Jazz @ Lakers, Game 5, 2008 Game Thread & Preview

We'll see if we have a championship team tonight.

I've said it before, but if you're the Jazz, you have to be salivating at a chance to play NO in the WCF.

Sloan keeps comparing the years of experience between the two back courts. But as NO has shown, if you play your game, you can throw experience out the window. And with last year's run to the WCF, combined with this year's series, I don't know how much more experience is going to help.

And there's no doubt that the Jazz are going to have to have a near perfect game tonight to win. We all know how the calls go, how the crowd will be, and our inconsistency from the PF position. It's going to take an awful lot to overcome that.

If the Lakers win, we'll no doubt hear about Kobe's heroic effort despite his saying that his back is fine now. How come though we didn't hear about his selfishness in game four for staying in the game with a bad back? He scored 30+ again, but is there any doubt that it hurt the Lakers in OT? I don't see how he can take himself out, but certainly he didn't help them. And in fact, without the late hot shooting of Fisher and Odom, there isn't even an OT.

So expect the Jazz to get absolutely no breaks tonight. Especially with the crew that's been assigned to ref the game. I hope that if the Jazz lose, it's not because of the refs. Everyone is going to have to have great games on both ends. As has been mentioned before, Kobe's going to be living at the line tonight. If his back is really bothering him, then he's not going to be shooting jumpers all night. He'll get bailed out a lot. Whether it's fair or not, that's what's going to happen.

Remember, in the NBA, it's games like this where memories and stars are made. And there's no bigger stage than LA.