no really…wow i didn’t know that
i was just saying that it doesn’t seem like its been two months…
5Abi Thanks
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LAKERS LAKERS ALL THE WAY
LAKERS 113, NETS 107
In a series billed as Destiny vs. Dynasty, Lakers emerge as victors. They complete their three peat, sweep the Nets in Finals.
Led by an unstoppable Shaquille O’Neal, the Los Angeles Lakers powered their way to a third straight NBA championship Wednesday and claimed a spot among the dynasties of their sport.
Sweeping the New Jersey Nets in four games, the Lakers realized their goal of a championship “three-peat,” something only three other NBA teams—among them the Minneapolis Lakers—have ever done.
Shaquille O’Neal, cementing his reputation as one of the most dominating players ever, won his third straight NBA Finals MVP award Wednesday night.
O’Neal joined Michael Jordan (1991-93, 1996-98) as the only players to win three straight Finals MVPs since the award was first presented in 1969. Hakeem Olajuwon (1994-95) is the only other player to win the award in consecutive years.
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Magic Johnson, who has five championship rings, congratulates Kobe and Shaq on their third
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Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal host the treasure taken from the Game 4 win.
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Kobe Bryant celebrates by pouring champagne over himself in the locker room.
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Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t hog the glory as he accepts his Finals MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern. Sharing in the celebration are Phil Jackson, left, Kobe Bryant, right and Kurt Rambis, background.
World Champion LA LAKERS
The Return of Showtime
The Return of Dynasty
I see the eigenvalue in thine eye,
I hear the tender tensor in thy sigh.
Bernoulli would have been content to die
Had he but known such a-squared cos 2(phi)!
– Stanislaw Lem, “Cyberiad”
[This message has been edited by 5Abi (edited June 13, 2002).]
LETS CELEBRATE
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LAKERZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ RULEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
“WatCh youR tHoughtS; they become words.
WatCh youR wOrdS; they become actions.
WatCh youR aCtiOns; they become habits.
WatCh youR hAbiTs; they become character.
WatCh youR chaRactEr; it becomes your dEsTinY."
Some people are considereing this Lakers team as one of the best of all time, long time basketball followers, what do you guys think about that!
Are the duo of Shaq and Kobe are good as Jordan/Pippen or Magic/Elworthy.
[quote]
Originally posted by UMAIR316:
**Some people are considereing this Lakers team as one of the best of all time, long time basketball followers, what do you guys think about that!
Are the duo of Shaq and Kobe are good as Jordan/Pippen or Magic/Elworthy.
**
[/quote]
After the championship, the NBC reporter asked Phil Jackson (who formerly caoched the Chicago Bulls), if this Lakers team would create any problems for the Bulls team of the 90s when Jordan was at his prime. Phil said, the Lakers team of today would give the Bulls a very dificult time.
I'll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou'lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love's lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
--Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"
Three-PEAT on Parade!
LA LAKRES DAY
The celebration will begin with a 10:30 a.m. ceremony at City Hall, where Mayor James K. Hahn will pronounce today “Los Angeles Lakers Day.” At 11:30, the team, their families, the Laker Girls and team officials will board double-decker buses at 3rd Street for a procession down Figueroa to Staples Center at 11th Street.
A rally in front of Staples Center starts at 12:50. The Lakers will greet the crowd, Hahn will speak, and maybe, just maybe, Laker Mark Madsen will dance. Team officials expect as many as 1 million fans.
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Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant clutch trophies as the Lakers arrive at LAX Thursday.
**So who is going to the Parade besides me
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?**
I’ll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou’lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love’s lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
–Stanislaw Lem, “Cyberiad”
[quote]
Originally posted by 5Abi:
** After the championship, the NBC reporter asked Phil Jackson (who formerly caoched the Chicago Bulls), if this Lakers team would create any problems for the Bulls team of the 90s when Jordan was at his prime. Phil said, the Lakers team of today would give the Bulls a very dificult time.
**
[/quote]
yes because you got a giant freak standing in the middle... who is a biggest cry baby i have ever seen...pushing people and hitting them 10 feet away from them
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This is what called a game spirit
game spirit my A$$
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i should go to japan and get those sumo's to play nba...and lets just have them stand there...pushing everyone off...
tipz, just admit it, u r sore cos Kings lost
to Lakers in the playoffs even tho they had the best record in the league and every Tom, Dick, Harry predicted they will beat LAkers this year (thats 3 times in a row
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). They had the best chance this year but as usual, they proved to be chokers.
Like i told u before, dont be a player hater,
it wont lead u anywher
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I’ll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou’lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love’s lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
–Stanislaw Lem, “Cyberiad”
As much as I don't like Shaq, apart from his defending, he is a good striker, you don't average 37 points in playoffs for just standing there and push people off.
Three-Peat Is Filled With Remarkable Moments
BILL PLASCHKE, Times Sports Columnist
It wasn't the statistics that made your stomach jump.
It wasn't the scores that made your throat tighten.
It wasn't the records or matchups or strategies that kept you on the edge of sanity for three springs.
It was the moments.
Long after these Lakers become old-timers like the Showtimers, what we'll remember most are the moments.
One man's top 10 moments of the three-peat, in reverse order of importance. (Like the Lakers, we're going to try to keep you in suspense until the end.):
*10. THE NO-LOOK *
It was the fourth game of the 2001 Western Conference finals against San Antonio.
It was the second quarter.
It was entertaining and intimidating and perfect.
Shaquille O'Neal grabbed a rebound, dribbled past the midcourt line, then suddenly flipped a no-look pass to Kobe Bryant on his right.
Bryant passed the ball back.
O'Neal dunked it.
Like Michael Jordan, only bigger.
The players howled, the Staples Center roared, the Spurs were swept.
This near-perfect postseason body of work had been given a face.
9. THE SURPRISE LOOK
It was the third game of the 2000 Western Conference finals in Portland.
The series was tied, the score was tied, 29.9 seconds remained, when an old man appeared.
Ron Harper, standing alone, on the left side, 19 feet from the rim.
Bryant threw it to him. Harper threw it into the basket. The Lakers survived a game that could have ended all this before it started.
"I knew where to find Harper," Bryant said later. "He'd been telling me about it all game long."
8. THE AWAKENING
It was the second game of the second round of the 2000 playoffs against Phoenix.
Still weary from a first-round push by Sacramento, the Lakers had played terribly against the Suns and were just moments from losing home-court advantage.
They trailed by one. Less than 10 seconds remained. They were out of rhythm. They couldn't win this as a team.
Somebody had to do it one on one.
Was anybody surprised when Bryant raised his hand?
He dribbled downcourt to the foul line and calmly nailed a 14-footer over Jason Kidd's outstretched arms with 2.6 seconds remaining for the victory.
"I just had a flashback to when I was a kid," Bryant said.
A flashback? At the time, he was 21.
7. THE KNOCKOUT
It was the third game of the 2001 NBA Finals in Philadelphia.
Derek Fisher and O'Neal had fouled out. The Lakers led by one point. There were 47.1 seconds remaining.
The series was even. This was where the 76ers would make their title run.
This was where Robert Horry said, um, well, maybe not now, you know?
He took a pass, blinked himself alert, and threw down a three-pointer to clinch the game and perhaps win a championship.
The moment seemed to stun even him, as he turned to the once-roaring crowd and pumped his fist at their silence.
6. THE MESSAGE
It was the third game of the first round of the 2002 playoffs in Portland.
There were 10 seconds remaining, the Lakers trailed by a basket, Bryant had the ball, and guess what? He didn't shoot.
He dribbled into double coverage and passed it to Horry in the right corner, just beyond the three-point line.
With 2.1 seconds remaining, you know what Horry did.
His game-winning three-pointer, completing a three-game sweep, dictated the following memo to the rest of the NBA:
If you are going to beat the Lakers, you are going to have to beat all of them.
5. THE MAGIC
It was the fourth game of the second round of the 2002 playoffs against San Antonio.
With about 10 seconds remaining and the score tied, Fisher had just thrown up a bad shot that would give the Spurs the ball and a chance to win and equal the series.
Then out of nowhere, he appeared.
Who else?
With his left hand, Bryant grabbed a rebound. With his right hand, he returned the ball to the basket.
With both hands, he clapped in scowling finality as the ball went through the net.
"If that's not amazing," said Samaki Walker, "then there is no amazing."
4. THE ACROBAT
It was the fourth game of the 2000 Finals at Indiana.
It was overtime, O'Neal had fouled out, Bryant was nursing a badly sprained ankle that had sidelined him the previous game, and the Lakers led by one with about six seconds remaining.
Oh, and Brian Shaw had just missed an easy shot.
Time for a "Hoosiers" reenactment?
Not when Bryant was still around to shout, "Cut!"
Bryant followed Shaw to the basket, grabbing the rebound from the stunned Pacers and, in the same motion, threw in a follow-shot with two hands over his head.
Lakers lead by three, Lakers win.
"Ain't nothing wrong with that man's ankle," said Pacer Sam Perkins. "I've been trying to tell you that."
3. THE SWIMMER
It was the seventh game of the 2002 Western Conference finals in Sacramento.
There were 46.3 seconds left in regulation, the score was tied, and you probably will never see this on any highlight film.
But a shot was missed, the ball bounced toward the baseline, and Vlade Divac dived for it ... but Bryant dived under him.
It was as if he were doing the breaststroke on the hardwood, furiously paddling toward a championship.
Bryant beat Divac to the ball. Divac was assessed his sixth foul in the ensuing scrum. It was the Game 7 story in one moment.
In the end, Divac was lying on the baseline with his head in his hands while Bryant swaggered over him to the foul line.
If they were to issue a commemorative postage stamp of the 2002 championship, that scene would be it.
2. THE ALLEY-OOP
It was the seventh game of the 2000 Western Conference finals against Portland.
Bryant, to O'Neal, to an off-court dance that nearly decapitated everyone on the Laker bench.
Of all the things these Lakers have accomplished since then, that record 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter of Game 7 remains the greatest.
Even though the alley-oop gave the Lakers a six-point lead that cemented a victory already earned, it will forever remain the comeback's symbol.
1. THE SHOT
It was the fourth game of the 2002 Western Conference finals against Sacramento.
It was ... well, you know what it was.
The most amazing thing about Horry's game-winning three pointer at the buzzer wasn't the luck that brought him the ball, or the experience that allowed him to drain it.
It was how he looked afterward.
He didn't jump. He didn't gesture. He didn't even smile.
He simply put his hands behind his back and glared, at the Kings, at the rest of the league, at the national television audience, at anyone who would dare think these Lakers weren't good enough.
"You know, I haven't really thought about what that shot meant until now," said a drenched Horry while standing amid the Lakers' championship celebration Wednesday night in New Jersey.
He paused. He looked around. His eyes widened, as if he had just sunk it again.
This time, he smiled.
"Man," he said. "Man!"
I'll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou'lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love's lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
--Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"
CAN YA DIG IT???
PICTURES FROM THE PARADE
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Shaq had perhaps the best line of the day, taking a dig at the rival Sacramento Kings who had bragged they would win the championship.
“This is what I want you to teach your children today,” Shaq said: “Sacramento will never be the capital of California. Los Angeles is the new capital of California.”
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Having completed a three-peat of his own, Shaquille O’Neal dances for the crowd.
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Shaq and Kobe honored at LA City Hall
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With Laker girls dancing above him, Shaquille O’Neal is introduced to the crowd.
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Kobe along with wife on a bus en route to Staples Center
I’ll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou’lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love’s lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
–Stanislaw Lem, “Cyberiad”
[This message has been edited by 5Abi (edited June 15, 2002).]
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Shaq And Kobe send a three-peat sign to the crowd.
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Fan favorite Mark Madsen gives a second shot at the victory dance.
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Crowd goes nuts as Shaq gives his impromptu rap performance.
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It’s a confetti blizzard outside Staples Center as the Lakers celebrate their third consecutive title.
I’ll grant thee random access to my heart,
Thou’lt tell me all the constants of thy love;
And so we two shall all love’s lemmas prove,
And in our bound partition never part.
–Stanislaw Lem, “Cyberiad”
[This message has been edited by 5Abi (edited June 15, 2002).]
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You sound like pissed Mike Bibby anc Chris Webber @ Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.
Admit it. Kings
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were pathetic in front of Lakers
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LAKERS LAKERS ALL THE WAY
[quote]
Originally posted by tipz:
game spirit my A$$
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i should go to japan and get those sumo's to play nba...and lets just have them stand there...pushing everyone off...
[/quote]
It takes more than just weight to score avg 25 points in each game.
“WatCh youR tHoughtS; they become words.
WatCh youR wOrdS; they become actions.
WatCh youR aCtiOns; they become habits.
WatCh youR hAbiTs; they become character.
WatCh youR chaRactEr; it becomes your dEsTinY."
I just hate the lakers no matter what... it's not because the kings lost but the reason that the team is all depended on those to guys... kobe i really admire.. he got game and shaq... i really hate...
70 out of the 100 points were scored by these to guys... two guys are playing the whole game... while some other teams play with all five or more...
not just the kings... i don't care about who wins as long as its a game that has all the players contributing something rather than just getting paid to run around.
and yes i know what you guys are gonna say... "horry's match winning three pointer and fisher's three point shooting"
yah thats only once in a while...even though the kings lost the game, the way they lost it wasn't bad... i would have hated myself if shaq had made that shot...but to see someone other than those two to try was awesome...
if the lakers can win the championship all there guys playing without shaq... i would say they are the best team...but without shaq they are almost hopeless...
thats all folks... i dont wanna start a fight or anything...just my opinoin...late
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Admit it. Kings were pathetic in front of Lakers
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Not really, the team which plays till game 7 is not pathetic in front of Lakers, Lakers were no doubt a better team but there someone else who helped them win besides Shaq and Kobe, referees!