Finals Thoughts
by Dave on Jun 17, 2008 11:44 PM PDT
Email
PrintWell, it's over. Boston won, like, four games all at once in their last effort, capturing the Larry O'Brien trophy and adding another banner to the already-crowded rafters.
The first thought, of course, is congratulations to the Celtics. If you want to see what all this feels like from a blog perspective you can always head over to sister-site GreenBandwagon.com. Boston hushed their detractors from early in the playoffs showed that they truly deserve those rings.
The second thought that should begin filtering through the minds of Blazers fans is: "for now..." If you didn't behold this day and think at least a little bit about what it would be like to see guys in scarlet and black hoisting that trophy then check your fan card in immediately. The Blazers won't be doing anything of the sort next year, of course, but within a few years they should be right there. They should also stay there for a long time. Not to disparage the Celtics, but the team is going to begin making a mental shift soon, regarding that trophy as rightfully theirs. That shift begins in a small way this season. What you saw today is an exact view of where this team ought to be aiming, both in quality and result.
Another obvious thought is how much the championship transforms people's perceptions. The careers of three great players just got validated in a way that can't be duplicated. Kevin Garnett was a clear hall-of-famer in any case but now he'll be front and center in the conversation among the best big forwards ever. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce (the latter of whom deserves a huge round of applause for sticking with the Celtics through every storm in the last decade) have just turned very good careers into legitimately great ones. Everything they've put in has just become worth it. Their achievements will now be described completely free of asterisks...a fate not afforded the likes of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, for instance. The biggest transformation by far will belong to Celtics GM Danny Ainge. A little over a year ago he was on the short list of the worst GM's in the league, saved from scrutiny only by the constant, overshadowing presence of Isiah Thomas in New York. Now one year and two moves later he'll be described as the genius who assembled this glitzy juggernaut. Personally I have a hard time removing him entirely from the former list, as I think he fell into a couple of opportune trades in perfect storm-type summer. I doubt he could duplicate his success in any other situation. Butchering a team by taking on high salaries and spare parts and then somehow hitting the exact combination of salary and high draft picks to land two available-once-in-a-lifetime All-Stars doesn't seem like a formula for success. But then again what do I know, I'm just a blogger. In any case, had Boston never won Ainge might well have been panned for collecting expensive, aging players. Now that will not be the case and in a very real sense everything he's done has become justified because of this one moment.
This is a lesson Portland players would do well to understand. No matter how talented, smart, and friendly you are, this is the criterion by which history will ultimate judge you. A foolish hack who half-stumbles into a championship will generally be regarded more highly than a genius who goes ringless.
And speaking of falling short, it wouldn't be a real post without a word about the L*kers. Actually I'm not much in the mood to pan them, rather I'm revved up about the silliness of the national media (as is often the case, I'm afraid). I listen to ESPN Radio a bit and much of the talk before the Finals surrounded Kobe and his legacy. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the L*kers would win and the main question was whether this victory put him on a par with Michael Jordan. The wind seemed to be blowing in the direction of "Yes!" My response when I heard it, as my left and right blinker and gearshift can testify, was, "How about you let him actually win it first?" Oops! Small technicality there. I think the question is pretty much answered now, especially since Kobe himself had a sub-par series. Of course now you're starting to hear about the Boston defensive scheme and how hard they tried to shut him down. You're saying that wasn't attempted with Michael? I don't recall him losing many or fading like a sunburned violet in the face of any defense. You're also hearing about the poor quality of Kobe's supporting cast. Yet these same guys got him past the toughest teams in the West. Under those conditions you have to say that if you were good enough to get to the Finals you should have been good enough to win them, or at least put up a better fight. The L*kers didn't.
I understand the pressure to fill airtime with topics every day. I'm not saying I could do better than the great sports talk hosts of our time. But once again you see the propensity of the national press to jump the gun on a ton of issues and how brutally wrong they can be when they do. The irony is that most of these guys really know their stuff. The trouble is they get carried away to the point of silliness sometimes, and much of that seems to be hyperbole surrounding the obvious teams in any sport. Look before you leap, guys. If and when you see the next Jordan you won't have to ask if it's real. It'll be so obvious that it'll make an awfully poor discussion topic on your show.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
50 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
when you find the next jordan
You won’t be comparing him to jordan.
"We play for one thing and one thing only, and that's championships." - The Devil Spawned
oh... and...
Kobe the “next jordan” is incredibly laughable. Jordan would have eaten him alive.
Kobe has a number of Jordan’s traits, but not all of them. Kobe is really more of a MUCH better Pippen.
In fairness to kobe, he went against a line-up that jordan never had to face with three future possible hall of famers who are NOT over the hill, but still in their prime. Still, if Jordan had the help kobe had, I’m a thinking he would have CRUSHED the Celtics whenever they gave him a slit of sunlight.
Jordan would have earned the love of the players around him and their trust. In turn they would have trusted him. Kobe has never found that and for some reason that killer instinct he’s had in the past seems to have faded. When I watched the lakers play, they looked scared out there.
Kobe and team will be back next year, and they’ll have their center. I think we’ll be seeing some back and forth for a couple of years until the blazers ascend.
"We play for one thing and one thing only, and that's championships." - The Devil Spawned
Does anyone have video of this Jordan guy?
I keep hearing how great he was and I don’t remember being impressed when he was with Washington.
I gotta check my fan card too. After the Celtics won, all I felt was a lot of contempt, and then I went to bed. All that contempt never once turned towards the Blazers. I really didn’t want either team to win, and I just can’t let go of my anger regarding Sam Cassell now having a ring. When he was in the game, he was LA’s greatest defender. If Doc would have played him more, Kobe would have another ring.
"lowest common denominator - every time I think you hit rock bottom you sink it deeper into the shale" -- bow4meow
Huh?
If I’m not mistaken, Cassell has had a ring (or two) for more than ten years.
"You don’t visit the coast, then ask where you could get some average seafood." -tominhawaii
Yeah
He got two with the Rockets. I should have typed that better.
I don’t like how he worked his way out of the Clippers and whined his way to Boston.
"lowest common denominator - every time I think you hit rock bottom you sink it deeper into the shale" -- bow4meow
Dave made a similar point in the latest podcast
that he was pulling for L.A. over Boston because he can’t stand teams that buy aging superstars in hopes of getting a championship. Or was that Sean…?
"I don't trust lawyers." --David Stern
Dave was pulling for LA?
"you have long words
they make long writing" ratbastird
Celtics over the L*kers, lesser of the 2 evils. But not by much.
Unless you're just jokin'
I can confirm that it was CERTAINLY not Dave saying that.
Gavin and Casey are rooting for the Lakers because they hate KG, and Dave made them turn in their Blazer fan cards. By law, they had to.
Mortimer
It was either Casey (not Sean, sorry) or Dave
I wanted to replay that podcast, but I can’t find it anywhere now.
"I don't trust lawyers." --David Stern
It was Casey and Gavin
It wasn’t Dave, and he made a bunch of points on the podcast that he was NOT the one rooting for the Lakers. It was an important distinction he felt he had to make (and I would do the same).
Both Casey and Gavin hate the Lakers, but hate KG more. Dave’s hatred of the Lakers burns brighter than any hatred he has for the Celtics.
Here’s the Blazers’ podcast page where you can download the stuff manually.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/trailblazerspodcast
The 6/11 Blazers podcast is the podcast in question.
Mortimer
In the end...
Regardless of what the National Media Syndicate says about how good of a teammate Kbe is (oh, he buys dinner! he buys watches! he develops special relationships with Lkers danc… employees!), when pressured he’ll revert back to his ugly true self.
Kbe is nothing more than your average run of the mill gunner. He’s like the guy at 24-Hour Fitness who takes all the shots and then blames his teammates when he winds up losing. He made it to the Finals by trusting his teammates and sharing the ball, but when the ball stopped bouncing his way, KB turned into a schizophrenic with Tourette’s.
Shaq let Kbe try and win a Finals by himself (against Detroit) and he lost. It’s nice to see he hasn’t learned a thing.
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jun 18, 2008 8:58 AM PDT reply actions
"Average run of the mill gunner"?
Thats why you hear many of the national announcers from Barkley to Van Gundy say Kobe he is the best player on the planet? It appears to me either you are off the mark or all of them are.
The Spurs and Utah used defensive schemes to stop Kobe too but they couldn’t do it. The frickin Celtics absolutely smothered Kobe and challenged all the other Laker players to beat them but those players fell flat on their faces. Radmonovich was terrible, Odom was terrible, Gasol was lousy half the time, Fisher didn’t show anything and their vaunted bench was far inferior to Boston’s. I suppose Bynum will strengthen the Laker team, but I’m thinking now that Bryant’s supporting cast is not as high quality as I did previously. Maybe that explains why the Blazers handled them this season.
No doubt that the defense Boston applied against Kobe would have curtailed Jordan as well. A big difference between the two teams: the Celts have 3 superstars, the Lakers only one.
Damn, but I didn’t want Boston to win. The ONLY time I’ve ever rooted for them is when they had Bird. Will they be this good again for the next couple of years? I’ve noticed that these veteran player’s skills don’t erode that badly as they age (and their smarts usually make up for what they do lose), but what does happen is that the injury bug starts plaguing them. Pippen is one example. He was extremely effective at the end of his career … he just couldn’t stay healthy enough to remain on the court. Not to wish any individual player bad luck, but I’m hoping that’s what starts happening to Boston’s aging players.
Watching that Laker team in the finals made me wonder how they got there. What a pathetic job they did representing the Western Conference. I guess Boston’s defense was that good. But I’m left bewildered then why Boston had so much trouble with Atlanta and Cleveland??
I kept thinking it’s time for a real team to move in to represent the Western Conference. Come on young Blazers … let’s accelerate that development. If 3 super stars is what it takes, let’s get them ready.
Ok... "Very Talented Gunner"
Charles Barkley and Van Gundy are absolutely right that K-be is the best individual basketball player on the planet. In a one-on-one tournament, I bet he would do incredibly well, displaying all the strengths he has a basketball player.
BUT
That doesn’t make him a great teammate or anything more than a phenomenal basketball player (i.e. NOT Mr. 1b as the media would like you to believe). He has scored a ton of points. He’s played, at times, some of the best defense in the league. But the difference between K-be and “the greats” is in his ability to be a teammate. It’s tough to hear “Bryant’s supporting cast is not as high quality” when they were able to post the best record in the toughest conference over a season of 82 games.
Did they lose someone in the playoffs?
No, the only difference was as soon as the “going got tough,” K-be exploded. You saw him cuss out Pau Gasol because Gasol failed to catch a 150mph no-look pass on the screen and roll. Why did it have to be a no-look pass?... You saw K-be tear apart Sasha Vujacic to the point where it looked like a grown man was about to cry and swim back to the Euroleagues… You saw K-be get in a shouting match with PHIL JACKSON, the same coach who has won 9 NBA titles and may or may not know a thing or two about basketball…
It boils down like this… Basketball is a game about confidence. If you’re feeling it, you’re exponentially more likely to take and make more shots, but if you’re not, it’s going to be a long night. At least to a certain extent, your team captain and leader has to take some responsibility for the confidence and mental makeup of his teammates. Attitude reflects leadership. Jordan was able to defer to Steve Kerr for a game-winner, because he had confidence in Kerr’s shot. Tim Duncan let Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker run wild in the finals even though he was, almost without a doubt, the best player on the floor. What did K-be do? He blasted his teammates until they were afraid to shoot and then he wondered publicly why they weren’t performing.
Leadership is what keeps K-be out of the exclusive list of NBA legends, in my opinion.
(Side note: Don’t even get me started on the “No doubt that the defense Boston applied against K-be would have curtailed Jordan as well” statement. The New York Knicks created the “Jordan Rules” to try and stop him and beyond that, he faced the best defensive schemes night in and night out that the NBA could offer and NOTHING slowed him down (not the flu, not a year of baseball, not even Hanes discount underwear). Now, the current NBA rules make it even easier for a player like Jordan to score, because the defense can’t handcheck in the backcourt, so saying Boston’s defense would’ve curtailed him is basically the same as saying the Celtics reinvented the fundamental concepts of defense in one season. Michael Jordan against Ray Allen? Please.)
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jun 18, 2008 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't get it
Kobe schooled MJ. Why do people think he was so great?
"lowest common denominator - every time I think you hit rock bottom you sink it deeper into the shale" -- bow4meow
oh yah
and six championships kinda push people to that kinda conclution.
"you have long words
they make long writing" ratbastird
Celtics over the L*kers, lesser of the 2 evils. But not by much.
If you watched the pregame last night
you heard it mentioned how Wade had a horrible time against Boston this year too. Wade stated that the Boston defense will not let the teams best player beat them.
I beg to differ, in that I don’t think Jordan ever faced a defense like Boston’s. And did you have to bring up that flu thing again? That was so overplayed by the media and even more so by Jordan himself. Those close-ups they showed of Jordan where he would half close his eyes and droop his mouth to make himself look really sick were laughable. If you want a ‘real’ story of that type you need to turn to Willis Reed.
BTW, Jordan wasn’t the best of teammates either, e.g., he started the term “my supporting cast” which I always considered quite arrogant.
The Knicks and Pistons defense
I was just a kid, but the Knicks and especially the Pistons defense, which would knock Jordan on his ass whenever he tried to drive, was a lot tougher to beat then the Celtics defense, which obviously is also very good and solid.
I’d think the Pistons and Knicks were about as solid, and able to really be forceful with a star player. You can’t do that now. If someone knocked Kobe on his butt during a normal drive, he’d be suspended. Jordan got pummelled and still came out on top.
Definitely, I think Jordan is overrated by some, and he was not a good person by any definition outside of basketeering. I still say he was the best player of his generation by far, and Kobe has only part of Jordan’s ability.
Watching from afar, I’d say Kobe’s teammates don’t give a damn about him, nor care about playing good for him. They don’t like him, and are not SCARED of him. I doubt most of Jordan’s teammates actually liked him, as he was a jerk. But they were scared of him, and wanted to do well to escape his Jordan-esque ruining of a career.
Jordan knew when to take the shot and when to pass. I don’t think Kobe gets that. He’s just not taken with the same heft by his teammates that an older Jordan was.
With the hand checking rules, the harsh penalties for very physical play, no ‘jail house rules’ antics… I say a great defense of today just has less tools at their disposal because they can’t overly HURT someone. And those Pistons and Knicks teams were dirty as hell—Boston ain’t dirty, just good at defense. If you added dirty to them, they’d be up there with those defensive squads.
I could be wrong, but the game today just isn’t as physical as back then. The NBA doesn’t allow strongarm tactics like Laimbeer would do.
Mortimer
agreed 100% about the defense... and
jordan was a great teammate. he was an inspirational leader. he made careers for everyone around him. he made phil jackson’s life easy.
jordan’s teammates respected and revered him. kobe’s teammates put up with him.
"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.
by Ben Golliver on Jun 18, 2008 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Like you stated Morty ... you were just a kid .... which your
recollections reflect.
When the NBA saw Jordan’s extreme talent, he was ordained by the NBA to become ‘the’ basketball god. He was allowed to do anything he wanted on the court, push off, travel, charge or foul. Magic (I think it was Magic but I know it was another NBA star), in a televised locker room scene (it must have been an all star game) told him how no player could even touch him without being called for a foul. MJ was sort of indignant about that comment but everyone in that locker room and a lot of us watching knew how true it was (MJ was kind of a baby when criticism came his way). .
MJ was a phenomenal player, but his status has been very exaggerated over the years by media hype, the tendency for fans to idolize legends, and his 6 title rings. He wasn’t as great as you younger guys remember, especially those too young to remember other really great players like Wilt and The Big O.
I’m not a Laker fan in the least, nor am I a Kobe fan. But I recognize and appreciate Kobe’s talents. He has multiple skills MJ didn’t have, and MJ had some Kobe doesn’t … although I’d be pressed to come up with more than a couple.
One of MJ's skillz
that kbe doesnt have is not getting caught.
"In KP we trust" every Blazer fan ever
Thanks Mortimer.
I think it was MiledAnimal (light heartedly referring to me) who said that it was hard to take a poster without an avatar seriously. So I figured I’d better find out first what an avatar was and then to try to conjure one up. You’re the first to have noticed.
Everyone else is just jealous of your new look
I’m sure everyone noticed and loves it as well.
The fact Miled Animal hasn’t said anything, when he blatantly FORCED you to get a avatar, puts him at about a Kobe-level in my book. That’s just not befitting the Blazers culture these days, and I wish he’d apologize to ALL of us.
Mortimer
Different points, I suppose...
There’s no doubt that Boston had a good defensive team this year that really focused on limiting and frustrating the opponent’s star player, but are you telling me that they did something so drastically different that no coach in the 1990s thought to use this same defense 18 years ago on Jordan?
We’ve seen Ray Allen’s first attempt at guarding MJ… http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n51_v220/ai_18970693
And if you don’t want to read the 7 or so pages of summary it basically ends with Jordan scoring 40. I will concede that Dwyane Wade was slowed by the Boston defense this year, but after looking at Miami’s record it looks like the NBA did a pretty good job of slowing everyone on the Heat’s roster this season. I’m hardly going to put the Boston defense on a pedestal just because he of a 15 – 67 record said they played “tough d.”
I don’t really see what Willis Reed has to do with anything other than, like Jordan, he didn’t let anything stand in his way of a win. Neither did Russell. Bird. Magic. And that’s why they’re legends, unlike K-be, who is a talented gunner.
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jun 18, 2008 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I think we should change every
Willis Reed reference to Kevin Duckworth
Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...
Word.
So… MJ, Russell, Bird, Magic, and Kevin Duckworth were all legends…
While K-be is still just a talented gunner.
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jun 18, 2008 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry, I should have explained ....
it was that finals game where Reed … quite seriously hurt … really gutted it out and played anyway to help his team to the win. Much different than Jordan’s phony ‘oh I’m so sick’ look. Yeah, no doubt MJ did have the flu, but I’d wager Brandon’s flu last year was just as bad when he played and to his credit he didn’t phony it up. Brandon also played a good game as I recall. .
Of course Willis Reed was before my time
But I’m already sick of hearing about the guy. Every time someone limps off the court and comes back in, it’s a socalled “Willis Reed moment”; or so sayeth the lame announcers.
I think Willis Reed was faking.
Whenever someone has the flu and is a star, they always seem to have a great game. Brandon has had two good flu-games, and of course MJ had his famous one. I hope Brandon gets the flu in game 7 of the Finals, so he’ll go off for 40 points 15 boards and 11 assists. We might need it once Lebron goes to New York and they get handed every good free player, ala Boston.
Mortimer
Have you ever played when sick?
I have a couple of times. And did pretty well. My theory is that because your body is busy cranking up the temperature to fight off whatever you have, everything else is cranking up. It seems easier to get into a flow. On top of that, you brain seems to partially shut down and get a bit hazy, which has the effect of eliminating any distractions. It feels like you are more focused on the immediate and not able to think about anything else.
Uhhh...
Oh, I know the Willis Reed story. Who doesn’t? But didn’t Lawrence Taylor play with a broken leg in the Super Bowl? Don’t people with artificial limbs finish marathons?
All of this is great, but it has nothing to do with the fact that Michael Jordan is flat out better than Kobe and would’ve torn up the Celtics defense. They changed the rules to try and encourage K-be to be like Mike and yet he still keeps falling short… I wonder why?
Maybe because he’s fundamentally lacking in the Mental Makeup department that separates the All-Stars from the Legends…
"Now, you take a bobcat or a Jayhawk. You know they'll run if you give 'em the chance. But when one don't run, why, you shoot him and shoot him quick. Raef's my dog, Pa. I've gotta do what's right..." Old Yeller (1957)
by RoyGoesTheDynamite on Jun 19, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Sorry I should have explained...
Kevin Duckworth taught an entire generation what it means to walk it off, when he WALKED OFF A FREAKING BROKEN HAND and MADE THE GAME WINNING SHOT to defeat Robinson’s Spurs! Everyone does the Willis Reed, no one can do the Duckworth.
Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...
Average?
I’m no Kobe lover, but isn’t this carrying it too far? Why do people have to trash the opponent? If I’m a Laker fan, I’m disappointed in how my team played in the Finals, but I’m still glad they got that far and I’m still excited for the future.
As Blazer fans, lets congratulate the Celtics and celibrate their success. We can also enjoy seeing the Lakers gutted like a fish at Pike Market, complete with glassy stare. But there is no need to denigrate or trash talk them. Knowing they lost should be enjoyment enough. Feeling certain that soon it will be us wielding the knife on them is even better.
Agreed, but...
A lot of what happened last night was directly a result of what Kobe was doing. When he got double teamed on the perimeter he spent his time trying to dribble through the pressure resulting in picks, or he was tossing lob passes out on the perimter and the Celtics were just stepping in front of their man and jumping the lanes. He didn’t slow the pace down when they were down by ten and so the Lakers ended up throwing the ball the full length of the court where either the Celtics just stepped in front and took the ball, or the Lakers rushed to put a transition three up on the board.
I don’t think anyone is really knocking him as a player or is saying outrageous things, he played a horrible game right when his team needed him to be excellent and under control, and Jordan would never have done that. I mean maybe I could understand if it happened a couple of times and Kobe learned from it and had Dererk Fisher control the ball (which when he did the Lakers gave Gasol great looks), but when Kobe is not hitting shots he does not help his team, and that is why I think RoyGoes was saying that he is a run of the mill gunner. Without his shots he became a liability. He continued to look for either last second or transition three pointers instead of going to the hoop and either getting foulled or making a lay-up.
There is no way the Celtics are the best defensive team ever assembled, all they did was crowd the paint and force perimeter shots, and there is an easy way to deal with that, either continue to take it to the hole and pick up fouls, which the lakers did in the first quarter, or make your perimeter shots, both are things MJ would have done, and did do against the Ewing Knicks, forcing them to spread their defense. Kobe didn’t do either. He may be the “best player in the world” right now, but when he isn’t hitting, he doesn’t help the rest of his team or make smart decisions. And as basketball is a team sport, this makes him IMO amazing at what he does (gun) but when he can’t do what he wants to, his MVP selection comes into question. Best player, but clearly not the most valuable, IMO.
Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...
by TheOdenator on Jun 18, 2008 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Exactly precisely
spot on! I think I saw the L@kers future go down the tubes along with their shot at this year’s championship. I no longer fear them and I hope our young Blazers were watching how Pierce proved you don’t have to be the better player just the better player for a Series. Come on Roy my boy you can outplay Kobe in 7 games!
He's Coming! Oden Slayer of Giants
The nice thing...
...is that aside from another Blazers championship, this pretty much erases the 2000 Blazers meltdown against the Lakers as the worst meltdown in NBA history.
Dude, don't mention
the 2000 series vs. the Lakers. Go ahead and insult my mother, but just don’t go pick at the scar in my psyche that is the 4th quarter of that final game where Steve Smith is looking at the ref in disbelief for a foul and there is none coming and i am crushing beer cans in my hand with my blood pressure rising and all the dreams of the Blazers winning a championship that i had envisioned since childhood got washed down the drain in those final 12 minutes…....
Tough to win with one star
With all due respect to Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, the Lakers have one real star.
Blazer Fan
At the risk of being heretical
I almost – ALMOST – wish the Lakers had won the title this year. It would make it all that much sweeter when the Blazers take them down in years to come.
Somebody slap some sense into me, please.
shh...
don’t let dave read this.
"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.
by Ben Golliver on Jun 18, 2008 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
ha my dad
Was saying the same thing on Father’s day. He wanted them to be the reigning world champions and for us to just come out and destroy them next season.
Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...
no what would have been best is if the c;s wouldve won on the road
so the lker fans would get to see defeat, and the celtic fans would not get to see victory. that would have, IMO been the best case sinario for this years finals.
"you have long words
they make long writing" ratbastird
Celtics over the L*kers, lesser of the 2 evils. But not by much.
As the Boston crowd chanted...
when Kobe was at the line:
“You’re not Jordan! You’re not Jordan! You’re not Jordan!”
Bryant certainly isn’t. He makes a good case for #2 at his position-with only Jerry West to dispute the ranking-but #1 is Jordan’s alone. Bryant would have to elevante his game yet another notch or two to merit further discussion as Jordan’s heir.
While it is true that MJ never faced a defense as stiff as Boston’s during his Finals years—that’s because the Bulls never had to play themselves in the playoffs.
And that is the biggest difference IMHO, between Bryant and Jordan. Bryant is MJ’s peer as an offensive weapon; but is nowhere close on the other side of the ball.
by EngineerScotty on Jun 18, 2008 12:32 PM PDT reply actions
Boston is dumb
I’m not Jordan, I’m Tom. Dave’s not Jordan, he’s Dave. They might as well have chanted, “You’re not Sanford.”
"lowest common denominator - every time I think you hit rock bottom you sink it deeper into the shale" -- bow4meow
L@kers Supporting Cast...
Great call in the post about if your team is good enough to get to the finals, it should be good enough to compete and win in the finals. It is easy to look at an outcome of a game/series and claim that one team is WAY better than the other. But in this case, the Lakers were widely viewed as the better all around team, deeper bench, BEST closer in the game, Odom & Gasol providing the star support that Kobe needed and backed by D. Fish and Co. looked to the Media a much more dominant team. Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Fischer and Coach Phil all came up short. Short on resolve, guts, motivation, team-work and RINGS. The were heavily heavily FAVORED. Not the case now, and hindsight 20/20 is easy… I mean THREE prominant All-Stars coming together??? Was this really a formula for success? Or Luck? Who would have thought this would become reality for those guys?
Well, KG for one.
Dave posted that you wouldn’t think that GM Ainge’s moves would really have resulted in a Championship topping a great regular season where they were clearly the best team all year. Best record in the NBA. The players they traded for, they guys they gave up, the guys they drafted….. the truth is, Ainge didn’t bring the formula. KG did.
Kevin Garnett’s heart won this championship. KG brought a level of focus to the Boston Team that had been lost for years. KG is a very special player who truly LEADS BY EXAMPLE or working hard, doing his job to his best effort every second he plays, facilitating, including and supporting his team mates play all while encouraging them to work harder and harder for what they wanted to win: RINGS.
The freaking MEDIA wanted to stroke Kobe Bryant so much. Blah Blah Blah “Kobe has grown up” Blah blah blah “Kobe leads by example” Blah blah blah, “Kobe is the best player on the planet” blah blah blah “Kobe has really become the total package”... this Kobe-Fest made me sick. When all was said and done, Kobe looked like a pompass @$$ by visibly talking way too much garbage on the court and failing in his “Wanna-Be-Jordan” impersonations he tries during interviews. Kobe comes off as a team mate who is an ego-maniac and would boss you around at every turn and question your effort and dedication simply because he was more talented than you. THat is bush-league, as my old-man would say. KG on the other hand is now LEGENDARY for his work-ethic…this ring makes sure he will be remembered as such.
Garnett, IMO, always had the inner-workings of a champion. I used to believe that Marbury and KG were going to get one for Minny. I bet Starbury is wishing he would stayed with the big-man instead of turning into a major Washout in his home town of New York city. What a bum! But I digress…
Think about the impact of Garnett’s attitude and what it could do for any team. On Detroits roster, trade Garnett for Sheed… right? Detroit would be scary. On Lakers roster, trade Garnett for Gasol… right? Garnett would never had let his team mates get that far back.
If Portland can learn to WANT IT as bad as a guy like Garnett wants it and proves that he wants it. That is the difference. Coach Nate and Mr. Pritchard probably look at Garnett and Pierce and Ray Allen and say “Those 10+ year veteran all-stars have game AND heart, we need as much of that as possible to win a title in Portland.” They would be right, achieving that is tough but hopefully we can get the right mix.
by Portland Dynasty on Jun 18, 2008 2:00 PM PDT reply actions
That defintiely was the issue...
When Garnett played like he wanted to win the Celtics were unstoppable. When he played half heartedly (every game in the playoffs before the Eastern Conference Finals [Against Detroit I felt he did play with heart], and every Laker win in the Finals) the Celtics did not look like a champions, and just simply looked like an ok team. Garnett definitely wanted it in the last game, but during these playoffs he was more invisible than during the regular season. Garnett is not a heart player, he can play with heart sometimes, but he is not a competitor who every moment is fighting for his team, whereas I think every Blazer on our active roster is a competitor and is constantly out for blood.
Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...
Heart???
I’m sorry but I like KG about as much as I like Koby. Not at all…. KG plays dirty.. Did you read the stuff that oregon live had on him earlyer in the year? Roughing up the Blazers young players and trying to intimidate them. I just don’t see that as heart. Koby and KG both are great basketball players (give them their due) but neither of them are class act players and will never have my respect.. I wouldn’t want them on the Blazers no matter how many rings it would get us.
Agreed. KG really seems really weird.
I stated above how much I wanted Boston to lose, but I’ll admit that I was very impressed by two of the C’s: 1). All aspects of Pierce from his play to his toughness, to his enthusiasm to the way he displayed it.
2). Doc Rivers ….. a class guy all the way.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Hamed Haddadi goes to the zoo
- David Stern changed the competition committee to push new rules, report says
- Nazr Mohammed films Oklahoma City Thunder fans welcoming the team back at 5:30 in the morning (VIDEO)
- The Orlando Magic finally part ways with both Stan Van Gundy and GM Otis Smith
- Mike D’Antoni breaks silence on New York Knicks exit: ‘An obstacle had to be removed’
