Basketball

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Stoudemire disses Odom, calls Laker 'lucky'

By: Mike Bresnahan

Posted: 05/19/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

LOS ANGELES -- There's too much recent history between the teams for anything else to have happened, a clean and friendly series looking less likely after the events on Tuesday.

The Phoenix Suns quietly assembled for practice at Staples Center at 10 a.m., but then Amare Stoudemire began to talk. And talk.

He told reporters that Lamar Odom had a "lucky game" in the opener of the Western Conference finals, an obvious shot at the sixth man who broke through a month-long playoff slump with 19 points and 19 rebounds in the Lakers' 128-107 victory Monday night.

"I'm not giving him no hype," Stoudemire testily said. "He had a lucky game."

It continued an interesting 24-hour period for the Suns' all-star centre-forward, who said before Monday's game that he remembered having his way with Pau Gasol in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, when Gasol was with the Memphis Grizzlies.

"It was total domination," Stoudemire said. "But now he has a little brother with him so now he's a little more confident now because he's got someone to help him in the post."

The "little brother" would be Andrew Bynum, the player who Odom effectively replaced for much of Game 1. The best-of-seven series continues today with Game 2 at Staples Center.

Reaction to Stoudemire's comments Tuesday varied from a shrug by Odom and, in a mild surprise, anger from Stoudemire's own coach.

"That's a ridiculous statement," Alvin Gentry told reporters. "It's not a lucky game, OK? (Odom) played great. The guy is capable of playing great. We have to do a better job on him."

Odom's reaction to it all? Typical nonchalance.

"Hopefully I can have another lucky one," he said Tuesday.

"If (Stoudemire) wants to call Lamar 'lucky,'" Lakers guard Derek Fisher said, "I'll take 19 and 19 as luck any day of the week."

The Lakers said they're expecting more from the Suns in Game 2.

Phoenix made only five of 22 three-point attempts (22.7 per cent), a steep drop for a team that came into Game 1 as the top three-point shooting team in the playoffs (41.7 percent).

The Suns are also expected to do better in the rebounding department, where Stoudemire had only three in 34 minutes, and they can't do much worse in guarding Kobe Bryant, who had 40 points in 35 minutes.

Bryant also joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history with 40-point games in at least five consecutive playoff seasons, Jordan actually doing it over eight consecutive seasons (1985-92).

The Lakers' main concern for Game 2 would be Bynum, who had only four points in 19 minutes Monday while continuing to fight through torn cartilage in his right knee.

Will this be all they get from him the rest of the way?

"I really have no idea," coach Phil Jackson said. "We hope we can get him going again at halftime. I think sometimes the activation is good at the start of the game and the second half, he came out and I didn't think he had quite as much activity as we'd like him to have."

-- Los Angeles Times

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 19, 2010 ??65535

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