Lakers vs. Spurs Live Blog: 2nd Half

Once upon a time, in a place called San Antonio, Kobe Bryant was hitting shots left and right. But then came this clueless teammate of his named Lamar. He’s 2-6 from the line and is 1-7 from the field. Yet, he keeps on shooting, he has turned it over 3 times and is largely responsible for the Lakers being 10 points down. But wait, there is his other friend Pau, who is missing his wide open shots badly.

Moral of the story folks, Kobe is shooting well and attacks the basket very well, don’t take the ball away from him like that, it’s the Spurs job.

“Lamar Odom, who I think sizes up better with any other Spurs defender.” – Reggie Miller

Are you kidding me?

My dad said Parker and Ginobili would have a great night before tipoff….he’s right….again.

6:56 PM – 2nd half underway and Duncan over Gasol, he is starting to get hot. Wow, Fisher with an open look and drains it. Finley hits a three! The Spurs are hitting from downtown tonight. Gasol can’t get the bounce…..hey Laker people, remember Kobe? He just got the deflection which led to a steal, and Gasol backs in on Duncan and scores off glass.

6:58 PM – Finley’s getting hot, he hits from the free throw line. Odom just missed from point blank range as well as the tip but Kobe saves him by getting the rebound, foul on Bowen. Bryant has it taken away as he falls hard to the floor. Duncan nearly lost it, Parker with a poor shot that is off with :02 on the shot clock. Gasol and Odom need to be benched.

6:59 - Duncan has it stripped, Gasol to Radmanovic back to Gasol for the slam! Nice give and go play! Double team on Duncan as Finley misses the open three. Odom to an open Gasol on the alley-oop, timeout San Antonio! It may be a 9 point game but the Lakers needed that. It’s 56-47 Spurs.

Can someone tell me why Kobe isn’t getting the ball?? -dlo1

Because he takes over in the 4th right? RIGHT?!

7:03 – Duncan fouled by Odom and it will be free throws for Timmy. Misses the first one….but hits the 2nd, he is 4-6 at the line. Kickball by Bowen so the shot clock will reset to :14. Radmanovic nearly lost it, Gasol’s back tap goes out of bounds but they say Laker ball now. Bryant open for three but he is off and a foul by Radmanovic.

7:06 – Parker loses the ball, Bryant to Gasol who puts up a weak shot. Spurs have gone cold here as Duncan misses again. Fisher in and out on the three. Duncan now has 14 rebounds. Pretty pass by Oberto to Duncan who is fouled by Gasol.

7:08 - Horry back in for Oberto. Duncan goes 1-2…Odom again can’t get the rebound (and he was all alone) and it is Spurs ball. Parker is short on the jumper with the screen set up by Duncan, Bowen chases it down and Vladimir with another foul.

7:09 – Ginobili can’t bank it in, and Radmanovic to the hole on the assist by Odom. Lead down to 9. A late call as Parker is fouled by Bryant, that is his 2nd and the Lakers are in the penalty. Another 1 of 2 trip, Gasol stripped, Radmanovic hits on the putback, technical foul on Fisher! He didn’t agree with a call and Manu hits the free throw.

7:11 – Parker to the rim but can’t hit, Radmanovic can’t hit the three and Parker called for the pushing foul.

7:13 – Bowen with a huge three! Kobe to Gasol and he can’t hit again! Bowen changes his mind on the three, Ginobili doesn’t but misses. Bryant is fouled as he spins his way to the basket and that is Horry’s 3rd foul. Timeout, 63-51 Spurs.

7:17 – OH THE GIVE AND GO AND BRYANT SLAMS IT HOME!!!!!!!! He has 16 as Barry misses the three. Bryant can’t hit the jumper and Kobe has not gone to the line at all.

7:19 – Timmy….impossible shot and he gets it, everything falling for them. Bryant with a mid-air pass to Radmanovic! Duncan is feeling it now! It’s a 67-55 Spurs lead with 1:00 left in the 3rd. Beautiful fade by Bryant, Spurs unable to pull away, Ginobili all the way!!

7:20 – Duncan for three! Not again, no good, Farmar misses the runner, 69-57 Spurs after 3.

7:25 – The 4th quarter begins, Lakers will inbound. Kobe is on the bench, this is huge. FARMER FROM DOWNTOWN!!!

7:27 – And boom, Vujacic with a foul. BARRY RESPONDS WITH A THREE!!! Turnover as Turiaf can’t save it.

7:28 – Oberto all alone and the Lakers are self destructing and Oberto is fouled and nearly makes it a three point play.

I’m calling this game over right now.

7:29 – A big time lane violation by Manu. Odom also went in so a jumpball which the Spurs win. Barry misses the long two, Farmar on the pull up is no good.

7:30 – Yep, it’s over, Lakers should get ready for game 4

7:34 – Thanks for proving my point Lamar. Stupid offensive foul, Oberto all alone, great ball movement bt San Antonio. Parker is off the mark, Odom continuing to shoot and is fouled, he’ll go to the line.

7:36 - BOW stands for Bench Odom Now. Parker makes it a 20 point lead and my nightmare final of Spurs/Pistons is still alive. Bryant misses but Odom is useful and scores on the putback dunk, TONY ON THE TEARDROP!

7:37 – Hey hey, Kobe hits a three! But Brent Barry drains his! Spurs basket must be wider at home.

7:38 – Kobe hits another three from the parking lot but it is too late. Ginobili gets hit in the mouth as he turns it over, he hits the three and one! Misses the free throw but it is a 14 point game. Oberto kills all momentum. Bryant misses the open three and it goes out of bounds off of Oberto. 88-72 Spurs with a timeout with 5:42 to go.

7:44 – Spurs are shooting 51% from the field, have limited their turnovers, 20 assists to just 10 turnovers as Manu gets a foul called. FTs the rest of the way for the Lakers. More missed free throws, BRYANT FOR THREE!!! IT IS A 12 POINT GAME!! But Duncan just responded with a three point play opportunity. He has 19 points and 19 boards, and converts on the free throw.

7:47 – Bryant short on that shot, Parker with a wild shot and is fouled. More missed free throws, Parker in and out on the first and a timeout on the floor, 91-76 Spurs.

7:53 – 96-78 Ginobili and one, Bryant is out of the game now with a very good performance which could’ve been better.

7:55 – So to summarize, a great game 1, and games 2 and 3 have been so non-competitive it isn’t funny. It’s 99-80, I will call it a night, have a wonderful Memorial Day.

Lakers vs. Spurs Live Blog: 1st Half

Sure why not? Marv Albert and Doug Collins are courtside in San Antonio as tipoff is just 30 minutes away!

Keys to the Game: Spurs

San Antonio is in a must win now. They have to stop relying on Bruce Bowen to guard Kobe 1 on 1. Earlier in the playoffs the Lakers seemed to struggle when dealing with Denver’s 2-3 zone defense. Manu Ginobili has to start attacking the basket again because he is jacking up threes just about every time he gets the ball. Tim Duncan has had a decent series but he must convert on his free throws. San Antonio also cannot get too three point happy, they are something like 11-42 from downtown in the first 2 games and that is unacceptable.

Slow the game down if you are Gregg Popovich. I mean slow it down so it is 55-53 at the end of the 3rd quarter instead of a halftime score.

Keys to the Game: Lakers

A win on the road and the Lakers are on their way to the NBA Finals. They have closed out their last 2 series on the road, including the win at Utah, a place where the road team almost always comes out on the losing end. Unlike San Antonio, the Lakers have actually been competitive in their losses, so they can certainly go into your building and come out with a win.

Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher need to step up like they did in game 2, so they need to keep their plan of attacking the basket and drawing contact. Force turnovers on the other end and have Tony Parker shoot as many outside shots as possible.

Pau Gasol, don’t care what you tell me, is having a bad series. He’s missing dunks, he is taking poor shots and can’t guard Duncan one on one consistently.

Kobe Bryant….come on, what do you mean I need a key for him? He’s ripped the Spurs 2 games in a row now.

The bench players will also be huge tonight. Sasha Vujacic is not afraid to catch and shoot (and he hits often), Jordan Farmar has improved after that nightmare series against Utah, Ronny Turiaf will have to step up in case of Pau Gasol’s foul trouble.

5:06 PM – Reggie Miller is back with the gang for analysis with EJ, Charles and Kenny….crap.

5:19 PM – AND John Thompson is doing interviews? TNT, what’s wrong?

5:25 PM – 5 minutes away! If Detroit or San Antonio lose their respective series then the ABC execs will be celebrating.

5:27 PM – Whoa! Craig Sager’s dress is unusually not loud….

5:31 PM – And Finley will start again in place of Manu Ginobili.

5:33 PM – The tip goes to LA as we are underway! Gasol with a weird pass to Bryant along the baseline and he turns it over. Duncan lost it, got it back, and misses the shot, Fisher misses the other end. Now Finley misses! Gasol in and out the other way…

5:35 PM - A BASKET!!! Bruce Bowen for 2! Lakers are really cold to start as Finley is open but can’t handle an easy bounce pass, turnover. Radmanovic misses another one, and Oberto stupidly went for a ball that was going out of bounds anyway, Lakers ball, Black Mamba hits!

5:37 PM – Kobe is on fire! He is 2-2, and Radmanovic in transition is fouled. TNT shows the replay of perhaps the ugliest shot Tim Duncan has ever taken. Radmanovic makes the first free throw on a luck bounce but is too strong on the 2nd.

5:38 PM – Tony Parker hits for the Spurs and it’s a 5-4 barn burner in favor of the Lakers…or not, Kobe is 3-3 all on jumpers.

5:39 PM – Parker scores but an offensive foul on Oberto for an illegal screen. Stunner, Spurs miss a three, and Odom walks….oh boy is this going to be ugly.

5:40 PM – Ginobili is coming into the game for Finley as there is a foul on Kobe Bryant. Wow, Bryant finally misses, PARKER HITS ON THE RUNNER!

5:41 PM – Fisher open and can’t hit, a loose ball foul on Radmanovic. These guys want me to change the channel so badly.

5:42 PM – Robert Horry in the game. Duncan gets the step and Gasol can’t handle him and he scores. But Gasol backs in on Duncan and scores as well. Another Spurs turnover and Gasol hits the jumper.

5:43 PM – Our first stoppage in play and this is not a good start for the Spurs, sloppy play, Kobe is torching them early and they are not hitting shots. It’s a Lakers lead, an 11-8 scorcher with under 6:00 to go in the opening quarter.

5:46 PM – We’re back! And Ginobili misses on the runner, Bryant with a pretty pass to Gasol who can’t convert, he is stripped, Odom gets it and hits! Duncan can’t convert, loose ball, Lakers get it. BRYANT WITH A CROSSOVER AND A CLEAR PATH TO THE BASKET!!! A 15-8 Lakers lead. Bowen misses from downtown, haha, Horry on Bryant and Bryant can’t hit the three.

5:48 PM – GINOBILI FOR THREE!! Radmanovic misses his three, outlet pass to Ginobili for three, and hits again! He needs that more than anyone!

5:49 PM – A foul on Robert Horry the other way. Lakers inbound and Kobe is guarded by Ime Udoka, Gasol with a nice bounce pass to Odom who is stripped but he was fouled and will go to the line. Brent Barry also in the game.

MANU’S HEATING UP! PIVOTAL SHOTS AS IT LOOKED LIKE THE LAKERS WERE GONNA TAKE FIRM CONTROL OF THIS GAME. -dlo1

Way too early in the game to say “firm control” but yes, if Manu misses both his confidence level would’ve been shot.

5:51 PM – Timeout after Odom misses his first free throw.

5:53 PM - 3:00 left in the quarter, 15-14 Laker lead. Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar in the game in place of Radmanovic and Fisher. Odom makes the 2nd FT.

5:54 PM – Duncan nearly walked there and is doubled but fouled. Time for his FTs…wake me up.

5:55 PM – My oh my, he misses again. Now 0-5 dating back to game 2, but he makes the 2nd.

5:56 PM – Gasol on the jump hook and he is off to a great start, another offensive foul and we’ve got Duncan face! His 1st foul of the game.

5:57 PM - Gasol never walked, that is a terrible call. Ginobili pumps, gets the shot and gets the foul called on Sasha.

5:59 PM – Farmar hits a three! Udoka on the pull-up J and that’s good. Gasol is fouled and he’ll go to the line, Parker and Kurt Thomas are set to come back.

6:00 PM – Gasol hits 1 of 2 from the line. Kurt Thomas can’t connect, rebound by Luke Walton, and Odom turns it over trying to get it to Pau.

6:01 PM - Parker on the baseline!! Good start for Parker! Tough glass lay-up by Jordan Farmar with 7.9. Parker IN AND OUT on the teardrop and the first quarter is over. Lakers up 24-21 after 1.

6:03 PM - This stretch with Kobe and Fisher out and the bench in could make or break this game at the start of the 2nd quarter. If they can keep their lead then they could be in the driver’s seat. Kobe has hit 4-7 shots to start, Jordan Farmar is 2-2, Manu Ginobili is 2-4 but both have come from downtown.

6:05 PM – Ooh, Phil says his tie matches Craig’s suit. Project Runway anyone?

6:07 PM – Ginobili cutting in but can’t convert! Parker and Odom are the only starters in the game as Thomas knocks it down. Even worse, Odom gets called for 3 seconds and a shot clock violation.

6:08 PM – Robert Horry is really useless in this series, Ronny Turiaf hits the long range 2. What a play by Ginobili, leaning from the outside and swishing his shot. PARKER!!!! THE SPURS LEAD!

6:09 PM – Offensive foul on Turiaf and all of a sudden the Spurs have the momentum. The Spurs bench is doing a much better job and they have a 27-26 lead.

6:10 PM – There was a time when Eddie Murphy’s movies didn’t look so dumb you know.

Sasha has been making Manu earn everything this series – dlo1

But Manu is hitting his shots this time around and that is key.

6:12 PM - Kobe is quickly back on the floor as Odom gets a rest. Parker in and out on the corner jumper. Bryant to the basket and just like that the Lakers lead. Ginobili!!! Another three even though Bryant had a hand on that!

6:14 PM - Wow…Vujacic over Duncan? I’ve seen it all!!! HOLY COW!!! GINOBILI FOR THREEEEEEE!!!! But Kobe quiets the crowd with his jumper over Udoka. A blocking foul on Turiaf and that is his 2nd. After Udoka’s nightmare defending on Bryant, Bruce Bowen checks back in.

6:15 PM – GINOBILI AND ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been fella?! I guess playing at home makes a big difference after all.

6:16 PM – Farmar blocked by Duncan, but gets it back, nearly traveled but knocks down the shot from the free throw line. Timmy is fouled and will shoot two FTs….and makes the first.

6:17 PM – He makes both and Walton hits it high off glass, a timeout by San Antonio as a sluggish start by both sides has turned into a very entertaining match. It’s Spurs 38 Lakers 36 with 5:56 left in the half.

PUT OUT THE FIRE, PLEASE!! GINOBOLI!! -dlo1

Reminds me of that commercial for that SUV…..What’s that like your fifth all star game?

It’s amazing how well home teams have done in these playoffs, although the last 2 wins in the East have been on the road. How about Boston yesterday taken advantage of the egg Detroit laid. – d1lo

Flip Saunders…enough said.

6:22 PM – Duncan is really cold, now 1-6 shooting, Kobe was open, hesitates, passes it back to Gasol, who passes it to Kobe who is fouled by an unhappy Bowen. Good job by the Spurs to take away the baseline where Kobe and Fisher have killed them so far. Odom is having a bad game, can’t hit over Horry. Duncan with some sort of weird shot but hits on the tip in.

6:24 PM - Odom is fouled, 42-36 Spurs. Free throw shooting is going to be huge down the stretch, and Odom is the new Shaq…he misses again. Missed both and Ginobili gets the loose ball, I’d think about benching Odom soon. Duncan again! Bowen misses a big three and Odom turns it over….bench it is.

6:26 PM – Duncan misses badly, why is Odom doing everything? Phil needs a timeout, Spurs up by 10 and it is looking bad.

6:28 PM – Lakers have made the big comeback before so this should be no different, but they have to watch it before it gets out of hand. Odom is pretty much selfish in this first half when Kobe or Fisher or Gasol could be rising to the occasion.

6:30 PM – Eat me Odom, he decides to attack again and misses again but is fouled. He finally gets a free throw to end the Laker drought….Duncan was called for the foul and that is his 2nd. Odom misses the 2nd and Ginobili can’t hit on the fadeaway. Gasol is short on his shot.

6:32 PM – OH MY!!!!!!!!!! GINOBILI WITH AN IMPOSSIBLE THREE!!!!!!!!!! But Bryant gets the step and scores right away.

6:33 PM – Dear Horry, stop shooting. Spurs will get the last shot likely but Fisher gets the foul so they use that foul to give.

6:35 PM – Halftime, Spurs 49 Lakers 39. A 22 point first half for Manu, 12 for Parker, 14 for Bryant. New thread will be up in 5.

Sports Demotivator of the Day: Detroit Pistons

Keep Up The Good Behavior Joakim Noah

Trying to get in my posts before Memorial Day, and boy did I get a good one. Joakim Noah, son of tennis player Lenny Kravitz, has been arrested on alcohol and pot charges. Via Sportsline:

Gainesville police spokesman Sgt. Rick Roberts says Noah was arrested around 1:50 a.m. Sunday after an officer spotted him on a sidewalk holding a plastic cup containing an amber drink, a violation of city law. During a search at the station, officers found marijuana in his pocket.

Noah was released after signing a notice to appear before a judge — standard procedure for such offenses. He could face up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine for the marijuana charge.

Kicked off the Bulls roster for a few games, pretty much can’t formulate a sentence properly (have you HEARD him in interviews?), not NBA ready, and now he’s a pothead. Yep, I can tell he is a Florida alumnus.