2009 NBA All-Stars Named: What's with the East?

The NBA has released the complete roster for the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix. Here's the lineups (starters are in bold):


East

• Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
  
• Allen Iverson, Detroit Pistons
  
• Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
  
• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
  
• Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
  
• Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
  
• Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
  
• Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
  
• Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
  
• Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets
  
• Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic
  
• Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic
  

West

• Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
  
• Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
  
• Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
  
• Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
  
• Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
  
• Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
  
• Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
  
• Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
  
• Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
  
• Brandon Roy, Portland Trailblazers
  
• Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix Suns
  
• David West, New Orleans Hornets
  

I've made my All-Star predictions before on the lineups and I was able to predict 5 out of the 7 for the West Team (71%) and 4 out of 7 for the East (57%). I'm pretty much OK with the coaches' selection in the West, as I realized Carmelo Anthony was injured and Shaquille O'neal  had a better over-all first half than Andrew Bynum (although Bynum is playing much better lately). My only beef is the number of games Shaq has missed this season-- perhaps its a move to bring drama into the games with Phil Jackson coaching Shaq again.

On the East, it's a totally different matter: I don't think Rashard Lewis is an All-Star. I also question the coaches' selection of Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors and Danny Granger of the Indiana Pacers-- they are putting up good numbers on very bad teams, and their numbers are play are inflated because of the lack of talent surrounding them.

Oh well, you gotta love the controversy the All-Star selections stir up every year.


Tags: NBA

Trevor Ariza Status Remains Unclear

It seems the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Charlotte Bobcats has dealt more than a dent in the win-loss card.

Lakers forward Trevor Ariza was injured in the game with a concussion and team doctors have not yet given him a clear bill of health. Ariza has been an instrumental part of the Lakers' perimeter defense and is playing solid off the bench prior to the injury. The Lakers will be going on a 6-game road trip and Ariza is not yet certain if he will join.

This is really a bummer because Ariza has been on of the Lakers' lockdown defenders who can guard three positions. He has been spotting up for threes with good accuracy that opens up the court during offense. A bummer indeed.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

No Kobe? No Win for Lakers

Talk about a roller coaster game.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the lowly Charlotte Bobcats in a double-overtime duel that featured Kobe Bryant fouling out of the game in the first OT. The game had a LOT of lead changes in the fourth quarter and overtime periods and the outcome of the game was decided in the last minute of the 2nd OT when the Bobcats made plays down the stretch and Andrew Bynum missed a jump hook that could have tied the game.

The game was frustrating because the Lakers could have sealed the deal with a six point lead in the last 2 minutes of the first OT, but poor defense and poor execution did it for them. The loss of Kobe in the game obviously hurt the Lakers, but for some reason, I'm not entirely surprised the Lakers lost. For the last three seasons, the Bobcats have the Lakers' number, winning four of their last five meetings.

The breaks of the game were going for and against the Lakers' favor when they rallied to force OT, but failed to win. Trevor Ariza left the game in the first half due to a concussion ans Pau Gasol was a non-factor.

Argh! Darned Bobcats.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are Playing into Dominating Form

Come on, admit it, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking very good these past three games. No, make that dominating.

So dominating that the San Antonio Spurs pulled out their starters in the whole fourth quarter because Spurs coach Gregg Popovich though that the game was well out of reach.

Things seem to be looking great in La-la Land these days: The Lakers are on top of the Western Conference with no rival of the same caliber in sight, Jordan Farmar has returned from his injury, Kobe Bryant is getting rest, and Andrew Bynum has morphed into a monster in the last games.

Speaking of Bynum, he played very well in the Spurs game that his effect on both the offensive and defensive ends were felt: he was getting to the line and altering the forays of Tony Parker in the lane. Heck, he even swatted a Tim Duncan shot in the third quarter. I think strong performances until next week will earn him a ticket to the All-Star Game in Phoenix.

I think the Lakers should focus in winning as much as games in the regular in order to secure the home court advantage against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic in the playoffs. But if the Lakers continue playing this dominating fashion, home court advantage may not be necessary. :P


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew Bynum Making a Case for the All-Star Team

For the second straight game, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum had a strong game in a Lakers win. Bynum dropped 23 points and 14 rebounds on the hapless Washington Wizards that featured Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee (not exactly the most imposing pair in the league).

Despite facing weaker centers, Bynum has displayed more aggressiveness in the offensive end and picked up his rebounding in the past couple of games. Perhaps Drew is making a case for the Western Conferences to chew on when the seven players to complete the West All-Stars.

It has been announced that Kobe Bryant has been voted to start in the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix. Most likely, Pau Gasol will be selected by the coaches in to the team, as a power forward. Bynum will be going up against former Laker Shaquille O'Neal as the back-up center to Yao Ming.

Based on my assessment, I predict the reserve West All-Stars will be:

1. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
   
2. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
3. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
4. Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
   
5. Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
6. Brandon Roy, Portland Trailblazers
7. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

I predict he East coaches will be selecting these reserves:

1. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
2. Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
3. Jameer Nelson, Orlando Magic
4. Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
5. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers
   
6. Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets
7. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers

Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Andrew Bynum Crushes the Clippers

Andrew Bynum scored a career high 42 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 108-97 victory over the cross-town rivals Los Angeles Clippers.

For Bynum, this game was a great comeback.

Since the beginning of the season, Bynum has been criticized as not having the same drive and work ethic he had in his starting seasons, and these had his reduced effectiveness significantly. And in the past few games, Bynum has done his best Eddy Curry/Zach Randolph impression by being interested only in scoring and having an aversion for rebounding the ball.

Bynum seem to have responded and abused the token defernse offered by the Clippers' front court. His output was significant enough to offset Kobe Bryant's second triple double in 3 games.

Could this be Bynum's breakout game of the season?


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Versus LeBron: Kobe Wins

In the first meeting between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers put the clamps on the Cavs in the second half to take the 105-88 win.

The Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James match-up was slightly disappointing (nobody scored more than points), but both displayed good all-around games, with Kobe getting 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists while LeBron netted 23, 9, and 4. I was disappointed primarily on the sloppy games of the two stars, with 11 turnovers between the both of them . (11 turnovers is a game's worth of turnovers in some games).

The difference for the Lakers was the supporting cast, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum wreaking havoc inside the paint, and Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic scoring 14 off the bench.

The game also reminded me that Ben Wallace and Wally Sczerbiak were still playing in the NBA. How could their games slip that low?

The win further cements the Lakers standing atop the Western Conference, while loss puts the Cavs below the Orlando Magic in the East. Could a Lakers-Cavaliers Finals be better than Lakers-Celtics?

Gimme a Lakers-Celtics Finals, so the Lakers can avenge last season's loss.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

NBA All Star Voting Ends Today!

Today's is the final day for fan voting for the starters for the 2009 NBA All Star Game at Phoenix.

Based on the fourth return last week, here's the tally:


2009 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING - EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Clev) 1,940,162; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1,375,814; Yi Jianlian (NJ) 1,216,348; Chris Bosh (Tor) 751,927; Paul Pierce (Bos) 486,656; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 366,174; Shawn Marion (Mia) 264,888; Danny Granger (Ind) 199,200; Josh Smith (Atl) 163,145; Michael Beasley (Mia) 157,286; Tayshaun Prince (Det) 144,337.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,818,717; Allen Iverson (Det) 1,278,600; Vince Carter (NJ) 856,498; Ray Allen (Bos) 552,094; Devin Harris (NJ) 474,637; Gilbert Arenas (Wash) 403,577; Luke Ridnour (Mil) 379,806; Derrick Rose (Chi) 293,483; Jose Calderon (Tor) 274,509; Joe Johnson (Atl) 236,993; Jameer Nelson (Orl) 227,226.

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 2,102,368; Samuel Dalembert (Phi) 257,527; Rasheed Wallace (Det) 255,950; Jermaine O’Neal (Tor) 224,583; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 198,811; Al Horford (Atl) 191,105; Brendan Haywood (Wash) 178,868; Ben Wallace (Clev) 159,132; Emeka Okafor (Char) 133,501; Zyrdrunas Ilgauskas (Cle) 122,607; Kendrick Perkins (Bos) 85,855.

2009 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING - WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Tim Duncan (SA) 1,454,918; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 905,121; Amar’e Stoudemire (Pho) 894,690; Ron Artest (Hou) 890,992; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 837,482; Pau Gasol (LAL) 618,943; Bruce Bowen (SA) 509,593; Shane Battier (Hou) 482,724; Luis Scola (Hou) 281,372; Josh Howard (Dal) 255,698; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 212,651.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,903,798; Tracy McGrady (Hou) 1,216,224; Chris Paul (NO) 1,059,161; Manu Ginobili (SA) 669,837; Tony Parker (SA) 614,939; Jamal Crawford (GS) 462,039; Steve Nash (Pho) 441,746; Jason Kidd (Dal) 381,906; Rafer Alston (Hou) 372,130; Jason Terry (Dal) 323,279; Brandon Roy (Por) 267,053.

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 1,758,499; Shaquille O’Neal (Pho) 1,006,383; Andrew Bynum (LAL) 356,280; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 292,845; Greg Oden (Por) 195,552; Andris Biedrins (GS) 170,732; Tyson Chandler (NO) 128,086; Al Jefferson (Minn) 121,944; Nick Collison (OKC) 105,534; Marcus Camby (LAC) 74,638; Chris Kaman (LAC) 27,112

As you can see, Yi Jianlian is still third on the Eastern Conference forwards list and still trails Kevin Garnett by roughly 159,000 votes. Another interesting thing: Ron Artest, who is injured, only trails Carmelo Anthony by 15,000 for the starting forward slot. Gee... I wonder where those votes came from?



Tags: NBA

Lakers Swept by Magic for the Season

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic are two of the leading teams in the NBA right now and their game at Los Angeles did not disappoint.

Kobe Bryant netted a triple double and Dwight Howard had a monster game.

But Jameer Nelson of the Magic was the difference maker in the end. He scored seven points in the final minute and finished with 28 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.

For the first time in Lakers history, they have been swept by the Orlando Magic in the regular season with a 109-103 victory.

How did the Lakers lose? They gave up too many offensive rebounds and shot the ball poorly.

Drats.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Damn You, Roger Mason, Jr.!

Normally, I would happy whenever Roger Mason, Jr. of the San Antonio Spurs scores 18 points and shoots 3 three-balls, since he's in my NBA Fantasy Team.

But not this time.

Mason's good shooting and his dagger 3-point play in the dying seconds of game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Spurs were key elements in the Spurs' 112-111 victory.

That game is now part of the much-chronicled rivalry between the two teams. With the Spurs' play has picking up in the last couple of months, the Lakers may have found their nemesis this coming playoffs in May. The Spurs are currently second on the Western Conference, despite being behind 5 and a half games to the Lakers.

And when playoffs come, the Lakers' new killer could be Roger Mason, Jr. Darn.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Defeat Wafer-led Rockets

The Los Angeles Lakers struggled to beat a depleted Houston Rockets team.

How depleted, you ask? No Tracy McGrady and no Ron Artest.

With the absences one Rocket stood taller than Yao Ming-- Von Wafer. Yup, Von Wafer. The same guy the Lakers drafted in 2005, bounced around the league the past few seasons, has found a home in Houston. Wafer scored a career high 23 points in the 105-100 loss to the Lakers.

The Lakers were bailed out by a deep three courtesy of Kobe Bryant with 27 ticks left in the game. The Rockets failed to execute down the stretch and it enabled the Lakers to win its 31st game of the season.

--

The Lakers have been suffering a lot of injuries as of late and Lamar Odom's return in the Houston game was a breather. The Lakers have been without Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic. Thanks to the Lakers' depth, the team is still winning games with three key players on sickbay and Josh Powell getting extended PT.

Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Squeek Past Pacers

The Los Angeles Lakers seem to have a hard time playing the *gasp* Indiana Pacers.

In their first game in Indiana, it took a lucky strike from Troy Murphy for the Lakers to be tripped with the loss. Now in their second meet, where "defense" seems to be a foreign word, the Lakers narrowly escaped with a 2-point win, coutesy of Kobe Bryant's jumper with 3 ticks left.

The Lakers scored 41 in the first quarter, and had a sizable lead in the third, but they let the Pacers score 35 on the fourth and we were in for another last shot special. Thankfully, it was the Lakers' turn to win on a last shot.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Body Slam Warriors

Talk about bouncing back.

After a letdown performance in the loss against the New Orleans Hornets, Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers had a monster game against the Golden State Warriors. His stat line: 33 points, a career-high 18 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, 100% from the stripe. En route to his game high, Gasol made minced meat out of the defense offered by Andris Biedrins, Brendan Wright and Anthony Randolph. The Lakers' inside game was on display as Gasol's frontcourt mate Andrew Bynum had a double-double himself: 18 points and 11 boards.

The injuries that have befallen the Lakers have given extended minutes to Josh Powell and Sun Yue. The results? The Lakers were up 17 when the two reserves entered the game. The Warriors methodically sliced the lead to five as the Powell and Sun played. The pair contributed the same number of turnovers as points. Thankfully Lamar Odom could be back in uniform soon with only a bone bruise.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Bungle in the Fourth Quarter, Lose to Hornets

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their sixth loss of the season to the New Orleans Hornets, after cold fourth quarter.

The game was pretty much a see-saw battle until the third quarter when both teams were switching leads, but good defense by the Hornets, plus sub-zero shooting by the Lakers in the last quarter gave the Lakers the loss.

Kobe Bryant went on a shooting display on the third quarter, scoring on threes and jumpers, but Chris Paul and David West shredded the Lakers' defense, making Kobe's effort for naught.

If this game was a playoff preview, the Lakers seem to have a tough match-up against David West and his perimeter game. He was defended by Pau Gasol for most of the game, yet West ended up with almost a career night. I guess the Lakers should learn from this game and find a way to stop David West in future meetings.

This game was also double black-eye for the Lakers: Lamar Odom was injured! He had a hyper-extended knee and could be out for a while.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James' Traveling Exposed?

The recent "Crab Dribble" brouhaha NBA star LeBron James has stirred up has many people wondering: What exactly is a Crab Dirbble? Jalen Rose offered an explanation of what a Crab Dribble is:



So, a Crab Dribble is the dribble you take while posting up. As we see in the video, King James isn't exactly posting up, and not dribbling when he went for the shot. I'm aware that NBA stars get away with traveling calls but what irks me is LeBron's insistence that he did not travel and maintained that he will continue to use his Crab Dribble in future games.

Whatever LeBron does in his games is his business, but I do hope the Crab Dribble is NOT going to be taught in basketball classes or imitated by youngsters. It's traveling.


Tags: NBA

Kobe or No Kobe

Kobe Bryant recently made a guest appearance at Deal or No Deal, where he enticed the contestant to take the banker's offer of $383,000 with two tickets to a Lakers home game, an autographed pair of sneakers, a trip to Hawaii to watch the Lakers training camp next year, and a chance to hang out with Kobe himself after one of the exhibition games. Nice offer huh? Here's the video:




Tags: Kobe Bryant

Lakers #1 Team in The NBA... For Now.

The Los Angeles Lakers are atop the NBA right now, thanks to a win over the Portland Trailblazers and losses from the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

In a rematch of the season opener for the Lakers, the 100-86 win was brought about by good defense in the third quarter where the Trailblazers were held to only 16 points. For the second time the season, the Greg Oden-Andrew Bynum match-up was a dud: Oden finished with ten points and four rebounds while Bynum tallied four points and ten rebounds. I guess we're a couple of seasons aways from seeing a Wilt Chamberlain-Bill Russell rivalry with those two bigs.

The Lakers seem to have found their defensive intensity in their current winning streak, which now stands at six games. Since winning last December 22 in Memphis, the Lakers have held their opponents to an average of 94 points, and letting only the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz to at least a hundred points. This is important as the team will face formidable opponents in the next two weeks: New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers are on top of the league right now, but let's see if they can sustain it in the next couple of weeks.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Start 2009 with Win over Jazz

2009's first game played like a recap of the Los Angeles Lakers' season so far.

The Lakers slammed the Utah Jazz, 113-100, but not after letting the Jazz make the game out of the blowout in the third quarter. The Lakers led 57-43 at half time, but poor defense and uninspired play enabled the Jazz to close the gap 65-62.  The Lakers upped the lead to 16 in the fourth until the Jazz roared back in the fourth. Thanks to key plays by Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza, the Lakers ended up with the W and a winning streak of five games.

The box score will tell us that the Jazz played the boards better and moved the ball around better, but turnovers from the Jazz and 42 free throw attempts gave the Lakers the edge.

The highlight of the game? Pau Gasol does a Magic Johnson and ran a fast break, dribbled between the legs and shot a no-look scoop pass to a cutting Ariza for the jam:


Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 40 points. The Jazz were without All-Star foward Carlos Boozer. The Lakers will also have a busy week ahead with four games slated.


Tags: Los Angeles Lakers