ex,

“Bynum at 80% would not help at all. He isn't that good yet.”

Neither is ex at 20%. LOL.

That was not one of your finer statements, ex. Having one of the top three or four centers in the NBA available at 80% (interpreted to mean at less than 100%) to rebound and defend would not help? I respectfully disagree. Drew returning will also have a dramatic “Willis Reed” effect on the team.

We’ll forgive you the occasional blip because we know it’s hard to find something negative to post about the Lakers these days. LOL. It’s like the glass is 80% full all the time now but be patient. We’ll have to consider rebuilding in another 15 or 20 years.

Tom

Man, some of you guys are absolutely ridiculous with the praying to god and the blaming of the medical staff. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who has ever had an injury knows that each individual person is different and healing times have a lot to do with how each persons body heals itself along with the state of the art treatment that the Lakers and every other team in the league invest in. I can't believe some people want to throw Vitti under the bus because our guys seem to heal slow. Bynum had a pretty serious injury and its no surprise he is still out. As for Ariza, it all starts with the foot so you have to get it 100 percent or you are gonna mess up more than just your foot and ruin a career. So pray if you want but I prefer to let the medical team do its thing. For those of you praising dit da jow or whatever that snake oil is called, pull your heads out of your A** and know that if it truly worked everyone would be using it. Its like the f'ing abersizer, you get some fool who ain't a doctor to stand in a labcoat and have some poor fat sap saying how it totally changed their life (anecdotal evidence anyone) and then the masses run and spend thier hard earned money on a piece of fake leather with a vibrator inside...

dit da junk!

Go Lakers!
I'm out

TIME FOR LAKERS TO BE ROAD WARRIORS…

Don’t underestimate home court advantage. Other than the crazy Rockets and Jazz series where the road team has won every game, the rest of the playoffs in the West seem to be redefining the value of home court advantage. The Hornets, Spurs, and Lakers all held serve by winning the first 2 games of their playoff series. Tonight, we’ll see if the Mavs and Suns can win their first playoff game as the series switches to their home courts.

With the best road win-loss record in the West at 27-14, the Lakers will need to focus tomorrow night on putting down the Nuggets. It is the critical game of the series. A win and the Nuggets are finished since no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. A loss denigrates the Lakers first two wins and gives the Nuggets hopes that they can recover and take the series beyond the obligatory 4 games.

The official line, of course, is that the Lakers want to get at least a split in the two games in Denver to go up 3-1. Bull! As Luke aptly pointed out, remember the Suns series two years ago. 3-1 doesn’t mean blip except that you can still lose. The Lakers need to press the issue tomorrow night and put the Nuggets on the brink. It’s great to see Luke getting his game back. It just makes this team even tougher for opponents to match up and play.

I think that Phil, Kobe, Pau, and the rest of the Lakers realize this and will put the pedal to the metal tomorrow night and blow the Nuggets out by 30 with a balanced attack with 7 players in double figures and nobody over 30 points. Look for another 30 assist night as the Lakers continue to show that they are the best passing team in the NBA. Look for the Lakers again to outshoot the Nuggets from the field and from beyond the 3-point line.

Good news for Trevor, who should be able to return and contribute in the Utah series. I look for similar good news within the next couple of weeks that Drew will also soon be getting clearance to play from his doctors, if not for the Utah series, at least for the conference finals. I see a fully healthy roster for the Lakers heading into the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, where we will win our 15th NBA Championship.

Tom

CP3 is crumbling under the pressure of his first road playoff game in Dallas tonight. Credit the Mavs defense tonight so far for holding both Paul and West in check. It's still a tight game late in the fourth quarter so we'll see if the Mavs can put them away. So far game 3 has been tough for those with the 2-0 lead in their respective series. Lakers can buck that trend tomorrow in Denver. Go Lakers!!!

We'll see which team that was up 2-0 has the killer instinct so far. Orlando, Cleveland, Utah and NO have fallen in their game 3's with the Suns/Spurs playing game 3 right now. Hopefully our Lakers will exhibit that killer instinct tomorrow in Denver which I believe they will. Go Lakers!!!

Tony Parker has either scored or assisted on every Spur point so far (18-8 SAS). Remind me not to purchase "Steve Nash's MVP Defense" DVDs

I really think that people overlooked the fact that the Spurs didn't play as well as they could offensively in the first two games and they still won. We'll see if Shaq has passed on any of his playoff mentality to "the best team he's ever played on". We shall see.

Go Lakers!!!

OMG gotta love van gundy yo ... he was like he thinks writers should be tested for drugs ...

lmfao ... finaly someone speaks for us the common man, it's like dudes that never played ball before will start saying dumb stuff like oh gasol aint got heart cuz he can't get memphis past da 1st round never mind that in a country known for it's passion he leafs their national team ... they'll say kobe just learnt to be a team player never mind the fact that first few months last season he was rooting for kwame smush n co and only got mad during da end when everyone was lousy ...

yeah drug tests for everyone but i dont think that's enuff some of these dudes need psychiatric evaluation for the stuff they write

Wait a minute a thought just occured (as i watch spurs/suns) to me about how we sometimes take our stars for granted ... I mean the ones that have really earned their stripes

For all the talk we've all made about how we're a budding dynasty (lets assume bynum is back), for all the talk about how much championship experience the spurs have, for all the talk about how good the celtics are ....

Imagine a team with kobe and duncan teamed up together ... wow ... imagine how unfair that would be for the rest of the league ... imagine how much heart, desire and fire would be on display every game ... I'm not saying they'd always win, I'm just saying it'd be something special

The next best thing of course is seeing kobe dunk all over duncan in the west finals ... heh heh, can't wait for da game 2morro ... do us proud boys ... do us proud

Nemaia,

Thanks for the props. I also enjoy and appreciate the points you make and the way you make them. One of the top voices of reason on the blog.

Mavs held serve on their home court. Would have been embarrassing if they didn’t since the Hornets were their choice to play in the playoffs rather than Lakers. This is exactly what the Lakers have to be aggressive and take steps to prevent happening. Now the Mavs have life and will look to tie the series up in their next home game.

What can you say about the Spurs and Suns? The Spurs may be getting older but the Suns aren’t getting any smarter. You always hear the self-serving talk about the high importance of winning character in politics and sports and there always has been something about the Suns’ character that contradicted their championship aspirations.

I don’t know whether it’s Amare and his me-first philosophy or Dantoni and Nash with their unearned arrogance and feeling that they are entitled but somehow always robbed in the end. Or Shaq’s tired and by now obvious phoniness and lack of real depth. No matter what, even to see the series drag out and the Spurs get worked over, I just cannot root for the Suns. I have tried but it just doesn’t work. It would be like transforming me to ex. LOL.

Spurs now up by 9. I wonder what percentage of total plays run in the NBA are pick and rolls. Whether the playground or the NBA, it still is the most beautiful play in the world and totally unstoppable when run correctly. You sometimes wonder why run anything else at all. It was great seeing Kobe and Pau running pick and rolls against the Nuggets. I love the way that Pau turns receiving the pass and attacking the rim into a single play. Pau may not have the power to finish above and through the rim like Drew but in a way his uniquely graceful and elegant finishes off pick and rolls are just as effective.

Man, these long delays between games are torture. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

Tom

Taliq - you'll have to watch Team USA play - it's a basketball fan's wet dream.

Taliq,

Van Gundy is too funny, man. Hell, if they’re going to give drug tests for writers and analysts, they should do the same for bloggers who post. LMAO. Oops, on second thought, maybe that’s not such a good idea. Got to say that I love to exercise my rights to enhance my mood before and during every Lakers game although I promise to be straight and sane (and grinning madly) by the time I post my comments. That’s the secret, of course, to keeping the glass half full. LOL.

Tom

Hear what K Mart said about Kobe.

This game will be fun.

http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=51929&bw=

Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 25, 2008 at 08:08 PM

Justa,

Thanks for the video. It doesn't matter what KMart says because he hasn't accomplished anything worth noting so far in his weak career. Notice how classless his comments are compared to what Kobe said about all the trash talking which KMart instigated to begin with. The Nuggets are also trying to talk tough or convince themselves that they're better than they really are because they're playing at home. The Nuggets are trying to say anything they can to pump themselves up, but when the emotions settle down and it's time to play, the Lakers will again prove to be the better team period. I believe the Lakers have more fortitude and heart when things get tough and the Nuggets are just a bunch of brash players that yap too much. It seems their gameplan is to engage Kobe into falling into the trap of trying to prove that he can go off to the detriment of his team because as long as Kobe plays smart by involving his mates and taking advantage of his own scoring opportunities. If the Lakers play tight defense they win easily tomorrow. Go Lakers!!!

COLORADO CRUE
I hope we take out the Thuggets tomorrow because if not, we'll be in a tough place at the Pepsi Center. You know we'll be marked either way. At least 35% of fans at the Pepsi Center are Lakers fans.

Hang tight, be a wingman Lakers fan tomorrow and let the fists fly if need be. I'll be in a VUJACIC jersey.

Colorado loves the Lakers!

"It was great seeing Kobe and Pau running pick and rolls against the Nuggets. I love the way that Pau turns receiving the pass and attacking the rim into a single play. Pau may not have the power to finish above and through the rim like Drew but in a way his uniquely graceful and elegant finishes off pick and rolls are just as effective." posted by Laker Tom

Tom,

I agree. Furthermore, Pau does a pretty decent job defending the pick and role as well. When Shaq was still with the Lakers, even when he was at his peak, he could not defend the pick and role. The Hornets would just totally destroy him just as the Spurs are doing to the Suns tonight.

Trade Drewto the Suns' medical staff for a week. They'll have him ready to play against Utah.

Picking on Sasha...CHECK

Picking on Lamar...CHECK

Picking on Luke...CHECK

Let's pick on Vitti now; complaining like monkies at the zoo (L.A. Zoo) seems to work.

BK,

In addition, I find it curious that you erased another one of my posts when your position is curiously similar to that of exhelodrvr's (and my response was addressed to exhelodrvr).

Hmmm... random co-incidence, I assume.

Dude, you and AK do a good job of managing this blog, and (as a very critical person, that I am) I enjoy your writing style and intelligence.

But at times your particular human foibles (including a competitiveness that leads occasionally to vindictiveness) annoys the hell out of me (especially since SO many of my posts have been deleted post-conflict by you guys.) Get your egos in check. Stop unnecessarily deleting my posts.

[By the way, I FULLY expecting some response in which you passive-aggressively say something of the equivalent of "Hey, we're not doing anything! We're being professional! We'll address those issues and do our best to correct them." Give me a break.]

GO LAKERS!

Hear what K Mart said about Kobe.

This game will be fun.

http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=51929&bw=

Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 25, 2008 at 08:08 PM

Justa,

Thanks for the video. It doesn't matter what KMart says because he hasn't accomplished anything worth noting so far in his weak career. Notice how classless his comments are compared to what Kobe said about all the trash talking which KMart instigated to begin with. The Nuggets are also trying to talk tough or convince themselves that they're better than they really are because they're playing at home. The Nuggets are trying to say anything they can to pump themselves up, but when the emotions settle down and it's time to play, the Lakers will again prove to be the better team period. I believe the Lakers have more fortitude and heart when things get tough and the Nuggets are just a bunch of brash players that yap too much. It seems their gameplan is to engage Kobe into falling into the trap of trying to prove that he can go off to the detriment of his team because as long as Kobe plays smart by involving his mates and taking advantage of his own scoring opportunities. If the Lakers play tight defense they win easily tomorrow. Go Lakers!!!

Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | April 25, 2008 at 08:51 PM

I agree but I hope Kobe sees it as more incentive to talk trash and kick AZZ. LOL

Its so fun to watch the suns stink it up. Kerr looks like he wants to shoot himself, Shaq looks dissapointed, Dantoni looks like he's about to cry. And the Lakers are up 2-0. Man, it feels good knowing that we always outlast our rivals. Sacramento never got a ring and I'm 100% sure we will get a ring before the Suns do.

" Bynum does not have much of a finesse game at this point in his career - his contributions have been because of his athleticism/size. If he doesn't have that athletic differential in his favor, he will not be better than Gasol/Turiaf. So there is no benefit to bringing him back if he is not all physically ready. " Posted by: exhelodrvr

Sup Ex and Tom,

I saw the post ex and it jumped out at me only because this year, more than ever, I can honestly see the "Kareem" affect on Drew's game. His footwork in the paint seemed more fluid, controlled and confident, his timing in both rebounding, but especiallly on defense, improved by leaps and bounds... For instance, last year I noticed how Drew would allow the offensive player deep penetration in the paint, then take akward swipes at the ball and get a foul with a partial deflect, or just a foul..

Now, prior to going down, you could see it Ex.. dude was allowing them to bring it inside, but just like Cap did most of the time, wait for the balls release, then react... catch it at its apex... thats what Drew was doing night in and night out.. I'm not saying he was anywhere CLOSE to Cap.. but I am saying, I can honestly see Kareem in Drew now... yea.. he was doin the whole power lob, put back dunk thang too.. but next season, pay close attention to the kids footwork in the paint and tell me, more than any other big in the league right now, who does that remind you of? and dont be surprised if theres a baby hook tossed in the arsenal by then lol

ex,

Drew will come back for the conference finals and prove my point. We’ll just have to agree to disagree until then. While nobody would expect Drew to be 100% if he comes back, I think his height and length to protect the rim and glass on defense alone would greatly help the Lakers shore up their weakness. JM&GHFO. LOL.

I also want to see Drew get back to make a contribution to this championship run, especially since he has been, as Heisler aptly pointed out, one of the real keys to the Lakers turnaround this year. Drew deserves the chance to come back and join his teammates as they win the championship. God as a Lakers fan will see to that.

Tom

Suns down by 19 at the end of third quarter.

Tom

Click.

(Sound of Suns' Championship window closing).

Hey, Phoenix. Nino Brown says to tell you that your services are no longer required in the community.

Love, Lakers.

Milo,

Brought a definite grin to my face. How sweet it is. Suns down by 19 after 3 quarters. I wonder if Dantoni is "miked up." LOL. Gracias.

Tom

Xodus,

I'm proud for never having flip flopped. I get so little else right (assuming the status quo holds), it's nice to have one small triumph. haha

BK and I were talking on the way back to our cars after game 2 about how to judge this trade in terms of the playoff results. As down on that deal as I was from minute one, I don't actually think it's fair to judge it most heavily as a "first round loss." I mean, let's be honest. The Suns got an opening draw that could have been a W.C. semis or finals. In that sense, I think you can only weigh the earliness of the loss so heavily.

That being said, I think it's completely fair (and accurate) to judge how the Suns did against the Spurs this year compared to last, especially considering they got Shaq in very large part for this matchup. And going by those parameters, unless Phoenix pulls off the historical (starting with the game in progress), Shawn Marion was clearly needed more (as we both predicted) than Shaq.

AK