Jax: Head Trouble For LO

by Steve Weinman on Jun 10, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in NBA Articles

Say what you will about Phil Jackson, but it's hard to viably accuse the man of being boring.

He had a new wrinkle after Game 2 of the Finals, adding one of his own players to his list of problems with this series: Lamar Odom.

As reported by the Press-Enterprise:

Odom played just 32 minutes Sunday night, none in the fourth quarter when the Lakers rallied back from a 24-point deficit to within two points.
"Well, Lamar got confused out there tonight, and that was difficult for him," Jackson said. "Situations that got him into foul trouble and little offensive sequences that, rather than just taking a shot or making the right play, looked like he was a confused player out there at times. We'll try to get that straighten out."
"That's what Coach says," Odom said. "What Coach says, Coach says."
"My time was limited," Odom said. "I had fouls. I shot the ball 5 for 11. ... Usually I play a longer game. ... Tonight I felt like I played a better game."

Chances are, the Celts couldn't be much happier with Odom's play Sunday night either.

Seems like the same old story from LO. He is immensely talented but has a history of inconsistency and letting his head fall out of games. As Jackson described, he seemed frustrated Sunday night. Odom was in foul trouble for most of the evening, and the Lakers have already made their thoughts clear on that front. At the same time, he was also largely passive on the offensive end and showed a reluctantance to slash to the basket, and it could have been that the same uncertainty in his play that led to him committing the fouls.

One way or the other, Odom didn't play well Sunday night, and he has yet to really cause a problem for the Celts in this series. He remains a triple-double threat every night, and his athleticism could cause the C's problems if they aren't careful. But for now, they'll take exactly what the Lakers are getting from him.

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Comments

Agreed Steve. Anybody else notice how the networks have departed from the old standard of replaying a foul during the set up for the free throw? Seems like a referee-driven move to reduce criticism. That a move away from transparency and accountability. What are they afraid of? That we are going to see they screwed it up?

I’d like to see the NBA adopt a system like that adopted by the NFL by which a coach could call for a replay-based review at the risk of losing a time-out. That would put the impetus back on whining coaches and would be an appropriate admission that the refs are human and can’t see things that a slow motion replay will catch and be shown over and over on ESPN.

by LonelyTXCelt on Jun 10, 2008 1:51 AM EDT reply actions