Needs to be a legit at least regular rotation player, not just for their physicality. Like Dwight in 2020 … yes. Any Metta World Artests sleeping on everyone out there anywhere?
I agree that all teams seem to do everything except throw punches when either Lebron or AD is in the paint. AD's blow to the temple by Looney was a freak thing though. I don't think Looney is that kind of player. It looked like an accident. Still: refs need to make a decision. Both Lebron and AD get fouled multiple times nearly every damned time they get near the rack. Are they gonna call it or not? 'Cuz we all know they could whistle a LOT more for our superstars. Quick foul trouble would make it less dangerous for AD and Lebron. NOT calling dippy crap like that 5 second dribble with back to the basket rule, which is archaic, idiotic and selectively enforced. Its not a "foul" but a violation, but it's the epitome of the ticky-tack BS the refs called in Game 5 vs. the drubbing our guys got down low. GSW's invention of us "flopping" in media talk is just another way to work the refs. Reminds me of disgraced ex-POTUS calling someone else a liar.
I love how two old obese guys with fake hips think it's funny to laugh @ A.D. when he's getting fouled relentlessly without calls. Hope A.D. drops about 60 on these scrubs
We were down by 10-18 for the entire 2nd half, except by 9 for 16 seconds. That's not a close game. That's not the most important part. Rest for our guys is. Games 1, 3 & 4 show that. We want Mamba mentality as a mindset, not in terms of playing too many minutes at all costs. A lot of us were warning about Kobe playing too many minutes in 2013, and unfortunately it ended in injury, which was not unforseeable. That injury basically ended his time as a top player. So that part of that mentality cut his career as a top player short at just 34. I don't want that to happen to any of our players again, nor should any of us. Also, 4th quarter is not super early. It would have been fine to sit them and see if the rest of the team can cut it to single digits, and if so, then re-insert them, and if not, then it would have been understandable for them to remain sitting. Even better would have been 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Lakers down by 16. Average win probability 4%. At that point, you don't have to wave the white flag, you just see if the rest of the guys can cut it closer, before you play both LeBron & AD. Instead, LeBron came in and tweaked his ankle, and then AD came in the 4th and got injured. Again - this was not unforseeable. It would have been smarter to sit them than play them at that point. You're not playing for just that 1 game, you're playing for the series and the championship.
I loved me some Kobe..watched him grow up in a Lakers uniform. However Kobe Bryant is not the only great player, that we've ever had, and everything doesn't always have to relate to Kobe and the "Mamba mentality ". West, Baylor, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Shaq...those guys wanted to win too.
Not if he entered concussion protocols. League basically wouldn't allow it. We should just be very happy that we dodged a bullet this time, and try not to do anything stupid in the future.
i agree that looney's not dirty. he plays hard and uses his physicality wisely. that said, that wasn't the first time he swung his arms above his head and made contact to positive effect in the game. the refs needed to clean that up earlier, and maybe he wouldn't have been so willy-nilly with the arm. it's like when draymond shoved max after the game was over--at that point, he was just testing what was possible. can i just chuck a guy out of bounds? let's find out! word. every accusation is an admission. sorry, but your pansy a** jump shooting team is over if it becomes a streetfight out there. my old a** will knock steph curry and jordan poole over. gtfo, seriously. we're the floppers my a**. i'm told he's a big ol' wuss who's sidelined by hangnails. i wonder if when he polishes his ring it shines like barkley's head.
Looney isn't dirty but he damn sure has Bill Cartwright like elbows! They have this strange ability to find people's skulls.
i think he responded to how the officials were calling it, and he has nothing to lose. if he goes out, his team benched him previously anyway. lebron and AD can't risk throwing bows above their head because their team can't win without them.
Yep; for whatever reason, AD is treated with less respect than anyone I can remember of his stature—and that includes even his own team’s fans. Loved the Steph comparison, too. But I’m sure it’s “whataboutism”…