Quote of the Week

Full disclosure: I hate the Lakers. Probably always will. It definitely doesn't help that I had to witness the Celtics' Game 3 loss in June's NBA Finals live at the Garden--the wounds are still a little fresh. I was raised in Boston as a Celtics fan, and I just don't like purple and gold. So sue me.

So, watching the Lakers lose 4 of their last 6 games in blowout fashion obviously makes me smile, and so does the locker room turmoil that resulted from coach Phil Jackson's latest foot-in-mouth moment. Really, this week's Quote of the Week is a two-part quote... so, take it away Phil and Kobe Bryant:

This week's QUOTE(S) OF THE WEEK

“Kobe had to screw up the game and start energizing the team by going one-on-one. That takes the rest of the guys out and as a consequence, that didn’t bring us back in.”
                    - Phil Jackson, after Lakers' 104-85 loss to Memphis on Sunday

“We’ve had days off and blown teams out, so I’m not buying any of that Zen (bulls—).”
                   - Kobe Bryant, in response to Jackson's words

These guys have often feuded, since they're both huge personalities with equally huge egos. The Celtics fan in me hopes that this little war of words will balloon into something bigger, taking down the delicate balance of the Lakers' locker room that somehow held together throughout last year's championship run.

It's probably wishful thinking. Right now, I just hope my Celtics can stay healthy long enough to mount a credible defense of their Eastern Conference title. Time will tell.

[NewsOne]