Well that… sucked.
First off, I have to tip my hat off to the Jazz. They came out the gate with a ton of energy and focus and it never really wavered throughout the game.
After going up by around ten in the second quarter, they never relinquished the lead and had an answer for every Laker run. These guys are definitely not the Nuggets. How unfortunate for us. I like competitive series as much as the next guy but it was fun destroying our opponents.
The Lakers on the other hand, matched their energy and execution only in spurts. Throughout the game the Jazz defense really took the Lakers out of their comfort zone offensively. In a particularly brilliant move, they really worked to make Pau as uncomfortable as possible.
All throughout the first half, they brought early doubles to him as soon as he got the ball which forced a lot of turnovers. With Pau neutralized, their passing grew incredibly stagnant as the Lakers would pretty much just hold the ball or dribble around and take contested shots without really getting into their inside outside inside game.
And then there’s Jordan Farmar. I generally like Jordan a lot, but what the hell has happened to him lately? His nonexistent performance in the playoffs hasn’t really been a problem before since Fish has really stepped up like a champ. However, with Derek in early foul trouble tonight, Jordan really bumbled it for us big time in the first and second quarters. Honestly, I would put the blame for this loss on him. Hopefully, he can bounce back, but his problems look more mental than anything. He’s making really bad decisions and missing shots that were automatic in the regular season.
That being said, this thing still went down to the wire which is very promising. Luke and Ronny returned to the land of the living and Kobe is showing the world why he’s the greatest. Lebron is a better closer than Kobe? Remember when saying that was fashionable? I’m looking at you John Hollinger.
The Michael Jordan Award for MVP of the Game: Kobe Bryant. I’ve seen a ton of Kobe Bryant and I’ve seen him do some pretty amazing things, but it still never ceases to amaze me. When the triangle fails, you can always rely on Kobe-ball to save the day. Okay, so it didn’t save the day today, but it almost did.
The Dominique Wilkins Award For Highlight of the Game: Kobe gets doubled. Kobe throws the ball off the backboard. Kobe runs through the double and dunks his own rebound. Who the hell does that in an NBA playoff game? Kobe Bryant that’s who. I predict Kobe will opt out. He will opt out to sign with the Justice League because the man is a superhero.
The Vince Carter Award for the Most Half Hearted Performance of the Game: Jordan Farmer and Vladimir Radmanovic. These guys need to really got it together.
The Lamar Odom Award for getting the same amount of points as rebounds: Lamar Odom. 13 points and 12 rebounds. How much more Lamar Odom can you get? Try throwing in 13 points on only 3 field goal attempts. That’s our Lamar!
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