CubanMustGo
05-31-2007, 07:15 AM
ONE sportswriter gets it, anyway:
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/05/31/0531golden.html
CEDRIC GOLDEN: COMMENTARY
While Kobe whines, Spurs just win
Lakers' star steals spotlight for a day, but Spurs keep rolling
SAN ANTONIO — Someone please clear this up.
The Spurs spanked Utah in five games and stand four wins from a fourth NBA championship and all anybody seems to care about are Kobe Bryant's trade demands?
The enigmatic superstar did an interview on ESPN radio Wednesday morning then spoke in the afternoon with Dan Patrick about his desire to leave the Lakers after saying the organization promised him it would reload, not rebuild, in the post-Shaq era. He also ripped into an anonymous source who said Bryant orchestrated O'Neal's trade to Miami.
Later in the day, Kobe backed off his comments, saying he wanted to retire as a Laker. Hopefully, we can work something out, he said.
Well, whoop-de- freakin'-do. What is he going to do next? Change his jersey number again? How about switching to No. 0, which matches his relevance to the NBA's 2007 conference finals.
While his competitive fire is unquestioned, Bryant is an ego-driven spotlight hog who grew tired of watching the playoffs on television, watching players like LeBron James and Tim Duncan soak up all of that postseason coverage while the only championships he's won lately are scoring titles.
Give it a rest, Kobe. You sound like a desperate house husband, with a much worse TV rating than Eva Longoria.
Before tempering his earlier comments, Bryant actually said he would rather play on Pluto before coming back to the Lakers for another season. Can't blame him there. Pluto probably has a better bench.
Credit him for having out-of-this-world talent, but we can wait for the 2007-08 season to discuss his game. Instead, let's talk about the relevant Western Conference champion Spurs, who beat Utah for the 19th straight time at home on Wednesday night.
With Deron Williams hobbling and Derek Fisher unavailable in the first half because of personal reasons, there wasn't a whole lot of fuel left in the Jazz, which surprised us all by getting this far.
The 109-84 blowout in a closeout game wasn't surprising. The Jazz haven't won here since Feb. 28, 1999. That was a much happier time for all of us, not because of Utah's 101-87 victory, but because gas cost 91 cents a gallon.
So instead of fueling the Kobe fire by trying to figure out the identity of that mysterious Laker insider, let's appreciate Tim Duncan, who puts up 20 points and 10 rebounds with the same consistency of a Rolex. Let's enjoy watching Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, the best 2-3 punch in the league. Let's congratulate coach Gregg Popovich, who improved to 4-0 in Western Conference finals matchups.
Sure, they're about as sexy as Granny's bloomers and match up with a red carpet about as well as Paris Hilton goes with a bottled water at last call. Shoot, their fans weren't even decent enough to give us a good riot in the previous three championship seasons, but this is a winning formula and results are all that matter.
"During the season, there's always somebody else being talked about, somebody else getting more attention,'' Duncan said. "None of that stuff bothers us."
That somebody has often been the Lakers, who have gone from dynasty to cry-nasty since O'Neal was shipped to Miami. Owner Jerry Buss thought he could retool a title team without Shaq and handed over the keys to his franchise — but apparently not the keys to his car — to the younger Bryant. It hasn't worked out.
While the NBA's best player languishes on a former league power, the league's oldest team is resting comfortably, awaiting the Detroit-Cleveland winner in the finals. San Antonio will enjoy homecourt advantage, by the way, and will open the Finals as the favorite.
And the Spurs have the audacity to be nice guys. These aren't the Bad Boys. NBA fans had no problem hating Bryant after his legal problems a few years ago, but the closest San Antonio came to being reviled was during the conference semifinals when Robert Horry did his best Ray Lewis imitation on two-time MVP Steve Nash. That Most Hated Team in the NBA hype lasted about as long as a roll of nickels at a Vegas slot machine.
These Spurs are more flannel than flamingo. They have gone about their business with the vanilla efficiency of a veteran insurance salesman who wears a clip-on tie but wins that company bonus every year for top sales.
Speaking of tops, you are watching a model NBA franchise at the Everest of its game. Lots of wins, little drama. A quiet superstar on a tough-minded team with a no-nonsense coach, a group that's totally, unapologetically comfortable operating beneath the NBA radar.
But enough talk about those boring winners. Let's turn to SportsCenter. We hear Kobe's in studio.
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/05/31/0531golden.html
CEDRIC GOLDEN: COMMENTARY
While Kobe whines, Spurs just win
Lakers' star steals spotlight for a day, but Spurs keep rolling
SAN ANTONIO — Someone please clear this up.
The Spurs spanked Utah in five games and stand four wins from a fourth NBA championship and all anybody seems to care about are Kobe Bryant's trade demands?
The enigmatic superstar did an interview on ESPN radio Wednesday morning then spoke in the afternoon with Dan Patrick about his desire to leave the Lakers after saying the organization promised him it would reload, not rebuild, in the post-Shaq era. He also ripped into an anonymous source who said Bryant orchestrated O'Neal's trade to Miami.
Later in the day, Kobe backed off his comments, saying he wanted to retire as a Laker. Hopefully, we can work something out, he said.
Well, whoop-de- freakin'-do. What is he going to do next? Change his jersey number again? How about switching to No. 0, which matches his relevance to the NBA's 2007 conference finals.
While his competitive fire is unquestioned, Bryant is an ego-driven spotlight hog who grew tired of watching the playoffs on television, watching players like LeBron James and Tim Duncan soak up all of that postseason coverage while the only championships he's won lately are scoring titles.
Give it a rest, Kobe. You sound like a desperate house husband, with a much worse TV rating than Eva Longoria.
Before tempering his earlier comments, Bryant actually said he would rather play on Pluto before coming back to the Lakers for another season. Can't blame him there. Pluto probably has a better bench.
Credit him for having out-of-this-world talent, but we can wait for the 2007-08 season to discuss his game. Instead, let's talk about the relevant Western Conference champion Spurs, who beat Utah for the 19th straight time at home on Wednesday night.
With Deron Williams hobbling and Derek Fisher unavailable in the first half because of personal reasons, there wasn't a whole lot of fuel left in the Jazz, which surprised us all by getting this far.
The 109-84 blowout in a closeout game wasn't surprising. The Jazz haven't won here since Feb. 28, 1999. That was a much happier time for all of us, not because of Utah's 101-87 victory, but because gas cost 91 cents a gallon.
So instead of fueling the Kobe fire by trying to figure out the identity of that mysterious Laker insider, let's appreciate Tim Duncan, who puts up 20 points and 10 rebounds with the same consistency of a Rolex. Let's enjoy watching Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, the best 2-3 punch in the league. Let's congratulate coach Gregg Popovich, who improved to 4-0 in Western Conference finals matchups.
Sure, they're about as sexy as Granny's bloomers and match up with a red carpet about as well as Paris Hilton goes with a bottled water at last call. Shoot, their fans weren't even decent enough to give us a good riot in the previous three championship seasons, but this is a winning formula and results are all that matter.
"During the season, there's always somebody else being talked about, somebody else getting more attention,'' Duncan said. "None of that stuff bothers us."
That somebody has often been the Lakers, who have gone from dynasty to cry-nasty since O'Neal was shipped to Miami. Owner Jerry Buss thought he could retool a title team without Shaq and handed over the keys to his franchise — but apparently not the keys to his car — to the younger Bryant. It hasn't worked out.
While the NBA's best player languishes on a former league power, the league's oldest team is resting comfortably, awaiting the Detroit-Cleveland winner in the finals. San Antonio will enjoy homecourt advantage, by the way, and will open the Finals as the favorite.
And the Spurs have the audacity to be nice guys. These aren't the Bad Boys. NBA fans had no problem hating Bryant after his legal problems a few years ago, but the closest San Antonio came to being reviled was during the conference semifinals when Robert Horry did his best Ray Lewis imitation on two-time MVP Steve Nash. That Most Hated Team in the NBA hype lasted about as long as a roll of nickels at a Vegas slot machine.
These Spurs are more flannel than flamingo. They have gone about their business with the vanilla efficiency of a veteran insurance salesman who wears a clip-on tie but wins that company bonus every year for top sales.
Speaking of tops, you are watching a model NBA franchise at the Everest of its game. Lots of wins, little drama. A quiet superstar on a tough-minded team with a no-nonsense coach, a group that's totally, unapologetically comfortable operating beneath the NBA radar.
But enough talk about those boring winners. Let's turn to SportsCenter. We hear Kobe's in studio.