Suns/Lakers: Game 1
Notes, observations, and hatred for Kwame Brown.
Let’s be honest: The Phoenix Suns are a better basketball team than the Los Angeles Lakers. They have more talent; they have better shooters; and they can win against the Lakers (and most other teams) even when they have a bad shooting night. The Lakers, however, cannot win against the Suns (and most other teams) when they have a tough shooting night. They have to be perfect on both ends of the floor. Therein lies the difference between the two squads.
On Sunday afternoon, the Suns were very human and they came away with a critical victory. The Lakers played perfect basketball for 36 minutes and still lost. Such is life.
Random Notes:
-Kobe got tired in the fourth quarter. I don’t care what he says.
-Barbosa is the fastest human being playing basketball today.
-I could beat, nay, destroy Kwame Brown in a game of one-on-one.
-Mark Jackson is a pretty funny dude; he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite color guys.
-I can’t quite decide what made my weekend more enjoyable: An attractive and (ahem) well endowed woman falling out of her shirt at a club on Saturday night, or Ronny Turiaf’s hair*.
-At money time, the Lakers went away from what had worked so well in the first three quarters: Rebounding, ball movement, pounding the rock inside, and Kobe’s magic.
-Barbosa has just had what will probably be his best game of the series. That being said, Marion will probably have a similar impact on a game before the series ends.
-With Nash on the bench and Bryant running out of gas, the Suns made their run and it was a wrap.
Will this be a sweep? No. Not with Phil Jackson’s game plan. Not with a rested Kobe Bryant. For the Lakers to win a game or two in this series, however, Lamar Odom needs to come to the realization that he cannot be stopped. Ask for the ball Lamar; be the ball!
The Suns will probably take game 2, and here’s why: They won’t miss as many shots as they did in game 1; they don’t want to go into a raucous Staples with the series tied like last year; and most importantly, Kwame Brown will still be on the Lakers’ playoff roster.
*The former.
64 Responses to “Suns/Lakers: Game 1”
Apr.23 at 3:23 am
lentheric says:
Ronny Turiaf’s hair was great and Kobe was tired in the fourth quarter no doubt.
Apr.23 at 3:27 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Kobe made his bed, now he gets to lie in it. It’s obvious he doesn’t have much faith in his teammates (he’s basically doing the same thing Stephon Marbury did with the Nets—just with more success), and now I doubt they have much faith in themselves. Shooting baseline fallaways while spinning into a double team sure looks good on the highlights, but it has to be tiring. And when you’re playing with him and realize he’d rather shoot a fallaway when doubled than pass to an open man, hey, why bother getting open at all?
Apr.23 at 3:34 am
namik says:
Damn isnt the whole “he ran Shaq out” rant getting old? Let it go guys. One average PG, a good PF and we’re good. I dont really blame Kwame because we all know he hasno talent. Kobe really dropped doo-doo all over his own teammates in the 4th there. Atleast no one will blame him for not shooting. Hey thats how Jordan wouldve gone out right? And Lamar. Brilliant then worse than Kwame(maybe) within 15 mins. Phil Jackson, some weird desicions, but it is Phil so cant really complain. Farmar played good. Smush really needs to realize that he is not getting a contract next year and this is his chance to get one.
Apr.23 at 3:49 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Shaq used to be on the Lakers?
Apr.23 at 3:54 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Also, if Kobe and Jordan are really pals now, maybe Kobe can ask Mike why he went and ruined Kwame Brown’s career before it even started. That would be a fun conversation to listen in on.
Apr.23 at 4:06 am
namik says:
Russ you worked at SLAM when you guys did the Kwame story right? Was he really good at HS level? I mean you look at Curry and Chandler and maybe they didnt turn out as good as they were supposed to as fast as they were supposed to, but theyre getting better. Kwame isnt even in thier league which is saying something. I just wonder how much of it is Jordan’s fault. He was a d*ck to him tho. BTW, what happened to Vlad? There was a sighting but PJax still wont give him any burn.
Apr.23 at 4:14 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I never saw Kwame play as a high schooler, so I really can’t give an accurate assessment. I do seem to recall that he was far from a consensus number 1 pick, and that the biggest question mark was in regard to his motivation and desire. His skills, strangely enough, were his strong point. In hindsight, the following story is kind of funny. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/01draft/stories/2001-06-28-wiz.htm
Apr.23 at 4:29 am
Russ Bengtson says:
My comment is awaiting moderation because of a link, so I’ll give you my answer without the link: I never saw Kwame play as a high schooler, so I really can’t give an accurate assessment. I do seem to recall that he was far from a consensus number 1 pick, and that the biggest question mark was in regard to his motivation and desire. His skills, strangely enough, were his strong point. He was one of those guys that put up tremendous numbers in high school, then followed that up with what must have been some amazing workouts. But there’s a huge difference between working out alone, or one on one, and playing in NBA games. And his practice habits in Washington were apparently deplorable.
Apr.23 at 8:30 am
Ryan Jones says:
Kobe Bryant had a terrific first half.
Apr.23 at 8:35 am
AP says:
check this out
http://stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_marcher.asp?1041308 http://stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_marcher.asp?1022494
Apr.23 at 9:55 am
Cub Buenning says:
Yeah Ryan, he beat HIS entire team that half.
Apr.23 at 10:11 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Barbosa with fresh legs being guarded by Smush is curel and unusual punishment. To beat the Suns, you have to slow the game down, and the best way to do that is get to the free throw line A LOT. The Lakers shot 11 free throws.
Apr.23 at 10:18 am
Max Airington says:
…
Apr.23 at 10:26 am
allenp says:
Kobe just started gunning too much. Everything else was exactly the same as last year. The Suns can lose to the Lakers because nobody seems capable of guarding Lamar Odom. That should worry Suns fans. Kobe needed to pass more, but his first half was almost as impressive as Baron Davis’ third quarter.
Apr.23 at 10:31 am
namik says:
Ever since I read Mike Leaheys’ Nothing Else Matters, I have always felt sorry for Kwame. Of course according to Leahy, MJ talked down to everyone and thier mamas so dont really know what to believe. I do know that its been 6 years since and it might be time for Kwame to let the “MJ destroyed my career” thing go and get his head straight. I cant believe Mike D called him out like that. Not that he was wrong or anything. Sam I dont really care about us not getting free throws cos thats taking the easy way out. I do have a problem with some of the calls the Suns got. If anyone so much as touches Barbosa, its a foul. Which is consistent with what they have done all year. On the flip side, the only way Bell can slow down Kobe is bump him every time he gets the ball. No calls, which is inconsistent. And that offensive foul that Kobe had on Amare…what???And it was a big foul because then Barbs came down and hit the 3. Thats where the momentum completely shifted. The Suns got away with a lot of pushing under the boards which is cool because its the playoffs. I wish we could do it too. Arent we the underdogs here?
Apr.23 at 10:38 am
Max Airington says:
I dont wanna talk about Kobe right now, and Im sure no one wants to hear me do so, so let’s just keep in mind that despite playing practically the whole damn game in the paint (except you know who…), the Lakers had twice as many fouls as the Suns and took half as many free throws (23 to 11). Plus how many B.S. charges did Phoenix get? That flopping has to stop, it’s how the Suns plan on countering the interior play of the Lakers and the refs are allowing it, but not calling it on the other end. Thats all. Oh, and Smush couldnt keep a f*cking refrigerator in front of him, much less Barbosa.
Apr.23 at 10:47 am
Cub Buenning says:
Allen, with Lamar being #2 on the team, 17 points just ain’t gonna cut it. Did TMAC have 17? Did AI? Amare? Shit, I’ll even go East, and say did Larry Hughes? That was the same argument during the regular season. Nice numbers, sure. But still not enough. Max, that flopping crap is a problem league-wide. Back in the day, drawing a charge was darn near impossible. Now, it is just the opposite, kinda like pass-interference in the NFL.
Apr.23 at 10:49 am
Max Airington says:
One more. Kwame Brown on a basketball court is about as useful as Kwame Brown in a bakery. Out.
Apr.23 at 10:49 am
namik says:
Watching Smush come into the game is one of the most nerve wracking experiences for me right now. I know he is going to screw us over. I just hope its in small ways that dont really matter. Unfortunately he has to guard a 2 time MVP and Xerxes so there really isnt too much room for error. F***! We need KG or Billups.
Apr.23 at 11:42 am
Logan Light says:
I’m really pulling for the Lakers in this one… not because I’m a Kobe/Odom/Jackson fan, but because I’m really not a fan of Phoenix… call me a hater and that’s fine I just can’t get with them winning the whole thing. Although I couldn’t agree with Marcel more - Kwame is waste of height. I am really getting tired of his lotioned up hands - put some sticky tack on them or something. Why doesn’t Phil start Bynum, you gotta think that the inexperience is better than the turnovers. Honestly, I wouldn’t have too much of a problem with him if he didn’t think that he was better than he is- ARGH! Namik - I’m with you on Smush. It seems that he has his moments, but you watch him just waiting for the next mistake.
Apr.23 at 11:44 am
Logan Light says:
Max is absolutely right as well. Half of those charges were legit, the other half would have gone as no calls in any other game.
Apr.23 at 11:45 am
Melvin says:
Man Kwame has talent and athleticism tools but just doesn’t know how to use them and he’s soft with no desire (he could be Chris Webber)
Apr.23 at 11:53 am
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
well who cares what you say Logan phoenix is the better team and they have the better player and two time MVP player Steve Nash…oh dont for get bout Marion and Amare…(phoenix fan)
Apr.23 at 11:58 am
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
i can’t believe Lakers lost…Max i thought they were gonna win well guess ur wrong about that Phoenix proved you wrong…(phoenix fan)
Apr.23 at 12:13 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Thanks for that link, AP — finally, I get it. Kobe is really environmentally conscious, and he throws up so many shots because, in an effort to conserve energy, HE’S LITERALLY TRYING TO SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT. Honestly, this changes everything.
Apr.23 at 12:43 pm
Skillet Forilla says:
m2, please sell me on this Mark Jackson thing (note, ONLY talkng about his sportscasting). I have tried to appreciate him, but he seriously bothers me - at least Hubie is in LOVE with the obvious, he treats it tenderly. I rank him a little under John Barry in terms of preference, and that isn’t saying a whole lot.
Apr.23 at 1:00 pm
Chris says:
Kobe’s problem is that he’s too good. Some of the shots he was taking AND making in the 2nd quarter were just RIDICULOUS, That 3 pt fadeaway in the corner, holy crap! If you can make shots like that who needs good shot selection. I thought the lakers problem is that they went away from kobe in the 3rd and he cooled down, he was on pace for 60, he should have kept shooting.
Apr.23 at 1:10 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Mitch Kupchak made Kobe’s bed and now Kobe has to lie in it.
Apr.23 at 1:16 pm
Michael says:
Russ you’re a hater. If you watched the Lakers at all this year you would realize that Kobe was doing the unselfish thing and getting his teamates involved until they basically quit on him. Phil told Kobe and that’s when Kobe lost trust in his teamates, even Phil doesn’t get pissed when Kobe shoots a lot anymore, cause he too realizes aside from Lamar the other guys suck. Saying that get the damn ball to Lamar, they can’t stop him.
Apr.23 at 1:24 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Thank you, I was waiting for that. Hopefully Phil also realizes that he better have the Montana house ready soon.
Apr.23 at 1:24 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
man ya’ll are just mad becuz Lakers lost and ya’ll dont know how to handle that…becuz ya’ll know Phoenix is the better team…
Apr.23 at 1:25 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
who here likes the Suns…?
Apr.23 at 1:25 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
and who here hates the Lakers…?
Apr.23 at 1:26 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
GO SUNSSSSSSSSSSS…………
Apr.23 at 1:40 pm
Aaron says:
I’m sorry Max but any fan of the Lakers that can sit and complain about calls when they have Kobe on their team is crazy. Raja can flop for sure but those charges, from what I saw, were legit yesterday. Kobe shot himself in the foot and the team.
Apr.23 at 1:43 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
Max u just gripe and gripe thinkin you know what the predictions are but they just come back and bit you in the butt…
Apr.23 at 1:44 pm
Danny W UK says:
How ’bout Farmar? I thought he was spot on. First ever Play Off game, and against Nash. As for Kobe? Peaked too early. Smush? I’d watch him at the Cage, not on the boards. Still got the Swee’pea attitude that’ll cost him in the long run. Kwame? Sit him out. Hope the Bynum Brigade are ready for their boy to play 45 minutes a game.
Apr.23 at 1:45 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
Kobe shouldn’t be playin in the NBA…
Apr.23 at 1:54 pm
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
Steve Nash owns this game
Apr.23 at 1:59 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
shelbie, you just threw any credibility you had (which was questionable to begin with) out the window. Supporting your team is one thing. Not recognizing that Kobe Bryant is one of the best players ever is just stupid.
Apr.23 at 2:00 pm
J-Bird says:
I wish the Suns could play a more entertaining team in the first round, cuz the Lakers put me to sleep
Apr.23 at 2:08 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Steve Nash was not as effective as Barbosa
Apr.23 at 2:50 pm
Max Airington says:
Russ, as many times as people have called you that, you should just change your name to Hater in here. It’s not like people won’t know who it is.
Either that, or the Madd Blogger. I still heart you though.
Apr.23 at 3:28 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Yeah Kobe got tired, it happens to all humans. the lakers just don’t have enough scoring to beat the suns. and on the defensive end they’re just not quick enough to beat the suns. they’re screwed really. yeah kobe was gunning but what can he do? i think he has to get 40 points in order for them to have a real shot to win a game. the suns are better this year too which makes it much harder. even if kobe is the best player in the universe, thats not enough unless he goes nuts…
Apr.23 at 3:50 pm
Michael says:
The whole Kobe gunning thing is two-fold. On one hand Kobe should recognize that he isn’t on and pass the ball, on the other hand Lamar should demand the damn basketball. They litterally can’t stop him in the post. Diaw’s to slow and Marions just a bitch when it comes to the playoffs, although he did play well yesterday finally.
Apr.23 at 4:11 pm
15AM says:
as a suns fan, i watched the game and was optimistic when kobe hit the threes at the end of the second quarter. i kinda felt that this would be the peak of his performance and that there is a good chance for him to fall off towards the end of the game. good call. watching barbosa really got me high and i did my best “beat smushie at a ultra-fast break” impersonation today in training. loved it! suns in 5!
Apr.23 at 4:25 pm
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Mutoni: I too am fond of good ol’ Mark Jackson. I remember him having two pretty classic anecdotes in that now-legendary Nets-Suns shootout alone: one about him storming out of his own house on account of his brother saying Marion can’t shoot the ball (which Mark obviously disagreed with), and one about him bumping into none other than Michael Caine a while ago, having “a good old time” shooting the shit for an hour or so.
Apr.23 at 4:26 pm
Logan Light says:
Shelbie… poor showmanship with the comments- real mature.
Apr.23 at 4:32 pm
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
And I’ve said this all along: Kobe shot himself in the leg acting the bully for the latter part of the season - his teammates only quit on him when he started taking all the shots, and it was downhill from there on end. Saying it one more time: Kobe’s dilemma is that he does not want his team to win, he only wants Kobe to win.
Apr.23 at 4:50 pm
Hersey says:
LB was awesome yesterday. My favorite was when he torched Smush for the and1. Suns need to try step on the Lakers quick. Go Suns!
Apr.23 at 5:51 pm
flomob says:
kobe shot the ball too much in the 4th. only cause no one else was making any shots. If someone else doesn’t step up, they are done in 6
Apr.23 at 6:09 pm
allenp says:
Cub, Odom was doing work when he got the ball. He could have had 25 easy with a few more touches and better calls from the refs. The fact is, the Lakers are falling into the same trap they and the Clippers fell into last year. The Suns want people to shoot jumpers because it makes defense easier for them. They will allow Kobe and others to jack up long jumpers, even if they are falling, because they know that probably won’t last. If I was a Suns fan I’d be worried that even with Amare and Kurt Thomas healthy my post defense was still a sieve and the Lakers are a mediocre at best post team. Y’all better hope Denver and SAn Antonio beat each other up so bad that their big men can’t go hard against the Suns because y’all are in trouble if they don’t.
Apr.23 at 6:18 pm
KG says:
The Brazilian Blur tore it up in the 2nd half. Still think Steve Nash is the most valuable player (and best point guard) on this team?
Apr.23 at 10:35 pm
Ben Osborne says:
It should be obvious that Mark Jackson is the man.
Apr.23 at 10:48 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Haha at Ben. And Max, I believe “Hater” is always implied, at least. Also, I’ve long thought the same as the Yiddish Dictator.
Apr.24 at 12:16 am
lickylickyballing says:
DUDE KOBES GETTING OLD HES STILL A HECK OF A PLAYA BUT HE NEEDS BETTA SUPPORT.. I MEAN KWAME IS A NIG, FUKEN DISGRACE..LAMAR IS SOFT, NEVER READY TO DOMINATE AND I WONT FERGET HIS DRUGS ADDICTION OF SMOKIN WEED N SHIT… SMUSH MAN GET THE FUK OUT U WEAKSAUCE MAYNE… JORDAN FARMAR HE GOESS… BRIAN COOK, EH HE SOFT… ANDREW BYNUM NEEDA GET SOME PT YADI?..WELL IM OUT LIKE HOW KOBE SHOT DA LAKERS OUTA DA GAME yeee
Apr.24 at 12:18 am
lickylickyballing says:
ANOTHER THING..BARBOSA SHUDNT HAVE GOTTEN FUKEN 6TH MAN.. MANu ginobli shuda got it mann wtf is goin on in da nba wrld
Apr.24 at 5:28 am
Boyd says:
Lets be honest, the Lakers f*cking suck egg. Big time. Through a small straw. I would be VERY surprised if they won more than one game. I would not be surprised at all if they got swept. ‘no one on the suns can guard Odom,’ well shit the bed, ‘cos no-one on the Lakers can guard Barbosa, Nash, Stat, Marion, etc etc until you get to Jalen Rose and he’s nailed to the f*cking bench. Boo hoo, lakeshow cooked in 5. Sorry 4.
Apr.24 at 8:34 am
Phil B. says:
Namik, on Kobe’s charge the replay showed Amare standing flat-footed outside the restricted area with his hands up but not moving at all, and while he stood like that, Kobe took three steps and barged into him. At full speed, I expected Kobe to get the call because he typically gets calls, but on this play, the charge was about as obvious as a charge can get.
Apr.24 at 8:51 am
Phil B. says:
On the fouls disparity between the teams, isn’t it common knowledge that the Suns are taught by D’Amtoni NOT to foul when opponents go to the hoop? The whole idea of speeding up the game means they will allows a fairly large number of lay-ups in return for keeping the pace fast. The only questionable calls that I see are some of the charges that Nash takes. Although he’s got such excellent feet that he draws many of them legitimately, he also gets at least one favor a game, no doubt. But this star treatment is no different from what MJ or Kobe or several other players have received; it’s not why the Lakers lost. The Lakers do a very good job of slowing the Suns down and giving themselves a chance to win. They just have such a glaring weakness at point guard and center. The Lakers only hope is (1) for Kobe to be so well-rested in between games he is able to play on good legs for all 4 quaters, and (2) for the other guys to step up and shoot 50%, while (3) slowing the game down enough to force Phoenix into playing half court.
Apr.24 at 9:56 am
shelbie_phx_sn13 says:
does it look like i care what ya’ll say…becuz i dont…i ain’t no stupid lakers fan and i ain’t never going to be and phx is the best team there is…
Apr.25 at 2:28 pm
» Suns/Lakers: Game 2 Beatdown - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] To save you (and myself) the pain and embarrassment, I not rehash most of the details from last night’s carnage. The only thing we can and should say about game 2 is that the result was predictable. There was no way the Suns were going to allow themselves to travel to LA with a tied series. I just didn’t think the Lakers would be so accommodating. Six Suns players scored in double figures and - let’s be honest here - the Lakers simply did not show up. […]
Apr.26 at 1:45 am
stuie says:
ive said this on other comments but “the lakers wont win till they get someone in the front court who can pass kobe the ball. kobes good but hes still just kobe”. I mean Amarie 93, nash 87, marion 93, diaw 83. kobe amazingly 97, odom 85. lets see 4 of the suns players are rated 83 or higher. The lakers have a 97 and a 85. No wonder the lakers lost, the whole machups lop sided.
Apr.26 at 1:47 am
stuie says:
By the way the ratings are from nba live 07. The 2k players are all over rated.