THAT'S THE STUFF BRYANT SCORES 36 POINTS AS LAKERS ROLL TO 2-0 EDGE.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer 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. wanted flow and aesthetics and all the stuff that makes a basketball purist pur·ist n. One who practices or urges strict correctness, especially in the use of words. pu·ris  tic adj. smile, and on a pleasant Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. evening,
he got just about everything he wanted Monday, even as he lost 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). along the way.
There was offense, lots of it, mostly from the fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 number-one hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's Tamla label. Wonder's first hit single, "Fingertips" was the first live, non-studio recording to reach number-one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States. of 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. and an energized Karl Malone * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. They reached the fourth quarter of Game 2 with a healthy lead, even without a major scoring contribution from O'Neal, and isn't that what the Lakers had in mind when they conceived this Fab Four thing in the first place? Bryant was assertive and effective, scoring 36 points, including 17 in the third quarter, when the Lakers got their first double-digit lead. Malone got his touch back, scoring 17 points and finishing with eight rebounds and four assists. The only startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. statistic of the evening was O'Neal's line: a career playoff-low seven points on 3-of-9 shooting in a foul-shortened 33 minutes. ``That's the sign of a good team, when one of your big dogs Big Dogs, based in Santa Barbara, California, is a chain of stores in the United States which features clothing and apparel holding the "Big Dogs" brand name. The Company is in single figures,'' O'Neal said. ``But I just tried to do the little things. I really didn't play in important parts of the game. I was on the bench in foul trouble. But everyone else stepped up.'' So teamwide perfection hasn't arrived yet, but the postseason is young, and there is time yet to make this all work. O'Neal made his stand against Yao Ming from the opening tip, blocking his first two shots. Yao recovered to score 21 points in 40 minutes but never got rolling. Steve Francis had a triple-double: 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. But the game belonged to Bryant, who made 9 of 20 field goals and 16 of 17 free throws and played all but three minutes of the game. Bryant gave a few comments to TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene. TNT in full trinitrotoluene Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. as he left the court, but extended his general media boycott to an eighth consecutive day. According to a team official, Bryant intends to maintain the boycott through the end of the season - possibly under the threat of fines from the commissioner's office. The Lakers have not lost a seven-game series after leading 2-0 since the 1969 Finals, which ended in a 4-3 loss to the Boston Celtics. Since then, they have won 25 in a row after taking the first two games. Fears of a series mired mire n. 1. An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. 2. Deep slimy soil or mud. 3. A disadvantageous or difficult condition or situation: the mire of poverty. v. in grabbing, hacking, lousy shooting and low scores proved unfounded, to the Lakers' great delight. They passed the 72-point barrier - their high point of Game 1 - with two seconds left in the third quarter, when Bryant hit three free throws. Bryant was fouled by Cuttino Mobley as he sprinted down the sideline, and referee Joe DeRosa called it a shooting foul - perhaps the longest continuation play since Larry Johnson's in the 1999 Finals. Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy Jeff Van Gundy (born January 19, 1962 in Hemet, California) is an American basketball head coach, most recently with the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets. Van Gundy attended Nazareth College (1985). , whose New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Knicks benefited from that infamous call, was aghast at this one, wrinkling his face. When Bryant made the free throws, the Lakers had a 74-64 lead to take in the final period. ``Today, I think, might have been Kobe's birthday. How generous they were to him out there,'' Francis said. ``To me, that's what opened the game up.'' The lead grew to 13 points on Kareem Rush's 3-pointer, then 16 points as he hit another, for an 85-69 edge with 8:12 to go. Bryant opened the second half in clear attack mode, taking six shots in the first five minutes, missing four of them. But the seventh was worth waiting for. With Kelvin Cato standing between him and the basket, Bryant leaped high and hard, turned away from the basket and, as he collided back to back with Cato, flipped the ball up over his head with his right hand. From his seated position on the court, Bryant looked back, watched the shot drop through, then rose and shook his index finger several times. Derek Fisher hit both of his 3-point attempts in the first half, giving him 124 in his playoff career and tying him with Michael Cooper as the Lakers' all-time postseason leader. Karl Malone got more comfortable on his sprained right ankle and showed none of the hesitation that fed a 3-for-14 night in Game 1. He hit his first shot of the game, a 16-footer from the right side, and had 10 points and five rebounds by halftime. ``That's what I came here for,'' he said. Before the first half was over, the Lakers had suffered another injury, their sixth in the past six days. Slava Medvedenko strained his right Achilles' tendon late in the second quarter and did not return. The Lakers now get three days to heal before playing Game 3 in Houston on Friday, and Jackson gave everyone the day off today. Howard Beck, (818) 713-3607 howard.beck(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 14 photos, 4 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) Center Shaquille O'Neal, who scored just seven points, shows his defensive prowess as he blocks a shot by Yao Ming during the Lakers' 98-84 victory at Staples Center. (2) Houston center Yao Ming dunks for two of his team-leading 21 points, although he never got rolling when the game remained close. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (3) KOBE BRYANT (4) GARY PAYTON (5) SHAQUILLE O'NEAL (6) KARL MALONE (7) RICK FOX (8) KAREEM RUSH (9) CUTTINO MOBLEY (10) STEVE FRANCIS (11) YAO MING (12) KELVIN CATO (13) JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape JACKSON (14) MAURICE TAYLOR Box: (1) STORY LINES (2) REPORT CARD (3) LAKERS vs. ROCKETS: Lakers lead best-of-seven series 2-0 (4) A CLOSER LOOK: GAME 2 By Lauren Gustus |
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