Sigh...so yeah no real info about the Clippper, I mean Lakers JV game. Lakers beat the little boys by 8. It was a pretty entertaining game though. Pretty close at the end, until the Lakers decided to stop toying with them and put them to sleep. Blake Griffen had a few dunks as always (yawn). But, he actually missed one. That's something new LOL. Now Ron " stick to the 3's" Artest attempted 3 dunks and missed 2 of them...BADLY. The bench roared in laughter as did the crows at the ESPN Zone. But, the best part of an otherwise uneventful hallway series was when Chris Kaman tried to beat up D Fish! D Fish comes up to like his waist and hes trying to punk him! Everyone knows..well Luis Scola surely knows..if you keep strong arming Fishy with those screens hes gonna get pissed and retaliate. He doesn't care how big or strong or ugly in Kamans case..you are. The ref separated the 2 and Kaman was hit with 2 techs and Fish was called for one. Here comes the funny part..as Kaman was being escorted off the court he gestured for Fish to meet him outside after the game!!! Its been reported that Matt Barnes asked Fish if he wanted him to walk out with him and watch his back should Kaman make real on his threats. Fisher said " no one is sacred of Kaman!" Barnes said " I just wanted to see if he had the guts to back up his talk and if so it was gon get handled." I LOVE IT!!!!! When Kobe was asked about the incident he said " Whats he gon do, shoot him with one of his bow and arrows?? Give me a break", he said rolling his eyes. I LOVE The fight in my team and how they have each others backs! Earlier when Matt Barnes was asked about the " rivalry" between the 2 he said " I think they need a few more wins before it becomes a rivalry." ***Dead***. And on that note..on to the next game...
The pesky " Westless" Hornets were in town trying to keep their head above water ( no pun intended) until the playoffs without their number one re bounder and sometimes the glue that holds their team together. David West tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season. As expected the Lakers steamrolled the Hornets beating them by 18. To no surprise Kobe led the way with 30 points. He scored on former Laker Trevor Ariza in every way possible pushing him to 5 fouls. Poor Trevor, looking like merely a shell of a former champion. He doesn't even look like hes having fun anymore. If his agent isnt fired and  working at Target now he should be. Moving on, even with David West the Hornets still fall into the category of nearly every team in the NBA : they cant match the Lakers height. Some teams make up for it better than others. The Hornets didn't stand a chance. Okafur did get a double double, but made no real impact on the game. The Lakers game plan was to leave the 3 shooters, Ariza, Willie Green, and Belleneli open, while cutting off Chris Pauls driving lanes. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. The Hornets were 3-17 from beyond the arc.  Bynums numbers were fairly low in comparison to recent games mainly because he was off and on the bench with foul trouble. His 5th foul came with 9:37 left in the 4th quarter and Phil decided to leave him in the game. Instead of being timid and scared to foul out Bynum became more aggressive scoring 7 of the Lakers next 9 points, one of them being a monster dunk.  Bynum said " At that point I was like , well I might as well go hard, because If I get called for a foul its to be expected."  All wasn't lost because of foul trouble though. The Spaniard stepped up and had 23 points. He was doing it all. he ran the floor, had his mid range game going, and he hauled down 16 boards. Lamar Odum was expected to pick up some of the slack too (sigh). Maybe he was nervous or antsy due to the film crew being there. One of the first episodes for " Kloe and Lamar" was filmed last night. Whatever the reason Lamar played 26 minutes and only took 6 shots! Unacceptable. He also didn't help keep the Hornets off the glass. The Lakers as a whole gave up 17 offensive rebounds. Odashian wasn't the only disappointment off the bench. The rest of the mob were a woeful 7-20 from the field. Phil has not been quiet about the fact he isn't happy with the bench production. Sure we won the Suns game, but it only went to 3 OTs because we gave a up a 21 point lead. Phil has graded the bench as a " C to and F" as far as overall performance in recent games. They have been dribbling the ball way to much, swinging it around the perimeter, and waiting too long into the shot clock to throw it inside. With all that said the champs still found a way to win. Even with the bench playing sub par, Kobe being injured, Lamar looking like he has the Looney Tunes Theme Song going off in his head, Fisher being inconsistent, and Gasol being soft, the Lakers still come out on top. Kobe Bryant seems to be scoring more since his ankle injury in Dallas. He said to serve the league notice that hes in " Play off mode" now. YIKES! It seems as if all the Lakers are getting on that page slowly but surely.
As far as the standings go the Spurs lost their 3rd game in a row to Memphis last night. This could be a potential 1st round match up if the Spurs stay on top and Memphis stays at 8th. Memphis has actually beat  the Spurs twice this season. With Tim Duncan hurt and Ginobli probable for the next game the Spurs may have cause to worry. They don't have an easy schedule ahead either. They still have to play Boston, Portland, Phoenix twice and the Lakers. We will come head to head with them  on April 12 at Staples. As for today my boys have the day off for much much needed rest. They will head back to El Segundo tomorrow to get ready for the Dallas match up on Thursday. This will be a Western Conference showdown you don't want to miss. So, strap on your seat belts ladies and gents its gonna be a bumpy ride!! Until then....

Noche Latina? Muchas Garacias Los Lakers!!!!!!! Mui Bueno!!!!!!

It was Latin Night at Staples and all I can say is :Third times a charm!!!! Whew!!  That's the first word that comes to mind after that Thrilla in Manilla! The Brawl for it All!!! Well maybe not all, but the Lakers were fighting to keep position in the West and the Sums were fighting to GET position in the West. As I'm still breathing a sigh of relief the morning after Im thinking the only thing that would've made this game better is if we were playing against Boston...I may have passed out if that were the case. I was already on oxygen and had 911 on standby. This was the best game of the NBA to date. The Lakers hadn't gone to triple OT on their home court since Feb 2nd 1969!!!Well for those of you living under a rock who missed the game, or who like my friend (who shall remain nameless D ENZO) decided to go to sleep while we were ahead, or who simply want to relive it..here goes:
It started out as everyone expected, the Lakers coasting through 3 and 1/2  half quarters like they had not a care in the world. Then of course..sometimes true to form the 2nd unit came in and so did the Suns barrage of 3s, oh and Luke Walton. To spare you the gory details we lost a 21 point lead with 4:40 left to go in the 3rd. The Suns scratched an clawed their way back and had the champs on the ropes going on a 20 to 8 run. I'm not sure why the Lakers just decided to stop defending. Going back to slow rotations, getting caught in screens, and at one time the Suns had 46 points in the paint!! I get it Bynum was suspended, but come on! Pau was again playin like he was my sisters height ( that's a whopping 4'11 for those who don't know her)!!!!  As the defense faded away so did the hopes of tacos as the Suns past 100 points midway thru the 4th .All night the killed the Lakers with the Gortat/ Nash high screen and roll. Coming down to the wire it was up to none other than Mr Dependable D Fish who hadn't scored all night to streamline some ice water and nail 2 free throws to tie the game. The game officially went to OT as  Vince Carter missed a 3 at the buzzer . The first OT was pretty sloppy as well. The Suns never letting up. The Laker offense was stagnant. But with Ron Artest behind the arc 18k fans yelling at him not to shoot, he did it anyway..and nailed it blowing kisses in the air soaking up the applause!!!Then true to form Lamar Odum fouled the flaming hot Channing Frye at the 3 point line with 1.1 secs left . The Lakers say the foul happened before the shot but the refs didn't see it that way. Of course Frye sank all 3 baskets and hoped to the bench with his tongue wagging while Lamar Odum remained stunned on the court, later stating he didn't want to face his guys in the loker room after that one. Try me in a dark alley because I was getting ready too..ok where was I...Giving him room for redemption Phil Jackson drew up a play for Odum. He had a good look from a pass on the right wing from Ron Ron, but it clanked off the rim as the Lakers faced Double Overtime. The Lakers still couldn't put away the pesky Suns in 2 overtimes so it took another.We got there by only by the hairs of Pau (make 1 miss 1 at the line) Gasols chiny chin chin. He sank 2 free throws to tie the score at 121 as both weary teams headed to Triple OT. I had to blink and make sure I wasn't back in the 80s!!Looking a bit fatigued with shots not falling and defense becoming stagnant at times, both teams stayed in the fight. The Lakers were 0-6 to start the 3rd Overtime and looked like they had more shot clock violations than they had all year.But after grant Hill fouled out with 2:19 left Kobe took over. He sank a 3 pointer over Jared Dudley to bring the Lakers up by 1. In the words of Kasey B " No matter what the stats are..when Kobe showes his teeth GAME OVER." Alvin Gentry would've loved to have gotten that memo.Then came the Ron Artest show. Yes you read that right. He stole the ball from Steve Nash sprinting down the court with a left handed slam and stood in front of the Suns bench kissing his biceps!!!! Moments later he shot a 15ft off balance fade away with 1:08 left. Kobe Bryant was the first Laker to embrace him at half court. He finished with 7 points in OT. The Suns had nothing left.
Stats for the 63 minute game were impressive Kobe ended with 42 points 12 rebounds and 9 assists. Odom had a season high 29 points, 16 boards, and 5 assists. Even though Pau sank those clutch free throws and had 24 points, and 13 rebounds he was a dismal 9 for 25 from the field. Pau Gasol did have a good post move down low in OT and actually made Channing Frye look like Pau Gasol! LOL. For the Suns, Steve Nash had an expected 20 assist. Channing Frye had a career high 32 points and 5  3 pointers. Gortat definitely showed Orlando why they regret trading him. As a whole the Suns jacked up 41 3 point shots making 17 of them. But the stat that stood out the most was the Lakers only had 6 turnovers for the entire game. That is impressive.
So even though the Lakers squandered a lead, this will go down as one of the best games of the year. Neither team giving in, neither team bowing down, neither team willing to leave. They played as if this was game 7 of the finals and it sure felt like it. So thank you Lakers and Suns for giving us this game, for having thousands of people glued to the TV and on the edge of their seats well into the night. For making the fans at Staples stay until the confetti dropped. For reminding us all why " We Love This Game".

On to the next one.....

When asked what was going thru Kobe’s head when he sank a jumper in the corner while Brando Roy’s hand was in his face he simply said “ Make the damn shot!” That was only 2 of Kobe Bryant’s 22 points. 10 of those points coming in the 4^th quarter that helped lead the Lakers to an 80-84 victory over the Portland Trailblazers. But the end of the game wasn’t indicative of how the Lakers played.

On a wet and rainy afternoon in LA just minutes after the pregame meetings and walk thru the Lakers learn the league has suspended Andrew Bynum for the next 2 games. The staff had expected to hear something Saturday if a suspension would’ve been handed down. I’m sure they practiced each scenario, but learning your stating center and #1 defensive threat these days won’t be playing only hours before the game is unsettling to put it mildly. But as the champs have done so many nights before they tied up their laces, made sure no knifemen were in the building, and took the floor.

Lamar Odum started for Drew as he has many times in the past. In the first half the Lakers looked just as wet and soggy as my raincoat. The “Bynum less” middle was being riddled by Portland. There was no block party tonight! And surely no one to do the dirty work on the glass.  Lamar and Pau both allowing too many rebounds and points in the paint. By halftime the Lakers were out rebounded 23-18. Not only were they loosing the paint game, but Nicolas Batum had 19 points in the first half! They really needed that seeing as that Lemarcus Aldridge started off very slow. At times they whipped the ball around so fast it left the Lakers looking dazed, confused, and old. Their rotations were so slow you could actually see them NOT coming!  But don’t think defense was the only thing ailing the Lakers. Offensively they also left a lot to be desired. The Blazer coaching staff must’ve done their homework because everyone knows the zone defense is our kryptonite! Instead of making quick passes and dribble penetration the Lakers were lost in translation with no communication and turnovers.  They totally went away from their “inside out” game. Jacking up a dismal 3-17 from outside. By halftime the Lakers limped to the locker room down by 4.

The 2^nd half was a bit more interesting. Portland started running their offense thru LaMarcus Aldridge’s half court sets and Wallace was a beast on the boards. But the Lakers started driving to the hoop and made a few free throws. Unfortunately they were still down by 7 going into the 4^th until Matt Barnes heaved a half court shout to beat the buzzer changing 7 to 4 in a heartbeat. Mr Mo was back on our side!! In the 4^th LeMarcus continued leading Portland’s offense and Marcus( “he’s still alive?” )Camby was crashing the boards. The Lakers were making their shots but Portland still was ahead with 6 minutes remaining. Then just like that the tides began to turn. Andre Miller had two turnovers in a row. Attribute that to him just having an off night or Fish making 2 big defensive plays at the end of the game as he’s done soo many times in the past. I choose the latter. This ignited the champs sending them on a 41-2 run for the last 5 minutes of the game. Marcus Camby went down with another ankle sprain (who didn’t see that coming) which left the paint wide open where we ended up being plus 18 for the 2^nd half. The Lakers also as a whole tighten up on D holding the Blazers to only 5 points in the last 6:30. Our big guys didn’t have a GREAT game but they got it done each having a double double. Pau logging a whopping 45minutes. The Lakers ended with 4 players in double figures, but I think we all can say it was the vetrans who brought us home. Fish with those 2 steals that converted into 4 points. The one from the red hot Batum resulted in a 17 footer that rocked the Staples Center to its core. Then the Black Mamba strikes again shooting over Brandon Roy followed by the chest pumping, hand slapping, jersey pulling , potty mouth Kobe that has been distant as of late. Could it be because of the injuries that he never talks about, the fouls that hardly ever go his way, the suspension on his young center, or was he  simply sending a message to a possible first round play off opponent? Whatever the reason I’m glad he decided to let the league know “We are the champs and we aren’t going anywhere!!! The Road to the Ring will always come thru Figueroa.

In conclusion in a game where because of no Drew we were out rebounded 45 to 35 and gave up 21 2^nd chance points, Portland bowed out after a hard fought game. But for the Lakers in the words of Jay-Z it’s “On to the next one”. Check out the photo of the whiteboard from the locker room after the game:

Couldnt have said it better myself :)

Rusty Lakers hold off Minnesota in " chipy" win

Well as I suspected the Lakers came out flat like they usually do after a few days off rest. At times they resembles the team that lost to the Cavs and the Bobcats. Lakers played catch up virtually the whole first half. Kobe Bryant was fighting his ankle injury appearing very slow against the young Wes Johnson. Johnson scored a career best 29 points ( although he score 20 on the Lakers last time ). Kobe described it as having " Bambi legs" out there. He hadn't practiced with the team or even shot a ball in about 4 days. His ankle was bothering him so much he stayed in the locker room after half time whole Shannon Brown started in his place. Kobe reemerged with 6:18 left in the quarter. The Lakers didn't miss a beat without him though. Shannon scored 14 points...yeah his jumper was actually falling!! As if things weren't already bad for Kobe he got a hard hit from Webster at the 5:57 mark of the 4th quarter. As Kobe was going for the steal Webster gave him a shoulder to the chin. He stayed on the floor for several minutes while fans and teammates stared in anticipation. When asked by trainer Gary Vitti if he was ok  he didn't answer. Vitti said he thought Kobe had whiplash. Kobe got up, sat on the bench, listened in the huddle and went back out on the court without a word. Just and angry scowl followed by a 18 footer. Don't shake that tree or the mamba will fall out!!!! Kobe held his neck while talking to the media often times flexing and at times looking dazed. When asked if he would play Sunday against Portland he said " Ill be ready. I promise you that. Ill be more than ready." DUHHHHH! Kobe finished with just 18 points going 6-17 from he field (YUKK). Ill cut him some slack because hes hurt.
In other news Andrew Bynum continued his double double streak ( 5 and counting)  finishing with 10 points and 14 boards before being ejected in the 4th quarter. Bynum was called for an offensive foul under the Lakers basket after trying to create room for himself against the Wolves defense. I think he got fouled a few times but fortunately for the Wolves I wasn't refereeing that game. :) So next time down Michael Beasley gets gut checked. Its just good play off style basketball right??? But,clearly was no play for the ball and Beasley went down like a sack of trash. He then got up jaw jacking at Matt Barnes and Lamar Odum and got a Technical Foul. They labeled Bynums a Flagrant 2 and he was ejected.  The NBA defines a fragrant foul 2 as " unnecessary and excessive contact  committed by a player against an opponent" and it constitutes and automatic ejection. The league will review the foul as they do with every flagrant and will determine today whether Bynums action warranted a suspension. Bynum, Phil ,and a few other teammates don't think he will be suspended. He had a similar scenario in 2009 when he hit Gerald Wallace. Wallace was sent to the hospital and out for weeks with a collapsed lung. No suspension was given. So, I like his chances. We will sure need him against a small but very hot Portland team. Teammates think it was just a hard foul in the heat of the game. Beasley even said " They are gearing up for the play offs, it was a good hard foul, it happens all the time." Beasley shot his 2 free throws and then limped off the court with what reporters are describing as a bruised hip before x rays. Beasley didn't seem to be having a good night. He was heckled by Ron Artest the whole first half. Ron Ron at times cupped both hands over his mouth for a makeshift bull horn yelling at Beasley. At one point Beasley shot a 3 pointer that didn't even draw iron. Ron Ron led the " Aiiiiirrrbaaalll" chant along with he 19,000 fans at Staples before he was slapped with a Tech.
All in all the game was a lot closer than it should have been. If not for Paus 25 and Shannons 14 it may have went a different way. Kevin Love did get a quiet 15 points and 13 boards, but Bynum and Kobe were the big story. Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview of Lakers vs Portland. Tip off at 6:30 pm

Kevin gets no Love tomorrow night!!!!!

Soo people have been asking me if I think Kevin Love will continue his double double heroics against the Lakers tomorrow night. Seriously?????? Now dont get me wrong, he has had a phenomenal season, by surpassing Moses Malone and making the All Star Team. For some reason the Wolves still have a horrible record, but thats another blog.
The first time the Wolves came to Staples Lamr Odum shut him down. The next few times we were sort of ...how should I say it..having an identity crisis LOL..even then we still won. So the Wolves are 0-3 against the Champs.The only thing they have going for them is watching Kevin Love make history. Well folks sorry, the buck stops here. Bynum is playing probably the best ball in his career. He has been a beast on defense and hes been pounding the boards. His play has ignited the whole team. The Lakers are on a mission and defense is the vehicle that is driving them.
The Champs have had about a week off and they do tend to be sort of lethargic after a rest, but I heard they had a really good practice today. Kobe sat out the 2nd practice in a row ( not that he needs it) and opted to get treatment on his ailing ankle instead. Although he will be a game time decision he did tell his teammates he was feeling better. He told Phil its still rather swollen but he can put pressure on it and he feels like he can go. many wonder if he should just sit out this game. Phil said last year we kinda coasted thru the end of the season, but this year fighting for position we need every game down the stretch, but it is ultimately up to Kobe. We saw how our boys can step it up in his absence but just his mere presence on the court makes everything flow a little better...
So..it should be an interesting game..ill give more updates on Kobes status as they come in...so until after the game..ciao!!!!!

Western	W	L	PCT	GB	CONF	DIV	HOME	ROAD	L 10	STREAK
San Antonio1x	54	13	0.806	0.0	33-7	9-4	31-3	23-10	7-3	L 1
L.A. Lakers2	48	20	0.706	6.5	27-11	9-3	23-8	25-12	9-1	W 2
Dallas3	47	20	0.701	7.0	25-12	6-7	24-10	23-10	6-4	L 2
Oklahoma City4	43	23	0.652	10.5	23-17	8-2	23-9	20-14	7-3	W 4
Denver5	40	27	0.597	14.0	23-19	8-4	27-7	13-20	8-2	W 3
Portland6	38	29	0.567	16.0	23-17	8-5	22-10	16-19	6-4	W 1
New Orleans7	39	30	0.565	16.0	21-20	8-4	23-10	16-20	5-5	L 1
Memphis8	37	31	0.544	17.5	23-19	5-8	23-10	14-21	6-4	W 1
Utah	35	33	0.515	19.5	17-22	5-7	19-15	16-18	4-6	W 1
Phoenix	33	32	0.508	20.0	17-20	6-5	18-15	15-17	5-5	L 3
Houston	34	34	0.500	20.5	20-24	4-9	18-14	16-20	7-3	W 1
Golden State	30	37	0.448	24.0	17-22	4-9	21-13	9-24	4-6	L 1
L.A. Clippers	26	42	0.382	28.5	16-26	7-6	18-15	8-27	5-5	L 1
Minnesotao	17	51	0.250	37.5	7-35	1-12	12-23	5-28	4-6	L 1
Sacramentoo	16	49	0.246	37.0	10-31	5-8	9-25	7-24	2-8	W 1

So…my mighty Lakers have once again resurfaced into the team I knew they could be. The team the rest of the NBA feared they would be, but knew they always were. The sleeping giant everyone hoped would remain sleeping thru the playoffs, if they even got there. The Lakers limped into the All Star break with embarrassing losses to the Clippers, Memphis, Cleveland…..let me just stop there. The whole league thought all was lost. All, but Kevin Durant. Go figure, one of the youngest guys in the league knows the Lakers all too well. He told John Ireland of 710 ESPN radio the lakers were still avery big threat. He said “We all go through slumps, but these are the champs, if anyone can bounce back they can. They still scare me.” Well young lad I couldn’t have said it better myself. I probably could have but im tryin to give little KD his props. I know he doesn’t get too many thrills in the OAK. There was also talk of the perverbial “ switch”. Do they Lakers have the ability to “ turn it on” whenever they feel like it? Are they bored wit the regular season??? Well those are questions you don’t hear anymore. Nowadays you hear: Who will stand in their way? How good actually IS Andrew Bynum? Can they go undefeated until the play offs? Could Kobe get more rings than Jordan? I get sooo tired of hearing the fairwheather media with their theories and conspiracies, UGGGGGGG!!! I know its news but still have your own opinion and don’t just say what you think people want to hear or read!!!! Well the Lakers have shut everyone up. The “switch” has been flipped. Derek Fisher has officially  clocked in. Bynum is actually playing like he is 7feet tall. Lamar Odum (formally ODUMB) is actually playing like the X Factor everyone says he is. Matt Barnes is back and is more firey off the bench than ever. Ron Ron is flexing and I even think I saw Pau say a few curse words! Clutch the pearls!!! We still are waitin for Steve Blake to live up to his expectations, Shannon Brown to actually run the offense and not act like he has on an Orlando Magic jersey jackin up 3s 5 secs into the offense, and can Joe Smith get off the pine please?? Im just sayin….All in all an 8-1 ( with the one being very winneable I might add) is a pretty good road record. But even better is the 10-1 record since the All Star break. Yes the switch has been flipped. Steve Mason says the switch is located under announcer Lawrence Tanners seat in the Staples center.If there is a switch I think its right where Chick Herns would be...never thought the Lakers would be here after this dismal firsthalf?? Well you aint seen nothing yet. Hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen, its gonna be a bumpy ride....