- Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: "Since Kobe Bryant threatened to leave, he and the Lakers have gone the distance to play in the NBA Finals every single time. 'I just want to win,' Bryant said upon being asked for the umpteenth time about avenging the Lakers' 2008 NBA Finals loss to Boston. And that -- whether confused in the eye of the hurricane or content on these days at the beach -- remains the crux of it. Bryant is not oblivious to the cachet of Lakers-Celtics. He acknowledged it was a 'sexy matchup' and said: 'When I was a kid growing up in Italy, those were the only two teams that really came on TV.' But ... 'That's for other people to get excited about,' Bryant said. 'I get excited about winning.' That is why he is so good with last-second shots. It's why he's so good at throwing daggers whenever it is in the game that the opponent staggers. And in the playoffs, 'Kobe Doin' Work' becomes a documentary follow-up to the movie, 'Glengarry Glen Ross' that features Alec Baldwin's rousing speech in it: 'Always Be Closing.' The clip is a staple of Phil Jackson's movie-enhanced playoff video-scouting sessions that this postseason have primarily featured 'Inglourious Basterds' -- with all the Lakers' opponents being the Nazis. Another staple, as Lakers video coordinator Chris Bodaken told the team's Web site, that provides always dependable comic relief is Bryant's 'K.O.B.E.' rap-music video from back in the day. That's how long he has been a Laker."
- Doug Krikorian of the Los Angeles Daily News: "Jerry West is the one who acquired Kobe Bryant when West was the team's general manager, sending Vlade Divac to Charlotte on July 11, 1996, for Bryant, a 17-year-old Philadelphia prep phenom who'd been the Hornets' top pick in the draft. 'Kobe's the best player in Laker history,' says West, casting aside other worthies to such an exalted throne as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, George Mikan and himself. 'He does things on the court that are simply amazing. And he's gotten better every year. He's improved every facet of his game, which is what great players do throughout their careers He just keeps adding to it. 'I'll never forget the first time we worked him at a recreational center in Inglewood. He was by far the best player we ever had worked out. His skill level was so high, and he was so supremely confident. He was one of those players who had a unique persona about him. He wasn't afraid of anything. He's toned down his game as the years have elapsed, and realizes he doesn't have to be flashy on every play and make spectacular dunks. His game now is a product of a great basketball mind. He's just so difficult to guard, and he makes those shots that look so difficult look so easy. He's simply the best.' "
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Best of one? Welcome to an NBA Finals that, despite being blessed
with rivalry of 51 years, could be decided in the first 48 minutes. Welcome to a series where the Lakers aren't playing the Boston Celtics as much as both of them could soon be tangling with the one of the most majestic, maddening statistics in sports. It's all about a number. A number so trivial that half the players in the series are unaware of it, yet so powerful it could end the series almost before it starts. A number with as much lore as Kobe Bryant's 24, as alive as Kevin Garnett's 5, even more important than the number of the paramedics that Paul Pierce will phone the first time he is gently pushed to the wood. You've probably heard the number. You've probably thought you heard it wrong. You haven't. When Phil Jackson's teams have won the first game of a postseason series, they are 47-0 in that series. Think about that. When Jackson's teams win Game 1, it's Series Done. If they win the first one, they will win the last one. Nineteen seasons. Every single time." - Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald: “ 'Tickets are always an issue when I come home to LA,” Paul Pierce said yesterday at Staples Center, a showcase arena that didn’t exist when he was growing up in Inglewood. 'There’s no way around it. You’ve got to take care of the main family (and) closest friends. But I don’t look at it as really a distraction. A lot of us have to do it when we go to different places around the country and play when we go to a (player’s) hometown. It’s just so happens that it’s here and it’s the NBA Finals.' And that’s why it is different. It is the NBA Finals. 'You’re definitely going to get a lot more ticket requests than normal,' he said. 'I don’t have a problem saying no at this point in my career. I think people understand.' That’s why, if you’re a Celtics fan, you should not worry about Pierce dealing with any distractions this time around. Given that both Rivers and Pierce used the word 'no' in talking about what happened two years ago, it’s safe to say that coach and captain have discussed the issue."
- Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "He enters the NBA Finals at the edge of the Pacific Palisades in a figurative and nearly literal sense. With six technical fouls on his ledger, Kendrick Perkins is just one away from a one-game suspension that would be most damaging to the Celtics. He is well aware, but he is most definitely not looking down. 'I think I’ve just got to go out there and play basketball,' Perkins said as he stood in the right corner of the Staples Center court yesterday. 'I can’t worry about if something happens. I’ve just got to go out there and do what I need to do for us to win.' In that, what he needs to do is beat on people and make them bruised and angry, the risk of confrontation is great. But that doesn’t mean the Lakers will get to go against a kinder, gentler Perk."
- Jackie MacMullan of The Boston Globe: "Tom Thibodeau earned his reputation as a defensive guru through meticulous research and impassioned conviction. The 2009-10 Celtics, a collection of usually skeptical (and stubborn) All-Stars, dutifully follow their associate head coach because he can break down any opponent and expose its weaknesses. His attention to detail and his 14-hour workdays have built for him unparalleled credibility among some of the most accomplished players in the game, even though his playing résumé is limited to four unspectacular years at Salem State. Tonight when the Celtics open the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, they will take the court believing they are the most prepared team in the league. 'Tom knows his stuff,’ said big man Kendrick Perkins. 'He eats, sleeps, and breathes defense.’ If only they knew."
- Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post: "Talk of history and legacies have permeated sports in recent years, most of it grossly overstated. But not in this case, not as it pertains to Celtics vs. Lakers in the NBA Finals. The NFL strives for parity. MLB likes to reward the winner of its marathon regular season. The NBA can't get enough of Celtics vs. Lakers, whether it's Russell and Cousy against West and Baylor, Magic and Bird, or Kobe vs. the Big 3 -- which has now evolved into the Big 4. The two have won 32 of the NBA's 63 titles. This is the 12th time they've faced each other for the championship, and no teams have met as frequently with a title at stake in North American sports leagues. In basketball history only the 1998 NBA Finals between the Bulls and Jazz, featuring Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen vs. John Stockton/Karl Malone had teams with more playoff experience than these Celtics and Lakers. For teams with so many championships, so many players who already have Hall of Fame résumés, one more title matters tremendously."
- Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News: "In the spring of 1999, Peter Holt had two options. Keep an unpopular figure who had mixed results in less than two full seasons as an NBA head coach. Or replace him with a broadcaster who hadn't coached before. Some choice. Holt -- needing both a savior and a new arena -- likely wished there had been a Plan C. But what has happened since says something else, and the 2010 Finals will further define that. When Doc Rivers beats Phil Jackson again, after already upsetting both Cleveland and Orlando, can it be said? Could Holt have gone wrong in 1999? Holt wouldn't change a thing. Gregg Popovich has won four titles as both the voice and vision of the franchise. He established a framework that has not only endured, but has also become a model. The stability is remarkable and still going. While stories suggest both Rivers and Jackson may leave their franchises this summer, there are no such whispers about Popovich."
- Bud Shaw of The Plain Dealer: "LeBron James told Larry King that Cleveland has the edge over his other suitors because the fans have been so wonderful to him and because he enjoys such a great comfort level here. To quote an acquaintance whose wisdom and perspective come both from her gender and from being born and raised a Cleveland sports fan: 'Sounds to me like he's saying, 'I hope we can still be friends.' ' James hasn't gone about much of this the right way. He played poorly, then told fans he'd spoiled them. He talked about his team after Game 6 in Boston but meant his handlers. Then again, he's 25 years old. He was never recruited out of high school, so he's making up for it. Lunch is on Warren Buffett. Ohio's governor is serenading him on a video. The President of the United States is giving him career advice. It would be difficult not to let that go to your head."
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "LeBron James normally has an ulterior motive for everything he does. That's why there was probably a reason he picked 'Larry King Live' to discuss all things LeBron. The interview will be aired at 9 p.m. Friday on CNN. King has a huge following and if you're trying to get across a message to fans, 'Larry King Live' is the perfect forum. ... James' entourage had to sense the negativity. In my opinion, that led to his appearance on King's show. The free-agent-to-be didn't come right out and say he was re-signing with the Cavs, but he hinted at it. He said they have the edge in the process. That comment has calmed the masses. They are no longer as worried as they've been in the past couple weeks. James might still sign elsewhere -- watch out for the New York Knicks -- but things will quiet down for the time being."
- Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: "The Jazz’s season hasn’t even been over for a month and Carlos Boozer already has made the interview rounds in Chicago and Miami, promoting his summer basketball camps ... as well as himself in two of his preferred free-agent destinations. Boozer has chosen his words more carefully this year than last, but the same couldn’t be said Tuesday about WQAM radio host Sid Rosenberg, who described Utah as a 'horrible place to live, horrible' and Mormons as 'crazy' in an interview with Boozer. For his part, Boozer spoke up on behalf of Utah, though he makes his off-season home in Miami. ... Although I am not a member of the LDS Church, I would have applauded Boozer for hanging up on Rosenberg when he started to bait him about living in Utah. Frankly, I don’t know how you can get away with those comments as a radio host. But I also can’t fault any pro athlete for trying to fake it through an interview, no matter how uncomfortable. The thought is probably that it would look worse to hang up or walk away than just finish and forget it. That said, Boozer might want to shy away from doing quite as much talking in the future. This time, it wasn’t his own words that were potentially so problematic, but those of his host. Rosenberg’s Wikipedia entry is a mile long with offensive incidents from his past. A Larry King interview would be a step up from Sid Rosenberg, I have to say."
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: "Before he was Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, he was Kyriakos Rambidis, power forward on 1980 Greek Cup champion AEK Athens. So when the Wolves’ coach tours Europe these days, it’s difficult for him to remain incognito. Several European newspapers have spotted Rambis in basketball arenas in Madrid and Malaga, Spain; Athens, Greece; and Kragujevac, Serbia, providing a stop-by-stop update on his scouting trip with president of basketball operations David Kahn. According to Spanish paper Noticias de Alava, for instance, Rambis attended a Spanish League semifinal game in Madrid, and 'paid special attention' to Croatian center Ante Tomic, drafted two years ago by Utah. The next night, he was in Malaga, watching last year's No. 5 draftee, point guard Ricky Rubio, score four points and hand out two assists in Barcelona’s 71-58 victory in the other semifinal series."
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
 Henry AbbottTrueHoop | ESPN @TrueHoop |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop | ESPN @jadande |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop | ESPN @kevinarnovitz |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop | ESPN @Chris_Broussard |
Amin ElhassanTrueHoop | ESPN @AminESPN |
Chad FordTrueHoop | ESPN @chadfordinsider |
Israel GutierrezTrueHoop | ESPN @IzzyESPN |
Tom HaberstrohTrueHoop | ESPN @tomhaberstroh |
Marc SteinTrueHoop | ESPN @ESPNSteinLine |
David ThorpeTrueHoop | ESPN @coachthorpe |
Jade HoyeTrueHoop TV @truehooptv |
HoopIdeaTrueHoop @HoopIdea |
You must be signed in to post a comment