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L.A. Lakers @ Toronto


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I know I'm just hating, you can say any excuse you want as to why you lost and I won't care. Most excited I've been during a Raptors game in a long time.

 

I knew I should have blown off Hockey to head down to Toronto to watch, I thought it would be a double digit loss though.

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I know I'm just hating, you can say any excuse you want as to why you lost and I won't care. Most excited I've been during a Raptors game in a long time.

 

I knew I should have blown off Hockey to head down to Toronto to watch, I thought it would be a double digit loss though.

I was being sarcastic lol

Kobe was an assist away from a triple double. The problem is we suck on defense.

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Kobe nearly gives us a perfect game and we STILL LOSE. 27 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and it doesn't matter.

 

For being the defending champs and having what was the best record in the NBA, we sure are packed with stupid ass players.

 

Disgusting.

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- Andrea Bargnani played what was, in my opinion, the most impressive game of his NBA career tonight. Sure, he didn't have the best numbers statistically or anything like that, but I don't think that I have ever come away from watching a Raptors game more impressed with the play of Bargnani. 22 points and 8 boards on 7/17 shooting is hardly anything special, but the way that he fought through his shooting woes and came up huge in the 4th for the Raptors was very nice to see. Normally when Bargnani's shot is off it screws up his whole game as he is so heavily reliant on his jumper to get his offense off. I don't think that I have ever seen him utilize pump fakes so well and I know for a fact that I have never seen him drive to the hoop so many times. This was the best game that Bargnani has ever played as far as I am concerned. Maybe I am still hyped about the win but I honestly think that.

 

- For the 2nd straight game, Marco Belinelli came into the game and completely changed the complextion of the game. He was aggressive on offense which is something that the Raptors lack from their perimeter players. His shot was on tonight (4-5 I believe) and that is basically what makes him click. If his shot isn't falling his entire game suffers because of it, much like his fellow Italian Andrea Bargnani. He actually played surprisingly well defensively as well. I know that Kobe had a great game and all, but for most of the 2nd half the Raptors, Belli and DeRozan mainly, did a pretty good job of getting a hand in his face on every shot attempt. Loved the way that Belinelli played for the 2nd straight game. If he continues to play like this off of hte bench it gives the Raptors a whole different dimension to the team.

 

- Kobe Bryant played one of his better all around games of the season, at least offensively, from what I have seen so far this year (granted it is only about 5 or 6 games). He did little to nothing defensively as the Lakers hid him on DeRozan whenever he was on the game, but offensively you couldn't have asked for anything more from him. 29 points on around 46% (I think), a career high 16 rebounds and 9 assists. In the first half he seemingly made the right decision every single time he had the ball in his hands. He mixed up facilitating and looking for his own shot flawlessly and got Gasol and Bynum some really good looks down low. Its too bad that he got little to no help from Artest, Odom and Fisher.

 

- Chris Bosh quietly had a very strong game. If you just look at his numbers (18/13 on 53%) you wouldn't be blown away, but I actually think that he played really well. At the beginning of the game he was giving up post position to Gasol and Bynum way too easily, but during the 2nd half he started to fight for position a lot harder, which limited the amount of easy baskets these two got. I didn't expect him to go off offensively tonight considering the Lakers have two long 7 footers in Gasol and Bynum down low, which would make it very difficult to get anything inside, but he did a fine job of absorbing the Lakers defense. He still needs to work on his passing out of doubles but his presence on the floor is what allowed players like Bargnani, Belinelli and Jack to have the room that they needed to operate. I know some people have complained about his game tonight (not on this forum) but I actually thought he played very well, despite the pedestrian numbers that he put up.

 

- Ron Artest looked awful tonight. I don't know if it is a regular occurance, but he looked terrible defensively, and I have never liked his offensive game. I honestly think that if Turkoglu didn't suck so bad he Artest would've got lit up tonight. He really needs to lose some weight as the extra beef on him seems to really be slowing him down which hurts him defensively. Was very unimpressed by Artest tonight and thought that he looked awful.

 

- Jarrett Jack was huge in the 3rd quarter. I said at halftime that the Raptors point guards needed to exploit Fisher's lack of quickness on defense and just as the Lakers were making that mini run at the beginning of the 3rd quarter is seemed like something clicked in Jack's head. He started to get really aggressive with the dribble and looked to get to the rim on every possession. I like the way that he has played over the last two games. They need him to be constantly in attack mode. He is so much better when he is attacking rather than settling for jumpers. The Raptors have Calderon, Belinelli, Bargnani and Turkoglu (lol) who are all perimeter oriented. They need Jack to be attacking as he is the only player, aside from Bosh, who can get to the rim consistently.

 

- Jordan Farmar played surprisingly well today. He gave the Lakers some good energy off of the bench and even though he got lit up defensively as well, he did a better job than Fisher of containing Jack off of the dribble. He chipped in offensively as well, which was desperately needed considering Artest, Fisher and Odom decided not to show up. I really don't like Farmar's game, but he deserves props for his play tonight.

 

- I was very dissapointed in DeRozan tonight. It seemed like he was trying to prove something because he was playing against Kobe Bryant, who he idolizes. He was forcing things offensively that he normally doesn't and was out of control far too often. I liked that he came out and wanted to make a statement, but he was just too out of control tonight, whether it was because he was trying to overcompensate due to nerves or something else, I don't know. I like aggressiveness from him, but he was reckless during this game.

 

- The Lakers blew this game by thinking that they could turn it on whenever they wanted and the Raptors would roll over and die (to be honest, I thought the same thing). They easily could've crushed the Raptors early as they were completely dominating them inside during the first quarter. The score should not have only been 24-21 after the 1st as the Lakers should've just come out and threw a knockout blow right away. They could've crushed the Raptors confidence if they would've actually played at the beginning of the game. This team is very confidenet, but that confidence is bordering on cockiness if you ask me, and that is something that you do not want to see from a team.

 

- Phil Jackson needs to give this team a kick in the [expletive] if you ask me. He seems content with them deciding to turn it on whenever they want to. I know that Jackson has long term goals, aka the NBA Championship, in mind and he trying to build the confidence of his bench players, but if I was him, I would be more worried about securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs. I do think that they can win a Game 7 on the road against anybody, but I know that I would feel much better if I was playing it at the Staples rather than the Q or the Garden.

 

- Turkoglu still sucks.

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- Ron Artest looked awful tonight. I don't know if it is a regular occurance, but he looked terrible defensively, and I have never liked his offensive game. I honestly think that if Turkoglu didn't suck so bad he Artest would've got lit up tonight. He really needs to lose some weight as the extra beef on him seems to really be slowing him down which hurts him defensively. Was very unimpressed by Artest tonight and thought that he looked awful.

 

Tell me about it, it has been a pain to watch him struggle. I didnt expect much from him offensively, his role was pretty simple just come in and knock down open looks when given the oppertunity (and he hasnt done that on a consistent basis). However, I did expect him to come out and be a defensive enforcer every night. Pairing him up with Kobe seemed liked the ultimate defensive duo, and I honestly thought his presence would have a positive effect on the rest of our defense, but there has been no sign of that yet. Artest hasn't been the same player that he was with the Rockets,idk whether it's the additional weight he added this offseason or just not being comfortable in our system. But he is definitly one of the reasons for our "poor" play this season. And I still dont know whether Phil Jackson has given Ron Artest full responsibilty of guarding the opposing teams best player, I understand that Laker fans want Kobe guarding players like LeBron or Melo near the end of games but at some point we are going to have to trust Artest.

Edited by Confidence
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How was the officiating, I missed a good chunk of the game because of the football.

Hedo was actually bailed out at the end of the game on a call that ultimately won it for Toronto...but it's still no excuse. We gave up a lead, so we deserve to lose.

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Hedo was actually bailed out at the end of the game on a call that ultimately won it for Toronto...but it's still no excuse. We gave up a lead, so we deserve to lose.

K sweet cause the Raptors having a large gap in free throw attempts is awesome to see.

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K sweet cause the Raptors having a large gap in free throw attempts is awesome to see.

The only non-call I remember was when Bynum went up for a layup...but then again, he's a softie and he should've just dunked the ball, so I have no remorse.

 

The Raptors kept letting the Lakers do what they wanted in the paint, though, especially in the first half. They were loose on Kobe in the first half, and he did what he wanted. In the second, they decided to double him more, try and shut him down, and while he still put up good numbers, it forced his teammates to get involved in one-on-one situations even more, and that's how we failed.

 

Drew had 15 points at the half, six points in the second half. Gasol had 16 points in the first half, six in the second half. When Kobe was feeding them, they were converting...but once it was their time to shine in their own spotlight, they crumbled as they usually do, and by the end of the game, it was Kobe vs. Toronto.

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