Never, ever celebrate when there is time on the clock and Roger Mason is suited up. The Suns learned that lesson the hard way on Christmas Day, and now the Lakers are beginning to do the same.
Kobe can do Sam Cassell’s ball dance all he wants, but the last laugh went to the Spurs last night.
Of course, Phil Jackson and Kobe can only gripe about officiating and missed calls instead of accepting responsibility. Bitter much.
“It was too close to our bench to see what happened,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I thought Mason received the ball and there was a collision. I don’t know whether he created the collision or Fisher did.”
“He got tripped,” Bryant said. “They’re not going to make that call. So what? It was just a wild game.”
All in all, it was one of the best games I’ve watched all year. The Christmas Day shot may have been a little sweeter, but the Spurs have had a long history with the Lakers, and it was good to get a win.
Note: This isn’t a recap, just a way to get some postgame thoughts up. We don’t really do recaps, especially since several other websites and blogs do them and do an excellent job of them, so If you’d like a full recap, check out the one at NBA.com and also be sure to read the reaction from Lakers fans. Look for the Lakers postgame episode of the Spurscast within the hour.
Update: The Los Angeles Examiner says the Lakers should be scared of the Spurs.
