Waiting for the Cheap Shot

[fugazzi24]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

[crownsy]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I want denver to win, but both sides have already gotten into cheap shots.

Jones is laying cheap shots on kobe every game. I don't mind at all, because kobe deserves it  but this has already been a "chippy" seres

[Who]

I don't think they're playing soft in the Denver series.

I think they're playing stupid.

[Fafnir]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I want denver to win, but both sides have already gotten into cheap shots.

Jones is laying cheap shots on kobe every game. I don't mind at all, because kobe deserves it  but this has already been a "chippy" seres

Kobe gives plenty of those back. But he's smarter about it than Jones. Oh well.

[crownsy]

I don't think they're playing soft in the Denver series.

I think they're playing stupid.

odom and bynum are playing soft.

Gasol is such a lamma i cant tell when he's playing soft or what, he just always looks awkward.

[Who]

I don't think they're playing soft in the Denver series.

I think they're playing stupid.

odom and bynum are playing soft.

Gasol is such a lamma i cant tell when he's playing soft or what, he just always looks awkward.

I don't think so.

Both players are killing the Nuggets whenever they get the ball in post. Both players want the ball and know that there's nobody on that Nuggets team who can defend them. Both players are hammering the Nuggets on the backboards. Both players are playing solid D. I don't think they're playing soft.

Now the Lakers perimeter players .... they're playing stupid basketball and are consistently not giving either player enough touches in the post.

I think the Lakers are playing stupid, not soft. They play smart, and start giving their post players the ball more often, then they'll win the series. If they keep playing dumb, Denver has a great chance.

[JSD]

Andersen, Martin and Nene all had 13+ rebounds and how many offensive rebounds again? I'd say the Laker frontcourt is getting manhandled. Denver is going to win the title this year.

[fairweatherfan]

I don't think they're playing soft in the Denver series.

I think they're playing stupid.

odom and bynum are playing soft.

Gasol is such a lamma i cant tell when he's playing soft or what, he just always looks awkward.

I don't think so.

Both players are killing the Nuggets whenever they get the ball in post. Both players want the ball and know that there's nobody on that Nuggets team who can defend them. Both players are hammering the Nuggets on the backboards. Both players are playing solid D. I don't think they're playing soft.

Now the Lakers perimeter players .... they're playing stupid basketball and are consistently not giving either player enough touches in the post.

I think the Lakers are playing stupid, not soft. They play smart, and start giving their post players the ball more often, then they'll win the series. If they keep playing dumb, Denver has a great chance.

Bynum and Odom are pounding the Nuggets on the backboards and playing solid D???  In Game 4 Bynum and Odom combined for 13 reb in 53 min.  Denver's 3 bigs on the other hand had 42 rebs in 94 minutes.  They've been soft all series on the boards: Game 1 14 reb in 49 min, Game 2 11 in 48, Game 3 11 boards in 51 minutes.  These are almost BBD-esque rebounding numbers. Gasol has been better but Odom and especially Bynum have struggled mightily to rebound against Denver's bigs.

Defensively, Bynum and Odom committed 10 fouls and combined for 1 blk and 1 stl in Game 4.  Bynum has also been repeatedly benched in this series and called out publicly by his coach for not playing D.  I don't think it's reasonable to say that they're playing solid D against the Nuggets' frontcourt either.

Denver is clearly pushing the Lakers around in this series, and it's been the Nuggets who've thrown away games by making mental mistakes in the clutch.  Denver has been the better and tougher  team this series, but have definitely been the dumber team too, which is why the Lakers are still very much alive.

[youcanthandlethetruth113]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I don't think you're paranoid at all.

Whenever the Lakers are asked to step up by playing physical a cheap shot is always committed.

I don't expect this go-around to be any different.

The difference is that the Nuggets are all a bunch of tough guys and don't just take cheap shots...they'd retaliate and HARD.

[wiley]

I don't think they're playing soft in the Denver series.

I think they're playing stupid.

odom and bynum are playing soft.

Gasol is such a lamma i cant tell when he's playing soft or what, he just always looks awkward.

I don't think so.

Both players are killing the Nuggets whenever they get the ball in post. Both players want the ball and know that there's nobody on that Nuggets team who can defend them. Both players are hammering the Nuggets on the backboards. Both players are playing solid D. I don't think they're playing soft.

Now the Lakers perimeter players .... they're playing stupid basketball and are consistently not giving either player enough touches in the post.

I think the Lakers are playing stupid, not soft. They play smart, and start giving their post players the ball more often, then they'll win the series. If they keep playing dumb, Denver has a great chance.

I agree with Who.  The whole "soft" thing is being overdone in the media.  The idea is that if a team as "great" as the Lakers isn't winning, they must not be playing hard enough.  That they can turn it on and off and if they just turned it on and kept it on no team could survive their unmatched potency.  This is B.S.  The Lakers didn't "turn it off" against the Celtics in last year's finals.  The Celtics crushed them.   The Celtics were the better team.  The Nuggets are an excellent team giving the Lakers problems, but the Lakers are still in control of this series.

But "soft" is very much in vogue.  The Boston media is also in love with "soft".  The Magic were "soft" when they were down to the Celtics and then the Celtics were soft when the lost, mainly via Felger, who is/was made to look like a complete idiot by Cedric Maxwell, as one would expect when those two get together and discuss hoops. 

Now, there are players, and often it's bigs, who tagged with being soft, and I'm not going to deny that that's a valid criticism of some players.  But to call an entire team like the Lakers soft makes no sense.  Call Odom soft if you want, one guy.  But other than that I don't get it.  Inexperience and lack of smarts makes much more sense. 

Any team that doesn't win is "soft" in Felger's view.  Black and White thinking at its most obtuse.

[wiley]

Forgot to mention what a huge deal everyone (media) makes about Dahntay Jones trip.  Shame on him! 

Correct me if I'm wrong but did they say shame on Kobe for his elbow in Artest's chest?

[bobdelt]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I don't think you're paranoid at all.

Whenever the Lakers are asked to step up by playing physical a cheap shot is always committed.

I don't expect this go-around to be any different.

The difference is that the Nuggets are all a bunch of tough guys and don't just take cheap shots...they'd retaliate and HARD.

The thuggets don't retaliate...they start it.

I know this is a Celtics board, and we all hate the Lakers, but I'm suprised for the support for how the Nugs play basketball.

This is a civilized game, not a game for jooligans. I want Denver to lose, and the Lakers to lose in the finals.

I do not want to see a classless bunch of jooligans win the title - and they won't - as they almost self imploded in Game 4, which was an easy win for them.

[Who]

Pau Gasol is leading all players in rebounding, pulling down 13 boards a night. The second leading rebounder is a tie between Kenyon and Nene at 8.3rpg. He's easily out-rebounding his opponent.

I thought Bynum was doing better on the backboards than he was, his numbers are disappointing, only 4.3 boards in 19 minutes. In combination with Gasol they're averaging 17.3rpg in 60.5mpg. In comparison, Nene and Martin are averaging 16.6rpg in 69.3mpg. Like I said initially, Gasol and Bynum are beating up Denver's starting big men on the backboards (almost a plus three if even out the minutes).

And I think those numbers are skewed in Denver's favour after the Lakers non-show on the backboards in game four. If you subtract game four, Kenyon is averaging only 6rpg in 36.3 minutes, and Nene 6.8rpg in 33.3 minutes. Whilst Gasol was pulling down 14rpg in 42mpg, and Bynum was fairly constant at 4rpg in 18.3mpg.

[crownsy]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I don't think you're paranoid at all.

Whenever the Lakers are asked to step up by playing physical a cheap shot is always committed.

I don't expect this go-around to be any different.

The difference is that the Nuggets are all a bunch of tough guys and don't just take cheap shots...they'd retaliate and HARD.

The thuggets don't retaliate...they start it.

I know this is a Celtics board, and we all hate the Lakers, but I'm suprised for the support for how the Nugs play basketball.

This is a civilized game, not a game for jooligans. I want Denver to lose, and the Lakers to lose in the finals.

I do not want to see a classless bunch of jooligans win the title - and they won't - as they almost self imploded in Game 4, which was an easy win for them.

it strikes me that if you replace the word denver with celtics, you get how every other team's fans feel about our physical brand of defense....

[bobdelt]

On ESPN earlier today Magic called out the Lakers for being to soft and not playing with enough intensity.  It has become very clear throughout the Lakers last few playoff runs, that their team does not know how to play physical basketball.  However when they are pushed and asked to play physical, they always seem to take cheap shots at the other team, aka. Kobe's elbow to artest and Knee to Battier's head last series. 

I am now wondering when will they decide to take their cheap shot at a Denver player and how will that player react.  This is my biggest fear for the series and I hope Denver is prepared.

Is anyone else worried about this or am I paranoid?

I don't think you're paranoid at all.

Whenever the Lakers are asked to step up by playing physical a cheap shot is always committed.

I don't expect this go-around to be any different.

The difference is that the Nuggets are all a bunch of tough guys and don't just take cheap shots...they'd retaliate and HARD.

The thuggets don't retaliate...they start it.

I know this is a Celtics board, and we all hate the Lakers, but I'm suprised for the support for how the Nugs play basketball.

This is a civilized game, not a game for jooligans. I want Denver to lose, and the Lakers to lose in the finals.

I do not want to see a classless bunch of jooligans win the title - and they won't - as they almost self imploded in Game 4, which was an easy win for them.

it strikes me that if you replace the word denver with celtics, you get how every other team's fans feel about our physical brand of defense....

I disagree.

Rondo had some tough plays - but they were basketball plays.

We never tripped anyone, or push anyone in the pack while they're going for a layup - not that I can remember at all.

There is a difference between playing tough hard defence and being cheap. The agression from playing hard defense can lead to being dirty (which is basically theyre excuse) - but I dont think the C's have crossed that line.

Rondo pulling down Heinrich while fighting for position, and accidently hitting Miller in the face (while going for the ball) is far different that pushing someones back, tripping, and dragging Gasol all the way down the court (even though the play was dead).

But then again maybe I'm biased.