Friday, June 13, 2008

OK, This May Be The Last One

But then again, it may not.

I don't know how I could have missed Ailene Voisin's column today, and in my hometown paper, for goodness sake.

Excerpt #1:

That noise in Staples Center on Thursday night? I swear I heard cowbells.

I swear I saw Kings fans.

I swear the gods were collaborating, getting even.

On the night David Stern takes a swipe at conspiracy theories, Game 6 remains a topic of significant interest, and Kobe Bryant struggles without former sidekick Shaquille O'Neal, the Boston Celtics overcome one of the largest deficits in an NBA championship matchup and stun the Lakers with a 97-91 victory.

Excerpt #2:

For a change, there were no last-minute heroics from Kobe, none of those three-point flurries, breakout monster dunks, crippling follow shots, or momentum-changing steals. For one pivotal hour in smoggy Southern California it was all about green, about Garnett and the local product Pierce, and mostly about Allen. The gentlemanly former Seattle SuperSonics guard contributed nine rebounds, three steals, and one of those sweet, gravity-defying baseline drives more reminiscent of Kobe.

After House stroked a jumper for the lead, the 6-foot-5 Allen swooped in from the left, and as he began his descent, flipped up a one-handed shot that banked into the net, sending the crowd into a state of shock and awe.

As if that weren't enough to send the celebs running for the exits, he dribbled around Sasha Vujacic, then drove toward the basket and down a wide-open lane.

That was when – and I swear – I heard from the folks back home, a rousing, collective "gotcha" reverberating around the arena. The Lakers lose, the Lakers lose, the Lakers lose … and somewhere up there, Red Auerbach is ready to fire up another cigar.

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