Date: December 25, 2009. Boxscore: scores.espn.go.com After the Cleveland Cavaliers made the defending NBA champions look ordinary, the Los Angeles Lakers’ fans threw up their foam hands in frustration. Mo Williams scored 28 points, lebron James added 26 and the Cavaliers beat Los Angeles 102-87 Friday in a game that ended with angry Lakers fans throwing dozens of giveaway foam hands onto the court. Shaquille O’Neal had 11 points in his latest Los Angeles return with the Cavaliers, who dominated the Lakers with sharp shooting and physical defense, prompting several technical fouls and retaliation hits in a one-sided matchup of title contenders. The Lakers’ crowd lost its holiday spirit with 4:04 left when Lamar Odom’s ejection and another T on the Lakers’ infuriated bench prompted many fans to throw their pregame presents onto the court. After another foul with 3:45 left, several more foam hands were thrown along with a full water bottle, which skittered between players without hitting anyone. Kobe Bryant scored 35 points for the Lakers, who had won 16 of 17 before Cleveland’s decisive victory behind Williams, James and the Cavs’ impressive interior play, which negated the Lakers’ usual advantages down low. After Odom got his second technical foul in an altercation with Williams, the Lakers’ bench drew a T — apparently on purpose — for delay of game by failing to produce a substitute in a timely manner. When referee Dan Crawford whistled that T, the Staples Center crowd let its hands fly. The foam hands weren’t the usual No. 1 finger normally found at sports events, but a representation of two puppet hands making the “LA” sign in a connection to Nike’s advertising campaign featuring puppets of James and Bryant. But with Williams leading the way in his third straight impressive road game, the Cavs forced Bryant and the Lakers into their least impressive performance in six weeks. The loss dropped the Lakers (23-5) back into a tie with Boston atop the overall NBA standings.Get your very own NBA team designed on custom silicone wristbands and share it with your friends.
NBA TOP PLAYS OF THE 2007-2008 SEASON: KOBE VS LEBRON FOR MVP ——————————— ABOUT VIDEO: ——————————— Video highlight mix of the top best plays from superstars Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (Black Mamba, KB24) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward lebron James (King James, Chosen One) in the 2008 regular season before the All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana. Includes dunks, assists, blocks. Music by Mos Def Video courtesy of NBA TV ——————————— ABOUT KOBE: ——————————— Coming from Lower Merion High School and into the 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets which made him the youngest (age 17) to ever be drafted in the NBA. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. With hard-work and determination, Kobe emerged as a prolific shooting guard who would later be compared in similarities to one of the greatest players of the game – Michael Jordan. He has since won 3 NBA Championship Rings, numerous awards and achievements – Slam Dunk Champion, Scoring Champion, All-Star mvp, and many more..along with becoming the undeniable vocal leader of the team. Here are his some of his career achievements: 2008 NBA Western Conference Champion 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Champion 1997 All Rookie Second Team 10-time NBA All-Star 9-time All-NBA Selection 7-time All-Defensive Selection 2-time NBA All-Star MVP 2-time NBA Scoring Champion. ——————————— ABOUT LEBRON: ——————————— Straight out of St. Vincent – St. Mary High School, lebron James, now commonly nicknamed “King James” and/or “The Chosen One”, was selected the 1st Overall Pick of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. With hard-work, lebron has established his presence in the NBA as a legitimate triple-double threat, as well being compared to the greats of the game – Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson. Since, he has won numerous awards and achievements such as NBA Rookie of the Year, All-Star mvp (’06,’08), and several medals with Team USA Basketball. He also led the Cavs in the 2006-2007 season to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992, as well as a first appearance in the NBA Finals in franchise history. Here are some of his career achievements: 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Champions 2006 FIBA World Championships Bronze medal 2004 NBA Rookie of the Year 2004 NBA All-Rookie First Team 2004 Olympics Bronze medal 4-time NBA All-Star 3-time All-NBA 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP ——————————— © 2008 Mindslush Visit www.nba.com for more highlights of dunks and amazing plays. ———————————