106 - 90 Lakers.
To paraphrase Manny Ramirez, the Lakers went back to the "Lakers being the Lakers".
Let's start with the "Bench". The non productive bench of recent history, featuring the "Killer Bees" (Barnes, Brown, Blake) and Lamar "Mr. Kardashian" Odom, earned their paycheck for the week by outscoring the Hornets bench 29-14.
Points in the paint.
Finally, the Lakers decided to go inside to their big men and take advantage of their height. The Lakers outscored the Hornets 42-30 in the paint.
Balanced scoring.
Lamar put up his "Sixth Man of the Year" stats (13pts, 7rebs, 2 asst) Pau and
Andrew pounded the inside, combining for 34pts, 18 rebs, 6 asst, and 5 block shots.
Fisher finished with 13pt, and Ron Artest 11.
Kobe being Kobe.
Speculation about Kobe Bryant's injured left foot/ankle remained in the air throughout the first quarter. He removed all doubt with a massive drive and dunk on Emeka Okafor in the second quarter, followed by an array of acrobatic shots , bring back images of years past. He finished with 19 pts, 2 reb, and 4 assist.
Chris Paul is human. His by line - 20pts, 4 reb, 12 assist wasn't enough to overcome the lack of offensive production by most of the team. Paul, Trevor Ariza (his 22 pts, tied his playoff career high), and Marco Belinellli's 21, combined for 63 of their 90 pts. In the end, the lack of additional weapons made it impossible to overcome Kobe and the rest of the Lakers' balanced attack.
Hopefully, their play last night points to the Lakers finally starting to round into their championship form rather than it being anomaly.
A win Thursday in New Orleans, and the Lakers move on to the second round.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Lakers
93-88 Hornets! Series tied 2-2. Back to Los Angeles
The return of Chris Paul. "Little Cesare" commanded his band of under sized teammates to their second victory against the Lakers, evening the series 2-2.
The Lakers once again had trouble trying to control Chris Paul. Inspite of 2 defensive wins in games 2 and 3, the Lakers are still playing a very inconsistent brand of offensive basketball. That as well as New Orlean's zone defense continues to frustrate the offense,
by affecting the rhythm and spacing of the Lakers. The zone defense takes away the height advantage the Lakers enjoy. Throughout the year, the Lakers have struggled at times against teams who have employed a traditional or modified zone defense. In the past, the Lakers have show little patient when working against a zone defense, and start to take lower percentage jump shots (long 2's, and 3's). The misses on those long shots help fuel the Hornets early offense, and puts extreame pressure on the Lakers'
transition defense.
And now, Kobe is hurt. How serious? We'll find out tuesday. Now that being said,
the big question is "Where's Lamar?"
During the year, the "Sixth Man of the Year" award winner averaged 14.4 pts, 8.7 reb, 3 asst. In the 2 losses, Lamar is averaging 8, 2.5, and 1. Not going to win too many games like that. The up side is, had the Lakers gotten just "average" games from Lamar, Pau, and Kobe, the Lakers most likely sweep.
The return of Chris Paul. "Little Cesare" commanded his band of under sized teammates to their second victory against the Lakers, evening the series 2-2.
The Lakers once again had trouble trying to control Chris Paul. Inspite of 2 defensive wins in games 2 and 3, the Lakers are still playing a very inconsistent brand of offensive basketball. That as well as New Orlean's zone defense continues to frustrate the offense,
by affecting the rhythm and spacing of the Lakers. The zone defense takes away the height advantage the Lakers enjoy. Throughout the year, the Lakers have struggled at times against teams who have employed a traditional or modified zone defense. In the past, the Lakers have show little patient when working against a zone defense, and start to take lower percentage jump shots (long 2's, and 3's). The misses on those long shots help fuel the Hornets early offense, and puts extreame pressure on the Lakers'
transition defense.
And now, Kobe is hurt. How serious? We'll find out tuesday. Now that being said,
the big question is "Where's Lamar?"
During the year, the "Sixth Man of the Year" award winner averaged 14.4 pts, 8.7 reb, 3 asst. In the 2 losses, Lamar is averaging 8, 2.5, and 1. Not going to win too many games like that. The up side is, had the Lakers gotten just "average" games from Lamar, Pau, and Kobe, the Lakers most likely sweep.
Kings slain in 6
Well, as I predicted, the Sharks vs Kings series went 6 games. Also, as I predicted, it was a close hard fought series (3 games went into overtime.). Unfortunately for King's fans, the Sharks, not the Kings won the series 4 games to 2. The Kingdom's hopes
of a Game 7, were dashed when Joe Thornton backhanded a rebound at the side of the net passed goalie Jonathan Quick at 2:22 of overtime. Though the Kings were an overtime goal away from forcing a Game 7, their fate may have been cemented earlier in the series.
Without a doubt, game 3 was the turning point in the series. With the series tied 1-1, after a 4-0 shutout of the Sharks in game 2, the Kings processed a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period, and at one point a 5-3 lead in the second period. But the Sharks fought back to tie the game 5-5. The score remained that way at end of both the second and third periods, forcing "sudden death" overtime In overtime,
the Kings pressured the Sharks defense early, with the game shifting to a fast "up and down" pace (not good for the Kings) , leaving a lot of room to operate. At 3:09 of overtime, Devin Setoguchi took a pass in the slot from Patrick Marleau , beating Jonathan Quick on his glove side for the game winner. That game was the catalyst for the Kings ultimately losing the series. Instead of leading 2-1 and building momentum, the "comeback"/win in overtime was followed by the Sharks' the 6-3 win in Game 4. Give the Kings credit, they didn't "fold up shop" in Game 5. Facing elimination, and on the road, a lot of teams in the exact situation have "laid down" and died with very little effort. But the Kings, brought a composed, steady 3-1 win to Game 5. Forcing Game 6.
Unfortunately, the "Hockey Gods" smiled on the Kings no more this season.
My hats off to Terry Murray and his staff. Under his guidance, this year has been a big growth year for a young team, with a very positive upside. They gave a valiant effort, and reaped the rewards of hard work. With another year of playoff experience under their belt, the continued growth of Jonathan Quick in goal, and either the acquisition of , or the development of a "big time" scorer, the Kings, as the Isley Brothers said , look ready to "take it to the next phase". Look out everyone, the Kings look like they might ready to play with the big boys.
ready to climb.
of a Game 7, were dashed when Joe Thornton backhanded a rebound at the side of the net passed goalie Jonathan Quick at 2:22 of overtime. Though the Kings were an overtime goal away from forcing a Game 7, their fate may have been cemented earlier in the series.
Without a doubt, game 3 was the turning point in the series. With the series tied 1-1, after a 4-0 shutout of the Sharks in game 2, the Kings processed a 3-0 lead at the end of the first period, and at one point a 5-3 lead in the second period. But the Sharks fought back to tie the game 5-5. The score remained that way at end of both the second and third periods, forcing "sudden death" overtime In overtime,
the Kings pressured the Sharks defense early, with the game shifting to a fast "up and down" pace (not good for the Kings) , leaving a lot of room to operate. At 3:09 of overtime, Devin Setoguchi took a pass in the slot from Patrick Marleau , beating Jonathan Quick on his glove side for the game winner. That game was the catalyst for the Kings ultimately losing the series. Instead of leading 2-1 and building momentum, the "comeback"/win in overtime was followed by the Sharks' the 6-3 win in Game 4. Give the Kings credit, they didn't "fold up shop" in Game 5. Facing elimination, and on the road, a lot of teams in the exact situation have "laid down" and died with very little effort. But the Kings, brought a composed, steady 3-1 win to Game 5. Forcing Game 6.
Unfortunately, the "Hockey Gods" smiled on the Kings no more this season.
My hats off to Terry Murray and his staff. Under his guidance, this year has been a big growth year for a young team, with a very positive upside. They gave a valiant effort, and reaped the rewards of hard work. With another year of playoff experience under their belt, the continued growth of Jonathan Quick in goal, and either the acquisition of , or the development of a "big time" scorer, the Kings, as the Isley Brothers said , look ready to "take it to the next phase". Look out everyone, the Kings look like they might ready to play with the big boys.
ready to climb.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wakeup call
Well, either the Lakers overslep sunday morning and couldn't get the sleep out of their eyes, or they thought they were going to cruise easily to the next round. What ever they thought, the Defending Champions didn't bring their "A" game. Maybe the New Orlean Hornets gave them a "wakeup call". If not, the talkof the Lakers hitting "crash and burn time " starts to take on truth.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Day 2
Headlines
Lakers beat Spurs, lose Bynum to another knee injury. Dodgers lose to Giants The Kings prepare to open Stanley Cup Playoffs on thursday in San Jose versus the Sharks. The Lakers game versus the Sacramento Kings tonight, might be the last time the Kings (Sacramento) play at Arco Arena.
The Lakers struggled, but finally won against a downsized San Antoino Spurs team, 102-93.
Following their morning practice at Santa Monica College, the Spurs decieded to rest Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. The much needed win stopped a 5 game losing but didn't come without price. With 8:11 remaining in the second quarter, center Andrew Bynum hyperextended his surgically repaired right knee, when stepped on the foot of Spurs forward Dejaun Blair. A hush fell over the crowd of 18,997, as Bynum layed on the court, clutching his right knee. After a few minutes of holding their breath, the crowd watched Bynum walked off court to the locker room under his own power. He did not return to the game. A MRI was scheduled for wednesday morning. As for the game, the Lakers, who also played shorthanded (Blake has chicken pox, Barnes was resting his sore right knee) won, but still played a inconsistent and at times uninspired looking brand of basketball. A far cry from two weeks ago. They need to flip the "mythical" switch, and start playing playoff basketball. On to game #82.
The Dodgers lost a one run game to the Giants, 5-4. After tying the game in the top of the 7th on a Marcus Thames' solo homerun to. Dodger's right hander, Blake Hawksworth's wild pitched the wining run home from third base in the bottom half of the 7th.
Lakers beat Spurs, lose Bynum to another knee injury. Dodgers lose to Giants The Kings prepare to open Stanley Cup Playoffs on thursday in San Jose versus the Sharks. The Lakers game versus the Sacramento Kings tonight, might be the last time the Kings (Sacramento) play at Arco Arena.
The Lakers struggled, but finally won against a downsized San Antoino Spurs team, 102-93.
The Dodgers lost a one run game to the Giants, 5-4. After tying the game in the top of the 7th on a Marcus Thames' solo homerun to. Dodger's right hander, Blake Hawksworth's wild pitched the wining run home from third base in the bottom half of the 7th.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
NHL PLAYOFFS - Round 1
Tonight the Los Angeles Kings travel to San Jose to face the Sharks in the first round.
Should be evenly matched series. I expect a tough 6 game series, dominated by defense and strong goaltending. The 2 teams split 6 games, each going 2-1 on their home ice. Both earning a shutout.
Defensively, the 2 teams are a perfect match. I expect a hard fought , head to head battle between the to goalies, Jonathan Quick for the Kings and Anhi Niemi for the Sharks. Their stats are almost "I--dentical:"
Jonathan Quick - 2.24 GAA, 91.8 Save% , 6 Shutouts Team gave up 196 goals.
Anhi Niemi - 2.38 GAA, 92.0 Save%, 6 Shutouts Team gave up 208 goals.
The question is, whether the Kings pedestrian offense has enough ammunition to out score the Sharks, plain and simple. One thing in their favor, is that the Kings were built with the idea of playing low scoring, tough
defensive games. And without Allstar center Anzi Kopitar ( torn ankle ligaments), and questions about the effectiveness of returning winger Justin Williams (dislocated shoulder), this is exactly how they'll have to play.
The experts are asking the question, "Is this finally the Sharks year?" I think not! I think the Kings in 6.
Let's go Kings...
*Hi Bu
Tonight the Los Angeles Kings travel to San Jose to face the Sharks in the first round.
Should be evenly matched series. I expect a tough 6 game series, dominated by defense and strong goaltending. The 2 teams split 6 games, each going 2-1 on their home ice. Both earning a shutout.
Defensively, the 2 teams are a perfect match. I expect a hard fought , head to head battle between the to goalies, Jonathan Quick for the Kings and Anhi Niemi for the Sharks. Their stats are almost "I--dentical:"
Jonathan Quick - 2.24 GAA, 91.8 Save% , 6 Shutouts Team gave up 196 goals.
Anhi Niemi - 2.38 GAA, 92.0 Save%, 6 Shutouts Team gave up 208 goals.
The question is, whether the Kings pedestrian offense has enough ammunition to out score the Sharks, plain and simple. One thing in their favor, is that the Kings were built with the idea of playing low scoring, tough
defensive games. And without Allstar center Anzi Kopitar ( torn ankle ligaments), and questions about the effectiveness of returning winger Justin Williams (dislocated shoulder), this is exactly how they'll have to play.
The experts are asking the question, "Is this finally the Sharks year?" I think not! I think the Kings in 6.
Let's go Kings...
*Hi Bu
Game 82
Did the basketball Gods smile on the Lakers again or did they show us their "Houdini" imitation. The Lakers dodged not one but two bullets. The first bullet came in the form of the MRI results on Andrew Bynum's right knee. With the prospect of not having their starting center for the playoffs a real possibility, it was determined that Bynum had only suffered a bone bruise on his right knee. He should be ready for game 1 versus Chris Paul and the New Orlean Hornets sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Staple Center. The second bullet came in the form of the Sacramento Kings, at Arco Arena.
The Lakers looked more like characters from a Robert Louis Stevenson book (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) then a 2 time defending champion last night against the Sacramento Kings. Needing a win to secure the number 2 spot behind the Spurs, a depleted Lakers team (Blake, Barnes,Bynum out due to illness/injury) built up a 22 point lead in the 3rd quarter, only to need a 3 pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game from who else but Kobe Bryant to send the game into overtime, where the Lakers ultimately won 116-108. I glad, but I can't understand how anyone, let alone, Kobe Bryant can be allowed to take the inbound pass and get a clean look at a three point shot with the Lakers trailing by 3 points. It just defies logic and common sense. Yet teams have done it time and time again. But that's one of things that seperate winning clubs from losing clubs. In addition to this agonizing loss being the last game of the season, this game was most likely the last game played by the Kings at the Arco Arena.The Maloof brothers have already set in motion the move from Sacramento to Orange County. Good bye Sacramento Kings, Hello Anaheim Royals.
So, on to the Playoffs. Next up, Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets.
*Hi Jacki
Did the basketball Gods smile on the Lakers again or did they show us their "Houdini" imitation. The Lakers dodged not one but two bullets. The first bullet came in the form of the MRI results on Andrew Bynum's right knee. With the prospect of not having their starting center for the playoffs a real possibility, it was determined that Bynum had only suffered a bone bruise on his right knee. He should be ready for game 1 versus Chris Paul and the New Orlean Hornets sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Staple Center. The second bullet came in the form of the Sacramento Kings, at Arco Arena.
The Lakers looked more like characters from a Robert Louis Stevenson book (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) then a 2 time defending champion last night against the Sacramento Kings. Needing a win to secure the number 2 spot behind the Spurs, a depleted Lakers team (Blake, Barnes,Bynum out due to illness/injury) built up a 22 point lead in the 3rd quarter, only to need a 3 pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game from who else but Kobe Bryant to send the game into overtime, where the Lakers ultimately won 116-108. I glad, but I can't understand how anyone, let alone, Kobe Bryant can be allowed to take the inbound pass and get a clean look at a three point shot with the Lakers trailing by 3 points. It just defies logic and common sense. Yet teams have done it time and time again. But that's one of things that seperate winning clubs from losing clubs. In addition to this agonizing loss being the last game of the season, this game was most likely the last game played by the Kings at the Arco Arena.The Maloof brothers have already set in motion the move from Sacramento to Orange County. Good bye Sacramento Kings, Hello Anaheim Royals.
So, on to the Playoffs. Next up, Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets.
*Hi Jacki
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
First day at work
Welcome to "Another L.A. sports fan"
Born out of my morning discussions with my friend Cecil Godbold.
Hopefully you'll find this to be a usually fact based, logically inspired, intelligent rants and ravings of a long time Lakers,Dodgers,Raiders,Kings fan, and sports fan in general. A place to rehash, examine, dissect, and if necessary complain about my teams ,sports in general. And Before I start, I know, the Raiders are no longer in Los Angeles (for now), but when they were, they gave us our lone Superbowl victory in 1984 (Superbowl XVIII vs the Redskins). That said, a lot of us still consider them our team. If you don't, too bad. This is my blog!
So with that said, let the fun begin.
HEADLINES
Its playoff time for the Kings (versus the San Jose Sharks). It will soon be playoff time for The Lakers. The Dodgers beat the Defending Champion San Fransisco Giants for the 4th time in 5 games. The NFL and the Players Association still without a CBA. The Barry Bonds trial goes into its 3rd day of deliberation(looking better for Barry). An reward for information leading to the arrest of the trash who assaulted a Giant fan after the Dodger/Giant game has grown to $100,000.
Lakers
Game 80 of 82 finds the Lakers trailing the Dallas Mavericks by a 1/2 a game in the race for the number 2 spot in the conference standings. Tonight we play the team with the best record in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. With a 5 game losing streak, the Lakers need to win this game. After winning 17 of 18 games since the All-Star break, and looking poised to win their 18th Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy, their current 5 game losing streak has them looking more like a first round casualty rather than a "three-peat" champion. Correction must be made now, or the boys in "Forum Blue and Gold" will be leaving the playoffs real quick. five things that need to happen to make this playoff run successful.
1. Get back to playing strong defense. During this 5 game losing streak, the Lakers' defense is up from averaging 95.2 ppg ((8th best) to 97.8 ppg. Not a lot, but worth mentioning.
2. The offense, like the defense, has to be more consistent. Prior the losing streak, the Lakers were averaging 101.3 ppg (9th best). During the streak their averaging 90.8 ppg. Not good at all.
3. Andrew Bynum has to dominate the paint at both ends. Period!
4. The Bench has got come and play. They have to bring energy, tough defense, and protect leads(when they have them). Not just shoot a lot of ill advised 3 pointers, commit turnovers, and give away leads.
5. And of course, Kobe, has to be Kobe. Enough said.
Minus these corrections, no 3-peat, no champagne, no parade.!!!!!
Now that's the "half glass empty " mentality. I'm a "half glass full" person myself. You don't win championships in the regular season. That's what the playoffs are for. Last year the Lakers finished the season 4-11. Doom was predicted everywhere. At that time, Jackson said "We're disappointed in our team's effort at the end of the season," We know how that turned out. So with that being said, let's hope Yogi Berra was right when he said, "Looks like Deja vu all over again.
I still think we'll be alright. Go Lakers!!!!!
*Hi Robin and Evette
Born out of my morning discussions with my friend Cecil Godbold.
Hopefully you'll find this to be a usually fact based, logically inspired, intelligent rants and ravings of a long time Lakers,Dodgers,Raiders,Kings fan, and sports fan in general. A place to rehash, examine, dissect, and if necessary complain about my teams ,sports in general. And Before I start, I know, the Raiders are no longer in Los Angeles (for now), but when they were, they gave us our lone Superbowl victory in 1984 (Superbowl XVIII vs the Redskins). That said, a lot of us still consider them our team. If you don't, too bad. This is my blog!
So with that said, let the fun begin.
HEADLINES
Its playoff time for the Kings (versus the San Jose Sharks). It will soon be playoff time for The Lakers. The Dodgers beat the Defending Champion San Fransisco Giants for the 4th time in 5 games. The NFL and the Players Association still without a CBA. The Barry Bonds trial goes into its 3rd day of deliberation(looking better for Barry). An reward for information leading to the arrest of the trash who assaulted a Giant fan after the Dodger/Giant game has grown to $100,000.
Lakers
Game 80 of 82 finds the Lakers trailing the Dallas Mavericks by a 1/2 a game in the race for the number 2 spot in the conference standings. Tonight we play the team with the best record in the league, the San Antonio Spurs. With a 5 game losing streak, the Lakers need to win this game. After winning 17 of 18 games since the All-Star break, and looking poised to win their 18th Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy, their current 5 game losing streak has them looking more like a first round casualty rather than a "three-peat" champion. Correction must be made now, or the boys in "Forum Blue and Gold" will be leaving the playoffs real quick. five things that need to happen to make this playoff run successful.
1. Get back to playing strong defense. During this 5 game losing streak, the Lakers' defense is up from averaging 95.2 ppg ((8th best) to 97.8 ppg. Not a lot, but worth mentioning.
2. The offense, like the defense, has to be more consistent. Prior the losing streak, the Lakers were averaging 101.3 ppg (9th best). During the streak their averaging 90.8 ppg. Not good at all.
3. Andrew Bynum has to dominate the paint at both ends. Period!
4. The Bench has got come and play. They have to bring energy, tough defense, and protect leads(when they have them). Not just shoot a lot of ill advised 3 pointers, commit turnovers, and give away leads.
5. And of course, Kobe, has to be Kobe. Enough said.
Minus these corrections, no 3-peat, no champagne, no parade.!!!!!
Now that's the "half glass empty " mentality. I'm a "half glass full" person myself. You don't win championships in the regular season. That's what the playoffs are for. Last year the Lakers finished the season 4-11. Doom was predicted everywhere. At that time, Jackson said "We're disappointed in our team's effort at the end of the season," We know how that turned out. So with that being said, let's hope Yogi Berra was right when he said, "Looks like Deja vu all over again.
I still think we'll be alright. Go Lakers!!!!!
*Hi Robin and Evette
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