Friday 15 September 2000
Coverage of Olympic sports. Also includes beach volleyball, gymnastics, three-day eventing and boxing.
Sunday 17 September 2000
 |
| 17:10-17:55 |
| Men's Basketball: USA v China |
|
Commentary by Jon Champion.
Monday 18 September 2000
|
| 16:05-16:30 |
| Basketball: Australia v Brazil |
|
Commentary by John Champion.
Tuesday 19 September 2000
|
| 16:05-16:25 |
| Men's Basketball: Australia v Yugoslavia |
|
Preliminary round. Commentary by John Champion.
Wednesday 20 September 2000
|
| 16:05-16:30 |
| Women's Basketball: USA v Russia |
|
With commentary from John Champion.
Thursday 21 September 2000
|
| 16:05-16:30 |
| Basketball: Lithuania v USA |
|
Highlights, presented by Jon Champion.
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NBA: So just how
good are the LA Lakers?
 |
|
Shaquille
O'Neal
|
They may have only
picked up one title, but already the debate is raging as to whether Shaquille
O'Neal and the Lakers will form a basketball dynasty to compare with teams like
Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and Larry Bird's Boston Celtics. And despite their patchy form in the play-offs and the fact that they have not had to come from
behind in any of their series, the verdict seems to be that the Lakers are here
to stay.
The main reason
for the Lakers' projected domination is the growing realisation among sportswriters
and fans that L.A. were the best team in the league this year — and that
they can only get stronger.
Shaquille O'Neal
is unquestionably the league's best player — despite his problems with
free throws — and the 21-year-old Kobe Bryant is already good enough to
dominate games if and when O'Neal goes missing. With two of the five best players
in the game it's hard to see where the Lakers will be threatened. Portland and
Indiana are probably the closest — with San Antonio and Orlando a little
further behind.
But considering
the relative weakness of the league — the Lakers would be brushed aside
by Jordan and the Bulls in their pomp — the immediate future of the NBA
title looks to be firmly in the lap of L.A. coach Phil Jackson. Jackson was
the first man in recent years to gel the Lakers into a team, as opposed to a
collection of individuals, and he has finally convinced O'Neal et al of the
virtues of his triangle offense. So if Jackson elects to stay, you can expect
the Lakers to be right at the top of their game – and the NBA – for
several years to come. |
