1, 2, 3 times a Laker…
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently buried in a 14 of 16 home stretch and their next three games are tantalizing. The Lake Show's next potential scalp is the much improved and co-division leading Phoenix Suns. A three day rest should enable Andrew Bynum to return and possibly Pau Gasol, although the latter is unlikely. The Lakers then travel to Colorado to face the "home dominant" Nuggets. A great test for the Lakers and potentially a great opportunity for Denver to springboard out of their current mini-funk. The following game is back at the Staples Center against those pesky Houston Rockets.
Will Trevor Ariza bring a special surprise back to L.A. to trade for his Championship ring?
All of these games are intriguing match-ups and all will provide ample entertainment in Los Angeles and Colorado respectively.
Prodigal son returns
Lakers at Rockets has to be the game of the day (on a day with many interesting games too) due to the off season free agent 'swap' of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest and the fantastic series between these clubs in last years playoffs after Yao Ming went down for the count.
Will Ariza continue to score for the Rockets to a level he never achieved when wearing gold and purple? Will Ron Artest play a team game or try to make todays matchup all about him? Will the Rockets unorthodox lineup (and Aaron Brooks) give the Lakers problems yet again?
Will Ron Artest play nice or go psycho?
The Lakers should win easily, but then they should have won easily in last years playoffs too. I really have no idea what will happen, and that's why I'll be watching.
Fixing the World – Episode 1
Welcome to part one of our new feature, Fixing the World. In these articles we will try and make the world a better place, where there are no backwaters of NBA talent and everyone is maximised. Can it be done? Probably not, but let's try.
Step 1 - The Clippers
The Clippers have two nice young players, several valuable veterans and some real crap. Let's check our cupboard.
The keepers:
- Blake Griffin
- Eric Gordon
- DeAndre Jordan
Valuable vets:
- Baron Davis
- Chris Kaman
- Craig Smith
- Marcus Camby
- Rasual Butler
- Al Thornton
Evaluation:
The youngsters are keepers, no doubt about it. The listed veterans are a mixed batch and some will need to go. Everyone else not in that list (heres looking at you Mardy Collins and Bassy Telfair) should never see the court.
Now it's time to play the perception game. Trying to trade players who have perceived value to suckers. Al Thornton is still looked at as a kid who has potential. I think he's a chump who will never amount to anything, and the Clips really need a small forward who can defend the high scoring wings in the league.
Trevor Ariza would be fantastic, but that's not going to happen. Gerald Wallace is a nice fit, and unloading the centre position to get DeAndre Jordan some time is important too, so Kaman for Wallace it is.
Veteran leadership is important on a young team looking to turn it's culture around. Anthony Johnson will be sitting on the bench getting no minutes for an Orlando squad now pretty stocked at the point with the signing of Jason Williams. They are also very much a luxury team, and could save nearly half a million in total dollars by taking on the 'potential' of Al Thornton.
Now we have a Clippers team who might be able to make something of themselves. With defined roles for every player and a roster that contains flexibility and redundancy at every position, all that remains is getting a new coach so Mike Dunleavy doesn't screw it all up.
PG - Baron Davis (Backup Anthony Johnson)
SG - Eric Gordon (Backup Rasual Butler)
SF - Gerald Wallace (Backup... gulp... Ricky Davis)
PF - Blake Griffin (Backup Craig Smith)
C - Marcus Camby (Backup DeAndre Jordan)
Will it work? Possibly. Will it happen? No.
Welcome back!
Well it's about time...
Safe to say we've been away for a while and a lot has happened in the NBA. (More posts to follow, this is just a taste)
Firstly, Ron Artest is a Laker... Ariza is a Rocket... AI might be a Grizzly... 'Sheed is a Celtic... Shaq is a Cavalier... RJ is a Spur... VC is a Magician... Turk is a Raptor... Andre Miller is a Blazer... The Matrix is a Maverick... and finally Emeka Okafor is a Hornet. The competition this season will be electrifying with the likes of San Antonio, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and the Clippers all looking to make a run at the trophy.
Sorry Clippers fans, that was cruel. But if you think the franchise has turned around just because you drafted Mr Potato Head Griffin, then it's going to continue to be a sad state of affairs for you. I personally think you can look at some teams and just KNOW that nothing is going to be won for the next 10years... except maybe the lottery. I put the following teams in that category:
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Charlotte Bobcats
Indiana Pacers
Washington Wizards
Sacramento Kings
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
That's my list, and I'm sticking to it. Call me in 10 years and I guarantee there will not be an NBA Champion among these franchises.
Bring on the new season!!
49-40
That was the score when Orlando's soul was broken and the curtains were drawn on their 2009 season. The LA Lakers were in the middle of an 18-0 run that snapped the neck of the rabbit and set the top hat on fire in Orlando last night. The only smoke and mirrors present were from Orlando's smoldering three point percentage and their pending offseason of tough questions.
Now this won't just be a Kobe love-fest, but the man played one of the best games of Basketball you're likely to see for a very long time. Bryant did everything last night on his way to leading his team in every sense of the word, to the promised land. It's undisputed now, he is one of the greats of all time.
The Lakers were served incredibly also by Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. These three guys made big play after big play and it's safe to say they have guaranteed Dwight Howard a championship somewhere down the road. Dwight got nothing easy, similar to Gasol last year. The Celtics crowded, pushed and shoved Gasol into a corner in the 2008 Finals. This year it was Howard's turn. While showing flashes of brilliance, Howard rarely got in a groove offensively and was subsequently "handled" by the swarming defense of Los Angeles. These moments are where champions can be created. Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard remained on the Magic bench to soak in the defeat, a bold move. One would assume that the lasting smell of Finals failure will provoke a strong Eastern Conference title defence next year.
Speaking of which, where do the Magic sit now? Is this just a lucky year? I respect them as a unit and would say the term "lucky" is an insult to them. I give them their due kudos for making it as far as they did, but what happens if there's no Turkoglu next season? He was an integral part of their success and will surely have the opportunity to make some serious money this offseason. It's also safe to say that Rafer Alston and Jameer Nelson cannot co-exist, so there's plenty of questions in Magic Town.
The Lakers have housekeeping of their own to take care of. With Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza both out of contract, it will make the Lakers a hot topic for a while yet. Even Kobe Bryant has an out clause for this year and next... but that's just crazy talk.
Phil Jackson said he would "smoke a cigar" and "toast Red Auerbach" after the game. A classy gesture and a deserved reward for the winningest coach in NBA history. Another mantle that leaves him immune to the constant criticism thrown his way of late.
Overall a great result for Kobe, Phil Jackson and all of the Lakers fans out there. It's a pity the Los Angeles fans' had to start torching cars and acting the fool but heck, it happens most years.
Lakers in 5. Good times.
Emphatic…
It's the only word to describe the Lakers performance tonight. A simply devastating display that started with too many turnovers but then blossomed into beautiful team Basketball that had Denver fans heading home early.
Pau Gasol got what he asked for with more touches inside, and he made the right move nearly every time. The Lakers would be crazy not to ride the Gasol/Kobe train all the way to a street parade/riot.
Pau made jumpers, hooks, dunks and layups almost uncontested for the most part. "Sure, he hits them when he's open" I hear people think, but it's how he got so open that was the most impressive/disappointing. The movement off the ball and the horrible defensive effort by the Nuggets paved the way for a second half butchery not seen since the Lakers tossed the Celtics' salad in Game 6 last June.
It was as if the Nuggets, who have been complimented with being "front-runners" this postseason, just couldn't get up for the big game. They had small moments of brilliance including an 8-0 run in the third. The damage however had already been done.
Carmello didn't show up tonight and George Karl didn't help by benching his superstar earlier and for longer than normal in the third. Carmello didn't re-appear until early in the 4th. Some Denver fans must still be in shock.
Kobe Bryant performed at the highest level tonight. Scoring when needed and in bunches, he also led the game with 10 assists. His 9 of 9 from the charity stripe was also key, with the remainder of the Lakers combining for.. wait, 100%. Free throw shooting had plagued the Lakers during this Playoffs but hitting 24 of 24 from the line to accompany 57% from the field and the reason for the 27 point annihilation starts to become apparent.
The tone was defnitely set early by Trevor Ariza who hit three triples in the first quarter and ended the half with 13 points. Pau and Kobe took over in the third and fourth quarters. A few punctuation marks from Luke Walton and Lamar Odom tucked the Nuggets in bed for the offseason.
A great win but more importantly a great team win by the Lakers. Kobe was still "doin' work" when he needed to but it all came in the flow of the offense.
If Orlando wins tomorrow, the Lakers will have home court advantage for the Finals. If the Cavaliers win, the Lakers get a rest. Even if Cleveland comes back to win the East, I would be very surprised if the Lakers don't win it all now.
Plenty of people would see it differently.
Behiiiiiiind you!
I just saw the highlight of Billups inbounding the ball off of Kobe's backside... grabbing the ball and laying it up baseline.
Is it safe to say Billups has been reading his own press on ESPN? Or safer to say Kobe wasn't.
Grandma Billups wouldn't be happy...
Either way, it was a sweet play.
PS - Ariza was pushed.