Game 2 will feature an official MVP

GAME ON! LET US PRAY:

DEAR GOD, Please bless and protect our Los Angeles Lakers from hurt, harm, danger and injury. Help them to utilize their skills and talents to get the job done tonight against their opponents. Protect their bodies against injury. May every bone, muscle, joint, ligament, tendon, etc. be covered and protected by You. Give them an extra ounce of strength tonight that they may endure the increased physicality of the Utah Jazz. Allow them to walk in restraint and to not retaliate against their opponents as the game wears on. Above all, let our Lakers model true sportsmanship and respect for the game and their opponents when on the court at all times.

For our soldiers who are injured (BYNUM/ARIZA), bless them and heal them. Bless their doctors with insight and clarity to effectively discern and diagnose the best treatment for their injuries. Lead our injured soldiers into perfect healing and full recovery. And, in Your time and Your season, return them to our Lakers Squad for Your Glory.

WE THANK YOU IN ADVANCE...AMEN!

Yes Game Day!

GAME DAY good Mornin', Laaaaker Nation

Tonight's a coronation celebration and a must win game in the balance.

Anyone got stats on % of home games won on MVP ceremony night?

congrats for bryant... finally, he got somehting he really deserved...

LAKER FANS THE ONLY PERSON MISSING FROM KOBE BRYANTS PRESS CONFERENCE WAS THE ONE AND ONLY CHICK HEARN THE GREATEST BASKETBALL ANNOUNCER OF ALL TIME I MISS HIM.

Game Day!! About Time

Morning Charles and everybody,

With all the debate about whether or not or how much Kobe's game has changed on-court this season, and whether that's due to his teammates improving or him improving them, I see the major change being siomething else entirely. It was all about his off-the-court behavior.

Let's face it: His much debated assist numbers, his scoring and his rebounding are all either down or about the same as previous seasons.

While it's true he's been, perhaps, more efficient between the lines, hasn't the real change occured with Kobe's willingness to accept his teammates and his maturation as a family man?

The only thing I was waiting for before I could fully embrace the Mamba as a changed man was for him to sublimate his own ego enough to admit he was wrong about last summer (as was I, btw, when I agreed with everything he said).

Well, check. What I saw at the presser was a humble man who meant it when he said he was honored and wanted nothing more than to share the credit.

If you read his face and body, his line about "not wanting to admit" Kupchak deserved credit for all his moves was purely rough delivery, not a backhanded slap. Afterall, Kobe is not a man used to humility, so I can let him off the hook for less than perfect phrasing.

So let's forget the chicken or the egg arguments. This award isn't really about what he did on the court this year to make his teammates better. Even the success of the team has so much more to do with the growth and maturity Kobe showed off it, and his willingness to embrace his cohorts as "brothers."

Yes! Game Day!!
Good morning all!

I feel sorry for you Ronnie Brewer, AK47, and whoever else they will have guard the MVP tonight.

Kobe's line - 40 pt, 6 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals

amen!

Good morning Mamba24 (waiting on roll call sir), good morning Charles, Pig and the rest of this FABULOUS Laker Nation!

Finally - a well-deserved award to the best player in the world - and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time! Tonight the Jazz will see KB24 get his nice shiny trophy and they will recognize they can't compete with the greatness that is Kobe & Company. I think our guys will come out excited, fired up & ready to rumble (or wrestle as the case may be)!

On another note, did anyone see the Celts/Cavs game last night? The headlines are talking about how the Greenie Weenies shut out the Cavs!! Are you serious?? More like they squeaked out a win and are looking more & more like an 8th seed playing above their capabilities. The Leastern Conference, IMHO, is aptly named. The West will win O'Brien again this year, and it will be the boys in the Golden Armour that will do it.

GO LAKERS!

THE BEAN FOR FINALS MVP OR NO PEACE!

NO CHAMPIONSHIP - NO PEACE!

Mamba24 sighting!!!

Nombre de Padre, Espiritu, Santo Amen....

Game day!

Lamar is going to be a professional glass-cleaner today. 18/16 for LO. I hope that Kobe drops an MVP triple-double on the Jazz. The Lakers will be fired up, and so will the Staples Center. Lakers fans: it's time to earn that sixth-man award.

Go Lake Show!

Also, after watching that travesty of a "basketball" game known as Celtics-Cavs, game one, I am ready to say neither of those teams has a chance against us in the finals.

Hell, there isn't a team out west that would lose to either of those squads in seven games. The Kings or Blazers would kill 'em.

Well, OK, maybe I'm stretching it. They'd beat the Suns.

ON THIS JOYOUS DAY FOR THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER ON EARTH
I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A HAND OF FRIENDSHIP AND APOLOGY TO J.W.WEATHERMAN.
COME BACK TO THE BLOG MY BROTHER. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS UNLIKE MINE, ARE VALUABLE
AND NEEDED. I PROVIDE COMIC RELIEF, BUT YOU PROVIDE SERIOUS COMMENTARY. SO IF THERE
IS ANYTHING THAT I SAID THAT CAUSED YOU TO LEAVE I SINCERLY APOLOGIZE AND ASK THAT
YOU COME BACK AND JOIN YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF LAKER NATION.

Well that's it except..........
KOBE BEAN BRYANT - MVP - WELL I'LL BE %%$#^&*((()**&&^&^^^^^^%%
MVP, MVP ,MVP YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Finally I never bragged or boasted before but I have to pat myself on the back
If you check the Blog for May 1 or 2 I told you that KOBE had won the MVP and the
vote was not even close. That's it......LOVE YOU LAKER BLOGGERS

Congrats to Kobe! Rumor has it that the MVP trophy is made of chocolate. I just hope Kobe gives it all to his daughters and doesn't eat it himself, gettin' all fat.

The word of the day from MR. Fatty's neighborhood is "Focus"

Boys and girls, repeat after me, say focus.

Here's to hoping the Lakers and us bloggers can 'focus' on tonights game with all the MVP excitement in the air.

The haters are clearly focused and exploding with jealousy over Kobe's MVP Award. (Mr Fatty is enjoying them losing it)

If they can 'focus', then so can we.

Its a beautiful day in the blogging neighborhood.

Mr. Fatty

Go Lakers!

Kobe scores 43 tonight

Welcome back Mr Mamba. Hope you're rested, it's going to be a thrill ride from here.

Today and the days to come are the antidote for whatever ails us all.

If you can't get happy 'round this storybook season, you've picked the wrong form of entertainment.

Yeah, Larry! Good to see you!

Not to bring up a sore subject, but I wouldn't hate on a roll call....

J.W.W., get your ass in here and say something snarky. Please.

Go Lakers!

Xodus,

"Calm down, man. Tex clearly asked Kobe about the offense as a joke, the same way Luke asked about Kobe getting his teammates gifts. Kobe used to hate playing in the triangle back in 02, 03 and 04.

You take perceived slights to Kobe way to personally."

Actually You should calm down............I am just suggesting that a cursory history of Tex will tell you his love affair with the triangle............Tex's attempt at satire which by definition uses "wit" to masquerade some truth about your subject.............could have been responded to with the same "wit" by Kobe using satire but also a little truth.

You take perceived slights at Tex way too personally..LOL

Good Morning everyone. It is a good day to be a Laker fan! We need one more win and need to take at least the first game in SLC.

Did anyone find out what Iggy was doing at the PC yesterday? Sounds like it was a good time had by all. I wouldn't mind Kobe picking up my check for dinner sometime, that would be a treat. I'm sure they didn't eat at Rubio's that night.

TWoody

Mamba24

Most Valuable Blogger! MVB! MVB! MVB!

Nombre de Padre, Espiritu, Santo Amen....

Posted by: Charles | May 07, 2008 at 09:50 AM
-----
*clap, clap, clap* Well done, sir... :-)

If I might just tweak that a bit for you, it would be:

En el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo, amén.

Or better yet...

En el nombre del Kobe, del Odom y del Espíritu San Pau, amén

Right on, Utzworld!

Does anyone else believe, like me, that Kobe's playing with the Olympic team over last summer has had a huge part in his maturation and increased trust of his teammates? It seems to me that that experience may have taught Kobe that he cannot "do it all by himself" and that if he does trust the others on the floor, good things will happen? I do not discount the improvement of the rest of the Lakers over the summer, but maybe Kobe carried the attitude adjustment from the Olympic trials over to the Lakers this season?

FROM BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA

HAPPY DAY!! GUYS,

BONJOUR MES AMIS,

WHOEVER COMPLAINS ABOUT MY CAPS: SORRY= I CANNOT CHANGE FOR YOU PERIOD

NOW, IT WILL BE BETTER TO ENJOY THE MVP FIESTA AFTER THE GAME. KOBE KNOWS BEST= WIN#2= SAME FOCUS, SAME DEFENSE, AND SAME LOVE=TACOS=UNFORGETTABLE DAY!!!

WE TRUST OUR TEAM TO CONTINUE THE SAME PATH TONIGHT=GET MORE REBOUNDS

WIN#2, WIN#2, WIN#2

SEE U LATER

BLESSINGS AND LOVE TO OUR TEAM AND TO ALL

SHEKOBE

pfunk36,

Fortunately, Kobe has a good enough sense of humor that he doesn't need to resort to such things as saying "Bird won 3 of these without the triangle." Tex made the comment in good fun and it's a non-issue.

Would you?

Would you trade Andrew Bynum for the number one pick in this year's draft?

Think about it. Bynum is a bit redundant with Pau there and we could get a franchise point guard to run with our big three. Then use the money we would have given Bynum on Elton Brand. What of it?

Wes

Utah was 1-2 in the first round with 2 days off, once stinking it up with only 69 points. In 2008, the Jazz are 9-9 with 2 days off, while the Lakers are 9-2, losing only to the Suns and Hornets with 2 days off in 2008.

PJ is excellent in preparing for an opponent, especially making adjustments between games.

Congrats, Kobe, go Lakers!!

Scott

Thats a very good article at SportsHubLA by David Neiman about Kobe and the Others, never read it before...

http://tinyurl.com/5gjeus

BK and AK, keep us in the know on what Lamar shows up to the game in. I'm having almost as much fun keeping track of his threads as I am watching the playoffs. In fact a section dedicated to this, complete with photos and such, would be really cool.

Anybody heard any Ariza updates. Is he practicing?

Has anybody else noticed that ever since Kobe (and in following their leader, everyone else on the team) stopped complaining to the refs about every close call, they started getting some close calls to go their way? The steal from Boozer by Kobe that led to a dunk on the other end was reminiscent of MJ's hundreds of steals (that would have been fouls against anyone else) that he got away with in the latter part of his career. The stoppage of complaining will get the Lakers many of these calls in the future if Kobe can keep up with the much more mature response to bad situations. I've thought for a long time that if he would stop this bitching all the time, the refs would start to like him a little more, and like everyone else in the world, the refs will be easier on him if they like him.

I'm just sayin'.

Mamba24

Could we coax a ROLL CALL from you this GAME DAY?

Many of us have asked JWW to return, and he has said that if he did it would be under another name. But he had an issue with the general ambience of the blog, not you personally. He lamented the "old days" where all the discussion was simply X's and O's and analytical. He did not realize the overwhelming majority of us here appreciate that, but also relish in the humor and energy brought to the blog by folks like yourself. I would venture to say that justanothermambafan and myself, among others, were also in JWW's crosshairs.........I am not a "baller" so I refrain from X's and O's discussions as I do not feel comfortable getting into the trenches like that, but I do know I am here to express a love for the Lakers and an enthusiasm and excitement about this team and the great season we're wittnessing.

Some of us have attempted to keep the Roll Call tradition going in your absence, but today is GAME DAY, you are here, we need your rousing energy. Some of us have done well and others not so well (I am in that category) with Roll Call, but on GAME DAY, your Roll Call is essential tto tonight's victory.

Thank You Mamba24 for all you bring to the blog!

11 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crap, Pfunk36, it was me that posted as Karl. MY s/n is Karl on another board and whenever I'm signed on there my posts here come on with the same name.

To: exhelodrvr, Xodus, wondahbap

It seems like we have a communication problem. Perhaps I can clear my point up. My point to AK was in line with
what Faith said which was about "Kobe making his
teammates better." Are y'all arguing that Kobe's
increased leadership skills is *NOT* about Kobe passing
the ball instead of shooting?

I would never argue that Kobe's
leadership skills haven't gotten better. To be honest
they must, since before he was the child and he was
playing with men. i.e. late 20's to early 30's.

However, let's take a look at leadership. What sort of leadership skills *could* Kobe have employed to make
Smush, Kwame, or Brian Cook better? What should
Kobe have done to be a better leader to Lamar when
he had an injured shoulder?

I would suspect that NONE of you have an adequate
answer for those questions because I can't think of
any. However, since I don't know much I'll listen to
what you have to say.

Why don't y'all compare Kobe's leadership skills to
Shaq's? Who did Shaq mentor on the Lakers? Who
has D-Wade mentored? Did MJ do a good job of
mentoring Kwame with the Wizards?

My perception is this: There has been a knock on Kobe
because he shot the ball a lot over the last 2 years. Not
because he didn't take anyone out to dinner. Not
because he didn't mentor anyone. Just because he shot
the ball a lot and the Lakers didn't win.

So why don't y'all address *why* he shot the ball so much?

Wes,

That's an awesome question. I wouldn't use it to get a PG though. I'd get Michael Beasley and set us up with the best young frontcourt in the league. With Beasley at PF and Pau at C we would be unreal. I love the kid's offensive game, and over time he'll be big enough to body up centers on defense like Ben Wallace used to. He's also a Windex man like no other.

The problem is the triangle doesn't like dominant point guards. It like big versatile two way guards and it loves versatile big men.

Bottom line, I'd trade Drew for the pick because he's damaged goods at this point. I guess today we'll really get an idea about what's gonna happen. The kid must be in with the Doc right now. I can only imagine how it's going.

Good Morning charles
Charles you know you are now and will always be the
MVB!

RespectMyAuthoritah "Right on, Utzworld!"

RespectMyAuthoritah where the hell you been man!
Now the Band really is back together.!!!

JESTERGURU I'm still working on that it will be soon. and thanks for everything man.

VMAN I've heard that the MVP has the power to cure.
look ma I can type on a computer again, it's a miracle!! LOL! Thanks Bro.

utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER I'm siting my @ss down as you asked sir, and thank
you for what is this the second or third time? LOL! Thank you Brother.

JustAnotherMambaFan Thanks for keeping the Mamba's in line. If I didn't know better I
would swear that this place is a real and true family.

LAKER BLOG THANK YOU!!! OR AS MJ SAID WHEN
HE RETURNED FROM RETIREMENT............
I'M BACK!!!!

TOAD YOU THE MAN BROTHER. THANK YOU
ROLL CALL WILL BE ABREVIATED TODAY

*____________________*
WED. May 7 2008 The Force is off balance for celebrating the MVP.
Good Morning Charles.!
Good Morning: JustAnotherMambaFan, Bozz, Toad,
Good Morning: HmrHed, JohnnyP, JesterGuru
Good Morning: BOB
Good Morning Laker Nation!
*_________*
*
ROLL CALL: MAN,
(1) Faith, Bob, Keifo, Vman. Jay Jay, Charles, Edwin Gueco, Tsiry, FATTY, AngryLAKER
Tha Show, Tim-4-Show, TheLakeShow, Generic_One, Pig Miller, Toad, Taliq, LakerTruth
WesJoeNixon, Zakee, Cleon, SBPimp, The_D, Bozz, #4, Nemia Faletogo, Elle, HmrHed
ComptonsFinest, FlagrantFowl LakerLegacy, EXHELODRVR, Laker Tom, Rick Friedman ,
RDLEE, PurpleHeart, Allan-Brazil, Andrew Z. Hugo Boss, CORNER J., BAYWOOD,
The Outlaw, Tsphere, Jon Kavulic, WeaveMan, SixOneZero, FEARLESS, CBuck, .MAN
utzworld THE BANNER HOLDER, DICE8UP, Never, JANAYA, EastCoastJessie, JMAN
BackMamba24, BrownMamba24, WhiteMamba24, Mamba24Fan4Life, FanOfMamba,
JustAnotherMAMBAFAN, Mamba#5, JustALakerFan, VI LakerFan, LALFan, KOBE24
Greek Dude, Afro Joe, KB8THWONDER, Original Ken, Original J J, LakerMan420,
Purple&Gold_REIN, ZEN, Ando, Brylle, MOKO, JOHNNY P., DAVE ROSENZWEIG
LakerGurl, SFLakerGirl, PsychedLakerGirl, SimiLakerGirl, LakerGirl1980, LakerLass
HoustonLakerGirl, SheKobe, LakersRydeOrDie, SloGal, TWoody, LakerFaze, Wow
DrewPauKobe, GoKobeGo, KobesBad, KobeRocks, Laker/KobeFan, NIK KANNAN
MrBarneryDangles, JesterGuru, SmoothD, JCool, Jeff, David Whang, ISSANG
KIWI, Machiavelly, DOC4daLakeShow, LakersMR, LakersSTH, HobbitMage, Korey
HAVA98, WREAKJAVIK, EPICMESS, StrangerInTheNight, MBENGA_FAN, CHE
Allan-BRAZIL, Herb Stempel, DarkAngelSK, TROY, T_Sensei, BerkleyLaker, Dave M.
Stars_R_Aligned, Cscoot, The_Dude_Abides, Johnny Laker, The HEAD-MBENGA
MagicMan, SALTLAKER, Todd, WWKBD, Puddle, Sambosola, GREENPAZ, SEAN P.
L.A. Watcher, LakerGurl, FUEGO32, EHOMP, KCHW, MICHIGAN_LAKER, XTRO
Complex Brotha, WondahBap, Derek, Benjamin, The HAMMER, Cyrus(Ventrilquist),
HappyCamper, HappyDaze, HappyGilmore, CriticalBeatDown, RealityBites, BZAR,
AMAZING HAPPENS, TELLitLIKEitIS PSLakerLover, Lakers4Lyfe, Lakers4Real,
CooLHAIR, The_COOL BOBIE, SpokanLakerFan, Duma, Shum, ManSlayer, FatSam
AKR68, GiantSquid, BotSoy, LakerFan, LA_Mental, CaliPhilosopher, JLuv, CDub0512
Bruzer, Peanut_Butter_Spread, Laker_Kev, Lakers_Sparks_Fan, Trio, Reality_Check
DANCAT, LakerBandit, TwoForOne7, HAWAIID,Chick4Ever, MIKE DILLS, LAURIA
You Ever Notice? MarkyTheArky, Justin Leonard, FIishEye, Linda Pineda, Kidwell, Mel
BronxLakerFan ChitTownLaker, HoustonLaker, TexasLaker, BrazillianLaker, USCLaker
LakerNorth, LakerinBC, ROMY R, Earth_Wind_&_Fire, FKIllah, TEEJ, VIOLATER
AA Los, Wizo, Caeser, Maxximo, Wolf, Chuck23, 10MillionDollarZen, Man, Jeff Grotke
Lakers4Realz, Gino, Gabe, Floyd, Vincent, ROBYN, Khang, Old Scholol, JANDRO
EDDIE BROCK, Paul Lee, AJAX, Mitchell, David In Spain, J_Doubter, Guy,
Playa, Butler, Franky_J., Daryl, LakerDawg, DK,JC, The Dropper, Afro Joe, KL004
MobWagoneer, PK-in-the-MESA, Andy B, HUBBIT, Jamie SWEET, LAKER_LARRY
SwanWorld, , Benny Blanca, MEL, AdamKiley, JUSTIN, CHRIS H, LADIESMAN, TP
Linda Pineda, CaliKing, Thirty2, Aime Williams, Chucky .L.Ohno, Look Lonely, Kyle
LakerHolic, GDChild, Dion Centralk, Staples24, Robyn, Lakers08, Mel, J.D. Hastings
Laker_Fan, True Laker Fan, Passionate Laker Fan, LT Laker_Fan, Grail, DaxMDD
40YearFan, KillerEight, LOTEC9, Todd Battles, ASM, MikeAz, LakaLover, Bynumite,
CS, LakerHopeful, Bobie, MARCO64, Drew, DASCILLA, Purple&Gold_4Eva, Tajluck
B4Hoops, HeWhoHoops, Jorema, Xtro, MCGarnagle, GUGY, Laker4Life, MARTY,
SAMLL, Pince Akrasian, EagleBoy, JR., BLKTHGHT06, SighBrandon C. Tully Moxness,
LakerBake, Sean74, Sead94, LongLiveChick , Kinglakernidas, RespectMyAuthorith,
Hariyahu, Alexinh017, NESTROS BISTRO, LiveLakers, Blaze1Bx, Phred, Swettual,
KIKOS DAD, RicoTico, SocalSpider , BigGameJames, JoninJAPAN(INCANADA)
*
ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES.
THE TEAM WITH THE BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN NBA HISTORY.
THE ONLY TEAM WITH 2 HOF COACHES. THE TEAM WITH THE MOST
PLAYERS ON THE 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME LIST(6). THE
HOME OF WILT KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, THE LOGO(JERRY WEST), PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY,
BOB MCADOO, "BIG SHOT ROB HORRY" GAIL GOODRICH
THE LEGENDARY SPORTSCASTER CHICK HEARN
COACHED BY 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON
& OWNED BY THE BEST D@MN OWNER IN SPORTS DR. JERRY BUSS
AND THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN EVER DEFEAT OR DIVIDE US IS US
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER

FOREVER

hobbittimage,

I know why Kobe shot the ball so much. In 05-06 we had one of the worst rosters to ever win 45 games and Kobe had to score 35 a night for us to win.

In 06-07 he started the season playing the same way he did this season until everyone got hurt and he had to score.

The change in Kobe is in his demeanor. He's more willing to let the game come to him rather than taking over immediately if things go wrong.

But really, I think we should all defer to the people who have known and played with Kobe for years. Fish came into the league with Kobe, Shaw has known Kobe since he was a young boy and Walton has played with him since 2004.

If all those guys say there's been a marked change in Kobe's attittude, I don't see how people who've never met the man can say there hasn't been a change for the better in Kobe.

Peace Mamba24. Missed the roll call man!

TWoody

FROM BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA

HI GUYS,

KOBE IS ALWAYS KOBE PERIOD

SIMPLY LAST TWO SEASONS, HE CARRIED THE LOAD BY HIMSELF. THIS SEASON, THE REST OFTHE TEAM MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS AND NEWCOMERS SHOWING SOME PASSION AND TOGETHER, THEY ARE EMBRACING THE SAME GOAL: CHAMPIONSHIP=FIESTA NEVER ENDS.

THE JAZZS THINK THEY CAN STEAL ONE TONIGHT, GUYS, LET'S PUT THE POSITIVE ENERGY FOR THE GAME =WIN#2

BESOS

SHEKOBE

Morning all !!!

The planets are aligned ~ KOBE is MVP!

Pig, had breakfast yet, pickin's are slim so far?

Mamba24 - If you are going to sport that name, you gotta live up to it and never back down. Where's the game day roll call? In the name of Magic, West , Baylor, West & Kareem.... This is..... "you know the rest!"

Charles ~adjust the bass so it feels like a heartbeat in
here its GAME DAY

Hey y'all. Show's about to start. Click over if you can.

BK

THANK YOU MAMBA24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toad present and accounted for!

It is GAME DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time for FOCUS, INTENSITY and some DEEEEEEEEEEEFENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hit the boards LO and Pau, we gotta close that gap!

LETS GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11 TO 15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trading Bynum, again? Com' on guys....

Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. If they put him on the blocks now that would be a red flag that he's damaged goods. And we'd be hard pressed to get much. We have to ride this out.

Mamba24,

I noticed on your roll call you had Fuego32. Just wanted to tell you, thats an impostor making fun of me.

Yeah, Mamba's roll call in the hizzouse!

NOW it's game day. Go Lakers!

Thanks, Mamba24!

Defense wins championships! (Thinking of you, Faith.)

It's time to put the trolls to rest. (That's for you, Pig.)

One MVP down, one to go! (Jon K.)

Go Lake Show!

TWOODY:"peace Mamba24. Missed the roll call man!

Twoody how you doing brother. Missed you! Thanks!

LAKERFAZE:"Charles ~adjust the bass so it feels like a heartbeat in here its GAME DAY"

D@mmmnn Man, I didn't know you was a poet.! LOL!
Thank you my brother and I intend to uphold the noble
tradition of the Mamba. You know you're good man.

Laker Faze,

The Cervin Vegas are thumpin'! Bop pap. Bop pap. Boom boom! Boom Boom!

Its Roll Call.

It is a great day to be Lakers Fan!

Now, let's go knock those Jazz on their butts!

Let's get physical.!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxX3ue5vR4

Yeah baby!

David in Spain,

Where from Spain? I lived in Cadiz and Pamplona during my early years.

Hace 27 anos que no regreso... Mi madre es una Filipina, and El Jefe es un Chinito de Taiwan. Vive a tu pais por que El Papa estaba vendiendo hojas de cigarillos. Olvide mucho.

Pienso que Paz Vega es una estrella. La cosita buena.

Tu entiendes la idoma de "Chavacano?" Es una mezcla de Filipino y Espanol. Mi gente en el sur del Filipinas casi siempre lo usan. Lo siento si mi mensaje no tiene razon.

Que Tenga-n un buen dia chico!

Fatty,

Were you the AZFatty who replied to that OC Register article. If so, nice one.

Mamba24 - I second Toad's request - PLEASE MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, SIR! I haven't been posting here as long as others, but was a lurker for awhile, and really came to appreciate the energy & enthusiasm of the blog - especially your roll calls and special posts. As JonK so aptly put it, you have contributed in a large way to the blogmunity that AK/BK have provided, and most everyone agrees. JWW and others don't particularly appreciate that aspect, but they should (and most do), understand that there are a lot of individuals that make up a community and all posts are welcome. If they don't get it, or don't know how to scroll, they can switch to a different blog and still get their fix. However, all this doesn't change the fact that you are welcomed, needed & extremely appreciated, and without a roll on a game day in Round 2 - it just wouldn't be the same......

GO LAKERS!

C'MON MAMBA24 - WE WANT A ROLL CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well - now I look like a dork - didn't see the roll call before my post........

Oh well - all is good in love & Lakers!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Charles,
Mamba24 for MVB!!

CHARLES go on with your multilingo bad self.

Game day.

Execute or be executed.

GO Lakers!

FAIRWEATHER FATTY:"Let's get physical.!!!!!!!"

Why Fatty I never thought you'd ask. LOL

AK/BK,
Can one of you ask Vlad Rad where he was yesterday?
Not that I would be mad at him, I just think he has a funny excuse.

Hi Charles

'Could be?!"

- As Bugs Bunny would say

Game day.

Execute or be executed.

GO Lakers!

Posted by: Faith

Faith! Outstanding!

Lakers Legacy,
Snowboarding.

Fatty,
Silly Wabbit!

Mamba24,
Ole!

Mamba24 - you may want to add "home of the reigning and future MVP" to that roll call.

NBA SHOW ME WHATCHA GOT - revised

That’s right we’re back, like we said we’d be
Not just for 1 title, this gonna be a dynasty
Fake MVP’s, give back what you didn’t earn
Tonight Kobe is MVP so no jail for David Stern
Dirk that MVP trophy was only yours for 1 year
Now get out the freakin way the real MVP is here
Teams laughed & partied when they thought we were down
Now we’re back and on you we’re gonna clown
Revenge they say, is best served cold
So NBA start trembling here come’s Purple & Gold
If you want the title through the Lakers you must go
And that aint happening, Didn’t yo mama tell you so
Smush is gone, Kwame ‘s gone to
Oh yeah, NBA we got something for you.
We got all kinds of depth, we got blazing speed
We got everything, NBA you better take heed
And if our bandwagon begins to stall
What we got for the tank is some Gasol
And if our starters slow down on the job
We got a fresh new crew called the Bench mob.
We got 3 rings with Kobe and 3 rings with Fish
We got 9Rings as Coach, You got nothing but a wish
If you lost count, 15 rings to zero is the score
don't get mad but coach Cleamons got 6 rings more.
We got 14 championship Banners that are hung up high
All you got is bandaids for the @ss kicking we gonna apply
We got a man who outscored an entire team without tryin
Then later dropped 81, that’s right we got Kobe Bryant
What ever you can think of, brother this team has got it.
So whatcha team got, That’s right they aint got sh?

Great day:

Done with finals, it feels really good

Came home to a Mamba24 roll call

Lakers going up 2-0 later tonight

For those of you saying we should trade Bynum...
Get over it, can't you just be happy with your team? I know the Suns didn't win but I'm pretty sure they're glad they didn't trade Amare when he was "damaged goods" Bynum is better than anyone in this years draft. He's a center with unlimited upside that he's already started showing it. Beasly will be good but he's no Bynum. Just cheer on your team and get excited for the rest of the playoffs and Bynums return next year.

And as for the betting thing, its been awesome, they cover every time. I've bet on em 4 out of the 5 games and I'm loving life. Took em again today but I was def. aware that they are do to not cover the spread. Gotta get the Lakers and the over tonight as well as a series long bet that pays 2-1 if MVP gets a double double, I like my chances.

GO LAKERS

HTJ:"Mamba24 - you may want to add "home of the reigning
and future MVP" to that roll call."

ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES.
THE TEAM WITH THE BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN NBA HISTORY.
THE ONLY TEAM WITH 2 HOF COACHES. THE TEAM WITH THE MOST
PLAYERS ON THE 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME LIST(6). THE
HOME OF THE REIGNING AND FUTURE MVP – KOBE BRYANT
HOME OF WILT KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, THE LOGO(JERRY WEST), PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY,
BOB MCADOO, "BIG SHOT ROB HORRY" GAIL GOODRICH
THE LEGENDARY SPORTSCASTER CHICK HEARN
COACHED BY 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON
& OWNED BY THE BEST D@MN OWNER IN SPORTS DR. JERRY BUSS
AND THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN EVER DEFEAT OR DIVIDE US IS US
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER

Fatty - They oughta get Olivia Newton John to sing the national anthem, and then bust out her gym clothes and sing her trademark song (no, not the one from Grease!)

If the refs aren't calling the fouls, I say HIT EM BACK!

Lakers better win tonight..

Is Ariza playing on Friday??
I wanna see him back in uniform.

HTJ:"Mamba24 - you may want to add "home of the reigning
and future MVP" to that roll call."

ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES.
THE TEAM WITH THE BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE IN NBA HISTORY.
THE ONLY TEAM WITH 2 HOF COACHES. THE TEAM WITH THE MOST
PLAYERS ON THE 50 GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME LIST(6). THE
HOME OF THE REIGNING AND FUTURE MVP – KOBE BRYANT
HOME OF WILT KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, THE LOGO(JERRY WEST), PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY,
BOB MCADOO, "BIG SHOT ROB HORRY" GAIL GOODRICH
THE LEGENDARY SPORTSCASTER CHICK HEARN
COACHED BY 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON
& OWNED BY THE BEST D@MN OWNER IN SPORTS DR. JERRY BUSS
AND THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN EVER DEFEAT OR DIVIDE US IS US
LAKERS TODAY LAKERS TOMORROW LAKERS FOREVER

utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER,

Amen.

GO LAKERS!

I'm wondering if David Stern spiked LeBron James' Gatorade last night with something toxic.

God, he played an awful game and The Celtics still barely escaped with a victory.

The great David Stern Celtics Conspiracy contines!

GO LAKERS!

Respek, Mamba24 . Respek.

JON K." utzworld - THE BANNER HOLDER, Amen.
GO LAKERS! "

AMEN. AMEN.

Laker Legacy as the commercial says:
THERE CAN BE BUT ONE. CHARLES MVB!! YESSSS!
But thank you kind sir.

Mamba- Just a little revision for you.

We got a man who outscored an entire team
Then later dropped 81, that’s right we got the Bean!

TWoody

Ahhhhhhh Mamba's back, nice.

Awesome Kobe MVP tribute over at Lakers.com, check it out. Also a pic of my new jersey should be appearing on the "your scene" pics soon. Check it out, kind of a tribute to one of you bloggers.

Adande giving Kobe props?

http://tinyurl.com/6gq57k

TWOODY YOU ARE A FREAKIN GENIUS!!!
KUDOS MY BROTHER AND THANK YOU

NBA SHOW ME WHATCHA GOT - revised

That’s right we’re back, like we said we’d be
Not just for 1 title, this gonna be a dynasty
Fake MVP’s, give back what you didn’t earn
Tonight Kobe is MVP so no jail for David Stern
Dirk that MVP trophy was only yours for 1 year
Now get out the freakin way the real MVP is here
Teams laughed & partied when they thought we were down
Now we’re back and on you we’re gonna clown
Revenge they say, is best served cold
So NBA start trembling here come’s Purple & Gold
If you want the title through the Lakers you must go
And that aint happening, Didn’t yo mama tell you so
Smush is gone, Kwame ‘s gone to
Oh yeah, NBA we got something for you.
We got all kinds of depth, we got blazing speed
We got everything, NBA you better take heed
And if our bandwagon begins to stall
What we got for the tank is some Gasol
And if our starters slow down on the job
We got a fresh new crew called the Bench mob.
We got 3 rings with Kobe and 3 rings with Fish
We got 9Rings as Coach, You got nothing but a wish
If you lost count, 15 rings to zero is the score
don't get mad but coach Cleamons got 6 rings more.
We got 14 championship Banners that are hung up high
All you got is bandaids for the @ss kicking we gonna apply
We got a man who outscored an entire team
Then later dropped 81, that’s right we got the Bean!
What ever you can think of, brother this team has got it.
So whatcha team got, That’s right they aint got sh+T

Amazing,
Olivia Newton-John "sing her trademark song"

You mean 'Have you never been mellow?' I don't think that would send the right message.

Wes,
"Then use the money we would have given Bynum on Elton Brand. What of it?"

That wouldn't work, because the team is over the cap. That doesn't affect signing their own players, but does affect signing free agents from other teams.

PSLAKERFAN THAT SITE WAS AMAZIING!! THANK YOU!

pslakerfan

Shout out!

Charles - You mentioned that you lived in Pamplona...im going there to study for a year next year and iv never been before. whats it like?? i was pretty disappointed i couldnt go to Barcelona tbh...

Mamba, I just provided the editing room. THe work is all yours.

Lets go kick some Jazz tonight.

TWoody

So, here's why we're going to win the championship...

After watching Kobe's MVP press conference, I recognized that we have another intangible that other teams do not have.

Team Spirit.

This is a surprisingly rare intangible in modern sports considering the distractions of fame, money, and narcissitic competitiveness found in most modern profesional athletes.

This Laker team really cares for one another. That makes a huge difference. It's one thing to play for yourself. It's another thing to play for your teammates.

I've been on plenty of teams in my life, but it's the ones where there was a true sense of team unity born out of mutual struggle and shared respect and admiration that were the best.

You not only played not to let yourself down, but to not let your teammates down. You felt more protective of your teammates and this produced a sense of mean-spirited competitiveness against those players that abused your teammates.

When everyone on the team feels like that, it takes the collective play of the team to an entirely different level. When that team is coached by an excellent coach with discipline and a keen understanding of psychology, it takes it to an entirely different level.

When you are inspired by a positive, instead of a negative, that when athletic genius manifests itself.

This is what is happening with the Lakers.

Kobe is FINALLY at peace. Finally. Leaning on my Bio-Chrono knowledge of Kobe, this is the fulfilment of a life's goal. That sense of peace inspires Kobe creatively to manifest his best.

In addition, emotionally Kobe is all about bonding, friendship, connecting with other people. Emotionally he's been in a pretty dark place for a while now. However, now he's honestly in a very positive place. This combination of emotional energy and personal spiritual peace is literally the strongest combination possible for this man.

We WILL see the best of Kobe Bryant in these playoffs. And his best is going to raise the play of the Lakers through this manifestation of team unity.

I am extremely confident of this.

The intangible of team unity, combined with Kobe Bryant's personal internal evolution as a human being is an unbeatable combination for the Lakers.

No one is going to be able to stop us.

Period.

Prepare for the parade, guys. The Lakers are taking home their rings.

GO LAKERS!

Xodus,

1st. thanks for the response. I'd agree with you on why he
shot the ball so much.

re: his change of attitude. The reason why I bring this up is
because it demeans the work ethic of his team! Jordan
Farmar worked his butt off this summer. Kobe didn't make
him a better shooter. Fisher is a consumate professional.
Kobe didn't make him better. Kobe certainly hasn't made
Pau Gasol better.

Kobe *DOES* have a different attitude than he has over
the last two years. Why? He's got new teammates and
his old teammates finally started to *PLAY*! This whole
thing about Kobe making his teammates better obscures
what he did with Smush & Kwame as teammates. That's
not really fair is it? Phil told him to shoot more 2 years
ago. Nobody talks about that. He has not been given
credit for carrying this team when we sucked! He has
been vilified unfairly.

Do you remember all the conversations about Shaq and
Kobe and how Kobe broke up the team? Now Shaq has
thrown the Lakers AND the Heat under the bus. Still
Kobe is the bad guy for Shaq being a fat, lazy,
ungrateful pig.

If Kobe is man enough to tip his hat to Mitch and upgrade
him from an F to an A+ then others should be man
enough to acknowledge what Kobe did with ... "those
lacking in talent and work ethic" to be nice about it.

Laker MVB: Mamba 24

League MVB:

Andrew Kamenetsky in a close vote over his brother because years ago, although he didn't pick Kobe for MVP, his pick of Elton Brand was more acceptable than BK's choice of DWade. Those of you that were there, remember the outrage.

By the way after hearing the story of Lamar Odom bringing his chef to Hawaii and Lamar showing up in full-on historic Lakers ultra-pimp regalia to Kobe's MVP press conference, I'm convinced we should keep him.

LAMAR ODOM. LAKER FOR LIFE!

GO LAKERS!

Fresh perspective from Lakersfield, CA...

I don't think that PJ shot JFK, although there was an unusually tall dude spotted near the parade stand on the Czebruder film. But that being said, how 'bout a little conspiracy theory?

Bynum is well. Bynum is practicing, mostly with Kareem, but also running "closed door" drills with the second unit.

Because Bynum is the nuclear option.

Right now, the invasion is going forward swimmingly. Win after win, based on the high-IQ triangle in Q1-3, and the Kobe-Gasol pick and roll in the 4th. No need to start dropping nuclear bombs just yet. Don't give B.Scott or Doc or Flip any relevent game-film to study. Especially Doc, and his alpha-dog, Garnett. Because they have home court, you see. To take it away, to steal it, perhaps PJ envisions a Pearl Harbor type raid - a second quarter nod to Bynum, an unstoppable blitzkreig of Bynum-Gasol-Odom-Bryant-Ariza - deflecting every pass, snatching every rebound, intimidating with an incredible blend of length and quickness. Just for a quarter or two, holding the C's to ten-or-less, while scoring with the Gasol-Bryant pick and roll to set up lobs to AB or slashes to Trevor. Think about it.

It is, after all, our national military doctrine: use only proportional force to achieve our objectives, saving our overwhelming strategic arsenal for the fulcrum of national survival.

Think about it...

Mamba24,

I've kind of been out of it for the past few days and was late joining the fray today, but it's damn it's good to have you and the roll call back. Laker win tonight: 107-99
-bozz-

You know, when Kobe's in this zone where the opposition has no idea if he's going to pass to a cutting big man, take his man off the dribble, set up the shooter in the corner, or drop the killer J himself, I can't help but think of the beat and chorus of that Tupac song, "How Do You Want It?"

I'm not a huge hip-hop guy, but some tracks are just transcendent. And right on point.

Caesar,

Last time I was there I was 6 1/2 years old. But my fond memories are the students University of Navarre and The San Fermin Festival. It was in the late 70's early 80's and being the only Fat Asian kid was like being the only Japanese restaurant in town. My cheeks were pinched raw like sushi.

Also lots of architecture (civil and military type). Get there by this summer in early July. San Fermin Festival. Oh yeah!

I would say Barcelona would be more happening to party ? Right David?

Got Handball?

Regards,

Charles -

Alot of sports writers are eating crow right now!
I love it!
The truth is never far behind and the truth is that Kobe not only makes his team better, he makes the league better.

Peace bro and enjoy game 2!

Jon K

Great post! And nothing could be truer..........a team united is always much stronger than any one of the individuals on the team for just the reasons you bring up. Everyone's got evryone else's back, and that will bring us a Championship this year and for years to come!

MAMBA24,
You are the best your post is fab love roll call congrats to Kob on winning MVP, Now he needs to win the one in June. Lets keep our lakers cover in prayer for the rest of the post season. Have a good day (Laker Nation) my brothers,and sisters.

NO CHAMPIONSHIP? NO PEACE!!!

LAMAR ODOM FOR FINALS MVP!!!

GO LAKERS!

The MAmba24 is back, now let's get the Lakers brotherhood back together by posting: Yes I'm talking to you "JWW" sir. Guys let bygone be bygone!

By the way, we're winning tonight, losing the next game and it's over when we comeback to "Staples"

Mamba from the east coast

Yeah welcome back Mamba!!!
¡sh+T yA!

The following excerpt is from the cover story of Issue #22 of Dime.

By Kobe Bryant

My biggest fear is not winning another title. But fear is a great motivator. I’m determined to lead this organization back to the top. The people who once celebrated me are the same people who doubt me now. They say that because I don’t have Shaq that I can’t win, that it’s over. The only thing I truly worry about is that my drive and my will are sometimes too much for my teammates to handle. Do I expect too much from them? How can I elevate them to play with my same passion every night?

What helps me understand and deal with this is the fact that I was once in their shoes. I once played a supporting role on this team. Back then I knew how much pressure Shaquille had on him to win a ring and I also knew I could help. So I studied the game offensively and especially defensively because I knew that if I could harass on the perimeter with him clogging the lane, it would demoralize our opponents more than anything we could do offensively. I also knew that the teams he played on in the past did not have a closer. No one could take the game over down the stretch or hit the game winner or make the key free throws. Those were Shaq’s weaknesses, so I had to step up and make them my strengths. I knew how much more I could bring to the battle, but that wasn’t my role. I was a scorer who became a facilitator in order to win. But now I worry because I know how hard that was for me to learn, how many sleepless nights I had and how much criticism and trade rumors I had to endure before I mastered my role. This is probably what my current teammates are going through. All I can do is pray that one day we will reach the same level of chemistry and understanding that existed between me, Shaq, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and all the other players I once went to war with.

The fears I have are soothed a little by the presence of Phil Jackson. Simply put: he is the best coach I have ever played for. Everything I have learned about the game can be traced to him and Tex Winter. They teach the game at such a deeper level than x’s and o’s. The game is a rhythm, a dance. Phil and Tex have taught me to feel the game. To think the game without thinking, to see without seeing. They taught me how to prepare. How to conceptualize the spirit of my opponents and attack them where they are weak. I’ve seen how prepared PJ gets before games, and as the on-court leader he is trusting me to do the same. So I do all the things he has taught me to do before tip-off and once the ball is in the air my mind is at ease and my body is ready to play. I take it to the other team on both ends of the floor. I take pride in being able to do that. I HATE being scored on, even by players who some say are ‘un-guardable’. I don’t believe it when they say ‘Oh, that player is just hot today.’ Fuck that! Cool his ass off then.

When we play on the road and the entire crowd is booing me it doesn’t bother me at all. What I think about is simple: “When these fans leave this game I want them to remember how hard I fought and the passion and drive with which I played.” I have always played this game with passion. And I always worked hard. When I saw the movie Rudy I remember thinking, “what if I worked that hard?” God has blessed me both physically and intellectually to play this game, so what would happen if I push as hard as the character in this film? I would love for people to think of me as a talented overachiever. Even though those fans may chant ‘Kobe sucks’ when they leave that arena I want them to walk out with a different feeling than they came in with. When they leave they’ll leave with the understanding that they have just witnessed a player give himself completely to his passion; they have just watched an athlete pour every ounce of his heart and soul out on that floor. And hopefully, when the next volume of my life is all said and done, they will respect and appreciate the years that I spent giving all of me to the game that means everything to me.

MVP for Life!!!!!!

Oops. Young = Bell. My mistake.

Posted by: MJCMAN32 | May 07, 2008 at 12:54 PM

My man...

Regards,

SHEKOBE,
Your French seems pretty solid, how'd you get to be that good?

Mamba from the east coast

HoustonLaker,

Nobody in the NBA has the competitive spirit of Kobe Bryant. No one.

Now that spirit is infecting the rest of the Lakers.

Unbeatable.

GO LAKERS!

anybody have a good place to catch the game in Washington DC tonight?

Toad - don't congratulation JonK for that post - he stole it from me - word for word! Still trying to figure out how he did that......LOL! Just kidding!!! I concur, JonK - great post! If only I was a little quicker on the keyboard and a WHOLE lot more eloquent, it's what I would have said....!!

Can't wait - T minus 6 hours (give or take) and counting!!!!

Toad/Pig - fire up the BBQ - we gonna have ourselves some frest roasted Jazz troll with something I like to call TACOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO LAKERS!

THE BEAN FOR FINALS MVP OR NO PEACE!

NO CHAMPIONSHIP - NO PEACE!

Mamba24: Stop lying! You never retired. You just took a daggone vacation. Vacations are allowed - but, next time, just TAKE ONE! No speeches and threats to leave The Blog. Just disappear for a few days and come back when you're ready. Deal?

Don't make me send my mama after you...AGAIN!

HoustonLaker: Thanks for posting that article. All the respect & understanding I had for Kobe just increased by 1000% ater reading that!

MVP, Indeed!

FROM BOYNTON BEACH, FL

BONSOIR MES AMIS,

THANKS! MAMBA

SHEKOBE,
Your French seems pretty solid, how'd you get to be that good?

Mamba from the east coast

Posted by: Mamba24Fan4Life | May 07, 2008 at 01:05 PM

I AM A FRENCH NATIVE BUT I PREFER TO CALL MYSELF, AN INTERNATIONAL GIRL CUZ I SPEAK AND WRITE SPANISH FLUENTLY ALSO.

SEE YOU TONIGHT= A CE SOIR= NOS VEMOS ESTA NOCHE= WIN#2

BISOUS

SHEKOBE

"...how 'bout a little conspiracy theory?
Bynum is well. Bynum is practicing, mostly with Kareem, but also running "closed door" drills with the second unit.
It is, after all, our national military doctrine: use only proportional force to achieve our objectives, saving our overwhelming strategic arsenal for the fulcrum of national survival."
(Posted by: karyanr | May 07, 2008 at 12:41 PM)

karyanr,

There may be some truth to your conspiracy. AB was spotted last night with a friend watching the Celtics game against the Cavaliers.

Officially, he was there to visit his doctor, but he was actually there to do some advance scouting for the championship series. My guess..maybe taking a look at how he should play KG?

LOL

Thanks for the post Houstonlaker. That was a great read. Boy I'm gonna miss Kobe when he's gone, I think 3 more years and he's moving on to the next chapter. I will miss him like I missed Kareem, Magic, Bird, Hakeem, Dominique, MJ, Dr. J, Isaiah, Dennis Johnson, Alex English, Dumars and Pippen. I loved to watch those men play. I hated them when they played the Lakers but I loved to watch them all play. They were men and not boys. We have a lot of boys playing the game today not so many men. Kobe was a boy but he's now a man! You always miss the greats!

Welcome back mamba24, it's nice to have the energy back in the Blog. KB 24 is the new MVP and what a long, strange trip it's been for that young (old) man. No other modern day player has experienced the highs and lows that he has. That being said, he is an amazing baller and I hope he puts on a show tonight.
Keys to tonight: Rebounds, interior scoring, control the free throw line (as much as allowed) and DEFENCE.
I'd like to see Jordan Farmar (who's hosting a late night Kobe MVP celebration in my neck of the woods) break out and get involved in the game. He really looks like he's hit a wall out there and he's not playing with that chip on his shoulder. Same thing happened to 'Drew last year (except that he hit the wall even earlier) and with all the fire power coming off the pine, he doesn't look to score sometimes but I just feel like he needs to assert himself in the series before we get to the Energy Center where he will get zero love from any officiating crew. Hopefully, we get a crew that can keep time.
That's all, welcome back again mamba24 and let's heal all wounds with the soothing balm of our MVP 2 guard as we march towards Tip-Off. I love game day, now if only time would move faster.

GO LAKERS!!!!!

Game 2: Jazz 104 Fakers 93

Boozer goes for 30
Kobe strains neck carrying world's biggest head

I need BEAST news.

Pronto.

Not to devalue Kobe's achievements, but why does the MVP trophy look like a malformed poop-man?

I will be pretty upset if the TNT crew does not show the MVP ceremony tonight. You know Fox sports and KCal would be right there.

TWoody

I like how you think Jon K. Utilizing Lamar Odom as a scoring cannon with Kobe holding the trigger would be absolutely unstoppable.

Koberocks,

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. lots of nice TV's.....you may need to be strip searched..........lol

K Bros,

Can you use your pull to display the full page ads congratulating Kobe from Nike and the Lakers that ran in today's LATimes?

Those were awesome, and I think other people should see them.

This year's playoff excitement is clouding the "oh-my-God-what-have-they-done?" view that League GM's are already losing sleep over...

Next year's team will shatter the Bulls' 72-10 record.

74-8? 75-7? Seriously. If the knees hold up, it's gonna happen. And with the MVP in his pocket, KB puts on a totally different mask - no longer the guy that veteran free agents don't want to play with, he will become a free-agent magnet that maturing veterans will flock to for league-minimum salaries - just like Shaq used to be, and like KG became this year.

Hi Laker Nation,

Welcome Back Mamba24, Thank You Jon K, Our Love for the Logo is mutual. Thanks AK& BK for once again being the Cream of the Crop when it comes to given us Laker Tidbits !!!! You guys and your blog is the BEST.. Hands down !!!!! Seeing the pic of Kobe's daughter wearing old school Chuck Taylor's cracked me up!!!! I miss Chick ! Seeing the KIA commercial yesterday made me realize just how much I miss Chick.. I dunno why.. but I do. I got about 4 e-mails today from friends across country saying tonight the Lakers will lose LMAO Lakers - 111 Jazz 96 Dont forget to pick up your Taco coupon !!!

Game 2: Jazz 104 Fakers 93

Boozer goes for 30
Kobe strains neck carrying world's biggest head

Posted by: stock

... Kobe, however, shrugs it off and says 'just another injury. i can play without one of my fingers, what's a neck for anyway. While Boozer and jazz fans congratulate themselves on a thirty point game, Kobe says 'big deal i can score that in a quarter...' and proceeds to do so

SHEKOBE,
Thanks for the reply,
C'est bien d'avoir quelqu'un pour pouvoir dialoguer en Français de temps a autres, il y a aussi KIWI de la Nouvel Zelande qui parle bien Français aussi. J'ai lu pas mal de vos postes et ils sont toujours très intelligents. Continuez de poster. Cela a été un plaisir de faire votre connaissance.
A la prochaine

Mamba du cote Est

SHEKOBE,
Thanks for the reply,
C'est bien d'avoir quelqu'un pour pouvoir dialoguer en Français de temps a autres, il y a aussi KIWI de la *(Nouvelle) Zelande qui parle bien Français aussi. J'ai lu pas mal de vos postes et ils sont toujours très intelligents. Continuez de poster. Cela a été un plaisir de faire votre connaissance.
A la prochaine
*Correction
Mamba du cote Est

TWO FOR EIGHTEEN?

And they say it's not hatin when you put Kobe and LBJ in the same sentence.

Pig... Toad

I'm stopping by the supermarket to pick up a few veggies to add to the grill.. Kinda feeling like shiska-bobs tonight. since there's fresh meat in the house.

Game 2: Jazz 104 Fakers 93

Boozer goes for 30
Kobe strains neck carrying world's biggest head

Posted by: stock | May 07, 2008 at 01:31 PM

Koberocks,

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. lots of nice TV's.....you may need to be strip searched..........lol

Posted by: pslakerfan | May 07, 2008 at 01:39 PM

LOL!!!! Classic. You got jokes pslakerfan, you got jokes man

Mamba from the east coast

KOBE IS BACK ON TOP OF THE WORLD…

Not only did Kobe win the 2008 NBA MVP Award but it appears that he has also won back Madison Avenue. Wheaties is planning a special edition MVP box. Kobe is on the cover of Sony’s NBA ’07 video game and Sony is talking a major deal featuring KB24. He is hawking VitaminWater for Glaceau and Hyperdunk shoes for Nike. He will surely grace the cover of Sports Illustrated for his MVP next week and again later for winning the NBA Finals MVP and Championship. When he finally follows that up with a USA victory in Beijing, can McDonalds, Coke, and Disneyland be far behind?

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MVP VOTING…

Everybody loves a good story and Kobe is this year’s best. I predicted at the start of this perfect storm of a season that if the Lakers emerged from the doom and gloom of the summer to win the West, it would virtually guarantee Kobe Bryant winning the MVP. With 82 of the total 126 first place votes, Kobe routed Chris Paul (28 votes), Kevin Garnett (15 votes), and LeBron James (1 vote). What is more important is that this vote marks a significant turning point in Kobe’s career. I predict you will even see more Kobe respect on the court by the refs in the playoffs. Nobody wants to ruin a good story.

MAKING OTHER PLAYERS BETTER…

Give Kobe credit for turning this individual award into a team award and ensuring that “making other players better” will be the critical criteria in awarding future MVP awards. Kobe’s leadership and influence on his teammates has been truly unbelievable this year. You can see the dedication, camaraderie, and work ethic that dominates their character and the confidence, competitiveness, and mental toughness they exhibit when playing. What is most amazing about Kobe’s impact on this team is that almost every player on the team is currently enjoying a career year and playing the best basketball of their lives. That is an undeniable proof that Kobe Bryant is truly making other players better.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THE TRIANGLE NOW…

Other than being a little dismayed at a couple of clueless derogatory comments about Tex Winter blowing his own horn, I thought it was surprisingly appropriate that Kobe would be asked about the Triangle Offense right now because it is one of the key reasons that the Lakers are playing as well as they are right now despite still missing Andrew Bynum. It is one of the reasons why the Lakers passing game and low post offense has excelled. It is one of the reasons why Kobe has become so difficult to guard. And it is one of the reasons why Kobe was able to win his first NBA regular season MVP award.

BOSTON’S EASY ROAD TO THE FINALS…

The weakness and ineptitude of the Eastern Conference was on full display in last night’s Celtics – Cavaliers game, which the Celtics barely won despite LeBron James playing his worst game ever in the playoffs, shooting a miserable 2 for 19. Watching Kevin Garnett celebrate again as if the Celtics had won a spirited victory was a joke. Thank God we did not trade for this guy. He is one dimensional robotic player in both game and emotion who truly deserves to be a Celtic for the rest of his losing days as a pro basketball player. The only bigger laugh to me was LeBron’s performance. Only two more years before he bolts Cleveland for good to earn his billions playing in New York.

Tom

Wes,

Always the Fantasy sports GM...

Dude, why are you guys talking about trading Bynum?? Don't you people learn from history? This would be the hugest chump move the Lakers could possibly do. Yes, let's trade our future for a PG when we've got Fish tutoring Farmar now. Let's go after a prospect when we've got the goods NOW. Let's bet on a possible flush on the river against a made hand. Luckily we've got sharks running the organization, sharks who are more than happy to feed off flounders like y'all.

Why would we be able to give money to Elton Brand? We have Bynum's Bird rights, which means his salary doesn't count when calculating what we can offer a free agent as a result of the salary cap. WE DON'T HAVE ELTON BRAND's BIRD RIGHTS. This means that we wouldn't be able to offer him any money beyond the various exceptions at our disposal. None. Zip. Zero. Whether we sign Bynum or not. So please put this horrble idea to rest.

Why would we trade our best rebounder and shotblocker, especially when our hugest hole right now is rebounding and shotblocking??

Some people always gotta tinker, I guess. Maybe we should just enjoy what we got now and let them play the games, ya think?

"By the way, we're winning tonight, losing the next game and it's over when we comeback to "Staples""

(Posted by: Mamba24Fan4Life | May 07, 2008 at 12:57 PM )

Mamba24Fan4Life,

From your post, I assume that you are predicting that the Lakers will steal game 4 in Utah and finishing the series at the Staples on Game 5.

I am curious as to how you arrived at your position? My feeling is if we win big tonight, the momemtum will carry us into the next game in Energy Solutions. So I believe it is easier for us to take game 3. However, to finish and close game 4 in Utah, it will be a tall order!

"By the way, we're winning tonight, losing the next game and it's over when we comeback to "Staples""

(Posted by: Mamba24Fan4Life | May 07, 2008 at 12:57 PM )

Mamba24Fan4Life,

From your post, I assume that you are predicting that the Lakers will steal game 4 in Utah and finishing the series at the Staples on Game 5.

I am curious as to how you arrived at your position? My feeling is if we win big tonight, the momemtum will carry us into the next game in Energy Solutions. So I believe it is easier for us to take game 3. However, to finish and close game 4 in Utah, it will be a tall order!

Charles,

My pic finally up on "your scene" photos now

ps

the BIG Margine,

As a Kobe fan I got to get a chance to watch most fo the NBA writers comments (Through the NET, DVR, and live TV) on who they thought the MVP was for the last month of the regular season. The thing that had me guessing Kobe would win by a large margine was three facts:

1) All the ones that actually had a vote to give had Kobe first.
2) All the ones that have a vote are older people who usualy stick wth their word and abouteverybody was saying whoever's team gets the better recordis the MVP.
3) If NBA has done one thing right is that the poeple that have low IQ's don't have votes. For instance Ernie Johnson and Marv Alber have a vote but Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith don't. Marc Stein has a vote but John Hollinger doesn't. ETC. ETC

If I'm the commish I'm getting AK a vote, BK? I don't think so. I mean 2 for 18? BK cmon now.

Jon K-

I really like your Odom for for finals MVP thing. He is by far and away going to have to be HUGE for us to do anything this year. No matter how well he continues to do all the focus will always be on MVP and Gasol. You can't double team all three and that will always leave Odom open. I just want to see Odom keep away from the 3 (hes been good at that lately) and keep up the driving and layups and rebounds. I have a feeling Kobe and Lamar go off tonight.

And I wouldn't mind seeing Farmar do a little something tonight too. Lakers 115 Jazz 104

GO LAKERS

stock,

We are going to stomp on your throats tonight. I expect to see panic in your team's eyes in the fourth quarter.

GO LAKERS!

Its true, the Utah Jazz played us like the Macarena on Sunday.

"First they pushed with one hand, then the other. Next with elbows about the head, then those Neanderthals used their hips to push us off balance. Oh! that Macarena!"

- Coach Jackson

PJ skillfully used Utah's practice film to show the Lakers what they were doing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z7t-Ox3XvU

But, Nooooo. It won't work tonight, because we plan on doing the Mamba all over their heads.

Let's get physical Lakers!

"No rebounds, no rings!"

- an original Fatty quote stolen from Pat Riley

Fan of the Mamba,

We're going to get a good six more years out of Kobe, possibly eight.

I see him retiring at 37.

He loves to play and loves to win and that's what he'll get here with the Lakers.

GO LAKERS!

pslakerfan

Great photo on "your scene"..........great "tribute"

Have you picked up a copy of the LA Times today? Page 9 of the sports section is worth the price of the paper.

Jon K,

I agree about Lamar. Now, let's hope he shoots 500 jumpers a day in the offseason so he'll help us spread the floor for Bynum, Gasol and Kobe.

mamba24 Welcome Back

If you are adding rings from Clements Add those from Rambis and Brian Shaw. That ought to add at least 6 more.

Did Kobe grow as a leader, yes. But don't discount the role of Mitch and Jerry. We all know that Kobe is an extremely hard working individual and his drive for perfection is equally extreme. Knowing that, Mitch and Jerry drafted and traded for players that works well with Kobe's personality. Farmar, Sasha, Luke, and Turiaf are all known hard workers and gym rat. Those players personality fits the atmosphere that enable Kobe to lead. In the past, with people like Kwame and Cook, they needed more understanding and tolerance which isn't Kobe's area of leadership. This award by Kobe really is a total team work not only just of the players, but of coaches and the managment.

Wes,

“Would you trade Andrew Bynum for the number one pick in this year's draft?” – Wes.

No NBA general manager would trade Andrew Bynum for the number one pick in any year’s draft. Andrew is a 20-year old once-in-a-generation player who has shown that he is a top-3 NBA center already and primed to dominate for years to come. No unproved #1 pick, including last year’s darling Greg Oden, would ever be worth trading Bynum.

“Think about it. Bynum is a bit redundant with Pau there and we could get a franchise point guard to run with our big three. Then use the money we would have given Bynum on Elton Brand. What of it?” – Wes

I don’t need to think about it. Bynum is not “a bit redundant with Pau” unless you mean having two 7-foot superstars is redundant. Bynum provides physical domination on both offense and defense and the boards that Pau cannot provide at center while Pau is better suited, as he says himself, to play power forward. The Lakers will NOT trade Bynum.

Furthermore, whatever salary Andrew Bynum is paid (probably $80M over 5 years) will be allowed since he is already under contract and has Larry Bird rights under the CBA. The Lakers could NOT use this money to pay for another team’s free agent such as Elton Brand so try and get your facts straight before proposing any strategy.

Finally, we really do not need a franchise point guard at this point. We already have a 3-time NBA champion at point guard in Derek Fisher, a rising star at point guard in Jordan Farmar, and the rights to 6-9 point guard Sun Yue, who could be another stat-filling star in the mold of Lamar Odom and Luke Walton and defender like Trevor Ariza.

Tom