http://nypost.com/sports/42857.htm
JUST A BROWN OUT
By Peter Vecesy New York Post
March 20, 2005 -- WITHIN the last few days, I heard Larry Brown's condition/bladder sur gery is/was worse than admitted. Heard it twice from people who have access to his confidants though neither source claimed to know anything for sure. Still, one of them normally is so in touch with the truth I felt compelled to reach out to Joe Dumars for a confirmation or a denial.
Another reason I thought there might be cause for concern is because Brown opted for the operation despite the fact the Knicks weren't on Detroit's immediate schedule.
At any rate, my qualms were calmed.
"Wow, it's amazing what people will tell you," the Pistons' proprietor responded yesterday afternoon. "Larry had the procedure and the doctors cleared him with no issues. He may miss the next couple of games to get rest, but his condition was definitely not worse than expected."
*
Applaud Allen Iverson's toughness all you want for cutting off the cast on his broken left thumb and discarding its plastic shield four missed shots into Friday's win in Cleveland, but I'm promoting police protection against himself. Another well-placed or inadvertent whack to that intricate area (Kobe apparently busted him) and the NBA's leading scorer may very well be lost for the remainder of the season.
Better to be far-sighted than sorry.
Aside from A.I. tempting fate and greatly pleasing extreme sports gods with his risky and risqué (31 points, nine rebounds, five assists) act, 76er fans had to like what they saw . . . for the first time, perhaps, since Chris Webber joined forces 11 games (6-5) ago.
Defensively, a conspicuous adjustment was made on pick and rolls, which, I presume, had something to do with LeBrat James (3-20) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (5-19) habitually misfiring. Sleeker and slicker Sixer rotations also were very much the rage, courtesy of coach Jim O'Brien's tweaking at two practices. The Cavaliers only managed to squeeze off 11 trifectas and convert but two, a distant whimper from allowing the Raptors to cash a record 21 threes (Philly leads the league in this corrupt category) last Sunday.
Offensively, Webber was indubitably more involved. A couple more sets were on his table and he reacted accordingly. Exhibiting energy and enthusiasm unseen in these parts, C-Note fired (16 rounds) and fouled (six) freely. He finished with 14 points, including a pivotal 3-point swish with 6:22 left to play, eight rebounds and three assists. It appears his teammates (Iverson, for example) are beginning to realize when he has the ball and they move they're liable to get easy shots.
*
Now that the franchise formerly known as the Lakers is on the wrong side of the (.500) tracks for the first time since seven games into the season, and mentally preparing for its fourth playoff outage in 45 seasons, you think L.A. might finally play itself off national television?
The Purple Feign's latest bang for the cable buck was Friday night's 103-97 ESPN zoned-out loss to the Jonathan Bender-less Pacers, who, by the way, also were minus Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and, lest David Stern forget, Ron Artest.
Two out of three doctors prescribed rest (no surgery) for O'Neal's strained right shoulder to find out whether rest will help him regain strength and stability. So what does he do? During the third quarter he gives himself a standing eight count for the remaining 18 games of the regular season. Tinsley (ankle/shin/big toe) doesn't appear to be recovering any time soon, either.
On account of injuries and suspensions, the Pacers have been without three starters, sometimes four, for the majority of the season. Their affliction is so contagious it has even spread to former players; Brad Miller broke his leg last week at Kings practice.
Yet Rick Carlisle has never used his team's radical drop-off of talent as an excuse for losing, volunteers Donnie Walsh.
"Not once!" accentuates the Pacers' CEO. "That's a first for this profession!"
Despite all of the above anybody vaguely acquainted with the direct competition below the Pacers is not about to pre-empt their playoff parade. Especially the way Reggie Miller is downing shots.
Going into today's home game with the Nets the Pacers have won five of seven games and began the weekend sitting sixth in the East. During that run he's averaging 23 points (50-104 FGs, 49-51 FTs) and is working tirelessly to perfect a mid-range game before retiring.
Indiana Bones is on such a roll Congress subpoenaed him to learn his secret. He lit up the Lakers for 39, Kobe, specifically, one of many explanations for his being benched for nearly the first 10 minutes of the fourth.
Miller drained 13 of 18; Look, he's open again. It was his most productive output since Nov. 4, 2000, against the Bucks when he still smelled of formula, a mere baby of 35.
But, alas, all was not good Friday. Try as he might, Miller couldn't shake Jim Gray.
*
As for the Lakers, won't the networks please call a discontinue on Jerry Buss' team so our visual senses cannot be assaulted again until after the owner completes their extreme makeover.
To date, March has witnessed L.A. televised twice by ESPN; beat Dallas, lost at Indy. Meanwhile, TNT televised a win at Dallas and a blow out in an overblown Shaq-Kobe reach, er, rematch at Miami.
(Executives at Truly Nothing There are irate nitwork wasn't awarded last night's Shaq-Penny Hardaway rematch in Miami)
Oh, yeah, the last time ABC slapped the Lakers on its national audience (mid-February), they were spanked in Cleveland. Having dropped the final four games of a six-game trip, the Ramblin' Hamblens returns home tonight vs. the Sonics.
JUST A BROWN OUT
By Peter Vecesy New York Post
March 20, 2005 -- WITHIN the last few days, I heard Larry Brown's condition/bladder sur gery is/was worse than admitted. Heard it twice from people who have access to his confidants though neither source claimed to know anything for sure. Still, one of them normally is so in touch with the truth I felt compelled to reach out to Joe Dumars for a confirmation or a denial.
Another reason I thought there might be cause for concern is because Brown opted for the operation despite the fact the Knicks weren't on Detroit's immediate schedule.
At any rate, my qualms were calmed.
"Wow, it's amazing what people will tell you," the Pistons' proprietor responded yesterday afternoon. "Larry had the procedure and the doctors cleared him with no issues. He may miss the next couple of games to get rest, but his condition was definitely not worse than expected."
*
Applaud Allen Iverson's toughness all you want for cutting off the cast on his broken left thumb and discarding its plastic shield four missed shots into Friday's win in Cleveland, but I'm promoting police protection against himself. Another well-placed or inadvertent whack to that intricate area (Kobe apparently busted him) and the NBA's leading scorer may very well be lost for the remainder of the season.
Better to be far-sighted than sorry.
Aside from A.I. tempting fate and greatly pleasing extreme sports gods with his risky and risqué (31 points, nine rebounds, five assists) act, 76er fans had to like what they saw . . . for the first time, perhaps, since Chris Webber joined forces 11 games (6-5) ago.
Defensively, a conspicuous adjustment was made on pick and rolls, which, I presume, had something to do with LeBrat James (3-20) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (5-19) habitually misfiring. Sleeker and slicker Sixer rotations also were very much the rage, courtesy of coach Jim O'Brien's tweaking at two practices. The Cavaliers only managed to squeeze off 11 trifectas and convert but two, a distant whimper from allowing the Raptors to cash a record 21 threes (Philly leads the league in this corrupt category) last Sunday.
Offensively, Webber was indubitably more involved. A couple more sets were on his table and he reacted accordingly. Exhibiting energy and enthusiasm unseen in these parts, C-Note fired (16 rounds) and fouled (six) freely. He finished with 14 points, including a pivotal 3-point swish with 6:22 left to play, eight rebounds and three assists. It appears his teammates (Iverson, for example) are beginning to realize when he has the ball and they move they're liable to get easy shots.
*
Now that the franchise formerly known as the Lakers is on the wrong side of the (.500) tracks for the first time since seven games into the season, and mentally preparing for its fourth playoff outage in 45 seasons, you think L.A. might finally play itself off national television?
The Purple Feign's latest bang for the cable buck was Friday night's 103-97 ESPN zoned-out loss to the Jonathan Bender-less Pacers, who, by the way, also were minus Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and, lest David Stern forget, Ron Artest.
Two out of three doctors prescribed rest (no surgery) for O'Neal's strained right shoulder to find out whether rest will help him regain strength and stability. So what does he do? During the third quarter he gives himself a standing eight count for the remaining 18 games of the regular season. Tinsley (ankle/shin/big toe) doesn't appear to be recovering any time soon, either.
On account of injuries and suspensions, the Pacers have been without three starters, sometimes four, for the majority of the season. Their affliction is so contagious it has even spread to former players; Brad Miller broke his leg last week at Kings practice.
Yet Rick Carlisle has never used his team's radical drop-off of talent as an excuse for losing, volunteers Donnie Walsh.
"Not once!" accentuates the Pacers' CEO. "That's a first for this profession!"
Despite all of the above anybody vaguely acquainted with the direct competition below the Pacers is not about to pre-empt their playoff parade. Especially the way Reggie Miller is downing shots.
Going into today's home game with the Nets the Pacers have won five of seven games and began the weekend sitting sixth in the East. During that run he's averaging 23 points (50-104 FGs, 49-51 FTs) and is working tirelessly to perfect a mid-range game before retiring.
Indiana Bones is on such a roll Congress subpoenaed him to learn his secret. He lit up the Lakers for 39, Kobe, specifically, one of many explanations for his being benched for nearly the first 10 minutes of the fourth.
Miller drained 13 of 18; Look, he's open again. It was his most productive output since Nov. 4, 2000, against the Bucks when he still smelled of formula, a mere baby of 35.
But, alas, all was not good Friday. Try as he might, Miller couldn't shake Jim Gray.
*
As for the Lakers, won't the networks please call a discontinue on Jerry Buss' team so our visual senses cannot be assaulted again until after the owner completes their extreme makeover.
To date, March has witnessed L.A. televised twice by ESPN; beat Dallas, lost at Indy. Meanwhile, TNT televised a win at Dallas and a blow out in an overblown Shaq-Kobe reach, er, rematch at Miami.
(Executives at Truly Nothing There are irate nitwork wasn't awarded last night's Shaq-Penny Hardaway rematch in Miami)
Oh, yeah, the last time ABC slapped the Lakers on its national audience (mid-February), they were spanked in Cleveland. Having dropped the final four games of a six-game trip, the Ramblin' Hamblens returns home tonight vs. the Sonics.
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