Yao-ch!

Bk

I thought i was going to beat you guys to the punch with this one lol...I feel bad for them tho, that is a tough break. No Yao means no shot in hell in this conference!

Mutombo is still a solid backup center, but I don't see how they can make the playoffs with Yao in this conference. They're only the 7th seed right now.

I feel really bad for Yao and Rockets. I guess that's the season there for Rockets..

I've been googling for some news, but I can't still find when he injured himself?
Any idea bloggers, AK/BK?

Yao-ch is an understatement. I really feel bad for the Rockets because I really like it when teams are at full strength to make the stretch run and the postseason more exciting. I would have to say that the Rockets are just as snakebitten if not more than the Lakers because either Yao or McGrady seems to have been injured the last 3 years. The Rockets still have the ancient Mutombo, but will be hard pressed to make the playoffs in the ultra competitive West.

Houston was shaping up to be one of those dangerous dark horse teams that would've been a serious threat to any of the other contenders. Now a weaker teams such as Denver and GS may sneak in if Houston falters without their star center which in my opinion weakens the playoff race a little. I believe the Rockets would've given any of the top 4 seeds a tougher time than either the Nuggets or the Warriors would(just my opinion). There will still be great matchups come playoff time, but the Rockets would've been intriguing. Some team(s) are breathing a deep sigh of relief right now.

Go Lakers!!!

Bad for them. Good for us.

GO LAKERS!

This is just tragic. I feel so bad for Rockets fans who seem to run into season-ending injury problems every year.

I'm also disappointed that we won't be able to see the Rockets make a run in the playoffs. I think they're such an exciting team, and it would have been a great matchup had the Lakers (or any other power team in the West) faced them.

feel bad for Yao.. what an eventful season this has been.

Man,

Too bad Yao is injury prone. I myself, share the same injury prone type body. Sympathy and Empathy here. Sigh...

Wounded warrior
The tallest tree has fallen
Opening the view

GO LAKERS!

Too bad for Yao and the Rockets. Their win streak have been impressive. Hope for the best for Yao.

It just goes to show how valuable each and every player is on a team, from 1st to 15th. A team need solid players to contend, not just one star or two, or a "big" three. All the players are important. That's what make this Laker team deadly. That's why the people around the league raised their collective eyebrows when the young guys started to emerge at the start of the season, add the fact that a fundamentally sound big came in to replace a non-factor in Kwame.

The Lakers became a complete team, from top to bottom. Hence the talk that they're the team to beat. Some pundits are playing it safe by saying that the Lakers need this post season to learn and that next year they'll dominate. What they fail (or refuse) to see is that this team has already set their sight on one goal. Not to beat the Suns, not to get to the second round BUT to play in the Finals, and for a chance to win the ultimate prize.

Forget everything you read about the Lakers this, and the Lakers that... Try looking at each and every player on the team. How they play on the court. The hunger in their eyes. The confidence in their answers. That would be more than enough to know that the Lakers are for real. They will not let anyone stand in their way.

They're taking it a game at a time, and so should we. By June, it will be time for us to celebrate (peacefully, I might add).

GO LAKERS!!!

Yao-ch!

That's a pretty clever headline, especially considering this is breaking news. I thought for sure it would take you guys several days and late nights to come up with something so catchy.

Charles,

Being a relative noob to the blog (home, at last), I'm unaware of the backstory but I have gathered that you are laid up. Wha happan?

Jon,

The haiku is back! Sweet. Way to incorporate the naturalistic reference, btw. ;-)

But I feel bad for Yao. On a positive note, Big Z was famous for having similar issues and he's become quite the consistent force in his later years so maybe Yao will be able to turn the corner.

Jon K.

Nice haiku did you make that up?

Unfortunately, I anticipate a spate of cheesy articles entitled "Houston we have a problem" from the media cohort. How about, "Sea minerals for Yao?".

AK/BK, nice title..."Yoa-ch."

that's a shame for the Rockets. hopefully Yao would still be able to play in the olympics.

That sucks for the Rockets..and personally I am in the old school of thought that you WANT to face ALL teams at full strength...no excuses, no whinning, no ifs ands or buts....

I hope Yao recovers from this quickly.

But yah the Rockets are done.

Yikes. Well, hopefully he finds someone other than Mihm's foot guy to take care of it.

Wow, we aren't the only team out there with injury problems. Think if Bynum's injury had occured on this side of the trading deadline instead of before it... We'd have no Pau and no chance at the championship. As it is we're the favorites.

We classy Laker fans sincerely wish you a speedy recovery, Yao.

SO WHO IS MBENGA GONNA GUARD??!

Seriously, we can expect the Rockets to fall out of the playoff picture. This moves the Warriors up to 7th seed, and makes the Blazers (or the Rockets, assuming they survive post-Yao) our possible first-round matchup.

I like.

GO LAKERS!!!

Good Morning Charles---Good Morning everyone....

Today for no apparent reason I want to relay some of my personal superstitions and wonder if any of you have your own rituals etc.

Phil Jackson said on Leno once that having superstitions can be quite a burden--though I hope I don't believe in this stuff too much, there is always that lingering thought hanging out there....

First of all, any athlete or spectator should know what a sports curse is--more or less it's when someone says one thing the exact opposite will likely happen---I don't know what the percent of this is (Mike T could probably work up a study report in a few months) but it sure seems like it happens a lot.

A great example of this is during the World Series with the Dodgers (who I hated) were playing the Yankees in the 80's sometime--the game was on the radio at my work with all the Dodger fans (who I also hated) ferverently listening and the announcer says something like "this guy hasn't hit a home run since 1973"... CRACK!
Yankees (who I could care less about--as well as baseball in general) win the game.

The sports curse thing is the reason in show biz they say "break a leg" before a show---that's actually the reverse curse (don't talk about it)

An example of the reverse curse (don't talk about it) is our fellow blogger Never, who always predicts a loss---he really wants us to win and is using the reverse curse (don't talk about it) to get us a win---the reason you can't talk about it is if you do, the reverse curse doesn't work--so ....don't talk about it....

A great example of a reverse curse is in one of the Laker-Celtic Finals---with the game and series on the line, toward the end of a game in Boston, Danny Ainge is at the line for a pair of free throws that would probably ice the game---just before he shoots Chick says "Ainge is an excellent free thrower, he's always been an excellent free thrower" CLANK CLANK---Kareem gets fouled and sinks his and we win.

Make no mistake about it Chick did that on purpose (don't talk about it)---Chick really learned his lesson with those Magic Johnson hamburger free throws "he's not missing these-if he misses these I'll buy everyone a hamburger" how many of your got your hamburger?

And most announcers know the deal too--you will hear Stu and Joel joke about it as well as other announcers too---and anytime they say "he's perfect from the line" CLANK---that word "perfect" is a real killer.

Whenever an anouncer, or someone in your vecinity says a sports curse--you better do a reverse curse (don't talk about it) to conteract it----at least knock on some wood for Chick's sake!

And just like the blogger who says everytime he TIVO's the games the Lakers lose (hey buddy don't TIVO the games please)---anytime a phone rings just before the game or in the early stages and I answer it the Lakers lose--I don't answer the phone anymore before a game....

I have also assertained that my living room is some kind of conduit--the center of the Laker universe---if I can find the right chair, the right position to sit in and hold that position throughout the game Lakers win--it's as simple as that. The problem is that each game the chair/location and position is different and I have to find it before it's too late. Unfortunately sometimes I can never find "it" and I can feel that I can't find "it" and we lose. Sometimes I have to keep changing during the game to keep counteracting the other guys runs. I have litterally been unable to walk or move, many of my limbs and appendages numb and cramped, after many a Laker victory. There are some games where I know I really don't have to do the position thing or at least not as serious--I just have the feeling we will win I guess.

Speaking of runs---talk about the sports curse thing---ever notice when a team goes on a run and either the announcers and /or a graphic will come up "Lakers on a 10-0 run" SWISH, the other team scores---I hate when they do that for our team (Stu should know better)--and I am urging they do it sooner than later to the other team...

In 1987 Lakers were in Boston for the finals---as the game progressed I figured out that during the commercials if I walked around a certain pattern around my living room and was sitting back down in my chair by the time the game was back on. we did well---well you can give me a lot of the credit for Magic's BABY HOOK---oh yeah.

I used to think I was a little crazy--but after mentioning that to my friend, he told me for that same game him and his 4 friends formed a circle with their heads together and spun around---BABY HOOK---oh yeah.

So I have hinted how bizzare I may be and the guantlet is thrown---what's your superstions... lucky socks---lucky underwear????

GO LAKERS!

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7839988/On-the-
Mark:-Kobe-has-a-chance-to-shine-

That's it! If this is what qualifies as 'sports writing' in today's world, I'm quitting my job and tossing my hat in the ring. I don't understand how such drivel ever gets past the editors of any publication. Seriously, it would be like waking up to read the blog and finding out that the K Bros had been permanently replaced by Mike T and Gunner. Even as skewed as their perpectives are, they're far better researched than Kriegel. Will it ever get past 'mean old Kobe made Dr. Buss trade good guy Shaq'? You can't write an article on a national level regarding the Lakers without the following Kobe Cliches:

* He doesn't make his teammates better

* Kobe constantly demanded to be traded over the off season

* Kobe singlehandedly blew the series versus the Pistons

* Kobe is a ballhog

* Kobe was too selfish to co-exist with Shaq

* The pressure of winning a championship without Shaq will get to Kobe

* Kobe drowned three Black Lab puppies in the fountain at the Fashion Island Mall - I've seen the clip on YouTube

Let's just make up a mad-libs template and e-mail to guys like Kriegel, Mariotti, Vecsey, Plaschke and Simers. Perhaps they'll have more time to actually go and do some research if we do their jobs for them.

Seriously, AK/BK - you should take heart in knowing that you are both a googleplex more times the journalists than that list of bozos I just mentioned.

OWWW Ming.....

Too bad, but like many posters - not toooo many shed tears.

Charles - sounds like you're needing a full-body replacement - notice I didn't also include the brain! That seems to be working just fine - LOL.

Jon K - hurray for the haiku! Here's one for you (but not as good):

Yao down by a foot
Championship dreams holding
Sky again next year

Floyd,

Howdy!!!

I feel for the Rockets fans. We all know how it feels for an injury to decimate a team. What must really hurt was the fact that they were playing great. 12 wins in a row, then this. Back breaker.

Floyd - no superstitions here - just an all-abiding confidence in our boys. We are EXACTLY where we want to be, and I'm quite sure nothing any of us (or the announcers) say or do will make one bit of difference.
Come on man - get out of the dark ages - come into the light!! LOL!!
GO LAKERS!

Everyone is saying the feel for the ROCKETs as the true competive fans that we happen to be. But to FLIP ISH up for a moment, do any of YOU BELIEVE they WANT BYNUM back in our lineup in the next couple weeks, that they didn't smile to themselves when he went out with an injury just as we were on the cusp of becoming a very good team?? And the we lost Trevor and then Kobe gets the mangle finger?? I dont think any of these NBA teams felt that way. Nobody wants to see an injury happen especially to great but they know that's the part of the biz. On the real, they are not in the business to care. They are in the business to WIN and if that opponent happens to be shorthanded, hell, that is just added leverage to lay the smack down..

Hopefully Yao gets better but hell, i am a Lakers fan so part of me is feeling a little better about the championship possibilities..