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What Happens in Vegas…

Kobe Bryant won the MVP of the All-Star game this Sunday for the second time of his career.  In an All-Star game that seemed to come up short in every way, save for the amount of lipstick applied to Wayne Newton’s facade, Kobe, it seems, was the best of the mediocre.
 

Maybe we as NBA basketball fans have just seen about everything there is to see in an All-Star game, and are now hard to impress.  It didn’t seem like Kobe really did anything that he wouldn’t do in any other game (reverse jams, slightly exaggerated dunks, trading baskets with the LeBron James etc), except that the guise of NBA defense wasn’t even there. 
 

He did score 31 points, leading the West to a victory that only slightly represents the gulf in talent and team power between the two NBA conferences.  He can enjoy the MVP victory in Vegas for the time being, but then it’s back to work.
 

When he gets back to L.A. Kobe will be back to work with a five game losing streak to break.  Get Lakers tickets at StubHub.com to see if the break helped the rest of the team get back on track.      

 

Traders!

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been putting a check in Lamar Odom’s box in ESPN’s (patented?) Trade Machine, and a check in every other team’s starting and backup point guard.  And maybe throwing in a Jordan rookie card and a turkey Lunchable. 
 

Anyways, you might wan to check out the opportunities that present themselves when two of the most overpriced and get-ridable stars of the NBA get processed in the Machine.
 

That’s right!  Lamar Odom for Mike Bibby makes perfect sense.  The Lakers need a capable point guard, and Sacramento needs… a reason.
 

The Trade Machine is giving me the go-ahead, but all we need to do is forget that the Kings and Lakers are supposed to hate each other. 
 

Unfortunately, that task is accomplished easy enough in this sad world we live in, where Johnny Damon can play for the Yankees, Jerry Rice can put on a Raiders uniform, and Zell Miller can union with the Devil himself.     
 

So if you can forgive and forget (or at least learn to do so for some clutch shooting) check out Lakers tickets at StubHub.com.    

 

T.G.I.F., L.A.

Typically pro athletes don’t get the one special perk that the rest of us office work-a-days get, the relief and euphoria of the start of the weekend.  But after a work week-full of bad losses, the Lakers can’t wait to get off the clock and start enjoying the break like their fans. 
 

The All-Star break will temporarily stop the hemorrhaging of a five game Lakers loosing streak after their loss to the Cavaliers last night.  It’s only the second such streak in Phil Jackson’s privileged NBA coaching career. 
 

Lake Show fans are hoping that the break will be just what the doctor ordered for a team that is rapidly watching their playoff seed fall.  And, yes, it is time to start worrying about playoff positioning.  With Phil, it never stops. 
 

Said Jackson, “We don’t want to tank games to get better position like, perhaps, the Clippers did last year. We don’t want to aim for anybody, specifically.”
 

For those of us that can only think as far as the next home game and stopping the bleeding, get Lakers tickets for a game after the All-Star break at StubHub.com.    

 

Slump Breaking Break

The Lakers are looking forward to the All-Star break as a chance to refocus and recoup.  Everybody seems to notice that the Lakers haven’t been acting like their old selves lately.  The team has to find a way to break out of their current slump after losing several close games on a miserable recent road trip, and one the other night to the Knicks.  
 

When asked what he though was wrong with the Lakers, Phil Jackson had this to say: “I would say it’s just a lack of playing together and finding a way to win.  Those are the things the team was capable of doing earlier in the year and they’re not now. Sometimes you can throw it out and say it’s bad luck. Sometimes you can say it’s a lack of execution.”
 

Bad luck could be the Kwame Brown injury.  Lack of Execution: Lamar Odom.  It’s hard to say that a bad knee kept him from performing versus the Knicks, either in the whole first half, or in the closing seven seconds.
 

To see if the Lakers can regain their swagger, check out StubHub.com for Lakers tickets, but get some for a game after the All-Star break.  

 

Student Surpassed (Zen) Master?

Darth Vader: The circle is now complete. When I met you I was but the learner. Now, I am the master.
 Obi-Wan: Only a master of evil, Darth.
 

“Ballhog Bryant” as some have taken to calling Kobe, is regularly accused of selfishly padding his stats, not giving the ball up enough, and rape.
 

Whether you agree with any of those claims or not, one has to admit that Coach Phil Jackson has noticeably been avoiding criticism of his star player.  In fact, ever since his tell-all book, the Zen Master seems to have nothing much to say about Kobe Bryant, and only negative things to say about the other members of his team, most recently Lamar Odom.
 

Is Jackson afraid to take verbal swings at Kobe because he fears he will loose control of the player he needs to win, or because he really has no qualms about Kobe’s actions on the court, or because Bryant has finally become more powerful a force on the team than himself?
 

It seems that Bryant feels he has the right to chew out his fellow teammates as much or more so than his coach- at least when the Lakers are on national television.
 

This is all very disheartening.  Unless, of course, it is an old Zen Maser’s mind trick…
 

See if Kobe can become the both the Lakers offense and the coach by getting Lakers tickets at StubHub.com.      

 

Point Break

How do you think it feels to be a Laker guard and not be Kobe right now?  I can just see Phil Jackson calling everybody into his office:
 

All right, that’s a wrap.  Hit the showers, boys.  All the guards: come see me in my office real quick, though.  Except you, Kobe.  100 more jumpers and then your stairs work and pull ups. Then just do another quick 100 jumpers and then hit the showers.  The rest of you little men, see me in my office now.
 

No offence to you, Smush, Jordan, Shammond, Sasha… gosh you boys got dealt some names… Anyways, no offence to you guys.  You’ve been through a lot- with the first names and appearances and all.  And you’ve done great, really, but it’s no secret that we’re desperately looking to fill your position with somebody, well, how do you put this?  Better.
 

Better at basketball, I mean.  More talented.  Somebody who can add something to this team. Somebody… not awful- like you guys have been.
 

So I don’t want anybody to get mixed up in all the rumors floating around about Andre Miller and Jason Kidd.  Just play your game, and focus on that.  Great.  Now you guys can quit worrying about your job security and really play some ball. 
 

Meeting adjourned. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get back to StubHub.com.  Going to see if I can’t score some Lakers tickets.  A lot of GM’s will be checking you kids out.  And maybe some Heat tickets, because that Jason Williams could really do the trick around here.  

 

Odom-iter on Empty

Lamar Odom missed a three pointer, air-balled it actually, to close out a 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks last night. 
 

The last time the Lakers played New York was just two weeks ago, when Kobe Bryant was suspended for the game following his elbow to the chin of Manu Ginobili.  They lost the last one at Madison Square Garden, but they were on the road, and without Kobe.  This time they were at home but mostly without Odom, who went missing for his entire scoreless first half. 
 

Phil Jackson tried to let Odom redeem himself with the final attempt, down one with just over seven seconds to go.  Apparently a 17-foot partially blocked jumper was the best Odom could come up with. 
 

Now the Lakers have achieved their longest losing streak of the season at four games.
 

To see if the Lakers can break their streak and Odom can break out of his funk, get some Lakers tickets at StubHub.com.  

 

Rookie Challenge Picks

The Lakers will be sending two players to the All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge.  Sophomore Andrew Bynum and rookie Jordan Farmar will make the trip, along with the NBA’s most talented youngsters from around the league, including Andrea Bargnani, and Randy Foye.
 

The players were voted into the All-Star Weekend event by the fans, an honor that will surely please the LA crowd in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. 
 

The All-Star Game itself will be the highlight of the weekend, and competitions like the 3-point shootout and dunk contest are always fan favorites.
 

To see Bynum and Farmar show their stuff in Sin City, stop by StubHub.com to get All-Star Events tickets.

 

Permalink - Posted in General on February 13, 2007 - Post a comment

Pre-Midseason Roundup

Not so surprisingly, the Lakers managed to insert themselves in several of the key questions concerning the status of the NBA at the season’s halfway point. 
 

Almost unanimously ESPN’s Greg Anthony, Chris Broussard, Ric Bucher, John Hollinger, Chris Sheridan, and Marc Stein all selected the Lakers as the dark horse Championship contender, most citing that L.A. possesses the leagues best player and best coach. 
 

Of course, the unofficial MVP discussion didn’t include quite so many Kobe references.
 
The question then is, if Kobe does pull the Lakers to a championship, would that even matter?  Is Nash generally considered the MVP simply for including his teammates, who by the way are by far more talented than Bryant’s supporting cast?
 

It seems hardly fair that Kobe himself could possibly single-handedly will his team to the title, yet Nash or Dwayne Wade get the MVP due in large part to the players around them.  We’re voting on Most Valuable Player, not Most Valuable Team.
 

If you want to see Bryant and the Lakers prove ESPN right, get your Lakers tickets at StubHub.com.
 

Permalink - Posted in General on February 13, 2007 - Post a comment

Road Review

Well, the road trip is over, so now it’s time to come back home and take stock of what we gained, what we lost, and what we learned.  The Lakers went 4-3, but as we all know, the road is about learning valuable lessons to draw back upon during the tough times in the playoffs. 
 

We learned that Kobe can be selfish when need be, and altruistic in random spurts. 
 

We learned that there are some tough teams in the east. The Pistons, for one, look like championship material.
 

We lost Kwame Brown for a month or more.  We need a big guy. 
 

We learned the road can be hard on some people.  We learned what happens when people stop being polite, and start being real.   
 

And finally, we learned that Nick Lackey couldn’t even finish his beer.  Thoughts:elsewhere.  Tough year for that guy.  Tough road trip for us.
 

Take part in the Lakers Homecoming by getting Lakers tickets at StubHub.com

 

Permalink - Posted in General on February 9, 2007 - Post a comment

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