Comments on: Live Blog Game 3

By: Roland Lazenby

Roland Lazenby — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:31:04 +0000

Craig (and Kurt),
Thank you for the kind comments. Please don’t forget Winnin’ Time by Scott Ostler and Steve Springer. And Springer’s book on Chick is something special as well.
It’s a grand time to be a Lakers fan. They’re playing the right way, which makes each game a treat.

Roland Lazenby

By: Kurt

Kurt — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 15:45:38 +0000

New Game 3 Thoughts post up.

By: Craig W.

Craig W. — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:29:18 +0000

Pato, Kurt is absolutely right: â€œThe Showâ€ by Roland Lazenby is the first book any real Laker fan should read. While it doesn’t get into individual games, it is told by the people themselves – like Jerry West – and covers all the basic Laker lore and secrets. Besides it is a really fun book to read. Lazenby is a very good writer and I would also look into other books by him.

By: nomuskles

nomuskles — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:26:23 +0000

I respectfully disagree about Byron Scott, Wilkes, and Cooper’s Jersey’s deserving retirement. It seems that the Lakers’s level of criteria is that you have to be a superstar and the leader of the team for multiple years. Having not grown up in the correct era, I’m not sure if Gail Goodrich meets that criteria, but everyone else hanging from the rafters is a legend, including Chick Hearn. I think Boston has retired way too many numbers (a lot of those guys I’ve never even heard of). And while we’re on the subject of banners, I’ve always appreciated that the Lakers never hang “western conference champion” or “pacific division champion” banners from the rafters. For some teams, that’s good and all, but for the Lakers, the only accomplishment worthy of permanent honor is the whole banana.

Random other thoughts about jersey retirements.
-Will Shaq have his number retired in LA? How about Miami?
-Will Kobe have his Jersey retired in LA? Which number? I vote for 8, I bet he’d vote for 24.
-The font and color of the “Jerseys” retired in Staples Center are inaccurate. Baylor, West, Chamberlain and Goodrich wore white numbers, not purple ones, for most of their careers with the Lakers.
-The Lakers aren’t the only ones with this problem. The Jazz have different style jerseys retired for their retirees and the Sixers have different styled achievement banners from the Charles Barkely era vs the Allen Iverson era because of the change in logo and colors.

By: The Dude Abides

The Dude Abides — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:25:25 +0000

Pato, because the old Lakers like Mikan and Mikkelsen were in Minneapolis and not Los Angeles, the Lakers did a special ceremony a couple years ago and put up one banner for all the Minneapolis championship teams. I don’t know why their numbers have not been retired. I do agree that from the Showtime era Lakers, the jersey numbers of Byron Scott, Jamaal Wilkes, and Michael Cooper should be retired.

By: UCR Mike

UCR Mike — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:12:04 +0000

Off topic: Anyone see that article about Jay z making a diss towards a Wizards player at a club? It’s a pretty funny read if you get the chance. Here it is:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/

By: laughing hard

laughing hard — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:44:28 +0000

LA Times confirms that Ariza has been cleared to play:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep27apr27,1,153248.story

That’s great news — he should be really helpful at slowing down Deron Williams for stretches during the second round!

By: ChaosRR

ChaosRR — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:22:44 +0000

Pato you might try “The Lakers Encyclopedia”

http://www.amazon.com/Los-Angeles-Times-Encyclopedia-Lakers/dp/188379224X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209277310&sr=8-1

By: Britton

Britton — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:09:29 +0000

By the way, did anyone see the way Al Horford just went off on Paul Pierce after hitting that late jumper tonight? I’m trying to decide if that was a bold move of a young leader making a statement, or a stupid, stupid kid who just inspired one of the best small forwards in the league to shove it down his throat. Hmmmm

By: Britton

Britton — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:03:59 +0000

(13): That is such great news about Ariza, though you have to figure he’d like 4-5 games to get his feet under him. Even so, the idea of having a guy who can guard those 2s-3s and tweens is great. If Denver and Carmelo Anthony had any desire to truly compete this series, we’d be talking a lot more about how the Lakers have absolutely no one that can really stop Anthony when he and Denver are in their groove. You wouldn’t want Kobe on him, because of how he can post up and draw cheap fouls. Hopefully Trevor can be that buffer to keep Kobe off the guys who can from time to time be really trouble from the swingman position.