Sacramento Defeats Lakers

The Lakers did not come out and play the type of basketball I know they are capable of doing. They really did not get anything going, the Kings were beating them do the loose balls and was just out hustling the Lakers. With that said, the Lakers still had a chance to pull it out in the end but Kobe's buzzer beater fell inches short and the Kings came out on top 114-113.
The Lakers gave up a total of 71 points in the first half and was behind by eleven, needless to say they had their work cut out for them. They did however come out in the 3rd quarter and outscored the Kings by 9 points to cut the lead to 3 after 3 quarters. The fourth quarter was a battle back and forth with the Lakers finally taking their first lead of the game with 14 seconds remaining from a Pau Gasol layup. However the Kings were able to convert two free throws on the next possession to take a the lead back with 4.6 seconds remaining. Phil called Kobe's number to take the last shot for the Lakers and he had a real good look at the basket but the shot fell short.
No biggie, the Lakers are still on top of the west with San Antonio losing to Phoenix earlier in the day. The Lakers are now 43-19 with the playoffs just around the corner.

Lakers Take Down Kings

Lakers took down the Kings to improve to 43-18. They were trailing the first 44 minutes of the game but Mr. MVP took over in the 4th and the Lakers prevailed. Kobe finished with 34 points and Pau added a modest 32. So sick to see our 2 best players putting 30+ points each. The game was a struggle for the Lakers for 3 1/2 quarters but when the time came, Mr. MVP just took over first getting to the line with ease and making the free throws, then making dazzling 360 plays.
Pau also showed his worth, as if he hasn't already. He played a GREAT game he was there from start to finish.
As I said earlier, Sacramento held the lead for the first 44 minutes, they played their hearts out and I give them credit for that. I believe the Sac fans still believe that the LA vs Sac is still a rivalry and that's what gets them going. Well good for them, I felt the energy from the crowd and that made the game exciting to watch. But to me, the better thing to see was how many Laker fans showed up at Arco Arena.. I mean in the final 4 minutes whenever Kobe was shooting free throws, the chant of MVP was apparant. It must be sickening to the Maloofs to hear that since they thought they had this game in hand. Oh well..
The Lakers are now 43-18 and with 21 games left. They are tied with San Antonio for the top spot in the west. The next 2 months is really going to be an exciting one to watch. Thank God my wife let me get NBA LP this year. Living away from LA and watching the Lakers play like this makes me want to move back soo bad... Well hopefully soon we will be able to move back.
Next up is the Clips on Friday.. Lets make it 3 in a row fellas.. Go LA 08.. KB24MVP

Feeling Like Crap

Not sure how this happened but I woke up today with a fever of 102, I have chills and migraines and have started to come down with a runny nose and coughing. I was perfectly fine yesterday, maybe because I was so hyped from the LA win but I'm feeling like complete crap today. I hope it's not the flu since I got the flu shot this year and every year as long as I can remember. I just hope I don't get my 4 year old sick.. If you have a 4 year old you know exactly what I'm talking about. So for now I'm gonna just get rest and hopefully I can go back to work by Wednesday.

Lakers vs Mavericks 3/2/08, 52 for Kobe

This game was a thriller. Although the Los Angeles Lakers did not play their best basketball they were able to escape with a win in overtime behind a 52 point outburst from Mr. Franchise, the Black Mamba otherwise known as Kobe Bryant.
The game started off fast for Dallas who took a 7-0 lead after just a couple of minutes into the first quarter. But the Lakers gathered themselves and behind an outstanding first quarter from Pau Gasol and Luke Walton they were able to finish the quarter ahead by 6 with a score of 29-23. Pau had 12 points after the first quarter while Luke made several key hustle plays.
The second quarter belonged to the visitors as they outscored LA by 3 to cut the lead to 3. The score at the half was LA 50 and Dallas 47. The Lakers actually came out lucky to be ahead by three as Dallas made a double pump 3 pointer at end the half from half court but the shot was released a split second too late and the basket bas waved off.
The 3rd and pivotal quarter belonged to Dallas as well as they continued to chip away at the lead and finally ending the quarter with a 3 point lead. Dallas just wouldn't go away in this one.. they wanted the W and was doing everything in their power to get it. To the point that they were playing like it was a football game (really aggressive). We were in LA and I figured that we had home court advantage.. but I guess I was wrong. There was alot of heated exchanges out there and I really thought that a fight was going to break out. Eric Dampier fouled Kobe on a play that should have been a flagrant but wasn't called as such. But what can you do, the refs will call the game as they see it I guess.. But I hope they get their eyes checked before the next game.
The fourth quarter was an exciting one to watch. I was on my feet for the last six minutes of the game. Mr. Bryant took over the game for the Lakers as he scored 30 points in the 4th quarter and overtime. On the other side of the coin, Dirk played like the all star he is. There were several key plays made down the stretch by several key players. With 6 seconds remaining Lamar missed 2 vital free throws but Kobe was able to grab the offensive rebound and get fouled. He made the two free throws which gave the Lakers a 3 point lead with seconds remaining. I was feeling good a the time, but Dallas was able to answer as Dirk quieted the crowd with a 3 pointer well beyond the arc to bring the game to Overtime.
In overtime the Lakers got off to a quick start from a 3 pointer by Sasha and never trailed in OT. Dirk did get another chance to bring the game into a 2nd OT but failed to my delight.
The final score in this thriller was 108-104. Kobe had a season high 52 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, while Pau added 17 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 key blocks.
The Lakers are on top of the west again @ 42-18 but only 1/2 game above San Antonio. Next up is Sacramento on Tuesday. Lets start another streak guys..

Game Preview : Lakers vs Mavericks 3/2/08

Both Dallas and Los Angeles were involved in big trades during the NBA frenzy during February. But so far Los Angeles has benefited much more with the Pau trade than Dallas has with Kidd. Let's hope the trend continues today as the Los Angeles Lakers (41-18) face the Dallas Mavericks (39-20) in Los Angeles on National Television. The Lakers are still without Bynum, Ariza, Mihm and Radmanovic, while Dallas has a healthy squad. The Lakers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Portland Trailblazers on Friday. Dallas on the other hand is on the upswing after taking a game over Sacramento on Friday.
The Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win this game, but they were favored against Portland as well. I just hope they come out hungry and play with a purpose. After winning 10 games in a row they got complacent and took Portland for granted. Don't get me wrong Portland played a great game, but if LA played all 48 minutes that we all know they are capable of playing then they would have come out with a win. With that said, if LA comes out and plays LA basketball the whole game then we should have the W at the end of the game.
I'm gonna get the glasses and beer chilled and the grubb ordered and ready just in time for tip off.

Earvin Magic Johnson

Earvin "Magic" Johnson is one of the greatest Laker of all time. In my humble opinion he is the greatest point guard to ever play the game. He stood at 6 foot 9 inches tall and used his height to his advantage playing the point guard position.

He is one of those rare NBA players that was lucky enough to only play for one NBA team their whole career. He was the first overall pick in the 1979 draft. The Lakers were able to draft him when they traded Gail Goodrich to the New Orleans Jazz for the 1st overall draft pick and the rest was history. He played for the Lakers from 1979-1991, the "Showtime" years. During his tenure with the Lakers he helped evolve NBA basketball from a dying sport to what it is today. He also helped the Lakers win 5 championships and spark the long lasting rivalry with the Boston Celtics.
As a kid growing up in the 80s, he is one of the main reasons why I will always be a Laker fan. He made the game exciting, entertaining and most of all fun. No one blog can ever cover what Magic has accomplished in his NBA career but one word can describe the man and that word is"legandary".
I believe he was and always will be one of a kind. It's been over 15 years since his career with the Lakers and I have not seen another player come close to Magic's skill set and basketball IQ.

2/28 - Kobe to Luke to Lamar

This is from the LA-Miami game back on 2/28/08. Just a normal behind the shoulder, behind the back slam courtesy of the Lake Show...

The Streak Ends At 10

The Lakers winning ends at ten games at the hands of the Trailblazers and I'm still in complete shock right now. The Lakers played great and shot the ball over 50% but Portland just made the plays down the stretch. The Lakers had a 1 point lead at the end of three quarters but was outscored 33 to 24 in the final quarter with a final score of 119-111. The Lakers are now 41-18 they are still on top of the west but only 1/2 game separates them and San Antonio and they ave 1 1/2 games above Phoenix. Wow, you lose a game in the west and everything changes.
Kobe had 33, Lamar and Luke each had 17 while Pau added 15 points, but this wasn't enough as Portland outplayed the Lakers down the stretch. It's only one game and I know we will bounce back and learn from this loss.

Next up, Dallas on Sunday on national TV. I look for the Lakers to come out hungry on Sunday and take care of business.

Making Teams Quit

So the Los Angeles Lakers have the day off today and they had interviewed Kobe Bryant over @ NBA.com regarding how he feels his team is progressing. Throughout the interview he really came off very confident in how his team is playing and how he feels that they have a real shot at winning the title. No duh, right.. He also mentioned that he feels that the bench is the BEST in the league. I would have to agree with that statement, although there are alot of teams out there with great bench players. He was asked how a team like the Miami Heat can fall apart so quickly since he has been on top of the mountain before. He responded be saying that it's tough, you just gotta keep on plugging after you win a championship to stay up there but it's tough. It has been a shock to me personally how Miami just went from a champ to a CBA team in less than two years with all the talent they had on the team. I know it's tough but I figured that with Riley and Dwayne they'll playoff contenders for years to come even with Shaq slowing down. But the league is just that tough.
The best part of the interview for me was when he was being asked about the recent "very" successful 9-game road trip and how some teams responded to how well the Lakers were playing. He went on to say that there were times that the Lakers just executed everything perfectly that a couple of teams just QUIT. ROFLMAO..

Can't wait for the game tomorrow against Miami.. and it will be on HD on TNT. It will probably be a blow out but I just love watching the Lakers BALL.

Lakers vs Trailblazers 2/26/08

The Los Angeles Lakers have won 9 straight games and have reached 40 games this season. They beat the Portland Trailblazers 96-83, but it didn't come easy. The Lakers fell behind right off the gates and was down by as much as 15 in the first quarter. They rallied back to cut the lead to 10 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter, the Lakers kept on pushing the tempo behind a spark from Jordan Farmar off the bench who scored a career high of 21 points in 24 minutes. The Lakers were able to the lead to 2 at the half. The 3rd quarter was evenly matched, as Portland kept on battling but the Lakers had a slight edge in the quarter and finishing the quarter with a 2 point lead 67-65. The fourth and final quarter belonged to KB24. He took over the game and that was that, final score Lakers 96 Trailblazers 83. The Lakers win their 9th straight game and are atop the Western Conference.

Kobe had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, Pau had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 block shots, Lamar 6 points and 10 rebounds as he was in foul trouble throughout the game but finished strong, and last but not least a career night for the UCLA sensarion Jordan Farmar. It wasn't pretty but we were able to get it done. Next up, Miami on Thursday.