One Team, One Dream, One Lower Back
‘Back Off…Back On?’ (Andrew D. Bernstein - NBAE/Getty Images)
One lower back, so many questions. Like, is Kobe’s lower back injury real? Is it serious? Or is it another manifestation of Kobe’s taste for drama? And as a Jazz fan are you happy to take advantage of the injury or would the competitor in you rather take on the Lakers at full health? Would you rather see Kobe at full health and try beating him at his own game? Would you rather see Kobe at less than 100% and playing anyway? Or would you rather see him sit out altogether?
First, I guess Kobe’s writhing on the floor in pain the other day is evidence enough that the injury is real, and it’s apparently serious enough that Kobe didn’t shoot a basketball on Tuesday. Perhaps he thought he earned enough credits on Sunday to get by for a few days. But seriously folks, even though Kobe made like his back was fine when he had the ball, there’s very little room for doubt that it was partially to blame for his poorest shooting of the series (a tall, slender, Russian, of course, would be responsible for the rest of the blame) at 39% from the field and 10% from 3-point range. On the subject of Kobe’s field goal attempts, it’s interesting to note that when he jacks up 30 or more field goals, the Lakers are 2-5 on the season. Which takes us to our next question.
Could the back injury be Kobe’s attempt at recreating Michael Jordan’s heroic flu-ridden defeat of the late 90’s Jazz? Kobe has championships. He has an MVP. Now he needs his hero card and Sunday’s game was his golden opportunity. No matter how bad his back hurt, and in turn, no matter how bad his play hurt his team, Kobe wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to have a hero moment. He’ll play in game 5, without question, and you can bet he’ll have a hawk eye out for chances to be the hero. I strongly encourage Kobe to pursue this endeavor rather than involve his teammates.
Finally, should we be encouraged by the potential windfall to the Jazz in the form of an unhealthy Kobe, or should the spirit of competition make us regret not being able to take on the Lakers at full strength? As a Jazz fan, and purely for purposes of seeing the Jazz win the series, the best thing for the team is to have Kobe play at less than 100%. A hardened athlete would probably want to take the opposition at full strength. But let’s get serious here, I’m a short, soft, pasty office guy and I smell an opportunity to steal one in L.A. While diehard fans might remember beating a short-handed team, one thing’s for sure: championship rings don’t have asterisks.
30 Comments to “One Team, One Dream, One Lower Back”
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I would rather him be at full health… Cause then the Lakers won’t have any excuses when the jazz win!
Great insight!
I’ve not seen any displays from Deron or Ronnie P, or in fact from any of the JAZZ men.
They just show up and play!
Last time I looked there are still 5 in uniform on the court for each team right? Which usually leaves 7 more on the bench!
I hope Kobe does attempt to go all hero in front of his hommies, all the easier to beat them.
GoJazz
@ E39HOTTDOGG - Easy man, StocktonNumberOne’s not wishing anybody poor health, nor am I, nor should anyone in their right mind. But the facts are facts, Kobe’s injured and the question is valid, would you rather play him injured or at full health? It’s the eternal tradeoff between the spirit of competition and the spirit of winning. StocktonNumberOne seems to be engrossed in neither spirit, choosing to unproductively generalize instead. It’s his/her choice, I guess. Just as it’s your choice to misinterpret the comment as you did (In fact, if you read a bit better you’ll realize that you and StocktonNumberOne are actually of the same mind - anti-Jazz). To your main point, I must respectively disagree. I think the Jazz will win a championship in due time, I mean, even the Marlins won a World Series right? It’s just a matter of whether it might happen in the next 1-5 years or later.
WHY WOULD ANYBODY WISH CANCER ON ANYONE I’M JAZZ FAN AND I’M DISGUSTED IN THE COMMENT MADE ABOUT KOBE HE DESERVE MORE RESPECT THAN THAT I’M NOT FOND OF KOBE BUT IWOULD NOT WISH ANYONE WHAT DEREK AND HIS FAMILY ARE GOING THROUGH I HAD A NIECE DIED OF LEUKEMIA AND IT WAS HEART WRENCHING THIS IS A GAME OF BASKETBALL I WISH THE JAZZ FAN WOULD SHOW MORE CLASS ESPECIALLY WHEN WE PLAY OPPOSITE THE LAKER IT EMBARASSING TO SEE HOW THE CROWD REACT WHEN DEREK COME ON THE FLOOR LET NOT BOO HIM IT ONLY ADD FUEL TO FIRE WE WHERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE DEREK AND HE DID ALOT FOR TEAM AND WE SHOULD WISH HIM THE BEST AND ESPECIALLY HIS DAUGHER ARE PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FISHER FAMILY
The lakers are strong enough to beat the Jazz at full strength or below 100%.
It’s funny how optimistic Jazz fans are. After looking at the poll on who would win this series, it seems that Jazz fans think they’re going to win 4 straight after losing the first 2. I can’t wait for the lakers to win the next two and laugh at the ridiculous fans they have at Utah. GO LAKERS!!!!!
come on people,stick to the question at hand.too much talk about stocktonnumberone! Stanton,you sound like a psychiatrist! or you have way too much time on your hands.A decent person would never hope for injury to another person.end of story! funny,but i was thinking the exact same thing about the jordan sick game,where he had the best game of his career.I thought about kobe doing the same thing.it’s a trick! to get the visiting team off guard.they think your star player is hurt.only to have him light you up,cause you werent prepared for him to be full strength.I was a bulls fan in the jordan day’s.i thought it was a ploy,& made up when he did it.to get a team who already has it tough playing on the road,off balance.it gives you a slight advantage if you come out strong.I am jazz fan now,& i hope the jazz dont fall for it.I hope they prepare for kobe like any other game.I think Kobe is playing up this back thing!.Phil Jackson is a snake anyway’s! he wrote the book on excuses when his teams lose.he never gives respect to anyone.his losses are all because of the referees or because their opponent plays dirty or cheats.no team beats him,because they are better! I became a jazz fan because i was impressed with how hard,& well they play as the underdog franchise.nobody respects the jazz or they tease utah over mormons.big name players wont play here.yet sloan has this team competitive,winning & in the playoffs most the time he has coached here.GO JAZZ! BEAT L.A.!!
realistically, it’s best for Jazz fans if Kobe is not at 100%. kobe is amazing. i hate kobe but i don’t wish him ill health. it sucks for him to be where he’s at if he’s not faking it. i’ll take him injured any day when he plays against my team. like someone said above me, rings don’t carry asterisks.
I think the person making cracks about kobe and cancer was being sarcastic. Saying we gave fisher the boo when he came to town the first time and that was ridiculous. He did a lot for our team and thats great! He did move for his daughter and thats fine. Basketball is still basketball and you misinterpreted the whole saying about cancer. Lets not get too over dramatic. P.S if you arent a jazz fan why the hell are you on this site. GET OFF! We don’t need your negative energy and we will eventually win a championship!
StocktonNumberOne:
I think you are a Laker fan with a Jazz nom de plume, you sure don’t sound like a Jazz fan. Plus, we already taunt the man-child more than Fish. Mr. Arrogance, oh, I screwed up, that Dr. Pill, I mean the Drama Queen, Kobe, couldn’t be any more intensely disliked than he already is.
Mr. Hot Dog:
He’s a laker fan too. Don’t put too much stock in his comment.
Bernice:
TURN OFF THOSE CAPS! You’re hearting my ears.
Nobody wishes anything but the best for Fish and his daughter, just not against the Jazz. I think that’s a phony or factious comment you are responding to.
Kobe in his role as the second coming of MJ, wants to be a hero tonight, like Mikie did. He really is the Drama Queen.
Jazzaholic
hey a win is a win, don’t like seeing injuries, but if it goes in our favor. so be it!
oh how people blow stories out of the water.
lakers fan have nothing to cheer about now so they blow this “fisher” thing outta the water.
i hope you enjoy game 5, it will be the last time you see your beloved lakers play at home this season.
JAZZ IN 6!
Your all upset about that! Come on we have the playoffs at hand! Why would you wish anyone bad health? You need to focus on the court. What happens off of it is their buisness. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer need to work as a team and get into their usual groove. Its going to happen. I wouldn’t care if Kobe is in good or horrible health. You need to play your game and win. Thats the objective. Don’t worry if Kobe comes, if he does play like you would without him. If the Jazz are going to win they have to focus on DEFENSE! Thats what wins games!!!
GO JAZZ!!!!!!!!!! BLOW THESE GUYS OUT OF THEIR GYM!
stockonnumber1…can u read wat u r writing…may God forgive you
I don’t care either way whether or not Kobe is completely healthy, I just want to win the series, and if we do, that still doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll win the championship. There’s still a possibility we might have to play San Antontio in the conference finals if they end up beating the hornets, and then if we survive that, we’d probably have to play the Celtics in the NBA Finals. That said, whether we beat the lakers shorthanded or not, winning a championship this year would DEFINATELY NOT be a fluke considering all the other teams we’d have to go through after the lakers. Besides, even if Kobe was sitting out completely, the lakers are still a good team with the roster they’ve got. All I can do is hope for the best and say GO JAZZ!!!!
Injuries happen. Deron Williams is playing through a tailbone injury and a wrist injury. There’s no use what-ifing the situation. Kobe’s got an injury. Considering he scored 30+ points and almost had a tripple double that game, I would say that it isn’t that serious.
Wanna know what I care about? Us winning. If Kobe is hurt, well thats too bad. I wish him the best and I certainly hate to see a valuable player go down, but OH WELL. If the only way we can beat them is when he’s not at full health, than I’ll take it. Do the Lakers then have an excuse? Ya maybe, but they can make their excuses from home. Cause thats where they will be.
Kobe Bryant…Well…he is just pulling off a Michael Jordan move just to make a show so when the lakers are at home he will be alright then have a 40 something’ point game with over 10 rebounds and we would say, “What a wuss, he thinks he can be a one man team and make a show out of it?” “Ha” I laugh histerically…at kobe.
Hey Carlos Boozer, how come you havn’t been going in the paint latelly? I mean you did it before in the regular season and that’s why you were an all-star. But now, your sometimes make your shots outside but just go strong in the paint and get a foul or make the shot. If Paul Milsap can do than you can do it Carlos. Let’s go JAZZ!!!
Deron Williams: Your doing great but just remember…pick and roll and make easy shots.
Carlos Boozer: Go in the paint strong man, get a foul and get an AND 1 and become an all-star!
Ronnie Brewer: Your doing fine on offense, get your shots down. Play awesome with kobe on defense HARD!
Andre Kirilenko: Keep BLOCKIN’ SHOTS and do what your doin. Don’t foul that much. Keep it balanced.
Mehmet Okur: Make those 3-pointers and go to the basketket strong and look for cutters to the basket and watch backdoor for defense and play excellent DEFENSE!!!
Paul Milsap: Your doin awesome inside. 7 AND 1’s in game 2! Look for cutters going to the basket!!! Make your shots man
Ronnie Price: You are perfect for a back up point guard. At the last second shot, pass the ball, don’t be a hero and be cool about it. There’s other players on your team you know. But Turioff Is a D-BAG!!!
Kyle Korver: When there is times where we need a 3 and be up and have momentum. That’s where we need you man, to make your shots. That’s why people at my school say your hot and really good shooter.
Matt Harpring: Your Defense is awesome. 110% better than Memo Okur. But don’t foul right when you get in the game. But still play aggresive and make your shots.
Jarren Collins: When you get in the game, (if you do) play your guts out and go to the basket strong and be the new man on your team and be noticed!
C.J. Miles: Your shooting percentage is very high and that’s why your really good but your defense is what’s killin’ you.
And Everyone else on the Utah Jazz…to fight and make history or be history…Shut Them UP!!! WIN…
Whoever lives in Utah and is not a Utah Jazz Fan…What’s the point for living in Utah then? What the heck people. Get your head on straight!!!
I hope kobes slowed up by it a bit, but I wouldnt count on it and I hope the Jazz dont either. This game is ours to win either way. We just need to play Jazz basketball and not let the Lakers set the tempo. Our D will have to be stellar tonight. As far as everything else. It sucks Fisher had to go, but he had to go. Thats the basketball buisness.
A quick note regarding an offending comment here. It’s been removed. Let’s take the conversation back to more positive things…like the Jazz moving to the next round.
Go Jazz!
Derrick
Fans of the game should relish this series, as each team battles to impose its style on the other. Much respect to the Utah Jazz organization and its players. Win or lose, those guys work very hard and sacrifice opportunities for personal glory, so that they can bring a top-level product to one of the nation’s smallest NBA marketplaces. The Jazz are far-and-away the best team in all of major professional sports as far as the management assembling a team to accentuate the strengths of their leader (Coach Sloan), and for a team’s character to reflect the character of its community.
That being said…
Ask Coach Sloan if he could make a roster spot for Kobe Bryant next year. Sure, Bryant displays some theatrics on the court, but not because of any character flaw of his. It is more because of the role he has been cast to play. The Los Angeles entertainment market is flooded, no, SATURATED, with competition for customers’ attention. And L.A. entertainment bucks are driven by star-power. For better or worse. It’s simply a different groupthink in L.A. - the leading man on the floor must be larger than life, such that, for forty-eight minutes on a Wednsday night, he can subordinate the other power-personalities that surround the court.
Remember that “entertainment” is the area’s primary industrial export. It’s not like Los Angeles is a steel town, or a coal town, or (alas, no longer) a manufacturing town. Coach Jackson also puts a product on the floor that represents the character of the community, and that character is not always gracious, and can sometimes be quite thuggish…but always demands that its hero be victorious in the end.
The notion that Kobe is wanting to be a hero and thus faking the back injury is outrageous. The guy has a sick theshold for pain and should never be underestimated.He is also playing with torn tendons in his hand that the Doc says needs surgery now.
At his worse,Utah has no one to stop him.As you saw last night,he has many aspects to his game.No points in the 4th and still the Lakers beat the Jazz.
My sister and I will be in Utah tomorrow for the game and unlike other Laker fans mentioned,I assure you we will not be hiding our Laker gear and will be happy to answer any Laker history question.
GO LAKERS!!!
haha….im a jazz fan, but I can’t help but laugh at the comments about Michael Jordans performance when he was sick and still lit us up. Come on people get out of the past and stop comparing Kobes injury to Jordans sickness. Stop being soooo bitter and just enjoy the game. If we win we win great, if we lose so what, its not the end of the world.
lakers fans are wannabe fans 99% of the time. i always loved NCAAM, but not NBA. when deron williams went (i loved illinois, which is where he came from) to the jazz, i watched and started loving not too long after he joined. he pulled me into the nba when i was 12 (i’m 13 now) and to this day i love the jazz and not just deron. the game 5 loss is dissapointing, but we can still win this sereies.
oh and by the way even though i live in Pacers country,
GO JAZZ!
ironmaidenfan: how are you calling laker fans wannabe’s when you just started watching the NBA about a year ago just because of deron williams? I’ve been a Laker fan for 9 years and I’m 14 so you’re disrespecting all the Laker fans by calling us “wannabe’s” even though we’ve been watching them pretty much our whole lives. If anyone is a wannabe, you are.
Go Lakers!!!
JERRY SLOAN IS COUCH OF ALL COUCHES!BUT HE NEEDS MORE QUALITY PLAYERS TO GET JOB DONE BOSTON CELTICS HAS GOOD PLAYERS BUT SYSTEM DONT WORK.GOOD JOB JERRY AND REST OF COUCHING STUFF TEACHING YOUNG TEAM HOW TO PLAY RIGHT IS TOUGH.EVERY JAZZ GAME IS FUN TO WATCH AND NEVER BORING DREAM TEAM WILL BE OK
I have some comments from my trip to your beautiful city on Friday to see the Laker game.
The city is very beautiful and the people are super friendly and cordial.We had such a good time meeting the Jazz fans and taking some heat because we wore our Laker gear but it was all in fun.That was prior to the game.
Once inside the arena we honestly felt that we were going to be in trouble especially if the Lakers won. They did win and our concerns were validated.Even before the game started,a couple that had seats next to my sister stated that they were not drunk enough to sit next to a Laker fan.She was serious.She even went and told security that my sister was waving her Kobe MVP shirt in front of her,which she was not….that would be stupid to antagonize the Jazz fans.
After the game we waited for the arena to clear so that we would not be in danger.That fear was based on several insults thrown our way from every part of our section.Trust me,we would never rub it in anyones face after a game like that.
Jazz fans….stop blaming every loss on the refs. You shot 33% in the first half and at the end of the game the same amount of fouls were called for both teams and you outrebounded the Lakers by at least 13. The Jazz had their chance and they blew it. Enjoy the off season.
GO LAKERS!!!!!!
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