I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. As such, I am a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. I was a fan back in the days of Gail Goodrich, Mel Counts, Happy Hairston, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.
I lived in Detroit for eight years ... during the era when the Detroit Pistons were known as the 'Bad Boys'. Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Bill Lambier and John Salley.
I lived in Detroit for eight years ... during the era when the Detroit Pistons were known as the 'Bad Boys'. Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Bill Lambier and John Salley.
My best time as an NBA fan always occurred when Detroit beat the Bulls (Michael Jordan) or the Lakers beat the Celtics (Larry Bird). Lakers vs. Pistons in the NBA championship series was basketball heaven in my household.
I share that background so that you will understand that this week is turning out to be basketball hell in my household.
First, the face of the Lakers ... Kobe Bryant ... doesn't fade away into the off-season to quietly plan, plot and prepare for next year. Rather he sits down with every newspaper reporter or sports radio talk-show host to whine and cry about his current situation. Kobe is paid $17.7 million per year. He has a beautiful wife; children; living large in Los Angeles. He is the 2-time NBA scoring champion. And he is whining and crying to every news outlet that sticks a microphone in front of his face. Kobe makes it rough to be a Lakers' fan.
Second, the Detroit Pistons lose three games in a row to the Cleveland Cavs. As I type this post, the Pistons are now one game away from elimination in the playoffs. More notably, the Pistons have provided a stage for the unleashing of the brilliance of LeBron James. LeBron is a 22-year old basketball player for the Cavs. I just watched LeBron score the final 25 points of the game in a double-overtime win over the Pistons. 25 points in a row. And his team wins by two.
Methinks that this was the greatest single-game performance that I've ever seen in sports.
This was a rough week for the Villager. Both of my favorite teams --> Lakers and Pistons <-- both having a tough time. Of course, being a fan is rough for anyone. But, we always have hope. My hope is that the Pistons can win the next two games and advance to the NBA Finals. We'll know one way or another in the next week.
Final note to Kobe --> Stop whining and find a way to win games. Personally, I think that the supporting cast that Kobe with the Lakers is better than the supporting cast LeBron has in Cleveland. LeBron is finding ways to win games. Kobe is whining on the radio.
Any other sports fans in the village? Anyone else want to share stories about their favorite NBA team? Anyone else amazed by the evolution of LeBron James?
