Game 6 Last 5 seconds Kobe throws an elbow in Biddy's face steamrolling over him to get the ball. If the refs had any balls they call Kobe for the foul....Bibby hits the freethows and the seris is over.

I agree with Kendricks....the NBA is staged just as pro wrestling. How else can Shaq once he gets the ball turn and ram his shoulder into the defender and have the foul called on the defender. And it is amazing once or twice a game they call a three second violation and never call him for traveling. The NBA isn't a sport anymore.....it is entertainment with a planned ending.....they do a great job fooling the public ......but it is all about money.

Wait a minute...pro wrestling is "staged"?

Another excellent post by Dogster. Scarus, I agree with your thoughts 100%. And, how anyone on this planet earth could ever think that the Sacramento series was staged needs to be sentenced to 10 days of border crossing in their car. All I can say is GO LAKERS, and, where is Marina when I need her!!!!!!!!

Sam do you know CoolHandluke ?

Ken and Beach ,So if the Expos and Twins have a chance to make it to the world series and lose to the Dodgers and Yankees is that staged also >>?

Plain and simple Talent wins games.
The lakers have it all and Sac is still a young team and this was a very exciting series now I cannot wait until the Lakers blow out the Nets.

Did you guys also call the Black Sox scandal ?

And when i was young and found out that wrestling was staged i was crushed and havent watched it since !

Take care
Milkman

Great finale, watched again on a big screen at a den of cheap debaucheree in Monterrey.

Not to take potshots, but gotta say it, Superman: Stojakovic missing two threes where he had ALL FRICKIN' DAY to shoot (the first an AIRBALL with 10 seconds left in regulation which should have sealed the game), then the last minute shot in OT where Bibby got crushed by 3 guys on the drive and dish to get him the ball. Was it an owie, or was it NERVES?

And yeah, Kendricks, Oliver Stone would have a lot of fun with his conspiracy theories here. Who stands to profit from a LA-NY Metro area final series???

Contradiction: Mark Cuban mentioned that he was told some games were probably fixed because the NBA will profit more from having certain teams on the finals. This same guy (Cuban) on the same interview said that the NBA didn't know anything about promoting the game. If certain match-ups get more ratings, the that would promote the game, which is exactly what the NBA wants. Was Mark just bitter he bought Dallas and not the Knicks?
The problem with the conspiracy theory that games are fixed is that under the weakest link theory someone would have come out and said "this shit is fixed!" I agree that refs are humans and probably have their own biased. So until proven otherwise, I will give the NBA the benefit of the doubt.
Nevertheless, is just b-ball so finding out that it all was scripted, wouldn't be as hard to swallow as finding out that our governement has been lying to us about 9/11.

Jarocho

Some of you are really jaded. Don't you believe in Hollywood endings?

If I'm not mistaken, CoolHandLuke (founder of this thread) is a die hard Celtics fan and native chowderhead. So he comes by the green thing honestly. Too bad he didn't participate in this discussion over the last couple months.

Thanks for the kind words, Sam. I totally AGREE with you.

Better odds than the Lakers beating the Nets? How about Sam and Dogster being one and the same? LOL. As if Dogster does not post enough as it is, we now have the guy using multiple id's so he can talk to himself. LOL. Pathetic.

Porker: Peja sucked. Sac was 2-2 without him, 1-2 with him. He probably rushed back, but there is no excuse for that airball at the end of the game. He was wide open. Dogster, errr, Sam could have hit that one.

-Superman-

Man, the Kings is and will still be the Lakers' bitch. Even with the new worthless acquisitions (Hunter, Richmond, and Walker), disappearing Fish, and the unreliable bench, the Lakers still came out like a champ. Blown calls, no calls....who really gives a f..k!!! Like the refs didn't look away when MJ was playing. Agree or not, Kobe and Shaq are the NBA.

Talking about bitches, life doesn't get any better when you're watching the game, drinking a cold one, and a chica was blowing "your whistle" non-stop. It was so good that I had to get another chica to repeat the routine for the Mexico-Croatia soccer game on the same night. Sports and chicas do go well together.

Go purple and gold!!!

Way to go !
Rock on superman
Oh ok I admit it I am Coolhandluke and Dogster and Redongdo and Hombre and Lakers !
Hows that !
hahaha
Any predictions on the series ?
Will it be a series ?

Milcoologstredonghombrkers

Man what a great series and what an incredible seventh game.

Mike Bibby is only going to get better, if that is possible, and the Kings have their best years in front of them.

Is it just me or should Divac be a soccer player. He takes more falls than any of the soccer guys and goes through this painful series of gyrations just like the previosly mentioned. At one point I think even king fans were laughing.

Shaq is still the bomb and Kobe is will just incredible good under pressure.

Best play of the seventh game was the outlet pass from Robert Horry to Kobe. If that play had been made by the Kings they would have blown the roof off.

Lakers in six over the Nets, although I am still trying to figure out how the Nets will win two games. Maybe they win two based on the "conspiracy theory' suggested by Kendricks. I have to admit that NBC must have been sweating bullets thinking that Sacramento might win.

OH... MY... GOD... LOL.
Chill out, Tsuperman. I'm not Sam. I don't use multiple ID's, but maybe you do. Sheez. The Kings "wilt" in the final moments. So what? TRY to have fun here, relax. That's the whole point. Samster: who is Marina?

Great Post Dogster!!

Multiple personality dissorder? NOT!! Until I read this thread, I didn't even know who Dogster was, or for that matter, who anyone else on this thread was. I am just a lone gringo hombre who loves to chase TJ punta because I work in TJ during the week days. Superman, if you had your ex-ray vission back, these days, you could see the errors of your ways. How about predicting who will win the Laker/Net's series? I will bet the opposite.

Dogster, Marina works at Chicago Club. She has mastered the side sally position (my favorite).

Now, GO LAKERS!!!!! LA needs to have one team that keeps winning and bringing home the championships.

Some of these posts can't be serious. There is absolutely NO way the NBA is fixed.

However, the NBA referees (AS DO THE REFS IN ALL SPORTS) do give the benefit of the doubt to the champion teams. That's just the way it is, and the way it has always been. And until refs are replaced by machines, it will always be that way, so get used to it.

And for the last time: the Kings did not deserve to win. The title was there for the taking, but they didn't get the job done. One other "unchampionship" moment which I left out in a previous post: Webber's technical foul. He lost his cool which you just can't do in a championship game. Otherwise, the Kings win by 1 point (if the rest of the game unfolds exactly the way it did; of course I still believe the Lakers would have found a way to win it, or should I say the Kings would have found a way to lose it).

A Been watching sports all his life kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

Dogster,

Knock off the "Sam" post's.

Sam,

Knock off the Dogster post's

Elgin Baylor

Milkster, you might be wrong about one thing. Talent doesn't necessarily win champioships. This Kings team was much more talented top to botom than the Lakers and are a better team but the Lakers have the best system, Tex Winters and the best coach in the history of the NBA. Ever notice how calm and focused the Lakers are during parts of the game that should be stressful. Zen buddhism baby. As a Blazers fan, trust me when I say that talent doesn't win championships. That Blazer team 2 years ago had two all star teams and still got beat by Brian Shaw. Remember, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw were garbage before Phil Jackson got ahold of them....

Blazerster:
Zen Buddhism, baby. Talent isn't enough. The Blazers had the greatest collection of talent we've seen in awhile. Gotta agree with all that, even if I'm "delusional." The Lakers had a special meditation session before Game 7. Apparently they used some visualization techniques, too. There are a number of players who used meditation and yoga in the past (e.g., Jabbar), but Jackson has gone the full 9 yards in interconnecting meditation, the triangle offense, and player development. I read one of PJ's books ("Sacred Hoops") and it spelled out his approach, just like you said. Other teams could move in similar directions. If they ever do, quality of play in the NBA will improve considerably.

Samster: About a month ago, there was a discussion of side saddle sally position on the Mexico Chat. Were you in on that? I never was in to that position very much, but gave it another "shot" based on that discussion. Not bad, I must say. Gotta be careful discussing that stuff with the paranoid dude around here. He may want to try side saddle sammy.

Ootster, Jarocho:
The game fixing ideas are pretty amusing, to be sure. If the various posters here really believed in game fixing, then why do they watch year in and year out? If anything, the refs tried not to call stuff down the stretch, so as not to unfairly influence the outcome. Lots of players bashing into each other, but it wasn't clear who fouled who, especially given the pace of the game. We can look at replays all day, but the refs are running up an down the court, trying to take it all in, and trying to make decent calls. Not easy.

In the future, I think it would make sense to have some kind of instant replay appeal system, but only if it resembles something like what the NFL finally figured out. Give coaches (and refs) a few timeouts, etc., etc. That way, there could be a few instant replay appeals, but not so many that it ruins the flow of the game. That would probably minimize the incessant whining, too. If you complain so hard that your coach decides to appeal the call, you had better be not be mistaken...

-Dogster-

I heard that some of the pre-game Laker visual techniques included looking at naked pictures of Fox's wife. You know, so that they could go to the hole better.

Did you know Rick Fox's wife? He DOES.

A Knew that Sonny Fox's wife too kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

If you are looking for an interesting twist to the previous as well as the upcoming series, consider this.

First off, it is worth noting that the Sacramento Kings’ offense looked a bit like the Tex Winters’ Triangle Offense that the Lakers use, despite the more up-tempo nature of their offense. There were plenty of times that it seemed like the Kings were implementing a sideline Triangle better than the Lakers. They exhibited continuous motion, some low-post passing (well… some…), optimal spacing of players, and the involvement of many different players who could score. And there were many times when the Kings did an excellent job of picking apart the Lakers’ Triangle, anticipating passes, etc.

I think the Kings’ especially strong ability to challenge the Lakers at both ends of the floor had much to do with their understanding of their own “Princeton Offense.” The Offense was developed and used by Pete Carril at Princeton for two decades. Carril retired a number of years ago and became an Assistant Coach on the Kings. The Kings have been implementing his aspects of his system ever since.

Carril was very secretive about the details of his offense until a few years ago. When he finally published the details, he acknowledged that his system was very similar to Tex Winters’ Triangle. So the detailed, systematic, flowing triangle was not as mysterious to the Kings as it was to other teams. It was similar in key ways to their own sophisticated offense.

Nets’ head coach Byron Scott and his assistant Eddie Jordan were assistants with Carril in Sacramento, where they learned the Princeton offense. Once the Nets obtained Kidd, Scott and Jordan decided to implement the Princeton offense, consulting with Carril periodically.

So the Nets and Lakers will be more familiar with each others’ offensive schemes than is typical. It is hard to imagine the Nets holding much of a mystery for the Lakers under any circumstances. But perhaps a huge problem is that in many ways the Lakers already know the Nets’ approach, having seen it in Sacramento. Of course, the Nets have modified the scheme a little to utilize Kidd’s unique talents. It’ll be interesting to see if the Net’s familiarity with a sophisticated offense will help them in any way.

It is kind’ve interesting that two sophisticated, related offenses (Triangle and Princeton) are beating the more traditional, simpler, isolation-style offenses that are common in the NBA these days. The isolation-style offenses are both poplular and vulnerable because they emphasize and rely on strong individual talent. But in the end, a strong, sophisticated, integrated team concept is essential to winning in the NBA. It is the re-emergence of the old-fashioned team concept, but the offenses have become glitzy stars themselves. The more things change, the more they remain the same. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The individuals who understand this will continue to dominate in the NBA.

What's all this shit about the Blazers being 'amazingly talented?' A 300 hundred year old Sabonis and Pippen? Crybaby Rasheed? Mighty Mouse the 'rich man's J Williams'? TWO ALL STAR TEAMS??? Yeah, it took Shaw's miracle to win that series, but save the raves over a collection of has beens and flawed talents.

Your forgetting Bonzi Wells, Steve Smith, Jermaine O'Neal, and Brian Grant...all All Stars (actually Wells not an all star but he will be). A total of 9 all star players one one team...it's never been done before.

You gotta look at Portland's rosters in recent years and wince. Lots of talent, but plenty of disgruntled dudes who couldn't get it together in one way or another. And some of the best talent slipped away. Maybe it is the players or the coaches, or the organization as a whole. I've never been a Dunleavy fan. I've always thought Pippen was reasonably solid, but not the dude you want trying to lead your team. I don't know that much about the Blazers, other than the fact that the mix never quite seemed to work, and that "rebuilding" probably looms on the horizon. What happened?

1999
Rasheed Wallace, Isaiah Rider, Damon Stoudamire, Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, Brian Grant, Jermaine O'Neal, Jim Jackson, Walt Williams, and the incomparable Kelvin Cato.

2000
Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire,
Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Bonzi Wells, Detlef Schrempf, Brian Grant, Greg Anthony, Gary Grant, Jermaine O'Neal, Stacey Augmon, Antonio Harvey, Joe Kleine

2001

Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire,
Scottie Pippen, Arvydas Sabonis, Bonzi Wells, Dale Davis, Detlef Schrempf, Rod Strickland, Greg Anthony, Stacey Augmon, Antonio Harvey

2002
Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire,
Scottie Pippen, Bonzi Wells, Shawn Kemp, Derek Anderson, Dale Davis, Steve Kerr, Chris Dudley, Zach Randolf, Rick Brunson

Ooops. It only seemed like 4 years...

To top it all off check this out->
Ralph Nader Takes On NBA
SAN FRANCISCO, June 5, 2002
(AP) Ralph Nader wants the NBA to review Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, saying the nation's confidence has been shaken enough lately by business headlines.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 106-102 in the game. But Nader, a consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, and the League of Fans, a sports-industry watchdog group, sent a letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern asking for a review, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"At a time when the public's confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important, during the public's relaxation time, for there to be maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in commercial sports performances," the letter said. "That sense was severely broken . . . during Game 6."

The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter and scored 16 of their final 18 points at the foul line. The letter also addresses an incident where Lakers guard Kobe Bryant elbowed opponent Mike Bibby in the nose. A foul was not called with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game.

"Unless the NBA orders a review of this game's officiating, perceptions and suspicions, however presently absent any evidence, will abound," the letter said. "A review that satisfies the fans' sense of fairness and deters future recurrences would be a salutary contribution to the public trust that the NBA badly needs."

I think Nader has finally lost his brains!

Yup, dream teamers, all. Tony Clark made the American League All Star team last year too. Does that somehow mean he's not HORSESHIT?

Actually Jermaine O'Neal got a whole lot better when he finally picked all the splinters out of his skinny ass and Brian Grant exposed the exceedingly weak big man play in the East in Miami while Mourning slept for 5 months. Steve Smith was indeed DECENT before he got to Portland, but has always been pretty much a loser. Bonzi Wells? Well, what can I say there... You got me. LOOK OUT KOBE!!! BONZI'S COMIN' AFTER YA'!!!

Oh, and to show they're going in the right direction, I particularly applaud the pickup of Shawn THE WHALE Kemp.

If there's one team the 'talented' Blazers remind me of, it's the Clippers of the last 15 years. The Clippers 'talent' is always too individual and too young and they lose. The Blazers is too individual, too old, and they win on cruise control until they get slapped around in the playoffs by a better team.

Another scripted game... Did you guys enjoy the part where the Nets *almost* came back from a huge deficit, but the heroic Lakers were able to keep them down? Vince would be proud...

thought i posted this yesterday but....does anyone know if bonzi wells has so cal connections. i was following a jeep grand cherokee through san juan capistrano earlier in the week with cal plate BONZ4--couldn't pull up to see but i was curious. i try to follow his stats since i'm a ball stater.

What were the odds of the Lakers winning the series before it started?

They didn't cover the spread in Game 1, right? They were usually a 7-point favorite at home against the Kings, so I'm thinking the number would have been closer to 10 against NJ.

A Misses Las Vegas already kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

i saw the lakers minus 800 to win series take back 600---opened at minus eight and was bet down to 7 1/2--not sure if there was any movement after that.

Kendricks, TBlazers, Game1,

(1) T Blazers crash and burn

OK, yeah, gotta wonder about the TBzrs talent selection. I still think the recent Blazers have gotta rank up there as one of the all-time "talented" crash and burn teams. I mean, their salaries were over the top, even by NBA standards, if I recall.

I might put the '77 76ers at the top of that all-time crash and burn list. They were incredibly deep with stars and talent, following the demise of the ABA: Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Doug Collins, Henry Bibby, Caldwell Jones, World B. Free, Darryl Dawkins, Steve Mix, Mike Dunleavy, Jellybean Bryant... They were terminated in the finals by an extremely good Blazers team that didn't have much memorable talent, besides Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.

(2) Lakers - Nets Game 1 report

I attended Game 1 at Staples. When the Lakers pulled ahead early, lots of Lakers fans started rooting for the Nets to make a better game of it. There was something unspeakably sad about seeing them being pulled apart so quickly and convincingly, even if you were there to see the home team win. And when the Nets started to come back, the audience didn't quite believe it was a serious challenge, even when they cut the lead to 3. There were lots of people who remembered Byron Scott as a Laker, and talked openly about not wanting his team to get beaten too badly.

I think the biggest (unintentional) joke of the evening was the "sound meter" they put on the screen at Staples. Usually, the meter is flashed on the screen as an anouncer encourages the crowd to make noise. As the crowd screams, the sound pressure level is shown to increase. If they somehow didn't know this was fake before, they must've been confused as the meter went sky high despite the quiet and boredom of the crowd.

There was a brief (maybe 30 seconds) celebration honoring Magic Johnson's election to the Hall of Fame. They seemed to minimize the amount of time spent on this, for unknown reasons. Magic was sitting where he always sits, at the corner nearest the Lakers' bench, next to Dyan Cannon.

Everybody but everybody wants to be seen on the screen at staples, so they do whatever it takes to get the attention of the cameramen. I know it is like this everywhere, but Lakers games are increasingly becoming a friggin' costume party (bad) and also something of a place for hotties to show off what they've got (good).

The teams were pretty civil to each other in game 1, even when the Nets turned to a hack-a-Shaq strategy. I wouldn't be surpised if the honeymoon ends soon and the play gets much more physical. Look for whoever is guarding Shaq to pogo stick on his feet a few times.

(3) Kendricks, you don't understand. There are lots of disgruntled people in America, obsessed with unfairness and injustice. Professional sports is the perfect place to channel their energies. If you can keep the everyone's attention focused on a game, and on unfairness within that game, then you can go about the business running world your way without them getting in the way. A pretty cool system, eh? You wouldn't want everything to degenerate into anarchy, WOULD YOU?

Lakers are up 2-0. What else is there to say?

Shaq's on-court interview right after the game was unusual. Usually, he's a total monotone, and seems dismissive, contemptuous, rigid, and totally self absorbed. But this time, he was animated, funny, and light. Apparently this is the REAL Shaq that we never see during interviews. A welcome change.

Enough of those Mike's Hard Iced Tea commercials. When I first saw them, they were hilarious. A dude with an evil head growing out his neck and checking out some office chick's breasts; space creatures demolishing civilization. Great stuff. But if you've watched the games, you've seen those commercials about 100 times already. Time for something new?

There's all this talk about Shaq being the best center ever. I dunno, that seems pretty trendy. But he's on his way to his third finals MVP. I think he has to be approaching the upper echelon of the big three (Russell, Jabbar, Chamberlain). Is it fair to say that he's surpassed the accomplishments of other great centers?: Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Mikan, Willis Reed, etc. In an era in which there is no shortage of talented 7 footers, he dominates the game. He's clearly cranked his game up a notch, making free throws, dominating in clutch time, etc. If his coach wasn't Phil Jackson, I don't think he'd have the rings. But should that change our assessment?

Great post Sam! LOL. I'll reply to you so you don't feel the need to start talking to yourself again. I know you get lonely.

Shaq's an all time great. Nobody disputes that. He's not even close to #1 though. See Wilt's numbers again for clarification.

Prime Hakeem used to really take it to Shaq. I'll take your top 3, Hakeem and a prime Moses over Shaq, but nobody else.

-Superman-

Lakers up 3-0. I don’t believe the Lakers have ever swept an NBA finals series in franchise history. Shaq’s about to get his third Finals MVP, Phil is about to get his 9th NBA championship as a coach, and the Lakers franchise is about to win their 14th NBA championship. It seems obvious that the current, invincible Lakers dynasty will be remembered as one of greatest teams ever, for good reason. The hall of fame will eventually need to make room for Phil, Tex, Shaq, Kobe, Horry, and probably a few others before they are through, sometime in the distant future. This year’s team for the ages had so much talent that it kept the still-talented Mitch Richmond on the bench. These dudes have all the pieces in place. They just have to stay healthy and hungry.

Jerry West of all people recently stated that he thought Shaq was the most dominant center in the history of the NBA. Byron Scott just said "He is the most dominant player I've ever seen." West was one of Wilt’s best friends and defenders, and Scott grew up in the Lakers’ back yard. They’ve both seen many great players, including centers. So I find it amazing that these dudes have added their formidable voices to the chorus.

Clarification: Oh, yeah. The Wilt thing… Again? Of course, there have always been plenty of people who rate Bill Russell above Wilt, for example Marv Albert, Walt Frazier, Phil Jackson, Bill Walton, and plenty of others. Uh, I think maybe these dudes were *actually* born before Wilt retired, and *actually* saw him play. Aw, hell, what do they know? And there are others who would put Jabbar at the top. There’s no need to rehash all this further, as there are lots of basketball minds out there saying these things. And now there are some who would say the same about Shaq.

Why do some people get all bent when anyone so much as hints that Wilt wasn’t the greatest? It's like their balloons gets punctured or something. Sometimes I worry about these dudes. I’m asking because I’m sensitive. And I care. LOL.

Wednesday’s game should be fun. FOURPEAT!

-Dogster-

Did I say Lakers in six over the Nets?

Man was I wrong, although it does sort of shoot down Kendrick's conspiracy theory.

Wilt was the best big man of his day. When I was a kid my dad was a rabid Laker fan and I grew up watching Wilt, Elgin, and Mr. Clutch. Wilt didn't really have a shot though. He could average almost thirty points a game and could regularly score more than 50, but it wasn't really because he could shoot. There just wasn't anybody, including Russel, who could match up physically with him. I can rememeber my dad groaning "oh no, not the finger roll!!"

Kareem really redefined the center position. I can remember Wilt vs. Jabbar when he was a rookie with the Bucks. No contest. Wilt had the power but Kareem had more skill and ability and simply outplayed Wilt. Wilt also clearly outplayed Russel the times that I saw them play. Sure Russel could block shots and play defense but he simply didn't have the skills that modern centers have.

I'd have to say that Shaq would clearly overmatch either Wilt or Russel but that Kareem would give him fits. On the other hand Kareem wouldn't even begin to be able to stop Shaq. I'd put Shaq in the top two, (him and Kareem), and I would label him as the most physically dominating center that's ever played the game.

Scarus:
Excellent. I agree with most of what you say. I think Kareem's Sky Hook gave him a tool that helped him beat other, physically-bigger centers. I mean, he could post up and make that shot regularly, and it was unstoppable. As long as he had that shot, he didn't have to be the biggest. That shot, along with his superior mental and physical training regimen, allowed him to play 20 dominant years in the NBA. The fact that nobody has been able to duplicate his shot reliably speaks loudly.

It is too bad that Jabbar couldn't have played against Russell, who made the old-style hook shot obsolete, and forced those who relied on it out of the league. Russell, the innovator, might have figured out something.

_Dogster_

For all Shaq's physical tools, he still does not dominate like he should. Shaq is bigger and stronger than everyone at his position, and is more athletic than all others at his position. Sure he dominates, but why doesn't he lead the league in rebounding every year? Why not blocked shots? It's a question of desire. If he wanted to, I'm sure he could. Wilt had the desire to do it all, and he did do it all. That's one of the main things seperating them, IMO.

Ironically, I like Shaq quite a bit, even though he's a Laker, and Wilt would not make my top-20 all time favorites ... but he was still the best.

Simply put, the numbers don't lie. People can say the competition was not what it was then, but at the same time there were far less teams in the league ... meaning there are hundreds of players in the league today who would have been playing B-League ball back in Wilt's day. Same argument can be made as to why the Dynastic teams of today could not have competed with the great ones of the early 80's ... the Bulls and Lakers of recent years would not have been able to play with the Lakers, Sixers, and Celtics of the early 80's. Those teams were incredibly deep. The league has thinned out considerably with expansion ... and still nobody even approaches the stratosphere of Wilt's incredible stats.

-Superman-

I agree with the comments about Shaq's lack of desire. It has always seemed to me that he could score or block shots at will but that most of the time he's content to just cruise. It's also true that no one will ever compare to Wilt's stats but seven footers were a rarity in those days. That's why Wilt's rivalry with Russel was so big.

I also thought your pict of Kobe as Shaq's bitch was very amusing. I'm reminded of this now when I hear Shaq talk about how Kobe is the best player in the league. I can't help but think of Shaq giving Kobe a kiss on the cheek and a little ass squeeze as they get back on the bus. Kobe flexing his bicep as he returns to the huddle plays right into this. Seems like it should be a scene right out of the HBO series "OZ". The little queen returning to his/her cellmate bragging about what a big man she is.

Not that I'm not a Kobe fan, the whole scenerio just amuses me. Which reminds me, I'm sure glad that Rick Fox plays basketball better than he acts.

I was also amused by the interviews with people in New Jersey, almost all of whom paid homage to the Lakers. Just reminds me again why it would have been bad for the NBA if Sacramento had won. Do we really want every high school kid in America flopping and whining???

Any money on the Lakers in 2003?

Scarus
Last night I saw a special on KCET on John Wooden's pyramid to Success. It was terrific! It had interviews by all past stars from UCLA giving homage to the wizzard of Westwood. John Wooden gave a lecture on each building block of his pyramid. He constantly mention Kareem's ability to adapt to whatever environment he was in. He specifically talked about the time when the NCAA banned dunking the ball. This was a direct assault to Kareem's ability to dunk at will. But, rather than take this change in the rules as a rejection of his abilities, Wooden talked Kareem into using it to develop other skills. In other words, use the rule change not as a negative, but as a positive to improve his other skills. So, he developed his sky hook, jumper, and outside shooting. This, I believe, made Kareem the all around shooting center without a dunk. Today, he is still the scoring leader in the NBA.

We will never ever see another coach like John Wooden again. He not only taught his players how to play the game to their best ability; He also taught them how to live life to it's fullest: Don't try to be better than someone else; rather, try to the best YOU can be.

Shaq is the most dominating center I have ever seen. Not because of his height, shooting, or defense; but, because of his 380 lbs and size 24 shoes. I wouldn't want to be anywhere around him when he jumps up and down. My toes would never be the same.

My .02 cents........

Scarus: Yeah, Sacramento's whining and flopping would've been too much. It might have been a closer series because the teams are more evenly matched, IMHO, and they run the same offense. Also-- Look at Shaq's desire when it comes to free throws. By improving his free throws during clutch time,, he improved his game in ways that Wilt and Russell never did. Re Wilt: If the lane was as wide in the 50s and 60s as it is now, would Wilt have scored as many points? Nawwww... The stats are deceiving.

Sam: Sam!!! Excellent post, dude. Keep posting! Are you sure you aren't me? LOL.

Wooden's approach reminds me of a similar quote from Russell: "You don't need to be better than you are. Take what you have and put it to use." Wooden and Russell were and are similar dudes, in many ways. A couple of years ago, Wooden called Russell "the most important college player and pro player of all time." Kareem was once asked what the most valuable thing was that he learned from Wooden. His answer was, "how to raise my kids." Kareem was like Russell in the sense that each won everywhere he went, and each was super bright.

Well, the sweep is complete! Life is good in Laker-land. The fact that Shaq has won his third finals MVP is HUGE. The fact that Phil Jackson has won 9 championships in 11 years of coaching is even more huge, along with the fact that he seems eager to win another one. The fact that Shaq and Kobe seem to have accepted Jackson, his system, and each other looms large.

Threepeating is much harder than winning the first time or repeating. Teams have to overcome their own inertia, the all-intrusive press, and superstardom. Then they have to deal with the fact that EVERYBODY brings their best, hungriest game when you show up.

I still believe that the '80s Showtime Lakers at their peak could beat anyone, and that the dominant teams of the 80s were superior to the teams we see now (including the Lakers, Celtics, 76ers and Pistons). At the same time, the current Laker team continues to improve in dramatic ways. Shaq worked on his freethrows, and achieved a huge payoff. Kobe cranked up his team game, player relations, and public relations, having finally realized their importance. I mean, this year he didn't even seem fazed that Shaq won another finals MVP. The entire team seems to be coming together in a manner that is reminiscent of what Bill Russell called "Celtic Pride". If the individuals and team keep improving in this way, then they will return hungry and ready to compete for another championship. All the pieces remain in place.

It will be interesting to see how the Lakers change during the off-season. Of course, some of their players are getting older, and they lack a dominant third scoring threat as well as a true power forward. But what is remarkable is that they have many younger players who are now seasoned playoff veterans, and who are familiar with each other and with a complicated offensive system. If these dudes keep playing together, they will become even more difficult to beat.

If ever there was a time for the NBA to implement some form of instant replay for the referees, it is now. The technology is clearly available for refs to view replays immediately, and an NFL-style challenge system could be implemented in the NBA without slowing the game down inordinately.

14 NBA championships? This number doesn't make sense.

Lots of people, as well as the Lakers organization, are reporting that the Laker franchise just won its 14th NBA championship. They are comparing this number to the Celtics' 16 championships. Expect to hear more about this trivia if the Lakers continue to win championships.

In fact, the Lakers have just won their 13th NBA championship (including 4 in Minneapolis). Prior to joining the NBA, the Lakers won championships in two leagues: 1947-1948 (NBL) and 1948-1949 (BAA). Teams and players from the NBL and BAA combined to form the NBA in 1949-50. Apparently the franchise and NBA count the '49 championship as an NBA championship, but not the '48 championship.

So the Laker franchise has won 15 championships, including only 13 NBA championships.

Over the same period of time, the Celtics have won 16 NBA championships, playing in the same leagues as the Lakers.

Rock On Dogster , way to go !!
Very informative post and well written.
I can't wait for next year to roll around again.

Maybe Celtics Vs Lakers ?

Well gotta run
Sam

Careful Milkster !!
people might think
you are Sam
or CoolHandLuke !!

Next year
Maybe Celtics Vs Lakers ?

I totally AGREE with you.
It could happen
The script writers are not talking though LOL.

=Dogster=

Where are the naysayers now!!!

I know, I know, you don't even have to reply. You're probably off doing some puta in Rio while I'm sitting here at the keyboard in my 3peat t-shirt.

I suppose we should wait until after the parade to start trading players but I think everyone except Shaq and Kobe is available. You're going to have to give up value to get value and right now the role players on Lakers have maximun value. I hate to lose someone like Fox or Horry but I'd love to finally have a true power forward or a truly gifted point guard. Whatever they do, I hope that Samaki is part of the deal.

See ya at the parade.

Scarus

Did anyone really even care about the finals? I didn't watch a single game. I wonder if it was the lowest rated of all time? Shaq should buy all the Refs from the Sacramento series new Rolex's.

I hope the rumours are true and Shaq takes a year off ... then we can see how good Kobe really is. Plus, he'd probably get fat and never be the same. I want to see Shaq fight Lennox.

-Superman-

What do you mean fat? He's reportedly already over 385 lbs.

I can't believe that anyone besides Vlade is still whining about that series. I thought Superman's earlier posts were fairly objective for a hater but it wasn't the refs that won the series for the Lakers it was the Kings with their own hands on their throats. If the Kings had hit their free throws we'd all be hopscotching through the cowpies on Friday.

Be a true superhero and give credit where credit's due. Baby Huey and his girlfriend Kobe are the undisputed champs.

However poor Kobe might be without Shaq I'm sure that it wouldn't compare to Pippen's dismal performance sans MJ.

The latest is the Lakers going after Charles Oakley. That's what I'm talking about!!

I agree, Kobe will fare much better than Pippen.

Shaq looked like he played heavy this year, but I would not say he's exactly fat. Muscle weighs a lot more than fat, and Shaq is pretty buff.

If the refs had not allowed the after the buzzer shot in game 4, Kings win the game and Horry never comes into play. Kings won game 5, thus would have wrapped the series 4-1. That's just ONE of the bad calls they made. Public perception outside of L.A. is the Kings got screwed.

-Superman-

The Kings aka Blazers you had your chance. What you think next year the Lakers are going to take you as lightly as they did this year? Blink! Blink! Blink! I'm going to the Laker parade mañana!!!

Jarocho