“The first and only “voice” of the Lakers for more than 40 years, Francis “Chick” Hearn taught the game of NBA basketball to Los Angeles while providing his “word’s eye view” for an unprecedented streak of 3,333 games. His style and innovation will influence every basketball announcer and broadcast forever.” -from the Staples Center plaque […]
The Twenty-foot Lay-up
The ball would swing back behind his left ear and, in a circular motion, move back behind his head, held high above his wiry 6′ 6″ 190 lb. frame. A slight bend of the knees and, without ever passing the crown of his head, it was gone. Released skyward, still moving, in a slow motion, […]
In God We trust; all others bring data.
There is a poetry that can be found in numbers. When you turn numbers over and around, when you attempt to make them tell you a specific story, those numbers begin to speak to you. When the numbers melt into the Language, they acquire the power to do all of the things which language can […]
2006 USA Basketball Men’s World Championship Team Finalists Roster
2006-08 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team 2006 USA Basketball Men’s World Championship Team Finalists Roster Carmelo Anthony Gilbert Arenas Shane Battier Chris Bosh Bruce Bowen Elton Brand Kirk Hinrich Dwight Howard LeBron James Antawn Jamison Joe Johnson Brad Miller Chris Paul Amare Stoudemire Dwyane Wade Cuts: Morrison, Ridenour and Marion (injury) Intial reactions: Dwight […]
Is he wearing the pants in the family or simply putting the creases in them?
Being Mitch Kupchak continued… Is their a sixth and a half floor in the training facility in El Segundo? Because I know that a lot of us would love to take that elevator and pull the emergency stop button in between floors. What do we as outsiders really know about Kupchak and the inner workings […]
Tears in Heaven…
The Lakers’ recent playoff run impressed upon us some indelible moments: Smush’s steal, Kobe’s jam over Nash, Raja Bell’s clothesline, and Lamar Odom’s glee. It followed Kobe’s buzzer beater off a Luke Walton jump ball, and it was a moment of unbridled joy. We are used to seeing athletes celebrate, but it is usually a […]
Luck be a Laker
A Time for Reflection: Past drafts may conjure up images of Sam Bowie and broken legs, Len Bias and broken dreams, or more recently Darko Milicic and broken chains. Laker fans specifically have spent plenty of time either thinking about, or avoiding thinking about, Kupchak era draft picks. But the draft is almost always ultimately […]
Eaten by the Slow Start Monster
101-97, 22 seconds left, Bryant should be exchanging an Easter egg on his dome for a trip to the charity stripe, but… As the title of the post suggests, the pivotal moments in the game occurred in the opening stanza with Nash getting the bulk of his points there. Because of the slow start, the […]
We’ll see who blinks first
“Something has gotten into himâ€: Phil has anointed Kwame as the Golden Child in this series. A “featured playerâ€, if you will. This could have a couple of corollary effects. One making Kwame aware that Phil values him. The master manipulator has by this time learned to nurture Kwame’s fragile self perception. Phil wants confident […]
It’s Showtime…
…for Kurt and family. Kurt’s newest addition is on the way. The little Laker fan is coming a little early, but I bet no one is complaining about that. Kurt will try to find time in the next few days to share his playoff preview and… “…will see if I can get my wife out […]