TheNextGen
04-20-2007, 12:33 AM
Suns' feelings are an open book
Lakers get bad reviews in an account of last season's series. Now Phoenix must back it up.
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
April 20, 2007
In addition to scouring video for any added advantage against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers might also want to sit back and read a good book.
Longtime Sports Illustrated reporter Jack McCallum spent last season with the Suns, documenting the inner workings of the high-scoring curiosity piece in a 312-page account that could provide a wealth of bulletin-board material for the Lakers, who begin another first-round series with the Suns on Sunday.
An all-access look at one of the league's top teams, ":07 Seconds or Less" devotes more than 100 pages to last year's playoff series between the Suns and Lakers, eventually won by the Suns in seven games. The book, named after the Suns' mantra to fire up a shot before seven seconds tick off the shot clock, includes several scenes in which Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and the Lakers in general are panned by the Suns.
"As the Suns see it, the Lakers trek along the low road," McCallum wrote. "Bryant is arrogant. [Kwame] Brown is just a big body with nothing behind it. Smush Parker was a Sun for a couple of weeks [in 2004-05] and no one rued his departure. Lamar Odom is just too damn big and long. Luke Walton seems like a nice guy ... but he laid out [Tim] Thomas in Game 3 and triggered a miserable chain of events [for the Suns]. Sasha Vujacic is an all-universe whiner with an unpronounceable surname. Plus, Phil Jackson sits on a throne."
The Lakers are aware of the book, which was released last fall, and perused copies of it long before the Suns became their playoff opponent.
Some of the things they have likely noted:
The Suns, while watching video of their Game 1 victory, poked fun at the Lakers' defense.
"This is when we're at our best, when we're changing ends on the fly," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They have no answer for it. Kwame is awful. Odom's a very average defender. Vujacic can't guard anybody. And Bryant in the open floor takes chances that aren't good."
Suns owner Robert Sarver had issues with some millionaire court-side fans at Staples Center. He thought Norm Pattiz was getting into the face of Thomas during Game 3 and told the Westwood One Radio Network founder before Game 4, "You ever touch one of my players again, you'll have me to deal with."
Sarver was also mad that actor-director Penny Marshall was near the Suns' huddle before Game 3, talking to some of the Suns' players.
"This L.A. [expletive] has got to stop," Sarver said afterward. "This is war. I hate those guys."
While Suns coaches watched video of Game 3, Jackson wandered into the frame with his painful side-to-side walk.
"Look!" one of the coaches blurted out. "It's the Penguin!"
After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, D'Antoni wondered aloud why so many people were lauding Bryant's share-the-ball approach.
"They're talking about Kobe and how great it is that he's playing with the team," D'Antoni said. "Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Now he's the savior because he's playing that way? He's no god. He does what he's supposed to be doing, which is what we learned in kindergarten. Share the ball and play."
An unidentified member of the Lakers left a scouting report of the Suns at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel after Game 5 in Phoenix. It quickly ended up in the hands of Suns coaches, much to the Lakers' dismay.
A part that wasn't in the book: Jackson called a hotel official and wondered how the document ended up in the Suns' possession. He was informed that all trash from hotel rooms is typically shredded. The hotel official said he would get back to Jackson after investigating the matter further. To this day, Jackson still hasn't heard back from the official, a team source said.
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More recently, the Suns haven't exactly downplayed their thoughts of the Lakers, beginning with forward Amare Stoudemire's statement last week that "I think we would take care of them pretty quick" if the teams met in the first round.
Bryant said the Lakers would "put [Stoudemire's] clairvoyancy to the test," and other Lakers weren't so sure the series would be done so quickly.
"That's his opinion," Walton said. "If he thinks it's going to go four, good for him. They've proven they're a great team. We're the ones that are going to have to play great basketball if we want to win. They've played great basketball all year and they've got home-court advantage, but I don't think it's going to be a four-game series."
Bryant was asked if the Suns (61-21) might be a tad overconfident in viewing the Lakers (42-40).
"I'm sure they are," he said. "Their team's won like, what, 60-something games, whatever it is. I'm sure they're confident. I'm sure they believe it's going to be a quick series. It's our job to try and prove them wrong."
The Lakers will try to do what they did last season and pound the ball inside to their big men, although the presence of Stoudemire will make things more difficult. He missed almost all of last season, including the playoff series against the Lakers, because of knee problems, but has averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds this season.
"We're going to try to slow it down," Walton said. "That's no secret. Now we've got Kwame back. That's big for us. Ronny [Turiaf] has been playing great. [Andrew] Bynum is starting to play well again.
"We've got to focus on getting the ball inside all game long and not just for a little bit and then start settling for jumpers. If you settle for a jumper against Phoenix and if you don't make it, it's like a turnover, where they're off to the races."
[email protected]
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakerep20apr20,0,3697571.story?coll=la-home-sports
Lakers get bad reviews in an account of last season's series. Now Phoenix must back it up.
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
April 20, 2007
In addition to scouring video for any added advantage against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers might also want to sit back and read a good book.
Longtime Sports Illustrated reporter Jack McCallum spent last season with the Suns, documenting the inner workings of the high-scoring curiosity piece in a 312-page account that could provide a wealth of bulletin-board material for the Lakers, who begin another first-round series with the Suns on Sunday.
An all-access look at one of the league's top teams, ":07 Seconds or Less" devotes more than 100 pages to last year's playoff series between the Suns and Lakers, eventually won by the Suns in seven games. The book, named after the Suns' mantra to fire up a shot before seven seconds tick off the shot clock, includes several scenes in which Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and the Lakers in general are panned by the Suns.
"As the Suns see it, the Lakers trek along the low road," McCallum wrote. "Bryant is arrogant. [Kwame] Brown is just a big body with nothing behind it. Smush Parker was a Sun for a couple of weeks [in 2004-05] and no one rued his departure. Lamar Odom is just too damn big and long. Luke Walton seems like a nice guy ... but he laid out [Tim] Thomas in Game 3 and triggered a miserable chain of events [for the Suns]. Sasha Vujacic is an all-universe whiner with an unpronounceable surname. Plus, Phil Jackson sits on a throne."
The Lakers are aware of the book, which was released last fall, and perused copies of it long before the Suns became their playoff opponent.
Some of the things they have likely noted:
The Suns, while watching video of their Game 1 victory, poked fun at the Lakers' defense.
"This is when we're at our best, when we're changing ends on the fly," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They have no answer for it. Kwame is awful. Odom's a very average defender. Vujacic can't guard anybody. And Bryant in the open floor takes chances that aren't good."
Suns owner Robert Sarver had issues with some millionaire court-side fans at Staples Center. He thought Norm Pattiz was getting into the face of Thomas during Game 3 and told the Westwood One Radio Network founder before Game 4, "You ever touch one of my players again, you'll have me to deal with."
Sarver was also mad that actor-director Penny Marshall was near the Suns' huddle before Game 3, talking to some of the Suns' players.
"This L.A. [expletive] has got to stop," Sarver said afterward. "This is war. I hate those guys."
While Suns coaches watched video of Game 3, Jackson wandered into the frame with his painful side-to-side walk.
"Look!" one of the coaches blurted out. "It's the Penguin!"
After the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead, D'Antoni wondered aloud why so many people were lauding Bryant's share-the-ball approach.
"They're talking about Kobe and how great it is that he's playing with the team," D'Antoni said. "Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do? Now he's the savior because he's playing that way? He's no god. He does what he's supposed to be doing, which is what we learned in kindergarten. Share the ball and play."
An unidentified member of the Lakers left a scouting report of the Suns at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel after Game 5 in Phoenix. It quickly ended up in the hands of Suns coaches, much to the Lakers' dismay.
A part that wasn't in the book: Jackson called a hotel official and wondered how the document ended up in the Suns' possession. He was informed that all trash from hotel rooms is typically shredded. The hotel official said he would get back to Jackson after investigating the matter further. To this day, Jackson still hasn't heard back from the official, a team source said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More recently, the Suns haven't exactly downplayed their thoughts of the Lakers, beginning with forward Amare Stoudemire's statement last week that "I think we would take care of them pretty quick" if the teams met in the first round.
Bryant said the Lakers would "put [Stoudemire's] clairvoyancy to the test," and other Lakers weren't so sure the series would be done so quickly.
"That's his opinion," Walton said. "If he thinks it's going to go four, good for him. They've proven they're a great team. We're the ones that are going to have to play great basketball if we want to win. They've played great basketball all year and they've got home-court advantage, but I don't think it's going to be a four-game series."
Bryant was asked if the Suns (61-21) might be a tad overconfident in viewing the Lakers (42-40).
"I'm sure they are," he said. "Their team's won like, what, 60-something games, whatever it is. I'm sure they're confident. I'm sure they believe it's going to be a quick series. It's our job to try and prove them wrong."
The Lakers will try to do what they did last season and pound the ball inside to their big men, although the presence of Stoudemire will make things more difficult. He missed almost all of last season, including the playoff series against the Lakers, because of knee problems, but has averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds this season.
"We're going to try to slow it down," Walton said. "That's no secret. Now we've got Kwame back. That's big for us. Ronny [Turiaf] has been playing great. [Andrew] Bynum is starting to play well again.
"We've got to focus on getting the ball inside all game long and not just for a little bit and then start settling for jumpers. If you settle for a jumper against Phoenix and if you don't make it, it's like a turnover, where they're off to the races."
[email protected]
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakerep20apr20,0,3697571.story?coll=la-home-sports