Real Deal

Even against the Thunder, I like Battier more than Gay. Assuming the Grizzlies are still rotating well on the defensive end, Battier contesting Durant's jumpers feels like the better option. If Rudy is on the floor, he's playing the majority of the minutes, and I doubt Battier would get enough playing time (and, well, I doubt Memphis even makes the trade for Battier if Gay was never injured). Crazy to see the Grizz up 3-1 though. I figured the series may go seven, Spurs winning it, but would've never guessed this.

From Shane Bien (who has a few ties with people that cover the Lakers, such as Pincus and Ding)... And from Kevin Ding... I honestly don't like this. If it's a stress fracture, he needs to get an MRI. I don't really care if it ends his season. I don't want him to ruin the rest of his career for one single title run.

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Wow. I seriously can't believe that. :o I wouldn't bother, dude. That's a nasty fine.

When they say it's banned in AU, I don't think they mean you can get arrested for having it or buying it. You should be able to buy a video game like that. I'm assuming they meant that they aren't selling it over there.

http://twitter.com/#!/KevinDing/status/62384744104595457 http://twitter.com/#!/KevinDing/status/62387017245409280 Nothing good about this. I'm worried if it's the foot. MRI tomorrow.

He was missing shots he should've been making. He had no problem coming out of the locker room and draining shots in Trevor's eyes. I gave Trevor props for his defense in Game 2. He defended Kobe well. He did tonight, also...but he's not responsible for that 0-7 FG. Truth be told, Kobe needs to stop trying to draw fouls in the paint, because it doesn't matter how hard he gets hit (on layups or shots), he's not LeBron James or Kevin Durant, and there's no way in hell he's going to get calls. He needs to stick to the bread and butter, which is his mid-range game, and when he does drive to the rim, look for guys to kick the ball out to. Score first, facilitate second. That first half sucked anyway. He shot seven times in two quarters. That's around Gasol's average. The team was built around Kobe, so the offense needs to be created around his.

For one, Kobe WAS off. Trevor always plays good defense, but I'm not convinced Kobe's first-half struggles were due to that. He had no trouble getting his points in the second half, with Trevor in his jersey. Based on his second half, Kobe could've dropped 35-40 points (on pace). And I absolutely H-A-T-E facilitator-first Kobe. I have no idea why that's even an option. There's no reason for him to go into that mode, ever. If he's not looking for his shot, the Hornets (or any team, for that matter) have no reason to feel pressured to stop him. What needs to happen, every game, is "score first, facilitate when I want" Kobe. The one in the second half. I am pissed at Phil Jackson. Why did Ron Artest sit for most of the second half? He dropped 16 in the first half of the game, was the best player on the court for the Lakers...and he barely played after that. Also, why does Pau Gasol tap the [expletive]ing ball out like he's playing volleyball? I understand doing it if it's an offensive board, sometimes, but not when the Hornets miss a shot. Hell, he needs to GRAB those boards, get his putback, and look to draw a foul. This is almost similar to the Thunder series from last season. Durant struggled and was performing more like Trevor Ariza is, while OKC's point guard (Westbrook) played like CP3 for over half the series.

Once Kobe got his fifth, he basically became the greatest Laker of all-time. Magic is not a better overall player, never a better defender OR better scorer (and he was never even close in those comparisons), and in the decade he had all of his success with the Lakers, he had quite the help. Bryant also holds multiple Laker records, more than Magic or Baylor. All Magic has over Bryant is his passing ability, rebounding, and MVP trophies. Back in the 80s and 90s, the MVP awards were actually given to some of the best players in the league, and that all changed over the last decade, weighing more on the team's success than anything else. Not really hard to be a successful superstar, though, back in the day...because most had legitimate contending teams. Bird had one of the best PF in the history of the game, an all-star center and guys like DJ to help defend and score/distribute the ball. Magic had everyone from Kareem and Wilkes, to Worthy, Cooper, Scott and Green...in the second half of the 80s, he was playing with three other all-stars. Magic was awesome, nonetheless, but I can't stick him over Kobe after last year. Bryant is the best, and greatest, Laker of all-time.

Why are you so defensive all of a sudden? The Knicks still have Carmelo Anthony. There are teams in the East playoffs that don't have a single all-star.

That's even better, actually. I'd rather see him get his shot blocked, than him missing a heavily-contested layup. Thanks for the clarification.

Shirtless Amare! Where are you, ECN?

Second quarters only, the Heat have outscored the Sixers by 48. In all other quarters (10 of them), the Sixers have outscored the Heat by 10. Yet, it's probably going to be a series sweep. That inconsistency is going to hurt Miami later on. They have to fix that. They are doing the same thing Chicago is doing. At one point in yesterday's game (when the Pacers were up by 15 or so), Indiana had outscored the Bulls in all combined points of the entire series, yet were down 3-0.

Second best player in regards to overall skills and play. In terms of greatness, personal and team accomplishments, and overall play, he's top five. Jordan, Wilt, Kareem...hard to stick Kobe over any of them due to stats and/or the personal achievements. After those three, I can make legit arguments.

If the Sixers were a deeper team, and had room to rest, they would be able to sustain this lead a bit more. You can tell these guys are exhausted, having to play against two superstars.

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