Lakers enduring rough stretch
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, December 26
Updated: December 26
8:34 AM ET
Phil Jackson doesn't want to hear about things getting better once Karl Malone is back from his knee injury. He doesn't want to talk about Kobe Bryant having a cold. And he could care less about anything you have to say about Gary Payton or Shaquille O'Neal.
"We're not a very good team right now," Phil Jackson said in the L.A. Daily News. "We just hit a slump in which we're not a very good basketball club. It's not about being able to compete or competing. It's about not being capable of competing because we're not good enough to compete right now."
The Los Angeles Lakers, yes, those Los Angeles Lakers, may still have the best record in the NBA, but they've also lost two games in a row, four of their last six and were five points away from losing another two, which would have made it six losses in a month that they had only 11 games total to play with only four on the road.
"Fourth quarter, I couldn't make a shot, Shaq couldn't make a shot, Devean [George] couldn't make a shot, nobody could throw the ball in the ocean," said Kobe in the Los Angeles Times after their latest loss against Houston Wednesday night. "That's why we lost -- aside from the fact that our defense [stinks] right now."
Gary Payton
Point Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
27 13.9 3.4 6.6 .479 .685
Well, not exactly.
Gary Payton went 0-for-4 from the free-throw line against the Warriors.
Kobe Bryant is shooting 37 percent from the field in December.
Derek Fisher is shooting 33 percent from the field on the year.
And Shaq? Well, Shaq has tallied 39 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks on 52 percent shooting while the last two opposing centers have tallied 35 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks on 68 percent shooting against him.
"You're just going to lose basketball games," Jackson said in the L.A. Times. "It's part of living with the game. But you want to be competitive in all the games. The part about not being competitive in ballgames where the finish is in doubt until the last minute of the ballgame, that's what a good team's about. [Lacking] that competitive streak, knowing how to keep it close, stay in the ballgame. Those things I didn't anticipate."
Kobe Bryant
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
26 21.3 4.5 4.2 .423 .869
And as a result, the Lakers gave up 33 points in the first quarter against the Rockets. They gave up 38 points in the second quarter against the Warriors the game before that. They gave up 101 points to the worst team in the Western Conference after giving up a 19-point lead to the Denver Nuggets and needing a last-second shot to win against a team with a losing record on the road after the Lakers had six days rest.
"You go through the season where you play good and there's stretches where you play bad," Kobe said in the L.A. Daily News.
And we haven't even gotten to the fact that the Lakers gave up 222 points in their two losses last week or that on the season, they are being outrebounded on a nightly basis, 42.6 to 43.2, or that Malone still needs at least one more game to recover from his knee strain.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have won 11 games in a row. The Timberwolves have an even better record than them after winning six in a row and the Kings have the same exact record as the Lakers despite the fact that their franchise player, Chris Webber, has yet to play a game this year due to injury.
"I really can't put my finger on it yet," O'Neal said, "I'm pretty upset, but there's really no need for panic. Because even though we're playing like we're playing, we're still tied for first. Once we wake up, we'll be fine."
---------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, December 26
Updated: December 26
10:05 AM ET
Houston Rockets: At 7-foot-6, Yao Ming doesn't mind being the second-or even third-biggest fish in the pond. "It has been very interesting this season after having experienced the media crush last year," said Yao said in the Denver Post. "This year has been much easier. But I still feel that I have to be careful about what I do and say. Yes, (the Anthony-James) rivalry has definitely taken much of the pressure and attention from me. Earlier this year I was asked what I was thankful for this year, and my answer was LeBron James." He continued. "I was a little disappointed not to win the rookie of the year award last year. I can't say I was surprised because the competition between Amare Stoudemire and myself was very close. He had a very good year as well, and I hope we will be good competitors in the league for many years to come."
Los Angeles Lakers: No one's going to confuse Rick Fox with the fifth Beatle but being the fifth Laker is an entirely different thing as the end of his rehab nears. "I could play if I had to right now," Fox said in the L.A. Daily News. "The last two weeks have been very heartening in the sense that two weeks ago, I was still in that realm of uncertainty. But I feel way beyond the point of uncertainty now, and it's just a matter of continued strength building." He tore a tendon in his left foot last year and hasn't played yet. "That hasn't happened yet," he said. "I'll definitely get better. But I'm capable right now, I think, of plugging in and helping."
Cleveland Cavaliers: He is or he isn't 18-years-old. Tracy McGrady can't even decide between beautiful and the opposite when it comes to describing LeBron James. "He's unbelievable," McGrady said in the Orlando Sentinel. "He's not 18 years old. Can't possibly be. If he continues to work hard and stay hungry, it could be ugly." Wednesday night, McGrady scored 41 to James' 34 to lead the Magic past the Cavs. "He's good, but I'm still beter," McGrady added. And James didn't seem to disagree. "He's an all-star," James said. "He is a future Hall of Famer. Guys like him you cannot stop -- you can only hope to contain him."
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki wasn't sure who to address the tag to after gift wrapping Wednesday night's big win over the Kings. "The whole organization needed the win," said Nowitzki in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. "We lost four in a row. We didn't look good on the road at all. We talked about defense a lot lately, and still they light us up for 60 in the first half. We just had to be more solid defensively." To which Antoine Walker decided on a new resolution. "Hopefully, this can jump-start our season to the right direction before the New Year starts," said Walker.
Indiana Pacers: Jamaal Tinsley is back, though with the Pacers winning so often you might not have known he was ever gone. "I've got a good feeling about Jamaal coming back into the fold," head coach Rick Carlisle said in the Indianapolis Star. "He's worked awful hard and hasn't gotten a whole lot of notice for it in the last month and a half. Now is the time when it's going to have to pay off for him and pay off for us because we're going to need him." With veteran Kenny Anderson down with an injury, the former starter is expected to back up Anthony Johnson and get significant minutes in the near future. "My confidence is never going nowhere, no matter what they do," said Tinsley.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, December 26
Updated: December 26
8:34 AM ET
Phil Jackson doesn't want to hear about things getting better once Karl Malone is back from his knee injury. He doesn't want to talk about Kobe Bryant having a cold. And he could care less about anything you have to say about Gary Payton or Shaquille O'Neal.
"We're not a very good team right now," Phil Jackson said in the L.A. Daily News. "We just hit a slump in which we're not a very good basketball club. It's not about being able to compete or competing. It's about not being capable of competing because we're not good enough to compete right now."
The Los Angeles Lakers, yes, those Los Angeles Lakers, may still have the best record in the NBA, but they've also lost two games in a row, four of their last six and were five points away from losing another two, which would have made it six losses in a month that they had only 11 games total to play with only four on the road.
"Fourth quarter, I couldn't make a shot, Shaq couldn't make a shot, Devean [George] couldn't make a shot, nobody could throw the ball in the ocean," said Kobe in the Los Angeles Times after their latest loss against Houston Wednesday night. "That's why we lost -- aside from the fact that our defense [stinks] right now."
Gary Payton
Point Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
27 13.9 3.4 6.6 .479 .685
Well, not exactly.
Gary Payton went 0-for-4 from the free-throw line against the Warriors.
Kobe Bryant is shooting 37 percent from the field in December.
Derek Fisher is shooting 33 percent from the field on the year.
And Shaq? Well, Shaq has tallied 39 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks on 52 percent shooting while the last two opposing centers have tallied 35 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks on 68 percent shooting against him.
"You're just going to lose basketball games," Jackson said in the L.A. Times. "It's part of living with the game. But you want to be competitive in all the games. The part about not being competitive in ballgames where the finish is in doubt until the last minute of the ballgame, that's what a good team's about. [Lacking] that competitive streak, knowing how to keep it close, stay in the ballgame. Those things I didn't anticipate."
Kobe Bryant
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
26 21.3 4.5 4.2 .423 .869
And as a result, the Lakers gave up 33 points in the first quarter against the Rockets. They gave up 38 points in the second quarter against the Warriors the game before that. They gave up 101 points to the worst team in the Western Conference after giving up a 19-point lead to the Denver Nuggets and needing a last-second shot to win against a team with a losing record on the road after the Lakers had six days rest.
"You go through the season where you play good and there's stretches where you play bad," Kobe said in the L.A. Daily News.
And we haven't even gotten to the fact that the Lakers gave up 222 points in their two losses last week or that on the season, they are being outrebounded on a nightly basis, 42.6 to 43.2, or that Malone still needs at least one more game to recover from his knee strain.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have won 11 games in a row. The Timberwolves have an even better record than them after winning six in a row and the Kings have the same exact record as the Lakers despite the fact that their franchise player, Chris Webber, has yet to play a game this year due to injury.
"I really can't put my finger on it yet," O'Neal said, "I'm pretty upset, but there's really no need for panic. Because even though we're playing like we're playing, we're still tied for first. Once we wake up, we'll be fine."
---------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, December 26
Updated: December 26
10:05 AM ET
Houston Rockets: At 7-foot-6, Yao Ming doesn't mind being the second-or even third-biggest fish in the pond. "It has been very interesting this season after having experienced the media crush last year," said Yao said in the Denver Post. "This year has been much easier. But I still feel that I have to be careful about what I do and say. Yes, (the Anthony-James) rivalry has definitely taken much of the pressure and attention from me. Earlier this year I was asked what I was thankful for this year, and my answer was LeBron James." He continued. "I was a little disappointed not to win the rookie of the year award last year. I can't say I was surprised because the competition between Amare Stoudemire and myself was very close. He had a very good year as well, and I hope we will be good competitors in the league for many years to come."
Los Angeles Lakers: No one's going to confuse Rick Fox with the fifth Beatle but being the fifth Laker is an entirely different thing as the end of his rehab nears. "I could play if I had to right now," Fox said in the L.A. Daily News. "The last two weeks have been very heartening in the sense that two weeks ago, I was still in that realm of uncertainty. But I feel way beyond the point of uncertainty now, and it's just a matter of continued strength building." He tore a tendon in his left foot last year and hasn't played yet. "That hasn't happened yet," he said. "I'll definitely get better. But I'm capable right now, I think, of plugging in and helping."
Cleveland Cavaliers: He is or he isn't 18-years-old. Tracy McGrady can't even decide between beautiful and the opposite when it comes to describing LeBron James. "He's unbelievable," McGrady said in the Orlando Sentinel. "He's not 18 years old. Can't possibly be. If he continues to work hard and stay hungry, it could be ugly." Wednesday night, McGrady scored 41 to James' 34 to lead the Magic past the Cavs. "He's good, but I'm still beter," McGrady added. And James didn't seem to disagree. "He's an all-star," James said. "He is a future Hall of Famer. Guys like him you cannot stop -- you can only hope to contain him."
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki wasn't sure who to address the tag to after gift wrapping Wednesday night's big win over the Kings. "The whole organization needed the win," said Nowitzki in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. "We lost four in a row. We didn't look good on the road at all. We talked about defense a lot lately, and still they light us up for 60 in the first half. We just had to be more solid defensively." To which Antoine Walker decided on a new resolution. "Hopefully, this can jump-start our season to the right direction before the New Year starts," said Walker.
Indiana Pacers: Jamaal Tinsley is back, though with the Pacers winning so often you might not have known he was ever gone. "I've got a good feeling about Jamaal coming back into the fold," head coach Rick Carlisle said in the Indianapolis Star. "He's worked awful hard and hasn't gotten a whole lot of notice for it in the last month and a half. Now is the time when it's going to have to pay off for him and pay off for us because we're going to need him." With veteran Kenny Anderson down with an injury, the former starter is expected to back up Anthony Johnson and get significant minutes in the near future. "My confidence is never going nowhere, no matter what they do," said Tinsley.
