RE: Lakers news group

["Sampath, Venkatesh" <Venkatesh.Sampath@microcell.ca>]

Ha! Ha! Thanks for the funnies. Just about every imaginable excuse,
conveniently steering clear of the facts. Your last sentence sums up the
teams:

>Are the Jazz really that good or the Lakers just really that bad?
>
>                                                         - Mishra
>

The Jazz are *that* good and the Lakers are (with the exception of Shaq)
really that bad. I managed to see every one of the games in the series
and it was abundantly clear that the Lakers were playing with no heart
or emotion whatsoever - they seemed to be shell-shocked from the first
game blow-out. Both Bryant and Exel disappeared from sight (in my view,
they are both over-hyped punks); Jones and Horry showed flashes of
heart, but it wasn't enough. Fox and Shaq were the only ones who played
with grit and determination - Shaq has come a long way from the "I'm the
King of the monster dunk and nothing else" stage. Fox hit on key threes
(this was a shot he had just developed when he left the Celts) and in
general, never stopped trying. 

The Jazz are playing extremely well. Malone seems determined to make up
for last year's performance in the Finals and the bench looks equally
determined to support him. Foster, Ostertag and Carr together constitute
a formidable inside presence, Anderson, Morris, Eisley and Russell are
lighting it up from the perimeter and taking it inside when necessary.
Gawd, I've completely forgotten about Stockton! 

Hopefully, Indiana will make a series out of their games against
Chicago. However, they appear fragile and uncertain whether to believe
in themselves. Only Miller keeps exhorting them to bigger and better
things. Here's hoping Indiana levels the series today. 

venkat