With all the doom and gloom in America these days, financial crisis, stock market acting like a rollercoaster, negative political ads polluting our favorite tv shows and the general stress associated with work and daily life as a parent it's amazing that we even bother getting up in the morning. Elvis knew the allure of a bed. John Lennon and that bitch who shall remain nameless because she broke up the band understood it too. Howard Hughes liked it so much he locked himself in for years. Hugh Hefner doesn't even bother to get dressed .
We spend half our life in bed...

Wifey woke me up this morning at the crack of noon wanting a little one on one court time...... ..........The girl has her moments.

She said she was fixing me a little wake up breakfast with freshly squeezed OJ, scrambled eggs and lots of bacon but wanted me to look at something outside first.......

  She says, "Do you like it?" I smile, give her a kiss on the cheek and reply, "I do, thanks babe".
She dangles the key and suggests I start it up. The rumble of the engine is so powerful it shakes the ground. The self appointed block warden next door peers out her window in disgust.
I smile and wave, knowing full well we'll be moving soon due to the fact we won the Calipornia State Lottery two days earlier. My wife picks up the Sunday papers and pulls out the sports pages (since she knows I like to read those first). She notices there's an article about Jeanie Buss in the Times today. Jeanie is Phil Jackson's arm candy. She also happens to be Executive Vice President of the Los Angeles Lakers, a USC graduate and a Playboy centerfold.
Did I mention she's Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss'  daughter?...well, she is.
You gotta wonder how that negotiation went.........................

Dr. Buss: Phil, I'd like you to come coach the Lakers. We've got a roster with oodles of talent, but can't seem to perform in the playoffs. Come West young man and you can hobknob with celebrities, live in a mansion on the beach, enjoy the food, weather - OH, and I'll pay you 10 million dollars a year to tell the world's greatest atheletes what to do.

Phil: Throw in your Playboy Playmate daughter and you got yourself a deal.

 
Dr. Buss: Done.

The rest is history.

She informs me her Mother will be taking the kids today, so we're free to hang out and she wants to splurge and wants her friends to come along, I agree to the terms since she is so persuasive. After another session and a shower, her girlfriends show up eager to hit the shopping meccas, Melrose Ave. and The Beverly Center before a sushi brunch and a group trip to the massage parlor. So we all pile into the hooptie.

The car smells really good now.

After a day of tooling around LA, we get to Staples Center just in time for tipoff.
            The place is jumping.


 I say hello to my pals, all the usual suspects...




Even the halftime show is pretty entertaining.....



The game is close, lead changes with every bucket.
Bynum is having a monster game, 19 pts, 22 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Kobe's only got 18 pts, but  18 assists.
Fish hits a clutch three, Ariza gets a steal for a breakaway, Pau is hitting his midrange jumper and has 10 boards. Sasha is like a gnat, all over his man on defense even drawing a technical foul on the opposing guard for throwing elbows. Jordan Farmar puts in some productive minutes.

But where are Lamar, Walton and Borat Radmanovic you ask?
They're in Boston, the equivalent of basketball Siberia these days.
Why are they in Celtics green you say?
I'll answer that later...back to the game...

Down by two, Robert Horry, really only signed for nostalgic reasons is summons from the bench to inbounds the ball for one late play. The pass is inbounded to the Lakers draft pick this year, Joe Crawford out of Kentucky, who's had a nice game in a rare trip off the pine. He hits Gasol at the pinch post who swings the ball down low and faces up to the basket. He spots Kobe open in the corner who looks for the three but the defender covers ground too quickly. Surveying the floor, Mamba spots the Lakers newest acquisition cutting to the basket...the defender turned his head just long enough to allow the cutter a lane to the rack. He makes eye contact with Bryant and leaps skyward. The pass looks a little high and away but the new guy wants to make an impression in his first game in purple and gold and has the hops to make up for the placement of the alley oop pass. Time stands still.

After what seems like an eternity his fingertips snatch the rock out of the sky and he looks to hammer home a vicious rim rattler to bring the house down.......
But the ball caroms off the back of the rim.

He missed it.

The ball flies toward midcourt but Pau gets a hand on it . Enough to cause a change of direction.
Mamba swoops in to scoop it up...WHEW...but the clock is still running...5 seconds, 4 seconds..
Then he jacks it up.  Again, a long deafening silence...again a miss...Vlade slaps the ball towards midcourt, not knowing Horry is lurking up there. Big Shot Bob grabs hold of the loose ball and without hesitating launches a three with a hand in his face.....



Swish.

Great game.

Great day.

Great life.




Diddy seemed to enjoy himself.

The cheerleaders cheered


Oh yeah, I almost forgot to reveal the newest Lakers player, the one who missed the alley oop, Michael Cooper never missed an alley oop...
Must be the leftover chowder.
Welcome to L.A. KG, you can make up for it next game.

Back at home, the ball and chains friends long gone by now, I try to start up a little sumpn sumpn.
She smiles and says she has one more suprise for my birthday.
Her best friend from college is in town and the two of them want to give me a present .
We walk outside to the pool and meet her friend Ruth.....Hi Ruth! :-)


And then I woke up.

You down wit O.P.P.? 
Yeah you know Bleed.


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