We all know the Lakers are not going to win a championship without Kobe Bryant, because he’s the best player in the NBA and one of the great closers of all time….
But the last two games, against Portland and San Antonio, have shown just how great this team can be when they play defense and move the ball on offense….
Despite playing without Kobe and Andrew Bynum, the Lakers won at Portland and last night easily handled the Spurs….
As great as Kobe is, I’ve always thought he shoots too much; resulting in his teammates standing around and watching….
The last two games have shown that when everyone is getting touches and playing unselfishly very good things happen….
Hopefully Kobe has been watching closely and makes sure this unselfish team play continues….
How happy did Pau Gasol look last night? Playing without Bryant, Pau looked like a kid on the playground….
He ran the floor, had a smile on his face, was involved on almost every possession and put up 21 points and 19 rebounds….
Gasol was also a force defensively, blocking six shots and changing several others….
Stu Lantz always talks about the importance of “keeping the bigs happy” and last night was a perfect example….
Searching the internet this morning, I found the best line yet regarding the Saints Super Bowl win over the Colts; courtesy of ESPN the magazine’s Jorge Arangure: “I’m sure when Peyton Manning was growing up he always wanted to throw the TD pass that gave the Saints a Super Bowl win. Now he has.”….
That’s very funny and I wish I’d thought of it….
By the way, I actually heard someone on ESPN mention the key play of the game was the Pierre Garson drop of Manning’s pass with a little over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter….
He must have read my column yesterday….
He’s right, because that play won the game for New Orleans….
Instead of a possible TD and a 17-3 lead, the momentum changed and the Saints went on to win….
From the eight minute mark of the second quarter to seven minute mark of the third quarter, Manning did not run a play….
The dropped pass combined with the onside kick and ensuing drive by the Saints kept Peyton on the bench for 15 game minutes and 45 total….
If I were New Orleans owner Tom Benson, I’d award Garson a ring and full playoff share….
Interesting story from ESPN.com:
“Steve Phillips, the former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager, said Monday that he knew he had a sex addiction problem in August — two months before he was fired from his role with the network.
“What I want to do is take ownership,” he said in an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show. “I made some mistakes … I’m fully responsible for what I did.”
Phillips spoke publicly for the first time since he left the Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., the same clinic golfer Tiger Woods reportedly attended.
Phillips didn’t talk extensively about his time at Pine Grove, but did say that it is a place for people who are “broken” and “struggling to find answers.”
Phillips said he realized he had a sexual addiction problem in August, while he was having an affair with ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley. That affair eventually included Hundley contacting Phillips’ wife at their home. It made its way to the New York tabloids, where Phillips was front-page fodder, in October.
“I recognized in August, I needed help,” Phillips said. “I started calling facilities.”
Reaction: Bulls***. He’s a guy with access to women and enjoyed having sex with them. There’s no such thing as sexual addiction for a man and claiming some kind of disease which necessitates going to rehab is absurd. He banged an ugly chick who turned out to be a psycho who contacted his wife. Knowing his career and job with ESPN was in jeopardy, he claimed he had an addiction and needed help.
Again, bulls***…
