Although Game 1 is still three days away, the Lakers are already talking matchups against the Celtics.
While Lamar Odom will almost certainly match up against Kevin Garnett at some point in the Finals, the forward says that he’ll likely start out guarding Boston center Kendrick Perkins.
“I think Gasol’s going to start out on him (Garnett),” said Odom. “I think we’re going to double him as much as possible. We’re going to get that ball off the rim and run. I’m not scared to play against anybody, it’s just basketball. On this level, that’s a matchup I’m kind of looking forward to. It’s the championship game and you want to play against your toughest opponent. He’s always been a tough cover for me so I look forward to going out there and giving it my all.”
Regardless of whether or not he spends the majority of his time on the floor guarding Garnett, Odom respects the Celtic forward’s versatile offensive and defensive game.
Continue reading ‘Lakers Talk Matchups Against Celtics’
With the Lakers’ stunning mid-season acquisition of Pau Gasol coupled with the season-ending injury to Andrew Bynum, the Celtics will be seeing a dramatically different Lakers roster when the two teams hit the hardwood on Thursday. While Boston’s made changes of their own, adding veterans P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, Kobe believes that the Lakers have a slight advantage over a Celtics team that has yet to really see this current version in action.
“We got a nice little donation since then,” said Bryant, alluding to the trade for Pau. According to the MVP guard, the Lakers were still trying to figure out their identity in the rivals’ two early-season matchups.
Although Boston’s changes weren’t as wholesale as those made by the Lakers, Kobe said that L.A. shouldn’t discount the mid-season signings and internal growth of the Celtics.
“Both teams are different,” said Fisher. “Boston’s playing tons of different personnel. P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell weren’t even on the team. Obviously, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins have really grown in their confidence, experience and ability. Both teams are different versions of the teams that played earlier in the season, but at the same time, still have some of the basic tenets and principles that it will take to be successful.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers and Celtics Both Feature Fresh Faces’
Although Kobe agrees with the cliche that the NBA Finals separates the men from the boys, according to the MVP, this year’s youthful Lakers squad is just as prepared to bring a championship to L.A.
“You couldn’t tell if it’s the Finals or the First Round,” said the MVP. “Everybody’s the same old, same old.”
Bryant said that, along with fellow veteran Derek Fisher, he’s kept it short and sweet in the advice he’s offered to some of his younger teammates.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re not trying to execute something new under the sun; we’re also not doing something that we’ve never seen before,” said Bryant. “Just go out there and play, just do the things that you’ve been working on and preparing since training camp.”
While Fisher and Bryant are the only two Lakers who have won a championship, Luke Walton was on the roster when the team lost to the Pistons in 2004-05–a feeling he won’t soon forget.
Continue reading ‘Lakers Not Intimidated by Lack of Finals Experience’
Before tonight’s potential series-clinching game against San Antonio, Coach Jackson said that he opted against any kind of prolonged pre-game speech, instead showing the team clips from the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross in which one of the memorable quotes is “always be closing.”
Jackson also spoke about the NBA’s public statement declaring that a foul should have been called on Derek Fisher on the last play of the Lakers’ Game 4 victory. Jackson said that the league’s ruling came as a surprise to him since “the league normally doesn’t get involved in stuff like that.”
Regardless of his own feelings on the merits of the non-call, Jackson said that the team is happy to be home tonight, leading the Spurs three games to one. “We can’t give it back and we’ll take it and move on,” said the Lakers coach.
According to Jackson, NBA referees arguably have the hardest job amongst officials in any professional sport due to the physicality of the game. Jackson said he tips his hat off to NBA refs, praising them for always doing the best that they can to call the game fairly, which is an almost possible thing to do.
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 5: Lakers vs. Spurs Pre-Game’
Thanks to the steady play of Kobe and a return to form by key role players, the Lakers thwarted San Antonio’s last-minute rally, 93-91, and now stand just one away game from a birth in the NBA Finals. San Antonio nearly had a chance to either tie or win the game with no time remaining in regulation, but the officials ruled no foul on a bump by Derek Fisher on Brent Barry as he was going up for a three point attempt.
“I felt like I left my feet with enough distance to come down,” said Fisher. “I think the contact was more incidental on that part of both players. I would like to think if the guy is just shooting and the defender runs right through him, they would call the foul.”
Foul or no foul, Lamar Odom credited the Spurs’ resilience in the final minute and a half of the fourth quarter after the Lakers had built a nine point lead.
“They made plays…they’re a good team,” said Odom. “It’s a team that’s been there and done that. It showed tonight. They have the hearts of a champion, and they showed it right to the last second.”
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 4: Lakers at Spurs Post-Game’
The defending champion Spurs came roaring back in Game 3 at home, using a 28-15 edge in the second quarter to catapult themselves back into the series with a 103-84 win. For the Lakers, the game marked a stark contrast from Game 2 in which they scored 101 points in a balanced offensive attack.
“I think it was more our fault than their credit,” said Pau Gasol, who scored only 15 points on a poor 7-18 from the field. “They did a good job contesting shots and trying to protect their rim, but we didn’t finish. We should have finished much better than we did tonight, especially by the rim. We were not strong enough, decisive enough, aggressive enough to be able to finish those plays, because we are not going to get the benefit of the doubt on any calls. We just have to go out there and finish no matter what.”
Manu Ginobil led the Spurs’ attack with 30 points off the bench on an efficient 9-15 from the field. Tony Parker also made 9-15 shots to score 20 points after being called out by Spurs Coach Greg Popovic for a dismal 13-point effort in Game 2.
“He (Ginobili) made a conscious decision to play aggressive no matter how he played,” said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. “He didn’t seem to be tentative, he seemed to go right at it the second he checked into the game. He played the kind of game he’s capable of playing. It really made the difference in the game in terms of the energy with which they were playing.”
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 3: Lakers at Spurs Post-Game’
While many teams would be demoralized after losing a twenty point lead in a pivotal playoff game, the Lakers don’t expect the blown lead to affect the Spurs much, if at all.
“We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said Coach Jackson after today’s practice, noting that the Spurs came to Los Angeles hoping for a split and they still have an opportunity to get one in Game 2.
Derek Fisher praised the youthful Laker squad’s ability to muster up the strength to make a big comeback against such a formidable opponent.
“Those are the type of wins–at least for the men in the room–that puts a little hair on your chest,” said Fisher, revealing that he believes the win will help foster a winner’s mentality with this current team.
Although Jackson’s teams have never lost a series after winning the opening game, Jackson reiterated that you can’t take anything for granted despite his amazing track record.
Continue reading ‘Lakers Expect Spurs to Come Out Firing in Game 2′
After a series of epic battles over the past decade, the Lakers fully understand how difficult it will be to knock off a Spurs team that they hold with the utmost respect.
For Kobe and Derek Fisher, just being mentioned in the same conversation as the Spurs is an accomplish in and of itself.
“We’ve had our battles,” said Bryant. “We’ve had some pretty classic confrontations, the last of which being Derek’s miraculous shot. We’ve had some great matchups. It feels good to be back at this level, matching up with the San Antonio’s.”
Fisher added, “I think it lets you know often times how close you are and the opportunity that you have. When you play against the Spurs in the playoffs, for the most part, you’re doing something right. These guys have established themselves as the consistency, the power in our league, the team that has shown the ability to over a 10-year period to duplicate success, to replicate what they do out there on the court.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers Know Road to Title Goes Through San Antonio’
With Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals set to tip off tomorrow night, the Lakers talked about some of the matchups they’ll see against San Antonio.
As always with the Spurs, the conversation centered around former NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan and what the team has to do to slow the center down.
“We’ve tried not to have to double team against Tim in the past knowing that so much of their offense relies on three point shooting from the perimeter and he’s a good passer that really breaks down the defense too,” said Coach Jackson. “But, there are always extenuating circumstances; people get in foul trouble and you have to start doing something to protect players to help your team out so there’s a chance we may have to double team him.”
Jackson said that the Lakers will initially throw Gasol at Duncan, adding that he expects the Spurs to go inside to Tim early and often.
“Without a doubt, he’s going to have to play him (Duncan),” said Jackson. “They’ll see what it’s like, they’ll test it out early to see if they can create a foul situation. That’s not unusual in that situation. We’ll probably do the same thing.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers Talk Matchups Against Spurs’
After a close win in Game 5, the talk after practice today was all about energy and execution as the team looks to take the series victory night in Salt Lake City. Coach Jackson said that if the Lakers want to win Game 6 on the road—something only the Pistons have been able to do in the Second Round—they’ll need to play at least 10 points better.
Looking back on last night’s win, Jackson said, “The energy was frenetic, the pace was awfully high and because of that, our execution suffered a little bit. I just think that the idea of the importance of this game to these players lifted the level of their energy considerably.”
With the team flying out this afternoon for tomorrow night’s contest, Jackson rested Kobe, Odom, Gasol and Fisher while the rest of the team scrimmaged.
“We thought we could have played better last night,” said Odom. “It was an emotional game, everybody was fired up, we played with a lot of energy. I think you have to save that for the defensive end and on the offensive end, you have to slow it down, keep our composure, make the right plays, execute our offense and just take our time.”
Continue reading ‘Odom, Lakers Ready to Seize Moment’
