L.A Lakers: Old Problems Revisit

Game Four against the Utah Jazz was a loss in overtime for the Lakers. The score was 123 - 115 in favor of the Utah Jazz and it made it a three games series. The series is even after four games, so the first team to two more victories advances.

Much of the focus has been on Kobe Bryant’s back problems and how that might have cost the Lakers the game. However, a look at the box score reveals some old problems:

• The L.A. Lakers tried twenty five free throws and only made fourteen of them. That is a dismal fifty six per cent efficiency from the foul line. By comparison, the Utah Jazz visited the foul line forty five times. The Jazz made thirty seven of these foul shots. That is eighty two per cent from the foul line.
• Shots are not dropping for Vladimir Radmanovic. He is starting but he is not generating the offense that is expected. In Game Four, Vladimir Radmanovic had more personal fouls than he had points. He made three fouls while scoring two points.
• The Lakers’ problem containing swift point guards has resurfaced. Deron Williams led the Jazz in scoring with twenty nine points, along with fourteen assists. Both Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar are having trouble with the Jazz point guard. Derek Fisher fouled out and Jordan Farmar’s slump continues. Jordan Farmar has not scored in Game Three nor in Game Four. The Jazz will look to exploit this if Jordan Farmar’s productivity does not increase… immediately.

Game Five is in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 14. Game Six is in Salt Lake City. And if Game Seven is necessary, it will be on Monday, May 19, in Los Angeles. With the Lakers problems in Salt Lake City, Game Five looms as a ‘must win’ for the Lakers - and a game that the Jazz would like to steal and then finish the series at home.

Catherine

L.A Lakers: Old Problems Revisit

Game Four against the Utah Jazz was a loss in overtime for the Lakers. The score was 123 - 115 in favor of the Utah Jazz and it made it a three games series. The series is even after four games, so the first team to two more victories advances.

Much of the focus has been on Kobe Bryant’s back problems and how that might have cost the Lakers the game. However, a look at the box score reveals some old problems:

• The L.A. Lakers tried twenty five free throws and only made fourteen of them. That is a dismal fifty six per cent efficiency from the foul line. By comparison, the Utah Jazz visited the foul line forty five times. The Jazz made thirty seven of these foul shots. That is eighty two per cent from the foul line.
• Shots are not dropping for Vladimir Radmanovic. He is starting but he is not generating the offense that is expected. In Game Four, Vladimir Radmanovic had more personal fouls than he had points. He made three fouls while scoring two points.
• The Lakers’ problem containing swift point guards has resurfaced. Deron Williams led the Jazz in scoring with twenty nine points, along with fourteen assists. Both Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar are having trouble with the Jazz point guard. Derek Fisher fouled out and Jordan Farmar’s slump continues. Jordan Farmar has not scored in Game Three nor in Game Four. The Jazz will look to exploit this if Jordan Farmar’s productivity does not increase… immediately.

Game Five is in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 14. Game Six is in Salt Lake City. And if Game Seven is necessary, it will be on Monday, May 19, in Los Angeles. With the Lakers problems in Salt Lake City, Game Five looms as a ‘must win’ for the Lakers - and a game that the Jazz would like to steal and then finish the series at home.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tag]nba, utah jazz, l.a. lakers, foul shots, point guards[/tag]

Underground Basketball - Breaking the Law

In this area, there is girls soccer. There is a league for girls between the ages of six and eight. When one watches these kids play, the ball seems so much bigger. Not much scoring happens but there are kicks, chasing, falling and loads of encouragement from parents. Win or lose, it is fun for everyone.

There is also a local high school in this community that seems to have good girls basketball teams every year. The team receives special coverage in the local paper as it tries to advance in its season. And the girls wear their team jackets. It is really a cherished item.

In some parts of the world, sports activities like this would not be possible. Girls would not have such opportunities. It would be against the law.

Donna Abu-Nasr, in an article for Associated Press, illustrates the cultural divide:

“…In Saudi Arabia, women cannot drive or vote and have few legal rights. The restrictions stem from the strict version of Islam the kingdom follows. Many conservative adherents believe that women’s emancipation will lead to decadence and a dissipation of Islamic values.

…Despite such obstacles, Saudi women have quietly been forming soccer, basketball, volleyball and other teams throughout the kingdom in the past few years. Some operate under schools and universities, others are under the umbrella of charities…”

link: Underground sport: Saudi women shed veils to play basketball

From the Saudi perspective, the moral decay of females starts at an early age in the western culture. It is a difference in belief systems that bombs and bullets will not resolve. Perhaps this is a revolution that begins on the soccer pitches and basketball courts…

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tag]females, sports, religion, law, saudi arabia, donna abu-nasr, culture[/tag]

Comparing Vista Security Against Malware

I should preface this with an admission that Windows 2000 is still one of my main operating systems. It works fine. I have access to Windows XP on my laptop and elsewhere. However, Windows 2000 falls under my category of “if it works fine, keep on”.

With that said, it is with a personal interest that I view the report from the PC Tools people:

“…Statistics garnered from users of PC Tools’ ThreatFire security service showed that Vista let through 639 threats per 1,000 computers, compared with 586 for Windows 2000, 478 for Windows 2003, and 1,021 for Windows XP.

Working on an infection rate of 639 per 1,000 PCs means that nearly 64 per cent of Vista-based PCs have already been compromised, the company claims.”

link: Vista ‘more vulnerable’ than Windows 2000

Granted that PC Tools has a vested interest in finding security flaws because the company markets security software, the data are daunting. Other security firms may want to validate and replicate these findings. Nevertheless, even though my Windows 2000 machine could handle Vista, reports like this make me stay tied to the old operating system.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tag]microsoft, vista, security, malware, windows 2000, pc tools, validity, reliability[/tag]