Box Score: Lakers 102, Clippers 107

If you didn’t watch the game, don’t let that score fool you.

It was another one of those games where the Lakers weren’t in control for most of the game. They did have that one fleeting chance to steal the victory; that was when they were down, 99-97. Unfortunately, Dwight Howard fouled out after getting Chris Paul from behind with the body (hey, hey, this is a family-oriented blog). Kobe’s three went in and out the following possession. Then CP3 basically sealed it with a long two.

Are we tired of Kobe carrying the Lakers this entire time? Yes, he’s fun when he explodes like this but he was supposed to take a much lighter load this season and he’s taken the heavy load pretty much in every game. 38 points and an efficient 15-25 shooting, even though a lot of them were tough jumpers.

Dwight Howard went for 21 and 15. The Lakers made a concerted effort to get him going early. But he seemed like he was cruising out there like most of the team. Steve Nash had 12 points (on four shots) and 10 assists and I think he needed to shoot more since most of the other guys outside of Kobe and maybe Dwight aren’t doing it offensively. Jodie Meeks was a maddening 3 of 13 for 14 points. I can only laugh like an idiot when he drives in but it has to be one of the more frustrating sights for the Laker fans.

Oh, yeah. Pau Gasol.

If you can find me another game that’s worse than this performance, let me know. Pau Gasol went for a quiet two points and four boards in 27 minutes today. For the most part, he was hanging out on the perimeter, where you don’t want him. And then when he’s at the post, he can’t even jump over a snail. Pau has no lift whatsoever and it makes us think on whether he should get more rest or he really has lost that much confidence on his game. So is this what Coach Mike D’Antoni and Pau talked about during their dinner date? Tell Gasol to hang around the outside and be Quentin Richardson or Steve Novak? He only got into the fourth quarter because Jordan Hill (13 points and 7 rebounds), one of the few players that played really well in this game, hurt his leg late in the game. I’m a huge defender of Pau but even I think he needs a change of scenery at this point. Maybe Atlanta. Toronto. Spain. Antarctica. Saturn. Anywhere.

Anyway, the Clippers basically did whatever they wanted. Chris Paul put Darius Morris in a blender earlier, it wasn’t even funny. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan were having magic carpet flights all over Staples Center. And all the Clippers were outhustling the Lakers for most of the game (47-36 rebound edge by the Clips). If it wasn’t for a late rally by the Lakers and if Jamal Crawford actually played in the game (he sat out with a sore foot), the Clippers would’ve won by 147 points. Defense for the Lakers in this game (most of the season) is like me trying to speak Swahili.

So Dwight is still banged up. Pau Gasol probably wants his mommy. Jodie Meeks is stumbling all over the place when he’s dribbling. Jordan Hill’s injuries are mounting up. There are also point guard woes outside of Steve Nash. And the Lakers are being carried by a 17-year shooting guard veteran who somehow still leads the league in scoring. I’m not sure if it’s been brought up before here but at what point do we just say that this team is mediocre? It’s been 32 games. They’re 15-17. They’d have to go 35-15 the rest of the way to win 50 games. And they’ll likely need to win 45 games to make the postseason in the West. Hello? Anybody?

If the Lakers learn that a basketball game is being played for 48 minutes… if Dwight Howard gets healthy… if Steve Nash can regain his MVP form… if Metta World Peace can consistently hit his shot… if Steve Blake becomes the answer to their back-up point guard woes… if Kobe Bryant can keep up his stupendous season… if Jordan Hill can continue his hustle and stay healthy…

Yeah, there are too many ifs. Until they prove they can actually win basketball games, the Lakers will continue to be a mediocre team. Yeah. I wish I could shut my playboy mouth but this is the reality.

Be right back. I’m going to start digging graves.

Oh, yeah. Congrats, Phil and Jeanie. Hey, I had to end it at a positive note somehow.

Box Score: Lakers 115, Mavericks 89

On one hand, I was thinking to myself, “Is this a mirage?”

On the other hand, I was grinning from ear to ear. And I’m sure so did a lot of you readers and the other Laker faithful.

The Lakers absolutely hammered the Mavericks from the start. And I can describe the difference with just one word: energy.

They did not look like a team that played their fourth game in five days. Metta World Peace set the tone by scoring the Lakers’ first ten points. He made his first six shots and finished the first quarter with 16 points.

From there, the rest of the Lakers got involved. Dwight Howard was altering nearly every shot the Mavs put up. Darius Morris, while still raw, was fearless driving into the hole. Kobe Bryant had a huge second quarter. Pau Gasol was schooling people in the post. Antawn Jamison was everywhere. Chris Duhon was providing some timely plays. And Jodie Meeks seemed to hit everything in sight. All in all, it was the best collective game by the Lakers this season.

They beat the Mavs in nearly every facet of the game. The Lakers manhandled the Mavs on the boards (61-39, Jamison had 15 rebounds to go along with his 19 points). Suddenly, they looked like a fantastic three-point shooting team; they made 8 out of 10 in the first half and ended up shooting 12/22 (.545) from behind the arc. And it was nice to see great defensive rotations by the Lakers, which had been a problem all season. Very surprising to see Dallas come out flat but, of course, very encouraging for the Lakers.

If there was anything that Laker fans should be nitpicky about? The 19 turnovers. They were very good at taking care of the ball under D’Antoni in their first three games but they’ve had 37 giveaways over the last two. Jodie Meeks probably shouldn’t be allowed to dribble a basketball and Kobe forced too many bad passes and shots (he had six turnovers in the game). And while the Mavs did go on a 14-1 run late in the third quarter, the Lakers were able to suppress the Mavs in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers scored 115 points in this game but nobody scored 20. How’s that for balance? And holding the Mavs to 89 points is even more impressive. They held O.J. Mayo to 13 points (he was 7th in scoring coming into the game with 22.2 PPG) and Darren Collison was handcuffed to 1 for 10 shooting and 2 points. Scoring on the Lakers tonight was like people trying to beat Battletoads for the 8-Bit Nintendo; it was just too hard to do.

So the Lakers get their first road win out of the way and are now back on .500. They don’t play again until Tuesday when they go back to Staples to battle the inconsistent Indiana Pacers. But who am I to call the Pacers inconsistent when the Lakers have been just as bad? I suppose we’ll see on Tuesday.

Sometimes, you have to hit the bottom first before you make that way back to the top. Great win by the Lakers.

Now go drink some beverages on this beautiful Saturday night!

Box Score: Lakers 95, Clippers 105

Well, that was, um, ugly.

I feel like we’re saying the same things we’ve been saying the last few days.

But it just NEVER felt like the Lakers were in this game. And they were basically without their prized acquisitions in the summer. Steve Nash was out because of his injury. Dwight Howard was in foul trouble the entire time. And at this point, I know Kobe Bryant doesn’t want to carry much of the burden on the offense but he had to because his weapons that were with him were just not… as effective.

Pau Gasol did have a double-double (10 points and 14 boards) but he only got to double digits in points because of garbage time. Dwight Howard did have 13 points in the game but, again, he was pretty limited because of foul trouble. You’d normally want Howard to play 35+ minutes but he only played 29 out there. He would’ve fouled out had they called a foul on Dwight when he got tangled up with Blake Griffin.

As for Kobe Bryant? He scored 40 points and, again, it was because he had to take over. He continues to be efficient and has been doing well under… well, is this even the Princeton offense anymore? They look like such a mess (20 turnovers) that I have no idea what they’re running anymore. Maybe they should make it simpler. Have a kindergarten offense or something because having a Princeton offense might be too difficult for these guys.

I’m not sure if Mike Brown’s going to continue to preach patience because, quite frankly, his seat is really smoking right now. Brown’s calling card is defense and, well, they haven’t shown they can even guard lampposts. Chris Paul was so good tonight that no fourth quarter takeover was needed. CP3 had 18 points and 15 assists. Caron Butler helped them get off to a good start in the first half (14 points total). And Jamal Crawford (their new sixth man) dropped 21 points on them. Blake Griffin didn’t even have a good game. That’s how bad the Lakers played today.

The Lakers… just look depressing on both sides of the ball. I don’t know how else to put it. Yeah, they shot well (50 percent) but if they keep losing possessions by being careless with the basketball, what good is it?

Go ahead. Fire away on the comments. I wanna be left alone with some Linkin Park and some… beverages.