Brian Lawrence
Senior HTF Member
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- Feb 28, 1998
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- Brian
Looks like George Kaplan, need not update his sig anytime soon :p)
Michael was certainly a class act!Depending on which reports you listened too...
Well I'll personally take the high road on this one. Congratulations to the Spurs. They displayed the killer instinct to finally put the Lakers away. That was good for them because I didn't hold hopes for them beating Sac (although I think they can beat Dallas regardless) without that mental toughness that defines championship teams.
And for all of us Lakers fans who are frustrated with Laker-haters. Don't be! Success breeds contempt (not universally, but it does happen). But do any of the snide comments take the banners off of The Staples Center? Does it tarnish the three-peat? Think about how many banners are hanging in most other NBA arenas and just be proud of your Lakers. Dr. Buss better open up that checkbook in the years to come, though, or this may become a familiar sight.
One last thing: I think the ultimate respect paid to the Lakers was the fact that the Laker haters didn't show up to this thread until it was all over. If they didn't respect the Lakers' talent, they would have shown up when the Spurs took the first two games at home, since teams that win Games 1-2 win over 80% of the time! But people still respected the skills of the Lakers and didn't want to eat crow until it was all over.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Ashlyn Horry is 8, and she can hear her daddy, Robert, on a telephone pressed to her ear.
She can hear him tell her that he loves her and misses her. She can hear him talk about his Los Angeles Lakers and the game and how he'll be coming home soon.
As hard as it is to face, Robert Horry doesn't believe Ashlyn understands a word he's saying to her. "To be honest," he said Monday, "I don't think so." But he continues to fill her ears with his voice.
There's only one way Horry knows that Ashlyn hears him: His wife, Keva, gets on the line afterward and recounts their daughter's colorful facial expressions during her one-way conversation with daddy.
Ashlyn Horry cannot speak. She cannot walk. She cannot eat on her own and mostly is fed through a tube in her stomach.
There is no guarantee she will be able to ever function normally.
She was born without part of her first chromosome.
Horry knows the genetic defect has a name. But he can't relay it and frankly, he didn't think it was important to commit it to memory. But he and his wife have been told that Ashlyn has a neurological syndrome that mimics cerebral palsy. The Horrys' other child, Camron, 3, is perfectly healthy.
"It has to be hard, but Robert doesn't talk about it much," teammate Brian Shaw said. "The thing with his little girl obviously has given him a perspective that gets lost out here sometimes. He knows it's just a game. It's like he's living in two different worlds."
In one world, Horry, 31, is known as a winner, a clutch shooter who has had a knack for being at the right place at the right time. He won two NBA titles while with the Houston Rockets, and is now seeking a fifth overall ring with the Lakers after being traded to L.A.
"People say, 'He's just been a lucky guy to be on good teams,' " Horry said. "But all I know is that no matter what, my family will still love me."
MJ was probablly a pr**K behind the scenes, but on the court and in press conferences, he knew how to say thingsThat is what is wrong with sports today...all about the image...I am glad Kobe shows emotion and says what he wants. I am sick of hearing athletes say what they think they have to say. It is good for the sport, if you hate Kobe because you think he is cocky, it builds interest in the game because you root against him. Who wants to watch a bunch of robots? Not me, Kobe busts his ass to get to the level he is at. Look at someone like Iverson...to me he is a waste, doesn't practice, disrespects his coach, plays when he wants...who wants to pay money to see that. Kobe runs his mouth sure, but his dedication to the game allows him that much...
dan
I don't have a problem with Kobe crying on national TV. I wish that I had his drive and determination to be the best in the world. It's just too bad for him that his teammates didn't put in even half of his effort this year.Wow, from a Sacramento fan, I'm touched!
And I agree wholeheartedly. Actually, if only SHAQ would adopt his off-season regiment, they'd still be unstoppable. I'm tired of Shaq's off-season training schedule of shooting a bad movie, Crunch commercials (where I'm sure he eats them during breaks), and whatever else. He is so reliant now on his size and trying to dominate in the low block that he forgot there's a whole other side to being a great center - the high post and using mobility as a devastating changeup to size and strength. Kobe has never once come into the season out-of-shape and there's something always improved about his game every year. Shaq seems to be regressing, health issues I know are a concern, but if he were lighter on his feet he wouldn't have as many of those injuries!
And no to clarify I'm not talking about "confidence" which is on a completly different level than arrogance- arrogance is when Shaq makes comments about how Dekembe Mutombo should just try playing him in checkers instead because he can't guard him. This guy is a joke. Michael Jordan (yes cocky but not arrogant), Wayne Gretzky, Julius Irving, Mario Lemieux- they are the class of sports- true champions and humble.This is the truth though. Mutombo cannot guard Shaq. Watch some tapes from the finals two years ago and see the pain Sixers fans had to go through. I wouldn't say most of the Wizards players from this year considered MJ humble. They hated the guy for his arrogance and ran one of the greatest players of all time out from their team because of it.
People seem to forget that over the past 4 years no one has played as many games as the Lakers. Three straight championship runs takes a toll on a team physically and emotionally. Shaq was never a hundred percent this year when it came to his feet. I agree that he probably does need to work harder in the off season as he gets up in age, but he was still the best center and most dominating player in the league this past season, so how much work does he really need to do.
If they can land another stud for their starting lineup, or more preferably their bench as well as a couple roll players, look for them to be back on top. Fisher has got to go from the starting lineup. He has killed them all season with his defense. You would think he would learn to go over a screen by now instead of leaving players to shoot uncontested jumpers all day.
J