Second Half Missing as Lakers’ Worst Half Plays

The Los Angeles Lakers have now lost 10 of their last 13 games after Wednesday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.  After keeping within single digits in the first half, the Lakers, who had only four available reserves, ended up losing by 20 points at game’s end.
 

Roughly two thirds of the Lakers’ average points per game were missing, being that Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Vladimir Radmanovic were all sidelined. 
 

It’s amazing the Lakers even managed to put up 90 points and keep the Bucks (near the bottom of the East at 23-39) from putting up 150.  If Michael Redd had scored 52 like he did a few days ago, instead of the 10 he put up last night, the Bucks could have had their biggest blowout victory of this decade. 
 

For the people who visit StubHub.com to get Lakers tickets, help for your team is on the way.  Walton has been steadily improving, and unless somebody else’s face gets in the way of Kobe’s conveniently unconventional follow through, the Lakers should have half an offense.    


 

Permalink - Posted in General on March 8, 2007 - Post a comment

NBA out to get Lakers? Bryant out to get Uglies?

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road last night, spiraling down further and further towards the .500 mark.  Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ go-to offensive player, was absent due to a one-game suspension, incurred from an elbow Bryant gave to Marko Jaric Tuesday night.
 
This is the second such suspension Bryant has received this season.  In an almost identical play a few weeks ago, Bryant hit Manu Ginobili while trying to draw a foul call.
 

Many Lakers fans are wondering if the NBA has been too harsh on one of its biggest stars.  Fans who buy Lakers tickets expect to see Bryant in action, shooting fade aways, traveling, chewing out his teammates, grinning and shaking his head, pounding his chest, whatever. 
 

But the NBA really can’t let the big stars get away with everything, simply because they make the league a lot of money. If you want that, then you’d be admitting that Mark Cuban and all of those crazy conspiracy-theorists from Sacramento were actually right.    
 

Ted Green brings up a good point though.  Ginobili’s nose is much too big.  Hitting that thing is almost unavoidable.  The odds of hitting it accidentally when two people are running around in the tight confines of an NBA-sized basketball court is way too high to suspend somebody for it.  But Jaric?  His nose is distinctly not monumental.  No excuse there.
 

At some point, though, the NBA has to draw the line between the ticket buyers’ expectations (especially those at StubHub.com) and the integrity of the game.
 

Permalink - Posted in General on March 8, 2007 - Post a comment