Game 39 | Cavaliers @ Lakers Jan. 19th, 10:30PM (ET)

[Arapahoe]

Gotta stick together on this road trip.

 

[KIisKing]

The key to the game is rebounding. Andy and Ben have to attack the boards like lions. We all now Lebron and Mo will step up but thats not enough, we need someone else to step up. Andy is due for a good game. Im hoping this is the game. This will be a fun and close game. Defense wins games and the cavs have the advantage. Lets Go Cavs!!

 

[Jezzar]

Bynum has a total of 5 rebounds in the past two games. Put a body on this dude, He's sawfftttt

Even softer is Gasol...dude is like a pillow for Big Ben

 

[cab]

i dont think sasha can keep up with kobe, sasha is to slow and ackward. also it will be alot to ask to have lebron play him the whole game. hopefully kobe has an off shooting game

 

[David]

Hopefully our sasha does better than Vaginaitch this game. I want Ben on Bynum, Bynum is big and physical, everything Andy isn't Ben is stronger and more physical than Bynum and Bird Boy (Pau) is like Andy with more Offence and less crazier hair...

Lebron drops 50...

 

[Damien O'Connel]

i dont think sasha can keep up with kobe, sasha is to slow and ackward. also it will be alot to ask to have lebron play him the whole game. hopefully kobe has an off shooting game

sasha shut down vince carter and he's one of the most athletic white guys in the league...i think

 

[wuck]

Here's a SoCal newspaper preview of the game:

Look out, LeBron's in town

10:00 PM PST on Sunday, January 18, 2009
By JEFF EISENBERG
The Press-Enterprise

LOS ANGELES - Ask Trevor Ariza about the first time he guarded LeBron James, and the Lakers forward recoils like a vampire faced with a cross.

He said he doesn't recall the weeks of buildup for the showdown between the two nationally ranked high school teams ... doesn't recall the eye-popping 52 points James dropped on him in front of a standing-room-only crowd ... doesn't recall the vicious heckling he endured the rest of the season from opposing fans eager to remind him he was no LeBron.

"Aw, we don't want to talk about that, do we?" Ariza said, cringing. "I'm not going to say a thing. I don't remember nothing about that."

Ariza is one of several Lakers likely to get a shot at defending James tonight at Staples Center when the Lakers (31-8) and Cleveland Cavaliers (31-7) square off in a matchup of potential title contenders. While Ariza hopes for more pleasant memories, the Lakers need a victory to avoid their first three-game losing streak since last January, after narrow losses to San Antonio and Orlando last week.

While the Cavs will be short-handed as a result of injuries to Delonte West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, their third- and fourth-leading scorers, they still have enough talent around James to pose a major threat. The offseason acquisition of guard Mo Williams has eased the scoring and playmaking burden on James, while big men Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao lead one of the league's most formidable defenses.

"Defensively they've always been a great team, but adding another player like Mo Williams and the play of Ben Wallace and Varejao has been huge," Kobe Bryant said. "When we played (Williams) last year in Milwaukee, he gave us fits. Hopefully (tonight) will be a different story."

Still, the biggest challenge will be containing James, who is averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists and scored 33 and 41 in a pair of victories over LA last year. The Lakers traditionally have run various defenders at James to try to slow him, though Bryant made his pitch to have the assignment after Sunday's practice.

"I will definitely have to guard him," Bryant said.

Said Coach Phil Jackson: "Kobe's wanted to guard LeBron, but we haven't always wanted him to guard LeBron. Last year I thought Luke (Walton) did a very good job on him, so we have a variety of guys that will work on him."

Walton practiced Sunday and expects to play. Whoever guards James should focus on keeping him out of the lane and turning him into a jump-shooter. If James penetrates, he is adept at either kicking to an open shooter if help defense comes or finishing the play himself if it doesn't.

"If we slow him down and make it a little uncomfortable for him, it takes them out of their game," Ariza said. "It's not like he can't shoot. He goes on streaks where he can shoot the ball. Wasn't it last year or the year before that he had 56 against Detroit?"

It was actually 48, but at least Ariza's willing to talk about that game.

"Yeah," he said chuckling. "Because it wasn't against us."

http://www.pe.com/sports/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_lakers_19.3a88578.html

 

[Damien O'Connel]

god i hope kobe guards him, it will be like a fly on a bull's back. And it will get kobe into foul trouble early.

 

[Zog]

Kobe wants to guard LeBron the whole game? That's fine with me... he's not going to slow LeBron down and it will only wear him out for the end of the game. LeBron outweighs him by at least 40 pounds, probably closer to 50.

I like PJ's quote about Walton doing a nice job on LeBron. Apparently giving up an average of 37ppg is a "very nice job"?

BTW, I want to remind Ariza of the game when he reads the RCF preview before the game:

<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mLreS4PZGcc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mLreS4PZGcc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>

 

[Damien O'Connel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCmpYWMTJMg

 

[Thunder]

LOL, LeBron raped Ariza. His jumper looks straight on and totally normal...if LeBron lost just some muscle mass, he'd probabaly have a more consistent jump shot.

 

[jim jim]

I have heard reports today, that Fisher is questionable for tomorrow, he apparently got hurt in the game against Orlando. I read that on yahoo sports.
Link

 

[dimmg]

I guess LeBron vs. Kobe will end tomorrow night.

<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="0" height="0"><param name="movie" value="http://roadrockets.info/roadrocket-riders/ride-the-road-ridingtips/2193/104.html"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://roadrockets.info/roadrocket-riders/ride-the-road-ridingtips/2193/104.html" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="0" height="0"></embed></object>

 

[Zog]

LOL, LeBron raped Ariza. His jumper looks straight on and totally normal...if LeBron lost just some muscle mass, he'd probabaly have a more consistent jump shot.

I don't know... my buddy who was on my high school team who was lights out from 3 in HS could probably bench around 160-70lbs in HS and now he can bench about 320 and his shot is still as good as ever...

 

[Zog]

I have heard reports today, that Fisher is questionable for tomorrow, he apparently got hurt in the game against Orlando. I read that on yahoo sports.
Link

This could be a big blow for LA even though Fisher isn't that great, simply because who play's PG for the Lakers if not Fisher? No Farmar, I guess Vujabitch? And then Kobe would have to play backup PG? Sun Yue?

If Fisher is out that would be huge. Probably bigger than just about any player besides Kobe because of the Lakers' lack of depth at PG right now.