...and Almu, check out what Tex Winters has to say about Shaq. He has final word on theory By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Staff, 6/8/2000 LOS ANGELES - David Stern has heard the theory a million times: the NBA wants high-profile teams in the Finals. It's all about big markets and TV ratings. That's why the league conspired to have the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals instead of the Portland Trail Blazers. ''There's nothing much I can say about it,'' the comissioner said before watching the Lakers and Indiana Pacers in Game 1 at the Staples Center last night. ''It makes good copy. I want to ignore it. ''I got an e-mail from Portland after the game Sunday [when the Lakers rallied from a 15-point deficit to earn a spot in the Finals]. It said that the NBA and the Trail Blazers conspired to miss all those [13 straight] shots. So it morphs into that.'' The league certainly didn't want Indiana and Portland. But the Pacers did beat the Knicks in six games - striking half of the conspiracy theory. ''Years ago Pat Riley and Phil Jackson tried to work the media on this,'' said Stern. ''Jackson would say the refs made the series go seven games so we'd have more games. It's baloney and it all goes back to Red Auerbach. He always said, `We're the Celtics and the world is conspiring to bring us down.' So it's part of NBA tradition. Unfortunately, a generation of fans has grown up believing it.'' No conspiracy is needed to keep the Celtics down these days. Does Stern long for the golden days when Boston was in the Finals annually? ''There are 29 teams that I would like to see in the Finals,'' he said, diplomatically. ''I do remember a time when the annual rite of spring was flying from Boston to Los Angeles, then back to Boston and Los Angeles, and back to Boston. It's something we'll tell our grandchildren about.'' Larry Bird is coaching the Pacers and Magic Johnson is part-owner of the Lakers. They met in the Finals three times in the 1980s, with the Lakers winning twice. Stern won't inflate the past at the expense of the present. ''In terms of basketball and Hall of Fame teams, it was an entertaining era and I'll always cherish it,'' said the commissioner. ''That said, players today can do things that are pretty fantastic.'' While Bird went over last-minute instructions before Game 1, Johnson worked the house and reminisced about the golden days. ''I'm happy for Larry,'' Johnson said. ''He's proven his critics wrong. He's proven he's a good coach, but now I just hope he doesn't win. It's just like when he played for the Celtics. I'm rootin' against him again.'' Lakers assistant Tex Winter had some rough things to say about Shaquille O'Neal in the local Daily News Monday. Winter told reporter Steve Dilbeck, ''Shaq is not an easy person to coach. I like him, he's a fine person, and I think he's a great center, but he's not overly receptive. I've been a little disappointed in that. When you coach him, for some reason he takes it as you being negative instead of looking upon it as constructive criticism. He's not easy to deal with on that basis. His mind's pretty much made up ... He could be so much better than he is.'' Winter has been a basketball coach for 54 years. O'Neal Tuesday talked about the 1995 Finals, when his Magic were swept by the Rockets, and said the team was hurt by a 10-day layoff. In fact, the Magic had two days off before the start of the Finals. Jackson's 67-15 regular-season record is the second-best for a coach in his first year with a team. Bill Sharman was 69-13 with the 1971-72 Lakers ... Halftime at the Staples Center is when the Los Angeles celebrities gather in what has become known as ''The Room.'' It's the West Coast version of a great table at Elaine's after a Broadway Opening. Officially, the room is the The Bank of America Chairman's Room. There are 130 floor seats (which cost $1,150 per game), but only 85 room passes per game. The room is a simple wood-paneled bar inside a tunnel adjacent to Section 103. The room has bouncers and woe is the person who tries to crash during the 15-minute halftime gathering. A gold-colored credential is required for entry. Room regulars: Jack Nicholson, Penny Marshall, Seal, Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr., Glen Frey, Dyan Cannon, Denzel Washington, Robert Shapiro, and Andy Garcia. There is no equivalent at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Pacer celebrity fans include Jim Nabors, Peyton Manning, Florence Henderson, and David Letterman's mom. ------------------ Well blow me down-popeye
Bob, That was sad to hear. I didn't know he was like that. Ok, so I like him a little less. Still, I want that race in 10 years! ------------------ Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.
2 days - 10 days. What's the difference? You still got swept Shaq! Moron! ------------------ We need some meat in the post!
