Let’s start with good news. The Lakers catch the Jazz on the second game of a back-to-back, and one where they have to fly in from Salt Lake. The Jazz are 3-1 on the second game of back-to-backs this season, and they come in to Staples having beat San Antonio last night. Remembering the last […]
Archives for November 2006
Suggested Reading
Two things of note I wanted to point you toward. One is Roland Lazenby’s interview with Laker assistant coach and NBA player in the 80s and 90s Brian Shaw. Some very interesting stuff (as always from Roland): “You have someone like Kobe who is so competitive and so dominant,†Shaw observed. “When he senses that […]
It’s the Defense, Stupid
Plenty of frustration after the Lakers loss last night, and frankly there are some chilling big picture issues right now. That said, some of the frustration is misplaced. Yes, the zone defense seemed to again befuddle the Lakers. Yes, the Lakers settled to quickly for the three against the zone. Yes, there were 19 turnovers. […]
Preview and Chat: The Milwaukee Bucks
Thanks. Just want to say a quick thank you to Rob and Gatinho for holding down the fort here while I spent four days unplugged/with the family/overeating/mourning Notre Dame. Great job, as always, guys. 50 ways to beat the East. Looking for a good reason to bet the Lakers tonight? How about this: In the […]
His Words Were His Legacy
“The first and only “voice” of the Lakers for more than 40 years, Francis “Chick” Hearn taught the game of NBA basketball to Los Angeles while providing his “word’s eye view” for an unprecedented streak of 3,333 games. His style and innovation will influence every basketball announcer and broadcast forever.” -from the Staples Center plaque […]
Preview and Chat: The New Jersey Nets
All That Jazz The Lakers need to bounce back after a tough loss on the road. The Utah game went down to the wire, but the Lakers let Boozer, Okur and Williams get double-doubles. That won’t win you many games. On the positive side, turnovers were at a season low 11, Odom looked aggressive and […]
Preview and Chat: The Utah Jazz
How is Utah 11-1? The answer is offense. Right now the Jazz are the best offense in the NBA, racking up 115.2 points per 100 possessions, much better than second place Detroit (111.9) and far ahead of the 10th-ranked Lakers (107.2). The Jazz are shooting a very nice 52.6% (eFG%) as a team, but more […]
Happy Thanksgiving
Before I head off to a tryptophan-induced coma and to watch my weekly football pool fall apart, just wanted to wish all of you a happy holiday. I, like you, have a lot to be thankful for (and a first-place Laker team is on that list, albeit fairly far down), you don’t have to look […]
Laker/Clipper Thoughts
Welcome to first place, the view is amazing from up here. Can’t quite see all the way to the playoffs from this vantage point, but I bet on a clear day…. There were a lot of things to like out of last night, and not just frustrating Clipper fans. Here are a few notes I […]
Preview and Chat: The Los Angeles Clippers
UPS. We’re not the nickname-giving type of blog, but we love the suggestion from Dan to start calling Kwame Brown “UPS†— What Can Brown Do For You? Tonight he may need to do a lot, his slow introduction back into the Laker rotation will get a jump start as the Lakers look to match […]