Lakers win, idiots riot
It was a tense game between Lakers and Celtics tonight, but ultimately not nearly as tense as the post-game scene on the streets of downtown L.A. As I type this on an iPad, I am watching the local news as a crowd of drunken fans, whacked-out homeless, and who-knows-what torch a cab after having harassed every person and automobile in the street with the LAPD nowhere in sight.
It was a scary scene — the kind of thing you associate with the Tottenham Hotspurs after a particularly bad football loss… only the Lakers won. What if they had lost? Would these people have sacked Boston?
The police finally arrived with reinforcements and things began to calm down, though not completely. As the great Lisa Leslie said on the TV, what are they doing destroying our city? Good question.
So about the finals. It was the kind of game in which everyone played bad… well, except Ron Artest. Kobe won the inevitable MVP, more for what he did in the other games of the series, although he did show up, as per usual, at the end. Ditto the man he refers to with great affection as The Spaniard. This duo has the potential to go down as one of the great pairings in the history of sport, if they win another two or three of these events, which they can if the stay healthy.
A final basketball note until I shut up on the subject until next year. I made the trek a bit early from El Segundo to my home in Hwood to get my game face on (i e., mix drinks) and was listening, as is my wont, to Hugh Hewitt on radio. Hugh, a paleo LeBron James fan, was going on about how he was rooting for the Celtics because they had to be the best. They had defeated LeBron’s Cavs, after all. Then he said, I am not a crazed Laker fan like my friend Roger Simon of PJ Media and PJTV.
Well, Hugh, thanks for the mention but…. Eat crow!
UPDATE: 37 arrested.
CORRECTION: Yes, it’s Tottenham HotspuR, not HotspurS. My bad. See reply to comment #4 below.
MORE: Don’t miss this interview with Ron Artest.
Did the rioters have, “Yes we can t- shirts”?
Why bother?…..LA has become a Third World country speckled with pockets of insane wealth….I moved out of there , and I’d never move back….I would head to Az. , however
The English soccer team is Tottenham Hotspur, singular, nickname Spurs. Their fans are not considered by any means the worst or most violent of English soccer fans, so as a Spurs supporter I am not sure why you picked on us.
No excuse at all for this sort of rioting but why anyone is paying attention to basketball when the baseball season is underway I don’t know.
You’re right, Alex; as an American who supports Coventry City (my watch stopped in 1987), I was going to make the point myself. Tottenham Hotspur is a magical name not to be sullied. Roger, the club you described is usually Millwall.
Dear Dr. Bones,
It looks as if the yalodramatic possibilities of the Bad Poor being really BAD with the most obvious, made-for-Foxcuckooland, sort of badness are limited.
Healthy days.
The English soccer team is Tottenham Hotspur, singular, nickname Spurs. Their fans are not considered by any means the worst or most violent of English soccer fans, so as a Spurs supporter I am not sure why you picked on us.
Because he is an American and has probably never heard of Arsenal, Chelsea or Everton. In fact between the few teams he has ever heard about yours is probably the best one. That is why he picked it. Take it as the price of celebrity.
Well, I have heard of them, if only from seeing “The Damned United” back in 2009. (Good film, btw). Nevertheless, my bad. I stand corrected.
Can anyone say, ” Rollerball ” The future is coming true.
It is obvious that Americanized big cities have become third world civilizations with their own code of conduct such as it is. They riot and loot at will and a basketball victory is just another excuse. It amazes me that we still find police who are willing to face the daily onset of the New Americanized World State and its citizens; any decent person would get out of these farcial police forces which have been emasculated by the political regime and its feminist majority. Good bye the old USA and hello to the new state.
It is a job with a damned good pension, which many people begrudge, because there are a lot of abuses, too. Mankind is apparently flawed; Kendrick Perkins knee is blown out, and the Lakers gutted this one out.
Congrats to them. It is disappointing to lose, but given various problems along the way, losing a close one in game seven of the finals and all that led up to that…have provided Celtics fans with a lot of good moments this year. We got our money’s worth.
Without a major move or two, it’s hard to see how we can be as good next year; the Big Three will each a year older, Wallace and maybe Rivers gone. Back to work, Danny.
So…..what was the point of the big pre-event announcement by the LAPD, the Fire Department and the Mayor’s office? 36 hours before the game, they made a biiiii-i-i-ig public announcement warning folks that “nobody without a ticket for the game” would be allowed in the “downtown area” and that a lid WOULD be kept on any potential for throwing and breaking things.
Guess the authorities had the time wrong, and were just a little late getting there?
It’s a real dilemma for third world LA (as mentioned above) to act, on one hand, as though “every deteriorating city should be just like us…we’re wonderful and don’t care how many illegals violating every law in sight live among us, sucking the bax base dry….” and yet, on the other hand, try to keep all those taxpaying, illegal supporting, business-owning, normal Americans from moving out as soon as they can. What to do, what to do.
Do you have any evidence that “illegal aliens” were doing the rioting? If anything, looks otherwise.
No. Which would account for the fact that I didn’t say they were. Nor did I use the word “aliens.”
In the paragraph in which I reference the well-documented activities of “illegals”, I am making use of hyperbole (look that up, too)…..
Things have come to a pretty pass if you aren’t aware of the well-documented activities of illegals and the frustration of taxpayers who keep on bearing the burden of their presence and their actions. Your cuteness in acting like I said something I didn’t say reminds me a little of all of obama’s straw man arguments. Hmmmmmm…..hmmmmmmm…..hmmmmmmmmm.
It looks to me as if LA’s Mayor is too busy boycotting Arizona to be bothered ensuring the safety of his own city streets, eh?
The rioters were looking for some ass to kick.
OS’M
Some years ago when the Lakers won the championship, another cohort (or maybe it’s the same ones?) of “enthusiastic fans” torched a couple of LAPD cruisers outside of Staples Center. Shaq, who was then with the team, personally compensated LAPD for the property damage. I wonder if anyone on the Lakers today will do the same? Not holding my breath ….
When the Penguins won the Cup last year, Pittsburgh police actually did arrest a man for burning a couch. Similar treatment for a guy who burned a couch after the Steelers’ SB win over the Cardinals. City Council passed an ordinance last year banning outdoor furniture to discourage future, uhhh, robustly flamed celebrations.
It would be difficult for LA to ban taxis, though, I guess.
There are taxi’s in L.A.?
Can’t take a sport seriously when you get free throws if a guy touches you.
L.A. is famous for stupid fans and insane mob behaviors. I remember the WATTS riots when I was a kid. Stupidity reined for months. Oddly, the MSM and the left don’t seem to have a problem with riots and criminal behavior from riotous Marxists. But they are incredibly intimidated by the prospect of rational debate, facts and personal accountability. Some paradox, eh?
..also true for the Rodney King riots. A significant cultural note about that one, however, was that it was the first time the cops used zip-ties (cable ties) as handcuffs because they flat ran out of the genuine article.
Also, the riot spread to Hollywood where a number of stores — including Frederick’s of Hollywood were looted. Except the joke was that a lot of perps were caught in that escapade..
..apparently, it was too hard to run in split-crotch panties and 7-inch platform heels.
LAPD has long been politicized, because the political leadership of Los Angeles is corrupt; because the Los Angeles area electorate is amoral.We can thank all those who choose not to live by God’s standards for that.What is wrong with it all is that only a tiny minority chooses to live a Christian life. And that small group is not large enough to mind the store. It is not fixable because almost no one will believe the solution. Satanism,(selfishness), is the norm for the self-condemned and they resent any interference with their spiritual suicide. Their political masters allow them a certain measure of rowdiness in order to purchase their votes and retain political power,status and, yes, money. And the rest of us pay for it. But for how long? This state of affairs is cyclical. One day the tables will be turned, as they have so often been in the past, and the Bad Guys will find themselves in an ugly, unbearable milieu, and irrevocably so.Justice will triumph, and all that is evil will be destroyed.
Only that tiny minority will survive to enjoy the victory of Good over Evil. As in the case of Noah. As in the case of the original members of the Exodus. As in the case of those who choose the hard and narrow way.
Um, couldn’t you have made your point without bringing religion into it. You sound like Mike Huckabee? The people of LA are not so much liberal as libertarian. Those who are Christians are generally Catholics, who, like me, don’t go for the evangelical drivel. They want to be left alone to live their lives whatever wacky way they see fit without hurting anyone else. That’s America. Posts like yours show why Republicans in general and conservatives in particular usually can’t get elected in California.
This is a silly post. California’s politics is socialist and about oppression and is in no way libertarian, whatever your personal bent. That is why it has more in common with a third world country than the US.
From your post you sound very socialist and in no way libertarian since you want to live as you would yet spew your drivel at others.
Idiots riot, because they don’t understand fair play, they don’t know how to make a point, how to show they support to the losing team. Savages.
bags factory
“…the Lakers won. What if they had lost? Would these people have sacked Boston?”
No, we’ve got enough knuckleheads up here to do the job all by themselves if the Green took the title.
BTW, congrats Lakers. That was a great game.
Here’s your “Straight Pride” parade. you only get them when your team wins a professional sporting event.
The British have international football hooligans; we have regional basketball morons.
Why is there a certain faction of the population whose response to anything thing seems to be “Let’s burn something,” and more importantly, why does the rest of the population tolerate them?
Hold it- I thought all riots were done by us scary, violent Tea Partiers- oh, wait….
With all the exulatation over the glorious Lakers win, I would like to mention the elephant in the NBA’s room that most fans love to ignore: corrupt officiating. In Games 5 and 6, the Lakers had twice as many free throw attempts as the Celtics.Twice as many! The scores in both those games were wide enough that it didn’t matter much, but it reveals what is going on.
In Game 7, which the Lakers won by 4 points, the Lakers had 20 more FT attempts than the Lakers (17-37.) They made 10 more foul shots than the Celtics. The Celtics made 2 more field goals than the Lakers (4 points!) They won on foul shots, because the referees gave them a huge margin. Does anyone think the Lakers just play miraculously cleaner than everyone else? In all three of the last games in the series? Really? Does Ron Artest become a cleaner player the moment he joins the Lakers from the Rockets? Please.
Fans roll their eyes when you bring this up and say inane things like, well you just have to win by enough to take the refs out of the game. Really? Why? No one says this in the NFL. No one says it in MLB, the NHL, pro soccer. No one says it anywhere but the NBA. It means this game is not a game. It’s a show. Like professional wrestling.
I’m not a sore Celtics fan. I am a former NBA fan who doesn’t watch any more, because it’s not a real game, at least not when the NBA’s favored stars (Kobe Bryant) or teams (the Lakers) are playing. To me, the Lakers, or rather the NBA’s treatment of them, exemplify everything that is wrong with the NBA—corrupt officiating (not on the take, just skewing things for whatever reasons you might like to impute,) hype and phoniness. Like Obama’s election, it is a symptom of the celebrity worship and gaming the system that is ruining our country. Bah.
Hmmm… if you go to the big Lakers blog – lakersground.net – you will find continual complaints about the officiating against them. Depends on whose on ox is gored, I guess. There is the counter argument that the Celtics live on their power defense and therefore foul more than most. When I hear that NBA officiating is corrupt, I wonder. Would they risk their business on this? I wouldn’t. But stranger things have happened. Still, I’d bet against it.
On a more general point, I always believed in the old adage: He who blames the officials has lost. It’s sort of a parallel idea to not being a victimologist. Or to “Never complain, never explain.”
Well, as I said, I had no dog in the fight, so my comment is not that of a sore loser. Whatever the Laker blog says, it’s hard to see how 20 more free throw attempts given to them, on top of double the FT attempts in the previous two games, constitutes their getting a raw deal by the officials. It’s hard for me to believe that the Lakers just play so much more cleanly, to the degree of that kind of margin, three crucial games in a row.
This is obvious to anyone who watches the NBA with an impartial eye. Shaq used to be allowed to camp out in the lane, travel, and drop his shoulder and bulldoze defenders out of the way. No one else in the league was allowed to do that. Yet, he always complained the officials gave him a raw deal. Jordan routinely was allowed to take three and even four steps on the way to his layup. Karl Malone got to throw elbows with abandon. And on and on. I’m sorry but it’s undeniable. These were all great players who didn’t need help from the officials to be great, but they routinely got it anyway because of Stern’s precious star system marketing strategy.
Again, I complain not as a “loser” fan, but as someone who bemoans the damage this has done to the game. It just is not interesting to me to watch a game with shall we say, biased officiating. And it just doesn’t exist in other sports. Yes, there is a bad call now and then. But there isn’t even a discussion about certain pitchers routinely getting more called strikes, or certain defensive linemen being immune from holding calls.
The NBA, since Stern has been in charge, is biased toward the star system and toward certain glamour, big-market teams. The Lakers are the most blatant example of it right now.
As for the ones complaining about the officiating being the losers, I have been saying for weeks that the officials were not going to allow the Lakers to lose this year. Yes, they could have bombed. But they would have to have bombed big to lose this last game. As it was, they took more field goal attempts than the Celtics, but made two fewer. That’s a lot in a close game. And if the foul calls had been even close, I wouldn’t say anything. But 20 more fouls called against the Celtics? Please. If you believe the officating was fair in this game, I have a Senate election in Minnesota I’d like to sell you.
Love you Roger, even bought and read the book. But I hate the NBA for the corrupt sport it is. And sorry, but the Lakers are the worst example of it, at least this year.
In the NBA, the Rule Book is not only ignored, it’s not even a guideline.
One more momento to hang in Staples Center (LOL!)….pictures of Lakers fans burning cars because they…errrr…won. They could hang them right next to Kobe’s encased diaper and the several ref whistles that gave them the game in the 4th. Cheers!
Victor Erimita – for a guy who states “I had no dog in the fight”, you sure write and complain a lot? Roger, you are right, he who complains about officials has lost the game. Victor, if you check the box scores, most of the fouls committed by the Celtics where on Kobe-which is about right-since he is the best player. Your premise of the number of fouls vs. winning the game doesn’t hold water. Game 1 Celtics had more chances on the foul line, Lakers won; 2 Lakers had more chances on the foul line, Celtics won; 3 fouls where even, Lakers won; 4 About even, Celtics won; 5 Lakers had more fouls, Lakers lost; 6 Lakers had more fouls, Lakers won; and finally, the one you cite, Lakers had more fouls and barely won-Kobe was fouled 11 times and Gasol 7 times. Could it be that it is hard to defend Kobe and Pau, and that creates the fouls vs your conspiracy theory of the NBA wanting to let the Lakers win? Just the facts sir!
By “no dog in the fight,” I meant I don’t root for any team. I guess you could say my dog in the fight was that basketball used to be my favorite sport before hype, absurd salaries, the individual star system and professional wrestling refereeing ruined the sport. Is your position that stars like Kobe get no special treatment from the refs? Really? No other stars get more calls? Certain teams don’t get special treatment on a routine basis? The Lakers just played miraculously cleaner 3 games in a row, getting half the fouls called against them than the Celtics? Really? Most of the fouls were called against Kobe? And that’s supposed to be your basis for denying the bias? Wow. As I said, I have a Senate election in Minnesota to sell you. Maybe Al Franken is a Lakers fan.
Well, I looked up the box scores too. Yes, game one the Celtics had 36 tries to the Lakers’ 31. I’m not complaining about a difference this small. Game 2 the Celtics had 26 tries, the Lakers—41. Yes, the Celtics won, but the game was not as close, and they had a much higher shooting percentage. they “took the referees out of the game.” Bully. Games 3 and 4 were essentially tied. Game 5, which is where things interesting in a championship series, the Lakers had exactly twice as many attempts as the Celtics. Again, the Celtics “took the refs out of the game.” But what if it had been close? Game 6 again, the Lakers had twice as many attempts less one. Didn’t matter much, because the score wasn’t close. And game 7 was just absurd, the refs taking no chances in a close game. So—Celtics get a few more calls in Game 1 and a tie in Games 3 and 4. In Games 2, 5, 6 and 7. the Lakers got an absurdly unbalanced number of calls. Yeah, you’re right, I’m just imagining things.
This discussion is had all the time. But only in one sport. No one ever suggests the refereeing in any other sport is routinely biased. And no one avers it in college basketball, either. Only in the NBA. I find it a sad commentary on the times that anyone who brings up this obvious state of affairs is labeled a whiner. Even the announcers mention it (cautiously, of course, for fear of violating NBA omerta.) Oh, that player is new, he needs to earn the “respect” of the officials. Ever hear that in football? Baseball? We need to win by enough to take the refs out of the game. Hear that in baseball or football? Of course not.
But go on believing your fairy tale that the Lakers won this very close game with no help and that the NBA is a real sport, instead of something more like Olympic figure skating back in the day, where the French judge is on the take and the Russian judge just doesn’t quite ever give Americans the same score as the East Germans. The people complaining about that were just whiners, too. Maybe in our presidential elections (or Senate in Minnesota, governor in Washington State, etc.), we just need to win by enough to take ACORN , the Secretary of State project and the rest of the Sorosphere out of the game, huh? If not, no whining.
Victor, sorry for my belated reply. “In games 2, 5, 6, 7…. Lakers got an absurdly unbalanced number of calls.” Yes, but they lost games 2 and 5. Your premise of fouls vs winning makes no sense. You can pick the winner by looking at rebounds (especially offensive rebounds). Each team who won that battle, normally wins the game. #22 Dwight has it right, Celtics play a defensive grinding type game, which will generate more fouls. Check out the Magic vs Celtics series. All those fouls did not help the Magic win that series.
I’m not saying foul calls are always the decisive factor in all games. I’m saying NBA refereeing, uniquely in all professional and collegiate sports, is blatantly biased on a relatively consistent basis. It didn’t used to be like this. It is a function of David Stern’s turning the sport into show biz.
In Game 7, the decisive game in this series, if you want to believe that 20 extra foul shots and 10 extra made by the Lakers in a game decided by 4 points made no difference, and that biased refereeing had nothing to do with it (nor in the previous two games,) then continue on your happy way to believing in the legitimacy of the NBA. I have watched it unfold for many years. Everyone knows it’s there. Everyone knows it’s unique to the NBA. But people like you are content to dismiss concern about as whining or trot out some statistic to “prove” it didn’t matter in this or that specific game, or utter inanities like, you just have to win by enough to take the refs out of the game. And so it goes on. Great, if you’re a Lakers fan with a just win, baby attitude. No good if you like to watch a real sport, not a commercially manipulated show with a somewhat predetermined outcome. Maybe you like WWF, too.
I am a Celtics fan, but will admit that their defense leads them to foul a lot. Pierce is our only offensive threat who is a master at drawing fouls, even if he has to plow into people to get them. Gasol and Bynum (when healthy) have the size and lift to block shots without fouling. Perk, and the older KG and Wallace simply tend to/need to foul more to get stops.
Certainly there were blown calls both ways in this series, but overall, the officiating was pretty good (or at least fair), in my opinion, of course.
This is hard to grasp. When the Saints won the Super Bowl, we, by the hundreds of thousands had a party with NO riot police, NO vandalism, just another Mardi Gras!
Because they are the MAYOR’S people rioting. He probably knows each one of them by name.
I’m in no way defending these idiots behavior…but let’s put this whole thing in perspective…
This was BY NO MEANS a riot in the classic sense. It was a crowd of knuckleheads on ONE downtown block (much of which is a parking structure), many with too much to drink, getting carried away and taking out their pent-up aggression on ONE (count ‘em… 1) Taxi-cab that the owner abandoned when caught in the middle of them.
If there was property damage beyond this one block and taxi cab, I haven’t heard about it…no mass widespread property damage or looting occured, and the reporting on this has been TOTALLY blown out of proportion to what actually happened.
Again, not defending them, but let’s just take a step back and look at this in context of ACTUAL RIOTS in LA’s infamous past….it’s NOT EVEN a riot in that sense! It doesn’t really even compare to what happened last year…