The Los Angeles Lakers took Game 3 of the NBA Finals from the Boston Celtics 87-81. The Lakers cut the series lead to 2-1 and Paul Pierce magically didn’t have to be carried from the floor with an afro split-end (which I hear is excruciatingly painful). But, Pierce did manage to shoot an atrocious 2 for 14 and come-back to this planet I like to refer to as Earth.
Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson knew whom to credit for the win.
“I think undoubtedly it’s the leadership of Kobe Bryant,” he said. “He was aggressive right from the start, put the defense on its heels.”
Los Angeles is trying to become the fourth team to come back from an 0-2 deficit, and with two more games at home, they’ve got a chance to turn this renewed rivalry around.
And the Yugo Machine, Sasha Vujacic, got off in Game 3 scoring 20 points in 27 minutes, including playing critical minutes in the 4th quarter…
Vujacic, the self-proclaimed “Machine,” made three 3-pointers, including a crucial one from the left corner with 1:53 left that gave the Lakers an 81-76 lead. Pau Gasol finally flexed his muscles with two inside baskets in the fourth quarter and Derek Fisher, who took an $8 million pay cut to come back and play for the Lakers, made two free throws with 1:33 remaining as the Lakers held on.
And I can raise my head now, take deep breathes, get off the heart monitor for those palpitations, and look forward to the Lakers taking Game 4 at the Fabulous Forum…umm, I mean, Staples Center. Did I ever mention I’m a long-time Laker fan?
Lest we forget that last time the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals! It was 1987 and full of memorable moments, plays, and nut sacks protruding from respective dolphin shorts. And we do know what was the Numero Uno play of the series, right? Come on, now! Here’s a hint….it begins with “junior, junior” and ends with “sky hook”….You tell me!! And Chick Hearn making the call to boot!!!
The Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA finals last night with a 100-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs (did that last second, uncalled for Sasha Vujacicthree-pointer make anyone commit suicide in Vegas…hmm??). After a game that had the Lake Show down 17-points in the first-half, Kobe and his Kobettes turned it on to seal the Western Conference Finals:
“I think it is a tremendous accomplishment,” Bryant said. “I think it started for us in training camp, when there was a lot of talk swirling around. We were always together, eating together, on the bus, joking around together. We built that unity from the first day, and we carried that on throughout the season.”
Now we wait…We pray…We hope AND pray. That the Celtics can get their arses to the Finals, reuniting one of sports glorious rivalries of yore. Also…we hope AND pray. That Kobe’s pants have been securely fastened to his waste these past couple of years, as we discussed HERE.
Who da thunk? After incessantly trying to whine his way out of Los Angeles this past off-season – as documented HERE, HERE, and HERE– who da thunk Kobe Bryant would be awarded the NBA MVP award for 2008? Still in a purple and gold LA Laker uniform, no less? Certainly not me. I would love to see those Vegas pre-season odds for a Kobe MVP. He had all but backed up the U-Haul to his mansion, loaded the kids, a drove east before the season began….but here we are….with Bryant being announced the winner at a Tuesday press conference:
Bryant received 82-first-place votes and 1,105 points in the media vote. He was followed by New Orleans’ Chris Paul (28 and 889), Boston’s Kevin Garnett (15 and 670) and Cleveland’s LeBron James (1 and 438).
Bryant will receive the trophy Wednesday night from commissioner David Stern before the Lakers face Utah in Game 2 of their conference semifinal. The Lakers won the opener 109-98.
Word leaked last Friday night that Bryant had won the award.
“I didn’t know if it was going to come in my career, but to have the moment come now is special, especially to share it with the group of guys we have here,” he said the following day. [link]
All is good in L.A. Kobe has teammates that are friends. The Lake Show seems poised to make another championship appearance…I’m ready to pound 18 Coors Lights during Laker playoff games to honor championship teams of yore…this could a real nice summer!
Have I recently grown a mullet? Am I typing on my Commodore 64? Did I just get home from playing Frogger and Donkey Kong at the arcade? Is that sleestakKareem Abdul Jabbar lumbering down the court? Is this the late 1980’s?
The answer to all of those questions above is NO. But…if there was a question about the Lakers being in contention for an NBA Championship in 2008 I’d say an emphatic YES! The team is now 22-11 with an SI power ranking of 5.
The Lakers are playing some serious ball and look like a legitimate contender in 2008. They’re getting help from all over the place….and may be the deepest team in the league. Andrew Bynum is shaping into a powerhouse in the middle, they’ve got a stable point guard presence in Derek Fisher, and Kobe Bryant seems to have his meds in check and is content….for now (crosses fingers).
Let’s hope for no meltdowns….that Lamar Odom can stay healthy, on the court, minus the cross-checks…and that we set-up an All-1980’s match-up in the finals with those fags from Boston in June.
This one was from New Year’s Day…but, since I sat on my ass yesterday, sucked my thumb, and contemplated the meaning of life-after-20 vodka redbulls, I didn’t have a chance to marvel at Lamar Odom’s beautiful cross-check of Ray Allen.
Oh, Ray Allen just happens to play for that gay team in Boston which gets me especially giddy about the check. However, even though I may not be particularly fond of Allen and the Celtic perimeter game, I do appreciate their steller baseline game…as demonstrated HERE.
