the nba season is winding down
it is interesting to see how it has played out
i think it has been a great season with a lot of dynamics to it
of course my passion is the lakers and the day to day ins and outs of
the franchise
it has made me so happy to see this team this year
there were times where i have been enormously frustrated and
disappointed but i never lost faith
and i see them learning to be a team
it means a lot to me
when i see kwame brown get 15 points and 15 boards the other night
it means a lot to me
when i see kobe bryant regain his rightful unarguable place as the
best player in the nba
it means a lot to me
when i see him get his teamates involved more as they learn the
offense it means a lot to me
when i see lamar really start to find his place lately and score
back to back triple doubles (i actually am only reading about it
because i am on tour in europe rocking people's worlds)
it means a lot to me
it is gonna be a (some would say insurmountable) challenge for them
to beat the suns in the first round
but it is possible
and not by getting tonya hardings boys on steve nash
i know that this team can dig deep enough to do it
if they can focus on defense harder than they ever have in their lives
and be willing to die for each other in the way that elvin jones was
willing to die for john coltrane
then they can do it
but that is the only way
it is simply this question
which i put to each and every laker

how deep is your love?


other thoughts

the memphis grizzlies
having jerry west at the helm
who is the second greatest laker of all time after magic johnson
have really come up
and i knew it was only a question of time when they acquired the
great jerry west
it seemed crazy to some when they got rid of stromile swift, bonzi
wells, and jason williams, and earl watson
but look at 'em now
they are a legitimate contender
jerry west is one of the greatest basketball minds of all time

the detroit pistons are one of the best teams i have ever seen in my
life
phenomenonly good
and i have always hated the pistons with a wicked vengeance
when they battled the lakers at the end of the eighties
i could have stared a hole in the television with my hate
but i can only remove my hat and bow at this remarkable display of
basketball playing
and even though they do it as a team like no other in this day and age
they are all unique characters who contribute something completely
unique
unbelievable
and also what about flip saunders
that is a great story
first of all he is a cool guy ........
then on one side he was fired by the twolves after his team imploded
on him
then the twolves go on to have another terrible season (come to l.a.
kevin!!! and we will love you with our hearts!!! and you will win a
championship)
and flip goes and is part of the best record of the season with the
pistons
and on the other side this detroit piston team proves they dont need
no kind of larry brown
though in fairness they probably learned some stuff from him along
the way
but it is a win win subplot of a great story

the heat
i dont like them at all


the golden state warriors
i was one of those fools who really thought they would have a great
season
best backcourt in the league i thought
what a dope i am

the portland trailblazers
seeing them crumble like an old piece of bread
was kind of shocking
i mean i knew they were not so good
but.......jeez
i guess paul allen is gonna sell 'em

the suns
man
last year i was so enthralled with amare stoudemire
he is one of the most exciting players i have ever seen
what power
they lost him and then got rid of joe johnson and quentin richardson
and hasnt kurt thomas been injured alot?
man that guy is an important player a strong defender
just goes to show how great steve nash is
i know shawn marion is outstanding
i mean really outstanding
but this nash kid blows my mind
one of the best athletes in any sport ever
and on top of that i like him
i like his anti war shirt at the all star game last year
david robinson's taking him to task for it was very narrow minded
and david robinson was very wrong
and steve nash was very right

the knicks are probably the shockingly worst team i have ever seen in
my years of nba fandom
and i think their payroll is way up there
and they have some great basketball players
and a proven winner of a coach
it's just crazy to me
it is crazy
i'm telling you it's crazy
i heard on one radio station that two of the players i think malik
rose and nate robinson got in a fight
and i'm sure i can't mention what i heard were the particulars of
this fight because it would never be allowed to appear on this little
blog
i dont even know if its true or radio media insanity
i just dont know what to make of this knick team i have never heard
of anything like it
there is a weird energy going on
it is even making larry brown unhealthy
and i have seen some terrible basketball teams in my day
like the sacramento kings before the maloof brothers (poor mitch
richmond he was a great player on the losingest teams)
but mitch richmond was great in his early years with run tmc with
chris mullin and tim hardaway
that was an exciting group but they always had to face magic and the
lakers and never had a chance
and the clippers for years and years
remember benoit benjamin?
was he on the warriors? i think he was
the lakers traded for him but it was a money moving thing to end up
with shak i think
when the lakers got shak chick hearn said he was a mona lisa, the
best of the best
those were exciting days for laker fans
and when they got phil that was the most exciting thing for me since
the magic kareem worthy a.c. scott cooper mike mcgee wes mathews
championships
because i knew they would win one again
but anyways the knicks are the worst

the orlando magic
i just really dig dwight howard
he's great and has a nice vibe

the clippers
well a lot of my friends like the clippers
i'm fine with'em
elton brand is great and i will forgive him for talking smack about
the lakers
but why dont they just move up to seattle after the sonics go
somewhere else
l.a. is laker town
we dont need no stinkin clippers

the bulls
i am just not a scott skiles fan
never have been
seems so inflexible of a guy
boring jock stuff

hornets
i love chris paul
he should be a laker
and also my best friend when i was a little kid had a little brother
named chris paul

sixers
allen iverson is a genius
that they did not ask him to be on national team or whatever it's called
and put on luke ridenour
is disrespectful to one of the greatest players ever
maybe philly will trade him after this season
i have heard that scuttlebutted around by gayle fine
i love allen iverson
they should put his head up at mount rushmore
he has given so much to our culture in america

twolves
i wish better for the great kevin garnett
i know he is a nice man