Are the Lakers THAT Good? (Or the Nuggets just bad)

Three games into the Los Angeles Lakers-Denver Nuggets first round showdown, we have seen that the Lakers have been dominating the Nuggets in almost all facets of the game. Particularly in Game 3, the Lakers utilized a balanced attack to dash any hopes of the Nuggets of making this a competitive series.

So what are the Lakers doing? I can cite a few points:

1. The Lakers are sharing the ball - The Lakers' total team assists have increased in this series.
2. The Lakers are scoring more and more efficiently - It may because of Reason #1 that the Lakers are scoring 9 more points and shooting 49% from the field as a team. The team 3-point field goal percentage is better in this series. Pau Gasol and Luke Walton are examples of players who are getting better shots. And that brings us to...
   
3. Luke Walton - For of Kobe Bryant's brilliance in the series, Luke Walton has upped his game in the post season. With almost the same amount of playing time he had in the regular season, Luke Walton has doubled his scoring average, with similar results in his assists and rebounds. He's also getting better opportunities to score, as shown in Game 1.

What about the Denver Nuggets? Everybody expected that they were going to run and gun, but get stymied by the Lakers in their own game. What could be the reasons?

1. Carmelo Anthony - Am I the only person who thinks Carmelo Anthony is losing his post-season credibility with every game? His scoring is down, and he was shooting almost 50% in the regular season, and it has slipped to 35% in the Lakers series. Is he distracted? He has publicly lambasted Denver Nuggets coach George Karl and there has been talk that either one of them will not be with the Nuggets next season.
   
2. No motivation in the locker room? - In Games 1-3, the Nuggets have played poorly compared to the Lakers after the half time break. As a matter of fact, it is in the third quarter where the Nuggets have scored the least in two of the three games. This maybe related to the Carmelo-Karl rift being reported.
3. The Nuggets' frontline - Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera should be bulldozing over the "softer" Pau Gasol and Ronny Turiaf, but it's not happening. Camby is scoring far, far less with only 3 points a game and turning the ball over more. K-Mart also is scoring less and not playing efficient defense, he has incurred more fouls. Somebody should tell Najera that being rough in the game is better when you're actually stopping the other team from scoring.

The bottom line here is that playoff basketball is all about players and teams to rising to the occasion and the Lakers and Nuggets are showing the two opposite sides of that story.


Tags: Lakers

Kobe's 49 Points Too Much for Nuggets

49 is a distinct number-- It's a perfect square. It is 7 times 7 and a lot of cultures attribute the Number 7 to good luck.

Unfortunately for the Denver Nuggets, that's not the case.

Kobe Bryant scored 49 points and dished out 10 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets (122-107) for the second straight game in their Best of 7 series in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The win gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in their series.

Kobe was simply brilliant in the game, scoring 20 points in the FIRST QUARTER. His output for that quarter was 2 points shy of the franchise playoff record for most points in a quarter. Kobe's near-record setting offensive performance also missed his own playoff record by a point. Kobe Bryant's best play in the game: A minute to go in the third quarter, the ball was inbounded to Pau Gasol to the left elbow, Gasol gets it low but recovers, then turns around, lobs the ball to the opposite side of the court to Kobe Bryant for a nifty alley-oop dunk. Great stuff.

The Los Angeles Lakers are up two games while playing the Nuggets' fast style of play. The Lakers are averaging 125 points a game while the Nuggets are getting around 110 points in the series. That stat line looks a lot like a 1980's point total, but it sure is better than the slow playoff-quality defense people are used to. The players seem to be playing their strengths.

Speaking of players, Pau Gasol was not as dominating compared to his first game, yet he still had a solid game with another double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds). And the heck is Luke Walton taking these days?!? He registered 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for yet another strong playoff game. He's turning out to be Lakers' X-Factor for the series.

But there was no factor in Game 2 bigger than Kobe. He reminded everyone that after the strong performances of Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett's Defensive Player of the Year award, he's primed to take the MVP trophy to Los Angeles.


Tags: Lakers

The Worst 2008 NBA Playoffs Preview

I'm following up a tradition I started last year-- to come up with a very bad, yet sensible prediction of the NBA Playoffs. I was able to predict that the Warriors will upset the Dallas Mavericks and the Jazz would win over the Rockets, but I also picked the Wizards over the Cavaliers and the Nuggets over the San Antonio Spurs, who actually won the NBA Championship.

I'm making the tradition worse by making a playoff preview A WEEK after the games have started. That's innovation for ya. So on to the first round match-ups:

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (8) - The Celtics have MVP candidate and newly minted Defensive Player of the Year with Kevin Garnett so it shouldn't be a problem for the Celtics. Unless Joe Johnson becomes Kobe Bryant and Josh Smith actually shows up, Boston should get ready for the next round. Celtics in 5.
   
2. Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7) - Uspet special! Philadelphia is a gutsy team and will catch Detroit sleeping. Billups, Hamilton and Rasheed will age before our eyes in this series. Sixers in 6.
   
3. Orlando Magic (3) vs. Toronto Raptors (6) - No Kryptonite means no wins for the Raptors, who is using All-Star Chris Bosh against "Superman" Dwight Howard. The Raptors' Euros will have a hard time proving they can play NBA playoff basketball. Dwight Howard will eat the Raptors alive while eating cereal for breakfast, if that's possible. Magic in 4.
   
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Washington Wizards (5) - I know this is not a popular vote, but I believe in the Washington Wizards. They still can win with Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and a recovering Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas. But thanks to DeShawn Stevenson's "over-rated" remark, LeBron James is dominating them. Nonetheless, this is the second upset of the first round as I see Gilbert Arenas stepping up. Wizards in 7.
   

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Denver Nuggets (8) - Carmelo "DUI" Anthony is not primed to play in the highest level and Allen Iverson will be grounded in this series. The only way the Nuggets can win this series is if Kobe Bryant gets affected by "sexual assault" chants in Denver. Lakers in 4.
   
2. New Orleans Hornets (2) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7) - How the might Mavericks have fallen! Mark Cuban should now seriously consider firing Mavs coach Avery Johnson. If he can't win with reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, your team is as good as the Golden State Warriors-- out of playoff contention. Chris Paul is the best non-MVP this season.
   
3. San Antonio Spurs (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6) - Wow! Two of my most hated teams are playing. End of story. Spurs in 6, not that I'd care anyway.
   
4. Houston Rockets (4) vs. Utah Jazz (5) - I pity the Houston Rockets. Their best chance to advance to the playoffs is shelved due to an injury and now their playoff hopes are put on the shoulders of a player who has NEVER advanced to the second round (although Tracy McGrady has once remarked how good it must feel). The Jazz are competing against the Spurs as "The least watchable, but effective" basketball team. Jazz in 6, and another first round exit for T-Mac.

There you go-- the worst 2008 NBA Playoffs preview.


Tags: NBA Playoffs

I'm Blogging the Lakers in HoopsVibe!

Just a quick post:

I'm very proud to announce that I've been handpicked by the good folks of HoopsVibe to cover the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Yey!

It gives me a great feeling to be affiliated with one of the best basketball blogs in the web, considering that I'm just big Lakers fan. I guess that's the whole idea behind blogging-- people don't really need to be TV analysts to have a say, people just need to speak some sense to be heard.

I invite you to read my first HoopsVive post on the Lakers and don't be surprised if it looks familiar. I've been given the green light to cross post to my blog.

So thanks to the HoopsVibe crew!


Tags: NBA Playoffs

Thanks to Pau, Lakers Pounce on Nuggets

The Spaniard who couldn't win a playoff game is no more.

Thanks to Pau Gasol's strong game with 36 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocked shots, the Los Angeles Lakers convincingly won Game 1 in its first round series against the Denver Nuggets.

Gasol played his first seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and had played a total of 13 playoff games with them. All those games ended up in losses and playoff elimination. This season however is a different matter.

Pau Gasol was hitting midrange jumpers, field goal stabs, jump hooks and dunks off fast breaks. The playoff atmosphere obviously impacted him in a very positive way. His 36 points and 8 assists in Game 1 are both career highs for Gasol for the playoffs. He also figured as the centerpiece for the offense as Lamar Odom was feeding Gasol nice passes in the post.

Speaking of Lamar Odom, he also had a solid game. He finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and he scored all his field goals within the 3-point arc. Odom ditching the 3-ball means he's doing damage inside and giving the Denver Nuggets frontline fits.

Kobe Bryant did score 32 points, but had a poor shooting night (~34%) and dished out only a single assist. I would say Luke Walton played better ball than Kobe for Game 1 overall. Luke Walton!

The Nuggets duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony got 30 points apiece on a pretty decent percentage together (44%) but the Nuggets couldn't come up with a concerted effort to pull an upset a la Philadelphia 76ers.

Will Gasol be the Lakers' ace in their match up against the Nuggets? Let's see how Denver Nuggets coach George Karl can make adjustments. But for now, Gasol is relishing Playoff Win #1.


Tags: Lakers

Kobe Bryant Jumps Over a Speeding Aston Martin

Saw this video over at YouTube, with MVP candidate Kobe Bryant using Nike's Hyperdunk sneakers to jump over a speeding Aston Martin.

Looks legit, but I seriously think it's a camera trick. :D


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Earn Western Conference Top Seed

The Lakers get home court until the Western Conference finals by virtue of their top placing in their conference. They beat the utterly undermanned Sacramento Kings, who opted to shelf Ron Artest, Kevin Martin and Brad Miller, in Los Angeles.

The Lakers get home court advantage over the #8 seed, which will be determined on the last day of the regular season. That distinction could go to the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets. As far as match-ups go, the Lakers hold the series victories against the Mavericks and Nuggets.

I personally feel the Lakers are better off squaring against the Denver Nuggets. Why? Because Carmelo Anthony is a choker, a quasi-star who makes the worst off-court decisions given his stature. He recently apologized for an DUI arrest. Carmelo Anthony's off-court troubles mean a ticket to the Western Conference Semis for the Lakers. The Dallas Mavericks have yet to realize their ROI on the Jason Kidd trade, so I'm OK with that as well.

What can we expect in the first round for the Lakers? A five game series victory.


Tags: Lakers

Hands down, Kobe Bryant is this season's MVP

2007-2008 NBA Regular Season Most Valuable Player - Kobe Bryant

That item should be in the sports almanacs in a month's time because there is no other player that deserves the awards more then the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

This season, he finally "got it." The same way Michael Jordan transcended to perennial MVP fixture. Kobe made the Lakers better, he led the team to a Top 3 position in the utterly competitive Western Conference, and he's doing that at the shooting guard position, the toughest position to win the MVP. Kobe avoided the usual Lakers drama. As the season started, he kept all his gripes to himself, played and rolled with the Lakers.

Kobe learned to trust his teammates as he saw the improvement of Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher's steady presence and Pau Gasol's post game. The Lakers bench also saw dramatic improvement and Kobe led the them. Kobe played with an injury for most part of the season-- displaying his wide array of offensive moves while playing superb defense. His stats will also support his case (28.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists).

Chris Paul may have led the New Orleans Hornets, LeBron James may have the superior stats, Kevin Garnett may have turned the Boston Celtics around, but one player stands tall among them in the 2007-2008 season and that is Kobe Bryant.


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Win Pacific Division Crown

In what could be the most fitting way, the Lakers are the Pacific Division Champs after winning over the New Orleans Hornets.

The Hornets and the Lakers are now locked in a tie for the top seen in the Western Conference after the Hornets lost to the Sacramento Kings (who probably are relishing their role as spoil-sports). The Lakers own the tie-breaker over the Hornets.

What's more important now is the upcoming game against rival San Antonio Spurs. That game has huge playoff implications. The Lakers are only half a game ahead of the Spurs and a loss against them could drop them to #5, assuming the Houston Rockets win against the Denver Nuggets. By the way, that game is very crucial in Denver's playoff hopes.

So the Lakers is in a MUST WIN situation against the Spurs, who could be their biggest hurdle to playoff glory.

Who would have thought the last couple of regular season games had so much at cost? My hats off to the NBA games schedulers. :D


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Stumbling into the NBA Playoffs?

The Lakers recently lost to a lottery-bound Portland Trailblazers team and I suddenly realized a scary trend the Lakers could follow-- the Lakers could be stumbling into the playoffs and it could cost them more than seeding issues.

The tight Western Conference playoff race has been analyzed by NBA pundits over and over and for a good reason. The Lakers at number #3 is just a full game away from being the #6 seed and that could mean losing home court advantage and facing the tough Utah Jazz or the more manageable Houston Rockets in the first round. The NBA would not be able to resist a Los Angeles Lakers - Phoenix Suns match up.

One other thing, a weak finish in the season could cost Kobe Bryant MVP votes. Current favorites include Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics. These players have been building their respective cases for the MVP plum.

So the last few games should be very crucial for the Lakers on the team and individual levels.


Tags: Lakers

Is Vladimir Radmanovic The New Toni Kukoc?

Apart from being from the former Yugoslavia, Toni Kukoc and Vladimir Radmanovic have another thing in common-- they seem to be made of the same material that Phil Jackson looks for in a whipping boy.

After routing the Sacramento Kings, where Vlad-Rad played pretty well (21 points with 5 3-pointers, 14 rebounds and 2 steals), Phil Jackson zinged Radmanovic, saying "We need him to play well, and we want to have some idea of what’s going to happen, and whether we can depend on him." Jackson even said that he has constantly called for regular meetings with the Lakers psychologist to "work on" Radmanovic's head.

Toni Kukoc fared in a familiar situation during his stint with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990's-- although he fared better as the Bull's third option behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Kukoc said of Phil Jackson in an interview in for Sports Illustrated in 2000: "He treated players very differently. I think he saw me and said, Here's another European guy. Let me shut him down as quickly as possible before he becomes a pain in the rear."

Does Phil Jackson have anything against European players?


Tags: Lakers

Lakers Clinch Playoff Berth

Thanks to a fine Lamar Odom performance (31 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal), the Los Angeles Lakers are officially going to the playoffs!

The clincher was taken via a win over the Dallas Mavericks, 112-108. The Mavs led most of the game, but the Lakers clawed back from 14 down to win. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol also had solid performances. The trio accounted for 81 of the 112 points and 24 of the 36 rebounds of the Lakers. The versatility of the triangle offense is evident with the win. It's also interesting to note that the Lakers beat the Mavs on the assists front-- 26 to 19, even with Jason Kidd playing on the Mavs side.

Interestingly enough, the Mavericks could be the first round match-up of the Lakers this coming playoffs. It's hard to imagine the Mavs were competing for the NBA championship two years ago, and they're coming the playoffs with a lower seed. Maybe they want an underdog mentality coming into the playoffs, as opposed to clearcut favorites. They were stung by the Golden State Warriors and maybe they want that sense of urgency.

Let's see how things play out.


Tags: Lakers

The Playoff Picture

The Lakers are perched at the third seed of the NBA's Western Conference as I write this, and this may be the best place to be for them. As it stands, the once hot Houston Rockets are occupying the 6th place in the West, and the Lakers match up with them pretty well.

If the Lakers suddenly find themselves sweeping their last games, they're looking at their fist Division Championship and West top seen in while. However, the "reward" is a date with either the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors or Denver Nuggets in the first round. All those teams are considered dangerous, especially the Warriors and the Mavericks.

Is it wiser for the Lakers to maintain the #3 seed in the West? Strategically speaking, yes.


Tags: Lakers

Now It Can Be Told: Kevin Garnett Seriously Wanted to be a Laker

In a recent interview, Kevin Garnett stated that he originally chose the Los Angeles Lakers as his new team and lambasted Minnesota Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale. Garnetts's statement now validates speculation that Garnett wanted to go the the legendary franchise.

Garnett stated, "I wanted to be a Laker. I hate you Kevin McHale!" confirming the internet and blog sentiment that KG was indeed enamored with the Lakers and intrigued by playing alongside Kobe Bryant. He added, "Kobe is an MVP-type player who never got the props I had, I just want to win. My trade to LA was 95% done until McHale got a call from Danny Ainge. I didn't hear their conversation exactly, but I remember words like '1980's', "STD scare", "Pac-Man", "Mexico."

Kevin McHale was contacted but was not able to comment.


APRIL FOOL'S!


Tags: Lakers