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SwiLLSaysKobe4MVP
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| Quote: | Bryant scores 31, then sits for fourth in Jackson's milestone win
Phil Jackson pulled even with Red Auerbach in regular-season victories, 5 1/2 seasons after tying the Boston Celtics coach for the most NBA championships won.
Kobe Bryant had 31 points and seven assists before sitting out the fourth quarter and the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 123-109 Friday night, giving Jackson his 938th career win and a share of seventh place on the career list.
As fate would have it, Jackson will get a chance to pass Auerbach when the Lakers host the Celtics on Sunday night in the 177th regular-season meeting of the NBA's greatest rivalry. They've faced each other 10 times in the finals, with Boston winning the first eight and the Lakers prevailing in 1985 and 1987.
Jackson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sept. 7, has won nine league titles as a coach. Three of them came with the Lakers and the other six with the Chicago Bulls -- who won 72 games with Jackson at the helm in 1995-96.
Carlos Boozer led Utah with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve guard Gordan Giricek, banished to the locker room by coach Jerry Sloan during a timeout in the second quarter of Utah's 98-92 loss at Charlotte on Dec. 19, rejoined his teammates after spending the last three games back in Salt Lake City. He spent the entire game on the bench.
The Lakers enjoyed their highest-scoring first half of the season, taking a 75-48 lead with 21 points from Bryant and 13 by Lamar Odom. Andrew Bynum scored eight points in the first 6:20 -- including a pair of alley-oop dunks set up by Bryant and Derek Fisher -- but went to the bench less than a minute later after picking up his second foul.
Kwame Brown, sidelined the previous 19 games because of ankle and knee sprains, played for the first time since Nov. 18 and was the first player off the Lakers' bench. He replaced Bynum with 5:28 left in the opening quarter, and Los Angeles outscored Utah 19-7 over the next 4 minutes to pull ahead 37-21.
From then on, it was no contest. The Lakers took their biggest lead, 91-57, on a layup by Trevor Ariza with 6:57 left in the third quarter and coasted to their fourth straight victory. They shot 54.4 percent from the field, raising their record to 9-0 when shooting at least 50 percent.
Ariza finished with 12 points as all of the Lakers' starters scored in double figures. Brown had seven points and five rebounds in 17 minutes.
Bryant, the two-time defending NBA scoring champ, has scored 30 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time this season after getting 39 at New York and 38 against Phoenix.
Fisher had 10 points and eight assists. It was his first game against the Jazz since Nov. 30, when Utah fans booed the 12-year veteran point guard constantly for leaving the team with three years left on a four-year contract and returning to the Lakers. The primary reason was so he and wife Candace could focus on getting his infant daughter Tatum the best medical care for the cancerous tumor in her left eye.
Jackson is still upset about the rude welcome Fisher received in Utah -- especially under the circumstances of his daughter's condition, and the fact that he helped the Jazz reach the Western Conference finals in his only season there.
"I didn't like that at all. They made it sound like Utah wasn't qualified to handle the situation his child was in -- like it's a backcountry spot," Jackson said. "There was a big deal made about him coming back there. He met with the owner, they were talking on the sidelines, and I think there was a lot of good will that went on with the organization -- even though it was a difficult situation.
"I think the fans there had a different perspective on it entirely," Jackson added. "They felt like they'd been betrayed by him or something. That's the way they reacted -- like he was a traitor. They live and die for their team in Utah, so I guess maybe that's part of what Utah is about."
Game notes
Auerbach's final season as an NBA coach coincided with Utah coach Jerry Sloan's rookie season as an NBA player with the Baltimore Bullets. But he found it difficult to compare Auerbach and Jackson. "They didn't have the same people. If they coached all the same guys, maybe you could compare them. But they've both been blessed with great players, and that gives you a chance every night," said Sloan, whose 1,051 victories are fourth on the career list. "Phil's always done a great job coaching his teams. It's one thing to have great players, but it's another to be able to coach them and win with them."
Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited
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Jazz-Lakers Preview
A recent win over a Western Conference power kept the Los Angeles Lakers on a roll. The Utah Jazz sure hope the one they just got can start one.
With Kobe Bryant still tormenting opposing defenses and Andrew Bynum emerging, the Lakers have been building confidence and could further do so Friday by knocking off a Jazz team coming off arguably its most impressive win.
A season after qualifying for the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the West, Los Angeles (18-10) has won nine of its last 11 games to move into a tie with New Orleans for the conference's fourth-best record.
The Lakers celebrated Christmas with a victory over the team it's chasing for first place in the Pacific Division, beating Phoenix 122-115.
It was their third straight win and second in as many meetings this season with the Suns, who have ousted Los Angeles in first-round playoff series the last two years. The Lakers have also won nine out of their last 11 games.
"We're getting better. It's just about getting better each day," said Bryant, who scored 26 of his 38 points in the second half. "It's good to have games like this. We have a solid foundation, we really do."
Bryant is the biggest part of that foundation and has been particularly good in the past two games, combining for 87 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
The 20-year-old Bynum has developed into an integral piece as well. He is averaging 17.9 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks over the last seven games while shooting 73.6 percent from the field.
"The best thing about it is he's put in so much work over the summer and now," Bryant said. "The biggest thing for him is he's seeing results. The sky's the limit for him."
Bynum is second in the league in field-goal shooting at 62.5 percent. He has five double-doubles in that span and 15 for the season to rank among the league's top 10.
So does Utah's Carlos Boozer with 22, and he would have eight in a row coming into this matchup if he didn't come up one rebound shy in two of his last three games. He had 21 points, including six of the Jazz's final seven, and nine boards on Wednesday in a 99-90 victory over Dallas.
While the Mavericks entered the game tied for the second-best record in the West after finishing with the league's best record last season, the Jazz are a disappointing ninth overall in the West after reaching the conference finals last season.
"It's a big win for us," Boozer said. "It feels good to be on the other side. We beat a very good team and held our composure at the end for a change. We executed our plays and finished strong."
It was only the third win in 12 games for Utah, which blew fourth-quarter leads in each of its last five defeats.
"We closed out a ballgame for a change," said Utah's Deron Williams, who had 17 points and 12 assists. "We have always felt like we are one of the better teams in the Western Conference, but we haven't been playing that way. Tonight is a move in the right direction."
The Jazz, though, have lost eight of nine on the road, and are facing a Lakers team which has won four straight at home.
Utah has won just two of its last 13 road games versus Los Angeles, including a 119-109 defeat on Nov. 4 in the only matchup at Staples Center this season. The Jazz, though, routed the Lakers 120-96 on Nov. 30 in the most recent meeting behind Williams' 35 points.
Despite that win, the Jazz are only 2-5 when Williams scores at least 25 points. The Lakers, meanwhile, are 9-2 when Bryant scores at least 30. |
C's on sunday.............I cant wait
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JOE TORRE/ANDRUW JONES THINK BLUE
| Xzibit wrote: | | Callin me a hater cause I dont ride dicks | |
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Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:32 am |
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2Legit
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| Quote: | LOS ANGELES (AP) - With his team scheduled to play five games in a seven-day span starting Tuesday night, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson thought he found an opportunity to give his regulars a break.
While it didn't turn out that way, nobody was complaining afterward.
Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, his fellow Los Angeles starters all scored in double figures, and the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 112-96 on Sunday night for their 12th win in 15 games.
Leading 90-72, the Lakers began the fourth quarter with four reserves and Lamar Odom on the floor. Odom came out with 8:55 to play, and Jackson hoped to play his backups the rest of the way.
But the Pacers went on a 13-2 run to start the final period, trimming the Lakers' lead to 92-85 with 6:16 remaining. Jackson took a timeout to put his starters back in the game, and the move paid off. Bryant made two jumpers and Derek Fisher added three 3-pointers during a 16-0 spurt that clinched the victory.
"We play quite a few games here," Jackson said. "My outlook is if I can rest some guys, the more the better. Both of my guards (Bryant and Fisher) have put a lot of miles in during their careers."
Bryant said it was important for the Lakers to regain the momentum when the starters returned to the game.
"That's my responsibility with this team and I was able to deliver it tonight," he said. "It's more important for us to understand that we took a blow from them - but I'm going to go out there and throw an uppercut and let them know that this is our game."
Fisher finished with 22 points, Odom had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Luke Walton added 10 points and seven assists for the Lakers (21-11), who moved a season-high 10 games over .500.
The Lakers also raised their record to 7-0 when all five starters score in double figures.
"The bench has pulled us out of a lot of jams this year, too," Walton said. "They struggled a little bit tonight. They've got our backs and we've got their backs."
Fisher said returning to the game was no big deal.
"That's what we're supposed to do - come in and finish games off," he said. "We still had a seven-point lead on our homecourt with (six) minutes to go. If you tell me that before the game, I'll take it every time."
Mike Dunleavy led Indiana (16-19) with 17 points. Danny Granger added 14 points, Jermaine O'Neal scored 13 and Kareem Rush had 12 for the Pacers, who lost their fifth straight road game and their sixth in the last seven overall.
"It's rough. We were two games above .500, and the next thing you know, we're three below," Granger said. "And now we have a rough stretch coming up, playing against all these West Coast teams."
Bynum scored all but two of his points in the first half, when Bryant and Fisher combined to shoot 3-for-16 and score 17 points. Bryant shot 6-for-10 including 2-for-3 from 3-point range and Fisher was 5-for-8 including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc after halftime.
The Lakers shot 46.2 percent to Indiana's 41.6 percent and went 30-of-38 from the foul line to the Pacers' 11-of-17.
"We had difficulty with their starting lineup the entire night," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We had a chance to cut it to four with an open 3 (in the fourth quarter), but we couldn't get over the hump."
Granger and Troy Murphy scored five points apiece during a 16-5 Indiana run that tied the game 44-all late in the second quarter. The Lakers led 55-53 at halftime, and were on top the rest of the way.
The Lakers, coming off a 66.2 percent shooting performance in a 124-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, missed their first seven attempts while falling behind 9-0 in the first 3 1/2 minutes.
The Pacers led 14-4 before the Lakers got untracked. Bynum scored 12 points during a 29-9 run to finish the first period, giving them a 33-23 lead.
Notes
Pacers G Jamaal Tinsley missed his fifth game due to a sore left hamstring. O'Brien said he hopes Tinsley will return during the team's five-game road trip that began with this game. ... Los Angeles reserves Vladimir Radmanovic (sprained right ankle) and Sasha Vujacic (sprained left ankle and back spasms) each sat out their second game. ... The Lakers are a perfect 9-0 against the Pacers at Staples Center, which opened before the 1999-2000 season. ... The Lakers swept the season series with the Pacers for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The teams split each of the past four years, winning at home and losing on the road. ... Jackson, who moved past Red Auerbach into seventh place on the career coaching victory list Friday night, needs four more to move into a tie for sixth place with Bill Fitch, who had 944 wins. ... Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, whose team lost 88-82 earlier Sunday in the opener of an NBA doubleheader, stuck around to watch his son play against the Lakers. |
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"Welcome to Thunderdome Bitch!!"
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Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:05 am |
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GRZFTBL
My PC is stuck on eGriz
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| SwiLLSaysKobe4MVP wrote: |
Bynum is having an MRI today, lets pray that it comes back negative. |
Well, this sucks. Better than a year, thought, I guess.
Bynum to miss 8 weeks with injured kneecap
ESPN.com news services
Updated: January 14, 2008, 6:42 PM ET
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LOS ANGELES -- Andrew Bynum, a big factor in the Los Angeles Lakers' strong start, will be out at least eight weeks because of an injured left knee.
Bynum
MRI tests and an examination Monday by team physician Dr. Steve Lombardo revealed Bynum had temporarily dislocated his kneecap -- a subluxation -- and suffered a bone bruise.
Bynum is expected to make a full recovery, the Lakers said in a press release.
"He's already focusing on his rehab," Bynum's agent, David Lee, told ESPN The Magazine's Sam Alipour on Monday.
The 20-year-old center, who leads the NBA in field-goal percentage, was injured early in the third quarter of Sunday night's 100-99 victory over Memphis when he landed on teammate Lamar Odom's left foot while going for a rebound.
Bynum crumpled to the court, and teammates Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf had to carry him to the locker room as fans at Staples Center chanted, "By-num, By-num."
A third-year pro taken by the Lakers with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Bynum is averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.06 blocked shots, and has made 189 of his 297 field goal attempts (63.6 percent). He is the league's 11th-leading rebounder and ninth-leading shot-blocker.
The Lakers (25-11) had won six straight games -- their longest winning streak in almost four years -- and 16 of 19 entering Monday night's game at Seattle.
The schedule gets much tougher after that, with games against Phoenix, Denver, San Antonio, Dallas and Cleveland. Then, after a home game against the Knicks, the Lakers begin a nine-game road trip Jan. 31 at Detroit.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said following Sunday night's game that Brown would replace Bynum in the starting lineup and Turiaf would serve as his backup.
"Unless Wilt [Chamberlain] comes back from the dead, I don't know what else we're going to do," Jackson said.
Brown, limited to 41 games by injuries last season, has averaged 5.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in eight games after missing 19 because of a sprained left knee and ankle. He entered Monday night's matchup against Seattle having played in 15 games this season.
The Lakers already had a depth problem at center because Chris Mihm has been sidelined with a sore right Achilles tendon and isn't expected to return for at least two more weeks.
Bynum expressed optimism as he left the arena after Sunday night's game walking under his own power with a soft brace on his knee while his personal trainer, Sean Zarzana, carried a pair of crutches.
"I'm not in too much pain, only when I bend it," Bynum said. "I don't think it's serious at all. I can move it left and right. Just to take a step forward is the only thing that really hurts. I never heard a pop."
In his last full game before being injured, Bynum had 25 points and a career-high 17 rebounds Friday night in a 110-105 victory over Milwaukee.
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SwiLLSaysKobe4MVP
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| Quote: | Kobe Bryant scored 48 points and capped his season-best offensive outburst by swishing an 18-footer with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Seattle SuperSonics 123-121 on Monday night.
The Lakers were playing their first game without injured center Andrew Bynum.
Bryant returned to being an offensively-focused scorer, taking 44 shots and scoring the Lakers last six points of overtime, as Los Angeles won its seventh straight and moved into a tie with Phoenix atop the Pacific Division.
Before the game, Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he wouldn't mind it if Bryant went off just as long as he was forced to take a lot of shots. Carlesimo just didn't count on Bryant making nearly half of his 44 attempts, finishing with 21 field goals made. It was Bryant's 87th career 40-point game and the fourth in his last five games in Seattle.
Nick Collison led Seattle with 24 points and 18 rebounds and rookie Kevin Durant finished with 19 points, but missed 20 shots.
Seattle jumped out to a 121-117 lead, but Kurt Thomas missed a pair of free throws with 2:23 left and Bryant hit consecutive jumpers to again pull the teams even.
After a Durant miss, Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom missed open 3s, but Durant again failed to give the Sonics the lead, missing an 18-footer over Kwame Brown. Odom grabbed the rebound, giving the Lakers one final chance and Bryant capitalized, making up for missing an open jumper and getting stripped at the end of regulation.
Seattle had one final chance to force a second overtime, but Collison missed an 18-footer at the buzzer. The Sonics have lost seven straight.
Lakers' coach Phil Jackson passed Bill Fitch for sixth place on the all-time wins list with 945. But he was more concerned about how the Lakers would respond without Bynum, who will miss at least the next eight weeks after suffering a left knee injury in Sunday night's win over Memphis.
The 20-year-old Bynum was averaging 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Lakers and will now sit and watch if his teammates can continue their surprising start. The Lakers have now won 17 of their last 20.
But their interior was exposed by the Sonics, who lost their seventh straight. Seattle outscored the Lakers 56-46 in the paint and the inside combo of Collison and Thomas outscored Bynum's replacements -- Ronny Turiaf and Kwame Brown -- 40-24.
Thomas finished with 16 points, while Wally Szczerbiak added 18 off the bench for the Sonics. Turiaf finished with 14, and Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar both added 12 for the Lakers.
The frantic fourth quarter and overtime capped an entertaining matchup that featured 22 lead changes and 11 ties.
Seattle had chances to win in regulation after Durant had pulled Seattle even at 115-all on a 3-pointer with 46 seconds left. Bryant rimmed out a 3 of his own, but Durant couldn't connect on a 23-footer with 6 seconds left. Bryant was then stripped by Earl Watson as he went up for a potential game-winning shot, sending the game to overtime. |
One game at a time from here on out. WE will see how good this team really is against PHX on thursday without Bynum.
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JOE TORRE/ANDRUW JONES THINK BLUE
| Xzibit wrote: | | Callin me a hater cause I dont ride dicks | |
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Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:20 pm |
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Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:39 am |
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Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:52 am |
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