Please bear with me a bit while I bask in victory! I know it's World Cup season and the US Open is going on but remember, we do not have a Pro Football team in Los Angeles so I need to steal a moment whenever I can....
I was lucky enough to catch Game 6 at Staples Center and watch the Lakers dominate the Celtics.
Game 7 was a different story.......
Watching game 7 nearly half a world away with Japanese commentary was a bit different but I am happy with the result. I will say, it was a bit stressful at times as the Lakers fought their way back from a 13 point deficit. My hat is off to PauGasol, Ron Artest, and Derek Fisher! They, among others, delivered a world-class performance. Kobe was a bit cold on the offensive front but fortunately, the rest of the team pulled him through!
Look up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, .....
No, it's the NBA and they've got a fine for you Dwight Howard!
Say it isn't so!
I'm a little late to the party but let me pile on anyway. I was scrolling through my Blackberry today looking for a distraction from the "HelterSkelter" stock market ride and I rolled across this story about Dwight Howard being fined for a Blog comment.
I had to read the story twice - and I couldn't believe it either time. Yes, the "freakishly big" Dwight Howard, who plays basketball for the Orlando Magic and sometimes doubles as Superman, was fined $35,000 for a comment he made on his own Blog! I guess he's not too big for the NBA to beat up.
Here's part of the comment:
"Ya’ll know that that series against Charlotte drove me crazy. I mean it was almost comical at times how I was getting fouls called on me. There was nothing I could do our there and I felt like I couldn’t even move without getting that whistle blown on me.
I’m not looking to say anything to get myself in trouble with the league, but I just don’t see other star players getting called for fouls the way I get them. No star player in the league is outta games the way I am. I even talked to Pat Ewing about his career and he said he never had foul trouble like what I’m going through.
I gotta say this is the most frustrating stretch of my career. I’ve never been through four games in a row like that. But hey, we won the series and we’re moving on. I’m so so so hoping that things will be different next series against ATL or Milwaukee."
(Follow this link to read all of Dwight's comments on his Blog: click here:)
Wow. I don't quite know what to say about this event. Frankly, I didn't find his comments that offensive.
But get this; this was the second fine on Howard for comments he made on his Blog. Back in November he was fined $15,000 for similar comments he made on his Blog.
Just goes to show you, Blogging can be an expensive habit!
After all of that, here's some light entertainment for your viewing pleasure.
Now watch as Dwight Howard Dunks on a 12 foot rim.
Hey, I got lucky last night and got to watch the Lakers in person as they unfortunately, fell to the Magic 104 -97. Thanks to a good friend, I scored some really good seats for the show. And when I say show, I mean LA's usual parade of stars along with the basketball game. At times, the fans seemed more interested in some of the celebrity attendees, like: Lindsey Lohan, Venus Williams, and Jack Nicholson, than the action on the floor.
Kobe's 28 points just wasn't good enough to make the win happen. The Lakers put up a great fight and pulled ahead 73-70 in the third quarter. Hedo Turkoglu (pictured below left- number 15) turned things around and started a 9-0 run when he hit a 3-pointer. There was no turning back from that run as the Magic stayed ahead for the win.
Despite the loss, it was a fun night out. I've been a huge Derek Fisher fan since I met him in person and got the chance to smack a few golf balls with him at a golf tournament a few years back. He exudes quality. I'm happy he's back in town. I enjoyed watching him do his thing on the court in spite of the loss.
Additionally, I got the chance to eat some marginal food, drink adequate beer, (expensive may I add) and take lots of pictures. Wow! All in all it was a good night!
