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The Great Space Coaster!
Here’s a little “ditty” from 1981’s kid show I’m sure some of you will remember…
“It’s the Great Space Coaster. Get on board.
On the Great Space Coaster. We’ll explore.
A comet ride of fantasy
To a place where dreams are fast and free
With new friends and new things to see
We’ll spin you through the galaxy
On the Great Space Coaster. Oh-oh-oh.
On the Great Space Coaster. Off we go.
NBA Dailytake: The 2008 Lakers are well on their way to the NBA finals. That is if you believe in the “Phil Jackson/Lakers Leap Year Theory.” Either a Phil Jackson coached team or a Lakers team has made the NBA finals every leap year from 1980-present.
1980: Lakers Win the NBA Championship (4-2)
1984: Lakers lose in the NBA Finals (3-4)
1988: Lakers win the NBA Championship (4-3)
1992: Phil’s Bulls win the NBA Championship (4-2)
1996: Phil’s Bulls win the NBA Championship (4-2)
2000: Phil’s Lakers win the NBA Championship (4-2)
2004: Phil’s Lakers lose in the NBA Finals (1-4)
2008: ?
The Lakers are the current favorites to win it, but now you also have this added tidbit to keep yourself busy with. It may be a good time to start placing your bets…
Thanks to Carlos for e-mailing us this article that he found on the net. Again, if you find an article that you think deserves to be on TLN, please e-mail it to us at Articles@theLakersNation.com.
L.A. Times: The chant has always been there.
The truth behind it has not. During the first few years, it was a high-pitched dream. During the last few years, it was a hollow honorarium. Finally, this season, for the first time, it is a reality.
“M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!”
Kobe Bryant can win it. Kobe Bryant should win it. The chant that began just four minutes into the Lakers’ 96-83 victory over Portland on Tuesday night should finally become a part of Bryant’s resume. It won’t be the top line. But it will be the only one that is in bold. Because this is the one title Bryant could never win. The wording was never right. The tone never fit. He has often been the most.
But has he ever been valuable?
He’s been a great scorer for lousy teams. He’s been a brilliant entertainer in a band of dullards. “He’s been the best player in the league,” said assistant coach Brian Shaw. But the basketball writers, voting at the end of the regular season, never give it to the best player. They give it to the player who is best at making the players around him better.
From Kobe’s website (though it will carry into the Lakers season, I’m happy to see him play out the rest of this season - and the Olympics; the dude is the toughest basketball player on planet earth).
KB24.com: In a video on his blog, Kobe Bryant says he can’t miss the Olympics, because he has been looking forward to them for a long time. So the operation that the team would like him to have now, he will instead have shortly before next season.
I admire his dedication to playing. Yet I can’t help but worry that he could hurt his hand worse in the interim. Maybe opponents won’t intentionally target his hand now. But between this day in late February and the twin goals of an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal stand more than a few bloody minded players.
For what it’s worth, Bryant also displayed the movie tastes in sync with my mom, saying Cate Blanchett was robbed at the Oscars. He says she truly was “Elizabeth.” He also says he can’t even tell what “No Country for Old Men” was about, other than “just people shooting each other.”
This is something that was really impressive to me. This year, the West is insane. And more surprisingly, despite all the drama leading up to this season, the Lakers stand on top when it matters; down the stretch run. Now, a couple things to note…
On the evening of June 26, 1996, one day after my youngest sister was born, I sat in my Uncle’s car, deep in the throes of my 4th grade summer sabbatical in San Diego.
My Uncle Doug and I listened to the local sports talk radio coverage of what would be the night the Los Angeles Lakers landed the 13th pick of that particular draft, a 17 year-old kid from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania named Kobe Bryant, in exchange for their then starting center Vlade Divac. The hosts of the program praised Jerry West for his shrewd move that would prove to be his greatest gift to the franchise, and speculated the Lakers were also trying to deal their other pick at 24 for a veteran big man.
Thank goodness Zeke did not pull the trigger on that deal. For we would not have gained the opportunity to get to know of one of the best human beings to ever play professional sports.
With the 24th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected a little known 6’1” guard from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock named Derek Fisher.
This is awesome. The next great Lakers big for the Lakers has arrived. Congrats, Pau!
ESPN: Pau Gasol maintained his 22-PPG scoring average in the Lakers’ 111-91 win at Seattle on Sunday, his 10th game with the Lakers. Only five other players averaged at least 22.0 points over their first 10 games with the Lakers: Elgin Baylor (24.1) and four legendary centers: George Mikan (29.0), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28.8), Shaquille O’Neal (24.8), and Wilt Chamberlain (24.5).
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Lakers come back strong in second half to win
Second-year backup point guard Jordan Farmar tied a career high with 21 points for the Lakers, who lead the Western Conference by one game over San Antonio and Phoenix and are 40-17, just two wins behind last season’s total with 25 games to play. Bryant added nine rebounds and seven assists, and Pau Gasol had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 24 points and Joel Przybilla tied a season high with 16 rebounds.
The Trail Blazers converted their first 21 free throws before Martell Webster missed with 1:33 remaining. But the undermanned Blazers shot under 40 percent from the field for the 10th time this season and the sixth time in their last 16 games. Coach Nate McMillan was ejected with 3:05 to play after arguing about a foul.
Continue reading ‘Lakers come back strong in second half to win’