KOBE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS BRYANT'S BRILLIANT DEFENSE ON IVERSON SPARKS LAKERS LAKERS 87, PHILADELPHIA 84.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer Riddle me this: If a defender shuts down Allen Iverson <noinclude></noinclude> Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Virginia[1]), nicknamed A.I. and The Answer, is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. , also known as The Answer, does that make him the answer to the Answer, or the question that The Answer can't answer? It's a point to ponder, because maybe the Lakers' 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. is in need of a cutesy cute·sy adj. cute·si·er, cute·si·est Informal Deliberately or affectedly cute; precious: a cutesy boutique for children's fashions. nickname after making The Answer appear as irrelevant as an umlaut umlaut (  m`lout) [Ger.,=transformed sound], in inflection, variation of vowels of the type of English man to men. in a Spanish dictionary.
In perhaps the signature defensive performance of his young career, Bryant held the NBA's scoring leader scoreless for the entire second half Sunday, and led the Lakers See Lake poets to a gritty 87-84 victory at First Union Center. Iverson, averaging 30.9 points, finished with 16 after going 0 for 11 in the final two quarters against the taller (seven inches), longer and sufficiently quick Bryant. Questions, answers, dangling participles, whatever. Bryant made sure to slap a few exclamation points on the statement - he blocked Iverson's shot four times, including three swats in the final 8:17 as the Lakers fought back from a five-point deficit in the fourth. It was, in coach Phil Jackson's short tenure, the best defense Bryant has played. ``I said that to him,'' Jackson said, ``but he said he felt that it wasn't as good as he's played before. Kobe might downplay it. He said he didn't have to work that hard, he had to work harder at the offensive end in some regard.'' But if not this game, then when? ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. ,'' Bryant said, then smiled, ``I just felt like picking an argument (with Jackson).'' No one debated the importance of Bryant's stand, however - ``a great defensive game,'' said Ron Harper
Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in . The Lakers hadn't beaten the Sixers since Iverson joined them, and he picked the Lakers apart for 41 points a year ago. Of the blocks, Bryant said, ``I knew he was going to try to get the basket, and I just moved my puppies, that's all. ``It's just a thrill playing defense, period,'' he said, ``especially with our rotations today. We did a good job. Whenever he drove baseline or drove to the middle, Shaq, Robert (Horry) and A.C. (Green), everybody stepped up and really clogged the lane up, and made key rotations out to their players.'' The Lakers certainly were not going to win with offense Sunday. Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice (born May 28 1967, in Flint where he played for Flint Northwestern High School, Michigan) is a retired American NBA basketball player. Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star small forward well known for his pinpoint shooting accuracy, ranking 4th in NBA history with hit 7 of 11 shots for 18 points, but the other stars struggled. 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). was 9 for 22 from the field, though he just missed a triple-double, with 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Bryant, bothered by a sprained index finger on his shooting hand, had just 10 points through three quarters. He found his stroke just in time, though, scoring eight points in the fourth. After O'Neal tied the game at 81, Bryant hit two straight jumpers to complete a 9-0 Lakers run, giving them an 85-81 advantage with 1:28 to go. Eric Snow's 3-pointer pulled the Sixers within a point with 35.5 seconds left, but when Iverson went for the go-ahead basket, Bryant stuffed the attempt and grabbed the ball. He then hit two free throws for the final margin. Iverson got one last chance, taking the inbounds in·bounds adj. 1. Basketball Involving putting the ball into play by passing it from out of bounds to a teammate on the court. 2. Sports Within the designated boundaries. pass with 1.7 seconds, but his 26-foot attempt was rejected by O'Neal. O'Neal finished with four blocks. Bryant had five blocks to go with 18 points and seven assists as he enjoyed a rare victory in his hometown. The Lakers hadn't won here since November 1996. ``He played well. He had a lot of help,'' O'Neal said of Bryant. Jackson admitted surprise as holding Iverson without a point in the second half, but dismissed it somewhat as ``a fluke.'' A major achievement? ``It's cool,'' Bryant said. ``I'm more proud of the win, though, because we haven't won here in a while. . . . I really wasn't thinking about (defending Iverson), to tell you the truth. It's like I told you guys, I really don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. . I just go out there and do the job and try to win the basketball game.'' The Lakers did, overcoming a 51-39 rebounding deficit and a 20-point game from Theo Ratliff Theophilus Curtis Ratliff (born April 17, 1973 in Demopolis, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. He primarily plays the center position, and is known as an excellent shot-blocker. to win their seventh game in a row. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Center Shaquille O'Neal forces Philadelphia's Allen Iverson to pass the ball away in the first half of the Lakers' 87-84 win Sunday. Iverson, the NBA's leading scorer, only had 16 points. Chris Gardner/Associated Press Box: Game Recap |
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