Also, the Spurs and Mavs got great teams in their own right. Winning 60 games each deserves to be praised and the fact that each have 3 wins on the top 2 teams in the NBA (Lakers 1, Kings 2), shouldn't be a total shock.

They both are capable of winning a 4th, but right now, I'd rather choose the Lakers chances with their rings and the 2 best players in the game than my flawed, best player-less squad.

One thing I will admit to. Even if Webber didn't go down... the Mavs exposed the Kings this series. People talk about the Lakers lack of role players... I'm not so sky high on the toughness the Kings have. To allow the Mavs to control them this easily, even without Webber, when all you've been saying all year is "we're the uncrowned chamopions" doesn't jive too well with me. I wonder if Petrie feels the same and if he does, what he'll have in store this summer.

Karl Malone is coming to California....

Yes, Malone is coming to California to wear Laker purple and gold.

Malone has admired the Lakers for years. In the lockout season he declared he wanted to play for the Lakers and I expect this offseason will be no different.

I think LA's top choice is P.J. Brown, but if Malone and Shaq play together it would probably be one of the greatest PF/C combos in the history of the NBA.

Kobe played well tonight but just as Kenny Smith said, he hurt the Lakers tonight earlier in the game. They were fortunate to have the chance to win it at the end. The roll players get rattled easily, but Kobe is inconsistant in that area, as well.

The only question is NoCal or SoCal. I believe if Malone goes to the Kings the Lakers will sign Juwan Howard. I am not sure I would not rather have Juwan.

I am completely disappointed and dismayed in the Kings.

They have what it takes to beat the Mavs even without Webber. But last nights game, just like every loss to the Mavs, they played without the necessary discipline to win. They take the lead early playing their own game then they decend into street ball Mavs style. Nobody can beat the Mavs at their own game. Stupid, just stupid.

The Kings can still win the series only if they play with discipline for 48 minutes each of the next two games.

They may have lost too much when Webber went down. He was their inside game, everything went through him. One thing for sure, I don't want to see them play the Lakers or the Spurs the way they are playing right now.

Another thing for sure, there is no way the Mavs can beat the Spurs or the Lakers in a playoff series. The Mavs weakness is the strength of both the Spurs and Lakers. The Mavs fold on the inside/out game of the Kings even without Webber so their is no way they can beat the Lakers or Spurs that are very disciplined and powerful inside teams.

The Kings need Juwan Howard. Malone does not help them and I don't see Petrie being interested. Plus, Webber and Howard are best friends and both have stated how they want to play together again.

If Juwan comes to California it will be with the Kings.

That Horry shot killed us. OUCH!!!

I am far from a laker fan, in fact I am a huge Tim Duncan fan, but last night I admit the better team may have not one. Got to give props to Lakers for coming back and almost pulling it out.

Although that being said I still think the Spurs can win although it probably be in a game 7.

Now can someone tell me why Popavich (sp?) keeps Rose in their. Durring the laker run in the 4th he was in most of it had several turn overs and bad passes, lost the ball out of bounds a couple of times, not to mention missed a lay up again!!!!! This is like the 3rd one he has missed in the playoffs.

Oh, well a win is a win :D and here is hopefully closing out the Lakers on Thursday.

You do not want this to go to a game 7. The Lakers are amazingly resilient. If Horry had hit that shot this series would be over IMO. That guy has been our savior in the past but he is killing us in this series going 0-15 from beyond the arc.

Who would have thought the Lakers and Kings would be down 3-2 at this time in the play-offs been a wild year..... Actually I would prefer a game six win, but I don't see that happening. As for a game 7 I call it - 51/49 with the advantage going to the home team. What ever you call it besides the blow out in game 2 in has been a great series.

With the exception of the officiating I agree. It has been horrible both ways.

This possibility will have me questioning my Laker loyaties in 2003-04.

PLEASE let it be PJ Brown.

No way I want that overhyped Mailman going Postal for such a class organization as the Lakers.:banghead:

Which is why I don't watch the NBA much any more, one team will build up a nice lead, then all of a sudden get called for ticky-tack fouls that are not being called on the other side of the floor, and bam, close game. I think the only time it doesn't work out that way is when one team is really hot and not missing anything, or the other team is so cold they can buy a basket. Which is why the NBA reminds me of the WWF/WWE.

Oh, and Game #6 is a lead pipe lock for the Lakers.

When was the last time you saw a winning postgame conference appear like a loss?

Lakers will win by double-digits in this message sending game.

The Spurs are calling the crisis lines as we speak.

See ya in Game #7, which will be a Lakers victory going away.

Bring on those defensless Cuban Cigars for their proper burial.

No way ABC wants an all-Tejas Conference Finals.

Time for a NBA conspiracy to secure the 3-time Champs their place in history.

It's STILL all good here on the Left Coast....:toast:

As if the NHL play-offs are any better? I've never seen so many referees snacking on whistles when obvious calls are required to be made.

What is the point of a regular season when all you need to find is a hot goalie (i.e. those Disney characters with She-Gere) for the play-offs?

Throw in those ultra-conservative game plans and you've got Soccer on ice with all those shutouts being served up.

If the NBA is WWF, then the NHL is Roller Derby.

What's with the empty seats????:spock:

Horry has missed twenty-six 3 pt attempts in a row.

If the ROCKETS aren't in the Play Offs why watch!:LOL:

As a fan... how could you take much satisfaction from a victory that you openly admit is given to you by the NBA and the refs???? If it's all a big set-up... wtf is the point????

Duncan is playing some awesome ball. Shaq can't even handle him in the paint right now.

no doubt. He sure doesn't look "soft" tonight.

Shaq's got for four fouls with 3:00 mins left in the third.

Spurs by 12... 1:09 left in the 3rd

The Spurs have always struggled in the forth during this series. Lets hope Duncan can keep it up. Shaq needs two more fouls.:)

Oh Boy....could get interesting. There could be a crow shortage.:D

ROFL

ROFL :LOL: :p

They've got Willis on Shaq. Duncan continues to dominate!!!!

according to the anouncers... the Spurs game plan is to LET Shaq get the ball rather than try to deny him. That way everyone else wont get their touches... and will become stagnant. Very interesting....

Spurs by 12

Spurs up by 14!!! Lakers look totally flat.

He just made Shaq his bitch on that second look.

:toast:


I'd be shocked if they didn't make a hell of a run before it's over, though...

exactly where are the fans of the "lake show" anyway?

Yea...


Lakers are due to go on a scoring run, but they better get it going soon.:)

Fans are starting to boo.ROFL

15 point game... fans booing the Lakers ROFL ROFL

Phil Jackson has not lost a playoff series since 1995... that's in some serious danger now...

too late.... this is now an ass-kicking. 20 point lead.

I love it when arrogance is properly rewarded.


where's Oprah? (Cody) :fire:

The Lakers are done!!!!!


Spurs up by 20 and the fans letting the Lakers have it.

yes and BTW....

whining is encouraged. ;)

It's over.


I would love to see the Pistons against anyone of the West teams. I think it would be a good series.

Shaq goes to the bench.... the white flag is waving.

Maybe the Lakers team doctor...
 

.......... should have done an angioplasty on the whole team, not just Phil jackson

:D

Na Ne Na Na......


Na Ne Na Na......


eh Eh eh.....


Goooooooodbye......

Congrats to the Spurs. Great game.

There are some lessons to be learned from this, and this goes for sports and life...

#1. Don't ever be overconfident.

#2. Don't ever stand pat, always try to improve (this goes for the terrible roll players that the Lakers have, and the Lakers being satisfied with 3 rings).


The Bulls weren't this bad. The Bulls had that killer instinct and always tried to get better. And they had Michael Jordan, the best player ever. Michael always wanted to get better...he wanted him and his team to separate themselves from the rest of the league. No one is or was or will be Michael or the Bulls, so I don't hold that against the Lakers. And don't ever compare Kobe to Michael...that's not fair to Kobe. Michael is the best ever, and Kobe gets rattled easily, unlike Michael, but Kobe is still young so hopefully he will get better. :toast:

ROFL

yea!!!

lakers lose, lakers lose


:toast: :toast:

B2Chief,

Exactly who is your NBA team?

As a Laker fan, props to the Spurs. Duncan is dominant and they have a complete team, which is something the Lakers didn't have this year.

The Lakers front office can blame themselves for the downfall this season. Like Cody said, standing pat killed this team. No bench upgrade and no power forward upgrade set the table in the offseason for this. It's pretty awful when you have Jannero Pargo and Medvedenko on the floor with seven minutes left in your season.

Oh well, Rick Fox or a healthy Devean George wouldn't have mattered. Horry's vanishing act, Parker's dominance over Fisher and their bench play made the difference. Duncan was going to get his, but Manu, Bowen and Parker came up huge for them.

The ride was going to end sooner or later. 3 in a row isn't too bad.

we have tried to tell you this all season. It only took you 12 months to learn.

Have a nice slice of crow pie.

I was hoping that Popovich....
 

...... wouldn't forget to use Kevin Willis tonight.

It took him till the 4th quarter to see any real action, but Willis put it to O'Neal in the 4th. Shaq was sucking wind, and Willis was all over the boards.

Duncan was dynamite tonight.

Russ......you dig the wings.....you like the Pistons too?

GB - No, I don't even normally watch the NBA. I haven't since the early 80s when the officiating started to allow more and more contact.

I just wanted to watch Cal eat some prime sh*t tonight as he has sounded worse than Bronco Rob a few years back.

That's not the same cocky Bronco Rob that was always callin' in to 810/1510 is it?

Will Kobe opt out of his contract, and become a FA? I could be wrong, but I think he has that option. Just wondering...

KC - Yes. I hope that Cal is as entertaining these next 12 months as Rob was after Elway retired. He was always good for a laugh or two after that.

NO GAME 7, NO GAME 7


LAKERS ARE DONE......



:p ROFL :p

~Looking forward to no Laker's in the final~

Sometimes you have to get knocked down, to get up. When you taste failure, you don't want to ever fail again. That's how the great ones succeed. MJ was asked several times how he succeeded...he failed lots of times, he didn't ever want to experience that again, and got better and better and better...

This may have been the best thing to happen to the Lakers, so don't hold your heads down. Don't get discouraged. This may change their attitudes. Maybe this will cause the owner and the GM to finally go out and get better talent to surround the two stars. You'll find out this offseason if 3 rings was enough or not.

Cody,

He doesn't have the option to opt out this year. It's next year.

Ok, thanks. That's all I wanted to know. He'd be dumb to leave, IMO. All they need is a better supporting cast, and they're right back in the mix.

Chins Up
 

Rather than bask in the glow of your demise, I choose not to and offer graciousness. The Lakers were great champs. They'll be back. They now know something is ailing this team, and it's Shaq-Kobe's supporting cast. Apart from Devean George, the Lakers may as well just turn over the rest of the squad (maybe keep Rush and Pargo to see if they grow as players).

Mark Madsen's most positive moment of any game is to jump off the bench like some tough guy and go nuts after a Kobe drive to the hoop or a Shaq dunk. How he constantly is shown on national TV, making a spectacle of himself... he's just a tall fan wearing a Lakers jersey. Please get rid of him. And he's just one of many problems.

Good news for you is that you ARE the Lakers. You have the tradition. You have Shaq. You have Kobe. You have Phil Jackson. Um.... I think you won't have much problems revamping and retooling this team. Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Juwan Howard, even Alonzo Mourning... I'll go on record right now and say the Lakers are the team to beat next year.

Re: Chins Up
 

If they improve the supporting cast, they'll be right back in the mix. I agree that they'll be the team to beat next year if they improve the talent.

Games like last nights are exactly why I don't bet on sports.

Congrats to the Spurs!:toast:

They played great. Duncan showed everyone why he's the MVP again. What a player.

LA had it flaws shoved right in their face. We'll see if the front office learned anything from Jerry West, and can improve the supporting cast.

whew, shouldn't have to hear about the Lakers for a while...

HERE'S TO A VERY LONG OFF SEASON FOR THEM !:toast:

ROFL

http://espn-ak.starwave.com/media/nb...0515_skirm.jpg

You can say that about a dozen teams.

I don't see how anybody can beat the Spurs this year.

I still say the loss of Fox hurt more then anybody will admit. It didn't help that Horry reverted to his pre-Laker days.

I'm happy and all that the Lakers are out of it, but........

Have we stopped to think about this yet:

NJ v SA Championship?

Wow. I'm bursting with excitement already:rolleyes:

You mean the Pre - Laker days.....
 

...... when he was a key player on the Houston Rockets back to back NBA champioship teams?

Madsen isn't a problem. While he really has no offensive skills, he plays tough defense and if the Lakers had 3 more guys like him defensively they would be playing game seven.

If you complain about Mark Madsen, surely you would want Mateen Cleeves off your team for the same type antics. Cleaves makes a bigger ass out of himself than Madsen ever could imagine. The only difference is that Madsen actually gets in the games. And I really don't see what is so wrong about standing up and clapping for your teammates. Madsen doesn't ask for the camera attention.

The irony of it all...

Like I predected way back in this thread - SPURS IN 6!:toast:

Why can't I be just as right eith the Chiefs? :huh:

Okay, here it goes...Chiefs finish 11-5 and WIN THE WEST!
They face Buffalo in the AFC Championship and WIN!
They beat the Packers in the SUPER BOWL! :toast:

Wow, his prediction was right on the mark..............




















If "quatro" means getting stomped in the second round.

YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!
The Lakers lost to the Spurs. Soon to become one of the greatest win for the Spurs.Al Davis

(sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep) Russ is a Celtics fan (sweep, sweep, sweep, sweep) and a Red Wings fan. Put the above quotation along side Bill Clinton's "I didn't inhale" statement for posterity. As for eating fecal matter, my upcoming post shall do justice.

Unlike certain canines that post on this board while comfortably residing on the fence, I'm able to offer congratulations to the Spurs for doing the Lakers a GREAT service by beating our asses in Game #6. They actually whipped us in 3 of their 4 wins and it was plain to see they wanted the Ring more than the Lake Show.

Now comes the re-tooling that was badly needed after the 2nd Championship. In 2002, the Lakers added more hardware based upon the other teams FEAR of the Champs. Hence the Spurs and Kings crumbled like the graham cracker crust on your cream cheese pies last season when they porbably had the better overall talent.

This year, the Lakers got to be comedians and slept through the first 30 games going 11-19. They "flipped the switch" and felt that everything was back to normal. The T-Cubs still had that wolf in the headlights look and choked away the series in round One.

Now the Spurs had a score to settle and just about blew chunks in Game #5. Had Horry nailed that 3 it would have been emotionally OVER for them. Their "maturity" came when Duncan decided to honor his MVP status and put the team on his back for Game #6.

No way the Spurs win this clincher unless Duncan goes off. He wanted it and the Lakers did not. Plain and simple. So what happens next to the 3 time Champs? Your greatest fears are about to unfold.

1. Jerry Buss sits down with the Zenmaster and convinces him to stick around for his 10th ring. No way does Jackson walk away after a Game #6 like that. His ego won't tolerate it. Had the Lake Show prevailed, Phil would have retired.

2. Kobe and Shaq get to spend a Summer fielding questions about why they have to carry the Lakers EVERY season. Next thing you know, the Lakers pick up a bonafide power forward (not Karl Malone.....PULLLEEEZZEE!!) along with a legitimate back-up center to spell The Daddy for 10 minutes a game.

3. Say good-bye to; Samaki Walker, Brian Shaw, and possibly Rick Fox. I would say Tracy Murray but we never got to see him shoot the ball for 2003.

4. Robert Horry has too much basketball smarts to get waived. Madsen (despite others opinions) brings energy and hustle onto the court along with frustrating the star forwards by being this lame white guy trying to guard them. Ever watch how pissed the Garnetts and Duncan's get if they miss even ONE shot when he guards them?

5. Derek Fisher and Pargo(rookie) are keepers. Medvedenko just needs to get into the rotation. This guy can spin the twine with his shooting. Problem is, he gets out of position too much in the Triangle.

6. And finally, Cal Injun will continue to post, boast and eventually toast the return of the Lakers to the top in 2004. Boldly predicting Championships (36 straight months of smack) versus a 4 month off-season to eat crow is still a 90% propostion.

The Spurs will no doubt win the Championship as Duncan just elelvated himself to SUPERstar status with that clutch performance in Game #6.

The NEW rivalry for the next 3-4 years will be the Spurs(and their role players) versus the Lakers (and their role players).

The Kings will once again be bridesmaids until they trade off that China doll Webber for someone that resembles a SUPERstar in the clutch.

Mike Kahn From CBS Sportsline's Take
 

Arrogant Lakers brought themselves down
May 16, 2003
By Mike Kahn
SportsLine.com Executive Editor
Tell Mike your opinion!

Arrogance ended the dynasty.

Confidence is one thing, and we know the Los Angeles Lakers had plenty of that. But the "Lake Show" was doomed to failure months before the 2002-2003 season even began.

All the foibles came spilling out as the Spurs annihilated the Lakers in the fourth quarter in front of a hushed Staples Center crowd, ending a 110-82 rout to finish the Western Conference semifinals Thursday night.

We saw Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, his throbbing left knee barely holding up his enormous body as Tim Duncan looked like a younger, newer model, leaving dust in Shaq Diesel's face.

There was his superstar "little brother," Kobe Bryant, with no gas left in his tank, either, as defensive specialist Bruce Bowen and the rest of defense-oriented Spurs cut him off at every turn.

And finally in the face of defeat, there was the ultimate Zen Master looking so calm and forthright -- coach Phil Jackson -- with 25 consecutive playoff series victories, the best winning percentage and most postseason wins in history and nine NBA titles, a record he shares with Red Auerbach. Was it hard to forget that he was less than a week removed from 90 percent heart blockage that required an angioplasty procedure and a stent inserted?

There is a reason why nobody has won more than three titles in a row the past 37 years, and why the Boston Celtics won eight in a row and nine of out 10. Auerbach had that team intact, made improvements along the way and everyone was on the same page or sent packing.

Not these guys, who very well could have pulled it off if they used the same script.

It began immediately after the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets for their third consecutive title last June. Rather than bring in immediate help for their weak cast of role players -- led by aging Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw -- they re-signed young Devean George to an inflated contract.

They ignored free agent Charles Oakley and all other big men who might have helped O'Neal and depended on a weak group of Samaki Walker, Slava Medvedenko and Mark Madsen. Only point guard Derek Fisher, erratic at best, is still in his prime but has to work with unpolished rookies Kareem Rush and Jannero Pargo.

Owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak thumbed their noses at everyone else -- heck, with Shaq and Kobe, we don't need much else, they said.

But that was presuming Shaq was all there. Oh, he was there all right, a little too much of him, again. His weight wasn't in the 360-pound range as he had been, but there were other issues. He waited until Sept. 11 to have foot surgery that caused him to miss training camp and the first 12 regular-season games. It also required more time to get in good enough condition to be competitive, and the result was an 11-19 start that left the team's chemistry in shambles. He said all season it was because he wanted three opinions on what to do with his foot.

Since when does it require nearly three months to get three opinions?

He copped out on his teammates.

Yes, they pulled it back together to finish 50-32, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, they were already tempting fate. O'Neal struggled, and with his foot and knee aching, he suddenly realized that at 31 and carrying too much weight, kryptonite wasn't required to break his body down. And despite being just 24, Bryant was clearly weary from carrying the team much of the season. George had been a bust, and nobody was helping O'Neal inside at all.

They looked very beatable before coming together to eliminate Timberwolves in the first round. They lost Fox to a torn tendon in his left foot and George subsequently sprained an ankle. And yet the Lakers still believed they could beat the Spurs.

The bigger question was whether the Spurs actually believed they could beat the Lakers. Yes, the Spurs were fabulous down the stretch of the regular season, finishing 41-9 and even sweeping the Lakers in four regular-season games.

They had added a lot of athleticism in Manu Ginobili and Speedy Claxton, with upgraded roles for Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson to complement Duncan. Malik Rose, in his bull-in-a-china-shop manner, was a terror inside subbing for Duncan and David Robinson, in the final season of his fabulous career.

And yet, the Lakers' arrogance (they had won eight of the past nine playoff games between the teams) still had the Spurs' confidence a little shaky. But by virtue of having the best regular-season record, the series opened in San Antonio, and the Spurs won Games 1 and 2 without much of an issue. The Lakers stung them badly in Game 3 in Los Angeles, but it was Game 4 that raised eyebrows. The Spurs opened up a 16-point lead and looked to be taking control of the series, only to fall apart in the third quarter, miss free throws down the stretch and give the Lakers life.

It was even worse in Game 5, when they blew virtually all of a 25-point lead they held late in the third quarter. But Horry's 3-pointer at the buzzer seemingly had the hand of the "Basketball Gods" push it out of the basket after it was two-thirds of the way down. Shell-shocked but victorious, the Spurs took a 3-2 lead to Los Angeles on Thursday night.

When that shot came out, the dreams of four consecutive titles ended. Even Horry, the quiet assassin with five titles (including two in Houston) who seemingly always hit the game-winning 3-pointer, was foiled. In fact, by the end Thursday night, he had missed 26 in a row and was 2-for-38 in the playoffs.

That was just a small part of the problem. The Lakers couldn't deal with Duncan, a magnificent technician inside. And even Robinson, dealing with back problems and sore knees as he approaches his 38th birthday, still had the savvy and skills to create some problems for O'Neal.

But that's not what caused them to lose when all was said and done. It began with not tweaking the roster up front and O'Neal's delayed surgery. They were just too arrogant to believe anyone was capable of derailing the Shaq Diesel Express on their way to setting new standards for excellence.

In some way, they believed they were taking their best shot at making history.

What they were left with Thursday night was an errant swing and a myth.

Trying to find a source online, but SportsCenter this morning definitely said the Lakers will NOT pick up the option on Horry.

Cal, you're making a mistake by not giving Dallas any respect. Win or lose tonight, they have definitely made great progress and clearly belong in the class of Championship-contending NBA Elite.

Cal,

The LA Times reported that the Lakers wouldn't pick up Horry's 5 million dollar option.

He could come back at a lesser salary, but LA can't shell out 5 million to a guy who doesn't show up for the regular season and then only has 1 good playoff game.

His defense is awful. They need a better player at that position.