The Show/NBA 07-08

[Showtime]

It has begun. The show is under some duress, but if it doesn't break them...

Things to ponder:
Will Kobe be traded and for what?

Can the Spurs repeat?

Can Boston stay healthy?

How are the refs going to be this year?

Is this Phoenix's last chance with that line up?

Will Dallas finally get to the finals?

Who from the east? Does it matter? :)

The Show Report:
Kobe for #0 is the rumor since Chicago, etc., aren't bringing real offers to the table. I say no trade. Wait for a desperate team to either get another all star to play with Ocho or trade for one super and some draft picks.

We lost tonight. Shoulda coulda... Kobe went off for 45 and had 18 in the 4th, but he missed 9 free throws. Fish is helping, but no one else is. Shows that Kobe's competitiveness overshadows his frustration. If we lose him, that potential Kidd for Bynum deal will continue to haunt. Especially since if we had gotten kidd, then less drama and a real shot at KG. Oh well. Too bad I don't run the team.

Nothing to worry about Laker fans. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
:halo:

[gear02]

Go Rockets!

No idea how we folded in the last minute, but thank goodness for Battier!

[Cheesypuff]

i say...battier for mvp! clutch!

[Jah Rulez]

Being in NJ, I will say that J. Kidd looks to be in amazing shape. With Kritic back I see good things happening for NJ. Hopefully we can avoid that dreadful start that has been our demise the past few years. This forces them to play 'out of your mind' hoops to get to the playoffs.

Jefferson is healthy
Vince hopefully with be Vince
Kidd is back and easily a top 3 PG in the NBA right now.

I see a good season.

PS>..nothing better than laying those 20pt butt whoopings on the Knicks in MSG.

[zenbooty]

Go Rockets!

No idea how we folded in the last minute, but thank goodness for Battier!Seriously, I turned off the tube and went to bed when Yao put Houston up by 12 with like 1:08 to go. Woke up this morning, saw the score line on espn.com and was like, "WTF happened?"

[GraingerGuy]

What happened is that we decided to look lost and inept with the ball for the final 5 minutes of the game. It was just ugly out there until Battier shot that 3 for us.

[TofuNinja]

Lame Laker fans booing Kobe.... without Kobe they'd have no one to watch..... ungrateful fans.... I am currently a Laker fan only because of Kobe... sheesh. He needs to leave LA.

[zenbooty]

From the Sport's guy on ESPN:



TOP 20 RANDOM PREDICTIONS FOR THE SEASON

1. The Lakers do NOT trade Kobe unless it's for T-Mac.

2. Ricky Davis and South Beach turn out to be the single worst NBA match since P.J. and Spree.

3. Cassell tanks in L.A., gets bought out and signs with Denver over Boston.

4. Phoenix kicks off with an insane stretch of basketball (something like 24-2) before Grant Hill and/or Amare Stoudemire go down for a few weeks.

5. You will never get tired of those "The NBA is amazing" commercials.

6. Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston play fewer than 20 games combined.

7. Both Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley announce they're retiring after the season.

8. Jermaine O'Neal recants his trade request because he's drinking the Jim O'Brien Kool-Aid.

9. Isiah Thomas gets fired between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

10. A writer or broadcaster finally convinces Stan Van Gundy to throw Pat Riley under the bus.

11. Baron Davis gets shopped around but NOT traded.

12. The Celtics break the records for "most amount of time the bench guys stood up clapping and cheering during an 82-game season" and "most times the other four guys immediately ran over to pick up a teammate who got knocked down."

13. Anderson Varejao signs a lucrative one-year deal in Europe.

14. After narrowly missing the All-Star team, a slightly perturbed Kevin Durant averages 28/9 after the break.

15. The Atlanta Hawks draw more than 11,000 people to a home game.

16. Not only will Phoenix NOT trade Shawn Marion, but stories will start trickling out that Grant Hill defused the entire situation, took Marion under his wing and did everything short of legally adopting him.

17. Stevie Francis is either traded or bought out before the end of February.

18. LeBron asks to be traded, then recants the request and claims he was misquoted.

19. The whole "Yi Jianlian needs to get 20 minutes" promise becomes a complete debacle and nearly undermines Milwaukee's season after it becomes clear the Chairman isn't even remotely ready.

20. John Thompson gets Dirk Nowitzki to cry during a TNT interview.

[GraingerGuy]

I would just like to say....

I LOVE THE ROCKETS!!

I think TMac had a chip on his shoulder from losing last year. He sure did take it out on the Jazzholes this game.

[Showtime]

A couple of weeks into the season...

Lakers look great! Watch and see why somebody will try to make that trade for Kobe. Or maybe the Kid will get it finally and see that injuries were just as much to blame as the front office last season. Bynum has made some strides and I can't wait to see him and shaq go at it again. :) Fisher was a great acquisition so far. Too bad we couldn't get him back 2 years ago. Lamar is back. Kwame is back. Is there any chance of Lakers vs Boston finals? :eek:

Speaking of which, Boston is the real deal as long as they stay healthy. Of course they haven't played anyone, but that doesn't matter imo. They can only play the teams they were scheduled to play and should improve as the season goes by. It just shows how crazy the Show would have been with KG in the lineup. Dont get me wrong Ray and Pierce are doing their thing, but KG is the MVP right now and no one will touch him at this rate. Well kobe is close...

Last years teams with potential are starting to shine. Houston, jazz, Hornets, Orlando, Clippers, etc. are looking good so far.
There seems to be an early shift, but we'll see how it unfolds..

Marquee teams like Phoenix, Dallas, Heat (lol), Detroit, Cavs, Bulls, etc, all look like they have peaked or regressed. Some due to uncertainty, roster changes/chemistry, getting older, injuries, etc., but you'd think their collective records would be much better.

Crappy teams are still crappy. Sonics, Knicks, Bobcats,Bucks, Kings (Artest was suspended 7 games), etc. just continue to not do much.

It's way to early to tell, but so far it's been nothing like what people expected. Except maybe San Antonio, the always consistent Spurs. They still haven't done the back to back thing and I am starting to think they will fail again this year.

LA fans, grab your tickets. Might the last chance to see the kid in action, while in our uniform. He is still the best show in all of sports.

[TofuNinja]

Well put Showtime

[TofuNinja]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AtB4sV6tyPNg87FUuTXfRk05nYcB?slug=txlakersmagictrade&prov=st&type=lgns

Lakers trade Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to Magic for Trevor Ariza. Maybe Kobe is staying longer than we think, if so TOfu is a Laker fan for a bit longer

BTW great game by kobe scoring 32

[YellowCoffee]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AtB4sV6tyPNg87FUuTXfRk05nYcB?slug=txlakersmagictrade&prov=st&type=lgns

Lakers trade Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to Magic for Trevor Ariza. Maybe Kobe is staying longer than we think, if so TOfu is a Laker fan for a bit longer

BTW great game by kobe scoring 32

I liked Evans, but I could not stand Cook. I say, as long as they got rid of B. Cook, I'm happy with the decision. That guy made the worst decisions and was way too soft considering his size and position.

[GraingerGuy]

Wow...the Knicks just got used.....

104-59

[CornMonkey]

Wow...the Knicks just got used.....

104-59
I saw the game... it was the saddest thing to see.

[Showtime]

speaking of the knicks... the show just beat them after giving up a fat lead. kobe put up a rare (lately) 35+ point game is now the youngest player to reach 20,000 points in the histroy of the NBA. he has been working through a groin injury and lost a (1 on 1) game against LeBron this past week due to it. the show is showing signs. they are still frustrating to watch at times and lose games they shouldn't, but that is true with lots of teams. the good news is the team is playing well as unit and basically healthy from what kobe has shown today. lamar is coming around and bynum is a top 10/5 center now. best bench in the league? probably at this point.

anyways, boston continues to shine, but detroit has shown that they can be one of the main teams stopping them from getting through the playoffs. orlando has been inconsistent, but has a lot of potential. the heat... well they are closer to NY than one of the elite teams in the east or west.

spurs have been fighting through injuries and is still the team to beat imo. manu was a monster and picked up a lot of the slack when td & parker went down.

dallas, phoenix & jazz are playing solid ball.

wth is happening to houston? they suck now.

wth is happening with portland? they are getting it done with their #1 pick on the IR. similar to what washington is doing without #0.

well all i want for christmas is the team to stay healthy and to continue to get better. then, believe it or not, we have a shot.

merry christmas all!

[Jah Rulez]

Bynum has come a long way since I saw him play in fall HS bball league before his Sr. year. Shed all that baby fat and becoming a nice player.

I'm guessing he didn't want to be on the wrong side of anymore Black Mamba attacks and got his butt in shape.

Funny thing is the 6'10" he was going against who was equally rated is doing absolutely nothing right now.

I thought on draft day and still say. The Rockets should have kept Rudy Gay. His proverbial "upside" was way higher than Battier's. He's 10x the athlete Battier is.

Gay, T-Mac and Yao.....scary...

[TofuNinja]

YEs I have to admit that Bynum is a lot better than I thought he would be this year. When I am wrong I am wrong. But Kobe, the Lakers ALWAYS have a shot ;)

[Maarchk]

I think the show need to make 1 trade. Don't know what it is but i think we need one more solid not amazing piece... Happy holidays all.

[CornMonkey]

A HUGE game by Bynum today against the Suns. I have to admit, he's made a believer out of me. I guess it turned out for the better that the Lakers didn't trade him for Kidd. By next year, he's definitely going to be in the All-Star game.

And Ariza, can we talk about Ariza? What a steal the Lakers got from Orlando. The slasher is like a shot of adrenaline to the team. Did anyone see his jam on Grant Hill?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6OIFNme6w

I heard in the post game interview that someone in the stands shouted out to Hill after the jam, "Hey Hill, can you come here and sign my POSTER?" :)

The Lakers bench is also the most exciting as I've ever seen them. I hope Farmar isn't traded. He seems like the glue for the 2nd squad.

[Maarchk]

I think this team is solid all the way around. I just don't like Vladie... But everyone else has a good role and is finding their fit. Bynum is truly coming on. I still would have been pleased with Kidd. I think we'd be right there. But then again, we got Fish. We didn't know that was going to happen and I think his steady leadership has really helped out the 1st squad and i bet he's helped farmar and the new kids be more confident. He's a vocal leader and that helps because Kobe is a quiet leader.
And Ariza is good. He just needs to learn to not shoot the 3. Take a step in and bury something a little closer, or drive to the hoop cause Oh Man can that guy get up! I was very excited about his posterizing.
I think nash has a point. He's been calling out people for not trying and i think he means Amare. I can't tell if he's just not as explosive but he doesn't seem to be quite as dominant as he used to. I'm curious if others have thoughts on that. I'm going to the Clipper/Phoenix game tomorrow. So i'll check it out and report my findings. :)

[YellowCoffee]

I think the show need to make 1 trade. Don't know what it is but i think we need one more solid not amazing piece... Happy holidays all.

I agree here. I wouldn't mind getting rid of radmonovic & sasha. I actually wouldn't mind getting rid of odom as well. I think Odom's a great player, but I don't think it's a great fit on the lakers. I don't know, just my thoughts. Fish has been pivotal to running the triangle (through execution and leadership), and Kobe has completely impressed me this year. His effort more than anything is undeniable.

[CornMonkey]

Yeah, I agree on Odom. Although Odom is a good all-around player, he's best on the run, or at the very least as a point-forward he played last season. Unfortunately, the Lakers aren't a running team, though they've shown more of that this season.

If the Lakers can trade Odom + Kwame + fillers for a solid PF, I say do it. But then again, now that Kidd trade rumors are heating up again, maybe a passer like Kidd is the type of guy to help Odom produce more.

[Showtime]

The Good: Lakers are in 1st place in their division!
The Bad: Lakers lose to the Celtics... twice.
The Ugly: Bynum will be down for 2 months due to a knee injury.

So things were going well... too well. The only hiccups coming from 2 losses to the Celts. Even with Kwame, Mihm, and Sascha out of commission, the Show was doing their thing and getting better every week. They went from having no bench to having one of the deepest teams in the league despite all the injuries. I was really looking forward to having most everyone back and then running fools off the court. Everything was cool and with one bad landing... Now for a very tough stretch and without our dominant center. Bynum should be a candidate for most improved player and an all-star. Oh well. Things looks bad again, but I see it as a chance for kwame and some of the other Lakers to get more pt and to get better for our playoff run. If Bynum comes back healthy and no one else goes down I like our chances against anyone.

The 30 win Celtics have finally hit the wall! Well maybe not, but they are starting to lose games. With them it will all be a matter of luck or timing or both. If they can just be healthy for the playoffs, they will probably go deep into the playoffs. That is unless they get the Wizards early on. If one of the big 3 drops, they will not get past the 2nd round. Every team has to go through that, but Ray and Pierce are some what injury prone. KG is still doing his thing and will probably beat out Kobe for MVP this year.

Lots of stuff going on the west. Dallas is starting to shine. Charlotte has a very nice squad. San Antonio will be there unless there continue to be injuries to key pieces. Portland has been getting it done without their #1 draft pick. Phoenix will be a factor for other teams, but not the Show.

In the east there is basically Celtics and Detroit. I still like what Orlando can potentially do, but several teams are playing better than them. The Wizards in particular are getting it done without their star (#0) and might be a dangerous playoff team once he's healthy.

Have a look at this...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/powerRankings

I am not saying I agree with the rankings, but it's been a while since anyone has had us 1st and we probably won't be there next week.

[CornMonkey]

Yeah, I saw the rankings yesterday and I was like "What? 1st?? Let's see how long that will last." Definitely good to see the Lakers back on top again...even if it's temporary.

When I heard Bynum was going to be out 8 weeks, my heart sank. But rumor has it the Lakers are interested in Webber (ack) or PJ Brown. Though neither can replace Bynum, they should add some more value to the bench. Speaking of the bench, a player that no one really talks about is Coby Karl...coach George Karl's son. He's got some potential too.

The next several games are gonna be really crucial for the Lakers. While everyone will need to step up their game, expect to see the return of last year's Lakers for the next 8 weeks...for the good or for bad.

[Showtime]

Guess who had 8th row seats last night?
parking + tip: $32
dinner and drinks: $0
being close enough to tell dick bavetta it's time to retire: PRICELESS!!!!! :cheers:

The good news is that now I am 7 seats away from basketball mecca! The bad is that I don't know if I can go back to the normal seats. :P

Anyways here's more on the old geezer. I swear he's on the take and has been the cause of more fights than any other ref besides maybe salvatore or whatever that a-holes name is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Bavetta

Old turd missed 3 or 4 calls in one stretch and I heckled him til he got it right.

[YellowCoffee]

Lakers are having a rough time w/o Bynum. The Spurs game results came out as expected, although I was suprised to see the Lakers up by 9 at the half. Today they play the Mavs, and will definitely miss the low-post presence of Bynum. I think the game will come down to how well both benches play and if the Lakers can tighten up their defense (on the picks and transitions).

Mavs' bench looks a bit more solid w/ Terry and Stackhouse. Kobe's going to be Kobe tonight; hopefully we can have a big game by Fish or Odom or both. And hopefully we can get some good contribution from farmar and turiaf. Honestly, I won't put any hope in Kwame. The dude just doesn't care. Offensively, he is not a threat. The Lakers are lucky that the Mavs don't have too much of a low-post game or an agile big-man. Otherwise Brown and Turiaf would be in foul trouble.

Bottom line: Dallas is healthy, Lakers are not. I'd be suprised to see Dallas lose, or even win by less than 8.

[Maarchk]

Bottom line: Dallas is healthy, Lakers are not. I'd be suprised to see Dallas lose, or even win by less than 8.

i think the lakers got flow and when they shoot with confidence they are still a solid team. Dallas has not been so solid this year and i think it will be closer than you think. I'm gonna take Lakers on this one.

[Showtime]

Another 3rd quarter meltdown. I gotta blame PJ and #24. Phil has never been a teacher so much as a philosopher, but with a team this young he needs to be more of teacher and along with Kobe, a better motivator. They should know that the kids lack focus and intensity coming out of the break. Kobe needs assess and adjust while out there. He doesn't have the talent around him to give up so many points and then lead the team back like he used to. PJ needs to call a damn timeout and reprimand or explain what's what to whoever is missing their spots or not d'ing up. Of course, I still think Bynum fixes most of their recent woes, but they could have beaten the spurs and dallas (pending).

[YellowCoffee]

I was talking to a buddy of mine and he was telling me how the Lakers' performance in the 2nd half severely deteriorated from the first half against Dallas and San Antonio last week.

Maybe it did a little bit, but I think more than that, those two teams really stepped it up and "woke up". I think it's evident how important Bynum has been by looking at the performance of the team in his absence. Opponent's defenses can help out on the perimeter at will because there's no low-post presence or any threat of any offense coming out of Kwame. Hopefully the Lakers can just hold on until the big man comes back.

[Maarchk]

Lakers barely win against NY. They were messy. Ugh and they blew it against clevland. I only heard the final few minutes but it sounds like they kind of fell apart again. They seem to rely on kobe less, but when its crunch time they turn to him if the game is tied or they are behind with less than 5 minutes to go in the game. Sasha looked better last night, and who knows what Vlad is doing these days. I could sooo wish we broke that contract last year. He is mostly useless unless hes on a streak. Don't know why we wasted our money on him. At least we are done with kwame after the season ends... I think we are pretty close to all the pieces.

[Jah Rulez]

Give Kwame credit. He outplayed Eddie Curry.

I guess if you can take credit for that.:shrug:

Kwame is terrible. Not sure what his problem is either. He has no real offensive talent. He's not a fierce rebounder and for a 7 footer you would think he would rise up and dunk everything close. Turiaf shows 10x the effort Kwame does.

Kwame isn't even as good as Brendan Haywood from the Wiz. Haywood at least rebounds and defends.

Ariza was a good pickup. I always thought coming out of UCLA as a soph. was a little early for him. 1st round talent getting paid 2nd round money. Nothing wrong with that. Is he done for the year or only until March?

[YellowCoffee]

Sorry, I can't give Kwame any credit. This is why: He is bigger, taller, and more talented than Turiaf. Given this, Turiaf is MUCH more effective because he's a good role player. he's not the strongest, or the tallest, but he knows how to hustle and what to do when Kobe has the ball (follow him up and hope for a quick outlet and layup/dunk). Turiaf is a better rebounder and defender as well. I honestly just don't think Kwame cares.

That said, they need another solid big man to back up Drew. I agree that Vlad sucks and he's only effective when he gets on his streaks. His defense sucks and he's inconsistent offensively. I like the PGs. Walton is mediocre (I had high hopes for him this year).

I think if the Lakers can get rid of Vlad, Kwame and Odom and get a more effective PF and backups, they'll be solid. Heck, they still are solid when Bynum's in. It's tough to tell though because it's midseason and teams play so inconsistently. I guess we just have to hold our breath and hope for the best until Bynum comes back. Hopefully he'll recover quickly and can contribute relatively fast.

[Maarchk]

Yeah i love turiaf. And farmar is highly aggressive and pretty smart. Sasha is finally getting more confidence which is good. he used to miss one or two in a row and then he was afraid to shoot or he'd be horrid. now he can keep firing and he'll start hitting.
Vlad was the biggest mistake and we are stuck with him for years. Brown is toast after the year. It wouldn't hurt to have mihm to sub in. LO comes and goes. He could be a triple double machine if he wanted to. That makes me sad that he is such a passive player these days. oh well. hopefully ariza gets back in a few weeks and we look solid.

[Jah Rulez]

Kwame Brown and Eddie Curry are just happy being rich NBA players. They don't want anything else.

Bynum used to be slightly "chubby" (he was only 17) but he toned that up and became a player. Curry lost weight to get a contract now he's back to being a load of goo. Watching Knick home games while he plays disgusts me.

MJ is a smart guy, but he totally blew it by drafting Kwame.

Tyson Chandler is 100% better than both of them with less offensive talent because he wants it. He does what he's good at, rebound, defend, block shots and get hustle points and catch alley oops from CP3. He's like a 7'1" Turiaf, those extra inches are what make him so effective.

BTW you "LakeShow" fans. J-Kidd isn't coming. The word in NJ is the Show doesn't want to part with Farmar as part of the package....so I hear anyway. Word is he's headed to Dallas.

[Maarchk]

I hate Tashaun Prince. Well no, i think we were just stupid to have sasha guarding him. we should have had vlad, LO, kOBe, farmar, and turiaf out there. They all know how to defend well. oh well.
Oh and yeah no Kidd. but it looks like dallas is hung up too. So who knows if and when he'll get moved.
Tyson and Curry looked bad early on for the bulls, but Tyson did and has worked on things. First he became a great rebounder, and then he added shot blocking, and now he's finally getting like 2 new moves to finish with around the rim. So yeah, he's a good example of a player who improves himself over time.
Bynum is growing and i think he'll continue to grow.
Currry and Kwame are just athletic or fat people who take up space and are tall. they could both out body people in the amateur times but professional is a whole new level and neither of them was prepared nor do they seem to care to try to get there. Curry gets out rebounded by almost every knick that plays the same amount of minutes as him. thats sad.

[YellowCoffee]

High points for Lakers:

-Ronny Turiaf: (even though he missed that last free throw). This guy continues to impress me. Hardest worker on the floor and knows his role.

-Lakers defense (for the most part): forced many uncharacteristic turnovers from a solid team. D-fish looked especially good. Vlad and Sasha's D is weak, but the rest of the team did well.

-Kobe: He was unstoppable in the 3rd and 4th qtr. Pistons didn't do anything wrong defensively, Kobe was just THAT good.

Low points:

-Rebounding: Pistons had wayyyy too many second chance opportunies. Even though this is how they won the game, that long bounce off of Sheed's shot was a bit unfortunate for the lakers. Leaving Prince wide open was just bad D when it counted.

-Kwame: No hands, no poise, no offense, no heart.

-Pistons bench: performed solid while their starters were in foul trouble.

-Final seconds: Kobe was triple teamed and couldn't do anything about that. D-fish should've found a good angle for the open jumper. Odom rushed his shot and found a tough angle.


I thought the Lakers were going to lose anyways, so I thought the effort was good. It was tough to see them lose when they had a W in their grasp.

[CornMonkey]

OMG!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3226203

Lakers get Pau Gasol and future 2nd round pick for Kwame, Crittenton, McKie (didn't know he was still on the squad), two future 1st rounders, and draft rights to Pau's brother, Marc.

In my opinion, well worth it!

Fisher/Farmar
Kobe/Sasha
Odom/Walton/Ariza
Gasol/Turiaf/Vlad
Bynum/Mihm

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[yippiekiyeh]

Yes I just saw that too CornMonkey, That's a Big line up there as soon as we get back Bynum and with Gasol and Odom... Yikes big front court!

[YellowCoffee]

OMG!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3226203

Lakers get Pau Gasol and future 2nd round pick for Kwame, Crittenton, McKie (didn't know he was still on the squad), two future 1st rounders, and draft rights to Pau's brother, Marc.

In my opinion, well worth it!

Fisher/Farmar
Kobe/Sasha
Odom/Walton/Ariza
Gasol/Turiaf/Vlad
Bynum/Mihm

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome trade! I don't really see the incentive for Memphis. They already have a first round point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Does Conley start because Staudomire is gone?

This is exactly what the Lakers needed: a low-post threat who is a scoring option. Nice!!

[CornMonkey]

Awesome trade! I don't really see the incentive for Memphis. They already have a first round point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Does Conley start because Staudomire is gone?

This is exactly what the Lakers needed: a low-post threat who is a scoring option. Nice!!
Not to mention Gasol will spread out the defense even more as he's got a sweet jumper too.

[yippiekiyeh]

Awesome trade! I don't really see the incentive for Memphis. They already have a first round point guard in Mike Conley Jr. Does Conley start because Staudomire is gone?

This is exactly what the Lakers needed: a low-post threat who is a scoring option. Nice!!


I think for Memphis is a salary cap move, since Kwame has 1 year left on his contract for 9 million as opposed to the $50 million that Pau still has.

[VTGreg]

I think for Memphis is a salary cap move, since Kwame has 1 year left on his contract for 9 million as opposed to the $50 million that Pau still has.

Absolutely a cap clearing move for Memphis. There were actually reports earlier that there was virtually no interest for Gasol because of his contract.

Gasol's best days are behind and he has been somewhat brittle over his career. However, the Lakers are in the discussion as one of the best teams in the West. Should be an exciting playoff season.

[YellowCoffee]

I guess the Lakers really want to be a strong contender THIS year. When Bynum comes back, I wonder if their starting 5 will be C - Bynum, PF - Gasol, SF - Walton, SG - Kobe, PG - Fish. This is a solid 5, but I'm sure they will need to switch it up depending on who they play. Should be interesting

[Showtime]

:)

[brainsmile]

memphis ownership wants out. Sale of the team is more appealing this way from a cost of operation standpoint

[TofuNinja]

finally, the festering turd that was Kwame Brown is no longer a Laker!!!! Thank Kobe!

[Maarchk]

This is awesome. Memphis has rookies + pau. they didn't want to hold pau for costs and age for 3 more years until the kids are ready to go. So they went chicago's way when they dumped curry and chandler for young guys and picks. They'll try conley and crittenton, and the lakers liked crittenton but farmar has been great and so there just wasn't enough room to hold all 3.
also its easier to sell the franchise without pau's contract. Kwame falls off the books, and their salary listing isnt that bad. And the future pics should be good. This coming draft is supposed to be sick so our pic might still be good for something even though its low.
We should be amazing with a 7-0, 7-0. 6-11 frontcourt.
I think it will go Bynum, Gasol, Lamar, Kobe, Fish, to give them ugly matchup problems, but then i think Ariza or Luke will come in and play with the starters and Lamar will step back to the 2nd squad to give them a good offensive force to parnter with jordan and Sasha. I think this could actually be really good for Lamar. He can not worry about deferring if he's kicking butt as the 6th man. Kind of like what ginobili does for San Antonio. Wooo i can't wait to see it in action.

[Showtime]

Holy snikeez, SHAQ is back!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3232862

[Maarchk]

That is wild... I can't believe shaq is going to the suns. I hope it doesnt' happen cause it will totally destroy phoenix basketball. Like he will play hard if he's not hurt, but he'll break their runaway style and just plod along. I bet he won't even make the playoffs. This may be the worst trade since.. umm the last time he got traded... only this time the receiving end is the one getting the bad end of the deal.

[tupacboy]

shaq looked good in the vids on espn... will be interesting to see how the run and gun offense of phoenix is going to adapt with his presence...

PAU is a BEAST lately!!! adapted to the triangle like it was nothing!

[Maarchk]

Where are the vids of shaq? Did he have someone pulling him up and down the court?
Shawn Marion is kicking butt in Miami. They said he needed Nash to score but i don't really think that is the case.

[Maarchk]

crap. hung up and double posted.
So i'll just write more stuff.

Who do you predict to be the top 2 in the west and east?
I see the west as Lakers and phoenix? I just don't think SA or Dal has enough.

And i see the east as Detroit and Boston. Orlando is good but i think they can't handle the big 2.

So i'll vote for a lakers, celtics finals. Which is what most people in the nba money world probably want. And i'm gonna hope the lakers take it. :)
This was in no way biased... umm yeah...

[YellowCoffee]

crap. hung up and double posted.
So i'll just write more stuff.

Who do you predict to be the top 2 in the west and east?
I see the west as Lakers and phoenix? I just don't think SA or Dal has enough.

And i see the east as Detroit and Boston. Orlando is good but i think they can't handle the big 2.

So i'll vote for a lakers, celtics finals. Which is what most people in the nba money world probably want. And i'm gonna hope the lakers take it. :)
This was in no way biased... umm yeah...

The West is too tight to tell the top 2. I would normally say Phoenix for sure, but now I'm not so sure w/ the recent trade. SA would be there too if they were all healthy. I would say top 3 are Lakers/SA/Phoenix.

The East is a lot easier to tell: Detroit/Boston for sure. I still see Detroit as a better overall team (especially in the post-season). I would love to see the Lakers vs. Celtics finals (actually I bet on the Lakers to win the whole thing: 12-1 odds in Vegas as of two days ago), but I would guess the finals would be Lakers/Detroit or SA/Detroit.

Orlando is wayyyy too inconsistent.

Some teams that are doing it now and may continue to do it into the post season are Utah and Clevland. Both of these teams play w/ a lot of heart. Hornets are too young to tell. I don't know how they'll turn out in the post-season.

Anyways, Go Lakers!

BTW, Mbenga is listed at 7'0" 255lbs, while Bynum is listed at 7'0" 275lbs. Mbenga looks pretty built to me, how is it that Bynum is 20lbs heavier?

[Maarchk]

BTW, Mbenga is listed at 7'0" 255lbs, while Bynum is listed at 7'0" 275lbs. Mbenga looks pretty built to me, how is it that Bynum is 20lbs heavier?

Width. Bynum is like 5 inches wider than mbegna. And Bynum still looks a little chubby even with the muscle.

[yippiekiyeh]

I still think that Kobe should just go with the surgery on the pinky finger and be ready for the playoffs. It's a tough call, but I think that the seeding will be meaningless for them (ask the NYGiants about seeding) when he gets back and goes through the playoffs on a tear.

[YellowCoffee]

I still think that Kobe should just go with the surgery on the pinky finger and be ready for the playoffs. It's a tough call, but I think that the seeding will be meaningless for them (ask the NYGiants about seeding) when he gets back and goes through the playoffs on a tear.

I think seeding is secondary to the Laker's concern. The West is such a tight race that eligibility for the playoffs is a major concern. Look at the standings as of right now for the West:

Standing / Team / Games Back
1 Hornets* -
2 Suns* -
3 Lakers 1.5
4 Jazz* 3.0
5 Spurs 2.0
6 Mavericks 2.0
7 Warriors 4.5
8 Nuggets 4.5
9 Rockets 4.5
10 Trail Blazers 8.5
11 Kings 13.0
12 Clippers 18.5
13 Grizzlies 22.5
14 SuperSonics 23.0
15 Timberwolves 26.0

You know it's trouble when the 9th team is only behind 4.5. I would not count the Blazers out as well.

[tupacboy]

can someone explain to me why keith van horn is retired already?

It doesn't seem that long ago that he was still a contributing player...

[YellowCoffee]

can someone explain to me why keith van horn is retired already?

It doesn't seem that long ago that he was still a contributing player...

I believe it was to spend time w/ his family. After the fact that he was probably unable to get the kind of salaries he used to get and he would only be able to get minimal playing time off the bench, I think he decided to dedicate more time to his 4 kids.

[Maarchk]

can someone explain to me why keith van horn is retired already?

It doesn't seem that long ago that he was still a contributing player...

Cause he's not that good? When he got to Dallas, he was already a spot up shooter who played little to no defense and asked for a lot of money. I think he probably asked for a large amount, people said no, and he just "retired". but clearly he is not retired if he got signed and traded to the nets. He'll be active for a few days.

If you want to talk about people who left early, talk to crazy Sprewell. He demanded way more than 14 million over 3 years and no one signed him and thus he never played again..

On some rare occasions, being stupid will get you out of the nba.

[tupacboy]

Cause he's not that good? When he got to Dallas, he was already a spot up shooter who played little to no defense and asked for a lot of money. I think he probably asked for a large amount, people said no, and he just "retired". but clearly he is not retired if he got signed and traded to the nets. He'll be active for a few days.

If you want to talk about people who left early, talk to crazy Sprewell. He demanded way more than 14 million over 3 years and no one signed him and thus he never played again..

On some rare occasions, being stupid will get you out of the nba.


Aww ic ic :) I always thought sprewell was a moron for passing. He isn't worth 14 million to start with.


Lakers vs Pheonix tonight! SHAQ first game back and its against the lakers!

When the lakers win, we will be tied for first!!!!

GO LAKERS!

[tupacboy]

what a win by the lakers! even without bynum yet!!! it can only get better, although the lack of defense and letting phoenix get tons of 2nd chance points were upsetting...

[Maarchk]

We definitely didn't rebound well. but thats going to be a challenge for most people who have to guard shaq and amare. I do think that bynum and Pau will do a better job on that front that having pau/DJ guard shaq and leving lamar to amare. I think the extra size that bynum brings will be needed should we run into the suns again at the end of the line. Hopefully we just won't though.. :)

Shaq looked good. But i don't know if it will last. I am still unimpressed that every time he gets traded he actually tries. I would see that as a tarnishing mark on his record even though few others will. He wins, he gets fat and lazy, team dumps him, he talks bad about his old team, then he works out. Its a losing situation for any team after like 2 years.

[GraingerGuy]

Woooo!! 10 in a row!

You know it's a tight race when a team wins 10 in a row and can only get 4th in it's division...

[tupacboy]

geez the west is crazy, from first to sixth is a whooping 1.5 games! go LAKERS!

[Maarchk]

It is going to be a close battle for the rest of the season. A 3 game losing streak can mean going from 2nd place to 7th place or even out of the playoffs.

oh man! I was just about to compliment how good the rockets are doing and i flipped open yahoo nba to see Yao is out for the season! What the heck...
"Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to a published report Tuesday."
That sucks. I liked the rockets and thought they could probably hold their own in the playoffs.
in other news, i think the new yahoo sports columns are messing with firefox. Everytime like 5th time i open a yahoo sports article, firefox crashes on me. Anyone else having that issue?

[Jah Rulez]

With Yao now out Denver just might make the playoffs.

[YellowCoffee]

Man, I feel bad for the Rockets. Coming off of a mediocre start to win 12 straight games. With the trade deadline over, I can't help but think they're in a ton of trouble. They have no depth in their front-court. Mutombo is their only listed Center and he's only averaged like 8 or so minutes per game.

In terms of the Lakers, they're lucky that Roy may be out for their two games against the Lakers (tonight & Saturday).

As for the race in the West, I still expect Lakers to remain at the top considering that their schedule is pretty relaxed for the majority of the rest of the season. I just can't wait til Bynum comes back. That is going to be one crazy line up.

[GraingerGuy]

You have got to be freaking kidding me.

So sports injury gods....want to slap Houston around some more?

:(

[tupacboy]

When did yao learn to speak english so well? I was shocked! good for him!

Did anyone else notice that mutumbo does he finger thing way too much. He stands there while everyone goes back for offense waiving his finger. Why can't he run and do it?

[YellowCoffee]

When did yao learn to speak english so well? I was shocked! good for him!

Did anyone else notice that mutumbo does he finger thing way too much. He stands there while everyone goes back for offense waiving his finger. Why can't he run and do it?

He probably won't do it anymore after getting T-ed up. Good job Rockets!

[Maarchk]

You have got to be freaking kidding me.

So sports injury gods....want to slap Houston around some more?

:(

Yao has a bad build. 300+ pounds and such a long frame. I imagine injuries will be consistent because of such a weight/height distribution. Not to mention he never gets an off season, he's training for the national team or playing in the nba. that kind of constant long term abuse will really shorten his career and ability to be effective for many more years. He needs to do something. Although China will never let him out of leading their squad. The rockets would be wise to try and shorten his minutes next year for as much as they possibly can... Kind of like keeping nash or cassell out unless you really need them. Need to save them for later.

Lake show was ugly but did well enough last night. :) Kobe is really making those around him look better and i think fish + farmar is a good partnership. They seem really friendly and willing to work together. I think that will help make it easy to let the better player play without hurting feelings. And i can't wait for bynum, though with this long winning streak without him, he will hopefully see that he wants to stay here.

[tupacboy]

bynum should be coming back soon... and with ariza not too far behind i hope... our bench is awesome!!! GO LAKERS!

[GraingerGuy]

Wooo! 14 in a row! :)

[GraingerGuy]

16! 16! 16!

:) Beat a team record! :)

[tupacboy]

16! 16! 16!

:) Beat a team record! :)


Nice run!!! 5 of the next 10 games looks tough though... @ dallas, lakers at home, boston at home, @ new orleans, and @ phoenix... but your boys are going into that stretch with a ton of confidence and playing well! :thumbup:

Not like the lakers have it much better though. Next week they go on a 4 game road trip, @ new orleans, @ houston, @ dallas, then @ utah all within a week. That's going to be one tough little stretch... but exciting for us fans! :) GOOO LAKERS!

[Maarchk]

Houston is crazy! I"m very impressed with their composure through the adversity. i dont know that they can win a championship like they are, but I think they can still make the playoffs and try real hard. The young guys are doing a great job.

Lakers had it ugly at sac-town. But hopefully they'll keep moving up.

phoenix looks bad! I think this trade was not a good idea and i think steve kerr is done. I know they "just need more time". But i think they have given up some really good defense in marion, for some rebounding and what i have seen as worse offense in shaq. Yes they can get a bunch of boards, but the lanes are all clogged up so nash and others don't have open drives and thus don't have open 3 pt shooting because no one has to help over. I think its going to go badly.
If i was them, i would have picked kurt thomas back up! He was a great runner/bruiser balance who could do what was asked of him.
Oh well....
And the clippers... well, we love the clippers.

[GraingerGuy]

Un....stop....pable....

:D

[tupacboy]

argh... can't believe we lost to sacremento!!! argh! at least the spurs lost as well...

[YellowCoffee]

I don't think this "no-defense", "lazy-pass" offense is working for the Lakers.:rolleyes: Seriously, the last 3-4 games have been UGLY. Hope they can turn things around.

Rockets are awesome. Everybody's stepping up on that team. They have a tough schedule but it's hard NOT to root for them, considering the way they're playing w/o their Star. Good for them.

[tupacboy]

yeah... our "d" disappeared all of the sudden, we're beginning to think like phoenix... just outscore people...

[GraingerGuy]

Holy freaking cow....I have no words. I love the Rockets. That is all.
































































































well....one more.....









































19!!

[Cheesypuff]

Ooooo...lucky number 19. currently tied at 3rd place for the longest streak in nba history.

i love my rockets =)

[YellowCoffee]

Don't want to jinx them, but I think they can go up to 21, possibly even 22. They have the Hawks first, then the Bobcats, then the Lakers. If the Lakers are playing the way they are, and the Rockets are playing the way THEY are, it should be a close game.

[yippiekiyeh]

The rockets are looking like the real deal. If the Lakers continue to play matador defense, then that streak will continue.

[Maarchk]

I think the rockets streak will last until the lakers. And then it depends if the lakers defense shows up. Sasha and Vlad suck at defense. Their men just run around them like they are chairs. And then Pau is off reading a book and doesn't bother to guard the rim. Thats why I love Ronny, he's always looking for a good block. Even Kobe and Coby got blocks last night.
Did anyone see Coby karl play? That guy was the man for about 6 minutes. :) He is all heart and hustle, him and ronny. It was fun to see him play and i hope he keeps it up and gets a few more minutes here and there. I know he's not a super athlete, but he's smart and makes good choices. The crowd went f'n nuts when he drilled a 3 pointer.
Who else gets a standing O in the 2nd period on their way to the bench. Woot!

[Cheesypuff]

cha....ching!!!!

count it baby! 20 in the bank! next stop...bobcats...

we're gonna rock the house! GO HOUSTON!!!

[GraingerGuy]

*runs around like a madman*

WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

[Cheesypuff]

ding ding ding!!! 2nd in the nba with the most win streak!! YAH!!! GO ROCKETS!!!

[GraingerGuy]

Beautiful...just.....beautiful....

[Showtime]

Hmm... Sundays matchup should be interesting. The Hot Rockets vs the cooled down Lakers for the season series. No Yoa. No Gasol. Kobe vs Tmac winner takes all.

:)

[Cheesypuff]

wow...that was an intense game to watch! but chaching!!! count another one for the massively long streak!

[Cheesypuff]

doh....

sniffsniff.

it doesn't mean we won't rock in the playoffs tho.

[Maarchk]

doh....

sniffsniff.

it doesn't mean we won't rock in the playoffs tho.

Ouch. Bonzi kicked your butts. Looks like the hornets are for real. Hopefully the rockets can get stable and start winning consistently again. They can't be that devastated to lose their streak.

Dirk is out! Could Dallas miss the playoffs? That would be insane. and then the lake show is hot and cold and still can't play defense. Don't know if i'd want to go against G-state in the first round. Heck, who would you want to go against? Dallas? Denver? Houston? I think i'd hope for denver to sneak in and to play them first round. i think they would be the easiest team to beat.

which is sad... a team with AI, Carmello, Camby, and Kenyon Martin who was considered a great player when he left NJ for denver, and they are the "easiest" team to beat in the west. Yipes!

[CornMonkey]

Ouch. Bonzi kicked your butts. Looks like the hornets are for real. Hopefully the rockets can get stable and start winning consistently again. They can't be that devastated to lose their streak.

Dirk is out! Could Dallas miss the playoffs? That would be insane. and then the lake show is hot and cold and still can't play defense. Don't know if i'd want to go against G-state in the first round. Heck, who would you want to go against? Dallas? Denver? Houston? I think i'd hope for denver to sneak in and to play them first round. i think they would be the easiest team to beat.

which is sad... a team with AI, Carmello, Camby, and Kenyon Martin who was considered a great player when he left NJ for denver, and they are the "easiest" team to beat in the west. Yipes!
Dallas can very well miss the playoffs. The remainder of their schedule isn't the easiest (isn't the hardest either) but with the race in the West being the way it is, they can get bumped beyond 8th easily.

And regarding GS, keep in mind the Lakers had neither Gasol nor Bynum. By the time 1st round of the playoffs come around, both should be back...and should be more than enough to get past GS, Dallas, Denver, Houston, and pretty much everyone else in the West.

[Maarchk]

Dallas can very well miss the playoffs. The remainder of their schedule isn't the easiest (isn't the hardest either) but with the race in the West being the way it is, they can get bumped beyond 8th easily.

And regarding GS, keep in mind the Lakers had neither Gasol nor Bynum. By the time 1st round of the playoffs come around, both should be back...and should be more than enough to get past GS, Dallas, Denver, Houston, and pretty much everyone else in the West.

Ever the optimist... :thumbup:

I like it. Go Lake show!

[Maarchk]

Wow, last few days and we are still deciding the # 1 western spot. I guess i am happy houston lost because now the Lakers can be the # 1 seed. But still, there are great teams 1-8 so it's anyone's west.

The spurs looked bad! I think they will not get too far. I actually think the lakers look the best of late.

[Showtime]

Guess who's in first place...... in the west. :)

Crazyness... Losing to 2 of the worst teams in the league and then beating up on 2 of the best. Good thing those bad teams won't be in the playoffs cuz we'd be in trouble.

I wanted to comment the other day when the Rockets, New Orleans, and the Show were in a potential 3 way tie. The Lakers winning the tie breaker to the hornets and the Rockets winning any tie breakers with the show. Now it looks like the Lakers are home free. Though we know how that can go. Especially if the rockets win out. They might have peaked 10 games too early.

Celtics have done it and locked it all up and thrown away the key. Gotta give them cred. The played well against basically everybody and look to make the finals this year. That is unless they get out hustled by detroit or out willed by King James. Oh and beware of Agent Zero. He's back and has a chip on his shoulder.

MVP Race
West
Kobe has led the Lakers to 1st place in the wild, wild west. His numbers are slightly down, but his wins are up. He plays both ends and is the best at one and one of the best at the other.

Chris Paul is having a better year than either of Nash's MVP seasons. His team can still take 1st in the West. He is the reason why.

Tim Duncan is always on this list, but his team has been less than other years and Manu has gotten a lot of credit for them being just good enough this year.

East
James is averaging 30 pts, 8 boards, and 7 assists per game! Wow! Once his d and team record improves, he will take a few home.

KG has been a monster on both ends, but his numbers are down. He has sat out lots of the 4th quarters since they were blowouts. That takes away a lot of easy garbage time stats, but that rest has also enables him to play better the next game. His team has 60 wins and he is the reason why. He makes others better and got Pierce to play D and that is almost enough for MVP imo.

Dwight howard with those numbers would be in serious contention if his team had a great record.

In the end Kobe should get it this year. Lifetime thing lifts him over CP3, KG and LBJ cuz the race is that close. He deserved them more when Nash got them imo.

And now for this weeks power rankings:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2008&week=24

"Estamos aqui"

[Maarchk]

Wait, who is number 1 in the west? Oh yeah, we are! Hopefully we get denver and DUI Mello. :) That will be a fast easy series and we can rest up for round 2 of the big bad west.
It would be cool if there was a bracket competition for the NBA, where you pick the teams and how many games and see who does the best. Do they have such a thing?

[Showtime]

1 more day to see how good the show is under playoff pressure.

GO LAKERS!!!

[Showtime]

Not bad... Not bad at all.

[TofuNinja]

Ditto Showtime..... Go Lakers, go Kobe MVP!

[Showtime]

Kobe can jump a sports car?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIWeEFV59d4

;)

[Maarchk]

Such an amusing clip. And a pretty clever fake. :) Only some camera tricks involved. My mom called me.. Mark, Kobe bryant is dumb, i think he's gonna get hurt! And that made me laugh...

Lake show wins. :) The big 3 play a few more minutes than i would have liked but at least they didn't go to double OT and lose like certain people i know. :)

I thought dallas had it.. But they fell apart. I thought phoenix for sure had it and they fell apart... Very interesting indeed!
I hope dallas and the suns drag it out and then perhaps lose.
And i really want the rockets to get something going. I dont want their amazing season to go to waste in the first round...

[Showtime]

Wow!

Did you see the MVP do his thing? 49 and 10? That's not even the crazy part. He scored 19 pts in less than 4.5 minutes. Gasols alley oop pass to him was a poster shot... kinda reminded me of Kobe's alley pass to Shaq so long ago. Anyways Chris Paul is dominating Dallas, TD has taken care of business and KG is manhandling the hawks or whoever it is, but Kobe's performance tonight was the best in the playoffs so far. Nothing against TD's 40 and 15 or CP3's 30 and 19 or whatever it was...

As far as the rest of the team... Gasol came back down to earth and LO was a off, but Luke had one those games he gets when things are going the Lakers way and picked up the slack.

So far the nuggets are looking like the worst playoff team in the west. It won't be this easy against Utah or San Antonio. A few more games like this and I might get my wish of a Lakers/Celtics finals.

"Coby Karl played the final two minutes of the game, marking the first time a son had ever played against his father in an NBA playoff game. ''It's historical,'' said the elder Karl. ''I don't think any other father-son combinations have played each other in a playoff game. There's no greater gift that basketball has given me than watching my son be an NBA player. Unfortunately I have to watch him be a Laker.''" -SI

:)

[GraingerGuy]

Hahaha....did you see the clip of Kenny Smith copying the Kobe jumping car thing? Funny stuff!

[Showtime]

Lakers are up 3 to nothing and I don't see Denver making history. Phoenix on the otherhand......... won't be making history either.

:)

Close it out on Monday and wait for the Jazz to finish off the Rockets.

[Showtime]

Woah!

Lakers played like crap and the Nuggets should have one that one.

But instead history was as the Lakers became the 1st team to sweep at 50 win team ever.

Round 2...

[TofuNinja]

Kobe Kobe Kobe MVP MVP MVP

[VTGreg]

Woah!

Lakers played like crap and the Nuggets should have one that one.

But instead history was as the Lakers became the 1st team to sweep at 50 win team ever.

Round 2...

I wouldn't hang my hat on the series victory over Denver. I've never seen a team show less fight. The Hawks could beat Denver the way they played 3 out of the 4 games (looks like they played a decent game 4). Denver is in complete disarray and should be a very different team next year.

I heard a pretty humorous comment by Cowherd yesterday. He essentially said when Allen Iverson is the most mature player on your team you are in real trouble. They need a veteran with some leadership skills because they have some talent.

I'm looking forward to the 2nd round matchups in the West.

[Showtime]

I wouldn't hang my hat on the series victory over Denver. I've never seen a team show less fight. The Hawks could beat Denver the way they played 3 out of the 4 games (looks like they played a decent game 4). Denver is in complete disarray and should be a very different team next year.

I heard a pretty humorous comment by Cowherd yesterday. He essentially said when Allen Iverson is the most mature player on your team you are in real trouble. They need a veteran with some leadership skills because they have some talent.

I'm looking forward to the 2nd round matchups in the West.

Iverson wasn't the problem, their team defense was and they played hard yesterday. Denver in the east would be up in the mid fifties wins with only 2 teams maybe being able to sweep them.

[VTGreg]

Iverson wasn't the problem, their team defense was and they played hard yesterday. Denver in the east would be up in the mid fifties wins with only 2 teams maybe being able to sweep them.

Don't disagree that team defense was the problem. I screwed up his point. He was actually saying that because NBA teams are so small, they typically take on the personality of their star. Melo is the star for Denver and only plays on one side of the court, thus their is little commitment to defense from the Nuggets. Add to that the fact their team doesn't have many (if any) character guys and you have a team that doesn't play defense, isn't mentally tough and has a tendency to quit when things don't go their way.

The Nuggets have quite a bit of talent but couldn't have beaten the Hawks the way they played in their playoff series. Some of that credit goes to the Lakers, but Denver showed no heart and rolled over in most of the games.

[Maarchk]

Yeah Lake show! Wooo. i won a lot of money on them this weekend in vegas. Nugets were favored in both game 3 and 4. Works for me. :)
Glad the suns didn't just die 4 straight. I'm glad the Hawks got it going on. I'm glad orlando got it taken care of. And oh man i'm soo pulling for philly and hawks for this round. And T-Mac as well. I dont really like the jazz, for no obvious reason. But i do love Santa Karl Malone.

[GraingerGuy]

And the Rox stay alive! :)

Here's to another one!

[Showtime]

Round 2 has been.... meh.

New Orleans are up 2 to 1 on the Spurs.

Pistons are up to 2 to 1 on the Magic.

Boston is up 2 to nothing on the LBJ.

The show is up 2 to nothing on Utah.

Tonight is game 3 @ Utah.

Lakers are undefeated so far in post season and utah has the best record on their home court.

Oh and 24 is the reigning MVP.

[Maarchk]

Good recap!


Round 2 has been.... meh.

New Orleans are up 2 to 1 on the Spurs. Yeah Chris Paul. I hate hearing how the spurs are the most dominant sports team in the last 11 years cause they have 4 championships. YOu know, from 2k to 2k2 i think the lakers did what? Oh win 3 straight. Spurs weren't very dominant then! Sorry, but i hate how they slant the world to make them so cool. Why can't they win in even number years?!

Pistons are up to 2 to 1 on the Magic.
Should be interesting with Chauncey getting hurt. I think the magic can do well if they shoot well. Kind of like the old boston gunners team of Paul and Toine.

Boston is up 2 to nothing on the LBJ.
When there is only 1 guy worth guarding, it's pretty easy to win. Too bad washington couldn't figure that out!

The show is up 2 to nothing on Utah.
Good defense, lots of fouls on both sides, Kobe is definitely in attack mode. This game will really decide the series. If Utah can't make something happen then all is lost. I know thats obvious, but i'll say it anyways.
Tonight is game 3 @ Utah.

Lakers are undefeated so far in post season and utah has the best record on their home court.

Oh and 24 is the reigning MVP.
Word! It's nice that the makeup call finally came for the other 3 years he should have won it. NBA is like the post office, they'll get it right... eventually.

Edit: Sorry, I was a little punchy with that. I don't hate the spurs or spurs fans. I hate the media slants. but san antonio does tend to act holier than thou with every foul it is as if it couldn't possibly have been on them. A good team, but i dont like them. And i'm sad side show bob defected to them.

[Showtime]

Now there are seven...

Wow talk about home court advantage. Only Detroit has won on the road in round 2 so far. Orlando folded and looks like they will need another key player or a couple of years to mature before really making noise in the playoffs imo.

Celtics look great......... at home. So do the Cavs. So does everyone else that is not the magic.

Can San Antonio force game 7? Probably, but I doubt they can win in New Orleans.

Can Utah? Lakers are up 3 to 2, but should have closed it out yesterday. Kobes back is hurt blah blah blah. Game 4 he lost by himself. His back was hurt and he was jacking up shots in OT trying to win it by himself when I/everyone knew he would miss every outside shot. Very disappointed in his regression. Good thing is he figured it out and got the team W in game 5. Williams is money. Don't know who I would pick between him and Paul, but I'm leaning toward Deron. The next generation of point guards are here and they are better than the last. Utah is feisty and if Carlos Boozer can step up, will force game 7. If not this will end on friday.

Go Show!

[TofuNinja]

Go Lakers!!!! I don't know if i would rather them play the hornets or the spurs..... I mean I don't want Horry to take a cheap shot at Kobe's back or anything.... Dirty Spurs.

[Maarchk]

I'd rather play the Spurs. 1, i think new orleans is a better team, and 2. i enjoy watching tim duncan cry.

[Showtime]

I'd rather play the Spurs. 1, i think new orleans is a better team, and 2. i enjoy watching tim duncan cry.

Ask and you shall...

My very informal pole shows that most Lakers fans would rather play the Spurs and I was one of those until last nights game. Hornets got exposed like most young teams do in the playoffs. Spurs showed why they are always there in the playoffs and are the defending champs. The Spurs consistently get it done. It should be a good series... for the Show. :) Look for kobe to go off at least once. He seems to have a personal thing against the spurs, but hopefully he'll keep to the things that got him there.. Both teams are fairly familiar with each other. Coaches dislike each other (every coach seems to dislike PJ). Spurs are tired. Lakers should be fresh. Show rolls in 5.

The Celtics don't look very good any more. They went 7 games against the Hawks and 7 more against the Cavs. Lol at the comparisons of LBJ and Pierce to Nique and Larry. Well half of it is. You can't compare Pierce to Larry. He has zero rings and this is the 1st season his team has done anything and it still hasn't done anything. The Celtics are fatigued from the long season or maybe they are saving it up for the Show, but they really haven't impressed anyone so far. Detroit, like the Spurs, are there year after year. Falling short every year since their upset of Shaq/Kobe's Los Angeles Lakers a few years ago. This year they beat the Celtics once and can play at their level. I don't know who to pick. My gut says detroit, but that home court could be just enough for the Celtics to squeak by. Should be a good series, but the Celtics better hope it's a short one or they will have nothing left for the finals. Detroit on the other hand, might match up very well against the Lakers regardless of how long their conference finals goes. Detroit in 7 though I'd rather see the Celtics.

Round 3:

The Western and Eastern Conference finals are set.

Lakers vs Spurs starting Wednesday.

Detroit vs Celtics starting tonight.

GO LAKERS!

[tupacboy]

with ariza back... we should be more then solid... GO LAKERS!

[Maarchk]

Heck yeah. A good solid defender. I like Ariza a lot. If only bynum wasn't broken down. Then we'd be rocking and rolling. as it is, we'll just barely win the title.

[TofuNinja]

Wow what a game and a come from behind W! I told me students (a little cocky on my part) Lakers in 4. so 1 down, 3 to go. I was being cocky, and I do not really think they can sweep, but who knows. Go Lakers

[Showtime]

My my my...

Game 1 thoughts... Kobe was toying with them for almost 3 quarters and then got his like he said he could at any time. The Spurs were up by 20 points with 1.5 quarters to go and Kobe/the Show goes nuts and wins by 5 in regulation.

Game 2 thoughts... 30 points. I don't think I've ever seen a defending champ team get blown out so completely. Normally it would be cause to worry, but the Show looks so dominant that I just figure it will go 4 or 5 at the most now.

And in the East...

Celtics and Pistons are all even with 1 win each. Celtics will have to win 1 on the road to advance. They haven't won a game on the road yet in the playoffs. If Boston doesn't win 1 of the next 2, Detroit in 6. If they do win 1 of the next 2 road games, Celtics in 7 and it will be the dream match up. :)

[TofuNinja]

The Spurs seem to only be as hot as Manu. That guy is a beast. Kobe is my fav, Manu my second... that aside, I want to see the Lakers win the next one and take it in LA.

[tupacboy]

great game last night... even with all the no-calls... kobe forgetting about how to use the clock... and the fact that a quarter of the time on offense the lakers completely forgot about the triangle...

[tweeteresa]

Lakers win in 5. :)

I predicted Lakers vs. Celtics for the finals but with Boston playing not-so-stellar in postseason, I'm now rooting for a LA vs. Detroit finals.

[Showtime]

In case you didn't know... THE NBA HAS JUST HIT THE LOTTERY!

The dream finals match up between the Celtics and the Lakers is finally back after 21 years. Arguably, the most storied rivalry in all of sports. Boston with 16 champions ships, Lakers with 14 (and counting), and the rest of the league combined with as many as the 2, it will be the biggest showdown since their last one (1987). Hopefully it will deliver on the hype, but either way I got the Show in 6 (5 if we had homecourt).

Now the Lakers just have to slay the Ugly Celtics like we did in the 80's and all will be right again.

GO LAKERS!

[powersave]

LAKERS always hits the big spot! ... they never get left behind! GO LAKERS! GO!

[eSDee]

Congrats Showtime.

[TofuNinja]

I say Lakers in 4 :) SWEEP!

[shaggyucla]

good game last night... too bad refs wouldnt let them play

still think Lakers in 6

[TofuNinja]

There goes my Laker Sweep :(

[Showtime]

Been working a lot and missed the big game 1. I did get some radio time and highlights after work. Tomorrow I have to finish up a big project so I probably won't be able to see that game either. Sucks for me.

Anyways, Lakers are playing soft. It's what cost our 84 team a title and probably our 2004 team. Same thing that cost us games against the Spurs, Jazz, and almost the Nuggets this playoffs. The good news is that if the Celtics didn't get that lucky off balance shot from a gimpy pierce to fall, they would have probably lost. It turned the tide imo and a lot of other people's. Tomorrow is the bigger game. If it comes down to another off balance Celtic 3 pointer, Lakers will win and Boston will probably not return home. If Boston wins, the Lakers are playing from behind, but will still not be a real bad place unless they lose one at staples.

Time to step up and get a little dirty.

Go Show!

[YellowCoffee]

Did anybody else notice that Kobe was VERY close to getting another technical foul? I was getting so frustrated at him because after his first technical, he was constantly acting out. I understand he was mainly upset w/ himself while missing free throws, but kicking and punching the ball could get him T-ed up.

With all this refereeing controversy, it makes me wonder if it was anybody else and if it wasn't at home, if someone would've gotten his 2nd technical and be kicked out. What do you guys think?

[Jihforce]

He should shut his trap considering he went to the line as often as he did. Sure the refs are definitely dictating the game, but you gotta keep playing. Yeah kicking/punching the ball after missed FTs should have gotten him T'ed up considering how many times that happened.
Kudos to Sasha for being clutch. The game would have ended badly for the Lakers had he not hit those 3s.

[DaFunkyUnit]

I must say, that I am enjoying Jeff Van Gundy's color commentary more and more. That guy is hilarious.

[Maarchk]

The commentators are silly. I really hate people who 'know a sport so well' that they have to talk down or say things that don't even make sense. At least john madden and bill walton keep it real. "the team with the most points at the end usually wins the game!" that kind of stuff is brilliant compared to, "well when the lakers play more defense, they'll hold the celtics to fewer points." yes it looks the same to the casual observer but truly there is a difference.
Ok, and LO needs to get out of his damn fog. I'm glad he got out of his coma and started attacking the rim. it let gasol follow up for some easy put backs and that starts with him getting to the rim and drawing defenders. but trying to lay the ball in with time running out and getting the foul! yikes. But i was so glad he's getting aggressive that i'll take dumb and aggressive over super passive.
we won but i'm still very concerned. i want a 20 point blow out.

[shaggyucla]

i want a 20 point blow out.

I agree... favored by 7 in vegas.. hope they triple that and make me comfortable.. We have yet to see the Lakers play a good game.

[bachviet]

3-1 Celtics

Series is over.

[VTGreg]

3-1 Celtics

Series is over.

Yep. Curtains.

That was a monumental collapse.

[TofuNinja]

It was ugly.... unless you believe that somehow the NBA picks it's winners... hmmm...... I mean the Celtics were deemed the Champs as soon as they got KG.....hmmm haha who am I kidding the Lakers crumbled. Call the Undertaker.... this series is over.

[shaggyucla]

yep.. the jello is jiggling and the butter is getting hard....i hate getting so close

[Maarchk]

sadness... depression... morose... not gonna watch any more games unless game 7 comes up. can't stand to watch them go from playing well to playing sooo poorly.

sigh... my friend already mailed me my KG jersey as punishment for losing.

[YellowCoffee]

C'mon Laker fans. Sure no team has overcome a 3-1 deficit.

But the good news is that we all know the league will pay off the refs to extend the series to 7 games for added airtime and revenue. Who knows.....maybe "giving" LA the championship might prove to be more profitable for the NBA.

In all seriousness, you have to give credit for the Celtics and their defense. The Lakers had no answers when the Celtics were playing "their" defense. I did love Odom and Ariza's energy in the first though. The Lakers still have not found a way to combat and breakdown the Celtics defense when they're at their best. I think Jackson also needs to be more proactive. I thought Rivers did a much better job of adjusting the lineup according to the situation compared to Jackson.

I think in order to get the confidence up, Lakers will need to blow out KG & co. by 15 points or so. At least that will give them some momentum to head to Boston with a chance to compete.

[DaFunkyUnit]

Lakers will win tonight. Only because Celtics would want to win the series at home.

Yea, I wish the Lakers can win in 7, but to win 3 in a row, with 2 of them in Boston....... yikes. :dead:

[Showtime]

Well games 1 and 2 were winnable, but the Veterans got over on the youngsters. Calls were pretty bad in game 2 for the 15 minutes I listened to it, but the show had a shot at the end despite being blown out through 3. The 3rd game I actually got to watch and its was an ugly win, but expected. The 4th game may have been the ugliest loss in Laker history. How do you give up with that much time left in your own house? The 1st half was great, but we were finally getting the calls the celtics had been getting at home. Fair enuff imo. Kobe was never on track, but Lamar was on fire. It's like Kobe was sleep walking the whole game and never woke up. I don't like celebrating too early and the young lakers did that and that's probably what cost us that W. People say Kobe's not showing up is what separates him from MJ. I disagree. MJ would have not been called for that Pierce flop and MJ would have gotten a call on Pierces blocked shot. Look for his game, his team, and the comparisons to improve tonight regardless of how it ends. Maybe the kid is toying with them and plans to turn it on finally. :p

Now it judgement day. Win or go pack and see if Bynum is the missing link to our next championship. What I do like is that they are still loose and ready to go. I didn't expect the Celtics legs to hold out like it has, but maybe they will hit that wall tonight. One game at a time.

GO SHOW!

Oh and some people haven't come around all playoffs... in fact they haven't come around since we picked up gasol. Nice of them to chime in now that historically speaking the lakers are eliminated. Great example for their kids on fathers day. This games for you. :)

[Showtime]

Another UGLY win, but we finally won the 3rd quarter! Kobe disappeared a little. If he shows up for games 6 and 7, I like our chances. Gasol is starting to gain confidence and use his size and skill set better. Lamar and Fish are solid. The bench is, if nothing else, getting tons of big game experience. Hopefully, they'll get 2 more games worth.

Great series so far and is one of the most competitive finals in a long time. Either team could have won any of the games since it all came down to the last few minutes.

Now for game 6 on Tuesday. The Celtics have been great at home. I don't know where all their energy is coming from, but they gotta be a little worn out from all the extra games and expending so much to try pull out a win tonight.

One game at a time.

GO SHOW!

[Jihforce]

Garnett has been a disappointment thus far. How do u miss 3 of the last 4 free throws in a game like this? He better figure some things out or else the Lakers could be making history.

[YellowCoffee]

This morning I saw a guy drive his car into the underground parking lot where I work (Hollywood) and he had a Boston Celtics flag that you attach to your car window. I was thinking to myself (somebody's going to mess up your car). I saw him park his car and proceed to the elevator. He stopped and turned back, took off the green Celtics flag, and put it in his trunk. Smart move :)

On another note, I hope the Lakers can pull it off tomorrow. If anything, it would give me one more game to watch on Thursday. Go Lakers!

[Showtime]

Judgment Day Part II

Go Show!

[Showtime]

Good job Celtics I honestly didn't think they had it in them going into this. I especially didn't see this blowout coming. But somehow all the pieces came together as they whupped my Lakers by 41 pts.

Going into this series I was confident that we could beat them since:
They sucked in the playoffs
They were old and played so many games/minutes in the playoffs
Allen was cold in the playoffs
KG was not much a factor
Rondo was too inexperienced
No real center
Pierce was never the franchise player he was billed as except for a couple of games

Then the dogfight started and we:
Didn't play d
Lost our aggressiveness at times
Made Perkins (center) look like an all star
Made Pierce look like the next MJ
Made those old reserves look young again
Played with little intensity
Didn't seem to want it as bad
AND mostly WE consistently played our worst ball in the 3rd quarters (2nd in game 6).

What I liked about this game (series).
It was like watching your kids get punished for doing something very bad. They humiliated the franchise, the players, us fans and my city in game 6. That is a great feeling because it makes you understand that no one will give you anything. They will take as much as they can until you handle your business.
I even loved the late 4th quarter hard foul by KG on Odom when the celts were up by 30 points. Unnecessary, but that's how KG plays. Odom stopped smiling and started taking it to the hole. Maybe he finally realized that it wasn't enough for celtics to beat the Lakers, they wanted to rub it in. Boston never slowed the game up and tried to set another record against us imo. I hope Odom and company remembers this game and holds it close for the next time we meet. I liked Sascha for the simple fact that he played hard the whole time. He just needs to settle down and he will be 2nd most dangerous shooter on the team.

What happened to Kobe? It was shades of the Detroit finals mixed in with some of game 7 vs Phoenix a couple years ago with flashes of the Kobe we all love/love to hate. I think he ran out of gas and that is just weird to me. Somehow Allen, Pierce, and Garnett turned it on at enough times to win the series. And that's when it all makes sense. Their 3 beat our 3, but more over, Kobe didn't get to take time off without consequence. Next year he will be resting in the 4th quarters of many games.

As history is made lets look at our history. In 1984 the Show was on their way to another title. Then Bird and company started playing dirty with hard fouls and we failed to match their intesity. In 85 they humiliated us in game 1 and then we got mad and handled our buisness. Then in 87(and 88) we handled it again leaving no doubt who was the best franchise in the 80s. Hopefully this will be like that game 1 loss.

I still hate the Celtics and look forward to the rematch. I think we will make doc and company regret running up the score like that next season. Speaking of which (Laker fans) we have a lot to look forward to in the next few seasons. Our roster is good enough to win a title if they can be healthy through the playoffs. The only way I see us not making the finals next year is if we lose one of our mains again. Bynum will be handling his business in the middle and dudes like Perkins won't be doing jack in the middle. Same goes for the rest of their front court if they make the finals. Gasol will get a year to better familiarize himself with the team/offense and will not be called on to be the muscle. Ariza will be an impact player. The bench will only get better. We went from a potential lottery team to a finals contender that made them work for it.

That's all I got for now, but keep your heads up LA. We will be back. :)

[zenbooty]

I hate to bring up bad memories for anybody, but I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone of my prescient prediction long ago:

http://www.gotapex.com/entertainment-music-and-sports/75917-the-jel-thread-you-know-what-im-talking-about.html?highlight=celtics


(You'll find it at the bottom of the first post.) :)

[VTGreg]

Good job Celtics I honestly didn't think they had it in them going into this. I especially didn't see this blowout coming. But somehow all the pieces came together as they whupped my Lakers by 41 pts.

Going into this series I was confident that we could beat them since:
They sucked in the playoffs
They were old and played so many games/minutes in the playoffs
Allen was cold in the playoffs
KG was not much a factor
Rondo was too inexperienced
No real center
Pierce was never the franchise player he was billed as except for a couple of games

Then the dogfight started and we:
Didn't play d
Lost our aggressiveness at times
Made Perkins (center) look like an all star
Made Pierce look like the next MJ
Made those old reserves look young again
Played with little intensity
Didn't seem to want it as bad
AND mostly WE consistently played our worst ball in the 3rd quarters (2nd in game 6).

What I liked about this game (series).
It was like watching your kids get punished for doing something very bad. They humiliated the franchise, the players, us fans and my city in game 6. That is a great feeling because it makes you understand that no one will give you anything. They will take as much as they can until you handle your business.
I even loved the late 4th quarter hard foul by KG on Odom when the celts were up by 30 points. Unnecessary, but that's how KG plays. Odom stopped smiling and started taking it to the hole. Maybe he finally realized that it wasn't enough for celtics to beat the Lakers, they wanted to rub it in. Boston never slowed the game up and tried to set another record against us imo. I hope Odom and company remembers this game and holds it close for the next time we meet. I liked Sascha for the simple fact that he played hard the whole time. He just needs to settle down and he will be 2nd most dangerous shooter on the team.

What happened to Kobe? It was shades of the Detroit finals mixed in with some of game 7 vs Phoenix a couple years ago with flashes of the Kobe we all love/love to hate. I think he ran out of gas and that is just weird to me. Somehow Allen, Pierce, and Garnett turned it on at enough times to win the series. And that's when it all makes sense. Their 3 beat our 3, but more over, Kobe didn't get to take time off without consequence. Next year he will be resting in the 4th quarters of many games.

As history is made lets look at our history. In 1984 the Show was on their way to another title. Then Bird and company started playing dirty with hard fouls and we failed to match their intesity. In 85 they humiliated us in game 1 and then we got mad and handled our buisness. Then in 87(and 88) we handled it again leaving no doubt who was the best franchise in the 80s. Hopefully this will be like that game 1 loss.

I still hate the Celtics and look forward to the rematch. I think we will make doc and company regret running up the score like that next season. Speaking of which (Laker fans) we have a lot to look forward to in the next few seasons. Our roster is good enough to win a title if they can be healthy through the playoffs. The only way I see us not making the finals next year is if we lose one of our mains again. Bynum will be handling his business in the middle and dudes like Perkins won't be doing jack in the middle. Same goes for the rest of their front court if they make the finals. Gasol will get a year to better familiarize himself with the team/offense and will not be called on to be the muscle. Ariza will be an impact player. The bench will only get better. We went from a potential lottery team to a finals contender that made them work for it.

That's all I got for now, but keep your heads up LA. We will be back. :)


We'll see.... Bynum will have an impact but it still remains to be see if he will supply the toughness that the Lakers were sorely lacking in the finals. The Lakers also need a consistent #2 scoring that won't completely disappear in the playoffs.

Finally, the West needs to figure out how to respond to some in your face defense. With the way the Finals is typically officiated, it will almost always favor the more physical team.

Hats off to the Celtics. They were virtually unbeatable at home during the playoffs and slowly came into form as the playoffs continued. It's amazing that the Hawks and Cavs took them to 7 games, but they dispatched both the Pistons and the Lakers in 6 games and in relatively convincing fashion.

[TofuNinja]

Celtics played harder and wanted it more. Where I have learned to hate all teams from Boston, they all win, except the Bruins haha, at least it wasn't San Antonio! Lakers (Kobe) take it all next year.

[ray]

I hate to bring up bad memories for anybody, but I thought this would be a good time to remind everyone of my prescient prediction long ago:

http://www.gotapex.com/entertainment-music-and-sports/75917-the-jel-thread-you-know-what-im-talking-about.html?highlight=celtics


(You'll find it at the bottom of the first post.) :)

man, i'm on the floor laughing right now. that thread brings back some great memories.

[bachviet]

man, i'm on the floor laughing right now. that thread brings back some great memories.
That was a great thread back in the days! :hehehmm:

[Jah Rulez]

KG is better than Gasol, Kobe is better than Allen, Rondo is faster than Fisher, Pierce is better than Odom, Perkins is more physical than Radmonovic.

4 out of 5 players are better on the Celtics. KG went left on Gasol at will, Allen simply kept Kobe in front of him and there was help side "D" at every turn.

Kobe's supporting cast wilted. I don't see Bynum helping much becase KG will still destroy Gasol. Gasol played hard in Game 6 when Big Baby got on him and no other time.

The Celtics will win any game that KG imposes his will on. The problem is he doesn't always do that. KG's intensity spread throughout the team, thus the defensive intensity can always go up another level. You can't beat a team at home or on the road that plays hard "D".

[Jihforce]

Bottom line. Celtics played defense, the Lakers didn't/couldn't do it throughout the game. We all know defense wins championships. KG brought it when it mattered most. To me, he was the wild card. If he wilted like he has done so in the past, the Celtics would have made history by letting the Lakers comeback from from a 1-3 deficit. The championship was his to lose if you ask me. They came into the season with high expectations, unlike the Lakers. Folks in the southland didn't start talking championship until the Lakers sacked the Grizzlies for Gasol.

I am expecting Odom discussed in trades this offseason. He pretty much proved why he can't live up to his expectations. If they Lakers have any hope to win it in the next 5 years, they better hope Bynum comes back ok.

[YellowCoffee]

Just to add on to what Jihforce was saying.... Celtics played exceptional TEAM defense. Their defensive rotations and double teams were very precise and effective. This really created problems for the Lakers. It forced the Lakers to get out of their offense and try and improvise. This obviously didn't work and created a lot of turnovers and forced the Lakers out of their offensive positions.

I have to hand it to the Celtics: they really exposed the weaknesses that the best in the West could not.

I just hope the Lakers can at least take the humiliating loss and use it for next year. Hopefully as a team, they can really learn to work on those areas where they lack and are underperforming. It'll be interesting what kind of decisions the Lakers make for next year. I've heard things about Ron Artest, but I definitely would not confirm any of that. Good job anyways though Lakers.