Derek Fisher is not impressed by your speed and quickness. He's not impressed by your youth, spryness and hairs of hues other than gray. He's not impressed by the fact that you didn't live through most of the Ford administration. Fisher has been here before. Thanks to a pair of clutch 3-pointers from the veteran guard, one to tie the game late in regulation and one to stake the Lakers to an overtime lead, the Lakers are a win from a title.
Not surprisingly, only a hardy few fans expect the Magic to rally from a 3-1 deficit. But consider how the tide of popular opinion has turned since the NBA Finals began.
- Before the series, 41 percent picked the Magic.
- After a blowout win for the Lakers in Game 1, support for the Magic shrank to 23 percent.
- A narrow escape for the Lakers in Game 2 only moved the Magic needle to 20 percent.
- Even after the Magic's Game 3 win, only 29 percent picked them to win it all.
“Tonight was a consummate choke by the Magic for the second time in this series. First, Courtney Lee misses a chance to steal one in L.A. It was a tough shot--I'll give him that. Tonight there was no excuse. Jameer Nelson and our inability to make crucial free throws blew the series open. Add to that a possibility of Pietrus getting suspended and the Magic will soon have all offseason for those few plays to haunt them.
” -- seanhipworth
“Why would you let Nick Anderson in the building during a Finals game?
” -- ikejenkins21
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SPORTSNATION GRIDIRON CENTRAL
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- NFL Coach Ratings
- Week 11: Wade Phillips at 29 percent after win
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- NFL Pick 'Em Week 12 (Tue.)
- SN last week: 9-6
SN this season: 99-45
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- NFL Power Rankings (Tue.)
- Colts return to No. 1
Jets down to No. 21
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- NFL MVP Watch (Wed.)
- Last week's notables
No. 1 Drew Brees
No. 7 Ben Roethlisberger
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- College Football Fan Top 25
- TCU holds at No. 4
LSU drops to No. 16
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- College Football Pick' Em
- SN last week: 17-3
SN this season: 204-41
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- Heisman Watch (Tue.)
- Last week's notables
No. 2: Toby Gerhart
No. 4: C.J. Spiller
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- 4:00 PMNHL with Scott Burnside
- 4:00 PMNFL with Gary Horton
- 7:30 PMMNF: Titans vs. Texans!
CHAT IN PROGRESS
NFL with Gary Horton
- Gary HortonWell, that would be a dream for football fans. We have to keep in mind there are a lot of obstacles in the way. Neither one of these teams have played particularly well in the last month. If you like them, you say, geez, these teams can win with their "D" game. If you're a pessimist, you say they can't keep winning like that and will lose a game. I don't think either one goes undefeated. In the AFC, the Chargers and the Pats will have a lot to say how far the Colts go. In the NFC, Minnesota might actually be the most complete team in the league right now. Obviously, two undefeated teams in the Super Bowl would be great, but just as exciting might be Minnesota and New Orleans in the NFC championship, or how about New England and Indy in the AFC championship? I'd say right now, I'd probably favor New Orleans in a Super Bowl matchup. They're a little better on defense and they have a little edge in the run game. It seems ludicris to go against Peyton Manning, but that would be a very interesting game. Right now, the playoffs are shaping up to be very interesting.
- James (PA)Any reason to be concerned with the Eagles defense?
- Gary HortonI haven't focused in on the Eagles defense in the recent weeks, but they're not making as many big plays as we're used to. They're good, but just not like we're used to. They're a hard team to get a handle on. Even without Westbrook, I love LeSean McCoy. With their younger WRs, they can be devastating in the passing game. But I don't know their identity on defense. It's not a bad thing, but I keep waiting for them to go to an elite status and they almost play down to their competition. But everybody in the NFC East is doing that.
- Shane (Los Angeles, CA)Mr. Horton, what is your take on the Cards' running game now? It looks like Beanie Wells has what it takes to be a smash mouth, downhill runner. Do you think opponents are going to have to "pick their poison" with the Cards now?
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GREATEST HITS ALBUM
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- Friday, November 13
- LeBron says the No. 23 should be off-limits. What should his new number be?
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- Does the Nintendo Game Boy deserve a spot in the toy Hall of Fame?
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- Wednesday, November 11
- Do Gold Gloves matter? Jeter might want to put on earmuffs for this answer.



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