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4.15.02 The LAKERS gave the game away twice, yesterday, against a team they could be facing in the first round of the playoffs. The LAKERS led by 13 points in the 4th quarter against the PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS, on their home court. One of the TRAILBLAZERS leaders, SCOTTIE PIPPEN, was watching from the locker room, after a silly reaction to a call that wasn’t even made by the officials. Yet, the LAKERS somehow allowed PORTLAND to tie the game on a 3-point shot from RASHEED WALLACE with less than 3 seconds remaining on the clock. The LAKERS have never been very good at defending the basket during the last few seconds of a quarter, or a half, or in the case of a game. Even more frustrating is the LAKERS lack of defense against a 3-point shot everyone in the building knew was coming. This weakness is even more glaring given LA is the best team in the league against the 3-point shot. That is, they allow the lowest shooting percentage over the course of a game. But they aren’t very good at all at preventing a team from taking a long shot, even when they know that’s what’s coming. What’s more, they’re not particularly good at fouling, giving the team that needs 3 points to tie, only two free throws, and hence an uphill battle to have a prayer answered. So was the case Sunday, on national television, as WALLACE, who had missed his previous 2 attempts from behind the arc, leaving the TRAILBLAZERS to look desperate and helpless, swished the game-tying bomb, with no one within 10 feet of him. He couldn’t have been more open if he was the only one in the gym. What happened to the concept, deny the 3-point shot? Hellloooo. All five LAKERS should have picked a spot on the arc, and not allowed a long shot. Instead, they were bellied up, man-to-man, and got entangled in a smart pick and loop run by WALLACE, leaving him all alone on the weak side of the court. What happened to pressure the inbounds pass? The ball was floated to the open WALLACE and the LAKERS were in overtime, when they should have been in the locker room. With momentum on the side of PORTLAND, it appeared the game was all but over. But the LAKERS started the overtime like champions, running up the score 8-0. What happened to the theory that the first team to score back-to-back buckets in an overtime period wins. The LAKERS should have one this one 2 times over, but instead, PORTLAND went on a 10-0 run on bricks by KOBE and SHAQ, and a costly turnover by BRYANT. Only a charitable foul called with less than a second remaining got the LAKERS into the second extra period. DEREK FISHER bravely sank the tying free throws in spite of taunting from former LAKER RUBEN PATTERSON. But the effort was in vain, as the LAKERS finally handed over the win to the TRAILBLAZERS in the final overtime, getting outscored 13-5. It was a costly loss no matter how you look at it. If nothing else, it gives the TRAILBLAZERS gads of confidence going into the playoffs facing the prospect of elimination by the World Champions. It certainly gives their already raucous fans newfound voice. It now forces the LAKERS to win their final two games, against sturdy challengers SEATTLE and SACRAMENTO, just to maintain their number 3 seed in the Western Conference. If they fail to do that, they will open the playoffs against the MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES, who by the way, demolished the LAKERS each time they were in JESSE VENTURA’S state. What perhaps is the biggest cost is the general lack of focus the LAKERS have shown going into the playoffs this year. Last year, recall, they went in winning 7 or 8 games in a row, and ended up going 22 for 23 or something amazing like that. This year, they have been slip sliding away since opening the season with the promise of 75 or 80 regular season wins. Since coming out of the gates 16-1 the LAKERS are a mediocre team. If the season went on another week they might find themselves a 5 or 6 seed. They are clearly not peaking going into the playoffs. SHAQ’S health is questionable, and he hyper-extended a knee in the wasted effort yesterday. His touch in the 2 overtime periods, or lack thereof was apparent. He doesn’t have a go to shot when the pressure is on. No inside finger roll like WILT, no reliable sky-hook like KAREEM. When the pressure is on, SHAQ improvises, and more times than not his lack of any shooting finesse is exposed. KOBE BRYANT’S ability to control and win games on his own superior effort has been less evident this year. Ironically that is what Coach JACKSON wanted all along, for KOBE to play within the offense, diminish his one-on-one play. Yet there have been occasions recently, particularly when SHAQ was out, when JACKSON scolded BRYANT for not looking for his own shot late in the game. That is all screwed up! LINDSAY HUNTER’S effectiveness has been waning since his very hot start with the team, and RICK FOX is nowhere to be found. There is talk he’s gone next season, and not a season too soon. Finally, MITCH RICHMOND has not worked his way into this team, for whatever reason. When the LAKERS acquired him, it was this writer’s feeling that he would be the key addition to insure a three-peat. While that vision may still materialize, JACKSON has not given the veteran his vote of confidence. RICHMOND’S face has barely been seen in the last month or so. And this is a guy who has the experience and the points in his career to make a real difference, but the LAKERS go into the playoffs without the benefit of him being in any regular rotation. That may come back to haunt them before the second season is over. That, or their inability to prevent the 3-point shot in the closing seconds of a game. WHO NEEDS HOMECOURT, ANYWAY! 4.4.02 by Bill Manuel SUPERMAN, where are you now? The KINGS are closing in somehow. With eight games to go, We’re three below, And really, no where to go. There are too many NETS, And too many SUNS, Making too many shots, And not enough KOBE to go ‘round. It seems LAKERLAND these days is a "Land of Confusion", with just 7 games left, SACRAMENTO finds itself 3 games ahead in the loss column. The DALLAS MAVERICKS may very well finish below L.A., but will be the second seed by virtue of winning the Midwest Division, leaving the world champions the possibility of having to steal the advantage from both Sacramento and Dallas. Even more confusing is the physical status of SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, who was unexpectedly pulled from the game, an important one, because of a "sore wrist". It must have been sore given the clanging shooting game SHAQ had the evening before, but the team needed this win in a difficult back-to-back on the road against the best team in the East. It is entirely possible the LAKERS would meet the NETS in the finals for all the marbles in several weeks, so a win here would have kept them in their place. It hardly seems much of a threat, particularly if O’NEAL is healthy. Likewise, it is not all that much of a concern should the KINGS end up with the best record in the league. The LAKERS swept these same KINGS last year at just about this time. Nevertheless, KOBE came out to start the second half with a particular fire, and that look in his eye. The LAKERS were dominated in the first half by BYRON SCOTT’S team. PHIL JACKSON clearly didn’t prepare his defense for the absence of SUPERMAN, and as a result the NETS ran lay-up and dunk drills in the first half. They led by as many as 19 points, but KOBE was determined to carry the LAKERS on his shoulders. He scored 15 points in the 3rd quarter, 2 more than he had in the first half, and the LAKERS trailed by only 6 points going into the final frame. There it looked like the team was home free, with KOBE continuing to scorch the NETS, and DEVEAN GEORGE and DEREK FISHER joining the show. The LAKERS went on a 16-2 run and led by 8 points with 6 minutes to play. But there the supporting cast ran out of steam. Where was MITCH RICHMOND, he could have helped here? What has happened to RICK FOX, he was nonexistent with 6 points and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes, despite his lovely wife VANESSA WILLIAMS going INTO THE WOODS at the Meadowlands (fresh from her stint as a wood nymph in Los Angeles, and soon to be on Broadway). BRIAN SHAW rarely does much in the clutch these days, let’s hope he’s saving it for the playoffs. And ROBERT HORRY only made 1 basket, a 3-pointer mind you that brought the team to within 1 point with just ticks remaining. But we need more production from such a shooter, especially if O’NEAL is in the locker room. As it was, KOBE nearly tied the game with an unlikely tip-in after a missed free throw by FOX, in a play that couldn’t have been drawn up any better. KOBE claims he was fouled on the attempt, and finished the game with 33 points and 14 rebounds. With just the tiniest bit more of support, it would have been another spectacular performance for a win. I suppose it is a little arrogant to think this LAKER team could possibly end the season with home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. After all, they have lost 11 times in the second game of back-to-back performances. They’ve lost 15 times on the road; DALLAS is the best road team with only 12 losses. They’ve lost 7 times at home; SACRAMENTO and NEW JERSEY(go figure), have better home records. And they have lost to nearly every team with a below 500 winning percentage. How could they possibly finish with the best record in the league? The question is can they win their third championship with those credentials? So this is a loss we’ll live with The KINGS will have the advantage Not to get too excited So long as SHAQUILLE gets better, soon. TO BE THE BEST YOU’VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST 3.25.2002 by Sashya Waterman From the opening tip it looked as if the league leading SACRAMENTO KINGS would defeat the defending back-to-back NBA Champion LOS ANGELES LAKERS with the same energy that kept the Lakers at 0-2 on their latest Texas road trip. After only three minutes of the Pacific Division matchup Laker coach PHIL JACKSON replaced fledgling starting point guard, LINDSAY HUNTER, with dependable DEREK FISHER and the competition tightened until the very last possession and the Lakers snatched a win at Arco Arena 97-96 where the Kings are now 32-4. Although the Kings started with a lot of energy the Lakers had a counter attack, for every streaking King player there was a Laker defender stuck to his man like glue and for every fancy pass there was a long Laker arm forcing a turnover. By slowing the tempo the Lakers got to run their own offense, the triangle. And when it went inside to SHAQUILLE O’NEAL and back out, the Lakers scored with either a layup or dunk by O’Neal, a spontaneous glide to the basket by KOBE BRYANT or an outside jumper by ROBERT HORRY, SLAVA MEDVEDENKO or Fisher. Throughout the game the referees let the teams play with what looked like playoff intensity, whether the defense smothered Kobe or hacked Shaq or Horry poked HEDO TURKOGLU in the face. The refs did have their eye on a flopping VLADE DIVACS, and called three first-half fouls on O’Neal, who played only sixteen of the first twenty-four minutes. O’Neal eventually fouled out with less than a minute and a half remaining and it was Kobe’s turn to run the offense. Kobe made what turned out to be the game winning field goal while CHRIS WEBBER continued his field goal struggles and missed the shot that could have put the Kings two and a half games ahead of the Lakers in the West. Instead, the Lakers are only a half game behind the Kings for the best record in the NBA. The truth remains that the playoffs start in late-April and the title goes through Los Angeles regardless of which team has the best record or homecourt advantage. Sound off: Send us your comments/complaints!
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