KOBE TALK (Your one-stop shop for everything Kobe!)

(Y) Enough guys...calm down.

Hope everyone is happy now.

Lets get back to topic.

How will tonite's game go? Will Kobe score 50, 60 or even a hundred?

I think the usual, 30-6-6

Mobley isnt a great defender, but Jackson is in my opinion, so I only see him giving Kobe a hard time.

Anyway, the Lakers will win their 10th str8

Kobe got player of the month along with Lamar Odom

Last edited by . on Fri Apr 02, 2004 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

Kobe seems due for 40+. He hasn't hit 50 once this season.

Kobe got player of the month along with Lamar Odom

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/PXC104033022_lower.jpg

Why the image?

My bad lol, I tought I pasted the link of the anouncment

Lakers' Timing Is All Wrong

A two-game home losing streak has left L.A. with a number of troubling issues and only four regular-season games in which to find a solution.

With a week of games to play, the Lakers seem destined to step into the NBA postseason less familiar with themselves than ever.

Having officially abandoned the middle ground of playing just well enough to win for the higher drama of unpredictability, they looked up from their lockers to Phil Jackson on Tuesday night and found no immediate answers.

"Glad that's over with," he told them after the Portland Trail Blazers had won by 11 points. He told them to take a day, that they needed it, adding, "I'll see you Thursday."

At the very moment they'd expected to find competence and community, the Lakers listed, lost consecutive home games for the first time in more than a year, fell from first in the Western Conference standings to third, and left themselves with four games to solve it all.

They are carried by Kobe Bryant one game and grounded by him the next. They await the absorption of Karl Malone and Gary Payton into their game and the nightly ferocity of Shaquille O'Neal.

Many are unhappy, to say the least, with Bryant's impulsiveness on offense. Some wonder when Jackson will insist again on ball movement, or when Bryant will listen. Jackson summoned Bryant from the court Tuesday with three minutes left in the first quarter, prompting Bryant to snap at Jackson on the way off and, according to witnesses, bringing a similar, curt response from Jackson. Nobody likes an 18-point deficit.

In the meantime, the defense has suffered, they have committed 36 turnovers in two losses, and O'Neal is shooting about 40% from the free-throw line over the last two weeks.

Rather than how the Lakers lost two games, perhaps the question is how they won 11 in a row.

On Wednesday morning, Jackson and his coaching staff endured three quarters of Tuesday night's loss, then stopped the tape. The final 12 minutes could wait a day.

Tex Winter had seen what he needed to, though.

"We played a desperate team last night," he said. "That was apparent."

Once, the Lakers were desperate. They feared the injuries that had ruined the middle of their season. They played through Bryant's court schedule, played to O'Neal's strengths, played around Payton and Malone, let them help where they could.

It was enough to win 11 consecutive games and 22 of 26. Now, for the Lakers to retake the top spot in the West, the Kings would have to lose three times in five games, which seems a lot to ask, even of the April-pliant Kings.

So, on a day when most players tended to their personal lives — Malone attended his daughter's 11th birthday party — Laker coaches thought about covering pick-and-rolls and open jumpers and ultimately hoped the answers were in the fatigue of four games in six days. And that by Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies and Sunday afternoon against the Kings, they'd all have their legs back.

"We're not playing together well, offensively or defensively, at this point," Winter said. "Most of the guys are playing hard. We're just not very effective.

"Offensively, we have to space the floor better. We have to understand what we are looking for on the floor. Defenses are getting into the lane and we're forcing things, forcing the ball into Shaq. Also, Kobe's taking the ball into the lane on penetration and there's just nothing there."

In the last two games, Bryant has shot 12 free throws, two of them against the Trail Blazers.

"If Kobe's going to take it into the lane and they're not going to call fouls, then we're really in trouble," Winter said. "He didn't get calls [Tuesday] night and continued to force the ball."

Winter and Jackson would prefer the offense go inside then out, to O'Neal and back, but it hasn't lately. Many of their 20 turnovers against the Trail Blazers were attempts to find O'Neal in a double team, or in O'Neal's attempts to find open shooters.

Often in recent years, O'Neal has saved the Lakers from themselves. His rebounds. His ability to command two or three defenders. Now he wears a sleeve on his right knee to hold it against the tendinitis and, if he stuck around to talk after games, he'd probably call for better ball movement, as most of them do.

As it was, in two games against San Antonio's Rasho Nesterovic and Portland's Theo Ratliff, O'Neal averaged 17 points and 10.5 rebounds. He also had a combined 26 shots, or about half of Bryant's.

"I don't know what went on with him," Jackson said Tuesday. "He threw it away. They got a layup. He tried a shot, moved the ball, couple things. He didn't really seem to have something to go to tonight, specifically."

Asked if that was because of Portland's defense or O'Neal's decisions, Jackson shrugged and said, "I don't know. I'll have to get with him on that."

Shaq needs to work on those freethrows...sometimes he makes them all & on some nights he bricks everything. Consitancy Mr. O'Neal?

Kobe just needs to take less shots. Oh & a little respect for the coach wouldn't hurt either.

Malone & Payton need to touch the ball more often to be productive, this would happen if Bryant would be a little less happy go lucky as soon as he gets the ball.

Shaq needs to start rebounding as he was in the 10-11 Game winning streak, he averaged around 15.8 RPG in that stretch, the last two...a mere 10.8...perhaps it's the tendinitis...or he's starting to get lazy again.

Kobe...don't shoot that much.

Everyone complains about McGrady being an asshole...ehm, what's with Bryant's attitude towards Jackson? Show respect, kid.

The solution is simple, when they start running the offense correctly and going through Shaq, this will generate more off the ball movement and scoring opportunities for everyone and they will execute better.

At least they came back- 19 points down...(plus Kobe did awesome in some scoring runs....and Shaq played great too- plus I think Payton/Malone actually got to cointribute too.) against Memphis! Hooray

Pathetic game by the Lakers tonight, no desire to win at all, no one had the killer instinct to go inside and make some points except Derek Fisher. Kobe took no shot in the first quarter, and he and Shaq were both scoreless in the first 12.

Sacramento did a hell of a job stopping Kobe with the switch on the pick and roll, causing him to drive into another defender.

I hope they come back in the playoffs, because ifnot.....they can 4-get the championship

Man- the Lakers will need to improve a hell lot...mentally...so that they can beat the Kings and not just Sacramento but on any Western Conference Home court dammit!

Awful game...but Kings played a superiour game. End of discussion.

If Lakers can't seem to get their priorities straight...the trophy won't be heading to LA.

Its not the Kings D that made kobe take no shots even if christie had a good game but more the critics (stupid btw...).
Anyway the Lakers sucked and such a game with the players they have is just pathetic.
They should be over 60 wins by now but with what ive saw so far i wonder how they have 54!

I think Kobe was sending a message. Isn't it ironic that the game he didn't take a lot or enough shots his teammates didn't step up and make them? Maybe the Lakers are better off when Kobe is a little more selfish.

It isn't as if he decided for himself not to take shots...he couldnt take shots. I'm sure with the looks he was getting & still decided to take those shots...Jackson would have pulled him out.

"They did a good job defensively," Bryant said. "I wasn't able to get open looks or get the ball in a position where I can get into a rhythm. I was just running back, waiting for the flow of the game. They doubled me every time I touched the ball. And every time I got into scoring position, doubled quickly."

"(Kobe) was getting double-, triple-teamed and was kicking it out," said O'Neal.

Double-Triple teamed...it's good he didnt take the shots.

i hope all lakers realized that lakers is kobe's team. where kobe goes the team goes. they criticized kobe for taking too many shot but when kobe dont shoot no one step up. shaq find it hard to play coz we all know kobe make the big ass shaq job easy.

i hope all lakers realized that lakers is kobe's team. where kobe goes the team goes. they criticized kobe for taking too many shot but when kobe dont shoot no one step up. shaq find it hard to play coz we all know kobe make the big ass shaq job easy.

i agree with everything he said, 'cept put shaqs name where kobes is and kobes where shaqs's.

i hope all lakers realized that lakers is kobe's team. where kobe goes the team goes. they criticized kobe for taking too many shot but when kobe dont shoot no one step up. shaq find it hard to play coz we all know kobe make the big ass shaq job easy.

Shaq makes Kobe's job easier. We've discussed this too many times.

You should be gratefull Shaq's big ass is in LA and not on an opposing team. We would see how many championship rings they would have with Shaq's big ass elsewhere.

shaq find it hard to play coz we all know kobe make the big ass shaq job easy.

No, Shaq makes Kobe's job easier.

Shaq makes Kobe´s job easier
Kobe makes Shaq´s job easier aswell

Shaq makes Kobe´s job easier
Kobe makes Shaq´s job easier aswell

Yes.
I'm surprised they didnt look for Shaq as much in the game. He only got off 6 shots.

Anyway, I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed Kobe was traded to Chicago for Jamal Crawford and others. I dont remember who was all involved but it was a 6 player deal. I think Chandler was in it but I cant remember everyone.

Lol, talking about weird dreams....the past year Ive dreamed about Corliss Williamson scoring over 100 points for about 3 nights, I have no idea why him

okay, back on topic

Lol, talking about weird dreams....the past year Ive dreamed about Corliss Williamson scoring over 100 points for about 3 nights, I have no idea why him

okay, back on topic

LOL! Now that deserves a 6th man! Screw it, and MVP! But anyway.......

apparently it was not the kings "d" that prevented kobe from more than 1 shot that night... rumors are flying around that kobe used a national tv game to prove that the lakers cannot win without him... theres even a rumor that kobe is going crazy...

Well, he could take those shots....but if someone is double or triple teamed, that means a player or 2 players are wide open for a shot, if they would make those shots he would have gotten like 15 assists that game.

Anyway, Kobe had a big game, havnt seen it yet but he scored 45, 7 and 8