53 replies to this topic

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Did anyone see Steve Nash's postgame interview after the game on TNT? Well if you didn't all he said really was that the Lakers short term goal is to make the postseason and make some noise. The ass clowns made a big deal about it saying the goal should be to win it all. Guess what morons? We've got to make the playoffs to win a title and they also [expletive]ed about Dwight only getting 6 shot attempts. Seriously? The Lakers won the damn game by 22 points and that's all that matters or should anyway. Howard got plenty of touches tonight. He did a terrific job passing out of very frequent double teams and obviously the Lakers perimeter players knocked down their shots.

Anyone know where the hell Chuck was? That's why the postgame show was so [expletive]ty. He makes that show.

Oh and one last night Shaq needs to shut the [expletive] up about Dwight averaging 28 and 15. First of all Shaq never even averaged that one time and second and more importantly Howard never averaged that in Orlando when he was the man so to speak how the hell is he supposed to average that when he's playiny second fiddle and rightfully so to Kobe Bryant?

Edited by Cowboys&LakersFan, March 01, 2013 - 01:35 AM.

[Majesty]

People will find negativity in us having a blowout win or us having a close win. Our fans do it all the time.

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

People will find negativity in us having a blowout win or us having a close win. Our fans do it all the time.

Well Kenny did say he's a Lakers fan haha.

[bfc1125roy]

Don't take the TNT crew too seriously. They do very little analysis, that show is mostly for entertainment purposes. That's why they have people like Shaq and Barkley. 

[Majesty]

Here is the interview. You're welcome

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Don't take the TNT crew too seriously. They do very little analysis, that show is mostly for entertainment purposes. That's why they have people like Shaq and Barkley. 

Chuck is hilarious and was sorely missed tonight. Shaq though isn't even funny.

[fozi]

Kenny Smith is really valuable. I like his analysis.

[Saber]

Not to mention Kobe was having a great game and they were all on Rubio's nuts, because he had some flashy assists in the first half.

[Real Deal]

Well, you can't really say you wanted Barkley there more than anyone else on the set, because he has been the hardest on the Lakers since I can remember...even before our last two championships.  So, by definition, Barkley would have been the biggest "idiot" on the set.

 

In fact, I'm safely assuming Charles would have replied with, "What does it matter if they aren't focused on a ring, they ain't making the playoffs this year anyway."

 

--------

 

As for the comments regarding all of that....I don't know.  Maybe Shaq is right.  

 

Bottom-four playoff teams...focus on making the playoffs.  Contenders focus on winning it all.

 

What has this fanbase claimed for decades?  We care about nothing BUT a championship.  We aren't the Portland Trail Blazers.  It's ring or bust, every year, at least until Kobe retires and/or we go into rebuilding mode (total rebuild).

 

So, when someone says we shouldn't be saying our goal is to make the playoffs...well, they are saying basically what we have all of these years we've been contenders...except, we already knew we were a lock to make it into late April, so it was never really a "goal" of ours.

[Majesty]

Very true. I gather our goals are like a step by step. And considering this team and the experience together style etc as Nash looks at it, step by step is probably the best way to go.

Instead of our goal being "win a championship"

Its step one

Make the playoffs

Step two

Beat some contenders and make noise

Step three win the conference finals

Step four

Win a championship


Small goals imo are probably where the team should strive for.

I mean our goal in FeBruary was to win 3 out of 4 games, we wound up only losing 4 times.

So if it's working we should stick to it for now.

Once April rolls around if we're playing really great we can talk about championship.

But right now the team is thinking the way they should be.

Humbly.

And it takes our players being humble in order to contribute.

Because in humility sacrifices for the good of the team are made, be it minutes or individual numbers.

When we were breaking every huddle with "ring" and were so sure we'd win a title our team acted like, well Divas. Cause at the first signs of trouble people were complaining about touches, or not happy with their minutes, or feeling left out, or badmouthing the playstyles and or their touches (even when we were winning).

They were acting like a team that would fall apart when challenged in the playoffs.

Remember we had such a fake confidence as a team that breaking a 5 point lead from us was enough to get us to mentally cave in if the other team didn't roll over and lose when we had a lead.

Such a mindset even if we'd somehow kept winning that way would have got us wrecked in the playoffs if not sooner than later.


Going through this turmoil and issues and losses in the season humbled our team, and people that joined the teams in hopes that "kobe would get them a ring." Suddenly had to put in work. Guys previously obsessed with their stats had to let go. And the laziness on defense got called out.

These things made our team a mentally stronger team, suddenly those close games we'd lose at the start of the season we're winning, suddenly when teams go on runs we answer them, suddenly we aren't hearing a story every 2 seconds about a player complaining about touches or potentially asking for a trade.

We got humbled, and if we make the playoffs, our small goals and humbled mentality and confidence not false cockiness, will carry us farther than the false easily broken bravado we had at the beginning of the season ever would have.

[Real Deal]

I won't speak for Nash or Howard, but I can almost guarantee that Kobe still has one ultimate goal in mind, and isn't thinking about anything else...doesn't care who we play in the first round, doesn't care about anything aside from beating four teams in the postseason.

 

A team with elite talent shouldn't want to pull it all together to be a playoff team...they need a sense of urgency.  They need to know that this team is constructed to turn everyone else upside down.

 

When Mitch traded for Dwight and Nash, it wasn't to make the playoffs...and that focus should never change.

 

We always talk about how content we get in games.  Well, this team (as a whole, not pointing at Kobe) will get content with making the playoffs.

 

It's a one-step program with us: win the championship.  Anything less, even a conference championship, is first-place loser.  Dwight, more than anyone else on this team, needs to feel just how important our seasons are.  If he doesn't, he keeps that "LeBron mindset" that helped him lose in Cleveland and in his first season in Miami.

[Majesty]

Maybe it would do for him what it did for LeBron and Gasol

Gasol lost in the finals and was embarassed came back stronger than ever for the two years that followed.

LeBron got embarassed in the finals TWICE the second time around when he was "so sure" they'd win it without him being a finisher.
And he came back the next season, it took him till the playoffs against Boston but he started actually trying to finish games. I believe it was game 5, he actually tried to hit the game winner before overtime and I remember being surprised he iso'd and went for the shot on his own. Yeah he missed, and the Heat lost in overtime, but the world didn't end. Once he realized that, he played completely different from game 6 on to the finals and lost that "LeBron" mindset.

We hope that Dwight wouldn't have to endure that kind of embarassment again in order to "get it".

So IF we make the finals I hope Dwight will be rid of that "mindset"

Let's not forget, he was intent on proving he had a post game after what people criticized him for only being able to pick and roll and finish dunks. And thus he was unwilling to run pick and rolls with Nash cause he wanted to prove a point.

Took till a few weeks ago for Nash to actually talk to him about it and how they need to help each other.

Since then we've seen a more aggressive Dwight on screens and pick and rolls.

And have benefitted. It shows us that if he'd gotten it out of his head sooner he and we may have benefitted sooner too.

But for right now he has thrown it out. I truly hope he does drop the "caring what critics and media" thinks completely.

It"s only there to stop him from doing what he does best and we can't afford that happening.

[LakersGAFan]

TNT crew is Jeenyuses.

[Gotrings?]

TNT > ESPN

[UKUGA]

The reality is that this has become a 2-year plan. Focus on coming together now and making the play-offs. See what happens.

Lick their wounds for the first two weeks of the off-season and then re-tool and get healthy.

Come back next year and compete for a title.

It's been different having Nash on the team. Howard gets ripped on a lot for his words and his actions, but if you've listened to Nash all season, then you know he has consistently preached patience concerning this team. He regularly re-evaluates and makes statements that reflect his current feelings on what the Lakers can do.

It clearly should not be misconstrued as someone who doesn't care, it's really just more brutal honesty that is sometimes hard to digest when you know what the initial goal was.

Nash is different than Kobe. That takes an adjustment to get used to as fans. But while his prognosis may be less than satisfying, you can't question his dedication, work ethic or leadership.

[Thanatos]

Disagree with someone because they weren't swooning about the Lakers = they're an idiot.

 

I don't really care what other people are saying. Lakers will do what it takes, and if they fall short, well it's been a crappy year anyway.

[LakerGeezer]

Oh and one last night Shaq needs to shut the [expletive] up about Dwight averaging 28 and 15. First of all Shaq never even averaged that one time

Shaq averaged 30 and 14 for the Lakers in 99/00 in 79 games, so he does have some credibility on that particular point.

[True Lakers Fan]

TNT is the ish, dont hate on them boys 

[last stand 2.0]

Shaq averaged 30 and 14 for the Lakers in 99/00 in 79 games, so he does have some credibility on that particular point.

Kobe averaged 35ppg in 2005-2006. I guess he should expect all good SGs to average those numbers

[West Coast]

Eh.

RD already said pretty much what needed to be said.

Fact is that if this was a Clipper who said what Nash said about wanting to make the playoffs, our fan base would be saying the same thing the TNT crew was saying and we would be saying how that's the difference between the Lakers and Clippers.