NBA Basketball Sports News in Philippines: June 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010

NBA News 2010: Pacers Delay An Inevitable Trade On Draft Night

Larry Bird's photo at Conseco Fieldhouse, Indi...

Image via WikipediaThe Indiana Pacers didn’t get the point guard they so desperately need on Thursday night, despite rumors linking them to a number of passers in the days leading up to the NBA Draft.
Pacers president Larry Bird admitted earlier in the week that he was considering trading the No. 10 pick in exchange for a point guard, but he and general manager David Morway never pulled the trigger.
Instead, they drafted Fresno State’s Paul George and added him to their stable of wing players.
George has been compared to Danny Granger and even worked out with the former All-Star in Los Angeles recently.
The decision to take George, who Bird insists they will keep, sure seems like a precursor to a trade in the coming weeks.
“We could've made some deals with guys that we felt were backups and we had a couple offers (but) it was just too much so we decided to wait till the summer and see what we could do,” said Bird. “We'll get something resolved this summer, I'm sure of that. There's no guarantees of anything but we've got ourselves in position to do some things this summer.
Ed Davis could have been groomed as a replacement at power forward for Troy Murphy, who will either be traded over the next eight months or leave as a free agent next summer. The Pacers have Roy Hibbert at center, but Jeff Foster is aging and has an expiring contract as well.
George joins Granger, Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Rush and Dahntay Jones on the wing, a pretty strong top-five for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons.
By comparison, they have just T.J. Ford and A.J. Price at the point and Murphy, Hibbert, Foster, Tyler Hansbrough, Solomon Jones and Josh McRoberts in the paint.
If they opt to move Murphy this summer to get a point guard, without getting a big man in return, they’ll be left with only Hibbert as a certainty. Foster and Hansbrough are coming off injury-plagued seasons and the latter hasn’t had to play any kind of significant minutes at the professional level.
That could mean the Pacers will swing a pair of deals.
Obviously, Murphy is a top contender to be dealt. Dunleavy has an attractive expiring contract, but Brandon Rush has higher value as a younger, healthier and cheaper option.
http://pacers.realgm.com/articles/195/20100627/pacers_delay_an_inevitable_trade_on_draft_night/

Friday, June 18, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers' Game 7 MVP: Ron Artest

Image by jeffbalke via FlickrFor two months, Ron Artest kept his emotions inside. All the ups, all the downs. The good games, the bad games and his missed 3-pointers.
He kept the joys, the frustrations and expectations of a rigorous playoff run bottled up tightly, refusing for even one second to think about winning an NBA championship.
But the pressure eventually got to him and less than six hours before taking the court for Game 7 on Thursday, he cried.
"Right after shoot around today, I got teary," Artest said hours after the champagne had dried on his first NBA title. "I started to think about everything that could happen and how much it would mean."
That is, for his fellow Lakers.
Also for himself.
Artest had chased an NBA title for 11 years on many teams but none that had gotten this close. Then last summer, he listened to childhood friend Lamar Odom, who convinced him he could win in Los Angeles if he signed with the Lakers. This was the moment Artest had been aiming at for months, even years.
So with the championship trophy within his grasp, Artest wasn't going to let it get away that easily. So the Lakers' most unpredictable player quashed his emotions and grabbed what he could, leaving his fingerprints all over the Lakers' 83-79 victory against the Celtics.
He scored 12 points in the first half – all in the second quarter – to keep the team within striking distance while the big three (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum) struggled with their shots and own emotions.
"I had to crash on guys," said Artest, who finished with 20 points. "No matter how hard they were playing, I knew I had to be much more physical out there and start attacking."
Artest said he realized he needed to back down and allow Bryant and Gasol to get into the offense.
"I didn't want to do too much," he said. "I had to stay on cruise control, even though I wanted it so badly I was going to shoot all 3-pointers. But I had to wait and let everybody else catch up."
While his teammates worked themselves into the game, Artest continue to be aggressive on both ends of the court.
He converted a three-point play to tie the game at 61 with 7:28 left to play and essentially put the game away when he buried a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead, 79-73, with less than a minute remaining. He also picked up five steals and frustrated Paul Pierce, who finished with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
When it was over, Artest scampered aimlessly around the court, seemingly unsure how to act at that moment.
"It was unreal," he said. "All I could think was 'Wow, I had an impact on the championship game.' I couldn't believe it, you know what I mean?"
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/-254096--.html

NBA News 2010: Lakers come to their own defense

Image by afagen via FlickrKobe Bryant is Finals MVP and Lakers rally to win second consecutive title while ending Game 7 woes against Celtics.
It started nine months ago on a quiet day in El Segundo, aspirations of a 16th NBA championship a distant possibility, but it ended with finality for the Lakers, in a victory against their hated rivals amid a blizzard of purple-and-gold confetti.
It wasn't pretty, the teams enmeshed in a slow-speed chase to be the first to 80 points, but redemption arrived for the Lakers, an entire arena, 12 players and a 64-year-old coach who exhaled as one after the Lakers fended off the Boston Celtics, 83-79, Thursday in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant had 23 points on a rough shooting night, but the only number he cared about was his fifth championship ring, tying Lakers luminary Magic Johnson and moving to within one of Michael Jordan.
"This one's by far the sweetest," Bryant said in front of a still-standing Staples Center crowd that, on this night, had no desire to leave early and beat traffic.
His reasoning was simple. He and his teammates overcame so many injuries and, at times, ineffectiveness to make this championship anything but tops on his list. Not to mention that it came against the Celtics.
When it was over, after the Lakers had clinched their second consecutive championship, Bryant jumped into the arms of Ron Artest, who carried the team in the first half, and was quickly joined by Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom on the court.
Jackson made it a point to embrace 14-year veteran Derek Fisher, who made a stand in the playoffs after a subpar regular season. Pau Gasol wept openly, finishing with 19 points and 18 rebounds, shedding whatever tatters of the "soft" label remained.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/18/sports/la-sp-lakers-celtics-20100618

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers rout Celtics in Game 6, 89-67

Image via WikipediaStuck somewhere and can't watch the game? Follow the action here as the Lakers try to force Game 7 against the Celtics
As if there was any doubt, the NBA got its way Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. And by getting its way, it could only mean getting a Game 7 involving perhaps the two most storied franchises in the game.
Now this isn't to suggest that the NBA did anything to make it happen. That was the Los Angeles Lakers. They did things in their89-67 pounding of the Boston Celtics not seen since Game 3. Or even longer. They jumped for rebounds, passed inside for the score, played defense and forced several jump balls.
Thursday's Game 7 at the Staples Center will be the first since San Antonio beat Detroit in 2005. Before Tuesday night, the Celtics were 11-0 when leading a finals series, 3-2.
The Lakers won in all the key areas.
--Rebounding, 52-39.
--Points in the paint, 40-32.
--Second-chance points, 15-6.
--Bench scoring, 25-13.
While Kobe Bryant, as usual, was the archtect of the offense with 26 points, he got plenty of help. Pau Gasol scored 17 and grabbed a game high 13 rebounds. Even spotty shooter Ron Artest scored 15 points on six-for-11 shooting. Lamar Odom fell short of a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Not to overlook Bryant's total contribution he also had 11 rebounds.
The Celtics were led, if you can say anyone led them, by Ray Allen's 19 points. Paul Pierce scored 13, Kevin Garnett got 12 and Rajon Rondo 10.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/15/sports/lat-sp-lakers-celtics-game6-live

NBA News 2010: Sacramento Kings Draft Preview (5th, 33rd Overall Picks)

Image via WikipediaPicks Owned: 5th, 33rd
Areas Of Need
Even though the Kings will eventually need to find a special point guard who is capable of sharing the backcourt with the ball dominant Tyreke Evans, they absolutely need to upgrade the frontcourt, where they routinely played at a deficit at the center and power forward positions. The pieces Sacramento has at power forward in Carl Landry and Jason Thompson would be greatly enhanced by playing beside a strong center.
Draft Targets
If DeMarcus Cousins happens to drop all the way to the fifth slot, the Kings may very well have repeat Rookie of the Year awards. Even though Geoff Petrie would have assuredly taken John Wall first overall if Sacramento had won the lottery, Cousins is the better overall pick for the franchise assuming his personality issues get sorted out completely.
During his first few seasons in the NBA, Cousins will absolutely score primarily at the rim on lobs and put-backs, but I would be surprised if he doesn’t have one of the better low post games and an occasional 15-footer (especially on the pick-and-pop) a season or two before his restricted free agency year.
Preferably instead of Johnson if Cousins is off the board, however, the Kings could possibly trade down a few slots to preserve some cap space and then draft a Cole Aldrich or Greg Monroe to address the center position.
As far as the 33rd overall pick, either Dominique Jones or Terrico White would be excellent options to pair with Evans.
Draft History

2009: Tyreke Evans, 4th / Omri Casspi, 23rd / Jon Brockman, 38th
2008: Jason Thompson, 12th / Sean Singletary, 42nd
2007: Spencer Hawes, 10th
2006: Quincy Douby, 19th
2005: Francisco Garcia, 23rd
2004: Kevin Martin, 23rd
2003: No pick
2002: Pick traded
2001: Gerald Wallace, 25th
2000: Hedo Turkoglu, 16th

*Only notable second round picks listed
Like so many GMs, Petrie's most successful picks have come when he has ignored position and made BPA picks. The Kings have had good success outside of the lottery with the 23rd overall pick in Martin and Casspi and hopefully they can translate that to the 33rd overall pick this season.
History of the 5th Overall Pick

2009: Ricky Rubio, Wolves, NA
2008: Kevin Love, Wolves/Grizzlies, 19.4
2007: Jeff Green, Sonics/Celtics, 12.7
2006: Shelden Williams, Hawks, 12.7
2005: Raymond Felton, Bobcats, 14.1
2004: Devin Harris, Mavericks/Wizards, 17.6
2003: Dwyane Wade, Heat, 25.7
2002: Nikoloz Tskitishvilli, Nuggets, 5.2
2001: Jason Richardson, Warriors, 16.9
2000: Mike Miller, Magic, 15.3

Average career PER: 15.5
http://kings.realgm.com/articles/188/20100615/sacramento_kings_draft_preview_(5th_33rd_overall_picks)/

Monday, June 14, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers vs Celtics Game 5 Results – NBA Finals 2010 Recap

Image via WikipediaThe NBA Finals 2010 definitely is not disappointing at all. If you’re looking for a great series, a great matchup and a renewed rivalry then the Lakers vs Celtics NBA Finals 2010 is what you’re looking for. The Celtics managed to take game 5 from the Lakers and take a 3-2 lead.
It was definitely a hard fought battle from both teams but the Celtics came out on top 92-86 to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Los Angeles. The Celtics starting five really stepped it up in this game and Paul Pierce was on fire leading his team with 27 points. Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo both added 18 points and Ray Allen added 12.
The Celtics just couldn’t stop Kobe Bryant when he scored a game high 38 (19 of those points came in the third quarter) but they managed to stop just about everyone else on the team. Besides Pau Gasol scoring 12, no other Laker scored in double figures. Overall, the Celtics defense held the Lakers to a 39% field goal shooting compared to the Celtics 56%.
The Celtics took the lead as much as 13 late in the game but they simply couldn’t stop Kobe.
http://www.busybuzzblogging.com/4595/lakers-vs-celtics-game-5-results-–-nba-finals-2010-recap/

Sunday, June 13, 2010

NBA News 2010: Title hopes slipping? Lakers lose Game 5

Image via WikipediaCome Sunday night, the Lakers had no fight to support their talk.
They lost the tie-breaking Game 5 of the NBA Finals to the Celtics, 92-86, with Boston's 56.3 percent field-goal shooting the best anyone has hung on the Lakers this postseason.
No opponent had even shot as much as 50 percent in 20 previous playoff games, actually.
"We need to protect each other," Lakers forward Pau Gasol said of the disappointing defense, which offset a dynamic individual show by Kobe Bryant. He had 38 points to account for 44 percent of the team's scoring. With four assists, he had twice as many of those as any teammate.
That stilted offensive production was just another way the Lakers failed to play as a team. Their 86 points were still the fewest the Lakers have scored all postseason.
It leaves the Lakers trailing in a series for the first time in the playoffs. What once looked so promising for the Lakers considering Jackson is 47-0 when his team wins Game 1 has become a profound challenge.
A road team has faced a tie-breaking Game 5 with the safety net of home Games 6 and 7 eight previous times; the winner of Game 5 has won seven those eight series. Overall, the winner of the tie-breaking Game 5 has gone on to win 19 of 25 NBA Finals.
"They've still got to win one more," Lakers forward Lamar Odom said, "and they have to do it on our home court."
The Lakers opened the playoffs 9-0 at home before losing Game 2 to the Celtics and have won 84 percent of their home playoff games (72-14) since Staples Center opened in 2000. Since the start of the 2008 NBA playoffs, the Lakers are 29-4 at Staples in the postseason.
Said Boston's Rajon Rondo: "We play better on the road anyway."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers reiterated before this game that Boston probably needed to overcome one stellar Bryant scoring game to win the series. He wound up as prophetic as Jackson, as Bryant made 13 of 27 field-goal attempts despite going 4-for-12 in the first half on a twisted ankle.
Bryant scored the last four points of the first half for the Lakers – and then the first 19 of the second half. The elapsed time where no other Laker scored? The last 3:59 of the first half and the first 9:44 of the second half. That's a mind-boggling 13:43 of game time, an entire quarter and then another 1:43 of the next.
Boston's Paul Pierce scored 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting. Garnett was key with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, three assists and two blocks.
The only other Laker to reach 12 points was Pau Gasol, but he shot just 5 of 12 from the field. The Lakers were outscored in the paint, 46-32.
Bryant, though, refused to dwell on it. When asked about his confidence level heading home, he laughed and said sarcastically: "I'm not very confident at all."
"That's Kobe," Garnett said. "He's got a lot of confidence. I've got confidence that my team can go out there and get a win. So we'll see."
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/lakers-253226-game-home.html

Saturday, June 12, 2010

NBA News 2010: Sixers Draft Preview (2nd Overall Pick)

Image via WikipediaPicks Owned: 2nd
Areas Of Need
I believe the Sixers are in most dire need of a wing player who can actually shoot it from the wing and is more of a pure basketball player, rather than a tall athlete that happens to play basketball, which I believe accurately describes Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. Both Iguodala and Young have been asked to do specific things that do not fit their core competencies and it has impaired their own individual production and of course that of the team in general.
Draft Targets
Evan Turner is the closest player that fits the above description of a wing who is a pure basketball player, but I also don't believe he has All-Star potential. Drafting Turner and rearranging some of the spare pieces such as Young makes the Sixers a team that should consistently at least reach the playoffs.
Turner will be a good NBA scorer; he may have to work twice as hard as some of the more athletic wings, but he will get his points in at least a somewhat efficient manner. He also will be a good secondary ballhandler to complement Jrue Holiday in transition, plus he can run the point position when Lou Williams is on the floor. Williams is excellent instant offense off the bench, but he has consistently proven unfit to run the point in a true manner.
Derrick Favors is a bigger gamble since he needs far more development in order to become an effective big, but his potential to be big enough to play center with the Dwight Howard measurement comparisons is difficult to ignore. He has immensely more upside and I believe that is what having a pick so high should be ultimately about, finding true franchise changers.
DeMarcus Cousins has the best potential of this trio, but I'm not sure the Sixers can afford the inherent risk he would bring.
Draft History

2009: Jrue Holiday, 17th
2008: Marreese Speights, 16th
2007: Thaddeus Young, 12th / Jason Smith, 20th
2006: Rodney Carney, 16th
2005: Louis Williams, 45th
2004: Andre Iguodala, 9th
2003: No first round pick
2002: John Salmons, 26th
2001: Samuel Dalembert, 26th
2000: Speedy Claxton, 20th

*Only notable second round picks listed
I have been a huge fan of what Ed Stefanski has done in each of the past two drafts in the late teens by grabbing two players that dropped far lower than I had them ranked in terms of overall prospects. Holiday had a very encouraging rookie season at point guard where it looks like he will be Philadelphia's starter there for the next decade.
History of the 2nd Overall Pick

2009: Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies, 12.9
2008: Michael Beasley, Heat, 16.6
2007: Kevin Durant, Thunder, 21.2
2006: LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers, 18.4
2005: Marvin Williams, Hawks, 13.6
2004: Emeka Okafor, Bobcats, 17.5
2003: Darko Milicic, Pistons, 12.6
2002: Jay Williams, Bulls, 12.2
2001: Tyson Chandler, Bulls, 15.1
2000: Stromile Swift, Grizzlies, 16.1

Average career PER: 14.4
http://sixers.realgm.com/articles/134/20100612/sixers_draft_preview/

Thursday, June 10, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers out of gas? Celtics win Game 4

Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers Game 2 2008 NBA Finals

Image by Adam Pieniazek via FlickrBOSTON – It's Game 102 of the Lakers' season, so the Boston Celtics know full well who the Lakers have – and who they don't, as in the case of swollen-kneed Andrew Bynum most of the second half Thursday night.
So with the Lakers getting little from anyone not named Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol, the Celtics took control in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals for a 96-89 victory that tied the series, 2-2.
The Lakers' leading reserve, Lamar Odom was ineffective in Bynum's place and came away all too aware of how the Celtics had put forth a team effort that the Lakers didn't.
Boston reserves Glen Davis (18 points) and Nate Robinson (12) were energizers and bucket-providers in a game where both teams struggled to score in the first and third quarters. Also off Boston's bench, Tony Allen was cited as "phenomenal" by Celtics coach Doc Rivers; Rasheed Wallace was "unbelievable."
"You never know where it's going to come from," Odom said of the Celtics' game. "That's how you beat teams."
Boston's victory ensures there will be a Game 6 at Staples Center on Tuesday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be June 15 – again at Staples, where the Lakers were 9-0 in the postseason before losing Game 2 to Boston.
Lakers forward Ron Artest was so moved by teammate Derek Fisher's late-game performance to win Game 3 of the NBA Finals that he said of Fisher: "He's like an MVP-type guy." After the Lakers' Game 4 loss, they might be jumping to a conclusion that Bynum is the most valuable.
The Celtics breezed through the Lakers' Bynum-less paint for fourth-quarter points. The Lakers had a 62-60 lead after three quarters.
Odom failed even to do what he usually does on the boards while Bynum sat out: Odom got just one of his seven rebounds in his 22:10 of second-half play. The Celtics outrebounded the Lakers, 41-34. The team that has gotten more boards has won every game in the series.
Boston got three consecutive layups – two over Odom and one over Gasol – to take a 66-64 lead with 9:46 to play. Boston kept it coming thereafter, with a Robinson layup lifting the Celtics' advantage in points in the paint to a whopping 46-24 at the time.
Bryant finished with 33 points on 10-of-22 shooting. He made 6 of 11 shots from 3-point range, but he was kept on the perimeter of the Lakers' offense for the second consecutive game. He had seven turnovers and just two assists, and the Lakers might be wise to send him more to the post in Game 5, as they eventually did in the 2009 NBA Finals against Orlando, to create team offense.
Bryant ended the third quarter pleading with referee Greg Willard for a call after not being awarded any free throws all game to that point. He had pushed the Lakers forward with shooting sprees a couple times earlier in the game, but the Lakers needed one from him or better execution from his teammates to rally in the fourth quarter. When the interior of their defense collapsed, the Lakers really fell into a hole.
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/game-252928-lakers-bynum.html

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

NBA News 2010: Washington Wizards Draft Preview (1st, 30th and 35th Overall Picks)

John Wall in a game for the Kentucky Wildcats

Image via WikipediaPicks Owned: 1st, 30th, 35th
Areas Of Need
The Wizards good fortune of winning a lottery comes in a year where there is a truly transcendent player, but he unfortunately plays the same position as the unmovable Gilbert Arenas. Considering how difficult it will be to move Arenas, the Wizards will have an expensive logjam at point guard if the experiment of moving Arenas to shooting guard does not work.
Playing the let's suppose game, if the Wizards would have won the lottery after a season that did not include the gun incident, do the Wizards still keep the pick and select Wall, or do they trade down for DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors or Evan Turner since those four prospects play positions of need for Washington.
Draft Targets
John Wall is the one and only target at number one and a detailed analysis of his abilities can be read here. His combination of athleticism, instinct and vision is unlike anything we have seen since LeBron James was in the 2003 Draft. He will become both the face and heart of this franchise for the next decade.
Looking at Washington's other two picks, more interestingly, the Wizards will be able to add two additional players at an extremely small cost as they head into a summer of cap space. Both players will presumably be amongst the top 25 players on their draft board.
Assuming they are available, I like Solomon Alabi, Stalnley Robinson, Tibor Pleiss and Kevin Seraphin as targets in that area of the draft.
The Wizards should also consider parlaying the 30th and 35th, along with potentially another asset, to move up in the draft where someone like James Anderson or Luke Babbitt would become available, both of whom would do well in their offense to stretch the floor.
Draft History

2009: 5th overall pick who became Ricky Rubio traded
2008: JaVale McGee, 18th
2007: Nick Young, 16th
2006: Oleskiy Pecherov, 18th
2005: Andray Blatche, 49th
2004: 5th overall pick who became Devin Harris traded
2003: Jarvis Hayes, 10th / Steve Blake, 38th
2002: Jared Jeffries, 11th / Juan Dixon, 17th / Juan Carlos Navarro, 39th
2001: Kwame Brown, 1st
2000: No first round pick

*Only notable second round picks listed
Because the Wizards have been a middle of the pack team for most of the past decade, the draft has hardly been an area where core players have been acquired.
Gilbert Arenas was signed in free agency, while Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler were acquired in trades.
Looking at this list, Blatche in the second round of 2005 has been their best pick.
The 2007 class was fairly weak behind Nick Young, though both Wilson Chandler and Rudy Fernandez would have been better wing options for the Wizards.
Other than Serge Ibaka, the 2008 pick of McGee still looks promising.
Trading the number five overall pick in 2009 to essentially rent Randy Foye and Mike Miller already is a disastrous decision. If they keep the pick, perhaps they would selected Rubio and they would be more motivated to trade out of the first slot, which would be a mistake given the vastly superior game of Wall.
History of the 1st Overall Pick

2009: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers, NA
2008: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, 17.3
2007: Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers, 19.5
2006: Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors, 13.7
2005: Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks, 17.1
2004: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic, 21.7
2003: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, 26.9
2002: Yao Ming, Houston Rockets, 23.0
2001: Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards, 12.5
2000: Kenyon Martin, New Jersey Nets, 15.5

Average career PER: 18.6
I do believe the Wizards will improve their first overall pick record to a two-for-two, with Wall being much closer to Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy than Kwame.
http://wizards.realgm.com/articles/293/20100609/washington_wizards_draft_preview/

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

NBA News 2010: Fisher deserves the money, saves Lakers again

Image via WikipediaBOSTON – After all that, that final kick, that fourth quarter, that impossible layup into the teeth of a Celtic avalanche...tears?
Think this game and this team mean much to Derek Fisher?
The Lakers' 91-84 Game 3 victory Tuesday and Fisher's late contributions to it nearly left him crying.
During an interview.
While still on the court.
On national television.
Fisher had to pause before speaking. Then he started but paused again. Finally he apologized for all the pausing and also for the feelings welling up inside him.
Neither apology was necessary, but that's Fisher for you. Doing the right thing so often this time of year.
"You know, I love what I do," he would say later. "And I love helping my team win. To come through again tonight for this team, 14 years in, after so many great moments, it's always quite surreal and quite humbling to experience it again."
On a team famous for its collective ego and flaming self-confidence, Fisher refreshingly possesses both without flaunting either.
"I think as you grow in this game...you start to recognize that being in this moment, on this stage, it's not a given," he said. "To have this opportunity just as a person, I don't think you ever want to look back in life and have any regrets about anything."
With each passing playoff performance, Fisher's doing his part to sell himself. The Lakers would be very wise to make that purchase. Again.
"He's a really terrific leader, we know that, in our locker room," Coach Phil Jackson said. "But his leadership on the court is just a solid presence out there."
Jackson continued speaking for several seconds before adding, "When he's got the opportunity to hit a key shot, it seems like he's always there and ready."
The Lakers have the finest closer in basketball in Kobe Bryant. Tuesday, their closer needed a closer. Jackson went with the lefthander.
Fisher, who hadn't reached double figures in the first two games, reached them in Game 3's fourth quarter alone.
And given that no other Laker would score more than four points in the fourth and that Bryant would shoot 1 of 6, Fisher's 11-point effort shined even brighter.
"He's been criticized quite a bit for his age (35 years old)," Bryant said. "It's a huge thrill for him and for all of us to see him come through in these moments. He's done it over and over and over again, so it's almost his responsibility to our team to do these things."
With the Lakers up one, Fisher hit a layup.
With the Lakers up two, he hit a short jumper.
With the Lakers up four, he hit a longer jumper.
With the Lakers up three, he hit a bank shot.
Are you starting to get the idea that Fisher was just slightly enormous in holding off Boston late? Well, that is the idea.
But then, with the Lakers up four again, Fisher hit his most memorable shot since 0.4 in San Antonio. Yeah, this one was that good, if not quite as dramatic.
After taking an outlet pass in the final minute, Fisher dribbled around Kevin Garnett near half-court, and then charged for the basket. Garnett, Ray Allen and Glen Davis approached in thunderous pursuit.
That's 20 feet, one inch of Celtic. That's 747 pounds of Celtic. That's enough to discourage most NBA players, nearly all of whom are larger than Fisher is at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds.
Fisher leapt toward the rim anyway, lofted the ball as softly as possible off the backboard and was clubbed in the head by Garnett.
Jackson called Fisher's decision to attempt to take the ball the distance "a very bold play."
"It was one on four," Jackson continued. "It was imperative that it goes in for us to win."
The ball went in, a foul was called and the game was over, 48.3 seconds before it was officially done.
So what, from his single greatest individual effort of the night, does Fisher remember most? Everyone else, of course.
"To see Pau's (Pau Gasol) reaction, and my teammates' reactions, that's why those moments feel so good to me," he said. "Hitting the floor didn't feel that good to be honest. But Pau's reaction and Lamar (Odom) and Kobe and what the guys were saying to me, that's why things feel so good."
So was there anything else? Only this: Remember how Allen destroyed Fisher and the Lakers with those long jumpers in Game 3? Allen, again with Fisher guarding him much of the night, was 0 for 13 – 0 for freaking 13! – Tuesday.
"It's like being a kid, man," Fisher said. "You just never get tired of that candy."
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/fisher-252522-lakers-hit.html

Monday, June 7, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers vs. Celtics, Game 2: It's All About Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant at his Basketball Academy - 2007

Image via WikipediaAs the NBA Finals series between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers is even at 1-1, there really is no inclination to hand over the championship trophy to any team at this point.
Both teams have shown signs of championship caliber play, while also faltering for stretches play. But if one player in the series has the last say on what is going to happen, that man is Kobe Bryant.
Bryant is the player everybody looks for to make a difference. You don’t achieve the moniker “greatest player alive” by standing by the wayside and letting everything come to you. This is the case with Bryant; he attacks and attacks until that final buzzer sounds and victory is clenched in his furious fists.
This wasn’t the case in Game 2. Many ill-conceived calls were made, especially on Bryant. And in the NBA, where styles of play change once foul trouble comes into play, it hampered the Lakers’ star and the rest of his team. Yes, the Lakers have many good players, but there is only one Kobe.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/402551-2010-nba-finals-its-all-about-kobe-bryant

Sunday, June 6, 2010

NBA News 2010: Celtics' Rondo is too much for Lakers

Rajon Rondo, the 21st pick of the Boston Celtics

Image via WikipediaLOS ANGELES – When Oscar Robertson was 23 years old he averaged 30.8 points, 11.4 assists and 12.5 rebounds for the Cincinnati Royals. That was in 1961-62.
Since then, players such as Jason Kidd have turned the triple-double into a monogram, even though 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists is sometimes an artificial feat by a player who always possesses the ball.
Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Boston's 103-94 Game 2 victory Sunday, the Lakers' second home playoff loss in eight series, and possibly a Finals-changing development, considering that the Celtics and Lakers are tied 1-1 with Games 3-4-5 in Boston.
Those who saw what he did to the Lakers must realize the helplessness of numbers, and the power of Rondo.
Derek Fisher uncoils for the customary 3-pointer to the solar plexus, and Rondo does what you never see anyone do. He sneaks in from behind and blocks it.
Kobe Bryant thinks he has saved a ball on the sideline and Rondo moves in – he must have a silencer on his shoes, because no one seems to hear him coming. He gets inside Bryant and steals the ball, and then absorbs Bryant's fifth foul, even though nobody without a whistle actually saw one.
And the Lakers, stretched uncomfortably by Ray Allen's record-breaking threes, give Rondo's clunky shot all the room they can with 1:50 left. Rondo bangs it home to put Boston up five.
If Rondo masters that part, that will be known as competitive imbalance. Blessed with huge hands which dangle at his kneecaps, plus Porsche acceleration and nonstop imagination, Rondo has been the decisive pressure point in all three Eastern series.
But his singular gift might be the knack of seeing plays quicker than anyone else. Pau Gasol blocked a shot on Boston's next possession but did so gently, and didn't snatch the rebound. Rondo did and dumped in the go-ahead layup before anyone could trace his footsteps.
"Getting the loose balls, I think that was a key for me personally," Rondo said, shrugging. "That play on Kobe, I thought he was dribbling extremely high, and I thought I could make a stab on the ball."
So which Laker should guard the 21st player picked in the first round of the 2006 draft?
It is usually Bryant, but in Game 1 Rondo lost Bryant and dived inside for three back-door baskets. Here, he streaked right to the hoop whenever anybody but Bryant guarded him.
But then Allen was open so much, and so unerring, that Bryant eventually had to check him. Not that it matters; Boston's battery of picks means Allen can run his designated Laker into all the furniture.
With 5:43 left, Bryant scored over Allen and the Lakers led by three. They did not score on their next six trips downcourt. The Celtics scored in eight of their next nine, and Rondo got Bryant tangled in Kevin Garnett's screen and flashed right to the hoop before any Laker noticed.
That began the run, and the Celtics ran out of Staples Center before any recounts or appeals.
The Lakers got strafed at the 3-point line but could have overcome it. They were outscored by 10 in the paint (and Rondo had much to do with it) even though they got early fouls on Garnett, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis. None fouled out, and the Lakers wasted a precious 39-minute game from Andrew Bynum. He will have only one day of rest before Games 4 and 5.
The ball got to Bryant and stuck there far too much, and the Celtics rarely let him roam to the opposite side. He missed 12 of 20, with five turnovers and only three free throw tries.
"We didn't get the ball often enough to our big guys, or in good enough position," Phil Jackson said.
The Celtics got eight field goals from Paul Pierce in these two games. They got eight rebounds and one blocked shot by Kevin Garnett.
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/rondo-252149-bryant-celtics.html

Thursday, June 3, 2010

NBA News 2010: Lakers defeat the Celtics, 102-89, in Game 1 of NBA Finals

Image via WikipediaKobe Bryant scores 30 points, Pau Gasol holds down the middle with 23 points and 14 rebounds and Ron Artest adds 15 points in the victory over Boston, which is led by Paul Pierce's 24 points and nine rebounds.
Well, that's probably quite the overstatement but when you realize that Lakers Coach Phil Jackson is 47-0 when his team has won the first game of a series, then it's not great news for fans of the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers' 102-89 victory over the Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at Staples Center was not easy as the margin. Then again, after the third quarter it wasn't that difficult. In the end the Lakers were able to win because of their ability to get the ball into the middle and, even more importantly, let Kobe Bryant shoot the ball.
Jackson dismissed the streak as any good coach would do.
"I wish I felt that way (confident)," Jackson said. "We have to play this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us. But ultimately it's important but then the next game becomes the most important. But the first game sets the action and that is important."
In Game 1 of the Finals, Bryant had his fifth straight game of 30 points or more. He finished Thurday's game with 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting from the field while making nine of 10 free throws.
The game was close through the first quarter, although the Lakers at one point had a six-point lead they seemed unwilling to keep. But with less than five minutes to play in the second quarter the Lakers went on a 11-4 streak to build an 11-point lead with less than a minute to play in the half.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/03/sports/la-spw-lakers-celtics-game1

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