[narek]

It's USA teammate



VS USA teammate tonight:

[narek]

Since Kareem is being honored at half-time of the game, the J-S is fullof Kareem stuff.

The reluctant star reflects

I never blamed Abdul-Jabbar. He was from the Harlem of Charlie Parker and LeRoi Jones, of Dizzy Gillespie and W.E.B. DuBois. He was intellectually curious for the esoteric, quite shy and had just converted to Islam. He never trashed the fans or the city, but exactly what did Milwaukee of the early '70s have culturally to offer such a diverse person?

But just as the city has changed, so has Abdul-Jabbar.

He was back Tuesday as a guest of the Bucks, who will rededicate his retired No. 33 tonight as part of the franchise's yearlong 40th anniversary celebration. Wearing a sweater, jeans, loafers and looking as if he could still play at age 60, Kareem talked about his personal transformation from the introverted young man who once turned his back on those who would embrace him.

"It took some living before I knew what that was all about," he said. "I have a 1955 Duke Snider card that is one of my prize possessions. Once I got to meet him. He was a hero to me and I related that way. I just never thought that people would relate to me that way. It took awhile for me to understand that. I was very shy. I've been shy my whole life. It's something I've had to work on."

But it was more than that, and young athletes should heed Abdul-Jabbar's next words.

"Some aspects of being a professional athlete keep you from maturing," he said. "It's unfortunate, but it's a fact. The insular life that you live and all the time you spend on your craft keep you from learning about human interaction. As they say, you live and learn."

Of himself, Kareem has written, "I was way too suspicious and I paid a price for that." It cost him head-coaching jobs he wanted after his playing career, although now he assists Phil Jackson. It also cost him a warm relationship with some of the best fans on earth at the old arena, because Kareem was under the mistaken impression that playing hard was enough.

"I gave the fans everything I could on the court, but in many instances people read what I had to say in the worst possible light," he said. "I never had anything at all against the fans. I always thought they were some of the best fans ever. But I wanted to be in a place where we had a chance to win and I had a chance to do things that weren't possible here. There was never any rancor in my heart. Management treated me extraordinarily. I hope I left in a way that was easiest on them."

Spotlight on Lakers greats

Abdul-Jabbar is serving as a special assistant coach with the Lakers, and his primary task has been to help develop the skills and basketball savvy of 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum.

The 7-foot Bynum was the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, coming directly from high school in New Jersey.

"My job basically was to shorten his learning time," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Together we've been able to do a great job.

"I know it's working when I see him come off the court and he's happy. I feel more like his uncle at that point than his coach."

Kareem recalls Milwaukee days

Beating the (Baltimore) Bullets in 1971, you can't do any better than that," Abdul-Jabbar said. "I think even more memorable in some ways was the close call we had in '74 where we almost beat the Celtics.

"That's one I've remembered over the years as one that got away. We really had the better team when we were at full strength."

Abdul-Jabbar's famed sky hook won Game 6 in overtime at Boston Garden, but the Celtics won Game 7 in Milwaukee at the Arena.

"I played the whole game, including the overtime, and I remember how tired I was," Abdul-Jabbar said. "We had to come back home and play Game 7. The first night home I was so wired that I couldn't sleep. It was tough to try to come back and win that, but we just didn't have the horses."

Abdul-Jabbar recalled the difference guard Oscar Robertson made after being acquired by the Bucks in a trade in April 1970.

"When you play with a player like Oscar, you're playing with a master," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Oscar could run the break, and that was our trademark, speed.

"We didn't have bruiser guys; I certainly wasn't a bruiser. Look at the picture out there of me and Wilt (Chamberlain), and I'm the skinny guy in all these photos. I also was the fastest guy out there at my position. We used our speed to great advantage. Our front line was probably the fastest, with Greg Smith and Bobby Dandridge, and Oscar knew how to orchestrate the offense and exploit that. Oscar's basketball I.Q., he was like Einstein."

[DaRizzle]

Hope you guys enjoyed beating the Cavs because you are gonna get smacked up tonight

[roux2dope]

Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight!

[narek]

Originally Posted by roux2dope

Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight,Please dont let Kobe score 50 tonight!

He didn't.

How'd you like that defensive play Yi had on him - catching up to him on the break and keeping him from getting an easy two?

A great team effort victory. Slow start overcome, and some stupidity at the end, but an impressive game. Loved the Kareem halftime activities.

[roux2dope]

I am not a huge Kareem guy, he is a fantastic player, led the Bucks to their only title, and is the greatest player to ever put on a Bucks uniform. He did leave Milwaukee in very crappy circumstances claiming milwaukee didnt have enough culture for him and forced the trade to the Lakers.

Great game tonight, Mo and Redd are both on fire right now, and for the first time all season Yi and Charlie show up on the same night combining for 26 and 15. Beating the Lakers is probably one of my favorite things to watch the Bucks do, and they have done it 3 times in a row. I just love wiping that stupid grin off of the Zen Masters face.

6-4 <----

[narek]

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Bucks forward Bobby Simmons played only 11 minutes through the first three quarters.

But he was then called upon in the fourth and he played the entire fourth quarter, scoring nine of his 11 points. He sank a huge three-pointer that gave the Bucks a 94-87 lead with 4:28 left. "Just trying to be ready to make plays," he said.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Simmons dipped into his bag of tricks and pulled out an oldie but a goodie early in the second quarter. Simmons was in-bounding under the Bucks basket and the Lakers' Luke Walton was defending but Walton had his back to Simmons. So Simmons bounced the ball off Walton's butt, stepped inbounds and grabbed the ball, and put in a layup that cut the Lakers' lead to 26-21. "That's an old Scottie Pippen play," said Simmons. "Fortunately he had his back turned to the basket. It was a great angle and I was willing to take a chance."

OFF THE BENCH: Once again, Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak couldn't say enough about the play of his reserves. "Everybody that was a part of that bench, that came into the ball game and played a part in it, right down the line, there isn't a soul that didn't contribute in a positive way," he said.

STATISTICS SHEET: The Bucks were frustrated by foul trouble at times. At halftime, the Lakers had made 18-of-20 foul shots. The Bucks only got to the line four times, and made all four. "The first half I thought they were a little more aggressive than us," said Krystkowiak. "They put their heads down and went to the rim and put us in a position where we were fouling. At times we went to the rim, we took a little different approach and a different angle and it wasn't necessarily a foul."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=689128