Warriors 115, Lakers 111: Nellie’s story–Out-coached by one Jackson, saved by another
What a horrendous, great, gutsy, unfathomable, ugly, incredible game at Staples Center tonight. (Note: I wasn’t there.)
The Warriors and Don Nelson can feel good (terrific start), feel unconsolable (give up a 26-point lead to a Laker team playing without Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum) and feel lucky and happy (Stephen Jackson’s two three-pointers in the last minute win the game–his only FGs of the second half) all at once.
That’s a pretty stunning game, all in all. Confusing and highly entertaining and stunning. The Warriors: Where holy #$!#% happens.
The positives, quickly:
* Slo-Mo Stephen Jackson is an assassin out there, and when you go bullet for bullet in the final seconds with Kobe Bryant and come out the winner, you’re a Prince of Assassins.
* Kelenna Azubuike (+9 on the plus/minus) was a rock defending Kobe (-6). I doubt he’ll knock Kobe off-stride in the rematch tonight, but doing it for even one game–until the Kobe Nova at the end–is more than most guards can say.
* Brandan Wright (6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocked shots in 11 minutes), was solid getting some of Pietrus’ minutes. Actually, more than solid: I thought Wright changed the game with his shot-blocking.
I know Don Nelson won’t play him together with Andris Biedrins, but I’m not entirely sure why he goes so long so often with neither of the Warriors’ shot-blockers on the floor. Well I know why, and I totally disagree. (More on this later.)
* Monta Ellis gives the Warriors negative play on defense, so he must out-score his counterpart by at least 10–and do it efficiently–for the Warriors to have a chance.
Tonight Ellis wasn’t shooting it great, but he figured out a way to get 31 points on 12 of 22 shooting with 5 assists; Derek Fisher had 16 points.
* The Warriors needed this one because Denver surprised me by winning in Toronto–the GSW victory keeps them 1.5 games ahead of Denver for the last playoff spot and only .5 behind Dallas for 7th place.
—But I came out of this one with more big-picture negative thoughts about the Warriors than positives…
The big one:
* Phil Jackson out-coached Don Nelson so thoroughly it almost wasn’t fair.
There are a lot of reasons why PJax has won nine titles and Nelson zero, starting with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe. Of course.
But Jackson also has a system that works. He doesn’t rely on wacky match-ups and screen-roll/screen-roll offense. He forces his guys to play defense. He forces them to move the ball on offense. He rallies them from trouble. He sets his stars up to do starry things.
The Lakers lost this game, but once they get Gasol back (soon) and possibly Bynum (playoffs?), they will be flying far above the Warriors’ reach. Heck, they might beat the Warriors tomorrow night at Oracle without either.
Tonight, Jackson had to start Ronny Turiaf. He only used three bench players, none of them ‘bigs’–Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic.
Yet the Lakers still played like the Lakers, still pounded the glass, still stuck it out, still almost won this game despite getting mauled in the first half amid a typical Warriors firestorm.
That’s coaching, folks.
Obviously, Nelson has done immense things for the Warriors–nobody could have brought this franchise this far this swiftly. He has done another great job this season.
I’ve been saying for weeks that I think the Warriors will make the playoffs and I’m saying it mostly because I believe Nelson gets the most from this team and he won’t allow it to fall apart down the stretch.
However…
There’s also a reason why Nelson almost never beats the great coaches in the playoffs–and by great, I mean the guys above Avery Johnson.
Great coaches set up their rosters without tricks, mostly. They build a foundation of fundamentals. They work in their quality young players so they can get something out of them in crunch time.
Mostly, they play the guys who play defense. I know Nelson appreciates and cares about defense. I know he didn’t have Pietrus tonight, which is not an uncommon event.
But Wright should’ve played more. Matt Barnes couldn’t shoot again, but he was trying to play defense in his short 7-minute stint. He should’ve played more.
And Al Harrington (who was a mysterious +10–I’m going to write that one off tonight, just an out-lier) should not have been playing much.
I defend Al. I think he gives Nellie something Nellie needs–a big man who can shoot the three and spread the floor. Plus, Harrington has been rebounding lately (13 two nights ago, 10 tonight).
But if he’s not going to play much defense AND he’s not shooting well, Harrington should be off the floor–Wright or Barnes should be playing. (Biedrins had foul trouble so he’s not in this discussion tonight.)
And on offense… I know it’s a classic Nelson touch for his team to come out like gangbusters on the road and boom to a nice early lead in the face of a hostile crowd before the home defense sets its feet. That’s good stuff.
Yet what offense was the Warriors running in that awful third quarter when Phil Jackson tightened it up on Ellis and Jackson and cut off his teams’ flow of turnovers? I have no idea. I don’t think the Warriors players know what the heck they were doing.
Well, they were trying to do screen-rolls with Baron and Biedrins, but Turiaf was blitzing the screen (coaching!) and taking the pass away totally. That wound down the shot clock, that forced desperation and usually a bad heave from deep.
I realize the Warriors are limited offensively because they don’t have a low post threat and that they need tempo and turnovers to get it flowing.
But some of that is Nelson, isn’t it? He likes the spread offense, he hasn’t developed Wright, he bounced Patrick O’Bryant (OK, I’m stretching it here–I deserve to get yelled at) and he thought Chris Webber was a partial answer.
He doesn’t have an answer when the tougher, smarter, best-coached teams choke off the Warriors’ easy stuff–unless it’s BD going superstar or SJax tossing in darts.
You’re telling me Turiaf and Lamar Odom are quantum leaps over what the Warriors had tonight on the post?
Odom is very good. But he’s not that interested in scoring on the post. Turiaf is a hustler, not a scorer. Yet they combined for 35 points and 28 rebounds.
Again, they didn’t win the game (combined 10 turnovers), but Jackson basically said: I’ve to play them, so I’m going to work them inside and see what happens.
Once he gets Gasol back, it’ll be worse for the Warriors. If he gets Bynum back and draws the Warriors in the playoffs, it’ll be a sweep.
I’m confused. If Jackson is such a superior coach, how did he (and all of his expertise) allow his team to fall behind by 26 points at home? Where was Jackson during last year’s playoffs? When Jacko has MJ, Kobe/Shaq or Kobe/Pau he is a great coach. When Red Auerbach had Bill Russell and the Jones boys, he was a great coach. The NBA is a players league. 9 times out of 10, the team with the better players wins the games. Tonite the Warriors had more better players that made more plays and they won the game on the road. Is Jax a better coach that Nellie? Well, his 9 rings probably justify a “yes” answer, but tonight should not be put on the coaching Hall of Fame list. You simply can’t let your team fall behind by 26 at home, with Kobe Bryant on your roster, and be considered a “superior” coach
Not disagreeing with what you say tonight, Tim. Good post. Add Utah to a match-up that’s a possible first round sweep. Other than Utah and LA, though, no other team really scares me.
Come on, Tim, give the guys some credit. The Lakers without Gasol and Bynum just beat Utah in Salt Lake, only the fourth time the Jazz have lost at home ALL SEASON. The Lakers have been looking great in spite of the injuries, and the Ws still found a way to win. That is a quality road win — and yes, Jackson is a better coach than Nelson, and has about 8 more championships for that reason.
But come on, man, don’t hate. Scoreboard says that Nelson was the better coach tonight. There’s just no way that the GSWs as currently constituted are going to be a good defensive team, so Nelson makes the most of the smalls and tweeners that he has. If Mullin had been able to swing the Garnett deal last summer, then maybe you would criticize an all-offense approach. But you need quality bigs to be an elite team in the West, — that’s why the Lakers have been an also-ran for the past couple of years, in spite of their coach. And the Dubs just one, decent one in Beans.
So why not enjoy them for what they are? A probable low-seeded playoff team that’s streaky and soft underneath. But pointing out the obvious that they can’t defend and that Nellie has no rings as a coach after the biggest road win of the year seem kind of churlish.
Wow! Where to begin …..
First, leave it to Tim to totally disregard the most important point regarding the Dubz victory. How bout the fact that the Dubz broke a 9 game losing streak to the Lake Show at Staples. Hello Tim!!! Are you really that uneducated on the Dubz biggest rival! Wow! The Warriors exercised some serious demons tonight, and those devilish demons don’t go quietly! You would have to be foolish to think that the Lake Show would not come back. Tim, please get with the program here. Any day the Dubz walk into Staples and come out with a W, regardless of the circumstances, is a day to be celebrated.
Second, there is nothing lucky about S Jax going off in the 4th quarter. He had been hot all game from behind the arc, and he has consistently hit the big shot all year long. Lucky, no. Highly skilled and proven, yes!
Third, Nelly cant coach the ball into the hoop. This is a jump shooting, lane slashing team. When a team closes down the middle and the Warriors aren’t hitting their open shots its not Nelly’s fault. Its a personnel problem, not a coaching problem. Many of these problems will be solved in the future by Wright, but for now, especially when AB is in foul trouble, the Dubz must make their shots. This did not happen in the majority of the 2nd half, thus the Lake Show come back.
Also, Lamar has averaged well over a double-double in the last 25 games, and in fact has a double-double in 20 of the last 24 Laker games. He has also been consistent against the Warriors this season with big rebounding games. Just like with Jax, its not luck or abnormal for Lamar to have good/great games.
OakFoSho
Lots of good points but one thing I’d add is that Lamar Odom is a player the Warriors would absolutely LOVE to have. If they got him, he’d instantly be the Warriors best low post player, by a wide margin.
OK how many teams would have fallen apart losing such a big lead? The Warriors did not. Think coaching had some part in that?
All that matters is championships, as in how many you have won.
Nellie has zero. I not even sure if he has made it to the finals.
So Nellie has shown that he can only take team so far. So the question I ask is, who would you rather have coach the Warriors, Nellie or PJax?
Jeez, can we enjoy what we have after 10+ years of terrible-ness? Give me a break. Tim, You’re comparing our beloved Warriors to the team that will most likely be the NBA Champs. Give them their due, and enjoy the win, even if it were over a Laker team missing some parts. Maybe you should count to ten before posting some of these blogs - you’re SO emotionally reactive!
thanks for the article Tim. Run a play, you practice them. Even a simple double screen at the top of the key. Launching ridiculous jumpers from long range instead of taking time off the clock, making the opponent work on defense, are key to losing games. Silly shots are still silly shots even when they go in.
Ellis has to start games playing defense. He is allowing way to many first quarter points. It is a typical problem for high schoolers defense comes late.
Gosh he is good and fun to watch offensively.
Tim, you’re sports writer. Shouldn’t it be clear to you by now that the same brilliance that beats teams that the warriors have no business beating also means that they NEED to blow 26 point leads, only to come back and win?
This is who they are, and this is the team everyone wants to watch.
Do us all a favor and just go back to the LA area. It seems like you still have a place in your heart for probably the worst fans in all of sports.
Sean, OakFoSho, and all,
yes, the warriors broke the losing streak at staples and yes they did build a 26 pt lead (although you should also acknowledge they gave it away). The point is that the lakers were without bynum and gasol. you could argue that would be similar to taking s-jax and biedrins out of the lineup for the warriors. so what if the phil jax led lakers were down by 26…did they not pull it together and almost win the game without bynum and gasol? If you really believe the lakers would not have performed better than they did tonight with bynum and gasol (and most likely have won), then maybe you need to learn a little more about how good those 2 players are. I think that is Tim’s point. It was a great and exciting win for the warriors, but keep things in perspective as the lakers are a much better team once gasol and bynum come back.
When Jackson has great players (Jordan, Pippen, O’Neil, Bryant), yes he is a great coach. However, when he does not have superior players, what has he ever accomplished? Without Jordan, what did he accomplish? What have the Lakers accomplished without Shaq? As for Nelson, he has never had the best 1 - 3 players in the league. Yet he has left his mark by turning around floundering franchises such as the Warriors (twice) and Dallas. Also, I would take Nelson’s eye for talent anyday over Jackson’s. Who were Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Dirk Navitski, before Nelson drafted them? There are more prominent players whose names I can’t remember? Who has Jackson ever drafted? Phil Jackson is probably the most overrated NBA coach of all time?
Arnold #10,
Nobody’s questioning how big missing those 2 players are (and the Warriors were missing MP too, btw … not that he compares to either Bynum or Gasol). But you’re just speaking to the fact that it’s players, and not coaches, that win or lose a game in this league. I don’t think that’s supporting Tim’s argument at how Jackson out-coached Nelly.
Furthermore, if you have the best player in the league, and you lose a game at home, I don’t consider that a great coaching job. Nobody thinks the Warriors are better than the Lakers (especially when healthy), so I’ll take this win any way we can get it.
Our problem with the Lakers were around before Bynum developed and Gasol arrived. So the Warriors essentially beat the same team that has been giving them problems at Staples for quite some time. SO, is Phil only as good as the players he can put on the floor? I’d say that’s his track record. What about Nellie…He’s winning with 0 all stars, no post game, erratic shooters, no great shooters, a poor defensive club, a poor rebounding club,3 d-leaguer’s and a rookie for a bench, and the best-damn looking cheerleaders in the league. Nellie for MVP….Tim ran out of Webber material, so I guess he has to write something to get some attention. The W’s won, Lakers are not an elite team without Gasol and Bynum,and Phil Jackson is over-rated,Nellie is under-rated and Tim is over-paid. Kobe, however, is very good. That…..is all.
C0-
you are correct, I really don’t care if nelson or phil is considered a better coach. I just care about the warriors making the playoffs and how well they can do there.
But if the lakers are missing gasol and bynum, and only lose by 4, then what do you attribute the lakers performance to? bench players stepping up? how much would the warriors have lost by at home to a full strength lakers team if the gsw were down 2 of their top players? who deserves the credit for the lakers coming back? the coach. Nellie gets the accolades when he makes moves with his bench or players…why shouldnt phil get credit when he is able to get his team back on track after being down by 26 pts when he is down gasol and bynum?
Also, let’s not go down this whole “when you have the best player in the league” crap. The teams are what they are. If you have the greatest player and a bunch of scrubs…there are no guarantees…even at home. Just ask guys like Lebron and MJ…are their teams anything when they are with scrubs?
Where we do agree is that a win is a win…and if this helps the warriors get into the playoffs…then who cares who the best coach is.
Tim, let the haters get to you…their right…:D
Ralph #6
PJax would never agree to coach the Warriors. Not enough stars…
I have observed Neelie over the years and noted he has never had a true low post star. He didn’t have one in Milwaukee, tried to force Webber who rebelled, tried to change Ewing and that didn’t work, moved Dirk to the perimeter in Dallas. Can’t say if the way he coaches is because he prefers that center-less style and believes it will win a championship (hasn’t yet) or is it a flaw in his coaching skills? Or is it just ego(gets bored and does it this way because it’s more entertaining/fun)?
The parallel story has been Nelson’s teams tend to struggle on the boards and on defense; and their playoff runs have been abbreviated. They can’t win when they don’t shoot well.
But Nelson has been consistent. When you get Nellie you know what to expect.
Perhaps I’m biased, but I thought that was one of the worst officiating performances I’ve ever seen. Where were the wistles in the 2nd half? Looked to me like those guys had some money on this game. They had as much to do with LA’s comeback as the players did.
Timmy, sometimes your spewage is pretty hard to take. As another poster suggested, maybe you would be better off in the smog of SoCal. But they won’t pay for your shtick. You were starting to grow on me a bit, but now it’s the same old bs.
Totally agree on Nelson. I’ve always said he’s a good, but nowhere near great, coach. His main strength is getting his most talented players to play for him. But he only seems to be able to accomplish that by allowing them to play how they want to play, not how they should play. Great coaches get talented player to play hard AND the right way. Also, Nelson has no idea what to do with a low-post-scoring big man. If he coached the Spurs the last 10 years they’d never even make it to the Finals, and he probably would have traded Duncan for Nowitzki.
But Nelson’s a lot better than everything else we’ve had the last 20 years, so I’ll take him warts and all.
#16: “…why shouldnt phil get credit when he is able to get his team back on track after being down by 26 pts …”
Sure, I won’t argue that you can give PhilJ credit for the comeback they staged. It’s no small feat no matter which team you are playing. But if you give him credit for the comeback, then you should also give him some blame for letting them get down 26 points in the first place. NBA basketball is played in 4 quarters. No matter how well they played (or how poorly the Dubs played) in the 3rd , they still lost. And if you say the players didn’t stick to Phil’s plan in the second, then you can say that the Warriors didn’t stick to Nelly’s plan in the 3rd.
Even without their 7-footers, does anybody think the Lakers have less talent than the Warriors? Even with the injuries, does anybody consider the Lakers an underdog to the Warriors (at the Staples center no-less)?
In any case, it will probably be harder to get the win tonight, even if it’s at home. Should be fun to watch no matter what (especially in HD).
I agree with Tim 100%; and, I don’t think he means to disparage the improvement Nelson has brought about, or the entertaining play of his teams. Most of us really enjoy watching them. But watching them is both satisfying and depressing at the same time. You know all the while that under Nelson they will never obtain the missing link - because he never does. I think that Nelson is either incapable or disinterested in coaching fundamental basketball. He loves screwing around with gimmicks, match-ups and surprises - most of all he likes to win with misfits and overachievers that are less talented than the competition. He thinks those attributes make him a superior coach; plus he is never saddled with the burden of expectation. Nobody ever expects his teams to win a championship.
Some people on here prefer to attribute Jackson’s success to the players he has coached rather than his coaching. That is true in part, but it is also attributable to the types of players his teams acquire and develop. Apart from Kobe, the Lakers line-up of a couple of years ago was mostly trash. But, like the Warriors, they rebuilt … but they built it to fit Jackson’s scheme built on fundamental basketball. Yes he gets the stars, but he also makes all the other pieces fit so well.
Devastating Warriors rap at http://www.myspace.com/bergondy
Wright has looked supremely impressive in the limited opportunities he has been given. I realize that Nellie HATES rooks - but c’mon old man, this guy’s a true baller! What’s more he runs like a gazelle and fits perfectly in the Warriors up-tempo offense. BWright should be getting a minimum of 20 minutes of burn from here on in - make it happen Nellie!
You also got to give props to this being the most tenacious 4th qtr dubs team in a long while. They’re never out of a game (for the same reason that never fully in control of a game either, of course).
Jackson managed to coach the Lakers into spending 75M on 10 players next season. Nelson can’t do that (at least not in Oakland!).
Short and Sweet:
Love the Warriors, but Nelson does botch the match up game from time to time…Sometimes, you just have to GO BIG. Adapt!
And that 3rd quarter? I haven’t seen that much standing around by a team since the last time I passed a Caltrans crew.
Jeez Tim, your knees must be sore by now. First, Kobe now Phil Jack. Who’s next, Pau then Bynum? Your affinity for anything L.A. is so apparent that you “left your heart in Los Angeles”. It’s a virtual suckfest.
Next, you’ll have Colletti, Joe Torre and the rest of those overpaid underachievers on deck.
How many championships did Jackson win when he only had Pippen ? How many has he won when he only had Kobe ? None. The simple fact is if you have two or three great players with a great coach it equals championship. Dont tell me there was ever a time in Don Nelsons career where he had the talent that Aurbach, Jackson, or Riley ever had. But he always gets the most out of what he has and if he ever gets that top notch talent its undoubtly going to spell out championship. He does the gimmics because he doesnt have that legends to build around. So to me thats why he is one of the greats. He creats winners where other coaches wouldnt be able to.
Tim: A nice post & you are exactly correct, the Warriors remind me of what’s wrong with the Bay area when it comes to sports here..The Raiders & the Niners set the standard for excellence in this area for so long & neither Cal or Stanford can ever have anything
sustaining for more then 3 or 4 yrs tops..The teams for SoCal continue to dominate this area & always will because they ar like the NY yankees where they play for championhips & the stupid a.. fans here in the bay area watch & make comments about just making the playoffs..The bay ware fans here are stupid , simple
minded FANS & can’t hold a candle to the fans of USC in football & UCLA in basketball & The great LAKERS who are playing for their 15 NBA championship & Don nelson is the epitomy of Marty schottenhiemer & Chuck knox in the NFL, In Don nelsons case he played for the Celtics where they preached defense & yet he can’t configure & teach his players to play defense, what a JOKE!!, you stupid warrior fans..He’s is a entertainer for the dumb sports fans in this stupid AREA!!!. Chris mullen saved himself from being fired from the Je..Cohen & saved his white a..
R
Tim, you’re getting a lot of heat on this article, but I think you make some good points that need to be made and ultimately addressed by the Warriors (players, coaches, and management). Whether they address it now or in the off-season, the truth is, the Warriors need more variety in their offense and more stability in their defense. That’s a fact, folks. Regardless of how gritty the win was last night, there’s no excuse for the way they let that lead go. The 3rd quarter was playground stuff and it is definitely something to worry about!
#31 says:
“you stupid warrior fans..He’s is a entertainer for the dumb sports fans in this stupid AREA!!!. Chris mullen saved himself from being fired from the Je..Cohen & saved his white a..”
R
Sometimes it is better to stay silent and have people wondering whether you are intelligent or ignorant, than to post a comment accusing a whole community and leave no doubt.
#31…you fool, you are a JOKE, when the Lakers get their 15th banner & you still continue to KISS Don’s A.. which Im sure you enjoy doing anyway!1..I will laugh all the way to L.A & party with them A..H…
Bring it on Stupid #31..Go spend your White… money on losers who will get bounced in the first round!!LOL
R
Hahahaha!!
#32
No disagreements about your post, but I think it’s still a season or two premature. This team still hasn’t been together for a full season (they obviously played 82 games, but not in one NBA calendar season). They first need a few more playoff appearances before we can start criticizing why they can’t win a championship.
#31
Are you the dyslexic/drunken version of Kawakami?
jazone:
How old are you Q as Folk?..Get a life moron…
You actually think the Warriors will play for a championship..
this is Don’s second go round you jack… & he had a
better team back then..Please bay area MINDLESS fan Shut the Hell up!!
R
#34
“Bring it on Stupid #31″
You ARE #31, you are challenging yourself. It is time for your dose of Ritalin.
Read comment #33 real slowly and decipher the meaning.
Oh Mr. #37 wants to make contact again.
Poor warriors fans who have to endear Don nelson coaching until the when???..The warriorS WILL NEVER WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP,EVER!!!!..Now are you ready to do your job BJ?.
Im waiting
Please all of you Warrior fans stop with hoping Nelson will lead you to the promise land, it’s NOT going to ever happen…..You are LOSERS & (god love ya) you will always be losers!!
Hell bring back Rick barry, jeff mullins, Clyde lee, Keith wilkes,CJ charles johnson, clifford ray,Jim barnett,Derrick dickey even Nate thurmond…You still couldn’t hold a candle to the Lakers in their lean yrs which were minimal.
R
Your father should’ve worn a condom,
Your mother should’ve been on the pill.
I hope I never hook-up with any of your ex-girlfriends,
because some STD’s can kill.
al HOMO?
Im sorry I was confused ….I didn’t know you were a poet?..My apologies to your BF
R
I would never want what is ailing you. Is there a name for your dis-ease?
Al homo:
You should know you’ve been taking the AIDS meds for awhile,. Im sure you have gained some weight since your last anal exam from Tyrone
R
Color me confused…The Warriors win on the road against a team with superior talent but Nelson got out-coached. Seriously?? “Great coaches set up their rosters without tricks, mostly.” FYI Tim - Jackson doesn’t handle personnel for the Lakers, that is Mitch Kupchek’s job and before him the great Jerry West. Jackson is considered a great coach because he was in the right spot at the right time (Jordan) and he parlayed his success there into a job with a franchise that, more often than not, has the best personnel in the NBA. Tim, stick to something your good at - bashing Sabean.
Tim,
I love the thought you put into your blogs, and I think it’s great we’re talking about whats wrong with a team that’s 17 games over .500 since it hasn’t happened in a long time, but for a team this good you are pretty negative. And your love for Phil Jackson is a little too thick. No question he’s a fantastic coach and he develops his bench and young players. But the reason he can is because he’s always had a superduper star that can help cover for young player while they are getting that trial by fire. Nellie has never had a superduper star to allow him to do that. He’s had numerous great players, but never an MJ, Kobe, or Shaq. And I think people get caught in the triangle they run and think its a passing and sharing type offense. Make no mistake, if the Lakers need a bucket at a big time, they are giving it to Kobe and getting out of the way. So again, without the best player in the league, that may not work as well. Keep up the good points for discussion Tim. thanks.
#35
Thanks for the reply. I agree with you. I guess I, a lot of fans, and even sports writers need to realize that being in championship contention won’t be with Baron Davis…or will it? I know Ellis is part of the Warriors future backcourt for a long time, but how long will Baron be here? Are we going to try out Bellinelli next year?
Lowell Cohn thinks Don Nelson is an all-time great coach. Read his defense of Nellie here:
http://cohn.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2175479&mode=
ALL YALL LAKER FANS TALKING SMACK ABOUT RINGS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GREAT COACHES AND GREAT PLAYERS STFU !!!! THE SIMPLE FACT REMAINS THAT WE BEAT YALL TWO IN A ROW AND ARE ABOUT TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW AND PRAY LAKER FAN YOU DONT SEE US IN MAY BECAUSE YALL WILL BE THE MAVERICKS OF 08. DONT TALK ABOUT THE PAST THATS MAKE YOU LOOK SILLY. GO DUBS !!!!!
Man u guys are nuts. i’ve never agreed with Tim, but i i GOT to AGREE with him this time. Results dont’ lie, as Nellie has 0 rings. Nellie is too stubborn and i can only say he is an above average coach. If u guys pay attention to the laker game last night, Kobe wasn’t willing to score in the 1st half, he was looking to pass, rebound and play defense. He was on Baron most of the time, and look at what Baron produce. However, Kobe was willing to score the 2nd half and see how many points he pour in the final few minutes. He wants to get to the line, the got there 2 times, he wants to nail the 3s, he got 2. The warriors GOT LUCKY to win beacuse of jaX’s prayer 3 pointers.
Lakers gave up a 26 point lead because they wan’t taking it serious, but when they do, they got back into the game. Many times when superior teams play against the warrior, they are able to shut down the warriors offense, but warriors are unable to do the same. That’s the difference b/t Champion teams.
CO-
post #22.
Then nellie should get the blame for them almost blowing a 26t pt lead…gimme a break. The point is that they made their comeback without 2 of their best players. And yes, the warriors should have more talent than the lakers when the lakers are down gasol and bynum.
u could go back and forth on this all night and get nowhere.
and what’s with “In any case, it will probably be harder to get the win tonight, even if it’s at home. Should be fun to watch no matter what (especially in HD).” that’s a loser’s mentality, a cop out if the warriors lose…something that u are familiar with?
Rob 1875:
Hey ghetto N…..go back to East Okalond & rape someone..who’s your daddy since you y’all came from the same father
Low-life piece of Sh..!!
R
What will happen when P Jackson has no more superstars (Shaq, Kobe, Pippen and MJ) to coach? Pat Riley used to be considered as the zen master of coaching when he had a great team, but have you seen his current team played lately? I’m not disagreeing that PJ is a great coach, I just disagree that he’s that much better than Nelson, if he is even that. Nelson and Dubs would probably win a few championships with superstars and floor coaches like KB and MJ.
#52…You are really stupid about your comment concerning Phil Jackson being on a par with piece of sh..Don Nelson..Please look at what Mr.Nelson did in drafting Chris webber & then trading him to Sac only to see him help the Kings get to the Western conference finals..Please AssH…don’t write comments here if you don’t know any history & can’t support your facts!!!!
jagoff
R
LOL #53! From reading all the flame you posted on this blog, it’s obvious that you’re just a NorCal-hater silly kid that ran out of his Ritalin. BTW, Kobe got my vote for MVP..CP is very very close behind though.