Game 28: New York Knicks (20-7) @ Los Angeles Lakers (13-14)

[Mr_Jones]

As I've said in other threads, I'm not interesting in black/white loyalty tests.

I'm interested in production and accountability.

Kobe doesn't like to be held accountable for anything, and he has a legion of fans who will excuse any of his abuses. I'm not one of those fans.

Kobe isn't the Lakers. He wears the uniform, and as far as I'm concerned he's the lucky one -- not the franchise. The standard of excellence demanded by the franchise transcends everything, which is why I got on Shaq all the time for being a big fat load and wasting the opportunity to leave all-time footprints.

If this forum wasn't overflowing with Kobe disciples and apologists you wouldn't be hearing much from me because others would be pointing out the obvious. If anybody else on the team jacked up 41 shots -- let alone missing most of them -- there would be no end to the "hate".

But because it's Kobe it's all good. And that's exactly the attitude that is going to destroy this team before it ever gets a chance to come together.

You sound like someone who thinks they're a good person, and actually believes the bs that they spew out of their mouth. "I'm a good person, I swear!"

[Decimotox]

In every season where Kobe led the league in usage rate the Lakers did not win a title. You can argue that that simply meant that he needed better players around him, but after helping to drive Shaq away that argument is a little tough to take.

Kobe will not shoot, and never has shot, the Lakers to a title. But too many fans think that he has, and he uses that (and his ******** lie about trust) to excuse his shot attempts whenever he feels like it.

I'm not against Kobe taking 20 shots a game, and scoring an efficient 25 points. He's a legit threat. But what he did in the last game was a joke.

Kobe shoots them to the titles in the playoffs though, wouldn't you say? And I never argued that the reason he shot more was because he didn't have a good supporting cast. Honestly, we all know he is one of the best ever to play the game, so wouldn't you all want him taking shots rather than some other players who we know wouldn't have a better chance of making a shot?

[GailGoodrich]

Kobe shoots them to the titles in the playoffs though, wouldn't you say? And I never argued that the reason he shot more was because he didn't have a good supporting cast. Honestly, we all know he is one of the best ever to play the game, so wouldn't you all want him taking shots rather than some other players who we know wouldn't have a better chance of making a shot?

Kobe is a stone-cold scorer. It's his attitude and that will never change. But you've still got to have an overarching goal, and there has never been an all-out scorer in the NBA who achieved dominance in terms of titles. Not Wilt, not MJ, not Kobe. All of those players modified their appetite for points to fit into a team context that then allowed them to win. (It's a team game, and if you become a ball-hogging idiot the other team will figure out how to beat you.)

Were Kobe's points valuable to the Lakers' titles? Sure. But so were all the points and contributions of other key players. But too many fans believe Kobe's own hype that he's the center of the universe, and he's not.

I'm all for taking the best-percentage shots available. I do not care who takes those shots. Kobe cares, however, and he keeps selling the idea that he has to shoot because nobody else is reliable.

And that's why the last game was important. In the last game, when he put up an absurd number of shots even for him, he was the player nobody could trust. He was the player whose percentage was crap. He was the player shooting the Lakers out of the game.

And what was his response? Shoot more! And more!

[GailGoodrich]

You sound like someone who thinks they're a good person, and actually believes the bs that they spew out of their mouth. "I'm a good person, I swear!"

I'm make you a deal.

I'll admit to thinking of myself as a good person who believes the bs that I spew, if you admit to thinking of yourself as a bad person who doesn't believe a word he says.

[shep33]

Tough game no doubt. Can't play the starters too long if this gets out of hand. Got a game at Denver the next day.

[LakerKB24Fan]

Over/under Kobe takes 30 shots

[J4KOP99]

Knowing Kobe he will take 2 shots and try to prove a point.

[GailGoodrich]

Knowing Kobe he will take 2 shots and try to prove a point.

Which is both possible and a horrifying indictment of his maturity level....

Like Shep33 suggests, I'm more worried about playing three games in four nights than I am about any one of the individual games. This is a big test of the team, of Nash's ability to play consistent minutes even though he's just back from injury, and of the determination of individual players to stick with the program even when they get tired.

My biggest fear is that the first thing to disappear is going to be the defense. Which means this little stretch of games could get ugly fast.

[Tytanium 24]

We already started MWP against Melo and that failed miserably.

Don't you think it would be wise to throw a different guy on him (Gasol) and see how that works out?

[STL Don]

This is huge, highly anticipating the tip off to this game. Gonna be fun to watch....(hopefully)

[Ill21]

Merry Christmas guys can't wait for today's battle between Kobe and Melo

[D-Leethal]

Caught some of the LA game vs the dubs the other night and the offense looked way more fluid with Nash at the helm. I expect a tough one tonight, were gonna need our shooters to hit their shots today and they have been off lately.

[DanG]

2 very tough games coming up.

[J4KOP99]

Merry Christmas everyone

[Iron24th]

Yep a tough one tonight, curious to see how we'll respond.