Round 1, Game 3 Postmortem: Luck

If you look at any Lakers blogs, message boards, or even threads on (apparently team neutral blogs) like Dimemag or Ball Don’t Lie you’ll see the comments section rife with Lakers fans who completely attribute this Lakers loss (wasn’t a Jazz win) to luck. It was luck that Kobe shot so poorly. It was luck that Deron made that clutch basket (like he isn’t known for doing so in the playoffs – watch the last few Jazz series where he’s made clutch game winners/daggers in Houston, vs Golden State and against the Spurs – add the Lakers to that list). It was luck that the Jazz got the benefit of the doubt on so many calls.

Really Lakers fans? Is this the best you can do? You can’t even admit that when it counted in a sloppy game for both teams, that the Lakers did not have what it takes to get the job done – when they were up by 13 in the 3rd quarter against a team playing without their 2nd best scorer, 2nd best rebounder, best three point shooter and arguably, most clutch player?

Sore losers much? It was never about the Jazz winning the game in their minds, which is quite rude.

Of course, not all Lakers fans are like this – only the millions of them on the internet who espouse abrasive personal attacks with fandom. It’s pathetic. Man up and take the loss. It doesn’t mean your team isn’t great. It doesn’t mean that your team isn’t still a media darling that’s favored in this – and countless other possible playoff series. It just means that you guys aren’t perfect.

Utah plays great at home, and they were bound to have some bounces fall their way. The reffing wasn’t as one sided as some Lakers fans think: after all, for every one call Millsap gets there are 4 that he doesn’t get. Calling Brewer out of bounds when he wasn’t, and he was under the basket for a dunk, is also crushing. Deron’s mind farts really gave the Lakers enough chances to win this game. (8 second call)  Probably the most crazy thing is that the Lakers bigs have yet to be called for Three in the Key once this series it appears. Bynum is in the paint 5-6 seconds at a time without the ball . . . yet no calls are made.

It’s not luck that the Jazz won – after all, they are pretty good at home. It’s probably luck that the Jazz were able to own the boards against the Lakers (who are all so tall) without Memo playing a minute in this series.

Is it lucky that Kobe missed so many shots that he usually makes? Perhaps, but was it also not luck that Deron shot so poorly in Game 1 – making only 4 FGs? Or was it defense in the case of the Lakers, and luck when it comes to the Jazz . . . how about some internal consistency, guys?

Ronnie Brewer has the unenviable task of trying to limit Kobe Bryant – and he’s doing a bang up job. Last night he got some help from Carlos Boozer who showed defensive ability that we haven’t seen from him since he was in Ohio. Starting AK was important because you really give your team a chance to play better defense when you actually have your best defenders on the floor. AK was also pretty good on making his shots in the paint and making sure passes. We didn’t see much of him in the 2nd half, and it worked as Korver found his shot and Harpring found a time machine and turned back the clock like it was 2005.

Utah can’t rely on this singular win though, the Jazz have to win Game 4 to make this a true series. If they do then Lakers fans everywhere will still attribute it to luck. But whatever, Lakers fans are given a bad name online because of how some of them behave. It’s not fair. But life isn’t.

After all, as a Jazz fan I know this as we are currently starting Jarron Collins against a frontcourt tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good . . . but what’s even more true is how much a mistake it is attribute success to luck when it was actually due to being good. Utah’s record sucked this year. Does that mean that Utah is really this bad – or does having over 150 man games lost to injury make a difference? Utah is good, their record was not – due to chance (Luck’s grandmother). You don’t beat the Lakers in the playoffs due to Luck. The Pacers winning at home on a last second tip in is luck. Utah getting the W at home isn’t due to Luck. All time the Lakers are 2-10 in SLC in the playoffs. Statistics show that in that case, it’s way more likely that the LAKERS were lucky twice, instead of the Jazz getting lucky 10 times.

Luck off Lakers fans.