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Boring game.
Lakeshow gonna tap that ass.
Boring game.
everyone is getting tired of seeing kobe and james on christmas
might not even watch it
At least it'll be more entertaining than the 2007 NBA Finals.
Shaq, Kobe, LEbron... good entertainment value here
Even if the game itself won't be.
I'm pretty sure most people disagree with you. Kobe / Lebron is the marquee matchup in the NBA.
Get ready to get creamed Queen James.
La gonna beat the brakes off of cleavland MERRY CHRISTMAS MOTHER ER
These two are seriously mirrors of each other.
Hopefully Lebron finds a teammate that puts winning the 'Ship his #1 priority like Shaq did.
Im looking forward to LeBron vs Kobe...
this is the 1st time they have played each other on x-mas you Kansas City got
Sons, laker fans been talking a lot of trash....lets just hope LA can take care of business.
Kobe: “Nothing there” for Cavs-Lakers rivalry
By Greg Beacham
Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher scarcely remember how to celebrate Christmas without a high-profile game smack in the middle of their holiday season.
That’s life with the Los Angeles Lakers—and that goes for the Lakers’ families, too.
“With the amount of gifts my kids receive, they could care less if I’m there or not,” Fisher said with a laugh Thursday after the Lakers’ light afternoon practice for their showdown with LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Santa Claus will do his job,” the veteran point guard added. “I’ve found that it’s weird to think about not working on Christmas. A lot of guys realize it’s special to be on that stage, while people are home with their eggnog relaxing.”
Bryant is similarly excited about facing James on Friday in a meeting of the top two vote-getters in the NBA All-Star balloting.
O’Neal’s latest return to Los Angeles also will draw attention, although Bryant eliminated a long-thriving subplot in their meetings by winning his first le without Shaq last summer.
“It’s a tradition, and it’s really special to be a part of it,” said Bryant, whose daughters get some of their presents on Christmas Eve and the rest early the following morning.
While it’s no imposition to play on Christmas, it’s still an opportunity— although the Lakers acknowledge this matchup isn’t quite as energizing as last year’s visit from the Boston Celtics, whose 19-game winning streak ended in the holiday rematch of the 2008 NBA finals. Los Angeles’ 92-83 victory also happened to be coach Phil Jackson’s 1,000th win.
While Los Angeles and Boston have one of the NBA’s best rivalries, the Cavs have no significant history or animosity with the Lakers. Even Kobe and Shaq apparently are on good terms five years after “the big breakup of ’04,” as Fisher calls O’Neal’s departure for Miami.
“There’s nothing there,” Bryant said. “It’s about putting LeBron and myself on national TV. Outside of that, there’s nothing. … We were really using that game last year as a measuring stick. This year, it’s a little different.”
The Cavaliers are enjoying balmy California while playing a Christmas game for the fourth time in James’ seven seasons. They worked out at UCLA on Thursday before James and other players spent time with families who traveled to the West Coast for the holiday fun and sun.
“It’s bigger for (the media) than it is for us,” James said before the Cavs’ overtime victory over the Kings on Wednesday night. “You guys put a lot of emphasis on LeBron and Kobe and the Christmas Day game. I’m focused on Sacramento right now. When it happens it will be a fun game. It’s two of the best teams in the league. It will be a good test for us.”
Los Angeles has won five straight and 16 of 17. Cleveland has won two in a row after holding off Sacramento. While the Lakers lead the league, the Cavaliers are third in the Eastern Conference—but Jackson sees something brewing in Cleveland after a slow start to the season.
“They’re in a rhythm now,” said Jackson, whose grown children usually gather in Los Angeles for the holidays. “They’re playing pretty good basketball. … Yeah, (Bryant and James) are rivals. I think they like to compete against each other. There’s mutual respect there.”
Although O’Neal’s playing time has fluctuated this season, apparently to his displeasure—he ducked out without speaking to reporters after playing 22 minutes in Sacramento—he’s likely to play significant minutes against the Lakers’ talented front line led by 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
“I think it should be a very compe ive game,” said Gasol, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Lakers on Wednesday. “They are a contender also, and they have very good players on their roster. We’ve got to make sure we defend our home court, first of all, and always try to send a message. It’s always good to make a stand against an opponent that’s trying to reach the same goal that you are.”
12 straight hours of basketball. Best day of the year!
They play in LA? ...
O’Neal cast in new role as he returns to L.A.
By Marc J. Spears
For all of the games the NBA has staged on Christmas, none may have been more hyped than when Shaquille O’Neal returned to Los Angeles five years ago. O’Neal had won three les with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his relationship with Kobe Bryant had soured before O’Neal was dealt out of town to Miami in the summer of 2004. There was speculation Bryant had demanded O’Neal be traded.
O’Neal had an impersonal exchange with Bryant just before tipoff, and someone in Shaq’s circle held up a sign with a picture of Bryant with a rat’s head. O’Neal fouled out in the fourth quarter, but the Heat won after Bryant missed a potential game-winning shot at the overtime buzzer. The game registered the NBA’s highest TV rating in 18 years.
“I know how [the media] was looking at it: ‘Are they going to shake hands? What is going on with these guys?’ ” Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James said. “I was looking at the compe ors, two of the best in the world going at each other. Two of the best teams going at each other.”
This Christmas, O’Neal returns to L.A. to again face Bryant. No longer, however, is Shaq the main attraction. The spotlight has instead been reserved for Bryant and James, widely considered the planet’s two best players. Whether Shaq and Bryant shake hands … well, few people may even notice.
“It’s going to just be a game for us,” O’Neal said.
While O’Neal paid respect to the Lakers by saying they won the 2009 championship “fair and square,” his relationship with Bryant still seems iffy at best. The two have engaged in an on-and-off war of words since their breakup, highlighted by O’Neal degrading his old teammate while rapping at a New York club. After being urged by legendary former Boston Celtics center Bill Russell to bury the hatchet, O’Neal and Bryant shook hands and hugged before a Jan. 16, 2006 game. When the former teammates were named co-MVPs of last season’s All-Star Game, O’Neal sounded nostalgic about their time spent together.
From Penny Hardaway to Bryant to Dwyane Wade and now James, O’Neal has almost always had one of the game’s premier swingman at his side.
“When I first met old boy out there, I was still young. And we were younger,” O’Neal said. “When I got with what-ya-call-’em, I was medium and he was young. Now I am old. This is old and young, so this is different.”
One thing hasn’t changed: O’Neal still remains proud of the “major” impact he had on the Lakers. He led the Lakers to three les, four NBA Finals appearances and won three Finals MVP awards. He averaged a dominating 27 points and 11.8 rebounds during his Lakers career. After O’Neal retires, it should be only a matter of time before his old No. 34 jersey hands in the Staples Center rafters alongside Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, James Worthy and Magic Johnson.
“I’ll always be a major part of their history,” O’Neal said. “Some guys are not a part of history, but I’m a major part of their history. Major, major – 60 percent.”
Now 37, O’Neal isn’t the old “Superman” the Lakers were accustomed to seeing. He’s averaging 10.2 points and seven rebounds while shooting 50.5 percent in 22.5 minutes per game – all career-lows for the 18-year NBA veteran. Four games have passed since O’Neal has scored in double-figures. And when his Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Sacramento Kings 117-104 in overtime on Wednesday night, O’Neal sat the final 10 minutes, 47 seconds while backup center Zydrunas Ilgauskas flourished. Frustrated, O’Neal declined to speak to reporters afterward.
“I’m on a team where I don’t really have to do much,” O’Neal said. “LeBron is going to carry most of the load. Our job is that when he gets off the ball, make him look good.
“I realize I’m not going to get 20-25 shots. I understand that, and I’m cool with that.”
But will a reduced role be enough to keep O’Neal interested in playing beyond this season when he becomes a free agent?
He described Cleveland as “cool and nice” and said he plans to sled down a snowy hill next week when he gets a day off. He also spoke highly of the Cavaliers’ organization, describing it as “pleasant” and “not so uptight.” For now, he sounds interested in returning.
O’Neal believes there is still a lot of basketball left in him should he choose to continue playing. But if he does win a championship this season, retirement might be a stronger option.
“I would like to go out on a good note and win,” O’Neal said. “If I win, I don’t know. But I haven’t thought about [free agency] yet. I’m trying to get No. 5. I’m trying to pass up my daddy, [Abdul-Jabbar]. I still got two to get that out.”
Yes Shaq, you'll always be remembered for "company time" and "pay me"
60% lol
Delusional fool.
havin fun talking to yourself got?
Lakers win 199-54
lmao z
lol lakers
Shaq getting everything he wants
My god does Gasol have to cry every time he shoots the ball???
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