Re: [前瞻] MIA v.s LAL
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant(notes) and Lakers coach Phil Jackson haven’t
really checked out the Miami Heat much this season. They’ve caught
late-night highlights and maybe logged a few minutes with a game from the
opposite coast, but not a whole lot more.
It’s finally time for the two-time champions to get an up-close look at
their most intriguing challengers.
When LeBron James(notes), Chris Bosh(notes) and—maybe—Dwyane Wade(notes)
take on the Lakers in the NBA’s Christmas showcase Saturday, most players in
both uniforms hesitate to pile any extra significance onto a
television-manufactured event. Most minimize every aspect of it, saying it’s
no more than a holiday amusement for fans seeking a break from
present-opening and eggnog-drinking.
“I don’t think it’s a measuring stick for us,” James said. “It’s just
another game.”
Yet competitiveness usually trumps Christmas for elite NBA players. Just ask
Bryant—or don’t, since he tellingly hasn’t spoken to the media since
getting ejected from the Lakers’ last game.
Pau Gasol(notes) and Derek Fisher(notes) concede both teams are anticipating
the marquee matchup as a chance to gauge their readiness for bigger games in
the months to come. And if they eventually face each other in June for the
biggest prize of all, even better.
“The personalities that are going to be matching up in this game, I don’t
know if it can get any bigger,” said Fisher, the Lakers point guard who
entertained free-agent interest from Miami last summer. “Although there will
be other games in this regular season that can mean more, from a personality
standpoint and a star power point, I don’t know if it can get any bigger.”
Fisher believes the NBA’s impressive television ratings and overall
increased spotlight this season can be traced largely to these two franchises
and the Boston Celtics. All three boast oversized personalities, compelling
team dynamics and remarkable success this season, but the Lakers haven’t yet
played either opponent.
In fact, the Lakers have monitored the Heat’s development with interest more
suited to casual fans than potential rivals—something that might change
Saturday.
“The dynamic players that they have, as a fan of a game, it makes it easy to
watch,” Los Angeles forward Lamar Odom(notes) said.
The NBA has waited seven years for a playoff matchup between Bryant and
James. James’ Cavaliers beat the Lakers on Christmas last year in a game
punctuated by dozens of foam hands thrown onto the Staples Center court by
frustrated fans, but Cleveland couldn’t get out of the Eastern Conference in
the playoffs, leading to James’ departure.
“I was in Cleveland and we beat the two-time champs twice in one season, and
it didn’t get me anything,” James said. “It’s one game, guys. The media
guys hype it up, but when that time is over and done with, we’ve got to move
on to the next one.”
Wade might miss the game with a sore knee, although Jackson expects him to
play. Wade’s absence didn’t slow down the Heat on Thursday night during
their win at Phoenix, with James scoring 36 points.
While the Heat have been outstanding lately, the Lakers’ 21-8 record isn’t
terribly impressive considering it came against the NBA’s easiest schedule
to date. Los Angeles even flopped in its warmup for Miami, losing by 19
points at home to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
“I thought their comeuppance might come against Miami, but Milwaukee
delivered the blow,” Jackson said. “So maybe it got their attention so they
can get focused on basketball.”
Jackson has participated in more than 20 Christmas showcase games dating to
his playing career with the New York Knicks.
The 11-time champion coach ranks this meeting with Miami on par with
Shaquille O’Neal’s(notes) return to Los Angeles with the Heat on Christmas
2004, even though he was on a one-year sabbatical from the Lakers at the
time, but he doesn’t anticipate the same excitement and vigor he felt from
Christmas 2008, when the Lakers snapped the defending champion Celtics’
19-game winning streak at Staples.
“This one measures up to that,” Jackson said. “I don’t think it surpasses
that.”
AP Sports Writers John Marshall in Phoenix and Tim Reynolds in Miami
contributed to this report.
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