Lamar Odom and His Finals Struggles

Foul trouble in Games 1 and 2 has rendered Lamar a complete non-factor in the series so far. The Press-Enterprise jotted down Odom’s thoughts on the struggles last night: ” In the first two games, Odom has totaled 36 minutes, eight points, nine rebounds, two assists — and 10 fouls. ‘If I’m out there, I’m going to produce,’ Odom said. ‘Plain and simple. I’d rather be out there and play bad than not have a shot.’ After Odom picked up his second foul with 56 seconds left in the first quarter, Coach Phil Jackson contemplated sending in a sub. ‘He got, bang, bang, two fouls immediately,’ Jackson said. Odom’s first two fouls were 25 seconds apart. ‘I turned to my crew and said, ‘Do you think he can play through this?’ Jackson said. ‘And as I was talking to them, he got his third foul. So obviously, he couldn’t play through that sequence. It really took him out of the ballgame. That’s a bit unfortunate for him. He’ll get a chance later on in this series to redeem himself.”‘