Lakers

[Dr T]

With Fish's final 3 pointer, we walked away with the WIN, 73-70 against Dallas. I'm happy we won and now I can sleep well

[Dr T]

Fisher had 13 points, and made the shot when needed. Bynum had 17 points and 15 rebounds and Kobe had 14 with the usual turnovers. We play again on Thursday in Miami.

[Dr T]

We lost two in a row. The first to Miami and the 2nd to Orlando tonight. Last night we only won one quarter and played really poorly in 1 quarter. We got spanked tonight too. We did not turn the ball over too much tonight but we still lost by 12. Two teams two loses. We only scored 10 ponts in one quarter too. 10? We are not playing on the road very well. LBJ is a great player.

[Dr T]

The Lakers (10-7) are back home tonight for a game against the Indiana Pacers (10-4). It starts at 6:30.

[Dr T]

we lost tonight's game too. 98-96 to Indi. We only won 1 quarter of the 4, had lower turnovers than they did but pretty much lost in every other category. Bummer.

[Dr T]

On a 3 game skid and next up is clips when we host them. We'll see how it goes.

[prisonchaplain]

876 posts about the Lakers...wow...the useless trivia string is but a mere shadow of this great accomplishment. :-)

[Dr T]

We did it, 96-91! Time for BED!

[prisonchaplain]

I'm just being petty...ever since Seattle lost the Sonics...:::sigh:::

[Dr T]

Yeah PC but they are now OKCity Thunder and they r really good. I understand it"s not the same because they r not in your backyard but the went from there to OKC

[Dr T]

Pau Gasol led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Lakers won the battle of STAPLES Center 96-91 over the Clippers on Wednesday night. Bryant scored 24 while Bynum had 19 points. The Lakers are in action again on Saturday in Milwaukee when they take on the Bucks.

from Lakers.com

[Dr T]

We lost last game to the Bucks and tonight Kobe became the Lakers all-time leader in field goals made in the Lakers' 106-101 road win against the Timberwolves. Pau had 28 and Bynum added 21. The Lakers return home Tuesday to take on the Bobcats

[Dr T]

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum have been named Western Conference All-Star starters at guard and center respectively. This is Bryant's 14th time starting the league's annual showcase game. For Bynum it's the first time he's received the All-Star nod.

from lakers.com

[Dr T]

89-93 Lakers vs Denver in a close one tonight

[Gargantuan]

I appreciate your sports updates. I don't get the newspaper and find little time to watch cable TV. Thanks for taking the time. Gar

[pam]

Oh please Gar. Don't encourage him.

[Dr T]

Thanks Gar. I'm happy at least one person reads it :)

[Dr T]

Lost 87-96 to Utah last game.

The Lakers (14-10) are 1-1 on their six-game road trip. Tonight they're in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers (17-7) at 4:00pm PT on KCAL/9 and 710ESPN. Kobe Bryant is just 23 points shy of Shaquille O' Neal for 5th on the NBA's All-Time scoring list

[Dr T]

Kobe Bryant poured in 28 points to pass Shaquille O' Neal (28,596 points) for fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list as the Lakers fell to the 76ers 95-90 in Philadelphia on Monday night. Andrew Bynum had 20 points with 20 rebounds and Pau Gasol posted 16 points with 11 boards.

Bummer about the loss

[Dr T]

ARCHIVE | EMAIL

Joe McDonnell is an award-winning journalist/talk show host. He joined FoxSportsWest.com in February 2011 as a writer/podcaster. Named LA Daily News Sports Talk Host of the Decade, he won the yearly award 7 times. He's also won 2 Golden Mics.

February 7, 2012

Kobe Bryant passed Shaquille O'Neal this week with his 28,597th point to become the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history. He finished the game with 28,601. (Photo by Howard Smith -US Presswire).

BEST OF TIMES

Bird, Jordan, Magic and more. We rank the top 10 players in NBA history.

When the inevitability of Kobe Bryant moving into fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list became reality this week, he was thankful, yet not satisfied.

"It would be an understatement to say it's a huge honor," Bryant said after scoring 28 points Monday night in his native Philadelphia to pass former teammate and sometimes rival Shaquille O'Neal with 28,601 points. "I've been very fortunate to have such a good career."

However, the number that Bryant really is chasing is a much smaller one.

"I just want No. 6, man," he said. "I'm not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, **** it."

Which achievement is greater — the scoring or the championships? And do Bryant’s accomplishments at age 33 make him, as O’Neal proclaimed this week, the greatest Laker ever?

No one has won more championships with the Lakers than Bryant. And of the Lakers legends who have won five or more rings, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sits ahead of him on the scoring list, at No. 1 with 38,387 points.

A sixth ring would give Kobe one more than Kareem won with the Lakers, and elevate him into even more elite company on the career championships list — joining Michael Jordan, among others, with the fifth most in history.

Has Kobe already surpassed Kareem as greatest Laker? Has he even surpassed Magic Johnson or Jerry West in the eyes of Lakers faithful? Coming to a definitive answer is perhaps impossible, considering the Hall of Famers who made this franchise the NBA’s all-time leader in wins and brought it 16 championship banners. But here are my top five Lakers.

5. Elgin Baylor

Former teammate Hot Rod Hundley may have said it best: "If Julius Erving is a doctor, then Elgin Baylor was a brain surgeon." Baylor's career ended in 1971, so many of today's fans and reporters never saw the 6-foot-5 scorer play. However, YouTube takes care of that, and there's a new Baylor appreciation society out there. An 11-time All-Star, he averaged more than 34 points three years in a row, including a career-high 38.3 in his remarkable 1961-62 season. Why was it remarkable? Baylor was on active duty in the Army Reserve and basically played only on weekends! He also averaged 18.6 rebounds in those 48 games, and set a record with a 61-point game in the Finals. He never won a championship, but his career average of 27.4 points ranks fourth all-time and his 13.5 rebounds rank ninth.

3. (tie) Jerry West

He was Mr. Clutch, and like Bryant, West gladly took the ball with just a few seconds left on the clock and the game in the balance. He, too, was successful many more times than he failed, and his buzzer-beating 60-footer in the 1970 Finals is considered one of the biggest shots of all time. The 6-foot-2 guard also was one of the top defensive players in NBA history. Few players got the best of him, and the ones who sometimes did, like Oscar Robertson and Sam Jones, got lit up on the other end of the floor by "The Logo." A 14-time All-Star, he led the league in scoring with 31.2 points in 1969-70 and averaged more than 25 points in the championship season of 1971-72. He should have had more than one championship ring, but he kept running into Bill Russell and the Celtics. But he got his payback as a Lakers executive, building or helping build eight title winners — including two that beat Boston.

3. (tie) Magic Johnson

The greatest winner in franchise history and, along with Bill Russell, one of the greatest in NBA history. At 6-foot-9 he revolutionized the point guard position and made everyone on his team better, including the already-great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He even filled in for the star center in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals and turned in one of the greatest performances of all time, scoring 42 points and becoming the only rookie to be named Finals MVP. It was the first of his five rings and the beginning of a “Showtime” era that helped revitalize the NBA along with his rivalry with Larry Bird and the Celtics. He went to the Finals nine times and won three MVPs. Johnson's only weakness was defense, and had his career not been cut short by HIV in 1991, he'd definitely be battling for the top spot on this list. And if personality and entertaining style of play were bigger factors in this evaluation, he'd be No. 1 by a huge margin.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Other than Wilt Chamberlain, the 7-foot-2 Abdul-Jabbar was the game's most unstoppable offensive force. The skyhook was the ultimate weapon, and he could shoot it from any place from the top of the key to the corners. When he put out maximum effort — which wasn't often enough for some of his critics — he was ferocious defensively as well. Shot-blocker, rebounder, defender — he could do it all, and was one of the most clutch Lakers stars. His 19 All-Star selections and six MVP awards are unmatched. It's hard to put him No. 1 because I was one of those critics who saw him lope up and down the floor too many times. But what he accomplished with the Lakers was legendary.

1. Kobe Bryant

When he left Lower Merion (PA) High School, Bryant’s goal was to be the greatest player ever. And while he may have avoided saying it, most observers believe he specifically wanted to be better than Michael Jordan — maybe if only because no other player even merits a comparison. I think he’s passed Jordan, and he very well might finish his career as the greatest the game has seen. A 14-time All-Star, he’s been an MVP (2008 NBA, two-time Finals, four-time All-Star) and a champion (five-time NBA, two-time scoring, 1997 Slam Dunk) in every sense of the words. His 81-point game is second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100. He’s third on the career playoff scoring list. He’s also the top pressure player of his generation, as good on defense as he is offensively (nine-time All-Defensive first team). He's so good with the game on the line that he makes it easier for the other team to come up with a defensive strategy. Even though opponents know he's taking the final shot 99 percent of the time, he rarely can be stopped. And after 15 years in the league and numerous injuries that he's played through, he's having one of his best years, averaging 29.3 points and some nights literally willing his team to victory.

One final thought: Had Chamberlain played his entire career with the Lakers, there would have been no need for this column. He was the greatest individual offensive and defensive player ever. Look no further than the NBA's 30,000-point, 20,000-rebound club. The club has one member, Wilt Chamberlain, now and likely forever.

[Dr T]

We beat Boston in OT tonight. Kobe scored 27 points and we took the 275th all-time meeting with the Boston Celtics in a 88-87 in their house tonight. Pau added 25 points and 14 rebounds while Bynum had 16 points and 17 boards.

[Dr T]

We lost to the Knicks tonight. We saw our nine-game win streak against the Knicks come to a close tonight as we fell 92-85 in New York. Kobe, who averaged 40 points per game in his last four games at Madison Square Garden, had 34 points to lead the Lakers. We had a poor shot percentage tonight.

[Dr T]

Sunday win on last game of this recent road run.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 27 points in a close 94-92 win over the Raptors on the road on Sunday. Pau Gasol had a double-double (16 points, 17 rebounds) and Andrew Bynum grabbed 14 points and nine rebounds.

quote from Lakers.com

[Dr T]

My boys (16-12) return home tonight. This is the the first day back after a 12 day road trip and take on the Hawks (18-10) for the first and only time this season. Tip-off is at 7:30pm

[Dr T]

Lakers win tonight to make this a Valie Happentine's day! Pau had a double double with 20 points and 13 boards to lead the Lakers past the Hawks 86-78. Bynum scored 15 points and had 15 rebounds while Kobe added 10 points. We have the Suns Friday night. The Spurs are playing very well right now.