Thunder vs. Lakers Game Four: Comeback Blame by Lauren Beasley
Last night the Lakers played great for the first three quarters and had everybody thinking they were going to tie the series up. However just like in game two, the Lakers gave the game away and the Thunder out executed them in the end.
Now on twitter, I noticed there was a lot of blame either on Kobe or Gasol, so I am here to tell you who and what I blame for the Lakers losing.
First I will start with Kobe Bryant, now I love Kobe Bryant. He played spectacular in the first three quarters but his decision making in the 4th quarter was horrendous in my opinion. He received well deserved rest at the beginning on the 4th quarter, and then he came into the game, firing off jump shots. Kobe forced a lot of jump shots instead of sticking to the game plan to either go to the post or penetrate to the basket. Kobe missed his last 8 of 10 shots in the 4th quarter, which is ridiculous.
Kobe had a chance to tie the game with 13.4 seconds left in the game and opted to take a quick three pointer off the inbound pass. Personally I felt he could have gotten a better shot but apparently Kobe thought it was a good one.
Secondly I blame Pau Gasol, because he did make a horrible play that ultimately did cost the Lakers the game. He didn’t play particularly well in this game anyway but to make a horrible almost cross court pass in a close game like that is unacceptable.
Thirdly I put blame on Metta World Peace because just like Kobe, he played well in the last three quarters; he even became the leader in the beginning of the fourth quarter while Kobe was on the bench. However once the Thunder began to make a comeback, he began to force jump shots as well. He also seemed to neglect giving Andrew Bynum the ball in the post towards the end.
Lastly I have to put blame on Head Coach Mike Brown because as a coach it is your job to make sure that comeback doesn’t happen. First off I didn’t like the fact that in the second half, he didn’t give Bynum any real type of rest, which had a lot to do with Bynum lazy play towards the end. I also feel he let Kobe and the rest of the team go away from the game plan which was to penetrate or give it to the post.
Technically blame goes on the entire Lakers team because they allowed Oklahoma City Thunder to get back into the game and didn't make any defensive stops when it mattered most but the four people I named are the main people that standout in my opinion.
Overall this is second time in this series, that Lakers have given the game away. If Lakers had won game two and game four they would be up in this series right now but instead they play around and let Thunder stick around.
I am very impressed with the Thunder they are showing me a lot in this series, this is the second time in this series when they have been challenged and they continue to preserve against adversity and get the win in the end.
Kevin Durant once again proved why he is the upcoming best player in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant. He is the next big closer in my opinion. He has the ability and length with a wet jumper & can go to the rim. He also making people second guess why LeBron James received the MVP award over him as well.
If you take a look at my Western Conference Semi Final Analysis/Prediction article, you will see that I did pick Oklahoma City Thunder to win this series.
Now on twitter, I noticed there was a lot of blame either on Kobe or Gasol, so I am here to tell you who and what I blame for the Lakers losing.
First I will start with Kobe Bryant, now I love Kobe Bryant. He played spectacular in the first three quarters but his decision making in the 4th quarter was horrendous in my opinion. He received well deserved rest at the beginning on the 4th quarter, and then he came into the game, firing off jump shots. Kobe forced a lot of jump shots instead of sticking to the game plan to either go to the post or penetrate to the basket. Kobe missed his last 8 of 10 shots in the 4th quarter, which is ridiculous.
Kobe had a chance to tie the game with 13.4 seconds left in the game and opted to take a quick three pointer off the inbound pass. Personally I felt he could have gotten a better shot but apparently Kobe thought it was a good one.
Secondly I blame Pau Gasol, because he did make a horrible play that ultimately did cost the Lakers the game. He didn’t play particularly well in this game anyway but to make a horrible almost cross court pass in a close game like that is unacceptable.
Thirdly I put blame on Metta World Peace because just like Kobe, he played well in the last three quarters; he even became the leader in the beginning of the fourth quarter while Kobe was on the bench. However once the Thunder began to make a comeback, he began to force jump shots as well. He also seemed to neglect giving Andrew Bynum the ball in the post towards the end.
Lastly I have to put blame on Head Coach Mike Brown because as a coach it is your job to make sure that comeback doesn’t happen. First off I didn’t like the fact that in the second half, he didn’t give Bynum any real type of rest, which had a lot to do with Bynum lazy play towards the end. I also feel he let Kobe and the rest of the team go away from the game plan which was to penetrate or give it to the post.
Technically blame goes on the entire Lakers team because they allowed Oklahoma City Thunder to get back into the game and didn't make any defensive stops when it mattered most but the four people I named are the main people that standout in my opinion.
Overall this is second time in this series, that Lakers have given the game away. If Lakers had won game two and game four they would be up in this series right now but instead they play around and let Thunder stick around.
I am very impressed with the Thunder they are showing me a lot in this series, this is the second time in this series when they have been challenged and they continue to preserve against adversity and get the win in the end.
Kevin Durant once again proved why he is the upcoming best player in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant. He is the next big closer in my opinion. He has the ability and length with a wet jumper & can go to the rim. He also making people second guess why LeBron James received the MVP award over him as well.
If you take a look at my Western Conference Semi Final Analysis/Prediction article, you will see that I did pick Oklahoma City Thunder to win this series.