The Lakers took advantage of their home-court advantage tonight, locking up win two of the series, 122-107.
Kobe shook off an ugly FG% from Sunday afternoon and took ownership tonight. Kobe was one point short from his playoff-high in scoring, which is 50, in overtime on 5/4/06.
In addition to his 49, Kobe managed to dish out 10 assists. Pau chimed in with 18 points, 10 boards, and three assists. I mention the assists because one of those three was an impromptu alley-oop to Kobe that had 'top plays of the season' written all over it. Lamar Odom got into foul trouble early, leaving Luke Walton with more playing time than usual... no problem for Luke. A couple of choice threes highlighted his 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. D-Fish posted 10 points, but was 0-2 from three.
The Nuggets had a strong showing from their power-duo. Iverson scored 31 and Melo posted 21. Marcus Camby cleaned thing up, with 17 rebounds, but the Nuggets couldn't stop Kobe's the Lakers' offensive proficiency.
"Undefendable" - George Karl on Kobe Bryant
My take on it all? It's really impressive to see the Lakers gelling so well. The chemistry between Kobe and Pau is remarkable considering the guys have only been playing together since February. I also liked how Luke stepped it up with Lamar in foul trouble.
The Lakers will hop on the plane Friday night for Saturday's 2:30pm start. Phil Jackson's formula for success figures that that the mile-high elevation of Denver doesn't affect the body for 24 hours, thus the Lakers flying in around midnight. Interesting strategy.
We all know, the series doesn't start until you win on the road. Here's a reminder of what's to come:
Game Three Saturday - 4/26 Lakers @ Nuggets 2:30pm - TNT/KCAL TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager
Game Four Monday - 4/28 Lakers @ Nuggets 7:30pm - TNT/KCAL TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager
*Game Five Wednesday - 4/30 Nuggets @ Lakers TBD
*Game Six Friday - 5/2 Lakers @ Nuggets TBD
*Game Seven Sunday - 5/4 Nuggets @ Lakers TBD
Also, for those curious about Ronny Turiaf's absence (if you didn't catch it early on in the telecast):
"Ronny Turiaf's sore throat turned out to be a case of tonsillitis.
He attended Wednesday's morning shootaround, but was noticeably
lacking in energy so the Lakers sent him home to rest and recover.
They're hopeful their backup center will be sound enough to play in
Game 3 on Saturday afternoon at Denver." [Long Beach Press-Telegram]
[edit - Thursday, 10:46am] Kobe is fed up with JR Smith's jawing.
“Better learn not to talk to me,” Bryant said of Smith’s jabbering. “You shake the tree, a leopard’s gonna fall out.”
Also, something pretty funny: The TNT staff's take on Kobe's HyperDunk video:
All is well in Lakerland these days.
What was JR Smith thinking?
He's getting abused and then he tries to talk smack to Kobe??
The Thuggets are turning into class A whiners.
In an interview after the game, Smith said it was 8 on 5...implying the refs were on the Lakers side.
I KNOW I have a bias view when it comes to the Lakeshow, but I didn't see it last night, if anything it seemed they missed a few. Gasol was hacked hard late in the game, and there was no call, so it goes both ways.
Why do the Lakers insist on jacking up 3 pointers when we have such a clear inside advantage?
Despite the outcome, there is room for improvement for us...
Luke stepped in for Lamar and played BIG TIME ball, nice to see him play with confidence for a change. Even Mbenga pitched in with his rebounding.
We look like a team on a mission, I hope they stay focused. We all know Kobe has a history of getting distracted in Colorado...LOCK UP THE BLONDE WOMEN!
LAKERS IN JUNE.
Last edited by BleedPRPL&GLD on April 24th at 10:10 AM.
hey sizzle. don't worry about Bynum. the dude is going to come off the bench if he comes back in the playoffs. The coaching staff has already stated that he's nowhere near returning.
This is a well written blog and I enjoyed it. But that is the funniest video I have ever seen in my life. I'm still wiping tears from my eyes.Thank you.
For those who questioned Luke Walton during the regular season, you should have known that Phil would count on him in the playoffs because of his experience (4 times in the playoffs in five years as a Laker).
Everyone, except myself and maybe a couple of other people, kept saying that the Lakers should dump Luke Walton next year because we already have Vladdy. I hope you guys pay more attention.
Luke's court savvy and his knowledge of the game is inexpendable. That's why he was signed to that contract.
Luke ain't going anywhere, and I'm glad he is proving his value to all the naysayers.
You won't have to wait long. Denver will be fortunate to win one game. They just give up too many Gasol layups and Laker 3 pointers, the only way they win a game is if they shoot 60%, or get the magic 21 free throw advantage...
I'm a realistic observer of the vast world that surrounds the Los Angeles Lakers. You can thank Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac for making that possible. The greatest person of all time is Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn. There's no getting around that. Me? I'm eighteen years old and working my way to a journalism degree.
his playoff-high in scoring, which is 50, in overtime on 5/4/06. 
