Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Monday, there are 15 days remaining.
When it comes to today's Los Angeles Lakers, there is no third way. There is no fence sitting and there are no maybes and no one says, "The Lakers? Meh. I can take 'em or leave 'em."
There is either love or hate. How do we love/hate thee?
Let us count the ways.
You can start with the Lakers culture. Their fans are wealthier, more famous and prettier than you.
The Who's Who of Hollywood turn out because the Lakers have employed a Who's Who of NBA history. The best point guard ever, Magic Johnson, never wore anything but Forum Blue and Gold. The model for the NBA's logo, Jerry West, spent his whole career with the Lakers. Though he became a front office punchline as the GM of the L.A. Clippers, Elgin Baylor changed forever the small forward position and once held the post-season record for most points in a game with 61. To top it off, the four best centers in NBA history (George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal) have led the Lakers to at least one title.
It's quite possible the Lakers' all-time starting five may be able beat any other five guys you could throw together from NBA history. Discuss.
Of course, having employed this all-world talent has led to -- Enmity? Jealousy? -- spectacular results. On Oct. 27, the NBA will roll out the basketballs for its 62nd season since the BAA and the NBL merged. The Lakers have qualified for postseason play in 56 of those previous 61 seasons. That's right, you can literally count the times the Lakers have missed the postseason on one hand. In those 56 playoffs appearances, the Lakers have made the Finals an NBA-record 30 times and on June 14, 2009 they won No. 15, leaving them two short of Boston's 17.
But don't just take Joey Buss' words for it. I was there. The Lakers really won their 15th NBA title, though it didn't have the feeling of the first 14.
There was no sense of inevitability as there was in 1972, when Wilt and the Logo led L.A. to a then-NBA record 69 wins. There was little Showtime in this crew compared to the glitzy, glamorous, glorious teams of the '80s. And this team didn't have Shaq at his most dominant, stomping his way through three straight Finals with his teammates on his shoulders.
For the Lakers' No. 15 was strangely methodical, almost workmanlike. They throttled the Jazz in five, nearly stumbled against a Yao Ming-less Rockets team in seven before dispatching the Nuggets in six in the West Finals. In the Finals, the Lakers only needed five games to kick the Magic to the curb, but in three of the five games, the Lakers had to fight, claw and scrap their way to the finish, winning twice in overtime. It was almost, dare I say it, endearing.
From Ariza's two huge steals against the Nuggets to Derek Fisher's 3-pointer to send Game 4 of the Finals into OT, the run to title No. 15 had its moments.
The one constant it did have, however, was the driving force of one Kobe Bean Bryant, quite possibly the most polarizing superstar in NBA history. Like those courtside Lakers fans, Bryant is wealthier, more famous, more talented and better looking than you. That, and he's made an interesting career of winning games but alienating people at the same time.
So, it's understandable if you had a little lump in your throat when you saw Bryant accept the Bill Russell Finals MVP shortly after L.A. closed out Orlando.
It all depends if you were choking back tears or choking back the vomit. Really, is there any other option?
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I'm a long time Laker's fan, but I'm also a basketball fan. Putting George Mikan among the four best NBA centers of all time, and leaving out Bill Russell, is a big boo boo. Mikan was a very good big man: Bill Russell altered the way the game was played, dominated like no one ever, and won nine rings. His battles with Chamberlain were epic: he was the only man who held is own against Goliath. Give the great man his due...
Great article. No one is indiffeent to the Lakers, you either love them or hate them. Something about Hollywood, showtime, Magic, Wilt, Kareem, Kobe, Jerry, Jack Nicholson, Chick Hearn that just transcend basketball and makes a Laker game something really special. Laker fans arrive fashionably late and have high expectations. When the Lakers lose, there are empty seats, but when they win, courtside seats are priceless and impossible to get. I can't say it's the best franchise, but I think it's the most highly visible. Not the Knicks, no history of winning, not Boston... Boston ain't Hollywood, not even Chicago... take Jordan off the team and there goes the franchise. The Lakers are in a major market, have a history of winning with style and contnue to attract players with personality. Everyone wants to see Ron Artest, Kobe, Pau and now Lamar happens to marry a Kardashian. Only in Hollywood.
Sob. Poor Lakers! So undermanned at the power forward spot! Only had Karl Malone a fraction of his 18th season, spent his whole career in Salt Lake City. Had to be content with a castaway from the powerhouse Knicks` island, Bob McAdoo, coming of the bench, Mychael Thompson, Jim Chones, Bill Bridges, Horace Grant, etc. They suffered so! (J/K, obviously) (Kareem held his own against Wilt late in his career, whereas Wilt dominated Russ in scoring, though was about equal in rebounding, passing, and defense; a better regular season rebounder and passer, while Russ was a better playoff passer and rebounder. But clearly, while Russ and Mikan would hopefully play forward if they played today, Mikan was good, and in rebounding, defense, and passing, Russ was better, though Mikan was good at all those things, too, one of the few centers in the top ten in assists in the regular season, along with Maurice Stokes, Russ; the only center to ever lead the league in assists, Wilt; and Alvan Adams)
Right because Pau Gasol or Robert Horry are not good power forwards..Actually the Lakers all time team is so strong you couls play Magic and Kobe at Guards, Shaq at center and Wilt at power forward and still squeeze in Baylor, Wilkes, or Kareem at power forward or put West in at guar and make Magic the small forward...Bottom line Lakers best starting 5 woul beat ANY other combined 5
LOVE OR HATE???????????
LOVE THOSE LAKERS....................
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