A review of Laker playoff game No. 6 -- 10 wins to go.
NBA Commissioner David Stern stopped by the press room before the game and said he had just met with the referees, I presume to remind them how excited he is about the upcoming Boston-L.A. Finals.
For some reason when this game started, the refs called four fouls on Utah, none on the Lakers, and then tagged Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan with a technical foul.
No need to make it so obvious, guys.
If Stern is worried about a Lakers-Celtics matchup, he ought to be spending most of his time with Boston.
He came here, of course, to hand Bryant the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, and as you know, everyone in the NBA would like to win the Podoloff.
Stern, always the NBA salesman, said something ridiculous, like there were many MVP-worthy performances this season, but since there can only be one, oh well, let's give it to Bryant.
The Staples Center crowd, waving MVP placards, wearing "Our MVP" T-shirts and energized by all the freebies, cheered as Bryant told them the Lakers were going to play into June.
It was too loud to hear anything, much less Stern probably say, "thank heavens."
Bryant's promise to the crowd to play into June has the ring of a guarantee, knocking off Utah and whatever team emerges next before traveling to Boston to start the NBA Finals.
Anyone care to disagree?
AS FOR the MVP, it seemed ridiculous Wednesday to walk by a TV set and see the folks on ESPN still arguing whether this was the right year to give Bryant the MVP trophy.
He won it decisively, and it's still a wonder he hasn't won one before this. Everything that has taken place off the court has been well-documented, but now Bryant has been given a fresh start and chance to win it all.
As for the MVP ceremony distraction, a question tossed at Phil Jackson before the game, it lasted all of seven seconds before Derek Fisher tossed in a basket. These playful Lakers are very businesslike.
Utah shot the ball well early, but once the referees got into the game, it began to tip toward the Lakers. No doubt Tim Donaghy would have bet as much.
Stern's crew took Utah's best player, Carlos Boozer, out of the game with a pair of first-quarter fouls, and then added another 19 seconds after he returned to start the second quarter. Boozer finished the half with no points, the refs doing the best job of defense on Boozer in the NBA this season.
