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.
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 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.
I know, this is likely last on your viewing palate today, with what has the propensity to be the biggest football game in the history of the universe, but I've seen more than enough Laker fans out there that hopefully can look past the "smarmy 12 year old" tag.
Utah @ Lakers - 9:30pm ET
It finally looks like the Kobe drama has somewhat subsided, and maybe... just maybe, he'll stop being a pest off the court, and keep being dominant on the court. I've said it before, and i'll say it again. I don't like Kobe; but I will sure as hell miss him if he is gone.
I think a lot of Lakers fans take Kobe for granted. I've complained about Kobe's selfishness for years, heck, I even took the Clippers for a test drive at one point, but the bottom line still remains; we all secretly want Kobe to stay in town.
When the Lakers dropped their opening night game to the Rockets 93-95 and Kobe posted 45, I was immediately taken back to the past two seasons where Kobe ran the court, took 2500 shots, and yelled at everyone that missed a jumper.
Then, Friday, in Phoenix, the Lake Show pulled off that seemingly impossible bounce back, where the team takes everything they should have done the game before, and applies it to the next game.
That Phoenix game was one of the biggest statements the Lakers could have mad.
Kobe held himself (held himself?) to 16 points, while getting everyone involved (thank you god!).
FIVE LAKERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES? I don't think I've seen that in years.
Vlad Man Radmanovic put up 19, Kobe had his 16 and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum pulled down 13 rebounds and tacked on 14 points to boot. Derek Fisher put up 14, and Sasha Vujacic, who might I add is fooling everyone with the long hair, added 12.
Basically, the Lakers have all the momentum in the world going into tonight's game against the 2-1 Jazz.
Lakers fans can only hope for performances like Friday's, especially if they want to get through the tough upcoming stretch of games in one piece.
One thing Friday's game did do, was possibly suggest the idea that Kobe doesn't mean so much to the team, and that they could survive without them. Then again, how often are you going to see this line up post 5 in double figures?
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.
It finally looks like the Kobe drama has somewhat subsided, and maybe... just maybe, he'll stop being a pest off the court, and keep being dominant on the court. I've said it before, and i'll say it again. I don't like Kobe; but I will sure as hell miss him if he is gone. 
