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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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Finals Notebook Having fun is what the NBA Finals are all about
Having fun is what the NBA Finals are all about, at least for many of the players. Allen Iverson of the 76ers spent some time zipping around First Union Center in a golf cart the other day, hunting down "bad media" and the arriving Los Angeles Lakers team bus. Not to be upstaged, as if a 7-foot-1, 330-pound man could be upstaged, Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers tried balancing his huge body on a green exercise ball at the shootaround before Friday night's Game 5. O'Neal's interviews have been big hits with the media. Shaq, who called himself "quotacious," was angered by Philadelphia's defensive strategies and lashed out at them, begging the Sixers to challenge him. "Treat me like checkers," he demanded after Game 3. "Play me!"
Frequent flierBrian Shaw used up some frequent-flier miles dashing back and forth across the country for the birth of his first daughter on Tuesday, the day before Game 3. "I was a little delirious, but it was all worthwhile," he said. Shaw had a less frantic day off before Game 5, sticking around town, secure in the knowledge that he'll be back in California on Saturday, win or lose. There is one problem. Shaw's wife, Nikki, delivered daughter Bianca in Oakland, 400 miles or so from Los Angeles, where the Lakers are headed.
A little incentiveWith 14 wins in the playoffs, a record seven of them on the road, and just one loss, the Los Angeles Lakers have a chance to establish a record playoff winning percentage of .938 by winning Game 5. Just as important is avoiding the kind of disappointment the team experienced a year ago, when Los Angeles led Indiana 3-1 in the best-of-seven series but was forced to a Game 6. "We're better at closing things out this year," O'Neal said.
Road warriorsThe chance to clinch a championship on the road made Friday night's game special to the Lakers. "Road victories in the playoffs are doubly sweet because they're such a difficult task," L.A. head coach Phil Jackson said. "You have to be mentally strong and play under duress." The Lakers had won seven consecutive playoff road games, tying the record set by the Houston Rockets in 1995. Horace Grant, seeking a fourth championship ring, said there is greater incentive in these situations. "You're going to have all these people cheering against you," he said. "The attitude is us against the world, so to speak. So to win on the road, which I've done before, is a special feeling." Robert Horry, who also has three rings, has won each on his home floor. "I've never done it on the road," he said. "This is one of the things I want to do. The thing is, you hate that you can't do it in front of your fans, but just to get a championship is a great thing."
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