The Guru, The Godfather, The Teacher… A hall-of-famer who coached teams to an NIT championship, NCAA Championship, and an Olympic gold medal, Pete Newell’s impact on the game we all love should come out of the shadows now that he has passed away. His first success would come coaching the USF Dons when he would […]
Lakers History
Lakers I Miss: Michael Cooper
Growing up and watching the Lakers, Magic Johnson was my favorite player. His artistry and creativity generated at least one play a game that just amazed me. And every time the Captain, Kareem, swung left and shot right and drained that beautiful sky hook my eyes would light up. And when the team was out on the fast break, nothing thrilled me […]
Lakerology
In these days where the lobe of our brain that is all things Lakers is like a forlorn castaway on a desert island longing for a sip of fresh water, we can look back on some vids and articles that can fill in the time and simultaneously slake and whet our thirst for even a […]
Lakers I Miss: The Fabulous Forum
“Let there be a new NBA basketball champion ensconced in my fabulous new Fabulous Forum.” –Jack Kent Cooke A building that in its later years seemed dated and cavernous. The place where all the tired Laker fan stereotypes were born. The same ones that were trotted out once again during this years Finals. Fair weather […]
Are we tough enough?
Kurt’s post about Riles really got me thinking. It had me reminiscing about past Lakers glory, our current team, and taking the next step. Riley was part of one of the most famous teams in Lakers lore…33 straight wins and a world championship. They exemplified teamwork and player sacrifice for the greater good. After thinking of that […]
Lakers I Miss: Pat Riley
For the newest of NBA fans, Pat Riley is the guy with the slicked-back hair who slid Stan Van Gundy aside to win a coaching title in Miami a couple years back. For somewhat older fans (and those younger ones who watch NBA TV classic games), Riley is the coach with the slicked-back hair who […]
A Rivalry That Spans Generations
It’s the late 50’s and a pattern begins. It involves an emerging professional basketball league, and a team that is about to drag it out of the smoky arenas and into the consciousness of the American sports fan. It involves a team that will draw attention to the new league by its singular and, in […]
The Way-Back Machine
Commenter and reader JD Hasting’s father had great season seats for the Lakers back in the early 1970s, right under the basket. His father recently scanned a whole series of them and Hastings has put them up on his Web site for all to enjoy. The photo above, watching Wilt go up for a finger […]
Nonstop-gesticulating, chair-kicking, sideline-pacing Butch
Former Laker coach Butch Van Breda Kolff, who had a sometimes controversial but always colorful career on the sidelines with 13 teams in three professional leagues and at various colleges over a span of nearly four decades, has died. He was 84. Imagine a 2003 Shaquille O’Neal being traded to last year’s Phoenix Suns. He’s […]
Lakers I Miss: Sam Perkins
Everyone talks about the guy drafted right before Michael Jordan, but the guy that was drafted right after him did pretty well for himself, too. For Laker fans, Sam Perkins was the guy who gave the team its one win in the 1991 Finals against the finally mature Chicago Bulls, then helped the team during […]