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Notebook Magic, Scott put longtime friendship on holdPosted: Thursday June 06, 2002 1:55 AMUpdated: Thursday June 06, 2002 2:44 AM LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Magic Johnson and Byron Scott, the starting guards for the Lakers during the 1980s, have continued their friendship. It's going to be interrupted for a while -- no surprise considering Johnson is a Lakers executive and Scott coaches the Nets. "Byron Scott is coming home to prove a point," Johnson said with a laugh after his election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was announced Wednesday -- some six hours before the teams met in Game 1. "I told him, 'I love you until Wednesday, then I can't speak to you for two weeks,'" Johnson said. "He said, 'I know, Buck, I know.'" Speaking to reporters 90 minutes before tipoff, Scott said he saw Johnson, gave him a hug and congratulated him on making the Hall of Fame. "I've got a lot of friends here, a lot of family," Scott said. "Once the ball is tossed up, I don't know anybody. Earvin understands that, he knows it's business." Scott played 11 years for the Lakers and was a member of three championship teams.
What jitters?Nets rookie Richard Jefferson said nerves had nothing to do with his team's slow start. "The Boston series, we got off to a big lead every single game," he said. "I don't think it was because Boston was nervous." Jefferson, who played at Arizona, was delighted Wildcats coach Lute Olson was selected to the Hall of Fame. "I'm so happy for him," Jefferson said. "This was his third time up, he should have made it the first time. He's a wonderful man.'
Tex bypassedLakers coach Phil Jackson expressed disappointment that Tex Winter, innovator of the triangle offense, was bypassed for the Hall of Fame. "It's amazing that this guy has been coaching 55 years in basketball, devoted his knowledge to the game, yet the Hall of Fame refused to acknowledge his influence," Jackson said. "He certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. It's a shame." The triangle offense was used by the Chicago Bulls when they won their six championships in the 1990s and by the two-time defending champion Lakers since Jackson became their coach in 1999. The 80-year-old Winter came to Los Angeles with Jackson from Chicago, where he was an assistant coach for 14 years -- eight under Jackson. Winter began his coaching career in 1947 after graduating from the University of Southern California. "I'm disappointed this time because I've been nominated five or six times," Winter said. "I don't know what the problem is."
Collins homecomingSeveral Nets are from the Los Angeles area, including rookie center Jason Collins. "We used to have season tickets to the Lakers games, we used to watch 'Showtime,'" he said. "Coach Scott has that winning attitude." Collins and his twin brother, Jarron, who plays for the Utah Jazz, played at Stanford, where they were teammates of second-year Lakers forward Mark Madsen. "Stanford's going to win the NBA championship this year," Collins said with a smile. Collins played eight minutes Wednesday night -- all in the fourth quarter -- and had five points, two rebounds and one assist. "Stanford's going to have a ring for sure," said Madsen, who didn't play in Game 1. "Let's hope it's the Lakers,"
English, tooThe NBA Finals are being televised in 36 languages, ranging from Arabic to Cantonese, Macedonian to Icelandic, Tagalog to Ukranian. The NBA estimates the games will reach about 2.5 billion fans in 205 countries via television, the Internet and digital technology. A record 52 international players from 30 countries and territories were on league rosters this season, including the Lakers' Rick Fox and the Nets' Todd MacCulloch, both from Canada, and Los Angeles' Stanislav Medvedenko, from Ukraine.
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