Thursday, April 29, 2004
Kobe and The Lake Show
Boo and jeer all you like, I'm a big Lakers fan. Glad to see that Kobe's trouble in court didn't stop him from pouring in 31 points on the court to knock Houston out of the playoffs. Beating the Rockets in 5 was about what I figured would happen. Now its revenge time against the quietest defending NBA champ there ever was, San Antonio. I like the Lakers in 6. I still believe that the only team who can beat LA is LA. If these egos can all stay focused on the ultimate prize, they won't be beat. There's no question that Malone knows what's at stake. Gary Payton, despite gripes about playing time, is in the same boat. Shaq will be out for blood against the Spurs. That leaves Kobe's troubles in court as the only obstacle. Thus far, he's persevered. He's going to have to be the difference in this series. Shaq and Malone will have their hands full switching off on super-amazing Tim Duncan but, by my count, that's two superstars in the frontcourt to one. The key to the series, I believe, will be if Gary Payton and Derek Fisher can neutralize the Spurs' Tony Parker. I think Payton is up to the challenge. If those matchups fall into place for LA, then Kobe will be enough to put them over the top.
Sidenote: the Kobe Bryant trial should not be national news, just as Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, and Scott Peterson don't deserve national attention. All this frenzy over something that won't have any effect on how I live my life is ridiculous. Last I checked, none of them had anything to do with the election, Iraq, the economy, anything relevant to America's well-being, etc. Before you say, "Well, you're a Lakers fan and who cares whether they win or lose?" I say that the Lakers are paid to play, perform, ENTERTAIN. There's a large amount of emotional investment that goes into being a sports fan and the spontaneity of sport is something that no book or film can match. Conversely, if Kobe Bryant isn't shooting hoops, then I don't really care what he's doing. Not that this would excuse the charges he has against him, but I can't understand how anyone would justify this as "serious news" when it's nothing more than a circus. Case in point: OJ Simpson.
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Sidenote: the Kobe Bryant trial should not be national news, just as Michael Jackson, Robert Blake, and Scott Peterson don't deserve national attention. All this frenzy over something that won't have any effect on how I live my life is ridiculous. Last I checked, none of them had anything to do with the election, Iraq, the economy, anything relevant to America's well-being, etc. Before you say, "Well, you're a Lakers fan and who cares whether they win or lose?" I say that the Lakers are paid to play, perform, ENTERTAIN. There's a large amount of emotional investment that goes into being a sports fan and the spontaneity of sport is something that no book or film can match. Conversely, if Kobe Bryant isn't shooting hoops, then I don't really care what he's doing. Not that this would excuse the charges he has against him, but I can't understand how anyone would justify this as "serious news" when it's nothing more than a circus. Case in point: OJ Simpson.
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