Lakers

[Dr T]

Ron Artest is the 2010-11 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

[Dr T]

Three down and one to go! Kobe scored 19 points in the Lakers' 106-90 Game 5 win over the Hornets. Pau had 16 points and Fish had 13 points and they were two of six Lakers in double figures while Andrew Bynum's 18 points and 10 rebounds helped the Lakers control the boards tonight. We go to N.O. to play our next game and I hope that will be our last in this series. I'm glad Kobe was able to play. I hope he didn't do more damage.

[Dr T]

POSTGAME NUMBERS

6 Consecutive Game 5 playoff wins at home since the team acquired Pau Gasol prior to the 2008 playoffs (Utah ’08, Houston ’09, Denver ’09, Oklahoma City ’10, Phoenix ’10, New Orleans ’11).

6 Lakers in double figures, with all five starters and Lamar Odom going for at least 11.

7 Blocked shots for the Lakers, led by Pau Gasol’s three and Andrew Bynum’s two.

10 Three pointers for the Hornets, half of which were made by Trevor Ariza, who hit 5-of-8 despite making only 30 percent from distance in the regular season. L.A. is familiar with that pattern, as Ariza struggled in the regular season as a Laker in 2008-09 before catching fire late in the postseason.

13 Second quarter points for Kobe Bryant on 6-of-10 FG’s after he failed to attempt a single shot in the first quarter. Among his six field goals was a nasty one-handed facial on Emeka Okafor that tied the game and seemed to fuel L.A. moving forward after a nervous first quarter watching Bryant struggle to move laterally on his ankle/foot defensively. Going straight up, however, was apparently not a problem, Bryant breaking out the ol’ No. 8 jersey again in the third for a monster left-handed hammer dunk.

17 More rebounds collected by the Lakers, including a 15-3 edge on the offensive glass, which had a lot to do with the second-chance points margin of…

19 Turnovers by the Hornets, a reflection of L.A.’s energy.

20 Lakers advantage in second chance points (22-2), a complete reversal of a category dominated 20-4 by New Orleans in Game 4. Phil Jackson said that effort was the key to the game.

28 Total points (18) and rebounds (10) for Andrew Bynum, who posted his third double-double in five games.

49.3 Identical field goal percentage for both teams, though L.A. attempted eight more shots and nine more free throws to come up with the 16-point margin of victory.

From Lakers.com

[Dr T]

LA Lakers

The Lakers are back in New Orleans Thursday night leading their first round playoff series with the Hornets 3-2. With a win the Lakers advance to the second round to play either the Mavs or Blazers. Tipoff for Game 6 is set for 5:00pm PT

If we win tonight we are moving on to round 2 but they will be hungry so I do not expect it to be easy. We can do it!

[Dr T]

Lakers are moving on to round two! Kobe had 24 points as we won in NO tonight. It was a 98-80. Bynum scored 18 points with 12 rebounds, Pau scored 16 and LO had 14 as L.A. took the series 4-2. :) Good work boys!

[Dr T]

Phil Jackson wears another championship ring each game now. On the white board he wrote "12 Mo'" -- only 7 more rings in his collection for him to wear though. :) We can add one more to your collection if we play this right. :)

[Dr T]

The Mavs closed out their first round vs. Portland tonight. We will face them in the next round. Go Lakers!

[Dr T]

Round two vs. Mavs schedule.

Game 1 – Mon May 2 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT

Game 2 – Wed May 4 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 7:30PM TNT

Game 3 – Fri May 6 L.A. Lakers at Dallas TBD ESPN

Game 4 – Sun May 8 L.A. Lakers at Dallas 12:30PM ABC

Game 5 * Tue May 10 Dallas at L.A. Lakers TBD TNT

Game 6 * Thu May 12 L.A. Lakers at Dallas TBD ESPN

Game 7 * Sun May 15 Dallas at L.A. Lakers 12:30PM ABC

* if necessary

[Dr T]

Lakers vs. Mavs preview: by position from Lakers.com here:

MAVS: Against Portland, there were more than a few bad “Hot Tub Time Machine” jokes directed towards Kidd, one of three still-active players from the 1994 Draft class (Grant Hill, Juwan Howard). He hit 16-of-25 shots, including 9 3’s, to lead Dallas to wins in Games 1 and 2, then posted 14 assists (for his 12th time in the playoffs) in the pivotal Game 5. But L.A. did well to run Kidd off the 3-point line in their two wins vs. Dallas in March, his impact upon both games minimized. LAKERS: Chris Paul, post Game 6: “A lot of credit goes to Derek Fisher. I told him after the game he played unbelievable D for the entire series.” Fisher moves from one of the league’s absolute toughest covers in CP3 to Jason Kidd, a real scoring threat only from 3-point range. Fish was (quietly) very solid on offense in Round 1, hitting 20-of-38 FG’s (52.6%), including 5-of-9 3’s (55.6%).

ADVANTAGE: MAVS. It’s not often that Fisher will be favored at the point guard slot, but that’s not necessarily his fault, as the things he’s asked to do for L.A. – lead, hit open shots, make key defensive plays and ensure the Lakers are properly running the triangle and distributing the ball – aren’t ones that generally show up big in the box score. He just does his job. Still, while Kidd isn’t the All-Star he was for so many years, he’s still entirely critical to how Dallas wants to play.

MAVS: DeShawn Stevenson started each Round 1 game, but averaged only 12.7 mpg., the bulk of his burn going to either Jason Terry (33.2) or J.J. Barea (17.7). Tricky for Dallas: Stevenson may have the best chance to match up on D with Kobe, but the Mavs lose out on offense. Roddy Beaubois (foot) did not play in Round 1 and averaged only three points against the Lakers, while Caron Butler (knee) will not play in the series. LAKERS: Kobe Bryant had quite an impressive NBA record heading into Thursday’s Game 6 at N.O., having scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive close out games, three more even than Michael Jordan. He went for only 24 due in part to a great late stretch from L.A.’s second, but more importantly for LAL, the ankle/foot Kobe hurt in Game 4 appeared to be OK heading into Round 2. Even with all L.A.’s size, Bryant is the one player for whom the Mavs have no answer.

ADVANTAGE: LAKERS. The biggest discrepancy in any matchup, Dallas can’t even really punish L.A. on defense by removing Stevenson for Terry or Barea because Bryant can just slide over to guard Jason Kidd. By the way … Kobe will very likely surpass Shaquille O’Neal for third on the all-time playoff scoring list in the series.

MAVS: Shawn Marion remains an occasional offensive contributor and solid defender, even though he struggled with Brandon Roy down the stretch of Portland’s Game 4 come-from-waaaaay down win. The Mavs like to use Marion late in games on Bryant, but its not a matchup Kobe seems to mind, and it also creates a major disadvantage for Dallas with Kidd trying to handle Artest. LAKERS: Did you know that Ron Artest has had like seven surgeries on various fingers (he’s not sure the exact number) due to the constant swiping and thrusting at offensive players he’s haunting around the court? His D was great all year and in Round 1, and meanwhile, he quietly ranked 7th among all playoff performers in FG% heading into Game 6 (54%). Now that was a surprise.

ADVANTAGE: LAKERS. Such is L.A.’s star power and skill on offense that their defense, which held opponents to 43.7% FG’s (just 0.7 behind NBA-leader Chicago), doesn’t get as much ink. No player is more key defensively on the perimeter than Artest particularly in a seven-game series, when his physicality wears and wears on fatiguing opponents.

MAVS: The difference between Dirk Nowitzki and the second-best player on Dallas … Terry? Kidd? … is easily greater than the gulf between Bryant and Gasol, which is why Dirk got a lot of MVP votes, the Mavs going just 2-7 when he missed games. Dirk was by far the best player in the Portland series heading into his most difficult matchup of the season with Gasol and Lamar Odom, who held him to 22 ppg in the regular season, though Dirk was efficient in shooting 46%. LAKERS: So consistent has Pau Gasol been for the Lakers through three straight trips to the Finals that it was quite surprising for many to watch him struggle to averages of 13.5 points and 6.8 boards against N.O. But he responded when needed with good all-around performances in Games 5 and 6, and L.A. expects him to be more comfortable against the front line of Dallas than the small, quick group of Hornets that effectively buzzed around him.

ADVANTAGE: MAVS. Because Dirk is the clear No. 1 and Gasol No. 1A on their respective teams, Nowitzki gets the slight edge here. It’s tough to find a 1-on-1 matchup with more pure skill in the NBA, each player adept at so many different things offensively, though Gasol is a more impactful defensive player. This one promises to be a pleasure to watch.

MAVS: So good defensively and on the offensive glass (13 in Game 5 vs. POR) has Tyson Chandler been that Phil Jackson offered up an unsolicited All-Star suggestion for the Mavs C who doubles as the emotional leader in Big D. That said, Chandler is long and quick, but at 235 pounds had a lot of trouble containing Bynum (16.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg vs. DAL) in the regular season. If he can’t body up, look for some more Brendan Haywood. LAKERS: Andrew Bynum averaged a double-double in the first round (15.2 ppg, 10.3 rpg + 1.83 bpg), and was at times so dominant in the paint that one hardly noticed guys named Kobe, Pau or Lamar … no small feat. After one such dominant performance in the first half of Game 3, Bynum came up lame on his sore right knee, but it proved just a scare, all in Purple and Gold letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He knows the knee is always cause for some amount of trepidation, but a healthy Bynum equals major problems for the Mavs.

ADVANTAGE: LAKERS. Bynum may just be too big for Chandler and too skilled for Haywood, and as the anchor of an L.A. defense built around him, Bynum also improved his screen/roll D in Round 1. His No. 1 goal out of Round 1 was to stay healthy. So far, so good.

MAVS: Jason Terry’s been the key piece off the Mavs bench for years, and he was a handful for the Blazers while averaging 17.1 ppg on 48.8% FG’s. His bench scoring will be key against L.A., though the Lakers have been among the league’s best at contesting perimeter jumpers, Terry’s strength. The Mavs are hoping to get 3-point shooting from Peja Stojakovic (9.5 ppg in Round 1) and more offense from J.J. Barea (5.2 ppg), while Brendan Haywood was the only big man to see any legit PT off the bench (5.2 rpg in 18.8 min.) Coach Rick Carlisle could activate Corey Brewer for his defense if Roddy B can’t go. LAKERS: Lamar Odom received his Sixth Man of the Year trophy in Game 2 of the Hornets series, clearly moved by the standing ovation from both his teammates and fans appreciative of his embracing of the role so critical to L.A.’s success. Odom had his best Round 1 game when it counted in the clinching Game 6, and he helped the rest of his team’s second unit play its best basketball of the season through Games 5 and 6, certainly a positive sign going into the rest of the postseason. Matt Barnes finally looked healthy, Steve Blake ran the offense well and hit some key shots along with Shannon Brown, and all three were extremely active on defense.

ADVANTAGE: LAKERS. While Dallas has a lot of options on its bench, the injuries to Butler and Beaubois weakened the team’s depth. It’s L.A.’s bench that has the best overall player in Odom, and a threesome of Killah B’s that seem to have finally found some cohesion as Barnes looks more like his pre-injury self.

ABOUT THE MAVS

• Before breaking through with a big 103-96 win at Portland in Game 6, Dallas struggled to score on the road, averaging 94.3 ppg at home and 87.0 ppg on the road.
• However, Dallas tied Miami for the league’s best regular season road record at 28-13 (.683). The Lakers would have overtaken that mark had they not lost at Golden State and Portland in the final week of the season.
• Dirk Nowitzki ranks 25th on the all-time playoff scoring list (2,796), which is extremely impressive unless you’re comparing him to Kobe Bryant (5,187), who’s up to third and should surpass Shaquille O’Neal (5,248) in this series.
• Dirk also matched a Michael Jordan playoff record by making 13-of-13 fourth quarter free throws in Game 1 of Dallas’ Round 1 series.
• This is the 11th consecutive playoff appearance for the Mavs, and 17th overall, the second-longest streak in the NBA (San Antonio, 14). However, the Mavs have made only three trips to the Western Finals, and one to the NBA Finals (2006).
• Jason Kidd’s 2,001 playoff assists rank third in NBA history behind, you guessed it, John Stockton (1,839) and Magic Johnson (2,346).
• Of the 118 players to score 15,000 career NBA points, the Mavs have four: Dirk (22,792), Kidd (16,772), Jason Terry (15,537) and Shawn Marion (15,151).

[Dr T]

I was in New Mexico all week and was not able to access this site. Let me catch you all up to where we are in the playoffs this season. Lost, lost, lost. There not you're caught up. We are in a spot! Statistically it is unlikely we can pull this off coming back from a 3-0 hole. I will still root for my boys! Go Lakers!

[Dr T]

Lakers.com put this up:

Everyone knows what’s on the line. The three-peat … Phil Jackson’s almost ridiculous quest for a fourth three-peat in his final season … legendary status in NBA annals … Kobe Bryant chasing Michael Jordan’s sixth title … and so on, and so forth.

It all comes down to playing like we are able and one game at a time. It as never been overcome but we can do it and be the first! Go Lakers. :)

[Dr T]

Game 4 of this semi's happened this afternoon. We were pounded by the Mavs. All I can say is I take my hat off to Dallas. There were a much better team than my Lakers this year. We were swept by the Mavs this year to put us out. I'm not used to being handled like that but we were. Congratulations to that great team. Dirk is amazing. Good luck to them all. I'm proud they were back to back champs.

[RipplecutBuddha]

Even though this isn't the way these situations are supposed to end, the Lakers are still a great team. Their history is one nearly any other team would love to have. Phil Jackson remains one of the most, if not the most, dominant coaches in professional sports.

I am in no way a Laker fan (I root for whomever is playing them, just like I do with the Cowboys, Yankees, and the Red Wings) but the fact is they know how to win, and they're good at winning.

Huge thumbs up to the Mavs for doing what most people thought couldn't be done; sweep the lakers. They had the desire to win, and I hope they go all the way.

(Though I do admit to wanting to see the Mavs swept just to put a little salt in Kobe's eye.... )

[Dr T]

I hear you Ripple. I appreciate your thoughts on this and agree they are great and good job to the Mavs. :)

[Dr T]

Kobe Bryant has been named to the league's All-Defensive First Team for the 9th time, tying Michael Jordan and Gary Payton for most all-time. Lakers teammates

posted on laker.com on 5/10/11

[Dr T]

In response to rampant speculation and reports about our head coaching position and Mike Brown, Lakers met with Mike and are very impressed with him. "We have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days." Mike Brown is the old coach of the Cavs. We'll see.

[Dr T]

First Lakers season game for 2011-2012 is 12/25/11 at 2:00 against the Bulls. Go LAKERS!

[Dr T]

Talk of Chris Paul coming to the Lakers looks like there's a snag. We would have to give up L.O. though. I love LO off the bench but Paul is GREAT too. We'll see

[Dr T]

So Paul's trade has been blocked by the league. Bynum will be suspended for the first 5 games with his roughness at the end of the season last year.

[Dr T]

Lakers Sign Jason Kapono

(NBAE/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard/forward Jason Kapono. Kapono, an eight-year NBA veteran, comes to the Lakers with the sixth highest career three-point field goal percentage (.437) in NBA history. Lakers Sign Jason Kapono. The Lakers also signed second rounders Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock.

From Laker.com

[Dr T]

My Lakers traded L.O. That makes me SO sad. He is such a force and helped my team very much coming off the bench-he is such a strong and versatile player.

The Lakers traded forward Lamar Odom and a second-round draft pick to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night for a first-round pick and an $8.9 million trade exception, capping Los Angeles' stunning 72-hour breakup with last season's Sixth Man of the Year.

The Lakers and Mavericks reached a swift deal after Odom learned Thursday that Los Angeles was attempting to trade him in a megadeal for New Orleans superstar Chris Paul.

After the NBA blocked that trade, Odom declined to report to the Lakers' opening day of training camp on Friday. Odom then requested a trade in a meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak, and the Lakers improbably swung a deal with the rival Mavericks, who swept Los Angeles out of the second round of last season's playoffs.

''Lamar was a fine player for us in his seven years with the Lakers and was a key to helping us win two championships,'' Kupchak said in a statement. ''In addition, he always conducted himself with class and professionalism, and we wish him well in the remainder of his career.''

Neither team formally acknowledged the deal until Sunday night, but both teams knew all about the surprising transaction when they reported for training camp practices that morning.

''To be honest with you, I don't like it,'' Kobe Bryant said. ''It's tough to lose Lamar. Pau (Gasol) is still here, and we're all thankful for that. It's hard when you've been through so many battles with players to just see them go somewhere else. It's tough.''

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle and star Dirk Nowitzki spoke eagerly about adding Odom to the defending NBA champions' roster without losing a player in return. Odom will aid the Mavs' recovery from Tyson Chandler's departure, and Carlisle said Odom's partnership with Nowitzki and Shawn Marion would form the NBA's best frontcourt.

The Lakers used to have what was considered the NBA's best frontcourt — until they broke it up for reasons that are unclear to their players. Odom, a veteran team leader and a popular Hollywood celebrity, averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3 assists while playing in all 82 games last season with his smooth, well-rounded game.

Bryant and Derek Fisher led a chorus of confused anger from the Lakers, who have no idea what their front office is planning just two weeks before the season opener. Los Angeles is thought to be working on a deal for Orlando center Dwight Howard, but the trade exception obtained from Dallas could be only a minor part of any potential deal.

''As a basketball player, it confuses you as to what your focus should be,'' Fisher said. ''I'm very disappointed and frustrated for (Odom and Gasol). If I had my choice, Lamar would be a Laker for life.''

Bryant said he hated seeing Odom leave Los Angeles: ''Especially to them. We were supposed to come back and get them back. It's tough. . . . Do I think we got too little? Who did we get? I don't think Mark Cuban is protesting this trade.''

Although Odom was excited about the Lakers' prospects as recently as Wednesday, he never practiced with the Lakers in their first three workouts under new coach Mike Brown while the club attempted to move him to New Orleans. After that three-team deal fell through, the Lakers apparently changed their focus to Howard, who loves Los Angeles and has requested a trade from the Magic.

Gasol, the other main component in the squashed deal for Paul, has been at the Lakers' training complex for all three days of camp, working out the past two days. He remains hopeful he'll stay in Los Angeles, but the four-time All-Star no longer knows what to think about his near future.

''I understand this is a business, and it's become more of a business than a sport nowadays,'' Gasol said. ''It hasn't been extremely easy to be calm and quiet and not think about the different possibilities. But I'm still here, and I'm thankful for that.''

Although Bryant expressed his faith in Kupchak, he would prefer to have Odom in camp as the Lakers regroup from last season's failed attempt at a threepeat. Odom starred in a reality show last season with his wife, Khloe Kardashian, clearly enjoying his celebrity at the main intersection of sports and entertainment.

''You're talking about the sixth man of the year last year,'' Bryant said of Odom. ''He played lights-out. I don't understand the criticism of reality shows and this. I don't get that. He had his best season last year, clearly wasn't a distraction, played his (rear) off. I don't get where that comes from.''

Even Odom's contract is a good deal for his new employers: He will make $8.9 million this season in the third year of a four-year deal, which can be bought out next season for a modest amount. The Lakers' trade exception means they can acquire a player making Odom's salary or less without the usual complications, but it would be only one part of a hypothetical deal for Howard or another star.

With this chaos on top of the usual amount of drama surrounding the high-profile Lakers, Brown is attempting to plan for a season with no idea who will be in his lineup in two weeks when Los Angeles hosts the Chicago Bulls in their Christmas season opener. Gasol and fellow big man Andrew Bynum went through their third day of workouts on Sunday not knowing whether they would have a chance to use all this new information.

Lakers forward Matt Barnes has been in contact with Howard, his former teammate in Orlando. Barnes said he doesn't need to sell Howard on the Lakers — but this team now might have to sell its own players on their future in purple and gold.

''If I'm here, I'm looking forward to the season,'' said Bynum, who knows he's rumored to be the main component in any proposed deal for Howard. ''If they were able to pull a move like that off, it would be great for the organization, and I'd be in Orlando hooping.''

The above from Lakers.com here Kobe Bryant upset about Los Angeles Lakers trading Lamar Odom - NBA News | FOX Sports on MSN

I, for one, would not be too sad about getting rid of Bynum with his glass knee. We'll see what the Lakers front offic has planned. Go LAKERS!

[Dr T]

Game one of Preseason vs. Clippers tonight. The Lakers are back on the court tonight as they tip-off the first of their two preseason games against the Clippers at 7:30pm PT. We'll c how we do. There have been some added and lost players. We'll see. GO LAKERS!

[Dr T]

We were schooled tonight. Good thing it was preseason. I hope we learn from our loss and improve. We had WAY too many turnovers...

[Dr T]

Kobe will not play in tonight's rematch against the Clippers. Kobe was hurt during our first game last Monday.

The team says Bryant is being listed as day to day. The Lakers say an MRI revealed that Bryant had torn a ligament in his right wrist.

[Dr T]

We lost our second of our two preseason games tonight. Bynum played pretty well with a double double (points and boards) and Blake did a good job overall when he played. Pau and Ron Ron were ok too. We lost 108-103. We start the season on Christmas day and it really counts then. I hope this season is fun. GO LAKERS