Terreno Deportivo

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mark Heisler writes “if, as Jerry West says, the NBA’s greatest rivalry wasn’t a rivalry at first since the Lakers never won in the ’60s and the Boston Celtics never lost, it already seemed bigger than mere life or death, at least in West’s life. Nor did the zeal diminish in their ’80s rematches when the Showtime Lakers and the Larry Bird Celtics battled on even terms. It was the alpha and omega of rivalries, encompassing all human emotions, starting, of course, with hate. The Lakers hated the Celtics and their blustering leader, Red Auerbach, but then who didn’t?”

latimes.com/sports/la-sp-heisler4-2008jun04,0,5947568.story?rss=t

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Lonnie White writes “matchup decisions made by coaches in the NBA Finals have a long history of determining the league championship. This year, the Lakers’ Phil Jackson and Boston’s Doc Rivers are the coaches under the spotlight. Their decisions on matchups will go a long way in determining this year’s NBA championship. Here are a couple to follow.”

latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakersxo4-2008jun04,0,1788962.story?rss=

In the NEW YORK TIMES, Howard Beck writes “before the confetti fell at Staples Center last Thursday, a chant swept through the arena: ?We want Boston!’ One night later, 2,986 miles to the east, the response came booming back: ?Beat L.A.!’ As the two cities stretched their vocal cords, a thousand images flashed: Wilt vs. Russell, West vs. Cousy, Magic vs. Bird, Kareem vs. Parish, Kurt Rambis’s neck vs. Kevin McHale’s forearm. Baylor and Goodrich, Worthy and Scott. Havlicek, the Jones boys, Johnson, Ainge. The Lakers and the Celtics are happily bathing in history as they open the N.B.A. finals Thursday in Boston. The franchises have wrestled for the championship nine times since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles. The rivalry has enough chapters to fill the Smithsonian.”

nytimes.com/2008/06/04/sports/basketball/04nba.html?_r=1&ref=spor

In the BOSTON HERALD, Mark Murphy writes “method acting was important for any local kid who wanted to sneak into The Forum to watch Lakers games, and Paul Pierce was good at it. ‘Act like a kid who didn’t have nothing, that’s what you had to do,’ Pierce said of a talent for getting sympathy from ushers, though the same flair clearly doesn’t work with NBA referees. But Pierce actually had more than just a cute act; he also had a buddy on the inside.”

bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/2008_06_04_LA_loy

In the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, Eddie Sefko writes “Rick Carlisle is headed to Germany this week to spend some quality time with Dirk Nowitzki, but Carlisle will be hard pressed to top the experience he had Tuesday. The Mavericks’ new coach teamed with Jerry Stackhouse and president Donnie Nelson to host about 50 kids at American Airlines Center, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The kids, all either suffering or recovering from traumatic illnesses, were treated to a tour of the Mavericks’ locker room and training facilities, then went through a clinic for an hour on the practice court.”

dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/060408dnspomavslede.

Talk about a tough act to follow. Dave “McTen” McMenamin’s “Full Circle” post captured quite well the journeys these two teams took to The Finals. If you missed it, here’s your chance to scope. As for this morning, lots of things happened on the Intertubes overnight (overnight meaning while I was delayed in Newark on the tarmac), so here are Wednesday’s Breakfast BLINKS.

my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700012968?rss=true

It’s not a shot or even a game that Rick Carlisle focuses on when his thoughts drift back 22 years. The memory that sticks in his head most when asked about the 1986 NBA champion Boston Celtics is what you might expect for someone who thinks like a coach.

nba.com/mavericks/news/Carlisle_Celtics_060308.html?rss=true

In the first edition of One-on-One, a Suns.com Newsroom debate, analysts Daniel Banks and Stefan Swiat go head-to-head on who they think will win The Finals. Will it be the Celtics or the Lakers? Read their takes and then send your thoughts on the topic so you can have them read on Suns.com.

nba.com/suns/news/pro_vs_con_080602.html?rss=true

With all of the historical implications this Celtics-Lakers series is drenched in, it seems like writers around the country are bringing up the past more often than savvy divorce court lawyers. You’ve seen the numbers ? this is the 11th meeting in the Finals between these two teams; it’s the 29th championship round appearance for L.A. and the 20th for Boston; 16 titles for Beantown, 14 for Hollywood; and the franchises combine to have 40 Hall of Famers. While it’s tempting to thumb through the history books back a couple decades to the Magic-Bird duels, or a few decades further to the West-Havlicek battles, the recent history of the two teams offers an intriguing contrast.

my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700012852?rss=true

Check out the top 10 moments in the stellar Finals history between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

nba.com/finals2008/celtics_lakers_top20.html?rss=true

As the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers continue their quest for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, basketball fans in more than 200 countries will watch, listen and participate in the action through an array of multimedia and digital technologies when Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals tips off June 5 on ABC (9 pm ET) in the U.S., as well as on television stations around the world. The Celtics and Lakers are vying for their franchise’s 17th and 15th NBA Championship, respectively.

nba.com/finals2008/news/numbers_080603.html?rss=true

Boston backup guard Tony Allen is back on the practice court as the Celtics prepare for the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

nba.com//news/allen_back_080603.html?rss=true

Teressa Iezzi of Advertising Age writes, “There can only be one” launched in April and immediately garnered acclaim inside ad circles. The spots feature a simple split screen filled with half the faces of two basketball stars — forming, effectively, one superfamous, somewhat distorted visage. The pairings cover a who’s who of the sport — LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, Kobe and Shaq. They speak, in unison, of solemn sports things — above all, victory. The spots close with a super that reads, “There can only be one.” They proved simple, fresh and memorable in a tough category. But Goodby’s ads were only the beginning. “TCOBO” went on to the kind of cultural notoriety marketers literally can’t pay for.

adage.com/columns/article?article_id=127289?rss=true

Stanford center Brook Lopez became the first draft prospect to work out for Minnesota’s brass at Target Center, hoping to impress enough to be considered for the No. 3 overall pick in the June 26 NBA Draft. The two-year college standout was the first of several prospects who will be put through an extensive workout by the Timberwolves’ basketball operations and coaching staffs.

nba.com/timberwolves/news/lopez_first_through_wolves_workout_door

On BASKETBALL 24/7, Terry Lyons writes “The 2008 NBA Finals are upon us. Boston vs. Los Angeles. Number one in the East vs. number one in the West. The series will bring back fond memories of days gone by, and it will bring clear recollections of classic NBA Finals that I was lucky enough to witness live, from courtside, in 1984, 1985 and 1987. For others, a little older, this series will bring back memories from series listed further back in the NBA history books when the Celtics first played the (Minneapolis) Lakers in 1959 or when Boston defeated Los Angeles four times between 1962 and 1965. For some, it will conjure fond memories of 1968 and 1969 when Boston defeated Los Angeles in consecutive championships when legendary center Bill Russell outlasted his longtime rival Wilt Chamberlain.”

basketball247.co.uk/features/archives/00000023.shtml?rss=true

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that Flip Saunders will not return next season as the team’s head coach.

nba.com/pistons/news/saunders_080603.html?rss=true

In the BOSTON GLOBE, Marc J. Spears writes “David Stern is celebrating his 25th NBA Finals as commissioner with the upcoming matchup between the Celtics and Lakers. During a phone interview yesterday, Stern talked about his anniversary, the rivalry, Red Auerbach, ‘The Big Three,’ and much more.”

boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2008/06/03/in_refle

In the NEW YORK TIMES, Billy Witz writes “the Celtics and the Lakers renew their rivalry Thursday with the start of the N. B.A. finals, the 11th time they have met for the championship but the first time since 1987. It has been so long that for many Lakers, the days leading up to the series have been a history lesson. There have been incessant highlights of the assistant coach Kurt Rambis, then a Lakers forward, being clotheslined by Kevin McHale, a play that proved a turning point in the Celtics’ series victory in 1984. A year later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, now a special assistant coach, sank the game-winning skyhook that gave Los Angeles its first-ever finals win over Boston. ”

nytimes.com/2008/06/03/sports/basketball/03lakers.html?_r=2&ref=s

In the NEW YORK POST, Mark Berman writes “sl-o-o-o-o-w down, Jeff. Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy not only likes the Lakers to take out Boston for the NBA championship but sees the makings of another purple-and-gold dynasty. Van Gundy spoke on an ABC conference call yesterday to promote the tradition-drenched Celtics-Lakers finals matchup beginning Thursday at the new Boston Garden. He says LA is too powerful offensively for even his buddy, Celtics associate coach/defensive guru Tom Thibodeau, to stop.”

nypost.com/seven/06032008/sports/knicks/van_gundy_sees_laker_dyna

In the SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL, Ira Winderman writes “center Alonzo Mourning offered yet another strong signal Monday that he will attempt to end his career in a Heat uniform rather than on the injured list. Six months after sustaining a serious season-ending knee injury in a loss in Atlanta, Mourning said he is continuing to push for a return to the 2008-09 Heat roster. Speaking at Jason Taylor’s charity golf tournament in Davie, Mourning reiterated his single-minded focus in his rehabilitation. ‘There’s no mystery,’ he said, ‘I’ve said I want to come back and play another year. I just want to get my body right to do it. I need to get my body where my mind is.’ ”

sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-zoback08,0,6803441.st