Lakers/Clippers

March 25, 2011 - The Lakers gained their 6th straight win as Kobe had 37 points, and Gasol had another 26. The best stat of this game is that the Lakers NEVER trailed the Clippers. In their 14th win in 15 games, the Lakers beat the Clippers 112-104 Friday night.

Artest was at his eccentric best for the Lakers, following up a rare dunk by leaping in the air and flexing his biceps. He then celebrated a 3-pointer by blowing kisses in the air in the third quarter - but only after missing back-to-back dunks earlier in the period.

Overall, it was a good win for the Lakers. Although the Clippers are not as bad as they have been in years past, the Lakers definitely still have their number. In Bynum's game back after being suspended, he had 11 points and 12 rebounds. I like the way the team is playing together and they are now 52-20. They are still a game ahead of Dallas in the West and only 6 games behind the Spurs.

Overtime Thriller in LA!!!

March 22, 2011 - The Lakers gained their 5th win in a row, which makes 13 of 14 since the All-Star break. This was a fast-paced, offensive game the entire night. The final score was 139-137 and it went into TRIPLE OVERTIME. Kobe ended up with 42 points, Lamar Odom had 29 and Gasol added 24.

It was an intense game full of all-stars on both sides of the ball

It was a pretty close game in the first half. I must say, the bench for both of these teams is incredible. I was in awe as I watched the offensive clinic both benches were putting on the entire game. It was close at half, as the Suns went into the locker room up by 5. But the Lakers came back and gained a pretty big lead through the last two quarters, but in the last 5 minutes, the Suns started hitting big shots. Steve Nash was giving crazy assists as well as hitting unremarkable three-pointers. Vince Carter had a chance to win the game with 1 second in regulation left but he missed a long 3. Overtime.

During the end of the first overtime, the Lakers were up 121-118 with about 2 second left. The win was there, but Lamar Odom fouled the Suns' Channing Frye on a three pointer!!! You never do that!!! Anyways, he hit all three free throws so it went into Double Overtime!

Lamar Odom played huge in Bynum's absence

The second overtime was pretty much the same as the teams went back and forth offensively. With about 3 seconds left and the Lakers down 130-128, Gasol went for a shot and got fouled as well! So he hits those two free throws which leads to Triple Overtime!

In the first triple overtime the Lakers have hosted since 1969, they win it in a thriller! Ron Artest had a powerful dunk which set the crowd off and Kobe hit a jumper close to the paint inside with 14 seconds left in the game, giving the Lakers a 4 point lead that the Suns couldn't overcome. What a game!




Matt Barnes is an elite bench player for the Lakers, and will definitely help their 3-peat


My thoughts on this game however, are this. The Lakers got destroyed in fastbreak points. This is a little unsettling as it shows they can't get back down the court to play defense. The Suns went down into transition and hit many threes in the game. But the plus side, the bench of the Lakers is one of the best in the league and I really enjoyed seeing them play. Matt Barnes was huge in the game and Odom is stepping up big in Bynum's absence. Bynum will be back next game as his suspension is over from getting ejected two games earlier. This was a crazy showdown in the West that was full of offense. The Suns are a very good team and I think this triple overtime win by the Lakers showed a lot of heart. Now if they can only play better defense and get back after scoring so they don't give up so many fastbreak points.

The next game is Friday March 25th vs. the Los Angeles Clippers @ the Staples Center of course.

LAke Show Beats Portland

March 20, 2011 - The Lakers rallied from behind in the final minutes of the game hitting the last 5 baskets of the game. They won 84-80 after Derek Fisher had two key steals with 1:56 to go as well as hitting a jumpshot with 10 seconds left. Add to this that Kobe had 10 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter, and you've got a great game between these two teams.

Derek Fisher has been playing like a true veteran lately

Andrew Bynum was not playing in this game after being suspended 2 games for getting ejected the game before this one while playing against the Timberwolves. He was a key piece missing from the Lakers overall puzzle of great basketball. But Lamar Odom came through in a big way as usual, putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds. Another note is that the Lakers officially clinched a playoff berth as the Utah Jazz lost to the Houston Rockets Sunday. Now it just comes down to what seed the Lakers will be when playoffs come around.

These guys seem to playing with a lot of intensity lately

The team has won 12 of their last 13 games after the All-Star break which is very impressive. I don't know what it is, but they have an energy that wasn't seen much in the first half. Maybe those three losses in a row before the All-Star break helped the team out in a good way. It showed they aren't as good as they thought, as they lost to sub-par teams right before the break. But now, they are on fire. Kobe and Fisher are leading the team with true intensity. Ron Artest although not always hitting his shots, is playing tremendous defense. Bynum has been a huge part of the team being a dominant force inside and Gasol is hopefully feeding off that and will hopefully get that killer instinct soon himself. Lamar Odom has been clutch whenever he steps out on the court and will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with in the playoffs. The bench has been superb with Matt Barnes back now, Steve Blake and especially Shannon Brown have been playing well. They are starting to peak at the right time which is exactly what they need to get to that 3-Peat!!!!!

Next game is Tuesday vs. the Pheonix Suns @ the Staples Center. Here's to a big win!

Timberwolves Go Down

March 18, 2011 - The big story of this game, besides Gasol putting up 25 points and Kobe adding another 18 on his sprained ankle, Andrew Bynum was ejected in the fourth quarter and is now suspended for the next 2 games.

Bynum, who had 10 points and 14 rebounds, got ejected with about 6 minutes left in the game after he demolished Michael Beasley who was knocked down while he tried to drive inside to the basket. Bynum is now suspended the next 2 games, which include a game vs. Portland and Pheonix.

The Lakers have now won 11 of their last 12 since the All-Star Break. They have been putting up great numbers and playing like a team in sync. Another thing I really liked was after Bynum's foul, his teammates were yelling and arguing with other players and referees while disagreeing with the call. This shows they have team unity, something not seen too much in the first half of the season. This led to a fiesty rest of the game for the LA squad who is now 49-20 on the season and slowly creeping up the standings in the West.

LA stomps Orlando

March 14, 2011 - In a game which pitted two of the top teams in both the East and West, the Lakers prevailed in a landslide victory by a score of 97-84. Pau Gasol was the man of the night, scoring 23 points on 10-17 FG. Kobe added 16 points while still favoring his injured ankle from the game two nights before. The Lakers have now won 10 out of 11 games since the All-Star break.

Bynum man-handled Howard during the game, finally showing his true potential

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds on the night. But the key is he had 9 turnovers, which was 4 more than the entire Lakers team. This is obviously a great sign for the team who is going on a tremendous peak in their game right now.

Lamar Odom leads the 2nd string, with Shannon Brown, Steve Blake, and Matt Barnes helping to round out the best bench in the NBA

The Magic led throughout the first half, but LA pulled away in the second. Odom had 16 points on the night as well, and Fisher had 15. But the key to the game was Andrew Bynum. He had 18 rebounds and 4 blocks. I was watching this game, and he was dominating Dwight Howard through the night. Howard had a scared look in his face as Bynum was too strong inside for anybody. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with and as long as he stays healthy, he'll be a key to winning the 3-peat this year. Also, I hope the reserves keep it up because they are the best bench in the entire NBA. They're really helping to give the starters rest while still being able to put up big numbers against opposing starting squads.

The next game will be Friday, March 18 vs. the Timberwolves in LA.

Lakers Defeat Mavericks

March 12, 2011 - In a game that gave all Lakers fans a potential scare with Kobe leaving in the 3rd quarter with an ankle injury, the team pulled together to get a 96-91 win. Andrew Bynum had a strong performance, leading the team with 22 points as well as 15 rebounds. Both Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points each.


It was the 600th win for coach Phil Jackson's career. He is just the fifth coach in NBA history to have that many wins with one franchise. The exciting part is that with this key win, the Lakers have cut the Maverick's No. 2 playoff seed in the West to only a half-game. Jackson had this to say about the game,

We made a decided effort to go inside. We were able to get the ball in the right way and score. He replaced Pau [Gasol] as really our post scorer tonight."

The Lakers are now 9-1 since the All-Star break, going on a complete rampage throughout the league. The next game is against the Magic at the Staples Center.

Lakers and Heat!

March 10, 2011- In the prime time game on Thursday which brought the Lakers to Miami in a battle of two heavily studded teams, the Heat won 94-88. The heat are 2-0 against the Lakers this season, and this game snapped the Lakers 8 game winning streak while helping Miami's 5 game losing streak. 

After much speculation of Chris Bosh's numbers with Miami this season, he had stated earlier in the week he wanted the ball more. He got the ball more, and put up 24 points in the game. Kobe added 24 as well, where Pau added 20 points. It was a very close game and the Lakers played real well in the first half I thought. But toward the end of the third quarter, they started to get real sloppy. It's like they had no energy left and they were looking exhausted and out of the game. This led to key turnovers and bad possessions which helped the Heat take the lead and win the game. 

This game upset me a little bit because the Lakers were on such a great winning streak! Plus, that win just gives the Heat confidence heading toward the end of the season. Either way, I would like to see the Lakers play with intensity the entire game this year! Maybe they're just tired after playing such a long stretch of games lately. Next game is vs. Dallas.

8 Straight Wins

March 8, 2011 - The Lakers are on a massive 8-game winning streak after defeating the Atlanta Hawks 101-87. It was practically a one sided-game as the Lakers continued their dominating energy shown in the game vs. the Spurs.

A big story of the night was how Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, and passed Moses Malone to become 6th on the all-time scoring list of the NBA.

"He's very unique," said Drew, in his first season as the Hawks' coach, of the Lakers' star. "I was in L.A. when we traded for him, and you saw the talent.

That talent has definitely shown through his career. Now as he is passing one of the great NBA stars on the all-time scoring list, and as his team is on a great win streak and on their way to their third consecutive NBA championship!

Thursday, the Lakers face off vs. the Miami Heat. Although the Lakers have been playing extremely well, and the Heat have been playing.... well, not, it could still have the potential to be a great game full of all-star caliber players.

"Stay cool."

-- Phil Jackson, when asked how to beat the Heat Thursday.

Spurs who? Lakers destroy San Antonio

March 6, 2011 - The NBA-best San Antonio Spurs (51-12) got pounded by the Lakers (45-19) today by a score of 99-83 this afternoon where the starters had a huge lead of about 30 points through much of the game. Not only does this help put the Lakers even further on the heels of the Spurs in the West, but this was the Lakers 7th straight win since the All-Star Break. It's significant as well because prior to the game, the Spurs had won a franchise-record 22 straight games at home this season. This is after the Spurs completely embarrassed the Miami Heat, beating them by 30 points on Friday night. Then they turn right around and have the same thing done to them by the Lakers.

It was just one of those games for Kobe, where he was ON in full on Black Mamba mode

So why the big win? The Lakers were playing with absolute energy and intensity for the majority of the game. They sent a message from the beginning without a doubt. Great ball movement, good looks on shots, a high FG percentage of 46.7% where the Spurs shot 36%, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, etc. Literally every aspect of their game was on point in the game today as they sailed easily past the rival San Antonio. 

Kobe led with 26 points as Gasol dropped 21. Odom had 15 and Bynum had 17 rebounds. Fisher and Artest both hit a couple key three-pointers, Shannon Brown was electric as ever as he was high-flying to the basket. Gasol even hit his first three of the season in the game! It was also the return of Matt Barnes after being out for 26 games, and even he had 5 points.

Even Ron Artest had a well-played game where his defense was as good as ever

It just seemed like every shot was going in for the team, and their intensity was up for the majority of the game. They were like playing like a team on a mission, to make people realize they are the best team in the NBA. I think they proved a lot during the game and I love it. The Lakers next game is Tuesday March 8th where they face the Atlanta Hawks on the road. 

Lakers Win Streak Continues

March 4, 2011 - The Los Angeles Lakers have now won their 6th straight game since the All-Star break, as they beat the Charlotte Bobcats Friday night 92-84. Kobe dropped 27 points as Gasol dropped 20 points and 10 boards. Derek Fisher was injured during the game however, spraining his elbow in the third quarter. The victory was a surprise however, because prior to the game, the Bobcats had beaten the Lakers 8 of the last 10 meetings. 

Shannon Brown dunking in the game. Will Fisher's injury possibly give Brown a chance to start at point guard like I think he should be anyways?

The Lakers begin a four game road trip on Sunday, starting off against the NBA's best record San Antonio Spurs. In other news, newly acquired player this season Matt Barnes who has been dealing with injury the past month, is speculated to return to the lineup on Sunday against San Antonio.

Lakers @ Timberwolves

March 1, 2011 - The Los Angeles Lakers have extended their second half win-streak, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road by a score of 90 to 79, despite the horrible FG% by the Lakers. They have now won 5 straight games, after losing 3 consecutive games right before the all-star break. The captain Kobe Bryant led the team with 24 points where Andrew Bynum had 14. The problem? The Lakers shot 37.5% from the field as a team, which is terrible. Artest was 2-10 shooting, Gasol was 3-10, and Fisher was 2-9.

Minnesota was only down four points going into the fourth quarter, but the Lakers managed to pull away and get the easy win. They outrebounded the T'Wolves 53-39 and Kobe was on fire in the second half, where he scored 20 of his 24 points.

Lamar Odom, who I feel will be the key to the 3-peat this year, added 12 points and 11 rebounds on the night

Although this was a win for the team, they should've dominated Minnesota tonight. The Timberwolves have the worst defense in the league as far as stats go, and there was a rookie on Kobe, who actually guarded him pretty well. Gasol, Artest, and Fisher were complete disasters at shooting. If this was Boston or San Antonio they played tonight, it would have been a blowout against the Lakers. Even though we all love the win and win-streak, they still have things to get together to be ready for the playoffs.

The next game is Friday, March 4th where the Lakers take on the Charlotte Bobcats at the Staples Center.