TrueHoop reader John writes: "Is it a coincidence that the two huge Laker runs in the last two rounds have come with Odom on the bench? For their comebacks against the Spurs and in Game 2 of the Celtics series, he's been in foul trouble. Even in close games, Phil hasn't been playing him in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. What is the Lakers +/- with him in the game?" The worst three Lakers, in terms of two-game plus/minus, have been Luke Walton (-21), Lamar Odom (-19), and Jordan Farmar (-19). Plus/minus in small sample sizes like this is no holy grail, but it certainly does give you a sense of who is on the floor when each team makes its best runs. Walton and Odom, to me, have been particularly guilty of passive play. If they both woke up today with fire in their eyes, this could be a different game.
There are a lot of former NBA players involved in good causes. There are not a lot of former NBA players who are pioneers of urban farming, however.
Curt Schilling had excellent seats for Game 2 and blogged about the experience: "Last night KG goes to the line, Lamar Odom (who I became a fan of last night) is saying "Hey KG why don't you help on the ball down here? Pointing to the paint, and I am guessing he's referencing the fact that KG wasn't down in the paint mixing it up. He says it again, loudly, KG doesn't even acknowledge him, and sinks both. Impressive, total focus. One thing I did learn was that in addition to not having one ounce of athletic ability, being white, and having no vertical, and only being able to dribble right handed, I couldn't play in the NBA because about 43 times last night I heard things being said that would have made me swing at someone. These guys talk MAJOR trash on the floor, and the great part is that most of the times I've seen it the guy on the receiving end usually doesn't respond much, if at all, and just plays the game, schooling the guy who feels like he needs to talk to make his game better."
BlogaBull: "What we do know is, regardless of Vinny Del Negro's ultimate success, that Paxson's search was a failure bordering on a joke. He missed out on two choices, looked publicly pantsed doing so, and worse yet we're still not sure whose choices D'Antoni and Collins even were. And in a search predicated on 'open-mindedness', it was abruptly finished before candidates from the Lakers or Celtics were considered. The most qualified dismissed coach wasn't even interviewed, and even when D'Antoni was available it was seen as some unexpected development that threw off the 'process'. That said, that doesn't mean Del Negro is a bad hire because he's never had a head coaching job. Even less important that he'd never even been an assistant coach. If he's ready to lead and teach, a couple years on a bench wouldn't matter that much. I'm willing to give him a chance until there's reason otherwise. However, I will say that the lack of experience gives him a shorter rope. For him and Paxson."
Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune: "The Lakers' Phil Jackson hasn't lost too often in the playoffs during his coaching career, which probably explains why he is so bad at it. ... Personally, I thought Boston deserved everything it got in Game 2. The Celtics played better, played harder, played with more purpose and played with more energy than the Lakers -- at least until the final four minutes. I was shocked at the the Lakers' inability to control the middle, although that has been the big knock on center Pau Gasol over the years. He can turn a little soft, which he did in this game, and I thought Boston took advantage of it. In Utah, of course, Jackson won't get much sympathy. His cries of injustice will fall on deaf ears because of what transpired in the Western Conference semifinals between the Lakers and Jazz. Or maybe he forgot. L.A. won the series, 4-2. In their four close wins, the Lakers shot 169 free throws. Utah shot 99. In Game 2, the Lakers shot 43 free throws. The Jazz shot 16."
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