If Jerry Buss really wants Phil Jackson back to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, now would be the time for the team owner to speak up.
Don’t hold your breath.
Although Buss could have lauded Jackson any time over the past two years as the Lakers won back-to-back NBA titles, the owner’s silence on the matter has [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged Brian Shaw, Byron Scott, Derek Fisher, Jeanie Buss, Jerry Buss, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Ramona Shelbourne, Roland Lazenby
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Forgive Jeanie Buss, but she gets a little crazy after a Lakers loss.
Take Game 2 of L.A.’s title bout with the Boston Celtics, for example. After the Lakers took it in the shorts, she started telling friends that she was worried her father, team owner Jerry Buss, already had a deal with assistant coach Brian [...]
Yes, a quarter century has passed since the 1985 NBA championship series, when the Los Angeles Lakers finally vanquished the Boston Celtics franchise that had tormented them for years.
To celebrate that time when all the ghosts were finally sent packing in Boston Garden, I’m posting this excerpt from The Show, my oral history of the [...]
Somebody should have told Paul Pierce about the balloons.
All good Lakers fans worth their salsa know about the balloons.
Game 7, 1969 NBA Finals. The Lakers have lost six NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, but for the first time in the history of the rivalry the L.A. guys have home-court advantage. Game 7 is being [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged 1969 NBA Finals, Bill Russell, David Stern, Derek Fisher, Doc Rivers, Jack Kent Cooke, Jerry West, Jim Pallotta, Los Angeles Lakers, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Roland Lazenby
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It would seem that much has changed since the Celtics and Lakers met in the 2008 NBA championship series. Now the two teams meet again in the 2010 NBA Finals, and a lot of folks think the Lakers are ready to win a second straight title.
On the good side for the Lakers, they’re older and [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Jerry West, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Rajon Rondo, Roland Lazenby, Tex Winter
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My twitter thoughts over the past few hours plus a few observations:
Can Rondo prolong the careers of the Big Three? Garnett just turned 34, Pierce 33 in Oct, + Allen 35 in July. Prolly not much past this year.
Note: Question should include Doc Rivers? Can the rewards of coaching Rondo keep him in the job?
Dwight [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged Dwight Howard, Jerry Buss, Jerry Krause, Jerry West, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Orlando Magic, Phil Jackson, Rajon Rondo, Roland Lazenby
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Phil Jackson is the master of match-ups. He knows that factor singularly rules the order of succession, not just in the playoffs, but on a nightly basis in the NBA.
It’s just that the match-up issues are more profound in the playoffs.
So now we have a fresh four-team tournament before us, the NBA’s version of a [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged Andrew Bynum, Cleveland Cavaliers, Jerry West, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Phoenix Suns, Rajon Rondo, Roland Lazenby
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Elgin Baylor never won an NBA championship ring.
So how could you even consider him the All-Time MVP of the NBA Playoffs?
Well, you have to at least consider Baylor among the nominees along with Boston’s great Bill Russell (the centerpiece of 11 championship teams), Chicago’s Michael Jordan, and a select few others. By the way, the [...]
By Roland Lazenby
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Also tagged Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, George Mikan, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, MVP, NBA, Roland Lazenby, Shaquille O'Neal
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