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6.3.02 by: Memo Menos Was there ever any doubt, really? I mean, from game 1 when the LAKERS took the 17 point lead after the 1st quarter, did anyone actually feel the KINGS could win the Western Conference Finals and dethrone the 2-time NBA Champion LAKERS? So what that the LAKERS were down by 24 and 27 in games 3 and 4 on their home floor. Who cares that the LAKERS were 3 seconds and 1 lucky shot from going back to Sacramento down 3-1 for game 5. Was it all that significant that the referees did everything they could to get L.A. back to Sacramento for a shot at game 7? I mean, teams always go to the line 27 times in the 4th quarter of an elimination game. Champions routinely rely on making 21 of their 31 points in a quarter from the charity stripe to win in the last seconds of a crucial contest before the home fans. And we all know what a reliable free-throw shooting team the LAKERS have been all year. No doubt Why else would legendary coach PHIL JACKSON squander the emotional value of playing perennial all-star, veteran, certain Hall-of-Famer and former KING, MITCH RICHMOND, unless victory was assured. Surely in a series with 6 must-win games that went into overtime in game 7, a series where the LAKERS couldn’t guard the opponents guard and didn’t score from its own front court, RICHMOND would have been utilized had the LAKERS felt they really needed his skills. As it was, he was dangled in the Sacramento fans’ faces by playing a mere 3 meaningless minutes in game 5. Nice touch JACKSON. He knew it all along, and what panache it was! We didn’t need MITCH RICHMOND. No doubt. And did you see coach screaming at SHAQUILLE O’NEAL for not getting back on defense in the 2nd quarter? He had a similar tirade on Superman for not picking up MIKE BIBBY off the double picks from WEBBER and DIVAC in the pressure-packed 4th. BIBBY was burning the champions as he did all series long. JACKSON was livid. Or was he? That act must have been for the benefit of the national television audience, because he never got on SHAQ all year for his lack of defense. SHAQ never jump switches on those pick and rolls. It’s just not in his contract. JACKSON couldn’t possible have expected the big fella to suddenly acquire the taste in the closing minutes of game 7 with MIKE BIBBY swishing shot after shot. We didn’t need it anyway. SHAQ did hit a key free throw in regulation and 2 more in overtime, as he did in other games in this series. The whole team hit some very important foul shots, which enabled them to beat the SACRAMENTO KINGS. In fact, all of the starters stepped up yesterday. HORRY hit a key 3-pointer, FOX drove the ball to the rim more than once in the 4th quarter and even DEREK FISHER found his 3. The supporting cast all had double figures, FISHER with 13, HORRY had 16 and FOX had 13. FOX had 14 rebounds and HORRY had 13, both critical contributions since SHAQUILLE didn’t figure he had to start rebounding until the start of the 4th quarter. Through 3 he had only 7 boards, but he knew the LAKERS were going to win. KOBE knew it too. That’s why he fouled MIKE BIBBY with 8 seconds to play and the KINGS down by 2 points. Why let him embarrass SHAQ again with an 18-foot jump shot. That’s why it was an intentional foul by KOBE. Hell, it was nearly a flagrant foul. But no one cared. JACKSON didn’t care, that’s why he failed to call any play for the LAKERS last shot at winning in regulation. Let SHAQ tale a 12-footer from near the top of the key after a dribble-drive, spin move. Yeah, that’s the ticket. We got this one! There was never any doubt. As there won’t be for the Finals against the NETS. After all, JASON KIDD isn’t nearly as good as MIKE BIBBY. Right? 5.29.02 by: Memo Menos The LAKERS had their chances Monday night in Sacramento. KOBE BRYANT had the ballgame on his fingers with the final seconds counting down. He even had a decent look. He just missed the shot, like the 3 others he had before that in the last 3 minutes. Too bad. It looked like the KINGS were going to run away, going up by 10 points in the third quarter. But the LAKERS stuck around. They clawed their way back into the game on the strength of SHAQUILLE O’NEAL’S play, which was even more remarkable since he was again playing the 3rd quarter with 4 fouls. SACRAMENTO was worried sick anticipating another steal by the champions of a close game. The game didn’t have to be that close. The officials once again played an inordinate part in the outcome. SACRAMENTO was given 10 more free throw attempts than the LAKERS. During the game that discrepancy was even more pronounced. SHQUILLE O’NEAL was only awarded 1 free throw attempt by the zebras. How can that be? VLADE DIVAC only had 2 personal fouls? O’NEAL was hammered on consecutive dunks in the 3rd, but the officials apparently felt CHRIS WEBBER needed to stay in the game, and that SHAQ and the LAKERS ought to be happy with 2 points. Aside from the officials, PHIL JACKSON had a part in the loss. With RICK FOX playing his best basketball of the season, going 4 for 4 and just hitting a 3 pointer to start the second quarter, coach yanks him from the game for picking up his 3rd foul. The LAKERS went on to get trounced in that quarter, only scoring 13 points, 5 of which coming in the closing seconds on plays by KOBE BRYANT. That lack of offense for 10 minutes took the LAKERS out of the game. FOX finished the game going 6 for 9, and scoring 16 points. He was on his way to 30. By the way, he finished the game with those same 3 fouls. Now, if you’re willing to lose your best players SHAQ and KOBE to foul trouble, this is after all the playoffs, why not take the same gamble with RICK FOX, who didn’t play in the 4th quarter much anyway? That was a major goof. FOX breaking out of his shell was a big boost to the sputtering offense from the supporting cast. JACKSON put the lid on it, but quick. DEVEAN GEORGE, his replacement has been less than scintillating, despite JACKSON’S enduring confidence in him. GEORGE went 0 for 2 last night, after going 3 for 11 in the last game, and going 3 for 13 the game before that. Another strange substitution came in that 2nd quarter when PHIL JACKSON took the shackles off of MITCH RICHMOND. He entered the game after hibernating for most of the season, 5 games into this series against his former team. What sense is that? RICHMOND was given 3 minutes to perform, making a turnover a free throw and getting a rebound. He was banished to the pine for the remainder of the game, most likely never to be seen again in a LAKER uniform. That is utterly baffling to me. MITCH is a competitor, he has an intense desire to be a contributor, as he has had his entire impressive career, and he can shoot the 3. Use him! And then there is the BIBBY defense. The LAKERS salvaged their season by putting their best defender on him in game 4. So of course the LAKERS went back to their previous strategy and had FISHER guard him the entire game in game 5. BIBBY hit the game winner on an open look after FISHER was eliminated by a questionable screen from WEBBER. That question mark followed another questionable call after WEBBER seemingly knocked the ball out of bounds which would have given the LAKERS the ball and the lead with 11 seconds remaining. Further questions abounded about whether KOBE was fouled on his final 2 attempts which would have surely meant a LAKER win. But I digress. Where is the sense in not harassing BIBBY like the LAKERS did so successfully in game 4? KOBE held the dangerous guard to just 3 points in the last half of that game. But this game, KOBE didn’t guard MIKE for even one play, including the last one which killed the LAKERS. BIBBY finished with 23 points on 9 for 17 shooting. After the game JACKSON said KOBE waived off the defensive assignment. KOBE begged to differ. No matter what the reason, the lack of defense, whether it was SUMAKI WALKER’S failure to switch on the play, or FISHER’S inability to fight around the screen, or the lack of any effective defensive scheme for what everyone in the building knew would be a look for BIBBY, resulted in a devastating loss of an opportunity. The game was there for the LAKERS to steal without SHAQ in the game. That would have surely demoralized the SACRAMENTO KINGS. Instead, this dramatic series comes back to Los Angeles for a 4th must win game, this time for the defending champions. Can they do it? We shall see… 5.27.02 by: Memo Menos The events of this Memorial Day weekend were certainly memorable for the LAKERS. They were beaten badly in Friday’s game 3, never getting closer than 11 points despite a valiant comeback effort. They trailed by 17 after the first quarter Sunday, the deficit was 20 after the first 12 minutes. If a coaching is good for anything he can motivate players for the start of the game. Certainly it falls upon the coach to have the team ready to get off to a quick start, to get a jump on the opponent. On that note coach JACKSON failed miserably. They came out Friday and didn’t start playing until the 4th quarter. JACKSON made some adjustments and got the guys started by the 2nd quarter of game 4. That was still 12 minutes too late. And they didn’t even think about playing defense in that first quarter. The KINGS had nothing but open looks. I’m no legend, but I’ve heard that defense wins playoffs. Where is it PHIL? Another function of the coach is to control the tempo of the game, particularly when momentum shifts threaten to let things get away. After game 3, where the LAKERS were out of contention after the first quarter, you’d think a good coach would get the picture. Use timeouts more liberally in the early going so as to prevent the opponent from getting a big lead, especially the KINGS who fall who like to play from the lead. A key timeout can also cool off a team that is shooting 80% from the field as the KINGS did in game 4 early on. No sign of legend from the LAKER coach in game 3 or game 4. An early timeout can also be used to get your star players into the offense when they fail to get off to a fast start. In both games 3 and 4 SHAD and KOBE failed to get going in the opening minutes. How about calling time to design a play or two to ensure your marquee players get themselves into the game, coach? If a coach doesn’t motivate, and doesn’t manage timeouts in this way, then why do we need him? JACK NICHOLSON can make substitutions from his perch on the sidelines, and Dr. BUSS can sell JACKSON’S seat for a couple of grand each night to offset the salary cap penalty. Maybe we could put that money into a fund and get a coach who will stress fundamentals-things like using the backboard (SHAQ); staying home on defense when you are guarding the best shooter on the floor; blocking out for all rebounds, no matter where you are on the court; passing the ball to the open man; defending the pick and roll and finally-making 75-80% of your free throws! I hear JOHN WOODEN is still quite active. Better still, at his peak he was only bringing home $35,000 a year. To his credit, coach JACKSON did make a defensive adjustment at the half Sunday. He got the LAKERS best defender, KOBE BRYANT to shadow MIKE BIBBY for the entire second half. Why wasn’t that change made to start game 4? Clearly BIBBY has been getting the best of DEREK FISHER in this series. That’s why JACKSON has gone to little-used LINDSAY HUNTER so much. But HUNTER hasn’t had much success either, and he has none of the championship experience of DEREK FISHER, nor half the hustle. BRYANT’S performance was indeed legendary, as he contained the KINGS talented guard despite playing essentially the entire 2nd half with 4 and 5 fouls. And KOBE still had the energy to be a big part of the offense. It was remarkable. And, it was a gutsy move by JACKSON. But why wasn’t it made to start the game? Prevent them from getting off, rather than play catch-up then entire game! The LAKERS could have thrown many different defensive looks at the KINGS. Isn’t zone defense legal this year? Make MIKE BIBBY have to guess each time down the floor what kind of defense he is up against. If nothing else, slow him down. Or better yet, make him work on defense. Wear him down. He is 6-1" going on 5-10"; post him up each time down the floor. Equalize the advantage he has on offense by exploiting him on defense. LINDSAY HUNTER at 5-10" himself, and without significant playing time this year, is not the man to do that. Another thing-the KINGS are making the most of their advantage at MIKE BIBBY’S position. Basketball is very much about capitalizing on mismatches. Certainly the LAKERS have the advantage at the center position with SHAQUILLE going up against VLADE DIVAC and SCOTT POLLARD. Likewise KOBE BRYANT has a tremendous advantage against former LAKER DOUG CHRISTIE. Why hasn’t coach JACKSON exploited these mismatches and made defense of these guys as big a problem to the KINGS as the defense of MIKE BIBBY? Finally, when you’re down by 24, when you’ve been beaten thoroughly in 2 games before the home fans, when the offense is sputtering, why not bring in the former KING player, the Hall-of-Famer sitting on the bench without a second of playing time in the playoffs? Why not play the guy who averaged 25 points a game in his best years with the KINGS, the guy who has more than 25,000 points in his career? To counter a team with one of their former stars is right out of coaching 101. MITCH RICHMOND probably has plenty to prove against his former organization. He has never been a part of a championship team. He gave up big money to play with the LAKERS, to contribute to the championship effort. He has the game and the experience, and he can shoot the 3-pointer. What sense is it to humiliate him by leaving him on the bench? What kind of legendary coaching prowess has brought us to this point where RITCHMOND can’t now play in the playoffs because he hasn’t played a minute in months? It makes no sense to me. He’s an asset, especially in this series and he’s being wasted. The LAKERS may win this series. Heroic play by KOBE, who carried the team in the 2nd quarter when all could have been lost, improbable free throw shooting from SHAQ, who made 6 free throws in a row during the 4th quarter of game 4 when we needed every last one, and flabbergasting marksmanship from ROBERT HORRY who made not only the "lucky" game-winner, but also 2 other key 3-point shots in that 4th quarter, along with all the other necessary plays like SUMAKI WALKER’S half ending bomb, all combined to keep the legend of PHIL JACKSON alive. Some basic coaching ability may yet allow the LAKERS to prevail in this series and go on for their third championship. A LAKER dynasty may still be possible. Surely a legendary coach, one with 6 world championships, couldn’t blow that, could he? ADVANTAGE LAKERS 5.19.02 by: Memo Menos In a bizarre turn of fate, the LOS ANGELES LAKERS coasted, wire to wire, for an easy victory in game1 of the Western Conference Finals Saturday, 106-99. They led SACRAMENTO by 14 after the first quarter and were never even tested. Not once! No matter the KINGS were the better team for the regular season. No matter the record breaking home court noise levels. No matter the funk the LAKERS have been stumbling around in during this year’s playoffs. They played great and won easily. PORTLAND and SAN ANTONIO played better defense than the KINGS did. MARGE HEARN and the SISTERS OF MERCY could have done a better job on D. (Thanks CHICK.) If the LAKERS are going to get easy looks like that the entire series, this thing won’t go 5! SHAQUILLE O’NEAL definitely stepped up. We won’t complain that he was out-rebounded by DIVAC (11 rebounds) and WEBBER (14 rebounds). Who cares that he only had 9 boards? What does it matter that a 19-year old rookie fly swatted one of his shots? SHAQ looked better than he has the entire playoffs. For a moment in the 3rd quarter he controlled the game at both ends with a rebound bucket, a blocked shot on the defensive end and a strong rebound/outlet pass that led to a basket. BILL RUSSELL and WILT CHAMBERLAIN used to do this regularly, control the game at critical junctures on both ends of the floor. SHAQ had his moment in the 3rd, getting 14 points along the way. KOBE was again amazing. He scored 30, 10 in the first and 10 in the 4th, with 10 more in the middle. KOBE has somehow replaced JERRY WEST as MR. CLUTCH. That’s a title not easily handed out, especially by those who saw JERRY do his thing. Imagine it-everyone on the planet knows you’re going to get the ball, and nearly as many people are trying to stop you. All the pressure of the world is riding on you, and you still manage to make the key play to get the win. That is the job description for MR. CLUTCH, and KOBE is now on the clock. His services were not needed on this day, however. The LAKERS win was never in doubt, despite SACRAMENTO pulling within 5 points late in the game. They just didn’t have it in them. You could see it on their faces, particularly CHRIS WEBBER’S. They didn’t think they could win. Perhaps that is why PEJA STOJACOVIC is being hurried back to play Monday night. He was scheduled to miss the first 2 games, but SACRAMENTO, having fought so hard for home court advantage, could not have imagined being 0-2 after the first 2 games on their floor. Not until Saturday evening, that is. And by the way, what game were the zebras calling on Saturday? Have you ever seen so many blown calls, both ways, in such an important game? DEVEAN GEORGE had 5 fouls and never touched a soul. All of his calls had daylight in between him and his man on the replays. They weren’t even close! VLADE DIVAC was whistled for a blocking foul for being in the protected area when he clearly wasn’t. And DOUG CHRITIE got a blocking call for taking an elbow to the face. Note to zebras-it’s the KNIGS that need the calls if this one is to go 7. The refs might as well take a seat alongside MITCH RICHMOND, the former KINGS star who has yet to see a single minute of action in the playoffs for the LAKERS. They’d enjoy the game better there and the players could call their own fouls and get less of them wrong! Sound off: Send us your comments/complaints!
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