LA knocks down Denver; Thoughts About the 'Birdman'
:
2009 NBA Playoffs
Key players:
LA LAKERS
Derek Fisher- 12 pts, 2 assists
Trevor Ariza- 12 pts, 5 reb, 4 assists
DENVER NUGGETS
Kleiza- 10 points, 5 reb
Martin- 12 pts, 5 reb
The Lakers key players seemed to have an edge. And again I was right. LA winning game 5. I could not emphasize enough how Ariza's hussle, and Fisher's shooting can bring LA to the NBA Finals.
But do you know who was the x factor in last night's game? It was Odom...Lamar Odom scoring 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 BLOCKED SHOTS. All series long he has been silent. But last night he proved he can be a "take-charge" guy next to Kobe and Pao.
Tonight we also saw Kobe's and the rest of the Lakers' maturity. The Lakers not rushing things out, helping each other, aggressive, WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT THEY CAN PULL AWAY FROM THE NUGGETS.
Kobe Bryant knew when to score, and when to pass...he was not like this when he was younger. But last night I saw in him 'his AIRNESS' Michael Jordan. A prolific scorer, but makes his teammates look better with those dishes.
In fairness, his teammates are ready to score, whenever he makes the pass. The Cavaliers should learn from the Lakers. And more importantly, they are ready to play defense.
Denver however is not yet out in this series. I guess the Nuggets big men has to be more aggressive, not only in scoring points but also in doing the intangibles. Nene and Andersen are known for this quality. And they have to continue doing it. In the previous winning games for the Nuggets, LAkers' big men were outmuscled. They have to continue this, and KMart has to continue stepping up.
Chris Andersen as I've seen in the playoffs, is wonderful. He might not score bigtime, nor rebound bigtime, but his impact on the game is beyond measurement. He seems to be an arrogant player, but wait...look at him again and you'll see his modest desire to contribute for his team. I like his work ethics...not really a show-off player as others would think he is...
LA LAKERS
Derek Fisher- 12 pts, 2 assists
Trevor Ariza- 12 pts, 5 reb, 4 assists
DENVER NUGGETS
Kleiza- 10 points, 5 reb
Martin- 12 pts, 5 reb
The Lakers key players seemed to have an edge. And again I was right. LA winning game 5. I could not emphasize enough how Ariza's hussle, and Fisher's shooting can bring LA to the NBA Finals.
But do you know who was the x factor in last night's game? It was Odom...Lamar Odom scoring 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 BLOCKED SHOTS. All series long he has been silent. But last night he proved he can be a "take-charge" guy next to Kobe and Pao.
Tonight we also saw Kobe's and the rest of the Lakers' maturity. The Lakers not rushing things out, helping each other, aggressive, WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT THEY CAN PULL AWAY FROM THE NUGGETS.
Kobe Bryant knew when to score, and when to pass...he was not like this when he was younger. But last night I saw in him 'his AIRNESS' Michael Jordan. A prolific scorer, but makes his teammates look better with those dishes.
In fairness, his teammates are ready to score, whenever he makes the pass. The Cavaliers should learn from the Lakers. And more importantly, they are ready to play defense.
Denver however is not yet out in this series. I guess the Nuggets big men has to be more aggressive, not only in scoring points but also in doing the intangibles. Nene and Andersen are known for this quality. And they have to continue doing it. In the previous winning games for the Nuggets, LAkers' big men were outmuscled. They have to continue this, and KMart has to continue stepping up.
Chris Andersen as I've seen in the playoffs, is wonderful. He might not score bigtime, nor rebound bigtime, but his impact on the game is beyond measurement. He seems to be an arrogant player, but wait...look at him again and you'll see his modest desire to contribute for his team. I like his work ethics...not really a show-off player as others would think he is...
