It's been a long couple of weeks here at VHP... I think the same can be said for the Lakers.

The Lakes handled the pressure of the road by putting up the best record on a nine-game road trip in the history of the NBA (at least that's what the media told me... *see bottom of page). With a tremendous (yes, tremendous) 117-92 win over the (cough. 10 win) T-Wolves tonight, the Lakers locked up a 7-2 showing over the tour of the eastern seaboard.

Sooo, remember when I did that preview of the trip awhile back? Well, some of you made predictions in the comments section, and I'm here to out you all! Now, before I list these, keep in mind that these predictions were made prior to the Gasol trade, so they likely hold no relevance whatsoever.

Here's what you said:
Hoffman: 6-3
RelicFace: 3-6
Lakersfan19II: 2-7
ea7777: 5-4
nba is the worst: 4-5 or 5-4 (after Detroit game)

Hats off to Hoffman for having the faith early on. Really though, Lakersfan19II's prediction was as good as anyone's off the bat. Had the trade not gone down, we likely could have seen a 2-7 outing. One final time (because I know someone is going to say something about it), the predictions were made before the Gasol trade.

...Moving on...

It may have been nearly 10 days since my last post, but don't be fooled... I'm still drooling over the pure elegance and beauty of Pau Gasol's game. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; that trade was HUGE. There's no denying it now. February 1st might as well be Pau Gasol Day in Los Angeles. I've never been a big fan of finesse centers, but in (reportedly) a month, Gasol will be a finesse power forward... a finesse power forward that averages 20 PPG, alongside a (hopefully) 80%-90% Andrew Bynum.

Pau Gasol Has A Posse.

In Gasol's six games with the Lakers, he's keeping continuity with his season averages, with 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. Some analysts have pointed out the pressure that is being taken off Odom, now that he's not the first option down low. Odom's PPG over the Gasol-era games has stayed put at 13, however, he's managed to pull down 12.6 RPG, as opposed to his season average of 9.7.

Don't let Kobe's might be overshadowed in lieu of all of this Gasol back-scratching... Kobe averaged 29 points on the trip... and, that includes a six point game and an 11 point game (NJN and ATL respectively). Don't forget about the dislocated finger, either.

What's to come?

All-Star Weekend! (times are in Pacific... as usual)

The fun kicks off on Friday at 4:00pm on ESPN with the celebrity game... What's better than watching Taylor Hicks ball it up with Alyssa Milano? Unfortunately the time slot is going up against the LPGA SBS Open on the Golf Channel...

Also on Friday, is the Rookies vs. Sophomores game. Jordan Farmar and the sophomores will do battle with Kevin Durant and the rookies at 6:00pm on TNT. Oddly enough, I'm actually looking forward to this game more than practically anything else all weekend... unless, of course, Chuck and Dick Bavetta decide to go at it again.

Saturday brings the corporate-sponsored assorted skills challenges. Kobe is listed as a participant for the three-point contest, but we'll get into that in just a second..

The All-Star Game itself is going down at 5:00pm on Sunday. Kobe is on the roster as a starter for the West, however, AP reports "Kobe Bryant's finger is still bothering him, and the Lakers star was set to see a doctor in Los Angeles on Thursday to determine whether he'll play in the All-Star game this weekend." [Full Story]

Not to be forgotten (at all), is the Lakers Wednesday (2/20) matchup with the Suns. The game is at 6:00 on ESPN, and is truly what the fans are looking forward to. The Suns currently have a one game lead over the Lakers for control of the Pacific Division, so this game could be a go-ahead contest.

[edit]
Merry Christmas!
"It's like Christmas every day," Bryant said. "We have so many weapons here. I really just use my abilities to be a bait, continue to create easy shots for my teammates and just move the ball and play well together." [Full Story @ latimes.com]

[edit: 12:03pm]
Best nine-game roadie ever? Maybe not... In the comments of this post, GR8UN54 pointed out that the Spurs, in fact had gone 8-1 on a niner back in the 02-03 season. I checked it out, and as far as I can tell, he's right. Look:


[edit: 12:15pm]
Lakersfan19II pointed out that the Spurs' streak was broken up by the All-Star break. He's right. The 2003 All-Star Game was on Feb. 8th. Thus, the Lakers' 7-2 is best record on an uninterrupted nine-game road trip in the history of the NBA.