The Lakers will face the Spurs in the 1st round of the playoffs and, for all intents and purposes, this is the best match up the Lakers could have hoped for. Not because the Spurs are a bad team — they finished 2nd in the West for a reason — or because there’s some underlying […]
NBA Playoffs
Wednesday Storylines
As Darius wrote yesterday, the Heat and the Thunder have been on a collision course all season. Game one was terrific last night. One of the things that I enjoyed most was watching Fish play – 25 minutes, 3 of 5 shooting, and all the little five-rings things. If he gets number six, I’ll be […]
Fast Break Thoughts: The NBA Finals
It’s always a bitter feeling when the Finals roll around and the Lakers aren’t participating – especially when they’re one of the handful of teams with legitimate title aspirations. But, for the second season in a row, this is where we sit. However, as a basketball fan, this Finals match up is one that intrigues […]
Friday Forum
Basketball continues along its duel tracks, with the playoffs marching toward the final round and the rest of the teams proceeding into their seasons of change. It’s as evident here as anywhere. With Kobe heading toward his 17th season, management can ill afford to tinker and wait. Darius recently wrote about team building and the need […]
Wednesday Storylines
It’s been interesting, watching the battle between old and young throughout the playoffs. The final four is mostly three parts veteran, one part youth. Tonight could be curtains for the San Antonio Spurs, facing elimination at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder represent the last opportunity for some semblance of the NBA’s next generation to […]
Game 5 Preview and Chat: The Oklahoma City Thunder
I’m not sure there are many people that expect a Laker win tonight. They’re on the road, are coming off a meltdown loss that triggered some finger pointing comments, and it’s all under the backdrop of the Lakers performing poorly in these types of games (see game 4, Mavericks, 2011 playoffs). Add in several other […]
Lakers/Thunder Game 4: It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
If you missed this game, I feel sorry for you and envy you at the same time. The Lakers played hard tonight. Coming off a back to back game, I feared for how their legs would hold up. I feared how a young, talented, and vengeful Thunder team would take it to them mercilessly. I […]
Game 4 Preview and Chat: The Oklahoma City Thunder
Last night the Lakers won a game at the FT line and that seems to have sparked some controversy about the nature of the calls, the refereeing, and what that meant about the game. So, before I get into anything about game 4, let me say this… When it comes to the refereeing, I’ve always […]
Game 3 Preview & Chat: The Oklahoma City Thunder
The Lakers enter game three as desperate as they could be. Wednesday’s game two offered a roadmap to victory but the Lakers veered of course before their destination, driving off a cliff to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Tonight they’ll need to be better for longer or risk having the final nail put […]
Friday Forum
There’s something of a lull before the storm when it comes to the Lakers and the media right now, especially the national media. The team’s in a tough spot but it’s too risky to write them off. A win tonight will tilt articles toward redemption possibilities, and a loss will bring out the doomsday scenarios. […]