The atmosphere at Staples Center on Thursday, Nov. 19, was different. There was a sense of completeness. Pau Gasol is back and the rest of the league better beware because the Los Angeles Lakers now have all their stars aligned and they are scary good with Gasol in the lineup. The All-Star forward-center, who missed … [Read more…]
It was a Thursday afternoon in El Segundo, Calif. The Southern California weather was very accommodating and the players practicing at the Toyota Center had a certain bounce to their step. The Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp this week and based on the sounds and images during a practice session, everything suggests that the … [Read more…]
Earvin “Magic” Johnson recently celebrated his 50th birthday, a minor miracle considering the man told the whole world 18 years ago that he was HIV positive. Though he’s been out of professional basketball for more than a decade, Magic has found a way to stay relevant. He stays visible as part owner of the his … [Read more…]
All the cards are on the table and it is now up to Dr. Jerry Buss to reveal his hand. Re-sign Lamar Odom or let him go to another team without compensation? That’s the million-dollar quandary facing the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Buss, a known poker player who is fearless when it comes … [Read more…]
Winning an NBA championship is kind of like graduation. You work all year to accumulate points and, once it’s done, you get to enjoy a big celebration in June. On June 14, 2009, Kobe Bryant graduated from all-star to uber star. He scored an A-plus on his NBA report card and finally completed this master’s … [Read more…]
A 3-1 deficit in The NBA Finals. It is staring the Orlando Magic in the face as it tries to figure out what went wrong in Game 4, a game that saw the Magic blow a 12-point halftime lead, turn the ball over 19 times and miss 15 free throws. But the biggest reason why … [Read more…]
After driving his Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-75 bashing of the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at Staples Center, Kobe Bryant is beginning to scare a lot of people. Bryant is so close to winning his fourth Larry O’Brien Trophy that he’s starting to grind his teeth after … [Read more…]
After sleep-walking through the first two rounds of the playoffs and the first four games of the Western Conference finals, the Lakers are now fully caffeinated and wide awake. Pau Gasol is fully stretched, Lamar Odom is back to form and Kobe Bryant looks unstoppable. To borrow a line from the popular Nike Most Valuable … [Read more…]
The inconsistent officiating in the NBA playoffs is becoming predictable. In Game 3, the Los Angeles Lakers were awarded 45 free throws and won 103-97. In Game 4, the Denver Nuggets were awarded 49 free throws and won 120-101. It is coincidence? Neither coach doesn’t believe it is. Nuggets Coach George Karl reasoned his players … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 41 points in the Lakers’ 103-97 victory in Game 3, the first playoff game in Denver since 1985. But Kobe received a lot of help. However, help did not come from his teammates. It came in the form of three guys wearing the Footlocker shirts: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford and … [Read more…]