First Round Predications Saying Lakers Too Good for Jazz

The Lakers best-of-seven first-round playoff series starts this Sunday (April 19) at Staples Center and predictions are L.A. in five or six games with Utah not putting up much of a fight. The Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference at 65-17 and are the top-seeded team while the Jazz finished at 48-34 and is seeded eighth, entering the playoffs having lost five of its last seven games. TNT analyst Doug Collins told the L.A. Times, “I just don’t see Utah in a series beating the Lakers. Maybe Utah wins one game.”

The Lakers won the season-series, 2-1, and by an average of 13 points and one Western Conference scout who preferred to remain nameless said the Jazz would be a “tough out” but that L.A. would prevail, saying “I’d take the Lakers in six games. Utah will be tough at home.” The scout added that Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson’s triangle defense is made for putting players on the move, looking for ways for Kobe Bryant to exploit the defense, thus taking advanatge of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Utah’s one matchup advantage is its point guard, Deron Williams, who has the ability to score (22-point average against the Lakers this season) and can distribute the basketball (12 assists against the Lakers) in addition to his size and strength (6 feet 3, 210 pounds). Even the usually tight-lipped Jackson said, “He’s pretty damn good” in reference to Williams.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 16, 2009 - Post a comment

Lakers Will Play Jazz in First-Round Playoff Game

The Lakers beat Utah Jazz 125-112 at Staples Center, sealing a 65-win season for L.A. and a first-round playoff date against the Jazz. The eighth-seeded Jazz (48-34) were close behind the top-seeded  Lakers (65-17) for a half but L.A. eventually broke them down. Game 1 is anticipated to be Sunday at Staples Center but the NBA won’t release the series schedule until tonight. If Utah had won, the Jazz held tiebreakers against two other teams that might have been the Lakers’ first-round opponents: New Orleans and Dallas.

The game wrapped up a solid season for the Lakers, who will win the Western Conference by at least ten games and cap the season with their most regular-season victories since the 1999-2000 season, when they boasted 67 wins. The Lakers didn’t, however, tie down home-court advantage throughout the playoffs (the Cavaliers have that honor).

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 15, 2009 - Post a comment

Lakers Rank Second Best in NBA

The Lakers are settling into the second best record in the NBA, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in first, and are focused on the championship with the memory of last year’s upsetting finals against the Boston Celtics fresh in their minds. With a 117-109 victory over Indiana last night (April 13), the Cavaliers officially have the league’s top record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers would be the middle part of the 2-3-2 series format if the two teams meet in June, which didn’t turn out so well during last season’s Finals; in the second-most lopsided Finals game in NBA history the Lakers lost Game 6 in Boston by 39 points.

Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times, “It’s not ultimately something that we’re going to mourn right now or rue the fact that we’re not there right now. We’ve had a great season, we’ve put a good run on. They did better than we did.” The Lakers (64-17) will finish behind the Cavaliers (66-15) no matter what happens tonight against Utah (48-33). Jackson said Utah matches up well with the Lakers, pinning Mehmet Okur with Pau Gasol, Deron Williams with Derek Fisher and poweer forwards Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap with the Lakers’ front line. Jackson also hinted the forward Andrei Kirilenko may cause problems if he guards Kobe Bryant saying, “This team has shown a variety of different people that can do things against us individually. There’s all kind of matchup situations that are strong advantages in most sequences that we all recognize.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 14, 2009 - Post a comment

Bryant, Gasol and Fisher Expected to Play All 82

The Cleveland Cavaliers have nearly secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs and if they win tonight at Indiana they clinch the NBA’s best record, leaving the Lakers with an almost useless home game against Utah on Tuesday. Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson maintained he wouldn’t rest Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol or Derek Fisher in the regular-season finale against any team, telling the L.A. Times, “I don’t think of sitting players. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do when people buy season tickets and special-game tickets and things like that, and the league has asked us not to do that.”

Bryant, Fisher and Trevor Ariza will have played all 82 regular-season games if they play Tuesday, as Jackson confirmed: “I have players that are going to play their 82nd game this week, hopefully, and that’s a big milestone in this game, to have played them all.” The Portland Trail-Blazers are under investigation by the NBA for its activities before last Friday’s game against the Lakers. Jackson, who told the Times, “You want the referees able to do a job in an atmosphere that’s still fan-favorite but yet not derorgatory or not incited,” was irritated that Portland showed a video of Ariza’s flagrant foul from a Lakers-Trail Blazers game last month. The NBA will decide whether Portland will be fined today.

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

He’s Baaaack!

Andrew Bynum is back! The 21-year-old Lakers’ center had 16 points and seven rebounds in his first game since Jan. 31, with the Lakers beating Denver, 116-102. After missing 32 games Bynum helped the Lakers defeat the Nuggests Thursday (April 9) at Staples Center, allowing L.A. to move within a half a game of Cleveland in the race for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers (63-16) also managed to secure home court against the Boston Celtics (59-19) if the rivals happen to meet again in the Finals.

Although Kobe Bryant had 33 points and Pau Gasol had 27 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, it was all about Bynum last night. Although he only had three points in the first half, he slowly picked up speed. Bynum, who wore a brace on his injured knee, told the L.A. Times, “I started getting out on the floor and getting deep position, and I just turned around and shot. It feels great to be back and playing, seriously. I was a little sluggish. My lateral movement’s a little bit slow, but I’m going to feel it out the more time I get out there on the floor.” Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson echoed, “There’s still some things that he’s going to adjust to that will come along as we play. Hopefully these next three games, he can get it to a point where he was somewhat close to where he was.”

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

Will Bynum Be Back Today?

The long-awaited return of Andrew Bynum may happen today after the injured Lakers’ center showed promise at practice yesterday. Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times that the 21-year-old center was up to par in practice: “I don’t know how much more he can get out of just the activity level that he’s doing right now. He’s got to get playing here pretty soon.” Bynum has ben out since Jan. 31 due to a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

Offering hope to Lakers’ fans everywhere, Bynum told the Times, “I think [tonight's] possible. I feel like I’m ready. I want to go out there and get as much game experience as I can.” Bynum has been going through full-court scrimmages for almost a week and Jackson liked what he saw of his reflexes and reactions. Bynum, who is averaging 14 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, has missed 32 games since Kobe Byrant crashed into his right knee after an off-balance drive to the basket against Memphis. The Lakers play against Denver tonight and Fridat at Portland.

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

Lakers Within Half a Game of Cleveland

It may have been a slow start, but the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 122-104 last night at Arco Arena and are now within a half a game of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA’s best record. While fans on the Kings’ home turf are usually anti-Lakers, they were friendly, with Kobe Bryent telling the L.A. Times, “It’s changed a lot. There’s nothing but Laker fans now. It’s basically a home game for us.” Bryant has 22 points, five rebounds and four assists without playing in the fourth quarter and Pau Gasol had 26 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lakers’ reserves were effective as well, with Sasha Vujacic scoring 12 points, Luke Walton scoring 11 with nine assists and Shannon Brown scoring nine points, outscoring the Kings’ backups, 42-22. Gasol commented: “It felt good to see our bench playing well and producing, contributing. We look forward to that being consistent.” The Kings (16-61) beat the Lakers here in December, 113-110, but they have since traded veterans Brad Miller and John Slamons and played without leading scorer Kevin Martin on Tuesday.

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 8, 2009 - Post a comment

Jackson Declines to Comment on Poor Performance Sunday

The Lakers may have beaten the Clippers on Sunday night, but it wasn’t the type of win they’re accustomed to against their hometown rivals, and rather than comment negatively on his team’s performance Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson has opted to stay almost mute on the subject. Jackson only spoke for about 30 seconds after the game before abruptly ending the news conference and on Monday he told the L.A. Times, “I was just disgurntled. There’s nothing to say about a game like that. To rant or rave, I just didn’t want to get involved with that.”

Andrew Bynum took part in a five-on-five scrimmage at the team’s El Segundo training facility and said he plans on playing either Sunday against Memphis or next Tuesday against Utah: “I’m feeling good, feeling great. No pain, no swelling. The only thing I’m limited by is just being out of the game for a little while so I’m going to have to get my timing back. Couple of things, I’m reacting a little bit late, but other than that, I’m ready to go.”

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Permalink - Posted in General on April 7, 2009 - Post a comment

Lakers’ ‘Bench Mob’ Not Much of a Mob

The Lakers’ reserves, aka the ‘Bench Mob,’ gave up a big lead that almost allowed the Clippers to win on Sunday night. Although the Lakers won 88-85, the reserves didn’t do as good of job as they should have, with Lakers’ assistant coach Frank Hamblen telling FS West in a halftime interview that they weren’t much of a mob this season. During the fourth quarter the Lakers were up 19, but starters Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher came back onto the court with 4:16 to play when the Clippers cut down the lead to 81-71 with a 9-0 run.

“It’s sometimes hard for starters to come back in and get it back after they’ve sat that long, so that’s some of the consequences that you pay,” said Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson after the game. On the bright side, Andrew Bynum will be returning at some point in the next five games and if Bynum starts Lamar Odom will likely return to his reserve status, which will hopefully reenergize the ‘Bench Mob.’ The Lakers (61-16) remained within a game of Cleveland (62-15) for the league’s best record.

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

Andrew Bynum’s On His Way Back

Injured Lakers’ Center Andrew Bynum played three-on-three yesterday after the team returned home from a 7-day, 13-game trip and hopes to be back in time to play Memphis April12. Although most of the Lakers took Thursday off there were enough players around to play three-on-three with Bynum, who has missed 29 games while recovering from a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Bynum had been playing and training with free agents while the Lakers were on the road.

While Bynum told the L.A. Times he was hopeful that he could play in the last two regular-season games Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, “I can’t project but there is a chance that he could play in a game before the season is over.” Jackson continued to say, “He’s got some hop in his legs. He looked to block shots — those types of things that you look for, reactive things and recovery things, both going up quickly and not thinking about it and coming down and containing his body balance and his strength.”

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


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