Doesn’t Phil have more important things to worry about? I’m so sorry Trevor’s feelings got hurt…I mean I feel sorry for him. Wow could you stand having a video of you shown compared to getting flipped in mid-air, landing horizontal to the court and getting taken off on a stretcher…

but knew how important this game is for home court advantage (which could translate into a lot of $$$) … good business decision Larry Miller!

People hated Larry’s email, but I like it when management plays hardball with the rest of the league. I like Miller’s “Alpha Dog Swag”

I like that they said, “Screw it: show it. We’ll pay the fine. It will be worth it.”

On a side note, it is too bad it was Ariza—he’s not a dirty player and he wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. Too bad it wasn’t Odom in the video. That d-bag would do it on purpose.

he needs to be put to sleep already.

that Ariza committed the flagrant. Unbelievable. My level of disdain for that team raises with every quote that comes from their side.

He was affected by it so badly that he had to be taken to the hospital on a stretcher … oh wait …

the last “highlight” was the Rudy foul. This was at the end of the warmup, just prior to the player intros. I’m 90% sure the foul was shown. I’m 100% sure that Rudy falling to the ground and the “fight” afterward were shown.

Everyone booed and that was that.

I was surprised they showed it, but it’s not like Ariza wasn’t going to get the same reaction either way.

First the Uprise sillyness. Then Odem cleaning out Roy last year then the Ariza foul. Totally inciting and unprofessional. I loved it. It was just like when we played the Rocky theme when Lucas was being a tough guy in 77.

Oh and something I hadn’t noticed before. Rambis throws some ball boy aside like a rag doll trying to get in the mix during the Ariza tussle.

As though the fans were going to storm the court and attack the players or something? We’re animated and loud, but we’re not uncontrollably violent thugs. That’s the Lakers.

Phil is claiming that the crowds reaction rattled Ariza to the point that it affected his play. How awesome is that? Portland should pay the fine or whatever, but it really was a brilliant move on the Blazers part. Who cares if they broke a rule?

I was actually hoping for something a bit bolder, like Joel giving someone a bloody nose. I think the video was really tame in comparison to what could have happened. Of course, physical retribution would have been against league rules as well, but I’m not sure I would have consider it “unacceptable” either.

and yet you apparently accept it all and move on
“I think that word does not mean what you think it means”

With or without the replay… we remember all of the nasty things Odom has done in the last couple years, so who’s to say that we wouldn’t hold a grudge vs. Ariza too?

More o the same.

Not that they aren’t fragile wusses. Cuz they are.