NBA Notes - FAT LADY SINGS To The LAKERS After 31 Point Trouncing by Phoenix - May 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Sunday May 7, 2006

Suns Overcome 3-1 Series Deficit - LeBron James THE MAN - Who Is Dick Motta??? - ESPN Falls Asleep At The Wheel - NBA Bad Actor Award

Suns Defeat Lakers 121-90 Advance To 2nd Round

Former NBA coach Dick Motta said something that has been repeated for years' "It ain't over till the fat lady sings."

The fat lady is singing to Kobe Bryant and his Los Angeles Lakers after they suffered a 31-point drubbing by the Phoenix Suns resulting in a 121-90 final score.

The Suns came from a 3-1 deficit to take the seven game first round series 4-3. There are only the seven teams to come from behind 3-1 to win an NBA playoff series.

After the Suns easily won the opening game things got ugly as the two teams got "Physical" as Olivia Newton John once sang.

The intense physical play resulted in a confrontation between Kobe Bryant and the Suns Raja Bell in game five.

When Bryant was driving down the lane for a lay-up Bell stuck his arm out and locked it around Bryant's neck and threw him to the ground. Bryant was welcomed to the HOUSE OF PAIN.

Bryant said he was used to rough play having grown up in the Philadelphia area.

Bell said he doesn't like Bryant saying that he's "pompous and arrogant" and gets away with too much. Bryant says he doesn't know THIS KID though Bryant being 27 and Bell 29 the kid really is Bryant.

The NBA felt that Bell's act was a bad one. His reward was being suspended for one game. The NBA doesn't give out a Bad Actor Award.

Perhaps they should as an extended punishment for the player that exemplifies the most disrespect for the game.

We say this in jest.

Bell is a well-spoken articulate young man that got caught up in the heat of battle. He doesn't play dirty and has respect for the game.

Had the Lakers won game seven game six it would have been Bell's last for this season. They lost 126-118 forcing a game seven.

The sun now truly shines on Phoenix as they advance to the next round to take on the upstart Los Angeles Clippers.

The FAT LADY IS SINGING and Bell now has a reprieve to continue playing this season.

NOTES:

Five of the previous seven teams that came back for being down 3-1 won the NBA title.

FIRSTS:

1. Prior to this series the Lakers were 27-0 when leading 3-1. They are now 27-1

2. Previously the Suns have never won a playoff series when they were behind 3-1.

3. Previously, of 14 playoffs that now Lakers coach Phil Jackson coached teams participated in they ALL reached the second round.

4. In 22 previous playoff series Jackson's teams including the Chicago Bulls, never lost a series when his teams were leading 2-1. He now has a 22-1 record.

LEBRON JAMES - THE MAN

The Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James proved himself to be not only to be a man but 'King James' is crowned 'THE MAN' as he led the Cavs to a 114-113 overtime victory Friday night over the Washington Bullets to take the series 4-2.

James scored 32 points in the win. He averaged 35.7 points in the series toping his regular season mark of 31.4 ppg.

Cleveland advances to the 2nd round for the first time in 13 years and will now face the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons. That series starts today.

TRIVIA QUESTION: WHO IS DICK MOTTA?

Former NBA coach Dick Motta, the author of "It ain't over till the fat lady sings coached a team to the NBA championship. What team was that and when?

MORE BAD ACTOR

If there were a NBA Bad Actor Award it would go to someone that lost their cool TO THE MAX as did Latrell Sprewell who hit his coach and Ron Artest who ran up into the stands last season in Detroit and hit an fan. That defies rational thinking.

To his credit Artest has overcome that experience and after being traded from the Indiana Pacers to the Sacrament Kings was instrumental in leading the Kings to the playoffs.

The Kings gave the defending champion San Antonio Spurs all they could handle before the Spurs won the series 4-2 last night.

The Spurs will now face the Dallas Mavericks in the next round.

ESPN (Singapore) ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

Getting an NBA basketball game telecast ON TIME seems to be a problem too much (As they say in Southeast Asia) from the ESPN Singapore outlet. Again this problem continued when on Saturday May 6 the transmission of the playoff game between the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings started late.

The game finally came on the air 50 minutes late and with 10 minutes left in the SECOND QUARTER. What's up with the ESPN Singapore operation? Why can't they get it right?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

The Washington Bullets in 1978. The Bullets finished the regular season second in the Central Division with a 44-38 record. They defeated the Seattle Supersonics 4-3 in the finals.

Motta never played high school or college basketball. He rose through the ranks from coaching at the junior high school level.

The Chicago Bulls were the first NBA team he coached in 1968-69. He was selected NBA Coach of The Year in 1971. Motta also coached the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets during his 24 year NBA career. He finished with a 935-1017 regular season won lost record and 56-70 in the playoffs.

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