Shaq called out Kobe on the halftime interview on Monday Night Football. He called Kobe a "corvette" and himself a "brick wall" and used those analogies to describe what will happen if Kobe tries to rise on Shaq.
Boom....Shaq Sumter. The first shot has been fired...and as it has been all season long, Shaq fired it. Kobe hasn't said anything yet...but the media is ready to dump on him. ABC and the NBA have been waiting for this game all season long...as well as Laker fans. This is a "Laker Game"....and the Miami Heat just happen to be the team Shaq plays for. It is all about Lakers, performed by Lakers and written from the Laker Soap Opera. Everyone in LA will spend their Christmas afternoon glued to the TV to see if Kobe can beat Shaq's team. Everyone else will watch to see if they get in a fight.
And, remember, Phil Jackson will be on the ABC telecast of this game...imparting his "wisdom" of how great these two guys are, how great His Lakers were and how he doesn't understand why Kobe doesn't like he and Shaq. Why not bring in Rick Fox as sideline reporter and Derrick Fisher to get the locker room buzz?? The announcers will go on about the incidents of their pasts...like we are all oblivious to them....and we will get to see images of Kobe and Shaq as Lakers and their successes and failures together.
As we watch these two go at each other...make faces when they score...flex when they get fouled....guys like Dwyane Wade and Lamar Odom will be determining who wins the game. Odom will have a favorable matchup of Haslem and Allen to go against instead of those PFs the West throws at him. Wade will be going against Atkins who hasn't shown an ability to stop anyone. Eddie Jones will be busy fouling Kobe....and Mihm, Divac, Slava, etc will be fouling Shaq. Someone without a "Bryant" or "O'Neal" on the back of their jersey will make this the time to make a name for themselves among people that aren't NBA die-hards. But, who's kidding...it is Shaq v Kobe.
The winner will be the one that was right. With a Miami win...it is "see, you shouldn't have traded me!" A Laker win brings "I don't need you anymore." Of course, to us Laker fans...this is THE game for us in the season. Shaq is back in the house he says he "built". We want to see the shot of Shaq during a timeout, on the bench sweating...looking up at the scoreboard...mouth wide open panting for air....while the Lakers are high fiving on the sideline, crowd is rocking to some music and cheerleaders, in their Santa hats, dancing and smiling away.
Merry Freaking Christmas to Us!!!!
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FROM JOHNNYSEE: The Lakers, for perhaps one of the few times this season, are in the drivers' seat when it comes to the importance of this game, which is only as important as the Lakers want it to be. It's one of the few luxuries being the underdog guarantees. You can't really wring all that much suspense from a game nobody expects you to win, and certainly nobody - with the possible (although hardly probable) exception of Kobe Bryant - expects the Lakers to beat the Heat on Christmas Day.
Shaq can say whatever he wants, it's no more important to the Heat than the game before it or the one that follows. Neither, in any realistic sense, is it any more important than any other game for the Lakers. And it's nowhere near the importance the media is trying to place on it.
But... if the Lakers win... well, then, the game's importance - realistically or not - skyrockets and we'll all be hearing words like "building block" and "turning point" and "statement" and "revenge" and even (abeit somewhat absurdly) "rivalry."
It's all up to the Lakers.
Beep-beep!
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FROM LAKRMIKE:
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house
Pacer fans planned their beverages for Pistons they’d douse
The league, with its ruler, the Emperor Stern
Was holding its breath, in the hopes players learn
From the year-long suspension and the revenue lost
No feel-good endorsements might soon be the cost
While over in Staples, a quieter place
The jumbotron waited to feature Shaq’s face
Would they cheer him or boo him when tomorrow he entered
Now as Miami's center (some would call him self-centered)
The fans were home waiting for tomorrow’s great thrill
Of watching young Kobe throw one down in Shaq’s grill
Did you see that takeoff? Did you see that lift?
Oh thank you, Saint Bryant, for the great Christmas gift
And say thanks for the Lakers, when you sit down to eat
Your fine Christmas dinner, after they beat the Heat.
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From KtmDog: At the risk of sounding like Spaceman Bill Walton, the game will have little to do with X's and O's and everything to do with will, determination, committment to dominate. In effect the game will suggest a moral stance and standing. I look for Kobe and the Lakers to dominate.
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From ENDORA: That's it. This isn't just one game of 82; this one has a point to be made. Were the Lakers right to trade Shaq out and put Kobe in charge or was Shaq right to leave when he saw the Keys being handed to Kobe? The Heat are doing well enough; Kobe and the Lakers will comeout and play this one hard. I think that determination will carry them to win.
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From KEYGRIP: I have no predictions at all. The Lakers are too jeckle and hyde to know. But I do know for a fact I'll hate the way the media covers the whole thing.
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From RICHCBT: I agree with Johnny that Kobe's going to set the nets on fire on Saturday, more than likely. It's just the way he's wired. Shaq will come charging out of the gate, and if I'm Rudy I pull Mihm after ONE foul, not two. Let Shaq wear himself out in the first half scoring on Brian Grant, and keep Mihm fresh to outhustle Shaq up and down the court in the second. I see Kobe shooting lots of treys in the first three quarters, and not forcing too much into the middle unless they are silly enough not to run another man at him when he's isolated. Shaq obviously can't come out on Kobe, or else he gets called for stupid reach in fouls. In the second half, Kobe starts to take over, penetrating and, at first, dishing to Mihm. He waits for his opening, but it's probably going to come late. That's when Shaq picks up his flagrant, and after that Kobe gets his cherished stuff, suitable for poster-size framing, over the Big Bicoastal. The Lakers win by outscoring the Heat 32-19 in the 4th, 14 of them by Kobe.
39 comments:
Either you are a COMPLETE Lakers "homer", or at least a major one. You simply cannot make the assertion that the Lakers are anything but a team struggling to find an identity now that their only steadying influence has departed. The Lakers are an inconsistent, no-chemistried bunch of underachievers led by "Captain Ego" himself.. At best, the Lakers can aspire to a .500 season, and that's only if Kobe ever learns to pass the ball.
Shaq has been a welcome addition to the Heat, & his ability to draw double teams and PASS THE BALL have made everyone who plays around him better. The Heat, unlike the Lakers, are riding a season high 9-game winning streak, and the win last night against a hot Boston Celtics team came with Shaq sidelined with an injury. His teammates, who already play harder for him, responded to his absence with class and grit and won a game that they trailed in late.
Shaq spent over $100,000 on toys for the underprivledged down here in Miami, then showed up in a semi to PERSONALLY hand them out to the kids. Kobe can't seem to understand that it's what you give back to OTHERS, and not what is coming to HIM, that inspires people and wins fans. By the way, Kobe.. That statement also pertains to the basketball, as well...
Happy to have Shaq
the big man rules the nba just remember shaq is the man of steel kobe is the boy wonder
Come Saturday, December 25th when all is said and done, Kobe will be the one in denial, AGAIN, then, he will fess us to the LOSS, again, and say "I'm Innocent" I'm just like every other man, I'm only human. So, he will speak for all other Men, make them look bad like he is doing now. How awful to be a team-mate having to look over your back for "MR. I'M INNOCENT". It is too bad such a talented athlete got caught up so early in his career, and he thinks it's in the PAST. No, Laker fans are in denial, no more Championships for at least another 10 years. The ones we should feel bad for are the real innocent ones: Vanessa and Natalia. Gotta run, I need to get to the Tattoo Parlor to have "THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM" tattooed on my arm.......
there is no " I ' in team just " ME "
"At best, the Lakers can aspire to a .500 season, and that's only if Kobe ever learns to pass the ball."
Umm....Kobe is 5th in the NBA in assists....2nd in the Western Conference behind Steve Nash [the NBA leader]. Please get your facts correct.
"there is no " I ' in team just " ME ""
"But there ain't no US either"
-Leon, the football player from those Budweiser commercials
okay that's it, Shaq, he can't do anything! BUT stand there when Kobe will go over him and BOOM slam that ball for some points! and Kobe's just gonna show that he doesn't need Shaq anymore. ;) GO LAKERS!!!
-mary
First of all who needs that big guy who can't run the full court anyways???!!! Shaq needs to shut his mouth cuz' like kobe said he's like a corvete and a hummer. And what i say is that shaq is that Shaq is going to be at the wrong place at the wrong time!!! He better move it because kobe is gonna get all the calls and all the shots. So when the brick wall fouls out because he was "Blocking" that corvete, who's gonna be talkin'?
Lakers All The Way Baby!!!
*Put Luke in More... Please!!!
Sure is a lot of homies on this site. Kobe is a spoiled, self centered, egotistical young man, who wants to be the star. Let's see if he can get the Lakers back to the championship game. If he does the team is no worse off without Shaq and Phil. If he can't he is not as good as he thinks he is and the Lakers think he is.
Then lets look at the Heat. Do they go farther into the play offs with Shaq. If so Shaq is a winner.
If I was a betting man I would put my money on Shaq. If I was starting a team I would pick Shaq.
The only thing Kobe does better than anyone is give up advertising dollars. His arrogance has not only turned off other players it, and his Colorado troubles, has turned off advertisers.
Yes it is only one game but I am betting on Shaq and I am a Rockets fan.
Jerry
I'll start this off by saying, when you are playing a team sport, no one man can make a chapionship team by himself. Look at Michael Jordan, he was high flying and scoring points just like Kobe, but when he wasnt winning titles, he found out very quickly what to do. He shared the ball and spotlight with other players around him. I think kobe has alot to learn about the game. Shaq was not there to hurt him, he was there to help him. Now with Shaq out the picture, Kobe looks like a little kid trying to find a friend to play with. With all the snitching he's doing, no one want to have anything to do with him. Not even his teammates. Is that the reason the lakers are losing right now? And for Shaq, he know what to do and when to do it. Shaq's a klassy guy that's not pig headed. I mean, he's going to get his point of course, but also he's going to make sure the other guys get theirs too, unlike Kobe who dont care about nothing or no one but himself. I think kobe better look out, he might get a bunch of bricks dropped on him while driving down the wrong side of the lane. GO HEAT!!!!!
Not only did Shaq give out 160,000 dollars of Christmas gifts to kids around Miami. On Christmas morning Shaq will be giving out another 160,000 dollars of Christmas gifts to the kids in LA. I see Shaq giving out to people so many times .. I can't say the same for Kobe and his selfish ways. I will be cheering for the Miami Heat on Christmas day, give em hell Shaq !!!!! It should be a great game, of course not as good as when Rockets beat Lakers last Christmas day. Of course Karl Malone wasn't playing, had he played we would have lost. Lakers were some force last year with Shaq, Karl Malone, and Payton. They got to the NBA FINALS .. should have kept the team together in my opinion.
MAY THE BEST MAN WINS! go get'em .
Obivisly A Lot of you people. LIKE my wife don"t know anything about basketball. Miami is going to kill the Lakers. Just wait and see. MIAMI HEAT has A better team.
DON'T LISTEN TO MY HUSBAND HE JUST LOVE MIAMI HEAT AND I DON;T HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST SHAQ OR KOBE. THEY BOTH NEED TO STOP ACTING LIKE KIDS AND KOBE IF YOU ARE HOGGING THE BALL THEN STOP IT
Nice post Sports. This will be just another game with an asterisk. The asterisk will be "See, I told you so..." but certainly with different emphasis depending on who wins the game. For Shaq, it will be "You made the wrong choice," while "We'll be just fine without you" for Kobe.
As much as the hype that has been going on and will be so until it's over, I hope Kobe does not fall into the trap to prove himself too much. I'd love for him to settle for 20 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists, 3 to 5 steals if necessary to help Lakers win the game. Let Oneal pounds the paint for 40 points for his glory but a win for Lakers to celebrate on Christmas.
Kobe has proven, though not quite impressively so far, that he can win without Shaq. And to prove it directly to Shaq on Christmas day, it will be a merry one.
Lets all welcome back the Shaq attack. Do not forget everything that the big man did for the organization. Dr. Buss let the inmates run the asylum, he has craeted havoc. Kobe is a self centered maniac with his own agenda. I love it everyt time the Lakers lose and Kobe tries to pin it on one of his new team mates. The Lakes should have traded Kobe 3 years ago. Shaq D, make Kobe eat the floor, teach this punk kid to respect the game.
I THINK THE LAKERS WELL WIN AND THERE WILL BE A FIGHT
I'm waiting to see if Shaq is really going to play real basketball or is he going to do the same old song and dance ~ I'm hurting, I can't play.
Grow up, Shaq!
I think all this talk about Kobe and Shaq is a bunch of you know what!!! let's play some basketball at least that's what I thought this what these guys were playing?
And by the way Basketball hasn't been Basketball since his "AIRNESS" Mr. Michael Jordan left the basketball court! Comeon let's be honest I'll bet more people watched and loved the NBA when he played the game!! let's get real!
i really like shaq and i know that he will lead the heat to a win. shaq is a much nicer guy than kobe who doesn't appreciate fans. But most of all in basketball i just really am sick that MICHAEL JORDAN is gone. we fans will never get over him.such a great basketball player. Show up more at the games Mike we just want to see you now and then. Biggest fan from St.Louis, Mo. Mike if u see this, please respond to us at this web. We love you all over the world.
Never get over Jordan? LOL! Thanks for the laugh!
I am a lifelong, die-hard Lakers fan. My fantasy for the Christmas game - and I am going to be there to watch it - is for Kobe to drive the lane, and wake up with the ball somewhere behind Jack Nicholson's seat. Just another game for Miami??? Not with Shaq on their roster. Every player knows Shaq wants to win that game. Kobe does, too - the problem is, Miami has twice the talent. The Lakers roster is pathetic. And Kobe deserves the title "least popular player in the NBA".
LAKERS ARE GOING TO BURN OUT THE HEAT LAKERS RULE FUCKERS
just get the game started the ego will do the rest
est
SHAQ HAS NOT EVER PERFORMED AS STEADY AS KOBE SO AS A DIE HARD LAKER FAN LAKERS ARE GOING TO BEAT THE HEAT.
SHAQ ATTACK!
All you lakes fans are dreaming. Come on how can you have respect for a guy like Kobe. Really name one player he gets along with. Shaq is the real deal and he will prove it on saturday. Let the games begin.
The HEAT is onnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is definitly gonna' be a good game. But it kind of puzzles me that all these Heat fans all of a sudden have a lot to say. I mean honesty, where has the Miami Heat been at all these years or should I say decades, because I've had a hard time trying to find them on the map. Unlike the Los Angeles Lakers who have a championship tradition! In regards to the Kobe/Shaq matchup, I believe the Lakers will win due to Kobe's athleticism. There's no way of predicting how the game will be. Both PLAYERS (not the heat) are excelent. I love Kobe as I love the big man. I still wear my Lakers O'neal jersey fom time to time. But like they say a true fan loves the jersey more than the player. I leave you with this: GO LAKERS YEAHHHHH!!!213/323.
LAKERS all the way! It's SHOWTIME baaaaaybe!!!!!!!!!!
All the heat fans are sayin stuff cuz for once they sorta have a good team.. You all are a bunch of Johnny Come Lately's. Seriously though........ The Lakers are gonna win and why is everyone picking a fight with Kobe. Hes the true man.. not saying anything back, Just because hes the best!!!!!!!
On and on and on you go, when it will stop nobody knows!!!! The Heat have a better team than the LAL. The Heat players only had to adjust to Shaq and Damon Jones while the Lakers have a new starting lineup except for Kobe. They have players that are still on the injured list. It will be sometime before we know how effective the Lakers are.
Kobe is playing too many minutes, playing too many positions and is struggling on defense and offense. Shaq has not played a lot of minutes and have sat out a game. He should be ready for this one. I hope they both can live up to all of the hype. Otherwise, some fans will be surprised to see how great Wade is.
How he interactions with other players is none of our concern unless we play basketball.
Also Kobe will be wearing a new sneaker on Christmas Day that will be sold and all proceeds given to the Girls and Boys Club. So go out and buy a pair instead of talking about Shaq's big heart at Christmas. How is that for charity?
If you want Jordan back, why not Bird and Johnson, Dr. J, etc, etc, etc. He had his day, now there are other stars to watch. Find one and continue to enjoy basketball. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Shaq is going to destroy Kobe and his Laker pals. He even sat out the other night to save his energy. Wilt's record of points in a game might come down if hack-a-shaq doesn't get called.
I am a long time, born and raised, die-hard Laker Fan. I remember when Chamberlin, West, and Riley (yes Pat Riley, the same Pat Riley that led them to 5 titles in the 80s and General Manager of the Heat) led the Lakers to the title in 72.
I was a little pissed when the Lakers got rid of Eddie Jones for Kobe, but I was also pissed when they got rid of Norm Nixon for Magic, but that worked out! As the Laker's progressed into their tenure with Kobe and Shaq, I noticed how bad Kobe wanted to be the man. And, unfortunately, for him to be the man he had to ruin the franchise. Kobe's selfishness ruined what could have been possibly the greatest team ever. Now, he gets his shot at being the man, and it don't look too good to this point! Hopefully Pat Riley will come back and rescue this historied franchise when his contract is up next year; Buss said in an interview earlier that he could always come home.
yo whats up kobe sucks so badly come on guys think about it SHAQ passes the ball alot the only reason kobe is good cause he never passses it hes such a hog-baller.nobody likes him.Phil Jackson left cause of Kobe.Shaq left cause of Kobe.Gary Payton left cause Kobe.Karl Malone wants to leave cause of Kobe.NOBODY likes kobe.he sexual assulted a poor woman.Shaq gets along with everybody but Kobe.thats strange right?lol.the other night Shaq was passing it left and right.and he still got 30 points that night.Dwayne Wade is un-stoppable.Shaq and dwayne are alot better duel then kobe and shaq.who do the Lakers have they only guy they have is kobe.KOBE SUCKS SHAQ RULES.KOBE IS THE CORVETTE SHAQ IS THE BRICK WALL IF KOBE GOES NEAR SHAQ SHAQ WILL PUNCH HIS LIGHTS OUT!!
GO HEAT!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone knows Kobe is an astonishing and awesome ball player no one can argue that he isn't that. The thing is being a team sport he IS going to need the help of his team-mates this game isnt going to be decided by Kobe or Shaq but rather by the likes of Butler Odom or Wade! Look for an exciting game but also look for Kobe to score a lot!!
I was a Laker fan during showtime and ever since whether they were up or down. I live in Orlando and saw what Shaq did for the franchise, early in his career he led them to the finals making all his teammates better simply by his presence. Penny Hardaway thought he was the man because he never realized how much easier life was by playing with Shaq. He soon found out what Kobe is now finding, it's so easy to slow down a player when they don't have to devote so much focus to stopping the big force in the middle who gets his anyhow. Not only Penny was better but everyone around... Dennis Scott was free to set up at the three point line because his man was often double (or triple) teaming the middle. Scott Skiles set the then NBA record for assists in a game and turned mediocre talent and above average grit into being enough for that team where on most other teams he wouldn't have started.
Kobe has tremendous talent that is probably unequaled in the league. He has made nobody better and is reminiscient of the early Jordan years when he didn't trust his teammates. Kobe is entirely too selfish and this years Laker team is the result. If they make the playoffs, they go out in the first round. Kobe has basically never grown up, the adults gave in to his tantrums and the franchise is paying the price, likely for years to come.
Merry Christmas, "Let's get it started and hot". Go Lakers.
May all your Xmas wishes be granted and holidays be filled with cheer! The lakers are a franchise that will reach the playoffs but advance no further due to the competition in the West! the Heat are a win now team the Big Diesel is just salivating due to the abscence of true centers in the east. The move was a good one on his part. Truth be told he probably added another 4-5 years of longevity to his career! Kobe selfish appearence will not help getting free agents to come to LA to play. His Public Relation campaign is working but it will take awhile for his image of a spoiled Brat to wear off!!!! Enjoy the Game and the Xmas Spirit!!!!!!!
as a long time laker fan,i've seen them produce or buy the best players basketball has to offer. But we also need to open our eyes and not deny what kobe has become...From having the world in his hands to this selfish,glamorous,crying,cheating and unpredictable basketball player. All because he couldn't handle being who he was a few years ago when he had the world in his hands,for example Wilt Chamberlain,Jerry West,Magic Johnson,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are just some players that have became top names in the laker organization,kobe was heading towards a bigger and brighter future but he couldn't handle the "Heat" so what can he do,just get out of the kitchen cus SHAQ is on a mission........
No D-Wan??? He's my fave on that board.
Happy Holidays!
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