I'm not a lip reader but there was an exchange in the first half on the Arizona bench that went like this:
Fendi Onobun: You have three fouls?
Jerryd Bayless: (nods head)
Onobun: (shaking his head) Fuck!
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but let's go over the key to victory: Bayless and Budinger.
The two combined for 15 points as USC's triangle and two proved to be effective and Kevin O'Neill like the bad coach that he is, had no adjustments and no answers. Arizona lost at home for the fifth time this season.
Remember in the first first game, USC's defense was able to shut down Bayless also, and hold him to 10 points.
However, Budinger was on fire and went off for 29, plus Jawann McClellan had a season high 23.
Tim Floyd is smart enough to know that letting McClellan beat you is a good game plan. Getting practically the same shots he did in the first game, McClellan had 14 points on 4-10 shooting including several shots that either airballed or just grazed the front rim.
Bayless had a season low eight points and for the second straight time was outplayed by OJ Mayo who had 23 points and five assists.
Taj Gibson took Jordan Hill to school the whole first half, showing him the jump hook, the drop step and the up and under.
In the second half, the Wildcats fronted Gibson and doubled him when he got the ball but by that time they were battling back from a 16 point deficit.
Just like in the Stanford game, O'Neill burned all his timeouts early, so he could offer no instruction late in the game when Arizona couldn't even make the game interesting.
And of course to top it off, some idiot fan threw a bottle toward the USC bench like that would somehow make it better. So now the Zona Zoo is not only uncreative and not knowledgeable, but also looks classless.
About the only thing O'Neill did right Thursday night was apologize to Tim Floyd and his team. He should probably apologize for his team's play too.
Easy does it:
The best thing the Miami Heat have going for them is assistant coach Keith Askins bow tie. That, unlike their team, looks good. The Lakers had Thursday's game in the bag before tip off.
Why didn't the Grizzlies ask for Jordan Farmar instead of Javaris Crittenton? Do you think the Lakers would have given up Farmar? For the deal they got I think the Grizz could have negotiated Farmar into the deal and made it look less like an Ocean's heist.
Since the Lakers make bad teams look, well, bad, let's talk about the team chemistry. Ronny Turiaf should be wired for every game. That needs to be an NBA rule.
Here's what the TNT "Inside Tracks" got from Farmar's mic.
Farmar: "Come on Walton, dunk that."
Turiaf: (In French sounding accent): "Dunk it."
And also, when Kobe dunks, he doesn't dance. Ronny dances for him.
When Turiaf is swatting shots, Kobe's standing up and clapping.
When everybody enjoys each other, the passing becomes becomes better, guys share the ball, and no one cares who gets the credit. That leads to plays like the one in the middle of the third quarter when Kobe threw a no look over the shoulder pass to Luke Walton in the front court, and Walton dropped a no look pass to a cutting Lamar Odom for an easy lay-up.
That leads to Kobe and Farmar taking the same amount of shots in a game. Farmar set a career high with 24 points and is averaging 22.5 points over his last two games.
It leads to everyone going after it on the boards. Four guys had at least 11 rebounds. Odom, Gasol and Walton each had 11 and Turiaf had 12.
It's fun to watch because it's not just Kobe doing the scoring anymore. Kobe has trust in his teammates, finally, and that's encouraging. Plus, like his role with Team USA, Kobe gets to go after it defensively because he no longer has to save himself for shooting 30 times a game.
By the way, nothing to report on "Pinkie Watch," so that's always a positive.
Fun with Ralph and Mike:
Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith don't have too much to talk about these days. You see, they're Clipper announcers and the Clippers are well...bad. So these are the type of conversations they have:
Lawler (to Smith): "The two of you have something similar in your resumes. Both former WAC players of the year, (Nick Fazekas) was three times."
Smith: "Make sure you understand WAC is spelled W-A-C not W-A-C-K."
Lawler: "I know how I'm spelling it because you are truly Wack."
Halftime was commercial free, also. Apparently advertisers think the Clippers are Wack.
CSUN is still in first place in the Big West: Check out my Daily News article on their win at Cal State Fullerton.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 58 games) Lakers: 41-17 1st in West
Fisher +257
Kobe +479
Turiaf +73
Odom +333
Gasol +169
Mihm -16
Walton +151
Bynum +236
Farmar +190
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +114
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +2
Up next: at Portland Friday 7:30 p.m. PST KCAL
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Hoosh-Ercise This
I'm an avid Bill Simmons reader. His columns on ESPN.com are always entertaining and his style is unique.
One of the things I most enjoy about his writing is when he discusses the interaction with his friends about sports. I have done the same in many of my blogs and one of the people I quote a lot is my buddy Hoosh who lives in New York but is a huge Lakers fan. Now imagine my surprise when I saw the following in one of Simmons' columns on Wednesday:
Q: Me and my friend Hoosh are amazed Mike D'Antoni somehow manages to keep his hand in his pocket while he explodes on the sideline. A talent like this needs a name, so we got to arguing. I think it should be called "The Pocket Rocket." Hoosh says "The Invisible Hand." You gotta settle this.
-- Nadeem M., New York
SG: Glad you brought this up. I think D'Antoni believes he can't get a T if he's arguing with one hand in his pants, because it makes him look somewhat dignified, so that's why he does it. Personally, I think the name should have a veiled "pocket pool" reference like "the Nine-Ball" or "The Scratch." But I'm willing to hear any other suggestions. By the way, "Nadeem and Hoosh Go To White Castle" is one of my favorite late-night cable movies.
Yes, it's the one and only Hoosh. What you think there are other people named Hoosh walking around New York City.hooshies (7:32:18 PM) : haha, i can't believe its in there
Ughhhhhhh, Oooooooh, Ahhhhhhh: A 9-year old tennis player was kicked out of her tennis club for grunting
Stop saying Championship
I believe in the sports Gods. I think announcers jinx free throw shooters. I think guaranteeing wins backfires more often than not. I think overconfident fan bases are set up for failure.
I've heard the word championship thrown around a lot recently by Laker fans and I cringe every time I hear it.
Why did the Lakers game 7 win against Portland in 2000 feel so good? Because no one thought the Lakers could come back from 16 points down so late in the game. Because it was spontaneous joy.
Sure I hope the Lakers win the cham*&^%$@#^ but it's hope at this point. The Lakers have a good team. They're a contender. But there's a lot of contenders in the West and nothing is guaranteed. Just ask the New England Patriots.
Plus it's a lot more fun when you think they can't and they do. Sure the Lakers may be the favorites, but act a little bit more surprised. Who would have thought they would here at the start of the season?
Shout out to Jordan: Hard to believe a kid I once guarded just tied his career high for the Lakers who won their ninth straight, topping the Blazers 96-83.
By the way Farmar was +32, while Derek Fisher was -19. Kudos to Phil Jackson for sticking with the hot hand in the fourth quarter.
The Bayless over Gordon corollary continues: Eric Gordon, in front of a bunch of NBA scouts went 4-16 against Ohio State with 7 turnovers.
"I think he's going to have to work on his mid range game," ESPN's Steve Lavin said.
Safe to say, Jerryd Bayless' mid range game is doing just fine.
Conspiracy theory: The Nets cut Jamaal Magloire. The Mavs need a center after they trade DeSagana Diop to the Nets. Magloire is reportedly going to sign with the Mavs. Hmmm?
When I saw this video, all I could say was: OMG
From 11 am shooter to 7:30 p.m. shooter:
Less of Mo:
Arizona redshirt junior Mohamed Tangara will skip his final year of eligibility.
As a former Arizona beat writer, I can honestly say Mohamed was the nicest athlete if not the nicest person I have ever met. Whatever he decides to do with his life, I wish him the best of luck.
Here's a story I wrote about his trip back to his home in Mail.
NFL Combine News: Spencer Larsen was third among linebackers with 27 reps on the 225 pound bench press.
Joel ain't no Chick:
My friend Julia's mom says Joel Meyers doesn't know basketball. So I started taking notes of mistakes he makes. Here's a small one from Tuesday's game:
Meyers: "Steve Blake was a good shooting guard in college."
Point guard, shooting guard, I guess they're all the same. Must have forgot about Juan Dixon.
I feel giddy:
hooshies (4:20:34 PM) : yo
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 57 games) Lakers: 40-17 1st in West
Fisher +244
Kobe +465
Turiaf +65
Odom +314
Gasol +154
Mihm -16
Walton +141
Bynum +236
Farmar +185
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +109
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +1
Up next: vs. Miami Thursday 7:30 p.m. PST TNT
I've heard the word championship thrown around a lot recently by Laker fans and I cringe every time I hear it.
Why did the Lakers game 7 win against Portland in 2000 feel so good? Because no one thought the Lakers could come back from 16 points down so late in the game. Because it was spontaneous joy.
Sure I hope the Lakers win the cham*&^%$@#^ but it's hope at this point. The Lakers have a good team. They're a contender. But there's a lot of contenders in the West and nothing is guaranteed. Just ask the New England Patriots.
Plus it's a lot more fun when you think they can't and they do. Sure the Lakers may be the favorites, but act a little bit more surprised. Who would have thought they would here at the start of the season?
Shout out to Jordan: Hard to believe a kid I once guarded just tied his career high for the Lakers who won their ninth straight, topping the Blazers 96-83.
By the way Farmar was +32, while Derek Fisher was -19. Kudos to Phil Jackson for sticking with the hot hand in the fourth quarter.
The Bayless over Gordon corollary continues: Eric Gordon, in front of a bunch of NBA scouts went 4-16 against Ohio State with 7 turnovers.
"I think he's going to have to work on his mid range game," ESPN's Steve Lavin said.
Safe to say, Jerryd Bayless' mid range game is doing just fine.
Conspiracy theory: The Nets cut Jamaal Magloire. The Mavs need a center after they trade DeSagana Diop to the Nets. Magloire is reportedly going to sign with the Mavs. Hmmm?
When I saw this video, all I could say was: OMG
From 11 am shooter to 7:30 p.m. shooter:
| 3-pt shooting percentage this season for Sasha Vujacic. | |||
| Month | 3FG-3FGA | Pct. | |
| Nov. | 8-25 | 32% | |
| Dec. | 11-27 | 40% | |
| Jan. | 14-32 | 43% | |
| Feb . | 28-55 | 50% | |
Less of Mo:
Arizona redshirt junior Mohamed Tangara will skip his final year of eligibility.
As a former Arizona beat writer, I can honestly say Mohamed was the nicest athlete if not the nicest person I have ever met. Whatever he decides to do with his life, I wish him the best of luck.
Here's a story I wrote about his trip back to his home in Mail.
NFL Combine News: Spencer Larsen was third among linebackers with 27 reps on the 225 pound bench press.
Joel ain't no Chick:
My friend Julia's mom says Joel Meyers doesn't know basketball. So I started taking notes of mistakes he makes. Here's a small one from Tuesday's game:
Meyers: "Steve Blake was a good shooting guard in college."
Point guard, shooting guard, I guess they're all the same. Must have forgot about Juan Dixon.
I feel giddy:
hooshies
romoballa (4:20:37 PM) : yp
hooshies (4:20:38 PM) : are you giddy?
romoballa (4:20:38 PM) : yo
hooshies (4:20:46 PM) : i haven't felt this way in quite a while
romoballa (4:20:49 PM) : for today's game
romoballa (4:20:55 PM) : or in general
hooshies (4:20:57 PM) : nah, jus giddy in general
romoballa (4:21:44 PM) : hell ya
romoballa (4:21:49 PM) : i have been since the pau trade
romoballa (4:21:56 PM) : it's been like a month of giddiness
hooshies (4:22:17 PM) : i can't help but think of the next few years
romoballa (4:22:21 PM) : i just want to temper this feeling though
hooshies (4:22:26 PM) : Bynum, Pau, Odom, Kobe, Farmar
romoballa (4:22:27 PM) : too many people r talkin championship
hooshies (4:22:28 PM) : oooooweeee
romoballa (4:22:40 PM) : i don't want this to lead to a big dissappointment
romoballa (4:22:54 PM) : thats why i tell people that there are so many good teams in the west
hooshies (4:22:57 PM) : ya
romoballa (4:22:57 PM) : its gonna be tough
hooshies (4:22:59 PM) : same
hooshies (4:23:13 PM) : i try not to think about rings, cuz then u get ur hopes up
hooshies (4:24:31 PM) : but i'm pumped
romoballa (4:25:03 PM) : exactly
romoballa (4:25:09 PM) : im enjoyin the ride
hooshies (4:25:30 PM) : i'm jus excited man
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 57 games) Lakers: 40-17 1st in West
Fisher +244
Kobe +465
Turiaf +65
Odom +314
Gasol +154
Mihm -16
Walton +141
Bynum +236
Farmar +185
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +109
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +1
Up next: vs. Miami Thursday 7:30 p.m. PST TNT
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Diesel is on Empty
So Suns fans, how's that Shaq trade working out for you?
In the past two games, you've averaged 85.5 points. You scored 85 against the Celtics, and 86 against the Pistons in a blowout loss. Maybe you'll get to 87 one of these days. The rest of the season you've scored less than 87 just twice, and one of those games, when you had 86 in a loss to Utah, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Grant Hill didn't play.
Still think Shaq isn't slowing you down?
He had 7 points, 11 rebounds, was 1-8 from the free throw line, had 1 assist, and 3 turnovers against Detroit.
"I'm very upset," said O'Neal upon joining the Suns. "You just don't really want to get me upset. When I'm upset, I'm known to do certain things - like win championships."
I guess he wasn't too upset Sunday afternoon.
Despite having Shaq, the Suns are still soft defensively. They gave up 130 to the Lakers and 116 to the Pistons, who shot 52 percent. They could use a good defensive assistant. How about Kevin O'Neill? I hear he might be available next season.
The only thing that made the Pistons/Suns game worth watching was the announcing. Wow, I haven't said that in a long time about any announcing team save for games on TNT.
Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson make the best analyst tandem since Bill Walton and Steve Snapper Jones. They combined knowledge and insight with comedy.
Plus, I'm with Jeff Van Gundy. McLovin for best actor in Superbad.
"When they were looking at McLovin's license and he was explaining how he could be 25 years old and from Hawaii, that was acting at it's best," Van Gundy said.
I watched some of the OScars last night during commercials of the Lakers/Sonics game and I am confused to report to you that I did not watch any of the movies that won anything. Seems like that is always the case. I never even heard of half the movies. Apparently they don't advertise good movies these days.
Lakers in first place, will it last? The last time the Lakers were in first place, it lasted all of two days.
Now, on an 8 game winning streak and with two games against Portland (probably without Brandon Roy who suffered an ankle injury Sunday) enveloping a game against Miami, the Lakers hope to have an extended stay at the top of the West.
Like my buddy Hoosh said Sunday night, the Lakers are blowing out teams they should beat. The Sonics stood no chance. Kobe even gave himself the gate by arguing calls late in the third quarter. He knew he wasn't going to play in the fourth quarter anyway with the Lakers up by so much, so he thought he'd prove a point. He complained to the media after the game, but Kobe gets all the calls and this game was no different. There was certainly not enough bad officiating for Kobe to react the way he did. But with the Lakers taking care of business, he had the luxury to do whatever he wanted. He wanted to send a message to Brian Forte and he did because he could. Had the game been close, there's no way Kobe does that.
Dodgers top pitching prospect looking good in spring training: Clayton Kershaw, a 19 year old southpaw throws a ball, "that jumps out of his hand," according to manager Joe Torre.
Chase responds: Chase Budinger apparently had a heated exchange with Kevin O'Neill prior to Saturday's game against Washington State, and the sophomore responded with a 22 point effort in an upset win.
Biggest news from the NFL combine:
"Florida State receiver De'Cody Fagg was the combine's biggest loser today, suffering an apparently serious knee injury while running routes."
That statement isn't quite true though.
Actually, his last name was named the bigger loser.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 56 games) Lakers: 39-17 1st in West
Fisher +263
Kobe +454
Turiaf +59
Odom +298
Gasol +151
Mihm -16
Walton +160
Bynum +236
Farmar +153
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +74
Crittenton -40
Karl -3
Ariza +5
Mbenga +1
Up next: vs. Portland Tuesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN
Sunday, February 24, 2008
A Win and They're In
greg bryan / arizona daily starThe keys to winning for Arizona this season have been fairly simple.
1. Both Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless must play well. Check. (Bayless scored 20 points, all in the second half, and had 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while shooting 8-13 from the field in a 65-55 upset win at Washington State.
2. Jordan Hill has to stay out of foul trouble. Check. Hill had 3 fouls and played 38 minutes. Foul trouble was never a concern for Kevin O'Neill in this game.
3. Others have to contribute. Check. Jamelle Horne had a career high 11 rebounds. Zane Johnson and Daniel Dillon each hit a 3-pointer.
One more win and Arizona should be in the tournament. Marques Johnson, with his pregame statements, agrees with me, and since he says Yakka, I'm happy we're on the same page.
The Wildcats have Oregon State still on the schedule, so there should be no problem getting into the dance. More likely the Wildcats go 2-2 in their last four regular season games and end the Pac-10 season at 9-9. The Oregon schools are both potential wins and USC at home is also a possibility. Mark UCLA down as a loss.
Up Next: vs. USC Thursday 6 p.m. PST FSN
The Bestern Conference
The Lakers are 38-17 and in first place in the West. New Orleans is 37-17 and in fifth place. The West is pretty good, huh?
Also, the Clippers are once again the forgotten LA team. It seems like they don't exist until the Lakers have to play them. Those games tend to be blowouts when the Clippers don't really exist and that's the way it should be. I always enjoy the Clippers moving somewhere else discussions. How about the Los Angeles Clippers of Seattle. Think about it Donald Sterling. You can move right in to Bill Gates neighborhood.
About the only negative thing about Saturday's Laker/Clipper game was the moment in the first half when Kobe feel on the ball and got up shaking his right hand like he was doing the hokey pokey. That'll be a on going predicament for the rest of the season. We can title it "Pinkie Watch" and KCAL 9 can do a minute report after every Laker game on the state of Kobe's pinkie.
Bruce Pearl...Joe Namath... Joe Namath... Bruce Pearl
That halftime interview by Erin Andrews with Bruce Pearl had the potential to be a youtube classic. Pearl tried to recreate the way Memphis was guarding his senior star Chris Lofton by grabbing a frightened looking Erin Andrews. I still have to look at the replay, but there appeared to be some inappropriate touching. Andrews had the Suzy Kolber face as well. Hard to blame Pearl though. There's a lot of guys that want to do that to Erin Andrews. Maybe he had a bet going with Joe Namath that he could get further with Andrews than Namath did with Kolber.
How weird is it to see J.P Prince strutting his Tennessee jersey on the front of ESPN.com? Weird.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 55 games) Lakers: 38-17 1st in West
Fisher +244
Kobe +430
Turiaf +57
Odom +275
Gasol +132
Mihm -16
Walton +140
Bynum +236
Farmar +152
Radmanovic +225
Brown -44
Vujacic +76
Crittenton -40
Karl -1
Ariza +5
Mbenga +5
Up next: at Seattle Sunday 6 p.m. KCAL
Friday, February 22, 2008
Arizona loses again, are you surprised?
The most disturbing aspect of Arizona's loss to Washington was that it didn't come as a shock. There were no "Arizona upset by Huskies" headlines, no "I can't believe Washington won that game" calls, and no mention of the game by the national media.
Arizona is becoming irrelevant.
There was plenty of "this season is over" sentiment, though. This was a game for which I penciled in a W. Good thing it was a pencil and not a pen I guess. This was supposed to be one of the few games left on the schedule that the Wildcats were supposed to win. But they didn't, and they find themselves tied for 5th in the Pac-10 with an under .500 record at 6-7. ASU holds the tiebreaker for 5th and the Wildcats have the tiebreaker over Cal for 6th.
Holding onto my season long theory of Budinger and Bayless, I couldn't have expected Arizona to win this game. Bayless played well enough, scoring 22 points with six rebounds and four assists. Budinger did not. He had just 10 points on 3-10 from the field and fouled out. What's the problem with Budinger one of my friend's asked me today?
In a word: Inconsistency. In too many games, Budinger has been a non factor. Great players are never non factors. In four games this season, he's scored in single digits. Against ASU, he scored four points. Against UCLA, he went to the free throw line 0 times. His body is still too weak to be strong on defense. He still has trouble creating his own shot on offense. Those are the problems of a freshman, but Budinger already has a year under his belt so it's confusing.
His numbers are down, almost across the board. He's turning the ball over 2.6 times a game compared to 1.6 last year, shooting 43% from the field compared to 48.5 percent last year, and most flummoxing, shooting just 71.8 percent from the free throw line, compared with 84.5 percent last year.
That leads me to believe that it's mental. Good free throw shooters with great mechanics don't shoot poorly from the free throw line. Maybe Budinger has lost his confidence. Maybe Kevin O'Neill is too hard on him. Whatever the reason, Budinger has had a disappointing and frustrating sophomore season. And the only good part about it is he may be back next year.
Up Next: at Washington State Saturday 7 p.m. FSN
This is why high school rankings don't mean shit:
Mustafa Shakur is playing overseas. I'm sure you've already forgotten who he even is, but the man was once the highest rated point guard in his high school class ahead of Chris Paul. But after a four year stop at Arizona, here lies Mustafa Shakur.
Cats' next No. 1 point guard can score a little bit: Brandon Jennings scores 63 in high school game.
No- Mar Third Base: Nomar Garciaparra may no longer be an every day player and he doesn't sound too happy about it.
Arizona is becoming irrelevant.
There was plenty of "this season is over" sentiment, though. This was a game for which I penciled in a W. Good thing it was a pencil and not a pen I guess. This was supposed to be one of the few games left on the schedule that the Wildcats were supposed to win. But they didn't, and they find themselves tied for 5th in the Pac-10 with an under .500 record at 6-7. ASU holds the tiebreaker for 5th and the Wildcats have the tiebreaker over Cal for 6th.
Holding onto my season long theory of Budinger and Bayless, I couldn't have expected Arizona to win this game. Bayless played well enough, scoring 22 points with six rebounds and four assists. Budinger did not. He had just 10 points on 3-10 from the field and fouled out. What's the problem with Budinger one of my friend's asked me today?
In a word: Inconsistency. In too many games, Budinger has been a non factor. Great players are never non factors. In four games this season, he's scored in single digits. Against ASU, he scored four points. Against UCLA, he went to the free throw line 0 times. His body is still too weak to be strong on defense. He still has trouble creating his own shot on offense. Those are the problems of a freshman, but Budinger already has a year under his belt so it's confusing.
His numbers are down, almost across the board. He's turning the ball over 2.6 times a game compared to 1.6 last year, shooting 43% from the field compared to 48.5 percent last year, and most flummoxing, shooting just 71.8 percent from the free throw line, compared with 84.5 percent last year.
That leads me to believe that it's mental. Good free throw shooters with great mechanics don't shoot poorly from the free throw line. Maybe Budinger has lost his confidence. Maybe Kevin O'Neill is too hard on him. Whatever the reason, Budinger has had a disappointing and frustrating sophomore season. And the only good part about it is he may be back next year.
Up Next: at Washington State Saturday 7 p.m. FSN
This is why high school rankings don't mean shit:
Mustafa Shakur is playing overseas. I'm sure you've already forgotten who he even is, but the man was once the highest rated point guard in his high school class ahead of Chris Paul. But after a four year stop at Arizona, here lies Mustafa Shakur.
Cats' next No. 1 point guard can score a little bit: Brandon Jennings scores 63 in high school game.
No- Mar Third Base: Nomar Garciaparra may no longer be an every day player and he doesn't sound too happy about it.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
If you didn't like that, you don't like NBA basketball
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)I can't remember the last time I was this excited for a regular season game. Since the Suns were even rumored to be getting Shaq, I was already looking at the schedule.
It was the last meeting of the season between the Pacific division's top two teams in what is becoming a rivalry close to the Kings/Lakers of the early decade.
But it was more than that.
There was buzz for this game. It wasn't just NBA fans who were excited, it was the casual fan. Shaq, Kobe, Steve Nash. Those names resonate with everyone. The Lakers and the Suns, two big market teams with bigger than life characters.
Mike Wilbon called it the "game of the season."
And better yet, it delivered, and I'm not just saying that because the Lakers won. Maybe since the writers strike is over, someone made a script for this game.
The NBA is back, as Magic Johnson would say. What else can you ask for in a game? Highlight dunks, blocks out of nowhere (as in Kobe's block on Boris Diaw when he came from the other side of the basket) and blocks that you saw coming a mile away, (like Amare Stoudemire and Shaq's blcock on Vlad Radmanovic). The stars shined, the pace was fast, the scoring was high.
The West has 10 good teams and even in the regular season every game matters.
As that one announcer, whose name escapes me, would say, "if you don't like this, you don't like NBA basketball."
I've said this time and time again, but I feel it's worth repeating. We are lucky to get to watch Kobe Bryant play basketball. Forget that everyone told him to get surgery on his pinkie. He just brushed it off, scored 41 points on just 25 shots, making 16, and was unstoppable in the fourth quarter. Nice defense by the way by Raja Bell and that red bocce ball he had on his head after Shaq's elbow knocked him out cold.
"Know you can do it, don't think you can," Bryant told his teammates before the game, according to JA Adande. "We're a good team. We deserve to come in here and win."
No one measures up to Kobe's mix of skill and competitiveness. The atmosphere resembled that of an NBA Finals series, yet Kobe was unflappable.
And his new sidekick, Pau Gasol, with Spanish flags and Gasol jerseys everywhere, during his home debut against the Hawks, wasn't too shabby Wednesday against the Suns either. He had 29 points on 13-19 from the field.
You want to talk about chemistry? How bout Sasha Vujacic jumping into Pau's arms after his And 1 dunk gave the Lakers a seven point lead late in the fourth quarter.
This is what I have always loved about the NBA. The game's best going up against each other, the fans excited, cities talking to trash to each other. We've seen this in football and baseball, but the NBA has been the third wheel.
In the offseason, people wanted to talk about the referee scandal and the NBA's thug image. Ron Artest this and Latrell Sprewell that. I don't hear anyone talking bout bench clearing brawls or gambling anymore. There are just too many good stories. The All Star game was successful, the NBA put on a charity "clinic", if you will, in New Orleans, the new "Big Kid" won the dunk contest, and the NBA is becoming fun again. There are too many good players and good teams to dwell on the negative.
I can't express how I elated I am by the circumstances or how anxious I am to watch the rest of the season and the playoffs. Not since the Lakers first title in 2000 have I been this pumped up about the NBA. The Warriors are 33-21 and would miss the playoff if they started today. Practically every game in the West will have playoff implications.
You think the Bulls are kicking themselves right now? Hmmm, can we change our mind about trading Luol Deng?
I never thought Kobe and the Lakers would actually part ways but five months ago, I couldn't have imagined the luxury the Lakers are living in now. Kobe appears to be finally happy.
For one, Kobe is intelligent. He speaks multiple languages including fluent Italian and Spanish. Part of the reason he and Shaq didn't get along was their upbringing. Shaq could relate to the "struggle" and to living in the "hood."
Kobe could not. His teammates now are more like him. Don't look at the skin color. They're international, from Ronny Turiaf to Dj Mbenga, from Radmanovic to Vujacic, to Kobe's new main boy Pau.
Pau went to medical school for a year. He's bright not just when it comes to basketball. Kobe understands Pau's past better than he understood Kwame's past. Although I'm not sure anyone can understand anything about Kwame.
By the way, you think Memphis' marketing department is thrilled they can make big bucks off Kwame Brown jerseys?
Quick hitters
- I was a little shocked that Laker fans booed Mike Bibby in the Hawks game. Apparently the hatred from his Kings days has carried over.
- Shaq's debut was about what I expected. Fifteen points, nine rebounds in 29 minutes looks a lot like his stats in Miami. It was his first game in a month and he has better teammates so expect those numbers to rise slightly but don't expect the Shaq of old.
- The Lakers were badly outrebounded 46-33, and 16-7 on the offensive glass, but don't expect that to be the case with Andrew Bynum back in the middle.
- Lamar Odom quietly had another outstanding game. Odom had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and led the Lakers with a +11.
- The Lakers won the season series vs. the Suns 3-1, meaning they own the tiebreaker if the two teams ended the season tied, as they are currently.
- The Lakers are averaging 126 points a game in their last two games.
- Jason Kidd, Shaq, and Mike Bibby all lost in their debuts after being traded.
- I hope you guys are enjoying the blog, or at least like correcting my mistakes. You can check out more of my stuff on the national lampoon sports blog or splog. I'll be posting on there about three times a week.
- If you don't like NBA basketball, how about girls' high school basketball? Check out my Daily News article on City Section top seed Chatsworth.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 54 games) Lakers: 37-17 2nd in West
Fisher +230
Kobe +405
Turiaf +67
Odom +254
Gasol +104
Mihm -16
Walton +132
Bynum +236
Farmar +148
Radmanovic +223
Brown -44
Vujacic +76
Crittenton -40
Karl +1
Ariza +5
Mbenga +5
Up next: at LA Clippers Saturday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN and KCAL
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Sports Celebrity Rehab
I have a new favorite tv show: Celebrity Rehab
I have met Dr. Drew. His daughter used to figure skate with my sister and I met him at a dinner following one of their competitions in Cape Cod. It was actually the first time I pulled out my fake ID in my front of my parents. Dr. Drew inspired me. I'm sure if he had known, he would convinced my parents to put me in rehab too.
These days rehab is mostly for celebrities. The problem is, they're mostly B and C list celebrities you have to look up on wikipedia to figure out what show they're from. One of the chics on Celebrity rehab was on American Idol. Which means that she became a celebrity by being on a reality tv show and parlayed that success into another reality TV show. If I was a celebrity looking for work, I'd get on drugs on purpose because I'd know that I could always appear on Celebrity Rehab.
Anyways, I propose a sports Celebrity Rehab. That'd be more fun than watching Family Matters actress turned porn star turned drug user Jayme Foxworth.
How about this cast:
Vin Baker: Once kicked out of practice by then Boston Celtics coach Jim O'Brien for wreaking of alcohol, Baker also ballooned to 300 pounds thanks in part to drinking after bad losses.
Charles Barkley: Admitted that he's lost $10 million through gambling but says he doesn't have a gambling problem. Dr Drew would diagnose that as denial.
PacMan Jones: This would be an unusual case for Dr. Drew. PacMan's addictions include strip clubs and making it rain. Hopefully Celebrity Rehab will be conducive to his recovery.
Michael Vick: Bob Saget would say Marijuana is not a drug, but Vick couldn't even stop smoking when he knew he would be tested by the court. New Dr. Drew rule for this group: No pets.
Barry Bonds: Roid rage means the other rehabbers will have to watch out for Bonds. Also, Dr. Drew must be careful of Bonds' buddy Greg Anderson who might be sneaking the clear into the rehab center.
Roger Clemens: During group meetings, Clemens refuses to discuss problems, saying he "misremembers" why he's here, prompting Dr. Drew to have a one-on-one session. Clemens' wife, who admitted to using HGH, is a candidate for Sports Celebrity Rehab season 2.
Mercury Morris: Convicted of cocaine trafficking and spent time in prison, plus the man is super entertaining. Dr. Drew calls him by his real name, Eugene.
Honorable mention: Keon ("I never played a game sober") Clark
bigtmoney032
bigtmoney032 (10:54:37 AM) : he runs the rehab center
bigtmoney032 (10:54:46 AM) : he is their best customer
romoballa (10:54:49 AM) : who
bigtmoney032 (10:54:56 AM) : my main boy
bigtmoney032 (10:54:58 AM) : ricky (williams)
bigtmoney032Why aren't more performance enhancing drug users as smart as Andy Pettitte?
The list of prominent steroid/hgh users who have apologized is fairly short. Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte are for some reason the exception to the rule. Deny, deny, deny has gotten Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and Miguel Tejada treated like scumbags and criminals. Pleading the fifth earned Mark McGwire the right to be exiled.
Meanwhile, Giambi's sins have been all but forgotten. He's not booed, written about maliciously, or called a cheater anymore. Sometimes, he's even praised for being honest.
And the same thing will happen to Pettitte. One writer said he thinks Pettitte will get a standing ovation when he's first introduced this year.
It's human to err. Everyone makes mistakes. It's courageous to admit to them in front of millions of people. Those who do are admired because we wish all our favorite athletes were honest with us. We, sports fans, are a forgiving bunch, but mock our intelligence with your lies and you will forever be scorned.
Who needs journalism school?
Keyshawn Johnson hosted Rome is burning Monday. ESPN and Fox also had a press conference announcing you must play in the NFL or the NBA to host your own show and be a bumbling idiot.
Monday, February 18, 2008
You know how I know you're ...
You know how I know I need a full time job?
Because my over/ under for hours watching ESPN Classic per day is approaching two. That's a lot of hours spent watching games that have already happened, many of which I have already seen.
I bring this up because I watched the 1998 All-Star game the other day and it got me so energized, I couldn't stop talking about it all day.
The Lakers had four all stars. I mean how many times do teams have four all stars these days? There are no more Celtics teams from the 60s and 70s.
The Lakers had Kobe, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, and Shaq.
Kobe was 19 years old had a sequence when he was guarding Michael Jordan and just went at him defensively, forcing Jordan to bobble the ball.
Kobe also did a fake around the back pass and shot a hook shot over Dikembe. It was No. 1 on the top 10 plays of the 98 all star game. He had several other plays in the top 10 also.
All Star Statement: Isiah Thomas talking about Vin Baker during that game (this actually happened)
"You gotta admire what Vin Baker has done to his body. He was a guy when he first came into the league was a very skinny kid. He spent a lot of time working out in the summer and has gotten his body to where he can go down and perform in the low post."
What Isiah meant to say was that Baker's time spent in the summer involved mostly boozing and that's why his body was bigger.
Why do they play the Canadian National Anthem?
Because my over/ under for hours watching ESPN Classic per day is approaching two. That's a lot of hours spent watching games that have already happened, many of which I have already seen.
I bring this up because I watched the 1998 All-Star game the other day and it got me so energized, I couldn't stop talking about it all day.
The Lakers had four all stars. I mean how many times do teams have four all stars these days? There are no more Celtics teams from the 60s and 70s.
The Lakers had Kobe, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, and Shaq.
Kobe was 19 years old had a sequence when he was guarding Michael Jordan and just went at him defensively, forcing Jordan to bobble the ball.
Kobe also did a fake around the back pass and shot a hook shot over Dikembe. It was No. 1 on the top 10 plays of the 98 all star game. He had several other plays in the top 10 also.
All Star Statement: Isiah Thomas talking about Vin Baker during that game (this actually happened)
"You gotta admire what Vin Baker has done to his body. He was a guy when he first came into the league was a very skinny kid. He spent a lot of time working out in the summer and has gotten his body to where he can go down and perform in the low post."
What Isiah meant to say was that Baker's time spent in the summer involved mostly boozing and that's why his body was bigger.
Why do they play the Canadian National Anthem?
greenmachineAZ (5:38:19 PM) : and why canada? Place is so useless
greenmachineAZ (5:38:31 PM) : why not China's, Germany's, and who else is there?
romoballa (5:43:38 PM) : cuz of the raptors and memphis (formerly vancouver grizzlies)
jtballer11 (5:39:10 PM) : the canadian national anthem my favorite part of the night
Do you think Canadians would get heated if we stopped playing their anthem? Would they started attacking Americans with their skates? Just wondering.
Do they play our national anthem at their sports events. Can someone figure this out?
Pure comedy:
Brett Myers gets Kyke Kendrick to think he's been traded to a Japanese team
jtballer11
Do you think Canadians would get heated if we stopped playing their anthem? Would they started attacking Americans with their skates? Just wondering.
Do they play our national anthem at their sports events. Can someone figure this out?
Pure comedy:
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Enjoy Him While He's Here
Jerryd Bayless shouldn't wait till end of the season to leave for the NBA. He should just go now. You think he's ready? How about 103 points in three games. In 118 minutes against Pac-10 teams. That ready enough?
It's the All Star Break and I think Bayless could help several teams make a playoff push right now. I don't want to invoke any Kobe Bryant references because Kobe is arguably the best player of all time, but Bayless has that drive, that competitive nature. He hates to lose. At anything. I haven't seen an Arizona player this pissed off after losing since I started following the, five years ago.
The last Wildcat to score 100 points in three games was Damon Stoudamire.
Despite putting his name in the record books, Bayless was completely unimpressed.
"It doesn't matter," he said following Arizona's 67-66 loss to Stanford.
I've said all season that if Bayless and Budinger both play well, the Wildcats will win. Both played well, but I didn't account for the three zebra looking men out on the court.
There were several highly questionable calls that went against Arizona. I rarely blame the referees for a loss and I won't for this one. But they definitely didn't help.
With Arizona up 66-65, Budinger's block on Brook Lopez went for naught when Kirk Walters was called for a foul down low. Lopez (the offensive twin) knocked down both free throws and on the ensuing possession, Robin Lopez (the defensive twin) blocked Budinger's floater to seal the game.
Maybe the more important questionable call came with 5:27 left to play. Jordan Hill, who guaranteed victory before the game picked up his fifth foul when the replays clearly showed that Robin Lopez elbowed Hill and initiated the contact. Without Hill, playing against the 7-foot Lopez twins was that much more difficult.
"It was unfortunate that Jordan fouled out," Kevin O'Neill told the Arizona Daily Star. "That put us in a position where we didn't have a real inside scoring option at that point, and they executed down the stretch."
You can't fault the Cats effort though. That has come into question at times, especially when they played UCLA earlier this year.
"I told our guys that I was extremely proud of their effort in every way," O'Neill said. "And if we play like that, although we're a little short-handed, we'll have a chance to win some games and have a chance to keep playing at the end of the year. That's what our goal is."
With six games remaining, Arizona appears locked into the No. 8-9 seed game. At 16-9, (6-6 in Pac-10) two wins would get Arizona into the Big Dance. Three would get them to the 8-9 game and four may propel them to a No. 7 seed, depending on who they beat and how they do in the Pac-10 tournament. Still on the slate are the Oregon schools, the Washington schools and the LA schools. Both Oregon schools are certainly beatable, Washington could be a win, even though they play in a hostile arena and just beat UCLA there and USC without Daniel Hackett should be a win in McKale. So the Wildcats could very reasonably go 4-2, yet they also could go 1-5, Oregon State being the only gimme.
If they continue to play with the type of effort they showed against Stanford, I'd say 4-2 would be the more likely scenario.
All Star Festivities
I received more text messages than I imagined about this year's dunk contest. Apparently, people were impressed. Magic Johnson said the "dunk contest was back" about 52 times.
I will say this: in terms of entertainment value, I'll give this year's dunk contest a 10. In terms of pure dunking, we've seen a lot better. Vince Carter and Jason Richardson are head and shoulders above Dwight Howard and Gerald Green.
But unlike many other dunk contests, this one was fun to watch. Dwight Howard is character. Literally Saturday night when he put on his superman cape. His dunk with the cape on was impressive because he did it off two feet, but without the act, the cape, and the personality, that dunk would have been decent. His first dunk, from behind the backboard has already been done by Andre Iguodala, but no one mentioned that. (Listen to Magic Johnson doing the commentary on the Iguodala dunk, it's hilarious.) Kenny Smith who might have had one too many hurricanes on Bourbon street kept shouting like Stephen A Smith that he had never seen that in his life. As for Green, the birthday cake dunk was hilarious and looked great on replays. The degree of difficulty, at least for those in the NBA didn't appear too high. Great idea though. I enjoyed the fact that the four guys who participated this year were all motivated to be creative and give the crowd a good show. And that's what it's all about.
Rising Star
In the rookie/sophomore game, which has been won by the sophomores for the last six seasons,
Jordan Farmar had 17 points and 12 assists, and actually played tough defense on Mike Conley. Boobie Gibson may have won the MVP, but Farmar looked like he was the best guard on the floor. Not bad for the 21st pick in the 2006 draft and a nice coup for the Lakers and Mitch Kupchak.
Not an All Star Idea
The PTI guys suggested having a United State vs. the World NBA All Star game. Usually I'd be in favor of such a game because it would create a real sense of competition and would be interesting to watch.
Here's the problem, though. Out of the 24 players selected to play in the All-Star game, only three are international. Yao Ming, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki. That would mean nine players would have to be added to the international squad and nine deserving all stars would be snubbed. Even the two players added to the team were not internationals. Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace will be replacing Caron Butler and Kevin Garnett for the East, despite Jose Calderon being much more deserving.
If the format did come to fruition, here's what the rosters may look like:
Team USA:
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett
Tim Duncan
Dwyane Wade
Lebron James
Dwight Howard
Chauncey Billups
Allen Iverson
Amare Stoudemire
Chris Bosh
Team World:
Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitzki
Yao Ming
Manu Ginobili
Jose Calderon
Hedo Turkoglu
Pau Gasol
Leandro Barbosa
Peja Stojakovic
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Andres Nocioni
Andrei Kirilenko
On paper, it of course looks like a team USA blowout. But then again, in world competition, the USA usually looks like the favorite and as you know has not fared so well recently. Certainly, the World team has the advantage in terms of shooting, passing and point guard play, so I wouldn't count them out. In the end, no one on the World team would be close to containing Lebron and Kobe.
Police are dumb: Check out these cops
Check it out: My Daily News CSUN basketball article. The Matadors, who are back on top of the Big West beat UC Riverside but lost backup point guard Paul Wayne. Which means...more playing time for former El Camino point guard Rai Colston.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Miring in Mediocrity
Arizona's NCAA tournament chances were never in jeopardy. To some that may be stating the obvious. To others, aka the misinformed, that may come as a shock. Arizona's "resume" with its No. 1 strength of schedule and high RPI makes sure the Wildcats will be dancing.
Jerryd Bayless, aka Arizona's offense, beat California 83-72 Thursday night at McKale Center leaving seven games on the schedule and the Wildcats at 16-8 and 6-5 in the Pac-10. Realistically, Arizona could win just three of their next seven and still easily get in. A 19-13 record (considering Arizona loses its first Pac-10 tournament game) and 9-9 in the Pac-10 is grounds for a No. 8 or 9 seed. Even if the Cats win just two more regular season games, they'd get in. Georgia made it at 16-14 one season with credentials similar to Arizona's.
So the tournament streak, the longest current in the country at 23 seasons, will continue.
However, the resume doesn't make Arizona a good team. The Wildcats, similar to the last two seasons are once again...gasp, MEDIOCRE.
There's a lot more doom to that statement with that word in all caps. I'm sure that just sent a shiver through Wildcat fans all over. Arizona doesn't scare anyone, anymore. The players except for Bayless and Chase Budinger are average. The rest of the Pac-10 has either caught up or overtaken the Cats, who are now just hanging on for dear life. Usually a game like Thursday's against Cal would have been a gimme. But I actually heard some describe it as a must win game. The Arizona athletics website's headline read "Cats win huge game." How far the might have fallen. Just be thankful Arizona doesn't have Kelvin Sampson, once rumored to be a candidate to replace Lute Olson.
How do you make the obvious sound thoughtful?
You come up with a catchy nickname and insert it at the beginning of a basketball broadcast. Arizona announcers Dave Sitton and Bob Elliott are horrible, to be nice. I've long discussed how much more enjoyable it would be to watch an Arizona game with no volume on.
In "Bob's Game Plan" two of the three points were
1.Shoot well from the field (Duh)
2. Avoid frustration (Duh X2)
He could have added make shots and play good defense as well.
For all you midwest folk and those in the national media: There's no question about it, Bayless is better than Eric Gordon. Gordon has the slight edge in points at 21.4 to 20.6 but Bayless has a better shooting percentage 50% to 46.5%, 3-point percentage 45% to 40%, and is the better passer (assists, 4.4 to 2.5). Bayless' jumper with the high release point is more NBA ready than Gordon's and he can create his own shot, especially with his step back move, much easier than Gordon. Most mock drafts have Gordon rated ahead of Bayless, but I suspect workouts may change that thinking come June.
Plus Bayless never quits: I bet he's better at windsurfing than Gordon.
"He couldn't get up on that board," Bayless' dad said. "He spent three days and didn't do anything else. But by the fourth day, Jerryd was out on the ocean by himself. He was the youngest windsurfer they've ever had there."
He was six.
Apparently the NBA is the real No Fun League: Dwight Howard's request to heighten the rim to 12 feet for the dunk contest was denied. The NBA's reasoning, according to Marc Stein is that it "clashes with their intent to apply as many standard NBA rules to All-Star Weekend contests as possible."
It's almost like the NBA wants the dunk contest to be boring. There's maybe one entertaining dunk contest every five years, if that. Of course the Vince Carter one comes to mind, and I also enjoyed watching some of Jason Richardson's unique dunks. This could have been the next one.
The other participants wanted to challenge Howard too.
"Before I go, I have a message for Dwight: You have that idea about moving the goal to 12 feet? If you want to do it, go ahead and do it. I'm pretty confident in my jumping ability. If you go before me, I'll leave it up there and do my dunk.," Rudy Gay wrote in his blog.
"12 feet might be a little too short for me," said Gerald Green who wanted the rim raised to 13 feet.
You wouldn't watch to see who can go the highest? You wouldn't be taking bets with your friends on whether someone can dunk on 13 feet? Now that would be a fun dunk contest. Too bad the league isn't about fun anymore.
Scary situation: Apparently, Kobe's pinkie is in worse shape than originally thought. Kobe opted not to have surgery that could have kept him out for six weeks. It was probably a good decision since he's had little trouble playing with the injury thus far. Plus with the West being as tight as it is, not having Kobe may have dropped the Lakers to the playoff bubble. Kobe said he would hold off on surgery until after the 2008 Olympics. But he won't participate in the 3-point shootout. Dirk Nowitzki will replace him.
Make it fair:
There were a few times in the steroid era when neither the pitcher nor the batter held an unfair advantage. You know, like when Barry Bonds faced Roger Clemens.
Gilbertology: "That’s going to be the coolest jersey ever though … that David West jersey for being a Western Conference All-Star … West on the front, West on the back. That’s going to be the bomb jersey."
-- Gilbert Arenas on his blog
Jerryd Bayless, aka Arizona's offense, beat California 83-72 Thursday night at McKale Center leaving seven games on the schedule and the Wildcats at 16-8 and 6-5 in the Pac-10. Realistically, Arizona could win just three of their next seven and still easily get in. A 19-13 record (considering Arizona loses its first Pac-10 tournament game) and 9-9 in the Pac-10 is grounds for a No. 8 or 9 seed. Even if the Cats win just two more regular season games, they'd get in. Georgia made it at 16-14 one season with credentials similar to Arizona's.
So the tournament streak, the longest current in the country at 23 seasons, will continue.
However, the resume doesn't make Arizona a good team. The Wildcats, similar to the last two seasons are once again...gasp, MEDIOCRE.
There's a lot more doom to that statement with that word in all caps. I'm sure that just sent a shiver through Wildcat fans all over. Arizona doesn't scare anyone, anymore. The players except for Bayless and Chase Budinger are average. The rest of the Pac-10 has either caught up or overtaken the Cats, who are now just hanging on for dear life. Usually a game like Thursday's against Cal would have been a gimme. But I actually heard some describe it as a must win game. The Arizona athletics website's headline read "Cats win huge game." How far the might have fallen. Just be thankful Arizona doesn't have Kelvin Sampson, once rumored to be a candidate to replace Lute Olson.
How do you make the obvious sound thoughtful?
You come up with a catchy nickname and insert it at the beginning of a basketball broadcast. Arizona announcers Dave Sitton and Bob Elliott are horrible, to be nice. I've long discussed how much more enjoyable it would be to watch an Arizona game with no volume on.
In "Bob's Game Plan" two of the three points were
1.Shoot well from the field (Duh)
2. Avoid frustration (Duh X2)
He could have added make shots and play good defense as well.
For all you midwest folk and those in the national media: There's no question about it, Bayless is better than Eric Gordon. Gordon has the slight edge in points at 21.4 to 20.6 but Bayless has a better shooting percentage 50% to 46.5%, 3-point percentage 45% to 40%, and is the better passer (assists, 4.4 to 2.5). Bayless' jumper with the high release point is more NBA ready than Gordon's and he can create his own shot, especially with his step back move, much easier than Gordon. Most mock drafts have Gordon rated ahead of Bayless, but I suspect workouts may change that thinking come June.
Plus Bayless never quits: I bet he's better at windsurfing than Gordon.
"He couldn't get up on that board," Bayless' dad said. "He spent three days and didn't do anything else. But by the fourth day, Jerryd was out on the ocean by himself. He was the youngest windsurfer they've ever had there."
He was six.
Apparently the NBA is the real No Fun League: Dwight Howard's request to heighten the rim to 12 feet for the dunk contest was denied. The NBA's reasoning, according to Marc Stein is that it "clashes with their intent to apply as many standard NBA rules to All-Star Weekend contests as possible."
It's almost like the NBA wants the dunk contest to be boring. There's maybe one entertaining dunk contest every five years, if that. Of course the Vince Carter one comes to mind, and I also enjoyed watching some of Jason Richardson's unique dunks. This could have been the next one.
The other participants wanted to challenge Howard too.
"Before I go, I have a message for Dwight: You have that idea about moving the goal to 12 feet? If you want to do it, go ahead and do it. I'm pretty confident in my jumping ability. If you go before me, I'll leave it up there and do my dunk.," Rudy Gay wrote in his blog.
"12 feet might be a little too short for me," said Gerald Green who wanted the rim raised to 13 feet.
You wouldn't watch to see who can go the highest? You wouldn't be taking bets with your friends on whether someone can dunk on 13 feet? Now that would be a fun dunk contest. Too bad the league isn't about fun anymore.
Scary situation: Apparently, Kobe's pinkie is in worse shape than originally thought. Kobe opted not to have surgery that could have kept him out for six weeks. It was probably a good decision since he's had little trouble playing with the injury thus far. Plus with the West being as tight as it is, not having Kobe may have dropped the Lakers to the playoff bubble. Kobe said he would hold off on surgery until after the 2008 Olympics. But he won't participate in the 3-point shootout. Dirk Nowitzki will replace him.
Make it fair:
There were a few times in the steroid era when neither the pitcher nor the batter held an unfair advantage. You know, like when Barry Bonds faced Roger Clemens.
Gilbertology: "That’s going to be the coolest jersey ever though … that David West jersey for being a Western Conference All-Star … West on the front, West on the back. That’s going to be the bomb jersey."
-- Gilbert Arenas on his blog
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Don't "misremember" the Lakers are good!
-
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
What's the mercy rule in the NBA?
Any time Coby Karl gets an alley oop dunk, you know you're deep into garbage time. I'm sure most of you turned the Lakers/Timberwolves game off long before that happened, but in my quest to watch every minute of every Laker game this year, I caught a glimpse of the other Coby doing his high fly act.
The Lakers not only spanked Minnesota 117-92, which was somewhat expected considering Minnesota is the worst team in the West, but they finished their nine game road trip 7-2, the best record for a continuous nine game trip in NBA history.
Last year on their eight game East coast trip, the Lakers went 3-5.
"Pau came at the perfect time," Lamar Odom told John Ireland after the game.
Pau indeed came at the right time. For the Lakers and for Lamar. Odom had a triple double with 10 points, 10 assists, and 16 rebounds. This month, Odom is averaging 13 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
Oh shit: One thing you can say about Wednesday's game: It had to have set the record for most sound pauses due to profanity. I guess that means less Joel Meyers and that has to be a good thing.
Props to D Fish and Ronny:
My two favorite Lakers made it to Ric Bucher's Quasar team recognizing "the players who have made indispensable contributions to this season's winning teams but will not be part of the league's All-Star festivities in New Orleans later this week."
I feel blessed that I get to watch Kobe Bryant play:
A Miami Herald columnist recognized Kobe's greatness and challenged Dwyane Wade to get to that level.
Against Minnesota and Miami, Kobe hounded the guy he was guarding. Wade had 9 turnovers. Marko Jaric was 1-5 and scored two points. Against Charlotte he cheated off Jeff McInnis to help defend the other Bobcats. Kobe had four steals and two blocks.
And that's why it's a privilege to watch him play. Because this is greatness. This is the Michael Jordan of our time. Because on every possession you may see something that no one else in the league can do.
Going small: In the Suns/Warriors game the centers for an extended period of time were Boris Diaw (Suns) and Al Harrington (Warriors). So you're telling me when Shaq finally suits up, there won't be a change of philosophy?
Mike Stoops is officially an idiot:
Former UA recruits are not happy with Arizona's excuse for a football coach.
Here's what one of the three had to say: Jarrell Barbour, a wide receiver from Peoria Centennial High School, said,
Any time Coby Karl gets an alley oop dunk, you know you're deep into garbage time. I'm sure most of you turned the Lakers/Timberwolves game off long before that happened, but in my quest to watch every minute of every Laker game this year, I caught a glimpse of the other Coby doing his high fly act.
The Lakers not only spanked Minnesota 117-92, which was somewhat expected considering Minnesota is the worst team in the West, but they finished their nine game road trip 7-2, the best record for a continuous nine game trip in NBA history.
Last year on their eight game East coast trip, the Lakers went 3-5.
"Pau came at the perfect time," Lamar Odom told John Ireland after the game.
Pau indeed came at the right time. For the Lakers and for Lamar. Odom had a triple double with 10 points, 10 assists, and 16 rebounds. This month, Odom is averaging 13 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
Oh shit: One thing you can say about Wednesday's game: It had to have set the record for most sound pauses due to profanity. I guess that means less Joel Meyers and that has to be a good thing.
Props to D Fish and Ronny:
My two favorite Lakers made it to Ric Bucher's Quasar team recognizing "the players who have made indispensable contributions to this season's winning teams but will not be part of the league's All-Star festivities in New Orleans later this week."
I feel blessed that I get to watch Kobe Bryant play:
A Miami Herald columnist recognized Kobe's greatness and challenged Dwyane Wade to get to that level.
"If the Miami Heat is going to experience the same kind of recovery that the Lakers currently are, then Wade is going to have to rise to Bryant's level.
He will have to be the efficient scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways, rather than relying on a handful of pet moves that defenses come to expect.
He will have to play the type of consistent defense that allows him to actually guard the opposing team's top perimeter threat, rather than just coming from the weak side to grab a few steals and block a few shots.
He will have to be the decision maker who gets the maximum output from each teammate, rather than the player who dismisses a personal nine-turnover performance."
Over the last three games, Kobe averaged 31 points per game, made 33 straight free throws and shot over 50 percent from the field (26-50), and yet none of that amazes me. It's the fact that on every play, Kobe gives it his all. On every single possession. He's not Shaq or Vince Carter. He has a dislocated knuckle on his pinkie that swells up but he doesn't complain.
Against Minnesota and Miami, Kobe hounded the guy he was guarding. Wade had 9 turnovers. Marko Jaric was 1-5 and scored two points. Against Charlotte he cheated off Jeff McInnis to help defend the other Bobcats. Kobe had four steals and two blocks.
And that's why it's a privilege to watch him play. Because this is greatness. This is the Michael Jordan of our time. Because on every possession you may see something that no one else in the league can do.
Going small: In the Suns/Warriors game the centers for an extended period of time were Boris Diaw (Suns) and Al Harrington (Warriors). So you're telling me when Shaq finally suits up, there won't be a change of philosophy?
Shaq runs, postpractice spread nowhere to found: The Diesel practiced with the Suns Monday and said he was winded but felt fine. Shaq said he considers himself a role player and will need some time to figure out what his role will be.
When he comes back, he will serve the "Look there's Shaq running into the television picture" role. "Seven seconds or less" now refers to the amount of time it will take for Shaq to get into the frontcourt.
Mike Stoops is officially an idiot:
Former UA recruits are not happy with Arizona's excuse for a football coach.
Here's what one of the three had to say: Jarrell Barbour, a wide receiver from Peoria Centennial High School, said,
"(Stoops) put my business out in the open. It was cruel. I didn't want to go there because their football team is horrible. They stunk it up bad."
Just when you thought Stoops couldn't act any more like a child, stomping his feet and yelling on the sidelines, he did. He accused ASU of being easier to attend academically. As a U of A alum, I couldn't agree any more, because after all they're the Scum Devils. But I'm also not the football coach and I also didn't just lose three top recruits to my in state rival. It's not about ASU's academic policy, it's about constantly being beaten by ASU on the field and in recruiting. Stoops continues to blame others for the losses (see: the schedule, other teams recruiting tactics) in order to save his job and his reputation. But I am not buying it. Good coaches don't make excuses. They execute, and that something the Arizona football team hasn't done.
A lot of misremembering:
The five hour "trial" of Roger Clemens can best be described as grueling. I thought Clemens was a cheater coming in to Wednesday because the evidence was stacked against him. I mean, Andy Petitte and Chuck Knoblauch both ratted him out and his wife admitted that she was taking HGH. Clemens however continues to sit on his high horse. I won't get into all the things that were said at the Congressional Hearing because it was just a government spectacle with no real solutions. It's a publicity stunt for the government and like most good dramas, draws a big audience.
But I will discuss something I noticed a while ago, when this mess was just beginning. Here's what Clemens told Mike Wallace in that 60 minutes interview he did.
"I'm angry that what I've done for the game of baseball and in my private life, I don't get the benefit of the doubt. It's hogwash for people to even assume this. Twenty-four, twenty-five years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect."
Here's my problem with this:
How dare he say "what I've done for baseball." How about what the game has done for him. Made him a celebrity, a rich man, and likely helped him get his hot ass wife.
No man is bigger than the game. It might be cliche but it's true. If Clemens had never existed, there would just be someone else to take his place. Baseball would go on.
Earlier I said I felt blessed to watch Kobe, and I'm sure some people feel the same about Roger. But as a huge fan of basketball history, I don't think you'll ever hear Kobe say the game of basketball owes him anything. Sure Clemens was fun to watch but baseball owes him nothing. And now that he's cheated the game, he's hurt the sport far more than he helped.
Be glad you're not a fan of Pittsburgh baseball: The Pirates have had 15 straight losing seasons and their "organizational mantra" is "Please bear with us -- we promise to get it right this time.''
Check it out: My Daily News CSUN notebook. The Matadors BracketBusters game will be televised Feb. 23 on ESPNU at 6 p.m.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 52 games) Lakers: 35-17 5th in West
Fisher +214
Kobe +375
Turiaf +60
Odom +217
Gasol +76
Mihm -16
Walton +123
Bynum +236
Farmar +126
Radmanovic +199
Brown -44
Vujacic +69
Crittenton -40
Karl +4
Ariza +5
Mbenga +7
Up next: vs. Atlanta Tuesday 7:30 p.m. PST FSN
Monday, February 11, 2008
What's wrong with Arizona basketball?
How does one player score 39 points yet all his teammates combined manage just 15?
Take out Jerryd Bayless and ASU would have beat Arizona 59-15. Bayless was 12-18 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line. The rest of the team, was 3-23 and 8-13.
Chase Budinger made just 1-12 shots. Only two other players made a field goal, one each. In 22 minutes off the bench, no one scored. Daniel Dillon played 38 minutes and did not score.
Best word for Jawann McClellan and Dillon, two starters: Useless
Remember when Kevin O'Neill was a horrible NBA coach with the Raptors. He was trying to bring some of that back Sunday when he called his final timeout with more than 10 minutes left in the second half. So while ASU was scoring on wideopen layups, O'Neill didn't have a timeout left. Apparently he was trying to stop the run ASU was making and I'm sure he had no use for those timeouts when Arizona was desperately trying to climb back into the game in the final few minutes, cutting the lead to three.
The sad thing for Arizona's team this year as Greg Hansen points out, this may be as good as it gets.
On to the good news:
Unlike Arizona, the Lakers are fun to watch. The biggest beneficiary of the Gasol trade has been Lamar Odom. In the win over the Heat, Odom had another great game with 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. He's free to roam the glass, has no pressure to score, and is playing like he feels comfortable in his own body again. Here's the difference between the Lakers and Arizona. When the Lakers' stars have poor games, other players step up. So when Kobe has six points against New Jersey, it didn't matter. So when Gasol had a pedestrian 12 and 7 rebounds Sunday, Odom made up for it. And so did Sasha Vujacic with 13 points off the bench. And so did Luke Walton with nine.
As for Kobe, he had 33 points on just 15 shots. More impressive was his stifling defense on Dwayne Wade. You won't find it in any of the highlights but the last Heat possession of the third quarter was a clinic in pressure one on one defense when Kobe made Wade fumble the ball repeatedly and allowed him to go nowhere. Wade scored just 19 points for the game on 7-17 from the field and turned the ball over nine times. That's why Kobe's the best player in the NBA. Because he plays hard on every play, be it offense or defense.
This is indicative of how good the Pac-10 is:
The Washington student section, which is always one of the best and most rowdy in the Pac-10, didn't rush the court after beating UCLA. The Huskies have established themselves as a top notch program and expect to win big games. So beating No. 4 UCLA was a huge win but nothing to rush the court over.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 50 games) Lakers: 33-17 5th in West
Fisher +186
Kobe +337
Turiaf +65
Odom +179
Gasol +37
Mihm -16
Walton +122
Bynum +236
Farmar +117
Radmanovic +179
Brown -44
Vujacic +65
Crittenton -40
Karl +6
Ariza +5
Mbenga +7
Up next: at Charlotte Monday 4:00 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. KCAL)
Take out Jerryd Bayless and ASU would have beat Arizona 59-15. Bayless was 12-18 from the field and 9-9 from the free throw line. The rest of the team, was 3-23 and 8-13.
Chase Budinger made just 1-12 shots. Only two other players made a field goal, one each. In 22 minutes off the bench, no one scored. Daniel Dillon played 38 minutes and did not score.
Best word for Jawann McClellan and Dillon, two starters: Useless
greenmachineAZ (1:03:32 PM) : McClellan is worse then useless
greenmachineAZ (1:05:36 PM) : and Dillon has no business getting a degree from a 4-year college
greenmachineAZ (1:05:41 PM) : he's awful at basketball and at life
How does a guy who's on scholarship play 38 minutes and can't make a single basket? My friend and I have the following argument sometimes. If we take our buddy Larry and put him on the court with the Lakers and he gets to take all of Kobe's shots, how many points would he score? We always conclude that he'd probably make one shot a game. But he's horrible. He couldn't make the freshman team at El Camino right now. Now take Dillon. He's a senior at a Division I university that has made the NCAA tournament 23 straight times. And he can't score one basket while playing almost the whole game. How does that happen?
So what's the problem?
Well a number of things. That toughness that was supposed to come in with Kevin O'Neill is not really there. If it was, you'd think Chase would take the ball to the basket and not settle for long 3s once he realized they weren't falling? Rebounding is always an indication of toughness. Tom Izzo's Michigan State teams who sometimes practice in football pads are always known as one of the toughest teams and they're always at the head of the pack in rebounding. Arizona lost the battle of the boards Sunday 28-21. They say that when one part of your game isn't on, look to do other things. Chase had only four rebounds in 39 minutes. Fendi Onobun wonders why he doesn't play. He had 0 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.
How about the defense? Giving up wide open backdoor cuts for easy dunks isn't exactly what was expected out of this group. Some will look up and say, well, ASU only scored 59 points. That's how they want to play. They run the shot clock, slow down the tempo and then back door you with time winding down. The Sun Devils shot 51 percent. Jeff Pendergraph looked like an All-American. He was 12-16 and scored 29 points. Most of his shots were easy buckets inside, which brings us to Arizona's next problem.
The lack of big men. Jordan Hill has developed nicely, though he didn't have a particularly good game Sunday. He was lightly recruited and Arizona got lucky by spotting him. He's still foul prone but he'll get better with experience. Hill is the only big guy Arizona has. It's the only program that has such trouble getting big men to come to its school. North Carolina has three big guys who would start at Arizona. Tyler Hansbrough, Alex Stepheson, and Deon Thompson. Same with UCLA. Aboya, Love, and Mata Real. Throw in James Keefe and Mbah A Moute also if you're looking for periemter big men. Arizona has Mohamed Tangara, Kirk Walters and Alex Jacobsen. All three were touted by the coaching staff. All three are at least 6-9. Walters and Jacobsen are near 7-feet. But they are terrible. Jacobsen appears to be redshirting and its unlikely he'll ever be a factor. Walters is the only person in mankind to be sidelines by Mono for two years and Tangara is incapable of making good basketball plays, though he's one of the nicest people I've ever met.
It's not like it will get any better next year either. Arizona has one big man coming in, Jeff Withey, a 7-footer from San Diego. I have seen him in street clothes because he played for the same AAU team as Jamelle Horne but I have not seen him play. He's a twig at this point and I'm uncertain based on Arizona's big man recruiting of the past that he will be of any assistance. I am almost completely certain however that he will not help right away.
And that gets us to the coaching.
How does a guy who's on scholarship play 38 minutes and can't make a single basket? My friend and I have the following argument sometimes. If we take our buddy Larry and put him on the court with the Lakers and he gets to take all of Kobe's shots, how many points would he score? We always conclude that he'd probably make one shot a game. But he's horrible. He couldn't make the freshman team at El Camino right now. Now take Dillon. He's a senior at a Division I university that has made the NCAA tournament 23 straight times. And he can't score one basket while playing almost the whole game. How does that happen?
So what's the problem?
Well a number of things. That toughness that was supposed to come in with Kevin O'Neill is not really there. If it was, you'd think Chase would take the ball to the basket and not settle for long 3s once he realized they weren't falling? Rebounding is always an indication of toughness. Tom Izzo's Michigan State teams who sometimes practice in football pads are always known as one of the toughest teams and they're always at the head of the pack in rebounding. Arizona lost the battle of the boards Sunday 28-21. They say that when one part of your game isn't on, look to do other things. Chase had only four rebounds in 39 minutes. Fendi Onobun wonders why he doesn't play. He had 0 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench.
How about the defense? Giving up wide open backdoor cuts for easy dunks isn't exactly what was expected out of this group. Some will look up and say, well, ASU only scored 59 points. That's how they want to play. They run the shot clock, slow down the tempo and then back door you with time winding down. The Sun Devils shot 51 percent. Jeff Pendergraph looked like an All-American. He was 12-16 and scored 29 points. Most of his shots were easy buckets inside, which brings us to Arizona's next problem.
The lack of big men. Jordan Hill has developed nicely, though he didn't have a particularly good game Sunday. He was lightly recruited and Arizona got lucky by spotting him. He's still foul prone but he'll get better with experience. Hill is the only big guy Arizona has. It's the only program that has such trouble getting big men to come to its school. North Carolina has three big guys who would start at Arizona. Tyler Hansbrough, Alex Stepheson, and Deon Thompson. Same with UCLA. Aboya, Love, and Mata Real. Throw in James Keefe and Mbah A Moute also if you're looking for periemter big men. Arizona has Mohamed Tangara, Kirk Walters and Alex Jacobsen. All three were touted by the coaching staff. All three are at least 6-9. Walters and Jacobsen are near 7-feet. But they are terrible. Jacobsen appears to be redshirting and its unlikely he'll ever be a factor. Walters is the only person in mankind to be sidelines by Mono for two years and Tangara is incapable of making good basketball plays, though he's one of the nicest people I've ever met.
It's not like it will get any better next year either. Arizona has one big man coming in, Jeff Withey, a 7-footer from San Diego. I have seen him in street clothes because he played for the same AAU team as Jamelle Horne but I have not seen him play. He's a twig at this point and I'm uncertain based on Arizona's big man recruiting of the past that he will be of any assistance. I am almost completely certain however that he will not help right away.
And that gets us to the coaching.
Remember when Kevin O'Neill was a horrible NBA coach with the Raptors. He was trying to bring some of that back Sunday when he called his final timeout with more than 10 minutes left in the second half. So while ASU was scoring on wideopen layups, O'Neill didn't have a timeout left. Apparently he was trying to stop the run ASU was making and I'm sure he had no use for those timeouts when Arizona was desperately trying to climb back into the game in the final few minutes, cutting the lead to three.
The sad thing for Arizona's team this year as Greg Hansen points out, this may be as good as it gets.
On to the good news:
Unlike Arizona, the Lakers are fun to watch. The biggest beneficiary of the Gasol trade has been Lamar Odom. In the win over the Heat, Odom had another great game with 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. He's free to roam the glass, has no pressure to score, and is playing like he feels comfortable in his own body again. Here's the difference between the Lakers and Arizona. When the Lakers' stars have poor games, other players step up. So when Kobe has six points against New Jersey, it didn't matter. So when Gasol had a pedestrian 12 and 7 rebounds Sunday, Odom made up for it. And so did Sasha Vujacic with 13 points off the bench. And so did Luke Walton with nine.
As for Kobe, he had 33 points on just 15 shots. More impressive was his stifling defense on Dwayne Wade. You won't find it in any of the highlights but the last Heat possession of the third quarter was a clinic in pressure one on one defense when Kobe made Wade fumble the ball repeatedly and allowed him to go nowhere. Wade scored just 19 points for the game on 7-17 from the field and turned the ball over nine times. That's why Kobe's the best player in the NBA. Because he plays hard on every play, be it offense or defense.
This is indicative of how good the Pac-10 is:
The Washington student section, which is always one of the best and most rowdy in the Pac-10, didn't rush the court after beating UCLA. The Huskies have established themselves as a top notch program and expect to win big games. So beating No. 4 UCLA was a huge win but nothing to rush the court over.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 50 games) Lakers: 33-17 5th in West
Fisher +186
Kobe +337
Turiaf +65
Odom +179
Gasol +37
Mihm -16
Walton +122
Bynum +236
Farmar +117
Radmanovic +179
Brown -44
Vujacic +65
Crittenton -40
Karl +6
Ariza +5
Mbenga +7
Up next: at Charlotte Monday 4:00 p.m. PST (5:30 p.m. KCAL)
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Now that's better
Against the Hawks, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant combined for 23 points. Friday night against the Magic, Kobe had 36, Pau had 30. It was the first time since 2005 the Lakers had two 30 point scorers. Now that's more like it. Still, it wasn't pretty. At least from a defensive standpoint.
The Lakers gave up 44 first quarter points, on 18/24 field goals. That's 75 percent for those of you who are not mathematically inclined. The Lakers also blew a 14 point late third quarter lead, similar to the lead they blew in LA when they lost to the Magic.
Plus, Dwight Howard absolutely dominated in limited minutes. If the Magic just went to him every time, the Lakers would have had trouble. Gasol couldn't come close to defending him, but he did draw a few charges on Howard, who picked up his fifth foul with 5:22 left in the third quarter.
I don't think Andrew Bynum could stop him either, but the Lakers would likely not double team with Bynum playing Howard and Gasol coming from the weak side.
News and notes:
Trivia: The Lakers have used the following three lineups the most this season.
1. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Walton/Bynum - 272 minutes
2. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Walton/Brown- 134 minutes
3. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Radmanovic/Bynum- 129 minutes
Can you guess the +/- for these lineups?
Answer at the bottom of the page.
Matador Minute
It's too bad no one got to see Cal State Northridge's game against Pacific on Thursday night. If the game was televised, it would have gone down as one of the best finishes of any game this year. With two seconds left and Northridge up 69-67, senior Jonathan Heard missed two free throws and Pacific rebounded the ball. The Tigers called timeout with 1.3 seconds left. They then threw a length of the court pass that was deflected by two Northridge players straight to Pacific's Michael Kirby who had yet to score in the game. Kirby got the ball about 15 feet from the basket and fired what senior Rai Colston described as a Derek Fisher shot. Boooom! Basket good. Game goes into overtime, Pacific outscores Northridge 9-4 and wins the game.
It was the Matadors second straight loss after starting Big West play 9-0, and was simply heartbreaking. Rebounding from a loss is one thing, but to lose in this manner and come back will take a strong will. Matadors coach Bobby Braswell seems to think this team is equipped to handle adversity. Five come from behind wins are an example, and it would have been six had the final play of regulation turned out differently. Pacific led by as much as 14 at one point.
The team will likely look to its two four year seniors, Heard and Calvin Chitwood for support. But Heard missed the two big free throws against Pacific and Chitwood fouled out in 14 minutes, scoring 0 points and grabbing one rebounds. Both will have to step up if Northridge is to get back on track. A game against UC Davis on Saturday will be a good first step, considering the Aggies don't possess near the firepower of the Matadors, and were blown out in the first game at the Matadome.
DJ Mbenga ladies and gentleman: He says tacos.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 49 games) Lakers: 32-17 6th in West
Fisher +182
Kobe +330
Turiaf +59
Odom +173
Gasol +33
Mihm -16
Walton +119
Bynum +236
Farmar +111
Radmanovic +175
Brown -44
Vujacic +55
Crittenton -40
Karl +6
Ariza +5
Mbenga +7
Up next: at Miami Sunday 12:30 p.m. PST ABC
Trivia answer:
Lineup No. 1: +106
Lineup No. 2: -33
Lineup No. 3: +61
The Lakers gave up 44 first quarter points, on 18/24 field goals. That's 75 percent for those of you who are not mathematically inclined. The Lakers also blew a 14 point late third quarter lead, similar to the lead they blew in LA when they lost to the Magic.
Plus, Dwight Howard absolutely dominated in limited minutes. If the Magic just went to him every time, the Lakers would have had trouble. Gasol couldn't come close to defending him, but he did draw a few charges on Howard, who picked up his fifth foul with 5:22 left in the third quarter.
I don't think Andrew Bynum could stop him either, but the Lakers would likely not double team with Bynum playing Howard and Gasol coming from the weak side.
News and notes:
- John Ireland exposed Chris Tucker as a bandwagon fan during his in game interview. Apparently, Tucker roots for the Lakers and the Magic and also sounded like he had no idea who Pau Gasol was. Don't you wish celebrities had to take a sports quiz before being allowed into games?
- I'd love to see Paris Hilton and her excuse for a dog being escorted outside of Staples Center as she tried to flash the security guards to get back in.
- Brian Cook had what was probably his first block of the year and it came against none other than Luke Walton who leads the league in getting layups blocked.
Trivia: The Lakers have used the following three lineups the most this season.
1. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Walton/Bynum - 272 minutes
2. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Walton/Brown- 134 minutes
3. Fisher/Bryant/Odom/Radmanovic/Bynum- 129 minutes
Can you guess the +/- for these lineups?
Answer at the bottom of the page.
Matador Minute
It's too bad no one got to see Cal State Northridge's game against Pacific on Thursday night. If the game was televised, it would have gone down as one of the best finishes of any game this year. With two seconds left and Northridge up 69-67, senior Jonathan Heard missed two free throws and Pacific rebounded the ball. The Tigers called timeout with 1.3 seconds left. They then threw a length of the court pass that was deflected by two Northridge players straight to Pacific's Michael Kirby who had yet to score in the game. Kirby got the ball about 15 feet from the basket and fired what senior Rai Colston described as a Derek Fisher shot. Boooom! Basket good. Game goes into overtime, Pacific outscores Northridge 9-4 and wins the game.
It was the Matadors second straight loss after starting Big West play 9-0, and was simply heartbreaking. Rebounding from a loss is one thing, but to lose in this manner and come back will take a strong will. Matadors coach Bobby Braswell seems to think this team is equipped to handle adversity. Five come from behind wins are an example, and it would have been six had the final play of regulation turned out differently. Pacific led by as much as 14 at one point.
The team will likely look to its two four year seniors, Heard and Calvin Chitwood for support. But Heard missed the two big free throws against Pacific and Chitwood fouled out in 14 minutes, scoring 0 points and grabbing one rebounds. Both will have to step up if Northridge is to get back on track. A game against UC Davis on Saturday will be a good first step, considering the Aggies don't possess near the firepower of the Matadors, and were blown out in the first game at the Matadome.
DJ Mbenga ladies and gentleman: He says tacos.
As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 49 games) Lakers: 32-17 6th in West
Fisher +182
Kobe +330
Turiaf +59
Odom +173
Gasol +33
Mihm -16
Walton +119
Bynum +236
Farmar +111
Radmanovic +175
Brown -44
Vujacic +55
Crittenton -40
Karl +6
Ariza +5
Mbenga +7
Up next: at Miami Sunday 12:30 p.m. PST ABC
Trivia answer:
Lineup No. 1: +106
Lineup No. 2: -33
Lineup No. 3: +61
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)