Kobe Hands Out 13 Assists, Lakers Beat Wizards 126-120 in OT
March 31, 2008
Caron Butler finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists but his triple double was not enough to beat the Kobe Bryant and company. Kobe finished with 26 points, including 6 in the extra period to seal the 126-120 OT win against the the visiting Washington Wizards.
The Los Angeles Lakers played with collective effort as seven players in their roster scored in double digits. Sasha Vujacic finished with 20 points after hitting six 3-pointers while Luke Walton added 19. Valdimir Radmanovic chipped-in 18 points and Lamar Odom contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Rookie Nick Young scored his career high 27 points playing in his hometown. Fellow Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson also finished with 27 points including a career-high eight 3-pointers. Antawn Jamison finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds for the visiting Wizards.
The Lakers are 50-24 in the ultra-competitive Western Conference while the Wizards are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 38-35 record.
-fouledout
Webber Calls It Quits
March 26, 2008
After 15 seasons in the NBA, Golden State Warriors forward Chris Webber will finally hang the sneakers and call it quits. Webber signed the the Warriors this season in hopes of revitalizing his injury-plagued career. He played only nine games for the Warriors this season before being sidelined because of his injured knee that slowed his career in the recent years. He averaged 3.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2 assists for his nine game stint with the Warriors this season.
Webber was drafted by the Warriors in 1993 and won the Rookie of the Year honors in his first season in Golden State. He clashed with Warriors coach Don Nelson and was eventually traded to the Washington Bullets the following season. Webber’s best seasons in the league were played in Sacramento. He transformed the Kings into one of the legit playoff contenders in the West and led them to the 2002 Conference Finals where they lost a seven-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was then shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 after his career was slowed down by a surgery on his knee. He spent one season with the Detroit Pistons in 2006 before he re-signed back with his first professional team, the Warriors.
Webber, a five-time All-Star player, was brought back to Golden State in hopes of adding size their small ball line up. His return to his former team ended up with very little impact as he was only able to play nine games. Webber is slowed by his knee injury and unable to keep up with the fast paced style of the team.
Chris Webber played over 800 games in his professional career and holds career averages of 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
-fouledout
The first PBA Ateneo – La Salle Showdown ended in an unexpected stalemate. The showdown ended in a rare 90-90 deadlock that warrants a rematch. The rematch is not likely to happen soon but PBA and UAAP fans are looking forward for the next Ateneo – La Salle game because of its sheer intensity and excitement.
It was an up and down battle for most parts of the first half until PBA – La Salle built a 10-point cushion in the third period. The game could have been won by PBA – La Salle but they squandered the 10-point margin as the clock ticked away.
La Salle’s Mike Cortez drained a pair of free-throws that tied the game 90-all with 19.4 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing play, Ateneo’s Wesley Gonzales, who finished with 13 points, missed the potential winning shot at the top of the key as the time expired.
Carlo Sharma led La Salle with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Joseph Yeo added 13 points while Don Allado finished with 11. Mack Cardona and Cortez contributed eight and seven points respectively.
Enrico Villanueva paced his team with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Larry Fonacier finished with 9 points including a crucial 3-point basket down the stretch. Veteran guard Olsen Racela contributed 10 points while L.A. Tenorio and Rich Alvarez added 7 points each for the Ateneo.
The people behind the showdown thought that an overtime period was not needed because it was just an exhibition affair, but it clearly begs for a rematch.
“The battle for bragging rights between the arch rivals was not resolves. I certainly welcome a rematch between these two teams, more so if it’s for a cause.” said PBA board chairman Tony Chua.
A possible rematch is likely on talks right now and fans will surely be waiting for that. The next showdown will certainly be more intense and exciting that the first bout. Now I can’t wait for that. And next time, I hope somebody emerges as the winner and I sure hope it will be my guys in La Salle.
ANIMO LA SALLE
-fouledout
