Sports Section Syndicated – May 30, 2008

In a day where the headlines are dominated by the end of an era in San Antonio and the beginning of a new one in Los Angeles, Sports Section Syndicated is focuses on the L.A. era that doesn’t involve Kobe Bryant.

From the Associated Press: Indiana Fever fans got exactly what they wanted to see — a strong performance by Candace Parker, and a win for the home team… Parker scored six points in the final minute of the second overtime for the Los Angeles Sparks, but the Fever hung on for an 82-78 win Thursday night to hand the rookie from Tennessee her first loss as a pro… Parker had 16 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and five steals. The Elias Sports Bureau said she’s the first player in WNBA history to register at least five in each of those categories in a game… “She’s a great talent,” said Indiana’s Katie Douglas, who guarded her for most of the game. “She’s obviously going to be a star, if not already a star, in this league. She does so many different things — I’ve never seen a player like her. She doesn’t have to score to play a key role on her team.” [Read more…]

Bill Plaschke of the LATimes: The most improbable Hollywood twist in a franchise built upon them took another spin Thursday, an entire city now whirling in its wake… From Loons to June… Months after they began a season with one whining diva and seven dwarfs, the Lakers are bringing a legitimate fable into the NBA Finals… From Shock to Awe… With a 100-92 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the team that began the season as an NBA joke is now just four wins from an NBA championship… No more punch lines, just punch, a dozen playoff wins in 15 playoff games. [Read more…]

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Confetti fell from the roof of the Staples Center on Thursday night, and — if only for a moment — the Spurs found themselves caught in the middle of another celebration… Players hugged. Cameras flashed. A trophy changed hands… The Spurs, who had seen all of this before on their way to four NBA titles, watched from afar… This was the Los Angeles Lakers’ moment. More specifically, it was Kobe Bryant’s… “It’s a dream come true,” Bryant said… Bryant scored 39 points to lift the Lakers to a 100-92 victory in decisive Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, returning his team to the NBA Finals while simultaneously squashing the Spurs’ bid to repeat as champions. [Read more…]

John Hollinger of ESPN.com: We’re all big on labels, and when it comes to coaches, most of us have only two of them… There are “good” coaches, and there are “bad” coaches, and rarely do the distinctions go further than that. And, of course, our perception of “good” and “bad” can change like the weather — based mostly on whether the team in question won or lost yesterday… Maybe a few coaches are so effective or ineffective they would succeed or fail anywhere, but the vast majority fall somewhere in between these extremes… Coaches aren’t “good” or “bad” as much as they are an amalgam of strengths and weaknesses. That means each individual coach might be particularly well-suited or badly suited for a given team at a given time. [Read more…]

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