Lakers To Get Championship Rings Before Playing Houston Rockets
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Tuesday night's NBA season opener for the Los Angeles Lakers will begin with a ring ceremony for the 2009-2010 NBA champions.
The Lakers will begin their quest for a third consecutive championship against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.
"This is the crowning moment of winning the championship," Laker forward Lamar Odom said.
Phil Jackson Says The Lakers Are Ready For The Season: KNX 1070's Randy Kerdoon reports.
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Winning on the night they receive their rings has proven problematic for the Lakers, who are 2-2 in their last four ring nights, including a 99-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers last season.
"You've got to refocus real quick," center Pau Gasol said. "I've seen some games after the ring ceremony where the champion has paid that price."
To coach Phil Jackson, the emotions of the ring ceremony are different from the emotions of playing a game.
"It's about thinking about last year and about the teammates that you had on that team and about the effort that went into winning a championship, so you've got to divorce yourself from that when that's done," Jackson said.
Starting center Andrew Bynum will be on the sidelines indefinitely after off-season surgery on his right knee. Kobe Bryant is also coming off surgery on his right knee that will likely reduce his playing time at the start of the season. Forward Luke Walton will miss the game because of a strained right hamstring.
The Lakers return with nine players from last year's team and have added three free agents – forward Matt Barnes, guard Steve Blake and center Theo Ratcliff. The team also added their second-round draft choices, forwards Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks.
Tuesday night's game will be the first official NBA game for Houston center Yao Ming since he broke a bone in his left foot in a playoff game against the Lakers in 2009.
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