid like that, and i can win easy money.
re: x's and o's
from: chad (2004-06-14 13:05:24)
1) Give shaq the ball every time up court. He showed in game 4 that he can beat the undersized pistons all day. the wallace's are solid, they have lots of depth, but ben is too short to stop shaq, sheed isnt a good enough defender, and the back ups (elden cambell? a not tall enough corliss williamson?) just ain't gonna cut it. shaq should be touching the ball every single time up court. every time. period. end of story.
2) spread the flood. the triangle keeps things a little too bunched for my liking, allowing the pistons to collapse too quickly on D. go to a wide open, slow down, half court game. spread the floor so much that when kobe drives either shaq's man has to play the help (in which case kobe dishes for an easy deuce) or someone else has to collapse in so far that his guy is wide open for a good look. this team can shoot decently well. the kareem rushes and devean georges of the world will hit open looks, if they can get them.
3) forget defense. seriously. stop wasting so much energy chasing around rip and everyone. i mean, you clearly have to play solid D and do the best you can, but don't fret over D. detroit doesnt score a whole lot. focus on making your offense strong and put some points on the board. a decent defensive effort will keep the pistons to 85 points. the key is scoring 90, which the lakers should be able to do.
4) adjust. the thing about defense is in order to really stop shaq and/or kobe, you have to leave someone else open. watch what the pistons do and adjust to it. take advantage. if chauncy is collapsing to double kobe, the get a PG out there who can score. i'd rather see fisher taking jumpers than payton sucking if i am a laker fan.
but really, it all rests on #1 (getting shaq the ball) and kobe. he absolutely has to step up his game. i know this isn't x's and o's, but kobe has apparently decided he is done in LA and he really couldn't care less about this series. early in this series when we had our kobe debate, i was adamant that timing and persona would stand in the way of his being crowned "greatest player ever," even though his on the court prowess would deserve the title. this series has exposed him, to some extent, to someone who can be contained and just doesnt care enough. those jazz teams played good defense. and the knicks of the 90's could stop anyone. but jordan was at a different level. if he wanted to win a game, the bulls were going to win. you could have taken someone who combined paytons' ability to shadow a guy (circa 1995), maurice cheeks ability to rip the ball, and ben wallaces shot blocking skills, added on tayshauns gumby-arms, and any other amazing defensive trait you want, and jordan would have schooled him to the tune of 35 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and a game-winning, 27 foot step back triple as time expired. kobe just doesnt have the killer instinct. and while i think there are x's and o's things the lakers can do to give them a shot, what they really need is kobe to play a team game and a great game simultaneously, which i am not sure he has ever done.
re: wow
from: niv (2004-06-14 17:19:15)
chad admitted i was right! and i agree with a lot of his previous comment.
re: i suppose that was the most surprising part...
from: chad (2004-06-14 18:20:44)
i write 5 decent sized paragraphs on the nba finals and all i get back is "chad admitted i was right!" then again, after about 7 years of friendship (actually, less than that) this probably is close to the first time i have admitted that, so i suppose it is big news...
re: well
from: niv (2004-06-15 06:28:57)
first off, you didn't say too much new stuff (from what we've already discussed)
secondly, it is not much less than 7 years
thirdly, yes, it is one of the first times you've admitted i was right in a straightforward way.
re: but chad...
how? how how how? i'm inviting you to a real x's and o's analysis of how the lakers can beat the pistons. give me something... please?