Was it a spanking that the Lakers delivered to the Jazz last night?

Whoops! upside ya head...
Jazz is gonna feel that one.

Spanking? Hardly...the Lakers scraped by...they had better improve on that performance if they want to repeat as 'champions'. I found a quote by Shaq amusing, he said something about the Lakers having to play 5 on 8 with the Jazz (and presumably the refs). Could that quote be any more ironic? The NBA has always picked its favorites to win over the last 20 years, the Lakers are just the latest in a series...all big market teams (with the Spurs being the one exception in the quirky, strike-shortened season).

I guess that's why I hardly watch the NBA anymore, the refs have a little too much to do with the outcome. I prefer hockey...go Devils!

that is a good point. I hate it when the refs decide a game.
I'd rather the players decide the game.
But lets be honest...the Lakers controlled the game
throughout. Kobe with the windmill dunk...

Are there other Lakers fans out there?
I'd love to hear from you.

And what do we NBA fans think about the refs interfering with games.

Hey Andry, sorry for the last post...I was being a little bitter. I do believe that the refs play a hand in many games, but the best teams tend to rise to the top regardless. I didn't watch the game but I have no doubt that Kobe and Shaq played well. I heard Stockton was injured and was forced out of the game...who knows how things would have changed if he had remained in. Something is wrong with Karl Malone, but I haven't watched the games so I can't figure out what. His mother has been sick...perhaps his mind is on that.

I wasn't making up the fact that I have lost interest in the NBA, by the way...and I have become a connoiseur of hockey over the last several years. I think I enjoy the team game more, which is why I like college hoops over the NBA...the NBA is too much about the individual players. College hoops still focuses on passing and team...hockey too. I will continue to watch the NBA from time to time though, there are some teams still worth watching, like the Jazz, for instance...ahem!

Part 2

I didn't see either game. Did you watch the game tonight? Seems like it must have been an exciting one, with the Jazz drawing the short end of the stick again. It's all Karl Malone's fault I tell you!

Lakers 100, Jazz 96

yeah, it was a close one.
Malone fouled out with 3:29 to go in the 4th quarter.
I checked the score in the 2nd quarter and the Jazz were up by 18 and boy, I was angry...

I still prefer pros cause the level of play is so much higher. True there is more individualism, but some of those college teams couldn't find the hoop with both hands.

Level of play is so much higher? Obviously you don't watch many games from the Lakers' cross-town rivals...the Clippers!

Yep, that's the give and take between college and the Pros. One has a much higher level of play, the other has the sense of teamwork. I think college wins it for me also because of the rivalries. I love seeing my team (in this case the University of Utah Runnin' Utes) go up against their evil rivals (BYU...gak!) twice a year. There's true nasty feelings between the two teams, and it never matters how well they are doing during the season. For example, last year both Utah and BYU were out of the race in the Mountain West (in football, here)...but it didn't matter. The rivalry always brings out the illest of feelings. I came out to Salt Lake for the game and the stadium was full. I also went to the Cal-Stanford football game last year....same feeling. Nothing like those college rivalries!