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Added the World Cup subforum... http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/forum/117-2010-world-cup Slaven requested that he creates the game topics, so let him do that, please. He's been begging me to add this subforum for a month now.

Was it funny stuff when Phil Jackson was basically saying the exact same things in regards to Kobe Bryant after Game 2? Or is it funny now because it was one of the Celtics key players that was in foul trouble and not the Lakers? Seriously though, what do you expect them to say? They are saying what 99% of the league would say in the same situation. Obviously Rivers is going to try and plant a seed for his star player, just like Jackson did for Kobe after Game 2. Garnett's comments are a little funny because of the fact that the replay clearly showed that the ball went off of him. However, it is the same situation. He is just planting a seed in hopes that a call will go his way in the next game. He sure as hell isn't the first player to do this and he sure as well won't be the last. I just don't see what the big deal is with anything that they said. Its not like you didn't think that these things would be said after the game, especially with how much Jackson plays the officials before, during and after games.

It's been said many times that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, but what you just did was stupid. I want to see you skate with NHL players and be able to deke and score on a world class goalie. I want to see you stop Kobe Bryant. I want to see you throw with pin-point precision like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning with 300 pound players running at you. I can simplify baseball and say that all you need to do is hit a ball coming at you. Also, you have a better chance of hitting a 100 MPH fastball than stopping Kobe or scoring on an NHL goalie.

I've noticed a lot of literature and media on how the Celtics were able to get Ray Allen off in Game Two, but I haven't seen anything on a minor defensive tweak the Celtics employed to help slow down Kobe Bryant. Boston's base philosophy is to choke off penetration or at least funnel it into a big help defender. Boston tries as hard as possible to not go into rotation. In Game One, that meant playing Kobe Bryant honestly with minimal help, and when doubling, doubling with a big man. For example, look here. http://i45.tinypic.com/2lksojm.jpg Notice how in this image, Rajon Rondo is on the opposite wing of Kobe Bryant, instead of pinching in to the free throw line area. He's preventing a simple perimeter pass to Derek Fisher, but he's also allowing Kobe to turn the corner. Kevin Garnett's help defense is late, and Kobe gets a layup. http://i49.tinypic.com/2rms3uv.jpg In this second image, Rondo still isn't in the center of the court. This is made worse by Kendrick Perkins sagging far into the lane to meet Bynum at the paint in transition. Kobe has an easy pocket jump shot as a result. http://i50.tinypic.com/fblx0z.jpg In this image, more of the same. Rondo doesn't pinch off Kobe's side of the court, he gets to his spot. http://i48.tinypic.com/2vjrbk6.jpg Finally, you can't double Kobe with a big man when he can see it coming. Perkins shows his double, Kobe passes to Gasol inside the key, KG has to stay on Bynum to prevent an offensive rebound, Pierce blocks out Artest, Rondo stays above the circle, and Perkins is late getting back to Gasol. Gasol hits an easy jumper. If KG closes out, Gasol drops it to Bynum under the basket with only the smaller Pierce as a defender. In Game Two, Boston tweaked its defense. http://i49.tinypic.com/2cpvqxs.jpg Notice Rondo's positioning---pinching in on Kobe's screen/roll drive. Fisher is open, but Boston trusts its guards to close out hard to prevent wide open shots. With the screen neutralized by Rondo, Kobe isolates Allen and misses a tough drive. http://i46.tinypic.com/1zlgm79.jpg On this play, Nate Robinson makes a mistake and doesn't pinch off as tightly as he should. Kobe gets into the paint and hits a short jumper, plus a foul. Robinson was benched right after that play, partly because Rondo was well-rested, partly because Robinson's six-minute shift is a healthy one and Nate may have lost a bit of stamina, and partly because of the mistake. http://i47.tinypic.com/nnjeib.jpg Finally, the Celtics overload their defense on Kobe late in the game. Notice Perkins entering the strong side, and Rondo pinching from the wing. Kobe has to give the ball up, but the Celtics don't get burned because of how hard their close outs are. Pierce rotates to Bynum preventing an easy pass to the paint, forcing Kobe to kick it to Artest in the corner. Pierce sprints out to Artest forcing him to kick it to Fisher. Rondo is actually a half second slow in rotating, causing him to compensate by flying past Fisher. He makes up for it by blocking Fish from behind with his incredibly long arms, and because Fisher's release puts the ball behind his head (this is one reason why you don't shoot by bringing the ball behind your head!). Watch the play here. http://i47.tinypic.com/oadls8.jpg And when the Celtics do double Kobe in the post, instead of doubling with a big, they double from the top. Again, Farmar is open, but the Celtics aren't getting killed by the Lakers' interior passing, and they're in much better position to rebound. Notice how Boston's rebounding was much improved from Game One to Game Two. It's easy to pinch the wings when Fisher and Artest shoot 1-8 from downtown, but they also shot that poorly because of good close outs. Boston made the right adjustment to slow down Kobe and win Game two. Let's see what adjustments the Lakers counter with in Game Three.

Not

WORLD CUP SUBFORUM, ITS IN 60 HOURS, FFS!!

This thread got 10X better because of the Pokemon reference

An adult/VIP/underground section just for the few good men here nah mean?

Soccer really likes to take things to the extreme I see. Either they drop like a [expletive] when someone barely touches them or they get injured like the pictures above.

lolwut?

If OTR ran the USA someone would get executed for starting a LeBron > Kobe thread

This is racist, you know better than this. To say a white man should get more minutes than a Jewish person is very anti-semetic.

Translation to a real athlete: Two players barely collided, one of them faking the injury, the other actually skinned his knee on the ground.