In Penn Manor High School, myths fill the halls. Some are true but others are just a legend.
Myths heard while traversing in the hallways…
Principal Phil Gale is/was a Green Beret.
English teacher Gregg McGough has a dungeon under his desk.
That there is a UFO in an abandoned hallway.
Some seniors put the principal’s car on the roof.
There is railroad underneath the streets of Willow Street.
A lot of the sicknesses of last year came because the food has the swine virus.
There is a pool hidden in the school for teachers to swim.
There is an alien in the school.
UFO - image by inquisitr.com
A girl in Penn Manor smoked a cigarette in the bathroom and her hair caught on fire. They then had to call the fire department.
That Penn Manor staff can access the camera on laptops and watch you.
That Penn Manor High School was on MTV’s Pranks & Scandals.
Penn Manor used to be a smoking school.
Mr. Dutchess got locked in a bathroom for four hours.
A motorcycle drove through the hallways.
Seniors filled the outside eating area with balloons.
There is an “underground” fight club at Marticville Middle School.
An underground fallout shelter exists under the science wing.
The school is haunted.
Some of these myths can be dispelled and others, well, the search for the truth is ongoing.
So, is Gale a Green Beret?
“It’s top secret,” is all the head principal would reveal.
Gregg McGough doesn’t have a dungeon but he does have a “secret” panel in the floor beneath his classroom that houses some of the school’s infrastructure.
The actual bomb shelter was investigated last year by Penn Points and found to exist.
The “underground” fight club was reportedly witnessed by one student.
“When I walked in the bathroom there was a slap-boxing fight,” senior Jesse Graham said, who noted that it looked official.
Penn Manor used to have two buildings which led to the myth Penn Manor used to be a smoking school.
“Students used to walk in between the buildings and smoke,” technology coach Shawn Canady recalled. But it was never sanctioned.
MTV did a feature for their show “High School Pranks and Scandals” based on a feature story written by journalism teacher Susan Baldrige when she was a reporter for The New Era.
These are just some myths and some will never know if they are true or not. Some have been confirmed true, but for the other myths, they will remain unknown.
Feel free to leave a comment regarding a myth that you know.
Jake Shields will square up with current UFC Welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre in a five round battle in Toronto, Ontario at UFC 129 on April 30.
Shields, who hasn’t lost a fight six years, since December 14, 2004 to be exact, is looking to claim his fifth professional mixed martial arts title. He already holds belts in Strikeforce (Middleweight), Elite Xtreme Combat (Welterweight), Professional Shoto Japan (Middleweight), and Rumble on the Rock (Welterweight tournament winner).
Georges St. Pierre taking down Thiago Alves. Photo from sportsnickle.com
“I’ve been in these other shows and heard everyone say GSP is the greatest,” said Shields in a MMA News Leak interview. “When I was over in EliteXC beating everyone else, when I was in Strikeforce beating everyone else, at Rumble on the Rock and everyone kept on talking about GSP, I kept on winning and winning and beating good competition. I’ve been looking at this guy and wanting to fight him for years.”
In fact, Shields has kept winning and winning. Since 2004, he has been on a winning streak, defeating fighter after fighter. And now, with all his hard work paying off, he finally gets the shot to hold the title in the most reputable promotion.
“To become the UFC welterweight champion would mean everything to me,” said Shields. “This is what I’ve spent my last 11 years pursuing with all my energy.”
On the other side of the octagon, Georges St. Pierre has now defended his Welterweight title five times since 2008, when he took it from Matt Serra with a TKO due to knees to the body in the second round and is looking to make it a sixth time.
“Jake Shields is the most dangerous guy that I have fought so far but in a different way than most of the guys I have fought,” said St. Pierre to SportsRaidoInterview.com. “A lot of the guys I have fought in the past have a punchers chance. Everybody says you have to watch out for one thing, but Jake Shields has different tools than most of the guys that I have fought.”
One thing that Jake Shields is know for is his grappling. Shields has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and was a Division II wrestler at San Fransisco State University.
Randy Couture landing a punch on Tim Silvia. Photo from bleachreport.com
“He’s a very good grappler, probably the best jiu-jitsu guy in the sport, plus now he’s been working very hard on his Muay Thai, so he’s the kind of guy who’s going to try and knock me out standing up and try and submit me on the floor. I have to watch out for a lot of things,” St. Pierre said.
Also, history will be made at UFC 129, when Randy “The Natural” Couture (47) makes his farewell, fighting Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida in Couture’s last fight of his career.
Couture began his mixed martial arts carerr at UFC 13 in 1997 and is currently 19-10 (Las Vegas Sun). He has been champion in both the Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight division.
“Win, lose or draw, it doesn’t really factor into the equation,” Couture said. It’s about where I’m at in my life. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
Machida, who was a former Light-Heavyweight champion, is set to make his way back up the title contender ladder.
“I feel like Randy Couture has built a history in this sport and helped build the sport to what it is today,” Machida said through a translator. “It’s an honor to be able to fight him. Out of respect, I want to give my best to Randy Couture on that night.”
It’s got a hidden agenda and you could fall prey. An article released by the American Academy of Pediatrics recently named a condition it called “Facebook Depression.” The group said that social networking sites, such as Facebook, can cause kids to become more susceptible to depression. Researchers still disagree if this is a real condition, or if social networking sites just contribute to an already depressed person.
“I don’t use Facebook and I think it saves me a lot of stress,” said Hannah Willet.
It’s not a surprise that Facebook can make people feel down in the dumps, especially with status updates that can hurt kids’ feelings and destroy self confidence. Many teens post exactly how they feel, even if it can single people out. In addition, social networking sites allow for students to be intimidating without even trying, due to the lack of in-person confrontation.
“Everyone instantly runs to Facebook to put angry statuses about their life and then everyone sees it and comments are made that can make people feel bad,” said Devin Yecker.
Photos are popular on social networking sites, but if you find out you weren’t invited to last Friday’s party, this feature can leave you feeling a little left out.
Yecker said she can remember hanging out with her friends and seeing on Facebook that they had an event invitation that she didn’t. It didn’t leave her feeling too good.
The site also allows kids to become isolated. Some teens spend hours in front on the computer checking their account and viewing others’ profiles. Instead of hanging out with friends, they turn to messaging them on Facebook. Interaction among peers becomes a thing of the past, and kids no longer take part in much needed face-to-face communication.
AP Psychology teacher Maria Vita said she can see where researchers are coming from when they say social networking sites can cause depression. The self serving bias is a term used to describe how people blame others when something goes wrong, and credit themselves when something goes right. People who are depressed, according to Vita, don’t have a self-serving bias. If someone posted a mean status about them, they’d assume they did something to deserve it.
Some researchers say pediatricians should ask about the amount of time their patients spend on the internet and how it makes them feel, during regular check-ups.
If you’re worried Facebook is affecting you, doctors may suggest spending less time on the site.
I get very jealous when I see young kids running around, no responsibilities, no worries. I want to be one of those kids again, just for one more day. Playing in the warm mud, eating wet, dirty worms, the boy stuff that older guys wish they could still do.
It’s probably going to be some of the best memories when you get old to take you back to that one not-so-sturdy tree fort you built with your best friend.
When you get older you lose that sense of adventure. You get other things on your mind such as work, school, cars, girls.
When I actually have free time on a nice afternoon I want to spend my time in the shining sun laying on the staining, wet grass. Even if I attempt to go and play on the squeaky swing set, the one with the rusty swings and the splintery play-house. I never get around to it because I end up being inside working on other things.
I got my first job in eighth grade and that’s when I think, although I did not know it yet, I lost my child hood. I’m glad I got that job in eighth grade so I can have a car now, but when I look back, it wasted a lot of times where I could have made memories.
He knocked my tooth out while playing freeze tag, that’s how I met my first best friend.He couldn’t even pronounce my name right, but we connected instantly. I first invited him to come and play Hot Wheels with me. That became our daily job when we were home schooled together in the second grade. Putting together those bright neon green tracks, with the unrealistic super cars they just appealed to us like cake appeals to fat kids.
We also grew up at this church camp together with little white cabins and Sunday school services. As kids we hated going to services, but we put up with them so we could go in the poison ivy-filled woods to build our forts. Now these were not just any forts, these were state-of-the-art. Filled with booby-traps and wooden stick swords so we could defend it. No lie, but we actually had to defend them. You see, other kids at this camp loved destroying other forts so they could be the “king of the jungle,” which in boys’ logic, naturally led to war.
For the most part this war was mellow. But as we grew up, it kept getting more dangerous, with kids ending up in the hospital. Toward the end of war days the opponents focused on recruiting new soldiers instead of building a fort.
When my friend and I started being lower on the food chain we decided to rebel and start our own army. We kind of added to the problem but boys gotta do what they gotta do. We ended up winning the last battle and claiming the title of champion. Sometimes I see these “soldiers” and all I can say is we changed a lot.
We reminisce on those days now that we’re grown up with sports and jobs and cars and dates.
But all we really want is one more day to be a kid.
Athletes are becoming more and more like Gods, especially as we continue to worship everything they do We go to their games and cheer them on, buy their jerseys and sometimes stand in line for a number of hours just for a quick “hi” and an autograph. But aside from their superior athletic ability, how are they any different from the rest of us?
I was recently at the Philadelphia Phillies game and saw Cliff Lee’s first game back as a Phillie after his incredible performance with the team in the second half of the 2009 season. As game time was nearing, fans started to become more excited, and when it came time for the lineup to be announced, everyone was on the edge of their seats.
Cliff Lee throws a pitch. Photo courtesy of waitingfornextyear.com.
It was kids’ day at the ballpark, and an extremely nervous young girl began to read off the Phillies lineup. She got to the Number 8 hitter, Wilson Valdez, and before she finished his name the crowd was on their feet screaming. I looked over and there was Cliff Lee walking in from the center-field bullpen. I felt horrible for the young girl who was trying to finish reading the lineup and was completely drowned out by the cheers of the fans. The standing ovation that Lee got didn’t stop until the National Anthem had started, but as soon as the singer finished with “.. and the home of the brave,” the crowd started right back up again and didn’t calm down until Lee’s first pitch crossed the plate for a strike.
After experiencing this incredible support for one athlete, I thought to myself, does he deserve it? Granted, when Lee came to the Phillies he started off 7-0 and went 5-0 for them in the playoffs. And I’ll admit, I have several jerseys and cheered along with every other fan who was there. But Lee is just the average guy, no different than you and I. When I got to the stadium and it seemed every other person had Lee’s jersey on, I had to wonder why he gets worshiped as though he is Superman.
People love sports, and love to watch them. Fans go and support their favorite team and even buy their favorite player’s jersey. But what are they doing to better the world? Everyday those in the service, police officers and firefighters risk their lives to make the U.S. a better place to live. What do they get? The occasional article in the paper if they do something extremely spectacular. It isn’t as though these men are disrespected, but the amount of respect they get compared to those of athletes is embarrassing.
The game continued, and the fans at the stadium continued to do their best to make me go deaf. When it ended, the players left the field for their cozy clubhouse to change and go home to their families, or back to their hotel. These players give us a break from our everyday stressful routine, but our lives would be even more stressful without those serving this country either in the armed forces, police force or firefighters. I’m sure there were many of them at the game but not one of them got the standing ovation they deserve.
I could hear my parents talking as I’m getting ready.
“Drive her to the middle school parking lot. Explain all of the gizmos and gadgets in the car. Then have her try it,” Mama instructed Papa.
“Yes, dear,” he tentatively replied.
“But not if there’s anyone else there. Then find somewhere else.”
“Of course, dear.”
“And don’t let her go to fast. Remind her of her speed constantly.”
“Of course. Anything else, dear?”
“No.”
“Hey, Kiddo, it’s time to go,” Papa yelled up the stairs to me.
I ran down the stairs, kissed Mama on the cheek, and was out the door with my papa in no time.
When Papa and I got to Mama’s tiny Mazda 3 at the end of the seemingly long driveway, Papa stopped, handed me the keys, and told me to get in the car. I looked back at the house hoping Mama wasn’t watching.
I opened the driver-side door, ducked my head down as low as I could, and climbed inside. I stretched my legs out, not even reaching the gas nor the brake pedal. I moved the seat up an inch.
Nothing.
Another inch.
Still nothing.
I slid the seat all the way forward until it wouldn’t move anymore. I was practically hugging the steering wheel.
But finally, my feet reached the pedals.
I looked at Papa. He was chuckling because I have such short legs. It made me laugh, too.
“Now what?” I asked, waiting for him to explain every fine detail of driving and all the little “possible dangers” that he tells me when I start any new “possibly dangerous” activity.
“Drive to Gram’s house,” he said, buckling his seat belt.
“Um… okay. But just one question.”
“Yeah?”
“How do I start the car?”
After he stopped laughing hysterically, and after his face went back to white from the firetruck red it had become, he told me to just turn the key until it started.
And we were off. I was driving down all the back roads with potholes to China.
But I was driving.
And I was between the white lines.
So I was doing well.
I pulled into Gram’s driveway, put it in park, and turned off the car.
“Papa, Mama was so uptight about you letting me drive. How did you stay so calm? I mean it was like you didn’t even notice I was driving,” I commented.
I mean, his confidence in me was a tad unusual.
“Oh, this was your first time behind the wheel?” he asked, but didn’t seem to actually care about the answer. “I don’t know. Sometimes being a relaxed person just come naturally.”
When I was learning to drive, I had to choose which one of my parents I wanted to teach me. I knew my mom would be a nervous wreck behind the wheel, and that every five minutes I would hear some form of “I can’t believe my little boy is growing up.” My dad on the other hand, is a very calm person and I knew that he would be quiet and let me learn things on my own as I went. By the time I got my permit, it was an easy decision as to who would be my driving instructor – my dad.
As soon as I got my permit, my dad took me to a back road to practice. My dad gave me the breakdown of what I needed to do, and how to do it. I was driving stick, so I needed a little bit more practice time than I would had I decided to take the easy way out and drive automatic. Once I thought I had mastered the art of driving, I make the decision to drive home. Throughout this time my dad remained quiet, giving me some advice now and then.
Bryan Hess. Photo by Corbin Gillichbauer.
Driving was going smoothly until I encountered my first hill. I stalled the car, and I was completely embarrassed. I panicked and had no idea what to do. It was the first time my dad had gotten upset. I lost my cool and we got into a little argument. As the typical teenager, I blamed him for not properly preparing me. After I got the car going and drove for a little bit, he smiled and said “I bet you’ll never stall again.”
My dad was right. He knew that by making a fool out of myself that I would learn to never make that particular mistake again. Throughout my six months of driving, I had to learn the hard way that parents are almost always right. My dad has been driving for many more years than I have, and there would be times where I would try to go against his teachings, but I ended up being wrong every time.
And this doesn’t just relate to driving. If my dad ever gives me advice about anything anymore I listen to him without contest, most of the time. I’ll still have my disputes with him, just as any kid does with his parents. But throughout learning to drive, I learned that not only does my dad know a lot about driving, he knows a lot about everything. Parents always tell their kids that “they’ve been through it before” and that’s why we should listen to them. And just as every other kid, I ignored that and tried to tell them they don’t know anything.
“I watch Nascar as much as I can and try to fit it into my schedule.”
Though the opinion may vary when it comes to who’s the best driver, all fans have one thing in common and that is the love for Nascar.
But everyone does have a favorite driver.
“My favorite racer is Dale Earnhardt Jr., he is a great driver and seems like a nice guy,” claims Borden.
Preparation for watching the big race is key. You need the right snacks or food to intertwine with a drink to create the perfect meal to go with the race. Ian Borden buys a lot of snacks before each race.
“The best part are the crashes,” Borden said with high energy.
It seems many students at Penn Manor like Nascar. But they’re not always eager to admit it.
One local Nascar fan requested to remain anonymous. She didn’t want her name used but she said she thinks Nascar is good for her family.
“I like Nascar because my family and I watch it and it brings us closer,” said the freshman at Penn Manor.
Once again Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes into play.
“My favorite racer is Dale Earnhardt Jr. because my grandma really likes him and it rubbed off on me,” said the girl who makes wings and orders pizza before each race with her family.
“Some crashes are cool but when somebody gets hurt, it’s not too cool,” said the girl.
Nascar is a popular sport among American citizens. There are many fans to the Nascar world. Some are huge fans and some just watch it because it’s enjoyable.
Whatever the case may be, it’s safe to say that Nascar will be around for a very long time.
camel124: “How is QI a word? No, XI can’t really be a word!”
captainkirk29: “What? You can’t use names?!”
swordfish87: “Oh, how I love the Words With Friends dictionary.”
There’s a new craze hitting students at Penn Manor and, while it’s educational, it can only be played on a smart phone or iPod touch, which are both banned – under teacher’s discretion – in most classes.
The new craze is called, “Words with Friends.” While students used to spend much of their stolen phone minutes texting to friends, they now fill the hallways and classes with their heads down and fingers moving, playing the popular iPhone app.
“I never thought I’d be addicted to a game with educational value,” said Brian Sloss, a junior at Penn Manor.
Words With Friends is a multi-player, mobile word game. It challenges players to take turns building words crossword puzzle style with one or more friends, much like the popular board game Scrabble. Thanks to the internet, you can match word skills against random opponents. Up to 20 games can be played simultaneously using push notifications to alert players when it is their turn.
Words with friends was released July 2009 by Zynga. Mike Isaac from Wired.com said The app boasts 2.5 million daily active users, with over 10 million downloads since its creation. Words with Friends is available for cross-platform play on devices running the operating systems including Android and iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch). The Words with Friends is one of the top ranking games in the application store.
A Student Playing "Words With Friends" in class.
“The students could be playing other apps that are way worse and not educational,” said assistant principal Eric Howe.
He said the school is not that concerned about the sudden rage of Words With Friends because it has educational value to it and is helping expand the vocabulary of high school students. The school is concerned, noted Howe, that students are playing while they are in class, when they should be listening to the teacher, instead of worrying about trying to land a word on double-letter and triple-word to form a 50-point word.
“It’s something that needs to be played when your work is finish, It’s like another type of enrichment you could say. But I have laptop in front of me all day and I do not search the internet while class is in session, so I expect students to not go on their smart phone while I’m teaching,” said Mellisa Frerichs, an English teacher at Penn Manor.
Lisa Mayo, another English teacher, agrees that students should play in their “free time” not during class.
“I think if students knew they were learning while playing Words With Friends, students wouldn’t be playing the game,” said Mayo.
At least 150 students are currently engaged in the game during the school day, by a rough estimate.
Some students wonder if the school shut down the technology that allows the game to be played?
iPhone users are safe but students who use their ipod touches aren’t because students must access the guest network in order to play the scrabble like game.
“We have the technology and power to do it but we couldn’t shut the individual app off. We have to shut all apps off,” said Charlie Reisinger head of technology for Penn Manor.
Words With Friend users don’t need to be worried because the school has no interest in shutting down the access to apps, Reisinger indicated.
As long as the Words With Friends rage continues, it will be a grammar and spelling epidemic.
“I play it because because everybody’s doing it,” said Brian Sloss.
“I’m playing 20 games at once, I’m a words with friends addict,” said Matt Noll.
The Words With Friends creators don’t know how long this craze will last but they don’t see the word game running out of letters any time soon.
That’s the only way to describe the NBA Playoffs. The Playoffs have been exciting but predictable for the last decade. A lot of Duncan and the Spurs, Kobe and the Lakers, and LeBron James attempting to carry a team on his back to the promise land.
Not this year.
The Playoffs are up for grabs to any team who’s hot and can seize the opportunity; although, the reliable, veteran teams are still very much in contention to win the NBA Finals.
Miami Heat – After all of the preseason hype, the speculations, the Big Three (LeBron, D-Wade, Bosh) dancing on stage like pop superstars, and a general arrogance that has rubbed many people the wrong way, they have actually performed well. They haven’t lived up to the expectations of some, though.
NBA on ABC commentator Jeff Van Gundy is a part of that some.
“They will break the (Michael Jordan Bulls’) single-season win record (of 72),” Van Gundy told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers’ 33-game (1971-72 winning streak) as well. And only the Lakers have even a remote shot at beating them in a playoff series,” Van Gundy predicted.
Extreme expectations go hand-in-hand with extreme talent. The Heat signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the off-season to maximum contracts (max allowed with salary cap), to go along with former Finals MVP Dwayne Wade.
James and Wade are second and fourth in points-per-game, respectively. They share the perimeter scoring load and they work well together. The Heat have no problem with playing transition basketball. The combination of LeBron’s court vision and basketball IQ, along with Wade’s athleticism and craftiness, makes for a lethal combination in the open court.
But it’s not all glamor and glitz in Miami.
The NBA Finals trophy is what every player dreams about. Photo credit http://sports.dailycontributor.com.
The Heat struggle against the best teams in the league. They are 2-8 against the top 5 teams. Their half-court offense looks stagnant at times, partly because the Heat are the oldest team in the league. Besides the Big Three and Mario Chalmers, the Heat are old, slow and lack explosiveness. Regardless, The Heat are 6th in team defense and have athletes that can defend multiple positions, but can they get past the Celtics or Bulls with a 7-8 man rotation?
X-FACTOR – Chris Bosh. Without Bosh, the Heat would run a strictly perimeter offensive set, and frankly, it looks like Wade and LeBron sometimes forget Bosh is on the court. Perhaps he just isn’t working hard enough without the ball – either way, they need to get Bosh in pick & pop, pick & roll, and post-up situations. He is multidimensional in the post, with the ability to fade, pull up, or take most big men off the dribble. They need him to be aggressive.
San Antonio Spurs – The San Antonio Spurs organization has been a model franchise for over a decade. They make savvy draft picks, keep their star players happy, and they have arguably the best coach in the league, Greg Popavich. “Pop” has been around for decades and has won four championships with the Spurs.
This year is no different. The Spurs have the NBA’s best record, despite being the sixth oldest team in the league. The Spurs continuously prove that in order to be a great NBA team, you have to be well-rounded.
Tim Duncan lives basketball. He is fundamentally sound in every way, but Duncan is at a career low in scoring at 13 points per game and now relies on the French point guard Tony Parker to pick up most of the scoring. Parker runs the show for the Spurs, and he does it efficiently. Manu Ginobili is very shifty around the rim and has out-of-the-gym range. And when it’s crunch-time, Ginobili never shrinks under pressure. Expect him to be taking to clutch shots for the Spurs.
San Antonio’s one and only weakness is their lack of size. They are weak at the center position, and will be bullied by bigger teams, like the Thunder and Lakers. Although, their experienced line-up should give them an advantage.
X-FACTOR – Richard Jefferson. The Spurs need Jefferson’s energy, athleticism, and three-point shooting ability. Jefferson is shooting 43% from beyond the arc, which is 9th in the NBA. When he’s knocking down open shots and playing well, the Spurs will be hard to beat.
MVP canidate Derrick Rose attacks the hoop.
Chicago Bulls – The Bulls are for real. Losing four of five to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round last year put a chip on MVP candidate Derrick Rose’s shoulder. Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah are one of the best “big three’s” in the NBA.
First year coach Tom Thibodeau is a defensive genius, coming from the Boston Celtics coaching staff. Ranked first in opponents points allowed, the Bulls play lock down “D.” Noah is the anchor of the defense and averages 12 rebounds a game. Luol Deng is an experienced player with a great basketball IQ. He makes the right decisions with the ball and has very polished game compared to other third scoring options around the league.
X-FACTOR – Carlos Boozer.He has struggled with staying healthy this year, but when he is on the court, the Bulls play much better. Rose and Boozer work well together, even with the limited number of games they’ve played on the same court. Look out for the D-Rose and Boozer pick & roll in the Playoffs.
Boston Celtics – The Celtics are back and they’ve added some new pieces, but it starts and ends with All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. Leading the NBA in assists, he distributes the ball effortlessly to his co-stars. All-stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and sharpshooter Ray Allen know what to do when Rondo gets them the ball in their spots.
Although, the Celtics did make some questionable off-season and in-season transactions. The roster additions of Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal brought height and experience, but they both have a lot of wear and tear. Injuries plague the two, and the Celtics need back-up big men who are reliable during Playoff time. The acquisitions of Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic provide the front court with skill, but they gave away the toughness of Kendrick Perkins, and the energy and streaky scoring ability of Nate Robinson.
Still, the Celtics lead the league in team defense, giving up only 91 points a game. We’ll see if the Celtics can make it back to the Finals with their new-look squad.
X-FACTOR – Paul Pierce. He has been with this team since the very start. He was in Boston when they could barely win 30 games in a season. Now, they are perennial Finals contenders. They need Pierce to be there in the clutch. His patented step back at the elbow is practically impossible to defend. So, when there’s five seconds left in the game and the Celtics are down by one, you already know who’s taking the last shot.
Kobe passes to Pau Gasol for a layup. Photo credit: life.com.
Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers are back-to-back NBA champs, but can they get the three-peat? Kobe Bryant, also known as Black Mamba, is the best closer in the Game. Best player ever? Still to be determined. A sixth ring to tie Jordan and his second three-peat wouldn’t hurt his legacy. He is still the most skilled player in the NBA and he plays his best during the Playoffs.
Ron Artest, strong as an ox, gives the NBA’s elite scorers’ nightmares about facing him the next day, but he has the basketball IQ of a brick. Derek Fisher, a defensive liability whenever he is on the floor, but that awkward looking, over-the-left-shoulder jump shot always somehow finds the bottom of the net.
Now, Andrew Bynum is a whole new monster for the Lakers. 11 points and 9 rebounds a game, is great for any team’s starting center. He’s shooting 57% from the floor, which means he’s only taking what the defense gives him, and that’s perfect for the Lakers – especially when he’s paired with a forward as skilled as Pau Gasol. The two seven-footers dominate the paint in two completely different ways, that’s what makes the Lakers so special. The finesse and soft touch near the rim of Pau Gasol is unmatched. Plus he can step out to around 20 feet and knock down the face up jump shot.
The Lakers’ weakness is bench play. Besides Lamar Odom, they can’t rely on any of their bench players. Kobe and Gasol may be stuck with carrying too much of the scoring load. Also, Andrew Bynum’s health has been an issue all year. He has had knee troubles, and is in a constant struggle to stay healthy.
X-FACTOR – Lamar Odom. When he’s playing at the top of his game, there’s not a team in the NBA that can win four out of seven against the Lakers. Having one of his best statistical seasons as a pro, Lamar has really improved his shot selection and is shooting a smooth 54 percent. His versatility is unmatched. He can guard three positions easily and five against most teams.
