Kobe Bryant

Celtics versus Lakers Rivalry Stands the Test of time

by

Last summer, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers added yet another stunning chapter to the greatest rivalry in National Basketball Association history, as they wrapped up another epic war at the 2010 NBA Finals. This marked the 12th time these two historic franchises have met to decide who is the top dog in all of basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was handed the Finals MVP Award after leading an epic comeback from a 13-point third quarter deficit.

The Latest Chapter

Each team certainly has the adequate talent to carry their team to championship glory, but it was the Lakers who got the better of Boston on this occasion. Bryant led his Los Angeles Lakers, along with fellow stars Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol over a Celtics bunch that trotted out a starting lineup comprised of Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. This was just another in the long line of great matchups between these two bitter rivals, but it was the Lakers who now have the last laugh.

Even after winning the 2010 Championship, if the Lakers want to truly even up this rivalry, they will have to defeat the … Read more at FryingPanSports

2009 Lakers Rockets Playoff Matchup

by

Lakers Rockets 2009

2009 Lakers Rockets Playoff Matchup

In 2009 the Lakers were thought to be the team to beat. They had won over 60 games and were second only to the Cleveland Cavaliers in total wins in the NBA that year. It was thought little stood in their way between the start of the playoffs and an NBA finals appearance against the winner of the eastern conference. The experts were wrong. The Lakers Rockets playoff match up proved to be a great series and almost sent the Lakers home for the summer.

The 2009 Rockets were not considered favorites in the playoffs, in fact many thought the Lakers would beat them in five games. The Rockets were without the oft injured Tracy Mcgrady for the whole series and lost Yao Ming after game three of the series. After Yao Ming was injured many thought the series was all but over, they were in for a surprise.

Even though they were down 2-1 when they lost their superstar center, the Rockets were able to extend the series to seven games. Ron Artest was key to helping the Houston Rockets stay in this series. He played defense against anybody he was asked to cover … Read more at FryingPanSports

LeBron is LeGone.

by

LeBron2 LeGone

LeBron LeGone

LeBron is LeGone.

LeBron’s exit from the playoffs says something about his future in Cleveland. His failure to speak at the post game press conference says a lot more.

Forget about him not shaking hands with his opponents. This wasn’t widely reported but he didn’t shake hands because he was so tired of carrying 11 guys plus his coach on his shoulders that he couldn’t raise his hand above his waist. Really, Dwight Howard showed as little class as LeBron by taking a meaningless 3 point shot as time ran out. One still picture of LeBron’s face showed his frustration and his anger about the shot, the team, the situation and the future of the Cavs.

LeBron not showing up for the post game press conference was a mistake. The sports world is coming down on his head for opting out of the post game chat with the media. He will be fined and I am sure that he is fine with that (excuse the pun). He should have gone and at least made an appearance. Given how much class he has shown from day one of his career, I can excuse him totally for not taking the … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Cavs are a 1972 Comet with a Ferrari engine.

by

t

Our Comet is old and looks slow. But the horsepower provided by the engine will eventually tear the car apart.

The Cavs won last night. Lebron James, the Ferrari engine, had a direct hand in the last 32 points by his team. He either scored or had an assist on each of those shots. The problem for the Cavs is no matter how this series turns out the team needs to be reworked this off season if they want to have any chance to keep Lebron in town after June 2010.

The Cavs are fine as they stand for the regular season. They feed nicely on the Knicks, Wizards, Pacers and such. They can win at home against the Bulls and Celtics. The problem is that in the playoffs, they have one REALLY bad match-up—The Magic. And unless the Cavs can win a title this year or next, Lebron is most likely going to go to a team that can. Could you even imagine how good the Magic would be with Lebron? Would you rather spend the winter in Orlando or Cleveland?

If Lebron went to the Magic, that team would win 6 or 7 straight titles.

Due to the … Read more at FryingPanSports

NBA Commissioner Stern is breathing again.

by

nba

The Commissioner’s wife was ready to dial 911 last night during the Laker Nugget game. Had the Nuggets won, she would have had to make the call. But when the Lakers won game 5 to take a 3 games to 2 lead in the series, she was able to go to bed without fear.

The NBA’s worst fear was that the final would not include either Lebron James and the Cavs or Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Stern and the networks can live with only one of the super stars of the league in the finals.

LA should win the series with the Nuggets in 7 games. Orlando will probably win the Cleveland series in 6 or 7 games.

Orlando is an outstanding team. They have the future of the all star center in Dwight Howard. But Howard is not a brand name yet. If he ever gets the offensive side of his game together he will become the dominant C in the league. In addition to Howard, the Magic has 4 other players scoring in double figures in the Cavs series. They are balanced and dangerous team.

Orlando will be dominant in the East for several years. As good … Read more at FryingPanSports

A funny thing happened on LA's way to the finals!

by

nba

I said before the series that if Denver was able to steal the first game because LA was hung over from the series against Houston, LA might be in trouble. LA managed to win game 1 by a margin that made the Senatorial election in Minnesota look like a landslide. Then came game 2 last night.

The Nugget win in Game 2 was impressive for several reasons. The biggest factor is that the Lakers have no way to counter either Chauncey Billups or Carmelo Anthony. LA PG Derek Fisher is not strong enough to get physical with Billups and not athletic enough to match his quickness. Fisher needs help but isn’t getting any because the other guys in gold have their own problems. Kobe Bryant is getting warn out trying to carry the entire team on his back.

A second indication that the Lakers are in trouble is the difference in the physicality of the bigs. Pau Gasol is a finesse player. It is also clear that Andrew Bynum is no where near 100%. Bynum doesn’t seem to have the explosiveness he showed before his latest injury. When Denver’s Nenê decides to play hard, Gasol and Bynum are little … Read more at FryingPanSports