The chatter amongst media kingmakers before Friday night's game centered around the improved play of the Denver Nuggets since their acquisition of Chauncey Billups from the Deeeeetroit Pistons.  After all, the revamped Nuggs had gone 7-1 since swapping Allen Iverson for Big Shot, displaying greater cohesion on offense (i.e. any cohesion) and more determination in guarding their goal (i.e. any determination).  Well, it doesn't make a damn lick of difference.  Billups wasn't enough to swing the fortunes of the Nuggets, because Friday night at Staples the Lakers again dominated Denver, just as they did earlier this year and in last year's playoffs, running out to a 17 point lead in the first quarter en route to a 104-90 win that wasn't as close as the score might indicate.

Make a list of things a team can do well, and there's a good chance that LA did them tonight, at least during the parts of the game that mattered.  They moved the ball.  They penetrated.  They created easy looks near the rim.  They bottled up Denver's star player, forced turnovers, blocked shots, and sent the crowd home with tacos. 

Really, what wasn't there to like?  The breakdown is below.

Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman, probably best remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, once penned an autobiography called "As Bad as I Wanna Be." And during tonight's 116-109 win over that same franchise, the Lakers were often a team as good as they wanna be.  At times, that meant being utterly dominant, especially when pounding the ball inside to Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, a duo of seven footers whose length and skills are nowhere close to matched by Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Aaron Gray.  That also meant forcing the Bulls into some contested shots and flat out offensive futility, best evidenced during a third quarter in which the Lakers racked up three blocks, three steals, forced six Chicago turnovers and a field goal percentage at a lowly 32%. 

Unfortunately, the Lakers also spent plenty of time as inattentive, loose and sloppy as they wanna be.

It was a long shot for sure, an 82-0 campaign for the purple and gold, but aren't the biggest dreams also the most pure?  The most worthy? 

Hopefully not, because the Lakers were treated to a healthy dose of reality Friday night at Staples, finding themselves on the wrong end of a final score for the first time in the 2008-09 season, losing 106-95 to the Pistons.  It took eight games, but the Lakers were finally outplayed from start to finish.  No second half comeback, no fourth quarter push.  Detroit came out hot (making their first six shots) and stayed that way, shooting 56% in the first half.  Some of that was porous Lakers D- Allen Iverson and his back court compatriots might as well have been toasting marshmallows over an open fire for all the time they spent camped in the lane- some of it was red hot shooting.  By the time Rasheed Wallace hit a miracle rainbow three off the backboard with Pau Gasol's gangly arm in his face as the shot clock expired- did I mention it drew glass?- with just under five minutes left in the third, it was pretty clear this wasn't going to end well for the locals. 

It wasn't pretty, but in some ways it was inevitable.  The hope, of course, is that the Lakers prove nights like this will come few and far between.   Click below for the breakdown.

Had I aced the big tests of my academic life as successfully as the Lakers did Sunday night in their 111-82 win over the Rockets, my walls would be lined with endless graduate degrees and I'd currently be figuring out how best to decorate my array of ivory towers- primary residence plus beach and vacation towers- instead of typing up postgame analysis.  Because man alive, the Lakers nailed the hell out of this one.  While the Rockets aren't yet working like a well oiled machine, they came into Staples representing the best squad the Lakers had seen, and left like everyone else:  Thoroughly defeated.

To get a clearer picture of just how much the purple and gold controlled the action, remember that LA struggled through a first quarter slop fest in which they turned the ball over eight times leading to 17 Houston points, and shot the ball like AK after too many martinis*, going 5-17 from the floor.  Maybe it was the light game schedule this week or concern over struggling fantasy football squads. Whatever the problem, after the Lakers fell behind by 16 a minute into the second quarter they found their inner Svengali, putting the Rockets on a string and pulling at will.  Over the final 35 minutes, the Lakers outscored Houston by forty five freakin' points. 

Click below for the breakdown. 

The Lakers entered Wednesday night's game against the Clippers with a +21.6 point differential through their first three games, easily the NBA's best.  Through four games the Clippers were -23 per night, by far the worst mark in the Association. 

It was a game where nothing had to give... and it didn't.  Using a 22-0 run over seven-plus minutes in the fourth quarter, the Lakers ran away with what was a close game early, winning 106-88.  The LAC actually held a four point lead at halftime, but whether it was an inspired speech from Phil Jackson, a particularly refreshing batch of Gatorade, or the simple realization that, at least right now, the Clippers aren't that good, LAL came out with fire to start the third, erasing a four point deficit and setting the tone for a strong final two quarters.  Had they been able to hit the broad side of a barn with their shots- it wasn't until the fourth quarter that the Lakers shot better than 40%- the purple and gold would have put this one on ice a lot faster.   

Kobe led the way with 27 points, bolstered by 15 from Lamar Odom and 13 from Derek Fisher.  Click below for the breakdown. 

Tuesday, the Lakers kicked off the 2008-09 season with a 20 point win over the Portland Trail Blazers.  Wednesday night at Staples, the Lakers nearly doubled up, blowing the Clippers off their "home" court in front of their "home" fans- there was plenty of purple in the crowd and noise when the Lakers scored- for their second win of the year, 117-79.  That's two wins in two games by a combined 58 points.  We're talking serious smack down territory.  I can guarantee that things won't be this easy all season long, but if the Lakers wanted to show people that all the preseason hype directed their way was deserved, they're off to a good start. 

The formula for Wednesday's win was similar to the opener.  Strong defense, great balance, with contributions up and down the lineup.

Click below for the breakdown. 

When the basketball overlords convened inside their pebbled leather-and-ivory tower this offseason and emerged to declare the Lakers as clear favorites in the Western Conference, they did so with some of the following in mind: 

• That Kobe guy.
• Depth and balance.
• Length and scoring in the frontcourt.
• Sun Yue. 

Okay, maybe not that fourth one, but the rest of it certainly holds true.  For their part, the Lakers spent the preseason talking about an increased emphasis on defense, dotting all I's and crossing all T's on their end of the floor.  In Tuesday night's 96-76 season opening victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, everyone was right.  The Lakers had a typically solid game from the NBA's MVP, as Kobe Bryant scored 13 in the third and finished with 23 (along with 11 boards and 5 dimes just for window dressing) while spending most of the fourth quarter in sweats.  Depth and balance?  Try 11 from Trevor Ariza, eight from Vlad Radmanovic, nine from Jordan Farmar, and so on.  Length in the frontcourt?  Pau Gasol destroyed the Blazers early, going off for nine in the opening 12 minutes en route to 15 for the game. 

But devotees of the purple and gold will relish a defensive effort that held the Blazers to 53 points through three quarters.  The rotations were sharp, the closeouts fast, the pressure intense.  Portland had a terrible time getting to the rack, and were generally limited jumpers with a hand in the face.  Shots frequently came late in the clock or not at all, as the Lakers limited the Blazers to 29.2% shooting in the first, 33.3% in the second, and 34.8% in the third.  Chalk up some of that to disorganized play from the Blazers, but as Phil Jackson pointed out after the game, part of the reason Portland looked bad was because the Lakers facilitated the process. 

Click below for the breakdown.

Which is fortunate, since that's exactly what the Lakers did during a 131-92 Finals ending bloodbath at the hands of the Celtics.  A complete and utter collapse was witnessed as the Celtics took home the gold for a 17th time.  From top to bottom, from Kobe Bryant to Trevor Ariza (who logged the least amount of court time at just over nine minutes), every Laker who stepped on the court played a sizable role in not getting the job done.  "We got our ass kicked together," said Lamar Odom in both succinct and accurate fashion.  What began as a reasonably competitive (if not always competent) 24-20 first quarter deficit spiraled way out of control in no time flat.  Down 23 at the half thanks to a brutally stagnant offense (3-13 in the second quarter) with five turnovers to compliment the first quarter's sextet.  Four second frame rebounds, rounding out a 26-14 first half discrepancy not favorable towards the Lakers. 


 

Call me wacky, but it feels somewhat appropriate for a blog hosted by the Brothers Kamenetzky to use a song title by the Brothers Gibb in reporting the Lakers' 103-98 win over the Celtics, a victory that secured the privilege of fighting another day while down 3-2 in the Finals.  And to paraphrase a lyric from the disco classic, this game saw the Lakers get low and the Lakers get high and when they couldn't get either, they just really tried.  Plenty of peaks (17- and 14-point leads built in the first and fourth quarters, an uncharacteristically good third quarter, terrific games from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in support of Kobe Bryant), valleys (said leads getting blown, small forward play unless Kobe slid to the 3, Sasha Vujacic's shooting, a couple of odd floor units concocted by Phil Jackson) and nonstop effort, which played a huge factor with the dust settling in L.A.'s favor.  "We were aggressive," praised Phil Jackson of his team.  "We played hard.  Not smart all the time, but we played hard."  That won't be enough to make it happen every time, but on this particular night, survival was achieved. 

So by all means, hit the video link and dance until your heart's content in celebration of a triumphant box score.  You earned it, as did the Lakers.

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK

AK

The lead in to the question presented to Doc Rivers after the game seemed innocent enough:

"Doc, we've seen teams come back from deficits like this before..."

Stop right there.  No, we haven't.  Not in the NBA Finals, at least.  No team, going back to the 1971 championship series (the NBA's records for in-quarter stats don't reach back any deeper), has ever blown a lead as large as the 24 point cushion the Lakers gave away Thursday night in their 97-91 loss to Boston in Game 4 of their best-of-seven.  No team has ever blown a bigger first quarter lead than the 21 point margin LA had after the opening 12, or a bigger halftime advantage than the 18 they held at the break.  I'm sure there are more ugly numbers buried in the books, but those are the biggies, and they're more than enough.  With the win, the Celtics take a commanding 3-1 lead heading into Sunday's Game 5.

This, folks, was a killer. 

Click below for the breakdown... or at least a rundown.

PROGRAMMING NOTE (6.11):  Join us today for Purple, Gold, and Blue at 11 am.  Our guest will be Henry Abbott of ESPN.com's outstanding TrueHoop blog.  Click on the show widget at the side of the page, or go straight to our show page to listen in.

Given the circumstances, you'll have to forgive the Lakers for not worrying about style points after their roadkill ugly 87-81 victory over the Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals Tuesday night at Staples.  Facing a must-win against a squad that had beaten them four consecutive times over the course of the season, all that mattered was the final score.  Some sort of grand message (announcing their presence with authority, if you will) would have been nice, but beggars can't be choosers.   For every positive development, there's a worrisome one to go along with it.  Kobe's 36 points and 18 free-throw attempts, meet 13 points and 5-18 shooting from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.  20 points from Sasha Vujacic, who drilled seven of the 10 shots he took, meet three points, four personals from Vlad Radmanovic.  Overall, L.A.'s new Big Two logged 56 of L.A.'s 87 points, while the rest of the gang was a scary 11-39, good for 31.   

But while the Lakers didn't exactly flow smooth and swift like the Amazon (for the purposes of this writing, we'll all assume the Amazon flows smooth and swift - no emails, please) with the ball, they came up big where it mattered most, on the defensive side of things.  The Lakers limited Boston to 35% shooting, bottled up Paul Pierce (six points on 2-14 from the floor), and held KG to a 6-21 night.  Only Ray Allen, with 25 points (only three in the fourth) did any real damage.

The grimy nature of the affair, one both teams seemed reluctant to control, Doc Rivers was asked if he felt his Celtics missed an opportunity to steal one from the Lakers.  "Either that, or they should have blown us out.  One of the two." 

Exactly.  So maybe it's tough to draw a lot of lessons.  The most important thing, though, is that the Lakers finally broke through against the Celtics.  They finally have tangible proof they can beat the green.  Tonight's performance, if repeated, won't be enough to sustain them the rest of the series, but it could be the starting point they need to move on to better things.  However you slice it, the NBA Finals are officially a series again. 

AK with the breakdown, below.

BK 

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers were generally outplayed for the bulk of the action, save a six minute stretch at the end of the first half where they turned a five point deficit into a five point lead. Sunday night in Game 2, they opened the game strong, taking a seven point advantage on a tip in from Lamar Odom with 6:15 to play in the first.  From there, things turned Boston's way.  Decisively.  Washington Generals vs. Harlem Globetrotters, Shaq vs. free throws, Oliver Miller vs. the training table decisively. The Celtics locked down on a foul-plagued Lakers squad- more on that later- and opened a 12 point lead at the half, a cushion they pushed to 22 closing the third, and 24 with 7:55 remaining in the fourth. 

At that point, the Celtics became complacent defensively, careful not to foul a desperate Lakers bunch and content to trade hoops, bleed the clock down, and send the fans out to the pubs with a big collective smile.  Except a funny thing happened- they stopped trading.  The Lakers shaved 10 points off the deficit over the next 2:40, and another 10 in the next four minutes.  After two free throws from Kobe with 38.4 to go, the Lakers were down only two, needing a stop. 

Didn't happen.  Derek Fisher was called for a reach on a penetrating Paul Pierce, who went to the line and sank two freebies.  Then Pierce blocked a Sasha Vujacic triple on the next possession, and that was that.  A heartbreaking, frustrating, angrifying (new word alert!) 108-102 loss.  Lakers down 2-0. 

Honestly, the game was too weird to fit neatly into our traditional (and well loved) breakdown, so I'm going to hit on what I saw as some of the game's biggest themes.  Click below for that.

Those inhabitants of the Laker Nation with a natural inclination for worry will not sleep well after the Lakers hit the famous parquet floor in Boston with a thud, dropping Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the Celtics, 98-88.  It was a night with few highlights for the purple and gold.  They ran out to a very early four-point lead, and used a 16-6 run at the end of the second quarter to take a five-point lead into the half.  Unfortunately, the rest of the night clearly belonged to the home team, which otherwise tended to dictate the flow of the game.  Boston was able to erase L.A.'s lead only 45 seconds into the third quarter, engaged the Lakers in a dog fight, then slowly took control of the game.  The iconic moment of the night?  Paul Pierce put the Celtics ahead for good with two huge three-pointers after a dramatic return to the court less than two minutes after being rolled off the floor in a wheelchair because of a knee injury.  Call it a Willis Reed moment for the Gen X folk. 

On the other hand, optimists will look at Thursday's loss and believe that the Lakers probably won't get another 9-26 shooting night from Kobe, only six boards from Lamar Odom, or 15 points combined between Vlad Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar. The Lakers didn't look all that good in Game 1, but still were in the game until the final four minutes or so.  A little more execution down the stretch, and they might have stolen a game they didn't deserve. 

Click below for the breakdown.

Because tonight's 100-92 win over the Spurs, a victory that vaulted the Lakers into the NBA Finals, was hardly secured by what they did over most of the opening half.  In fact, the first 20 minutes or so came pretty close to guaranteeing a Game 6 on Saturday.  Lamar Odom suspected his team came out amped to knock out their opponents in a style more suitable for a diamond than the triangle.  "We came out batting like a DH," smiled Lamar.  "Trying to hit the home run, trying to get them right out of the game really early."  But instead of long balls, the Lakers were putting up long jumpers, most of which clanged rim and all of which eschewed the ball movement (especially inside) that's become a 2008 Laker staple.  Down 17 at one point in the second quarter, the Lakers concluded the first half on an 11-2 run, with points mostly coming off layups.  Perhaps inspired (or simply slapped into reality), the Lakers spent the second half knuckling down on both sides of the ball.  Chipping away at San Antonio's lead, slowly but surely putting their foes back enough in the rear view mirror. 

Kobe Bryant's 26 second-half points were obviously huge (making the 39 total even bigger), but contributions came fittingly from every Laker who stepped on the court.  Pau Gasol's 5-15 shooting was offset and then some by 19 boards (10 offensive) and a quartet of blocks.  Vlad Radmanovic led his teammates in the first quarter with five points.  Jordan Farmar provided a big spark of energy off the bench, with his fellow mobsters following suit in their quest to make a mark or two while on the court.  In the end, the team that's talked happily about its all-important bond found success through a group effort, creating a box score that accentuates a truly remarkable season. 

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK.

AK

I was on with Steve Mason today, who asked for my prediction about Tuesday night's Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.  Having guessed Lakers in seven before the series started, I figured this would be a hard fought, knock down, knuckle dragger, very tight at the end, but eventually won by the Spurs.  Two of three ain't bad, and fortunately for the Lakers, the one I got wrong was the most important- the final score. 93-91 Los Angeles, who now own a commanding 3-1 lead in the series heading back to Staples for Game 5 Thursday night. 

There are no bad wins at this point of the season, especially when they come on the home floor of the defending champs... but that doesn't mean the thing was a work of art.  The Lakers raced out an early lead, as big as 22-8 with 4:33 left to play in the first, and from there struggled through foul trouble, turnovers, and a determined (if ragged) effort from San Antonio.   

But give the Lakers credit, because they went a remarkably long time in the postseason before being handed an arse whuppin'.  Tonight, however, that good fortune ended with the Lakers suffering a 103-84 beatdown at the hands of the Spurs. It's not hard to figure out why the margin between the teams was so decidedly wide. Save Jordan Farmar and Vlad Radmanovic, Kobe Bryant was offered little in the way of proficient help to match his 13-for-23 shooting performance (30 points).  Harsh struggles to unite the ball and the net were experienced by Derek Fisher (one for four), Pau Gasol (seven for 18) and Lamar Odom (two for 11), the latter of whom also added five turnovers to his "woe" list.  The Lakers D wasn't a whole lot more inspiring. The three-point arc in particular went disturbingly unprotected, allowing a team yet to can 30% of their attempts to go batty. They were 10 for 18 on three-point shots, with five makes alone belonging to Manu Ginobli, who diced the hell out of the Lakers after getting nada going in L.A. 

All in all, not the most pleasurable of purple and gold box scores.  But save for that 2001 team that went 15-1 in their title acquisition, you'll be hard-pressed to find many championships squads that didn't suffer a doozy or two along the way.  Hopefully, the Lakers will limit their tally to this one. 

AK 

Over the course of what has become an extremely successful season a whole lot of attention has been given to the Lakers offense.  Makes sense.  Between frontliners like Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and then Pau Gasol (plus Andrew Bynum, when healthy), offensive-minded supporting players - Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar come to mind - and a dime-happy scheme, L.A. can fill up the basketball hoop like a fat man can a hula.  So you'd think on a night where the Lakers were shooting nearly 60% at the end of the third, the O would once again dominate the headlines. 

You'd be wrong.

The Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference finals matchup against the Spurs on the strength of some suffocating defense that limited San Antonio to 34.5% from the floor and never let them score more than 21 points in a quarter.  That, not offensive production, explains L.A.'s 101-71 blowout win.  They'll head to Texas confident, but well aware of what the Spurs did one round ago, when, just as they did in L.A., San Antonio lost the first two games on the road before eventually winning the series. Still, this is a confident group, and deservedly so after what was probably, given the timing, their best defensive game of the season. 

AK has the breakdown below. 

BK

Those concerned that a long layoff might cause the Lakers to come out flat and jeopardize their chances against a veteran, often mistake-free team like San Antonio, head to your nearest liquor store ASAP with whatever numbers are running throughout your brain, because you might have what it takes to call the right lotto combo.  Assuming, of course, you also predicted the Lakers would overcome that slow start and pull out the victory (specifically, an 89-85 margin).  Otherwise, you're just tossing away whatever hard-earned dollars are required to purchase those tickets. 

The contest's opening two quarters saw the Lakers shaking off some cobwebs, missing a fair amount of shots, and Kobe Bryant looking mostly to get mates in the zone, even at the expense of his own scoring (1-3 attempts for a scant 2 points).  Save Vlad Radmanovic's 5-5 juggernaut and a respectable 5-9 clip from Pau Gasol, everyone else was struggling so much to fill a bucket that the 51-43 halftime score looked like a gift.  And compared to the 20-point deficit they stared down six minutes into a sloppy third quarter, it was a bow-wrapped delight. But then the Lakers regrouped, began grinding down their opponent (who shot a piddling 14% during the final quarter) and Kobe went to work.  Twenty-five second half points (fourteen in the fourth frame), including the go- ahead bucket from nine-feet out with barely a full possession remaining on the clock.   From there, Sasha Vujacic (who did a great job shadowing Manu Ginobili) emerged from a loose ball melee holding the prize, sank two insurance shots at the stripe, and iced the box score in the Lakers' favor.   

Weren't a lot of "pretty" points to be had, but the entire roster is already wearing snazzy watches courtesy of the Mamba.  If that's as "fancy pants" as this series ever gets, as long as it includes purple and gold wins, so be it.

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK.

AK      

Nobody with a hint of realism would have expected the Lakers to pull off a series-clinching win against Utah in the SLC with the greatest of ease.  Those folks keeping their feet firmly affixed to the ground knew exactly what they were talking about.  Yes, the Lakers did manage to best the Jazz and advance to the Western Conference finals, but a 108-105 score shows it was no bed of roses (nor a pleasure cruise of any sort).  After the Lakers built up a 19-point advantage before halftime Gatorade and orange slices, then lost just three of those points before the final frame, Utah made a serious push.  With two minutes and change remaining, five jazzy treys were dropped, cutting the Laker lead to a pair of angst-ridden points.  But after a pair of freebies went down for Kobe Bryant, plus one of two for Derek Fisher, the Lakers defended their scant lead with solid contestings of downtown shots from Mehmet Okur and Deron Williams. Box score secured, along with a trip to the finals.  All five Laker starters and Sasha Vujacic hit double figures, led by Kobe's well-balanced 34/8/6 clip.  Their opponent won't be decided until Monday night, but whether New Orleans or San Antonio, the road to the Finals will literally begin in the City of Angels.  Ain't nothing wrong with that.

AK 

But he apparently doesn't root purple and gold, because after a 123-115 OT victory by Utah, their playoff series now sits an all square 2-2, a development the Laker Nation considers anything but hip.  The defeat saw quite a few obstacles tossed in the Lakers' path: Derek Fisher picking up three rapid-fire fouls, which limited him to approximately the same number of first-half minutes and increased the PT of Jordan Farmar, who continues to struggle on both ends of the floor. Ronny Turiaf getting ejected in the second quarter on a dubious flagrant foul call, with Price's awkward landing turning his obvious block attempt with no extra mustard applied into something apparently worse. 

Kobe Bryant's stiff back, injured on an early game jumper and never allowing him to operate in pain-free fashion.  Throw in physicality Utah was still afforded, and that's some tough sledding for the Lakers. 

Realistically speaking, the undefeated ride would come to an end at some point.  And tonight's game 3, which took Utah back to its turf for the first time in the series, struck me as logical a time as any for the Lakers to get hung with an "L."  The dust settling on a 104-99 Jazz victory proved that instinct unfortunately correct.  But like the title suggests, this loss doesn't bug me much as a Laker fan.  Yes, there were negatives.  Pau Gasol, save about the final three or so minutes of action, spent the game getting pushed around in the paint on both ends (which often led to some turnovers).  The backup backcourt of Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar (often torched by Deron Williams) went a combined 0-9 from the field for a combined goose egg in the scoring column.  The Lakers turned the ball over 18 times and hit only five of their 23 attempts from downtown. 

But despite these issues, despite the Lakers playing often at their worst and Utah vice versa, the Jazz could never put away the Lakers for good.  The purple and gold execution was often hinky, but the energy and spirit was always there.  Kobe Bryant, overcoming a slow first half, set the final 24 minutes' tone with a killer performance that featured the majority of his 34 points and a few SportsCenter worthy buckets.  His teammates eventually followed suit and put some legit screws to their opponents.  It turned out to be a little too little, a little too late, but more "late" than "little."  The Lakers' worst effort, and the Jazz couldn't pounce all over it.  If I'm the Lakers, I'm neither thrilled nor satisfied with the box score, but I'm not be losing sleep over it, either.

AK   

The Lakers entered Wednesday night's Game 2 against Utah having never lost on a night where Kobe Bryant was presented with an MVP trophy.  For that matter, the Lakers had yet to suffer a blemish during their playoff run, going a perfect 5-0.  Both records stayed pure after a 120-110 win over the Jazz.  The Lakers held the Jazz to 45% shooting and had plenty of practice defending them, what with the Jazz putting up 101 attempts (which dwarfed the Lakers' 68, although the home team's connected at 57%).   Along with racking up FGA's, the Jazz also seemed hell bent on picking up as many fouls as possible.  Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur each fouled out and Carlos Boozer spent most of the game in foul trouble, which helps explain LA's 43-16 advantage in FT's attempted.  Deron Williams came through with a monster second half (22/5, 4-4 from behind the arc), but his bad opening 24 minutes mirrored his teammates, who weren't able to put together a good rhythm before the break.

For their part, the Lakers occasionally suffered lapses on both sides of the ball (or simply competed against a quality playoff squad, depending on how realistic your POV), but were never in anything remotely resembling danger when it came to holding the stick's short end.  When they needed stops, they came.  When big shots were required, they fell.  Sasha Vujacic led the bench with a dozen points. Lamar Odom had sixteen boards and a pair of blocks to complement his 19 points, barely falling short of the scoring pace set by fellow starters Pau Gasol (20) and Derek Fisher (22).  And Kobe Bryant performed in a manner that confirmed his hardware worthiness, a 34/8/6 stat line on 11-18 shooting and a near perfect 11-12 at the line.

Finally, a factoid that occurred to me on this momentous day in Laker history. Kobe Bryant has never won MVP without playing a full season with Coby Karl.  Chew on that one for a while.

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK.

AK       

I'll give Denver credit.  They managed to do something that honestly I didn't think they had in them -- play 48 minutes of hard (though not necessarily smart) basketball, and even come from behind to close the game in the second half.  They were spirited (though not necessarily smart), spunky (see previous), and showed some fortitude (though not necessarily brains).   

Not that it mattered.

Despite the best push they saw in four tries from Denver and a game that frequently devolved into something that would have made Dr. James Naismith cry, the Lakers again showed they were too good for the Nuggets.  Final score, 107-101. LA breaks out the brooms and becomes the first Western Conference team to advance to the semifinals. Early, it was a combination of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  Late, it was a whole lot of Kobe, as No. 24 poured in 15 over the final eight minutes. 

I have no idea whether the folk icon was an NBA hoops fan, much less a supporter of that squad the Lakers beat down 102-84.  But anyone affiliated with Colorado on some level would be embarrassed by the horrific effort put forth by the hosting squad.  Not to downplay the excellence of the purple and gold, who played an extremely disciplined and efficient game on both sides of the ball.  After weathering a tight first half of Kobe Bryant foul trouble -- Pau Gasol's 13 points were key-- the Lakers blew the doors off in no time flat, quickly turning a must-win game for Denver into a laugher along the lines of Must-See TV.  The box score shows five Lakers in double figures, often the result of crisp ball movement that created 26 assists.  The Lakers also contested any and every ball put up by Denver, often forcing their opponent to take bad shots from a sizable distance.  They even limited Allen Iverson and Carmelo  Anthony to a combined 10-38 from the field.

-- Image courtesy of Rolling Stone

It was kind of like Game 1, in the sense that the Lakers received a superlative performance from a star player and won going away while down the stretch the Nuggets dissolved like Hammer's career.  But Wednesday night's 122-107 win also had some unique features, namely the 49 points and 10 assists from Kobe Bryant, who rebounded in the biggest way from a disappointing effort on Sunday.  The Nuggets threw the kitchen sink at 24, doing everything from working him one-on-one against Kenyon Martin or Linus Kleiza to zoning up the purple and gold to doubling him to get the ball out of his hands... and it's fair to say that none of it worked.  Early on, Kobe was red hot, drilling jumpers George Karl would call "undefendable."  Later, in a critical stretch of the third, Kobe became a distributor (five helpers in the quarter), tearing apart the Denver zone and giving his mates a host of easy looks.  Late, he was a lot a bit of everything, racking up 19 points on 6-7 from the floor while still logging three dimes. 

Just as they did on Sunday, the Lakers showed that they are clearly the better team.  More disciplined, more composed, more versatile. The Nuggets are talented enough to make the Lakers play- remember, Denver did win 50 games in a brutal Western Conference- but as long as the Lakers stick to what they do well, they're the better team. Tonight, while the effort wasn't necessarily even for all 48, LA did more than enough to get the job done.

AK with the breakdown below.

BK

UPDATE, 9:40 pm):  Woohoo!  After some technical struggles, we finally have video.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the new sights and sounds. 

One thing we all knew when the draw was finally set?  However many games the top seeded Lakers would have to play against #8 Denver, none of them would be boring.  Sunday afternoon's 128-114 win for the purple and gold was certainly no exception.  Nearly 200 shots from the floor, five technical fouls, a flagrant, and an ejection (the bulk tagged to Denver, not exactly a surprise since they're hardly the Lords of (Self) Discipline).  Still, when the final horn sounded, the Lakers were well in control, thanks to a punishing inside game led by Pau Gasol (36 points) and Lamar Odom (17).

LA established control early, building up as much as a 10 point lead in the first before giving six of those points back in the final 40 seconds of the quarter.  In the second, Denver made a push against an overmatched second unit, erasing the Laker lead and putting them down by as much as eight.  But over the final six minutes before the break, LA methodically chipped away at the Denver lead behind strong work from Gasol and (gasp!) some stops and forced turnovers on the other end.  In the third, LA blew the doors off the game, going up by 19 and allowing them to glide to a 1-0 series lead.

Was it art?  Not really.  Was it pretty good?  Yep.  A 14 point victory against a 50 win team isn't the worst thing in the world.

Click below for the breakdown. 

What team the Lakers will play when they open the postseason is yet to be determined.  But whoever it is- Dallas or Denver, depending on what happens around the Association Wednesday night- the purple and gold will enter the series as the top seed in the Western Conference, thanks to a 124-101 win over a shorthanded Sacramento Kings squad that capped off a wildly successful 57 win regular season.   As far as games go, this wasn't exactly Hollywood quality.   While the Lakers weren't exactly razor sharp, they opened the game on an 8-0 run and quite literally never lost control, leading from wire to wire.  The Lakers played like a team that knew they were better (considering the Kings were short Brad Miller, Kevin Martin, and Ron Ron, who can blame them?), cranking up the pace when necessary to give themselves some space.  That was never more true than during the decisive third quarter, in which the Lakers turned a 14 point halftime lead into a 29 point laugher. 

Everything went according to the script, and the Lakers were able to complete a very surprising journey to the top of the W.C.  I realize Mel Allen is a baseball guy, but whatever.  "How about that!" 

Click below for the breakdown.

Where the Lakers will finish in the Western Conference standings remains a mystery, with the oodles of pretzel logic tie-breaker scenarios still hanging over a multitude of squads.  But however the chips may fall, credit the Lakers for getting their personal mission done to help events shake out in their favor.  After going into the locker room at the half staring down a 53-squared score, the Lakers delivered a third and fourth quarter knockout punch, fueling a 106-85 crush job on the Spurs.  Over the second half, San Antonio was held to 30% shooting (rounded up), with Tony Parker scrounging up a measly bucket and Tim Duncan nabbing a quintet of points on a lousy 1-9 clip.  Meanwhile, the Lakers outboarded the Spurs by a baker's dozen (the same number of assists they logged), and apparently even did a good job guarding the free throw line, as the visitors managed a crummy 57% performance at a stripe not nearly charitable enough. 

Six Lakers finished in double figures, with Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol racking double-doubles.  Ball movement was also at a premium, as every Laker logged at least one assist (save Ira Newble, who only played four minutes).  If you're ultimately destined to wind up a three seed (through, as I said, rather convoluted means), heads can at least be held high if this is the box score behind such a conclusion.

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK

AK   

Which works out great, since the Lakers' 107-104 division snagging win certainly made things interesting.  Some would say unnecessarily so, given that the Lakers had jacked their lead up to 30 with a little more less than four minutes remaining in the second quarter.  Of course, that's right around when New Orleans made it clear that they weren't going anywhere, cutting the Laker lead to 20 before the halftime Gatorade and orange slices.  From there, it was a second half won by the visitors, who outscored the Lakers 59-42 despite the foul troubles of Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler.  Thankfully, the aforementioned cushion was enough to withstand the surge from New Orleans, some dry spells and a propensity to launch (and generally miss) from distance.  Still, by the time the smoke cleared, the box score read in LA's favor.

Beyond the "Gunning for first place in the West" subplot, the game was also being hyped as the "KB24 v. CP3 MVP voter guide." Paul's 15 points came off 4-13 shooting, but he did rack 17 dimes against a scant three turnovers, plus four steals.  All in all, a performance that was nothing to sneeze at.  Except it still fell short of Kobe's.  The New Jack Bauer went 9-17 from the floor and 8-10 from the line for his 29 points, tossing in 10 boards, eight dimes, and two steals against one lone turnover.  Coupled with the win and in my mind, it's "Advantage: Kobe."  Does that mean the night clinched the MVP for Bryant?  Only in the sense that I'd have voted for him to begin with.  But if you're undecided, I personally think it's kind of a cop out to use this game as a final measuring stick.  The two players in question weren't truly going head to head and one game doesn't equal an entire season.  I say, pick whoever you think had the best season and have the confidence to justify why, as opposed to relying on criteria that strikes me as gimmicky (for lack of a better description).  That being said, any voter who does take tonight with more than a grain of salt is likely more inclined to put an "X" next to Bryant's name.    

AK

BK's breakdown below.

As 28 point blowout wins in which star players get most or all of the forth quarter to chill on the bench in their warmups go, Thursday night's 106-78 defeat of the Clippers was kind of nondescript.  After yet another slow start let the LAC jump out to an early 11 point lead, with a 16-5 run over the last four minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers were able to finish the frame with a two point lead.  The Clips shot 50% over the opening 12 minutes, but from there the Lakers did a much better job defending their basket:  LAC shot 30.4% in the second (Lakers finish +7 in the quarter), 42% in the third (Lakers +3), and a minuscule 21% in the fourth (Lakers +16).  Put it all together, and at least half of the Staples crowd went home happy.  Remember, the Lakers wore purple tonight.

It was a big fourth quarter (more on that below) that let LA rest the starters in front of Friday night's pivotal matchup against the Hornets.  After the game, PJ said they'd be able to tell tomorrow if the extra pine time will make a difference, but I can't believe that it'll hurt. 

Six Lakers finish in double figures.  Kobe had a quiet 16, Pau Gasol 13, LO 14/13, Vladdy 11, Luke Walton a game high 18 (not a typo), and Jordan Farmar with 10.  Balance always treats the Lakers well.

AK with the breakdown below.

BK

"We got our (butts) whipped tonight."

I paraphrased Lamar Odom's quote to make it a little more PG-13, but I think that version of his capsule review for the Lakers' 112-103 loss to the Trailblazers works just as well.  Yet another "L" in the growing pile of defeats going down in the Northwest neck of the woods.  After the game, Phil Jackson joked again about negative effects the area's rain causes his squad ("They were raining pretty good out there, I'll tell you that").  Soaked weather may or may not be the true culprit, but it's nonetheless clear that drops of water falling from the sky doesn't bring out the best this purple and gold crew has to offer.  The Lakers got behind the eight ball during the first quarter, allowing Portland to shoot a... wait for it... blazing 57%, setting a tone for a night where Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye (subbing for an injured Joel Przybilla) scored 20+ each.  The second quarter ended with a ten point spread that could have been even bigger.  The Lakers came to life some down the stretch, making a game of it during sections of the third and especially the fourth quarters.  But by the time any box score became official, the Lakers were looking at the bum end of a decision. 

The breakdown is below.

For the first twelve minutes or so, it looked like the Lakers were in for a long night, and might even squander the golden opportunity to stretch their lead in the Pacific after Phoenix folded in the fourth like a hold 'em player dealt an off suited two-seven.  But after knocking out the kinks, LA dominated the rest of the way, cranking up the D, shoring up some sloppiness offensively, and outscoring Sacramento by 10 in the second quarter, 12 in the third, and four in the fourth on their way to a 114-92 win.  As I've mentioned before in situations like this, when the Lakers beat another NBA team by 22 points, there's generally not much to complain about, so you'll see a lot of "Good" in the breakdown below.  Big games from the starters, especially Vlad Radmanovic, who poured in 21 points and a career high 14 boards.  Kobe had 29, LO a strong 16, Pau Gasol 20/9. 

Read more about it below. 

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, since there are still consequences a-plenty attached to the  purple and gold home stretch.  But with their 112-108 win over the Mavs, the Lakers did indeed manage to secure themselves a piece of the postseason action.  Kobe and the Gang joined the New Orleans Hornets as the first squads to lock up a spot in the playoffs of an absurdly tight Western Conference.  It ain't easy getting an invite to this particular dance, but to beat every challenger to the punch is a real achievement.  Thus, it's fairly appropriate that the victory marking this milestone would come in no easy fashion.  After falling behind during a first half that concluded with a ten point Dallas advantage, the Lakers didn't regain a lead until the contest's final 2:20.  And only during those last forty seconds did they manage to keep it for good.  Huge games for the Laker's three-headed monster of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.  All three hit the 20+ point mark, with Kobe and LO racking double-doubles.  Kudos were also in order for Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, both for hitting some big shots down the stretch, but playing the entire fourth frame where Dallas was held to a paltry 39% shooting.

AK

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK

For the Laker Nation, the return of Pau Gasol naturally sparked visions of a return to the 16-2 dominance "The Spaniard Era" brought before his injury.  But the first twelve minutes of this 104-91 win over the Blazers felt dangerously similar to some of the nonsense going on during the struggles of the last week or so.  Failure to guard the three point line, allowing this particular opponent 6-12 makes from a downtown distance.  Coming up short on the glass (13-9 Blazer advantage).  Seven purple and gold turnovers that cut down on any ability to effectively defend.  When it was done, the Lakers were down 31-26, and looked like they were building the foundation for a night spent playing catch up.  But the second quarter brought about some order, along with a 50-50 tie at the half.  From there, it was all Lakers. 

In particular, the third quarter helped blow open the contest, with some absurdly stiff defense holding the Blazers to 22% from the field.  All five Laker starters hit double figures (along with Jordan Farmar's 10 off the pine), but it was Kobe Bryant shining the brightest in one of his best games of the season.  36 points on 10-16 shooting to go with 13 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals and just one turnover.  Fourteen of those points came during the final frame, including back-to-back trey balls that tilted the box score in his squad's favor.

AK

The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK

It didn't come quick.  It didn't come easy.  And it didn't come without a boatload of three balls getting hoisted and drained by both sides (interesting nugget of trivia to come later). But when the dust finally settled on the five minutes of extra hoops required to create an outcome, the Lakers were sitting on top of a 126-120 win over the Wizards.  Seven Lakers notched double figure tallies (the five starters, plus Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton off the bench) and the Lakers bested their opponents in the rebounding (44-43), diming (35-29) and blocking battles (9-5).  Kobe Bryant's team-leading 26 points came off a tough 7-24 shooting clip, but he kept a constant eye out for his teammates, helping set up 13 baskets while only turning the ball over once.

Finaly, the trivia.  As mentioned, both squads were scorching from downtown, the Lakers hitting 14-27 (52%) and the Wiz knocking down 17-30 (57%).  Overall, the home team was 50% from the field and the visitors 47%.  Thus, tonight marked the first time where two teams sported a better three-point percentage (with a minimum of 27 attempts per side) than straight up field goal percentage since the addition of the arc itself.  Should any member of the blogosphere end up on Jeopardy! and this answers the Daily Double, the K Brothers expect a cut of the winnings.

The Breakdown is below (courtesy of BK)

AK

With any luck, the Lakers will start playing some legitimate title-contending, cream of the crop, elite squads ASAP, because this two-game stretch against a pair of the NBA's worst is killing them. Wednesday's loss against the Charlotte Bobcats went coupled with tonight's 114-111 fall to the Grizzlies, a squad rarely associated with the word "powerhouse," especially on the road. So what accounted for Grizz's sixth victory outside of Memphis?  Well, outside of a honkin' 53 points from Kobe Bryant (19-37 from the field), there wasn't a ton of scoring support. The only other Lakers to reach double figures were Jordan Farmar (11) and Sasha Vujacic, who required 17 shots to rack 14 points.  The Machine's errant touch reflects one where the team shot a paltry 39% from the field.  And speaking of inefficient, the Lakers chucked a franchise-record 45 balls from downtown.  (Before you ask, not a typo.)

That's just crazy enough to not work. 

But despite the madness and mostly poor defense, the Lakers did manage to stage a rally and offer themselves a shot at a tie at the end of regulation.  But with .9 ticks remaining and (ironically enough) a trey needed to knot things up, Luke Walton attempted to force an inbound pass to Kobe rather than use a 20-second time out still in his pocket.  The ball gets batted away, along with any shot at a winning box score. 

AK (The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK)

But tonight didn't feature one of those methods.

Any team can go out and do the expected.  It takes a special one to consistently shock the world.  The Lakers have done just that, almost exclusively for the good, for most of the '07-'08 season. Running their way to the top of the Western Conference.  Swinging a trade for Pau Gasol.  Losing on their home court by 13 to the 25 win Charlotte Bobcats.  What, you thought all the shocks had to be positive?  Nope, Wednesday night in their 108-95 loss to the Bobcats at Staples, the L.A. pulled a fast one on everyone who assumed this would be an easy win (presumably, that includes the Lakers themselves, judging by their faire play), and not only gave away the game, but all important position in the ludicrously crowded Western Conference.  AK has the breakdown below, which given that they just lost by 13 to one of the worst teams in the league (I mentioned that, right?) is light on "Good," heavy on everything else.

BK

First things first: If the Lakers and Warriors meet in a seven game series this postseason, I'm asking for a raise.  I think I developed carpel tunnel just trying to keep up with this game, which moved so fast that for the play-by-play the PR folk hand out after each quarter, they had to use, like, three point font just to get it on a standard sheet of paper.  Just putting that out there.  This is the blogging equivalent of hazard pay.  But enough about me, how about them Lakers?  It wasn't always easy, and it definitely wasn't always pretty, but in the end the Lakers took the away portion of the home and home with Golden State, 123-119 in OT.  It's already past 11 and my flight's at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so you'll forgive me if there's not much preamble to tonight's breakdown, which can be found below.

(In the meantime, there will be much debate about the wisdom of the crucial whistle in the OT, where Monta Ellis was called for a charge moving through Derek Fisher as the Warriors tried to set up their final shot.  Needless to say, it was controversial.  Even Fish said he didn't expect a call there...)

When the Lakers kicked off this four-game roadie against a quartet of Western Conference playoff contenders, I said a 2-2 split would have been all good with me.  A 106-95 win over the jazz created said split, so as one would suspect, I am indeed happy.  More specifically, I was happy with how the events of this particular win played out.  The Lakers jumped all over Utah early on, going up by 20 to conclude the first and taking a 15-point lead into the locker room at the half.  But as good teams often do, the Jazz found a way to get it rolling (a method that often involved putting the Lakers in the penalty), actually outscoring the Lakers 50-46 for the second half.  They also whittled the lead down to eight in the fourth with just under four minutes to play.  Plenty of time to make things uncomfortably interesting. But instead of getting themselves neck deep in trouble and squeaking out a win (like Tuesday in Dallas), the Lakers bent a little, but never came close to breaking.  Every punch was met with a counter punch, and often one bigger than the hit they took.  Happy box score prevails.  The Lakers hold their own during their last truly tough stretch of games (road or otherwise).  Good vibes prevail heading back to L.A. 

Would have been the perfect night if USC also did their jobs against K-State, but I guess fairy tales endings only happen in movies starring green ogres, Andre the Giant or hookers with a heart of gold.

The breakdown is below.   

NOTE: AK had some serious tech issues both at the Arena and the hotel.  Thus, there's a lot that didn't make it in, or did... but perhaps rather less elegantly than he'd prefer.  That which is missing he'll try to deliver Wednesday. 

But more on that in a bit. 

Whatever complaints I have on the evening, I imagine they're all canceled out to some degree (at least in a Laker fan's head) by tonight's 102-100 win over the Mavericks.  The victory featured its fair share of chills, thrills, spills, good, bad, and ugly.  The Lakers came out of the gate humming on all cylinders, racking 59 points while holding the Mavs to 38 points and 33% from the field.  After halftime Gatorade and orange slices, the good times kept going for the Lakers, until, oh, about three minutes short of the end of the third.  At that point, L.A. enjoyed a comfortable 22 point lead, and seemed destined to win in shockingly convincing fashion.  Unfortunately for them, league rules insisted the Lakers play until the last of the third... and fair to say the final fifteen minutes belonged to the Mavs. 

Dallas shaved the Laker lead was shaved down to one, and had Dirk Nowitzki's prayer at the buzzer found some cord (or if NBA games were 49 minutes), we'd be having a very different conversation right now.

Click below for the breakdown.

Given that the Rockets came into Sunday's game the winners of 21 straight, are one of the league's best defensive teams, and the Lakers had all of one day to adjust their offense and defense to life without Pau Gasol (temporary as it might hopefully be), it's fair to say that the Lakers faced an uphill battle.  The Vegas money, as they say, was on the Rockets... and it turns out there's a reason Vegas always does so well.  Those are some smart dudes out in the desert.  Final score, 104-92, bad guys.  L.A. fell behind early and found themselves down 15 at the half.  An effective third quarter and a strong start to the fourth got them close, but down the stretch couldn't sustain the momentum on either end.  Kobe decided to put this one on his back, and in the end, it fell off. 

Click below for the breakdown.

Ordinarily, losing a game to an elite level conference rival in the midst of a tight race for the top seed in the playoffs (or, if you prefer, a tight race not to drop down the ladder) would be enough to prompt a frown or two.  That the Lakers took care of with a 108-98 loss to the Hornets Friday night in New Orleans.  But in news that will absolutely not rotate that frown in the slightest, the Lakers may have lost Pau Gasol for a while.  He went down at the 9:27 mark of the first quarter after stepping on Vlad Radmanovic's foot and rolling his ankle, didn't return, and left the arena after the game on two of the longest freakin' crutches I've ever seen and sporting a walking boot, which apparently the Lakers buy in bulk.  He'll be reevaluated in Houston, but short of divine intervention, won't play Sunday against the Rockets, or likely the rest of the trip.  (Phil Jackson said he'd be "ecstatic... well, maybe not ecstatic, but, you know, happy" if Gasol was able to suit up before the Lakers return home.)

After the game, Gasol said he'd rolled the same left ankle in training camp with the Grizzlies, and it took about 10 days to heal.  He said this one felt "similar," but he didn't look like a guy who thinks he'll be back in a few days.  The Lakers, then, will need to prepare for a run without any of their primary bigs in the lineup. 

The effects of his absence were felt in the second half, when the Hornets came out strong, crashed the boards and got inside, while the Lakers because almost exclusively a perimeter team.  Jackson said they'll get to practice tomorrow in Houston and work on a plan to try and keep the offense moving.  Meanwhile, it'll be bigger minutes for Ronny Turiaf, more time for LO down low, and some burn for DJ Mbenga.  But no question, this one hurts.  A lot.

Click below for the breakdown:

Or, more accurately, "Udrih," as in "Beno."  And for those perhaps unfamiliar with Beno Udrih, he's the Sacramento point guard whose 25 points and 10 dimes laid the foundation for a 114-113 loss to the Kings Sunday night at Staples.  Of course, the dude had some help, and not just from his teammates.  L.A. put themselves in a big hole over the first 24 minutes with some exceedingly loose play- too many turnovers, lack of attention to the defensive glass, bad transition D- and were unable to climb out of it, despite dotting more i's and crossing more t's in the second half.  Still, they had a chance to win after Pau Gasol dropped in a baby hook off a great Derek Fisher feed to give the Lakers a one point lead with only 15 ticks to go.  Then, in one of the stranger sequences you'll see, Sasha Vujacic fouled Udrih from the seat of his short pants, sending him to the line where he made both FTs.  One point lead for the Kings.  After a timeout, the Lakers got the ball to Kobe, trying to get him an isolation and a decent look for the last shot, but John Salmons and Mikki Moore combined for some good D to force an awkward fall-away J.  No go.  No comeback.  No joy in Mudville (or the box score).

AK with the breakdown below. 

BK

Remember that perimeter shooting slump we'd all been talking about over the last few games?  Well, if the third quarter of Friday night's intra-city matchup with the Clippers is any indication, it might be over.  The Lakers blew the doors off what had been a reasonably competitive, albeit boring, game with a parade of triples, helping them outscore the LAC 35-16 in the quarter on their way to a 119-82 win.  Seven times over that decisive 12 minutes they fired from outside, six times they found nothing but cord.  Given that the Clippers are rather ill equipped these days for stirring, cinematic comebacks, at that point it all that remained was Taco Watch... and even that didn't have much drama, since the Clippers began the fourth with 57 points. 

It was nice to see the Lakers run away with one and give Kobe a chance to rest.  When he was on the court, 24 didn't need to do a whole lot, taking only nine shots, making five, heading to the line four times on his way to a free and easy 16, then trailing the offensively inert Quentin Ross on the other end before sitting out the fourth.  This was about as close to a Ferris Bueller day as Kobe gets. 

Click below for the breakdown.

More specifically, the final 5:56 minutes, when the Lakers finally came to life and put down Sacramento 117-105.  Until then, this game was quite the herky jerky affair, one where the Lakers continually turned the ball over (10 in the first half alone), continually got torched on defense (the opening three quarters were a struggle to keep Sacto below 50%) and continually struggled to get much going.  To make matters worse, the numero uno fella, the dude they call "Kobe," was mostly ineffective with the rock, missing 13 of his first 20 shots.  Any signs of life was inevitably steamrolled by a counteracting Sacto push.  Chippiness reared a head often more frustrated than spirited.  Both Phil Jackson and Kobe talked about a lack of familiarity causing a problem (Believe it or not, this is actually the season's first meeting between these two divisional rivals).  And given how out of sorts the Lakers looked throughout the majority of the game, that's easy to believe. 

But then came the last six minutes of the last quarter.  The defense tightened (highlighted by a 24-second violation forced).  The Kings went cold (26% from the field).  And Kobe did his thing, pouring in