Lakers bounce back with win in physical Game 2

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, and Houston forward Ron Artest exchange words in the second half during Game 2 of their second-round NBA playoff series in Wednesday.

[Tyler]

I don't feel Kobe will be suspended for this simply because he is Kobe.

Whatever choice Stu Jackson makes on the matter it will be interesting...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime...
"The NBA rulebook states that a player must be ejected for "An elbow foul which makes contact above shoulder level." By the standard that's been set in these playoffs, Bryant should be suspended."

[b1gdmart]

Suspended or not, the Lakers have proven something to me today.

They are a great regular season team. However if they are overmatched physically, they crumble.

This Lakers team is in for a rude awakening if they somehow beat Denver and meet the Cavs in the finals.

[Batboy]

b1gdmart wrote:

Suspended or not, the Lakers have proven something to me today.
They are a great regular season team. However if they are overmatched physically, they crumble.
This Lakers team is in for a rude awakening if they somehow beat Denver and meet the Cavs in the finals.

The refs are carrying the Lakers. Kobe is a total POS. If I were Artest I'd smash his face in. The ejection of Artest was a joke. Kobe goes awol on Battier ...and nothing. The Lakers are a bunch of punks minus Odom and Bynum....and no I'm not a fan of either team just an outside observer that has become disgusted with this series and Kobes constant arrogant face. LeBron is a confident champ, Kobe is an arrogant punk.

[vic]

where the heck was bynum? he needs to get his butt working!!! 3 fouls and 5 rebounds i think... that is crap. instead of sulking for not getting your playing time, why dont you prove us wrong?!

[Pedro]

Batboy wrote:

<quoted text>
The refs are carrying the Lakers. Kobe is a total POS. If I were Artest I'd smash his face in. The ejection of Artest was a joke. Kobe goes awol on Battier ...and nothing. The Lakers are a bunch of punks minus Odom and Bynum....and no I'm not a fan of either team just an outside observer that has become disgusted with this series and Kobes constant arrogant face. LeBron is a confident champ, Kobe is an arrogant punk.

The ejection of Artest was automatic. He got his first technical foul for running over and getting in Bryant's face. He got his second technical foul for making that slash-across-the-throat sign towards Kobe. Two technical fouls, and he was out.

Watch the "elbow" play again, and you'll see Artest's elbow pushing against Kobe's head and face when trying to box out. Artest fouled first.

And Kobe got T-ed up for trash talking against Battier, something that would never get called in any other game. The refs were clamping down on everybody in that game, calling all sorts of fouls very tightly when they felt the game slipping away.

[faheem]

well man everyone knows kobe if not the greatest of all time is certainly the greatest player of his generation.lebron and wade are kool but not kool as him.well artest sucks .for me lakers are the champs and kobe is finals mvp

[CTran]

If you watch that entire play and you see Artest pushed Kobe neck from behind first and Kobe just matched a physical play with one of his own. RA can dish it out but he cannot take it; instead he ran to the ref and cried foul. WHat a jerk!!!

[Toasty]

The Lakers would have lost this type of game last year....or even two days ago. The Laker finally found their nastiness. This is what it takes to beat a defensive nasty team like Houston. Go get the Houston Nastys in Texas!

[Bill]

I don't know why they are even playing the game. It's obvious that the Lakers will advance, at any cost. The NBA is a joke and a fraud with no difference between it and the WWE. Stern you can have your boys from the hood, I am moving on.

[apujac]

lakers now should walk thru this with ease.

[jax]

The question of suspension is not for the incident with Kobe and Artest, its for the incident with Fisher and Scola. Scola deserved it. He was up in Odoms face then in Vujacic's. Hands down the Lakers were the better team last night. And...Artest is an a--hole. He's the one who started that whole altercation that one game in Detroit where he ended up going into the stands and assaulting fans. He was the ring leader of that incident. Anyways, Houston is never going to amount to the team the Lakers are now or have been in the past. How many championships do they have compared to how many the Lakers have. And thats with the Lakers of not only today with Kobe, but with the Shaq era and the Magic Kareem days.

[Dr Len]

Fish was great. If it was some other team other then the Lakers they would say what a scrappy play it was. With Walton and Jordan back the Lakers are at full tilt.
Lakes in 5 or 6.

[Mathias D]

When the officials do not regulate the players, the players will regulate themselves. Look at the type and timing of the fouls called early in each quarter. The Lakers are out of fouls within three minutes of each quarter, giving Houston a chance to stay in the game by shooting free throws and slowing the pace of the game.

Scola apparently upset several Laker players and they checked him. Happens all the time in this league. A foul is a foul is a foul. Stop calling the games differently from the regular season and this stuff would stop.

[Batboy]

Pedro wrote:

<quoted text>
The ejection of Artest was automatic. He got his first technical foul for running over and getting in Bryant's face. He got his second technical foul for making that slash-across-the-throat sign towards Kobe. Two technical fouls, and he was out.
Watch the "elbow" play again, and you'll see Artest's elbow pushing against Kobe's head and face when trying to box out. Artest fouled first.
And Kobe got T-ed up for trash talking against Battier, something that would never get called in any other game. The refs were clamping down on everybody in that game, calling all sorts of fouls very tightly when they felt the game slipping away.

Yes rulewise it was automatic. The point I am making is that in game 1 Kobe clearly kneed and elbowed Battier in the face when he was on the ground, yet not a thing was called.

Artest on the other hand makes a gesture and gets Teed-up. It is clearly inconsistent. How many gestures are made on the court? Elbows to the head are one thing, choking gestures are another. Until Artest commented on it, most of us thought he was calling Kobe a choker.

[Bornite]

We all know Kobe is great but the Lakers pulled some dirty tricks in this game. yes it is the playoffs, but for basketball not football...and Fisher should be suspended for his actions. Oh yeah I did not see LeBron putting a hard elbow to the neck of anyone either...wait maybe that is why he is MVP!

[Batboy]

It is interesting to read the homer comments on here and the justification of Fishers elbow.

Come on guys take off the lenses and see what the unbiased outside fans are seeing. The NBA is favoring the Lakers with the cheap call and non-calls.

Dwight Howard WAS suspended for an elbow. Fishers elbow was no different. It only takes one nasty elbow or punch to end a players career. Two words: Kermit Washington. The NBA needs to clean it up.

[Bornite]

jax wrote:

The question of suspension is not for the incident with Kobe and Artest, its for the incident with Fisher and Scola. Scola deserved it. He was up in Odoms face then in Vujacic's. Hands down the Lakers were the better team last night. And...Artest is an a--hole. He's the one who started that whole altercation that one game in Detroit where he ended up going into the stands and assaulting fans. He was the ring leader of that incident. Anyways, Houston is never going to amount to the team the Lakers are now or have been in the past. How many championships do they have compared to how many the Lakers have. And thats with the Lakers of not only today with Kobe, but with the Shaq era and the Magic Kareem days.

If you have to play dirty to win then I guess that is what you have to do.......

[Magic Johnson]

Awl dat madder is at we won da game an proved dat we is a bedder teeme dan Housson. Now we wiwl do to dem whut we did to Utah, dis series wont go mo dan sis games.

[raheel]

Uh.. Artest didn't get ejected because he ran to talk to Kobe. he got ejected because he made a 'cut your throat' sign at Kobe... in front of Crawford.

[Daniel]

I agree with most of you. Artest should not have been ejected, Fisher deserves a suspension, and I don't think Kobe should be ejected. Here's why:

1) Ref's did not call the foul early enough. Artest boxed out by putting a forearm to Kobe's head. They had a full 2-3 seconds to blow that whistle and it would never have happened.

2) Kobe did not intentionally aim for Arrest's head. Arrest was bearing down (leaning forward with knees bent) on Kobe and he flung his elbow backward and caught Artest on his throat.

Should both players have been charged with a foul? Yes. Should Kobe be fined for unsportsmanlike conduct with the potential of a Flagrant 1. Yes. No suspension.

I like where this series is heading. The Rockets have pushed the Lakers over the edge. Lakers will not stand for Scola's dirtiness and this sends a message to the rest of the NBA that the Lakers are not soft.