Official Game 3: 05/08 Los Angeles @ Houston Rockets 8:30PM CST ESPN

[blackxme]

Now that after all that transpired in game 2, I expect the Rockets to come out and set the tone in game 3. And there's no doubt that our crowd will beenergized and our guys should feed off that. Coming home I'm proud of what my team has accomplished by splitting the first two games in L.A. You can'task for much more than what they did. Also I'm encouraged because we didn't play our best basketball in either of the two games and had a chance totake both. A few things that must improve for us to win game 3:
- Continue to get great energy and scoring off the bench.
- I hope Von works things out with Rick. We need his scoring punch.
- Yao must get the ball more, he can't be rendered useless, we'll have no chance in this series if continues to score less than 20 ppg. He only had 4shots, 4 shots!! That's not going to cut it
- Keep your turnovers down, we had 19 turnovers last, 19. And all our turnovers do is fuel the Lakers' fast break. NO LAYUPS
-Ron needs to keep shooting the way he is shooting. He didn't take as many questionable shots as I thought he would in L.A.( Maybe because his was makingso many shots). But he needs to keep taking it to the basket, there's no way Ariza can stop him.
-Let Kobe dominate the ball and make him take as many shots as possible. No ones going to shut him down but you can sure as hell make him inefficient. Sooneror later Kobe will become tired, B.Roy commented on how tired he felt after that series with the Rockets. Make him work.

And yeah I beat you Laker fans to the punch

 

[its that dude]

Yao's next.

 

[blackmamba08]

 

[westcoastsfinest]

everyone needs to play well for the Lakers to steal homecourt back...if not were in trouble and the series is over

 

[jay kickz till i die]

rockets are a damn good team (amazingly better w/o tmac) but i gotta go w/ the lakers in 6. yes, that means we will win 2 in houston

blah!

 

[nicedudewithnicedreams]

Yao Ming needs to bounce back big time in Game 3. Hopefully, he can get some star treatment that Kobe gets. But only way he can get that is to be aggressiveand attack. Kobe earned it. Time for Yao to do that too.

Go Tmac!

 

[CP1708]

Ariza needs to guard Battier and Kobe needs to defend Artest at some point in this game. Certainly not the whole game, but maybe in the 4th.

And please, for the love of God, Phil, can you get Bynum some touches? Can you get that kid goin a little bit?
This almost reminds me of what Sloan has done to AK47. That dude was a star and then got in Sloan's doghouse and has been unable to get it back. Bynumseems not to be in the doghouse, but affected by his minutes and what not from Phil. Fix that sh*^.

I expect a real good game. And the atmosphere to be crazy indeed.

Let's get it.

 

[kal ripped ken]

ariza and LO NEED to get double digits. The bench has got to outscore houston's for once

. We can't rely on kobe going off every game

 

[westcoastsfinest]

Originally Posted by CP1708

Ariza needs to guard Battier and Kobe needs to defend Artest at some point in this game. Certainly not the whole game, but maybe in the 4th.

And please, for the love of God, Phil, can you get Bynum some touches? Can you get that kid goin a little bit?
This almost reminds me of what Sloan has done to AK47. That dude was a star and then got in Sloan's doghouse and has been unable to get it back. Bynum seems not to be in the doghouse, but affected by his minutes and what not from Phil. Fix that sh*^.

I expect a real good game. And the atmosphere to be crazy indeed.

Let's get it.

yehh thats what i think too...ariza should be on battier cause shanes not gonna drive it to hole as much as ron does...the houston crowd is gonnabe crazy loud

 

[gescobe]

Yao needs to get the ball and be more aggressive on the offensive end, stay out of foul trouble please...

 

[franchise3]

Protect home court, ie, win all the games in Houston and the Rockets win the series. Easier said than done, sure, but game 3 is a must win for HTown.

 

[mjsaver]

LEVEL HEADED LAKER FAN HERE.......

This series looks like its going to be a long one.

Only thing keeping me off suicide watch is that A. BROOKS

came back down to earth. Yes hes good but game 1 was ridiculous.

Im feeling slightly, slightly confident because im not sure HOUSTON'S

role players can keep having career nights. C. Landry manhandled us in that 2nd qt, but cooled down in 2nd half.

Please dont expect KOBE to keep hitting j's with hands over his eyez. [ how sick is that?]

He will have another off shooting night or two...... L.A. won because of hunger, intensity, and being scrappy.

*refs made quite a few bad calls on both teams*
so dont use that excuse please

 

[dman14]

yao needs to show up and stay away from foul trouble. he's gonna have a hard time guarding pau
good ron ron show up from minute one to end of gm. ariza physically cant guard him, if you put kobe, hopefully kobe gets worn down
battier keep making kobe work, keep him away from ft line. hopefully, he updated that kobe tome
run everything through yao, i think they gonna front him a little more, so swing the ball if so
aaron needs to stay aggressive, but not overdribble.
scola and landry continue to take the open shots and scrap
von buckets needs to play in control and keep his head in the gm, dont let vujacic get you rattled

chuck play post defense and board when he guarding bynum or gasol

rockets gonna make kobe beat them by himself. if he does, tip your hat to him.

rockets will be in every gm in the 4th, don't panic if lakers get out in front. i think they already shown that they wont be an easy out
i think the rockets need to take both gms to win this series, but wouldnt surprise me if lakers take 2 also.

 

[fearless]

expect some rejections for both sides, lol. We need to win this game, it's a win or go home situation. Let's go Lakers!!!!!! damn the crowd gonna becrazy but Utah crowd maybe louder than Houston crowd

 

[kb8sandiego]

LET'S
GO
LAY-
KURZ!!!

 

[calvinjohnson]

Derek Fisher suspended

 

[rfx45]

Lakers' Fisher, Magic's Alston each suspended for a game

By Official release
Posted May 7 2009 5:41PM

Rafer Alston of the Orlando Magic and Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers have each been suspended one game without pay for their roles in separate incidents last night, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced Thursday.

Alston has been suspended for swinging and making contact with the head of Eddie House of the Boston Celtics with 48.6 seconds remaining in the third period of the Magic's 112-94 loss to the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night at TD Banknorth Garden.

Fisher has been suspended for striking Houston's Luis Scola with his shoulder and head with 13.2 seconds remaining in the third period of the Lakers' 111-98 win Wednesday over the visiting Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Staples Center. Fisher received a Flagrant Foul Penalty Two and was ejected from the game at the time of the play.

Jackson also announced that the Lakers' Kobe Bryant has been assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty One for elbowing Houston's Ron Artest in the chest area with 6:57 remaining in the fourth period of Wednesday night's game.

Alston will serve his suspension on Friday when the Magic hosts the Celtics at Amway Arena. Fisher also will serve his suspension on Friday when the Lakers visit the Rockets at Toyota Center.

 

[kal ripped ken]

Originally Posted by Fearless

expect some rejections for both sides, lol. We need to win this game, it's a win or go home situation. Let's go Lakers!!!!!! damn the crowd gonna be crazy but Utah crowd maybe louder than Houston crowd

it's a must win but not win or go home. There's still game 4

 

[shooter116]

We got this.

 

[dman14]

refs were terrible on both sides. get tim duncan and smack crawford upside the head pls.

 

[jumpmanfeva]

It's gonna be a WAR! We are playing well, and just think Yao never got into Game 2! As long as Kobe is settling for jumpers I can live with that! KEEP HOMECOURT and this is gonna be like safe sex (wrap it up)! LOL

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by blackxme

Now that after all that transpired in game 2, I expect the Rockets to come out and set the tone in game 3. And there's no doubt that our crowd will be energized and our guys should feed off that. Coming home I'm proud of what my team has accomplished by splitting the first two games in L.A. You can't ask for much more than what they did. Also I'm encouraged because we didn't play our best basketball in either of the two games and had a chance to take both. A few things that must improve for us to win game 3:
- Continue to get great energy and scoring off the bench.
- I hope Von works things out with Rick. We need his scoring punch.
- Yao must get the ball more, he can't be rendered useless, we'll have no chance in this series if continues to score less than 20 ppg. He only had 4 shots, 4 shots!! That's not going to cut it
- Keep your turnovers down, we had 19 turnovers last, 19. And all our turnovers do is fuel the Lakers' fast break. NO LAYUPS
-Ron needs to keep shooting the way he is shooting. He didn't take as many questionable shots as I thought he would in L.A.( Maybe because his was making so many shots). But he needs to keep taking it to the basket, there's no way Ariza can stop him.
-Let Kobe dominate the ball and make him take as many shots as possible. No ones going to shut him down but you can sure as hell make him inefficient. Sooner or later Kobe will become tired, B.Roy commented on how tired he felt after that series with the Rockets. Make him work.

And yeah I beat you Laker fans to the punch

The Rockets played the best they could play in game 1 IMO. They score 98 points a game as a team on the season while allowing only 94 so I wouldsay they played right up there with how they normally do.

 

[fro b giant]

Originally Posted by DMan14

refs were terrible on both sides. get tim duncan and smack crawford upside the head pls.

 

[jordanhead2]

how does D. Fish get suspended when Rondo had questionable actions twice in one series

 

[drunken cow]

I just hope both team play at their peak. No more Kobe suckage and Yao ghosting throughout the game. Keep it clean. So then, whoever team wins, we can finallysay. They are the better team.