If You Had The Power...

[broncosmitty]

Not to mention Phil trying to outcoach the GOAT

Held Shaq and Kobe under 100 the entire series.

The man was incredible.

And still looks like he should be coaching. Saw him at a UNC game recently. Like he no longer ages.

 

[msgkings322]

Held Shaq and Kobe under 100 the entire series.

The man was incredible.

And still looks like he should be coaching. Saw him at a UNC game recently. Like he no longer ages.

It seems like it's the only thing he lives for

 

[Stakesarehigh]

They lost in the finals though - I think he went down -

The 40-year-old Malone's quest to win an NBA championship failed as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals. Malone sprained his right knee in game three and played injured in games three and four before missing the fifth and final game of the series.

You all got smashed

40 year old Malone wasn't changing that

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Held Shaq and Kobe under 100 the entire series.

The man was incredible.

And still looks like he should be coaching. Saw him at a UNC game recently. Like he no longer ages.

Got dang Dumars

 

[Stakesarehigh]

Ah Game 3.

When the imploding Lakers couldn’t even manage to score 70.

Malone wasn’t gonna be enough to change that series. You lost 2/3 when he played anyway.

Malone was 2 for 9 and 3 for 9 in the first 2 games

Just absolute dominance.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

You all got smashed

40 year old Malone wasn't changing that

That's your opinion

Have a good day

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Malone was 2 for 9 and 3 for 9 in the first 2 games

Just absolute dominance.

He was playing injured - Once he was injured - it was over

 

[broncosmitty]

He was playing injured - Once he was injured - it was over

Being 40 isn’t an injury.

 

[Stakesarehigh]

That's your opinion

Have a good day

Pistons 88-68 Lakers (Jun 10, 2004) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA game, final score 88-68, from June 10, 2004 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Game 5 was 82 to 59 going into the 4th.

Nothing Malone could've done would've changed the result.

Your better argument would be Kobe wasn't himself because of the Colorado stuff

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Being 40 isn’t an injury.

No, it isn't, but he had an injury - and tried to play when he couldn't and had to quit - You might be able to say the Lakers would have lost any way, but the fact is that in the finals - Malone got injured and wasn't say after that - In fact That Is the reason I have never been fond of signing grandfathers like Malone, Nash and- I agree with Charles Barkley on that score - Your body is going to fall apart when you get old - when it comes to the NBA.

 

[Mecca]

Bo, Bias, Sabonis, Bird, Drazen Petrovic, Hank Gathers.

 

[Mecca]

He was playing injured - Once he was injured - it was over

Dude

Not to pile on.

But this is revisionist history.

Malone was no longer the mailman at this point.

His full season stats prove as much

 

[msgkings322]

That's your opinion

Have a good day

It's the correct opinion

 

[LogicMan]

Bobby Orr
Len Bias
Reggie Lewis
Tony C

 

[Wazmankg]

You all got smashed

40 year old Malone wasn't changing that

Yea, it was not a very competitive series. Kobe made a bomb at the buzzer just to send the 1 game LA won into OT as I recall.

 

[DJ]

LOL at TLF's special brand of homerism.

 

[DJ]

Kobe trying to force it was the reason the Lakers lost to the Pistons.

Shaq was dominating (despite Wallace's best attempts to shut him down) but Kobe was going all gunner mode.....shooting 38%.

 

[Debbie Does]

Bobby Orr.

 

[Black Adam]

LOL at TLF's special brand of homerism.

Trust me, I hated the Lakers losing that series as much as ANY Lakers fan, but let's be real...

 

[trojanfan12]

He was playing injured - Once he was injured - it was over

They lost that series 4-1. If they had lost 4-3, maybe even 4-2...I'd be inclined to agree. But they barely escaped getting swept.

That team was so fractured and dysfunctional by the time the playoffs hit that I'm still trying to figure how they made it to the finals.

Kobe and Shaq were feuding, they had been dealing with Kobe's Colorado stuff all season, Shaq was mad about his contract...by the time they got to the finals, they were about to implode.

Add to that the fact that Kobe took 113 shots that series on 38% shooting and you get what they got. For context, Shaq took 29 fewer shots and converted 63% of his shots.

In short, Karl Malone getting hurt is not why they lost. As much as I'd love to blame Malone...that series falls squarely on Kobe's shoulders. He created the vast majority of the drama they dealt with all season long and had the worst series of his life that year.