Phil Jackson's The Man

By dfunzy on 7/2/10 10:19am
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The best news any fan of basketball was waiting to hear was heard yesterday, when the great coach and former player Phil Jackson, the most successful coach in NBA history, gave the word that he is putting off retirement and will be returning to coach the LA Lakers next season. Phil Jackson has won what? Eleven championships as a coach. He has just led the Lakers to back to back Championships. So what that he is about to turn sixty five? Well, sixty five is too young for Phil Jackson to retire, when he he has the chance to lead the Lakers to a double repeat -- three back-to-backs in a row. He's done it before -- three times. Why not a fourth? If Zen can't handle the NBA grind, what can?

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Lakers Win; Kobe MVP

By dfunzy on 6/18/10 10:46am
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Last night was a great night in LA. The karma was strong for LA, though for most of the night Boston was on top.

The LA Lakers rallied past the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA finals Thursday, defeating Boston, 83-79, to win their second straight championship, the Lakers' 16th NBA title; and Kobe Bryant's fifth championship title with the Lakers. The Lakers won three straight championships from 2000-02.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in last night's game and was named series MVP. Ron Artest scored 20 points for the Lakers.The Lakers came from behind, in the final minutes to take the championship. Boston dominated for three and a half quarters. To Boston fans, it looked like those 2010 NBA Champions Celtics T-shirts, the team had printed up prior to Game 6, would get some wear. But then the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who had been struggling all night, rallied.

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NBA Finals, Game 7 Tonight

By dfunzy on 6/17/10 4:28pm
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Thursday, tonight is the night. LA is the place. The two best teams in basketball, the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics, will meet for the NBA finals, Game 7. Winner take the title and the championship trophy.. And to paraphrase Kobe Bryant, the loser go home with nothing. Basketball fans are expecting a contest. Both teams are pumped for the win and both teams are awesome this year. History and karma are on the side of LA. See the video.

There is a lot of fan interest in this championship series. Every game in this series was the highest-rated show for the night on all of television. ABC which has the exclusive broadcast rights to the NBA finals expect Game 7 to deliver high numbers. The game is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Radio. I shall be watching and rooting for LA.

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Lakers Rout the Celtics, 89-67

By dfunzy on 6/16/10 12:28pm
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Not so fast  Celtics! The LA Times reports this morning that the Celtics were ready to party. "The Larry O'Brien trophy was in the building, as was Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, along with boxes and boxes of T-shirts and hats designating the Celtics as the 2010 NBA champions."

But game 6 had to be played first. What a game it was for Lakers fans; for Celtics fans it was a polite smack across the face. Reality, Boston! LA isn't just going to give you the title!

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Celtics Up 3 Games To 2

By dfunzy on 6/14/10 12:59pm
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The  Celtics got passed the Lakers, last night, Sunday, 92-86. Kobe Bryant score 38 points, but that wasn't enough. The Boston team is one win away from their 18th NBA championship title. And it's too early for the party to start in Boston, the Lakers have two more games to play. The next game, number 6, is set for Tuesday in LA.

So ‎LA is behind! The nay-sayers are saying this is the first time LA has trailed in a series this post season, that Kobe Bryant gave it everything he's got, did everything he could, threw the kitchen sink at Boston, and Boston just ducked and edged LA, and that's the way the karma's flowing.

Not so fast. Kobe Bryant says, it's time to pull up the boots and do what has to be done. See the video.

I say, Go Kobe. I'm sticking with the Phil Jackson team.

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NBA Finals Game Tied: 2-2

By dfunzy on 6/11/10 3:51pm
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Okay, the Associated Press, June 10, 2010 -- "Glen Davis had 18 points as the Celtics tied the NBA finals at two games apiece with a 96-89 win over the Lakers in Boston Thursday. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points in defeat for Los Angeles." For those who want to listen to Boston's Glen Davis tell the world how good he was last night on the court, see the video.

Looks like this is going to be a long series. Last night was a strange game. The Celtics hero Ray Allen’s wasn't getting the job done. It looked like an easy Lakers win, until the Celtics bench or reserves, Glen Davis and Nate Robinson, stepped up the play in the fourth quarter. This kind of unpredictable suff does keep the game interesting.

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Game Three: Lakers!

By dfunzy on 6/9/10 4:04pm
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Last night, Tuesday, the LA Lakers took Game 3 of the NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics, 91-84 and now leads the series 2-1. So far both teams have won on the road. If that means anything, Games 4 and 5 will be Thursday and Sunday in Boston. Let's hope that being the away team this year proves significant, and the Lakers put Boston away on Sunday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, and had a weak fourth quarter; team mate Derek Fisher, stepped up with a strong fourth quarter, scored 16 points. The Celtics's hero of game 2, Ray Allen, had an off night. He missed all 13 of his shots from the floor. See the video.

It takes four wins to take the series and both teams are good. But the karma is with Phil Jackson's team. I am hoping for, and am expecting, a Lakers's win.

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Finals: Game Even

By dfunzy on 6/7/10 8:54am
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D-Day June 6, 2010, Celtics 103, Lakers 94, Game 2 of N.B.A. Finals

Dribble Day.

Kobe Bryant scored 21 points but had foul trouble in the second half. He got foul number five in the first minute of fourth quarter. The night belonged to the Boston Celtics hero of the night, Ray Allen. He set a NBA finals record with eight three-pointers. See the video.

It's no fun to lose at home. No fun to lose period. Coach Phil Jackson said, “There’s no doubt it’s a blow to us to lose the home court, but we anticipated this might happen.” Expect Coach Phil to make the adjustments and to get his team ready for the rebound in game three.

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RIP John Wooden

By dfunzy on 6/5/10 9:01am
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John Wooden, college basketball's most successful coach, one of the world's better teachers, died Friday, June 4th, from natural causes. He was 99. He was the famed UCLA coach, nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, and he is an important figure in sports history.

John Wooden, won a lot of basketball games. He won 10 championships, and he won 88 consecutive games, which still stands as the college basketball record. He is being remembered by fans and admirers as the "greatest coach in the history of any sport." Many of his famous quotes are being posted on the social media sites.

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." -- John Wooden.

"Never mistake activity for achievement" -- John Wooden,

'Be more concerned with character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are." ~ John Wooden.

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I Like Phil Jackson

By dfunzy on 6/4/10 10:52am
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The Associated Press, June 03, 2010, -- "The Lakers won Game 1 of the NBA finals Thursday, 102-89, over Boston. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in the win and Pau Gasol added 23 points. Paul Pierce had 24 in defeat for the Celtics." See the video.

ESPN is saying that the "Lakers hit 'Easy' button in win. -- After all of the buildup, all of the banter about the Celtics being too tough for the Lakers, their defensive schemes too deceptive, their historical series edge (winning nine out of 11 meetings) too steep, their Big Four too formidable..."

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