LAKERS 05 | GASOL, FISHER, ELLIS LEAD LA (7-2)

BEHIND THE SCENES 1

"Here we go again," thought Lakers GM Isaiah Cruz as he was sitting in front of the hoard of reporters during a press conference in training camp.
So many questions were fielded at the same time by all the people from the media.
"What are your expectations for Pau Gasol's first full season?"
"How will the rotation pan out with Pau and Andrew together?"
"What is your opinion on David Stern's new 58 game season?"
"Will any more siginificant moves be done during the season?"
Gathering his focus, he answered each and everything which made the media hear what they wanted to hear.
But his mind wasn't really on this press conference.
He wanted the season to start already.


When the conference was done, it was Phil Jackson's turn.
Isaiah walked over to a bench and oversaw the Lakers go through the motions of their drills, with Kobe Bryant vocally encouraging them on.
On the sidelines, the assistant coaches were shouting to pick up the intensity of things.
The players looked focused, determined, eager to start the new season.


Isaiah smiled.


"This is gonna be good," he said to himself.

WELCOME TO THE NEW SEASON.

Last edited by Isaiah on Wed May 21, 2008 10:25 pm, edited 16 times in total.

LAKERS 101
CHARLOTTE 100

KOBE'S DRIVING DUNK CATAPULTS LAKERS


Kobe scores his first points of the season.


PHOTO WIRE
Gasol is fouled
Jason Richardson lit up the Lakers
Odom scores on a layup
Okafor with the thunderous dunk
Radmanovic dives on the floor to get the loose ball


CHARLOTTE - Kobe Bryant scored on a game-winning, down-the-lane dunk with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 101-100 thriller in Charlotte in their season opener.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

After Lamar Odom's layup in the middle of the third quarter put the Lakers up 71-52, a lot of the fans expected the rest of the game to be on cruise control.

The Bobcats players said no way.

They came all the way back and took a 77-76 lead at the start of the fourth to get the crowd back on its feet. They controlled the lead throughout and after Jason Richardson's shot with 55 seconds remaining swished through putting Charlotte up 95-90, many in the arena saw that the Bobcats would steal this one.

However, Bryant hit a three-pointer with 40.5 seconds left to keep the game close, and a layup by Gasol soon after tied the score at 95-95.

Charlotte again took control with 10 seconds left after a Matt Carrol three-pointer to make the score 100-97, but two Bryant free throws pulled LA to within one point. On the inbounds play, Fisher tapped away the inbounds pass and fed Bryant who threw it down to seal the deal for LA.

Bryant finished with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Pau Gasol played big with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 dimes. Lamar Odom was also huge in the opener with a double-double of 17 points and 14 boards.

Jason Richardson led Charlotte with 25 points. Emeka Okafor had 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Matt Caroll had 16 points, as did Raymond Felton. Gerald Wallace was limited to 2 points and 5 rebounds because of consistent foul trouble.

Despite the win, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was not happy.

He pointed to a 21-38 mark from the free throw line, which is 55.3%.

"We can't continue to be shooting like that if we want to be able to do anything," he said. "These guys know that."

Great Recap and congrats on your first win!

Great Recap and congrats on your first win!

Hey man thanks! First reply! haha!

Whoa another dynasty of my fav team!

Will looking forward to the next games of this dynasty.

Congrats for your first win!

And may your winning streak continue!

Whoa another dynasty of my fav team!

Will looking forward to the next games of this dynasty.

Congrats for your first win!

And may your winning streak continue!

my winning streak of 1? hahaha!! thanks for dropping by and many thanks for your support.

Very strong presentation. The dynasty section has gotten pretty lame lately. If you keep it up; you can help bring it back.

Good job squeezing out the win, but your guys played awful, and it was the Bobcats. Good luck adjusting for the next one.

Edit: (imo)

my winning streak of 1? hahaha!! thanks for dropping by and many thanks for your support.

Because my fav team is lakers also. hehe. full support on this.

Very strong presentation. The dynasty section has gotten pretty lame lately. If you keep it up; you can help bring it back.

Good job squeezing out the win, but your guys played awful, and it was the Bobcats. Good luck adjusting for the next one.

Edit: (imo)

yeah, plus i haven't been around the forums much thanks to my disappointment with Live 08. and not a lot of people are doing dynasties nowadays.

but thanks for the encouragement! hope i play more consistently next time. haha

Because my fav team is lakers also. hehe. full support on this.

yeah Go Lakers!

So when would you play and share your next game? waiting for it...

ATLANTA 102
LAKERS 110


GASOL CLOSES OUT HAWKS DESPITE INJURY, BRYANT STRUGGLES


Gasol closes out the Hawks with this shot.


PHOTO WIRE
Gasol helped off the court
Josh Childress soars in for the jam
Luke Walton watches his three-swish in
Lamar Odom slams
Andrew Bynum powers it through



LOS ANGELES - The STAPLES Center crowd stood in silence as Lamar Odom and Luke Walton helped center Pau Gasol to the bench after colliding hard with Al Horford on a play with 2:49 left in the second period and LA up 51-43. They were worried sick when at the 3:03 mark in the third quarter Horford's 3-point play put Atlanta up 77-75.

At the end, they stood and cheered after Gasol came back late in the third, and scored 12 of his 23 points in the 4th quarter, including a game-sealing layup with 1:39 left to put LA up by six, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

He had 9 points and 6 rebounds at the time he was injured. While Gasol was out, Andrew Bynum seized the opportunity to fill the void and put up 18 points with 7 boards, filling in nicely the hole left by the injury. Odom had 20 points and 11 boards, while Kobe Bryant had 17 points on a poor 4-of-17 from the field.

"Just struggling," Bryant said. "My shot was off, I have the whole season to work on that. It isn't the end of the world. Plus, we're 2-0. Pau saved our butts."

Horford scorched hot for the Hawks with 25 points, 7 caroms and 5 blocked shots. Joe Johnson shot only 8-of-23 from the field and scored 18 points. Josh Smith was a non-factor with only 8 points.

After Atlanta took the lead, Sasha Vujacic hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 88-88, and it was neck-to-neck from there.

In the closing moments, the Lakers missed six straight free throws; two by Bryant, two by Gasol and two by Odom. As a team they shot 25-for-48 from the line.

Its good to see one of the old faces from the good dynasty days.

Its good to see one of the old faces from the good dynasty days.

hey man thanks. appreciate it.

Great game!
Though Kobe struggled Pau manage to pull this thing off...
Keep it up man...

Great game!
Though Kobe struggled Pau manage to pull this thing off...
Keep it up man...

yeah kobe was frustrating me the entire game. who cares though.. i got Gasol!

INDIANA 96
LAKERS 100


BRYANT WAXES HOT AS LAKERS GRIND IT OUT AGAINST PACERS


Kobe Bryant rises up against the Pacers.


PHOTO WIRE
Jordan Farmar loses the ball
Trevor Ariza rises up for the 3
Jermaine O'Neal dunks on a putback
Kobe Bryant bodies up Jermaine O'Neal
Pau Gasol draws the charge on Troy Murphy



LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant was coming off one of his worst shooting performances ever, and afterwards he said "he had the whole season to work on (his shot)."

Good thing it came back fast.

Bryant scored 36 points on 13-of-25 shooting as the Lakers prevailed in a grind-it-out defensive war, 100-96, over the Indiana Pacers.

It was a close game throughout and neither team led by double digits. Indiana took control in the second quarter through timely hits by former Laker Kareem Rush, as well as the Pacers effort in keeping the Lakers off the glass. The half ended with the Pacers ahead 51-44.

However, at the start of the 3rd, a 13-6 run by LA punctuated by a dunk by Kobe Bryant gave LA the lead for good, 57-56, but Indiana made some serious threats as the game closed down.

Pau Gasol drew a huge offensive foul on Troy Murphy with 26.2 seconds left with the Lakers on top, 95-90. After Bryant hit 1-of-2 free throws, Ike Diogu missed a close shot, but Jamaal Tinsley hit a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left to cut it down to 96-93.

After Bryant hit two more free throws, Flip Murray hit another 3 with 0.3 seconds left, but Los Angeles ran out the clock since time was too short for Indiana to foul.

Gasol had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Lamar Odom had 15.

Jermaine O'Neal couldn't be stopped, top-scoring for Indiana with 21, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

After shooting 55.3% against the Bobcats and 52.1% against the Hawks, Lakers GM Isaiah Cruz hired a special free throw shooting coach for the rest of the season.

Against the Pacers, the Lakers shot 23-of-33 from the line, a more respectable 69.7%, with Bryant going 10-of-11.

Last edited by Isaiah on Wed May 14, 2008 1:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Great job by Kobe...putting up 36 after his low scoring game against the
Hawks!

By the way, what was Ariza's 3pt rating? I thought he's not a pretty good 3
pointer...

MIAMI 91
LAKERS105


BRYANT'S "D" LIMITS WADE TO 10 AS LAKERS PULL AWAY



Kobe reverses it home.


PHOTO WIRE
Andrew Bynum attempts a hook shot
Pau Gasol with a solid block
Jason Williams with one of his many shots that fell through
Shawn Marion dunks
Lamar Odom puts up a three-pointer


LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant put the clamps on Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, limiting him to 10 points while netting 37 of his own as the Los Angeles Lakers used a strong second half to pull away from Miami, 105-91.

This was the first game Los Angeles held an opponent under 100 points, which meant each and every one of the 18, 997 present got two free tacos.

Bryant shot 14-of-21 from the field, his second straight game of shooting over 50% since his 4-of-17 showing against the Atlanta Hawks.

He took this many shots because of the foul trouble that came upon the Laker big men early in the game.

Gasol went down with a minor injury early into the game, Lamar Odom picked up his second foul with 6:45 left in the first, then 77 seconds later, Andrew Bynum was charged with two fouls.

Bryant, however, got help from Vladimir Radmanovic, who scored 14 points, 10 coming in the second quarter with the key big men on the bench.

However, Los Angeles only had one-point leads at the end of the first and at halftime because they couldn't stop the hot shooting of Heat guard Jason Williams. He burned the Lakers from mid-range, consistently hitting jumpers from near the free-throw line on screen-and-roll situations.

But in the second half, LA picked stepped up their game. Up 79-75, guard Sasha Vujacic hit a three-pointer to bring the LA crowd on their feet, and after forcing Wade into a miss, Derek Fisher hit three to put the Lakers up ten, 85-75.

A minute later the lead ballooned to fifteen, 92-77 after Kobe Bryant hit a three-pointer. At the 3:02 mark, Wade missed a shot, and then Trevor Ariza split his charities after being fouled, but Lamar Odom followed the miss with a slam dunk to give Los Angeles their biggest lead, 99-80.

Williams led Miami with 32 points in a losing effort, Shawn Marion had a quiet 13 points, while Alonzo Mourning grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Lamar Odom, limited due foul trouble, had 14 points and 7 rebounds. Pau Gasol had only 8 points but grabbed 8 rebounds as well, dished out 4 assists and wiped away 4 shots.

Los Angeles is now 4-0.

Last edited by Isaiah on Wed May 14, 2008 1:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

LAKERS 100
PHILADELPHIA 93


BRYANT INJURED LATE BUT LAKERS PREVAIL


Kobe Bryant his helped to the bench.


PHOTO WIRE
Andrew Bynum "Shaq's" it through
Pau Gasol shoots over Samuel Dalembert
Lamar Odom dunks hard



PHILADELPHIA - On the second night of a back-to-back, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves on the east coast in the city of brotherly love, getting none such from the Philadelphia home crowd. And they returned none of it, pulling off a 100-93 win over the hometown 76ers.

But that wasn't the story of the game.

Kobe Bryant came down in pain after scoring a bucket and colliding with Andre Igoudala with 27.1 seconds left in the game. He was unable to shoot the free throw, so Trevor Ariza shot it for him and missed.

Bryant was helped to the bench and watched as his teammates closed out the game. An MRI is scheduled tomorrow.

He finished with 19 points and 7 assists, playing as the playmaker most of the game while shooting 5-of-16 from the field due to the defense of the 76ers.

Entering the final minute, LA led 94-91. Pau Gasol was fouled and hit a free throw to put the Lakers up by four. Andre Miller, though, was fouled by Derek Fisher and hit both free throws to pull within two.

After Bryant's bucket went in, and Ariza missed the free throw, Miller forced up a long shot over the arms of Gasol which clanked off the rim and into Gasol's hands. He made two free throws to ice the game.

Luke Walton hit a free throw with 1.8 seconds left to set the score.

Gasol scored 23 points and grabbed 13 boards in the win, and Lamar Odom, who was also slowed by injury, also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Andre Miller scored 30, but shot 11-of-25 from the field.

"We're consistently getting burned on pick-and-roll plays," Phil Jackson said. "The guard's going under the screen, and there's no help defense, leaving the shooter wide open. This has to be addressed."

But it could be the last thing on their minds with Bryant's injury impact uncertain.

Last edited by Isaiah on Wed May 14, 2008 1:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

2 Words:

Oh shit.....

2 Words:

Oh shit.....

OH YES.

ill post the injury report later this day.

Whoa...thats a serious problem men...hope he'll recover ASAP

INJURY REPORT: KOBE OUT 8 WEEKS


Bryant's high-flying act would have to be put on hold.


LOS ANGELES - An MRI conducted on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant revealed that he has a broken bone in his right foot and will miss at least eight weeks.

Bryant got injured while colliding with Andre Igoudala after scoring with 27.1 seconds left and Los Angeles ahead 97-93.

Bryant leads the Lakers in scoring with 27.0 per game, which is second in the league. He also averages 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

The Lakers have activated center Chris Mihm and forward Ira Newble and sent Coby Karl to the injured list to make room.

According the NBA calendar, Bryant's earliest return date would be the end of January.

Last edited by Isaiah on Wed May 14, 2008 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tough luck, but you have a good supporting cast, and you can stay afloat. Good luck without him though!

Tough luck, but you have a good supporting cast, and you can stay afloat. Good luck without him though!

you have no idea how much my jaw dropped when i saw the injury report. hahah!