# First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns



## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*[Los Angeles Lakers] * *(45-37) *​

*PG * *S. Parker







* - *SG* *K. Bryant







* - 
*SF* *L. Odom







* - 
*PF* *L. Walton







* - *C* *K. Brown







*


*
Lakers Individual Stats* 










 * @*​





















*[Phoenix Suns]** (54-28)*



*PG **S. Nash







* - *SG* *R. Bell







* -* 
SF* *S. Marion







* - * 
PF* *B. Diaw







 * - *C **T. Thomas *











*Suns Individual Stats* 








*Sunday, April 23rd- 3:30PM ET/1:30PM PT- [ABC] - US Airways Center- Phoenix, AZ *








* Suns Regular Season Team Stats* 

*Pts Reb Ast * 
*Phoenix* - *[108.4] [41.8] [26.6] * 
*Opponents*- *[102.8] [45.9] [18.9] 
*
*Regular Season Statistical Leaders*
*[Scoring]* *S. Marion [21.8]* 
* [Rebounds]* *S. Marion [11.8]* 
*[Assists] * *S. Nash [10.5] * 
*[FG%]* *B. Diaw [52.6] * 
*[FT%]* *S.Nash [92.1] * 
*[3PT%] * *L. Barbosa  [44.4]* 
*[Blocks]* *S. Marion [1.7] * 
*[Steals]* *S. Marion [2.0] * 







*Lakers Regular Season Team Stats  * 

* Pts Reb Ast * 
* LA* *[99.4] [42.2] [21.2] * 
* Opponents* *[96.9] [40.2] [21.1] *

*Regular Season Statistical Leaders*
*[Scoring]** K. Bryant [35.4] * 
*[Rebounds* *L. Odom* *[9.2] * 
*[Assists] * *L. Odom [5.5] * 
*[FG%]* *L. Odom [48.1] * 
*[FT%]* *K. Bryant * *[85.0]*
*[3PT%]* *L. Odom [37.2]* 
*[Blocks]* *L. Odom [0.8] * 
*[Steals]* *K. Bryant [1.8]*​





*Suns Playoff Index* 

*Regular Season head-to-head meetings*

*Suns 3-1*(*put an asterisk next to their one win though*)

*Nov. 3, 2005*
*Suns 122, Lakers 112*
_STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA_


In their first win of the 2005-06 season, Phoenix emerged victorious over Los Angeles 122-112, spoiling the Lakers’ home opener at the STAPLES Center.

A close contest in the fourth quarter of play, the Suns looked to offseason acquisitions Kurt Thomas, Raja Bell and James Jones for some assistance down the stretch. All answered the call. Thomas from inside the paint and Jones from outside of it. It was Bell, however – signed primarily for his defensive abilities – who put the game away with a fadeaway jumper to beat the shot clock with 51 seconds left. 

“We are a little bit deeper than last year and we have more of an inside presence,” Steve Nash said following the contest. “We lost a great player in Joe Johnson but we still have a lot of depth.”

Shawn Marion led the Suns in scoring with 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help him secure his second double-double in as many games. Nash also notched a double-double, finishing the contest with 12 points and 17 assists. 

The Lakers, meanwhile, wasted strong efforts from both Lamar Odom, who contributed 23 points, as well as former Suns guard Smush Parker, who scored 21. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 39 points and registered seven rebounds and five assists.




*Jan. 20, 2006*
*Suns 106, Lakers 93*
_US Airways Center - Phoenix, AZ_ 

Led by Eddie House’s incredible spurt off the bench, the Suns defeated the Lakers for the sixth straight time when they emerged with a 106-93 win.

With Phoenix in need of some offense, House scored 12 straight points in the second quarter alone on his way to enjoying one of his finest games as a Phoenix Sun. 

“Eddie House really got us started in the second quarter because we were having trouble and he really got in there for us,” Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said.

House’s spurt contributed to an enormous 22-4 run from which Phoenix never looked back. In the third quarter of play it was Raja Bell helping hold the Lakers at bay, his hot hand scoring 12 of his 18 points.

“We’re a team of spurts," Raja Bell added. "Eddie really came in and got us going in the second quarter. We were going through the motions for a while, and it was important to get established and get back into the game.”

The contest helped serve as proof that Phoenix was a team with a number of players who could hurt you on any given night. Five players finished the contest in double-digit scoring for Phoenix, including Shawn Marion who led all Suns with 22. Steve Nash turned in one of his many MVP-like performances with 17 points, 12 assists, as well as a season-high nine rebounds.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 37 points while his teammates struggled to find the hoop, in large part because of Marion, whose three steals and five blocks didn’t allow the Lakers to get anything going offensively as the Matrix appeared at times as if in three places on the court at once. The fact that the Lakers shot 7-for-23 from beyond the arc also didn’t help their cause as they dug themselves into a deeper hole as the game wore on. 

“Can we go home now?,” Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson asked following the affair. “(Bryant) told me in the fourth quarter he was going to get hot, that he felt like he was getting in his rhythm, and he hit in a few in the fourth quarter. But, he was really bothered by [Raja] Bell. He did a great job on him.” 




*April 7, 2006*
*Suns 107, Lakers 96*
_US Airways Center - Phoenix, AZ _ 


Hoping to bounce back from their two-game slide, Phoenix again met with the Lakers at the US Airways Center for a Friday night contest on April 7. The performance was arguably one of their best in the 2006 campaign as seven of the eight Suns who played scored in double figures. The Suns depth allowed them to roll to a 107-96 victory, their seventh straight over Los Angeles.

That balanced attack was certainly needed as Kobe Bryant went off to the tune of 51 points. For the Suns, Eddie House again headed a key spurt in which Phoenix outscored Los Angeles 18-4. The run gave the Suns a 98-83 lead and allowed many of the starters some rest down the stretch. Leandro Barbosa also shined bright, contributing 23 points for the Suns off the Phoenix bench.

While many Suns players enjoyed great evenings, however, the same could not be said of their division-rival Lakers. Bryant’s spectacular offensive showing didn’t allow teammates to get involved, which seemed to cost them down the stretch.

After the contest Bell admitted having an opponent drop 50 while picking up the victory is a tradeoff he’d gladly take any day of the week.

“I tried to keep him off the line as much as I could, but that is why he is the leading scorer in the league,” Bell said. “He is just going to get a volume of shots. He is going to keep shooting and they are going to keep giving him the ball. He gets 50 and we win the game, so at the end of the day I’m okay with that.”



*April 16, 2006*
*Lakers 122, Suns 112 * 
_STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA_

With the Pacific Division clinched and the second overall seed in the Western Conference locked up, Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni felt it time to give some well-deserved rest to his starting backcourt. With Steve Nash and Raja Bell on the Phoenix bench – and Kobe Bryant being Kobe Bryant – it should have come as little surprise the Lakers were able to jump ahead early in the contest, eventually cruising towards a 109-89 victory.

The win promised the Lakers a spot somewhere in the Western Conference playoff picture and all but assured Phoenix would eventually be their first round opponent. It also snapped Phoenix’s seven-game win streak against Los Angeles. 

After the Lakers had built a 35-22 lead at the end of the first quarter, it was apparent without their backcourt the Suns would struggle in terms of mounting an offensive comeback. While they did manage to make a minor run in the second half to give Los Angeles a bit of a scare, in the end the Lakers were able to hold off Phoenix for the victory.

While the absences of Nash and Bell were no doubt instrumental, the largest factor in this game perhaps came in Bryant getting a bit of help from his teammates. The All-Star guard did lead all scorers with 43 points, but he also received contributions from Smush Parker, Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown – all of whom finished in double digits. Luke Walton was also a factor, finishing the contest with eight points, six assists and 10 rebounds. The former Arizona Wildcat was a key contributor on the defensive end of the floor, as well, finishing the contest with three steals.

For the Suns, their top scorer came in the form of the Matrix, Shawn Marion, who scored 29 points while also blocking three shots. Getting the start for Nash, Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points before eventually fouling out. The silver lining in the loss for Phoenix may have come in the play of center Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who in just over sixteen minutes contributed a season-high nine points for the Suns while also pulling down five boards and dishing out a pair of assists.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns*

Nash is BACK. He's been playing a lot better with REVIVED confidence due to all the MVP talk (I guess). 

Marion is the good old Matrix.

The rest the players are new to this. I think they'll play well. 

The guy I worry about the most is Diaw. I've heard he hurt his shoulder and wanted to rest the day Marion took the day off. And now he just had/has 104 degree fever. We really don't need another injury accident. 

If Diaw can play the way he's been playing, there is no reason why can't pass Lakers unless we have injuries.

Suns in 6 
(*We rely 100% on our jumpshots and I expect we have two bad shooting nights. This is the price you pay for not having Amare on the offense end and Kurt Thomas on the defense end*)


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns*

I had no idea about Diaw. But yeah, Nash is back and as is Matrix as well. Bell's been playing real well also as of late. I also like leadership he showed last week hearing what he said during Kings game.


Yeah, we are a jump shooting team but I think with there being 2 games in between days of games will help us out . I think we win in 4 or 5. Lakers are 0-7 since Nash has COME BACK to Phoenix last yr. They can hang with us it seems but they can't seem to get it done.


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns*

Tim Thomas will be starting instead of Jones.

James has really struggled with his shot over the past weeks. Hes really streaky.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns*



SunsFan57 said:


> Tim Thomas will be starting instead of Jones.
> 
> James has really struggled with his shot over the past weeks. Hes really streaky.


ah, I had no idea. I assumed. But wow was it hard to find a Tim Thomas pic of him in a Suns uniform. Man I had those pictures set up better when I previewed them before I hit submit. It made it different than how I wanted it to be lol.


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers @ [2] Phoenix Suns*



dissonance19 said:


> ah, I had no idea. I assumed. But wow was it hard to find a Tim Thomas pic of him in a Suns uniform. Man I had those pictures set up better when I previewed them before I hit submit. It made it different than how I wanted it to be lol.



lol

You have Thomas at small forward.

Marion will play sf and Diaw will be pf.


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## Lukasbmw (Jul 30, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

Suns in 4

When do we get KT back?


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



Lukasbmw said:


> Suns in 4
> 
> When do we get KT back?



If we make it to Western Conference Finals. It's _possible_ we could get him back.


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## tempe85 (Jan 7, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

You should replace the team picture for the Lakers with this one: 











:biggrin:


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## JT (Mar 1, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

the Lakers in *three* games. They will get blown out by so many points in the first three, that Phoenix will simply forfeit the last one.


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## Sunsfan81 (Apr 17, 2006)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

I HATE the Fakers, we better win this series


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## Sunsfan81 (Apr 17, 2006)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



sherako said:


> the Lakers in *three* games. They will get blown out by so many points in the first three, that Phoenix will simply forfeit the last one.


  :whatever: 
A Fakers fan talking smack


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

I'm sure he was joking.

Lets keep the trash talking in all good fun. Don't want there to be a Mavs-Rockets series like last yr. That got out of hand


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## sunsaz (Apr 18, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

I've accepted the fact that we'll eventually get shot down (hey, I called 54 wins didn't I?), but I won't mind taking these SOBs down with us. Five games if all goes well.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



sunsaz said:


> I've accepted the fact that we'll eventually get shot down (hey, I called 54 wins didn't I?), but I won't mind taking these SOBs down with us. Five games if all goes well.



I bumped the thread. you had 50-55 without JJ, just like everyone else it seemed. I was gonna give away ucash. I don't use it so.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



tempe85 said:


> You should replace the team picture for the Lakers with this one:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



that would look much cooler if it was the EXACT logo of Lakers just with Kobe's and not Lakers haha. it looks too generic. Even then I'm still not gonna disrespect them by putting that up there.

Ok time for a score prediction, Hope I don't jinx us. you get it right, 10,000 ucash pts for you. I'll prolly do it all playoffs and in this series. everyone is welcome to do it.


prediction for game 1: Suns 112, Lakers 99. prolly be closer then this score may reflect. they always seem to play us well but come up a bit short.


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## sunsaz (Apr 18, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



dissonance19 said:


> I bumped the thread. you had 50-55 without JJ, just like everyone else it seemed. I was gonna give away ucash. I don't use it so.


Must've been another board I predicted 54. I swear I remember predicting 54-28 somewhere.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



sunsaz said:


> Must've been another board I predicted 54. I swear I remember predicting 54-28 somewhere.



or it coulda been said in another thread and not the one about records. maybe after the JJ trade or something.


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## Yoyo (Oct 16, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

Heh, I predicted exactly 54-28 for the Suns before the season began...2 of 30 teams (along with the Magic) that I got perfectly right.

Go Suns.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

I say we take it in 5. Kobe will average like 50 PPG for the series, and win them one game scoring like 70+. But we win.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

come on **** heads make some score predictions for game one haha. Laker fans and anyone are welcome too.


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

Suns 108, Lakers 97

Nash/Marion with double-doubles.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

mmmmm... Suns 119 Lakers 112

Kobe goes off big, though.


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## Blink4 (Jan 17, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

128-63 Suns win


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



Blink4 said:


> 128-63 Suns win



that a joke directed at Suns fans in a way? cuz no Suns fan would really think we'd win by that much. Lakers seem to always be in the games but come up a bit short. if you look at the history since Nash has come back to PHX.


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## Darth Bryant (Feb 1, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



dissonance19 said:


> that a joke directed at Suns fans in a way? cuz no Suns fan would really think we'd win by that much. Lakers seem to always be in the games but come up a bit short. if you look at the history since Nash has come back to PHX.



I think he's doing the anti-jinx thing. Lakers fans are very superstitious. :biggrin:


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



CDRacingZX6R said:


> I think he's doing the anti-jinx thing. Lakers fans are very superstitious. :biggrin:



lol, as am I. I'm actually kinda worried. Although, this seems to be the trendy upset pick like last yr when we were the 1 seed playing the Grizzlies. Next yr, if we do win this series and move on past what people think. I hope they stop making the upset pick over us and take us serious


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## tempe85 (Jan 7, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



Blink4 said:


> 128-63 Suns win


Riiight....


12*9*-63 Suns win

:biggrin:


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

Suns up at halftime, 58-50


Nash with 13pts 6assist

Marion with 11pts 7rebounds


Big nights are coming for nash/Marion


They're scoring and Kobe is 2-7 from the field, Raja doing a good job.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

that 1st and beg of 2nd qrter looked like we'd score 70, but we shot so poorly from then on. missing easy **** too. Lakers have as well. We need to shoot better. And I swear James Jones needs to start hitting wide open shots. I've like had a complete 180 with my opinion on him. Not just this game, the last 2 months. 


Bryant seems to want to get his teammates involved more. When he has looked for his shot Bell did well.


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Take HOuse out.......take house out..........please take House out......

If House starts the 4th and can't hit his shot the game will be over.


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## The MAMBA (Jan 6, 2006)

Good game, thus far.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Suns win. . Lakers always play well against us for last 2 yrs. It's no surprise. This doesn't say that much till they win one sometime.


LAL-PHX


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Suns free-throw shooting won this game. 32-35 from the line.

Suns need to rebound the ball better next game. If we'd rebounded this game, we would of won by 15+


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*



SunsFan57 said:


> Suns 108, Lakers 97
> 
> Nash/Marion with double-doubles.



I was close with my prediction.


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## Jammin (Jul 3, 2005)

*Re: First RD - Game 1 Thread: [7] Los Angeles Lakers Vs [2] Phoenix Suns*

Wow. You were damn close, good job.

Great game by the Suns. haha go over to the Lakers board and I bet all of them are making excuses about why they lost. They all think if Kobe got the foul, they'd win the game, even though they were down by 4, and it would have been Suns ball.


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## Free Arsenal (Nov 8, 2004)

I think this game was too close for comfort.

Suns, get a bigger lead!!! Next game.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Wow, great win! Suns were able to grind it out when offensively they weren't nearly as strong as usual. They did score the same amount due to free throws, but shooting wise they missed many shots that they normally hit. Credit to Lakers defense, but also the Suns seemed tentative. Guys were not moving around like normal, they seemed content watching Nash attempt one-on-ones. When they "pick"ed, they forgot the "roll" to the basket part. Marion didn't assert himself on the inside like he normally does. He seemed like he was happy near the three point line tonight, except for a couple nice baseline one-handed turnarounds. Suns won while giving up 15 offensive rebounds and shooting 45%, I'll take it. 

Kobe's gonna get his in this next game, that I'm sure of. It seemed like the gameplan was to get everyone else involved early, have them keep it as close as possible and then rely on heroics from Kobe to win in the end. But when it was time for Kobe to get going, he wasn't hot. I think they should look for him more early to at least allow him to establish a rhythm. Suns have chosen the strategy to stop Kobe and let others get theirs. Just be careful, because Kobe if good enough to create a situation where he can get his AND other can get theirs. Go Suns!


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## GBFanJ (Dec 17, 2003)

Take those Lakers down in 4!

I'd love to see that.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

Bad game. Nash put it right. We didn't play that well. Our guys look really inexperienced. Our inside was exposed again. Lamar was killing us. Laker had a good gameplan (like any other team knows by now) until Kobe took over. Then we started building lead. 

I know many Laker fans think they almost had the game but I think we'll do better in Game 2. We didn't really play that well except Tim Thomas' offense. It sort of evens out because Bell was very cold. 

I didn't know Grant was sick today. I was wondering why he didn't play much. 


Diaw needs to learn how to finish those layups! Oh wait, has he heard of a word "dunk"??


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Lakers except Kobe played over their heads. It won't keep up. We're sweeping.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

You can tell this team is made up of "Plan B" players. Bell and Diaw weren't supposed to be this effective on the offens end. Who would have thought he can shoot over 43% 3pt shot and Diaw is playing like mini Magic Johnson with his pass and some scoring? 

Everything is fine until the opponent takes away our open shots. Our players start panicing. 3pt isn't falling and a lot of standing arounds, waiting for Nash to create that miracle open shot. This is how we lost to Pistons twice, the same game. 

In order to break that dry spell, Diaw needs to turn into a scoring machine inside. I know he can do it. I don't expect him to be as explosive as Amare but we've seen him scoring inside with his sweet hook and agile moves. Diaw was going inside a lot more yesterday but he couldn't finish strong. 

This team needs to figure out how to play when they don't get their open shots. Nash needs to be more assertive on the scoring game. I like how he started the first Q by attacking all the time with very high shooting %. He should do that more consistently throughout the game especially in 3rd Q. I wonder if Nash has recovered a lot or not? His offense doesn't look that consistent to me. It's like he just wants to pass first when the opponent decides not to give open shots to us.


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## masterchief1324 (May 1, 2006)

Shouldnt you guys be concerned with winning now? Not winning in 4 games? Funny you call us cocky


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

masterchief1324 said:


> Shouldnt you guys be concerned with winning now? Not winning in 4 games? Funny you call us cocky



Because you are.


We had a reason to be cocky. Since, we had beaten the Lakers everytime Nash had played.
What lead Laker fans to be cocky? I don't know. But it sure is ****ing annoying. Especially since the Suns are the better team.

Going into the playoffs 11-10 hasn't helped the Suns at all.


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## The MAMBA (Jan 6, 2006)

Carbo04 said:


> Lakers except Kobe played over their heads. It won't keep up. We're sweeping.


Oh really Carbo? hehe. You still my boy, but you was WAY OFF partna.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

Do we have Suns fans trolling in Laker forums?? Why do we have so many here? I know I rarely go to Laker forum.


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