The 2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers thread

[abomb]

Good? Bad? Indifferent?

Lakers fans arent too excited about it;

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Ken Mauer's last Laker game was the Game 3 loss at Utah which was a horribly officiated game and he was the main culprit.

Bennett Salvatore's last Laker game was Game 2 vs Denver, a game the Lakers managed to win despite shooting only 24 FTs to Denver's 36 FT's at Staples!

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Tony Brothers
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ San Antonio: 9-1
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ Lakers: 3-7

Ranked #61 out of 62 referees, in terms of favoring the home team. In other words, home team won't get the breaks. In fact, he may be adversarial.


Ken Mauer
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ San Antonio: 10-0
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ Lakers: 7-3

Ranked #57 out of 62 referees, in terms of favoring the home team. In fact, he may be adversarial.


Bennett Salvatore
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ San Antonio: 6-4
Last 10 games ref'ed w/ Lakers: 8-2

Ranked #17 out of 62 referees, in terms of favoring the home team. In other words, there's a moderate bias favoring the the home team.


This is a very bad ref assignment, from a Laker perspective.

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In case the rest of you were wondering what he means, he means that these are not very good officials for the home team. They have to be right near the bottom.

Let's take Tony Brothers for example. When he is officiating in a game, where the home team is the favorite and the spread is 0-4.5 the home team is 6-16 against the spread. That's pretty piss poor.

Add these three officials up and they are a combined 17-33 against the spread for the HOME FAVORITE when the spread is 0-4.5.

They are 41-33 ATS for the home favorite when the spread is 5-9.5. The spread is -6.5 tonight.

Basically, this officiating crew is not a very good crew for the HOME TEAM when they are the FAVORITES. They are probably one of the worst. They were probably selected by the league based on their ability to resist crowd noise.

Now as for Tony Brothers. 9 of the last 10 San Antonio games he have reffed have been wins for the Spurs, while the Lakers have LOST 7 of the last 10 games he ref'd in. Make of it what you will, but don't say the officiating doesn't have an impact.

 

[Darth Llama]

Damn, that really sucks.

We're going to have to be extra sharp tonight then, sounds like we could be playing a 5 on 8.

I don't expect to get the border line calls in San Antonio, but we need them at home. Hopefully these fools don't mess it up. I still say the Lakers take care of business tonight. Lakers by 10.

 

[D-Dogg]

Man, those LGers flip out about the refs.

Pointless, really. Don't put yourself in situations where the refs can affect the outcome by bad/missed calls.

 

[D-Dogg]

Lakers' Vujacic looking good now
By Ramona Shelburne, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 05/22/2008 10:04:09 PM PDT


EL SEGUNDO - The ball was loose, the game still very much in doubt.

Lamar Odom, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan crashed to the ground in a wild scrum, racing for the long rebound.

But it was Sasha Vujacic who came out with the ball ... and absolutely no one was worried.

That illustrates how far Vujacic has come in his fourth season.

Once regarded as an afterthought - or worse, a draft mistake - Vujacic has developed into one of the Lakers' most important role players, both for his machine-like sharpshooting from behind the 3-point arc and his pesky, in-your-face defense.

Wednesday night, in the Lakers' 89-85 victory over the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, it was Vujacic who locked down Ginobili and frustrated him into a 3-for-13 shooting night.

"(Coach) Phil (Jackson) told me that was my mission," Vujacic said. "And I like that challenge. It's important to me, because defense was the main reason I didn't play my rookie year, so I've really worked on it."

Vujacic's play is not always pretty, with all that sweaty, floppy hair, as he bounces around the court like an annoying little dog that barks incessantly at every person who walks by. But it's effective.

"No matter who the opponent is, no matter who we're playing, he finds a way to get under their skin," Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw said. "He's the kind of player that you're happy he's on your team and not the other team. If he's on the other team, you probably want to beat him up because of his tactics.

"But they're effective. We just call it the `Sasha Factor' we have on our side."

In Game 1, the Sasha Factor effectively neutralized Ginobili, the Spurs leading scorer. Vujacic had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 31 minutes. Ginobili had 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and four turnovers in 37 minutes.

In the playoffs, Vujacic is playing more minutes, scoring more points and shooting a higher percentage in each successive round.

"Phil has confidence in me and that's very important," Vujucic said. "And I'm getting consistent minutes. In the past, that wasn't happening. I'd make a mistake and I'd be on the bench."

But if the success is going to his head, it's not apparent. Thursday, he stayed for at least an hour after practice Most of his teammates were already showered or getting on the freeway before the afternoon rush hour.

But Vujacic kept shooting, and sweating. Five in a row from each of his favorite spots on the court. Then again. One miss, and he'd start over. It's the routine he's developed over the years.
"I came here from Europe where I played a lot of minutes, so it was kind of a shock to me that I wasn't playing a lot," Vujucic said. "So I just kept working on my game."

His teammates noticed and appreciated it. Kobe Bryant invited him to train with him during the offseason. Lamar Odom constantly offered encouragement.

Vujacic was just 21 when he was drafted. After his first year, he asked his parents to move in with him. It made Vujacic a constant target for his teammates' teasing.

"Guys kind of poke fun," Shaw said. "Probably because his parents are here, he was living with his parents all the way up until this year, so guys are like, `Did your mommy do that for you?' Plus, he's always in here, messing with his hair and stuff. It probably has something to do with that."

It didn't help when Vujacic revealed he holds his hair back with a band he got from Lisa Estrada, the director of the Laker Girls. But it's always been a playful, endearing kind of teasing.

"Sasha has great energy on and off the court. Some people call it silly, I call it energy," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said.

http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_9353649

 

[abomb]

Great article.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I think it is more Ginobili is in Ginobili's head, not Sasha.

Raja Bell and even.............



wait for it...................









Leandro Barbosa has shut down Ginobili at times.

 

[D-Dogg]

I think it is more Ginobili is in Ginobili's head, not Sasha.

Raja Bell and even.............



wait for it...................









Leandro Barbosa has shut down Ginobili at times.

I'd be with you except that Sasha makes a habit of getting in people's heads, under their skin and throwing them off. Sash has a "fan club" of sorts of people who have choked him, elbowed him, shoved him, gotten Techs because of him, etc. Manu was definitely troubled by Sasha.

 

[abomb]

Manu is clearly less than 100% as well, but Sasha has been playing great D.

 

[D-Dogg]

Manu is clearly less than 100% as well, but Sasha has been playing great D.

He hasn't been 100% since the first game of the suns series where he tweaked his ankle...it is still bothering him.

For some reason, the Nooch were content to let him roam the three point line and not drive...saved him some damage on his ankle and he killed them from outside.

 

[D-Dogg]

Unlike most people out there that aren't spurfans, I actually really like Manu. He's a hell of a player, and IMO the key to this series defensively for the lakers.

Single covering Timmah for 3 quarters and running doubles at him in the fourth is tried and true for years now...Parker is going to get his. Just lock down Manu.

 

[Darth Llama]

Manu is a very good player, I have nothing but respect for him, but he's the easiest of their "big 3" to defend. Duncan and Parker are nightmares to try and stop, even though the Lakers so far are doing a good job on Parker and keeping him out of the paint.

Nice spurt by the Lakers to close the half, we really missed some opportunities in the first half, so I hope we can capitalize better in the 2nd half of the game. We really should be up by 14 or more the way the Spurs are playing, but I'll take 9, it's better then a deficit. Pretty good effort so far, I just wish they would stop calling every little thing on Gasol, and I wish Odom would realize when the shots not falling and stop trying to force it.

Should be an interesting 2nd half, lets go Lakers!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Odom is a monster tonight.

 

[Renz]

Odom is a monster tonight.

If Lamar is on, the Lakers can't lose. SA has no one who can guard him.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

If Lamar is on, the Lakers can't lose. SA has no one who can guard him.

Something like 11 of his 18 in the 3rd quarter, some huge blocks, dunks, and drives.

:notworthy

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Up by 28 a second ago. Now up 26.

 

[Renz]

This is a Grade-A ass-whippin'!

Think how much better it would be if the Lakers could actually match up with San Antonio.

 

[Renz]

Ariza in the game and he scores on his first shot.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Ariza comes in and hits his first shot. Good sign.

 

[Darth Llama]

This is a Grade-A ass-whippin'!

Think how much better it would be if the Lakers could actually match up with San Antonio.

I was thinking the EXACT same thing man. I love all the haters who are going off about all the matchup problems we're going to have, and how we can't score on them. They're the ones without answers, no one on that team can stop Kobe, and there is no answer for Odom at all. The Spurs are not going to win this series and they know it.

Good to see Ariza back on the floor, you can tell the dude was dying to get back into the game. He had a nice shot, a couple rebounds, looked energetic, so hopefully we'll see more of him in Game 3 and in the finals. Personally, I couldn't be more happy. To see our 2nd best player held to 10 points, and then we still win by 30? WOW!!

We'll see how the Spurs respond at home, but right now, I don't know if the Spurs even believe they can win. Pop should have them ready though, I'm saying Spurs win Game 3, and Lakers win 4 and 5. We'll see.

GO LAKERS!

 

[Darth Llama]

Just watched the post game interview with Manu. When given the chance to blame his injury he refused to use that as an excuse. Said that the ankle felt better then it did in game 1, and had nothing to do with his play. He took full responsibility for the way he played and refused to allow anyone to make excuses for him.

Class act, you have to respect that. Manu is a great player, he's struggling right now, partially thanks to swarming Laker defense. I really respect a guy that takes responsibility and doesn't make excuses. Good show Manu!

 

[D-Dogg]

From that postgame with Manu, it's clear that game one is still heavy on their minds. They got their souls snatched...we better not give them back!

 

[TheHopToad]

From that postgame with Manu, it's clear that game one is still heavy on their minds. They got their souls snatched...we better not give them back!

San Antonio is done.

Just ask the Suns how devastating losing a game one that you had in the bag can be. They are mentally spent and will suffer the same fate that Phoenix did. What comes around goes around.

Lakers in 5.

 

[D-Dogg]

What I liked best in this game was how hard we made SA work for their shots. Very active defense, and SA was deep in the shot clock on many, many possessions, leading to poor shot choices.

Lakes controlled this game on both ends from jump.

From LG: Starting with under 2 minutes left in the first half, the Lakers went on a series of runs: 9-0, 9-0, 7-2, 6-1, 12-0, 11-4.

 

[D-Dogg]

Outside of the hilarious picture itself, does anyone else see a resemblance in Pau and Phil in this pic??

You must be registered for see images

Just add the white hair.

Photoshop experts..your attention is needed!

 

[D-Dogg]

Outside of the hilarious picture itself, does anyone else see a resemblance in Pau and Phil in this pic??

You must be registered for see images

Just add the white hair.

Photoshop experts..your attention is needed!

You must be registered for see images