Jump to content

Toronto at LA Lakers

Real Deal

By Real Deal,
in Los Angeles Lakers Team Forum

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • 2 months later...
Built Ford Tough Newbie

Built Ford Tough

Posted
Posted

Gotta work tonight, so I'll miss this one while it is live. I think I'm in luck, though, as NBA TV Canada is showing a replay of it at 11 and I'm off work at 10:30. I'm not sure if it is a full replay or just an hour long one, but either way, it is better than nothing.

 

Then again, I'm not sure how badly I want to see this game considering the absolute massacare that it will be. All I hope is that DeRozan isn't a complete deer in the headlights like he was during his first game in LA against the Lakers. He was so awestruck by playing against Kobe in basically his hometown that he had one of the worst games of his career, if not the worst game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
headliner Newbie

headliner

Posted
Posted

DeRozan was a rookie the first time around and it is his hometown. LA is a pretty sexy place to play so if you’re a young player playing at the Staple Center for the first time you either step up your game or you become a complete deer in the headlights. I don’t think it will be the case for DeRozan this time around because he has gone through it already so this time around he should be focused.

 

Clearly this is a tough match up for the Raptors because the Lakers are the defending champions so all you can really ask for from the Raptors is effort and not allow Kobe to score 81 or more again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Owner
Real Deal Apprentice

Real Deal

Posted
  • Author
  • Owner
Posted

Pau took about 10 more shots than Kobe. Looks like Kobe is determined to be fresh for playoffs. Very scary thought indeed.

I wouldn't say he's holding back...it's just the way the Lakers play certain teams. There's really no reason for Bryant to try and drop 40 against the Raptors.

 

If Kobe has been saving himself for the playoffs, that's very scary after the 30/10/12 he dropped on the Kings.

 

Just starting off slow, making sure he doesn't get hurt again, the usual. He'll need to be a wrecking ball against elite teams soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Built Ford Tough Newbie

Built Ford Tough

Posted
Posted

I liked what I saw from DeRozan last night. Sure, he struggled with his jumper, shot 7-18 from the field and only got to the line 2 times, but he didn't shy away from his matchup with Kobe and seemed to really enjoy going up against him. There was absolutely no way in hell that DeRozan would've went at Kobe both offensively and defensively last season like he did tonight. That one move he put on Kobe when he crossed him over, got into the lane, spun back into the paint and laid it in over Odom was the best move I have ever seen him make in his career. That was awesome and it really shows the growth in his game.

 

Don't get me wrong, he still have a long way to go, especially with his jumper, but it is very encouraging to see the growth in his game.

 

Kleiza was awful last night. He is a blackhole on offense and never seems to pass the rock, regardless of the situation. He is also a turnover machine. So far this season I think he has travelled at least 2 or 3 times in every game, especially when he gets the ball in the post. He definitely needs to tighten that up.

 

It was good to see Julian Wright get minutes, although they only came because of an injury to Weems, which isn't exactly a good thing. I've never really watched him play before, but I really liked what I saw from him defensively. His rotations were some of the best I've seen from a Raptor player in quite a while and he could be really valuable as a defensive stopper in certain situations.

 

Last thing I'm going to touch upon (because I already talked about Calderon in the Portland game thread) is Amir Johnson. I was waiting for a game like this from him and it is about time he showed up. This kind of play from him is why I defended the signing in the offseason (although I do think it is too much and I thought that at the time as well). He can be such an effective player when he is able to actually stay on the court and plays aggressively. What annoys me so much is that I know how good he can be because I've seen games like this from him on numerous occasions, but he just can't stay on the floor and doesn't always bring that kind of effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Owner
Real Deal Apprentice

Real Deal

Posted
  • Author
  • Owner
Posted
Bryant and Gasol became the first pair of Laker teammates to score 20 points in the first six games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West did it in 1970-71 season ... Bryant passed West for second all-time in most field goals made as a Laker. He now has 9019 field goals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is first with 9935.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...