A silly game played by kids. 

That phrase could also aptly describe what the Lakers (and Kobe Bryant's 52 points) reduced the Jazz into resembling throughout this 132-102 spanking. 

Those waiting for a truly bonkers scoring barrage from Kobe certainly got their wishes.  Whether The New Jack Bauer had simply been pacing himself for an TNT game (for the out of town fans with basic cable packages) is debatable.  What ain't debatable is the degree to which Kobe forced worse Jazz notes than those played by Kenny G.  His second half alone featured all but the one of the following stats:  9-10 from the field.  2 of 3 from behind the arc.  10-10 stripe shooting.  2 boards.  3 assists.  1 block.  1 Pulitzer Prize.   

See if you can figure out which is the fake achievement.

In the meantime, Lamar Odom was two assists shy of a trip-dub (14-11-8) and the Ronny Turiaf/Maurice Evans duo supplied big time contributions and energy off the bench.  And save Brian Cook (who may still be a bit sluggish from missed time while sick) everyone managed to log some PT.  Hell, if the game had lasted another 5 or so minutes, BK and I might have gotten the call.  Even we couldn't have screwed this one up... Well, not too badly, if nothing else.

More to come later.  (It's now been added, after the jump.)

AK 

Hit the glass, boys.  AK will take you through the first quarter.

BK

Hey all.  AK here.  Before the game starts, thought I'd share a couple observations I noticed while in the Jazz locker room.

1) Andrei Kirilenko's toenails are painted either black or shade of dark blue.  All ten of them.  I'm not making this up. 

2) Between AK-47, Mehmet Okur and Gordon Giricek, the Jazz have the collectively spikiest hair in the NBA.  For a second, I thought the Lakers were balling against Good Charlotte.

Anyhoo, the game...

Not a lot happening in the locker room before the game, but in talking to Jordan Farmar about this weekend's USC/UCLA game- did you hear, it's rivalry week!- I learned he was recruited by Vanderbilt, the pride of Nashville and my alma mater.  While he enjoyed the fact that the player benches are on the baselines (a perk for television and in-house fans alike), he found the program wasn't for him.  Why?  "I was going to a big time program."  Excuse me, sir?   Hi, we made the Sweet 16, like, two years ago and are frequent visitors to the NIT.  Dude could have gone down as the greatest Commodore of all time, soaking up Matt Leinart style privileges with the coeds until he declared for the draft (make no mistake, Vandy has some quality women).  Instead, he decided he "wanted to be the best Bruin of all time."  Admirable, but dude, that's hard!  Over Kareem?  Walton?  Miller?  Hazzard?  Just to name a few.  Certainly a tougher crew than Dan Langhi, Will Perdue, and Matt Freije.

Not big time enough?  That's bulletin board material for my boys in Nashville.  Look for them to come out swinging, should they ever face the Bruins.  Anyway, on to the game. 

The cool thing about being really, really, really rich is when someone says you have to give them $25,000 because of a few loose comments, frankly, it doesn't matter.  (As a member of the ever lucrative blogging industry, AK and I can totally relate... we just choose to eat ramen noodles every night, right?)  The $25,000 PJ will fork over to the NBA isn't the first fine he's received, and it won't be the last.  Nor will it be the final time he has some fun via the media.  What isn't fun was his team's performance against the zone in Tuesday's loss to Milwaukee, or their showing against it in practice on Wednesday (are you listening, Jerry Sloan?).  The bigs bore much of the brunt, mostly because they weren't much more active than Chris Mihm, who visited practice bearing crutches and a huge boot on his surgically repaired ankle.  Poor play has been the exception rather than the rule for Brown and Bynum, so the occasional (occasional!) bad game isn't a big deal.

The Lakers get another crack at the top-of-the-world Jazz tonight at Staples.  Perhaps they'll be a lil' sleepy after last night's grinding win over San Antonio.  Once again, it'll be about numbers as KB24 will see plenty of AK47.  Not surprisingly, D-Fish has become a leader in Salt Lake.

Today's practice featured a familiar (if somewhat melancholy) face.  Chris Mihm, sporting a "just coming off surgery and now hobbled on the couch" beard, a casted right foot and crutches the size of stilts, dropped by El Segundo and shared some updated 411.  His ankle operation (two weeks ago yesterday) was a success and he's now on the long rehab road to recovery.  While Mihm didn't rule entirely out any chance of playing this season, I suspect he'd bet the "under" if you placed the odds at 2%.  "It's possible," Mihm said, chin high as possible.  "It's gonna be a long shot, but it's something I definitely have in my mind and it's something that I want to do."  But even with said goal on his "to do" list, more immediate and pressing business remains at hand.  "Right now, I'm focused on getting this thing right.  Finally, we know what was wrong with it, what needed to be done." 

There were some audio clips in last night's postgame wrap, but not everything that was said got in. In an effort to a) provide top notch material to our readers and b) clear this stuff off the mp3 recorder, here's the rest of it. Click below the jump for the smooth voice of PJ, and a little from L.O.

—BK

They say it's a good thing to be in the zone. Maybe, but if last night's 109-105 loss at Staples to woebegone Milwaukee was any indication, it might not be so good to be against it. The Lakers did manage to set a franchise record last night, but as Clark Griswold once said to his son who congratulated him for flying the family car 50 yards off the highway into the desert, "That's nothing to be proud of, Russ." The record in question — 37 three-pointers attempted — indicated that the Lakers weren't getting the penetration they needed to beat the zone defense Milwaukee employed throughout the game. (Try not to stare directly at the shot chart. Or the box score, which shows some paltry contributions from L.A.'s low post players.)

How about the max deal he gave Michael Redd back in 2005? If he had just cheaped out, Redd may not have been around to torch the Lakers for 45 in Milwaukee's ludicrously disappointing 109-105 win over the Lakers Tuesday night at Staples. The Bucks got all zoney on D, and the Lakers couldn't do much to crack it. Not that they didn't try, cranking up the Downtown Shot Machine to the tune of 11-37 from downtown. That, my friends, bests the franchise record for treys chucked by one. And not that the Bucks didn't do their best to give the game back to the Lakers, turning the ball over 16 times, generally picking the most inopportune time to do so, the 16th being the best example after Redd dribbled the ball off his foot to give LA the ball down by three with 16 seconds left. Unfortunately, Kobe's attempt at a game tying triple clanked off the backboard. Ruben Patterson hit a freebie on the other end, and that was the ballgame.

More to come in a few. (Which has been added now, after the jump)

—BK

Oh yeah, it's not just a game, but a game against the hated Milwaukee Bucks.  Okay, not really hated.  I think we did a Question of the Day last season on who was the team that inspired the least amount of vitriol among Lakers fans, and Milwaukee was my choice (it's BK, by the way).  Who hates the Bucks? 

Incidentally, some woman played the National Anthem tonight on her violin.  Kind of cool, very odd, very free form, very avant garde.  Kind of like Hendrix's landmark anthem, except on a violin so everyone just thought it was wierd.  Anyway, onto the game...

Remember, he who wins the tip wins the game, right?   Kobe Stopper out on the floor for Milwaukee.  I'm sure 24 is terrified.  Smush controls the tip.  Lakers will win.

Or maybe he'll keep the beard he's grown while battling strep throat, I have no idea.  But either way, the now scraggly power forward is feeling much better these days (although he's still inactive for tonight's action).  Described by Phil Jackson as "on the road to recovery," Cook's been mostly bedridden the last 3-4 days, dealing with everything from a 102 temperature to occasional back spasms during his illin' time.  Cookie suspects the culprit behind the sickness may have been his own nephew, who joined his family visiting for thanksgiving.  The kid's almost two, which more or less makes him a professional germ carrier.  The tyke "fell asleep on my chest and slobbered all over me," laughed Cook.  But his own admission, Cook is "King Patient" among his teammates.  Colds, allergies, sinus issues.  You name it, the dude is susceptible.  "I get sick a lot," he said, shaking his head.  Give the man credit for his willingness to gut it out.  Despite the sickness kicking in, Cook would have gladly stepped on the court during Friday's game against Utah and given it a whirl.  Probably best that he didn't, however, since he almost nodded off a couple times while watching the action from the bench due to a lack of energy. 

Lakers Blog was nary a glint in some interweb project manager's eye the last time the purple and gold lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Five years, ten straight games, to be exact.  And the Lakers will look to make it eleven tonight at Staples against their 4-9 visitors (sadly a mere game out of the 8 spot in the EC).  When they do, it'll be with Andrew Bynum starting at the five, Kwame Brown coming off the bench, and a request from the Powers that Drew receive the ball in the post now and again.  Jordan Farmar may not start, but he'll play despite his rookie status.  In fact, P.J. (like Lakers Blog) called that whole anti-rookie policy he's famous for "lies."  It seems it's not rookies per se, just the ones he's had over the years that he tends to sit.  In fact, it's Bucks coach Terry Stotts who's contemplating sitting a rookie, specifically a newbie SF that frankly, nobody's ever heard of... although another might start in his place.  Speaking of new starters, could one be on the way to L.A.?

In other news, it looks like Mike Dunleavy has his extension, and (shocker!) things aren't working out for Isiah and Starbury in the Apple.   

As long as we're taking time today to check out this week's Power Rankings (you've got your ESPN.com, Yahoo!, SI.com, and Hoopsworld.com, in which two things become clear. 1) The Lakers aren't getting the love most of you would probably like to see.  2) It's hard to get it in a conference where even the bad teams- okay, not Memphis- seem competitive.  More so now that the Suns and Mavs have apparently gotten their act together.) why not take a moment to investigate the rooks?  How's Farmar stacking up?   Feel free to vent, especially those of you who remember Andrea Bargnani's showing at Staples a couple weeks back.

BK

Sometimes your stars get it done by filling up the hoop, sometimes they get it done by sharing so others can do it. Sunday night at Staples, the Lakers got a little bit of both from Kobe Bryant, whose shot was goofy throughout L.A.'s 99-93 win over New Jersey at Staples, but plenty good down the stretch. Toss in the 10 dimes and some solid D on Vince Carter, and it was a pretty good mix for 24. Assistant coach Jim Cleamons warned the Lakers to beware of (metaphorical) hungry dogs. For a half, the Nets made him look smart, before a third quarter Lakers rally made them look more like the average Eastern Conference canines they are.

Yeah, the luster of beating a first-place team is diminished when that squad enters the game at 5-7 (if the Eastern Conference was a network sitcom, it would have been canceled after four episodes), but remember — it's better than the alternative. That would be losing, which the Lakers looked like they might do when a sleepy start had them down nine after the first quarter, and 12 in the second. Fortunately, when an L.O. (21/6/4) bucket cut the Nets' lead to five to end the first half, the writing was on the wall. The purple and gold got all agro on their Eastern brethren, outscoring them 30-18 in the third on their way to a 99-93 win. Kobe had an inefficient 19 (8-24 shooting), but dished out 10 assists, showing he was paying attention that day in kindergarten when the teacher mentioned sharing. Big boost from Kwame Brown and his 13 points, nine boards and two blocks.

More on the game tomorrow.

—BK

As the Lakers look to prepare for tonight's game against the New Jersey Nets, it helps to let Friday's tough loss against the even tougher Jazz remain a mere memory, as opposed to a craw eater. For Andrew Bynum in particular, it's important to brush the poor result aside, since the kid felt handcuffed by referee whims. Bynum must learn how to adjust and roll with games like that, if he wants to be as effective as Shaq in his prime. Or more effective than Shaq past his prime, at the very least.

Whoever was responsible for deciding that NBA games would be 48 minutes instead of, say, 46 owes the Lakers an apology, because for nearly the entire game the Lakers went toe to toe with the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Friday night. Unfortunately, "nearly" isn't "entirely," as the purple and gold found in their 114-108 loss. Not that they didn't have some chances, but the Lakers were unable to hold on in a matchup of two divisional leaders.

Not sure about the exact elevation of Salt Lake City (nor, for that matter, will we bother to make the simple Google search and look it up), but perhaps it sits at a slightly higher peak than Los Angeles, since fatigue appeared to be a factor down the stretch. Lamar Odom would say blame it on a lack of execution (but even if you agree, don't tell L.O., since he feels bad enough about it as it is).

Of course, as anybody who's ever played the Jazz knows (and Smush Parker will likely confirm), dudes coached by Jerry Sloan know how to run the pick and roll. But in the end, you can probably just look at a box score registering embarrassingly low in the Laker rebound department and realize why the Jazz may treat Sasha Vujacic well, but not the team he plays for.

Not to overstate it, but this might be the greatest, most important basketball game between the two finest squad ever to dribble a Spaulding (old or new).  Okay, eleven games in that might be a little much, but it's still a pretty damn fine game.

BK

I feel bad for the younger generation of Lakers fans who perhaps only know Aaron McKie as "that dude who's spent his entire Laker career injured." The lack of additional reference points means missing out on a series of nice years with the Sixers, including 2001 — the season Philly lost to the Lakers in the finals — when he nabbed the sixth Man of the Year award (and cemented his rep as a pro's pro). Of course, I feel worse for McKie himself, who obviously had bigger plans upon signing as a free agent than offering moral support and modeling suits from the sideline.

The 2006 season was a wash for the cagey vet, a quadriceps tear limiting him to a grand total of 14 games and seven points. And no, I don't mean, 7ppg. I mean, literally, seven points.

McKie hoped to make up for lost time this season, but a balky back suffered during training camp has thus far put the kibosh on that plan.  A combination of increased health and Jordan Farmar rolling an ankle led to McKie being activated for the first time this season last Tuesday against the Clippers. He didn't see any action and it's not a given that Phil Jackson will save space for him once Farmar (and Ronny Turiaf, whose hips are on the mend) can play again. Then again, with Sasha Vujacic and Shammond Williams logging minutes ranging from "sporadic" to "none," McKie continuing to suit up for games isn't out of the question.

In any event, I thought now was as good a time as any to catch up with the vet to find out how this injury-plagued period has weighed on his psyche and how he's attempted to contribute while healing up. Hit the jump and see what he had to say.

It's the day after Thanksgiving — as a Lakers fan, one recent development's been worth a gracias or two — and the Lakers take their post-holiday cheer to Salt Lake City for a match up against a shockingly dominant Jazz. To what degree of shocking are we talking, one might ask? Try "Best team in the freakin' NBA" shocking. Or "Just try to beat us in our house, fools!" shocking. And up until today, it could have been described as "Kicking ass without All-Star Swiss army knife Andrei Kirilenko" shocking. But the Lakers — who are hoping a newly energized Smush Parker isn't suffering from turkey hangover— haven't exactly been slouches these days themselves. But if they'd like to prove their sweet record hasn't been largely the result of an even (relatively) sweeter schedule, a win tonight would go a long way.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! In keeping with the theme of today's holiday, it's safe to say Phil Jackson is plenty thankful for his right hand men. Lakers fans are thankful that the proper hoops balance is being locally maintained (and Kevin Garnett might be thankful for the opportunity to help the Lakers maintain it even further). Kobe is thankful for signs that his knee is steadily mending. The Lakers themselves have to be pretty thankful that injuries didn't derail a much-needed fast start. And a lot of people around the country are just thankful that the NBA exists (and not just because they're hoops junkies).

It took a little longer than normal for P.J. to make it to the press conference after last night's four point win over the Clippers, as he spent a little extra time chatting up his squad. Not surprising, considering there was a lot to talk about, good (fourth quarter composure, serious work on the offensive glass, low turnover numbers) and bad (37.1% from the field? Yeeps.). In the end, Jackson was pleased with the effort. "We're judging the game overall, not the score or the won/loss," he said. "We got it going at the end, and our defense stepped up and we played well."
Download phil_jackson1_11.21(LACpost).mp3

Whether referred to as a battle for Los Angeles, Staples Center or the heart of loyal reader Jon Kavulic, the first skirmish ended with the planting of a Laker flag. Perhaps the most impressive and entertaining effort of this young season, the 105-101 victory over the Clippers also propelled the purple and gold to the top of the Pacific division.

The first half mostly belonged to Kobe Bryant, who put up 20 points before the opening 12 minutes even concluded. But even Kobe's general "en fuego-ness" couldn't keep the entire team from going cold in third quarter, which allowed the Clips to view the Lakers through a rear view mirror. But just as a group effort pulled the Lakers out of the game, that same element regained them the lead. Contributions from Kwame Brown, Smush Parker and Lamar Odom (all perhaps previously nudged by Tex Winter) melded to form the winning box score. Until the next time.

Namely, the drama of nearly giving away a nine point lead going into the fourth, only to stretch it back out to 105-101 by the end.  What's the point of winning without a little flair?   The Lakers were the beneficiaries of the first truly "Kobe" game out of Kobe this season.  One of those deals where he drives the basket, makes a bunch of freaky jumpers and generally makes people think it's hard to beat them when he's around.  40 points on an efficient 12-23 from the floor and 15-18 from the line.  Big game, too, from Kwame Brown, who nearly had the 15/10 PJ made his nightly goal after last season, except in reverse (10 points, 14 boards).  So Battle Royale L.A. I goes to the Lakers.  More to come in a bit.

BK here for Q1. 

Okay, here we go.  It's L.A. vs. L.A.  Brother vs brother.  Or cats vs. dogs.  Lambs vs. Lions.  Republicans vs. Democrats.  I'm just gonna throw every cliche out there to make sure I've got all the bases covered. 

LO takes Kaman to the rack for the first points of the game.  Right now, the Lakers on pace to shut the Clippers out.  That's a quality defensive effort. 

10:05- Q. Ross takes Walton to the hole.  There goes the shutout.

First, some housekeeping.  Jordan Farmar won't play tonight, because of his ankle.  I asked him how he's feeling, and Farmar seemed encouraged.  There wasn't any swelling, and he can walk straight without much pain.  Turning is a little more of an issue (do guards turn in the NBA?), but he says he'll be fine.  "If this were game seven" he'd play.  Ronny Turiaf is back in the lineup as well.  So that'll make tonight's inactives Mihm, Farmar, and Shammond Williams. 

Kwame will definitely see time guarding Elton Brand tonight, but it won't be while Andrew Bynum is on the court.  "They're not ready for that," Jackson said. 

For eons, a Lakers-Clippers game served as little more than a twice-per-season opportunity (during Clips "home" games) for purple and gold fans to see their team at a more reasonable price. But after the Clips finished last season with both the better record and playoff success, a legit rivalry was officially underway. It might be not quite be a heated or hated rivalry — more history and bad blood will be required — but in terms of quality teams doing battle within their division (and city), "legit" would be a sensible adjective. For the Lakers to assert their dominance, Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown will likely need to come out on top in "The Battle of the Bigs." And it wouldn't hurt if that Kobe Bryant character was feeling more himself.

Ask about the whole Clippers/Lakers rivalry thing. Man alive, I haven't heard so many non-answers to reporters' questions in a long time (and believe me, we get a lot of non-answers). It's still a rivalry that is more media- and perhaps fan-driven than an issue with those in purple and gold. Obviously, the crosstown (cross-building?) matchup is a lil' bigger deal now that the Clips don't suck, but at least for today in El Segundo, little to no gasoline was poured on whatever fire there is. "I know the owners like each other. Donald Sterling has been eating off Dr. Buss' plate for years," Phil Jackson joked.

Not surprisingly, after his 12 point, 13 rebound, four-block performance Sunday night against the Bulls, Andrew Bynum was a major topic of conversation. Phil Jackson was asked if games like this change the organization's expectations of Bynum, and if he might end up on the floor at the same time as Kwame.
Download phil_jackson_on_bynum_expectations_11.19.mp3

Here's the e-mail. In between scanning the crowd for her sons, she was keeping a close eye on the proceedings. As always, an interesting take (and her undying belief that the fourth quarter is where it's at).

"As I always tell you, it is all about the last 10 minutes... in this case, the last two minutes, 38 seconds. Did you ever see anyone work as hard as Ben Wallace for two points? Those other guys only try for three-point shots. Big mistake. That in a nutshell is why the Lakers were the better team. Looked for you on TV, but didn't see you. Love, MOM."

—AK

They say you don't get points for style, which could explain the low score of last night's 82-72 victory over the Bulls.  A Smush Parker dunk over Ben Wallace here, a Kwame Brown jam over Andres   Nocioni there, the game was mostly a slog-fest riddled in turnovers and defensive intensity.  The Lakers have offered plenty of the former all season, but the latter has often been missing except in bits and spurts.  It perhaps helped that the Bulls don't score much in the first place, but the Lakers nonetheless maintained a clampdown intensity throughout the entire proceedings.  In particular, young Andrew Bynum, perhaps inspired by a matchup against uber-defender Ben Wallace, turned out his most complete performance of the season.  Whether scoring in double figures or manning the paint, Bynum helped set the tone for every other positive the Lakers put forth while securing the victory, including Lamar Odom's double double and Brown's energy off the bench.  In the end, the win ended up kind of similar to a drunken hook up with an unattractive random stranger.  It's better not to spend too much time recreating the details (or in the case of basketball, the box score).  Just chalk it up as a productive and move on (especially with another tough game approaching).

Most predicted that tonight's contest wouldn't smack of classic ABA ball, which was indeed the case in this 82-72 win over the Bulls.  And for the Lakers, a lack of rocks falling in their hoop was due in large part to the combined efforts of starting center Andrew Bynum and relief man extraordinaire, Kwame Brown.  Bynum, in his first test against a quality middle man (unless one doesn't consider four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace much of an interior presence... And if that's the case, they're idiots), ended up fouling out, but still managed to rack up 12 points, 13 boards, 4 blocks, many an altered shot and a "Carl's Jr. Star of the Game" award (which is really what these NBA guys play for, when it's all said and done).  And when Socks was on the pine, Kwame also handled business in a manly manner.  His points were sparce (although if you're only gonna hit one basket, throwing down the mother of all thunder dunks ain't a bad way to go out), but he ate the glass- metaphorically speaking, of course.  Kwame's innards were in no way at risk- and absorbed multiple charges.  He read also one pass so well, Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed would have been jealous.

Obviously, there were others contributing to this taco-earning "W," but the big lugs bore the biggest mention.  More to come later.  (IT'S NOW UPDATED AFTER THE JUMP)

AK

Finish up your pregame stretches.  It's almost game time.

BK

First Quarter - AK here

Just about ready to tip off.  During the pregame intros, Smush and Farmar gave each other such a enthusiastic flying shoulder bump, I was actually concerned both would end up in Gary Vitti's office.  Thankfully, not the case.

11:35 - Sweet block by Bynum.  Nice start to the proceedings, especially for a team that hasn't exactly been a fortress inside.

10:40 - LO jacks up a shot clock beating jumper and misses.  But the worst part wasn't even the brick, but that there was no recognition that Deng was guarding Bynum down low.

8:59 - Bynum draws the foul inside on Deng, gets two.  But you can see already that he's feeling a difference moving against Ben Wallace and crew.  Should be a interesting matchup/challenge to watch for Andrew, especially when he's one on one with Mr. D himself.  He followed up the next possession with an "and one" chance against Nocioni, so that's a nice start.

Unfortunately, technical issues will preclude any pregame audio.  Fortunately, the Lakers locker room was a ghost town (I actually saw a tumbleweed) and PJ didn't have much to say.  He did describe the Bulls as "frothy."  Meaning they're a quick, hard working bunch, very excitable, very intense (like many of our readers, hahaha), and warned that the Lakers will have to be ready to defend in transition and especially against the high screen and roll, as he mentioned after the Toronto game.  Check the audio link in today's Extra! post if you want to hear Phil say, more or less, what I just typed.   

In the meantime, settle in.  These TNT games tend to take a while.

BK

On a day when Phil Jackson is set to square off against his old team, it can be said unequivocally that relations between the coach and the star of his current squad are just ducky.  Better than ducky, even (just as Lakers Blog predicted).  And a great deal of credit goes to Kobe Bryant, who has changed, matured, reinvented himself, and/or turned over a new leaf, depending on who you ask.  So much so that now he might be trying too hard to get his teammates involved, forcing the rock into places it shouldn't go fueling L.A.'s proclivity for turnovers.  And his adjustment isn't limited to a fresh outlook.  The whistle-bearers have a big role to play. 

It's like the newspaper, online, and it talks.  Even the Jetsons, with their world of flying cars and saucy robotic maids never thought it would get this good.  As for the Lakers, a besleeved Kobe Bryant may not have dropped 81 on Toronto Friday night at Staples, but he did reach 17,000- career points, that is- in the Lakers (all-too-shaky) 107-100 win over the plucky Raptors.  The four days between games definitely helped Bryant's knee, as 24 looked a lot more like 8 than any other time this season, but the team still saw struggles a' plenty on both ends of the floor (despite shutting down the juggernaut that is Andrea Bargnani).  As for L.O., he showed up physically, but was never there figuratively, as he continues to struggle with Bryant back on the floor. 

Raise your hands if you were expecting a night off.  One of those deals where you could step away from the TV, make a pizza, shower, do some light housework, take the morning paper to the bathroom and finish any sections you neglected this morning, grab a snack (after washing your hands, of course), kiss the wife, tuck the kids into bed, and walk the dog, comfortable in the knowledge that your Lakers would polish off the woeful Toronto Raptors with the greatest of ease.  Didn't quite happen that way.  The Lakers struggled, at times making the Raptors look like the greatest transition team since Showtime and forcing Lawrence Tanter to say "Jorge Garbajosa" far more often than anyone should have to, but in the end they snuck away with a 107-100 victory Friday night at Staples.  Good night for 24, who dropped 31 and snagged a (by alot) team high 11 boards. 

More on the game to come. (Update 10:55:  It's after the jump)

BK

Yes, Raptors are scary, flesh eating dinos (I've seen Jurassic Park), but don't let that scare you.  It's almost game time!

BK

Okay, BK here and we're off.  I don't think it's overstatement to say that if Kobe doesn't score 82, it'll be a monumental disappointment.

10:45- L.O. has come out very aggressive.  Two hard drives to the hole.  I guess it's four days of pent up energy he's letting loose.  You can only practice so much.

No time for anything but audio, so let's go. Programming note: no Ronny Turiaf, tonight.  He'll sit out because of some sore hippage. 

CLIP ONE: PJ was asked about the layoff, and how it might screw with the team's timing coming out, and also how Shaq's injury (he's out 4-6 weeks) might screw with ABC's television plans for Christmas Day.  Download phil_jackson1_11.17 Tor.PRE.mp3

CLIP TWO: On the improvement of Toronto, and what they're doing in terms of running.  They remind PJ of the running squads in the Western Conference.  And when he says "Chicago," I don't think he means the Bulls squad we'll see on Sunday.  Frankly, I'm not sure what he was talking about, but I don't have time to think on it.  Probably a bit of misspeak.  Download phil_jackson2_11.17 TorPRE.mp3

CLIP THREE: PJ on Kwame's health, and how much he might play tonight.
Download phil_jackson3_11.17 TorPRE.mp3

Enjoy.  See you in about 20 minutes.

BK

Okay, break time's over.  After a four day layoff that while useful for the health challenged purple and gold was a strain on the blogging community, the Lakers will play a real, live basketball game tonight against the Raptors at Staples.  Yes, the same Raptors who were the victims of 81 last January, a game Kobe's never watched but everyone else remembers.  This year?  To channel our inner Yoda- changed, much has.  Injuries, role reversals and new personnel mean it could be a few weeks before everything has shaken out, at least for Phil Jackson. 

Whatever Isiah Thomas learned from the Showtime Lakers apparently didn't make it to New York.  And an interesting article on a guys who's been up close and personal with Bryant defensively, Bruce Bowen.

As I hung around today's third consecutive practice without a game, I got a serious hunch that the folks comprising your Los Angeles Lakers are seriously ready to dribble a ball in a non-scrimmage setting.  They just seem a little antsy.  And I really think Kobe Bryant would love to get tomorrow's game against the Raptors underway, if for no other reason than he looks sick of answering questions about "81," and one in particular.  With that in mind, allow me to make a public service message to my fellow members of the media who may be reading this post.   

For starters, if you are reading this post... Seriously, thank you.  I'm always quite flattered when that happens.  Also, Kobe insists he hasn't watched tape of his monumental performance and has repeated said answer about 2,005,982 times this week.  I think it's about time we take him at his word.  Why?  Well, because it just might be the truth.  But even if Kobe's lying through his teeth, if he's such a narcissistic bastard that he watches footage every morning immediately after waking up, every night while falling asleep, and a third time with his daughters (as their only allotted television time per day), that's clearly his story and he's sticking to it.  So what say we stop asking the guy the same question over and over, please?  If nothing else, I'm tired of hearing him answering it.

Look, I'm well aware many (if not all) of these reporters aren't asking over and over to grill Kobe (especially since it's not a particularly hard hitting inquiry in the first place).  They simply need the quote/sound bite.  I get it.  By now, though, there's gotta be one out there you can pilfer as your own.  Nobody will notice.  I certainly won't rat ya out.  Instead, let's turn our attention to some of the other completely different questions Kobe was being asked today.  For example...

"Why haven't you watched the tape of that game?"

There's a dude in Memphis suing Kobe Bryant for allegedly elbowing him during a game in Memphis last season, but 24 doesn't seem particularly concerned. Possibly because he has no idea what the dude's talking about, and perhaps because the $75,000 max he stands to lose will be recouped during the first quarter of tomorrow's game against Toronto. Not trying to be homers here, but are we the only people who smell a touch of frivolous in this lawsuit? Now, if you want something more substantial, maybe Kwame Brown should sue Andrew Bynum for helping to cause the shoulder problems that are putting a damper on his season. Originally slated to start but currently reduced to a bench role, K.B. won't need surgery but is having trouble lifting his right arm (not that basketball requires such things very often), and may be forced to get creative.

Laker Tom: CBS.Sportsline.com's Tony Mejia says thanks for the check, and he hopes you like the article (just kidding). Apparently, T.J. Simers is having trouble getting Kobe on his new radio show. Go figure.

Today's practice marked the third of four consecutive days without a game.  And if you're a coach looking to keep his team "eating lightning and crapping thunder" (Mickey's goal for his palooka pugilist trainee in Rocky and Rocky II), an idle 96 hours is vexing.  Thus, Phil Jackson has prioritized keeping his men a collective unit of coiled intensity.  "Usually, we feel that you lose some of that aggressiveness that goes along with combat," explains Jackson of the competitive drought.  "Playing every other day or back to backs.  So I don't want these guys to soften up at all.  That's the one thing you want to prevent."  How does one go about vacating a pillow-esque vibe?  By cranking the El Segundo intensity up a notch.  "We're trying to practice physical, aggressive games," nodded PJ.  "The kind of play that's in the NBA without getting too roughhouse."  In other words, a full tilt boogie with "no horseplay" rules enforced.

Phil Jackson's to-do list isn't short on items during the Lakers four day layoff that ends Friday vs. the Raptors. One big item? Conditioning. Getting the legs back. Then there's health. Kobe's knee, Kwame's shoulder. Vladamir Radmanovic is and will continue to struggle with a bad right hand, and since he's apparently unable (Or perhaps unwilling? Media created controversy alert!) to learn to shoot as a southpaw, the injury combined with unfamiliarity with the offense is severely limiting his contributions.

Today was the NBA mandated media training day for the team, in which players are tutored in the find art of massaging the screaming talking/writing heads/hands. Make eye contact, speak clearly and confidently, etc. Just in time, too for Kobe, who just seems so uncomfortable on camera.

(...thousand one...)

(...thousand two...)

With Kobe now sporting new digits on his jersey, it's only natural that I'm getting a little nostalgic for the days when I was forced to type "8" (or at least some reference to his number) 100 times every post. Maybe I'm just a sentimental fool, but the lack of "8 opportunities" (aside from "Ocho times 3," which I refuse to call him) have left me jonesing for the days of yore. Or Kobe's number change has simply eliminated a simple, lazy, fall-back reference point (which is obviously the real tragedy). So in honor of "The New Jack Bauer's" old tag, It felt only appropriate to present an octet of observations after an octet of games. Obviously, at 5-3 in mid-November, everything we've witnessed up to this point is of a "grain of salt" variety, especially since several guys are just starting to get healthy or reenter the lineup. But everything I'm bringing up has presented itself on a fairly consistent basis, so I think it's worth the cyberspace equivalent of ink. Here goes.

It's day two of the Let Kobe's Knee Heal four-day restathon, so, who predicted he'd get to 95% healthy from around 70% by Friday night's game against Toronto, should be at what, close to 80% by now? The purple and gold took a needed day off Monday, and will use the break not just to give Kobe a chance to get stronger, but work out some kinks with the team and find some cohesiveness in an increasingly healthy batch of players.

Competition for PT will be stiff everywhere (unless it says Kobe or Lamar on your locker), including center, where a healthy-ish Kwame Brown is trying to play his way back into a starting gig over Andrew Bynum. However it works out, sharing the playing time pie doesn't seem like it'll create tension between them. At guard, it's a matter of finding not just minutes, but quality ones. It wouldn't hurt for Smush to get his mojo back. Yeah, baby! At least he's in good company on this list.

Marc Stein's newest power rankings have the Lakers logging in at a reasonably robust eighth. But since the Eastern Conference currently has more cream puffs than your average French bakery, the purple and gold are (theoretically) only the sixth-best team in the WC. Ten of Stein's top 16 come from the sun-setting side of the basketball world. Steve Kerr's rankings are a little more Eastern equitable from 1-16, but not from 1-7, where only the Cavs prevent a clean sweep for the WC (the Lakers, by the way, are seventh).

Nothing like a little early season tweak to juice the ol' lineup. After watching everyone from his stars to his role guys struggle in consecutive losses, Phil Jackson decided to shake things up Sunday night against the Grizzlies, putting the ball in Kobe's hands to facilitate the offense. After all, it's not his first day (seriously, it's not). With Lamar Odom pounding the boards and scoring down low, the Lakers built a big lead over the offensively challenged Grizzlies, and managed to hang on for a 91-81 win at Staples. The box score shows each Lakers player worked as part of a team (though not the Robert DeNiro, "The Untouchables" variety). Bryant had 21 points and six dimes, while L.O. went for a more L.O.-like 20/16/7. Andrew Bynum and Smush Parker also reached double figures, and a semi-healthy Kwame Brown returned, playing 17 minutes and scoring six points.

In theory, someone at the Mothership is supposed to keep an eye on this... at the very least, your game related comments will be neatly sorted in a game thread (to be updated later).

—BK

Sorry about the late post. The K Brothers just finished a vigorous round of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation to increase our already prodigious flexibility. Just one more thing we have in common with Kobe Bryant, who is doing the same thing to help speed the healing of his still gimpy right knee (Seriously, dude, stop trying to be just like Lakers Blog). Of course, if that doesn't work, maybe the four days of rest coming after tonight's game at Staples against Memphis will do the trick. The Grizz have struggled without Pau Gasol, and this is one the Lakers (even the hobbled, HMO friendly version) need to win.

Interesting piece from Dan Shaughnessey of the Boston Globe on the relationship between P.J. and Red Auerbach.

If you've ever watched an interview with the man, then you know Sean Penn can bring a room down. So perhaps his rare courtside presence was to blame for the Lakers seeming out of sorts throughout the entirety of their 97-83 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Or maybe Tayshaun Prince is just a huuuuuuuge "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" fans, which might explain the his need to show off for the actor by leading the beatdown. Eighteen of Prince's 31 points came in the third quarter, often pushing past Kobe Bryant, who's still struggling with the directional changes needed on D. For that matter, Kobe's first three quarters made those monitoring his post-knee surgery progress a touch squeamish. He did, however, muster up some strength for a patented fourth quarter rally, but by that time, the damage had already been done (and running mate Lamar Odom had already been tossed). One look at the box score and it's no surprise thought the evening was "as bad a performance as I think we've had here in some time."

BK and I have to leave town for a family obligation this weekend, meaning we won't be attending either tonight's game against Detroit and Sunday's against Memphis. Unfortunately, our general availability during both will also be limited, so we won't be able to keep as close an eye on the comments. There's nothing we can do about it. We'll do our best to keep everything running smooth (and we'll definitely have Extra! threads Saturday and Sunday), but if you're posting comments during games and they're not appearing right away, that would be why.

Thanks for your understanding. Bring us home two winners for our return on Monday.

—AK

Earlier in the week, I posed the following:

"As everyone, especially those of you who plowed 100+ bucks into No. 8 replica jerseys, has noticed, Kobe Bryant is now sporting number 24. Because it's not in the rafters, you can assume that at the very least, that number has not seen true greatness in purple and gold (or baby blue and gold, either). In reality, it hasn't even seen all that much pretty-goodness. Kobe is the 15th player to don the number, and by far the most accomplished. How many of the other 14 can you name? Remember, no cheating, and if there's any wagering, we don't want to know about it."

I know you've been clamoring for an answer. "Put us out of our misery, BK! Please!" you've been clamoring. OK, here we go. Below the jump are the mighty 15 guys — including Kobe — who have worn 24 for the Lakers.