The Western Conference is like an episode of “The Avengers.” It was action packed all season, and you had to be there at the end to get the full story. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are the top two seeds, but both enter the playoffs with some question marks. The Spurs hobble into the postseason … [Read more…]
I was fortunate enough to witness in person Kobe Bryant’s professional debut in the summer of 1996 at the Long Beach Pyramid. He was 18 at the time and played for the L.A. Lakers’ Summer League squad, along with fellow rookie Derek Fisher. Kobe was clearly the best player on the court that day and … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant accomplished a rare feat at his age last night in the Lakers’ 113-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. According to Elias Sports, Bryant’s 47 points, five assists, and three steals made him the third player (since steals became an official statistic in 1973-74) to go for 45-plus points, five-plus assists and three-plus … [Read more…]
Shaquille O’Neal took some heat on Twitter Tuesday night during his jersey retirement ceremony for not mentioning his Laker teammates, especially Kobe Bryant. Can we just drop this whole Shaq-Kobe hate thing? That was so 2008! Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke reopened old wounds when he tweeted this Tuesday night: “Stunned that everyone … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant, ever the competitor, was steaming after the Lakers-Hawks game Wednesday a game won by the Hawks. The fact that the Lakers lost wasn’t lost on Bryant. What made him extra hot was the play Dahntay Jones made late in the game that Kobe thought was dangerous and borderline dirty. “I can’t get my … [Read more…]
It wasn’t quite the same venom as the time when LeBron James returned to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat, but Dwight Howard’s return to Orlando was still dramatic. There were plenty of boos and some fans brought vulgar signs. The worst was the “FCK D12” shirts, and the “Dwight Coward” reference was … [Read more…]
All the momentum and good vibe the Lakers gained during their three-game winning streak vanished in 48 minutes Thursday night in Boston. The Lakers-Celtics rivalry was just the backdrop of what has become a major sideshow in L.A. this season: the Dwight Howard dilemma. Howard returned to the lineup against Boston after missing three games, … [Read more…]
Steve Nash wanted to win a championship ring. That’s the only thing left on his basketball resume. He’s won MVPs, he’s been an All-Star, and he recently became the fifth player in league history to reach the 10,000 assist mark. During the past offseason, Nash had three options: 1) stay in Phoenix and head into … [Read more…]
On a night when the All-Star game starters for the Eastern and Western conferences were announced, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat showed why they deserved all the fan votes they received. James had 39 points and eight assists, Wade added 27 points on his 31st birthday and the Heat held off … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant has only been on Twitter since Jan. 4 but he already seems to have picked up how this social media thing works. After a New York Daily News report came out saying Bryant and Dwight Howard had a heated exchange after Jan. 1 loss to Philadelphia, Bryant helped diffuse the rumored rift between … [Read more…]