Real Deal

You know it is, haha. Next time, don't ignore the numbers, and don't try debating anything with me. Good job admitting you were full of it, though...although you just couldn't do that until someone else said so (pretty sad). Oh, and by the way... LOL...that's points allowed per 100 possessions. Oops. Owned? Yeah, LeBron did crush the Lakers. I mentioned that he would even before the game started, because Ron was going to defend him. I made it clear that Kobe should've. I blasted Ron for his inability to defend LeBron, and asked why the Lakers didn't double him more. And I believe Sky touched on the "zero plays off the dribble" comment, and the four games I gave you showed Bryant shooting from everywhere on the floor. The Orlando game would've been just another example, actually... Not sure where you were headed with any of that, though. Don't worry, I don't avoid ANYTHING, because everything you say actually supports my argument. And yes, we're done.

Damn, that's not bad for a Cavs/Lakers game. How much were those tickets?

It's too bad people can't see the benefits to a country-wide Medicaid. It's just more proof that super-healthy people don't really give a [expletive] for those in need of medical care, up until it's their own family members (ex. their parents at an old age). Thank God for Medicaid, though. It got me the eye surgeries I needed. Too bad private insurance companies screw people over, like they did my uncle, who is practically waiting to die after his cancer policy was ripped from him three weeks before he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Yeah, no big deal though. People die. We don't model ourselves after other countries because we're the United States, the smartest, greatest, baddest, most prolific, consistent and richest country in the world...

I really don't have an opinion on him, to be honest. When it comes to historical figures, I can't say much because I was born in 1983. Hell, there are people today that think MLK and Malcolm X were supporting racism, but against any and all non-African Americans. Stupid, I know...but it's stuff that I don't dig too deep into because I wasn't around to see or hear it, to know the situations everyone was put in, and to watch everything develop from their actions. But, with that said, Beck should still explain why he had so many supporters back then, including non-whites.

Beck should probably explain why guys like Nelson Mandela and Black Panther Stokely Carmichael supported Guevara so much.

Alright, so Kobe's injured and, really, in the same boat as Duncan, just different circumstances. Neither are at the top of their game right now. Why would the Lakers have to prove themselves, yet the Spurs don't have to (as long as their shots are falling)? The same can be said for Boston. We've seen them hit three consecutive losses already, something the Lakers haven't done in a couple of years or longer. What makes Boston a proven team? Can we just ignore the fact that Garnett has been hobbled all season long?

On the dunk attempt he had to alter, changing it into a layup: About the finger:

The Spurs? So beating the Hawks and Magic isn't good enough, but a win over the Spurs (who you just finished pounding on) is? Houston just knocked the Spurs out in San Antonio tonight, so what does that mean for the Rockets?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rzJHDdHabLw/SZ1jvzCXJkI/AAAAAAAABus/Z832YgxnFXw/s400/crying+baby.jpg

We're talking post ups to get his points, not post ups to run plays in the triangle. I figured that was crystal clear, but I guess not. Kobe doesn't have an excuse as to why he's shooting poorly? Haha, I'm guessing he didn't have an excuse as to why he had to change up a dunk attempt to a layup on a wide-open fast break against the Knicks tonight, right? Did your eyes happen to see that? And yeah, brush off those stats. Those mean nothing, haha. That's what people do when they have no answers. You can just SEE the defense is better...haha, okay. I gave you more than just eFG% allowed, also...gave you quite a bit. You still ignored it all. Good call, and a wise decision on your part. LOL...like he should've done tonight, right? After having a bad first half, he actually ended the game scoring 13 of his 27 in the fourth, leading the way after we were down by two at the end of the third. Nice job pointing out a play in which Bryant went to the post, took a screen and dished it off. The Lakers tend to ditch the triangle sometimes. Have you seen LeBron become a decoy on offense? Yes. That doesn't mean it's his primary role on the team, or something he goes to all the time. Bryant was a top three in post scoring earlier in the season, despite being a guard. Since Gasol's return, do you think that's the case now? He's posting up a lot less than he did back in November. Every Lakers fan will tell you that, and if you need a big slap in the face, go register at a Lakers board and simply ask them. If you're going to look at the "bigger picture" when debating me, I suggest you take all things into consideration, including stats that make your argument look foolish, and injuries you would apply to any other player not named Kobe Bryant. You're way in over your head.

He just shot 50% against the Clippers on the 15th, 45-46% against the Mavericks before that, and 70% against the Spurs. If he gets surgery on that finger, he's done for a month, maybe longer...and we easily lose home court advantage against the East powerhouses.

Four consecutive post-ups for Bryant to start the game, then he stopped. Now he's only getting post position to draw doubles and kick the ball out. Funny thing, though: he has drawn a double team every single time he's put the ball on the floor since the start of the game, no matter where he's at. Time for our bigs to man up and get the job done.

LOL, how are you going to argue against the defensive numbers I posted? I gave you almost every important category, defensively, showing that the Lakers are a better overall defensive team than those Rockets, yet you still have an opinion? What's your opinion, that you observed it? I really don't give a [expletive] if you think LeBron is better. It's arguable...never said it wasn't. I just don't like you walking into a topic, calling Bryant old and worn out, ignoring his injuries and his impressive shooting numbers over the entire season to date. That's ignorance on your part, and I actually like telling people we have some of the most intelligent members on OTR. Threads are locked after 2-3 posts of debating, huh? Give me a couple, since you're still trying to backseat moderate here. Otherwise, drop your accusations. You're getting as bad as your boy Diesel. If Mason or Paul replied, I wouldn't mind, because they usually talk basketball. You don't. Almost 45% of your posts come out of the baseball forum (nearly 700). Instead, you show your face during a loss (just like Diesel used to do) and make a one-liner comment, eventually followed by a post bashing arguably the best player in the NBA, followed by a "sweetheart" comment that, yes, only Diesel would make. Real talk? Don't even reply. I've already checked your IP address, just because I figured you let Matt borrow your account. That's how different you are. Just don't act like you're going to be the one to gain support from all the members here, because most see what you did in this topic, and see your whining and complaining throughout the forums. If they need to see more of it, I'll quote every single one since reopening the site, and maybe that will open your eyes as well. Now I'm sure you'll reply to this specific post, discussing how I talk down on you and do it to everyone else, how I disregard you trying to debate the topic, how I downplay your NBA knowledge, whatever gains support from anyone else. I already know. You do it all the time. Get over it. People will post here, no matter what your opinion is, and as of today, there's only one person that's having problems with me on OTR, and you're just the second member doing this since the Eagles lost, ironically.

Sell high, I guess?

Would you stop throwing temper-tantrums about "what OTR stands for" and "the rules being stretched" all the time? That's getting so damn annoying. You came in here, stated you were happy to see the Lakers lose. I played your role, and then I laid all of your claims to rest with facts. Observations, or stats? You're the one sitting in here telling people Kobe is getting old, and that it's evident in the way he plays...yet he's shooting over 46%, putting up over 28 points per, turning the ball over less (or as much) than he did when he was winning championships with Shaq, and doing it all with a tear in his shooting index finger, two dislocations, an injured hamstring and back spasms, something no other player in the NBA could probably do. If you want to talk about being ridiculous, there it is. We lost a game. We're still the best team in the NBA, stats say we're an excellent defensive team, Kobe is still an MVP candidate, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Don't even reply, because there's nothing to discuss. I've got about ten times more where that came from, so don't end up like Diesel and get embarrassed thinking you know more about this Lakers team than I do. I don't discuss baseball with you, just like you shouldn't act like you know more about this team.

Good post. And this is with Bryant practically gimped for half the season, and Gasol missing 17 games so far.

Please, please read this entire post. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Uh, Kobe didn't play LeBron all game because he's barely able to play to begin with. I don't know if you've been watching the NBA at all this season, but Bryant was laying on his back with spasms just the other night, and he's been doing more with his off-hand than he ever has. Now let me educate you a little more, since I feel like this is my job. Kobe's shot chart against the Cavs, Clippers, Mavs and Spurs (recent games with injury): http://i50.tinypic.com/29m2jiw.jpghttp://i45.tinypic.com/qrgruo.jpg http://i46.tinypic.com/2qxqex5.jpghttp://i45.tinypic.com/zv33mc.jpg Now, because you obviously don't watch Lakers games, maybe these will help. Do you see anything repetitive in those four shot charts? No, you don't. They are completely different. Bryant has been shooting from everywhere on the floor, a lot in two of those games, and much less in the other two, from the perimeter, the paint, the post, and everywhere else on the floor. Stating that he's been getting pushed into forcing long jumpers every game is inaccurate, and it proves to me you are pulling whatever you can out of your hat just to rile up Lakers fans. Big no-no if you're going to discuss THIS sport with me. You want to know what "old man" Bryant did last night? He started the first half going 8-16 from the floor. He went into the locker room, got hit on the hand on a foul that put him at the line for two free throws (this was around the 7-8 minute mark in the third), and he started bricking everything since...up until the old man hit two frees, then a jumper, to tie the game up at 87 before Gasol failed to connect on both of his free throws, and Ron Artest ruined a rebound by hooking Varejao. Would you like to know what he did in that Dallas game? Kobe is the guy that hit the go-ahead shot that put the Lakers up for good, with 28 seconds left in the game, after shooting just one shot in the first half (which is uncharacteristic of him to begin with). He has hit three game-winners as well, most in the league. The old man you're telling us about... According to allowed eFG%, Artest is the better defender at both the two and the three, primary and secondary positions. In fact, at the three, Artest is allowing an eFG% of just 42.2%. Without looking at many other players, I can say that's probably one of the best in the league. 2009 Rockets opponent FG%: 44.4% opponent 3PT%: 35.7% Houston steals per game: 6.68 Houston defensive rebounds per game: 32.5 LA blocks per game: 4.33 points allowed per 100 possessions: 104.0 2010 Lakers opponent FG%: 43.6% opponent 3PT%: 31% LA steals per game: 7.62 LA defensive rebounds per game: 33.3 LA blocks per game: 4.98 points allowed per 100 possessions: 101.3 Better do your research next time, sir. LMAO...so he does when he's on the same side as Gasol? In the triangle offense, huh? 12-15 feet spacing, and he gets in the post? Ever seen the triangle actually set up on the floor? Do you know what it looks like? Would you like to tune in to a Lakers game and watch how many screens Gasol sets for Bryant? Want to explain how a screen sits Bryant in the post position? Do you even know what you're saying? No need to.

That, and durability, if he continues to play reckless basketball (such as Allen Iverson). That seven-season difference isn't as much as I thought, though. A total of 4,000 points is less than two seasons for Bryant (it's two 24-25 PPG seasons). Assuming Bryant goes two seasons longer than LeBron, he may keep the higher total.

Deadline is today, everyone. Let's get some more entries turned in!

Just a quick bump. Our wins against .500 teams: Atlanta Hawks Oklahoma City Thunder (3x) Houston Rockets (2x) Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets (2x) Phoenix Suns (2x) Miami Heat Utah Jazz Dallas Mavericks (2x) Orlando Magic 16 of our 32 wins are against teams over .500, which isn't bad at all, given the fact that Gasol has missed 17 of the 42 games we've played, Artest has missed five, and Kobe is playing with a mangled hand and back spasms. Even better, we are in first place in FG% allowed, first in 3PT% allowed, ninth in forced turnovers, second in rebounds, and eighth in steals. Our defense is ranked second in the league, points per 100 possessions allowed. On the other hand, our offense is tenth in the league, down from third over the last two seasons, and it has a lot to do with Kobe and Gasol not being able to stay healthy. Most every loss is either because of Kobe's mangled hand (him shooting poorly) or Gasol being out of the game due to the two hamstring injuries (both legs). At the end of the day, if the Lakers are healthy, they are the best team in the NBA, and to be honest, I'm not sure if it's something I'd find myself debating about.

I'm not sure how much success they can have in the playoffs, but I know one thing is for sure: if Charlotte gets home court advantage against anyone in the first round, they will more than likely win that series. So, yes, that means a fourth seed. Is it possible? Probably not. Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta and Orlando will more than likely occupy those top four, but just to make things interesting, the Cats are only four losses behind the Magic right now, and five from the Hawks. Seems like a stretch until you realize it's not even February, and Charlotte has won nine of their last ten games. Those nine wins include victories in Cleveland and Miami, and they toppled the Spurs, Suns and Heat in Charlotte. On the downside, seven of their next eight games are on the road.

...and yes guys, it's really him, not the spammer. Welcome to the site, bro. Great to have another Thunder fan on board. Do you see your family in Oklahoma? You should hit up a Thunder game. I drove past the Ford Center on Tuesday and decided I needed tickets SOON, haha.

This is why I wasn't really happy about the tons of home games we had to start the season... 1/21 - @ Cavaliers 1/22 - @ Knicks 1/24 - @ Raptors 1/26 - @ Wizards 1/27 - @ Pacers 1/29 - @ Sixers 1/31 - @ Celtics 2/1 - @ Grizzlies Three back-to-backs, eight consecutive road games, 12 days. Even worse, in March, we have four home games packed in there with 11 on the road, including three back-to-backs, all on the road, and a five-game road trip as well.

LOL, Positive Pete to the rescue. I'm sure Bosh will drop 30 on us, don't worry.