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"One
of these things just doesn't belong here,
Tell
me can you guess which one.
Which
of these things just doesn't belong here,
Guess
before my song is done...
And
now my song is done."
Ok,
Laker boys and girls, lets take a look at each picture...
In the first picture we see Shaq giving a facial to
Scot Pollard. In the second picture we see Shaq
trying to clothesline Vlade Divac. In the third
picture we see Shaq giving Chris Webber a karate chop
across the belly. And in the fourth picture
we see Vlade Divac coming out of nowhere to make a
clutch clean block on Shaq.
So
did you find the one that doesn't belong, and can
you tell me
why it
doesn't belong?
If
you said picture #4 doesn't belong you are right!
And the reason it doesn't belong is because that is
the only one of the four that the refs called a foul.
That's right, kids. Vlade fouled Shaq on that
clean block in crunch time, according to the refs,
and Shaq didn't touch any of those other players in
all those other pictures, again, according to the
refs.
Now,
kids, are you still in denial?
How
I beat Shaq
Kingme
Jodystone's
post just reminded me of that teenybopper idol Aaron
Carter's song, "How I beat shaq" or "How
I stopped Shaq". Maybe the Maloofs can get him
to sing it at half time at Arco! Seriously, folks,e
can't worry or even argue with Laker fans about the
refs' calls. It was like trying to argue with Bulls
fans in the 90's that Jordan got all the calls. It's
futile. they'll never see it until Shaq goes to the
another West. Conf team and then we can say "How
do ya like them apples???" Oh, the Kings will
win Game 2 I think. You know that the league will
have a word with the refs and make sure that this
series is stretched out a bit for TNT/NBC's sake.
Now that the Knicks aren't around, and the injury
to Derek anderson has taken all of the air out of
the Mavs/Spurs balloon, where are the ratings going
to come from?
II
hate this mantra of "Shaq is always getting hammered
under the basket." He is not. It's one of those
self-perpetuating lies that floats around and people
like to repeat because it makes them look like they
have some basketball knowledge. In fact, I think the
kings' centers in particular go easy on shaq and are
tentative because they don't want to pick up fouls
themselves. I'm sorry, but if you want credibility
as a pro sports league, you can't let a guy get away
with certain things others don't because of his body
size! what other legit sport does that - besides wrestling?
Can't Laker fans see how wrong this attitude by the
league is? Also, as one poster mentioned, Shaq used
to pick up a lot of fouls and foul out frequently
when he was with the Magic. I hardly think that as
soon as he put on a Lakers uni he became the cleanest
defender/player in the league! If size lets a team
get away with murder, then the kings would have kept
big man Jerome James at all costs. I think the refs
will call it differently regarding Peja next game.
Fox isn't Shaq so the refs won't be stepping on any
big toes there. And Laker Fans, and everyone else,
remember what one annonymous source from the league
said about Shaq when addressing the preferential treatment
he receives: "Shaq IS the NBA right now."
so now you know what the kings are up against and
why they probably won't win. But please don't say
it's because the Lakers are a better team.
It's
the PLAYER not the TEAM!
Wyo
Yes
- the zebras sucked Sunday. They, like others in their
line of work let Shaq get away with mayhem if not
murder.
Don't
know why Fox was given such a free hand unless the
refs wanted to give Peja too much to handle and see
how he would handle it. Bummer but Peja will become
a better player because of it.
The
TRUTH is, stars are more important than teams. People
pay to see the spectacular and the league knows it.
Except for complete jerks like Wallace and Rodman,
the really good players don't get that many whistles.
The
refs are NOT going to take Shaq out of the game anymore
than they took Michael or Magic or Bird or Wilt or
Russ out.
It
is also reasonable to assume the refs feel a little
more homer pressure in LA because of the make-up of
the crowd - celebrities have a weird effect on most
people.
BUT
- if you're thinking the League goes out of its way
to see the biggest markets in the finals each year,
please consider this FACT --
The
Lakers have made it to the finals TWO TIMES in the
past NINE years. The Knicks have been in the finals
TWO times in the past 20 years. If there's a conspiracy,
the league is doing a damn poor job. Heck, Portland
and Utah have made the finals twice in the same period!
I
thought Kings actually played great in the first half
yesterday. Then they drifted back into Webber ball
in the 2nd. Webber played well but we need more than
Webber.
Jason
can't turn the ball over six times and make four assts.
Get
some rest Vlade, we need you big guy!
GO
KINGS!!
Observations
Reno
Lady
No
one has said Shaq never gets fouled; he gets the normal
amount of fouls against him that any player does-BUT
he doesn't get called for anywhere near as many fouls
as he commits. I can't believe the refs are naive
enough to think that just because he misses a shot
means he's been fouled. Shaq can have a bad game,
even under the basket, just like everyone can. Matter
of fact he SHOULD have bad a bad game once in a while;
the odds of reality favor that - but he rarely does,
something else that would give a sane person not wearing
blinders pause for consideration. Unlike Kobe, who
has the ability to create his own shots, and is extremely
quick and athletic, Shaq is pretty much a one-dimensional
player. He HAS to be under that basket to make points;
he couldn't make a 15 foot shot with someone guarding
him if a gun was held to his head. So while the odds
of Kobe having bad games aren't as great, because
of the variety of ways in which he can score, Shaq
should actually have 3 or 4 bad games a month - but
does he? NO! Another thing-Vlade got called for a
T yesterday after complaining to the ref about being
fouled; about 2 minutes later Shaq did the same thing,
very vocally, and guess what-no T! And the face he
made at Pollard after a dunk yesterday - taunting?
You bet! Any call - no way! And there's no way Shaquille
O'Neal is the MVP, except to the Lakers. His only
real claim to being valuable is his size. If he was
6'5" and played the game he plays now would he
even be considered? PLEASE!There are at least 6 -10
others guys, all smaller than Shaq, (including his
teammate Kobe Bryant) who play twice the game Shaq
ever thought of playing. I don't dislike Shaq as Shaq,
he's who he is and it's certainly not his fault he's
the size he is. He's as human as the rest of us and
if the league wants to set him up as the "be
all and end all of basketball", he's not going
to say "No, I don't really deserve it"!
Neither would any of us.
I've
been watching this game for 40 years or so and I can
say with no qualms whatsoever that the last 3 or 4
years have been the worst officiating years I've ever
seen. The league is so desperate to get their share
of the "sporting world pie" that they'll
embrace any idea that has even the smallest merit
to it. The worst thing that happened to basketball
was when they combined the two leagues into one and
let David Stern take over; the whole thing has gone
downhill since then. While I still love the basic
principles of the game the actual playing of it frankly
isn't as good as it once was. Too much power and not
enough skill now. In the "old days" the
guys who played the game professionally didn't make
very much money but they played their hearts out game
after game because they loved what they were doing.
They didn't worry about making movies, writing books,
or being in commercials. They took great pride in
their ability to run down the court fast as they could,
to pass the ball to an open teammate, and to be able
to hit shots from anywhere on the court. Winning was
great, but just playing was even better! They were
better all-around players than what is generally seen
today, both offensively and defensively. Who knows,
maybe the pendulum will swing back that way one of
these days. However, the NBA needs to get rid of the
current regime first of even more fans are going to
drift away.
The
wise man/woman never says or types anything they can't
personally back up - because it will always come back
to bite them in the butt otherwise. For anyone to
say something like "the Kings will never win"
is like saying the wind will never blow. That's something
you don't really have control over, nor will you ever
have control over that situation. You want to talk
about smack? Statements like that smack of emotional
immaturity. You have to tear someone else down to
make yourself look and feel better - one of the biggest
signs of someone who considers themselves a loser
and wants to be able to view everyone else as a loser
too. Misery loves company even if misery has to manufacture
that company!
There
is a natural ebb and flow to sports, some teams are
on top for a year, maybe 3 or 4 years but through
things like injuries, trades, retirement, new coaches,
gms, owners, etc. they gradually make their way to
the bottom of the heap and someone takes their place
and the process starts all over again. The Kings have
already won a championship, and used to beat the Lakers
on a regular basis. Now the Lakers are on top but
you can already see the attrition starting to take
place. Shaq is getting older and more tired each year,
Kobe's unhappy and my guess is he will ask to be traded
within the next 2 years; most of the other prominent
Laker players are on the downhill side of their career
and the Zen Disaster will either move up to the front
office or will retire very soon; in short the Lakers
are on the way down. Teams like the Kings, the Mavs,
& the Clippers are young, healthy, and chock
full of talent. These teams are on the way up &
within the next year or 2 one of them will win the
championship. Just another chapter in the ebb and
flow of the game.
jsotelo
Did
anyone else notice at the end of the first half when
the Lakers inbounded the ball with 2 seconds left,
Peja deflected the ball and someone from the Lakers
ended up grabbing it an getting it to Shaq for 2.
BUT the thing is they didn't start the shot clock
until after the Lakers had possession. Isn't it supposed
to be when the ball is touched the clock starts? If
they would have started the clock when Peja touched
the ball there would have been no way for the Lakers
to score.
On
the flip side at the end of the 3rd they started the
clock after the Lakers made a free throw and took
about a second off the clock, stopped it and then
started it again when the Kings inbounded the ball.
With the lost time it was impossible for the Kings
to score.
Then
there were the obvious fouls that were not called
on the Lakers but when the Kings do the EXACT SAME
THING they are hit with the foul.
Of
course if the Kings would have hit 4 of those missed
free throws then we would have won as well...
Let's
hope for better on Tuesday!! I had hoped for the kings
to win the 1st game but expect them to win the 2nd.
I still think Kings in 6!
Fielding
Mellish
I
think one Laker fan is of the opinion since Shaq was
an MVP he should have a different set of rules. He
thinks we wouldn't want to see the the rules interpreted
like the rule book says because he would score 50.
I believe there was a player who averaged 50 points
a game and they still played by the rule book. And
he can't say Shaq is more dominant than Wilt was at
that time. He probably never saw Wilt play. Wilt shot
plenty of free throws. When he scored 100 he had 35
free throws and unbelievably for Wilt he made 32.
MVP belives the officials should not be evenhanded
for our sake. I'll take my chances. If Wilt was allowed
to do what Shaq gets away with he would have averaged
70 or more. This fan knows a different set of rules
are here but we should be a man or woman about it
and just take it. OK so now do you want me to lick
your shoes like you do with Shaq?
Bo
Kimble
First,
I never have a problem when the Kings come to play.
They did. Played hard, and had a chance to win. That's
pretty much all you can ask when you have a playoff
game on the road. Especially Staples, where they were
never even in a game in last years playoffs.
The
GamePlan - I had mentioned it before Game 1 that the
Kings should play 'straight up' and NOT double Shaq.
So as not to 'leave' anyone open. That is basically
what Adelman did. A good move. Shaq is dominant. Whether
you have one or two or five people on him. He will
get his 30-40 pts.
I
like the game plan. The only thing the Kings need
to work on is NOT to let Shaq get his own misses.
That was one part that really killed them. They need
to get the rebound on Shaq's initial miss and they'll
be fine.
I
thought Webber came to play.
Props
to both Doug Christie and Kobe Bryant. I thought DC
played Kobe as tough as he could play him, made him
work.
But
Kobe made some adjustments and got his shots in the
second half. He's a great player.
The
'other' Lakers didn't go off and that was key.
I
don't have a problem with Jason's last shot either.
I mean we/I beg for him to go to the rack so I can't
complain when he does and it gets blocked. I thought
Jason played pretty well.
Also,
as much crap as I give him, props to Rick Fox, he
did what he had to do. He got Peja off his game and
that's his job. Now it's Peja's turn to make adjustments
just like he did when he had trouble with Marion.
The Kings need Peja to have a shot in this series.
Yeah,
there were a couple times in the first half when Shaq
could've pick up his 3rd foul, but that stuff happens.
The Kings know that.
The
Lakers are the champions and it's like a heavyweight
fight, to beat the champ you have to knock them out.
Oh
and someone get a gun and shoot Bill Walton. Usually
he doesn't bother me that much, but you would've thought
the Kings were down 25 pts the way he described the
game.
I'm
ready for Game 2.
Go
Kings!
MVP
of the League
Cat
Man
There's
no question Shaquille O'Neal is the best player in
this here league. He's the biggest, baddest dog on
the block. And he also gets a very wide berth from
the officials.
Frankly,
that's how it is (apologies to my friends here). Michael
Jordan never was called for traveling (remember that
rule?). Joe Montana was roughed more than any quarterback
in history. And Greg Maddux has a wider strike zone
than anyone. People aren't paying $50 a seat to see
Shaquille O'Neal foul out.
The
flip side is that O'Neal doesn't need the help. Neither
did Jordan or Montana. It comes with the job. Says
here that Chris Webber could pick up on that fringe
benefit, too.
Two
points
Bonsy
There
are two points on this Shaq thing.
1)
Shaq does foul a lot more than he's called. Only the
most die-hard Laker fan would deny that, and a few
refs. Even SoCal sports writers recognize Shaq gets
away with murder.
2)
It's not going to change.
Item
#1 can be true, and we can also believe that #2 is
true. My posts have only been to make point #1. He
does. Everybody knows it.
Point
#2 is probably debatable. Personally, I've always
said we can't change it and have to play/plan around
it.
The
opinions on #2 are also diverse. I think it's star
favoritism, not a conspiracy for LA teams, but just
the kind of treatment most big stars get. He's bigger
than most.
Point..
Jeff
What
is this junk Laker Fans are bringing about how bad
the game would be if the refs actually called the
game straight up.
That
is pure BS. Why not throw away all the rules, give
the guys folding metal chairs and let em swing until
Shaq ends up the last standing and give him the championship.....Oh
yeah, that already exists. It's called professional
wrestling.
I
love the game of basketball. I love the Sacramento
Kings. But the NBA needs to work on cleaning its own
house up and get these games called according to the
rulebook or else it is nothing other than a joke.
If
Shaq gets in foul trouble, the Lakers aren't as good.
So, then what Shaq has to do is alter his playing
style so that he can stay on the court. If Shaq has
to play differently because he is afraid of getting
into foul trouble, then too bad. It's called playing
within the rules.
Marketing
Laker
Prophet
If
it's entertainment value you want, then right now
Shaq is not top notch. (You feel best about him in
the Finals, as you know he is going to get something
for being so dominant.)
One
problem is of course his size and relative skill.
When Wilt was around there was Russell, so the two
could go to war with each other. Who does Shaq have?
The
rules changes don't affect what I agree is the bigger
problem, and thats micromanagement of the game by
coaches for defensive purposes. The game has changed
because coaches have figured out how to direct bigger
faster guys to keep the points down.
In
the 80s even, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Gervin, Dr J. All
these guys would get into some real shooting matches.
I remember how tough Boston was against the Lakers
in rebounding and holding the ball, but the scores
still went above 100 every night. Now some nights
you worry that they can't hit 100 total for both teams
in three quarters.
Last
year the rules changes on fouls at the end of the
game were done to correct Hack-a-Shaq. But the tinkering
was not needed as Shaq did what everyone said he was
required to do, which is learn to hit a decent number
of foul shots.
Now
we have more changes, but the players won't change
enough and the coaches will find a way around the
rules. I think you may be right... Shaq will not be
able to play quite the same way, but smaller teams
without talent will not stop him from scoring big
numbers, and better teams that overcompensate will
leave lanes open for Kobe (and that goes for any double
teaming against any team with someone who can go quick
to the hole.)
If
you are a skinny guy and too short, its still easier
to imagine you are your favourite jump shooting slashing
superstar than Shaq.
Meanwhile
MJ is coming back so the NBA's marketing woes are
over. :-)
Ah
Spring...
Jeremydb26
Welcome
to this week's episode of National Geographic.
The
Laker fan has long been a mystery to many humans as
they have tried to study their way of life. From the
earliest studies of the Laker fan, it seems that most
of them awake from hibernation in April and enjoy
the early spring time. By studying their patterns,
we have noticed that a long winter's sleep during
the NBA season has allowed them to awaken with keen
senses, full of vigor and confidence as they look
to re-establish their rightful places as kings of
the NBA. Upon awakening from their slumber, they eagerly
search and hunt for their mates the LA Lakers. After
being asleep so long, their patterns indicate that
they have only short committment periods and tend
to move on to other things quickly before winter is
upon them again. Although they quickly attach to their
mate, they only spend half their time with them (generally
just the 2nd and 3rd quarters). With such a zest for
life during their few months before hibernation, they
quickly partake of the many things life has to offer
them. The short period of time they spend with their
mates gives them a lot of confidence, attitude, and
arrogance as they use their relationship with their
mate to establish their dominance over other species.
The
success of their breeding has often times rendered
success thereby feeding their egos and their desire
to dominate over other species. At times, the Laker
fan and their mates have been able to produce offspring
resulting in an NBA title. Other times success does
not come. Upon successfully "fathering"
an NBA title, they celebrate their arrogance, dominance,
and success by destroying the habitat in which they
live. After the season is over and summer is gone,
they Laker fans once again go back into hibernation.
Unfortunately for their mates (the Lakers), they are
left to clean up the Laker fan's mess and prepapre
themselves to be ready to produce again next Spring.
Their mates offer no help or assistance in getting
ready for the next spring season. Instead the Laker
fan goes back into hibernation until Spring. And once
again, he will rise, seek out his mate, use his mate
to feed is ego, and take credit for offspring when
it is produced. Again, little time will be spent with
the mate in helping produce an offspring. For the
Laker fan is consumed with too many other things around
him to pay attention to his mate. The Laker fan looks
to show his dominance and take pride in what their
mate has worked so hard to produce. And wo to the
mate (the LA Lakers) if she fails to produce. For
many times, the Laker fan has been known to hibernate
for years and months at a time when the previous Spring
did not breed any success.
Such
is the life of the Laker fan. What will become of
him we do not know. But we know every spring he will
appear unless the LA Laker mate fails to produce for
him. Then it may be many more winters that he sleeps.
Next
time on National Geographic...the near extinction
of the Cowboys fan!
No
tie
JB
Sorry,
there will be no tie. Danny Crawford will waive off
the Peja three pointer launched with 3 tenths of a
second on the clock. He will spot Rick Adelman standing
at the other end of the court with one toenail hanging
over the baseline and waive the shot off. Or better
yet, the Staples Center clock operator will run off
2 minutes of clock time during a timeout with the
Lakers up by one and 2:01 left to play. Or better
still, while the Kings are running off the court celebrating
their one point victory after time has expired in
the 4th quarter, Danny Crawford decides to put 3 seconds
back on the clock because he rembered the idiot clock
operator ran off a few seconds of the clock in game
one while the ball was out of bounds. The ball is
inbounded to Shaq for the dunk while the Kings are
in the locker room. Shaq takes too long to dunk the
ball and his dunk comes after the buzzer. Crawford
counts the basket anyway and the Lakers win.
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