Los Angeles Lakers

There is still nothing major yet to report regarding the Laker off-season moves, but this so-called exciting job fair is starting bad. Really, really bad with too many non-top-tier players (and counting) getting offered ridiculous contracts.

Continue reading "Lakers Watch (7/1/10)"

Plans of dethroning the Lakers are well underway, and in less than 24 hours the first step will being. But before we start watching how next season will shape up for our back-to-back champs, let's take a look at some of the highs and lows that brought the Lakers to one of the most epic NBA Finals in history and cement another Laker legacy:

Continue reading "What the 2009-2010 Season Taught ..."

  Game 4 was Zombieland, ugliest playoff game in recent memory, saved for the green Kryptonite team by a drooling fat Swamp Thing, and a jabbering troll from under the bridge of deadly boring game memories. Lakers lost the map to the paint and forgot to play the 4th quarter. Marketing mavens are still trying to figure out how much money a round-ball jock has to make before he remembers it’s a 4, not a 3-quarter game.

Continue reading "Finals 2010: Game 5 Preview"

The NBA league pass is awesome, but nothing beats a good TNT double-header.

Tonight, we get a great TNT double-header.

The night starts off with Cleveland at Miami. I’ve written this before, but LeBron vs. Wade is the best head-to-head matchup to watch in the NBA right now. These guys always bring out the best in each other.

Continue reading "Great TNT Double-Header Tonight"

Have you looked at the league leaders yet this season?

There are some familiar faces atop some of the big categories. Kobe leads the league in scoring. Nash leads the league in assists. Rondo leads the league in steals. 

Continue reading "New Era of NBA Bigs?"

Last week in “Fun With Box Scores” I took a look at about ten different things that jumped out from the previous week’s box scores. 

It was the initial plan to roll out ten more fun little facts that I discovered while rummaging through the box scores this week, but I came across one box score that was so unique that I don’t feel like any other stat line from the week is worthy of being in the same post as this one. 

Continue reading "Fun With Box Scores"

For the third straight season, the young, potential stud, center for the Los Angeles Lakers has hit the ground running and has shown flashes of being an all-star caliber center in the NBA. 

Continue reading "Andrew Bynum: The Oldest 22-Year-Old in the NBA"

he mighty T’Wolves down the stretch, but it certainly wasn’t because of Lopez. 

Los Angeles Lakers 

I know they were playing the Clippers, but the champs didn’t miss a beat. This could have been the most lopsided seven-point game I’ve ever seen. 

Continue reading "First Impressions"

Happy New Year!

With the new NBA season set to tip off with four games tonight, here are some of the things I’ll be watching for in tonight’s action.

Boston @ Cleveland, 7:30pm

I can’t wait to see LeBron again this season. Last year, coming off the Olympics, you could see that his focus was on improving defensively. Now, without a summer in the spotlight, I’m curious to see if he’s made any improvements to his already unreal game. Is this the year we finally see LeBron use his Karl Malone-like body to beast on people inside?

Continue reading "NBA Opening Night Quick Thoughts"

Disappointing news for NBA fans everywhere, courtesy of yahoo: 

"LOS ANGELES (AP)—Blake Griffin’s (notes) NBA debut has been pushed back indefinitely after the Los Angeles Clippers revealed late Monday night that their No. 1 overall draft pick has a broken left kneecap.

Continue reading "Disappointing First Impression of Blake Griffin"

Celine Dion and Ron Artest go together like cereal and mayonnaise yet somehow the self proclaimed "thug", Artest, makes it work.  The guy is known for his wild antics such as going into the crowd and beating up a fan, but it seems that Artest is beginning to display a softer side.  As a Laker fan I love that we are bringing a little crazy on our team because a team can always use a little crazy, right? Although he can't carry a tune and the video is clearly irritating you get a sense that he means what he is singing which makes is somewhat enjoyable to watch.  I am going to stop talking about it and just let you watch it:

Continue reading "It's official, Lakers' Ron Artest ..."

I understand that Shaquille O'neal is a man that transcends just the NBA, but watching him attempt to play against other athletes in their own sport is extremely difficult to swallow.  Watching Shaq attempt to swing a bat was like watching a baby giraffe trying to walk.  It was hard to watch yet I could not take my eyes off of it, like a car accident.  The 7'1" O'neill attempted to out-slug Albert Pujols, out-spike beach volleyball stars Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and out-throw Ben Roethlisberger, needless to say he could not out-do anybody at anything.  The show is a half hour too long and the hosts are extremely annoying.  The most important part of the show, the actual competition, takes place in the last fifteen minutles of the show making the first 45 minutes irrelevant.  Here are some short examples of the show from Youtube:

Continue reading "What is Shaq thinking doing this ..."

As a Laker fan who is one of Trevor Ariza's biggest supporters and whose friend had him dubbed Trevor "the future" Ariza, it was sad to see him go. He was a key cog in the Lakers' championship wagon and delivered some of the most exciting and timely plays of the season. He is still young and will probably get better.

Continue reading "Overrating Trevor Ariza"

le used in the story was none other then the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson of the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers.  The story claims that Phil is a bad winner because we wore a hat with X, the Roman numeral 10, once the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in the finals last month. The X stands for his unprecedented tenth title as a head coach, exceeding the great Red Auerbach.  So why is the hat showing bad sportsmanship? Every time Michael Jordan won a title, he always held up the fingers of the championship, 1 through 6. Nike made a special shirt for Kobe Bryant’s fourth championship that he wore at the Lakers victory parade. Therefore by default, MJ and Kobe are bad sports too?  Why should Phil, or any athlete for that matter, have to mask what they have accomplished? It’s not like he ran around the court refusing to shake the other teams’ hands, yelling he is the best. The hat was not just a way for Phil to show off, but a gift to him. It wasn’t a gift from Nike or any other sponsor, but rather a gift from his children. He wore a gift showing off his accomplishment from the people that matter the most to him. That’s a bad sport if I’ve ever seen one! 

Continue reading "Los Angeles Lakers' Phil Jackson a Bad Winner?"

Dave Dameshek, an ESPN.com podcaster gave kudos to Andre Agassi today ( http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?context=podcast&id=4352192) on his podcast for his infamous mantra “ Image is everything” which Agassi stated in a Canon commercial over fifteen- years ago.   Still, Dameshek argued, Agassi’s words seem fitting today as some top athletes currently find them-selves in a position of trying to restore their image due to off-field episodes that seemingly rattled their once squeaky clean perception.   On Tuesday, TMZ released the feared truth; Lebron James was in fact dunked on by a Syracuse Guard named Jordan Crawford several weeks ago at the Lebron James Camp in Ohio. James reportedly may have confiscated the tapes, with the help of some Nike representatives until TMZ finally got a hold of them, somehow.   In a book entitled The Beckham Experiment, author Grant Wahl explained, with the help of Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan, that it was indeed Beckham’s unwillingness to embrace the savior of American soccer that disallowed the sport from gaining any ground in becoming a main stream sport in America.        Ben Roethlisberger will not only be fighting off defensive lineman next year but also some woman in a civil law suit who is accusing him of rape.   Michael Vick wants to find a team to play for and be forgiven for killing dogs ( or having them killed) while Manny Ramirez is trying to battle back from a 50-game suspension for doing drugs.   Because of their unfortunate off the field episodes, all of these for-mentioned athletes have one thing in common; they all have an image to be restored. However, the only way for these athletes to ever be perceived by the fans and the media as the cream of the crop again is to do what Adrian said Rocky should do; win.   After being accused of rape in 2003, Kobe Bryant lost endorsement deals, respect from some of the fans and the media, and most of all his integrity. A few years later Bryant ranted on sports talk radio shows complaining that he needed better teammates that could help him win. The next season, Bryant was booed by his home fans at his first home game and ridiculed by opposing fans on nearly every road trip.     But slowly but surely Bryant worked himself back into public approval. In 2008 he was the NBA’s MVP, in the 2009 Olympics he helped lead team USA back to the gold,  and in the same year his Lakers were the world champions. While there are still people who dislike Bryant, let’s concur, most fans and journalists today associate Bryant with words like champion, winner and phenomenal athlete, as opposed to all the other negative things that use to pop into their minds.   Less than a year after Ray Lewis was acquitted of murder chargers due to a plea bargain he chose, he returned to the NFL, and led his team to the Super Bowl while garnering MVP honors. Although Lewis was not chosen after the Super Bowl to repeat those infamous words “ I am going to Disneyland” by Disney World, Lewis has steadily inched his way back into public acceptance. Since the 2001 Super Bowl Lewis has been featured in commercials, done numerous television spots, put on the cover of Madden 2005, been involved in community services, and been selected to numerous pro bowls and is still highly regarded as one of the best linebackers in the league. While we can’t solely attribute Lewis’ resignation to his 2001 Super Bowl MVP, we can certainly conclude it was the match that ignited the fire.   While Muhammad Ali was supported by many fans for deciding not to enter an unpopular war, some of the media was not as approving . After three years of not being allowed to fight, Ali returned to the ring to defeat nearly every foe in his way and eventually regained the title by defeating George Foreman. Today, almost nobody calls Ali unpatriotic or points to his unwillingness to go to Vietnam. I think it is safe to say that Ali’s success after being allowed to fight again left no room for ridicule; His success simply overshadowed his questionable decisions.   Beckham, Vick, James and Big Ben all should try to take similar routes to take back up to the top. Sure, giving charity is nice, having your family by your side is touching, and appearing in commercials is a good gesture, but nothing says more than winning. Just look at Alex Rodriguez whose image is shakier than a Los Angeles earthquake. No matter how may MVP’s he wins, Yankee fans will only forgive A-Rod if he helps them win a ring.   If Beckham wants to quite the Los Angeles Riot Squad at games, he must lead the Galaxy to a winning season, embrace the LA scene, pay for his team’s dinner, and perhaps even win a championship. If not, than enjoy your flight back to London and thanks for nothing.   Vick cannot just come back and play-football, he has to enable fans to fall in love with his joy stick speed again. Maybe even take his team to the playoffs all while being a good teammate.   Ironically, James decided not to shake hands with the Orlando Magic after losing in the Eastern Conference finals. James confiscation of the tapes at his camp shows the same characteristic; poor sportsmanship. No matter what happens, if James continues to fail, media and fans will helplessly point to the two incidents as an indication of James’ failures. Mantras such as “ James cannot win because he does not know how to lose like a man” will certainly be uttered by some.   Roethlisberger is sord of an enigma because he has already won two Super Bowls. If he gets out of the mess he is currently in does he have to come back and win another Super Bowl to re-envent his image? Not necessarily, since he is already a proven winnner, but I guranatee that if he does come back and continue to be succesful that the incident in Lake Tahoe will be all the more easy to be forgotten, guilty or not guilty. If he returns and never wins again, than talk of “ Ben only won the big one because he was in a proven sysytem” will be all the eaiser to say.    If we dare, let us take a tip from Manny Ramirez. After coming back from suspension Ramirez has batted 347, with four home runs and 17 runs batted in. While the rest of the world may have issue, Ramirez is adored in Dodger land, ala take a look at Wednesday night’s grand slam. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Dodgers are in first but put it this way, if Manny was batting 215, with one home run and three RBI’s since his return, and the Dodgers were in last place, would he still obtain standing ovations?   I understand that winning does not cure all. A murderer is not fully forgiven if he lifts up the championship trophy, nor should he be. My gist, however, is that above all winning can replenish an image more than Gatorade can quench your thirst.   Don’t agree? Then why aren’t guys like Mike Tyson and Allen Iverson note-ably thought of for their outstanding talents first and foremost? Because their off- the field and even on -the-field misshapes have never been followed up with great success.   This argument as a whole might also seem simplistic. It is human nature that when somebody does something bad, you tend to forgive them after a while, especially if they do a good dead. But some things cannot go over-looked. Can a wife ever forgive her husband for cheating, no matter how many good deeds he does? But that is the beauty of sports. In almost all cases, winning can make fans and media forgive. Doing steroids is bad until you hit a grand slam in the World Series, right?   Charles Barkley once suggested and was even ridiculed for stating that athletes should not be looked at as role models. “A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Barkley argued. While Barkley was urging fans to simply evaluate a player based on his on the field performance we as fans can never make that leap. Image, like Agassi said, is everything and the only way to ever restore a damaged one is to come back on the field and win.  

Continue reading "James, Vick, Manny, Beckham and Big ..."

Dave Dameshek, an ESPN.com podcaster gave kudos to Andre Agassi today, ( http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?context=podcast&id=4352192) on his podcast for his infamous mantra “ Image

Continue reading "James, Vick, Manny, and Beckham take ..."

Dave Dameshek, an ESPN.com podcaster gave kudos to Andre Agassi today, ( http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?context=podcast&id=4352192) on his podcast for his infamous mantra “ Image

Continue reading "James, Beckham, Vick and Manny take ..."

This comes a week after the Los Angeles Lakers pulled their original two offers off the table. As reported by ESPN, the free agent is seeking a $10 million a year contract with multiple years.

Continue reading "Odom and Champs pick up contract talks"

10) They were spotted in Kobe's escalade at an 'N and Out drive-through. And yes, they both got "animal style."

9) When on road trips in Denver, Kobe's got Artest covered for booty calls.

Continue reading "Top 10 Reasons Kobe and Artest will work out"

With the top 4 teams in the league last year making ALL the big moves so far this off-season(Boston excluded so far because they haven't signed sheed yet, but they will be getting a healthy Garnett ba

Continue reading "NBA Champions"

As we Laker fans begin to ponder Los Angeles' acquisition of Ron Artest at the expense of Trevor Ariza, a sense of dread came over me.

Not that the roster shakeup is necessary a bad one, but that now I'm a full-fledged fan of the NBA Villain.

Continue reading "In Taking an A for an A, Lakers Become ..."

When Shaquille O’Neal received his first and only Most Valuable Player Award in the 2000 NBA season, he quoted the great Aristotle; “Greatness is not a singular act but a habit, you are what you repeatedly do,” O’Neal had quoted.

Continue reading "Shaq's legacy will be decided by ..."

Shaq can't even proclaim himself "The Big Trade."

The defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic trumped Los Angeles Laker ex Shaquille O'Neal's move from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers when they acquired Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets.

Continue reading "Trading the Lakers' Enemies? I Don't Think So"

Even in victory, Kobe Bryant can't win.

In the days immediately following the Los Angeles Lakers' clinching of the 2008-09 NBA championship, two columnists were all to eager to try to undermine their accomplishments.

Continue reading "Forget Jordan; Let's Compare Kobe to Jesus"

Trying to separate the five best Los Angeles Laker championship teams (sorry, Minneapolis, I'm putting your rings aside because I have no concept of the NBA in its infancy) is kind of like the Octomom trying to pick her five favorite among her 14 children.

Continue reading "Ranking the Top 5 Los Angeles Laker ..."

A long road of grit, talent, ups and downs has come to a magnificent end with the Lakers 15th championship.

Well tested by the Houston Rockets in the Western semis, and the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals, they entered the big show the favorite, and showed they worked out their inconsistencies by defeating a tenacious Orlando Magic team 4 games to 1.

Continue reading "Congratulations, Los Angeles Lakers, ..."

If the Los Angeles Lakers need someone who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two, then Lamar Odom's their man.

Otherwise, opt for Trevor Ariza.

Continue reading "Ariza or A Candy Man? Trevor's Looking ..."

ould have questioned your play in these playoffs.

After Thursday night's heroics that lifted your Los Angeles Lakers to the 99-91 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of the NBA Finals and gave your team a seemingly insurrmountable 3-1 series lead, you have earned a Laker Benefit of the Doubt card. For life.

Continue reading "The Fisher King"

not the best closer in the league.

Not right now, anyway.

For the second consecutive game, the Los Angeles Lakers put the ball in Bryant's hands with a chance to beat the Orlando Magic and he failed to deliver.

Continue reading "Two Strikes and Kobe's Out as the Closer"

Lamar Odom's offense in the fourth quarter was a huge reason the Los Angeles Lakers escaped in overtime of the NBA Finals' Game 2.

Odom also was the reason they didn't put the game away a lot sooner.

Continue reading "Lovin' Lamar Odom ... NOT"

Earlier in the NBA playoffs, a 25-point Los Angeles Lakers victory would have been a source of concern heading into the ensuing game.

Fortunately, the Lakers now have two things going for them following their 100-75 blowout of the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Continue reading "How Will Lakers Handle Prosperity? ..."

When will we learn?

Many cocky Laker fans welcome the news of point guard Jameer Nelson's possible return to the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals that begin Thursday at Staples Center.

"His timing will be off. He'll only disrupt the playoff rotation the Magic have already established. He'll do more harm than good in the Orlando lineup," these Laker fans foolishly prattle.

Continue reading "Lakers Beware The Willis Reed Curse ..."

Has anyone notices the last two to three years that staples center had probaly the darkest lighting in the nba. They call it stadium lighting to make "when your there" look like your watchin

Continue reading "Laker stadium lights affecting the ..."

So the lakers have just made it to the finals, not to the surprise of any laker fans as we have all assumed this since the loss last year the the celtics blah. Now that the lakers are going to be faci

Continue reading "Better matchup for the lakers orlando ..."

Yes, yes, Andrew Bynum's defense in these NBA playoffs has been lethargic at best. But will no one else stand in defense of Andrew Bynum?

From the moment the NBA playoffs started, everyone has put the young Laker center under the microscope and proclaimed him mentally and physically unprepared.

Continue reading "Bynum Is NOT The Problem"

Or is it dilemmi? Either way.

As the entire NBA world eagerly awaits the potential match-up of Kobe and LeBron in this year's finals, they also can't help observe it's getting increasingly difficult for them to get there. The Magic and Nuggets are hitting their strides at the right time, with bench players stepping up at crucial moments, Van Panic and Karl making good coaching moves, and both team's point guards acting as the leaders they can be. Even if the current and future MJ's of our time average 50 a game for the rest of the playoffs, it won't matter. That's not how you reach the Golden Summit (Yes, I just used "Golden Summit" as an analogy for the Finals. Deal with it. I like it.).

Continue reading "Kobe and LeBron facing similar dilemmas"

Denver Nuggets 52, Los Angeles Lakers 48 at halftime.

Lakers are lookin' like a team in transition again, as in finding themselves, not game phase only. Hinges a lot on getting Bynum un-sulky and effective again, particularly being a stalwart defensive presence with blocks and rebounds.

Continue reading "NBA Final 4 Rock Equally Hard -- ..."

The pressure on Kobe Bryant now is being exerted in two cities: Denver and Cleveland.

LeBron James added to the enormous weight already on the sturdy shoulders of the Black Mamba on Friday night with his oh-no-he-didn't 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Orlando Magic 96-95 to even their Eastern Conference Finals series at one game apiece.

Continue reading "Kobe or LeBron: Was Jerry West right?"

When Mark Cuban told Lydia Moore that her son, the Nuggets' Kenyon Martin, was a "thug" after Game 3 of the Nuggets-Mavs series, he crossed a line. I thought I'd point out the Top 10 Things he MEANT TO SAY to Ms. Moore:

Continue reading "Top 10 Things Mark Cuban MEANT TO ..."

Take for example the Los Angeles Lakers, picked by many as the perennial favorite to win the west and the NBA Championship. The Lakers seem to have no sense of urgency and sometimes play in a l

Continue reading "The Cavaliers aren't messing around, ..."

Steroids has officially gone postal.

The list of all-star players who have been revealed to be using steroids: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, now.......MANNY RAMIREZ.

Continue reading "Manny being Manny: The Latest twist ..."

If Kobe Bryant expects to win a championship this June, he needs to trust his teammates more. If he doesn't, the Lakers will not only struggle to win the Finals, they may have trouble even getting there. Last night's loss to the Houston Rockets, putting them down 1-0 in the series, is to me, enough cause for concern. Phil Jackson needs to sit down Kobe and tell him the same thing he told Jordan: trust your teammates more.

Continue reading "Memo to Kobe: Be like Mike"

Say Swine Flu keeps spreading. Say it gets worse, like "Outbreak" worse, and the majority of people in the US get it, including LeBron James. I still don't think I could beat him one-on-one. Even if it was first to score. Or if we played "PIG." Remember when Jordan had the flu in the '88 playoffs, and he dropped 47 against the Knicks, AT the Garden??? We spectators/bloggers/sports fans seriously over-estimate the flu. If LeBron had swine flu, not only would he stuff me like a Quizno's Torpedo, he would still be able to beat the following athletes/teams:

Continue reading "LeBron could beat me with Swine Flu"

I'm a Kobe fan. Huge Kobe fan. He's practically my generation's MJ. Nothing against MJ, I just never saw him play much. I went to the United Center once, when I was seven, and all I remember is Scottie Pippen's crew-cut and cotton candy. Also, I'm from D.C., so the fact that MJ ruined the entire development and chemistry of an up-and-coming Washington Wizards team, just so he could milk a little more limelight, doesn't really sit well.

Continue reading "Why Lakers fans should worry about ..."

Always an interesting time of the NBA season, when all of us fans sit and wonder which NBA superstars are on the move. This year, there are some really big names that are on the trading block. Lets look at a few of them, hey they just might end up on your favorite team.

Continue reading "The NBA Trade Deadline is right around ..."

Does wins in Boston and Cleveland mean that the Lakers are a complete different team than last year? I wish it did, but I am not ready to make that step quite yet. I think they are slightly different

Continue reading "New Lakers Team? Odom to Remain a Starter?"

The Los Angeles Lakers have sent Vladimir Radmonovic to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown. I am not a huge fan of the trade. I like Vlad's game and with Bynum out we need all the height we can get, Vlad is 6'10 and can play the 3 or the 4 position. The obvious benefit is that this summer the Lakers will have more cap room to resign Trevor Ariza and possibly Lamar Odom as well if he takes a bit of a discount. I don't see much playing time for Morrison or Brown with the team, whereas I believe Vlad could have still helped. I thought at first this may be a pre-cursor to another deal but it looks like Morrison and Brown will stay.

Continue reading "Lakers Send Vlad to Charlotte"

Some trades are simply mind-boggling. The Los Angeles Lakers' trade that sent Vladimir Radmanovic to the Charlotte Bobcats for Adam Morrison and Shannon Brown, is alarmingly close to that dubious distinction. If "mind-boggling" isn't the best description, then just plain "dumb" should suffice.

Continue reading "Radmanovic trade a mistake for Lakers"

ow, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo will make up for his slightly decreased production.

2-Los Angeles Lakers; 40-9, 1st in the Western Conference

With Bynum, they're (barely) the best team in the NBA. Without him they're second -- again. Kobe Bryant is, without a doubt, the premier basketball player in the universe, but Pau Gasol is his only reliable partner in crime.

Continue reading "NBA Power Rankings"

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have indeed renewed there once coveted rivalry. The Lakers have had a very sour taste in there mouth since last year's NBA finals and this year they have come to play against the Celtics. The Lakers, yet again must learn life without Andrew Bynum. And this year things will be different. They match up so well with the Celtics. Kobe and Gasol against Garnet, Pierce, and Allen. One of the Celtics three will always shoot themselves in the foot. The Lakers bench is devised of quick, nagging, humble assassins who have come to love there role of being Kobe's sidekicks. The Celtics bench is devised of a Big Baby, a Leon Powe and a cold blooded Eddie House. I guess you could throw in an ineffective Tony Allen, as well.

Continue reading "Battle at The Garden"

The Lakers travel to Boston tonight to take on the Celtics in Boston for the first time since... well... all Lakers fans know where I am going. It was a game Laker nation had marked on the schedule as

Continue reading "Lakers-Celtics"

Andrew Bynum has left tonight's game against the Grizzlies with a right knee injury after Kobe Bryant fell on his knee. X-Rays are negative but an MRI is scheduled for tomorrow in New York. This would

Continue reading "Bynum Goes Down with Knee Injury"

Five straight double-doubles from the Lakers big man, and no I'm not talking about Pau Gasol. Lakers center Andrew Bynum looks to be over coming any mental blocks left over from last year's injury. Ov

Continue reading "If Bynum Keeps this up... Lookout!"

The story reads that on Christmas Day in 2008, two great teams, the Los Angeles Lakers (24-5) and the Boston Celtics (27-3), came together to play. One would imagine the goal was simply to win. However, the two teams seemed as if they were competing for something else besides a win. From the jump ball, the Lakers appeared to be on a mission to redeem themselves from last year’s NBA Finals. The Celtics played it as if it was just another game on the way to their ultimate goal of repeating as World Champions. The Lakers won the game with a score of 92-83, but the game can’t be told by the final score. It is told by what each team was playing for: another step in the right direction and redemption. The Celtics learned that they can be beaten. And, the Lakers got their redemption, for this was their Championship game.

Continue reading "The Laker's Championship Game v. ..."

(Note: I've published this post on another blog of mine, here.)

Did you see these two teams yesterday? I don't think I've ever been more impressed by a pair of NBA teams on the same day. The Celtics absolutely dismantled a respectable Dallas Mavericks' team, and the Lakers shamed the once-mighty San Antonio Spurs. Everything was clicking for both the Celtics and Lakers, and yet it's not as if this was a one-time deal.

Continue reading "We're headed for a Lakers/Celtics ..."

Unexpectedly Jordan Farmar made his return from injury to help spark the Lakers to a 99-85 victory over the San Antonio Spurs today. In a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference Farmar

Continue reading "Farmar Returns with a Bang"

42 points, then 23 points, a typical back to back for Kobe Bryant, only this time it wasn't Kobe leading the Lakers in scoring. It was young center Andrew Bynum. Obviously you do not want to get over excited about two games, but hopefully this is a sign of something from young Bynum. Today will tell more when he goes up against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. Even though Bynum's big games came against low ranked teams, if he can build some confidence from these games and carry it on, it will make the Lakers that much better.

Continue reading "Bynum Picking it up, LO too?"

Well after a rough computer transition I am finally back. I'll start with last nights game against the Pacers. It was a defensive battle... not so much, the score was 68-66 at halftime. The Lakers end

Continue reading "Finally Back... Kobe Game Winner"

Dear readers:

I'd like to begin my blogging on this account by thanking each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my content in the past, and those of you who will do the same in the near future. A special, personal thanks goes out to the readers who have provided me with direct feedback.

Continue reading "Welcome to JFro Sports Journalism"

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have beaten the Boston Celtics it is clear that the Lakers have a legitimate shot at beating the champs if they meet in the finals this year.

Boston, who has lost two games since their defeat to the the Lakers on Christmas day, have seemed to have a longer hang over than even they could have expected.

Continue reading "The Biggest obstacle of All"

do much of anything, especially play defense.

Which made them the perfect dance partners for the Los Angeles Lakers last night since they don't like to play defense either.

More than that though, was just how utterly painful to watch this game was. It wasn't a matter of who wanted to win. It was more a matter of who stunk up the joint least.

Continue reading "A Long December"

The Los Angeles Lakers play the best three periods of any team in the league.

Too bad there's four in an NBA game.

I don't know how necessary it is to really explain myself again regarding how the fourth quarter defense- or, rather, lack thereof- is tell-tale sign that any ordering of purple and gold confetti for the Staples Center in June might be premature.

Continue reading "Lakers Are The Best Hockey Team In The NBA"

It's true that a win is a win and in the end it probably doesn't matter how a team gets one.

However, lately I've been writing about whether or not this Lakers team is for real and looking for evidence that come June, I won't be facing another heartbreaking situation like last year.

Continue reading "Lakers Rebound In Philly, But...."

So as everyone knows, unless you hibernated for the last year, the Lakers lost last night to the Pacers.  It wasn't the best game they played and it was one of them quarters where the Pacers were

Continue reading "Last Night"

The Lakers were not the only team in the NBA last night to give up 30+ points in the fourth quarter. Every team that did lost, including the Toronto Raptors who gave up 30+ in EVERY quarter.

 I have said that for the Lakers to show the world that they are serious title contenders they should win this game (among others). I still stand by that statement.

Continue reading "Lakers 4th Quarter Proves Jury Still Out"

Anyone happen to catch that Laker-Mavs game last night?

Anyone else notice another game the Lakers were trailing in and somehow come out with a win?

Yeah, I know they were at home and Dallas is a team that no one really knows what to expect from, but they were on a five game winning streak coming in.

Continue reading "Lakers Roundup"

The Los Angeles Lakers have everything they need to win a championship.

Right now.

They are leading the league in scoring per game, and while they're 'only' sixth in points allowed per game, they're also leading the league in point differential.

Continue reading "Lakers Showing They're The Real Deal"

Everyone knows 82 wins is not possible, well everyone except a few of my friends who called after every win claiming it was. Now that we finally got that out of the way the Lakers will look to get bac

Continue reading "Lakers look to get back on track"

In a possible preview of the Western Conference Finals the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets tonight. Many experts agree these are the two most talented teams in west. It is earl

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Through four games Lakers fans are already counting the days to this years finals.  I being a Lakers fan am excited about this season.  We have Andrew Bynum to provide the size that left us&

Continue reading "Lakers too soft to win it all"

We all have seen how impressive the L.A. Lakers have been at the start of this season. Fisher brings tough defense and good shooting, Kobe is simply the best player in the league and can score at will, Vlad Radmanovic seems to be taking his medications and his mind is stable now showing tenacious defense and his always unlimited range, Gasol is one of the smartest and most fundamental post players in the league and Bynum cleans up the boards and has a surprisingly nice 15 ft jumper.

Continue reading "Impressive Lakers will end with the ..."

Your offense is struggling, you're in a struggle against a team playing their second game in a back to back, what do you do? It's always nice to have Kobe Bryant as an option. Bryant scored 14 of his

Continue reading "That's Just Kobe Being Kobe"

Lakers looked pretty good on opening night defeating Portland. Kobe had good across the board numbers with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, including a nice scoring streak in the second half. Pau Gasol scored all 15 of his points in the first half.

Continue reading "Opening Night"

Health, that’s the one thing that can get in the way of the Los Angeles Lakers quest for the NBA championship this season. Coming off last year’s defeat to the hands of the Boston Celtics the Lakers come back reloaded with a healthy Andrew Bynum. There are still a lot of people out there who feel like Kobe Bryant still does not have enough support to win it all.

Continue reading "Lakers Preview"

lphia Sixers

6) Toronto Raptors

7) Washington Wizards

8) Miami Heat

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1) Los Angeles Lakers

2) New Orleans Hornets

3) Portland Trailblazers

4) Utah Jazz

5) San Antonio Spurs

Continue reading "PREDICTIONS for the NBA 2008-2009 SEASON"

A Day At The Laker Girl TryoutsOne Intrepid Writer Learns What Being A Laker Girl MeansLOS ANGELES (CBS) ― We all know what the best part of being at a Laker game is, right?  No, no, it is not watching Kobe Bryant.  No, it is not trying to pick out all the celebrities in the crowd.  No, it is not the "Kiss Me Cam."  

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nia' Comes To TinseltownOh Manny! What A TradeLOS ANGELES (CBS) ― Who would have thought that the Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Pau Gasol would not even be the biggest trade for a Los Angeles professional sports team this year?

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After watching the Lakers get ransacked, raped, humiliated and emabarassed in the NBA Finals, Los Angeles Laker fans were left to ponder one thing this offseason....

 Whats next?

 The Lakers have been flirting with the idea of trading for Ron Artest for the past few weeks and the name I hear thrown around a lot is Lamar. After Lamar refused to show up in the NBA Finals Laker fans were simply fustarted with Lamar, including myself. Lamar has always been hammered for his inconsistency, but this year was by far his best all around year. Lamar had his best numbers as a Laker this year and it seemed as if he got better once Pau arrived. Before the Finals started I thought Lamar would be the Lakers key factor but it turned out he laid an egg and left Kobe and Pau out to dry. So the questions remians. Do you leave Lamar out to dry becase of one poor series or is thier another move to be made?

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I didn't tune in Game 5 till midway through the 3rd quarter, in fan protest of schizoid nature of Game 4 loss.

It was 62-62, when I tuned in. When I found out the Lakers had been ahead by 19 pts., and had again blown a big early lead, I was doubly glad I tuned in when I did.

Continue reading "Oddly Redundant Lakers Survive Game 5"

Odom-eter: Aggressive to the hoop, excellent passes, rebounds, even jumpers. Welcome back, Lamar!

Kobe facilitating like crazy, grinning early.

35-14 lead after 1st quarter is biggest early Finals lead ever.

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GAME TWO

My Finals prediction before the series was the Los Angeles Lakers in five or six games and although this series is by no means over, it looks like the Boston Celtics will win this series in six games or possibly even in five.

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It wasn't pretty, but SuperKobe (36 pts.), young gun Vujacic (20 pts.), and a tougher Gasol (only 9 pts., but 5 down the stretch, and 12 rebounds)  produced an 87-81 Lakers victory over the visiting Celtics. The Lakers were only 21-34 at the charity stripe, or the winning margin would have been greater.

Continue reading "Lakers Pull Out Ragged Game 3 of Finals"

That putback dunk by Kevin Garnet said it all. This game was very competitive. Celts win 98-88. I like watching it and I wouldne mind seeing it again but with a little more Kobe. I dont know what happ

Continue reading "Boston Celtics Take Game 1"

The two most successful teams in NBA History will be going at it in the NBA Finals tonight. The Celtics already own 16 championships while the Lakers are sitting at 13 championships. Each team will be looking to become one game closer to another ring. This will be the most exciting NBA Finals that we have witnessed in recent years. I like to call this years NBA Finals “Star-Studded”:

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Paul Pierce v. Kobe Bryant. Period. These two will be lighting up the scoreboard the whole series. Expect to see a couple of 40 point games. However this series is not just about the scorers. It wi

Continue reading "NBA Finals - Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers"

As Kobe and the gang put the finishing touches on their astounding 4-1 series victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, I began to wonder "Could Detroit or Boston really beat L.A.?"

Continue reading "Kobe and the Lakers; are the finals over already?"

I was hoping that the Houston Rockets would win the 6th game and extend their series to seven games with them defeating the Jazz at long last.  But it didn't happen, and now our Lakers face the Jazz, a team that's pretty physical.  The Lakers had a six-day layoff, and hopefully they'll be ready.  It's a good thing that they have home-court advantage throughout this series. 

Continue reading "2nd Round starts tomorrow..."

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  I still hate the Sacramento Kings with every cell in my body.  But while the Kings languish near the bottom of the West, the Lakers are at the top of the conference  Suck it Kings fans!  With tonight's game against Sacramento as with EVERYTIME the Kings play, I remember the past.  And smile.

Continue reading "Sports-Diva Says: Lakers-Kings Rivalry ..."

We have been waiting for this moment for months.  No, I’m not talking about the Jason Kidd trade to go through (which it did today).  I am talking to about the second half of the NBA season to begin.  The first three and a half months can be such a drag, and usually are but in the second half, everything picks up.  It is a two-month stretch run to the playoffs.  This is the time when teams like San Antonio and Detroit flip their switch on and look to be playing their best when the playoffs begin.  The flurry of trades that have gone on in the last two or three weeks has just made the second half that much more interesting.  The NBA season is about 20 games too long and it kills ratings but now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.  These next couple months of the regular season and the playoffs are going to be some of the best basketball since the ‘80’s.  The NBA, where exciting happens.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Season Tickets

2. An NFL franchise in Los Angeles

3. The Los Angeles Lakers to get it together and bring home another title

4. An all-expense paid trip to Canton, Ohio and Cooperstown, NY

Continue reading "5 Things I Want for Valentine’s Day"

I remember when Shaq came on the scene as the big guy on the Orlando Magic. He had the silly rap and the even sillier movies but was quite an admirable player. When he came to Los Angeles to play for my hometown Lakers – I was so pumped! The Big Aristotle was awesome to watch and added to the mystique and legend of the team.

Continue reading "Shed a Tear for Shaq"

Although only 20 years old, Lakers center, Andrew Bynum, is proving night in and night out that he will, if not already, be one of the best centers in the NBA.  Last night he thrashed the Pacers, dunking everywhere, including on the man he was rumored to be traded for in the summer, Jermaine O'Neal.  It makes me reminisce over the glorious throw down he had on Shaquille O'Neal a couple years back. With two O'Neals down, who's next? Ed O'Neill, of Al Bundy fame? Tatum O'Neal of alcoholic childstar, drug addict fame? Her father, Ryan O'Neal, of movie star, young Melanie Griffith-banging fame? April O'Neil of cartoon reporting, Ninja Turtles fame? 

Continue reading "ANDREW BYNUM IS A MAN CHILD"

wing up in Los Angeles, the only team that anyone ever talked about when it came to the NBA was the Los Angeles Lakers. I remember the whole city being completely obsessed when it came to Lakers basketball. Billboards, commercials, and fast-food promotions further shoved the team into the forefront of everyone’s mind. Popular bands wrote songs about them and select celebrities lined the courtside seats.

Continue reading "Lakers? Clippers?"

atched him in college and admired his performance then and even sat the next row over from him at a Los Angeles Lakers game once.) I mean seriously, David Garrard is a class act so how can you not root for him!?

Continue reading "Bandwagon Season!"

p>What has happened to the NBA that I grew up with? I must admit, I have paid less attention to my Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA in general in the last season or two. Even so, I really feel like there is something missing.

Continue reading "Hope for the NBA?"