Steve Nash knows how to dismantle the Lakers

23 assists?!?

That's the number Steve Nash had in Game 4 of the Los Angeles Lakers-Phoenix Suns first round series. Of course, it's not hard to imagine that's the primary reason the Lakers lost 113-100 and are on the brink of being eliminated the second straight time.

Again, the amazing stat here is the Lakers' 21 assists for the game. It shows how the Suns sharp execution on offense, coupled with the Lakers' weak defense, is making this series a Sweep with an Asterisk.*

Kobe needs help and fast. Lamar Odom just doesn't cut it. Luke Walton is wilting in the playoffs (7 turnovers for the game?!?). We need trades in the off-season!

Speaking of trades, Jermaine O'Neal is starting to look like the inside presense the Lakers need to get past the Suns and the Mavs of the world. KG is even better, although a real long shot if you ask me.

If I'm talking about the off-season during the playoffs, that means I can see the series ending in Phoenix.

Kwame Brown on Youtube

In honor of Kwame Brown's strong performance in yesterday's Game 3, here's a little mix I found in YouTube:



The music in the video isn't that cool, though.

Signs of Life!

2-1 sounds better than 3-0!

It took a monster game from Kobe and Kwame Brown to lift the Lakers over the Suns in Game 3 of the Best of 7 series. It seems Kobe magic number this series is 40-- He needs to get at least 40 points from him for the Lakers to win. Lamar Odom proved to be the X-factor in this game with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

It's evident that the Lakers were able to rebound from the humiliation of Game 2. I was thinking they were already a deep hole when they were down 14 after the first quarter.

What's the game plan for Game 4? Defense and better contribution from any Laker other than Kobe Bryant.

Suns (Insert Verb Here) Lakers

Blast?

Roll past?

Crush?

You really can't put into words how the Suns absolutely made the Lakers look like the D-Fenders in Game 2 of their Best of 7 series. 126-98 is not a basketball score but it is a massacre.

Everything went right for the Suns-- Nash dishing, Amare slamming and the Matrix jamming. The Lakers on the other hand were bad from the field (41% to the Suns 53%) and executed poorly. The Lakers had 16 assists as a team, Nash had 14 assists ON HIS OWN.

If this continues the word you'll only use is "SWEEP."

Damn you, Leandro Barbosa!

Leandro Barbosa, leading candidate for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, killed the Lakers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. My predicted X-factor, Amare Stoudemire, was also a beast in the paint. He scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds.

What went wrong with the Lakers in Game 1? Defense over-all was better, but their collapse was due to poor execution in the fourth quarter, squandering a comfortable lead built from the first half.

Is Kobe tired? I think no, but he struggled with the Suns defense, no doubt.

The key to Game 2 for the Lakers is better contribution from Lama Odom, the Lakers X-Factor and Luke Walton.

The Worst 2007 NBA Playoffs Preview

With the 2007 NBA Playoffs just a couple of days away, it's high time Big Lakers Fan play pundit and try to breakdown the match-ups and analyze (aka guess) who will come out of the first round.

This Playoffs is sure full of storylines: Lakers-Suns Round 2, Raps vs. Vince Carter, Nellie vs. Mavs, will AI and Melo produce in the playoffs?

I've read various expert takes on the Playoffs and the consensus quarter final winners are: Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets for the West and Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the New Jersey Nets for the East. But I have other ideas:

Eastern Conference:

1. Detroit Pistons (1) vs. Orlando Magic (8) - Dwight Howard will run amok and demolish the entire Piston frontline all by himself. Rasheed Wallace will find his lost basketball theatrics and will get ejected at some point in the series. Prediction: Orlando in 6.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2) vs. Washington Wizards (7) - Even without stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, Washington will ride on Antawn Jamison's one-dimensional game and bet the better of Lebron James. Drew Gooden will be baffled by the outstanding play of Michael Ruffin. Prediction: Wizards in 5.
3. Toronto Raptors (3) vs. New Jersey Nets (6) - Two words: Chris Bosh. The Toronto All-star will provide match-up trouble to NJ's thin frontcourt. Vince Carter will struggle. Prediction: Toronto in 7.
4. Miami Heat (4) vs. Chicago Bulls (5) - I'd like to think the series will be a free throw shooting contest between Shaquille O'Neal and Ben Wallace. Dwayne Wade will struggle with his injury and Kirk Hinrich's pesky defense. Prediction: Bulls in 5.

Western Conference:

1. Dallas Mavericks (1) vs. Golden State Warriors (8) - Don Nelson will come up with an offensive scheme that will shake the Maverick's fragile confidence. Dirk Nowitzki will be MVP, but Baron Davis, Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson will play conscience-less basketball. Prediction: Warriors in 7.
2. Phoenix Suns (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (7) - I will have a separate post on this. Stay tuned.
   
3. San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Denver Nuggets - The Spurs age will show in this series. In three seasons, they may be lottery bound. AI and Carmelo Anthony will play together in what will be a short-lived partnership. Prediction: Nuggets in 6.
4. Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5) - As good as Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are, T-Mac's first round curse will persist. Why? Because Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams will play like Karl Malone-John Stockton 2.0. Prediction: Jazz in 7.
   

The Two NBA All-Stars Theory

There has been the prevailing thought that an NBA team needs at least two All-Stars to win a championship or even make any waves in the league. Given that there are five starters in a team (Center, Power Forward, Small Forward, Shooting Guard, Point Guard), there would be ten distinct combinations on how the All Star team mates will be distributed:

1. Center-Point Guard - This type of team produced a handful of titles and featured a high scoring center and a pass first point guard. This is combo relies on the defense of both and the point guard setting the big man for easy buckets.
   
   Notable teams:
   
• 1982 Los Angeles Lakers (Kareem Abdul & Jabbar-Magic Johnson)
• 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Oscar Robertson)
• 1970 New York Knicks (Willis Reed & Walt Frazier)
• 1963 Boston Celtics (Bill Russell & Bob Cousy)
  
  
2. Center-Shooting Guard - Inside-Outside threat. This combo has a strong 1-2 punch in offense and good interior and perimeter defense.
   
   Notable teams:
• 2000 Los Angeles Lakers (Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant)
• 2006 Miami Heat (Shaquille O'Neal & Dwayne Wade)
• 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Wilt Chamberlain & Jerry West)
• 1966 Philadelphia 76ers (Wilt Chamberlain & Hal Greer)
• 1995 Houston Rockets (Hakeem Olajuwon & Clyde Drexler)
  
  
3. Center-Small Forward - This combo is pretty rare and often would depend on the versatility of the small forward to create damage inside and outside.
   
   Notable team:
• 1983 Philadelphia 76ers (Moses Malone & Julius Erving)
  
  
4. Center-Power Forward - "Twin Tower" teams have strong interior defense that often would produce blocks or altered shots. Rebounding is also a strength.
   
   Notable teams :
• 1999 San Antonio Spurs (David Robinson & Tim Duncan)**
• 1978 Washington Bullets (Wes Unseld & Elvin Hayes)
• 1986 Houston Rockets (Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon)*
  
  
5. Power Forward-Point Guard - Not very different from the Center-Point Guard combo, but potent nonetheless.
   
   Notable Teams:
• 2005 San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan & Tony Parker)
• 1998 Utah Jazz (Karl Malone & John Stockton)*
• 1996 Seattle Supersonics (Shawn Kemp & Gary Payton)*
  
  
6. Power Forward-Shooting Guard - A very rare success, teams would opt to have a Center-Shooting Guard tandem, as this mix has historically produced little synergy. While hypothetically this pair will be faster and better scorers, very few teams found were built around it.
   
   Notable team:
• 1993 Phoenix Suns (Charles Barkley & Dan Majerle)*
  
  
7. Power Forward-Small Forward - This combo presents flexibility and versatility-- both forward roles can be interchanged to create mismatches.
   
   Notable team:
• 1984 Boston Celtics (Kevin McHale & Larry Bird)
  
  
8. Small Forward-Point Guard - Basing on NBA history, no team has won a title or even reached the NBA Finals exclusively with this pair. While it is hard to understand why-- a point guard can create tremendous opportunities in the open court and half court for the small forward.
   
   Notable team:
• 1988 Los Angeles Lakers (James Worthy & Magic Johnson)
  
  
9. Small Forward-Shooting Guard - The hardest to match-up, in my opinion. This dynamic duo undoubtedly has the capability to dominate the backcourt and the frontcourt opposition with pressure on both ends.
   
   Notable Teams:
• 1992 Chicago Bulls (Scottie Pippen & Michael Jordan)
• 1999 New York Knicks (Latrell Sprewell & Allan Houston)*
• 1968 Los Angeles Lakers (Elgin Baylor & Jerry West)*
  
  
10. Shooting Guard-Point Guard - This pair earns its money from the perimeter. Good outside shooting and lane penetration give opponents a hard-time. This team usually make good pressing defenders.
    
    Notable teams:
• 1989 Detroit Pistons (Joe Dumars & Isaiah Thomas)
• 2004 Detroit Pistons (Rip Hamilton & Chauncey Billups)
  
• 1992 Portland Trailblazers (Clyde DrexlerTerry Porter)*

* Did not win NBA championship
** Lockout shortened season

The Lakers are in the NBA Playoffs!

The Lakers offiicially in the NBA Playoffs!

Winning 109-98 over the Seattle Supersonics sealed the deal for the Lakers. While the game continued the trend of losing leads, Kobe was dope in the clutch. His 10th (yes, 10th) 50-pointer of the season was instrumental in stopping the Sonic rally.

The question now is whether the Lakers will be seeded seventh or eight in the Western Conference. Being 7th means facing the Phoneix Suns, while being 8th is a date with the Dallas Mavericks. The final seeding will be determined on their last game of the season against the Sacramento Kings. Winning that game assures the Lakers of the higher seeding.

While both the Suns and Mavericks are powerhouse teams, I'm hoping the Lakers will face the Suns for the simple fact that it's a grudge match stemming from last season's series. What will be seeing in this season's playoff match-up? A Raja Bell Special Part 2? We're seeing a rivalry in the making here.

Top 9 L.A. Lakers Playoff Villains from the last 10 years

Over the last decade, the Lakers have seen a great deal of success and failures against teams, but one thing that I have looked forward to is the match-ups against rivals, especially in the playoffs. If the NBA were a Hollywood movie, for me the Lakers would be the Heroes and the rivals would be the Villains.

I'm sure every Laker fan has a couple of players they just hate to the gut. The cursing, the shouting, and cussing these players generated from Laker fans must have reminded other people of the Magic-Bird rivalry. And I'm pretty sure that the reason they hate those players is because of the losses the Lakers had against their team.

Here's my list of most hated players, or L.A. Lakers Villains (in no order):

1. John Stockton - Ugh! Sweeping the Lakers twice gave him a place in my list. Plus, what's with his shorts?
2. Karl Malone - (See John Stockton). But I kinda forgave him when he suited up for the Lakers in 2oo3.
   
3. Tim Duncan - There's something about the dullness of the Spurs that make me happy when the Lakers win over them.
4. Mike Bibby - This guy has to thank the Lakers inability to defend point guards for his claim to fame.
5. Bruce Bowen - I'm sure there are a good number of non-Laker fans who feel the same way.
6. Raja Bell - His Clothesline-Heard-'Round-The World is enough to make me despise him in just two seasons.
7. Rasheed Wallace - During his Portland days, he was aready such a headache. He basically gave the Pistons the title on 2004.
8. Vlade Divac - "Floppy" Divac was hated because of his, um, flops.
9. Chauncey Billups - "Mr. Bigshot" was a virtual nobody prior to him being the Finals MVP, at the Lakers' expense, of course.

Lakers lose and the Warriors are feeling giddy

With every mounting Laker loss, the Golden State Warriors are seeing their NBA Playoffs becoming a reality. The loss the Lakers had against the Suns and the Warriors victory over the Sacramento Kings have narrowed the gaps between the 7th to 9th ranked Western Conference teams.

Kobe mightily struggled against "Clothesline" Raja Bell (one of the players I absolutely hate). Kobe's output of 17 points was 14 below his average. Luke Walton picked up the slack (19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) but a pair of double-doubles by Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion was too much to handle. (It didn't help that reigning MVP Steve Nash had 26 points and 14 dimes.)

Speaking of Luke Walton, why isn't he mentioned in the Most Improved Player discussions? He raised his game over all. He is averaging roughly 12-5-4 from a meager 5-3-2. His mastery of the Triangle's intricacies have proven crucial, especially when he went down with an injury midseason, where the Lakers struggled.

Oh well, Kevin Martin of the Sacto Kings seems to be taking it home in a few weeks.

Clips make case for being the Home Team

In the Battle of Los Angeles, the Clippers take this round by rallying to beat the Lakers, 118-110.

I'm really becoming concerned on how the Lakers are stumbling to the Playoffs. I mean, are they planning on missing the Playoffs? Losing seven of their last ten is not the best way in a looming series with the Suns, or even the Mavs for that matter.

Kobe got himself his 50, but Odom was just a non-factor (9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists). Plus the Lakers were just killed in the free throws-- 29 attempts to the Clippers 44. What's worse is the Clippers won the game in the Fourth Quarter, outscoring the Lakers by 15.

This looks bad. An early exit may be in the offing.

No MVP for Kobe this Season

If we are going to listen to the NBA pundits, it's basically a two-man race for the MVP: Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns.

Kobe Bryant is considered a long shot third on MVP talks. Which is really unfortunate, really, because Kobe has been the NBA's most lethal scorer and arguably the best non-center in the last 3-4 seasons. I liken this situation to Rick Barry's predicament in the 70's where mediocre team play and a tainted reputation basically shut him off from MVP consideration numerous times.

While Kobe may downplay the MVP awards talk, given his explicit competitiveness, this is probably eating him a bit.

Side note: Luke Walton is not dating Britney Spears!

Lakers Lose Again...

The Lakers fall 115-111 to the surging Denver Nuggets.

Now my theory of going to seventh seed seems getting more plausible by the day. :)

Interesting Stat: Kobe struggled shooting 9 our of 30 in the Denver game. Ugh!

Another Interesting Stat: Nobody in the Lakers' rosted had double digits in the rebounding department. The highest number on the glass was 7. Marcus Camby had 22 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive boards. Double Ugh!

Playoffs 2007: Are the Lakers avoiding the Spurs?

With the Lakers' 115-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns, the team has moved down in the playoff seedings. From #6 the Lakers have slid down to #7, setting up a potential match-up against the Suns.

While this may not be "race" the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers had last season (both teams were alleged to tank games in order to get a lower seeding to face the lowly-regarded Denver Nuggets.), I'm inclined to think the Lakers are trying to position a better match-up in the first round.

The Lakers undoubtedly had the Suns number last playoffs and may want to face them again. Lamar Odom made minced meat out of "The Matrix" Shawn Marion in their first round series and plans to the same anew. Kobe will always be Kobe, plus the improvement of Luke Walton, Smush Parker and Andrew Bynum will be key.

The Spurs have dominated the Lakers in recent history and the duo of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have given LA the fits in almost every game they played.

What the Lakers have against for them is Amare Stoudamire, which presents a huge match-up problem. Add to that the lessons the Suns learned from their series. But defense-wise, I think the Lakers would be suited to run with Suns than grind it out with the Spurs.

So, is the #7 seed better than #6? It seems so.