Unwonted said:
Everybody thinks the Lakers are being dominated, and to an extent that is true. I wonder why...(thanks Sazar for noticing this):
Yeah, and do you notice how agresive Fisher and Payton play? Fisher is always trying to steal the ball, so he will either strip the ball from his opponent or will get called for a foul. Payton is always pushin and bumpin. If Malone had played more he'd be up there also. He is dirty in the way he plays, Look at his history. But they all will try to keep the refs from seeing it. The better ones can hide it.
You can throw around as many stats as you want to curb the thoughts that the "Fakers" are gettin screwed. There are more to the contrarry. But the bottom line is that they don't play well when they are up against a team that is physically as strong and better defensively than they are. The "Fakers" can't push to shoot good shots when they are being constantly contested. Remember this Laker team strives on high point games. They love it when the action and pace of the game is back and forth to and from the hoop with limited defensive game stratagy on the part of opposing teams. These teams thinking that they can keep making shot after shot like the Lakers do when they (the Lakers) are hardly contested in the process of shooting. What has Kobe done? He is being strongly guarded and his numbers... SUCK. Derek Fisher, the occasional three pointer. Fox, Mr. "Pretty Boy"... CRAP. Devean George, also the occasional three, a waste. Also very agressive, was called for a loose ball foul. Was also called for a technical foul when Rick Fox was called for a shooting foul. Gee, they gotta scream and whine? The rest of the team aside from the obvious Shac, Kobe and Sometimes Payton/Malone are a bunch of "also rans"... "supporting cast"... "extras".
Luke Walton, was he getting... frustrated?
You had Kobe screaming at the Refs... Sounds like someone is havin a hissy fit. What "I am a super star" doesn't have any merit anymore? A frickin primadonna. Kobe had 14 attempts in the first half and 25 overall, most of them were bad ideas and bricks. How did he fair in the third game, hmmmmm???
Shaquille O'Neal yelling at Kobe Bryant in the huddle. Hmmmmmm, Can't play together? "This is my team... I'm Superman". Yeah riiiite.
Carl Malone, not very helpful again. Hmmmm, "I took a pay cut so I can win a Ring". Sure buddy... only if ya get a lotta help from everyone else cause you can't handle the pressure.
And finally, Gary Payton.. getting toasted by Hamilton... again.
You can say the Refs did it, but the performances show that they as individuals can't play as a TEAM.
The Pistons are a complete and total TEAM.
The Lakers are a dysfunctional two-man show in comparison to the Piston's depth.