For Those Questioning BN's Love For Lakers

by Nestor on Jun 4, 2008 6:51 PM PDT

From our head basketball coach (emphasis added):

"We have the greatest coach. The greatest baseball announcer is Vin Scully. Chick Hearn with basketball.
"L.A. fans get very spoiled. We've had the greatest basketball coach ever, for sure at the college level, and I think the whole sport. And when you look at it, you have to say Phil Jackson is probably the greatest professional coach in the history of basketball, and then you have the two greatest announcers, respective to their sport in Chick and Vin. It's a pretty awesome list."

Coach Howland made those comments when he was asked about Scully? Anyone want to doubt what Coach Howland will be doing tomorrow night or who he will be rooting for?

Again I have already laid out my thoughts on why this Lakers-Celtics series is something special for many of us here on BN. I should also add that last year when it was Matt Barnes and Bardon Davis led Warriors making their charge through the playoffs, we had no problem rooting for them. Sure we are turning it up few notches for our home town basketball team. But considering all the overlapping tradition of greatness between two institutions and considering how they have both represented the same city initials - L.A. - over the years, this is a no brainer.

There will be no letting up on showing love for the Lakers. We will have open threads for all the championship games. Of course the thread is open to all BNers. Hang out in the open threads if you want to engage in good natured ribbing with each other showing due respect. But let's all enjoy the games and have some fun.

The eyes of entire basketball world is going to be on the Lakers and Celtics starting tomorrow night. And we are not going to in denial about the fact that the audience will include thousands of UCLA students, alums and fans (which will include Coach Howland) with ties to the City of Angles.

So might well as live it up here on BN.

GO LAKERS & GO BRUINS.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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You're in the right place, N

I just listened to Coach talk about enthusiam as a cornerstone, and you are certainly enthusiastic about the Lakers. I don’t particularly care for pro basketball, but you managed to get me a trifle fired up. How did that happen?

by Fox 71 on Jun 4, 2008 7:05 PM PDT 0 recs

May be the videos of

Jabbar and Goodrich?

And to answer a question from BB – yeah I am starting to feel like a geezer getting nostalgic watching all those old Laker-Celtics videos from 80s.

by Nestor on Jun 4, 2008 7:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nostalgia

To date myself, I went to one game in the Laker-Celtic finals in 1968 at the Forum courtesy of the Warriors (a long story). Those were the days. West and Baylor on one side, Havlicek and Russell on the other.

Full disclosure- as a Northern Californian, I rooted for the Celtics. To show my geezerdom, regardless of the outcome, the finalists in that era were star-laden, marquee teams. What a great time to watch pro basketball.

by islandbruin on Jun 5, 2008 9:42 PM PDT up 0 recs

Go Lakers!!!

Is this team really in the Finals? Was Pau Gasol, who’s been good not spectacular, all Kobe needed to take over the league? Is this really a championship year? Questions soon to be answered!

by jjreicher on Jun 4, 2008 10:44 PM PDT 0 recs

My Sentiments exactly

Especially considering how the season started. Man, it was so BAD, I even got on the ESPN Trade Machine to work out a couple of Kobe trade scenarios, though I don’t want to admit it. Unbelievable, what hapened before the season started made we want to say F Kobe, F Jerry Buss, F Mitch Kupchak, F them all. I was writhing in agony. Not sure what to do. This was worse than what I felt in the 90’s. It was worse than what I felt after the dismantling of the Shaq Lakers. It was soooooo painful.

Look at us now. We have bounced back so many times to regain Championship form, winning several Championships over decades. I finally realized, we rule. We have and will always have the BEST minds in the business. In Lakers we TRUST. That should be our motto. We always seem to find a way to win, always getting the breaks. Good trade here, Good draft there. We are winners. GO LAKERS. GO LAKER BRUINS. I have no doubt we will smoke Beantown. Let’s bring NUMBER 15 HOME. I LOVE the BRUINS. I LOVE the LAKERS. I LOVE the DODGERS. I LOVE LA!!!!

by BruinFaithful on Jun 5, 2008 1:31 AM PDT up 0 recs

And that's another thing - Baaaaaaston

The Lakers owe me nothing, obviously. I haven’t rooted for them for years like some of you. But I live in Baaaaaston South. Many of the 55+ folks who live in my area are transplanted Baaaaaaastonians, and they are by and large insufferable. When the Patriots were undefeated, they were brutal, and life was made worth living again thanks to Eli, et al. It’s the same thing with the Red Saaaaaax now (especially with them taking the first two of the big series with the Rays.) But the deeply ingrained arrogance in most of these folks begins and ends with the Celtics. It’s time for the Lakers to crush the life out of them, and then burn their remains.

by Fox 71 on Jun 5, 2008 5:03 AM PDT 0 recs

See you answered your question yourself

That’s why you got a tad fired up.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 5, 2008 8:59 AM PDT up 0 recs

Someone we're forgetting to give some love to is Luke Walton

Yes, he went to Arizona, but we all know it was because of CHP. Big Red is one of our cherished basketball legends. Let’s give some love to his son.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 5, 2008 9:01 AM PDT 0 recs

luuuuuuke

wouldn’t it be great if the other luuuuuuc were a laker too? lakers need some D

by UCLAbruin920 on Jun 5, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up 0 recs

As much as I would love to have Luc around

We’ve got ronny

O.A.

by Ollie on Jun 5, 2008 4:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

Ariza is probably the more apt comparison

Mbah a Moute isn’t playing the 4/5 in the NBA.

by insomniacslounge on Jun 5, 2008 5:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

yea true

I was thinking more in terms of hustle/energy guys that play good defense…obviously trevor fits that bill, but is probably even more athletic than both ronny and luc…I think ronny’s game resembles what luc’s is/would become…decent little mid range jumper, good athleticism inside on both ends of the floor… although lucs upside as a shooter may be higher, they’re both good rebounder/shot blocker/ energy guys

O.A.

by Ollie on Jun 6, 2008 12:38 AM PDT up 0 recs

Great read:

No matter what transpires here, nobody’s smack will be able to match the mayor’s (or perhaps his writers’). Here’s just a small excerpt:

I truly expected our rivalry of the 1980s to continue into the 1990s- particularly as the Lakers and Celtics continued to assemble a pantheon of NBA legends: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher, Phil Jackson, Pervis Ellison, Bryant Stith, Vitaly Potapenko, and Rick Pitino.

The entire letter is well worth reading.
Check the whole thing out here.

by insomniacslounge on Jun 5, 2008 5:18 PM PDT 0 recs