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While sc was chokin', Kobe was smokin'...
So, just when you think that sc is becoming a viable force in the NCAA and that Kobe is no longer "The Man," yesterday happens. Just 3 days after the trojans exorcised one of their biggest demons, the Sun Devils brought them back down to the hell that IS usc Basketball. On Thursday, the trojans won at Arizona for the first time in twenty years. And so what do they do for an encore? They go to Tempe, and let the hapless Sun Devils get their first win in Conference play. That's right, ASU was 0-14 in the Pac-10, and had lost 15 games in a row overall.
It's been over thirty years since someone went winless in the Conference, and that was u$c, when it was still the Pac-8.
Apparently, Coach Tim Floyd doesn't have the 2007 trojans as focused as he thought, and they are falling back into being just a three-headed monster (Young/Pruitt/Stewart). Center Taj Gibson played 37 minutes yesterday, but went 0-for-7 and did not score.
This pathetic loss should severely hurt sc's seeding in the NCAA Tourney, and almost assure that they fail to reach the Sweet 16... All because of one mistake in the Desert. Of course, for "Cardinal" State Bush worshippers, making mistakes in the Desert is nothing new to you.
Another mistake you could make would be to think that Kobe Bryant has passed the torch to LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. No, the torch that has come down through the decades, from Wilt to Kareem to Magic to Michael to Kobe -- the torch which signifies the BEST Player on the Globe -- still belongs to Kobe, and he used it on Sunday to burn down Las Vegas. With his quick-release bombs and deceptive drives to the hoop for devastating reverse dunks, he took over this game from the start.
His West team took an early lead and stretched it to an insurmountable one. Kobe ended with 31 Points, 6 Assists, 6 STEALS, and 5 Rebounds, and only Kobe was that productive while the game was still a game. And not only was Kobe the high-scorer, but he was also the best ball-distributor too, as he ran the West Offense with unselfishness and expertise.
This is Kobe's 2nd All-Star MVP Award in 6 years. Amare Stoudamire (29 Points, 9 Rebounds) and Shawn Marion could also lay claim to the MVP, but Kobe had way more highlight reel moves, and more importantly, he did a lot of HIS damage before the game got out of hand. Stoudamire excelled especially in the 3rd, while the West was already flirting with a 40-point lead.
Saturday left no doubt that there is only ONE Kobe, and right now he is still the King of the NBA. The Lakers' great EARLY Record was a reflection of Kobe's leadership, and of his sacrifices of personal glory, but the ensuing injuries have been just too daunting for one guy to overcome, even though he IS the World's Best.
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And now, a note from the Bruins' illustrious 2007 National Champion Dance Team:
As of this moment, the Girls will be performing their Championship-Winning Dance routine at the CAL game on this Thursday Night. Due to the Stanford game being the final game, the event program may not allow the Girls time to reprise the Title-Winner on Saturday.
So even though Cal is not as good as the Cardinal, and even though the Stanford game is the big REVENGE game, there is now a damn good reason to come on Thursday night (but it has nothing to do with the Golden Bears). And by the way, the Girls want you to know that they WANT to do the Winning routine BOTH nights -- It's just a matter of the event officials allowing them to do so.
All joking and sarcasm aside for a rare moment, we'd like to thank the folks who have made this (COMPLETELY INDIRECT) little communique possible (you know who you are). And by the way, we SWEAR to the message's sincerity.
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