MONTH ENDS IN ALL-ROUT STYLE LAKERS CONTINUE DOMINANCE AT HOME LAKERS 99, INDIANA 77.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer The final seconds of November ticked away, another vaunted vaunt v. vaunt·ed, vaunt·ing, vaunts v.tr. To speak boastfully of; brag about. v.intr. To speak boastfully; brag. See Synonyms at boast1. n. 1. NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= power quietly retreated into the night and the Lakers counted another victory, their 14th, from their usual position: reclining comfortably on the bench, ice across their knees, satisfaction across their faces. The first month of Payton-to-Bryant-to-Malone-to-O'Neal could have gone better, but not by much, and the final two weeks were a picture of perfection, capped by consecutive routs of the two best teams the league had to offer. The Lakers closed the season's first full month of games Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. with a 99-77 rout of the Indiana Pacers “Pacers” redirects here. For other uses, see Pacers (disambiguation). The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. , emaciating the East's best team with the usual doses of 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). , defensive grit and offensive balance. Two nights earlier, they routed the defending champions from San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. by 22 points, which followed routs of Washington and Memphis by 21 and 32 points, and so the holiday season is starting on a cheery note. ``I think we're just riding a momentum, a feel-good momentum on the team,'' coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. said. ``I just think there's kind of a defensive edge and kind of an arrogance about this Laker team right now that's carrying them over. Confidence.'' Whatever it is, it has become suffocating suf·fo·cate v. suf·fo·cat·ed, suf·fo·cat·ing, suf·fo·cates v.tr. 1. To kill or destroy by preventing access of air or oxygen. 2. To impair the respiration of; asphyxiate. 3. to opponents. No one has scored 100 points on the Lakers in two weeks, and no one has beaten them at home in 10 games this season. The Pacers, led by All-Star Jermaine O'Neal Jermaine L. O'Neal (born October 13 1978, in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American National Basketball Association player who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers. O'Neal, a 6 ft 11 in (2. and star-in-waiting Ron Artest Ronald (Ron) William Artest Jr. (born November 13 1979) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays with the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Artest gained reputation as one of the premier defenders in the game today, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year , were undefeated on the road until Sunday and had the league's longest overall winning streak, eight games. They left shaking their heads, with no more insight than any of their predecessors. Jermaine O'Neal scored just 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting and Artest finished with six points. ``They're the best team we've seen at this point, by far,'' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Shaquille O'Neal sat out the entire second quarter because of foul trouble but came on strong with a 10-point third quarter and finished with 23 points in 23 minutes. Karl Malone filled in for one O'Neal, kept the other O'Neal in check and finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Gary Payton (eight points) and Kobe Bryant (12 points) were content to make a few timely shots and hold down the Pacers' backcourt. The Lakers set an L.A.-era record with their 25th consecutive home victory. The only longer streak in franchise history is 30, set by the Minneapolis Lakers from 1949-50 to 1950-51. It was supposed to take some time for the Fab Four to familiarize themselves with one another. But they went 14-3 in November, their only stumbles coming on the road, the last one 13 days ago, and still they are shooting for perfection. ``We're actually supposed to be undefeated, but we let three games slip away,'' O'Neal said. ``We're playing together, we're moving the ball and we're playing good defense, and we're just feeling good about ourselves.'' The marquee Sunday had held such promise: Best in the West vs. best in the East, and the best two big men named O'Neal sharing space in the post. Reality was so much less intriguing. The Pacers and Lakers combined for 15 turnovers and 14 fouls in the first quarter, Shaquille O'Neal was saddled with three early fouls and played just five minutes in the first half, scoring five points. The Lakers led by eight points in the first quarter, by 11 in the second quarter and sustained momentum with buzzer-beating shots to close each period - Derek Fisher with a 17-footer at the end of the first, Bryon Russell with a 3-pointer at the end of the half. A 3-pointer by Bryant pushed the lead to 15 early in the third quarter, O'Neal went to work and the Pacers faded away. A restless crowd - or perhaps just a bored one - entertained itself with chants of ``Reggie sucks,'' taunting former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX star Reggie Miller, who scored just nine points. ``We kind of had it in cruise control,'' Bryant said. Howard Beck, (818) 713-3613 howard.beck(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) LAKERS SET THE PACE L.A. routs Indiana in matchup of NBA's best and earns team-record 25th consecutive regular-season home victory. (2) Gary Payton keeps the ball away from Indiana's Reggie Miller, who uses his hand, and his leg, in an attempt to get it back. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer Box: GAME RECAP |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion