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06/18/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Michael Cooper, Jim Pollard, Derek Fisher and George Mikan.
With his fifth title as a Laker, Bryant cemented his place atop the only list that matters in this franchise's history: winning championships. He's only tied with the other players, but you could argue that he had to do more to earn his than anyone else on the list.
Phil Jackson: 11 championships. Five with the Lakers. I believe his place was cemented long ago, yet he continues to raise the bar higher for all future generations.
What more is there to say? We are all witnesses. No, not to that other guy who might leave the only team and city he's ever known since birth in a couple weeks. Not to the guy whom the media has already anointed the greatest player alive. Not to the guy who lacks a killer instinct, who struggled mightily against these same Celtics with the same home-court advantage in the conference semis.
No, we are all witnesses to an unheralded high school star who was selected 13th in the 1996 NBA Draft behind players such as Allen Iverson and Boston's Ray Allen. He was also picked behind players such as Todd Fuller and Vitaly Potapenko. Haven't heard of those last two guys? Hey, neither have I.
We are all witnesses to the greatest winner this sport has seen since a man named Michael transcended the game in the late 80s and 90s. Nobody has won more since, unless you want to count Robert Horry, who rode Bryant's, Shaquille O'Neal's, Hakeem Olajuwon's and Tim Duncan's coattails en route to seven titles. Fisher, his teammate and top assassin, wouldn't have won any of his five if it weren't for Bryant.
"(I) just got one more than Shaq," Bryant joked. "You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."
Bryant was a little more humble when asked about being one away from Jordan's six titles.
"I don't know. It's tough for me to really put that in any kind of context in terms of he and I goes because 90 percent of what I've learned and what I've figured out comes from him," Bryant conceded. "So this is not a situation where it's me and Shaq rivalry kind of thing. It's not the same thing. It's different. It's more of a -- it's a genuine love that I have for him and what he's done for me. It's completely different."
Jackson, on the other hand, you could argue has had the benefit of coaching the best players around -- Bryant, O'Neal and Jordan. But Doug Collins coached Jordan, and he doesn't have any rings; Brian Hill coached O'Neal to the Finals with the Magic, but he didn't win; Del Harris was Bryant's first coach as a pro, but he didn't win, either. You get the point by now.
The Zen Master has no peer in his profession -- he is the cream of the crop. He's been a head coach for 19 seasons, and he's achieved the ultimate goal in 11 of them. When he coaches a playoff series, it might as well be a best-of- one -- his teams have won the series 48 of 48 times when they win the opening game. Whatever that guy is saying, I want to hear it.
Ever since His Airness stepped down from the throne, the public has been dying to place the crown atop another head. The problem is that the public wants that figure to be lovable, and Bryant just doesn't fit the bill. The public wants it to be LeBron James, but for some reason he refuses to accept it. Well, sorry public, you can't have your cake and eat it, too; Bryant is atop the throne, and someone like James is going to have an awfully tough time taking it away.
What I don't understand is why people are so unwilling to admit Bryant's greatness. I mean, Jordan wasn't the nicest guy around, either. Both Jordan and Bryant have that unbelievable willingness to win, that unmatched ability to rip your heart out when you are least expecting it. Throughout Game 7, even though Bryant continued to struggle, you just knew deep down that he would come through. Down 13 in the middle of the third quarter, you knew that the Lakers weren't out of it. And they weren't. Bryant came back with 10 all- important points in the final 12 minutes, and the rest is history.
"I just wanted it so bad. I wanted it so, so bad. On top of that, I was on 'E'," Bryant said of his Game 7 effort in which he went a subpar 6-for-24 from the field for 23 points. "Man, I was really, really tired. And the more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me...I was thankful that I was able to make one damn shot at the end of the game and made some free throws."
As for Jackson, if this was his last hurrah, what a way to go out. The 64- year-old is widely expected to be asked to take a pay cut next season if he were to return, and he even admitted following the game that he didn't know what was going to happen. But if it is indeed the end in Hollywood, he leaves behind a legacy that may go unmatched for all of time.
A 1,098-460 regular season record. A 224-98 playoff record. To reiterate: 11 championships. Primary coach of maybe the two greatest guards ever to play the game of basketball. And still he has that ounce of calmness after it all that just leaves you sitting in awe of a living legend.
"No, it's not (more emotional than the other titles)," Jackson said. "There's no residual as far as beating Boston or anything like that...To have put in 114 games and coming out the way at the end, there's a certain sense of gratification, and that's what I have to believe in."
Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to respect them. Put them atop the pedestal, give them the spot on the throne. Because what we're watching now -- we may never see again. Not even from "The King."
So, even if Bryant is the biggest villain in your life, cherish these moments as a fan of basketball because...We are all witnesses.
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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