**nba playoffs** second round

[red recluse]

i don't know what kind of message fisher was trying to send. it's not like scola pulled a rondo or a rafer alston slap to head. not very smart from a "wise, old" veteran.

 

[red recluse]

:ez-roll: so much drama in the lbc.

 

[playmakr]

Hey, Kobe, you are 31 it's about time to learn some humility. All the greats talk trash, but at least attempt to make it subtle.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Houston plays with alot of physical intimidation. Artest ALL OF A SUDDEN, is a misunderstood good guy? Please!!! Artest and Kobe have gone at it for yrs. One of the main tactics that Artest tries to use on scorers is to bang on them, push them, pull them, trash talk, etc, trying to get a psychological advantage. If you look at the video very closely, you wil see Kobe with inside rebounding position, Artest is trying to force him further under the hoop, and Kobe is holding his position. For an instance, you can see Artest's elbow rise up towards Kobe's neck/head, and Kobe responds with an elbow. Probably worth a fine, but not a suspension.

Anyone who thinks that the Kobe taunting was a big deal is crazy. That happens on most every play in the NBA. From Labron's posturing and posing after EVERY dunk, to KG's cussing out opponents during the game, to Ben Gordon practicly masturbating after making a key 3 against the C's, what Kobe did to Battier was lightweight. The only reason it drew a whistle was because of the tension and the flagrant mugging that Fisher initiated. Heck, the NBA has so fallen in love with showboating and taunting that you have guys like Eddie House who has probably the best game of his life, taunting and trash talking after every made bucket. That is why Alston pimp slapped him...

Houston is playing great, but I still like the Lakers' chances. The 3rd game will be intense. If the Laker supporting cast members show up to play, the Rockets can't beat LA. Gotta get more from the bench......

 

[paulsboutique]

I think there is something called the "Kobe face" that make his show boating that much more intolerable....

 

[coolm]

Just don't put him in the studio when he retires.....

I'm not sure that's fair. CHarles didn't sound like a rocket scientist when he left Auburn.

 

[SoonerfanTU]

Anybody know what the record for most triple-doubles in the playoffs (single year) is?

Has anybody ever averaged a triple double for an entire playoff series? Rondo did vs Chicago for the first 6 games, then was 0.7 rebounds short after game 7. That is pretty amazing.

 

[Seymore Cox]

Hey, Kobe, you are 31 it's about time to learn some humility. All the greats talk trash, but at least attempt to make it subtle.

Did you feel that way when Jordan and Bird did the same. Probably the two biggest trash talkers in NBA history.

 

[playmakr]

Did you feel that way when Jordan and Bird did the same. Probably the two biggest trash talkers in NBA history.

Did you read what I said? Both sentences? That is a prerequisite before responding to posts.

 

[SoopaSooner]

Nice block.

 

[oukimber]

If you look at the video very closely, you wil see Kobe with inside rebounding position, Artest is trying to force him further under the hoop, and Kobe is holding his position. For an instance, you can see Artest's elbow rise up towards Kobe's neck/head, and Kobe responds with an elbow. Probably worth a fine, but not a suspension.

Yea, not excusing Kobe for throwing the elbow. But the commentators were crazy saying that the fouls should have been on bryant and not artest.

I watched it several times, and artest has his hand on the back of kobe's head and is pushing it forward and down, while pushing him forward with his lower body. That is the foul right there. Then Kobe starts to push back and threw the elbow.

Should have been a double foul at worst.

And Fisher...man, what do you say. Personally I like having a veteran stand up to the other team when they are trying to get you out of your game with physicality. But the least he could do was make it a little less obvious.

This has the makings of a great series.

 

[playmakr]

Nice block.

The Lakers are trying to manufacture toughness.

 

[campbest]

The Lakers are trying to manufacture toughness.

This.

Kobe obviously was getting pushed in the back by Artest, but even more obvious was the intentional elbow he threw at Artest's upper body. Will be real interesting to see what Stu Jackson does, some suspensions have to come down somewhere or this is only going to continue throughout the playoffs.

Personally, I think it's really sad that these guys are acting the way they are...it's taking away from a really competitive series.

 

[SoopaSooner]

Should have been a double foul at worst.

If your not gonna call a foul on Artest early in the play then it should have have been a double foul.

 

[red recluse]

Anybody know what the record for most triple-doubles in the playoffs (single year) is?

Has anybody ever averaged a triple double for an entire playoff series? Rondo did vs Chicago for the first 6 games, then was 0.7 rebounds short after game 7. That is pretty amazing.

i believe on inside the nba they said the record was 7 by wilt. i don't recall them saying anything about averaging one for the entire playoffs though.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

I'm not sure that's fair. CHarles didn't sound like a rocket scientist when he left Auburn.

I was being sarcastic. I guess that it wasn't obvious.....

The other poster referenced how bad JR Smith sounds when interviewed, and I was basically saying WHO CARES, just don't make him an analyst. Just a joke ATTEMPT on my part...

 

[jmizzy4ou]

If your not gonna call a foul on Artest early in the play then it should have have been a double foul.

Good stuff Soopa. The video you posted shows it all.

I totally understand why people don't like Kobe. I probably wouldn't like him as much if he wasn't a Laker. I never liked MJ, though I always respected him. I felt that he played under rules than everyone else.

People who are jabbing at Kobe for the weak taunting of Battier are just doing so because its Kobe. Had LaBron done the same(and he does often), everyone would be complimenting his competetive fire.....

 

[jmizzy4ou]

The Lakers are trying to manufacture toughness.

FALSE. Fisher has been tough his entire career, though he has never been a guy who would cheapshot a guy so blatantly. Houston operates with physical play and intimidation. The Lakers came into the season vowing to not get pushed around like they did against Boston. No different than Clevelands change of attitude about playing defense.

When Bynum is healthy, he plays tough. Ariza is a tough kid. Odom and Gasol are probably the main 2 regulars who both need to be a little tougher. I think that last night was just the Lakers letting Houston know that they aren't going to be pushed around.... Artest and Scola are bullies. Rockets management did a great job of putting the right supporting pieces around Yao. They are enforcers who protect him. The best thing that happened to Houston was having She-Mac go down with an injury.....

 

[campbest]

Good stuff Soopa. The video you posted shows it all.

I totally understand why people don't like Kobe. I probably wouldn't like him as much if he wasn't a Laker. I never liked MJ, though I always respected him. I felt that he played under rules than everyone else.

People who are jabbing at Kobe for the weak taunting of Battier are just doing so because its Kobe. Had LaBron done the same(and he does often), everyone would be complimenting his competetive fire.....

This is why people are jabbing Kobe, because he does do it often and Lebron (for the most part) doesn't. I don't mind the subtle trash talk, that's all good competitive fun...but the woofing so loud that the TNT cameras pick it up gets old.

 

[playmakr]

People who are jabbing at Kobe for the weak taunting of Battier are just doing so because its Kobe. Had LaBron done the same(and he does often), everyone would be complimenting his competetive fire....

Actually, the mouthing that got him the technical was weak. That was probably the least amount of barking and woofing to everyone in the arena he did the entire game. It simply gets annoying to see him give that little arrogant face and starting yelling at everyone, making sure everyone is aware of who made the shot. Again, all the greats talk trash, but to make it become such an outward action gets old.

FALSE. Fisher has been tough his entire career, though he has never been a guy who would cheapshot a guy so blatantly. Houston operates with physical play and intimidation. The Lakers came into the season vowing to not get pushed around like they did against Boston. No different than Clevelands change of attitude about playing defense.

My contention is that it's a bit fake for someone soft like Lamar Odom (who was getting punked in the paint, legally) start jawing and getting altercations where there was no reason to. I would rather see him toughen up and act like a 6'11 guy and not get abused in the lane by somebody smaller than him as opposed to this fake tough guy attitude. And what you say about Fisher is my point. He's a tough defender and he gives the Lakers an edge with that, but like you said he has never been a dirty guy and for him to all of a sudden do it to "prove a point" seems fake and manufactured.

Toughness to me is not sizing a guy up and by checking him with an elbow, or by getting in a guy's face because he got physical (legally) with you, especially a guy like Odom who was having a horrible game and getting his ass kicked up and down the floor. How about playing harder, Lamar?