May 2nd: "Lakers Feel Reborn; What About Suns?" "Shaq and Kobe have new duaghters born 6 minutes apart." "Freeway Series Looming?" Kwame Accused of Sexual Assault.

 
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Phil
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:20 am    Post subject: May 2nd: "Lakers Feel Reborn; What About Suns?" "Shaq and Kobe have new duaghters born 6 minutes apart." "Freeway Series Looming?" Kwame Accused of Sexual Assault.

Lakers Feel Reborn; What About Suns?
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
May 2, 2006

PHOENIX — Twenty-four hours came and went. The Lakers still couldn't exhale.

Kobe Bryant had rushed to meet up with his wife at the hospital, Smush Parker grappled with the 36 text messages and dozens of voice mails that lit up his cellphone, and the team as a whole attempted, emphasis on attempted, to downplay a possible series with the Clippers.

Bryant had the busiest time of anyone Laker-related, running to an undisclosed Orange County hospital to meet up with his wife, Vanessa, within hours after hitting two shots that were already budding on legendary. Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born Monday at 2:03 a.m.

Bryant did not practice Monday and was not available for comment but will play tonight in Game 5, when the Lakers could put the final, stunning touches on the Phoenix Suns.

They were thrust into a 3-1 first-round series lead with remarkable plays by Bryant, Parker and Luke Walton on Sunday. Other efforts were almost overshadowed as the purple-and-gold confetti fell and Staples Center glowed once again.

Lamar Odom continued to stick to Shawn Marion and even guarded Steve Nash on some plays, a 6-foot-11 forward holding his own with a 6-3 guard. He is averaging 20.5 points in the series and was second among all NBA players with an average of 11.5 rebounds through four playoff games.

Devean George, an unrestricted free agent whose Laker career might end when their playoff run does, hit three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, perhaps providing an underscored part in the final paragraph of a seven-season synopsis with the franchise.

Sasha Vujacic, the team's 10th-leading scorer during the regular season, kept delivering from three-point range, his four-game total now standing at eight for 11 (72.7%).

With so much going so flawlessly, it's almost easy to forget the Lakers still have to win a game.

"It's going to be tough," Odom said. "No one wants to lose a playoff game on your home court, especially the playoff game that ended the series. We can't get stuck on talking about [Sunday's] game. We can't forget what we need to do to win games. The series is not over. Teams can come back from 3-1 to win a series."


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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:22 am    Post subject:

Bryant's second daughter born hours after victory

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant became parents of a second daughter at 2:03 a.m. Monday. In keeping with Bryant's Italian roots, the couple named her Gianna Maria-Onore.

Their first daughter, Natalia Diamante, is 3.

It was a long, exciting Sunday for Bryant, with his dramatic shots to force overtime and win Game 4 of the Lakers' playoff series with Phoenix and the early childbirth. Bryant said in March the baby was due May 10-15.

"The arrival of our new daughter Gianna early this morning is such an incredible blessing for me and my family," Bryant said in a statement.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:28 am    Post subject:

Buss getting last laugh


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Recent Columns
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May 2, 2006

You don't become a wealthy NBA owner by making big mistakes, unless you inherited your team, which explains why the Knicks are run by Jim Dolan. Therefore, a few summers ago, when faced with his most important decision as Lakers owner, Jerry Buss listened to his basketball and business instincts over the stink raised about his two feuding superstars.

The choice for Buss: Keep Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal.

The public already reached a decision about the two candidates, and it wasn't Bush-Kerry close. On this particular scale, a 330-pound All-Star was sitting on one end, so there was no doubt where it tilted. The public support centered around a center, one of the best in our lifetimes, and the pro-Shaq people were convinced the Lakers couldn't win without him. In so many ways in this intense debate, Shaq was enormous: in image and dominance to his supporters, in weight and salary demands to Buss.

Buss heard it all:

Shaq makes your team better.

Shaq gives other teams a headache.

Shaq will bring the Lakers back.

So, of course, Buss went with Kobe.

And, of course, Buss took a public-relations pounding.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:31 am    Post subject:

Bryant, O'Neal Are Dads Again
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
May 2, 2006

Settling into separate lives on opposite coasts, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal still can't seem to get that far from each other.

Bryant's wife, Vanessa, gave birth to the couple's second daughter six minutes before O'Neal's wife, Shaunie, gave birth to a girl early Monday.

Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant was born at 2:03 a.m. at an undisclosed hospital in Orange County. Mearah Sanaa O'Neal, the couple's sixth child, was then born in a South Florida hospital.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:34 am    Post subject:

Proving to be a steal
BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO Whatever the odds were of Smush Parker coming up with a steal against Steve Nash in the final seconds of regulation Sunday, the odds were even smaller that the Lakers guard would find himself in that position to begin with.

This time last year, Parker was watching the playoffs at home in NewYork, wondering where his next job in pro basketball would come. He had yet to stick on three NBA teams and had finished the season in the developmental league.

Now Parker has the unlikely title of playoff hero, having poked the ball free from the league MVP with the game on the line. Parker's steal led to Kobe Bryant's floater at the buzzer as the Lakers went on to a stunning overtime victory.

"I just know that I can't stop watching that play," Parker said after practice Monday. "The last two minutes of regulation to the overtime was just incredible to watch."

There is still work to be done in closing out the Phoenix Suns and this first-round series, with the Lakers holding a 3-1 lead and Game 5 tonight at US Airways Center. But Parker could be forgiven for never wanting to let go of the feeling from Sunday.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:36 am    Post subject:

Diaw honored for improvement

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
May. 2, 2006 12:00 AM

Mike D'Antoni said more than once this season that he thought bringing in Boris Diaw from Atlanta would some day cost him his job.

He was joking. Sort of.

Truth was, the Suns coach wasn't initially sure what to make of Diaw, the versatile Frenchman who came to Phoenix in August for Joe Johnson and two future draft picks.


As time passed, D'Antoni realized they had found a gem, a player who could play multiple positions. A player who Monday was named the NBA's Most Improved Player.

"I don't know how many times we were in front of the film, going: 'Man, this guy knows how to play,' " D'Antoni said at a news conference. "His potential is unlimited."

Diaw received 489 points from a panel of 124 sports writers and broadcasters. New Orleans forward David West finished second with 283.

"It's always good when people recognize your work," said Diaw, 24. "You try to get better, not only for yourself, but the principal goal is get better to be able to help your team."

Playing inside, the 6-foot-8 Diaw averaged career highs of 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in his third NBA season. He joined LeBron James and Jason Kidd as the only players to average more than six rebounds and six assists.

His four triple-doubles took some pressure off point guard Steve Nash.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:38 am    Post subject:

Clippers' Focus Off Lakers
By Lonnie White, Times Staff Writer
May 2, 2006

Late in the fourth quarter of the Clippers' Game 5 clinching victory over Denver on Monday, a small chant of "Beat L.A." began inside Staples Center.

But the cheer never gained steam among the fans, which is exactly how the Clippers want it as they look ahead to a possible showdown with the Lakers in the next round.

"It really doesn't make a difference who we play," said Corey Maggette, who had 23 points and five rebounds off the bench.

"It would be great to play [the Lakers]. It would be the first time in history that the two teams met in the playoffs. But it's really about whatever happens, we're ready."

For the most part, the Clippers focused on enjoying their first-round victory over the Nuggets rather than the prospect of playing the Lakers.

"I knew that sooner or later that this day would come but you never really know," Maggette said. "It was great to see our team out there playing so hard … our fans were really behind us."
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:40 am    Post subject:

Bryant is a father again
Ross Siler, Staff writer

As it turned out, Kobe Bryant's unforgettable day was just starting when he left Staples Center after making two last-second shots in Sunday's overtime victory against Phoenix.

Bryant's wife, Vanessa, gave birth to their second daughter, Gianna Maria-

Onore, at 2:03 a.m. Monday. It was enough to leave the Lakers shaking their heads in amazement at the timing for Bryant.

"After a game like he had yesterday," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, "I told his people I'm surprised he didn't name his child Victoria because this had to be one special day for this kid.

"We're happy for him. The timing's right, he'll have some rest. But I'm sure that it's not easy to sleep after all those things happen."
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:42 am    Post subject:

Jackson influence comes through
Odom credits the coach for the way the Lakers coolly handled Sunday's pressure.

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register


Lakers coach Phil Jackson (top) smiles at Lamar Odom as he bends over to catch his breath during a timeout at the Lakers 99-98 win over the Phoenix Suns, Sunday in Game 4.

LUCY NICHOLSON, REUTERS

EL SEGUNDO – If Phil Jackson hasn't already gotten enough credit for a good game plan against the Phoenix Suns, Lamar Odom also believes the Lakers' unlikely rally Sunday in some way came about only because of Jackson.

"Some teams start to take on the personality of their coach," Odom said. "Our coach is patient and laid-back.

"People get on Phil when he doesn't call a timeout, but he keeps everything at ease."

And so the Lakers were patient Sunday, not panicking, believing they could prevail. However, even Jackson reflected on it Monday as "two impossible wins in one single game."
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:46 am    Post subject:

Somewhere Out on the Freeway, a Series Los Angeles Can't Lose

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By HOWARD BECK
Published: May 2, 2006

LOS ANGELES, May 1 — After 28 years of being divided by championship banners, parades, arenas, payrolls, Q ratings and, above all, respect, this city's two N.B.A. franchises are about as close as they have ever been.
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The Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Clippers' Elton Brand would be the leading men of a possible playoff meeting between their teams, neither of which made the postseason last year.

The Clippers and the Lakers spent Monday morning at a safe distance, practicing about 16 miles and 3 freeways apart. Yet after the Clippers' 101-83 victory over the Nuggets on Monday night, they were separated by one victory. By the weekend, they could be fighting for parking spaces beneath Staples Center.

The Clippers eliminated Denver in five games for the franchise's first series victory since 1976. The Lakers, who departed in the afternoon for Phoenix, held a 3-1 lead over the Suns and could clinch that series Tuesday night.

If the Lakers advance, it will set up a historic moment in Southern California sports lore — an all-Los Angeles series, played entirely in one building. It already has a working title — the Hallway Series.

The rules for this surprising rivalry have yet to be written, but it is safe to say that, for once, no one will be chanting "Beat L.A."
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:48 am    Post subject:

Fuel for the MVP fire
Nash, Bryant together in playoff spotlight

Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 2, 2006


Two days before Kobe Bryant pounded his chest following Sunday's miracle win over the Suns, his same hand had been pointed at Steve Nash in a much nastier, though no less emotional, manner.

Several Suns and Lakers had gotten tangled under the basket during Game 3 of their first-round series. In went Nash to help his teammates. Out came Bryant, pointing directly at Nash, with a menacing look to match.

It was the second time in the last week that the two MVP frontrunners -- Nash, the soon-to-be-named winner, and Bryant, the you-can-have-the-MVP-and-I'll-make-the-game winner -- have exchanged words, giving their "team first" series a distinctly personal edge. They face each other again tonight in Game 5.

"It seems like Kobe is barking at Steve Nash all the time," Sean Elliott, the longtime Spurs player and current television commentator, said. "They're going at it, and it should be like that."
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:49 am    Post subject:

Oh, baby! Shaq's beats Kobe's by 6 minutes

May 2, 2006



MIAMI -- Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were reunited Monday -- 2,342 miles but only six minutes apart.

The former teammates and rivals on the Los Angeles Lakers became fathers again at almost precisely the same time. O'Neal's wife, Shaunie, delivered the couple's sixth child and third daughter, Mearah Sanaa, at 4:57 a.m. Eastern time in Miami.

Six minutes later, at 2:03 a.m. Pacific time, Bryant's wife, Vanessa, gave birth to their second daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore, in Los Angeles.

"The arrival of our new daughter ... is such an incredible blessing for me and my family,'' Bryant said in a statement. "We are all full of beautiful emotions after such an incredible day.''
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:57 pm    Post subject:

Kwame Brown Under Investigation for Sexual Assault

According to a police statement, the assault allegedly happened early in the morning on April 29th.

Brown is accused of assaulting a woman in a hotel somewhere in the Los Angeles area. Investigators are not disclosing the name of the hotel, the location or a time of day. The Los Angeles district attorney's office reports that LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division is handling the investigation. That division is appointed whenever a high-profile personality is involved.
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PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2006 3:59 pm    Post subject:

Lakers Try To Eliminate Suns
(Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns try to stave off elimination tonight, as they host the Los Angeles Lakers at US Airways Center in Game 5 of their first-round series.

The Lakers own a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series. If the Suns win tonight, Game 6 would be played on Thursday at the Staples Center.

After the teams split Games 1 and 2 at Phoenix, the Lakers captured Games 3 and 4 at the Staples Center. On Sunday, Kobe Bryant drained a game-winning 17- foot jump shot as time expired in overtime to give the seventh-seeded Lakers a thrilling 99-98 win over No. 2 Phoenix in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals set.

Bryant finished with 24 points in the win for the Lakers, while Lamar Odom finished with a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Los Angeles.

Kwame Brown recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 14 of their last 15 Game 4s in the postseason.

Bryant connected on the jumper after Odom and Luke Walton teamed to tie-up Steve Nash and force a jump ball at mid-court with just 6.1 seconds left. The Lakers' star guard chased down the tip by Walton and moved up the court to hit the winning shot over Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.

Nash netted 22 and dished out 11 assists in Game 4s loss for the Suns, while Diaw ended with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Shawn Marion dropped in 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds before fouling out in the contest.

The Lakers have lost two straight Game 5s in the postseason. They have won 13 of their last 14 contests when they have the chance to eliminate their opponent.

Phoenix has lost six of its last seven Game 5s in the playoffs. The Suns have lost four of their last five outings when facing elimination.
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