Who Matches Up Better in the First Round against the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers (56-25) have one game remaining in the season against the Sacramento Kings on the road as they play the last game in Arco Arena. This could be a tough game with emotions running high in Arco. The Lakers will have to bring their "A" game in order to secure the second seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.

 So which matchup would be best for the Lakers in the first round ?

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

        If the season was over now it looks as if the Lakers would play the New Orleans Hornets who they have swept the season series four games to none. If the Lakers secure the second seed then this would be the ideal matchup in my opinion for the Lakers. With David West out from injury, it leaves the Hornets with just Chris Paul. Chris Paul is a great player in his own right and will cause problems for the Lakers, but over a seven game series I don't see it happening.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
With New Orleans having a 3 game lead in the tie-breaker against the Memphis Grizzlies, it looks like this would not happen.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Barring the Lakers, Mavericks, and Thunder all win tonight the Lakers would lock up the second seen because they won the season series against both teams. But if the Lakers fall tonight in Sacramento they would swap to the third seed and play the Portland Trailblazers. Now this series could be a tricky one for them and they may not want to get stuck in this with the injuries they have at the moment. Yes they went (3-1) against them in the season but with Bynum's status unknown, this could be a lot of trouble. And not to mention, L.A. has only won once in Portland in the last nine games.

Five Game Skid, first in Four years.

The Los Angeles Lakers after going a miraculous (17-1) have now lost a shocking five games in a row. So what do the need the Lakers need to do to correct the problems before the playoffs start in a week. The starters have been kind of lost in translation the last week and a half with horrible shooting not including last nights lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home when it seemed like they finally began to wake up. Andrew Bynum on the other-hand has begun to play exceptional well in his own right.

Is Phil Jackson Really Giving it all Up?

Jackson with Kobe
Courtesy of Allteach.com

Los Angeles Laker's coach Phil Jackson has made it public that this season would be his last with the Lakers. Many people around the league are skeptic about the announcement because Jackson made the same statement last year. The man who has more three-peats then any other team. You can't compare with the old Boston Celtics winning eight of ten championships in the 50s-60s. With 11 championships overall, 10 as a coach and one with the New York Knicks as a player. No man has as much rings as Jackson. The Lakers three-peated between the years (2000-2002) under Phil and have been to the last three championship games winning the last two. So there is a chance for his second three-peat with the team. When Jackson was in Chicago he three-peated twice with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman just to name a few players. Possibly bored from all his championship, Jackson says he will retire. But I find myself not quite believing his announcement. A team like the Miami Heat could use, not saying need to but I can see him going there, or even back to the team that drafted him into the league,New York.

Jackson with Jordan. Kobe and Jordan are
reverred as the pure pupils to Jackson's
methods.

What Needs to Happen for a 3-Peat?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been to the last three NBA Finals and won the last two. With the recent success, has came criticism for the Lakers until the second half of the season where they've gone (17-2). So in-order for Phil Jackson to complete his fourth three-peat in his career as a coach there is a few things that need to happen. In this post I will highlight a few things that I believe needs to go right for the Lakers to move through the playoffs and win another championship.

1.)The Bench needs to step up and be consistent.

Besides my 6th Man of the Year award winner Lamar Odom, the bench needs to come out and be consistent. The three important players "The Killer B's," Shannon Brown, Steve Blake, and Matt Barnes need to keep things going when the starters take a break. Jackson has criticized his bench as of late for allowing leagues to blunder. Hopefully this next stretch of games will allow them to get it right. 

Steve Blake showing is physical side.
Courtesy of L.A. Times

Matt Barnes needs to be that
enforcer of the bench in the
playoffs for the Lakers
Courtesy of Foxsports.com

                                                                    



Shannon Brown needs to
continue to score while Bryant
is on the bench.
Courtesy of thirdage.com




















2.) Andrew Bynum needs to continue his second half play into the playoffs. He is averaging a double double since the All-Star break. He is a major part why the Lakers have been so good as of late. If he continues to be a presence in the paint, in a seven game series I can't see another team that can match the Lakers down-low.

Down-low there isn't another
player in the league that can match
up with Bynum except Howard
from theMagic.
Courtesy of NBA.com

3.) Kobe Bryant has to be Kobe Bryant, enough said.

Courtesy of L.A.Times

MVP...Who Deserves it?

MVP equals what we like to say is the Most Valuable Player. In the NBA this discussion holds true for only a select few. The NBA season is a long daunting one and puts pressure on it's stars to produce constantly over an 82 game season. As a long time Laker fan I like to see Kobe Bryant in the discussion every year, and he usually resides in it. But this year I must admit there are plenty of good candidates. Here is my list of potential candidates and the order I've placed them in at the moment. This may not result in the top three players in the league, but they're respectably in the conversation. You can make an arguement for a few other players, but this is only my opinon.

Courtesy of NBA.com

1.) Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls..53-19)

2010-11 Statistics

PPG 24.9

RPG 4.20

APG 7.9

EFF + 23.00

 

 

 

 

 

2.) Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers..53-20)



Courtesy of
onemanfastbreak.com



   2010-11 Statistics

    PPG 25.2

    RPG 5.20

    APG 4.8

    EFF + 21.58

                                                        


                                                                        3.) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks..52-21)

Courtesy of Shattertheglass.com



        2010-11 Statistics

            PPG 23.2

            RPG 6.90

            APG 2.5

            EFF + 23.72

15-1 Since the Break....Whoa!



Bryant has been averaging 36 points a game
over the last three.
Courtesy of NBA.com



Since the All-Star break the Los Angeles Lakers have been on a tear throughout the league. Posting a leagues best, (15-1) record since the break, the Lakers are in playoff mode. With the lone loss to the Miami Heat 94-88 on the road, the Lakers have completed their schedule against the Eastern Conference. The Lakers during the streak moved in second place in the Western Conference and four games behind San Antonio with nine remaining. It seems like a long shot for first place, but the driving mode has been to post the best record possible before the season's end. At (53-20) they have the league's third best record and only one game behind the Chicago Bulls (53-19) for second place. If they could swap places, it would leave the Lakers with Home court advantage barring they make it to the Finals. With improved play from Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum and a new surge from Kobe Bryant the Lakeshow is in Full effect.

Lamar Odom has but great
numbers up, as he makes
his case for 6th Man of the
Year.
Courtesy of NBA.com

Andrew Bynum has put up out this world
rebounds and blocks since the break.
Courtesy of NBA.com



How Valuable is Lamar Odom?



Odom and Bryant sharing a laugh
onthe bench.

Courtesy of LAobserve.com



Arguably the best sixth man in the league Lamar Odom, has been a gem off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers. The versitle Odom has been playing his best basketball of his life this year. At 6'11 Odom can play off the ball, under the rim, you name it. The Lakers are the tallest team in the NBA with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum also on the roster and the depth of Odom adds another tree inside. In 2009 Lamar signed a 33 million dollar four year deal and since then his worth has shown even more. Helping the Lakers to three straight finals appearances and two rings, he is poised to do it again. Coach Phil Jackson has recently came out in public and calls Odom, "invaluable" to the Lakers. He can play the any position on the court offensively and with a player like his caliber, he would be starting for any of the other 31 ball clubs. He is third in scoring on the team with 14 points per game, third in rebounds with almost nine, and is shooting (53.8%) from the field. Now who wouldn't want that kind of player on their team?

Bynum Suspended

Bynum awaiting the referee's decision.
Courtesy of L.A. Times

Andrew Bynum was suspended Friday for his Flagrant 2 against Minnesota Timberwolve, Michael Beasley. Late in the fourth quarter Beasley made a move to the basket across the baseline. The mild tempered Andrew Bynum then sent Beasley a message with a flagrant 2 foul. He clearly came up without making a basketball move and seemlessly throwing an elbow which ended in Beasley hitting the floor. Beasley was able to get up due to his adrenaline but soon left the game with a bruised hip. The NBA gave Bynum a two game suspension without pay, he was set to make about 250,000 dollars in salary over the stretch. Lakers play the Trail Blazers and Suns in his absence. A Laker fan should look at it in a different sense, taking that it will give Bynum a rest, taking he recently stated he had felt fluid in his knee. He will continue play Friday against their in city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers.

Post All-Star Break Equals Good Vibes

With Andrew Bynum's inproved play, the Lakers have been
able to go (9-1) since the All-Star break.
Courtesy of L.A. Times


 

Kobe after rolling his ankle. Lakers

fans were left holding their breath.

Courtesy of L.A. Times

The Los Angeles Lakers had themselves a trying week as they played teams like, San Antonio, Atlanta, Miami, and Dallas but coming out with only one loss is impressive. The Lakers have been on a tear as of lately winning nine of the last ten games after the All-Star break with their only loss to the hands of the Heat on the road. The Lakers had won eight in a row until Thursday's loss, but with a quick turn-around in Dallas, the Lakers were able to win against the Mavericks in a crucial game for seeding in the Western Confernce. After the win the Lakers are now a half game behind Dallas and seven and a half  behind San Antonio for first place. Los Angeles (47-20) have a game at Staples Center Monday night against the Orlando Magic who beat them a couple weeks ago.

 Questions concerning a "human" Kobe Bryant as of late have risen. After his post-game workout in Miami shooting the ball, the media has jumped in on trying to get inside and see his "human factor." But the next game against Dallas he proved again as some kind of basketball god rolling his ankle horribly in the third quarter, and returning in the fourth to knock down a big turn-around jumper.




Second Half Push has Started...Can it last?

Ron Artest distrupting Kevin Durant.
Courtesy of L.A. Times

Andrew Bynum blocking Serge Ibaka's drive to the Hoop.
He finished with five blocks for the game.
Courtesy of L.A. Times

With the second half of the season in full affect, the Lakers (42-19) have been able to go on a nice four game run to start it off. In their latest win against the Oklahoma City Thunder 90-87, the Lakers now have a new found confidence in themselves. On the road in arguablly one of the toughest arenas to play at, they were able to steal a win. Kobe Bryant finished with only 17 points but he was able to move up once again on the All-Time scoring list to number seven passing Moses Malone. Andrew Bynum finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds while also contributing five blocks. The biggest story for the Lakers Sunday was the play of Ron Artest against Kevin Durant. Durant had 21 points while shooting (8-20) for the game. Next up for the Lake Show on the road is the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-46). The Lakers are 2-0 against them on the season so far and looking for another win Tuesday night as they gear up for some tough competition soon. Friday night the Lakers play 

Tony Parker will be out
for 2-4 weeks.
Courtesy of Inflexwetrust.com



host to the Chalotte Bobcats (26-34), then Sunday afternoon against the best team in the league record-wise, the Spurs (49-10). So Tuesday night's game is crucial for some fine tuning.The Spurs will be with out their starting point guard Tony Parker for a few weeks as he's suffering from a calf injury. This could be a good sign for the Lakers as he has always been a torn in the side.

First Three Down..All in a Good Way!

Kobe pulls up for the game tying shot with
4.7 seconds remaining against Portland
sending it into overtime.



Andrew Bynum coming up big Defensively,
he had 16 and 11 on the night against the
Clippers



As the season comes to its critical second half, teams in the NBA with a chance for the playoffs are all in and ready for the final push. The Los Angeles Lakers who went into the All-Star struggling and losing to a team the likes of the Cavaliers, is in the same boat pushing towards the playoffs. The first week for the Lakers looked tough on paper with teams such as, the Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Thunder. The Lakers though seem to of had one hell of a break winning the first three games of the second half. A commanding 24 points win against Atlanta seem to of sparked interest in the team. Then traveling to Portland where the Lakers had lost eight of their last nine games, they would win in a comeback fashion 106-101 as Kobe Bryant scored 28 of his 37 points in the second half (eight in overtime). Ron Artest also had his best night of the year scoring 24 points. Winning in Portland meant a lot to the team and the fans and would hopefully go a long way in gaining some confidence. Next for the Lakers, they would play their fellow Staples Center friends, the Clippers in a Thursday night showdown of L.A. In a game where the scarest moment that could happen, happened. Kobe Byrant left the game in the second quarter. The funny thing was, he was hit on his funny bone. Bryant was able to come out in the second half scoring 18 of his 24 points in the third quarter alone as the Lakers cruised past the Clippers 108-95. With a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday, the Lakers hope to make it a clean sweep for the first week of the second half. The Lakers are now (41-19) for the season with a 10 game lead in the Pacific Division and a game and a half behind Dallas for second place.

25 Games to Get it Right!



Kobe getting one of his 14
rebounds in the All-Star Game.
Courtesy of NBA.com

Joe Johnson is a pure scorer, and played
pretty good Defense on Kobe in the
All-Star game.
Courtesy of NBA.com



Surprisingly there is other talk in the NBA besides the Carmelo Anthony. There's talk in Miami about how the team is gelling, talk in Boston about how well the Celtics are playing at their age. There's even talk about how the Spurs are holding such a commanding lead in the league with their age. The Lakers are also a subject of talk these days, maybe much more than they want. The two-time defending champions seem to be acting like they don't want it anymore. The problem is not the loss to the NBA's worst team, the Cavaliers, it's more internal, there is something more going on. With 25 games remaining in the season the Lakers are sitting at third in the West and with something to prove. The second half starts off with a bang as the Atlanta Hawks (34-21) come to play tonight, and should be a test for the Lakers. Wednesday L.A. travels to play the Portland Trailblazers (32-24) and then the Clippers (21-35) and Thunder (35-19) to end the week. So the Lakeshow has to wake up and wake up fast as they play such a tough line up in the first week back. One positive sign is that Kobe Bryant looked well in the All-Star game as he scored 37 points and 14 rebounds and took home the MVP in front of the home crowd. With the trade dead-line over on Thursday of this week, coach Phil Jackson doesn't believe that the Lakers will make any moves. It will be an interesting second half for the Lakers. Matt Barnes is set to come back sometime next week and Theo Ratliff should return soon as well. In my opinion, if the Lakers are going to make a move by Thursday, it has to be at the point guard position.

Matt Barnes is set to come back
sometime next week.
Courtesy of Sportsnewscaster.com

All-Star Weekend Hosted by Staples Center

All-Star weekend in the NBA is off to a good start this week with the Celebrity All-Star and Rookie Challenge already taken place. Staples Center is playing host this year to the event. With all the best players in the league in attendence for the different events it has always been a spectacle and hopefully will continue to be.

Celebrity All-Star game MVP Justin Bieber and

West Coach Magic Johnson

Courtesy of NBA.com



In the Celebrity All-Star game the East team won 54-49 against the West with Justin Bieber taking in the MVP honors friday night. He scored 8 points on (3-11) shooting but with some big time 3-pointers made.

Blake Griffin goes up for the Dunk.

Courtesy of NBA.com



The much talked about Carmelo Anthony dressed to
 impress at the Rookie Challenge

In the Rookie Challenge on the other hand, the points were much easier to come by with the Rookies defeating the Sophmores 148-140. Rookie John Wall won MVP of the game with his 22 assists for the night breaking Chris Paul's All-Star record of 17 assists. Fellow Rookie and ex-Kentucky Wildcat teammate of Wall's, DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points and 14 rebounds, while fellow power-forward Rookie Blake Griffin contributed with 14 points. For the Sophmores Los Angeles home grown talent James Harden had 30 points while DeJuan Blair scored 28 points and had 15 rebounds.

With the weekend in full effect, the rest of the activities should be just as good as friday night. Saturday night Staples Center will host the Skills Competition, Three-Point contest, and the much publicized Slam Dunk Contest.

Grammy Road Trip goes from Gold to Bronze

Starting off 4-0 on their popular Grammy Road Trip the Los Angeles Lakers have lost two in a row. With signature road wins against the Celtics and Knicks on back-to-back nights, people were starting to believe more in the Lakers. The next two games would be more of the usual to the fans. The Lakers lost to the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats by 20 points. To end their Grammy Road Trip the Lakers play the Cavaliers in Cleveland Ohio tonight at 7:30 eastern time. The Cavaliers are the leagues worst team with a record of (9-46) and just recently erasing their widely known 26 games losing streak. Many feel confident that the (38-18) Lakers will win the game finishing their trip with a (5-2) record. Most teams would be content with that road trip but in Los Angeles, the mind set is "what have you done for me lately?"



In other Lakers' news, starting in the 2012-2013 NBA season the Lakers will not be shown for free over the air in the Los Angeles region. A 20 year deal with Time Warner Cable will be in effect and will wipe out the free games for all Lakers fans in the area. There will be a few free games that will be aired, but they will only be the national ABC aired games that usually take place on Sunday afternoons. According to the L.A. Times, 620,000 homes in the area do not pay for TV. In my opinion that is a big chunk of fans for the Lakers, but the deal is already in place and it is kind of odd, since the Lakers grew most of their popularity from using this grass root approach to raise fan-ship.

Finally....Lakers..Finally!

The Los Angeles Lakers finally come with a win against one of the top contenders in the NBA thursday night as they come from 15 points down to steal a win in Boston 92-86. The Lakers found themselves down by 15 late in the second quarter by a score of 45-30. They would then close out the half well and bring out the same intensity in the second half as they went on a 24-5 run to take the lead. Boston then would play catch up and at a couple moments take the lead. In a night that Ray Allen passed Reggie Miller for the all-time 3-pointers made in NBA history, Kobe Bryant was quiet in the first half. Coming out as a facilitater, he tried to get his teammates involved. With only three points in the first half, Kobe would not do the same in the second half. Kobe turned into his alternate ego, "Black Mamba" and went off scoring 12 points in the third quarter alone, giving the Lakers the lead going into the forth, where he again would close the game out scoring eight points. Kobe's biggest shot of the night was over the foul-proned Ray Allen under a minute to go, giving the Lakers an eight point lead and icing the game. Kobe would finish with 23 points and still give that persona as the GAME'S best closer. Offense was not just the answer though in L.A.'s win over Boston, defense was the answer for this win. The Lakers were able to totally shift the game in the second half as they held the Celtics to (30.2%) shooting (13-43). The Lakers played the Celtics at their own game for a change and it showed success. Also the bigs game up well in the game. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 40 points and 19 rebounds and the Lakers as a whole outscored the Celtics in the paint also. Up next for the Lakers on the second day of a back-to-back, the New York Knicks. After the win the Lakers improve to (37-16) and (3-0) on the "Grammy" road trip.


Bynum in the post.
courtesy of NBA.com

Ray Allen for a 3-pointer to pass Reggie Miller for the all-time record of 2,561, he finished with 20 points

for the night.

courtesy of NBA.com

Lakers open up 7-Game Road Trip with Success

Kobe flips a shot past Mark Gasol
courtesy of L.A. Times

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Spurs last thursday on a last second despiration tip in as the clock expired. With the loss to the San Antonio Spurs the Lakers began a seven game road trip in New Orleans saturday night against the Hornets. Lately in the media, the Lakers have been criticized for being to soft, especially the bigs inside. Well with Kobe Bryant in the ear of his bigs, Pau Gasol answered with a larger physical game saturday. In the 101-95 win he tallied 34 points on (13-17) shooting along with 10 assists, 3 rebounds and a block. Kobe Bryant also got in the mix with 32 points himself followed by 9 rebounds and 5 assists. It was the first time the two stars scored 30 points in a game together since march of 2009. With the win the Lake-Show started the road trip on a positive start. Next up, the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies who have won the last two games in the series this season. The Lakers lost by 19 points in their last meeting at Staples Center last month, so they were looking for a little personal revenge. The Lakers were able to win their second game in a row by a score of 93-84 over the Grizzlies. Kobe Bryant finished with 19 points and Pau Gasol played well and scored 17 points. The Lakers were able to control much of the game as the Grizzlies were playing catch up. Mid way throught the fourth quarter Memphis was able to get within two points, but the Lakers went on a 11-0 run to handle business. Next up for the Lakers is a trip to their most hated rivals, the Boston Celtics on thursday night. After losing last week to the Celtics the Lakers are looking to right their ship, and get the media monkey off their back. The Lakers have improved their record to (36-16) on the season and (2-0) with five games remaining on the Grammy road trip and move back into second place in the Western Conference only behind the San Antonio Spurs.

 The Gasol brothers going at it.
courtesy of L.A. Times

Bryant driving to the basket. He finished with 19 points
Courtesy of L.A. Times



An Overtime Clutch Shot from Bryant Lifts Lakers past Rockets and Stops the Bleeding....or Does it?

With the 114-106 win tuesday night, the Lakers were able to stop the losing skid at two games, but the win had to come in overtime against the Houston Rockets. Many Lakers supporters including myself believe this game should of been a lot easier, but as the Rockets proved in the opening game of the season, they would be another tough opponent. Andrew Bynum sat out the game with a bone bruise to his left knee that is not very serious. Kobe Bryant was able to errupt again with a team high 32 points and 11 assist's as he moved into another milestone. He became only the seventh player to amass at least 25,000 points and 5,000 assist's in a career. Pau Gasol added a great night with 26 points and 16 boards while Lamar Odom got his 32nd start this season and had a field day with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Next up for the Lakers on thursday night, the San Antonio Spurs come into town with the best record in the league (40-9) and following a loss on the road to Portland. The Lakers now improve to (34-15) on the season.

Kobe with 2 of his 32pts on the night
courtesy of Nba.com

Kobe with the Assist in the 1st got him #5000 for his career. Bryant is only the 7th player to amass 25000 pts and 5000 ast's
courtesy of L.A. Times

Kobe with the basket at 39.1 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Lakers a 110-106 lead.
courtesy of L.A. Times

Rockets guard Kevin Martin drives to the lane. Martin had 30 pts
courtesy of Nba.com

The Many Cliche's of Kobe

Kobe Without Regard for Human Life




Momma There Goes that MAN




The Black MAMBA!



MR. 81!



Half Man, Half Amazing

Boston Comes to Play...Lakers watch Kobe

The Lakers fall flat 109-96 as the Boston Celtics come to town to play. In a much needed win for the Lakers in the media's eye, Kobe Bryant seemed to have been the only one to show up. With absolutely no movement in the triangle the Lakers bigs' were merely taken out of the game. Kobe who shot 16-29 finished with a game high of 41 points seemed to of been the only Lakers' player driven to win this afternoon. Lamar Odom finished second in scoring off the bench with 15 but it was clearly not enough as Gasol and Bynum only combined for 23 points. For the Celtics Paul Pierce came in and clearly went hand in hand with Bryant throughout the game. Pierce finished with a team-high 32 points.

Kobe on a base-line jumper with the foul from Shaq..
seem to of been the norm in the game.
courtesy of LA Times.

Pierce fouled as he gets in the paint.
courtesy of LA Times.
The game seemed to of swung for both teams in the first two and half quarters but as the 3rd quarter started to wine down the Celtics clamped down with what they're known for the best, DEFENSE. The number 9 seemed to of been the hole the Lakers dugged themselves into, and that hole was a lot deeper than it looked. Kobe was able to will the game to a four point difference but as the bigs were being out rebounded and out hustled on both sides of the court, # 24 was enough to defeat the Celtics.

courtesy of LA Times.

Kevin Garnett was hit by a Paul Gasol elbow which
seemed to of opened his skull late in the second quarter.
courtesy of L.A. Times

This is now two big losses for the Lakers in the main media spot-light game, but the Lakers have a quick turn around as tuesday they play the much improved Houston Rockets as they prepare for the San Antonio Spurs on TNT Thursday night. Lakers have lost two games in a row putting their record to (33-15) on the season.