"Leaning Towards Retirement" http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5320083 Phil Jackson says he's leaning towards retirement. Two questions for Laker fandom. Without Phil, do the Lakers win next year? And if Kobe does win a championship without Phil, how much does that add to the Mamba's legacy in your minds?
Not likely. It would mean an entirely new approach to the season. It would be incredible. The unthinkable. I'm not sure if it would raise his status as a legend. I prefer he win rings with Phil. Without Phil, it wouldn't feel the same, but it would be beyond amazing to say the least.
You sure about that? Considering Jordan never won a championship without Phil (though he got close with the 'Zards), wouldn't be a feather in his cap which could be used against the "he's not as great as Jordan" camp?
Something tells me Phil will be back for one last season. That's it. Afterwards, Byron Scott will likely become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. If Phil comes back for one more season, will he win a championship in his final year or will he not?
lol. Yeah. As for Kobe, he still wouldn't be 'Jordan' per-say in terms of statistics. Jordan was a more efficient player. He may have even had more rings than he does now had he not retired to only return later. This Jordan/Kobe talk can go on for hours but the fact remains, they're both legends that have had their own ways of seeing success. Some factors remained consistent, while others differed. When Kobe retires, then we can truly discuss and compare the accomplishments he's seen throughout the course of his career.
As the teams in the western conference are currently configured, the only one that causes me any concern are the young bucks otherwise known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. They're the only team I believe aren't mentally subservient to the Lakers and the only real obstacle (again, as I see it) to the Lakers reaching the finals next year. There's much that can happen with the big name free agents during the off season that could greatly change the landscape, but I see nothing in the eastern conference as currently configured that gives me pause. The Celts will be a year older (Garnett's knees). The Magic aren't tough enough and their go-to players have limited offensive skills (Dwight Howard) or are highly overrated (Vince Carter or Rashard Lewis). The Lebrons may not even be the Lebrons next year. Right now, I'd put my money on the Lake-Show to three-peat!
Same here. It would be amazing to see it happen one more time. The Lake-show, as we know it, will soon come to an end. It's best that we enjoy everything they have to offer right now because its only a matter of time before we eventually reach the 'rebuilding' or 'transition' phase of the organization. Guys like Kobe, LeBron, and Michael are far and few. The question is, when the next one comes along, which team will he go to and will he see the success of Jordan and Bryant. LeBron is the future but needs to make some wise choices to solidify his reputation as one of the best to ever play the game.
Lebron will go down with Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley as one of the 50 greatest players who have never won a championship. I am "The End" and I have spoken!
I want Phil to retire if his health is getting too bad, but damn if I don't want another 3-peat. That would be huge. 6 rings for Kobe AND another 3-peat.
The hardcore NBA fan received the perfect gift from the basketball gods ... another marquee matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. In hoopworld, this isn't just another hardwood game. This is more than basketball, more than sports. It is about supremacy, pride (gained and lost), money and much more. This is East Coast vs West Coast. This is Hollywood vs blue collar Irish scrabble. Magic v Bird. Wilt v Russell. Green vs Gold. Batman vs. Joker. Okay, you get the drill here .... The point is, there are very few sporting matchups packed with so much history, fanfare, glory and excitement as much as a June battle between the Lakers and the Celtics. And this year's chapter was one for the edges. In a lot of ways, this pairing was unlikely given that the Los Angeles Lakers stumbled through the regular season plagued by numerous injuries to their voracious superstar Kobe Bryant, inconsistency from their bench and Ron Artest's seeming difficulty in grasping the intricacies of the famed triangle offense. The Boston Celtics, for their part, had been written off as old, tired, ineffective and washed up to compete for another title. After some outrageous home losses to New Jersey, Washington and Memphis mid-season, some were even wondering whether it was time to break up the so called "Big Three." And then the postseason happened. The Celtics fought back injuries to eliminate Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Dwight Howard from the playoffs, in that order to set up a date with the Lakers. The Lakers had a relatively easier path to the finals, having been pushed to the wall by an upstart and eager but inexperience team, playing a hampered and largely inferior Jazz squad and a free-shooting but defensively inept Phoenix team. Say what you will about the Celtics, but they had a tougher time in this postseason. Having brought in Ron Artest, the talk was that the Lakers had shedded their "soft" image and were ready to get physical with the gritty Celtics. As such, the Finals provided an opportunity to see if they were for real, or it was all talk. And deliver a stern rebuke to the skeptics and haters they did. The final scores of the 7 game series do not do justice to the overwhelmingly dominant manner in which Los Angeles pushed around the C's, even when they lost. From beginning to end, L.A. was the superior team and it showed. In the series-clinching 2008 Finals game, the Lakers were run out of time by a determined Boston side who would rather be starved to death than play a Game 7. So they resiliently answered the call. Even though the series lacked a defining moment reminiscent of a "junior junior sky hook" or a "Memorial Day Massascre", it was still epic in some respects. For one thing, Ray Allen's shooting spree in Game 2 was one for the history books, as was his equally breathtakingly appalling follow-up in Game 3. Once again, a resilient group of role players stepped in to make crucial and series-defining plays. Barring Game 6, there were no real blow-outs, a testament to the quality of both squads. Derek Fisher came through (yet again) and showed why he's still a valuable asset, even at age 35. However, it must be said that this Finals were poorly played to a degree. From the foul-centric nature of Games 1-4 to the seeming inability of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Derek Fisher to hit shots with the normal ease at which they make them, it was grueling, drag-it-out, defensive-minded series. Consider the fact that in all 7 games, the Lakers/Celtics field goal percentages were as follows: 48.7%/43.3%, 40.8%/42.9%, 44.7%/43.8%, 45.1%/44.6%, 39.7%/56.3%, 41.3%/33.3% and 32.5%/40.8%. Talk about ugly shooting performances. Apart from Game 2, Ray Allen was a non-factor in this series. He couldn't buy a jumper in Games 3 and 7, and if only a few of his perimeter shots went in, it might have been a different story. Nonetheless, congratulations to the Lakers, and the Celtics even though I hate them with a passion. They were a worthy opponent, and even though they gave it their best, sometimes your best is not good enough. In spite of it going to seven, the Lakers were overall the superior side. Apart from Game 5, the Lakers controlled every game, even the ones they lost. They simply didn't execute when they lost games, and their bench did not do enough to prevent 7 game series. But all of that pales in comparison to the Celtics who saw their 13 point lead in Game 7 evaporate. They controlled the 1st half but were unable to close the deal. Oh well ..... One more ring, and Kobe has 6. I personally believe he has surpassed Kareem as the 2nd greatest Laker. To beat Magic to #1, he needs to win one more.
ok, ok, ok... time for a new thread. Lakers finished off the season in grand style. time to look forward to the future. oh wait, that should have them same ending, shouldn't it? lol congrats to my hometeam for making the right decision for once, and drafting the best player available.
LC, I agree with just about everything you said except you forgot "Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley", "Verizon vs. AT&T" and "VHS vs. Beta"! Of course it's premature but if Kobe does win another ring as a Laker, he may very well go down as the greatest Laker of them all. But because he's not lifting the NBA to new heights, as can be said of Magic Johnson, Kobe won't ever be as revered.
No sir you are incorrect. He'll have at least two pieces of bling. If Phil returns the Lakers will win again; folks need to fall back on the OKC. Remember the Hornets were the next great thing, then injuries happened and jealousy set in. The Hornets didn't even make the offs this year... You heard him say Queesbridge, say Queensbridge!
