Reply With Quote
8 championships in 29 seasons.
That's hardly an empire.
And college basketball doesn't count as a real sport.
From the Los Angeles Times
Bill Plaschke:
Lakers have answers so far, but that's only the half of it
The team needs eight more wins for a championship and it has answered many of the questions that critics have pondered.
May 17 2008
SALT LAKE CITY -- Halfway there.
A season that began in histrionics is halfway to history.
A season that began in tiny torn pieces is halfway toward becoming one eye-popping, jaw-dropping quilt.
A dreamcoat, it would be.
Eight more wins, it would take.
The Lakers on Friday reached the midway point of their patchwork journey toward a previously unimaginable NBA le in typical many-colored fashion.
They turned out the lights on the league's best home court.
They put out the fire in the league's most consistently intense team.
In the Western Conference semifinals, they won their clinching Game 6 in Utah, and the 108-105 victory had nothing to do with Jazz.
It was hard rock, as the Lakers scored the first seven points of the game, the last six points of the first half, took a 19-point lead, came out flying against the strangely plodding Jazz.
It was a little country, as the EnergySolutions Arena fans whined and cursed and cried, yelling at the officials when they should have been yelling at the Kirilenkos and Boozers.
In the end, it was a lot of soul, the Lakers hanging on against a final push by a desperate team seemingly unbeatable on its home court.
The Jazz somehow closed it to three points in the final seconds, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams each missed three-point attempts.
In both cases, Lakers were charging the shooter, Sasha Vujacic rushing Okur, Bryant harassing Williams, the hotshots always hustling.
Game, Set, Wasatch.
"A real solid performance by our players," said a clearly relieved Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.
"We just got lost in what we were doing," said a clearly weary Utah Coach Jerry Sloan.
It was only the sixth time in 47 games here that the visitors have triumphed -- with two of those wins owned by the Lakers.
Denver done, Utah used, two series gone, two more to go, the Lakers now set to enjoy home-court advantage in the conference finals against the winner of Monday's semifinal Game 7 between New Orleans and San Antonio.
The Lakers will be watching that game.
But at this point in the postseason, everyone is watching the Lakers.
When spring began, most pegged the Lakers as a conference finals team at best, or perhaps potential losers in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.
Halfway there, and everything has changed.
So far in this postseason, the Lakers have been the only team to sweep a series.
So far, they are only the second team to win a conference semifinal game on the road.
So far, they have racked up the most impressive two-game stretch of anybody, leading from start to finish in their last two games against the 54-win Jazz.
So far, nobody has looked tougher or smarter or better.
Are they really good enough to not only reach the Finals, but win there?
Put it another way:
Is there any question they haven't answered?
It only seemed that most of those answers were provided Friday night.
Kobe Bryant's playoff unselfishness? Check.
With the exception of that strange overtime in Game 4, Bryant deferred to his teammates when his back was aching or his jump shot was jiggling, and his teammates responded.
He scored only nine baskets Friday but had eight rebounds and six assists and missed just two of 17 free throws.
Pau Gasol's playoff toughness? Check.
Gasol disappeared in Game 3 here, but never again, shaken awake by the moment, dominating the middle, 17 points and 13 rebounds Friday, turning Boozer into a mean-looking prop.
Lamar Odom's willingness to join the playoff scrum? Check.
Odom flew to the basket throughout the series, coming up huge in the final minutes of Game 5 to help the Lakers to that victory, then grabbing the ball and sinking two foul shots in crunch time Friday.
Derek Fisher's age? Chuckle.
Fisher was in the face of Deron Williams throughout Game 6, the Jazz leader hitting just nine of 21 shots and only two of eight three-point attempts.
As impressive as the Lakers appeared during the early blowout Friday, they were just as impressive in the final clinging moment.
The Jazz took advantage of some loose play by the Lakers' reserves and narrowed the gap to seven points in the final six minutes.
Kobe anyone?
The guy who had struggled with his outside shot threw in a fall-away three-pointer.
Then, on the next possession, he threw in another fall-away jumper while being hacked by Matt Harpring, allowing Bryant to turn it into another three-point play.
When the Jazz closed it back to seven points in the final two minutes, yes, it was Bryant who grabbed a big rebound and turned it into two finishing-touch foul shots.
It was a season in a night, big leads and close calls and Kobe, Kobe, Kobe.
Eight wins down, eight wins to go, halfway there, feels like halfway home.
Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.
8 championships in 29 seasons.
That's hardly an empire.
And college basketball doesn't count as a real sport.
She Got Game
WNBA on ABCSparks at Mercury, season opener, 3:30 ET
ESPN.com Illustration
Better Lakers news than the Game 6 victory? Bryant “100 percent”
May 17th, 2008, 12:00 am · 6 Comments · posted by KEVIN DING
SALT LAKE CITY — No need to fret Kobe Bryant’s back problem plaguing the Lakers as they try to win the last eight of the 16 playoff victories needed to be champions, apparently.
“I felt normal, felt 100 percent,” Bryant said. “Our staff did a fantastic job, and our therapists — part of our extended family — came in and did an excellent job and got me ready.”
Bryant took a couple of serious shots to his right hip (his back spasms arose on his right side) in Game 6 and got shoved in the back hard once by Mehmet Okur, but Bryant showed no ill effects.
From the Los Angeles Times
Lakers have answers so far, but that's only the half of it
The team needs eight more wins for a championship and it has answered many of the questions that critics have pondered.
May 17 2008
SALT LAKE CITY -- Halfway there.
A season that began in histrionics is halfway to history.
A season that began in tiny torn pieces is halfway toward becoming one eye-popping, jaw-dropping quilt.
A dreamcoat, it would be.
Eight more wins, it would take.
The Lakers on Friday reached the midway point of their patchwork journey toward a previously unimaginable NBA le in typical many-colored fashion.
They turned out the lights on the league's best home court.
They put out the fire in the league's most consistently intense team.
In the Western Conference semifinals, they won their clinching Game 6 in Utah, and the 108-105 victory had nothing to do with Jazz.
It was hard rock, as the Lakers scored the first seven points of the game, the last six points of the first half, took a 19-point lead, came out flying against the strangely plodding Jazz.
It was a little country, as the EnergySolutions Arena fans whined and cursed and cried, yelling at the officials when they should have been yelling at the Kirilenkos and Boozers.
In the end, it was a lot of soul, the Lakers hanging on against a final push by a desperate team seemingly unbeatable on its home court.
The Jazz somehow closed it to three points in the final seconds, but Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams each missed three-point attempts.
In both cases, Lakers were charging the shooter, Sasha Vujacic rushing Okur, Bryant harassing Williams, the hotshots always hustling.
Game, Set, Wasatch.
"A real solid performance by our players," said a clearly relieved Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.
"We just got lost in what we were doing," said a clearly weary Utah Coach Jerry Sloan.
It was only the sixth time in 47 games here that the visitors have triumphed -- with two of those wins owned by the Lakers.
Denver done, Utah used, two series gone, two more to go, the Lakers now set to enjoy home-court advantage in the conference finals against the winner of Monday's semifinal Game 7 between New Orleans and San Antonio.
The Lakers will be watching that game.
But at this point in the postseason, everyone is watching the Lakers.
When spring began, most pegged the Lakers as a conference finals team at best, or perhaps potential losers in the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics.
Halfway there, and everything has changed.
So far in this postseason, the Lakers have been the only team to sweep a series.
So far, they are only the second team to win a conference semifinal game on the road.
So far, they have racked up the most impressive two-game stretch of anybody, leading from start to finish in their last two games against the 54-win Jazz.
So far, nobody has looked tougher or smarter or better.
Are they really good enough to not only reach the Finals, but win there?
Put it another way:
Is there any question they haven't answered?
It only seemed that most of those answers were provided Friday night.
Kobe Bryant's playoff unselfishness? Check.
With the exception of that strange overtime in Game 4, Bryant deferred to his teammates when his back was aching or his jump shot was jiggling, and his teammates responded.
He scored only nine baskets Friday but had eight rebounds and six assists and missed just two of 17 free throws.
Pau Gasol's playoff toughness? Check.
Gasol disappeared in Game 3 here, but never again, shaken awake by the moment, dominating the middle, 17 points and 13 rebounds Friday, turning Boozer into a mean-looking prop.
Lamar Odom's willingness to join the playoff scrum? Check.
Odom flew to the basket throughout the series, coming up huge in the final minutes of Game 5 to help the Lakers to that victory, then grabbing the ball and sinking two foul shots in crunch time Friday.
Derek Fisher's age? Chuckle.
Fisher was in the face of Deron Williams throughout Game 6, the Jazz leader hitting just nine of 21 shots and only two of eight three-point attempts.
As impressive as the Lakers appeared during the early blowout Friday, they were just as impressive in the final clinging moment.
The Jazz took advantage of some loose play by the Lakers' reserves and narrowed the gap to seven points in the final six minutes.
Kobe anyone?
The guy who had struggled with his outside shot threw in a fall-away three-pointer.
Then, on the next possession, he threw in another fall-away jumper while being hacked by Matt Harpring, allowing Bryant to turn it into another three-point play.
When the Jazz closed it back to seven points in the final two minutes, yes, it was Bryant who grabbed a big rebound and turned it into two finishing-touch foul shots.
It was a season in a night, big leads and close calls and Kobe, Kobe, Kobe.
Eight wins down, eight wins to go, halfway there, feels like halfway home.
Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.
A good read.
I don't get the comparisons here. You're comparing the Spurs' number of playoffs to the teams above them, while they are the youngest of those NBA franchises? I think the Suns have what, 8 more years in the league, yet have the same number of appearances. Now, look at the last column, and then look again at the Spurs or any team on that list.Just to rub it in a little more. Not to mention 25 le appearances in the 64 years of League history. LOOK HOW FAR DOWN THE SPURS ARE ON THAT LIST
All-Time Playoffs: Franchise Appearances
Includes appearances in NBA Playoffs 2008
Franchise Appearances Last Current Streak
Los Angeles Lakers 56 2008 3
Boston Celtics 46 2008 1
Philadelphia 76ers 44 2008 1
Detroit Pistons 39 2008 7
New York Knicks 38 2004 --
Atlanta Hawks 37 2008 1
Sacramento Kings 29 2006 --
Golden State Warriors 28 2007 --
Phoenix Suns 28 2008 4
San Antonio Spurs 28 2008 11
Chicago Bulls 27 2007 --
Portland Trail Blazers 26 2003 --
Milwaukee Bucks 25 2006 --
Washington Wizards 25 2008 4
Houston Rockets 25 2008 2
Seattle SuperSonics 22 2005 --
Utah Jazz 22 2008 2
Denver Nuggets 19 2008 5
Indiana Pacers 18 2006 --
New Jersey Nets 16 2007 --
Cleveland Cavaliers 16 2008 3
Dallas Mavericks 14 2008 8
Miami Heat 12 2007 --
New Orleans Hornets 10 2008 1
Orlando Magic 10 2008 2
Minnesota Timberwolves 8 2004 --
Los Angeles Clippers 7 2006 --
Toronto Raptors 5 2008 2
Chicago Stags 4
Indianapolis Olympians 4
Memphis Grizzlies 3 2006 --
Baltimore Bullets 3
St. Louis Bombers 3
Washington Capitols 3
Cleveland Rebels 1
Sheboygan Redskins 1
TOP 10 CELEBRITY LAKERS FANS
No other NBA franchise is as closely associated with its celebrity fans as the Los Angeles Lakers. And why not? L.A. is the epicenter of the entertainment industry, and the Lakers are a big part of that entertainment scene. "In this town there has to be some star attraction," said Joe Smith, a record executive and Lakers season ticket holder since the team arrived in L.A. in 1960. "It’s a city of stars, and the extra added plus is when you see Jack Nicholson at the game. There was one game against the Spurs a couple of years ago, in the playoffs, when there were seven Academy Award winners sitting courtside."
The glitter, the glamour, the game. NBA.com celebrates this long love affair between the Lakers and their celebrity fans by naming the Top 10 Celebrity Lakers fans of all time.
10: Doris DayYes, Doris Day. Surprised? We knew you would be. For years, celebrities flocked to watch the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, and later the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Sundays in the fall, celebs would head to the L.A. Coliseum to watch the Rams. But as Jerry West would attest, the Lakers' arrival in L.A. barely made a ripple in the sports pages and with Hollywood.
"We didn’t have many celebrities in the stands," West said. "We had very few fans and rarely celebrities. At the time, the two most important sports teams were the Dodgers and Rams. We were on the back of the sports page, and weren’t even on the radar at that time."
Enter Doris Day. She's the Neil Armstrong of Lakers celebrities, taking one small courtside seat for her, but one giant leap for the Hollywood stars. Other stars of that era — Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Dean Martin, Andy Williams to name a few — would soon find their way to the L.A. Sports Arena to watch Jerry West and Elgin Baylor lead the Lakers to multiple Finals appearances.
But it was Day, the biggest female box office star of the late '50s and early '60s, who, according to Terry Pluto's oral history of the early NBA Tall Tales, "was the Dyan Cannon of the early Lakers, a star who was a regular at courtside." And for that, we tip our pillbox hat in honor of Doris Day, a Lakers celeb fan pioneer and No. 10 on our list.
9: Arsenio HallFor a while in the late '80s and early '90s, Arsenio Hall had the hottest, most-talked-about late night talk show. (You may remember then-Arkansas governor Bill Clinton donning shades, toting a sax and playing "Heartbreak Hotel" on Arsenio's show in June of 1992.) And during that time, when the Showtime Lakers were hot and the Forum was jumping, you could usually count on three celebs to be front and center: Jack Nicholson, Dyan Cannon and Arsenio Hall. After Magic Johnson retired, Arsenio had the seats next to Magic, who chose Arsenio's talk show as one of the first places to make a public comment after announcing his retirement from the NBA because he was HIV positive.
While no longer a front-and-center fixture at Lakers games, Aresnio's close friendship with Magic and romantic relationship with former Laker Girl, Paula Abdul (that's him making faces in Abdul's video for her first No. 1 hit, "Straight Up"), coupled with his courtside presence during the high-top fade and Cross Colors era, lands him in the No. 9 spot.
8: Leonardo DiCaprioA native Los Angelino and a hoops junkie, who actually starred in a movie about a junkie who played hoops, The Basketball Diaries, Leonardo DiCaprio has been a fixture at STAPLES Center since the late '90s. And while he often tried to go to games relatively incognito with a cap pulled down tight, DiCaprio, a three-time Academy Award nominee, is a hard person to miss at games according to Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant:
"Well, he sits right behind my wife and they get a little rowdy," Bryant said. "He really gets into the game. They're pretty passionate fans, so that's always good."
Kobe on Leo
7: Penny MarshallHow much of a Lakers/hoops fan is director Penny Marshall? Allow American Idol judge Randy Jackson to explain Marshall's fandom. "I'll give you the top two, top three: Jack, Dyan and Penny Marshall," Jackson said. "Those three, those three are always here without fail. Penny's asked me to fly to Arizona on a private plane to see games. They're hardcore."
How dedicated is she? Marshall's MySpace page (yes, she has a MySpace page) lists her interests as: "Basketball, Directing, Acting, Producing." She lists her avocation, hoops, before her actual vocation: directing and acting. As Jackson said, hardcore. Marshall's love for hoops also takes her to Clippers games where she has been seen wearing — gasp! — Clippers gear. It's not enough for us to drop her from the Top 10, but it's also why she's only No. 7 on our list.
6: Denzel WashingtonWant to know why Denzel's No. 6? Just look at the video below. We'll wait. Yes, that's super-Knicks fan e Lee taunting the man he's directed in four films. Why? Because Denzel was pulling for Kobe and Co. And while the Mt. Vernon, New York, native has drawn stares for wearing Yankees caps to STAPLES, we're not talking about a Dodgers list, we're talking a Lakers list. During the 2000 Western Conference Finals, one of our panelists noted that he was one of the few big names in the lower bowl to don the Lakers t-shirts they handed out before the game. Lakers doyenne Dyan Cannon calls Denzel "a big, big Lakers" fan. Kobe Bryant says that Denzel's a fan but when it comes to whoopin' it up, he's laid back. "He doesn't say too much," Bryant said. "I hear his wife actually is a passionate Lakers fan. She really gets into it, but Denzel kind of sits back and chills and takes it all in."
In laid-back L.A., that seems wholly appropriate.
5: Andy GarciaGarcia grew up loving the Lakers even though he was a continent away in Florida. "The Lakers were one of the teams I followed when I was a kid in Florida because of Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor," Garcia said. "We didn't have a team in Florida. And my first exposure was watching the games on television. We wouldn't have games on TV every night, but when the Lakers were in the playoffs you'd get much more exposure to them."
Garcia received the ultimate L.A. welcome when he attended his first Lakers game at the Forum as a guest of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. Garcia, who has had season tickets since the early '80s, now watches his beloved team from his seats in the fourth row opposite of the Lakers bench.
NBA.com caught up with Andy Garcia. See what he had to say about being a Lakers fan.
4: Ice CubeWhile our No. 5 sits in the fourth row, our No. 4 All-Time Celebrity Lakers fan watches the team he's rooted for since he was a zygote from his own private suite. In an interview with CNN.com last December, Cube, a South Central L.A. native, claimed his Lakers fandom before he was even born. " I was a Lakers fan in the womb," Cube claimed. "My mother screamed at a Lakers game for Elgin Baylor or Jerry West and I was a fan from there. I go to every game. It's an experience."
And unlike our laid-back fan at No. 6, Cube admits he's not cool during games.
"This is my box, so I'm up here hanging out, yelling," Cube said. "I'm yelling from up here. I'm surprised you don't hear me, but I'm a screamer. I scream at the fans. I scream at the officials. I scream at the players, the coach, whoever's not doing their job ... I'm screaming at 'em."
Stars, they're diehards, just like us.
3: Flea/Anthony Kiedis
Flea and Kiedis, the two founding members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, wrote not one but two songs about the Lakers on their 1989 album Mother's Milk: a demo called "Salute To Kareem" and the "Magic Johnson" which features these lyrics: Lakers are the team that I watch on the telly
Cause they got more moves
Than a bowl full of jelly
Classic. As for their inclusion on this list, Kiedis had this to say: "I like being mentioned in the same breath as Doris Day for any particular top 10. So there's my honor today."
As for Flea, who blogs with passion and intelligence, but without punctuation, about his beloved Lakers on NBA.com, it's an honor he'll gladly take.
"Anything remotely Laker oriented that we get mentioned in the same breath as the Lakers makes us happy," Flea said.
2: Dyan CannonAs a Lakers fan, Dyan Cannon is only second to one. Known as much as for her Laker fandom — she's the curly blond bouncing on the baseline — as her acting career, Cannon has been a die-hard regular at Lakers games since the early '70s.
"One of the first games I ever went to was at the Forum," Cannon said. "It was on the radio. It wasn't on TV then. Jerry West fell in my lap and coffee spilled all over me and all over the court. That was my first memory."
The occasional spilled coffee aside, Cannon's been close to the action for years, talking with players, refs and coaches. Cannon is practically part of the Lakers family. When the Lakers won their 1988 le, Cannon and Pat Riley's wife Chris, chased each other through the halls of the Forum, spraying Champagne everywhere. And after all these years, she still learns and finds joy in going to games.
"I've been so blessed," Cannon said. "Because, Arsenio used to sit with Magic. But now, I sit next to Magic. And I've learned so much about the game. When the guys are coming down the floor, he'll say 'Ugh' and I'll say, 'Tell me.' He'll say 'Ugh' and I'll say, 'What? Explain that to me.'
"So, he's taught me about so many of the ins and outs of this game that I would never understand. It's been such a thrill. It still is."
1: Jack NicholsonReally now, was there any doubt? No fan — celebrity or average Joe — is more closely associated with any team than the three-time Academy Award winner is with the Lakers. Nicholson has had courtside seats for more than three decades, both at the Forum and STAPLES. What we like about Jack is he's the consummate fan — he harangues refs, talks with opposing coaches, trash talks with players and rarely misses a game. He's shown his famous face in opposing arenas when the Lakers have made The Finals. And most important, Nicholson knows the game of basketball.
"He's been a good friend of mine ... for years," Pat Riley said, "and it's borne out of basketball more than anything else. He's simply a fanatic and has been ever since I started my career with the Lakers in 1970.
"He's a real fan. He's not one of these actors that all of a sudden get front row seats and then they're gone. He's for real. He cares."
Boy does he. While his near-perfect attendance and his courtside antics are legendary, Nicholson's fandom is also stuff of urban legend. Directors reportedly need to work their shooting schedules around Lakers home games. One report from the set of his Academy Award-winning film "The Departed" had him forbidding all Celtics gear from the set of the Boston-based movie. Whether that's true or not just adds to Nicholson's charm and more than tightens his iron grip on our top spot.
And what does Jack think about being named the top Lakers fan of all time? His publicist, of course, passed along this message to us:
"He is deeply honored and only hopes that he has been as consistently entertaining as the Lakers have been."
Good post Lakeshow.
Flea's blog is hilarious and he bleeds the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers only won in 2000, 2001, and 2002 because they got either lucky or the other team just had an offnights.
The 80's Lakers are the real dynasty.
Haha...and the Spurs never had a dynasty. 3 championships in 5 years is not a dynasty, especially since the Spurs never repeated. How can you lump the 1999 Spurs team with the same championship run as these current Spurs. The only guy that's carried over from that squad to the current squad is Duncan and the head coach. If you're going to lump that championship run with your most recent championship run, would Spurs fans lump this year's Lakers with the 2000 Laker team ? I mean, if the Laker win the championship this year, they still have 2 key players that's carried over from their 2000 team in Kobe and Fisher, and the same coaching staff. Most laker fans agree that these current Lakers are basically a completely different era in Lakers basketball from the three peat squad. I think it's ridiculous to count that 1999 run with their 2007 run from last year. That's an 8 year difference, and in the middle, their was another team that only won 3 straight.lol
Lame:
Fisher wasn't constatly Laker since 2000. Would he be Laker if it was not because of his unfortunate doughter?
Coaching stuff? Don't make me laugh. Pop has been her every year, can you say same about Phil?
You are right about one thing, there is another team winning 3 straight. Just, please, don't forget the lottery year
Lakers suck! Spurs in 6.
My point is, your 1999 Championship squad has as much resemblance to your 2007 squad as the 2000 Laker squad has with this current squad. Basically, not much at all.
NBA PLAYOFFS
Lakers ready for Spurs
[COLOR=#999999 ! important]n, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 21, 2008 [/COLOR]
San Antonio has won four championships since 1999, the Lakers have won three, and the winner of the Western Conference finals has a chance to gain something else.
"If we win it and you want to call us team of the decade, you're my man," Kobe Bryant said.
- Defense is watchword for Lakers in Western finals against Spurs
- How the Lakers solved their chemical imbalance
The Lakers and Spurs begin another playoff series tonight at Staples Center, their sixth meeting in the last 10 seasons, part of a rivalry in which familiarity breeds mild contempt and, often, an NBA le.
The players have mutual respect for one another -- "They're all nice guys. They're not trash talkers by any means," Bryant said -- but the coaches have taken turns slinging the zing.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was generally credited with starting it several years back when he dismissed San Antonio as a land of conventioneers and tourists, but Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich appeared to grab the last laugh by comparing the breakup of the Lakers in 2004 to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS PHOTOGRAPHYBuilding the 2008 Lakers
Kobe Bryant 2008 NBA MVP
Best of Kobe Bryant 2007-2008
More Lakers feature galleries
Jackson, never one to shy away from zinging the opponents (or his own players), once referred to Spurs forward Bruce Bowen as "Edward Scissorhands" because of his rough defense. Earlier this season, Jackson said Manu Ginobili traveled every time he drove to the basket, a so-called "European walk."
Not to be forgotten, Popovich had a problem with the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol in February.
"What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension," he told reporters shortly after Gasol arrived from the Grizzlies. "I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I'd like to elect myself to that committee. I would have voted no to the L.A. trade."
Fast forward to Tuesday, and the Spurs were already a step behind the Lakers.
The Spurs planned to fly Monday night from New Orleans to Los Angeles after eliminating the Hornets, 91-82, but they ended up spending the night on the team plane as it sat near the airport tarmac in New Orleans because of mechanical problems.
The Spurs were more or less stuck because they could not find hotel rooms in New Orleans because of local conventions. The Spurs did not practice Tuesday and held media interviews in a ballroom at a swank Santa Monica hotel.
"We got to the plane at about midnight or something like that. Mechanical problem and no mechanic. Then no plane. Then no hotel," Popovich said. "Called about 15 or 20 places and couldn't go anywhere so we spent the evening in the tarmac on the plane. . . . It reminded me of Division III basketball."
The Lakers weren't exactly sending energy bars and mocha lattes when the Spurs landed at about 6:30 a.m. in L.A.
"This is not a time for sympathy," Gasol said. "No sympathy, no mercies. Time to compete."
Gasol, who is now 8-2 in the playoffs after being 0-12 in six seasons with Memphis, will draw Tim Duncan as his assignment. Derek Fisher will try to stop Tony Parker. And Bryant and Bowen will continue the decade-long rivalry within a rivalry.
After running up and down with Denver, and standing up to Utah's physicality, the Lakers now get the stinginess of the Spurs.
"They're one of the best defensive teams our league has seen in a long time," Fisher said.
The Lakers almost drew New Orleans instead of the Spurs, but, then again, where would the rivalry be in that?
"We wouldn't want it any other way," Bryant said. "To be the best, you've got to play against the best. They are the best and have been for quite some time. It's a great opportunity for us to see where we stack up."
------
This is the type of series where Andrew Bynum might be missed.
"He's a great player and a presence inside that would help anybody and especially would help us, right?" Gasol said. "He's a great shot blocker, would intimidate a lot. A big body."
Bynum, who has been out since Jan. 13, is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery today in New York to clean up rough spots on the underside of his left kneecap.
------
Jackson was sardonic and humorous Tuesday after a slew of serious news conferences throughout the last week.
He threw out a punch line when asked where he would rank the rivalry with the Spurs.
"You mean after the Clippers?" he said dryly.
He was later asked if Bryant also bought him a $9,800 watch in addition to Lakers teammates.
"No," Jackson said. "I have plenty of watches."
Times staff writer Jonathan Abrams contributed to this report.
When are the Lakers and their fans going to realize that the Lakers aren't winning .
I hope Spurs fans know that they aren't getting any calls...
THE BIG EVENT
It's showtime -- on two fronts in downtown L.A.
[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Basketball and entertainment will intersect as Lakers play host to Game 1 of conference finals at Staples Center and neighboring Nokia Theatre is the site for 'American Idol' season finale.[/COLOR]
May 21, 2008
Live from downtown L.A. tonight, it's a traffic jam full of spotlights and entertainment and cultural icons:
It's Kobe Bryant, Jack Nicholson and the Lakers versus Tim Duncan, Eva Longoria Parker and the defending NBA champions, the San Antonio Spurs, in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Staples Center. Across the street, at the same time, in the Nokia Theatre it's David Cook versus David Archuleta in the season finale of "American Idol."
Common links? At least one: "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul jump-started her career as a teenager dancing as a Laker Girl during the Lakers' Showtime era of the early 1980s.
The Fox show, now in its seventh season, is the No.1-rated TV show; the Lakers, in their 48th season here, have won nine NBA les since moving to California. And according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, the Lakers are their top choice to win the le this season.
The one certainty: On Chick Hearn Court (11th Street), one lane will be blocked tonight because of heavy traffic. Park early.
now this makes you look foolish.
The beat goes on,
UCLA BASKETBALL
J'Mison Morgan announces he'll attend UCLA
[COLOR=#333333 ! important]The 6-11 center, rated the fourth-best high school center in the U.S. last season, had signed with LSU but changed his mind after the Tigers fired their coach.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#999999 ! important]By Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:58 AM PDT, May 23, 2008 [/COLOR]
J'Mison Morgan, a 6-foot-11 center rated the fourth-best at his position in high school this past season, announced at a news conference today that he will attend UCLA next season.
Morgan had signed a letter of intent with Louisiana State in November but asked to be released from the letter after LSU fired Coach John Brady and hired former Stanford Coach Trent Johnson. UCLA had originally been Morgan's second choice, and his mother, Bianca, said her son wanted to reconsider UCLA after Brady was fired. "We signed to play with Coach Brady," she said. "Then he wasn't there. What UCLA has to offer with academics and basketball seemed like the best fit for J'Mison."
UCLA also will likely have plenty of playing time for Morgan. Freshman center Kevin Love has announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, and while he hasn't hired an agent, he's unlikely to withdraw before the June 16 deadline unless he suffers a severe injury.
Backup power forward Alfred Aboya, a junior, has not committed to using his final year of basketball eligibility. He will graduate this summer and wants to attend graduate school, but he is also going to play for the Cameroon national team as it tries to qualify for the Olympics.
Morgan will join an incoming class that is widely ranked as No. 1 in the country and includes a trio of top-50 guards -- North Hollywood Campbell Hall's Jrue Holiday, Riverside North's Malcolm Lee and Anaheim Canyon's Jerime Anderson -- plus power forward Drew Gordon from San Jose Archbishop Mitty.
NCAA rules say a player can only sign one letter of intent, so Morgan instead will sign a grant in aid. It is binding on UCLA but not on Morgan, who could change his mind again until he officially enrolls in class.
[email protected]
From the Los Angeles Times
T.J. Simers:
Lakers throw another strike at the Dodgers
May 24 2008
So I'm sitting here in Staples Center, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers belting out the national anthem on his horn and then jumping up and down at center court like he's got them, everyone swept away by Lakers euphoria.
The coronation now only a matter of a few weeks away, I was watching Lakers heroes, on a roll and so adored -- just wondering whether they've left the Dodgers behind for good.
The Lakers have won championships before and with some mega stars bouncing the ball for them, but this love affair with the guys feels different now -- in some respects, a little over the top.
Maybe it's the Hollywood stars who drive by Dodger Stadium on their way to Staples or having the best basketball player in the game. But nothing new there.
So I wonder how much this has to do with L.A. having no NFL team, or more than that, starving Dodgers fans now looking elsewhere for some thrills and promise of continued success?
The Dodgers might counter by pointing to the 3.7 million fans they continue to attract each year, but when it comes to outright popularity here, they are no longer in the same league.
A few years ago the Dodgers opened the season in San Francisco, lost, and I noted that was interesting, because the Dodgers and Lakers were both eliminated from the playoffs on the same day.
The Dodgers have fallen off the L.A. map. Once upon a time the Dodgers were like another child in the family, but for the last 20 years, Vin Scully has been their best performer.
When he signs off, the Dodgers are going to have to stand on their own merits, and coupled with the rough crowd the Dodgers are drawing on many nights, the Dodger experience might no longer be all about growing up here, listening to Vinny and soaking in the Chavez Ravine experience.
Chick Hearn is gone, but Kobe Bryant remains.
And so does Jerry Buss, and eccentric as he might be, there is a Lakers blueprint for success, which has produced consistent results.
Present-day Dodgers management instills no such confidence, and who is the superstar in blue to match the impact that Bryant has on sports fans here?
Name a Dodgers superstar besides Mike Piazza -- who just retired and would prefer to be recognized as a Met.
The Dodgers have no one that qualifies as a must-watch highlight show, Eric Gagne maybe the last one to generate such excitement, and now we know he had to get all pumped up to do so.
James Loney and Matt Kemp offer some promise, but it will probably take some home-run punch and team success to make someone a household Dodgers hero. Kemp has the power, and a hint of charisma, but when it comes to team success, the Dodgers just aren't the same without Jose Lima.
The Dodgers tried to copy the Lakers' plan, bringing in JoeTorre to be their own Phil Jackson, but then gave him Andruw Jones, who may be as big as Shaq in some ways, but just doesn't seem to have the same impact.
The Dodgers will tell you better days are ahead with their kids. One playoff win since 1988 should speak to more urgency, but who cares if 3.7 million fans insist on buying tickets?
The Lakers sell tickets, too, and every one of them that they have, and they have young players, too.
The Lakers' younger players look good, in part, because Bryant is here confirming their value with a pat on the back.
Take away Bryant, and maybe the Lakers are the Dodgers with apologies to Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.
Gasol found out what it was like to be on his own in Memphis, and Odom has been his best when surrounded by good players -- both here and in Miami.
But the Lakers have the superstar.
Who carries the Dodgers?
So far this year, it's been Duke Snider arriving in center field on opening day, Sandy Koufax taking the mound in jeans and Steve Sax sitting in the stands earlier this week waving to the fans on the scoreboard.
The Lakers can play that game, too, and then some.
They had Magic Johnson sitting on one end of the court doing TV, James Worthy handing the ball to the referee and assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sitting on the sideline.
Then the Lakers unleashed Bryant, who dictated the Spurs' terms of surrender in the third quarter, and I haven't even mentioned Andrew Bynum.
And right now in this town, there's more interest in Bynum than any Dodger.
And what does that say about the Dodgers?
THE PLAY of the night might have been Jordan Farmar's sky-high leap to block Ime Udoke's breakaway layup.
When asked if he had ever made such a play before, he said, "maybe in high school."
What about at UCLA.
"I was too tired playing defense," he said, and Ben Howland should get a good laugh out of that.
TODAY'S LAST word comes in e-mail from Al Taylor:
"I enjoyed you giving Jim Hill credit for doing what many others in your profession wouldn't do in supporting the charity. However, you couldn't help yourself by belittling what he did in comparing it to not buying a suit. It was crass and classless, as if you had to find a backhanded way to negate his contribution."
You're right. Jim Hill maybe having to wear the same suit twice is no laughing matter.
T.J. Simers can be reached at
Damn, UCLA is serious!
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Alex Stepheson to leave North Carolina
Email Picture
Streeter Lecka / Getty ImagesNorth Carolina forward Alex Stepheson, shown playing against Cole Aldrich of Kansas in the Final Four, has been granted his release from the Tar Heels so that he can be closer to his family in Los Angeles.
[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Former Harvard-Westlake standout is granted his release so he can be closer to home because of family health concerns. UCLA and USC are expected to be interested in the 6-9 power forward.[/COLOR]
May 17, 2008
Alex Stepheson, a 6-foot-9 power forward at North Carolina who was a basketball standout at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake High, has been granted his release from the Tar Heels so that he can be closer to his family in Los Angeles.
UCLA and USC are expected to be among the schools interested in Stepheson, who averaged six points a game during the NCAA tournament.
Stepheson, who will be a junior, said in a statement on North Carolina's basketball website, "My family is dealing with some health challenges at this time and as a result I have made the decision to transfer to be closer to home."
Stepheson would have to sit out one season unless he is granted a waiver by the NCAA.
"I am extremely, extremely disappointed, but I feel so great about Alex that I understand his decision to transfer," North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said. "He is doing this because of health concerns, and by being closer to home he will be able to provide the necessary support and help his family needs at this time.
"He is a wonderful kid. I thoroughly enjoyed coaching him and know that he would have contributed so much more in the next two years. Nevertheless, I have tremendous respect for Alex and know that he will always be part of our Carolina basketball family. I'll miss him, but he will always be important to me."
-- Eric Sondheimer
That's right!
Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Spurs forward Brent Barry grabs a rebound from Lakers forward Luke Walton during Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Email Picture
[COLOR=#333333! important]They never trail and barely avoid a last-minute collapse to get to within one win of the NBA Finals.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#999999! important]By Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 28, 2008 [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#999999! important]http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...,4684261.story[/COLOR]
Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images
The biggest difference in this series is that the Lakers had Kobe Bryant, while the Spurs did not.
Gameday!
Don't expect a knockout in Round 11 of Lakers-Celtics battle
Lakers-Celtics.
Round 11.
Will this be another of those classic confrontations?
The Lakers and Celtics are the most storied franchise in the NBA. They have combined to win half of the 60 NBA championships. They had one of the game's best rivalries during the 1960s, '70s and '80s.
Now the Lakers and Celtics are back at it again, playing each other for the NBA championship for the 11th time, starting with Game 1 of the Finals tonight at TD Banknorth Garden.
The desire to win for both franchises is as strong as ever.
Kobe Bryant has won three NBA championships with the Lakers, but those were considered Shaquille O'Neal's teams. Bryant yearns to be the man this time.
Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, Boston's Big Three, have never even been to the Finals before.
This is their chance to become a part of Celtics lore, and Bryant knows the hunger those three have and what it'll be like for the Lakers to face Garnett, Allen and Pierce.
"Tough," Bryant said, laughing. "It's going to be tough.
"What it boils down to in the Finals is you obviously have a lot of hunger, you have the will to win, which is great. But from my experience, you have to execute. You can want it worse than anybody on this planet, but if you don't have a group of guys or a team that collectively executes well enough to win, you're not going to win."
The Lakers have players with championship pedigree in Bryant and Derek Fisher, both of whom were a part of the team's three straight NBA les from 2000 to 2002.
The Celtics do have Sam Cassell and James Posey who have won les, but they are supporting players.
"Obviously Kobe and D-Fish, they have their experience," Garnett said. "But at the end of the day, it's basketball. You play it the way you know. You bring what you bring. Play with your heart and soul and play together, as a team."
Both the Lakers and Celtics got here because of big moves they made.
Last summer, the Celtics acquired Garnett from Minnesota and Allen from Seattle and put the two of them together with Pierce.
Boston produced the best record in the NBA at 66-16.
The Celtics struggled some in the playoffs, going to seven games against the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers before disposing of the Detroit Pistons in six games in the Eastern Conference finals. But Boston is 11-1 at home.
The Lakers began their drive when they acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1.
Los Angeles earned the best record in the tough Western Conference (57-25) and then swept Denver in the first round, beat Utah in six games in the conference semifinals and knocked out the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in five games.
The Lakers lost both regular-season games to the Celtics, but they are a different team now.
"Obviously our team has changed tremendously with the addition of Pau," Luke Walton said. "We didn't have him in either one of those games. The Celtics have been a great team since the start of the season. A lot of people thought it was going to take time for them to blend together, but they've done an outstanding job of coming right out of the gates from start to finish."
The Celtics make their mark on defense, allowing 90.2 points per game during the regular season, second best in the league. They became even stingier in the postseason, giving up just 87 points, tops in the league.
The Lakers, on the other hand, averaged 108 points during the regular season, 105 in the playoffs, which is tops.
Because of that, many have the Lakers as the favorites for them to bring home the franchise's 15th championship banner.
"The belief in our ability to win this series is from within," Fisher said. "Whatever people feel outside of it is appreciated and understood and respected. We know it comes with the territory. But for the most part, we're still carrying that bunker mentality that it's really just us and everybody else can feel how they want to feel."
Reach Broderick Turner at [email protected]
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
