Where’s Jerry?

Just caught this on the Associated Press wire and thought you all might get a kick out of it:

LAS VEGAS – Lakers owner Jerry Buss entered a $10,000 7-card stud tournament in Las Vegas on Saturday, the day before his team played the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the NBA finals.

The three-day tournament was part of the World Series of Poker being played at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Buss was eliminated on the first day.

Buss, known to be an avid poker player who enters tournaments and plays high stakes cash games, won about $33,000 to finish third in a 7-card stud tournament at the 1991 World Series of Poker.

Just an illusion

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was, understandably quite upset about the 38-10 free throw disparity in this game.

“I think my players got fouled,” Jackson said. “I have no question about the fact my players got fouled, but didn’t get to the line. I don’t want to get into dispute with those situations. It’s the illusion that’s created. The referees referee and illusion. Our guys look like maybe the ball was partially stripped when they were getting raked.”

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L-E-O-N P-O-W-E

By Ramona Shelburne
Staff Writer

BOSTON – Of all names, all the chants, all the songs that could’ve echoed from the rafters of this new Boston Garden during the NBA Finals — “Beat L.A.,” “Sweet Caroline,” maybe even a stray “MVP” chant for Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce – there are only a few more unlikely than the one that took hold of the sellout, deliriously happy crowd here midway through the fourth quarter.

L-E-O-N, P-O-W-E, L-E-O-N, P-O-W-E.

That’s right, Leon Powe. Better known in most parts of the country as that guy who played at Cal a few years ago.

Since he’s come to the NBA, Powe’s spent the majority of his time as a third or fourth big man off the bench, getting his name into the scorebook every night, but rarely for more than just a passing mention.

But on Sunday night in Game 2 of these NBA Finals, there was Powe, at the free throw line, soaking it all in as 18,624 fans stood on their feet, chanting his name in surprised glee.

“That was unbelievable,” said his guardian, Bernard Ward, who was sitting about 25 rows up from the court Sunday night. “I never, in a million years would’ve thought that would happen. But that’s what all the hard work he’s put in did. He always stayed ready, always prepared, so he could do it if they needed him.”

Powe had the game of his young NBA career Sunday, scoring 21 points in just over 14 minutes of action. He made six of the seven shots he took, and nine of the 13 free throws he shot.

He was aggressive, he was effective, he was …

“Terrific,” Boston coach Doc River said. “We had to go to Leon to establish a post game. And we made a concerted effort to get him the ball in the post … and he responded.”

Powe, who stands just 6-foot-8, had averaged just 4.6 points a game in 12.6 minutes a game in the playoffs this season. In Game 1 here Thursday night, he played just nine minutes and scored four points.

Sunday was an entirely different story. ABC aired a moving, emotional feature on his hard-luck upbringing on the streets of Oakland during halftime. Powe was homeless for several years after his families’ house burned down, then taken from his mother and placed into foster care in middle school. Ward became his guardian in the sixth grade and the two have remained close ever since.

The story was filmed two months ago, but Ward said ABC told him it was so good, they wanted to save it for the Finals. That they picked halftime of Game 2 to show it is either incredibly fortuitous, or an incredible twist of fate.

Sunday, Ward sat next to DeVon Hardin, Powe’s former teammate at Cal who was in town for his own workout with the Celtics this weekend. Neither could believe their eyes.

“With Leon, it’s not about size, it’s about heart,” Hardin said. “He’s the toughest player out there on the court. He’s shown glimpses of what he could do before, just glimpses. But tonight, wow, he was unbelievable.”

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Celtics injuries

Doc Rivers said just moments ago that he “was not concerned about Paul (PIerce)” but that he didn’t know what he was going to get from Kendrick Perkins (ankle), who has had trouble sliding and changing directions.

Game 2 adjustments

For the first time during the playoffs, the Lakers are trailing in a series. They’ve had two days to make adjustments, two days to let that reality sink in, and more importantly, deal with it.

“I think there’s a sense of urgency,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Less time to allow a player to adjust”

As for the adjustments the Lakers will make, look for changes in the way the Lakers rebound and attack Boston’s defense.

“We just tell your player that you have to adjust to the fact that they’re going ot come and meet you in the lane,” Jackson said. “ They’re going to be a hard jam and you have to brace yourself for that. We were pretty good against Utah, and obviously Utah came very hard.

It’s a team taht does go over the backs and rebounds. We got a lot of foul calls in that series, also, on Boozer and other guys coming over the backs. But this doesn’t look like theyr’e going to get the calls to we’re going to have to brace and do a little better job.”

Hola!

A record 280 international media members from 35 countries and territories are on-site covering the 2008 NBA Finals in Los Angeles and Boston.

The Finals will be televised to 205 countries and territories in 46 languages. In 1987, the last time the Lakers and Celtics met in The Finals, the games were televised to only 28 countries and territories.

A record 27 media members from Spain will be on hand to watch Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol (Spain) play in his first Finals.

This always makes for some fun questions at the podium. On Wednesday, a Brazilian reporter was asking every player who his favorite soccer player was. Kevin Garnett, who is actually a very big soccer fan and a regular at Galaxy games during the offseason, said that he follows Chelsea very closely. Later, the same reporter asked Paul Pierce about soccer.

“I got into soccer because of Kevin,” Pierce said. “Before I wasn’t too much into soccer. …We had a chance to meet some of the players when we went over to London.”

Then the reporter got a little more in depth.

“A Brazilian player, is there one you appreciate?” he asked.

Pierce smiled and said, “I really don’t know. Names, I’m still learning. Come on, this is the Finals man.”

A couple minutes later, an Italian reporter at a lot more luck with Kobe Bryant. He asked him a question in Italian, which Bryant, having grown up on Italy completely understood, and then gave him what I assumed was a rather interesting answer.

I have no idea what he said. In my three trips to Italy, I’ve been able to pick up the basics, like how to order food and ask for directions, but Bryant was fluent, and speaking rather quickly, so our Italian readers will have to translate šŸ™‚ Anyone?

The Big Ticket

I wrote a story today about Boston’s Kevin Garnett, who is one of the most intense, passionate players you’ll ever see.

Boston coach Doc Rivers said that “it’s hard to get in there,” others called KG’s focus almost scary. His former high school teammate, Ronnie Fields, said whatever KG says during the game to get himself going is nothing compared to what KG used to say during his sleep.

“We stayed together when we were back in Chicago,” Fields said. “And he was always talking, always talking. That’s why he and Sam Cassell get along so well. He even talks in his sleep.”

The skepticism on Pierce’s injury

There have been some pretty high-profile people who have questioned the severity of Paul Pierce’s knee injury in the third quarter of Game 1 last night.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson seemed a bit blase about it again today, saying:

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, I think Willis Reed missed a whole half and three quarters almost of a game and literally had to have a shot, a horse shot, three or four of them in his thigh to come back out and play. Paul got carried off and was back on his feet in a minute. I don’t know if the angels visited him at halftime or in that time-out period that he had or not, but he didn’t even limp when he came back out on the floor. I don’t know what was going on there. Was Oral Roberts back there in their locker room?
But he certainly carried some energy back on the floor for them. ”

So what do you think?

Was Paul Pierce faking?
Yes, all the talk of Red Auerbach’s pranks inspired him
No, come on! The guy heard a pop
Sort of. He heard a pop and freaked out. But realized quickly he was OK
No, and it’s insulting to even suggest it.
Doesn’t matter, it worked, didn’t it?
  
pollcode.com free polls

Rivers on Pierce: “I don’t think he could play today, to be honest”

Boston coach Doc Rivers just addressed the status of guard Paul Pierce, who suffered a sprained right knee in last night’s game.

“Well, he didn’t have to tell me a lot. I talked to him, though, and just watching him walk, you can see he’s — it’s tender, it’s still, it’s swollen a little bit. You know, no structural damage, which is good news,” Rivers said.

Asked what Pierce would be able to do today, Rivers said: “We’re not going to do anything anyway. We’re going to watch film today and shoot free throws. I don’t think he could play today, to be honest. But you know, he’ll be ready by Sunday.”

What was the most important aspect of last night’s game?

Our sports editor, Kevin Modesti, runs an interesting blog on another part of our site, which looks at the world of sports from an editor’s perspective. Last night, he asked readers how they would’ve covered last night’s game if they were the sportswriter?

Was Kobe Bryant going 9 for 26 from the field the most important angle? Or was it Paul Pierce’s Willis Reed imitation? Or, was it the fact the Lakers are now trailing for the first time this postseason?

If you have a chance, click over and vote, share your thoughts, rant…

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