I know what you Laker haters are thinking. You assume that after L.A. gets its first win over the Nuggets this season that I must be some Johnny-come-lately who’s calling his shot prematurely.
I’ve only got one question for you. Did you see the fourth quarter on Sunday?
Denver dominated for 36 minutes, the Lakers owned the final 12.
That’s what champions do. No matter the odds, they rise to the occasion.
No excuses needed. Prior to Sunday’s 95-89 victory, the Lakers seemed doomed to be haunted by Denver this year.
George Karl has a  sick squad. By far the best team in the NBA that [...]

There are ugly wins and then there are wins that resemble Clint Howard. The Lakers’ 99-90 win over the Sixers was the latter.
In this league, where anyone can beat anybody on any night, a win is a win. But if the Lakers think they can show the same type of effort against the Nuggets on Sunday then they’re fooling themselves. Even Pau Gasol admitted as much in his post game interview.
Gasol posted some healthy stats (23 points, 11 rebounds) but both he and Andrew Bynum (20 and 13 if ya need him) also allowed Samuel Dalembert to score nearly four [...]

“It’s hard to win when it’s five against eight.”
The above statement will cost Andrew Bynum $25,000 as the league took offense to his implications that the officials in Dallas were biased in their whistle blowing tactics.
For a dude making $12.5-million this season, 25k is a drop in the bucket. For a young center struggling to earn the respect of NBA officials, it is a reminder of just how much further he has to go. Bynum’s inconsistencies can be linked to a litany of issues including injuries, his attitude and foul trouble. Of the latter, criticizing the refs will only add to [...]

Cleveland and Boston square off tonight in what could be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.  Of course Orlando and Atlanta may also have something to say about that, but no one can argue that it isn’t a distinct possibility.
That said, many basketball fans will be tuning in to this matchup even though it doesn’t involve their home team.
Laker fans are no different, so I’d imagine many of you are like me and will be eagerly waiting to see how this plays out.
Here’s where I stumble, though.  As a Laker fan, we go through a sort of anti-Celtics indoctrination [...]

Give the Mavs props. After trailing by nine with 2:30 left in the first half, they closed out strong, going to the locker room down by one. That would be their formula for the rest of the night as Dallas closed the third a fourth quarters in similar fashion en route to a 101-96 victory.
Still, this was a very winnable contest for the Lakers.
Horrendous turnovers, poor defensive rotations and a Houdini act on the boards spelled doom in Dallas.
Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry lit up the Lake Show like a billboard on the Sunset Strip dropping 31 and 30 respectively.  
Kobe [...]

Can we please put to rest the ridiculous notion that the Los Angeles Lakers are better off without Kobe Bryant?
Can we also get some momentum for KB24 hoisting his second MVP trophy?
Everyone is ready to hand the award to LeBron James but I can’t remember a player being as consistently clutch as Kobe has been this season…EVER!
18 days off didn’t slow Kobe’s roll. Mamba’s 1,000th career game was a brilliant performance on both ends of the court. Hooping with an ankle that he claimed was only 85%, Bryant filled the box score with a stat line you usually only see [...]

LeBron James is hearing footsteps in the dark and he doesn’t even have the Isley Brothers in his rotation. Three straight losses by the Cavs have put the Lakers a win in Memphis away from drawing even with Cleveland for the best record in the NBA.
Winning in Memphis is easier said than done for the Lake Show though.
Kobe Bryant’s date with destiny was sullied by a loss in L.A.’s last trip to FedEx Forum. Bryant told the Daily News that he fully expects to play tomorrow barring any setbacks today. For KB24 it would be his first action since February [...]

The Lakers lost a hard fought 87-86 battle against their bitter rivals, the hated Boston Celtics. But you know how we do here at Lake Show Life; we’re always trying to accent the positive.
While the C’s got the W on our floor, Purple and Gold faithful can take some solace in the fact that Boston barely won despite the absence of one Mr. Bryant. Oh and if that minor moral victory doesn’t do it for you Laker fans, you can always bask in the afterglow of these two monster jams thrown down by Ron Artest and Lamar Odom.
Which one is the better [...]

Anybody still want to try and argue that the Lakers are better off without Kobe?
As usual, the Celtics jumped out quickly on the Lakers, built a double digit lead and then squandered it late. Ray Allen burned the nets at Staples dropping a game high 24 on just 15 shots from the field including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. But even he went ice cold when his team needed him most.
After playing no D for the first three quarters the Lake Show locked down Boston, holding the C’s to just 11 points in the final frame. There was [...]

Weekends like this one are conflicting for a Laker fan.  On one hand, you’ve got a devastating loss on Friday to a surging Nuggets team.  Then again, I’m not quite sure who can beat a team with a player shooting 3’s at a better percentage than most players free-throw percentages.
Couple that with a field goal percentage of almost 60% as a team and you’re going to beat just about anyone that night.
Even a team of Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Shaq, and Tim Duncan would struggle against a team shooting 60%.  It’s THAT good.
After the conflict about Friday’s loss, Kobe decides to [...]