Lakers Break Till Monday

Most of the Lakers are off until Monday because of the All-Star game, but that doesn’t mean that they can forget what lies ahead. A note on the grease borad inside the team’s locker room Wednesday night was a harsh reminder of the Lakers’ loss to the Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arenan: “30 more … 42-10 … 1 p.m. Monday.” The Lakers have 30 more games left in the regualr season, 42-10 is their record (the best in the NBA) and they reconvene for practice Monday at 1 p.m.

With the exception of All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, most of the Lakers have four days off before they practice again. The team will play their first game of the second half of the season Tuesday night at Staples Center against the Atlanta Hawks. Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the team, “Just have a good time. Enjoy, relax a little bit and get healthy. Just stay away from basketball for a couple of days.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 13, 2009 - Post a comment

Seven Game Winning Streak Over

Well, I guess it had to end sometime. The Lakers seven-game winning streak is over after the Lakers lost 113-109 to Utah Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena last night. It was the Lakers’ eighth game in 13 days, with seven of those games on the road and 11 of the days away from L.A. When asked if the Lakers’ schedule contributed to the loss, Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times, “No, not this one. We had ample opportunity to come and play this road game. It was going to be tough. We knew that. We just didn’t measure up tonight.”

With 37 points, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers, although he made only 14 of 33 shots from the field; he was six for 20 in the second half and two for nine in the fourth quarter. Lamar Odom had a double-double with 19 point, his third consecutive game doing so, and a season-high 19 rebounds. The Lakers only made 28.6% of their shots in the fourth quarter and the Jazz made 58.6% overall. The Lakers have time to brush off their loss, as they don’t play again until next Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 12, 2009 - Post a comment

Seventh Win in a Row for Lakers

Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson was worried his team was tired from their six-game, 10-day trip (and winning streak), but they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 105-98, last night at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant scored 34 points after suffering flu-like symptoms Sunday, making him the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 23,000-point milestone. Bryant wasn’t the only one who aided in the Lakers continuation of their winning streak, as Paul Gasol and Lamar Odom played strong as well. Odom yielded a season high in rebounds for the second consecutive game, with 18 after 17 Sunday against the Cavaliers; Odom also had 12 points despite making only six of 17 field-goal attempts. With 22 points and 14 rebounds, Gasol had another double-double last night.

Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times, “The feeling you have when you come back is, ‘Well, this will be easier. We’re back at home. Everything will go nice and easy. You forget you have to outwork the opponent. I thought our play was just a little bit sloppy tonight. It wasn’t as crisp as it was on the road.” Sloppiness or not, a win is a win.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 11, 2009 - Post a comment

Home Doesn’t Mean Relaxation for Lakers

The Lakers are back in L.A. and will face off against Oklahoma City tonight at Staples Center, but just because they’re back on their home court doesn’t mean they can relax as they need to continue playing like they did on their 6-0 trip. After beating their fiercest opponents, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers returned to practice in El Segundo Monday. Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times, “Right now, I think we’re one of the best teams in the league. And it’s obvious we went in and defeated two teams that are very good on their home court.”

The Lakers matched the most successful regular-season trip in history on their six-city, 11-day journey. The outing was all the more impressive because Lakers center Andrew Bynum was out due to a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee (he sustained the injury during the second game of the trip when he collided with Kobe Bryant). The trip equaled the 1999-2000 team that won the first of three consecutive NBA Championships. The Lakers can’t pat themselves on the back too long, however, as there are 32 games left in the regular season.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 10, 2009 - Post a comment

Successful Road Trip for the Lakers

The Lakers finished off their 6-0 trip with a 101-91 win against Cleveland (the Cavaliers’ first home loss), making their outing one of the best in team history. The Lakers ended the Cavaliers’ 23-game home winning streak without Kobe Bryant, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms throughout Sunday. Lamar Odom stepped up in his place, with 28 points and 17 rebounds at Quicken Loans Arena. The trip matched the most successful regular-season road trip in Lakers history.

Bryant missed a team meeting Sunday moning and was physically ill right before that Lakers hit the court for tipoff, again at halftime and again after scoring 19 points in 35 minutes. Kobe’s only points in the fourth quarter paved the way for the Lakers win and now L.A. tolds the tiebreaker against both the Celtics and the Cavaliers for home-court advantage in the NBA Finals (if the Lakers finish with identical regular-season records). Odom was the undeniable star of the game, with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the third quarter alone, causing Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson to gush: “That was one of the best games he’s played with us. He’s had some spectacular games, but that was a terrific game.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 9, 2009 - Post a comment

Payback Time for Lakers

Last night the Los Angeles Lakers got a little payback against league rivals the Boston Celtics, enjoying a 110-109 overtime victory at TD Bandknorth Garden. With last year’s 39-point season-ending loss (the second-largest blowout in NBA Finals history) against the Celtics fresh in their minds, the Lakers played a physical game admist a chorus of booing Celtics fans, ultimately triumphing in the last few excruciating seconds. The win moved the Lakers 5-0 on their six-game trip and put an end to the Celtics’ 12-game winning streak.

Referring to the Lakers’ Game 6 loss last June, Kobe Bryant told the L.A. Times, “We came in this building and got beaten pretty badly,” continuing to say, “I think we kind of took the challenge upon ourselves coming in here and seeing how much we’ve grown since then.” Bryant made only 10 of 29 shots, scoring 26 points with 10 rebounds and five assists while Pau Gasol made 10 of 14 shots, coming away with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Lamar Odom scored 20 points and helped lead the Lakers to victory by making two free throws with 16 second left in overtime, later telling the Times, “We play a finesse game — offensively, it’s based on ball movement and not just pounding and beating. I think people take that for granted sometimes. Tonight I think the momentum switched a little bit. We couldn’t back down any more.” To see the full article to go the LATimes.com.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 6, 2009 - Post a comment

Byrant and Gasol Lead Lakers to Defeat Raptors… Barely

The Lakers almost lost to the Raptors, a team who should have been an easy win for L.A., but Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol scored a combined 67 points to defeat Toronto. Wednesday night’s game was wedged between Bryant’s high-scoring night at Madison Square Garden and the impending showdown with the Boston Celtics, and the Lakers walked away with a 115-107 victory at Air Canada Centre. The Lakers overcame three unimpressive quarters to make it up in the fourth, 30-20, improving to 4-0 on their six-game trip away from home.

Bryant had 36 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Gasol had 31 points and 15 rebounds. Tonight the Lakers will play against league rivals, the Boston Celtics, and Byrant told the L.A. Times, “You go into Boston, you play well and get a ‘W,’ that’s a big win for us. We believe we can win. We believe we should win. We’re going in there [today] and we’re going to have some fun.” Here’s to hoping Kobe’s right.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 5, 2009 - Post a comment

What Do Bynum’s Injuries Mean for His Career?

A torn medial collateral ligament is Andrew Bynum’s latest knee problem, but luckily it isn’t considered career-threatening for the young (21-year-old) Lakers center. Kobe Bryant collided with Bynum during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday, causing Bynum to suffer his second major knee injury in two seasons. Sports medicine doctors maintain that the two injuries are unrelated and don’t predict knee problems to permeate Bynum’s career in the future.

Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a former team physician for the Philadelphia 76ers, reported, “They are two completely different injuries. It’s not like, ‘oh my God, this guy has really vulnerable knees.’ This is by no means, career-ending. This will heal.” Comforting words, but not for Lakers fans who worry what Bynum’s eight to 12-week absence will mean. In Janurary 2008, Bynum landed on Lamar Odom’s foot and dislocated his left kneecap, causing him to miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery to remove cartilage debris from his left knee last May. On Monday the results from Bynum’s MRI cambe back, revealing that he will miss eight to 12 weeks of the season. To read the full article go to the LATimes.com.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 4, 2009 - Post a comment

61 Points for Kobe Eases Pain Over Bynum’s Injury

Last night at Madison Square Garden Kobe Bryant set a scoring record in a 126-117 win over the New York Knicks, making up for the bad news that the Lakers received about Andrew Bynum’s status just hours earlier. Bynum was injured when Bryant crashed into him after an off-balance drive Saturday at Memphis. The results from Bynum’s MRI exam revealed that he will miss an estimated 8-12 weeks due to a torn knee ligament and Bryant’s high scoring was just what the Lakers needed. Kobe surpassed the 60 points scored by the Knicks’ Bernard King in 1984, setting a record for points in a game at Madison Square Garden.

After making 19 of 31 shots, all 20 of his free throws and making three assists for the Lakers, Bryant received a standing ovation, with the crowd chanting “M-V-P” with 1:48 to play. Byrant told the L.A.Times, “I think it’s a combination of things–[Bynum] going down, this kind of being a ‘hump’ game for us on this road trip, I felt like I needed to focus even more so than usual. On a lighter note, I’ve got to go review this documentary I’m doing with Spike Lee after the game and I didn’t feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talk trash about the Knicks. That was added incentive as well, seriously.” Bynum will fly back to L.A. today and rest for the next seven to 10 days before beginning rehabilitation on his knee. Surgery is not required but if the proposed timetable is correct Bynum will miss at least 27 of the final 36 regular-season games and may not return until the first round of playoffs.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 3, 2009 - Post a comment

No News on Andrew Bynum…Yet

Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered an injury after colliding with guard Kobe Bryant Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies and is scheduled for an MRI exam today, but the doctor scheduled to review the results won’t arrive in New York until nighttime. Independent knee specialist David Altchek didn’t return home from a trip in Florida in time to read the results by last night and so the Lakers won’t find out the extent of the damage to Bynum’s sprained right knee until today.

Bynum underwent the exam at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, the same hospital where the doctor performed Bynum’s season-ending surgery on his other knee Sunday morning without Altchek in attendance. Today the team will find out how long Bynum will be out and tonight the Lakers will play the New York Knicks.

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Permalink - Posted in General on February 2, 2009 - Post a comment


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