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Lakers fans could be dressed for success
A review of Lakers playoff game No. 5 -- 11 wins to go
A review of Lakers playoff game No. 5 -- 11 wins to go
I wish I could have seen the look on Jerry Sloan's face Sunday morning after he took a glance at the sports page, the first thing he sees -- Pau Gasol, one of our Lakers minigods, standing barefoot on the beach seemingly without a care in the world.
Practice? Who needs practice to take on the Jazz, tired and emotionally stretched after Friday night's first-round clincher and then traveling Saturday?
Lakers management didn't even pass out gold T-shirts for the fans in Staples Center, and watching the NBA playoffs these days, everywhere else in the country it seems like teams have their fans dressed alike to enhance the home-court advantage.
As far as the ABC national audience goes, the Lakers have only one fan, Jack Nicholson, shown more on TV Sunday than Phil Jackson. Too bad Salma Hayek isn't the Lakers' No. 1 fan; that would really keep everyone watching.
Now there was a time in Staples when they would play a recorded voice in a big game asking fans to "make some noise," but that didn't even happen Sunday. There's still a noise meter on the scoreboard, but the same old one that's up there during the regular season.
But what's to worry about so far? With the Lakers undefeated in the playoffs, the most disturbing thing anyone can address right now is Utah's 58-41 rebounding edge. (Yawn.)
OK, so maybe Kobe Bryant doesn't get to the free-throw line 23 times in the next game. And maybe the Jazz plays better after two days of preparation. Maybe Utah is more effective than four for 19 from three-point territory.
I'll worry when the Lakers break out the gold T-shirts.
"I think we will be giving out gold T-shirts to the fans for Wednesday's game," said Tim Harris, the Lakers' senior vice president of business operations and chief marketing officer.
I guess Harris puts more stock in those rebounding numbers than I do.
THE PLAN Wednesday, after the NBA finally makes it official, is to give every fan attending the game a gold T-shirt to honor Bryant. The final wording on the T-shirt has yet to be determined, but Harris said one consideration is, "Kobe is my MVP."
Another, I presume, is "Pau is my MVP."
"We don't pass out T-shirts to dress up the building," Harris said. "We do it to unite the fans, and do it with the idea of coming up with something that resonates with the fans."
Kobe Bryant, the league's MVP, obviously resonates with fans, and just maybe it will finally feel like a playoff game in Staples. Talk about exciting, just imagine how Salma might look in a "Kobe is my MVP" T-shirt.
As part of pregame introductions, which are pretty much the same as they were all season long, the Lakers' playoff theme on the hanging sheets at center court has been, "Now is the time."
You can imagine the number of marketing meetings it took to come up with that, but after doing so, the Lakers sought NBA approval to put the saying on T-shirts only to have it rejected because someone else owns the slogan.
"Now is the time, L.A.," or "Now is the time, Lakers," gets a little wordy, when "Rebound" might say it best.
Whatever, Harris said, "when we pass out T-shirts, it most likely will be in a must-win situation, and whatever T-shirts we pass out, will give our fans a rallying cry."
How about, "Please Rebound?"
I wish I could have seen the look on Jerry Sloan's face Sunday morning after he took a glance at the sports page, the first thing he sees -- Pau Gasol, one of our Lakers minigods, standing barefoot on the beach seemingly without a care in the world.
Lakers management didn't even pass out gold T-shirts for the fans in Staples Center, and watching the NBA playoffs these days, everywhere else in the country it seems like teams have their fans dressed alike to enhance the home-court advantage.
As far as the ABC national audience goes, the Lakers have only one fan, Jack Nicholson, shown more on TV Sunday than Phil Jackson. Too bad Salma Hayek isn't the Lakers' No. 1 fan; that would really keep everyone watching.
Now there was a time in Staples when they would play a recorded voice in a big game asking fans to "make some noise," but that didn't even happen Sunday. There's still a noise meter on the scoreboard, but the same old one that's up there during the regular season.
But what's to worry about so far? With the Lakers undefeated in the playoffs, the most disturbing thing anyone can address right now is Utah's 58-41 rebounding edge. (Yawn.)
OK, so maybe Kobe Bryant doesn't get to the free-throw line 23 times in the next game. And maybe the Jazz plays better after two days of preparation. Maybe Utah is more effective than four for 19 from three-point territory.
I'll worry when the Lakers break out the gold T-shirts.
"I think we will be giving out gold T-shirts to the fans for Wednesday's game," said Tim Harris, the Lakers' senior vice president of business operations and chief marketing officer.
I guess Harris puts more stock in those rebounding numbers than I do.
THE PLAN Wednesday, after the NBA finally makes it official, is to give every fan attending the game a gold T-shirt to honor Bryant. The final wording on the T-shirt has yet to be determined, but Harris said one consideration is, "Kobe is my MVP."
Another, I presume, is "Pau is my MVP."
"We don't pass out T-shirts to dress up the building," Harris said. "We do it to unite the fans, and do it with the idea of coming up with something that resonates with the fans."
Kobe Bryant, the league's MVP, obviously resonates with fans, and just maybe it will finally feel like a playoff game in Staples. Talk about exciting, just imagine how Salma might look in a "Kobe is my MVP" T-shirt.
As part of pregame introductions, which are pretty much the same as they were all season long, the Lakers' playoff theme on the hanging sheets at center court has been, "Now is the time."
You can imagine the number of marketing meetings it took to come up with that, but after doing so, the Lakers sought NBA approval to put the saying on T-shirts only to have it rejected because someone else owns the slogan.
"Now is the time, L.A.," or "Now is the time, Lakers," gets a little wordy, when "Rebound" might say it best.
Whatever, Harris said, "when we pass out T-shirts, it most likely will be in a must-win situation, and whatever T-shirts we pass out, will give our fans a rallying cry."
How about, "Please Rebound?"
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