A PAINFUL LESSON FOR LAKERS; JAZZ SHOWS KIDS WHAT IT TAKES TO REACH FINALS : UTAH 96, LAKERS 92.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer A presumed dynasty in the making was reduced Sunday into just another talented young team without a championship ring. Whatever the Lakers may yet become, this morning they wake up with only one title to their credit. Western Conference runners-up. The team that won 61 games, the one that boasted four All-Stars, the one that tore through the Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (or simply Sonics) are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their mascot's name is Squatch. like a locomotive through rice paper, the one prematurely anointed "Anointed" redirects here. For the process of anointing, see Anointing. Anointed is a Contemporary Christian music duo consisting of siblings Steve and Da'dra Crawford. Their musical style includes elements of R&B, funk, and piano ballads. ``Showtime II,'' was relegated to a mere postseason footnote, dismantled by the older, savvier, clearly superior Utah Jazz. The Lakers' championship dreams died with a 96-92 loss to the Jazz before 17,505 witnesses at the Forum, anticlimactically concluding a Western Conference finals that never showcased the talents that got them there. Swept 4-0, the Lakers exited the postseason not kicking and screaming, but silenced by their own shocking inability to match the Jazz's efficiency and its intelligence. They never led after the first quarter, only threatened the lead when it was too late, hardly looked like they wanted to force a Game 5 in Salt Lake City. Four games, four losses. No explanations sufficed. A sweep? Of the Lakers? ``I didn't think no one could sweep us,'' Corie Blount Corie Kasoun Blount (born January 4, 1969 in Monrovia, California) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'9" power forward/center, Blount starred at the University of Cincinnati during the early 1990s, where he helped his team reach the Final Four in 1992 said. ``It's hard to understand,'' said Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. . ``It just seemed like nothing really ever worked.'' That much, no one debated. The Jazz ensured its second straight trip to the NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association. The team winning the Eastern Conference Finals earns one of the two berths in the championship round, with the other going to the team that wins the Western Conference Finals. by shooting 51 percent in the series and knocking 11 percentage points off the Lakers' field-goal accuracy. The offensive juggernaut Juggernaut, India: see Puri. Juggernaut (Jagannath) huge idol of Krishna drawn through streets annually, occasionally rolling over devotees. [Hindu Rel.: EB, V: 499] See : Destruction that was the Lakers never made it to 100 points in the series. Ousted from the playoffs for the second straight year by Utah, the Lakers were left only to ponder how many postseason disappointments they must suffer until they get their turn in the Finals. ``It shows we still have some learning to do as a team, about what it takes to win at the next level,'' coach Del Harris said. ``It took Utah three times at this level to get to the Finals. . . . There is a learning process.'' A process that for the Lakers can't end soon enough. ``I'm tired of learning,'' Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during said. ``I went to school for 18 years.'' And still the Jazz had plenty of lessons to teach their precocious pre·co·cious adj. Showing unusually early development or maturity. pre·coc  ity , pre·co opponents. Such as how to play team defense, how to stay composed under
pressure and how to play to your strengths.
The Jazz never allowed the Lakers to play at their preferred turbo-charged pace, and as the game slowed to a methodical crawl night in and night out, the Lakers found themselves frustrated, forcing shots on offense, and in disarray on defense. ``They outplayed us, they outhustled us, they just did everything better than us,'' said Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. . For the fourth time in the series, Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). did everything an All-NBA center could, scoring 38 points, including 19 in a frantic fourth-quarter comeback attempt. But after Eddie Jones' 19 points, well, there was nothing. The All-Star point guard? Van Exel managed 11 points. The child prodigy Noun 1. child prodigy - a prodigy whose talents are recognized at an early age; "Mozart was a child prodigy" infant prodigy, wonder child child, kid, minor, nipper, tiddler, youngster, tike, shaver, small fry, nestling, fry, tyke - a young person of either ? Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. put six points next to his three turnovers. The starting forwards? Horry and Rick Fox scored 10 points between them. Offensive juggernaut? Not. The Lakers stuck to their old stand-bys - get the ball to Shaq, watch him score or pass - but the Jazz succeeded again at single-teaming O'Neal while the surrounding cast looked like a showroom of mannequins standing idly by. It was like that for three losses, but Sunday before tipoff, the coach projected confidence that his team had something else, that the Lakers could at least buy back some pride by at least averting a sweep. ``We'll win this game,'' Harris said confidently. ``Then we'll worry about winning another game.'' But it was the coach's fashion statement, the black suit and dark tie, that served as the better indicator of what was to come. In a series in which they never found their shooting touch, the Lakers once again shot poorly - 43.2 percent - and yet late in the fourth quarter, on O'Neal's efforts alone, they managed to create the illusion of a team vying for a championship. O'Neal scored 19 of the Lakers' final 35 points in the only quarter they won, pulling them within three points three times in the final 1:36. But Karl Malone John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1984–2003) as a combined for 18 in the quarter and appropriately, the Jazz's ageless duo finished off any chance of a comeback by scoring the last 10 points of the game. And the series. ``You could sense it,'' Van Exel said of the near comeback, ``but I knew Utah wouldn't fold. . . . They don't panic
Don't panic may refer to:
One more lesson for the kids to learn from the adults. And a long offseason to study. ``We were feeling great and flying high. . . . but that's the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= ,'' Fisher said. ``I think it reinforces how you don't become a champion or become the best overnight. . . .It's a long, arduous process.'' GAME 4: A CLOSER LOOK RATING THE LAKERS OFFENSE: Poor The Lakers were once again one dimensional, relying on Shaquille O'Neal's 38 points - 19 in the fourth quarter - to carry them. Only two other Lakers scored in double figures, and the team shot 43.2 percent from the field (36 percent without O'Neal). DEFENSE: Poor They allowed the Jazz to shoot 47.7 percent - 57.1 percent in the fourth quarter - and couldn't come up with enough defensive stops late in the game to complete a near comeback. FREE THROWS: Poor Lakers coach Del Harris predicted prior to tipoff that his team would win Game 4 and avoid the sweep. Broadway Joe he isn't. HERO Karl Malone The MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. runner-up looked like MVP material throughout the series, including Sunday's 32-point, 14-rebound, five-assist performance. Malone's 10 points in the final 7:38 helped the Jazz ice the game. GOAT Del Harris Unable to make any effective adjustments to avoid a sweep in the series, the Lakers coach was anything but graceful in defeat as he pinned blame on the officials. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--Cover--Color) BROOM AND GLOOM: Utah sweeps Lakers Terri Thuente/Daily News (2) Eddie Jones' face reflects the Lakers' frustration after being swept by the Jazz. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press (3) It was a monumental struggle for Nick Van Exel and the Lakers all series long. Terri Thuente/Daily News BOX: GAME 4: A CLOSER LOOK (see text) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion