FINALS NOTES
LOS ANGELES – The Nets have a chance. Really. Oh, it will be hard and they are massive underdogs, but former NBA Finals MVP Bill Walton says New Jersey can pull the upset of upsets and dethrone the Lakers.
“Because of Jason Kidd,” said Walton, who then said the Nets are armed with ample motivation.
“All the whining we’ve heard about no respect, no media coverage, Jason Kidd getting the shaft on the MVP, Byron Scott getting the short end of the stick for coach of the Year, Richard Jefferson getting snubbed at All-Star Weekend, this is their chance to prove the world wrong.”
The Lakers can counter all that with Shaquille O’Neal, so Walton said the Nets must battle him “most importantly, on the offensive end. It’s the ability to put a ton of points on the board because Shaq is going to get his. And Kobe [Bryant] is going to get a lot, too. What they must do is defend without fouling. Hack-a-Shaq does not work and it is an admission of defeat.”
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Todd MacCulloch is the fourth player to play in back-to-back Finals for two different teams, joining Steve Kerr, Steve Mix and Danny Ainge.
MacCulloch was asked if he’ll “flop” a laVlade Divac. “I did a little Fosbury Flop in high school, and I’m taking some drama classes,” he said, then giving his trademark deadpan responses, noted “Yes, I’m going to flop every time. I’m going to be on the ground for the whole series. I just hope I don’t get hurt falling down.”
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Kobe Bryant gave a little revisionist history about his desire to play in New Jersey when he made move to the NBA. “I was ready to play anywhere: Mars, Jupiter, New Jersey, Charlotte, doesn’t matter.” Fact is, the Nets were informed he would not sign if they took him. So John Calipari opted for Kerry Kittles.
Bryant, though, recalled his affection for Byron Scott when he joined the Lakers as a rookie. “Byron was really important. He really taught me a lot about the game, especially defensively how to play players, how to utilize picks, how to take care of your body for 82 games.”