Lakers Arrogance

Arrogance.

Yes, the Lakers are arrogant.

Kobe and Phil in particular.

Know why?

Because they KNOW they are better at basketball than most all people they come across. As a player, I know what that feels like…I’m no superstar or playground legend…just a regular guy who grew up playing basketball. Lots and lots of basketball. So much basketball that my wife (who was my girlfriend back when I was 18 years old) still refers to basketball as my mistress. She HATES basketball. She’s jealous of it. She wishes I paid as much attention to her as I do to basketball. I feel I do, but if you ask her you get a completely different perspective on the matter…I’m sure all sports fans can relate. But I HAVE harnessed that feeling known as THE ZONE….Not to brag, but I’ve been there many times. Just a regular dude, barely 5’-10” but I know the feeling of KNOWING there is no one on the court that can stop you that night. The feeling of wanting the ball in your hands when the game is on the line, and delivering.
It’s what athletes play for.
Respect.

The respect of other players, those who are striving with every once of their will to reach the same goal you are….winning.

There is no feeling like it. After the game those on your team pat you on the back or say, “Nice game” and the other team does the same, or even better….they say nothing at all.
But their body language says it all for them. The look on their face lets you know you took what they had been working for. All the sweat, all the hours of practice in their backyard to improve their shot, all the effort leading up to the soaked with perspiration shirt they’re wearing….The eyes Chico…they never lie.

Any athlete who reaches the pinnacle of his sport is bound to have a certain arrogance.

Think Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods.

To be the best, you have to truly believe you are the best….particularly in the world of sprots.

Reigning NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce has been quoted as saying he believes HE is the best player in the league…and on any given night…if only for the last couple of minutes of a game, he can be.

Know why?

Arrogance.

He truly believes it, so he’s able to perform when others wilt under the glare of the spotlight.
I may crack relentlessly on Pierce because of his Boston Knee Party drama-queen act in the 2008 Finals, but I respect him. He’s a Los Angeles native for one, he’s tough as nails for two…he got stabbed multiple times in a nightclub incident a few years back, yet here he is now, reigning World Champion of the NBA and Most Valuable Player of that series. Tough cat who answers the call for his team…I may loathe the Celtics , but I love the toughness they have displayed in the absence of KG and it all starts with Paul Pierce.



When MJ did it, it was considered greatness.
When told there was no “I” in team, Mike replied,
“There is in WIN”

His Airness was also quoted as saying he felt “different” after he hit that shot at North Carolina that won the National Championship all those years ago. He now had an arrogance that enabled him to become the player he became once he joined the NBA. He went on to say the other players were, “ At my mercy for whatever I wanted to do ”

But when Kobe carries himself with that same type of swagger, he’s gets labeled a jerk, a ball hog and every other name in the book by the very same Jordan worshippers who can’t see the parallel…or simply choose not to.

Kobe is no Michael, nor is Pierce, but they have that certain something that Mike had. LeBron has it too. So does Dwayne Wade and a handful of other elite players.
It’s a belief in your yourself that allows such amazing feats on the hardwood.
I for one don’t think it’s a bad thing for an athlete or a team to have.

So, as Lakers fan, when I hear pundits, broadcasters or bloggers casting judgement on the Lakers for their arrogance, I can only smile. Games like the one the Lakers played tonight at the Staples Center in downtown LaLaLand only serve to validate the arrogant label…the only thing missing is for them to do it in June.