Ulcers

i'm not generally someone who is overwhelmed by pressure or lets things i can't control get to me...but when it comes to lakers playoff basketball, i am stressed, agitated, and rather irrational. after this disappointed game 5 loss tonight, if anyone tried to poke at me i wouldn't be surprised if i threw a punch.

but instead, i'm going to calmly picked up the remote that i threw across the room, pound two shots of jameson to numb the pain, close my door, and rant to the blogosphere where no physical harm can be done.

so tonight's game was the perfect example of why i hate the 2-3-2 format for the finals. the top-seeded team should be rewarded for their achievements in the regular season...and yes, the lakers do have home court and can take the last two games at home. however, when two great teams do what they're supposed to do and split the first four games by each winning one on the road, then the pivotal game 5 should be played at home for the top-seeded team. that is they're reward for having outperformed in the regular season. instead, they're faced with a difficult road game when it matters the most.

i'm not guaranteeing that lakers would have won game 5 if it had been in la, but i'm sure it would've made the supporting cast feel much more comfortable. instead, granted the celtics played great defense, no other player besides kobe's single handed efforts to keep the lakers in this game and gasol's meager 12 points were in double digit scoring...no one rebounded the ball...no one played with a championship desire. just because we won last year doesn't mean we can coast...play hard 12 minutes every quarter, 48 minutes every game, 82 games a year, and then win 16 games in the playoffs. that's what every coach has preached to a player ever since they stepped on a basketball court.

i know we're banged up and i don't underestimate how important having a healthy bynum is to the lakers...but the rest of the players need to step up as nate robinson and big baby has for the celtics. where's odom? where's artest? where's brown and farmer? kobe had 19 points of the lakers 26 in the 3rd quarter. i didn't need him to do that to show me he is one the greatest players ever. what i needed was for other players to play and for the lakers to want this, to prove that last year wasn't a fluke and that we can beat the greats.

so guys...for my sanity, for the avoidance of physical harm, for the two maine lobsters riding on this series...please, step up your game.