***Kobe "The Fraud" Bryant appreciation

LOL... This is about a useless as anything the typical marks like westcoasttrojan say.  The STATS dont lie.  Seems like you're mad you were one of the people that were hit in the pockets by the FADE train.

LOL @ crossing paths with Kupchak when Kupchak and Jackson have both been trying to TRADE Bryant for years.  The only reason the plan was nixed was because of their senile boss Jerry Buss.

Sorry it happened to you(falling trap to the FADE train) but its not too late.  You have 1 more game to FADE the Lakers before the regular season is over.

And sorry to break it to you, but other than Utah, I dont think any team in the league is hotter than the Lakers. Maybe IndebtCrimes can post the stats to back it up (although like most around here, they dont come around after being proven wrong time after time)

Kid has lost so much money on the FADE train he doesnt even know what to say.

For all of you that have been riding the FADE train (which originally started 8 days earlier than this thread was made) The bolded text was the prediction I made the day I started this thread and as expected the Lakers easily choked down the stretch of the season.  Without having a true clutch player and strong leadership to hold the troops together, the team went 5-8 SU and 4-9 ATS (which included dropping 4 straight until the team's defensive anchor - Kwame Brown returned)

Tonight's matchup -

LA Lakers @ Sacramento Kings +1.5 Total 220.5

The final game of the season for both teams.  The Lakers are currently in the 7th seed but if they lose and Golden State wins, will drop to 8th.  Golden State has to win because if they lose and the Clippers win, the Clippers will take over and clinch a playoff spot.

A lot of posters (mainly the ones in denial during the fade train) seem to think the Lakers might tank tonight's game in hopes of drawing the Dallas Mavericks, a team that probably outmatches them at every position on the floor, in the first round.  Thinking like that is why the FADE train was able to go 15-4 in the last 19 as it was the Lakers' franchise breaking home loss to Dallas that started the FADE train.

With this game pretty much meaningless for Sacramento, let's watch to see will the Lakers play team ball and blow the Kings out (like last time) or will the team play uninterested, me-first basketball and the Lakers struggle to beat a team that has planned vacation two weeks ago?

IC,

I agree.  Hopefully the admins will see fit to archive this thread

The LA Lakers close out the regular season with a double digit victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night which avoided two things from happening:

- The team clinched the #7 seed in the playoffs for the 2nd straight year

- Phil Jackson (although he set a futilty record already) avoided posting a record of below .500 for the first time in his career.

Final FADE train statistics -

6-8 SU and 5-9 ATS (since thread) and 9-9 SU and 5-13 ATS overall (since 36 point home loss to Dallas)

Good luck in the playoffs everyone

Feels good to get a win to make up for all the other games you dropped during the FADE train I assume?  Sadly, the FADE train doesnt run through the playoffs but rest assured it'll be back next year.

Oh yeah, not a surprise the Lakers won the game, like I said before, TEAM ball conquers all

WestCoast, do you really have to trouble yourself & do research on how Great Kobe is?  everyone knows this in their hearts even as far away as china except the Haters!  Is Kobe & the 4 zombies built for the championship?  most likely not ...but hey, with this group, Lakers are in the playoffs & this is Huge in the west where almost all teams are stacked with talent to the max. So westcoast, the only comment to be given to these blind kobe haters should STFU period 

           Winter also admits that Bryant abandons aspects of the triangle offense with some regularity. But that's             not Winter's main complaint with the guard:

"I'd like to see him play better defense," Winter said, adding that he had addressed the issue recently with Bryant but didn't come away with the idea that Bryant was intent on changing his approach. (Sounds like Tex Winter is a no knowledge, hater)

"You know Kobe," Winter said with a chuckle. "He has his game plan. (Proving Bryant is not coachable) I think he heard me. But he feels there's a certain way he's got to play the game. But it doesn't involve a lot of basically sound defense." (Sure looks like a great defender to me)

Because the Lakers need so much of his effort at the offensive end, Bryant has adopted a save-energy plan on the defensive end, Winter said. "He's basically playing a lot of one-man zone. He's doing a lot of switching, zoning up, trying to come up with the interception.

"The way Kobe plays defensively affects the team," Winter added. "Anybody that doesn't play consistently good defense hurts the team. ( Definitely a hater now.  Doesnt he know Bryant is a lock down defender?  John Hollinger says so )

From Coach Phil Jackson -

"Obviously, to a person that has been watching the games, it shows that his defense has slipped." (UH OH.  Phil Jackson is LYING to the press once again.)   Bryant has had operations on his knees and it's harder for him to get into a defensive stance.

"He likes to roam and take risks which can be good at times but not always.  He's not picking up steals like he used to." (But Hollinger says he's the 2nd best at SG in the NBA )

Bryant doesn't move laterally as well as he used to without a drop step because of knee tendinitis.

From Coach Michael Cooper -

Cooper was asked to name the best defender on the Lakers.

"Luke Walton is very good," Cooper said. "Smush Parker is decent."

And that was it. (LOL... Not even mention as tops on the team.  But I guess Cooper was a hater as well because well all know he didnt know anything about defense. )

So yeah, I think its safe to say that just like hustle_man, those NBA veteran coaches and players ( all three of which have NBA championships) have no idea what they are talking about.

It was easy to prove westcoasttrojan wrong before but now its getting as easy as it is for a grown man to beat a toddler in 21. Give it up kid, you've been banned from any basketball related conversation.