Thanks to Utah's 113-91 win over Houston last night, we don't have to wait until Tuesday to see the Lakers take the floor. This is a good thing. I don't know how much longer I could take the "rest vs. rust" discussions. Anyway, the Lakers cruised through the first round, but that might be the problem. I'm not a big fan of speculation, but it's hard not to listen when someone says something along the lines of "well, the Lakers are going to get overconfident after the sweep, Denver just rolled over and gave them the series." Personally, I think the Lakers know what their doing. This whole notion of 'overconfidence' is milked too much in the media. It's playoff basketball. The Lakers (as with just about any other team) have enough experience to know what their going up against and how to react.
Sunday is going to make for some terrific basketball. Not only do we have the Lakers kicking off this series, but the #1 seed Celtics face elimination in game seven of that CRAZY series at 10am.
The Lakers are 3-1 in the season series, losing on November 30th at EnergySolutions Arena. On March 20th the Lakers issued Utah one of only four losses at EnergySolutions Arena. Interestingly enough, all three Lakers' wins against Utah were without Pau Gasol--just like the Denver series.
In the regular season, the Lakers scored
108.6 points per game and allowed 101.3 points per game with an
offensive rating at 3rd of 30 and a defensive rating at 5th of 30. The Jazz scored
106.4 points per game and allowed 99.3 points per game with an
offensive rating at 1st of 30 and a defensive rating at 12th of 30.
Series Schedule: Game One Sunday - 5/4 Jazz @ Lakers 12:30pm - ABC
Game Two Wednesday - 5/7 Jazz @ Lakers 7:30pm - TNT
Game Three Friday - 5/9 Lakers @ Jazz 6:00pm - ESPN/KCAL
Game Four Sunday - 5/11 Lakers @ Jazz 12:30pm - ABC
*Game Five Wednesday - 5/14 Jazz @ Lakers TBD - TNT
*Game Six Friday - 5/16 Lakers @ Jazz TBD - ESPN/KCAL
*Game Seven Monday - 5/19 Jazz @ Lakers TBD - TNT
Starting Matchups: Point Guard (LAL) Derek Fisher - 6-1, 205 - 11.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.9 APG (8.5 PPG in Round 1) (UTA) Deron Williams - 6-3, 208 - 18.8 PPG. 3.0 RPG, 10.5 APG (20.8 PPG in Round 1)
Shooting Guard (LAL) Kobe Bryant - 6-6, 220 - 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG (33.1 PPG in Round 1) (UTA) Ronnie Brewer - 6-7, 223 - 12 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.8 APG (9.3 PPG in Round 1)
Small Forward (LAL) Vladimir Radmanovic - 6-10, 234 - 8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.9 APG (8.2 PPG in Round 1) (UTA) Andrei Kirilenko - 6-9, 223 - 11 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.0 APG (9.3 PPG in Round 1)
Power Forward (LAL) Lamar Odom - 6-10, 230 - 14.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.5 APG (11.7 PPG in Round 1) (UTA) Carlos Boozer - 6-9, 266 - 21.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.9 APG (16 PPG in Round 1)
Center (LAL) Pau Gasol - 7-0, 260 - 18.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.5 SPG (22.2 PPG in Round 1) (UTA) Mehmet Okur - 6-11, 263 - 14.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.0 APG (13.1 PPG in Round 1)
All-Time Series Facts (from game notes):
Lakers vs. Utah in Postseason (from game notes): The Lakers and Jazz have met three times in the postseason (1988, 1997 and 1998) with Los Angeles advancing on once occasion (1988 Western Conference Semifinals 4-3, the lone time the Lakers have held the home-court advantage over the Jazz). Utah eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs in two consecutive seasons: 1997 Western Conference Semifinals (1-4) and 1998 Western Conference Finals (0-4). The Jazz sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 1998 included a 112-77 victory in Game 1, the largest margin of defeat by the Jazz over the Lakers in their playoff series history.
Staples Center Advantage (from game notes): Since moving to STAPLES Center prior to the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers have won 82% of their postseason games (45-10). The Lakers have topped the century mark in half of their postseason home games at STAPLES Center (28-of-55) while the opposition has been held under 100 points in all but 14 of those games. In their last 18 home playoff games, the Lakers are 15-3.
Jonathan Abrams/LA Times: As the Lakers wrapped up their final practice before Sunday's
first-round playoff game against the Denver Nuggets, Andrew Bynum and
Trevor Ariza sat together on a large medicine ball.
Sunday and throughout the first round, the injured pair figure to be sharing a spot on the bench.
The odds of Bynum returning for the series from his knee injury were already small and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson ruled him out.
"I'd say it's fair to say that," Jackson said today. "
No surprise here. I wasn't expecting his return any time soon, but there is still the internet contingent that is still basing the Lakers destiny on the presence of Andrew. It's already known that if Andrew gets back this season, he will most likely come off the bench... yet another fact that bothers the internet.
More on Ariza as well: As for Ariza, Jackson did not say the defensive-minded small forward
was definitely out, but his chances of returning from a foot injury to
face the Nuggets are slim.
"I'm not ruling out Trevor," Jackson said, later adding: "He's going to
have to do some things, but this is a pretty long series and we have
some games in between."
There we have it. The story also mentioned that Coby Karl would be on the bench tomorrow, but it's likely that Ira Newble will get the final spot on the 12-man roster. He better.
If you're out of the loop, the Lakers play tomorrow at noon pacific on ABC. You can also check out my preview on the series for stats, historical numbers, matchups, ect...
[edit 11:29am - Sunday] The latest rumors floating around he internet is that Bynum is currently suffering from Chondromalacia, which is the irritation of the cartilage of the undersurface of the kneecap. This is also known as Runner's Knee. Again, this is from a ClubLakers.com's forum post, so, you be the judge:
"(via Phil Jackson after Bynum reports from the doctor in NY)
His pain is caused from an irritation in his kneecap after the healing
of the dislocation. This is known as Chondromalacia or Runner's Knee.
He may have got this from working out so soon after healing. What he
really needed was a gradual return to activity to avoid any of the
inflammation of the knee (which we have been seeing so much, and why
he's not practicing.) It's not so much of torn cartilidge, more
damaged. And the only way he returns is if this irritation stops
bothering him and play and he feels comfortable with the natural
basketball movements he's used to like pivoting and landing. Right now,
it's just waiting.
"
With 82 games behind us in one of the craziest Lakers' seasons of late, it's FINALLY time for some playoff basketball. What started at 9-8 with all of the looks of another mediocre season, the Lakers (and Mitch) turned things around into their first #1 seed since 2000. The Lakers head into this series with hopes of avoiding their third-straight first-round dismissal. In the previous two seasons the Suns dismissed the Lakers early. This season, the Denver Nuggets stand in the way of redemption.
The Lakers are 3-0 in the season series with a 127-99 win on 11/29 at home, a 111-107 win on 12/5 at the Pepsi Center, and a 116-99 win on 1/21 at home. In the regular season, the Lakers scored 108.6 points per game and allowed 101.3 points per game with an offensive rating at 3rd of 30 and a defensive rating at 5th of 30. The Nuggets scored 110.7 points per game and allowed 107.0 points per game with an offensive rating at 11th of 30 and a defensive rating at 10th of 30. All three of the Lakers' wins were prior to the Gasol trade.
Series Schedule: Game One Sunday - 4/20 Nuggets @ Lakers Noon - ABC Announcers: Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Michele Tafoya
Game Two Wednesday - 4/23 Nuggets @ Lakers 7:30pm - TNT/FSN TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager
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
The Lakers are 61-28 in best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (55-27 Los Angeles, 6-1 Minneapolis)
The Lakers are 57-32 in Game 1 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (53-29 Los Angeles, 4-3 Minneapolis)
When winning Game 1 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 50-7. (46-7 Los Angeles, 4-0 Minneapolis)
When losing Game 1 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 11-21 all-time. (9-20 Los Angeles, 2-1 Minneapolis)
The Lakers are 50-39 in Game 2 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (47-35 Los Angles, 3-4 Minneapolis)
When splitting Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 25-12 all-time. (20-12 Los Angeles, 5-0 Minneapolis)
When losing Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 2-15 all-time. (2-14 Los Angeles, 0-1 Minneapolis)
When winning both Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 34-1 all-time. (33-1 Los Angeles, 1-0 Minneapolis)
Opening Round History (from game notes): The Lakers have opened the Playoffs in the FIRST Round 36 times and in the SECOND round on seven occasions (1962, 63, 65, 66, 80, 82, 83) since moving to Los Angeles prior to the 1960-61 season. The Lakers have won 33-of- 43 opening playoff series over that span and are 124-66 (.653) in opening round games.
In Game 1’s of their first postseason series, the Lakers are 31-12. When the Lakers have had home-court advantage in the opening round, they have posted a 30-2 series record. When winning Game 1 in the opening round, the Lakers have a series record of 30-1. Their lone loss came to the Phoenix Suns (2-3) in 1993. When falling behind 0-1 in the opening round, the Lakers are 3-9.
Staples Center Advantage (from game notes): Since moving to STAPLES Center prior to the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers have won 81% of their postseason games (43-10). The Lakers have topped the century mark in nearly half of their postseason home games at STAPLES Center (26-of-53) while the opposition has been held under 100 points in all but 12 of those games. In their last 16 home playoff games, the Lakers are 13-3.
You'd think something like this would be simple, however, from what I've seen around the web, there seems to be some confusion. Lakers Fans: thanks to the Rockets' loss to the Nuggets last night, all the Lakers need to do is beat the Kings Tuesday night to have the #1 seed in the West.
This may be no easy task.
The 38-42 Kings are fresh off of a 94-91 win over the Hornets. I know, the Lakers just rolled through Sacramento with a 22-point win, but this game shouldn't be taken lightly. The Kings are going to go into it wanting a win--there's no question. There is, however, the long-standing argument that seeding in the Western Conference doesn't matter this year. That could hold true. There's no Atlanta Hawks in the West.
The Warriors have a must-win tonight in Phoenix at 7:00pm. If Golden State loses, the Nuggets will have clinched the final spot in the wild wild west.
Here's a look at the Lakers' situation: As I've said, a win on Tuesday will grant the Lakers the #1 seed. The Hornets are currently a half game back. The Hornets have two games remaining (Vs. Clippers on Tuesday and @ Mavericks on Wednesday). If both teams win out, there will be an even tie for the #1 seed. Because the season series is tied 2-2, the Lakers would take the cake with the better conference record.
I hope everything is right. Let me know if you spot any mistakes.
"NBA star Carmelo Anthony has been arrested on su####ion of driving under the influence.
Police say the Denver Nuggets forward was arrested early Monday on
Interstate 25. He was pulled over for weaving and failing to dim his
lights.
Detective Sharon Hahn says Anthony failed a series of
sobriety tests. He was ticketed and released at the scene, but Hahn
does not know how he got home.
This news comes the day after the Nuggets took down the Rockets by a score of 111-94. The Nuggets will clinch the eighth spot in the west if Golden State loses to Phoenix tonight.
Well, the short handed Lakers threw a little bit of a wrench into equation tonight.
After quite possibly the worst week (in terms of losing players) of the season (or the past few seasons, for that matter), The Lakers, anchored by Derek Fisher are messing with us once again.
Tonight's 116-99 victory over the Nuggets provided proof of the Andrew Bynum Theory. 'When someone other than Kobe is hot (usually Bynum, but tonight, D-Fish) the Lakers will win.' This, (obviously) allows the Lakers to exploit the defense's special attention to Kobe, and... RESULTS. Who would've thought?
Fisher scored one off from his career high tonight, with 28 points. Jordan Farmar stepped things up, contributing to the bench mob's 40+ points, with 19. Kobe did his thing, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists. Lamar put up 15 and 11, and Ronny Turiaf added 11. Oh yeah, Kwame didn't do too bad tonight, posting 7 and 11.
Carmelo Anthony managed to score 13 points before going down hard on Kobe's shoe, on what is most likely going to be an ankle sprain (x-rays were negative). Allen Iverson scored 24, LINAS Kleiza added 21, Marcus Camby put up 18 and 12, and Kenyon Martin contributed with 16 and 11. Odd stat of the night? Anthony Carter: ZERO points and 14 assists.
I don't really know what to say about tonight's game... I think everyone in LakerNation is expecting the worst, especially going into the huge road trip at the end of the month, and tonight we were treated to what can happen. Tonight, we saw the best game of the post-subluxation era... is there more to come? Post-Game Locker Talk [Lakers.com]
Heartwarming picture of the night? Los Angeles Lakers' Coby Karl, left hugs his father, Denver Nuggets
coach George Karl (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
Tonight marked the third time in NBA history that a father coached against a son. Yep, and Coby Karl aired out a three and tossed a behind the back pass into the lap of a Denver assistant. Nevertheless, we love Coby Karl.
Is it just me, or do Lakers games seem like they take a lot longer when the style of play is not conducive to team productivity?
The Lakers took a page from the 2006-2007 season tonight, nearly losing to a 9-28 team in a city that, in a short time will no longer be home an NBA team. Is it really any surprise that Kobe scored 48 points on 44 attempts? This was last year's team doing what last year's team did best; rely on Kobe. Please please please don't take this as Kobe hating. I completely acknowledge the fact that he was solely responsible carrying this team tonight, and with the pressure on, and him still ailing from the upper-respiratory infection, he stepped things up and got the W in OT. Take this as either Bynum loving... or Kwame hating; you choose. Lakers 123, Sonics 121 | Kobe, of course, lead the charge with 48, Ronny scored 14, Jordan Farmar and D-Fish both put up 12. Our buddy Kwame Brown managed to pull a 10 and 10 game, which was honestly more than I expected.
The Sonics lit things up offensively, anchored by an unlikely top-scorer, 2003 Kansas grad, Nick Collison, who posted 24 points and 18 boards. Rookie Kevin Durant chimed in with 19, Wally Szczerbiak scored 18 on 3-4 from 3pt, Kurt Thomas had 16 and nine, and Jeff Green posted 14.
The only excuse that I can find for tonight's forecasted sub-par preformance is the back-to-back games. Give Phil a few days to coach some sense into these guys, then I'll start prognosticating. Speaking of "a few days," the Lakes face the Suns for round three of the season series on Thursday. How's that for timing?
The Lakers come into tonight's match-up fresh off of a big Christmas Day win, after coming out of the road trip relatively unscathed... as I predicted.
And to all the Andrew Bynum haters out there... I stand gallant in my support, and that isn't changing any time soon.
Kwame's back, and hopefully Phil doesn't give cash money the benefit of the doubt. Bynum belongs in the starting position, yet there is always that lingering Phil Jackson threat to reward Brown the starting spot.
Through one quarter Lakers 38 (yeah, 38!!), Jazz 23
12:00 - On the eve of what is arguably the largest NFL event in the history of regular season football, the Lakes, led by Kobe (of course) are using the momentum from that X-Mas thriller, taking a huge lead over the defensively sound Jazz.
10:41 - Speaking of the holiday, my best wishes to you and yours this holiday season, and I hope you all had pleasant Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Non-religious celebration of winter. Mine was great, highlighted by, of course, the huge win. I'm home for the holidays, in the cozy confines of my home, alongside my dad, doing what we do best; watching basketball.
8:53 - The Lakers are shooting 68% from the field... Now, typically (virtually always) these kind of numbers don't hold up throughout the game, but with the Lakers up 20, It would be nice to see Lakers win BIG leading up to Sunday's contest with the Celtics.
6:22 - Bynum struck early, putting up eight, before grabbing his second foul early, sitting him for the remainder of the first.
5:42 - Kobe has 13 points and 6 assists; Lakers 55, Jazz 34
4:52 - Tech on Jerry Sloan, complaining on a blatant block. Gotta love it!
4:14 - Tech on Kobe for baking his dudes. If anyone saw that play, It looked like some straight-up playground ball.
3:28 - Kobe with the three.
3:08 - KOBE AGAIN! Lakers 67, Jazz 42
0:47 - Kobe's free throws put the Lakers at 73 points; two up on the previous season high of 71 in Phoenix early in the season.
Halftime Score Lakers 75, Jazz 48
The Lakers have done it up HUGE in the first, scoring 75 points. 75 POINTS! They're on pace to score 150 points tonight.
Kobe is leading the charge with 21 points and six rebounds. Odom has 13, Bynum has eight and six, and D-Fish has seven. Kwame Brown made his first appearance in 19 games, and thus far he has three points, two blocks, and four rebounds in just over 11 minutes.
Third Quarter
11:44 - AK47 will be out or the remainder of the game with a shoulder injury. Kirilenko scored nine points un just under 15 minutes.
9:10 - Lakers up by 19. Everything is going the Lakers way. EVERYTHING.
8:07 - D-Fish just toilet bowled one in for three... Did I mention that EVERYTHING is going the Lakers' way?
7:10 - Kobe has 30 points... that's one over his average... with 7 minutes left in the third.
4:11 - We're really starting to like how Ariza is coming out of his shell as his playing time increases. That trade way back when was a good move. That was clear awhile ago, but I'm owning it now.
2:47 - Bynum takes a seat with four fouls. He's got 10 and nine.
0:00 - Farmar stepped it up and nailed a long three to close out the third.
Through three quarters Lakers 109, Jazz 74
10:44 - Ariza is 2-7 from the line tonight. He's drawing fowls, and not following through.
9:33 - 107-83... If the Lakers pull a Sunday v. Knicks and give up this lead, I just might lose my cool... They're lucky they pulled out of that one with a win, because, as we know, a win is a win... BUT, a loss ISN'T a loss when it's to the Knicks... it's worse.
8:37 - Portland got their 12th straight win tonight over the T-Wolves. They face the Sixers on Sunday at 3:30pm PT.
6:21 - Vlad Rad must be sick or something... He's playing like he's intoxicated.
5:59 - Horrific call by the refs just now. They called a shot-clock violation on a play in which the ball CLEARLY hit the rim. It's good to see Phil getting in the face of officials despite the big lead. belichick-esque? I think not. That ball blatantly bounced off the rim, and the lakers lead is down to 20... As Stu said, they are lucky that it's not a close game, because that was a horrible call.
2:42 - Sasha went down awkwardly earlier in the quarter, and it has been confirmed that it is a sprained ankle, and will be re-evaluated later.
2:32 - 117-101 ... There go the tacos. Boos rain on Staples Center.
1:34 - Farmar nailed a three; he's got 13.
0:11 - Vlad Rad just missed a dunk...
Final Score Lakers 123, Jazz 109
Post Mortem: With tonight's win, the Lakers set themselves up perfectly for the hottest ticket in LA; Sunday's showdown with the 24-3 Celtics. Coming off of two wins over two upper-echelon teams, the Lakers couldn't ask for more leading up to their second, and final match-up with the Celtics this season. Their first meeting resulted in a 107-94 win Boston.
As for tonight's contest, Kobe put up 31 points with seven assists despite not playing for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Lamar has 17 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, Jordan Farmar carried the weight in the fourth, scoring 14, and Trevor Ariza managed to score 12 points, despite his awful showing from the line. D-Fish score 10 with eight assists, and Andrew Bynum scored 10 with eight rebounds.
For Utah, Carlos Boozer scored 20 and 11, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles both put up 18, and Ronny Price added 12.
The Lakers improve their record to 19-10 on the season, as Utah's record falls to 16-15.
The Lakers face Boston (24-3) on Sunday at 6:30pmPT.
My main concern going into Sunday's game is Phil Jackson's propensity to start Kwame Brown over Andrew Bynum at center. Though this is unlikely, Jackson had noted that starting Brown once healthy was a possibility. Brown scored seven points in 17 minutes tonight.
The Lakers are now 2-2 in games live-blogged on VHP ...don't call it a comeback!
I had another "I guess I'm glad Kobe stayed" moment tonight, as Kobe took charge in the fourth en route to a 111-107 win over the Nuggs on the road.
The Lakers scraped this one out, and Kobe noted that that was his prerogative for the team in a post-game interview on the four letter.
There's a lot of things I can complain about (i.e. Walton's free throws), but I'm not. From a fan's standpoint, a win is a win... especially when Allen Iverson drops 51 on you. The bottom line is that the Lakers made some mistakes in this game, but to pick them apart would do the Nuggets too much justice.
I've seen this happen to the Lakers a few times: Somebody (aka Kobe) posts 50+ and the team still loses. This should never happen, and I'll be right here criticizing if it happens to the Lakers again.
Lakers fans have heard a lot about relying on a superstar, but how about relying on superstars?
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 77 points. The next leading scorer was Eddie Najera with ten, and after that it basically drops off. Iverson and Carmelo played terrific ball tonight, and their bench simply didn't come through. The Nuggets should have won this game by 40 points... instead, they pick up a loss out o####reat outing by Carmelo and a season night from A.I.
VHP Programming Update: You may have noticed a break from the norm in the amount of posts over the last week... PAPERS, PAPERS, PAPERS. Ah yes, the semester is coming to a close here, and the heat is on. Next week are finals, and after that VHP will get rolling full time again. In addition, look out for the new podcast launching on the 18th. I've had decent success with the once a week format in the past, so that's most likely the route I'll go with the show. I'll post a thread the night before I record with ways you can get involved... because, let's face it, it wouldn't be fun without the people.
I make my triumphant (okay, maybe not triumphant) return to the world of live blogging tonight, as cats and dogs fall from the sky in Southern California. I might be a little rusty. I used to do this quite a bit at my old blog, but the last instance was the Lakers, Clippers preseason game last season.
Lets get this party started from the half.
Halftime score: Jazz 70, Lakers 51
Halftime thoughts: Kobe is basically the lifeline for the Lakers right now. Through the half, Kobe has 22, with the next leading scorer; Andrew Bynum, at eight. It's no surprise that Kobe is taking control of the offense for the Lakers. Kobe is averaging just over 40 points a game in his last three contests in Utah. The Jazz are playing extremely well with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur out. AK 47 has 13 with six assists.
Third Quarter
11:31 - The Lakers come out of the gate with an uncontested Kobe slam, bringing his point total to 24.
10:59 - Odom is getting back on track, nailing a clean shot, adding to his five on the night.
10:08 - Kirilenko is playing awesome ball tonight. 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
8:55 - Deron Williams is on fire, turning a steal into a bucket, bringing his total to 22 on the night.
8:55 - Woo. Special interest piece on Deron Williams about how HE feels he is underrated.
7:46 - Lamar Odom just tackled Ronny Brewer. This game is getting out of hand. 83-57. Where's the Lakers offense? Kirilenko is splitting it. Where's the Lakers defense? Deron Williams is exploiting it.
7:14 - Jordan Farmar is a little spark plug. Huge three, smart foul.
6:40 - Some of you might not have heard of Jazz forward, Paul Milsap. The guy has 16.
6:07 - Farmar nets another three!
5:27 - Farmar outran Kirilenko on a sweet pass from Kobe. 8-0 run Lakers; all eight from Farmar Jazz 87, Lakers 68.
5:26 - I've been meaning to mention Kyrylo Fresneko. He was called up from the D-League earlier today, and has since posted six points, six rebounds and showed a huge presence for a guy in his first NBA game.
4:38 - The game is now on mute. I've endured three and a half quarters of the person ringing a cowbell after every Jazz basket. If you are watching this game on ESPN, you know what I mean.
4:00 - Kobe just posterized Fresneko, but the Lakers simply can't shut down the Jazz in transition.
3:12 - Farmar ANOTHER THREE!! 15 points off the bench so far.
1:17 - Kieilenko is running the offense, playing what essentially is a point guard, and utilizing his height, dishing out beautiful assists down low.
0:56 - It's still pouring rain here. It has literally been consistently raining since I woke up this morning.
0:22 - REF DOWN!
Fourth Quarter Jazz 102, Lakers 82
11:46 - Farmar is taking control of the Lakers offense (that isn't saying much). Pretty sweet alley-oop layup with the dish from Walton.
11:01 - Kirilenko gets his 10th assist on the night on a Deron Williams three. Williams has matched his career high at 33.
10:04 - Have I ever expressed my dislike for Chris Mihm? I STILL can't believe he got re-signed. I say that as he knocks nearly knocks Fresneko's dome off.
7:40 - Evel Knievel died?
7:22 - Kirilenko is two rebounds from a triple-double. It's been really fin to watch him tonight.
7:04 - Dang, Matt Harpring has 12 and eight tonight.
6:40 - Yes! J-Crit is in!
6:27 - Was that a "Kobe sucks" chant?
5:56 - The Clippers are getting clowned in Denver, 102-86. Remember 4-0?
5:56 - Jeez, Jerry Sloan has coached the Jazz for 20 years. Thats a legacy... and according to ESPN, he loves TRACTORS!! and just for fun, he "goes out back and sits on them." Priceless analysis brought to you by the worldwide leader.
4:45 - Kirilenko is one block from a 5x5! Five or more in : points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks!
4:08 - Jazz 112, Lakers 90.
3:42 - Crittenton just dished out an amazing pass to Odom who, of course, missed the three. That would have been a SportsCenter top 10.
3:34 - Hey look. Ariza is in. He's really making an impact. Not.
2:56 - It looks like Kirilenko is taking a seat. What a night for AK. 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, six steals, and four blocks. Awesome outing to say the least.
2:31 - Paul Milsap tied his career high with 20 points and eight rebounds.
0:43 - Kyrylo Fresneko is a 'G'. He just gave up an open layup and assisted C.J. Miles with a sweet dunk.
0:00 - Boo. Game over. Horrible defense Lakers.
Final Score Jazz 120, Lakers 96
Post mortem: There's not much to say here. The Lakers simply couldn't contain AK 47 who was one block short from the coveted 5x5. It didn't help that Deron Williams dropped a career high with 35. The icing on the cake? The Lakers let Kyrylo Fresneko step all over them in his first career NBA appearance.
Phil Jackson finally agreed to that two-year extension that had been nagging at him for some time now. The move bothered me somewhat after Phil's demeanor over the past few games, but tonight's huge 127, 99 win over Denver sways my opinion quite a bit. Jackson set Thanksgiving as a deadline for his decision, and after a tough road trip through the East Coast, a coaching error in the final play of Sunday's contest with the Nets, and a sloppy win over one of the league's worst teams, we all figured something was going to give.
Jackson's decision surprised me... and almost angered me, but some six hours later, I see the light. I sometimes forget about the head the Jackson had on his shoulders. I sometimes forget that he commanded MJ and the Bulls to victory. I sometimes forget that he brought championship basketball back to LA. Sometimes Phil looks disinterested as a coach, but when he leads the Lakers to big wins; his presence is invaluable.
And a big win this was. Despite trailing by 17 at one point in the second quarter, The Lakers posted seven in double figures, including someone who came out of the woodwork to land a career high. Sasha Vujacic lit it up from the field, finishing with 22 points. Kobe (aptly enough) scored 24, Luke Walton came off the bench with 14, and Lamar Odom posted 12.
Andrew Bynum showed his stuff, snagging another double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers point guard tandem of D-Fish and Jordan Farmar put up 10 points respectively.
The best part to me, however was a result of the big lead... We finally got to see a lot more of the Bench Mob. The Lakers bench scored 63 points. That is HUGE.
We saw a lot of rookie, Javaris Crittenton, who scored seven points in five minutes.
We saw some more time out of newcomer Trevor Ariza, who laid some bricks at the line, missed a gimme, and impressed nobody.
SIDENOTES
Carmelo Anthony was ejected in the fourth quarter after nearly taking Sasha's dome off, in a play that resulted in a flagrant-two ruling after a video review.
Coby Karl scored 19 points in his first game with the Lakers' D-league affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
The Lakers came into tonight's match up with the Nets after a tough couple of losses on the road, hoping to maybe get things rolling on the home court... Maybe.
It was just four days ago that the Lakers were sitting pretty at 7-3; a respectable looking record, despite whatever was going on on the floor.
Look at it now. A tough loss to Milwaukee, and loss that was supposed to be a loss in Boston brought the road trip to a screeching halt... But tonight? What happened tonight?
It's too late (2:00am?) to get into any real analysis, so here it is in a nutshell. If you didn't watch the game, this might be difficult to understand, so bear with me.
The Lakers took a good lead into the half, only to blow it in one of their historic third quarter collapses. Then in typical fashion, Kobe saves the day in the fourth (or does he?), only to miss a third free throw after getting fouled behind the arch (which was really just a good acting job). With the game on the line and three seconds on the clock, the Lakers turn to the 0-10 from the field Vladdy Radmanivic to net the winning three! Bad move... obviously. Nets 102, Lakers 100.
There you have it. This was the most frustrating game to watch so far this year, and something tells me that if the Lakers don't beat Seattle on Tuesday, not only is this season doomed, but you might as well forget about good old Phil Jackson, who still hasn't inked for next season. [edit] 5:41pm; Monday: I've been thinking about that whole scenario quite a bit today... It honestly leaves me questioning Phil Jackson's desire to coach. Vladimir Radmanovic didn't even deserve to be on the floor with the game on the line last night. I said this in a comment, but if ANYTHING, Vladdy should have been inbounding the ball on that play. His height could have been used to the Lakers advantage. Instead, you take the shortest guy on the floor, who also happens to be 8-10 from the field, and have him inbound the ball? I understand that Kobe got tied up, and that Bynum made a young mistake with his back to the ball at the inbound, but Jackson could have choreographed that play in a number of ways that would have had better odds than what actually happened. Giving Fisher a chance to take that shot as the third option is clearly more efficient than putting the game on the shoulders o####uy who went 0-10 with no rebounds. Even if Fisher would have missed it, the people wouldn't be as pissed. BAD CALL PHIL.
The icing on the cake? Unconfirmed reports last spotted Vladdy at 2am at one of Hollywood's many trendsetting night clubs, the night before the game. Vlad was seen all over Los Angeles drinking it up until the wee hours. Finally, To the LA Media: STOP CALLNG THIS GUY VLADE. Even if he was as good as Mr. Divac, the bottom line is the fact that his there will never be another Vlade in Los Angeles unless someone specifically named 'Vlade' were to come around. It just bugs me.
In just the second good Lakers game of the season, Kobe posted 30, grabbed 8 boards, and since everyone in Los Angeles is counting, he smiled a couple of times.
Now when I say good, I don't mean that either team particularly played well, I mean it was fun to watch. The fact that I had to watch it on ESPN, however, was like pulling teeth. I know it's been said in various blogs since the beginning of time, but jeez, could ESPN's coverage of basketball be any worse? I don't want cute father-son moments between Bill and Luke Walton. I don't want to listen to a couple of guys that don't know much of anything about either team pretending like they do. And, I really don't want to sit through 60 seconds of analysis on the Ohio St. v Michigan during a time out with 29 seconds left in a two point game.
Time to explain my situation, for those of you who are not familiar with the Lakers broadcast schedule, all home games are broadcast on Fox Sports Net West, while all away games are broadcast on the terrestrial KCAL 9.
Because of school, this is my first season living outside of the Los Angeles television coverage area, and while we do have Fox Sports down here, we are without KCAL 9, and the beloved LTV pregame show. In effect, I'm lucky to get a road game on ESPN or TNT, because if not, I'm tied to the computer using NBA.com's free live audio, which is great, but it's just not the same.
Now that my diatribe is over, lets get to the game itself...
Lakers 93, Rockets 90
The Lakers jumped out to a huge lead, and held it through the half... Then the third quarter hit. Is it just me, or are the Lakers historically horrific in the third quarter?
They were outscored 22-14 in the third. Keep in mind that this was after Tracy McGrady went out with that injury on his right elbow.
Nevertheless, despite it being the second Houston v. Lakers game of the season to end in nail-biting three-pointer, the Lake Show walked out of the Toyota Center with a much needed win. Kobe's 30 points and 8 rebounds were backed by an overall solid showing from the supporting cast. D-Fish finished with 13 and Lamar Odom posted 10 and 7, despite admitting to "playing through the pain" on the Lakers postgame show on KLAC AM 570.
After the game Kobe had this to say: "It's very good for us to bounce back and come out
and play our best. It wasn't pretty the last two minutes. We wanted to
kick it up (in the second quarter) and I was able to get my game going.
My fade-away is my secret weapon. I'm entirely optimistic all the time."
This was one of those games where you find yourself appreciating Kobe, not because you like him, but because there's no way you would have won the game without him.
On the other side of the floor, Yao put up a stylish 26 points with 13 rebounds alongside Bonzi freaking Wells who added 21 and pulled down 10.
The Lakes head home with a 4-3 record, set to take on Detroit friday night.
around the league Chasing 0bscurity You know the drill... if not, see the last post.
Undefeated Boston Celtics (7-0) - next game: 11/16 vs. Miami - 4:30pm pt
Winless Golden State Warriors (0-5) - next game: 11/16 vs. Clippers
Thoughts Two teams succeeded from the ranks of "Chasing Obscurity" tonight. The Sonics finally got a win, beating the Heat tonight, bringing them to a spectacular record of 1-8, consequently, the loss brought the Heat to a 1-7 record. The T-Wolves beat the Queens by a score 108-103, bringing their record to 1-5.
Leg one of the over-hyped Lakers road trip through Texas resulted in a
predictable loss to the now 7-1 Spurs, in a game that saw phenomenal
team ball on the Spurs behalf... like that's out of the ordinary.
Basically, the main point of the night was centered on the
always-entertaining Kobe on Bruce Bowen match-up. Bowen covered Kobe
well, and outscored him, putting up 23, compared to Kobe's 18.
Jordan Farmar played well, putting up 16, along
side Lamar Odom, who kept up the pace from his debut on Friday, putting
up 12 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.
The Lakers simply got outplayed tonight, nothing much more can be said
for their effort, aside from the fact that they will need to rebound
big to beat Houston tomorrow.
Tomorrow night's game is the one that the Lake Show can realistically win. The Rockets are coming off of a 105-95 loss in Memphis, so there is room for the Lakers to snag a win from a team that looked pretty solid up until tonight. around the league Chasing Obscurity Chasing Obscurity is a tradition that I'll be carrying over from my previous blogging adventures that spotlights the league's undefeated and winless teams until there simply are no more. Why? Because that kind of thing gets me going.
Undefeated Boston Celtics (6-0) - next game: 11/14 vs. New Jersey - 4:00pm pt
Winless Seattle Sonics (0-8) - next game: 11/14 @ Miami - 4:30pm pt Minnesota Timberwolves (0-5) - next game: 11/14 vs. Sacramento - 5:00pm pt Golden State Warriors (0-5) - next game: 11/14 vs. Detroit - 7:30pm pt
Thoughts That Seattle v Miami game should be a real thriller. The 1-6 Heat play host to 0-8 Sonics... Look for the Heat to take advantage of the home floor in this one.
It was a rather slow sports day in Los Angeles. No Lakers game, no Clippers game, and though nobody truly cares here, no Ducks game and no Kings game either.
Here's run through the rumor mill, news stand, and garbage pail:
A-Rod, who is seeking the biggest contract in the history of the league, is now ready to venture out into the free agent market. His agent, Scott Boras, a.k.a the dude that "ruined" game four of the World Series, reportedly used this week's GM meetings to pimp A-Rod to anyone who would listen. Among those listening closely, the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets, and Angels. The Angels, however, stepped things up and appear to be the front runner, with this statement from GM Tony Reagins:"We're interested. We're going to speak to his people and see where they are," Reagins said. "They'll know where we stand and we'll go from there. You look to try to improve your club. If that's a piece that improves your club, you go for it."
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the mother of Clippers G/F Corey
Maggette has said "Corey would love to be a Bull.'' This is obviously a
case of "what were you thinking," but with Corey being the highlight of
the team while Brand is out, combined with the Clipps' 4-0 record,
countered by Chicago's 1-4 record (they finally won a game), I think
he's staying put.
Lamar Odom is expected to return to the Lakers starting line-up for Friday's game against the T-Wolves. Odom, who was sidelined in May after undergoing shoulder surgery will likely replace Luke Walton in the line-up in lieu of Ronny Turiaf's stellar play in the first four games of the season.
Good old Phil Jackson is already talking about next season... four games into this season. When asked about the status of his standing contract with the Lakers, he said "It will probably be before Thanksgiving, or around Thanksgiving time. That's a good time period." Jackson, who is still recovering from his second hip replacement surgery has mentioned that his heath, as well as the team's propensity to win a championship play a strong role in his decision.
Much to the chagrin of change-seeking Lakers fans, Jerry West has been said to be very much enjoying his retirement down time.
Ex-Euro soccer star Ruud Gullit will be announced as the new coach of the L.A. Galaxy in a press conference friday morning. ...Yet another expenditure that will likely get the Galaxy nowhere. Here's to hoping Gullit doesn't go down with a knee injury.
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.
Tonight's 116-99 victory over the Nuggets provided proof of the Andrew Bynum Theory. 'When someone other than Kobe is hot (usually Bynum, but tonight, D-Fish) the Lakers will win.' This, (obviously) allows the Lakers to exploit the defense's special attention to Kobe, and... RESULTS. Who would've thought?
The Lakers scraped this one out, and Kobe noted that that was his prerogative for the team in a post-game interview on the four letter. 
points. Kobe (aptly enough) scored 24, Luke Walton came off the bench with 14, and Lamar Odom posted 12.
Well, that was just one of those games. 
They were outscored 22-14 in the third. Keep in mind that this was after Tracy McGrady went out with that injury on his right elbow.
Leg one of the over-hyped Lakers road trip through Texas resulted in a
predictable loss to the now 7-1 Spurs, in a game that saw phenomenal
team ball on the Spurs behalf... like that's out of the ordinary. 
