The Lakers bid farewell to 2006 in style... on the scoreboard at least.  Their 104-94 win over a bunch of guys wearing Sixers unis who probably just make Moses Malone and Dr. J cry themselves to sleep at night put them back on the winning track after the Friday Night Flameout in Charlotte.  Kobe Bryant made a final pitch to keep the new ball around, shooting a rather brisk 15/22 from the floor on his way to 35 points, to go along with eight boards and six dimes.  He got plenty of help from everyone on the active roster- and I do mean everyone, since even Shammond Williams found his way first into the game (yes, he does wear shorts under his tearaways), then into the score book with a triple from the corner.  That they won isn't surprising, since I'm almost positive the Lakers are undefeated in December games where Williams scores.  Luke Walton chipped in with 11/7 (boards) and Smush had 12/5 (assists). 

That's a lot of good news, but the bad stuff puts it to shame.  Kwame Brown left the game in the third after suffering a nasty sprain to his left ankle.  The diagnosis was "severe," x-rays were inconclusive (beyond the notion that it indeed was an ankle), and Brown will undergo more tests tomorrow, including a CT scan. 

For those who missed it, Kwame Brown turned his left ankle over in the third quarter, and was down on the court for a while before being helped to the locker room.  The initial diagnosis was a severe sprain, and x-rays were inconclusive.  He'll undergo more tests, including a CT scan, tomorrow.  But it doesn't sound as encouraging as "He'll play in the fourth quarter," so keep your fingers crossed. 

BK

BK here.

Oh, it's on, people.  The goal tonight?  A) Avoid consecutive losses to two of the worst teams in basketball, and b) get us out of here at a reasonable hour to enjoy New Year's Eve.  No whistles!

Fantasy update: I've got Iguodala and Dalembert, so if there's a way they can go for a combined 60/30 and have the Lakers still win, I'd appreciate it. I'm really suffering hin that league.  As for real hoops, it'll be interesting to see how the Sixers can take advantage of the Lakers P&R vulnerability, given the roster shakeup, and that Dalembert isn't the greatest player in the league away from the hoop.  And as I type that, they go to the high screen.  The Lakers cut off the roll from Dalembert, but nobody picked up Rodney Carney, who took the pass at the top of the circle and waltzed to the hoop for a dunk. 

Lamar Odom was in the house tonight, chomping on some Starburst- LO's got something of a sweet tooth- and talking about "Knee-Watch '07."  For those banking on a precise one month recovery, I'd say there's no harm in remaining optimistic, but I wouldn't bet your life savings.  For starters, LO doesn't even have a target date set, which really makes wagering on one feel dicey.  "I hope I can be back by then," said Lamar on returning by mid-January. "I'm just trying to work hard so I can come back as soon as possible."  Phil Jackson doesn't want him forcing the issue, an attitude matching Mr. Versatility's.  "I wanna play at 100%.  This is something that I don't want to happen again."  For now, the issue is less about pain and more about mobility, with LO unable to move in whatever desired direction.  Odom's schedule these days is mostly chock full of strengthening exercises, therapy, treatment... not to mention a healthy dose of patience, a necessary virtue for someone determined to "let nature take its course, as far as healing is concerned."

Everything about Friday night's triple OT loss in Charlotte was time consuming, from the game itself to the flight home.  Fortunately- because who knows if they got a good movie on the flight back- there wasn't plenty to talk about, from individual performances to not overreacting to acknowledging that missed opportunities come at a price.  Fortunately, another one comes a knockin' tonight, as the Lakers will host the Sixers, who would likely be celebrating the end of '06 if '07 wasn't shaping up to be equally depressing.  Maybe they need some resolutions to kick things off, because all the numbers point to an L.A. win.  As for the Lakers, will the new year bring a starting gig for Jordan Farmar?  Peter Vescey thinks it needs to bring better D from 24.  We do know it will bring leather.

The warning went out before Friday night's game against Charlotte that it was a letdown waiting to happen.  Replace "let" with "melt," and you get the gist of what happened in L.A.'s 133-124, triple overtime loss to the Bobcats.  Nothing went well for the purple and gold, or certainly not as well as it should have against one of the NBA's worst teams.  They built up a big first quarter lead, then gave it back in the second as Charlotte dropped 42 points on them.  Replace the Bobcats with the Suns, and 42 points still sucks.  That the 'Cats score fewer points a game than all but five NBA teams makes it suckier.  The box score shows the good, the bad, and the ugly (though it really needed a category for "pick and rolls surrendered").  Kobe poured in 58 points (not exactly his first time), but completely dominated the ball and had stretches where it looked like he was determined to play one-on-five.  His is one crowded shot chart.  Kwame Brown had a season high 15 boards, but none after the five minute mark in the third, dropped some critical passes in the third OT, and had some choice words for his teammates afterwards.  And by the way, they gave yet another PG a box to put on the fridge door with a big ol' smiley face sticker on it. 

Anyone miss L.O. yet?  And he's not the only Laker with bruises. 

Who wins ESPN.com's Trimester Awards?

I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but I've seen what happens and it turns out Darth Vader is in fact Luke Skywalker's father.

BK

You know the dillio by now.  If you wanna remain in suspense for the KCAL feed, kill time for an hour (perhaps by writing the station to let them know you hate these delayed broadcasts).  If you're following the action via alternate means, comment away.

AK

The Lakers head into tonight's game against the Bobcats flush with the knowledge that at 3-2, the sky won't fall on their six game road swing.  It could get a lot closer with a loss to one of the league's worst teams, but at worst, a .500 trip means Chicken Little can take the night off.  Still, a win against Charlotte tonight- jealous, like everyone, of L.A.'s primo weather- and Sunday against Philadelphia- they're garbage- would put the Lakers at 21-10 and keep them smack dab among the elite of the W.C.  With that in mind, you'd think P.J. would be all about hosannas and encouraging pats on the back.  Not quite.  Jackson took an opportunity to prod and tweak Vlad Rad, implying NASA has a better shot at communicating the offense to him than he does, then lobbed a volley in the direction of Kwame Brown.

Somebody's gonna be watching him a little Hawks on his NBA League Pass.  Why?  Because my boy now is playing in Atlanta!  Slava Medvedenko is back in the L, kids!

As any regular reader of Lakersblog knows, I am a charter (and perhaps only) member of "The Slava Medvedenko Fan Club."  Love the guy.  I was genuinely bummed out when last season's herniated discs/candy bar-gate led to his untimely waiving.  There may be nobody in league history more capable of providing multiple occasions of sweet shooting and unintentional comedy during the same game.  Hell, sometimes during the same play.  My gut says it's a match made in heaven.  From the bits and pieces I've seen of Atlanta this season, they don't seem to have a particularly strong offensive scheme.  Perfect, since Slava won't bother learning the plays in the first place.  And now that Atlanta has reverted to true form after a hot start, any additional element of watchability would be welcomed.  When it comes to this specific brand of entertainment, unless you're gonna bring up Von Wafer from the NBDL, a stay at Club Med(vedenko) is just what the doctor ordered.  Obviously, the man's shot selection and defense aren't always up to snuff, but it's also borderline impossible to avert your eyes when Slava's on the court.  He's the basketball equivalent of a freeway pileup.

The Lakers have had some mega-third quarters this season, and after they found a bunch of coal in their stocking in Miami, then found themselves down a point at halftime Wednesday night in Orlando, another was badly needed.  Maybe Santa was delayed by all the bad weather over Colorado, but he finally arrived in the form of Smush Parker, who scored 18 of his 20 points in the third during L.A.'s 106-93 win over the Magic.  Granted, after a first half in which he scored only two points and sat in favor of Sasha Vujacic (who had Joel and Stu seemingly ready reserve space in Springfield for him), there was only one direction to go.  Turned out to be nothing one-on-one with Brian Shaw and a perky attitude (it's all relative) couldn't solve.  And while Orlando coach Brian Hill wasn't exactly thrilled that his team let Parker go off, Phil Jackson was happy to take it on a night where Kobe's shooting was off.  Just one more day in P.J.'s season of the unknown.  The box shows help came from other sources too: Andrew Bynum had 13 points in 13 minutes, and Kwame Brown helped hold Dwight Howard under his season averages.  All that now stands in the way of a winning trip for the Lakers are the Bobcats and their .250 winning percentage.

Looking back on it, that 81 thing was pretty impressive. 

Is Ron Ron coming to L.A. or not?  Hard to say at this point, but he'd sure make the Lakers/Clips rivalry- whatever it is- more interesting. 

For those who can't watch a Lakers game without Alan Massengale, here's your thread.

AK

If you want to be kept in suspense until the KCAL broadcast starts, don't read this.  Or turn on a television.  Or the radio.  Or the interweb.  In fact, you might just want to sell the car, quit the job, and lose all modern conveniences like that family did on that TV show. 

We'll have another thread once the picture box starts sending signals from Orlando. 

BK

Never let it be said that Phil Jackson is thin skinned, just as long as the insults coming his way are peppered with historical references.  Make the punchline vaguely educational (although we'll go out on a limb and say Kobe was merely feigning ignorance to avoid the question), and The Master's zen-ful feeling remains intact.  Unfortunately, there's also a losing streak currently intact right now, and that's something Jackson, given his druthers, would change tonight against the Orlando Magic.  Obviously, in facing the folks from Disneyworld, you gotta take into account this cat, who leads the NBA in being a beast on the glass.  If the Lakers plan on winning tonight, someone's gonna need to rip a few loose balls out of Howard's vicinity.  And that won't be easy, considering L.A.'s best challenger in that regard is on the mend.  Maybe they can distract the man-child by acting out a few scenes from "The Lion King."

What's the positive side to yesterday afternoon's 101-85 loss to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day?  It all went down during a day everyone had off from work, meaning they could go nutty drowning their sorrows in eggnog.  The Lakers apparently incorporated that plan yesterday, except the nog swigging went down before the game, which might explain the general ineptness displayed by the Purple and Gold.  That tone was set early by a squad- and Kobe in particular- struggling to put the biscuit in an Buick-sized basket. Some credit for Kobe's misses should go to Dorrell Wright's commendable effort, but the Heat generally turned every Kobe possession into a double or triple team reaction.  And when the low field goal percentage is complimented by a defensive intensity so lacking its miserly nature would inspire Scrooge, the Lakers' chances decrease even that much further. 

I got so involved watching the action I forgot to get this up and running.  But here we go...

AK

Merry Christmas to the blogosphere, whom we imagine aren't nearly as excited to open their presents as they would be to see the Lakers open a can of whup ass on the Miami Heat later today.  The last two seasons, ABC played up the once-igloo frosty relationship between Shaq and Kobe, a unharmonious partnership Bryant- who's grown a lot in the last year- would go back in a time machine and get right (if time machines existed, were available at a good price, got reasonable gas mileage, etc.).  But since the two now get along (although the same may not be said much longer about the injured O'Neal and the coach he once referred to as his second pops figure), the focus has now shifted to a tangle between the league's two most exciting guards, Robert Hite and Shammond Williams.  Or Kobe and Dwyane Wade, depending on your taste in hoop (and killer instincts).  We doubt anyone reading this post needed much more arm twisting to flip on the TV, but there are bonus incentives to induce viewing as well.  And hey, lest you forget, because to do so would be pathetically reasonable, the Miami Heat are your defending NBA champs, so they bring that cache-lite to the proceedings.

And finally, the K Brothers would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of the legendary James Brown.  We've both been huge Godfather of Soul fans since high school, so it's a sad day for us, and music in general, including hip hop, which 99.9% of NBA players listen to religiously.  The genre wouldn't exist without James Brown.  Simple as that.

I've never met Santa Claus.  I don't profess to know how the brother operates.  I'm in no way qualified to horn in on his gig.  On top of everything, I'm Jewish.  But when it came to figuring out what gifts I'd give this year's Lakers squad were I equipped with a sleigh, some reindeer and a pint of bourbon to combat that nippy air, I bravely channeled my inner Kris Kringle and cranked out a list of suitable goodies for your 2006-2007 roster.    

Kwame Brown - A season-long case of rabies.  An admittedly extreme way of turning this guy into that proverbial "junkyard dog," but everyone's been dying for Kwame to find his mean streak, especially on the boards.  Sometimes you gotta think outside the box.  I imagine even Tim Duncan would think twice about entering the paint when his opponent's mouth is foaming.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  Know what else isn't stirring?  Any sense of lingering rivalry between now "cool with each other" Kobe and Shaq (although Bryant may find himself feuding with Gilbert Arenas soon enough), but that hasn't stopped ABC from rehashing old drama and broadcasting the third annual "Lakers v. Heat" holiday tradition.   The fact that Kobe will apparently never get to spend a holiday alone with his family is probably reason enough for him to regret that he and The Diesel could never work it out.  Granted, the guy is more than happy to spread a little festivity to strangers this time of year.  But still, it would probably be nice to have the day off.  Then again, competing on X-Mas Day is probably more pleasant for the New Jack Bauer than perusing these letters praising the Lakers D.

If you're a member of "KG Addicts Anonymous" and can't make your meeting today, just read this.

Our Times colleague Steve Springer got some chat time with Mitch Kupchak.

Found this surfing around today, talking about Orlando's Dwight Howard and his impressive ability to play 36+ minutes of Windex ball a night.  At 12.7 boards a night, he leads the NBA.  That's on top of scoring 17 a game.  At 6'11", 240, Howard and Kwame Brown are about the same size (Kwame's actually a little bigger, and likely stronger, too).  Yet Howard eats glass as well or better than everyone in the league.

Wanna know why Kobe Bryant is a reaaaaaaaalllllllly good player?  Because even when a swarming New Jersey defense and an even swarming-er (Lakers Blog like to make up adjectives) upper respiratory infection can keep him from being a lethal scoring machine, they can't keep him from being a distributor extraordinaire.  And such was the story during last night's 99-95 win over the Nets.  The New Jack Bauer may have been illing, but his teammates weren't, which is why Kobe kept feeding them the rock, tallying 11 dimes to go with his 21 points.  Kobe was also wise enough to recognize his sickness-stricken limits and gave a thumbs up to Mo Evans guarding Vince Carter down the stretch, a move that paid dividends for the Lake Show.  Safe to say he did a better job shadowing VC than either Sam Cheng or Cheick Samb could have.  And for the second game in a row, the second unit came on strong, equaling, if not straight up outplaying, their first string teammates.  In particular, Andrew Bynum- who was likely geeked to play in front of his peeps- was mighty good (despite a few turnovers), dominating the center's minutes in the box score once again.  And for the first time since 1965, Phoenix lost a game, which means the Lakers are now this much closer to regaining the Pacific division.

Know who really didn't have fun during the Lakers win?

... And I didn't even see the end of the game due to KCAL's broadcast snafu, in lieu of offering yet another summary of this 99-95 win over the Nets, I'm gonna leave everyone with three thoughts from Mom.

"That Mikki Moore looks like half a spider."
                                                              - On Moore's gangly build

"Mikki Moore has the wussiest hair I've ever seen on a professional athlete."

"If he went on "What's My Line," and said his name, they'd guess he was a composer."
                                                              - On Vladimir Radmanovic

Honestly, BK and I have no idea how she hasn't stolen this gig from us.  She comes up better stuff  without even trying than we could drum up with a gun to our heads.

Enjoy your weekend.

AK

The good thing is that I didn't make this whole thing much more complicated than need be.  But my heart was in the right place, so what are you gonna do... aside root for a Lakers win.

AK

From Laker Tom

"You should put up two threads: real time blog and tape delayed blog.  Then the posters who want to watch the tape delay can have their own "semi-live" blog."

Proof that Tom actually thinks about matters other than Jordan Farmar.  Excellent suggestion!  So here's the deal.  If you're watching on the East Coast, following online, or just don't give a crap about being surprised when the KCAL feed starts, here's where to leave comments.  Blab away!

SPOLIER ALERT!!! If you wanna remain in suspense, don't read the comments here.  They will ruin everything for you!  Consider yourself warned! 

AK

As most of you are aware, KCAL is showing tonight's game against the Nets on a one hour broadcast delay, meaning the 4:30 PST tip won't be shown until 5:30 in the Southland.  And since I presume that's the feed most of y'all will be watching, I don't want those with enough restraint to avoid checking the score on the web to have any surprises ruined if they drop by for a game thread.  Thus, I won't post any comments revealing such info during that 60 minute limbo. 

I know that may be a drag for folks either watching the game on the East Coast or who simply follow the game online, but this seems like the best compromise to allow the majority of readership to enjoy the in-game blogging experience.  Hope that's cool with y'all.

AK 

First, a link that may very well be a topic of debate for much of the day.  Moving on...

Normally, when the Lakers head on the road to take on a first place squad, as a fan you might smile and things like, "It's unrealistic to expect to win this one!" or "Wow, what a quality opponent, I sure hope they play well!" or "That darn schedule maker!"  This is not one of those times.  Friday night, the Lakers will take on a New Jersey Nets squad that indeed holds the top spot in the Atlantic Division, because mathematically, someone has to.  At 11-14 Jersey hardly qualifies as a juggernaut.  It's hard to picture a team with J. Kidd, Vinsanity, and Richard Jefferson (to go along with the smooth game of Bostjan Nachbar) struggling all season- Kobe has seen this from them before- but for the time being, they're just an ordinary Eastern Conference team (as most are, at best, by definition) with an 8-8 home record.  At least they're not the Knicks. 

Shock and awe.  That about describes the experience watching what went down in Wednesday night's 111-94 win over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis.  Although trying to figure out which was which isn't exactly a cakewalk.  The play of the Lakers, and particularly the first unit, in a half where they surrendered 57 points, seemingly all on uncontested layups?  That was shocking.  As was a 30-18 T-Wolves Q3, at the end of which they were shooting over 60%.  Then there was the absolutely dominating 34-7 fourth quarter in which Kobe scored all of one point while (enter the awe) the second unit went bonkers.   Led by Mo Evans, Vlad Radmanovic, and Andrew Bynum, the reserves patched up a bleeding batch of starters and carried L.A. home.  As for the coaching staff, they seemed shocked and awed when it was over.  Looks like Phil Jackson picked a good time to challenge his bench. It was a box score unlikely to look like too many more through the rest of the season. 

Second unit, that is.  The Lakers spent the first half scoring and getting scored upon, pouring 59 points on the Timberwolves but sleeping at the switch defensively to the tune of 57 Minnesota tallies.  Many could have been converted by either K Brother... and that is not a compliment, considering neither of us is particularly consistent making the uncontested layups the Wolves were being presented on a silver platter.  The third quarter started out business as usual in that regard, until Andrew Bynum was inserted for a little shot altering. Then came Sasha Vujacic, Maurice Evans and Jordan Farmar, all hell bent on cranking up the D and cutting a deficit that had at one point reached 15.  The fourth quarter rolled around, Vlad Radmanovic joined the party, and the Lakers eventually squared things up at 91 on a Mo Evans jumper.  From there, it was all Lake show points and stops, with Kobe and Smush the only starters coming back in to ice the 111-94 victory.  Whoever doesn't love a box score with 51 bench points, I'm taking off my holiday shopping list, because that dude or dame is apparently impossible to please.

All that and Cat Stevens doing his best Tony Manero.  Sadly enough, that may have actually been his best.

AK

   

The good news, at least for tonight, is that A.I. ended up in Denver, not Minnesota.  The bad news?  That the Wolves didn't pick him up might tick off Garnett, who might take it out on the purple and gold.  Tough assignment, on the second night of a back to back.  C'mon, gentlemen, prove me wrong.

BK

As we all settle down for a breakfast of four fried chickens, dry white toast and a Coke, consider: There's no rule in the NBA that says the team that controls most of the game wins, only the one with the most points at the end.  Last night, at least, that was a shame for the Lakers, who had the game in hand for 2 2/3 quarters before it got away in a 94-89 loss to the Bulls at Chicago's United Center.  A weekend of overtimes turned fatigue into a major factor, as was a tough Bulls D that made life tough on Kobe Bryant.  Joliet prison tough.  But the Lakers hardly played the fourth like they were on a mission from God, repeatedly getting burned on screen and rolls by Michael Sweetney and failing to get back what was earlier theirs.  There were some positives, namely Smush Parker and Kwame Brown, who responded well to Jackson's request to be "productive" with 18/12.  But as the box score shows, he didn't make a three pointer... and only had three fewer than his teammates.  A problem since they launched 19 (16% don't get it done, boys).   

... is where it started falling apart.  I mean, literally, with about 4 minutes left in those particular 12 minutes (which, for the math-impaired, equals a third), the Bulls began systematically chipping away at a long sustained Lakers lead, eventually putting themselves in the driver's seat for a 94-89 win over L.A.  Save a layup by Kwame Brown (part of a pretty solid 18/12), the Lakers failed to convert a single field goal during those 240 seconds in question.  Meanwhile, the Bulls spent that same time period sinking just about everything and building up a deuce-sized advantage they never relinquished from there on out.

The Lakers have yet to win a game since Allen Iverson was traded to the Nuggets.  Tonight, they look to change that.

AK

At long last, after 24 games and about seven weeks, the Lakers are heading off on a real, live, legitimate road trip.  Six games over eleven days (twelve, if you count yesterday's travel day).  Not too extreme- only one back to back- but considering how things have become a lil' discombobulated without L.O., there are more than enough challenges to go around.  Start with the squads they'll face.  Tonight and tomorrow against Chicago and Minnesota, two teams that don't suck a) nearly as much (Bulls) or quite as much (Wolves) as they did in visits to Staples during November.  After that, it's four against the E.C.  The dank, cold, depressing E.C.  (I hope everyone got flu shots, because I hear those teams are contagious.)  Still, nothing comes easy on the road, and the Lakers will have to be better than they were this weekend against Houston and Washington to win games.  P.J. says success is a 3-3 trip, or better.  Will they get there?

In the words of the great Hammer, break it down:

The Nuggets, in need of a star player for the next 15 games or so, won the Allen Iverson sweepstakes.  A.I., and perhaps a couple of low salary types, will head to Denver in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round picks, projected to be somewhere in the 20s.  Many draftniks say this year's crop should be good, so those picks could yield higher caliber players than a similar slot in '06. Not a horrible return... but I doubt they're popping champagne corks in Philly, either. 

I think the Clips missed the boat on this one.  Only time will tell. 

BK

The Lakers kick off their first genuine bring-the-big-bag, "what city are we in now?" long haul road trip of the season tonight in Chicago against a Bulls team that has come long way since their Nov. 20 visit to Staples.  They've won four straight, nine of ten, and are 10-2 at home.  It helps that Ben Wallace has gone all Ben Wallace on the league, averaging over 16 boards a game in his last six.  Still, Chicago is well aware of how well Kobe is playing, and the performance of the purple and gold in general (it's all about trust).  For the Lakers to succeed on the trip will take a dose of defense and the Nancy Reagan treatment on threes (Just say no!) to prevent the offensive imbalance of Sunday's loss to Washington.  Except for maybe this guy, since it's his M.O.

The Wizards wore quasi-ABA jerseys and both teams ran up a genuinely ABA score.  Reports of defensive minded fans nationwide slipping into shock induced comas are rampant.  Gilbert Arenas scored 60, Kobe put in 45, Vlad Rad finally blew up, and I can now, having seen her up close, confirm that Britney seems to have washed off the creepy, gold digging aura of K-Fed.  You go girl.  Those were just a few of the many highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective) from Sunday night's game.  But wait, there's more!  There was the decision to keep Kobe on Arenas after picking up his fifth (AK is still in the corner, rocking back and forth, saying, "Why?  Why?"), Sasha Vujacic seeing over 13 minutes of action in Q4 and OT, the disparity in fouls, and a record setting night for Laker three point hucking. Still, for many, the big topic come Monday morning was Kobe's postgame comments about Arenas. 

Damn!

The lesson here?  Don't fight.  Like... ever.  Were I an NBA player, I'd have second thoughts about playing this video game or watching this movie.  I wouldn't even risk a spirited thumb wrestling match.  It's just not worth it, man!

I also wonder how the Knicks will handle that one game without the services of Mardy Collins and Jerome James.  Back to the ol' drawing board for Isaiah.

Just curious.  Does everyone think these suspensions were fair?  Too much?  Too little?  And why?

AK

Perhaps the Lakers have gotten overly self conscious about their exorbitant ticket prices, so they've made a point of providing extra roundball for the folks dishing out the bucks.  After giving Friday's crowd 10 extra minutes of game, they followed suit with five more last night.  Unfortunately, they didn't remember that a) They were playing the Wizards, who shouldn't push anyone to OT while outside the confines of D.C. and b) Fans only like bonus entertainment if it leads to very specific result.  Therefore, Lakers fans don't necessarily get a "money's worth" feeling after a 147-141 loss.  Well, unless they also define "economic" as "My Lakers lost, but I got to see them chuck a bunch of 3's, plus Wizards PG Gilbert Arenas set a franchise scoring record, so that was kinda cool." 

Although I'm sure fans would have taken the Lakers winning this one and using up a second of their nine overtime lives.  But alas, 'twas not meant to be, and the Lakers walk away with nothing but a bad 147-141 loss against a Wizards team that's now won their 3rd roadie. 

What went wrong? Well, for starters, the only thing more wide open than the buttons on Britney Spears' shirt was the Lakers D. The defensive schemes that got Donald Rumsfield fired were more sound than those displayed by the purple and gold. When the Lakers did provide stops (again, something of a rare occurrence), the effort typically came accompanied by a foul, which sent the Wizards to the line a whopping 60 times. Obviously, the furious comeback and heart that propelled the Lakers into OT bears mention. But you'd also rather avoid such tight games against sub-par squads in the first place, lest you have to tell yourself, "too little, too late."

Can someone explain to me why Kobe was guarding Arenas with five fouls?  Because I really don't get it.*

More to come later.  (AND NOW ADDED, AFTER THE JUMP)

AK

It's AK in the first.  Blame him if things go wrong.

First Quarter

We're seated next to Vic the Brick, donning the most unusual of holiday lids.  It's a Santa hat, but the white pom pom is at the end of a red spring coming up from the head's base.  If anyone's curious, we'll ask Vic if he's feelin' you at the moment.

9:04 - Vlad misses badly on a three.  He's had a few high arching treys not go down, although he's at least made up for it by cutting to the rack for a couple buckets.   

7:30 - Smush drains the mid range jumper.  It'll be interesting seeing if/how he can take the momentum from Friday's night's terrific overtime showing into today's game.  It's one thing to wreak havoc when you're guarding Rafer Alston.  It's another when matched against Gilbert Arenas.

An update - I just asked Vic.  He's feeling all of you and "the vibration is very strong."

Here's your Sunday beard update:

Vlad Radmanovic- Neatly trimmed
Brian Cook- Stubble growing, perhaps in anticipation of a cold trip back to the midwest and east coast
Mo Evans- Clean shaven

Moving along, Phil Jackson said before the game that this Washington bunch is one that's pretty dynamic offensively, with their three headed monster of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jameson, and Caron Butler (what, no love for Donell Taylor?).  "They're really aggressive to score, and have a great offense to work with those kind of aggressive scorers.  They play their defense to get out and run and get those guys out on the break, and they all have mobility to make it difficult to guard them in any one particular place on the floor."  Download phil_jackson_12.17 on Wizards offense.mp3

Heading into tonight's game against Washington (where former Laker Caron Butler is thriving), the glow is still there from Friday night's double OT, comeback extravaganza. Unfortunately, among the many numbers Kobe posted, there's one worrisome mark that sticks out.  54.  That would be the number of minutes he played, on the heels of 43 and 44 minute efforts.  That's more than Phil Jackson wants.  Kobe says he's fine, but P.J. doesn't want to "extend" him that far.  That's a pretty easy strategy to devise with L.O. out of the lineup, but it's likely not the only idea bouncing around Jackson's head.  There's always something. Like relieving Kwame Brown's free throw jitters before the Hack-a-Kwame becomes the rage of the holiday season. 

What's already got everyone talking?  How about the A.I. sweepstakes, now joined by the 'Melo Suspension Watch/Continuing Disintegration of the Knicks after Saturday night's Garden brawl.

Read closely, and you'll see a little bit of Lakers Blog in this interview with Kareem.

And finally, Roland Lazenby's latest entry from the always entertaining Lakernoise blog.

The Lakers didn't need the Elias Sports Bureau to tell them that Yao Ming has been ballin' large of late, and the Rockets didn't need this chart to tell them that Kobe can make it rain.  But just in case the rest of us have been living under rocks, the two went off in L.A.'s wild, 112-101 double OT win Friday night at Staples.  In the end, Bryant's 53/10/8 trumped Yao's 35/15/4, and a career high eight blocks, though it took a while to get there.  Early on, L.A. looked more like roadkill, as Houston scored at will to build a 21 point lead.  But just as Houston made a run at the purple and gold during L.A.'s win in Houston Tuesday night, the Lakers- okay, Kobe- yanked themselves off the mat and pulled it out.  The box score reveals 24 did get a little help, namely from Smush Parker, whose eight fourth quarter points (and cheerful attitude) helped push the game to overtime.  They were also helped by another killer Q3, and a Hack-a-Kwame strategy that went a little haywire on Jeff Van Gundy inside the final minute of regulation.  It didn't hurt either that the refs kept Yao off the free throw line... according to Yao. 

Anyone want to argue that the Lakers don't have a flair for the dramatic?  Friday night, national television audience, luminaries like the Carl Weathers in the crowd, and they come out flatter than man's conception of the earth before Columbus- that's very flat (and full of dragons, by the way)- before cranking it up in their 112-101 win at Staples.  As Dickens might have said if he covered basketball, it was a tale of two halves.  And an overtime. Then another.  (Considering how much tickets cost, ten minutes of free basketball is a good thing.)   It just didn't look all that good at the start.  But down by six after the first and eighteen at the half, the Lakers ditched the "Let Houston Shoot 60% From the Floor" strategy that quite frankly failed them in the first half and clamped down in the second, holding Houston to thirteen in the third and cutting the lead to six. 

From there, in game 2 3/4 without L.O., Kobe basically put the the Lakers on his back and carried them home.  53/10/8, and intensity that lit up guys like Smush Parker in the fourth and Brian Cook in OT.   The second extra period was all Lakers and 24.  Kobe dropped seven of L.A.'s thirteen points, and stuck about two hundred forks into the Rockets until they were officially done.  Big win, with everyone contributing something in the end. 

Much more on the game to come. 

BK

BK here to open the first.  Tonight's game, I have a feeling, will be Lakertastic!

10:33- Kwame blocks Yao.  Dude, you're 7'6". Your shot should never get blocked.  Yao reciprocates on the other end with a block on Radmanovic. 

9:20- Vlad posts up Chuck Hayes, it looks like, and get the easy bucket.  If they have that mismatch for the rest of the night, it'll be one worth going after. 

His nickname for ESPN, the carrier of tonight's action: Especially Slow Programming Network.

He'll be here all week, folks!  The 10 o'clock show is completely different from the 7:30 show!  And don't forget about Leslie!  She's working hard bringing you drinks!

Twenty-two games in.  One quarter of the season gone.  And just as I predicted*, the Lakers are 15-7 and battling the good-again Suns for the lead in the Pacific.  Refusing to give in to a rocky preseason filled with more bruises than a barrel of month old apples, the purple and gold have been golden delicious, taking care of business in a home heavy early season stretch, while staying afloat on the road.  Statistically, there's a lot to be happy about.  This year's squad has a higher point differential, field goal percentage and differential and averages more assists and blocks per game than the '05-'06 version.  Yeah, they turn the ball over too much and have been weaker on the glass (though you can argue that there are fewer boards to go around, since they're shooting at a higher percentage), just to name a couple rough spots.  And you can rightly point out that through 22 games, stats both positive and negative are misleading because of who the Lakers have seen on the schedule, where they've played, and the number of injuries they've dealt with.  Not to mention a small sample size.  No worries.  The bottom line is the one stat that matters- wins vs. losses- is strongly in the Lakers favor thus far.  And you really don't need stats to look at this bunch and see that it's a better group than a year ago.

*No need to look this up.  Just take my word for it.

For the second consecutive time, the Lakers will likely take the court against a Houston Rockets team without Tracy McGrady.  Good thing, too, for the purple and gold, because Houston is bringing along Greg Anthony's quarter pole MVP (feel free to vent).  Of course, the Lakers are missing Lamar Odom, who isn't happy to be on crutches, but knows in more ways than one, things can be worse.  For Kwame Brown, however, things can and hopefully will get better, and Phil Jackson may help him get there.  Maybe then he'll be an All Star, as Kobe looks likely to be.  Again. 

Another guy looking for the proverbial reversal of fortune?  How about Paul Sunderland, who is currently traveling the nether regions of sports broadcasting.  Not so for Bill Walton, who will be courtside tonight speaking in long, elliptical, hyperbolic sentences for ESPN. 

And it wouldn't be a Friday in the NBA without some A.I. talk.  To the Lakers?  How about the Nuggets or T-Wolves?

We hope Luke Walton can make rent.

I figured we could use something to contemplate besides LO's knee, and I'd been planning on revisiting this oldie-but-goodie topic, anyway.  Plus, the Dallas game featured nice moments and gaffes from both players in question, which kind of makes it all interesting again.

Anyhoo...

"Smush Parker vs. Jordan Farmar as starting PG" has remained a source of discussion among the Lakersblog faithful throughout the course of these 22 games.  For some, the topic hit a fever pitch about before the rookie even played a minute in the LBC, much less against a real deal NBA squad.  To a large degree, the fervor this subject inspires is somewhat ironic (if still lively and interesting), considering it's more a lesser of two evils debate than "Steve Nash vs. Chris Paul: Who ya got?"  When you really get down to the nitty gritty, neither is ideal.  All kidding (and Laker love) aside, on how many teams would you push for Smush or Farmar to begin a game?  I thought it over and came up with three possibilities.

Okay, so here's the deal.  Dallas is one of the league's elite teams.  The Lakers were on their floor.  In the second night of a back to back, no less.  It's a game that easily could have been lost, even if Lamar Odom wasn't lost for the next four weeks (and only four, hopefully).  But Wednesday night's 110-101 defeat at the hands of the Mavericks did show what the Lakers will miss without L.O. in the lineup.  First, the Lakers had nobody to cover Dirk- or anyone apparently, as the Mavs shot an obscenely robust 60 percent from the floor.  They missed his assists, managing only 14 for the game, and his presence on the boards, where Dallas hammered them 39-31.  (Granted, they also shot 60 percent, so there wasn't much glass to clean.)  All of that makes the numbers contained herein seem downright scary. 

The Lakers have yet to lose a game while playing without Lamar this season.  Here's to keeping the streak alive.

AK

More official word has come in regarding Lamar Odom's knee.  If you're the type that marks off days on the calender with a big red "X," make sure there's enough ink in that Sharpie to get you through the next thirty days.  Truth be told, you might even need an extra pen, but keep them fingers crossed for the time being.

As BK (among others) has already noted, the team will need to collectively pull up its boot straps, because it ain't a walk in the park replacing the production of LO.  In my opinion, as I've said many times over, when it comes to the Lakers' ultimate success or failure, as Lamar Odom goes, so goes the team.  Kobe Bryant is about as dependable an NBA player as they come, so you know what you're getting when he laces up the Nikes, which makes him more an ace than X-Factor.  LO is the latter. 

BK and I both figured that Lamar and Kobe, both O.G.'s of various ouchies, couldn't possibly get through this season as injury-free as both managed last season.  It often sucks being right.  It's very fortunate the Lakers took advantage of their home heavy early schedule, racking up surplus W's they may need in case of a rainy day.  Hopefully, the upcoming month or so will amount to a light drizzle rather than a straight up monsoon. 

And hey, should Lakers fans end up looking back on a monumental 30 days worth of mostly continual sunshine, then don some shades, people!  Because them's a bright future indeed.

AK

Phil Jackson, ever the pessimist, says it could be a month or so.  Lamar Odom, ever the optimist, says it could be a couple of weeks.  Either way, because of L.O.'s sprained knee, the Lakers are going to have to win some games without him.  Now, you don't just replace the 17.5/8.7/4.9 he's been posting this season with a wave of the hand, but the good news is this injury, which could have relegated the Lakers to the lottery last year, can be weathered this season.  First of all, the Lakers have built up a nice little cushion by starting 15-6.  More importantly, they go deeper this season than a year ago.  It may be unrealistic to expect .714 ball without Odom and playing a road heavy schedule, but there's also no reason to throw in the towel, eithe