The L.A. Lakers are a proud basketball team that doesn’t easily back down from challenge – at least the leaders of the team don’t. So, after losing two of three in Boston, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and team co-captain Kobe Bryant were in very salty moods. And who can blame them? For the first … [Read more…]
Back in the 1980s, what made the Lakers-Celtics rivalry extra heated was because of the cultural differences between the two ballclubs and their fans. The Celtics were considered a hard-working, lunch-pail group that was more interested in substance that style. Fans who followed and admired the Celtics followers were predominantly white, mainly because the two … [Read more…]
Andrew Bynum is expected to have his ailing right knee examined today and his status for Game 5 is uncertain. Bynum has been playing with a torn meniscus since the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs, but he reaggravated the injury in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Lakers officials say there is swelling … [Read more…]
Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Finals turned into the Nate Robinson & Glen Davis Show. Little Nate and Big Baby were a huge hit on Thursday night both during the game and afterward, pumping a different vibe into this hotly contested series that is now tied at 2-2 with still one game left to … [Read more…]
Phil Jackson got his message across earlier in the week and now it’s Doc Rivers’ turn to bellyache about NBA officiating. During his Wednesday morning press conference, nearly 12 hours after his Boston Celtics lost, 91-84, to the L.A. Lakers in Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Rivers offered his thoughts on Derek Fisher … [Read more…]
Too old, too slow, too limited athletically and too short. Derek Fisher has heard all the criticism, but the two aspects of his game that never gets questioned are his heart and his toughness, physically and mentally. Fisher, who is listed at 6 feet but is probably closer to 5-10, has such a strong belief … [Read more…]
They stopped dribble penetration. They protected the paint. They rebounded the heck out of the ball. They took charges. They put a hand in the face of every shooter. They got to loose balls. And they took away the other team’s air space and made it a very uncomfortable night. If you think I’m referring … [Read more…]
Ron Artest was at the TD Garden when the Boston Celtics crushed the L.A. Lakers in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals. He went to the Lakers locker room to seek out Kobe Bryant, following the Lakers’ star all the way to the showers. Artest told Bryant, and anyone else who would listen, that … [Read more…]
When Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times asked Phil Jackson if the memory of the 2008 NBA Finals still lingers, the Lakers coach responded with a sarcastic quip. “I forgot. I have amnesia,” Jackson claimed. “What year was that now? 2-8? Ok.” Jackson was obviously kidding about not remembering anything from the ’08 Finals. … [Read more…]
Overtimes, buzzer-beaters, late-game heroics, flagrant fouls and one bloody nose. Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls was an instant classic. The whole series has been one for the NBA archives. Four of the six games have gone into overtime (seven overtimes total) and five of the six games have been decided by … [Read more…]