If you're a die-hard NBA fan, the NCAA's can be a little trying. Not that there's anything wrong with swinging both ways. But when Kobe is out there making history and a lot of the world can't be bothered, something's not right. Apparently, I'm not the only person who feels this way. The one, the only Phil Jackson thinks fans should have at least a little bit of respect for the Association in the month of March. The Los Angeles Times reports that during last night's Grizz/Lakers game, the hometown fans were more interested in watching Memphis/A&M than the action right in front of them:
As the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies played Thursday night at FedExForum, fans erupted in cheers at inopportune times that had nothing to do with the antics of the Grizzlies' mascot.Jackson got peeved, seemingly out of principle, and demanded the game be taken down:
Fans were simply watching the Tigers play Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, a game shown on the scoreboard at FedExForum for the final minutes of the Tigers' 65-64 victory over the Aggies.
"I went to the scorer's table and said, 'That's not right,'" Jackson said later. "This is the game that's being played here. Delaney did the right thing."Lamar Odom, who missed two free throws when surprise cheering broke out, had no problem with it. I can see both sides of it. It's like, if you you're that invested in the Tigers, don't attend another sporting event. But if Kobe's slicing up your squad, you probably need something to believe in.
Correction, sort of: They were showing the game, not just the score.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-23-2007 @ 4:10PM
KS said...
What history is Kobe making? Seems like several people have blazed the path he is going down.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 2:22PM
Doodlebop said...
Quit being such a cry baby the world doesn't revolve around the NBA....let alone Kobe "Ball Hog" Bryant!
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 2:39PM
DM said...
Apparently, nobody cared about Kobe's feat, even when it happened right in front of them.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 5:57PM
atlantic city said...
NCAA is more exciting. I could care less about the NBA all year long.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 3:17PM
Lee Ferreira said...
This comment is for Doodlebop....Donīt get me wrong everybody has a right to an opinion but lets get serious, you say that Kobe is a "Ball Hog" but man you gotta agree that when somebody is as good as he is why pass the ball
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 3:30PM
Pacifist Viking said...
This sounds like pure prudery on Jackson's part: fans attending a game are supposed to sit in church-like adoration, attending only to the ceremony on the court; they're not supposed to express emotion about anything else.
Cheering for a score on the board does not represent a lack of respect for what's on the court--unless by "respect," you mean 100% adoration and focus, which I'm pretty sure most arena crowds don't have even in the NBA Finals.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 3:53PM
Al said...
why is it that you only hear from one member of the NBA....it is hard to sit through a full game of the thug filled, "what's in it for me" NBA regular season game.....David Stern made a deal with the devil (sponsors) and now he is paying the price with the quality of entertainment he offers. Basketball has been basterized and then spoon fed to the fans as the best players in the world. USA lost in the world basketball format.......hummmm maybe they should change the name to SBA....Street Ball Azz...If you want to see basketball the way it was ment to be....NCAA or international.....quit crying Phil....
Reply
3-26-2007 @ 8:00AM
myssec1 said...
Maybe besides Kobe shooting every time he touched the ball maybe the game was just BOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 4:34PM
carlos said...
is not about phil or kobe for you out there writing comments about the ncaa basketbal being the real thing, is about you the same people who write stuff now about kobe being a ball hog, but five years after he retires completely from basketball, you will be the same people who will be saying i wish i was there to watch kobe put up 81 or one day 90 points. just like many people did with jordan at one point
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 4:46PM
the real deal said...
It's not about Kobe or Phill one is a rapist and the other is a freak and neither will amount to anything without the big fella in miami so who cares and march madness is what the league should be , but money and idiots having too much of it is what the league is about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 5:12PM
SHOALS said...
not sure this was clear from my post: they had the actual game up on the board.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 10:25PM
BillMo said...
That's a weak reaction from the zen master. I guess Phil hasn't been in blues country lately. Come on Phil what else are the fans expected to do while at a Grizzlies game? You don't expect them to watch or care about who claims scorebord in the end do you? And as for that comment about Kobe being a rapist he paid to have those statistics stricken from his record book.
Reply
3-23-2007 @ 10:59PM
B-ball fan 11 said...
C'mon Phil take a chill pill, Memphis Tigers are the only good team in Memphis, and they might actually win something. What do you want them to do, enjoy watching Kobe make their team look like their in high school, they want something to cheer for so let them have it.
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 12:56AM
j21g said...
Stop all of this crying about kobe, phil. You cry when they make a fuss about those dirty tactics he uses in the game, when he hits other people. Now you are crying about people not paying attention to his so call historic performance.Let us who enjoy watching NCAA basketball as well as the NBA alone.
When the playoffs start i watch just as much NBA where-ever i'm at (including other sport venues)!
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 1:48AM
Lakergregg said...
Are you people this stupid?
Phil is totally right...why should his players have to shoot free throws(which a player has 10 seconds to shoot once given the ball)while the crowd is going crazy over another non related game being shown on the scoreboard.
If they wanted to watch Memphis they should have stayed home and watched both games.
The Lakers or any other visiting team shouldn't have to deal with distractions that can be avoided.
Its like playing distracting music only while the visiting team has the ball.
If the Grizzlies need to do more for their fans they need to do it on their own time.
This wasn't a major issue but Phil was right.
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 1:46AM
Spartacus said...
Considering that Phil referred to Memphis as looking "like Dresden after the war" last season, he's lucky that the fans weren't paying attention to him and his club. If they had, his squad might not have been able to muster up a victory over the "feeble" Grizzlies. The fans in Memphis have allegiances to both teams (Tigers and Grizzlies), so I see nothing wrong with them showing the game on the scoreboard. As others have noted, it's not like the Grizzlies have provided much to cheer about this season.
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 3:29AM
dane said...
Wow Real Deal, you are probably the stupidest man person alive you freakin moron. Kobe is the most incredible player on the planet, of all time. he deserves respect. Not stupid Memphis fans cheering about something totally irrelevant. The world needs to take a break from March Madness and observe the the most talented player to ever step foot on court.
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 6:39AM
Dickie V said...
The Tigers could beat the grizzlies anyway.......Who cares....the NBA sucks
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 9:14AM
jensnna@aol.com said...
who the hell cares about Kobe Bryant? The fans that were cheering Memphis on the scoreboard have every right to do what they want...they paid for there ticket, probably an outrageous amount, and should be allowed to do what they want...just like Kobe did in that hotel room in Colorado...face it people, nobody likes to listen to an overpaid pro athlete when they have skeletons and are an a hole to begin with...college athletics and kids not being paid to play a game is much more appealing than anything the NBA has ever done....Stern might be an attorney and thinks he knows everything, he sure is letting garbage ruin his league
Reply
3-24-2007 @ 10:55AM
Dan said...
Phil Jackson is a pompous ass and if the NBA can't handle the competition perhaps it should address its image. Gangsta is getting a bit old, and a bit boring. Time for a new approach? Why would fans in Memphis NOT be more interested in THEIR local team in the NCAA? The NBA is Nothing But Attitudes.
Reply