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!