# Game #53: Pistons @ Lakers



## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

<center>









Detroit Pistons (33-19, 1st Central) 

@









Los Angeles Lakers (28-24, 3rd Pacific) 

Friday, Feb. 25, 7:30pm
vs. Pistons
TV: ESPN, FSN
Radio: KLAC-AM 570/KWKW-AM 1330









The Lakers are coming off their first 3 game win streak of the season!

*TV/Radio Broadcasts*
  
  
  


Los Angeles Lakers

*Probable Starting Lineup:*





































PG: Chucky Atkins
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Caron Butler
PF: Lamar Odom
C: Chris Mihm

*Key Reserves:*






















Brian Cook
Brian Grant
Jumaine Jones

Detroit Pistons

*Probable Starting Lineup*





































PG: Chauncey Billups
SG: Richard Hamilton
SF: Tayshaun Prince
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Ben Wallace

*Key Reserves:*






















Antonio McDyess
Carlos Arroyo
Ronald Dupree

Last Meeting
Score: Detroit 103, LA Lakers 81
Summary: 
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- As Rasheed Wallace was making 3-pointers and grabbing rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers, he could hardly believe he was playing the same team Detroit defeated in the NBA Finals.

Wallace had 23 points and a season-high 15 rebounds and Tayshaun Prince scored 25 points as the Pistons got off to a strong start and routed the Lakers 103-81 Thursday night in their first meeting since last June.

``There's no comparison,'' Wallace said. ``It's two different teams -- just same uniforms.'' 

``They are really decimated right now without Vlade (Divac) and Devean George and Kobe,'' Pistons coach Larry Brown said. ``We were fortunate to catch them when we did, but we played very well.''

*Injury Report:*
Detroit Pistons - 
· Carlos Delfino SG Knee I-L. 12/11
· Darvin Ham SF Calf Out indefinitely. 2/15

Lakers - 
· Caron Butler SF Stomach Virus Questionable Fri. vs Det. 2/24
· Devean George SF Ankle I-L. 11/1
· Tony Bobbitt G Ankle I-L. 2/14
· Vlade Divac C Back I-L. 1/7
</center>


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## Lynx (Mar 6, 2004)

Beat Piss-toned!


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## Cris (Jun 18, 2003)

ouch....


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

4 wins? we gotta fight hard and really want this game. P.s Sweet new pic's b-cook :yes: . If we could get a 4 game win streak that would be huge since Minny and Memphis are currently slumping


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

Kobe's flying into this game from court I believe.

And we all remember how he played in games where he came right back from court went.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Hov said:


> Kobe's flying into this game from court I believe.
> 
> And we all remember how he played in games where he came right back from court went.


If this is true we should win if it's not we lose by 10.


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## Bartholomew Hunt (Mar 4, 2003)

We're gonna get our *** kicked.. lol


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

This will be an interesting game. I would expect that the team morale is riding high, giving that we have won 3 straight games for the first time this season and no one was traded at the deadline. We have a chance to get 3 games ahead of Minnesota if we somehow win this game.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

I think we'll win.. I really do


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## HallOfFamer (May 26, 2003)

Brian34Cook said:


> I think we'll win.. I really do


LOL, see the last Piston thread we had here, I posted exactly the same thing, and we all know the result. Nice format on the game thread B34C.

Anyways, Detroit is hot, I say we lose by....9.
97-88


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

HallOfFamer said:


> LOL, see the last Piston thread we had here, I posted exactly the same thing, and we all know the result. Nice format on the game thread B34C.
> 
> Anyways, Detroit is hot, I say we lose by....9.
> 97-88



Detroit is very hot right now. Looking even like an actual championship team out there. I say we lose, but I sure hope we give em hell make it at least a good game. Were gonna need a 40 point plus Kobe game tonight...

Also, Kobe is gonna take the stand today.. Dont know how thats gonna affect his night.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

89-86 Lakers


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## K.O.B.E.B.R.Y.A.N.T. (Apr 3, 2004)

-D! said:


> We're gonna get our *** kicked.. lol


Let The Truth Be Told......

*IT'S ALIVE....!!!*


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## Locke (Jun 16, 2003)

Court-date Kobe is BACK! We'll need another miraculous court-date performance to have any shot at this one.


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## SoCalfan21 (Jul 19, 2004)

K.O.B.E.B.R.Y.A.N.T. said:


> Let The Truth Be Told......
> 
> *IT'S ALIVE....!!!*


its coming to guide us on our journey...we win by 5!


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## Ghiman (May 19, 2003)

Lets Make it 4 in a row!!!!









^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It'll be different this time because this guy is gonna play


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## Blink4 (Jan 17, 2005)

if kobe comes from court were gonna own 101-89. kobe drops 43


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## underhill_101 (Feb 22, 2005)

my prediction:

Lakers 103
Pistons 95

Kobe drops 41!!
Rip 21/5/5


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## Sean (Jun 7, 2002)

Forward Caron Butler, who sat out two games because of a stomach virus, practiced Thursday. Butler said he lost about eight pounds and at one point had to receive intravenous fluids during a visit to a team doctor.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...,1,4930381.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba


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## Copper (Dec 9, 2004)

The Pistons are really rollin lately blowin teams out by over 18 a game. It would take a collapse by the pistons for LA to win even if Kobe drops 40. LAs problem has been getting more than 1 player on a roll.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Locke said:


> Court-date Kobe is BACK! We'll need another miraculous court-date performance to have any shot at this one.


Basically.


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## onelakerfan (Nov 11, 2004)

If we control the boards we will win. Pists are not the best offencive team in the league, they are the best D, and they do get lots of 2nd chance points


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

What is Kobe in court for?


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Sir Patchwork said:


> What is Kobe in court for?


I think it's the first day of the civil trial, he's testifying I believe.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

EHL said:


> I think it's the first day of the civil trial, he's testifying I believe.


Ahh, I see.


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## thegza (Feb 18, 2003)

Big game tonight. Would be a huge moral booster to get our winning streak up to 4 games.

These guys crushed our dreams last season, would be sweet to simply get a win versus one of the league's hottest teams. Much more then we might think can be riding on this game, if we manage to steal this it's definately a huge step towards the playoffs.


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## naloblackey (Feb 26, 2005)

yo wit da maja play of lakers wining 6 in a row at home dey garrunte got dis win on lock. Pistons beating lakers last yea was a fluke. ShaQ just wanted to get over wit because he wanted to get out of los angeles so he played bad


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Good to see Caron out there warming up. Apparently he really was sick and lost something like 7 or 8 pounds.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

naloblackey said:


> yo wit da maja play of lakers wining 6 in a row at home dey garrunte got dis win on lock. Pistons beating lakers last yea was a fluke. ShaQ just wanted to get over wit because he wanted to get out of los angeles so he played bad


Ummm....yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhh......

:whofarted :uhoh:


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

Damian Necronamous said:


> Ummm....yeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhh......
> 
> :whofarted :uhoh:


Don't mind him... :laugh:


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Well, we're getting worked again. We'll get blown out by 20+, it's gonna be a LOOOOONG night. The Pistons expose every single one of our weaknesses. We have no defense, can't rebound and don't hustle enough.

Oh well, we had better win on Sunday @ Toronto.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Ok ok, they have come out of the timeout well. 20-14 Pistons right now. Mihm is getting owned, of course, but that is to be expected. Every time he tries to go one-on-one with either Rasheed or Ben Wallace, he will not get ANYTHING. The Lakers just need to give up on trying to give the ball to Mihm to score, unless it's an opportunity basket.

I'm liking the way Kobe and Odom are playing and I think that Brian Grant might be able to help us tonight. We'll see.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Pistons up 28-19 after 1


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Ouch, pretty bad end to the 1st Q...28-19 Pistons. It was encouraging to see Chucky FINALLY hit a shot against his old team because he sucked the first time we played them and he has played like crap tonight.

Detroit is so good. :sad:


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Damian Necronamous said:


> Detroit is so good. :sad:


No


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

I wish we could just forfeit, lol. I can't stand this AGAIN. We've gotten blown out the last five times we've played this team. Will we ever beat them? We couldn't beat Detroit's towel boys in a 48-minute game.


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Damian Necronamous said:


> I wish we could just forfeit, lol. I can't stand this AGAIN. We've gotten blown out the last five times we've played this team. Will we ever beat them? We couldn't beat Detroit's towel boys in a 48-minute game.


I'm sorry, but that was kind of funny. :laugh: 

The Pistons are playing about as good as they can. If the Lakers could ever get over the double digit hunt they'd be alright. Someone besides Kobe needs to step up.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

I can't wait to see what kind of crap Legler and Anthony are cooking up for the ESPN Halftime Show. Those two haven't said a positive thing about this team since Shaq left.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

DetBNyce said:


> I'm sorry, but that was kind of funny. :laugh:
> 
> The Pistons are playing about as good as they can. If the Lakers could ever get over the double digit hunt they'd be alright. Someone besides Kobe needs to step up.


I can't understand how the hell the Pistons went through a slump of bad basketball. I would love to have the Lakers play them when they are going through a slump. Every time we have played them recently, there are basically no flaws in their game.


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## Fracture (Mar 31, 2004)

Meh...they'll just keep on attacking our sorry *** PGs. The pick-n roll is killing us, and our transition D has completely sucked a$$.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Should be down by 30.. But "kinda" in it only down 13. 

Still not in the title contender shape (And probably wont be for another couple years), but still a playoff team here!


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Darn, ESPN just showed a stat and we have a 6-18 record against +.500 teams.

WTF? Greg Anthony just sang, "Go Kobe! It's ya birthday!" That was unexpected... :uhoh:


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## DetBNyce (Jul 23, 2002)

Damian Necronamous said:


> I can't understand how the hell the Pistons went through a slump of bad basketball. I would love to have the Lakers play them when they are going through a slump. Every time we have played them recently, there are basically no flaws in their game.



It's a combination of factors. Effort, bench play, suspensions, and injuries.

It's no secret our effort was lacking earlier in the year, the team relaxed after winning the championship and it showed. We had some terrible games that included a Charlotte loss and Atlanta loss at home.

Our bench was terrible earlier in the year as well. Arroyo has pretty much solidified the second unit, even though he isn't showing tonight. Before all we had was McDyess, Aroyo's acquisition gave us someone off the second unit to feed McDyess the ball and he has made Lindsey Hunter more effective by letting him rest and play in stretches. Not to mention we get Delfino back Sunday.

Before the year Wallace had an appendectomy, Sheed came in out of shape, and I already mentioned Delfino. Brown has missed his fair share of games for various reasons as well.

All that's in the past and we're rolling right now. Winning our past 9 out of 10 by about an average of 16 points.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

That's exactly why I'm not surprised to see Detroit kill the Lakers again. They are simply on a roll and playing some of the best ball right now in the NBA, without question


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## Fracture (Mar 31, 2004)

Damian Necronamous said:


> Darn, ESPN just showed a stat and we have a 6-18 record against +.500 teams.



That shouldn't really surprise you.


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## daniel80111 (Dec 29, 2004)

Man Kobe and Caron play great together, I think its time to give up on Lamar and Kobe being able to play together. They just dont have that bond. Plus, Mihm is terrible...


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Rasheed Wallace is still one of the biggest a-holes in the game today. Somebody give this guy a T to shut him up. I wish the special treatment we used to get as champs. :yes:


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## Fracture (Mar 31, 2004)

Billups is getting any shot he wants, but you can do that when nobody guards you.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Thank you for dunking Mihm. It's about time.

EDIT: and then you let Prince get a basket and a foul.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

This game sucks. :sad:


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Grrrrrrrr Bench the Starters now  .. They aint comin back :laugh:


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Along with getting owned by the Pistons, the refs have screwed us quite a few times. Once again, they're letting the Pistons body-up on our players and Atkins is constantly being called for the touch-fouls on the perimeter. The way the Pistons continue to get away with this is absolutely ludicrous. Then there was the ball that was blatantly thrown out of bounds by Prince and given to the Pistons. When the Pistons threw a hissy-fit about a blown call, they got it reversed. When we do the same thing, the ref ignores us and says, "Playball." What a *******.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Kobe where was this last June?


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

And this team stands pat at trade deadline are you kidding me. I do realize that the Pistons are on a different level as a team. But you gotta be kidding getting out rebounded like this. 

Where the hell is the defense.

Got get Kobe off the damn ball he can't spend all night bringing it up and still looking for his shot.


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Laker Freak said:


> Kobe where was this last June?


Where was what. Hell he was responsible for our only win. 

He's trying to play a conservative game because I think he's auditioning for Larry Brown. Maybe Larry is the next lakers coach.

He should be firing up shots watching Mihm blow a pass is sickening.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Why isn't Cook playing? We need his shooting to get the Wallaces away from the paint.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Well more BS just shafted us again. Kobe and Hamilton checked in as Tierre was on the FT line, then Brown was allowed to put Tayshaun Prince in the game after the buzzer had sounded and the substitutions had already been made. Meanwhile, Brown was standing at the FT line for about a minute, which obviously would mess up his rhythm.

Got it down to 10, now it's 16. Game over. :sad:


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## JoeD (Sep 2, 2004)

Why play Slava at all?


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Well this is an extremely embarrassing 4th Q.


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## Cris (Jun 18, 2003)

What the **** was the Brown??? i swear bobbit needs to be activated, put sasha on the IR, he doesnt do jack squat anyway


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Laker Freak said:


> Why isn't Cook playing? We need his shooting to get the Wallaces away from the paint.


People wanna see Slava.. See...  

I'm almost certain Sasha can do just as bad as TO Brown!

Had it down to 10.. Bring Kobe back in and Detroit pulls away


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## jazzy1 (Jul 16, 2002)

Man this is frustrating. I still can't believe we didn't make a deal. Anyway Kobe looks tired from sitting in court all day, really sluggish. 

Getting smoked at home is deflating.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Brian34Cook said:


> People wanna see Slava.. See...
> 
> I'm almost certain Sasha can do just as bad as TO Brown!
> 
> Had it down to 10.. Bring Kobe back in and Detroit pulls away


I would like to see Slava too, and there is no reason why Grant should get more minutes than Cook and Salva combined.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Brian34Cook said:


> Had it down to 10.. Bring Kobe back in and Detroit pulls away


Don't forget that the Pistons brought in Hamilton and Prince (ILLEGALLY, I might add!!!!).


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## Ghiman (May 19, 2003)

Ugh!!! Can someone please throw in the towel, this game is hurting my eyes! :upset: 

The freaking pistons had their way with them like Wacko Jacko in a pre-school for boys


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Cris said:


> What the **** was the Brown??? i swear bobbit needs to be activated, put sasha on the IR, he doesnt do jack squat anyway


Yeah, Brown is OK vs. crappy teams like Atlanta or Portland, but against the elite...he is a pile of straight up garbage.


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## LJD (Nov 27, 2004)

I HATE the Pistons, and I HATE those refs. That was terrible officiating, and I can't believe we didn't pull a trade. Mitch should at least TRY to make this team better.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

naloblackey said:


> yo wit da maja play of lakers wining 6 in a row at home dey garrunte got dis win on lock. Pistons beating lakers last yea was a fluke. ShaQ just wanted to get over wit because he wanted to get out of los angeles so he played bad


You sound like the three people that sat behind me at the FedExForum tonight.

Except they were singing all the lyrics with the rap beats playing over the PA.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

rawse said:


> You sound like the three people that sat behind me at the FedExForum tonight.
> 
> Except they were singing all the lyrics with the rap beats playing over the PA.


Who says naloblackey doesn't do that too? :wink:


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

BTW, the Pistons only committed 11 fouls tonight.


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## Hov (Aug 12, 2003)

Oh man.. This is a game to forget.

Pistons put it on us like they did last year in the Finals.

It was disgusting.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Our whole team only had 2 blocks and 2 steals.


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

Laker Freak said:


> I would like to see Slava too, and there is no reason why Grant should get more minutes than Cook and Salva combined.


I wish we didnt have to see either of them. They are both horrible.

Grant only got more time because he looked to at least attempt to play D and rebound. I said attempt by the way... Cook and Slava are probably the two softest big men we got. I think they only wanted grant to tray and play aggressive defense... But looks like it didnt work.


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

By the way... Why the hell cant Chucky play half way decent defense? I love his offense presense most of the time, but the guy cant stop anyone....


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

YAY! T-Wolves lost again too!!! :biggrin: 

So we only lost a game to the Nuggets.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

CDRacingZX6R said:


> By the way... Why the hell cant Chucky play half way decent defense? I love his offense presense most of the time, but the guy cant stop anyone....


Because he doesnt know the word defense.. Same as the rest of the team!

I'm not gonna go jump off a bridge because of this pathetic team loss but there's one thing I know.. They are only 1 game back of Memphis still, and Minnesota keeps sucking you know what.. 

Lakers are 6-19 against .500 teams.. Ho hum...

I'm thinking a 43-39 Record for the 8th Seed.. Meaning they would have to go 15-13 (That's a big stretch too) :laugh:


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

Brian34Cook said:


> Because he doesnt know the word defense.. Same as the rest of the team!
> 
> I'm not gonna go jump off a bridge because of this pathetic team loss but there's one thing I know.. They are only 1 game back of Memphis still, and Minnesota keeps sucking you know what..
> 
> ...


Haha, keeping positive.. I like that. :laugh:


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

naloblackey said:


> yo wit da maja play of lakers wining 6 in a row at home dey garrunte got dis win on lock. Pistons beating lakers last yea was a fluke. ShaQ just wanted to get over wit because he wanted to get out of los angeles so he played bad












"English mother****er, do you speak it?"


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

Hong Kong Fooey said:


> "English mother****er, do you speak it?"


 :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:


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## Fracture (Mar 31, 2004)

Same thing all over again. No D, no rebounding, no heart. Aside from Kobe(minus the fourth) and JJ, I didn't see much. But this is the team that we have, gotta deal with it.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

I think I'll go watch the halftime show of the ASG to make me feel better about this loss.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Laker Freak said:


> I think I'll go watch the halftime show of the ASG to make me feel better about this loss.


That's gonna make you jump off a bridge .. Dont :no:


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

Brian34Cook said:


> That's gonna make you jump off a bridge .. Dont :no:



I think we should pick up Sato. Spurs dropped him. We could cut Tony and make some cap room. The guys a rookie, but already shown signs defensively that he could be way better than Chuky, and he has a great three point shot.

Probably wouldnt cost crap to get him either.


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## Lakerman33 (Oct 16, 2004)

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: MINNY, GRIZZ ,UTAH, LOST :biggrin:


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## SoCalfan21 (Jul 19, 2004)

Lakerman33 said:


> ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: MINNY, GRIZZ ,UTAH, LOST :biggrin:


yeah i was kinda thinking that so like all of these losses cancel out :laugh:


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

We have a circus team; full of guys that can disappear.

Odom was non-existent. Mihm was nowhere, Chucky's defense was invisible. Kobe played well on offense, but he was getting roasted by Hamilton. 

We played horrible defense, but on the few occasion's where we played decent defense they made it anyway.


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