NEW YORK (AP)—Television ratings for the NBA finals are up big from last season but falling short of the last time the Lakers were involved.
Game 2 on Sunday drew an 8.5 fast national rating on ABC, the network said Monday. That’s an increase of 52 percent from the 5.6 last year for the Spurs-Cavaliers series.
But the Boston Celtics’ 108-102 win over Los Angeles didn’t come close to the Game 2 rating during the Lakers’ previous finals appearance in 2004. That matchup between LA and the Detroit Pistons earned a 10.7.
The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Game four: Lakers beat down the Spurs.
The NBA playoff series are a best of seven, but sometimes it doesn't take four to end end it.
It was only game four in this series but with a hard fought 3-1 lead the Lakers have moved on to the NBA finals and ended a dynasty. It's just a matter of which game the Lakers will use to offically enter it in the record books.
This game was the biggest gut check of the year. Getting blown out by the defending champs in game three, they had to win to prevent this series from turning into a torture test that would get more and more erratic, dangerous and unpredictable with each succeeding game.
The Lakers owned up to their faults after the last game but taking blame is of no value if you don't have the desire and fortitude to act on your mistakes and bad play.
This game actually was much like the first one. No, the Spurs didn't run off to a big lead, indeed they never had a lead of any kind. But like the first game, the Spurs played like hell. Like the first game, they knew how important this game was. Like the first game, the Spurs just kept comming. No matter how many times we put a little daylight between us, the Spurs, like some desperate, inplacable slugger chasing a faster finesse fighter, kept plugging forward, applying relentless pressure. By the forth quarter, both fighters had beaten each other to a pulp, now capable of only standing there, trading blows, waiting for one to weaken and fade. Like games one and two, it was the older, smaller, less athletic team that finally blinked, that finally had to take a breath and back off. In a game four, behind two games to one, on your home floor, you can't afford to back off and take a breath. The last Laker run, with the Spurs looking used up and tired late in the fourth was so familiar now to Laker fans. As you watched the lead grow, you knew this game, and the series, was finally over.
The toll this game took on the Spurs was evident in the final statistics. 39 percent shooting, 6 of 21 from the three point line. The Lakers went toe to toe with them for a second time, and once again came out on top.
You knew the Lakers were going to be differnt from the start. You knew they might lose, but not like the last game. This time, you would have to actually beat them. The Lakers opened 5 of seven. Lamar got and offensive rebound and took it home. Gasol attacked the boards and Kobe hit his first four.
The most telling stat, that demonstrated how committed this team was to end this series on San Antonio ground was in just the first few minutes we had four offensive rebounds. We have seen playoff games this year when we didn't have four offensive rebounds in a half.
Kobe 28 points and ten boards. The rebounds are the most impressive stat here. This was guy who was not going to lose this particular game from lack of effort. His statement was clear. "I don't know if Pau can motivate himself to rebound, but I will make sure it doesn't matter."
Vlad also gets lots of credit. This guy, in all the games in this series, win or lose, has brought his game. He is determined and is playing like it. The Space Cadet is performing with the concentration of West Point Cadet right now on the highest stage.
The Lakers were up by five at the half, and this was one observer who had a feeling we just were not going to give up the lead. The Lakers had 14 second chance points at this time and the Spurs looked like a team that knew they were in trouble.
They were in trouble because unlike the last game, the Lakers were going after rebounds, loose balls and playing defense. When Sasha hit the three and the foul near the end of the third, it was a big blow to the Spurs who kept trying so hard to fight back and get that elusive lead.
In the fourth as Duncan and Parker missed several point blank shots with Lakers around them, the die was cast, they had that same befuddled tired look they had in games one and two and so successfully shed in game three.
Now instead of energy, the Spurs were a step slow as they watched Pau move hard after the ball after a Fisher miss, instead of waving at it, like he did the last game to so many potential rebounds. When he got it back to Fish, who made it this time. This play was a perfect metaphor for the difference between this Laker team and last games.
It was fitting that Lamar and Pau, the goats of game three brought the game home. Lamar hitting two free throws and Gasol getting fouled going after yet another board.
No real reason to dwell on the last thirty seconds that could have cost us this series...except it gave birth to the "foul". Some stupid play and bad clock management and missed free throws made this game much closer than it was or should have been. Because of these mistakes, we made it close enough for the play that will be known as the "foul" to be born. No doubt Spur fans will talk of that play forever. It will once again fuel the NBA conspiracy talk to get the big market team in the finals, and other equally dumb statements.
Was it a foul? Who knows. All that matters is WHAT WAS IT CALLED. I have watched sports for a long time, and any of my friends can tell you one thing I don't do, win or lose, is complain about calls. The reason is simple: Bad calls happen in every game, in every sport. Sometimes they go against you. Sometimes they go for you. Fans never complain about the bad calls that go for their team. Bad calls in the first five minutes are never noticed. Bad calls at the end are talked about forever. Games are decided in the totality of ever single play. Not on a bad call at the end. Anytime your team plays, they have to be good enough to over come bad calls that will inevitably happen.
The Lakers put themselves in a positon to win that game, and the series. They did. For those Laker fans who are irritated by the Spurs fans crying foul, I would say this: If you were a Spur fan, would you be crying now? I would also say; blame the Lakers for screwing up so bad in the last thirty seconds that the "foul" will now be a part of NBA history forever. It never should have come to that. The win should have been seemless.
But lastly I would say, only in San Antonio will the "foul" long be remembered. In the end, the only thing in sports that lasts is winning that championship....and only one team from this series can. And it's not the Spurs.
Great accomplishment by this team. They have played the defending Champs for just four games and lead 3-1 with two games yet in LA. Think about that for a second. It's not really a series.
You have to wonder how bad the Spurs fans and organization must hate us. Just a few short years after Shaq left, the move Pops called the "breakup of the Soviet Union", and the problems with Kobe, we have repeated the history of a decade ago and superseeded them as the preeminant power in the West. No doubt they thought we buried, a relic for decades, like the Celtics have been. Now like a flu virus laying dormant, we have returned as an even stronger strain. Next year, with Drew, even stronger yet.
One other piece of food for thought. The Tim Duncan decade of dominance finally comes to a close. He won't witness another, "breakup of the Soviet Union." This time hes going out for good, watching us on top. No more titles. Hard to believe isn't it? The Spurs will not see his like again for while I think.
I mean, its not like they are the Lakers who replace one all time great player with another time after time after time...decade after decade...........they are just..the Spurs.
It was only game four in this series but with a hard fought 3-1 lead the Lakers have moved on to the NBA finals and ended a dynasty. It's just a matter of which game the Lakers will use to offically enter it in the record books.
This game was the biggest gut check of the year. Getting blown out by the defending champs in game three, they had to win to prevent this series from turning into a torture test that would get more and more erratic, dangerous and unpredictable with each succeeding game.
The Lakers owned up to their faults after the last game but taking blame is of no value if you don't have the desire and fortitude to act on your mistakes and bad play.
This game actually was much like the first one. No, the Spurs didn't run off to a big lead, indeed they never had a lead of any kind. But like the first game, the Spurs played like hell. Like the first game, they knew how important this game was. Like the first game, the Spurs just kept comming. No matter how many times we put a little daylight between us, the Spurs, like some desperate, inplacable slugger chasing a faster finesse fighter, kept plugging forward, applying relentless pressure. By the forth quarter, both fighters had beaten each other to a pulp, now capable of only standing there, trading blows, waiting for one to weaken and fade. Like games one and two, it was the older, smaller, less athletic team that finally blinked, that finally had to take a breath and back off. In a game four, behind two games to one, on your home floor, you can't afford to back off and take a breath. The last Laker run, with the Spurs looking used up and tired late in the fourth was so familiar now to Laker fans. As you watched the lead grow, you knew this game, and the series, was finally over.
The toll this game took on the Spurs was evident in the final statistics. 39 percent shooting, 6 of 21 from the three point line. The Lakers went toe to toe with them for a second time, and once again came out on top.
You knew the Lakers were going to be differnt from the start. You knew they might lose, but not like the last game. This time, you would have to actually beat them. The Lakers opened 5 of seven. Lamar got and offensive rebound and took it home. Gasol attacked the boards and Kobe hit his first four.
The most telling stat, that demonstrated how committed this team was to end this series on San Antonio ground was in just the first few minutes we had four offensive rebounds. We have seen playoff games this year when we didn't have four offensive rebounds in a half.
Kobe 28 points and ten boards. The rebounds are the most impressive stat here. This was guy who was not going to lose this particular game from lack of effort. His statement was clear. "I don't know if Pau can motivate himself to rebound, but I will make sure it doesn't matter."
Vlad also gets lots of credit. This guy, in all the games in this series, win or lose, has brought his game. He is determined and is playing like it. The Space Cadet is performing with the concentration of West Point Cadet right now on the highest stage.
The Lakers were up by five at the half, and this was one observer who had a feeling we just were not going to give up the lead. The Lakers had 14 second chance points at this time and the Spurs looked like a team that knew they were in trouble.
They were in trouble because unlike the last game, the Lakers were going after rebounds, loose balls and playing defense. When Sasha hit the three and the foul near the end of the third, it was a big blow to the Spurs who kept trying so hard to fight back and get that elusive lead.
In the fourth as Duncan and Parker missed several point blank shots with Lakers around them, the die was cast, they had that same befuddled tired look they had in games one and two and so successfully shed in game three.
Now instead of energy, the Spurs were a step slow as they watched Pau move hard after the ball after a Fisher miss, instead of waving at it, like he did the last game to so many potential rebounds. When he got it back to Fish, who made it this time. This play was a perfect metaphor for the difference between this Laker team and last games.
It was fitting that Lamar and Pau, the goats of game three brought the game home. Lamar hitting two free throws and Gasol getting fouled going after yet another board.
No real reason to dwell on the last thirty seconds that could have cost us this series...except it gave birth to the "foul". Some stupid play and bad clock management and missed free throws made this game much closer than it was or should have been. Because of these mistakes, we made it close enough for the play that will be known as the "foul" to be born. No doubt Spur fans will talk of that play forever. It will once again fuel the NBA conspiracy talk to get the big market team in the finals, and other equally dumb statements.
Was it a foul? Who knows. All that matters is WHAT WAS IT CALLED. I have watched sports for a long time, and any of my friends can tell you one thing I don't do, win or lose, is complain about calls. The reason is simple: Bad calls happen in every game, in every sport. Sometimes they go against you. Sometimes they go for you. Fans never complain about the bad calls that go for their team. Bad calls in the first five minutes are never noticed. Bad calls at the end are talked about forever. Games are decided in the totality of ever single play. Not on a bad call at the end. Anytime your team plays, they have to be good enough to over come bad calls that will inevitably happen.
The Lakers put themselves in a positon to win that game, and the series. They did. For those Laker fans who are irritated by the Spurs fans crying foul, I would say this: If you were a Spur fan, would you be crying now? I would also say; blame the Lakers for screwing up so bad in the last thirty seconds that the "foul" will now be a part of NBA history forever. It never should have come to that. The win should have been seemless.
But lastly I would say, only in San Antonio will the "foul" long be remembered. In the end, the only thing in sports that lasts is winning that championship....and only one team from this series can. And it's not the Spurs.
Great accomplishment by this team. They have played the defending Champs for just four games and lead 3-1 with two games yet in LA. Think about that for a second. It's not really a series.
You have to wonder how bad the Spurs fans and organization must hate us. Just a few short years after Shaq left, the move Pops called the "breakup of the Soviet Union", and the problems with Kobe, we have repeated the history of a decade ago and superseeded them as the preeminant power in the West. No doubt they thought we buried, a relic for decades, like the Celtics have been. Now like a flu virus laying dormant, we have returned as an even stronger strain. Next year, with Drew, even stronger yet.
One other piece of food for thought. The Tim Duncan decade of dominance finally comes to a close. He won't witness another, "breakup of the Soviet Union." This time hes going out for good, watching us on top. No more titles. Hard to believe isn't it? The Spurs will not see his like again for while I think.
I mean, its not like they are the Lakers who replace one all time great player with another time after time after time...decade after decade...........they are just..the Spurs.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Kobe three Point Play & Lamar Odom Facial Game 6 Win
Lakers finish off Jazz in Game 6 Highlights including Kobe three Point Play, Lamar Odom Facial, Kobe's transition dunk and more
Friday, May 16, 2008
Kobe Bryant receives his first MVP Trophy
Kobe Bryant is the 2007-2008 NBA Most Valuable Player. This is the award ceremony held right before game two of the Lakers Jazz Round 2 series.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Bryant’s 41 helps Lakers spoil O’Neal’s Phoenix debut, 130-124
By BOB BAUM, AP Sports WriterAP - Feb 20, 9:55 pm EST
1 of 10 NBA Gallery PHOENIX (AP)—Kobe Bryant spoiled Shaquille O’Neal’s debut with Phoenix. The Suns believe with the big guy just getting started, there are better days ahead.
Bryant, despite his dislocated right pinkie, scored 41 points to help the Lakers to an intense 130-124 victory over Phoenix on Wednesday night.
Lakers newcomer Pau Gasol added 29, including a breakaway dunk that put Los Angeles up 123-117 with 1:15 to play. Lamar Odom added 22 for the Lakers, who won their sixth in a row to move into a tie with Phoenix atop the Pacific Division.
O’Neal scored nine of his 15 points in the final quarter and grabbed nine rebounds in 29 minutes against his old team in his first game in nearly a month.
“I’m in better shape than I thought I was,” he said, “the adrenaline factor and just being out there with the guys.”
O’Neal came to the Suns a week ago in an unexpected trade that sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami. O’Neal played for the Lakers from 1996-2004.
“He did seem to get stronger as the game went on, which is incredible,” Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I did really think he’d run out of steam sometime in the second half, and he really didn’t. Him not being used to anything that we do—124 points—I didn’t think we could put that many up, just starting out.”
Amare Stoudemire had 37 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix, while Steve Nash added 26 points and eight assists, and Leandro Barbosa and Grant Hill each had 17 points.
“I think everyone was excited for the game and to lose is difficult,” Nash said, “but I think if you take a step back it’s encouraging. I thought Shaquille was great, and I think the possibilities are very exciting.”
The Lakers improved to 3-1 against the Suns, clinching the season series and knocking Phoenix out of a virtual tie with New Orleans for the best record in the West.
“The really important part of this is the season series,” Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said. “We now have an advantage if this is going to be a tight race as it’s been. That’s all you get out of a game like that: momentum, obviously, and some confidence for our team.”
Bryant moved past David Robinson into 27th on the NBA’s career scoring list.
“It was a familiar energy in the building,” he said. “It felt like a playoff-type of environment. It was fun to be a part of.”
O’Neal’s debut came against the team he led to three NBA titles, and the visitors were in control most of the way.
Los Angeles, which routed Atlanta on Tuesday night at home, led by as many as 13 in the first half and was up 65-57 at the break.
Phoenix finally caught up when O’Neal forced a turnover, then scored on a short hook inside to make it 87-87 with 2:31 left in the period. Gasol’s hook shot at the buzzer gave Los Angeles a 95-91 lead entering the fourth.
After Bryant’s layup made it 105-97, rookie D.J. Strawberry twice passed to Barbosa for breakaway layups, then drew an offensive foul against Bryant. Stoudemire followed with a three-point play and Phoenix led for the first time since the early minutes 107-106 with 7:26 remaining.
The Lakers came back, though, and Gasol’s three-point play with 5:43 left capped a 9-2 spurt to put Los Angeles ahead 115-108 5:43 from the end. But O’Neal scored the next six points, the last two on a goaltending call against Bryant, to cut it to 115-114. O’Neal sprinted to the defensive end of the floor after the two points.
Phoenix Suns' Shaquille O'Neal…
AP - Feb 21, 12:27 am EST
Bryant scored inside to put Los Angeles up 117-114 with 4:04 to play. Moments later, O’Neal slammed teammate Raja Bell in the head with an elbow, forcing the Suns guard out of the game. O’Neal made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 117-115 with 3:40 to go.
Bryant’s 19-footer made it to 119-115 with 2:50 to go, but Nash’s two free throws, on Derrick Fisher’s fifth foul, cut the lead to 119-117 with 1:49 remaining.
Odom got free for a layup, Gasol got his breakaway, and it was over.
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