Lakers Eliminated by Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers are now out of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Like what happened last season, the Lakers have been eliminated from contention in the Western Conference semi-finals. But in stark  contrast the Dallas Mavericks' verteran savvy in 2011, it was the youth and energy of the Oklahoma City Thunder that the Lakers in.

Kobe Bryant did his best "back-against-the-wall" scoring performances with 42 points in Game 5, but it was clearly wasn't enough. Pau Gasol was more aggressive and scrapped inside the paint to get boards, but that also wasn't enough.

Not enough for sure-- definitely not against this version of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers needed to execute for 48 minutes to have a chance in this series, not 45 or 46. There were breaks that would have swung the series completely in the Lakers favor, but faulty late-game execution led to its early exit in the playoffs.

I'm sure there will be plenty of soul-searching happening in the off-season for the Lakers and fans all over are looking for something to optimistic about, but right now for, it's easy to look at what just happened: another fruitless Lakers season.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Get Blasted by Thunder in Game 1

Somewhere in Oklahoma City, Derek Fisher is smiling.

In Game 1 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder,  the Lakers lost in humbling fashion to a team that's well-rested and very eager to exact revenge-- Fisher included.

Derek Fisher was sent packing to Houston during the trade deadline and was moved to OKC soon after. Fisher played quality minutes behind Russell Westbrook, who played almost flawlessly in the initial game. With the Lakers failing to stop the perimeter play of the Thunder, and their seemingly fatigued performance, the outcome was pretty much expected as early as the first half ended.

Can the Lakers even the series in Game 2?

I think so, but this has to do with more perfect execution on the defensive side, such as:

• Preventing Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook open looks 15 feet from the rim
• Disrupting the Thunder's offensive flow (forcing 4 turnovers won't cut it)
• Better face up defense without giving too many free throws (The Lakers gave up 24 free throw attempts)

I can make this list longer but the bottomline is defending better in Game 2.

Otherwise, Fisher may end up getting Championship Ring #6 ahead of former teammate Kobe Bryant.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Fail to Close Out Nuggets in Game 5

OK, fine. I was wrong.

I predicted a 4-1 series win for the Los Angeles Lakers, but JaVale Mcgee and Andre Miller of the Denver Nuggets had a different idea of how the first reound series would go.

A furious fourth quarter rally and Kobe Bryant's 43 points weren't enough to lift the Lakers in their fifth game against Nuggets, losing 102-99 in Los Angeles.

McGee and Miller punished the Lakers inside with drives and dunks in the fourth quarter, even pushing the Nuggets' lead to 15 in the 8-minute mark. As I watched the game, I was really frustrated how the Lakers failed to get key stops, particualrly preventing Miller from going to the hoop, in the final quarter. Miller scored 10 of his 24 points in that stretch.

And get me going about Andrew Bynum's statement about "easy" close-out games:

"Close-out games are actually kind of easy," Bynum said. "Teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning, so we want to come out and establish an early lead and protect it."

Sheesh.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lessons from Derrick Rose's Season Ending Injury

After the first few games of the NBA playoffs, one thing is on my mind: playoff strategy in giving playing time to NBA superstars.

The NBA is a business and it has the responsibility for giving the basketball fans what they want-- and that is a competitive game with the superstars on them. Teams, therefore, should do their best to win games (*cough*Bobcats Tank*cough*). If that means putting the team's best players and stars on the floor during the games, especially in the playoffs.

In the case of the Chicago Bulls, coach Tom Thibideau insisted on playing Derrick Rose in the final minutes of their series opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, even though the game was going into Chicago's favor. In the final minute of the game, Rose tore his ACL and would be out for the rest of the post-season.

We all know tickets prices for the Los Angeles Lakers are some of the most expensive in the NBA and it gets harder to buy tickets when the playoffs come. (If you're looking to find floor seats to the Lakers, good luck-- they're all probably sold out.) So you'd expect the team, particularly Lakers coach Mike Brown to maximize Kobe Bryant to playoff victory.

In the NBA's shortened season, that is going to dangerous territory.

Kobe missed seven games late in the regular season and I think the Lakers should be cautious in playing him 38-40 minutes a game in the playoffs. The better move looks like relying on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol on the post (like giving them around 30+ field goal attempts per game) and giving Kobe around 32-35 minutes per game.

I'm not saying the Lakers should stifle Kobe, but rather save enough of his energy to go deep in the playoffs. NBA folks know the conditioning regimen that Kobe is going through, but 16 seasons and over 1,300 games (regular and post-season) should get folks scared a bit.


Technorati: NBA

Time to Shelve Kobe?

As of this writing, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed the team's last six games to rest his injured shin. During that stretch, the Lakers have won four, with those games coming from a winning streak.

Now the big question: Should the Lakers shelve Kobe for the rest of the season? I say "YES," with a blaring megaphone.

Apart from the obvious rest Kobe gets with this move (Kobe is averaging 38.4 minutes per game), it gives the rest of the Lakers to step up and gather confidence going into the playoffs. Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, and Pau Gasol have notably stepped up their games in Kobe's absence and it even gave long-time bench regular Devin Ebanks some burn.

However, coach Mike Brown must keep in mind the risk of resting Kobe for too long-- it may create an imbalance where the team members need to figure out their roles again once Kobe takes 30% of the team's shots and 38 minutes of PT.

Another factor is playoff positioning. The Lakers are just a half-game ahead of their Staples Center co-tenants and getting third seed in the NBA's Western Conference would be major, since it avoids the dangerous Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

That said, I still think Kobe should hang up till the last day of the regular season. His fresh legs would be more important in propelling the Lakers in the playoffs.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Did the Deadline Trades Make the Lakers Better?

So much for standing pat.

I know what you're thinking Laker Faithful: Did the NBA trade deadline deals make the team better? I see the trades as a mixed bag of positives and negatives.

On one hand, the perennial problem of weak point guard play has been addressed: Ramon Sessions was nabbed by the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Christian Ayenga, for Luke Walton and a draft pick. This is clearly a short to medium term solution to help the franchise get its 17th championship (and Kobe Bryant's sixth ring).

Sessions brings good pick and roll skills, good ball-handling, and aggressive forays into the hoop that can break down defenses. Ayenga is still raw but superb athlete, which is quite similar to where Devin Ebanks is. It's no accident that Ayenga will be sent to the D-League (where Ebanks spent some time early in the season).

From a financial point of view, the deal is good because the team was able to shed Walton's albatross of a contract. Perhaps this is Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's way of saying "mea culpa" to the Lakers after nixing the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers?

But the deadline didn't come without a price: Lakers fan favorite Derek Fisher was sent to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.

This feels like an end of an era because Walton and Fisher were part of the Lakers' success in the past decade. Fisher's legacy in the Lakers lore is pretty much set, but I hoped he would finish his career in purple and gold.

With the deals, the Lakers' depth chart looks like this:

• PG - Ramon Sessions, Steve Blake, Darius Morris
• SG - Kobe Bryant, Andrew Goudelock
• SF - Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, Devin Ebanks, Christian Ayenga
• PF - Pau Gasol, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts
• C - Andrew Bynum, Jordan Hill

If you ask me, the only problematic area left is the Small Forward position. I guess Michael Beasly would have helped there.

But that's a different story.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Should the Lakers Stand Pat? Absolutely!

With the hoopla surrounding the 2012 NBA All-Star Game to be over in the next 24 hours, it's a good time to look at the Los Angeles Lakers in the season's midpoint.

As the team's roster stands, a lot of people from experts (ESPN.com) to oddsmakers (online sportsbook click here) pick the Lakers as reaching the play-offs, but a second-round finish at best. A championship is quite a reach, considering the play of the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder (which kicked the Lakers' butts before the All-Star break).

Now the big question is what kind of roster tweak should the team make, if at all? Many folks (including myself) still think that the core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum can compete to reclaim the NBA championship, but there are a lot of voices that echo the opposite: The Lakers must make a deal.

But come on people, what deal out there makes sense? The team obviously can't get a player the same value for, say, Pau Gasol and there are very few players in the Lakers roster that other team wants. Players outside of the Lakers' Big 3 are either too old or too raw.

Dwight Howard would be a great addition to the team, but the team put itself in a bad trading position after Gasol's performance dipped and traded away Lamar Odom.

Here's my message to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak: Don't pull the trigger. Give this team some time to come together under Mike Brown's system.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Why I'm Not Yet Sold on Jeremy Lin

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a defeat at the tail-end of a back-to-back against the New York Knick.

The main culprit? Big Apple's latest hoop darling: #17 Jeremy Lin.

Lin scored a career-high 38 points and dished out 7 assists to lead the Knicks to the their fourth straight win and hand the Lakers their third loss in four games. In the four Knick wins, Lin started at point guard.

I think Lin is skilled and has NBA-level talent, to call him as Basketball's Next Big Thing? I'm not so sure about that. I have four reasons to be skeptical about "Linsanity":

• Point guards have been the Lakers' weakness - In the last 15 years, point guards have made careers by abusing the Lakers and this season is no different. The current Lakers roster is not constructed to bottle up slashing point guards. I'll join the "Linsanity" after Lin goes up against Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Tony Parker and lights them up.
• Too small a sample - Lin belongs to the NBA for sure, I don't doubt that. But what I'm skeptical about is how people are crowning him as New York hoops' messiah. People are jumping the gun the praise because the Knicks desperately needs a distraction from its sub-.500 winning record.
• Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are still inactive - One of the key reasons Lin got so many shot attempts (18.5 per game since he started) is because two of the Knicks starters were out of commission. The pair take up about 40% of the team's shot attempts and 50% of the team's free throw attempts. Once the duo comes back into action, I see Lin's attempts going back to earthly portions.
• D'Antoni needs to keep his job - Prior to the winning streak, the Knicks were spiraling into the NBA Draft lottery and the Madison Square Garden faithful were asking for the axing of coach Mike D'Antoni. But then two things happened: D'Antoni shuffled his line-up and the Knicks began to win. Had the Knicks kept losing despite Lin in the line-up, all this hoopla wouldn't be happening.

I'm not dissing Lin, I just think he's not proven yet. But one thing's for sure, people have taken notice, including the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

In the post game interview after the loss to the Knicks, Bryant said, "Enjoy it, they'll receive judgment next season."

Technorati: NBA

Lakers Notch Season's First Win

Finally.

It took three games before the Los Angeles Lakers got their first win of the season and avoided a 0-3 hole in the standings. They beat the Utah Jazz in convincing fashion, 96-71.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way for the Lakers, combining for 48 of the team's 96 points. The Jazz played their first game of the season and looked very rusty. Thirty-two percent from the field and 7% form three-point range paint an ugly picture for the Jazz's game.

The Lakers also got key contributions from Metta World Peace (14 points and 5 rebounds) and their two new power forwards, Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts (combining for 17 rebounds). World Peace dialed the time machine a few years and showed a flash of the young Ron Artest when he drove the lane and flushed the ball through the hoop strong.

As an added bonus, the Staples Center crowd chanted "We Want Barnes,"a reference to coach Mike Brown's refusal to play the volatile Matt Barnes.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Drop to 0-2

Two games into the 2011-2012 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are still winless.

The Lakers lost to the Sacramento Kings last night, 100-91 and it was a mixed-bag effort. The Lakers clawed back from a double digit lead in the second half and got within two points in the last five minutes, but the Kings stepped on the pedal and went on a 11-4 run to close the game.

Folks can cite that this was the second of a back-to-back-to-back (The Lakers play the Utah Jazz at home tonight), but this is no excuse. The Kings are projected to go back to the lottery and the Lakers should be able to handle them.

Three quick notes about the past two games:

1. Kobe Bryant showed doubters that he can still put the ball through the hoop, even with an injured wrist and rehabbed knee. In two games, Kobe has averaged 28.5 points on 45% shooting.
2. Even with the addition of Jason Kapono and Troy Murphy, the Lakers are shooting blanks from the three-point range. In the two losses, the team has made 5 threes out of 32 attempts (15%).
3. Coach Mike Brown plays young guys! Devin Ebanks and Andrew Goudelock are getting a lot of burn and the results have been pretty encouraging. 

Speaking of Goudelock, this guy needs a nickname and I think it should be "Glock" (from the pistol) because he's a shooter and it's fits his name. What do you think?


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Blow Season Opener

WTH!?!

The Los Angeles Lakers practically let their season opener for the 2011-2012 NBA season slip away. In their game against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers let the Bulls go on a 7-0 run that was punctuated by reigning MVP Derrick Rose.

The Lakers had a chance to win it but Kobe Bryant was denied on the buzzer.

How did the last-minute collapse happen? I can cite three things:

1. Luol Deng. He made nice defensive plays and a traveling violation that wasn't called.
2. The Lakers let the Bulls defense get to them.
3. Free throw. The Lakers missed 9 free throws in the game.

Sheesh. That was a tough loss on Christmas Day.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse: Kobe Injured

Kobe Bryant. Injured.

Those are two words Los Angeles Lakers fans are dreading and those two words have managed to become a tough reality.

In the first preseason game for the Lakers, Kobe was blocked by DeAndre Jordan and Kobe fell hard on the ground. He used his shooting arm to break his fall, but in the process, injured his right wrist. Here's the play:

Kobe Bryant injured on opening night is not a good thing for the team as Andrew Bynum is also out five games due to a league-imposed suspension. With those two out, you're looking to replace 40 points worth of offense and the team's best interior and perimeter defenders.

This looks bad, real bad for the Lakers.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe's Divorce Will Motivate Him

If you haven't heard, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce to end her decade-long marriage to Kobe Bryant.

As a Laker fan, I am stoked!

Kobe has shown that he has the mental focus to play at a higher level despite the off-court distractions. (Remember 2003?) I believe that this season will be the same story.

Not that I dislike Vanessa Bryant (who could be the single most destructive force the Los Angeles Lakers franchise has faced in the last decade), but this is the type of conflict that can elevate Kobe's game.

Mark my words: The Black Mamba will disprove naysayers this season.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Nike Kobe VII System Supreme

I got a heads up about Kobe Bryant's upcoming shoe for the NBA's 2011-2012 season: The Nike Kobe VII System Supreme. It will hit stores on December 22, 2011.

What makes this shoe an improvement over the previous KB24 kicks? It will come in two versions: Attack Strong and Attack Fast.

The difference between the two versions is the inclusion of two interchangeable insert options allowing players to switch out the cushioning and ankle support.

The Attack Strong insert offers a full-length Cushlon midsole and an ankle cuff for a plush ride and optimal support. On the other hand, the Attack Fast insert features a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units for responsive cushioning, and a low-cut, power-stretch cuff that hugs the foot for added support.

If you got bored with those technical terms, let me just show you how sweet these kicks look:

Attack Strong:

Attack Fast:

Technorati: Nike

NBA Season to Start on Christmas Day

Folks wanting to see Kobe Byrant wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey this year instead of the exhibition threads will finally get their wish-- the NBA lockout is all but finished.

After five months of seeing no NBA, this is huge for the fans. I personally want to see how this season will play out after the Lakers were edged by the Dallas Mavericks in the last playoffs. Will Kobe get his sixth NBA championship? Will Pau Gasol erase the bad memories he planted on fans in the 2011 playoffs? Will Andrew Bynum be an All-Star? Will Mike Brown be a good replacement for Phil Jackson?

And then there's Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest). Is there anything cooler than seeing "World Peace" in a basketball jersey?

Whatever the answer to those questions, they will all unfold on Christmas Day 2011.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Manila Tour 2011

Kobe Bryant is coming back to Manila!

The two-time NBA Finals MVP will arrive in Manila for a one-day stop in his Asia tour on July 13, 2011. Kobe will be at the Nike Park at the Bonifacio High Street in Taguig for a short event in the afternoon and then an exhibition game at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City in the evening.

Kobe and Los Angeles Lakers fans can also like http://www.facebook.com/nikebasketball.phils where 50 lucky community members can get a chance to win 2 free tickets each to see the Black Mamba.

Technorati: Kobe Bryant

Mike Brown: The Lakers' New Coach

Image via Wikipedia

So much for fixing the Los Angeles Lakers.

The team announced that the new coach will be Mike Brown, the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach who (mis)handled LeBron James in five seasons.

I thought Brian Shaw would have been a better hire, to ensure continuity from the Phil Jackson era. The Lakers' management seems to like to go to a completely new direction. Jim Buss (son of team owner Dr. Jerry Buss) made the decision to hire and I think he's crafting the team the way he sees it.

The initial negative fan reaction from the Mike Brown hire and the spite sent towards Jim Buss is understandable-- Mike Brown, with all due respect, is a far cry from Phil Jackson. Jim Buss, for his part, is doing his darned best not to look like Don Sterling 2.0.

What do I think of the hiring?

It's clearly all about the immediate future for the Lakers. Brown's contract coincides with the expiration of the contracts of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. (I think Andrew Bynum will get an extension and Lamar Odom will be dealt in the next few years.) Brown is meant to extract the best defensive effort from that bunch while the window for championships are still open.



Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Weak 4th Quarter Doomed Lakers in Game 1 vs. Mavs

The Los Angeles Lakers as chokers? Choking has not been a work associated with the Lakers and this is bad time to attract that label.

The Lakers lost against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their second round match-up because the couldn't close. It's as simple as that.

Whether it's Kobe Bryant's missed three in the dying seconds, the careless fouls that led to Dirk Nowitzki shooting freebies, or the costly turnovers that let the door open for the Mavs in the final minute. These make a good study for closing games in a weak manner.

As a fan, I was expecting the Lakers to learn from their mistakes against the New Orleans Hornets in the previous series. The team did play well in the first thirty minutes of the game and were on their way to a comfy home win but the lead crumbled. By the time the fourth quarter started, momentum had shifted to the Mavs.

In the final quarter, the Lakers only managed 16 points on seven field goals. Seven! This output is the worst fourth quarter the Lakers have had in the 2011 NBA playoffs. Someone kick me in the shin right now.

But this is still a seven-game series. The Lakers have more opportunities to give Andrew Bynum more involvement in the offense, put Ron Artest back into the flow, and Pau Gasol to find his spine back.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

LA Lakers-Dallas Mavericks Match-up Preview

Image via Wikipedia

I'm very much looking forward to the second round match-up of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Why? Mainly because it the Mavs are a team that the Lakers haven't met in their previous championship runs.

But how do the teams stack up against each other? Here are my key points for the playoff series:

• Mavs must pick their poison in defending Kobe - Kobe Bryant has had success against the Mavs in the past and this series will continue that trend. In the perimeter defensive roles, Dallas can throw Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, and Shawn Marion to defend Kobe. The Matrix can probably make it hard for Kobe, but that means leaving Ron Artest against smaller defenders inside. In the Hornets series, Artest showed that he can produce in the paint.
• Dirk will prowl the perimeter - Did you see how Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol crowd the lane in the Hornets series? The same will happen in this round and this means that Mavs All-Star Dirk Nowitzki will dwell in the perimeter to get his baskets.
• Sixth Man battles - The series also features two of the last three winners of the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award: Lamar Odom of the Lakers and Jason Terry of the Mavericks. While both have different playing styles, each of them are expected to bring offensive spark off the bench. Which sixth man will help his team more?
• Euro Big Men - I'm also looking forward to the match-up of the two best European players in the league right now: Gasol and Nowtizki. I expect Pau to cover Dirk a few times in the game (I expect Odom to defend Dirk from the outside). Looking at the NBA Statscube, Dirk has struggled a bit when Pau Gasol is on the floor.
• Mark Cuban versus Phil Jackson - Apart from the battles that will be fought on the basketball court, I'm expecting some zinging happening outside. The outspoken owner of the Mavs has history against the Lakers coach and I'm sure we'll read a lot of quotables from the two.

If the Lakers continue to play solid defense and make it hard on the Dirk Nowitzki it will be a short series. As I've mentioned in my second round NBA Playoffs predictions, I'm expecting the Lakers to win in 6.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

What We've Learned about the Lakers-Hornets Match-up So Far

The first round match-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Hornets is knotted at 2-2 as of this writing and many people are surprised. Except for me.

I predicted that the Lakers will need six games to eliminate the pesky hornets. Why? Because the Lakers have struggled in the first round of the playoffs in the last five years. Their record of 16-11 in the first round of the NBA playoffs since 2006 says something about the team's slow start in the post-season.

Another thing we're seeing right now is the Lakers' inability to contain top flight point guards.One only needs to look at how Tony Parker, Mike Bibby, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul run around the Lakers' defense. Paul has been superb in this first round, reminding point guards everywhere that playing the Lakers will make you look Hall of Fame-worthy.

One thing I've been surprised with is the Lakers' vulnerability with injuries four games into the playoffs. Andrew Bynum had his customary injury scare, but Kobe Bryant has been bothered by a bum ankle. If the Lakers are to win it all this year, they have to overcome health issues, apart from the strong opponents.

Finally, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom has shone flashes, but he hasn't been as effective against the smallish Hornets frontline. The same can be said against Pau Gasol. In the last four games, the two Lakers forwards have been very disappointing across the board, considering that they are capable of doing much more damage.

Game 5 will be a couple of hours from now and we shall see if the Lakers will bounce back.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers