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Kobe Bryant remembers Michael Jackson

Jun 30

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

In a special commemorative edition of TIME on Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant thinks back on his relationship with the “King of Pop”:

“One of the things he always told me was, don’t be afraid to be different. In other words, when you have that desire, that drive, people are going to try to pull you away from that, and pull you closer to the pack to be ‘normal.’ And he was saying, It’s O.K. to be that driven; it’s O.K. to be obsessed with what you want to do. That’s perfectly fine. Don’t be afraid to not deviate from that. One of the books that he gave me that helped him communicate with me was “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” which was about that.

Beyond the genius of what he was, he was just a genuinely, genuinely nice person. He got me hooked on movies that I would normally never watch. Fred Astaire movies. All the old classics. I would never, never watch those. I remember my fiancée and I telling him we were getting married, and him just being really excited and actually just offering up the ranch to have our wedding there, because privacy was going to be an issue. We wanted to get married in a church, so that’s what we wound up doing. But he made the offer. He was just a genuinely nice person who was exceptionally bright, exceptionally bright, and driven and talented. You mix those things together, man, you have Michael Jackson.”

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Phenomenal Swag: Kobe Bryant life-size bobblehead

Jun 21

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Trey Kerby of The Blowtorch searches high and low across the Internet for NBA-related goods you never knew you needed. You know, phenomenal swag. Email Ball Don’t Lie any relevant products you find here.

Hey, basketball fan. Do you hate sleeping? Enjoy scaring small children? Abhor personal contact with the opposite sex? Or maybe you just have an unquenchable desire for Kobe Bryant(notes) memorabilia. No matter what your reason, I’ve got the perfect product for you: a life-size Kobe Bryant bobblehead.

For just $13,000 — yes, that’s right, count those zeros! — you can guarantee that neighborhood kids will run, not walk, past your abode. You can usher in a new era in awkwardness, as the room housing BobbleKobe becomes everybody’s least favorite. Why waste time sleeping when you can worry about this enormous monstrosity toppling on to you, smothering your every breath. And of course, that haunting grin, which is sure to guarantee you endless nights alone.

All in all, a great investment piece.

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What’s next for the Lakers

Jun 18

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Might as well come out and say it.

Say what?

The Lakers have the look of a three-time champion.

Great. Slurp away.

They do, actually. I know that LeBron James(notes) is coming into his own and that the Nuggets are in their prime and that the East has all sorts of fitful contenders ready to step up (no Nets or 76er-like foils this time around for Los Angeles), but the Los Angeles’ mix of potential on offense and defense has me thinking they can do this again in 2010, and 2011.

I’d go further, honestly, but I wouldn’t mind keeping some credibility.

Here’s the deal, though. Kobe Bryant(notes) can’t give in to his all-on-me instincts, Phil Jackson has to remain the coach, Andrew Bynum(notes) and Jordan Farmar(notes) have to keep improving at the rate the 2007-08 season suggested, and the team needs to pay the luxury tax.

Pay it again. Pay it for Lamar Odom(notes), and Trevor Ariza(notes). This isn’t an either/or proposition. You have to bring them both back.

Though we’ve spent a while on the Lakers’ look, it will be much simpler than Orlando’s turn. It comes down to retaining both Odom and Ariza, two players who are appropriately valued by the media, and by other teams. The Lakers paid the tax last year, they have a few expiring contracts (Adam Morrison(notes), Derek Fisher(notes); as if they’d trade the latter) for 2009-10 that could be packaged for an upgrade at point guard, but by and large any chance at sustaining the championship run will have to take its cue from internal development.

Odom might have to play the martyr here. Though his skill set leaves us drooling, even your parents know that he’ll turn 30 in November, and that he’s best suited for a team like the Lakers. His leverage isn’t great.

That said, the Lakers need him, badly. Odom made Derek Fisher’s awful defense in the Western Conference playoffs passable when, with Shannon Brown(notes) on the court for defense and defense only, he ran an offense that Brown hasn’t been able to grasp yet. He’ll, he runs it with Fisher out there.

Yes, Luke Walton(notes) can do a lot of the same things. Run the offense off the bench. Rebound and start the break. Make the pass that leads to the pass that gets credited as the assist. Occasionally post up or hit three-pointers. Luke can do it all, and cheaper. Love Luke. Love Lamar, more. He’s just better.

And all Ariza does is play lockdown defense, create turnovers, and hit three-pointers at an ever-improving rate. He’s not much for driving, or the in-between game, as the Magic exposed during the Finals. But while you might not recall him missing a series of pull-up jumpers during the championship round, you surely recall Ariza hitting three-pointer after three-pointer after three-pointer.

And you have to bring him back. Have to. He may only play D and hit threes, but you need that. On both ends. Up to seven, maybe eight million. Beat the offer, bring him back.

You know why, Buss family? Because you’re going to be playing into June. Deep into June, every year. And you’re going to make that money back. And this team, as presently constructed, is special. Three-peat, special. Maybe more.

I’m not giddy. I’m not a Laker fan. I didn’t get too much (or, any) sun while in Los Angeles last week. I just know greatness when I see it. And even with Kobe and Lamar in their 30s, lots of tread on Kobe’s rubber, and the ever-present potential for falloff, selfish play, lackadaisical play, ennui, earthquake, whatever … this is a special, special team.

And you keep special teams together. At any price. And especially when players like Ariza and Odom want to stay in town, and like the arrangement Phil Jackson has created. They’re both lanky forwards, they’re completely different, and they both work. On both ends. The Lakers could be top three in offensive and defensive efficiency next year. That would mean 70 wins, or so.

To get there, you have to bring them both back, and pay the luxury tax again.

And then you have to sit back, and wait for June to roll around again. I don’t toss this stuff out there, lightly. It’s not my money, but June is pretty special to me, and to us all. And I want to see Ariza and Odom there, every June, trading fours.

Make it happen, Dr. Buss.

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Lakers pull away from Magic, win championship in five games

Jun 15

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Two teams battled through the 2009 Finals, providing three close games in five chances, but even with that attempt at parity, it’s clear that the Los Angeles Lakers were just a giant step above the Orlando Magic.

The current Magic, mind you. Orlando fans will be for years ruing the absence of the Jameer Nelson(notes) that traipsed all over the Lakers twice during the regular season, leading the Magic to two close wins over the eventual champion, but the current Nelson (obviously injured, averaging about four points and three assists, making about a third of his shots from the floor) could not put the Magic over the top.

And while Kobe Bryant(notes) (30 points in the win, five assists, four blocks) was a deserved MVP, averaging 32.4 points and 7.4 assists per game alongside stout on-ball and help defense, this was truly a team effort.

Pau Gasol(notes) (14 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks) came out of nowhere to provide what was at times a dominant defensive effort, even if his work wasn’t rewarded with eye-catching numbers or national TV plaudits. Derek Fisher’s(notes) (13 points on seven shots) heroics in Game 4 have been well documented, Trevor Ariza(notes) (15 points, two steals) helped put the Magic away in Game 5, and Lamar Odom(notes) (17 points, 10 rebounds) was an all-around terror on both sides of the ball for each of the five games.

The Magic were a worthy opponent, and both of the team’s losses in those close games could have gone their way but for an inch or two, but it’s hard not to regard the Lakers as the better team by a good bound.

That said, it’s hard not to appreciate just how far the Magic have come.

Nobody had this team as anything more than second or possibly third-round fodder entering the season, or even after the team raced out to place themselves amongst the elite of the East during the regular season. Nelson endured what was then classified a season-ending injury midway through the season, and though the Magic rallied around replacement point guard Rafer Alston(notes) (12 points on 15 shots in Game 5, three assists, three turnovers) to storm into the playoffs, the struggles didn’t end there.

Orlando gave up home-court advantage in the first round against Philadelphia, then was forced to play without its best player in Dwight Howard(notes) (11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) after the All-Star center was suspended for Game 6 of that series for throwing an elbow at 76ers big man Samuel Dalembert(notes).

The team rallied to win that one on the road, before downing the defending champion Boston Celtics in a Game 7 in Boston, a remarkable accomplishment even if Kevin Garnett(notes) was stuck in street clothes on the Boston bench.

And though the Magic seemed to have their way with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season, few even allowed the Magic a sixth or seventh game before the Cavaliers (owners of the NBA’s best regular-season record) were to dismiss them. Instead, Orlando rolled, winning in six games, making the franchise’s second appearance in the NBA Finals.

And though the close losses in Games 2 and 4 might sting, this ending was probably appropriate. The Magic worked, worked hard, but the Lakers were just that much better.

“I don’t know,” Stan Van Gundy said after the game, “if you can console anybody. It’s very, very difficult.”

Van Gundy seemed shocked, after the loss, by the swiftness of it all. At just two and a half hours, Game 5 was a quick one, especially compared to the two overtime games in this series.

“I’m not trying to be an ass,” he warned, toward the end of his press conference. “Sometimes I do try to be an ass, but I’m not trying to be an ass — I’m just not at the point of being able to reflect right now. I expected to be getting ready for Game 6 and getting on a plane to L.A.”

His team, in the locker room, wasn’t as shell-shocked. But even with no new game to play on Tuesday, or until October, the bounce-back effect that players seem to have following these losses that Van Gundy pointed out before the game seemed to have taken hold.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were loving life. You got the feeling that they knew how good they were, milling around the locker room, but without the perceived batch of arrogance that they were accused of during the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Instead, the champions seemed almost ready to play another series. Almost ready to take on another Finals, or another season, or the Magic in a best of nine. Confident, yes, but also appreciating the moment and what it represented.

For Kobe Bryant, a needed end to the nonsense about his supposed inability to win a championship on his own. As if that’s ever happened in the history of team sports.

For Phil Jackson, a 10th Finals victory as a coach, and 12th overall (a fact few seem to bring up). Soon after the final buzzer, Jackson was handed a Lakers hat with a large “X” emblazoned on the front, a reference to his ten rings as a coach, a gift from his children and an idea fashioned by his agent, Todd Musberger.

For Pau Gasol, an end to the cries of “soft,” a reputation partially earned, but a former trait of his game that hardly mitigated his overall brilliance. Gasol helped squash some of that chatter with a strong performance on a Christmas Day game against the Celtics this season, but to those who were paying attention, his defensive work on Dwight Howard in this series was an all-timer.

For Derek Fisher, a logical end to a five-year run that few could have predicted. Fisher fled a sinking Lakers ship in 2004, just as Shaquille O’Neal(notes) was demanding a trade, with Phil Jackson already gone, and Kobe Bryant flirting as a free agent with both the Clippers and the Chicago Bulls.

Signed to an outrageous contract with the Golden State Warriors, Fisher was then traded to the Utah Jazz, watched as his daughter Tatum was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, willingly voided the final years of that outrageous contract in order to move to a city that could provide better care for his daughter, and then signed for less money with the Lakers in the summer of 2007.

For Andrew Bynum(notes), an end to the embarrassment. He probably came back too early after tearing his MCL, and now he has until the fall to rehabilitate, with nobody referring to him as anything but a champion.

For Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, they hope, enough good memories to force Los Angeles’ hand in paying the luxury tax and keeping their pair of dynamic free agent forwards in the fold.

For Luke Walton(notes), it means he’s halfway to his father’s mark of two NBA championships. And, hopefully, it also means a six-pack or two for Walton, who was milling around the press area following the game, wondering if the media was given free beer, and if they had any to share. No, Luke. And even if we did … no.

For Los Angeles, the city’s first championship in seven years, and the franchise’s 15th overall. Here’s hoping we don’t wake to any news of nonsense coming out of the L.A. area as a result.

The game itself seemed Los Angeles’ all along.

The Magic roared out to an early, slim lead, but an inability to hit three-pointers or keep the Lakers off the offensive glass kept Los Angeles close. By the second quarter, Trevor Ariza’s defense on Hedo Turkoglu(notes) (both on ball, and in causing turnovers) and 12 points allowed the Lakers to pull away.

The Magic had their chances to whittle away at the Laker lead, but the Los Angeles defense was too strong, and Orlando frittered away too many offensive chances (missed free throws, missed open shots, all sorts of misses in the paint) to make a real run at the eventual champs.

Though Orlando nearly got it down to single digits in the final minutes, it was never that close. The Lakers’ defense was too much, and the Magic were out of offensive answers.

In all, a satisfying Finals. The likely storyline from here on out will probably have to do with this being one of the more closely-contested 4-1 Finals series’ anyone can remember. The pundits wouldn’t be wrong in that sentiment, but they’d also be doing the champions a disservice by not regarding them as a clear step above.

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Redemption: Bryant leads Lakers to 15th NBA title

Jun 15

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Kobe Bryant(notes) jumped and punched the air. He did it again, seven years of pent up frustration freed in a fit of joy.

This was the one he wanted more than all the others.

The one to top them all.

One year after failing miserably in the finals against Boston, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers found redemption. They finished a season they felt was theirs with a 99-86 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night in Game 5 to win the 15th NBA title in franchise history.

For Bryant, this was the missing piece from his resume, his fourth championship and first without former teammate Shaquille O’Neal(notes).

“I don’t have to hear that criticism, that idiotic criticism anymore,” said Bryant, the finals MVP. “It was annoying.”
For Lakers coach Phil Jackson, this was title No. 10, moving him past legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach for the most by a coach in league history.

“I’ll smoke a cigar in honor of Red,” Jackson said. “He was a great guy.”

For Pau Gasol(notes). For Derek Fisher(notes). For Lamar Odom(notes). For Trevor Ariza(notes) and for Andrew Bynum(notes) and the rest of the Lakers, this was a title to savor.

“It’s a dream come true,” Gasol said. “The completion of a goal.”

Odom scored 17 points, Ariza had 15, Gasol 14 and 15 rebounds, and Fisher, whose two big 3s in Game 4 saved L.A., had 13 points.

It took longer than Bryant expected, but he has stepped from O’Neal’s enormous shadow—at last.

Bryant averaged 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds and more than a dozen cold-blooded glares per game. He wasn’t out to make friends in these finals, he was out for redemption. Throughout the playoffs, he didn’t smile. He just snarled and bared his teeth.

“I was just completely locked in,” he said. “I was grumpy for a while and now I’m just ecstatic, like a kid in a candy store.”

O’Neal, who won three titles with Bryant before the pair had a major falling out, was glad to see his former teammate win another.

“Congratulations kobe, u deserve it,” O’Neal said on his Twitter page. “You played great. Enjoy it my man enjoy it.”

Bryant and Jackson, whose relationship strained and briefly snapped under the weight of success, are again at the top of their games.

Together.

Following the game, the pair shared a long embrace.

Jackson, who once called Bryant “a selfish player” now sees the 30-year-old in a far different light.

“He’s learned how to become a leader in a way in which people want to follow him,” Jackson said. “That’s really important for him to have learned that because he knew that he had to give to get back in return, and so he’s become a giver rather than just a guy that’s a demanding leader. That’s been great for him and great to watch.”

After the final horn, Bryant and his teammates bounced around the floor of Amway Arena. Moments later, Bryant swept his two daughters, both wearing gold Lakers dresses, into his arms.

It was just as he dreamed.

“It finally felt like a big old monkey was off my back,” he said. “It felt so good to be able to have this moment. For this moment to be here and to reflect back on the season and everything that you’ve been through, it’s top of the list, man.”

Bryant had come up short twice in the finals before, in 2004 with O’Neal against Detroit, and again last season against the Celtics in the renewal of the league’s best rivalry. The Lakers were beaten in six games, losing the finale in Boston by 39 points, a humiliating beatdown that Bryant and his teammates had trouble shaking.

They went to training camp with one goal in mind. This was going to be their season, and except for a few minor missteps, it was.

In the locker room afterward, Bryant made sure Jackson got a champagne shower.

“He took his glasses off, threw his head back and soaked it all in because this is a special time,” Bryant said. “For us to be the team that got him that historic 10th championship is special for us.”

Orlando will be haunted by moments in a series that swung on a few plays and had two overtime games.

After losing Game 1 by 25 points, the Magic had their chance in Game 2 but rookie Courtney Lee(notes) missed an alley-oop layup in the final second of regulation. In Game 4, Dwight Howard(notes) clanged two free throws with 11.1 seconds, and the Magic allowed Derek Fisher to nail a game-tying 3-pointer to force OT.
Howard, the Magic’s superhero center, was hardly a factor in Game 5. He scored 11 points and took just nine shots. Rashard Lewis(notes) scored 18 points, but was only 3 of 12 on 3s for Orlando, which after living on the 3, finally died by it.

The Magic went just 8 of 27 from long range.

When the game ended, Howard didn’t move. As his teammates headed to the locker room, Howard stayed on Orlando’s bench and watched as the Lakers celebrated on the Magic’s floor. Jameer Nelson(notes), Orlando’s point guard who came back for the finals after missing four months with a shoulder injury, finally joined him

The two sat stunned.

“What I just told Jameer is look at it, just see how they’re celebrating,” Howard said. “It should motivate us to want to get in the gym, want to get better.”

Orlando was trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals. They had rallied to knock off Philadelphia and Boston, and then upset LeBron James(notes) and Cleveland in the conference finals. The Magic always felt they had a shot at history.

Bryant, though, wouldn’t be denied his place.

“They had an answer,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said, “for everything.”

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Saturday’s media availability roundup

Jun 14

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

A day before what could be the last game of the 2008-09 season, the press was in a reflective mood during Saturday’s media availability. Nothing wrong with that, we all have stories to write, but it is funny how this script seems to repeat itself year after year on what might be the last chance the media has at an extended sit-down until October.

So there were questions about Phil Jackson’s legacy, Red Auerbach’s record in the Finals, Kobe Bryant’s(notes) individual legacy, Derek Fisher’s(notes) thoughts on whether or not he has distinct memories from each of his Finals wins, Orlando’s season-long history of bouncing back; and, once again, a wonderful rant from Stan Van Gundy about how the media much prefers to write a story about nebulous, intangible things rather than just focusing on the game of basketball.

Most affecting was Phil Jackson’s needed, well-versed history on Red Auerbach’s time with the Boston Celtics. A lot of fans and media alike seem to regard Auerbach as springing out of the womb with a signed contract from Bill Russell in hand, but the truth goes a little deeper than that, evidenced by Phil speaking about Auerbach for over a minute without even getting to his championship years (the very years he was asked about).

Auerbach was a less-than-successful coach with the Washington Capitols before essentially changing the way the game was played before acquiring Russell for the Celtics. The pre-Russell Celtics were a Phoenix Suns-style running team (right down to being contenders, but championship also-rans) before there were many of those, with an All-Star (Ed Macauley) already in the pivot. Trading Macauley to St. Louis for Russell’s draft rights, Jackson noted, was a huge gamble; and yet it put Boston over the top.

Jackson then pointed out how Auerbach could have won “two or three more championships,” but that he handed over the coaching reigns to Russell because it was the best thing for the Celtics, if not Auerbach personally. All down the line, he praised Auerbach’s instincts and guts, essentially, as a player evaluator. It was a thoughtful, appropriate, tribute; coming at a time where most in the media room wanted Phil to talk endlessly of his own accomplishments.

Phil then went on to praise Mitch Kupchak and Jimmy Buss as personnel evaluators, telling the press that Jimmy (owner Jerry’s son) desperately wanted and secured Andrew Bynum(notes) despite his limited high school playing history and 17-years of age. He also pointed out that Kupchak had been hot on Pau Gasol’s(notes) heels for a year, over Jackson’s mild objections that Gasol might not have the strength necessary to battle inside as Jackson saw fit.

Again, more effusive praise and deflecting of credit, rather than essentially re-telling the introductory chapters to his best-selling books. A very impressive afternoon out, for Phil.

Oh, yeah. Basketball. He also discussed why he likes to take the ball out in the backcourt in late-game situations, admitting that “it’s not that usual in this game,” and that he doesn’t like to in-bound the ball in the frontcourt because it often results in a “stagnant” possession.

Stan Van Gundy, on the other hand, and by his own admission, is not “a big storyteller,” and his attempt at re-telling Greg LeMond’s comeback win in the 1989 Tour de France fell a bit short.

What Van Gundy is brilliant at is chasing away reporter’s dreams, and their attempts at an easy column storyline. Consider:

“Which team in this situation is more loose? You guys are usually, but the Lakers have the cushion, but you guys are in survival mode.”

“I would say to that I think it’s irrelevant. I don’t think being loose, being tight, that’s not going to have anything to do with it. I don’t think our guys will play tight. We’ll just play.”

“You think you’ve faced these questions of players all season, how mentally tough they are. Do you think this postseason forever puts that to rest, or do you have to keep - ”

“No, it never puts anything to rest because whatever ââ look, whatever people’s perceptions are of certain players, certain teams, whatever, I mean, it’s like they say about anybody with sort of first impressions, they just never go away no matter how many times you prove it to the contrary. And plus I always stand in amazement of a lot of people’s ability to continue to have opinions that absolutely stand in the way of all facts and evidence. I mean, it’s an amazing quality some people have to be able to ignore every piece of evidence and fact and still have their opinion.”

Van Gundy mused aloud about the oddity behind there being more negativity surrounding a team that most recently lost a game in the Finals that a squad “that has been home for two months.” He continued:

“There’s no problem with any of those players, they’re all winners. But the guys who are here and lose in The Finals, then we’ve got to find something wrong with them.”

In a complete (and understandable) turnaround from his mood after Game 4, when he criticized his own team’s “stupidness” (throwing himself in that mix, it should be pointed out), Hedo Turkoglu(notes) was rather cheerful following Magic practice.

He answered “why not?,” when asked about being the first squad to win a Finals after being in a 1-3 hole, and told the press that “right now I’m just happy to be in this situation.”

Why?

“Because it’s a good time to show our character as a group. It’s a good time right now. We’re a good team. We’ve bounced back from a lot of difficulties, so this is a good one to learn from. So I hope everybody really responds their best and we’ll get the win and go back to LA.”

Kobe Bryant, shockingly, was all basketball in his sit-down session. He (kindly, it should be noted) chased away any insinuation that he would opt out of the remaining year of his contract this summer, dismissed any thoughts about even attempting to match Bill Russell’s 11 or Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships (”I’m just trying to get this damn fourth one”).

He talked up Dwight Howard’s(notes) strength, talked down the significance of Mickael Pietrus’(notes) late-game foul on Pau Gasol, and delicately handled a Chinese reporter’s mention of the number eight as “a lucky number in China,” despite Bryant (who wore that number for the first ten years of his career) wearing number 24 since 2006.

Bryant did this with an ease and sense of humor that we haven’t seen in a few weeks, losing that perpetual scowl that has been a post-game and off-day trademark since the Finals began. We’ll see how that translates to Sunday’s potential close-out Game 5.

UPDATE: Though we have seen the clip of Jackson talking to Doris Burke between quarters one and two of Game 4, and thought it obvious he was complaining about the refereeing, it didn’t feel like a finable offense. And we can’t remember what Jackson said well enough to quote him. Either way, Stu Jackson didn’t like it, and fined Jackson and the Lakers $25,000 each.

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Lakers take hold of series, down Magic in overtime

Jun 12

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

A heartbreaking, and possibly series-defining loss for the Orlando Magic in Game 4.

For the Los Angeles Lakers? A tough, defensive-minded win that helped to put the Magic on their absolute heels, taking 3-1 lead.

Defense was the story in this one, as both teams struggled to shoot well just 48 hours after putting up potent percentages from the floor during Orlando’s win in Game 3. The Magic struck first defensively, forcing Pau Gasol(notes) out of his comfort zone in the low post, and crashing the three-point line.

The Magic slowly built up a strong lead, 12 at the half, before relenting as Trevor Ariza(notes) scored 13 points in the third quarter, with the Lakers scoring 30 overall. With Hedo Turkoglu(notes) out with four fouls, the Magic offense only managed 14 points on 7-20 shooting from the floor.

Upon Turkoglu’s return, the Magic’s offense didn’t exactly set the world on fire in the fourth, but they did come back to take a three-point lead into the final 11 seconds.

With all eyes (and two defenders) focused on Kobe Bryant(notes), the Lakers surprised Orlando by taking the ball out in the backcourt, taking time off the clock, and Derek Fisher(notes) hit a three-pointer (after missing his initial five attempts from long range) to send the game into overtime.

Orlando’s poor shooting kept up in overtime, the team missed six of seven attempts, as the Lakers kept up an impressive defensive display from start to finish. Most devastating may have been Los Angeles’ vaunted free throw defense (the Magic missed 15 of 37 looks), and 17 turnovers in a slow (96 possessions in 53 minutes) game hardly helped.

We’ll have more (much, much more; we promise) on this contest, Behind the Box Score-style, early on Thursday morning.

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Behind the Box Score, where the Lakers put the hammer down

Jun 12

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Wow, that was some defense.

It didn’t seem to come up much during the game, for the usual reasons (defense isn’t much of a talking point, unless teams aren’t playing it), but this was a phenomenal defensive game from both sides, following a Game 3 that saw both teams take off on the offensive end.

The sheer activity levels in this game were awesome, and on a pretty incredible level when you figure the amount of games played and minutes slogged through this year before reaching a Thursday night in the second week of June.

Then again, this is also pretty typical of two great teams who more or less have each other’s wants and needs sussed out. The game preparation meets the athleticism then feeds off the drive and leads to what we saw. Great, friggin’, defense.

It shouldn’t be surprising, considering how good these teams were defensively in 2008-09, but on the heels of that Game 3? An impressive about-face, no less entertaining, just as competitive.

As is always the case, there were self-made mistakes and mitigating factors that added to the defense-fest, with the losing team providing more of the shots to the foot.

The Magic missed 15 of 37 free throws for a miserable 59.5 percent clip, absolute suicide in a game that was tied after 48 minutes. The team continued its turnover-happy ways, coughing it up 17 times in a very slow (96 possessions in 53 minutes) contest. Dwight Howard(notes) had as many turnovers (seven) as the entire Laker team.

But credit the Lakers’ defense, which harassed the Magic screen and roll game to no end. Credit Kobe Bryant’s(notes) help defense. Truly applaud the way Pau Gasol(notes) moved his feet, thought off the ball, and gave up his body in defense of Dwight Howard (5-12 shooting two days after going 5-6 from the floor).

Gasol was brilliant, defensively. Lamar Odom’s(notes) help defense was superb again, this time without leaving Rashard Lewis(notes) so much, and Derek Fisher(notes) was allowed to play a physical brand of defense on the perimeter (surprising in a game where Bennett Salvatore was the lead official), so he took advantage.

The Magic were just as sound. They can see the obvious coming just as clearly as anyone, so Orlando made a point to chase Pau Gasol off the block early and often, battering him off the ball and bumping him with help as he cut to the ball. And because the Lakers offense is a read-and-react offense, Gasol didn’t see the rock as much as we assumed as the ball swung around, desperate to find someone who was open.

Before Derek Fisher’s two late three-pointers, the Lakers were shooting 6-21 (28.5 percent) from behind the arc, as the Magic made a point to chase them off the open long ball. Kobe Bryant got his 32, but it was a huge struggle (31 shots), and every other Laker only seemed to contribute in spurts.

But when they did contribute? The difference in the game.

Save for the third quarter, Trevor Ariza(notes) shot 1-8 as the Magic continued to run him off the three-point line, force him to drive, and work an in-between game (shooting on the run, leaners and such) that he just isn’t good at during this stage of his career. Save for the third quarter. Ariza hit a tough leaner as the Magic overplayed everyone but him, which got his rhythm right as he went on to score 11 more points in the quarter, including hitting both of his three pointers.

Bryant shot poorly, save for the first quarter, acting as the team’s offensive savior for the second game in a row during that term as the Magic just crushed any other Laker’s hope of securing an easy shot. And Fisher had missed all five of his three-point attempts before nailing a game-tying trey with just a few seconds left in regulation, and a straightaway three-pointer in overtime to just about put the Magic away.

The first shot will be the subject of some controversy, as it should be. The Lakers had the ball with just over 11 seconds left in the game, down three, and the buzz in the arena was fixated solely on whether or not the Magic would foul to send the Lakers to the line, with the potential for only two points.

We’d find out later that the Magic, fearful of their own free throw shooting woes (I’m sorry, but that’s a cop out. Dwight Howard’s not going to catch the ball, trust your guys to shoot their averages even if they just missed three of four in the quarter), decided not to foul. That much has been gone over quite a bit in the hours since Game 4 ended.

What hasn’t been discussed much is the way the Lakers surprised the Magic by taking the ball out in the backcourt, as opposed to the frontcourt, as most coaches do.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was left to yell at his team like a little league coach, directing the center fielder to move farther out when the kid with the pituitary problem that repeated 2nd grade comes up to bat. The Magic did a superb job of denying Bryant the ball, face guarding him with two players on the in-bound pass, but the surprise of the backcourt in-bound rendered any speculation about fouling pointless.

Even if the Magic wanted to foul, they would have had a tough time doing it, as the Lakers put in the perfect counter. Almost perfect, I should say, because the Magic still had a chance to make things right.

Almost perfect because, for whatever reason, Jameer Nelson(notes) was treating Derek Fisher as if he were Derrick Rose(notes) as Fisher approached the three-point line. I’m not excusing Stan Van Gundy. He should have known that Phil Jackson, as he’s done for 20 years, likes to take the ball out in the backcourt. And he should have called for the foul. But Nelson’s decision was the real game-changer.

Nelson was essentially playing a slow, spot-up three-point shooter for a drive in a three-point game. Even if the Magic wanted to foul, there’s no way Nelson gets out on Fisher and wraps him up with the defense he was playing. This one, unfortunately, is on Jameer.

“This one” meaning “the final play of regulation,” mind you. It’s not Nelson’s fault that Howard missed six of 14 free throws, or that Hedo Turkoglu(notes) missed four free throws in the fourth quarter. It’s not his fault Rafer Alston(notes) struggled in the third quarter (1-5 shooting, bad decisions) as the Lakers made a halftime decision to force everyone but Rafer away from the ball, and good shots.

And it’s certainly not his fault Rashard Lewis wanted no part of contact on drives, being a go-to guy, or collecting tough rebounds (attempting to rebound with his arms, with his body spiraling away from the ball, while Derek Fisher throws his whole body into the loose ball). Six points on 10 shots for Lewis, who may as well have been Pat Garrity(notes) out there. Actually, Garrity would have hit a few more of those open shots.

Howard had nine blocks, an NBA Finals record, and he defended superbly without rejecting anything. Still, when you toss in the free throw mark and those seven turnovers, you can’t really regard his outing as an All-Star performance. Time after time he was afforded solid attempts in the paint, but ruined his chances by bringing the ball down below his waist, ready to bring it back up for a monster slam a la Shaquille O’Neal(notes).

Dwight? You may have shown more interest in team defense during this two-game homestand than Shaq has shown in his entire career. You’re not immature like Shaq. You’re not insecure like Shaq. You’re not out of shape, like Shaq. But you’re not Shaq. Just because he had that bad habit of bringing the ball down that low, it doesn’t mean you should emulate it.

O’Neal’s frame was much, much wider than yours, which made it tougher for teams to wrap him up from behind. You, actually in shape, have that problem to think about. Keep the ball high, please. You would have had a 30-point game had you just kept the ball above your waist, or higher, even with the free throw woes.

Again, credit that Laker defense for knowing what to do, and where to go, at all times. And Gasol for making sure that the shots that Howard did get off were usually off-balance, and off the mark.

Los Angeles was ably prepared, and had the talent and energy and drive to execute. The Magic weren’t that far behind, they were certainly on point defensively save for that final regulation possessions, but the team’s own offensive mistakes coupled with that Laker D (just 95 points per 100 possessions for Orlando, awful) made everything a struggle.

The question now is whether or not the Magic struggle with their confidence, heading into the rest of a series that has likely been decided, or if the Lakers struggle to overcome common sense. Common sense that tells them that the series is already theirs, whether they play just as desperately in Game 5, or not.

We’ll see on Sunday.

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Defining Pau Gasol’s martyrdom

Jun 11

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

It might be time to re-consider how much we howl about Pau Gasol(notes)

Coming off the heels of a Game 3 that seemed all-too-typical amongst Laker losses, the usual bleating (with yours truly tending to yell loudest, above all) about the lack of Pau in the post appeared to re-emerge. The Lakers lost by four, and Gasol only got 11 shots. He made nine of them, made just as many free throws as Kobe in four fewer attempts, while making nine of those 11 field goals overall.

He’s often unguardable in the post by Rashard Lewis(notes). He can even face up Lewis down low, and score. If doubled, he can find the open man better than just about any big man in the NBA. The Laker offense needs to go from the inside-out. Same attributes. Same stuff I was banging my head about, after dozens of games, during the regular season, and over the first three rounds of this postseason.

Why has my tone changed, after a loss that seemed a mirror image? Why am I defending a night where Kobe Bryant(notes) took 25 shots and Gasol managed only 11 attempts? Well, I can’t completely defend that night. Nobody can.

Bryant needed to find Gasol more often. Gasol scored an almost uncontested dunk on the first play of Tuesday’s Game 3 and was just as unstoppable in the fourth quarter, and the space between, so it wasn’t as if the Lakers had hot and cold streaks in order to pick and choose as to when they’d find Gasol. He was ready to rock all game long.

But there’s a lot more to this offense that obvious scores off of assists (like Gasol hitting a cutter), isolation moves and scores (Gasol takes two dribbles and knocks in the lefty hook, he’s awesome), or hockey assists (Fisher got that wide-open corner three because Gasol found Ariza, the Magic collapsed, and the next pass found Fisher; it all starts with Pau, he’s awesome).

The Magic bump cutters. Sometimes they get away with it, sometimes they don’t, but as a function of having two smallish forwards instead of one small and one power forward, it means they have to protect the low post before someone even sets up on it, and it also means they have defenders who are fleet of foot enough (again, no lumbering power forwards) to knock and overplay a guy as he’s flashing from the weak side.

So, while all of that’s going on, the Lakers can call for a different screen on the strong side and score, or quickly reverse the ball starting with a pass to the top of the key, and run a guard-around screen. All while Orlando’s eyes are focused on the orthodox move of swinging that awesome 7-footer from the weak side baseline to the low post on the strong side.

On top of that, you have the big plays that Gasol is part of where he makes the initial strong pass that eventually leads to the score; without even giving him the benefit of an assist or a hockey assist. Pau mentioned this at media availability on Wednesday.

“For the most part when you get the big men in the offense first you become a passer because there’s a lot of cutting, a lot of cutting from the wings, a lot of cutting from the weak side, so there’s always something going on unless we decide that we’re going to be in isolation for the guy on the post.”

If this seems like an excuse for not finding him enough in the fourth quarter, well, it is. But first I want to get into something that drove me batty. Namely, Los Angeles’ run through the Western Conference. Pau wants to talk about his touches. Go ahead, brah:

“It kind of came up every series to be honest with you. It came up a little bit in the Utah series but we did well and we were winning, so it was cool. It came up in the Houston series, and when we had those big games, Games 5 and 7, we did go to the post more and it worked out and we won well. Then it happened in the Denver series. Again it worked out, it went well. Hopefully it will continue.

“It’s just got to be a part of our offense and emphasis, a conscious effort that this works, okay, let’s make it work a little more often, because it’s given us a good plus out there. I’m ready always to be there and compete and deliver, so that’s what I like to do.”

Those series’ saw Kobe shoot a ton, as well, often without offering an efficient result. And even as an impartial observer who could give a rip as to who emerged the winner, I was still absolutely losing it while watching because the Lakers ignored Pau so much. I want to see basketball at its best. The Lakers, while ignoring their offense and their 7-footer, weren’t giving to me. Anger results. Things are muttered. Behind the Box Scores are fashioned.

Something seems different in this series, though. Gasol needs the ball more, make no mistake. He needs touches, and he needs shots. The Laker offense is just (if not more) potent in his hands as it is in Kobe Bryant’s hands (shooting 46 percent from the floor, 35 percent from behind the arc) at this point. Idolize all you want, but with Kobe’s age and the way the Laker offense is set up, they’re on par.

That said, the Lakers scored about 121 points per 100 possessions on Tuesday, well over their regular season mark, and an even better mark than what we saw in the team’s Game 1 blowout win (about 115 per 100). Jordan Farmar’s(notes) hot hand and Lamar Odom’s(notes) decisive moves in the low post (adding to the overall score) shouldn’t excuse Gasol’s inexcusable two shot attempts (making both) in the fourth quarter, but it is safe to say that offense wasn’t the Lakers’ problem.

And unlike the head-banging times of April and May, when it seemed Kobe Bryant preferred Mike Brown’s pathetic 1-on-5 offense to Tex Winter’s triple-post, I don’t get the feeling that the Lakers are acting too stubbornly.

Kobe took one awful three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Game 3, his huge turnover turned the tide, and he missed a crucial free throw. Not great. But when you take away the two three-pointers he had to chuck desperately in the final minute, the man shot 2-3 in the fourth quarter with two assists.

That sounds to me like he made one dunderheaded move (the three-pointer) followed by two possessions that just didn’t go his way (the free throw split; the turnover), surrounded by a quarter that wasn’t much different from Pau’s (2-2, six points, one turnover, no assists). Gasol’s human, just as Kobe, and he has just as much chance at going 2-2 from the floor for six points had Kobe given the ball up to Gasol, as he had pulling a Kobe in those three possessions (bad shot, free throw split, turnover).

Gasol needs the ball. He needs the ability to match Kobe’s fourth quarter assist total, if not double it. But even with Kobe messing up a few times and nobody hitting a last-second three to jack up the score, the Lakers still scored 29 points in the fourth quarter against the NBA’s best defense, and whittled a nine-point deficit down to a two-point game at times.

And unlike the team’s turn in the Western Conference bracket, I don’t get the feeling that this is a team that’s unaware of Gasol’s abilities. It just seemed like the decision to go elsewhere just happened to go away from Gasol — happened to, I mean that — time and time again in a quarter that saw the Lakers shoot 11-19 from the field even with a flurry of desperation threes missing in the final minute.

And I expect things to change, in Game 4. Even if it means Gasol gets just as many shots, in the end. Even if it means he “only” finishes with one assist again. He’ll get the ball more, but understand that it won’t always result in the obvious, stat-padding, play.

Take us home, big man.

“[My play in the post] also gives us motion in our offense, and it gives us energy and flow. So it’s something that has worked for us, and I’m a good passer, I feel comfortable passing the ball, I’m a willing passer and I want to get my teammates shots and layâups. It’s fine with me, obviously. Like I said, I’m all about winning, I’m all about being effective and contributing, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

This ain’t no Houston, this ain’t no Denver. This ain’t no fooling around.

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No LeBron? No problem for NBA Finals

Jun 11

Posted by sophie in Uncategorized

Kobe Bryant(notes) let out a long, tired sigh as he took a seat in the interview room on Wednesday.

He looked exhausted, although he wouldn’t admit it. He had no such hesitation in acknowledging his wariness of the Orlando Magic as they try to square the NBA Finals at two games apiece in Game 4.

“This team can stay hot for weeks,” Kobe said of the Magic. “It’s not something that is just a fluke.”

Three games into the Finals, two of them down to the wire, and the look on Bryant’s face and the tone of his voice said it all.
Who needs LeBron?

The season was supposed to come down to a predestined clash between Kobe and King James, the two best players in the league on the two best teams during the regular season. It was going to be a renewal of the practice duels of last summer’s USA Basketball team.

Two separate companies created advertising campaigns around the matchup; one even made puppets.

Then the Magic came along and ruined the plans and, now, thanks to Tuesday’s energy-inducing victory, they’ve turned this into every bit of a series worth watching. The strong TV ratings prove nearly 14 million fans got the message that the marketers didn’t.

Who needs LeBron?

“Obviously, we [were] disappointed going into the Cleveland series because everybody just overlooked [us] and said it was going to be Cleveland and L.A.,” Dwight Howard(notes) said. “We were very hurt by it.”

Give Orlando credit for leaving the respect whine out of these Finals. There’s been little talk about how being overlooked or not being the Chosen One’s team has served as motivation. And there wasn’t any on Wednesday. A potential title has always been motivation enough for the Magic.

“I think players, coaches to some degree, really get into the whole respect thing, if they’re given respect by people,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Our players, as I’ve told them, have earned the respect.

“I mean, you can’t do what we’ve done, you can’t be at this level … if you don’t have great character, resilience, not to mention talent. So, to me anyway, it’s not about proving those things now, it’s about trying to win a championship.”

Still, if it isn’t respect, then it’s at least pride. No team wants to hear how everyone wanted a different Finals matchup. No one wants to watch a puppet show that overlooks them. And no team, particularly after all of that, wants to go down 0-2 and risk delivering the boring, one-sided series like the critics predicted.

No one wants the Finals to be remembered for the lack of LeBron’s participation.

So here are the Magic, proving not just that they belong; they did that by LeBrooming the Cavs out of the Eastern Conference finals in six games. Here are the Magic proving they can deliver the kind of dramatic Finals these playoffs deserve.

The Magic lit it up from the floor in Game 2, hitting a record 75 percent of their shots in the first half. Their inside-outside game is so strong that Phil Jackson called it “extreme” and declared it “the most threatening” he’s seen. Meanwhile, in an effort to remain multidimensional, the Magic have run some of the most creative offensive sets in recent memory.

Their coach is a disheveled, workaday, quote machine. Their star center makes statements (and Shaq jealous) by wearing preppy sweaters and not having a tattoo. They have a former street ball legend as their starting point guard.

Even their losses are interesting, one cursed by a blown alley-oop that will be rebroadcast for years.

The Magic may not win this series, but they haven’t lacked for providing colorful story lines and inspired play. There’s no denying they’re wearing Bryant down and leaving him wondering what’s next.

Who needs LeBron?

“That’s just the way things are,” Howard said of the focus on James.

“All we have to do is go out and win games,” he continued. “We lost the first two games. We didn’t play as well as we needed to. But we decided as a team that we weren’t just going to give up. We deserve a chance to win the championship.”

The NBA didn’t get the megastar matchup it no doubt craved. Nike and VitaminWater were forced to scrap their big-money commercial campaigns. And fans that wanted to see the two best players square off will have to wait.

But a funny thing happened on the way to disaster – an intriguing series was born.

Everyone realized: Who needs LeBron?

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