L.A. Lakers 99, Detroit 91 (OT) Kobe Amazes Again,
Lakers Knot Series
LOS ANGELES, June 8 (Ticker) -- Kobe Bryant figured out the defense of the Detroit Pistons, just in time to save the Los Angeles Lakers' season.
Bryant buried a tying 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation, then took complete control of overtime as the Lakers scrambled for an emotional 99-91 victory over the Pistons that evened the NBA Finals at one game each.
Again showing his outstanding clutch tendencies, Bryant scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as he pulled the Lakers from the brink of facing an obstacle no team had ever overcome.
Los Angeles was seconds from dropping the first two games at home, and no team ever has won the title after doing that.
Basketball
Moderator: mods
Prachtpot, maar de Pistons hadden deze wedstrijd nooit meer uit handen mogen geven. Larry Brown en z'n spelers moeten zich diep schamen dat men geen persoonlijke fout maakte op Shaq toen die de bal kreeg aangespeeld in de aanval die tot de gelijkmakende driepunter van Kobe leidde. :nooo:
De Pistons hadden een hand op de trofee, maar nu kunnen ze 't wel schudden. Hier komen ze niet meer overheen.
De Pistons hadden een hand op de trofee, maar nu kunnen ze 't wel schudden. Hier komen ze niet meer overheen.
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
Maar ze hebben toch maar mooi één pot in LA gewonnen, waarmee het thuisvoordeel teniet is gedaan. Het verweer van de Pistons is toch heviger dan door menigeen voorspeld. Mijn inziens keren ze terug naar Detroit met een dubbel gevoel: mooi dat ze het thuisvoordeel hebben afgesnoept, zuur dat ze niet een onoverkomelijke 2-0 voorsprong hebben kunnen nemen.
Hoewel jij dichter bij het vuur zit bestrijd ik jouw visie als zou de finale reeds gespeeld zijn...
Hoewel jij dichter bij het vuur zit bestrijd ik jouw visie als zou de finale reeds gespeeld zijn...
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
2 puntjes in een OT is dramatisch en het zal inderdaad het zelfvertrouwen geen goed hebben gedaan. Het zal toch niet zo zijn dat de Pistons de eerste punten in de OT maakte, immers wint de ploeg die de eerste punten maakt de wedstrijd, zo luidt een aloude basketballleus...
Maargoed, jouw voorspelling is dat de Lakers erop en erover gaan! 4-1?
Maargoed, jouw voorspelling is dat de Lakers erop en erover gaan! 4-1?
Neuh, Detroit zal niet driemaal achtereen thuis verliezen. Ik denk 4-2 Lakers.Buijtendijk schreef:2 puntjes in een OT is dramatisch en het zal inderdaad het zelfvertrouwen geen goed hebben gedaan. Het zal toch niet zo zijn dat de Pistons de eerste punten in de OT maakte, immers wint de ploeg die de eerste punten maakt de wedstrijd, zo luidt een aloude basketballleus...
Maargoed, jouw voorspelling is dat de Lakers erop en erover gaan! 4-1?
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
Ach, laat dat nu net mijn voorspelling geweest zijn voor aanvang van de Finals! :bis:
Maar ik betwijfel het nog steeds. Ik kan mij niet voorstellen dat een strijdlustige ploeg als de Pistons nu niets meer klaarspeelt. Ik vermoed dat ze zichzelf hebben verrast door met een 1-1 uit LA weg te komen. En de tegenstand die ze hebben geboden zal ze een extra duw geven. Het verlies van afgelopen nacht moet even de tijd krijgen om verwerkt te worden, en wie weet wat er dan nog staat te gebeuren...
Maar ik betwijfel het nog steeds. Ik kan mij niet voorstellen dat een strijdlustige ploeg als de Pistons nu niets meer klaarspeelt. Ik vermoed dat ze zichzelf hebben verrast door met een 1-1 uit LA weg te komen. En de tegenstand die ze hebben geboden zal ze een extra duw geven. Het verlies van afgelopen nacht moet even de tijd krijgen om verwerkt te worden, en wie weet wat er dan nog staat te gebeuren...
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Monkey Tonk
- Berichten: 9375
- Lid geworden op: vr sep 19, 2003 6:54 pm
- Locatie: route 66
De Lakers krijgen het nog lood en loodzwaar. Karl Malone hobbelt mee met een zware knieblessure. De irritante Gary Payton speelt helemaal niks klaar tegen Chauncey Billups. Dat zijn twee van je starters. Op dit niveau zit je dan onherroepelijk in de problemen.
Tenzij LA Detroit's verdediging nu opeens wel weet te lezen, en daar leek het aan het eind van game 2 op, wint Detroit twee van de volgende drie partijen. En dan kunnen de Lakers alleen nog maar in zeven winnen.
Bijkomend nadeel voor LA: Shaq's nummers zijn ronduit slecht als hij maar een dag rust heeft. Zo pakte hij gisteravond tot in de slotfase maar 4 rebounds. Daar werd LA bijna op afgerekend, want de Pistons hadden 17 offensieve rebounds in de normale speeltijd! LA moet zich daarom richten op game 4, de enige pot in de Finals met twee rustdagen. Als de Lakers met een 3-2 achterstand naar LA terugkomen, worden ze volgens mij kampioen.
Tenzij LA Detroit's verdediging nu opeens wel weet te lezen, en daar leek het aan het eind van game 2 op, wint Detroit twee van de volgende drie partijen. En dan kunnen de Lakers alleen nog maar in zeven winnen.
Bijkomend nadeel voor LA: Shaq's nummers zijn ronduit slecht als hij maar een dag rust heeft. Zo pakte hij gisteravond tot in de slotfase maar 4 rebounds. Daar werd LA bijna op afgerekend, want de Pistons hadden 17 offensieve rebounds in de normale speeltijd! LA moet zich daarom richten op game 4, de enige pot in de Finals met twee rustdagen. Als de Lakers met een 3-2 achterstand naar LA terugkomen, worden ze volgens mij kampioen.
Karl Malone promised that if the Lakers won the NBA championship, someone would have to drag him off the court. Now, he would be lucky to be on the court at all for that moment.
Malone reinjured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the first quarter against Detroit, and his status for the rest of the series is in doubt. Malone ended up playing 39 minutes, including the entirety of overtime, but the injury is similar to the one he suffered in the regular season.
Malone reinjured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the first quarter against Detroit, and his status for the rest of the series is in doubt. Malone ended up playing 39 minutes, including the entirety of overtime, but the injury is similar to the one he suffered in the regular season.
Ik sluit me aan bij de mening van Steef over de wedstrijd, maar ik denk dat het nog niet gespeeld is. Als Kobe ook maar 1 slechte wedstrijd heeft, dan spelen de Lakers niets klaar. Gisteren was hij goed maar het had natuurlijk nooit mogen scoren. Als je 3 punten voor staat dan foul je Shaq, die scoort 1 of misschien met heel wat geluk 2 van z'n freethrows en dan heb jij de bal met een voorsprong van 1 of 2 punten. Shaq was weer slecht gisteravond, om het maar niet over Payton en Malone(geblesseerd) te hebben. Ik geef de Pistons nog een goede kans als ze de eerste wedstrijd in Detroit winnen.'
"Big players make big plays at big moments"
"Big players make big plays at big moments"
By David Aldridge
Special to ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- Here's where Pound for Pound has to earn his loot.
Rasheed Wallace calls Larry Brown "Pound for Pound." I thought it was in reference to "pound for pound, the best coach out there," although 'Sheed says it simply is a reflection of the man's initials, LB. As in, you know, pound.
See, I think Larry Brown is the greatest basketball coach currently walking this earth. There is no situation, no team, no time in which you wouldn't want him on your sidelines drawing up sets and trying to get your team to play the right way. ("Play the right way" is Brown's mantra, his shorthand for basketball played the Dean Smith Way. It should be on Brown's tombstone.) And for about 90 of the first 96 minutes of the Finals, P4P has been a step ahead of Phil Jackson. He's had his Pistons ready to play and he's adjusted brilliantly on the fly.
But there is no sugarcoating this: Brown made a mistake, it says here, in the waning seconds of Game 2. And as a result, he's going to have to do his greatest coaching job in the 48 hours his guys aren't on the floor, between Game 2 and Game 3.
With Detroit up three with 10.9 seconds left in regulation on Tuesday, Brown surely knew that the Lakers, after dawdling with the ball in the backcourt before calling timeout, had no choice but to hoist up a long-distance rock. And onto the court for L.A. walked Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton, Karl Malone ... and Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal, of the one career 3-pointer in 20 attempts. O'Neal, the career 53.4 percent free-throw shooter.
But surely, the Diesel was on the floor simply to set a screen for Kobe or Fisher, or maybe even Walton, who'd hit a three earlier in the game and was playing out of his mind. And then, Malone inbounded the ball ... to O'Neal! If ever a player was on a floor with a neon sign around his neck flashing Foul Me! Foul Me! (and don't forget the $4.99 buffet from 4-6 p.m. in the Palmetto Lounge), it was Shaq.
But O'Neal was allowed to catch the ball and hand it off to Luke Walton, who got it to Kobe, who ... well, you know.
"We talked about" fouling O'Neal, Brown said. "But I didn't think they were going to throw it to him. ... We talked about if they threw it inside, yeah, Shaq gets it, put him on the line. But I don't want to take a chance like that."
LB. You could probably assume in that situation that if Shaq catches the ball outside the 3-point line -- Shaq, the career 5-percent 3-point shooter -- he's not going to turn around and fire. He's looking to pass. Probably to Bryant. Almost certainly to Bryant. Who else but Bryant?
Said Ben Wallace: "I thought about it ... but that's a shot we have to live with."
Of course, Wallace should have fouled him. But players, in this situation, are allergic to the idea of making contact. Their instinct is to stay away; no one wants to give a team three free ones that could tie the game. This is where a coach has to come in and overpower their uncertainty. He has to say, "This is the right thing to do. Foul Shaq if he touches the ball at all."
My colleague Fred Carter convinced me of the rightness of this strategy. If, up three, you foul the opponent and put them on the line, even if they make both free throws, you're still ahead by a point -- and you have the basketball. In this situation, the Lakers would have to give a quick foul and put the Pistons on the line -- and Detroit has excellent free-throw shooters in Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Lindsey Hunter. 'Sheed has knocked them down at better than 76 percent in the postseason, too. You make your two free throws, they get the ball -- and you foul them again. As long as you make your free throws -- and in 10 seconds, there wouldn't have been but so many -- you win. But under no circumstances do you let a team down three get off a 3-pointer.
Brown doesn't think much of Hack-a-Shaq as a strategy. But in this case, it wouldn't have been strategy. It would have been game management.
(By the way, let me take a minute here to address the words of another LB, Larry Bird. Bird was asked in an interview for an upcoming program if the league needed more white stars. He answered yes, because it would be good for the NBA's fan base, which is comprised mostly of white Americans. I know some of my friends will say that there is something wrong or racially problematic with what Bird said, to which I reply: shutupshutupshutupshutup. First, Bird didn't bring the subject up; he answered a question. Second, to deny that white people would like to see white athletes prosper is stupid. Black people like to see blacks succeed; Latinos like to see Latinos succeed; Asians like to see Asians succeed. [That's "Asians," not "Orientals," Bill Parcells.] You would hope that we all would like to see each other succeed, but that's another question, isn't it? Third, Bird has never, to my knowledge, exploited his race for his own personal gain. Throughout the '80s, when hosannas were being written about him and fans lionized him, it would have been easy for Bird to subtly put himself out there as some Great White Hope, and to make a killing doing it. But he didn't. He played the game and frequently gave the credit not to himself, but to black teammates like Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish. No one has made less of the fact that Bird is white than Bird.)
But let's get back to Brown. Believe me, I'm not the only one wondering why the order to foul wasn't given, and I'm not talking about hack sportswriters and hairdo TV folk. There was some distinct grumbling about the decision in the Detroit locker area after Game 2. To give the Lakers a game -- and it was given to them, not taken by them, no matter what the Kobe Hagiographers in L.A. write -- is worse than getting blown out.
Here, though, is where the Pistons are fortunate. The same guy who goofed Tuesday is the absolute best guy in the world to make things right by Thursday.
Bill Davidson is paying Brown $5 million a year for moments exactly like this. It was Brown that cajoled, threatened, yelled and praised Danny Manning into the performance of his life in the 1988 NCAA championship game -- a feat that brought the Jayhawks the national championship. It was Brown who got the Clippers to the playoffs. It was Brown who helped shape Allen Iverson into the NBA's Most Valuable Player. And in these Finals, it's been Brown who's instilled in these Pistons a no-fear mindset.
He's stripped the Lakers of their supposed invincibility and swagger, exposed them to his players for what they are: a talented, tough, but somewhat flawed team. Brown told the Pistons they could get any shot they wanted against the Lakers in Game 1, and didn't care who knew it. Brown already has his guys convinced that the Lakers have no clothes. Now, he has to re-inflate their belief in themselves to get the job done at home.
In 48 hours.
It won't take videotape, or some rah-rah speech. It'll just take Brown doing what he does better than anyone in the world.
"You think we're gonna lay down?," 'Sheed asked defiantly in the locker room on Tuesday.
Not with P4P in the house.
David Aldridge, who covers the NBA for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. David will take your questions in his weekly chat on Thursday. Send him a question here! Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
Special to ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- Here's where Pound for Pound has to earn his loot.
Rasheed Wallace calls Larry Brown "Pound for Pound." I thought it was in reference to "pound for pound, the best coach out there," although 'Sheed says it simply is a reflection of the man's initials, LB. As in, you know, pound.
See, I think Larry Brown is the greatest basketball coach currently walking this earth. There is no situation, no team, no time in which you wouldn't want him on your sidelines drawing up sets and trying to get your team to play the right way. ("Play the right way" is Brown's mantra, his shorthand for basketball played the Dean Smith Way. It should be on Brown's tombstone.) And for about 90 of the first 96 minutes of the Finals, P4P has been a step ahead of Phil Jackson. He's had his Pistons ready to play and he's adjusted brilliantly on the fly.
But there is no sugarcoating this: Brown made a mistake, it says here, in the waning seconds of Game 2. And as a result, he's going to have to do his greatest coaching job in the 48 hours his guys aren't on the floor, between Game 2 and Game 3.
With Detroit up three with 10.9 seconds left in regulation on Tuesday, Brown surely knew that the Lakers, after dawdling with the ball in the backcourt before calling timeout, had no choice but to hoist up a long-distance rock. And onto the court for L.A. walked Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton, Karl Malone ... and Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal, of the one career 3-pointer in 20 attempts. O'Neal, the career 53.4 percent free-throw shooter.
But surely, the Diesel was on the floor simply to set a screen for Kobe or Fisher, or maybe even Walton, who'd hit a three earlier in the game and was playing out of his mind. And then, Malone inbounded the ball ... to O'Neal! If ever a player was on a floor with a neon sign around his neck flashing Foul Me! Foul Me! (and don't forget the $4.99 buffet from 4-6 p.m. in the Palmetto Lounge), it was Shaq.
But O'Neal was allowed to catch the ball and hand it off to Luke Walton, who got it to Kobe, who ... well, you know.
"We talked about" fouling O'Neal, Brown said. "But I didn't think they were going to throw it to him. ... We talked about if they threw it inside, yeah, Shaq gets it, put him on the line. But I don't want to take a chance like that."
LB. You could probably assume in that situation that if Shaq catches the ball outside the 3-point line -- Shaq, the career 5-percent 3-point shooter -- he's not going to turn around and fire. He's looking to pass. Probably to Bryant. Almost certainly to Bryant. Who else but Bryant?
Said Ben Wallace: "I thought about it ... but that's a shot we have to live with."
Of course, Wallace should have fouled him. But players, in this situation, are allergic to the idea of making contact. Their instinct is to stay away; no one wants to give a team three free ones that could tie the game. This is where a coach has to come in and overpower their uncertainty. He has to say, "This is the right thing to do. Foul Shaq if he touches the ball at all."
My colleague Fred Carter convinced me of the rightness of this strategy. If, up three, you foul the opponent and put them on the line, even if they make both free throws, you're still ahead by a point -- and you have the basketball. In this situation, the Lakers would have to give a quick foul and put the Pistons on the line -- and Detroit has excellent free-throw shooters in Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Lindsey Hunter. 'Sheed has knocked them down at better than 76 percent in the postseason, too. You make your two free throws, they get the ball -- and you foul them again. As long as you make your free throws -- and in 10 seconds, there wouldn't have been but so many -- you win. But under no circumstances do you let a team down three get off a 3-pointer.
Brown doesn't think much of Hack-a-Shaq as a strategy. But in this case, it wouldn't have been strategy. It would have been game management.
(By the way, let me take a minute here to address the words of another LB, Larry Bird. Bird was asked in an interview for an upcoming program if the league needed more white stars. He answered yes, because it would be good for the NBA's fan base, which is comprised mostly of white Americans. I know some of my friends will say that there is something wrong or racially problematic with what Bird said, to which I reply: shutupshutupshutupshutup. First, Bird didn't bring the subject up; he answered a question. Second, to deny that white people would like to see white athletes prosper is stupid. Black people like to see blacks succeed; Latinos like to see Latinos succeed; Asians like to see Asians succeed. [That's "Asians," not "Orientals," Bill Parcells.] You would hope that we all would like to see each other succeed, but that's another question, isn't it? Third, Bird has never, to my knowledge, exploited his race for his own personal gain. Throughout the '80s, when hosannas were being written about him and fans lionized him, it would have been easy for Bird to subtly put himself out there as some Great White Hope, and to make a killing doing it. But he didn't. He played the game and frequently gave the credit not to himself, but to black teammates like Dennis Johnson and Robert Parish. No one has made less of the fact that Bird is white than Bird.)
But let's get back to Brown. Believe me, I'm not the only one wondering why the order to foul wasn't given, and I'm not talking about hack sportswriters and hairdo TV folk. There was some distinct grumbling about the decision in the Detroit locker area after Game 2. To give the Lakers a game -- and it was given to them, not taken by them, no matter what the Kobe Hagiographers in L.A. write -- is worse than getting blown out.
Here, though, is where the Pistons are fortunate. The same guy who goofed Tuesday is the absolute best guy in the world to make things right by Thursday.
Bill Davidson is paying Brown $5 million a year for moments exactly like this. It was Brown that cajoled, threatened, yelled and praised Danny Manning into the performance of his life in the 1988 NCAA championship game -- a feat that brought the Jayhawks the national championship. It was Brown who got the Clippers to the playoffs. It was Brown who helped shape Allen Iverson into the NBA's Most Valuable Player. And in these Finals, it's been Brown who's instilled in these Pistons a no-fear mindset.
He's stripped the Lakers of their supposed invincibility and swagger, exposed them to his players for what they are: a talented, tough, but somewhat flawed team. Brown told the Pistons they could get any shot they wanted against the Lakers in Game 1, and didn't care who knew it. Brown already has his guys convinced that the Lakers have no clothes. Now, he has to re-inflate their belief in themselves to get the job done at home.
In 48 hours.
It won't take videotape, or some rah-rah speech. It'll just take Brown doing what he does better than anyone in the world.
"You think we're gonna lay down?," 'Sheed asked defiantly in the locker room on Tuesday.
Not with P4P in the house.
David Aldridge, who covers the NBA for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. David will take your questions in his weekly chat on Thursday. Send him a question here! Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
After taking an untimely brief break at the end of Game 2, the defense of the Detroit Pistons returned with a record-setting vengeance.
With a smothering effort that shut down both Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Pistons shook off a loss and shackled the Los Angeles Lakers, 88-68, moving closer to an improbable NBA championship.
After Detroit's Game 1 win, coach Larry Brown said he didn't think his team could defend better. Back on their home court in front of a manic crowd, the Pistons proved him wrong as they stymied O'Neal and Bryant, the superstars who had combined for better than 60 points per game.
"This is as good as we can play," said Brown, correcting himself.
Dit zijn wel erg mooie finals zo!!!!!
With a smothering effort that shut down both Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Pistons shook off a loss and shackled the Los Angeles Lakers, 88-68, moving closer to an improbable NBA championship.
After Detroit's Game 1 win, coach Larry Brown said he didn't think his team could defend better. Back on their home court in front of a manic crowd, the Pistons proved him wrong as they stymied O'Neal and Bryant, the superstars who had combined for better than 60 points per game.
"This is as good as we can play," said Brown, correcting himself.
Dit zijn wel erg mooie finals zo!!!!!
Jaja de Pistons hebben het weer geflikt. De verdediging was briljant! Lakers hebben de hele wedstrijd achter gestaan. Bryant had maar iets van 8 ptn. Hamilton in z'n eentje had er meer dan 30, meer dan Kobe and Shaq samen. Billups speelde sterk en Prince stond er op belangrijke momenten. Hunter viel goed in. De verassing voor de Lakers van de vorige wedstrijd, Luke Walton, bakte er ook niets van. 20 Punten verschil winnen, top!
:worshippy: DETROIT PISTONS :worshippy:
:worshippy: DETROIT PISTONS :worshippy:
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Monkey Tonk
- Berichten: 9375
- Lid geworden op: vr sep 19, 2003 6:54 pm
- Locatie: route 66
Als de Lakers game 4 winnen draait het hele circus weer om. Game 4 is de enige in de serie met twee rustdagen ervoor. Die ene dag maakt statistisch een wereld van verschil voor Shaq; zowel qua punten als rebounds. Game 4 is daarom ook de Lakers laatste kans. Game 5 gaat zowiezo naar de Pistons.
Terzijde, ik begrijp niet waarom de NBA finals niet met twee rustdagen tussen iedere wedstrijd gespeeld worden. De helft van de spelers loopt op hun tandvlees, en de andere helft is zelfs daar te geblesseerd voor.
Ik zie Ajax al vier wedstrijden in een week spelen. Laat staan finales.
Terzijde, ik begrijp niet waarom de NBA finals niet met twee rustdagen tussen iedere wedstrijd gespeeld worden. De helft van de spelers loopt op hun tandvlees, en de andere helft is zelfs daar te geblesseerd voor.
Ik zie Ajax al vier wedstrijden in een week spelen. Laat staan finales.
Ach ja voetballers zijn ook gwn een beetje een stelletje watjes hoor. Het meeste wat de echte toppers spelen ligt tussen de 60 en 70 wedstrijden per jaar. In Amerika wordt er gwn om de 2 dagen, soms zelfs de dag daarop meteen weer gesport door datzelfde team. En moet je kijken in wat voor tempo zo'n wedstrijd gisteravond wordt gespeeld door de Pistons. Zo'n hoog baltempo maak je met voetbal niet meer mee. Voetbal is nog altijd m'n favoriete sport, maar soms, heel soms, als ik naar een goede NBA wedstrijd zit te kijken, vraag ik me af waarom.
Ik denk dat het aan de emoties, die verbonden zijn aan het voetbal, ligt.
Ik denk dat het aan de emoties, die verbonden zijn aan het voetbal, ligt.
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Monkey Tonk
- Berichten: 9375
- Lid geworden op: vr sep 19, 2003 6:54 pm
- Locatie: route 66
Het is waar je mee opgroeit. Voetbal is mijn sport. Daarom heeft het me bijna twintig jaar geduurt om toe te geven dat de NBA en de NFL veel meer spektakel bieden dan het voetbal zoals het nu gespeeld wordt.
Het ligt ook aan de overkoepelende organizatie. De NBA heeft er geen enkele moeite mee om de regels aan te passen als de spelers iets hebben uitgevonden dat de amusementswaarde neer beneden haalt.
Het saaiheidsgehalte van voetbal is de FIFA te verwijten.
Maar het inlassen van te weinig rust is weer een foutje van de NBA. Dit komt het niveau van de wedstrijden echt niet ten goede.
Het ligt ook aan de overkoepelende organizatie. De NBA heeft er geen enkele moeite mee om de regels aan te passen als de spelers iets hebben uitgevonden dat de amusementswaarde neer beneden haalt.
Het saaiheidsgehalte van voetbal is de FIFA te verwijten.
Maar het inlassen van te weinig rust is weer een foutje van de NBA. Dit komt het niveau van de wedstrijden echt niet ten goede.
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
Detroit 88, L.A. Lakers 80
Pistons One Win From Claiming NBA Championship
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 13 (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons remain unrelenting. The Los Angeles Lakers are unraveling.
The Pistons moved within one win of capturing the NBA title, finishing with a rush in an 88-80 Game 4 victory over the Lakers, who appear to be going down in a hailstorm of missed shots and unmet expectations.
The Pistons have used tough defense en route to a 3-1 lead.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
An emotional Rasheed Wallace emerged from a personal prison of foul trouble to collect playoff highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds. He teamed with Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to fuel a 32-point fourth quarter that brought The Palace of Auburn Hills to a fever pitch and pushed the Lakers to the brink.
Wallace took advantage of a hobbled Karl Malone and abused a series of smaller substitutes as he effectively worked his inside-outside game. On defense, he was a one-man zone, helping Ben Wallace with an unruly Shaquille O'Neal.
"I knew Karl was a little hobbled, so that was one of the weaknesses in their defense," said Wallace, who made 10-of-23 shots in 41 minutes. "That's something we had to attack. ... He has a bad knee or whatever, so we can't have no sympathy for that."
"We need him to play major minutes and I think tonight really showed his value," Pistons coach Larry Brown added.
The forward got in a shoving match with Slava Medvedenko in the third quarter and fired his headband into the crowd after missing a 3-pointer in the final period. But he remained focused and finished the job.
"I'm not out there to throw elbows and all of that," he said. "I'm out there to try to help my team win. All that extracurricular stuff can be handled in the back."
Wallace managed to keep his cool while the Lakers were losing theirs. Coach Phil Jackson picked up an early technical foul before falling behind 3-1 in a series for the first time in his career. A flurry of fouls had the players bickering with the referees, and Kobe Bryant was hit with a technical in the fourth quarter.
"That was somewhat of a factor," Bryant admitted.
Billups scored 23 points and Hamilton added 17 as the backcourt mates combined for 19 points in the final period. That helped Detroit withstand an assault by O'Neal, who also had playoff highs of 36 points and 20 rebounds but was reduced to a one-man team.
"I'm very upset," said O'Neal, who made 16-of-21 shots. "We let one slip away. ... We had it, just in the fourth quarter, we made some mistakes."
One of those mistakes was not giving the ball enough to O'Neal. As they have throughout the series, the Pistons shut down most of O'Neal's teammates and bothered Bryant, who made just 8-of-25 shots as he fired away at will and made Detroit's job much easier.
"Some of them were good and some of them stunk," said Bryant, who didn't shoot a free throw until late in the fourth quarter. "That's pretty much every game with me."
For the fourth straight game, the Pistons were the more energetic, hungrier team. They shot 41 free throws to 22 for the Lakers, held a 45-38 rebounding edge and scored 21 fast-break points.
When the series started, many wondered how the Pistons going to win one game. Now it's hard to imagine them losing one. The Lakers still have not had a double-digit scorer beside O'Neal or Bryant
"We all pretty much (stunk) the last two games," Bryant said.
"Give credit to the Pistons," added Jackson, something the Lakers haven't done much of in the series. "They handled the adversity of Shaq's great game and kept their composure and found a way to get to the foul line."
No team has ever blown a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The Pistons can win their first NBA title in 14 years here Tuesday. It would be the first championship and one that will be remembered for a long, long time for Brown, who is not worried about overconfidence anymore.
"I think this group can deal with it because they are trying their darnedest to do it the right way," Brown said. "So there's no need even thinking about what no team did."
Hamilton closed the third quarter with a hoop that tied it at 56-56, then opened the final period with two jumpers to give Detroit the lead for good. When Ben Wallace swooped in for a rebound of his own missed free throw and put in a layup, it was 65-60 with 8:07 to go.
O'Neal was unstoppable at the other end, but Rasheed Wallace made a jumper and two free throws around two 3-pointers by Billups - who is emerging as the MVP favorite - for a 75-67 advantage with five minutes remaining. Bryant was slapped with a tech seconds later.
Rasheed Wallace sank a turnaround at the 2:11 mark for an 83-72 bulge, then choked off a last gasp by the Lakers with a jumper for an 86-78 lead with a minute to go.
"I knew it was just a matter of time that Sheed was going to get going," Billups said. "When he's rolling and you've got Rip rolling and hitting shots and myself, we're tough to play."
The Lakers didn't change their lineup, but they did change their strategy, force-feeding O'Neal early on. He was 5-of-5 with three dunks in the first quarter. But he had just one touch in the last seven minutes as Bryant kept misfiring.
Meanwhile, the Pistons survived at the free-throw line. After a three-point play by Wallace gave them a 21-18 lead with 2:06 left in the first quarter, they went more than eight minutes without a basket but kept the lead as the Lakers got into team foul trouble.
Four straight fast-break baskets by the Pistons opened a 41-36 lead before Bryant buried a 3-pointer to finish the half 3-of-14.
"He rushed his shots a little bit," Jackson said. "He made some shots a little later in the ballgame, but he's not shooting the ball well right now."
Malone gutted his way through 21 minutes before sitting down for good with 7 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Pistons One Win From Claiming NBA Championship
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 13 (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons remain unrelenting. The Los Angeles Lakers are unraveling.
The Pistons moved within one win of capturing the NBA title, finishing with a rush in an 88-80 Game 4 victory over the Lakers, who appear to be going down in a hailstorm of missed shots and unmet expectations.
The Pistons have used tough defense en route to a 3-1 lead.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
An emotional Rasheed Wallace emerged from a personal prison of foul trouble to collect playoff highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds. He teamed with Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton to fuel a 32-point fourth quarter that brought The Palace of Auburn Hills to a fever pitch and pushed the Lakers to the brink.
Wallace took advantage of a hobbled Karl Malone and abused a series of smaller substitutes as he effectively worked his inside-outside game. On defense, he was a one-man zone, helping Ben Wallace with an unruly Shaquille O'Neal.
"I knew Karl was a little hobbled, so that was one of the weaknesses in their defense," said Wallace, who made 10-of-23 shots in 41 minutes. "That's something we had to attack. ... He has a bad knee or whatever, so we can't have no sympathy for that."
"We need him to play major minutes and I think tonight really showed his value," Pistons coach Larry Brown added.
The forward got in a shoving match with Slava Medvedenko in the third quarter and fired his headband into the crowd after missing a 3-pointer in the final period. But he remained focused and finished the job.
"I'm not out there to throw elbows and all of that," he said. "I'm out there to try to help my team win. All that extracurricular stuff can be handled in the back."
Wallace managed to keep his cool while the Lakers were losing theirs. Coach Phil Jackson picked up an early technical foul before falling behind 3-1 in a series for the first time in his career. A flurry of fouls had the players bickering with the referees, and Kobe Bryant was hit with a technical in the fourth quarter.
"That was somewhat of a factor," Bryant admitted.
Billups scored 23 points and Hamilton added 17 as the backcourt mates combined for 19 points in the final period. That helped Detroit withstand an assault by O'Neal, who also had playoff highs of 36 points and 20 rebounds but was reduced to a one-man team.
"I'm very upset," said O'Neal, who made 16-of-21 shots. "We let one slip away. ... We had it, just in the fourth quarter, we made some mistakes."
One of those mistakes was not giving the ball enough to O'Neal. As they have throughout the series, the Pistons shut down most of O'Neal's teammates and bothered Bryant, who made just 8-of-25 shots as he fired away at will and made Detroit's job much easier.
"Some of them were good and some of them stunk," said Bryant, who didn't shoot a free throw until late in the fourth quarter. "That's pretty much every game with me."
For the fourth straight game, the Pistons were the more energetic, hungrier team. They shot 41 free throws to 22 for the Lakers, held a 45-38 rebounding edge and scored 21 fast-break points.
When the series started, many wondered how the Pistons going to win one game. Now it's hard to imagine them losing one. The Lakers still have not had a double-digit scorer beside O'Neal or Bryant
"We all pretty much (stunk) the last two games," Bryant said.
"Give credit to the Pistons," added Jackson, something the Lakers haven't done much of in the series. "They handled the adversity of Shaq's great game and kept their composure and found a way to get to the foul line."
No team has ever blown a 3-1 lead in the Finals. The Pistons can win their first NBA title in 14 years here Tuesday. It would be the first championship and one that will be remembered for a long, long time for Brown, who is not worried about overconfidence anymore.
"I think this group can deal with it because they are trying their darnedest to do it the right way," Brown said. "So there's no need even thinking about what no team did."
Hamilton closed the third quarter with a hoop that tied it at 56-56, then opened the final period with two jumpers to give Detroit the lead for good. When Ben Wallace swooped in for a rebound of his own missed free throw and put in a layup, it was 65-60 with 8:07 to go.
O'Neal was unstoppable at the other end, but Rasheed Wallace made a jumper and two free throws around two 3-pointers by Billups - who is emerging as the MVP favorite - for a 75-67 advantage with five minutes remaining. Bryant was slapped with a tech seconds later.
Rasheed Wallace sank a turnaround at the 2:11 mark for an 83-72 bulge, then choked off a last gasp by the Lakers with a jumper for an 86-78 lead with a minute to go.
"I knew it was just a matter of time that Sheed was going to get going," Billups said. "When he's rolling and you've got Rip rolling and hitting shots and myself, we're tough to play."
The Lakers didn't change their lineup, but they did change their strategy, force-feeding O'Neal early on. He was 5-of-5 with three dunks in the first quarter. But he had just one touch in the last seven minutes as Bryant kept misfiring.
Meanwhile, the Pistons survived at the free-throw line. After a three-point play by Wallace gave them a 21-18 lead with 2:06 left in the first quarter, they went more than eight minutes without a basket but kept the lead as the Lakers got into team foul trouble.
Four straight fast-break baskets by the Pistons opened a 41-36 lead before Bryant buried a 3-pointer to finish the half 3-of-14.
"He rushed his shots a little bit," Jackson said. "He made some shots a little later in the ballgame, but he's not shooting the ball well right now."
Malone gutted his way through 21 minutes before sitting down for good with 7 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
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Shaq 36 punten en 20 rebounds, Kobe toch 20 punten maar schiet 8/25 en 0 rebounds!
Pistons speelde bijna de hele wedstrijd met de 5 starters.
De voorspellingen van ongeveer een ieder kunnen voorlopig terzijde geschoven worden. Het ziet er naar uit dat de Pistons dit jaar toch verassend met de titel aan de haal gaan! Het halen van nog 2 vedettes die over hun top heen zijn heeft de Lakers geen goed gedaan.
Pistons speelde bijna de hele wedstrijd met de 5 starters.
De voorspellingen van ongeveer een ieder kunnen voorlopig terzijde geschoven worden. Het ziet er naar uit dat de Pistons dit jaar toch verassend met de titel aan de haal gaan! Het halen van nog 2 vedettes die over hun top heen zijn heeft de Lakers geen goed gedaan.
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
Indrukwekkende cijfers van Shaq! Zou dat rustdagenverhaal dan toch...maartoe schreef:Shaq 36 punten en 20 rebounds, Kobe toch 20 punten maar schiet 8/25 en 0 rebounds!
Pistons speelde bijna de hele wedstrijd met de 5 starters.
De voorspellingen van ongeveer een ieder kunnen voorlopig terzijde geschoven worden. Het ziet er naar uit dat de Pistons dit jaar toch verassend met de titel aan de haal gaan! Het halen van nog 2 vedettes die over hun top heen zijn heeft de Lakers geen goed gedaan.
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Dan moeten oa Kobe, Malone en Payton dus niet teveel rust krijgen ;)Buijtendijk schreef:Indrukwekkende cijfers van Shaq! Zou dat rustdagenverhaal dan toch...maartoe schreef:Shaq 36 punten en 20 rebounds, Kobe toch 20 punten maar schiet 8/25 en 0 rebounds!
Pistons speelde bijna de hele wedstrijd met de 5 starters.
De voorspellingen van ongeveer een ieder kunnen voorlopig terzijde geschoven worden. Het ziet er naar uit dat de Pistons dit jaar toch verassend met de titel aan de haal gaan! Het halen van nog 2 vedettes die over hun top heen zijn heeft de Lakers geen goed gedaan.
Er wordt zelfs aandacht in een Nederlandse krant aan besteed.
Detroit Pistons dicht bij NBA-titel
DETROIT - De basketballers van de Detroit Pistons hebben nog één zege nodig om hun eerste NBA-titel sinds 1990 te veroveren. De Pistons, begonnen aan de finale als underdog, versloegen zondag de Los Angeles Lakers met 88-80 en kwamen daarmee in de best-of-seven-serie op een 3-1-voorsprong.
Grote inspirator bij de thuisploeg was Rasheed Wallace met 26 punten en dertien rebounds. Het was te veel voor de Lakers, die met sterren als Kobe Bryant en Shaquille O'Neal algemeen werden beschouwd als de aanstaande kampioen. De ploeg is nog niet uitgeschakeld maar begint dinsdag in Detroit aan het vijfde duel in de wetenschap dat in de historie van de NBA-finales nog nooit een team terugkwam van een 3-1-achterstand.
Detroit Pistons dicht bij NBA-titel
DETROIT - De basketballers van de Detroit Pistons hebben nog één zege nodig om hun eerste NBA-titel sinds 1990 te veroveren. De Pistons, begonnen aan de finale als underdog, versloegen zondag de Los Angeles Lakers met 88-80 en kwamen daarmee in de best-of-seven-serie op een 3-1-voorsprong.
Grote inspirator bij de thuisploeg was Rasheed Wallace met 26 punten en dertien rebounds. Het was te veel voor de Lakers, die met sterren als Kobe Bryant en Shaquille O'Neal algemeen werden beschouwd als de aanstaande kampioen. De ploeg is nog niet uitgeschakeld maar begint dinsdag in Detroit aan het vijfde duel in de wetenschap dat in de historie van de NBA-finales nog nooit een team terugkwam van een 3-1-achterstand.
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Buijtendijk
- Berichten: 3897
- Lid geworden op: di mar 16, 2004 8:58 pm
Even een NBA-onderbreking voor heer ZZ:
Tweede Amerikaan voor Woon! Aris
LEEUWARDEN - Eredivisie-nieuwkomer Woon! Aris uit Leeuwarden heeft een tweede Amerikaan aangetrokken. Het betreft de 23-jarige pointguard Brandon Woudstra. Pardon, Woudstra? Dat klinkt Fries. Klopt. En het is nog eens een volle neef van Jim Woudstra, de voormalige speler van Parker Leiden en de nationale ploeg. Woudstra is afkomstig van Northwestern College in Iowa en speelde afgelopen seizoen voor Njardvik in IJjsland. Daar maakte hij gemiddeld 24.9 punten per wedstrijd met 44% driepunters en 90% vrije worpen.
Tweede Amerikaan voor Woon! Aris
LEEUWARDEN - Eredivisie-nieuwkomer Woon! Aris uit Leeuwarden heeft een tweede Amerikaan aangetrokken. Het betreft de 23-jarige pointguard Brandon Woudstra. Pardon, Woudstra? Dat klinkt Fries. Klopt. En het is nog eens een volle neef van Jim Woudstra, de voormalige speler van Parker Leiden en de nationale ploeg. Woudstra is afkomstig van Northwestern College in Iowa en speelde afgelopen seizoen voor Njardvik in IJjsland. Daar maakte hij gemiddeld 24.9 punten per wedstrijd met 44% driepunters en 90% vrije worpen.
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