Sports - NBA 4 - All Stars Sign In - Page 17

.one.ray.of.sunlight. · 03-22-2004, 12:45 AM

I hoped New Jersey would have won against Dallas, they were so close.

The Kings pulled out another win from 17 down to beat the Rockets.

Headhunter · 03-22-2004, 08:47 AM

Shaq destroyed the Bucks; what a monster performance, 14-16 shooting and a near triple double...

Jordan23 · 03-24-2004, 11:27 AM

Quote:

originally posted by NikNak:

I love it, of course. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Thanks, twin. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Looking forward to this game tonight..

Quote:

Kings and Lakers Prepare for Showdown Tonight

EL SEGUNDO - The media engulfed Rick Fox and waited for him to unload one of his typical salvos at the Sacramento Kings.

All the numerous media members at Tuesday's practice needed to do was ask the right question to set Fox off.

For Fox, it's not about the Lakers catching the Kings in the Pacific Division or atop the Western Conference. For Fox, it's about keeping the Kings down and letting them know the Lakers have won three of the past four NBA championships, while Sacramento still hasn't reached the NBA Finals.

"I don't like them as basketball players," Fox said. "I don't like them as a team. But it's nothing personal." [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

The Lakers and Kings have one of the best rivalries in the NBA and they bring that dislike for each other into tonight's 7:30 game at Staples Center.

Sacramento won the first two meetings this season and holds a 3�-game lead over the Lakers.

"We continue to carry the same amount of respect that we've always carried for them, which is a healthy taste of dislike," said Fox, and added that "they want what we have."

"They want to basically bury us. That makes for great basketball, and what we have now hasn't in any way been quieted."

It would be a long road to travel for the Lakers to catch the Kings.

The Lakers have 12 regular-season games remaining: nine at home and three on the road, including April 11 at Sacramento. They play eight games against teams with winning records.

The Kings have 11 games left: four at home, seven on the road. They play eight games against teams with winning records.

The Lakers trailed the Kings by as many as six games - the last time being March 15 - but made up some ground when Sacramento lost two straight last week. The Lakers will enter tonight's game on two days of rest, while it will be the second of back-to-back games for the Kings, who lost at home to Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

"I don't see how we can overcome Sacramento in the regular season if we don't win both these games," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

He added that by winning the final two against the Kings, "It's not ultimately going to bring a championship or not bring a championship. But it would be a thrill for us."

The task for the Lakers grows because Kobe Bryant is facing a difficult time. Bryant has a preliminary hearing today in Eagle, Colo., for his felony sexual assault case, and has another Thursday.

Jackson said it's "almost 95 percent sure" that Bryant will make it back in time for tonight's game.
The Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night - another tough test for Bryant and the Lakers. The Lakers are 0-3 against the Timberwolves, who are also ahead of them in the conference.

"He's going to be flying back and forth," Gary Payton said. "That's a hard thing. There's jet lag and stuff like that.

"He's a tough kid," Payton said, and added, "We're going to try and make it as painless as possible for him."

In the past when Bryant had to leave for a hearing, his teammates noticed a difference in him.
"He gets a little quiet," Payton said.

Karl Malone said it's "absolutely" important for the Lakers to defeat both Sacramento and Minnesota.
"If anybody says it's not important, they're lying," Malone said. "It's really important. It should be important."

Malone is new to this Lakers-Kings rivalry. He didn't play in the first two games because he was injured. He is healthy now.

"I see them as a very talented team," Malone said. "They run the offense we run, maybe better than we run it, and they look at every option. Everybody on their team is capable of having big nights. But I think what we have to realize is that we have a pretty good team, too."

Jordan23 · 03-25-2004, 08:55 AM

Kings vs Lakers game last night...all I can say is DAMN...and the referee's sucked last night! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

~*Magical*~ · 03-25-2004, 11:47 AM

I saw that game last night, or atleast parts of it. It was hard to watch. And though the refs do suck whenever it involves the Lakers, the Kings played like crap last night. I love the Kings, but what are they doing recently? They have to get it together, Lakers are only 2 and a half games behind. I hate the Lakers!! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Jordan23 · 03-25-2004, 02:05 PM

Oh I know the Kings game was off last night but damn the referees were calling some b.s calls or not calling for that matter calls at all.

I agree that they need to get there heads straight again, from the beginning of the game, they looked like they weren't into the game at all. I was hoping for a good game to watch.... [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

Carmelo Anthony · 03-25-2004, 05:40 PM

Nuggets got a huge win last night over the T-Wolves to move back into the 8th and final playoff spot.

Headhunter · 03-25-2004, 08:13 PM

The Kings really need to use Brad Miller more effectively; he needs consistent minutes and more touches to propell the offensive machine.

Jordan23 · 03-26-2004, 08:38 AM

Damn the Nuggets beat the TWolves....I guess the Kings aren't the only good team playing bad. [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

Quote:

Wolves lose their cool and everything else

DENVER � Several mountain-sized obstacles stood in the Timberwolves' way Wednesday night.

A late-night flight from the Twin Cities to Denver. The altitude. The desperation of a Denver team fighting for its playoff life. The tail end of back-to-back games.

The Wolves forgot one other concern: composure.

Instead of looking like a team ready to challenge the Sacramento Kings for the best record in the Western Conference, the Wolves melted down during a 101-92 loss to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.

"I thought we let the refereeing get into our heads," frustrated Wolves coach Flip Saunders said. "It was inconsistent, and I thought we let that affect us mentally. We beat ourselves."

The loss cut the Wolves' lead over San Antonio in the Midwest Division to 2� games. The schedule doesn't get any easier for Minnesota, which plays the Lakers in Los Angeles on national television Friday night.

These weren't the same Wolves who blew out the Nuggets on Sunday at the Target Center. They were careless with the ball (21 turnovers) and too often stood at one end of the court arguing with the referees while the Nuggets sprinted past them for easy baskets (30 fastbreak points).

"We turned it over 21 times. � All you're doing is asking to get your butt kicked," Saunders said. "Defensively, when they shoot 36 percent against you, you should have an opportunity to win the game."

The talk in the locker room afterward was the officiating. The Nuggets doubled the Wolves in free-throw attempts (42-21), and the Wolves let the non calls get to them.

"They have a lot of power out there," Sam Cassell said. "I'm not going to say too much so I don't get fined. I will say this: They control who wins and who loses games."

Cassell scored only six points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field. He ended up fouling out and picking up a technical. Cassell spent too much of the game pleading calls with the officials, rather than playing. He picked up his fifth and sixth fouls on offense less than two minutes apart in the fourth quarter.

"The difficult thing is we have only one point guard right now," Saunders said. "As a team we have to understand that. They're not going to change calls. What happened was, the more we complained, the more they became ticky-tack at their end, and we went to the bucket and didn't get any calls. That happens sometimes. That's why it's better to keep your mouth shut and go out and play."

Kevin Garnett took only 12 shots but was one Minnesota player who seemed to get the benefit of the doubt from the officials; he was 11 of 12 from the free-throw line and finished with 24 points. He also received a technical in the first half.

"We have to play through it," Garnett said of the officiating. "I think that sort of took us out of our rhythm a little bit. You can't use that as an excuse. I think we went away from things we have doing as of late."

The Wolves went away from looking for their hot shooters. Fred Hoiberg, who came off the bench to score 17 points, made his first six shots from the field, including a three-pointer that brought the Wolves within two points, 83-81, with a little less than eight minutes remaining. But Hoiberg went five possessions before taking another shot.

"That's not playing smart basketball. That's the difficult thing when you play back to back; you're a little bit tired," Saunders said. "You have to lock in. We weren't locked in."

[ 03-26-2004: Message edited M_J_23 ]

Jordan23 · 03-30-2004, 09:33 AM

Knee tendinitis sidelines T-mac

Calvin Murphy surrenders to Authorities

Jordan Airs out Carmelo Anthony

Btw, has anybody seen the Jordan-brand commercials featuring Melo? There nice... [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

***NikNak*** · 03-30-2004, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by M_J_23:
<STRONG>Btw, has anybody seen the Jordan-brand commercials featuring Melo? </STRONG>

Yeah, I have, they are nice.

Oh, and I love the article that Jordan called Carmelo. The best giving some advice to a newbie. Hee! Good reading.

See you on the new thread. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]


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