Archive for December, 2010

Suddenly all is right in the Laker universe. Phil Jackson restored order in New Orleans last night by making a last second lineup change. Back to the bench went Lamar Odom. Into the starting five came Andrew Bynum. Wouldn’t you know…it worked like a charm as the Lake Show hammered the Hornets 103-88. A team that hadn’t scored more than 82 points in their last three contests – all losses – had surpassed that point total in the third quarter. The ball moved as the Lakers shot a blistering 58% from the floor. Kobe Bryant put his shooting woes in [...]

The problems are mounting for the Lakers and the solutions are nowhere to be found. Things started off well enough for the Lake Show in San Antonio tonight. Kobe Bryant hit his first three shots and there was even an early sighting of the infamous scowl. The intensity was there on both end of the floor as the offense was clicking and the defense was active and dominant. After scoring 16 points in 6 minutes, the Lakers hit a lull. That would be an ominous sign of things to come as the offense got it going again in a brilliant [...]

It was only a matter of time until the Lakers made this move with one of their two rookies. Being that Derrick Caracter stands a greater chance of contributing in the frontcourt it became academic that Devin Ebank would do some time in the D-League. The former West Virginia Mountaineer has played sparingly in his first NBA season but has shown some promise. Ebanks will get a chance to tweak his game as he’s sure to get more minutes playing with the Bakersfield Jam. In 12 games, Ebanks was averaging just under 3 points and one board per contest.

Getting to the Finals three straight years is difficult. Winning three straight NBA titles is rare. Getting to the Finals four consecutive years in a row and winning three of those times is almost impossible. That is the task the Lakers were pitted with before the season began. So far it is a mountain they seem incapable of climbing. Losing focus during the regular season is something we’ve seen from many Phil Jackson coached teams. Each year after winning a title, his squads seems to slack a little more each year, forever relying on the ability to flip the switch [...]

You can set your watch to it. Phil Jackson’s Scrooge-like approach to playing on the Holiday all but assured we’d get another uninspired effort from the Los Angeles Lakers. So as not to disappoint their coach, the Lake Show went out and laid another egg against a LeBron James-led team as they went meekly into the Christmas night losing 96-80 to the Miami Heat. Once the most potent offense in all of basketball, the Lakers have scored just 159 points in their last two games. The most ominous sign of all was that Lamar Odom was the only Laker who [...]

Coach Nick digs into the archives to help you relive the glory days of the Lakers when Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain dominated the court. While the outcome may not have suited Lakers fans, this game went down as one of the most memorable of all time. Watch Wilt wave that ball around like a grapefruit, Jerry West duck underneath for his patented jump shot, and Elgin roam around the court (on his rickety knees).

Let’s get a couple things clear. For one, Saturday’s Christmas clash is still a regular season game in December. No champions are crowned nor are any championship prospects decided this time of year. That being said, this is the biggest game of the year for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lake Show hasn’t exactly been playing the NBA’s best this year making their 21-8 record all the more embarrassing. But these are still the two-time defending champs. This is the same core that has gone to the last three NBA Finals. This is still a team that might not be [...]

Kobe Bryant is playing the Grinch. Phil Jackson is sounding like Scrooge. And LeBron James isn’t in a Holiday mood either. As usual, all roads lead back to PJ. The ever outspoken coach was quick to condemn the NBA’s Christmas schedule and plenty of discussion has followed since. Anyone that has ever had to work on a holiday like Christmas can relate. While everyone else is with family and friends in a festive mood, you’re stuck dealing with daily hassles that shouldn’t be endured during such a sacred time. However, if you’re getting paid to do a job and this [...]

You can’t say you didn’t see this coming. Everything was setup perfectly for a trap game and the Lakers fell right into it. Let’s be honest, these Lakers are seriously lacking championship focus and it showed again last night as they went down in flames to the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks. All that good will they generated on a 6 game road trip vanished in the wake of an Earl Boykins 4th quarter takeover.  What are the excuses now? That’s right, there are none. With the world watching on Christmas day the stage is set for another holiday debacle. Let’s just [...]

Tonight’s tilt with the Milwaukee Bucks is really setting up like a trap game. Yesterday, word spread that L.A. native Brandon Jennings will miss the next 4 to 6 weeks after suffering a fractured bone in his foot. Without their leading scorer it could be easy for the Lake Show to overlook the Bucks as visions of the Heat dance in their heads. However, this is still a dangerous team. The Bucks play that patented Scott Skiles hardnosed defense. And given the Lakers propensity to play down to their competition in Staples this one shows all the signs of a trap. For [...]