Lakers-Jazz Game 6 Live Blog Notes: Lakers Hold Off Utah, 108-105
May 17, 2008
Postgame
Six Lakers scored in double figures. Bryant scored 34 on only 19 shots (8 boards, 6 assists), Pau Gasol - 17, Derek Fisher - 16, Lamar Odom - 13, Vladimir Radmonovic - 12, Sasha Vujacic - 12 points. Utah also had six players score in double figures: Williams -21 (14 assists), Okur - 16, Millsap - 15, Brewer - 13, Boozer - 12, Kirilenko - 12,
Per the teams’ averages Utah out-rebounded LA , 52-38. LA attempted 38 free throws (10 in the game’s final 2:12, eight in the final 1:13) to Utah’s 25, but the fouls were close, 26 Utah, 24 LA. Utah was 9-25 from behind the arc (37.5%), while LA shot an amazing 7-11 (63.6%). Los Angeles committed 14 turnovers to Utah’s 11.
Fourth quarter
Here we go, This is where we see the frantic Utah comeback - or find out if the Lakers second team can stay level with the Jazz second team. There is probably one more rotation of subs remaining for both teams, so it will be critical for Utah to outplay the Lakers just as it will be critical for the Lakers subs to stave off any Utah run.
Lisa Salters call Phil Jackson “Phil Johnson” as she talks to Jerry Sloan. But the crime she commits is asking Sloan about the refereeing right off the bat (Boozer just got his 5th, 10:56 left in the game). Rony Turiaf makes one of two from the line. LA must make its free throws if they are to keep a comfortable lead.
So far the Lakers subs are holding their own. Vujacic, Turiaf, Walton, and Farmar are playing with Odom. Korver and Millsap are the only subs in for the Jazz. It’s 89-76 with 8:24 remaining in the game and Jackson calls a needed timeout.
It seems that LA can get layups any time they want if they stay withing the triangle, make their passes or take advantage of the natural mismatches they have. When they don’t - other then Kobe - they run into trouble.
With 7:05 left Boozer fouls Gasol across the lane with his body - no call. Deron Williams is abusing Jordan Farmar. Boozer knocks down Gasol - no call. Jazz within nine, timeout Jackson.
Because Gasol has such a size advantage over Boozer, if Utah does not immediately double Pau, Boozer must either allow Gasol to score at will or foul out within the next two possessions. If he doesn’t, it’s because every ref on Joe Crawford’s crew has swallowed their whistle of reprisal from the Utah crowd.
There, I said it. That’s the reality of the game right now.
Harpring fouled Bryant three times without a foul call. When Bryant elbow Harpring - foul. Williams fouls Fisher - no call. Gasol goes up for a rebound, Harpring bodies Gasol from behind - no call.
Boozer goes over Gasol’s back after a miss and fouls out ——– bye.
Kobe hits a seriously impossible 24-foot fadeaway with Harpring draped on him - 99-86 4:15 left. Odom gets knocked down by Millsap - no call. Then Millsap runs over Vujavic for an obvious charge - and complains.
Gasol TO, followed by an Okur TO (walk), followed by an Odom TO. 99-88 2:55 left in the game.
The Utah crowd is cursing the Lakers and throwing objects at the LA bench. Lovely white people. Kobe apparently pulled the entire team together and told them to stop worrying about the refs and blow out the Jazz the remainder of the game.
Williams clips Bryant, 103-94, 1:13 left. Kopbe has scored LA’s last 10 points. Okur hit s three, 103-97. After an Okur miss, Korver goes over two Lakers’ backs for the rebound and the play ends with Kirilenko hitting a wide-open three, 103-100 25.5 left.
On the inbound Kobe gets fouled immediately by Kirilenko - no call. Finally, Odom gets fouled with 19.4 left. LO hits both FTs. 105-100, TO Jazz.
Fouls? 24-24. An impossibility for the team that fouls more than any other in the NBA.
Kirilenko hits another open three, 105-103. Kobe at the line, 15.5 left - 107-103. The last five Jazz makes have been 3-pointers.
Millsap dunk. Fisher fouled 12.7 left: 107-105…. 106-105. Fisher makes one of two, Okur and Williams miss threes and lose 108-105.
Game and series Lakers 4-2.
Right off the bat Lisa Salters disses the Lakers and Kobe in the postgame interview saying something about no one expecting the game to come down to the last shot - as if LA just blew the lead and Utah wasn’t trying.
Salters asks Sloan about the refereeing and insinuates to Kobe that his team choked.
What a jerk. Good riddance.
Second half - 3rd quarter
Deron Williams is driving the lane directly through defenders and getting calls: Lakers three team fouls, Utah —- none. Mehmet Okur hand-checks Gasol all the way through his possession into his baby hook — no foul.
The Utah crowd is complaining about everything that happens against their team. And the yelling is seriously foul-mouthed. 73-55 7:30 left in the third.
Ronnie Brewer goal tends Odon who is shooting down on the basket - no goal tend. 76-57, 6:10 left in the 3rd.
Deron Williams straight shoves Derek fisher right out of bounds directly in front of Joe Crawford, no call. 76-51, 5:16 left. Pau Gasol at the line. Utah shooting 36% from the floor with eight TOs. The Lakers length is killing the Jazz, but. Okur just hit a three…. each team has been called for 15 fouls (despite what iot sounds like if you listen to the crowd and watch the Utah players).
Ronnie Brewer slides and gets a charge on Bryant, It could be a pivotal play but Kirilenko misses a trey. On the other end Boozer plows over Gasol and gets called for a charge, his 4th foul. But the thing is boozer reacts like he never touched the LA center ———- that is what I despise about some teams. 80-66, 2:20 left.
Utah can come back in this game if they get hot from the outside - or if LA sloughs off a bit on defense. Paul Millsap immediately hacks Gasol across the arm as he receives a pass —- and looks at the referee like he s did nothing. Even the crowd’s booing was weak and contrived. However, each trip up the floor Utah is crashing the boards hard and getting fouled by the weak rebounding Lakers.
Bryant - 20 points on 13 shots (1:30 left).
Gasol get fouled by Harpring as he goes up for a hook shot - no call.
Bryant scores his 21st and 22nd points on an impossible fade-away as he for double-teamed by Millsap and Brewer to make the score 86-70 after three.
First Half
I’ll say it up front. I dislike Utah. Actually, I dislike any team that beats the opposition up on both ends of the floor and cries every time a foul is called. So, with that said, I’ll add Cleveland (Cavs shoot 32.6% from the floor and win - unbelievable. ) to that list, too.
In the first quarter of Game 6 at Utah, where you can toss average stats out the door because the Jazz, who should lose at least four players a game to fouls, somehow manages to stay relatively even with foul shots.
For instance, with 8:01 left in the half Matt Harpring fouled Kobe Bryant and just hacked the crap out of him and reacts to the whistle like the was the best defender in the game. Harpring fouled Bryant three time before Kobe even took a dribble, fouled him with his body twice on Bryant’s way to the rim, then hacked him when he went up for the shot. On the ensuing trip up the floor C.J. Miles misses Mehmet Okur grabs the tipped ball and shoves Derek Fisher away from him - no call.
Fortunately, LA is pushing the ball so hard and spreading the court so well in the half court that there’s not much Utah, the slower, less athletic team, can do to stop them (50-35 Lakers, 4:43 remaining in the half).
LA has five steals and four blocks and lead in fast break points, 16-2 with 3:10 left in the half.
The Jazz’s most effective half court set occurs when they run their version of the John Wooden-day UCLA flex offense. However, when Utah runs it, they set a series of back picks with at least one moving screen to free the second or forth player through the offense. The illegal pick results in either a man popping free directly in front of the rim about xis feet out (the first player) or a man open under the rim on the opposite side of the basket from the play.
With 2:00 left the Jazz go zone and Vlamimir Radmonovic misses an open three, the Fish come down and drains a trey (59-43 1:09). Kirilenko fouls Kobe on his way to the rack, no call. And the Utah crowd screams “Referees suck!” Deron Williams obviously fouls Fisher behind the arc with 0:09 left and the chant starts again. 62-53 Lakes.
Comments
9 Responses to “Lakers-Jazz Game 6 Live Blog Notes: Lakers Hold Off Utah, 108-105”
Got something to say?
game over for the jazz
I know I should have posted something, but the word from the local media here in L.A was that Kobe was hopping around like a pogo stick the moment he got of the plane in Utah. I had already felt confident about a win due to the fact that the Jazz couldn’t take advantage of the Lakes with Kobe struggling in game 5. Oh well. Like Dwil, I respect Williams and Boozer but DAMN I hate the Jazz. Sorry to sound like a typical fan but I can’t help it. And I don’t want to hear sh*t about fouls. The Jazz are physical and the Lakers are aggressive on offense. This is the result. Although I will say the Jazz pull a lot of jerseys. Punks.
i think that those (you know which ones) utah fans are probably the worst, most disrespectful fans in all of basketball. it’s no wonder people hate to play in utah.
however, i disagree about the lakers not being able to get all the calls. i thought there were some bad calls that went both ways. i thought that l.a. caught the short end of the calls quite often, but i also thought they had some important ones go their way. like when bryant ran over williams with a minute left and got to shoot 2 free throws. i thought there were plenty of bad calls or no calls that went both ways. i think the difference in the game is that utah couldn’t hit their shots while l.a. hit the shots they should make and also hit a lot of difficult ones. that crazy shot by kobe was incredible. oh yeah, and i think boozer had a terrible series against the lakers. i mean, he’s not a good defender, but his offense was awful as well. on the other hand, odom was outstanding.
aaron-
Agreed on the Bryant call, but the Jazz weren’t 37-4 in the regular season because ‘there were plenty of bad calls or no calls that went both ways.”
When people who, in essence, work for the league (play-by-play announcers and color commentators) admit before games in Utah take place that the Jazz will get more than their share of the calls, you know there’s a trend.
I mean, are you going to tell me that Matt Harpring can guard Kobe Bryant one-on-one and stop him from going anywhere he wants on the court without fouling him? Same with Boozer and Gasol in the post. Same with Okur and Odom….
More than their share of calls? When LA shoots 13 more free throws in Utah? I’m not a Utah fan, but I’m not sure that’s realistic.
trouc-
As I wrote, 10 of the Lakers FTs came in the game’s final 2:12, 8 in the final 1:13. And Utah commits more fouls than any other team in the NBA.
Hmm, guess that’s what I get for skipping the intro… Still not sure why you think the league doesn’t want LA to advance though.
the l.a. team is too much for the jazz. i don’t think anybody can stop kobe, especially not matt “knee surgery” harpring. boozer and okur were way, way too slow for odom or gasol. for sure. and the lakers just outplayed the jazz in game 6. the score ended up much closer than the game, and you’re right that it was probably because home teams get the calls. maybe even more often in utah. but i’m not so sure about that.
Yeah Aaron those Utah fans are the worse. It was funny how the commentators on ESPN would never acknowledge how ignorant they were acting. Also remember that Baron Davis and Steven Jackson said last year in the playoffs that some of the Utah fans were calling them racial slurs. As usual this story was swept under the rug by the mainstream media.